Solanin (Manga Review)

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There is a saying that goes "Sometimes you don't choose the book, the book chooses you." In my case "Solanin" by Inio Asano chose me to take it away from Borders bookstore. I must say that I do not regret buying this book. This has to be one of the best Manga's I've read in a long time. However just because I like it, does that mean you should invest in it?



Synopsis - After graduating from college, Meiko went straight to work as an office lady, but she can't help feeling there should be something more to life. Determined to find a worthier goal, she quits work, but can she actually make her neubulous dreams come true- and how will her sudden decision affect her relationship with her boyfriend Taneda?

Story - This is one of the most realistic Manga's I've ever read. The story is something a lot of college graduates can relate too. The main character Meiko Inoue is out of college and working in a job she hates. Even with her degree she doesn't know what direction she wants to go in her life. Meiko in the beginning starts off as this depressed woman, with a serious distaste for society. She hates everything from her co-workers, her boss and sometimes the love her life is annoying. The only time Meiko finds some type of solace is with a cat she has lunch with at work. But all that changes when Meiko starts to question her life and direction. She quits her job and never looks back. This causes a little tension between her boyfriend Taneda and her. Taneda is a freelance illustrator and he doesn't get paid enough for rent. With Meiko quitting her job, Taneda feels a lot of pressure to see how they will make ends meet. Lucky for them Meiko saved most of the money and is able to survive for a couple of months to a year. During this time Meiko and Taneda try to use this time to find their calling in life.

I won't go into much more detail since this is spoiler free. However Inio Asano has written an amazing Manga. Once you finish reading this Manga you will be questioning your future, and whether the direction you wanted to take was by choice or circumstantial. I think many us in the age range of 21 - 25 have this feeling of insecurity. A feeling of whether we will make it to our dreams and ambitious. The Manga is 426 pages long. I read the book in one day, I couldn't put it down. The characters are all interesting and all have a personal demon to face. My favorite character is Taneda which is Meiko boyfriend. Out of all the characters which I won't say. Taneda to me is the most torture, he relies on girlfriend, his job pays shit and his dreams of being a musician never happen. He's what many in society will call a failure. But what makes Taneda so interesting is he's able to keep going forward. That's what I really like about him, but I'll just say this his strength doesn't last long. Overall this a must read for everyone who wants a realistic Manga, that might hit close to home.

Art - I love the artwork in this Manga. The way Inio Asano does the facial expressions is outstanding. Everything is detail from the environments, to real photo use for buildings to give you a real Japan feel. For a book that's in black and white. I was amazing how great the use of lighting was in this. Their is a great shot of the sun overcasting on Taneda face, to show where the sun will be position had it been seen. The art is amazing. Here is a quick look below.



Final Grade A+ - Solanin is one Manga that will move you once it's finish. It is a very emotional book because it can be anyone of us. Inio Asano has created a world that is surreal and true for you to relate too. It just doesn't give a taste of Japanese life, but a taste of life for the younger generation period. The characters are wonderful and when tragedy strikes it will hit you. You will cheer for them and hope for the best. However in Solanin solace is the name of the game. Final Grade is an A+

Solanin is now a movie check out the trailer below

Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright Trailer

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Okay, you know what Nintendo? Here's my wallet. Just take everything, seriously.
This probably the best thing I've seen all week.


Story Details:
[Professor Hershel Layton and Phoenix Wright (Ryuichi Naruhodo) finding themselves in a different world. They come to the medieval city of Labyrinth City, where reality and illusions are intertwined. This strange town is also home to witches, who hide in the shadows, and is a place where magic is real. It has also been home to a number of impossible occurrences of late.

The city is controlled by a villain named Story Teller. The story he writes with his pen becomes reality as the future of the world.

Layton will find himself faced with all new puzzles. As for Phoenix Wright, the person who seeks his help this time has been accused of witch craft.

The trial that takes place in this world is "Majo Saiban," or "Witch Trial."]

(Copypasta from the description in the youtube link.)

This is probably going to be game of the century. Definitely.


MorphX Review

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While everyone was at the NYCC the last week and playing new games and seeing all sorts of cool things, I was stuck over in Europe and went to the Edelweiss Mountains and did all sorts of hiking. Not so fun when you’re afraid of heights. Guess who’s afraid of heights?

After I returned home, I went to my local game shop and found two things that caught my eye: A fresh copy of Odin Sphere for a mere five dollars, and MorphX, a game that I completely have not heard of going for the pretty reasonable price of $30.

I purchased both games without hesitation and went home later that evening sort of excited to play a game and not knowing what to expect. It wasn’t until much later that I realized that I should have just left with Odin Sphere.

Right of the bat we’re treated by yet another tough, grizzled, and gravelly voiced main character narrating the prologue of the game. From what I was able to gather, the game is set in a grim future where an alien species has invaded and destroyed most of the earth. Apparently the aliens were able to wipe out most of the countries in a single day, but for some reason, just kind of dicked around for about five years in Moscow or something until our “hero” decided to do something. Unfortunately, I’ll never be able to know what exactly our hero was trying to do, because he wakes up in a cave with no memory as to who he is or what he was doing in the cave in the first place. I’ve played through the game and even checked the instruction manual to see if this guy has any sort of identity. Since my super duper research yielded no results, I’m going to refer to the main character as “Morphin’ Mike” from now on.

After a short while, Mike gets rescued by his fellow Russian comrades and almost immediately after that is attacked by his fellow Russian comrades because they think he’s an “infiltrator.” The game uses this word a couple of times but it doesn’t really tell you just what an infiltrator is. Leaving you confused seems to be a running theme with this game or something because I never knew what I was doing or why I was doing it.

The movement controls are kind of janky, and there’s no ability to walk or slow down, so just lightly nudging the analog stick forward sends Mike into a full run in whichever direction you chose. This wouldn’t be that much of a problem if the game didn’t try to put some awful precision plat-forming segments in most levels with the fact that Mike isn’t a very good jumper.

Shooting at enemies tends to flip between rather decent at times to just horrible for a few reasons. The aiming reticule has a tendency to auto lock onto the closest enemy. It’s not a weak auto-lock like most shooters have either; the thing practically sticks right onto an enemy so even if you try to aim a bit to the right, the reticule will just snap right back to the enemy. It later becomes really annoying when you have to aim around enemies or when there are a large number of them on screen and Morphin’ Mike insists on shooting the monster that is the least threatening to you. There are a few sections where the game requires you to hop on a mounted gun and shoot down a large amount of enemies. These are by far the least challenging parts of the game. No joke, you can complete most of these parts by just aiming down the middle of the screen and firing nonstop thanks to the ridiculously powerful auto-lock system.

Melee combat is another matter entirely. It doesn’t require any real skill; you can just run right up to an enemy and just mash on the attack button a whole bunch to get the job done. Nothing in this game flinches though, so even when you’re wailing on them with a lead pipe they’ll still be shooting/stabbing you the whole time, though it’s no big deal though since enemies get progressively easier to take out as you get stronger.

The game doesn’t give you a nice selection of weapons really either, or any selection of weapons rather. During the time I spent with the game, I only found maybe four different types of melee weapons, and two different guns. But it doesn’t make a big difference really since they mostly have the same properties.

It makes even less of a difference when roughly two hours into the game, Mike… morphs… and permanently gets a blade grafted to his arm making me wonder why I spent my time looking for these weapons. And later, you have no need for guns because Morphin’ Mike does his thing again and gets an arm cannon and plasma grenades. Neither of which ever run out of ammo.

This makes me really confused, because even after you finish upgrading and have no need for ammo or weapons, the game still leaves tons of ammo crates and weapons lying around for you to not ever pick up.

This makes the difficulty another thing worth mentioning if this game.

The game gets progressively easier as you go on, but it’s not necessarily from skill. Mike gets stronger as he morphs and the monsters you fight don’t really change a whole lot in their power level. Running low on health was never an issue for me it would always regenerate outside of combat, and there are even health “biomasses” scattered around stages in case you ever needed some serious healing. They’re kind of like Half Life’s own health stations, except to use them you have to pause the game to go to a menu where you can decide how much health you want to take. The biomasses also can regenerate health so you can keep returning to them to get health back as many times as you want. And if the limitless supplies of health weren’t enough, whenever you kill an alien you can absorb them and get health back also.

Mike acquires his abilities by absorbing defeated enemies. There’s a fair amount of alien abilities to use, though the usefulness of these powers range from annoyingly helpful to completely worthless. The first ability you get (and probably the most “useful” of the bunch) is Alien Vision. It basically lets you see in the dark and find secrets. You pretty much always have to have this activated all the time because level environments are incredibly dark. It’s worse in later stages when nearly everything in a level is the exact same color.

Early on it’s really annoying to use because it drains so much of your energy just to have it activated for five seconds. Though in an interesting design choice, after Mike morphs for the final time, nearly all of your abilities no longer require any energy to use. Making the Alien Vision a whole lot like Arkham Asylum’s Detective Mode, only less cool, green, and more painful to look at.

Seriously, I’m willing to bet money that I spent probably 85% of my time playing this game with this activated.

The other power-ups aren’t nearly as valuable as Alien Vision. Rage mode slows things to a crawl and forces you to only melee attack your foes. The catch is that when you land a successful attack in Rage mode, you get a nice chunk of health back. Using Rage mode pretty much eats up your energy bar completely though, so it serves no real purpose until later in the game when enemies start doing a bit more damage.

There’s also an energy shield you can get and some kind of mind control thing but I seriously never used them when I played the game outside of situations where the game forced me to use them.

You can upgrade these by using this pipe works type of connection thing using any of the genes you’ve collected from other biomasses. It’s a bit like that mini-game that you see every once in a while where you have those pipes and they’re all jumbled and you have to connect them in a way so some fluid can safely pass through them? Yeah, it’s kind of like that but less engaging, but honestly, this is the most fun part of the game.

Kind of like Bioshock's hacking minigame, but not as cool.

To actually upgrade an ability you have to connect these red and green globules together. To connect them you have to use any of the genes you’ve found while running through the stages. For each ability, the map layout is different, and I sort of looked at it as a fun little test to find the most efficient way to connect them using what little materials I had. I also had a slight addiction to finding genes hidden in levels so I could go back to the mini-game and upgrade by skills. The fun pretty much stopped there though.

Level layout is pretty bad. I’ve found myself running into identical hallways way too often. For some reason near the end of the game, the creators decided to throw some puzzles at you. They’re built exactly like the pipe works thing you use to upgrade your powers. They aren’t terribly difficult either, just big wastes of time. It’s like someone realized that the game was going to be too short so they just threw in a bunch of these stupid puzzles as filler.

Enemies also have this really annoying habit of spawning directly behind you, attacking you and then running away really fast forcing you to chase them down before killing them making it a hassle to just advance in the stage.

It sounds like I’m bashing this game, but actually the game is more boring than anything else. It seems like a game with decent enough ideas that didn’t exactly work out well when put to use. Though there are dozens of other games that fit that same description, what makes MorphX so special?


Well, nothing really.

4.0/10

Kirby's Epic Yarn Review

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Kirby fans have been waiting for a Kirby game since the Wii started. So far we have seen Zelda, Mario and Super Smash Brothers. However fans were wondering when they favorite round pink friend, will return to his own game. Well finally Kirby is back in a new adventure. However is this the Kirby game you were looking for? Or should you give this yarn to the cats?

Story - While in Dreamland, Kirby always thinking with his stomach spots a different looking tomato. He tries to the eat it and turns out to be the Metamato. The Metamato belongs to a evil wizard by the name of Yin Yarn. Yin Yarn angered by Kirby's actions sends him the magical world "Patch Land." Patch Land is a place where everything is made up of yarn. In Patch Land Kirby rescues Prince Fluff. Fluff tells Kirby that Yin Yang has split patches that make Patch Land whole. They will have to find golden threads to make it whole again.

Gameplay - The gameplay is very simple and easy to do. Players will hold the Wii Mote sideways and use the D-pad,1 and 2 buttons to operate Kirby. Unlike other Kirby games, Kirby will not have the power to suck in his enemies, and take their powers. This time around Kirby uses a yarn whip that's like an extension of his body, to take down enemies. Depending on the level Kirby will also be able to use vehicles and other transformations. Some transformations include a Giant Rocket, UFO, Train, Surfboard and many others. There also some mini games and items to collect. Throughout the game Kirby will find items to secret stages, and items to help him build a apartment that he is staying in. The levels are very easy and that's the main problem I have. Kirby can't die in this game. I tried to die many times and an angel just comes and saves Kirby. Even though this game is catered to the younger audience. They should at least be able to know what it's like to lose. However the level designs are great, fun and addictive. It's just way too easy to play. You can also bring a friend along to play Prince Fluff and help you with the adventure. However since nobody can't die in the game their is no worries about losing. In multi-player you can operate transformations together and carry each other to reach hard places. However there is no online play for this game. The boss battles are very simple and easy, all you have to do is figure out their pattern.

Gameplay Videos


Graphics - Who would've thought that a game with yarn will look this good. Kirby's Epic Yarn design is wonderful. The graphics and levels are so artistically done so well, it's one of the best on the Wii. Everything from Kirby to the enemies all have their unique look. I really enjoyed the grass land level and how some of the background looks like a quilt.

Sound - The music is really beautiful to listen too. It's classical music through out the game. The music is soft and mellow and might put some to sleep, who are not use to that classical music sound. However the only song I didn't like was the desert level. I feel that every game that has the desert level has that same sound.

Replay Value - With tons of stuff to find. Secret levels to play and wanting Kirby to have a good apartment. It offers some replay value, also you have a great multi-player if you want to bring a friend along. However the easy gameplay and not being able to die will turn off some gamers.

Final Grade B+ - Kirby's Epic Yarn is a fun game to play. However it's way too easy even for the kids. The music and graphics are must see experience. The gameplay is solid and has some replay value to it. However the game is a breeze to play through. Kirby's Epic Yarn gets a B+.

New Fist Of The North Star Screenshots & Info

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So I got another email about Fist Of The North Star. Read about it below and check out the new screenshots.

Tecmo Koei is pleased to announce the upcoming demo for its upcoming action brawler, Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage. Delivering a visceral tour of manga-inspired action and mayhem, the Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage demo will be available October 19 on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.

The demo lets action and manga fans experience a bloody whirlwind of justice in two unique stages filled with enemies, traps and boss encounters. Players will bring the pain as two legendary figures in the Fist universe: the titular hero Ken and his battle companion Rei. Together, these two figures pummel and smash their way through the scorched landscape on a hunt for the menacing Raoh, who plans to rule the world without mercy or justice, feeding off of the word’s dying population.






High School Of The Dead (Anime Impression)

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My friends and other Otakus kept saying to me. "Justin you have to watch High School Of The Dead." Did you see High School Of The Dead yet? Well truthfully I haven't watch it yet, because I'm still finishing Madlax, Ergo Proxy and D.N. Angel. Well I finally decided to watch a few episodes. A few episodes turn into 9 episodes. I must say that this one of the best Anime I've seen in a while. I was blown away to finally see an Anime about zombies. This isn't like a silly zombie anime show, this something I've been waiting to see. A zombie drama show and with "The Walking Dead" just a few weeks away. This show kept my zombie needs feed.

What I Like - So far from the nine episodes I have seen. I'm in love with the drama. I love how this anime is showing the real effects of the zombie apocalypse. Naturally humans are going crazy killing each other. Everyone is trying to survive and make the best of the situation. I really love the characters in this story. Especially Takashi Komuro I'm not going spoil anything. All I have to say is the first two episodes is wow. The animation is beautiful. There are some CGI use but it's done so well you can't really tell. The music I'm so in love with. If anyone knows the insert song at the end of Episode 1, please let me know.

What I Don't Like - The only thing I don't like is the fan service. I mean it's really, really overused in this anime. Like I said in Episode Ten Podcast Show "I Love Boobies." There is no way a woman with huge breast like that can move that fast. But hey it's fiction right. Overall it's a really good show I can't wait to see more.

The Best Cosplayers Of New York Comic Con 2010

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Well all our pictures are uploaded to the computer. Plus I have some pictures from my good friend Betty. Well my Otakus and Geeks readers out their let's look at the best of the best. Keep in mind this is just from our photo albums. You might have seen better if you went to the event. Much love to Betty for allowing us to share the pictures you took.

Beatrix (Kill Bill)

Wonderful and this was the second runner up for Cosplay Girl Of The Week. We absolutely loved her as Beatrix. She has a great smile and look at the way she holds that sword. Here is a second pic. I can really see her as a wonderful Supergirl Cosplay.



Kitana

Our Cosplay Girl Of The Week "Kitana." She was played by Akita who was kind enough to tell us her name in our comment section. Here is a bonus pic of Keenan (Bess) getting Kitana's wrath.




Princess Leia

We always love Leia's slave girl look and this is no different. Plus I love the tattoos.

The Deadpool Family

Probably one of my favorites. This Deadpool couple really planned this out and look at the little Deadpool doll. As Ashley (Anime Angel) said "Awww."

The Emperor

His Cosplay is everything that I hope it will be. He even did the Emperor's hand gesture.

Lightning

It wouldn't be Cosplay without Final Fantasy. This girl was far the best Lightning we seen. She even walked like her.

Horn Girl?

I'm not really sure what this is suppose to be. But I have a feeling it has to do with Japanese culture. Let us know in the comment section.

Edward Scissorhands

Edward Scissorhands was great. My friend Betty ask to take the picture and he just started pointing the hands towards us. He was really in character great.

Ghostbuster

When I have a problem with a ghost I know who to call. I'm calling this guy. Another pic taken by Betty. I seen many Ghostbusters at the con but they all were missing the specks on the top of the head. I really want a proton pack.

The Joker


This Joker might not be great, when it comes to clothing appearance. However this Joker had something the others didn't. He literally was in character and made us go, um we're going to take the pic and run. That's what Cosplay is about, people being the character, it's not about just putting on the outfit. A big shout out to this Joker.

The X-Men


Oh man I literally was secretly going crazy when I saw them pose. This was the best group pose to me. A wonderful pose and wonderful shot Betty took.

Captain America & Wonder Woman


Never though Marvel and DC will be together. Well in this pic it happen. This guy was the best Captain America. He nailed it and do you see how big that shield is? \

The Watchmen

I like this picture of The Comedian and Roarshach. A very good Cosplay.

The X-Women?

I think one is a female Wolverine, but I'm not sure about the others.

Don't forget to become a Facebook fan.

Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 Review

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Sonic he can really move. Sonic he has an attitude. Sonic he's the fastest thing alive. After a few questionable Sonic titles and a huge outcry from fans. Sega has returned Sonic back to his roots. However does going back home a good thing or should Sonic should finally rest in peace?

Story - There is no real storyline in this game. It's back to good old days. Sonic must rescue his animal friends from the evil Dr. Eggman.

Gameplay - Sonic 4 is a 2.5D side platform game. If you played any 2D Sonic game, then you know what to expect. However this Sonic game has a couple new editions to it. A couple new mechanics is that Sonic is now able to lock onto his enemies. This will be a hit or miss for purist, because it kind of makes the game even more easier. Players are now able to choose their level of any stage they want. This could be another hit or miss purist. There are only four levels each with three acts and one boss fight. The levels are as followed Splash Hill, Casino Street, Lost Labyrinth, and Mad Gear. Splash Hill is inspired by the first Sonic's Green Hill Zone. Casino Street is what you expect on a Sonic Casino stage, a lot of rings, 1up's and of course the bouncing around. Lost Labyrinth is the infamous underwater level. I hated it in Sonic 1 and in Sonic 4 I really hate it. However I do love the challenge of the puzzles in this level. Mad Gear zone is the last zone and it reminded of Scrap Brain zone from the first one. The final boss is hard. Compare to the easy bosses, the final boss is a welcome great challenge. This wouldn't be a sonic game without emeralds. Sega made sure that this game was nostalgic. The special stages are very similar to Sonic 1 but very brutal. This time the special stages are timed, unlike Sonic 1 where you can take your time. Good luck when you reach special stage 4.

The gameplay is what you would expect from the 2D Sonic game. However there are just a few minor complaints. These complaints don't ruin the experience in anyway. 1. The camera takes to long to pan up when Sonic is looking up. 2. Sonic isn't really fast in this game, unless your press the homing attack. I just felt that Sonic should start off with his speed, in this one he takes too long. Also I was hoping for a little more items, like the one's seen in Sonic 3. In this game we get the classic shield, speed, and temporary invincibility. Other than that the gameplay is solid and Sonic is back.

Gameplay Video


Graphics - The graphics are great. Although I felt that at times the camera zoomed in too much, it made Sonic look big. The backgrounds in Lost Labyrinth looks like someone took a picture and place in the game. The frame rate runs smoothly and the water graphics could of been better. Still it brings the original Sonic feel that we all know and love.

Sound - The music is back to that 16-bit sound. However it's not something I will be rushing to find. The music I think is the weakness aspect in the game. The music sounds uninspired and generic. When it comes to sound effects nothing has changed.

Replay Value - With 7 emeralds to collect, the desire to be number one on the leaderboards. You will be playing this for a while, but once the nostalgia wears off there isn't much to offer. The game will take you at least 2 hours to beat.

Final Grade B- Sonic 4 Episode 1 gets a B-. The game is heading into the right direction. Let's hope in Episode 2 they fix some of the camera issues and make the music better. However the gameplay is fun, solid with a few new editions. The final boss and special stages are hard. Sonic is back but at a price of 15 bucks. I say wait for the bundle.

Tron Legacy Panel

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I went to the Tron Legacy Panel with my friend Betty. Needless to say it wasn't what I was expecting. I thought that it being the Tron Legacy Panel we would see clips of the movie. Or at least someone who worked on the film. Sadly to say there was no one. You are probably wondering what the panel was about then. The panel was actually Tron's new upcoming video game "Tron Evolution." The producers, developers and some guy who is working the comic book showed up. To make it short they showed us a power point presentation of what to expect in the game. There will be a new virus invasion, new characters and of course the light cycles look bad ass. The game will be using the Unreal Engine. So fans of the unreal engine should rejoice. The gameplay of the light cycle looks pretty good. It's great that they added online play so players can race with friends all over the globe. Overall it was a good panel. I just wish we got stuff from the movie.

Here is some pics my friend Betty took at the panel. Tron Evolution will be available on all systems and I-Phones.





Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage (Screenshots & Gameplay Footage)

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I got a cool email on the new Fist Of The North Star Game. Read about it below and check out the English version clips.

In Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage, players assume the role of Ken, a man with seven scars on his chest and the chosen successor of the legendary assassin’s art known as Hokuto Shinken. Sworn to protect the weak and innocent from malicious gangs roaming the post-apocalyptic planet, players use Ken’s trademark moves to decimate enemies on his quest to find his long-lost love.
Tearing through the scorched landscape, manga and action fans will pummel their way through dozens of enemies at once and crush obstacles in their path, using them against their foes. They will execute blistering finish attacks in faithfully recreated environments ripped straight from the comic legend. But Ken doesn’t need to fight alone – he’s joined by an unforgettable cast of playable characters from the Fist of the North Star universe, including Mamiya and Rei, among others.

Action and manga fans will experience Ken’s origins and many more characters and plotlines for themselves in Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage.

Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage fights its way to stores November 2, 2010 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Screenshots






Gameplay Footage

Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods Trailer

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At New York Comic Con I went to the presentation of the Grant Morrison Documentary. The director Patrick Meaney showed us some clips of the film. I must say that I'm really impressed of how in depth the film is. We saw clips, pictures of Grant as child. His beginning on how he made the invisibles. If you are Grant Morrison fan this is the film to check out in November.



James Bond "Bloodstone" Hands On Preview

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New York Comic Con was a blast and is officially over. Now it's time to tell you otakus and geeks about the great games we played. The first game that I couldn't wait to touch was James Bond "Bloodstone." The great thing about playing this demo was that you actually got to catch with the developers of the game. The great thing about this demo is that you had a wide range of levels to play. Their was the driving level, boat driving level and shoot levels.

Story - Well the developer I talk to Sandy was very tight lipped on the story. However Sandy did ensure that the story is original. The story was written by the same writer who wrote Goldeneye. Sandy said "We are really trying to give players the feel of Daniel Craig's James Bond. As you know James Bond is aggressive and want players to see that side of Bond." Judging from the cut scenes I saw which I won't spoil the game doesn't disappoint on story. It is very action packed. The driving stages run very smooth. I didn't have no control issues whatsoever. As I was driving buildings were blowing up and cars were shooting at James. However you won't be able to drive and shoot at the same time. As Sandy said "It would be very difficult to drive and shoot at the same time." I love the realism the game brings.

Gameplay - First let me talk about the shooting level. This new James Bond game is a 3rd person shooter. Unlike other Bond games this won't be in 1st person. I actually like that this is 3rd person, because of the aggressive nature that they are going for. Daniel Craig's James Bond uses a lot of hand to hand combat. That wouldn't work in first person. The gameplay is like your usual first person shooter. However their are situations where you have to decide whether you should stealth or go out guns blazing. Bloodstone introduces a focus feature in the game. Depending if you use hand to hand combat, the focus meter will fill up. The focus meter slows down the action making it easier to take out multiple targets. It's a nice way to take out multiple enemies. The hand to hand combat is very brutal. I slammed this guys head against the wall taking him out for sure.

Graphics - The graphics are similar to Quantum Of Solace game but way better. Character models are environments are great too look out. The driving level explosion are great. I didn't get any glitches during the demo.

Sound - The music is the game is wonderful. Pure James Bond sound it's very epic. Daniel Craig and Judi Dench reprise their roles and from the clips shown it's what you can expect from them.

Overall this game might be the best Bond to come out in a long time. Check out our full review in November.