Fallout: Nuka Break Fan Film

/


The Fallout fan film has finally been finished, and I have to say that it's pretty damn awesome. It follows a Vault-Dweller named Twig and his companions Ben, a radiation-ravaged ghoul, and Scarlett, a former slave girl, as they search the Mojave Wastes for the series' iconic beverage, Nuka Cola.

It's a really well done film overall. The costumes, makeup, special effects, and dialogue are all fantastic.

You might even recognize a few people in the credits including Brian Clevinger of 8-Bit Theater and Atomic Robo fame as the script writer.

Anyway, check it out in the video below and tell us what you think!




Honestly, this is kind of something I wouldn't mind turning into some kind of web-series. I'd kind of like to follow the adventures of Twig and his crew.

Xenoblade: Hands On Impressions

/
I've been playing Xenoblade for the Wii a lot lately. I must say that this game so far is one of the better JRPG's out there. Unfortunately it's still TBA to be released outside of Japan. However I couldn't wait anymore and decided to try the game out myself. Here is my impressions on the game so far.

Story - The story starts off years before the main story. Three guys are in a war and are facing a load of enemies. One of the guys betrays the other two and then we are brought to present day. This is where we meet the main character Shulka who is able to use the Excalibur sword, which is the same sword one of the three guys had before him. He is on mission to find the people that destroy his village. That's all I can make out for now. The story does seem intriguing but once again I don't know Japanese.

Gameplay - The gameplay is an action RPG. The battle system is similar to Final Fantasy XII, but BETTER! Running into enemies does not start a battle. Players will have attack their enemies first, using the Z button. Once the battle starts the inventory of various attacks are at your disposal. Don't worry once you use all your special attacks it will recharge. While it recharges your character will attack automatically with normal attacks. The battle system works and it's very fun to play. I haven't gotten very far, I'am currently grinding for the first dungeon. However I do want to say the controls are smooth and the camera is great. You use the C button and the D-pad to fix where you will like the camera. You can have it high, close or just normal. The side quest is cool as well. It actually effect how people in the town view you. If you help they will like you, if not well your won't be welcome much.

Gameplay Video


Graphics - So far the graphics are beautiful on the Wii. The towns and open environments are very detail. The opening scene with the war was great to watch. I love the use of colors and how this game looks at night.

Music - The music is composed by Yoko Shimomura who does it again. I'am going to search for this OST. The only thing about the music in terms of battle, it makes me want to play Kingdom Hearts it's that similar in style.

Final Word - So far Xenoblade is on the best JRPG's that came out in 2010. Unfortunately there is no sign that it will be hitting the USA or anywhere else. We can only hope it does, this game needs to be played by all.

Durarara English Dub Highlights

/
Durarara has finally gotten an English Dub thanks to good folks at Aniplex. Here is a preview of the English Dub and a look at episodes 1-9. This may contain spoilers. Below is a list of the entire cast. Anime Rules!!!!

English Cast
Celty Sturluson : Kari Wahlgren
Mikado Ryugamine: Darrel Guilbeau
Masaomi Kida: Bryce Papenbrook
Anri Sonohara: Michelle Ruff
Izaya Orihara: Johnny Yong Bosch
Shizuo Heiwajima: Crispin Freeman
Shinra Kishitani: Yuri Lowenthal
Kyohei Kadota: Steve Blum
Walker Yumasaki: Brian Beacock
Erika Karisawa: Mela Lee
Saburo Togusa : Spike Spencer
Seiji Yagiri: David Earnest
Namie Yagiri: Bridget Hoffman
Simon: Patrick Seitz

Lego Fashion

/
 I feel like I'm at an A.A. meeting, which is really more like a Geek's anonymous meeting, and I get to introduce myself. So HI! My name is Imani K Brown, IKB or in.fa.mousIKB if you're familiar, and I am an artist. However, here on Otakus & Geeks, I'm one of the gang's latest contributors in the wonderful world of Cosplay & Fashion.
I won't bore you with any further details about me, but if you'd like to know anything beyond this simple introduction, want to request that I include or post something, want items for review of geeky fashion … or just simply want to say HELLO … please be encouraged to do so. I LOVE meeting new people!
>^.^<
Now, I got served my "writing" papers for the blog during my great Lego craze! I'm collecting all Lego games for DS, building Lego installation goodness for upcoming art shows, & taking classes at my local Lego store. So it's only right that my first post be about Lego goodness.
A fellow artist, Amari Mars, came to visit me and was rockin' her splendiferous Lego brooch. She's gonna share her goodies on it as it was a DIY brooch ALL her own.
                                                                                                    Inspiration :: 'I pulled inspiration for the brooch from several places. Initially I first saw the Lego brooch on a Tokyo fashion(cosplay) website. I have ALWAYS admired the style of those in the East(Asia) and how they can be so creative and free with their expression in fashion. So as with a lot of things I gave it a shot to see if I could create my own. An old button, super glue and a few Legos and it was on!'

Why Legos ::
Well Lego's have always been a source to express a vast amount of creativity when i was a child. Even as an adult I get a thrill from using Lego's to create. I've been thinking of creating a Lego charm to wear on a chain or even a Lego bow tie. I've already purchased the materials for the bow tie just have to make it happen. Looking to do that for the spring/summer. Maybe even a brooch using lincoln logs. Ive always got ideas.'

::NotSoLong Ago in LEGO Fashion::

LegoxStar Wars, 2007
LegoxNew Era
(by JC de Castelbajac), 2009
HighSnobiety
 

   

LegoxChanel
 HintMag  (by Dee & Ricky), 2010 
LegoinspiredG-Shock
  
 FreshnessMag (by Dee & Ricky), 2010 
Until Next Time!
~je t'adore! 

Beyond Black Mesa Short Film

/


Hey, remember that trailer for that Half-Life short film that was posted a while back? Well it's finished. Despite operating under a budget of only $1200 and having practically zero actual dialogue, it's pretty impressive. The use of the game's own sound effects was also really a nice touch. Though I will say that the lack of the Headcrab Zombies is a bit disappointing, but I suppose some artistic liberties had to have been taken.

Anyway, check it out in the video below and tell us what you think!

Gantz Live Action Review

/
Last night I went to the world premiere of the live action adaptation of Gantz. Gantz stars Kazunari Ninomiya and Kenichi Matsuyama. How does this adaptation hold up? Is it true to the Manga? Read on and find out.

Story - The story follows two friends Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato. One day while waiting for the train to arrive, a homeless man falls on the tracks. Kato and Kei rescue the homeless man and end up dying, getting hit by the train. Following there deaths the friends are transported to an Tokyo apartment. There they meet others who had died that day, one in particular a girl name Tae Kojima. They all find out that they have been brought to room by Gantz. A man inside a black sphere. They learned that they will have to kill aliens and earn points for there freedom. One hundred points and they will either can go free and have there memory erased. Or revive someone back from the dead who died on these missions. I won't spoil any further. I will say the film does follow the Manga very well. However this film is in two parts so you will get a cliffhanger ending. The pacing of the story is well done, it takes a while for you to really get a back story on some the supporting characters. However the sequel should fix that problem. The movie length is 2hrs and 30 mins and you don't feel bored. Overall the story did a good job of adapting.

Acting - The acting was really excellent. The problem is that the premiere had it in English dub. This made the acting part hard to critique. However based on the facial expressions, the action I say that the acting was done very well. The English dub was horrible. The voices was out of sync. You can tell the Japanese language had more lines. The voice acting sounded so wooden, not even the worst anime voice acting made me cringe this bad. I really wish they would've showed the movie in Japanese with English Subtitles. It would have made the experience better and I wouldn't felt like I was watching a bad anime. The action scenes where good to an extent. All the fight scenes were at night and the director could've use more lighting. There are times you don't even know what's going on in the fight, because it's either too dark or the camera is shot up too close. Overall the acting is solid and they make you believe in this world.

Music & Film-making - I love the music in this movie. I' am a sucker for orchestrated music and Gantz has a great OST. The music brings so much more emotional depth to an already good story. The cinematography is great! There are a lot of great shots of Tokyo, the best scenes are the ones during the daytime. The worst scenes like I said above is the nighttime, which is disappointing because all the action is night. I hope to see some improvements on lighting in the sequel. There are some use of CGI when it comes to the blood, but it doesn't take away from the movie. Makeup, Costumes and the Aliens all look really realistic and faithful to the Manga.

Final Grade English Dub Version C+ /**1/2 out 4 stars - The movie has it's moments, great characters, great story, good action when you can see what's going on. The performance you can tell the actors put there passion into the role. However the English dub really destroys everything. It takes away from the experience, for a movie that is suppose to be serious, you'll find yourself laughing on how badly the English version is executed. For that reason alone we can only recommend this movie in Japanese Dub with English Subtitles only. Final Grade C-/**1/2 out 4 Stars




The Green Hornet Review

/
Last night I finally got a chance to watch "The Green Hornet" starring Seth Rogen, Jay Chou and Cameron Diaz. Is this worth the full price of admission, or will you be stung?

Story Synopsis - Britt Reid, son and heir to Los Angeles' largest newspaper fortune, is a rich, spoiled playboy who has been happy to maintain a direction-less existence. When his father James Reid dies, Britt meets an impressive and resourceful company employee, Kato. They realize that they have the resources to do something worthwhile with their lives and finally step out of James Reid's shadow. Kato builds the ultimate weapon, The Black Beauty, an indestructible car with every weapon imaginable and Britt decides that in order to be heroes, they will pose as villains. With the help of Britt's new secretary, Lenore Case, they learn that the chief criminal in the city is named Benjamin Chudnofsky. He has united all the gangs under his power, and he quickly sees that the Green Hornet is a direct threat to the prosperous criminal underworld he controls.

The story is fun to watch. Each of the important characters gets their back-story. However the villain Benjamin Chudnofsky is funny to watch, but he's not really a threat. He's kind of boring to watch and his purpose to be the head guy is kind of pointless. He has this thing about making people afraid him, that just comes off more as a comedic villain then a real threat to the Hornet. The Green Hornet gets outshine by his sidekick Kato. Watching the movie I felt that Kato is actually a more interested character. Better back story and more reasons to why he does what he does. Overall the story is average and the pacing is done world, but a lot of characters like Cameron Diaz character is just there. Problem with the story is The Green Hornet is such a dick in this movie, that you don't really care what happens to him. He miss treats Kato, he doesn't know how to talk to girl and in a way you hope he gets his. You don't really cheer for him like you do for Kato.

Acting - The acting is pretty good in this movie. The one who really stands out is Jay Chou as Kato. For those who remember Bruce Lee played Kato in the original Green Hornet, and Bruce kicked major ass. In this one Kato still kicks major ass and does a good job filling in the shoes. The choreography is wonderful when Kato is fighting. You even see a drawing of Bruce Lee in the movie. Seth Rogen as The Green Hornet was funny. But watching it I felt like both Seth and Cameron Diaz were not really playing characters, but themselves. The delivery was there in the lines, but it's nothing new performance wise you see from these two actors. Christopher Waltz is underused and his talents don't really show, due to the script and his character having nothing to do.

Music - The music is composed by James Newton Howard and it's one of the strongest aspect of the film. It compliments the scene and you will love the themes played in the movie. You even get a hint of the original theme sneaking into the scores sometimes.

Final Grade C-/**1/2- The Green Hornet is a fun movie that has it's moments. Jay Chou steals the show, but he is the only one holding the film from disaster. The story arc for The Green Hornet is not that interesting and you don't care for him. The set up is there, but the execution is not pulled off well. The villain is not interesting enough, and when you see James Franco cameo you will wish he was the main villain. Overall it's a movie you will see for a Matinée. Final Grade C-/ **1/2.


Macho Man Returns To WWE Videogame

/
OOOH YEAH! The Macho Man Randy Savage is back in the WWE. Well at least in the videogames. The Macho Man will be a playable character in the upcoming game "WWE All Stars." WWE All Stars will be the game where generations of wrestlers collide, in an Arcade Style gameplay. For those hoping for the return of the Macho Man, here is your chance. Here is the trailer of the game hosted by the Macho Man himself. Let's hope he will be in the next Smackdown game.



Interview With Gravity Interactive

/
We had a chat with Gravity Interactive. Gravity Interactive is the team behind such online MMORPG's such as "Dragon Saga", "Requiem", "ROSE Online" and Ragnork Online. We sat down and chat about Dragon Saga and what's next for Gravity Interactive.

OtakusandGeeks.com: The game was changed from Dragonica Online to Dragon Saga. Can you tell us about the new changes made to the game?

Gravity Interactive: Well, one of the main reasons the game title was changed was because the name Dragonica was already trademarked in the US. We thought it would be a good idea to give it a new name to give a fresh new start feel to the commercial re-launch.

OtakusandGeeks.com: The game has a lot of other elements that separate it from traditional MMORG. Why was it important to bring other gameplay elements?

Gravity Interactive: I’m sure this is the case with most game developers, but we started with the idea of making a ‘lively action game’. Thinking about it now, I think we ended up taking a different route while developing this game. “If movement speed is too fast, we can’t synchronize”, “Allowing jump makes it too hard to create maps and battle coordination”, “If line of sight is fixed, there are too many other situations that must go into consideration”, these are some issue that will restrict the abilities to create a fun game. Too many of these restrictions will lead to the ‘lively action game’ idea losing its identity. So we decided to think outside the box instead of adding restrictions. So our idea of anything is possible, such as changing the viewing angle to quarter-view to make it fun while showing the imposing view of the boss monsters, and allowing monsters to be launched into the air, makes our game seem different from other games out there.

OtakusandGeeks.com: We love the art style. Can you tell us a little about the graphical design?

Gravity Interactive: Thank you for the compliment. We feel rewarded for our efforts when the result receives positive feedback. The Dragon Saga in-game characters are a projection of the characters in the storyline. Instead of being just cute and pretty, we made it so the character’s personality with one glance. At the moment, we are working on some changes for new shapes and forms to keep it more interesting.



OtakusandGeeks.com: What separates this from other MMORPG’s is that this actually free. Will there be any premium features coming?

Gravity Interactive: Dragon Saga allows many customization of the character. Every month new costumes are available to the users, and we even allow the users to mix and match their costumes to try other costumes. We are not considering any pay to play services currently. We feel that the decision of free or pay to play should be decided upon the region and its market.

OtakusandGeeks.com: After playing the game I notice there are only four classes, but different variations of them. Can we expect to see more classes?

Gravity Interactive: We are planning to introduce new classes as well as adding more action to the existing classes. We will release more details in the near future.

OtakusandGeeks.com: Will there be any future phone apps for Dragon Saga?

Gravity Interactive: We are looking into the possibility of bringing Dragon Saga as mobile app. We always try to appease the wants of our users.

OtakusandGeeks.com: Any chance this game will be hitting consoles?

Gravity Interactive: Console version of Dragon Saga is not currently under consideration. Maybe after more contents are added to the game.

OtakusandGeeks.com: Can you tell us a little bit more on the customization in this game in terms of characters?

Gravity Interactive: When a player first creates a character, they can choose the gender, face, hairstyle, and hair color of the character. More hair styles and faces will continuously become available. Since face the only part the user can customize at creation, we plan to offer many different styles of costumes to allow the user to customize their characters.

OtakusandGeeks.com: We love the soundtrack in the game? Is there a soundtrack (OST) available?

Gravity Interactive: The game soundtrack was created by one of the most famous music directors in Korea, Byung Woo Lee. Unfortunately, there are no plans of the game OST to be sold separately.

OtakuandGeeks.com: Any plans on expanding the Dragon Saga universe?

Gravity Interactive: The world of Dragon Saga will continue to expand. You can consider the current world as the starting point. More information will be released as the new classes are introduced.

OtakusandGeeks.com: Will there any more attack and magic upgrades in the future?

Gravity Interactive: As mentioned above, we are planning to improve many elements of the current classes while introducing the new classes.

OtakusandGeeks.com: Finally can you tell us any upcoming releases that Gravity Interactive has plan?

Gravity Interactive: Gravity is in the wrap up stages of preparing the release of a new web-based MMORPG called Eternal Destiny. It will start its beta testing very soon. We also anticipate to start the testing for Ragnarok Online 2. More details will be released to our communities in the near future.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 Coming Next Winter

/
Square Enix has announced that a sequel to Final Fantasy XIII is coming out next winter. Square Enix states that the story will follow the events after the first game. Also there will be improvements in gameplay and more. Yes it will be for PS3 and Xbox 360. My only question is where is Final Fantasy Vs XIII and Final Fantasy XIII Agito?



Technology I Used As A Kid

/
For a few days I have been on nostalgic trip. It started out when I was cleaning out my closet and found my old Tiger Handheld games. Then I just start remembering the gadgets I used as kid. Sit back and let me guide you back to a time, where there is no I-Pads, online gaming and more.

Record Player


I' am a mid 80's baby. I remember before my family got the cassette stereo system. We had the record players. I used to drive my mother crazy playing records like, "On Our Own" By Bobby Brown, "Thriller" By Michael Jackson and "Disney's Mousercise." Disney Mousercise was this compilation album that got kids to dance and workout. One of my favorite the songs was "Bug A Boo." Check out the video below of the song. Bad thing about the record player is that I always scratch the records.

Bug A Boo


Cassette Player


Before CD Players I listen to music on Cassette Tapes. I used to have a walkman and never left home without. Before burned CD's and I-Tunes. I used to listen to Hot 97 (New York) station for hours just waiting for "Candy Rain" by Soul 4 Real to play so I can record it.

Typewriter


I didn't really have first my computer until the mid late 90's. Instead I had to either go the library or use my Grandfather's Typewriter. I still remember typing my forth grade "Helen Keller" report on my Typewriter. I used to love playing on the Typewriter and putting my finger inside to get dirty with the ink.

Nintendo (NES)


The NES is my first videogame system. It was a system I played for hours. My first games were "Super Mario Brothers, Wrestlemania and Duck Hunt." No online gaming, you had to travel to friends houses to play multiplayer. Remember blowing the games to make the game work. Good times.

VCR


The classic VCR. Before DVD's and Blu Rays I had the classic VCR playing the original Star Wars Trilogy on VHS. I had tons of VHS tapes such as Howard The Duck, Tom and Jerry The Movie and many more. The flaw of the VCR was that sometimes your tape would get destroyed.

CD Player


Aww the good ol CD player another gadget I never left home without. I still see some people still rocking the CD player till this day. As reliable the I-Pod and other gadgets are, the CD player will still work under cold weather. My CD collection is still my house today.

Beeper


"Oh man still rocking the pager." A word Sam Flynn utter in Tron Legacy. I didn't have a pager for a long, but I would borrow my dad's pager when I was outside with friends.