Yay, Atlus have licensed a new DS game for North America - it's the sequel to the Dungeon Maker game for PSP that I enjoyed playing last year. This DS game was originally titled "Dungeon Maker: Mahou no Shovel to Chiisana Yuusha", but for some reason the US release will be called "Master of the Monster Lair", I don't know why they wouldn't want to associate it with the previous game.
It features a talking magical shovel! The character designs look very cute too, as opposed to the serious look and feel of the PSP game.
I really liked the PSP Dungeon Maker game, it was kind of like Dungeon Keeper crossed with one of those 3rd person hack-em-up RPGs. Lure them in, murder them, I couldn't help but think that sometimes maybe I was being more evil than the monsters...
3rd person 3D hack-em-up seemed a very PSP style of gameplay, I expect the DS will have a different type of gameplay but with the same kind of dungeon making. ^_^
It comes out in September 2008, and you can preorder it on Play-Asia already. It's priced well at $34.90 US dollars (under £18 GBP), which will probably be well worth it.
Friday, 20 June 2008
Saturday, 7 June 2008
The Professional Golgo 13
I just watched a DVD: The Professional Golgo 13. I'd held off this one for a long long time, since it's released in the UK by Manga Entertainment. I'd seen the previews of it in their trailers and it looked godawful. Everything they released in the early days was primarily about blood, guts, gore, mindless violence. Plus, they released everything dub-only.
But now it's 2008, and there's a "Special Agent Edition" DVD that's dual-language and going cheap in a sale, there's a new series out, and the author of Golgo 13 mentored the author of Lone Wolf & Cub so there's history to explore, so I picked it up.
The DVD is a 2 disc set, with the film in stereo / 5.1 on disc one, and in dts surround on disc 2.
The subs seem to be dubtitles, though I was too lazy to check. Ok, I lied, I'm terrified to check because I've heard their "bunch of Welsh men putting on American accents" dubs before. And the dialogue they came up with was not only inaccurate, but ridiculously cheesy.
The film started up, and on the titles I saw "Directed by Osamu Dezaki" and went *_* since... well, he's probably my all-time favourite anime director. And the film is unmistakably his. It looks incredible. I'd rate it among the best, without hesitation. It's a great looking fim. Oh, except for one scene near the end where they went with CGI graphics. It must have cost a fortune to do in those days, but now it just makes the film look dated. It's got his trademark end-of-scene dramatic still images, and I was loving it for about the first hour until I realised... this is a Manga Entertainment type film, I don't actually feel anything about Golgo 13 (the character), it's not like I think he's really cool or badass, we're just watching him do his job. And watching various women try and motivate him into having sex with them (he seems to only notice after a good few minutes of them being in bed with him). Which might be really really cool to watch if I was someone who liked that sort of thing, but...
...and then about 2 minutes after I thought that, as though the film was listening to me, it became really good, right up to the end of the film.
So overall, it's a pretty good anime film. Bearing in mind that it's of a genre that I don't particularly favour, and is an anime film (and most anime films aren't great - longer series tend to work better). It's got a lot of style and great, crisp visuals. If only it wasn't released by Manga Entertainment, and I hadn't seen their advertisements for it, I'd have watched this a lot sooner.
But now it's 2008, and there's a "Special Agent Edition" DVD that's dual-language and going cheap in a sale, there's a new series out, and the author of Golgo 13 mentored the author of Lone Wolf & Cub so there's history to explore, so I picked it up.
The DVD is a 2 disc set, with the film in stereo / 5.1 on disc one, and in dts surround on disc 2.
The subs seem to be dubtitles, though I was too lazy to check. Ok, I lied, I'm terrified to check because I've heard their "bunch of Welsh men putting on American accents" dubs before. And the dialogue they came up with was not only inaccurate, but ridiculously cheesy.
The film started up, and on the titles I saw "Directed by Osamu Dezaki" and went *_* since... well, he's probably my all-time favourite anime director. And the film is unmistakably his. It looks incredible. I'd rate it among the best, without hesitation. It's a great looking fim. Oh, except for one scene near the end where they went with CGI graphics. It must have cost a fortune to do in those days, but now it just makes the film look dated. It's got his trademark end-of-scene dramatic still images, and I was loving it for about the first hour until I realised... this is a Manga Entertainment type film, I don't actually feel anything about Golgo 13 (the character), it's not like I think he's really cool or badass, we're just watching him do his job. And watching various women try and motivate him into having sex with them (he seems to only notice after a good few minutes of them being in bed with him). Which might be really really cool to watch if I was someone who liked that sort of thing, but...
...and then about 2 minutes after I thought that, as though the film was listening to me, it became really good, right up to the end of the film.
So overall, it's a pretty good anime film. Bearing in mind that it's of a genre that I don't particularly favour, and is an anime film (and most anime films aren't great - longer series tend to work better). It's got a lot of style and great, crisp visuals. If only it wasn't released by Manga Entertainment, and I hadn't seen their advertisements for it, I'd have watched this a lot sooner.
Thursday, 5 June 2008
Narcissu
This evening, I started to read the first Strawberry Panic light novel, out in the park behind my house. It was a beautiful sunny day and was so quiet that I could clearly hear any human conversation 50m away. Adults walked their dogs, children rode their bikes, police patrolled on horses. I sneezed. And I sneezed. And I sneezed and sneezed and sneezed.
Argh, hay-fever. My body's defenses are too high!
It's just not dignified to sit and read something outdoors with so many bits of soggy tissue paper, so I returned home, closed the doors and windows and showered all the pollen off of me, and decided to stay indoors and read something. Goodbye, sunshine!
I decided to start reading the DS port of the free visual novel Narcissu. I'd avoided it for a long time because I have a medical phobia. It's about two young people whose bodies have also failed them, but in a far more severe way than mine - terminal illnesses.
There's a voiced and unvoiced option for the story, even on the DS port, so I chose to read the voiced version. There is only one voice - a whispering girl, and she doesn't say too much, but it's good to hear her. She's played by "Ms Rino Ayukawa", whom I have never heard of, nor had I expected to recognise her name. But, it's good to hear her.
The music playing is also very beautiful, and fitting.
It's good, a touching story. Something about it, about halfway through the story... something about the two characters, reminded me somehow of the young mute walking couple in the film Dolls, which is one of my all-time favourite films.
Both pieces manage to be somewhat... distressing, never really stop being saddening, but are calming and beautiful at the same time.
It's short enough to read in an evening.
I may come back and read the unvoiced story sometime. It's a separate translation of the story, for one thing.
The DS port is ok, the pictures are possibly too small to clearly see, and there are a few typos in there and sometimes square characters in the middle of some words, but it's cool. It is listed as version 0.0.4, after all. Nice not to have to sit at my PC all evening. (I say, sitting at my PC typing this).
The VNDS is really good, possibly my favourite application for DS. ^_^ It's still receiving constant updates and new stories are being ported to it and released for download every few days! ^_^
Argh, hay-fever. My body's defenses are too high!
It's just not dignified to sit and read something outdoors with so many bits of soggy tissue paper, so I returned home, closed the doors and windows and showered all the pollen off of me, and decided to stay indoors and read something. Goodbye, sunshine!
I decided to start reading the DS port of the free visual novel Narcissu. I'd avoided it for a long time because I have a medical phobia. It's about two young people whose bodies have also failed them, but in a far more severe way than mine - terminal illnesses.
There's a voiced and unvoiced option for the story, even on the DS port, so I chose to read the voiced version. There is only one voice - a whispering girl, and she doesn't say too much, but it's good to hear her. She's played by "Ms Rino Ayukawa", whom I have never heard of, nor had I expected to recognise her name. But, it's good to hear her.
The music playing is also very beautiful, and fitting.
It's good, a touching story. Something about it, about halfway through the story... something about the two characters, reminded me somehow of the young mute walking couple in the film Dolls, which is one of my all-time favourite films.
Both pieces manage to be somewhat... distressing, never really stop being saddening, but are calming and beautiful at the same time.
It's short enough to read in an evening.
I may come back and read the unvoiced story sometime. It's a separate translation of the story, for one thing.
The DS port is ok, the pictures are possibly too small to clearly see, and there are a few typos in there and sometimes square characters in the middle of some words, but it's cool. It is listed as version 0.0.4, after all. Nice not to have to sit at my PC all evening. (I say, sitting at my PC typing this).
The VNDS is really good, possibly my favourite application for DS. ^_^ It's still receiving constant updates and new stories are being ported to it and released for download every few days! ^_^
Wednesday, 4 June 2008
Catch My Heart! Very Melon CD
Speaking of Wakamoto Norio and hilarity... I only just found out that the Konjiki no Gash Bell (Zatch Bell! in English) "Victoreem" character song CD single is still available to buy!
Very Melon - Partner ni Okawari da! Version / V no Sign de Oshioki yo!
Very Melon is a funny little song. :D [places an order]
EDIT, 2008-06-05: I read a webpage that says there are two studio recordings of Very Melon.
The other CD that has the song on is this: Gold Gashbell!! Character Song Series Boys Side.
Track 6 is:
ベリーメロン ～私の心をつかんだ良いメロン～ （ビクトリーム）
Beriimeron ~watashi no kokoro o tsukanda yoi meron~ (Victoreme)
Very Melon ~a good melon that captured my heart~
I think it is the song featured in this video.
Whereas the one I ordered contains:
ベリーメロン ～パートナーにおかわりだ！バージョン～ （ビクトリーム）
Beriimeron ~paatonaa ni okawarida! version~ (Victoreme)
Very Melon ~a second helping for the partner! version~
Which I think is the song featured in this video.
Either is good, and the CD single has more Wakamoto Norio, and a karaoke version, so I have no regrets!
Very Melon - Partner ni Okawari da! Version / V no Sign de Oshioki yo!
Very Melon is a funny little song. :D [places an order]
EDIT, 2008-06-05: I read a webpage that says there are two studio recordings of Very Melon.
The other CD that has the song on is this: Gold Gashbell!! Character Song Series Boys Side.
Track 6 is:
ベリーメロン ～私の心をつかんだ良いメロン～ （ビクトリーム）
Beriimeron ~watashi no kokoro o tsukanda yoi meron~ (Victoreme)
Very Melon ~a good melon that captured my heart~
I think it is the song featured in this video.
Whereas the one I ordered contains:
ベリーメロン ～パートナーにおかわりだ！バージョン～ （ビクトリーム）
Beriimeron ~paatonaa ni okawarida! version~ (Victoreme)
Very Melon ~a second helping for the partner! version~
Which I think is the song featured in this video.
Either is good, and the CD single has more Wakamoto Norio, and a karaoke version, so I have no regrets!
Celebrity seiyuu GPS for PSP
My brother told me about this a few weeks ago, it's really cool. Apparently there are upgrade voice packs for the Japanese GPS navigation software for PSP - MAPLUS 2, which cost 800 yen. The core software is pretty expensive to start with - it came out in December last year and is already available for purchase, though the article I linked to above states otherwise. I guess it's not that expensive compared to most GPS systems, though. And, not that buying it would be any use if you live outside of Japan, anyway.
I've seen / heard videos on youtube already, and I have to say... the voice pack featuring Wakamoto Norio is absolutely hilarious (and a 2nd video). The voice pack featuring Furuya Tohru with his Amuro Rei voice is pretty funny too!
They would certainly keep you entertained on your journey! XD
I think it would be cool if companies decided to do this in English, with English actors as well. I'd love to hear a navigation system voiced by some famous voices like BRIAN BLESSED or... mmm, how about Christopher Lee! XD
I've seen / heard videos on youtube already, and I have to say... the voice pack featuring Wakamoto Norio is absolutely hilarious (and a 2nd video). The voice pack featuring Furuya Tohru with his Amuro Rei voice is pretty funny too!
They would certainly keep you entertained on your journey! XD
I think it would be cool if companies decided to do this in English, with English actors as well. I'd love to hear a navigation system voiced by some famous voices like BRIAN BLESSED or... mmm, how about Christopher Lee! XD
2x2=Shinobuden manga vol 4
I've had this on preorder from Amazon since last year, and since then, Infinity Studios have started selling their books digital only... and today, since Amazon sent me an email to apologise for it still not being available, I decided to visit their site to find out more.
I saw the first three volumes there, readily available, but the fourth? The final volume? It wasn't listed under the existing releases, or under the new-or-upcoming releases....!
So I emailed them to ask.
It's not good news...
- QUOTE -
Unfortunately, we can't say for certain when 2x2=Shinobuden vol4 will be coming out. Our company is currently dealing with several different issues which is making it difficult to get out some of our titles (such as Shinobuden). However, as soon as we set a release date for volume 4, we will be announcing it both on our website and on most fan-related anime news sites.
- END QUOTE -
Uh, that's not so good..... :/ I guess I'll go on waiting...
I saw the first three volumes there, readily available, but the fourth? The final volume? It wasn't listed under the existing releases, or under the new-or-upcoming releases....!
So I emailed them to ask.
It's not good news...
- QUOTE -
Unfortunately, we can't say for certain when 2x2=Shinobuden vol4 will be coming out. Our company is currently dealing with several different issues which is making it difficult to get out some of our titles (such as Shinobuden). However, as soon as we set a release date for volume 4, we will be announcing it both on our website and on most fan-related anime news sites.
- END QUOTE -
Uh, that's not so good..... :/ I guess I'll go on waiting...
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