Everyone loves super heroes. Well everyone, but Gormy. With the summer season drawing closer, and the big releases for this year and next moving into new stages of production we are getting tons of news ranging from the Man of Steel, Thor, to Captain America.

First off, we have The Man of Steel, this new Superman film penned by Dark Knight writer David Goyer will have a new dark tone and try to do what The Dark Knight did for Batman. Io9.com reports: "Goyer's story involves Luthor and Brainiac. It is NOT an origin and assumes audiences already know about Lois, Clark, Jimmy and Perry. I know the Daily Planet is struggling due to the internet. And I know it sets up a huge Kryptonian mythology."



Marvel's own godly hero, Thor, also began principal photography this week and is penned for a may release next year. Also, some strange artwork has appeared on the internet that seems to be concept art for the Thor costume.

Finally, casting has begun for the Captain America film, keep your fingers crossed folks.

Well Nintendo, after two and half years of utter failure, you've finally decided to pull yourself out of the putrid slime that you like to reside in. Okay, that was a little harsh, but this year is looking to be one of Nintendo's better years.









First off we have Super Mario Galaxy 2. Regardless of what you think of the idea of another Mario Galaxy game, this new addition to the super powered plummers saga seems to be filled with polished gameplay and charm. The game features new stages and new gameplay twists, such as the inclusion of the lovable dinosaur Yoshi. Due out for release early this year.






See More Metroid: Other M Screenshot at IGN.com



Now the big one, Metroid Other M. Metroid is one of Nintendo's most critically acclaimed and beloved franchises and this new game looks to continue that tradition. With a new indepth story and anime style cut scenes Metroid Other M is a Metroid game like no other. However, the true star of this new Metroid title is the control scheme, which intigrates a seemless switch between 2D sidescrolling, and first person shooting. The game is due out for release June 27th of this year.

Eh. Wasn't that good.



As a fan of the original series, I have to say that the changes that were made were rather irksome. While I normally yell at Harry Potter fans and the like for their whining for changes to the source material, the alterations here seemed irreverent and annoying. The source material was annoyingly disregarded to make things more cinematic and simpler for an audience that the director appears to think is far less intelligent then they truly are.



The first third half of the film feels so rushed and cluttered, that it feels like a mess. It's little fun, and an overall mess of filmmaking. The characters don't shine, and many major points in the book are disregarded and not for the better. The plot ideas although not essential were needed to help streamline the plot, and added to alot of the charcter story.



The second act was by far the most entertaining. Although it two took its liberties from the main plot, it plays like a fun mythological road trip, which is actually a ton of fun to watch. One sequence in Las Vegas was actually very funny, and a joy to watch.



Unfortunatley the third act falls into the same trap as the first, when all the random ideas from the first forty five minutes come crashing together in a colossal train wreck, thats a mess, and only occasionally fun.


While no Harry Potter, it is deffinetly no Eragon either. Despite its many flaws The Lightning Theif is still a fairly enjoyable film. The special effects are fairly well done, disregarding the awful Minotaur sequence. The acting isn't as bad as it could've been, and there are many good laughs throughout.


Score: C+

Well, the highly anticipated Toy Story sequel is drawing closer. If it were any studio but Pixar I would be skeptical. These trailers aren't looking that good though. Cross your fingers folks, theres still a chance this'll work out.

Alan Wake is a game, that has a ton of potential. It looks creepy, interesting, and well thought out. The idea of an episodic game, that mirrors a tv season captures my interest being a fan of such science fiction mysteries as Lost and Fringe. However, for a game thats been announced for over five years now, we know very little about it. It may turn out to be sucessful, but it also may turn out to flop down hard on its face.

Well, X10 was this week and we got a ton of cool game stuff being released. Perhaps one of the most talked about games being Halo Reach, Bungie's final and largest Halo game to date. I'm actually excited for this. If they can pull it off it could be an amazing game. However, what concerns me is the praise their giving the original Halo game, which I rather disliked. Who knows, this game has potential, we'll put it on our watch list.

The Spartans are in many ways the center of the Halo universe. Even more so then the Halo rings themselves, these genetically enhanced supersoldiers are the real epicenters of the plot, and the characters we interact with the most. However, outside of the Halo novels very little is explored about their creation and origins.

Homecoming tells the story of one Spartan, Daisy, across her career. We get a detailed depictions of her early life, training, failed escape attempt, and a pivotal battle in her career. The anime works well as short fifteen minute biopic that also details the complex morality behind the Spartan program, and aspect that is often overlooked by the testosterone filled Halo universe. Daisy's story is a captivating watch that keeps you interested throughout the entire fifteen minute run. The action is also handled well carrying the necessary emotion needed for the story.

There is also a cameo at the end of the episode that is handled surprisingly well, and delivers the right send off to the episode

If there is one major flaw in Homecoming it is the bizaare flashback driven narrative. It takes you a good five minutes to understand whats really going on, and in an anime that lasts only fifteen that is a librety that costs it dearly. The voice acting in some areas also feels flat and insincere.

Overall, Homecoming is a brilliant addition to the Halo Legends saga and will probably rank as one of the better episodes of the series with its emotional character study.

Score: -A

M. Night Shymalan seems to be convinced that this The Last Airbender movie will be his Star Wars. I'm still skeptical, especially surrounding the actor the casted for Aang, but who knows, I may be proven wrong. Theres lots in here for you anime junkies to pick out and analyze so enjoy.

~Opening Comments~

Well everyone, after 2 years of patient waiting it's finally here, BIOSHOCK 2. After staying up all night I was able to beat it and be here to tell you of my adventure's through an even more twisted Rapture.
(I'll be following Nick's review style)

Story
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Though a bit different than the mysterious "figure and fight your way out" story of the first game, Bioshock 2 sets your goal right at the beginning (If I accidentally spoil something my bad). Set around 8 years after Jack's romp through Rapture, a woman named Sofia Lamb (a long time political rival of Andrew Ryan) has turned Rapture and it's splicers into her "family". The undersea world is still recovering from the death of Andrew Ryan and the destruction left behind in the first game. Here is where ole project Delta, the first successful Big Daddy, makes his return from a 10 year coma. For you see Sofia had taken your daughter, Eleanor, 10 years ago (yes the first little sister) and Delta cannot survive unless he is near her, so with the help of Tenenbaum and Mr. Sinclaire himself, your off on a powerhouse rampage of splicer killing destruction. What really stood out about the new story was the depth of explaination. Where Adam comes from, why the little sisters are so important, and why rapture fell the way it did are all answered in Bioshock 2. As well as the science behind plasmids. But the real downside to the story is that very little mystery is involved. In the first Bioshock, rapture held secrets and you were forced to go through and discover the rise and fall. In Bioshock 2, however, you already know all this and it loses some of the aesthetic. That aside, I greatly enjoyed the story and the ending was touching (for a shooter/survival horror it was a very sweet ending, but there is also an bad ending that is a bit more bitter). Much like in the the first game, your morality is based on whether you harvest or save the sisters (I can't bring myself to harvest any) but there are a few more choices you must make that decide whether you are more man or monster. In the end, the story has it's flaws, but it is interesting and will keep you desiring more:

Score: B+

Gameplay
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The gameplay in Bioshock 2, while still having the same feeling as the first, went through a few improvements. The shooting and killing of the first game is back but with the new perspective and weapons available only to the big guys themselves. I have to say, zapping enemies with a fist full of pain and shoving a drill down their throats is a good reliever of stress. But that aside, you periodically find fun new ways of inflicting pain like the speargun and a Big Daddy orginal, the rivet gun, throughout the game. The game starts out pretty difficult, the scarcity of ammo and med packs leave you bashing baddies with the drill. But later you gain access to more powers and munitions than you'll know what to do with. That being said, combat never really gets old, you'll always find new combinations of massive destruction. All this talk of killing and I have yet to mention the enemies. The same cast of generic splicer baddies are back again in Bioshock 2 but with new additions like the muscle-head brutes (think chargers from L4D2), the Rumbler Big Daddies, and the long awaited Big Sisters, your in for a hell of a fight. Finally, an interesting new addition is the escorting of the little sisters. Much like the end of the first one, upon killing a Big Daddy you can either harvest or adopt a little sister. When you adopt one, you take it around to harvest Adam from preset corpses. When you set her down, get ready for a fight. Essentially you must protect her from harm while she gathers Adam for you. At first it's fun, but around the last three little sisters I saved, it got kind of annoying. Finally the best new addition was the updated hacking system. Now done in real time, the hacking system replaces the old annoying puzzle game that took you out of the experience with a needle going back and forth between a semi-circular dial. If you mess up, you either get shocked or alert security. Also, with the remote hacking tool, you can shoot darts the allow you to hack safely from a distance. A good addition to some interesting gameplay.

Grade: A

Graphics
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Don't expect a huge difference in graphics this time around. While they are noticeably better, I can't say they wow'd me in comparison to the first game. I'm not, however saying they're bad. The graphics are beautiful and really bring attention to what Rapture once was and what it is becoming. In my entire play through, I didn't encounter one graphical glitch which is something to celebrate.

Graphics: B+

Sound
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One of the greatest things about the Bioshock series will always be that creepy drowned out 50's music coupled with excellent voice acting. The soundtrack is great, adding exciting battle music, creepy roaming music, and a few tracks for those occasional heartfelt scenes. And for a game with a silent protagonist the supporting character voices are very well done, the audio journals would always leave me craving more well narrated pieces to the story, the conversations between splicers I would eavesdrop on made me laugh. Overall the sounds were beautifully arranged.

Grade: A

Final
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another great game by 2K, Bioshock 2 does an able bodied job of filling the shoes of it's predecessor. I greatly look forward to the third game (if there is one).

Overall: A


"If Utopia is not a place, but a people. . . then we must choose carefully. For the world is about to change and in our story . . . Rapture was just the beginning . . ."
~Eleanor (Good good ending)

SPOILER:

All 3 Alternate Endings (just if your curious)

Lu~kun!

Wow. A Halo Legends episode that was actually really good? Somebody slap me because I must have drifted into the Negative Zone or something. No I do not lie, Prototype by Studio Bones is a damn good episode.

The story follows Ghost, a UNSC marine who several years back got most of his team killed in order to complete a mission. Now faced with an overwhelming Covenant attack, Ghost dons a protoype piece of armor in order to hold of the enemy and get his remaining team members to safety.

The story may sound simplistic, but Studio Bones manages to inject surprising personality into the character Ghost. His story of redemption and self awareness is a familiar but powerful story that is thankfully delt with in a rather subtle manner.

The action in this episode is also top notch. Drawn in an anime style more akin to Origins and The Babysitter the battle between the marines, the Covenant, and the prototype armor is exhilirating and has the necessary emotion for the story. Unlike such travesties as the Package, Prototype finds that necessary balance between action, story, and character. It is also nice to not have a single Spartan appear throghout the episode, putting the focus on the characters that are often overlooked in the Halo universe.

Overall, Halo Legends: Prototype is a wonderful piece of anime that suceeds in its mission of telling a captivating and action packed story, especially one that lasts only fifteen minutes long.

Score: A

Few can deny that for a shooter Halo has a rather indepth lore. The origins of the Covenant, the Halo rings, the flood, and even the Spartans have a surprisng originality to them. So why is it that this episode detailing the origins of the Halo universe lacks that spark?

The episode picks up following the events in Halo 3, as Cortana relates to a comatose Master Chief the origins of the rings and the flood. What could have been an interesting look at the Flood's war with the Forerunners instead becomes a standarad recounting of what we already know. Not even a look at the Forerunners themselves is truly interesting enough to save this episode.

The animation is a welcome return to a more traditional anime style, similar to The Babysitter, which is welcome after the two previous episodes bizarre design choices.

In short Halo Legends: Origins suffers for telling a story even the most minor Halo fan is familiar with, and refuses to make it interesting at that.

Score: C+

Alright, anyone who’s a Green Lantern fan knows about the Blackest Night comic series. For those of you that don’t, Blackest Night is when all the lanterns in the universe fight each other and awaken the undead black lanterns. Before you ask, yes, there are other Lanterns beside the green and yellow. Red for rage, Blue for hope, Orange for greed, Violet for love (and yes they are all women lol), Indigo for compassion, and Black for death (dun dun DUN!!). Anyway I loved this trade! It’s engaging and action packed.

V’s Verdict= Go and buy this series. It’s so much fun to watch how many different lanterns there are and how they change the green lantern world forever. (Also I will give $20 to the guy who can memorize all the oaths. lol jk)

ok so Big Bang Theory is this awesome show that comes on every Monday at 9:00 about four nerds Howard, Raj, Sheldon (my favorite) and Leonard oh and Penny, Leonard and Sheldon's next door neighbor. the whole premise of the show is about how these four comic-reading, atom-smashing, star trek-quoting nerds live and the wacky adventures they have. this show is hysterical even if you don't get the nerdy references and if you do it makes the ride a whole lot more enjoyable.

V's Verdict= defiantly watch it even if your not a total nerd like me :)

hello followers my name is chezno but u can call me V. i'm part of the AC team and damn proud of it. but since my team is so flippin awesome there really isn't a lot i can do just myself :(. so i'm gonna be dealing in all sorts of miscellaneous stuff. i should be posting something soon about my favorite show Big Bang Theory. well till then see ya

sincerely yours
V

Greetings and felicitations, ladies and gentlemen of the Internet.

Well ladies and gents, the time has come. After about two and half weeks the mighty Mass Effect 2 has fallen to my gaming abilities. Has Bioware's latest epic lived up to the/(my own) hype? Does it deliver its promises? Read on!

Story
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The essential part of any Bioware game is its story. Bioware is a master at its craft creating beautiful in depth worlds with complex and captivating characters. Mass Effect 2 begins with a bang and continues throughout the entire game. The story follows Commander Shepard, returning from a brief hiatus to assemble a team of heroes, assassins, prisoners, and mercenaries to take on what appears to be a suicide mission. Although the main story itself lapses into the occasional cliche (the ending boss is familiar to say the least), the real strength of this story rely in the side moments inside. Since Mass Effect 2 relies on your save game from the previous installment, you'll find yourself interacting with some incredibly personal moments. Discussing fallen teammates with the ships doctor, getting a hug from your former teammates, or even meeting up with that annoying fan from the Citadel all resonate deeply because they actually feel like something you accomplished. Shepard himself is improved as a character as well. No longer a dry and lifeless hero, your Shepard actually gains personality according to your actions. This adds to the level of immersion. Mass Effect 2 delivers possibly Bioware's best cast to date. Every character is enthralling and beautifully rendered. They make you laugh, yell at your screen, and maybe cry. (Hey I said maybe.) When things come down to the final mission and the big choices really begin to culminate it is heartbreaking to lose them. ( I lost one of my favorite teammates on the end run.) In fact this may be where one of the games major story flaws is. Some of the decisions are to hard to live with. This adds a level of tension, but also heightens the frustration. A decision that activates at a certain point in the story will hurt you no matter what happens.

+Good Writing/Dialogue
+Shepard has personality
+/-Hard Choices
+Amazing Charcters
+Memorable Moments Throughout
-Slightly cliched main plot

Score: 39/40

Gameplay
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Perhaps the biggest fallback to the original Mass Effect was its gameplay. Although combat was fun it was often hampered by dumb AI, lackluster coversystem, and lack of weapons. When looking that the combat between the two games, it really could be compared to night and day. Mass Effect 2's encounters are intense, action packed, and exciting. The game delivers a caliber of action that can only be compared to the Call of Duty series in intensity. The new heavy weapon system also allows for fun kills, and really do make you feel like a badass. The dialogue system from the new game remains intact, but this time sports an interrupt system that allows for your character to become even more of a hero or villain. The terrible Mako system is gone, replaced with an easy dropdown shuttle system. The sidequests have also been fleshed out and have much more originality then the previous installment. However, the gameplay does suffer from a few hitches. The first being the mining. Although harvesting resources does grow on you as the game progresses, it is just incredibly slow paced and monotonous compared to the rest of the game. There are also numerous points where the game will crash or you will float up into the sky. In other words its slightly buggy. However, the most blatant problem with the game design wise is the odd mission completed screen that appears after every quest. This drags you out of the experience and feels out of place in an rpg. There is also a lack of general RPG elements, but in the end this allows for a much more streamlined shooter experience.

+Fantastic Combat
+Amazing dialogue system
+Fun Quests
-Mining
-Design flaws

Score: 38/40

Graphics
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mass Effect 2's graphics standout primarily due to their art design. Although not on the level of such powerhouses as the Call of Duty franchise or Uncharted, the graphics of Mass Effect 2 carry the necessary emotion and grittiness needed for the sci-fi world it depicts. The environments are detailed, expansive, and incredibly atmospheric. The character animations especially in combat are fluid and natural, and add to the intensity. However, perhaps Mass Effet's greatest strength is the facial movements in its interactive cutscenes. The emotion and weight carried by the face alone is astounding.

+Detailed Environments
+Smooth animation
+Charcter design
+Art design
-Lacks the polish of other games
Score 9/10

Sound
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bioware games are known for their amazing voice acting, and Mass Effect 2 doesn't disappoint. With such actors as Martin Sheen, Yvonne Strahovski, Tricial Helfer, and Seth Green in the supporting cast it is little wonder that the sound in this game is phenomenal. The game triumphs outside of the acting to. The battle sound effects are superb and frenzied. The zip of bullets flying past your head, and the screech of laser fire adds to the intensity. Yet, the real star is Jack Hall's superb and heroic soundtrack.

+Outstanding voice acting
+Polished sound effects
+Amazing Score

Score: 10/10

Overall
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mass Effect 2 is a phenomenal game, and has probably taken the place of my favorite game of all time. Yes I said it, shut up haters. With a personal and emotional story, and intense gameplay this sci-fi epic is one to remember.

Aggregate Score: 96/100
Overall Score: 97/100
(Yes they're basically the same, shut up.)
Letter grade: A+

~Opening~

Oh man, I am at a loss for words at this one. Even after the anime upon anime I watched today, I was able to stay focused on the sheer love I now have of Katanagatari.

~Story~
A sword fight story taking place in Edo era . Yasuri Shichika is the seventh head of the Kyotou school of Japanese sword martial arts and lives in Fushou Island with his sister Nanami. He inherited a style of swordsmanship in which the swordsman doesn't actually use a sword. With the order from a female samurai general Togame, he sets out for a trip to collect the twelve treasured swords created by a legendary swordsmith Shikizaki Kiki.

~Review~
Well this will probably be really biased cause I enjoyed it so much but here it goes: Katanagatari is a fun shonen action anime with an elegant yet simplistic art style. Honestly it is hard to explain everything. The story is good, but it it's far from original. The samurai searching for swords has been done before and it's not a new concept, but it works. I found that though it may be simplistic art, a lack of originality, and an easy to follow story; it works . If your looking for a story with violence, insanity, and really new ideas this isn't it.
Overall:

Art: 15
Story: 15
Originality: 10
Character Depth: 10

Overall: 70

Your probably asking where the extra 20 points came from. Well I decided that with anime, even if all things said out loud about it point to one thing, it can always surprise you. And it's based on my opinion anyway sooooooo . . . I really think this is the anime to watch if your just an old school anime fan or not a huge fan of the intense violence that seems to seperate popular fighting anime from shoujo nowadays.

Lu~kun!

~Opening~

My third review on the anime for the winter season is Sora No Woto. Starting out as an anime, Sora No Woto has no manga (well had, it does now) or pre-existing fan base and personally I love the idea.

~Story~

The story focuses on Kanata Sorami. When she is separated from her parents at a young age, she found inspiration in a trumpeter she met. She decides to join the army and become a bugler, despite the fact she can't play. She is assigned to the town of Seize, where she is taken care of by Rio Kazumiya, her bugler instructor who plays the trumpet, and the rest of the squadron.

~Review~

I might make Anna-chan do a serious review of this cause it isn't exactly up my alley so to speak. The character design really resembles K-ON and it seems like a really shoujo anime. Despite that, I thought it was good. A really touchy, feely type of story revolving around friendship no doubt. The animation is great (if i were to relate it to something it would be movie grade level animation) and the soundtrack/background music is even better. The voice acting is interesting and it's original. Like I said before I'm not a good judge of shoujo stories but it was all around a good anime. The only real downside I can think of is that it had no conflict whatsoever in the first episode (which is all that is subbed so far).

Overall:

Animation: 20
Story: 18?
Originality: 16 (seems just alittle too much like K-ON)
Characters: 15 (Not really that interesting)

Overall: 69
(again, I'm not the best judge of shoujo but it was good and I think it has more of an appeal to girls)

Lu~kun!

~Opening~
The second Anime worth watching this winter season: the anime version of Dance in the Vampire Bund is a tad different from the manga version, but it seems good so far. As for the opening sequence I decided I'd rather not talk about it rather it trigger my H-thoughts/darkside
.

~Story~

The story focuses on Mina Tepes (Vlad Tepes?? hinthint), princess-ruler of all vampires, and her "protector," Akira. Like other vampires, she has been in hiding with her people for many years. Seeking to end centuries of isolation, Mina gains permission to create a special district for vampires, "The Bund", off the coast of Japan by paying off the national debt of the Japanese government. Mina then reveals to the world the existence of vampires and her desire for both races to live together. Tensions, however, run high as fearful humans and extremist vampire factions begin to interfere with Mina's wish for peace with the human world.

~Review~

Off the start this anime is a bit different from many of the other vampire anime out there (cause heaven knows there's a lot). Mina shows the world, rather violently, that vampires are real off the start. The animation is beautiful, yet has a subtle grittiness to it (think Trinity Blood). Of course (considering the fact it's all about vampire's) it's violent and bloody. So far the story is simple to explain and a great concept. One of the most awkward parts of the story, however, is that it is partially a romance anime and the main protagonist is an ancient vampire who looks like an 11-year-old (can you say "excuse for lolicon" 3 times fast?). Also there is a bit of ecchi-ness here and there, but it doesn't take to much time from the story. It's actually pretty good despite all the suggestive images used to advertise it and worth the watch if you like the idea of vampires trying to get along with humans (and then there are the werewolves later . . .).
Overall:
Animation: 20
Story: 20
Characters: 16
Originality: 15 (still a vampire anime)

Overall: 71 (worth watching)

Lu~kun!

~Opening~

Well I said I would do it and here it is, a review for the Durarara anime.

~Opening Theme~

I was really drawn in by the theme and I instantly realized who did the animation for it. Turns out the manga was written by the same person as Baccano! which really explains a lot. The music is catchy, one of those anime openings I'll get stuck in my head for awhile and it follows the same "introduce every character in the opening cause there's a lot" structure to the imagery.

~Story~

Essentially, it follows the same story as the manga with a few changes in the character appearances.

~Review~

After I totally trashed then went back and second-guessed my review on the manga, I was surprised when the anime turned out to be really good. The animation is awesome (far from the manga's art) and the action is good. The voice acting could be better but it's not bad (kinda happy that one of the best characters doesn't talk). Honestly it reminds me of the chaos and insanity of Baccano with an equal amount of acceptable comedy (I nearly died laughing when a gang member was punched in the face so hard he flew backwards and spun out of his clothes). The story is equally as hard to follow as the manga, but it seems that the less you know, the more enjoyable it is. It's a good combination of insanity mixed with a dash of mystery. I would have to say that so far, this is the anime to watch this winter season (but it is a slow winter season for anime).
Overall I'd give it:

Animation: 19
Voice Acting: 16
Characters: 20
Story: 18

Overall: 73 (Definatly a watch if you have the time)


Lu~kun!

~Opening~

Honestly, I jumped the gun a bit when I reviewed this yesterday and I'm noticing now that it's not bad.

~Story~

A youth who yearns for an un-mundane life, a hoodlum, a stalker denpa-girl, a young man who deals in information ‘for fun’, a black-market doctor, a high-schooler obsessed with magic, as well as a ‘headless rider’ riding a bike painted black. These unusual people begin a series of abnormal stories that never fail to create headaches. But, although their personalities are all twisted— they still talk about love. (ripped from one manga, I didn't think it was good enough to try and explain myself at first)

~Review~

Okay so the art is not that great, not that it's awful but nothing stands out. The limited use of grays in between black and white, as well as the huge amount of negative space leave the eye wandering a bit and it makes it hard to focus on the dialogue which is the same color as everything else. The characters, however are interesting and really hard to understand their personalities/train of thought. If there is one thing I enjoy, that's insanity and confusion which is included into the story frequently.
As for the story, it's pretty painful to get into and extremely odd once you do. Oh and when I find a clear cut answer to the question "What is Durarara about?" I'll tell you. Though I mus say the originality in this series is good. It's not your average Shonen, fight the baddies, manga. Much like Baccano, the line between good and evil is blurred constantly.
Overall I'd say:

Story: 15
Art: 10
Dialogue: 15
Originality: 25
Overall: 65 (Okay)

The weirdest thing the anime is actually pretty good. Maybe i'll do a separate review of that later.

~Lu-kun

So, you're bored. That's probably why you're on this sight anyways. Maybe you should go play a free game on the internet, but which one to choose from?

I would suggest First Person Tetris. Imagine Tetris. That should be pretty easy. Now, imagine that whenever you flip the piece, the camera rotates 90 degrees with it. Although it sounds like a horrible idea, it actually makes Tetris even more fun, despite the vomiting it will likely induce. Go play it, it's fun. I could review it, but I'm lazy. Just follow the link and decide if it's fun for yourself.

Seeing when a developer is completely out of ideas is easy. Sometimes the game just happens to like exactly like another game. Sometimes multiple games with a slight variation of title are released consecutively. The most obvious sign that shows a complete lack of originality, though, tends to be basing the story completely around characters from (usually Norse) mythology. Fortunately for us gamers, Vanillaware manages to create games based on mythology that are actually original.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade, created by the aforementioned Vanillaware, takes place during the Genroku era (thanks, Wikipedia!) and follows the story of the protagonists Kisuke and Momohime.



Warning: If you are one of those mindless pricks who hates any Japanese, show, comic, video game, or just modern Japanese art style in general, then screw you. Wait. I mean you probably won't like this game and should go continue playing Halo, drinking beer, and having sex with beautiful women, you contemptible jackass.

Yes, this game is very Japanese, but probably not the Japanese you are used to. The story contains much talk of Japanese legend, and will probably confuse you.

The story is split up into two distinct story lines, that can be played in either order. One story is about a rogue ninja named Kisuke who has lost his memory. Yes, yes, I know it sounds horrible, but it's really not. This is probably the better of the two, because Kisuke is more easily related to. The other story is about a princess named Momohime, who becomes possessed with the soul of an evil samurai. Both are very interesting story, and give the player even more motivation to play a fun game.

The gameplay of Muramasa, is a mix of RPG and and sidescrolling fighter. The player equips three katanas, of two differing styles. One is shorter and does less damage but is faster. The other is longer, slower, and more powerful. As the player attacks, blocks, and uses each blade's unique special attack, the sword is damaged. Once it breaks, the player cannot block and attacks with a very reduced damage. This makes the combat much more interesting than that of an average fighter, because firstly, swords should be carefully chosen based on their special attack, and secondly, the player must switch swords every once in a while. Overall, the combat is very enjoyable, and never grows stale, even after fighting the same enemy many times.

With multiple endings, secret boss battles, and fun gameplay, Muramasa is very replayable, and should satisfy both RPG fans and action fans.

Now, to talk about the some of the most amazing graphics I have ever seen in a game. Just look at it.


The game is simply a moving painting. I was repeatedly blown away by the incredibly detailed environments and enemies present within the game. Furthermore, the beautiful graphics are enhanced by a wonderful soundtrack. Look at more of it!


Muramasa: the Demon Blade has a very original story, great gameplay, freaking amazing visuals and audio, and you should go buy it.

And also, because it is a Japanese game, it has a hot spring scenes.

Everything Japanese has them, I don't know why.

The Shortlist for the upcoming 2009 Academy Awards. I am personally quite pleased with District 9's nomination.
Best Picture

Avatar (2009): James Cameron, Jon Landau

The Blind Side (2009): Nominees to be determined

District 9 (2009): Peter Jackson, Carolynne Cunningham

An Education (2009): Finola Dwyer, Amanda Posey

The Hurt Locker (2008): Nominees to be determined

Inglourious Basterds (2009): Lawrence Bender

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009): Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness, Gary Magness

A Serious Man (2009): Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Up (2009): Jonas Rivera

Up in the Air (2009/I): Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman, Jason Reitman
Performance by an actor in a leading role

Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight)
George Clooney in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
Colin Firth in "A Single Man" (The Weinstein Company)
Morgan Freeman in "Invictus" (Warner Bros.)
Jeremy Renner in "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Matt Damon in "Invictus" (Warner Bros.)
Woody Harrelson in "The Messenger" (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Christopher Plummer in "The Last Station" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Stanley Tucci in "The Lovely Bones" (DreamWorks in association with Film4, Distributed by Paramount)
Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side" (Warner Bros.)
Helen Mirren in "The Last Station" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Carey Mulligan in "An Education" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
Meryl Streep in "Julie & Julia" (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Penélope Cruz in "Nine" (The Weinstein Company)
Vera Farmiga in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
Maggie Gyllenhaal in "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight)
Anna Kendrick in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
Mo'Nique in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)

Best animated feature film of the year
"Coraline" (Focus Features) Henry Selick

"Fantastic Mr. Fox" (20th Century Fox) Wes Anderson

"The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney) John Musker and Ron Clements

"The Secret of Kells" (GKIDS) Tomm Moore

"Up" (Walt Disney) Pete Docter

Achievement in art direction
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg
Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair

"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (Sony Pictures Classics) Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro
Set Decoration: Caroline Smith

"Nine" (The Weinstein Company) Art Direction: John Myhre
Set Decoration: Gordon Sim

"Sherlock Holmes" (Warner Bros.) Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood
Set Decoration: Katie Spencer

"The Young Victoria" (Apparition) Art Direction: Patrice Vermette
Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Achievement in cinematography
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Mauro Fiore

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (Warner Bros.) Bruno Delbonnel

"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Barry Ackroyd

"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Robert Richardson

"The White Ribbon" (Sony Pictures Classics) Christian Berger

Achievement in costume design
"Bright Star" (Apparition) Janet Patterson

"Coco before Chanel" (Sony Pictures Classics) Catherine Leterrier

"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (Sony Pictures Classics) Monique Prudhomme

"Nine" (The Weinstein Company) Colleen Atwood

"The Young Victoria" (Apparition) Sandy Powell

Achievement in directing
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) James Cameron

"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Kathryn Bigelow

"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Quentin Tarantino

"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate) Lee Daniels

"Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) Jason Reitman

Best documentary feature
"Burma VJ" (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
A Magic Hour Films Production Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller

"The Cove" (Roadside Attractions)
An Oceanic Preservation Society Production Nominees to be determined

"Food, Inc." (Magnolia Pictures)
A Robert Kenner Films Production Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein

"The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers"
A Kovno Communications Production Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith

"Which Way Home"
A Mr. Mudd Production Rebecca Cammisa

Best documentary short subject
"China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province"
A Downtown Community Television Center Production Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill

"The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner"
A Just Media Production Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher

"The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant"
A Community Media Production Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert

"Music by Prudence"
An iThemba Production Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett

"Rabbit à la Berlin" (Deckert Distribution)
An MS Films Production Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Achievement in film editing
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron

"District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing) Julian Clarke

"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Bob Murawski and Chris Innis

"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Sally Menke

"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate) Joe Klotz

Best foreign language film of the year
"Ajami"(Kino International)
An Inosan Production Israel

"El Secreto de Sus Ojos" (Sony Pictures Classics)
A Haddock Films Production Argentina

"The Milk of Sorrow"
A Wanda Visión/Oberon Cinematogràfica/Vela Production Peru

"Un Prophète" (Sony Pictures Classics)
A Why Not/Page 114/Chic Films Production France

"The White Ribbon" (Sony Pictures Classics)
An X Filme Creative Pool/Wega Film/Les Films du Losange/Lucky Red Production Germany

Achievement in makeup
"Il Divo" (MPI Media Group through Music Box) Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano

"Star Trek" (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow

"The Young Victoria" (Apparition) Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) James Horner

"Fantastic Mr. Fox" (20th Century Fox) Alexandre Desplat

"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders

"Sherlock Holmes" (Warner Bros.) Hans Zimmer

"Up" (Walt Disney) Michael Giacchino

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"Almost There" from "The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

"Down in New Orleans" from "The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

"Loin de Paname" from "Paris 36" (Sony Pictures Classics) Music by Reinhardt Wagner
Lyric by Frank Thomas

"Take It All" from "Nine" (The Weinstein Company) Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston

"The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Best motion picture of the year
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox)
A Lightstorm Entertainment Production James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers

"The Blind Side" (Warner Bros.)
An Alcon Entertainment Production Nominees to be determined

"District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing)
A Block/Hanson Production Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers

"An Education" (Sony Pictures Classics)
A Finola Dwyer/Wildgaze Films Production Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers

"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment)
A Voltage Pictures Production Nominees to be determined

"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company)
A Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures/A Band Apart/Zehnte Babelsberg Production Lawrence Bender, Producer

"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
A Lee Daniels Entertainment/Smokewood Entertainment Production Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers

"A Serious Man" (Focus Features)
A Working Title Films Production Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers

"Up" (Walt Disney)
A Pixar Production Jonas Rivera, Producer

"Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
A Montecito Picture Company Production Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Best animated short film
"French Roast"
A Pumpkin Factory/Bibo Films Production Fabrice O. Joubert

"Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty" (Brown Bag Films)
A Brown Bag Films Production Nicky Phelan and Darragh O'Connell

"The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)"
A Kandor Graphics and Green Moon Production Javier Recio Gracia

"Logorama" (Autour de Minuit)
An Autour de Minuit Production Nicolas Schmerkin

"A Matter of Loaf and Death" (Aardman Animations)
An Aardman Animations Production Nick Park

Best live action short film
"The Door" (Network Ireland Television)
An Octagon Films Production Juanita Wilson and James Flynn

"Instead of Abracadabra" (The Swedish Film Institute)
A Directörn & Fabrikörn Production Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström

"Kavi"
A Gregg Helvey Production Gregg Helvey

"Miracle Fish" (Premium Films)
A Druid Films Production Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey

"The New Tenants"
A Park Pictures and M & M Production Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Achievement in sound editing
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle

"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Paul N.J. Ottosson

"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Wylie Stateman

"Star Trek" (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin

"Up" (Walt Disney) Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Achievement in sound mixing
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson

"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett

"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano

"Star Trek" (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro, Distributed by Paramount) Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Achievement in visual effects
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones

"District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing) Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken

"Star Trek" (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

Adapted screenplay
"District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing) Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell

"An Education" (Sony Pictures Classics) Screenplay by Nick Hornby

"In the Loop" (IFC Films) Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche

"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate) Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher

"Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Original screenplay
"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Written by Mark Boal

"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Written by Quentin Tarantino

"The Messenger" (Oscilloscope Laboratories) Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman

"A Serious Man" (Focus Features) Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

"Up" (Walt Disney) Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter
Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy

~Opening~
Let me start by saying if you are familiar with peachpit's work , shouldn't care much about this review. If you don't know Peachpit, think Rozen Maiden. If you don't know Rozen Maiden (this is becoming a pattern) then just keep reading.
~Story~
To put it simply, the main protagonist Michiru Kita is weak. She is a quiet, meek pushover who hides a rather burdensome secret. Without her glasses, Michiru can see how long before a person dies. It shows up as a ring around a person's neck, "a line to cut along" and when it turns completely black you die. But when two guys in her class, Chicka Akatsuki and Shito Tachibana, are walking around with the black rings, she follows them to find out how. Turns out that both had died in an accident and took out a loan on their lives. Now they are bound to fight along side eachother to pay off the debt(though they hate eachother most of the time) and Michiru is caught in the middle. Soon after, she is catapulted into a world of the undead, running for her life most of the time.
~Review~
I wish I could say that I was more of a peachpit fan, but their work always loses my attention. Overall the story isn't bad and the art is decent, but its a very typical Shonen battle manga with very little originality. I often find myself bored with it about halfway through (most of the time) and it feels like every tankoban is the same basic story but with different zombies and problems. Originality wouldn't be a problem with a really good combination of art and story but everything is sub par. The dialogue (following the pattern) is okay, but not very interesting.
In the end I think:

Story: 18
Art: 20
Dialogue: 15
Originality: 10

Overall: 63 (ehh)

Honestly, if you're a fan of Peachpit/Rozen Maiden then you'll probably like Zombie-Loan, but other than that it's probably a hit-or-miss. (which is weird cause I get the new tankoban every time)

Lu~kun!!

As the Season premiere for Lost's final season draws closer we now have a brand new awe inspiring trailer with new footage. Watch at your own risk.

The newest title in the critically acclaimed Nintendo series has finally recieved some new information. We now have a release date for summer of this year in Japan, and we now have an official site, which appears to be little more then a title screen.

Another look at the E3 Trailer: