Kikaider the anime constantly references Pinocchio, as they both share a common theme.  A hero who is not human, but wishes to be.  Kikaider, also known as Jiro when not transformed, feels ugly and confused about his existence, this is further complicated by the fact that he is destroying his “brothers”.  The anime has a lot of emotional depth when you consider the source material.  While it is deeper, it suffers from predictability.  Unfortunately each episode is still told in a monster of the week format, which for some may get old.  Of course if you like monster of the week style shows, it works perfectly (and follows the format of the original series).  Unlike the original show, more emphasis is placed on the romance between Jiro and Mitsuko, Jiro’s creator’s daughter.  Which adds tension and allows for interesting moral questions.

While some care about a love story and the search for an android’s humanity, others only want to see cool action sequences.  As a monster of the week style show, it is correct to assume that there are going to be some fights.  The show keeps the same “final” power from the original live action show, but otherwise Kikaida’s fighting is much more fluid and fast paced compared to his live action counterpart.  For those who watched the original, this is definitely a step up.  This really is the ultimate bonus to having the show presented in animation, the decision of gearing it toward a more mature audience also means the violence is not for your five to seven year old.

All of the story and action doesn’t really mean anything if the show doesn’t look right, this is probably the  most polarizing “feature” of the show.  There is a roundness to all of the characters, which may be a turn off for those who grew up with the original show.  Yet if they sit down and watch the action, it is obvious the show is a step up.  As someone who is a huge fan of the source material, it is hard not to want a “blockier” Kikaida, but it doesn’t detract from the experience.

Now for a rating, obviously as a fan of the source I would give it a cool, but if you have not ever seen the original it probably is somewhere around a meh+ or cool-.  Unfortunately the major detractor is going to be obtaining a copy of the series, as it is rather difficult to track down (if you want it for a reasonable price).  Though if you do see it in some bargain bin somewhere, certainly pick it up.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Seen the show and despise it, or find it to be the best version of Kikaida? Or does it make you want to see the original source?  Comment below…

For those who have not played the original Assassin’s Creed, you need not worry. There is a nice recap of events from the first game in case you forgot all about Desmond’s situation. If you have absolutely no idea about the game except for the screenshots and videos, you probably think the game is just about assassinating people and free running. Which is half right. While the majority of the game you are playing as an Assassin, the story is actually done in frames. Basically the outer story is Desmond’s, centering on the struggle of the Assassin’s against the Templars. While the inner story is Ezio’s, a young man who is thrown into the role of an assassin. This leads to some interesting moments where you play as Desmond, unfortunately Desmond’s sequences don’t control as fluidly, but that is mostly due to his inability to run during some of these sequences, which are placed in the game to further immerse you. The outer story also progresses when you discover certain secrets, leading to “truths”. These sequences are puzzles which are nice breaks from the action.

The real fun in Assassin’s Creed II comes from the free running and combat. For some the controls may be a bit difficult to use at first, but once you get the hang of the modifier button, you will be running on rooftops and blending in with crowds with ease. Those who have played the previous game can skip ahead, as you already know how the controls work. The best way to picture the controls is to think of all of your actions taking place while you are in one of two states. These are high profile and low profile. In low profile you can walk around and blend in with people to escape detection. This is useful for getting into places without a lot of resistance. High profile is the mode that people really want to play in, by holding the right trigger down you enter high profile, where you run instead of walk and can jump between buildings and run up buildings to reach hand holds. Finally, there is combat, which can be initiated from any profile. It begins with locking onto a target, depending on what weapon you have equipped you will perform different kinds of strikes. Of course just striking won’t get you too far as the game progresses, so you are given the ability to dodge, counter, and disarm opponents. Dodging is done to simply avoid getting hit, while countering allows you to kill an opponent quickly. Disarming is required to be able to defeat some types of opponents, but you can use it on any enemy. Combat feels very fluid, and while there are times that the camera may get in the way, if you have been playing for a while you will hardly have any difficulty dispatching large numbers of foes.

Like any story based game, the main campaign has to be well done, and it is, but that isn’t much of a change from the original game. What has changed is the number of side quests you can work on. Collecting things is still a big part of the game, but now you also have the ability to renovate a city to earn money and work on assassination, courier and race missions. The race and courier are similar, with both being timed, but races involve reaching checkpoints while you can take any route to your goal on courier missions. While you may not like a particular activity, there are enough choices for you to find something you do like to do, and running around the city doesn’t really get old when you are trying to search for treasure or feathers.

The only real negative to the game is the camera. This is the only piece of the old game they did not really “fix” for the sequel. Most of the time you can adjust the camera with the right analog stick, but when you are freerunning you sometimes run out of fingers to make those adjustments. This is not so bad when you are not in much of a rush, but when you are required to perform several jumps within a time limit, then it can be frustrating to not be able to properly see where your jump will take you.

All in all, Assassin’s Creed II is a solid game. Graphically, it meets and even exceeds the standard we expect from games that have come out in the last year or so. In regards to gameplay it is certainly worth buying, as most retailers should be selling it at a reduced price. Of course if you only care about finishing the story mode, you can probably just give it a rental. Either way, it is a satisfying experience and definitely a cool.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Have you played Assassin’s Creed II? Is it all that? Sound off in the comments.

Having a group of characters that progress together (in an elimination tournament structure) means you can learn more about the motivations and origins of these characters as they compete. By the end you know more about both the new and old characters alike than you may even care to know. The major hang up with this is the lack of freshness that a tournament brings to the show. Obviously when the season starts we have this whole new cast of characters, but as the show progresses the number of “core” characters is greatly reduced, this is problematic if you find yourself liking a particular character and said character is eliminated in the next episode. While it might not be a serious loss, it can kill the show for you.

For those who watch for the action, this is certainly action packed and sticks to a certain amount of realism. Unlike shows like Dragon Ball Z where people are whipping giant visible energy objects around, Baki The Grappler is all about hand to hand combat and tries to keep itself grounded to a point. Naturally all the fighters are above normal strength and speed, but it is each fighter’s unique discipline that makes the fights truly entertaining. While some of the styles use certain techniques of myth rather than something more realistic, it is still fair and relatively balanced (if both fighters are “on the same level”) and fights look like they can go either way.

The overarching story, the conflict between Baki and his father, exists in this season but feels incomplete and an afterthought. In the previous season Baki directly engages his father in combat, while in this season Yojiro is there merely as an observer. Considering this is the last season of the show, it would be right for most viewers to assume Baki would face his father in the final episode(s). Sadly, the series ends without this key fight happening, and we are left to imagine what would have been. The one caveat to that is the tale told in the last episode, a story entirely centered around Yojiro that showcases his brutality and inhuman behavior and allows you to get a better grasp of who he is.

Time for ratings, while the previous season was great for its unstructured style and the journey from boy to man of the main character, the second season showcases the growth of a number of individuals in a tournament setting. Sadly, this makes it more of a cool- than a cool for the stale nature of it. For fans of the first season it may rank higher but for those who are not fans of MMA or anime, I would skip this one, as it does not bring anything truly astounding to the table.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

For those unfamiliar with the gameplay in Diablo, it is a hack and slash RPG, where you control a character with the mouse in an isometric view.  To attack you click on opponents and/or select abilities.  As you progress you unlock new abilities and gear.  Torchlight shares this style of gameplay.  You can choose between three classes, each containing skills that can dramatically change your play style.  The first is the destroyer, who is the standard warrior who specializes in doing massive melee damage.  The alchemist is the resident spell caster, who can also summon minions.  The vanquisher is the ranger, with the ability to fire magically treated arrows and bullets.  One thing to note is all of the classes can use the various weapons, as long as their stats meet the requirements.  The stats of the character are lacking, as there are only a few stats you can upgrade and depending on how you shape your class you may only be increasing two or three of them.  While the characters don’t add too much depth, the pet you start with adds some interesting elements to the game.  First and foremost the pet is an AI helper who can attack enemies and cast spells and wear accessories to boost their stats.  Of course the greatest thing the pet does is serve as your personal pack mule.  They can store additional items in their own separate inventory, but more than that, they can run the items back to town to sell and return with the profits.  Having this feature may seem like a novelty to some, but to hardcore dungeon runners this is a godsend.  While running back to town can be simple, as most games incorporate some sort of fast travel, it breaks the flow of the action.  So instead of stopping your fighting every so often to run back to town, you can simply send your pet and keep pushing forward.

While the gameplay is more refined, the game does lack one thing that all other games of this type have that make them worth investing so much time into, and that is multiplayer.  Without it the game can lose some of its fun, since you can’t share in the experience, but one thing people should note is that there will be a Torchlight Free-to-play MMO coming out in 2010, so all is not lost.  Sadly we need it now rather than later.  The other huge problem is for the hardcore gamers, the game is a little too easy.  Of course this makes it a great introduction for younger or inexperienced gamers.  Of course the greatest asset to the game is how low the system requirements are, so it is possible  for inexperienced gamers to be able to experience the game without fear that it won’t run on their system.   In fact, there is a netbook setting for those who want to play the game on a computer with even lower system specs.

Time for a rating.  While the game does not have multiplayer, the price ($20 on steam) makes it worth it for hardcore Diablo fans who need their fix.  Making it a definite cool.  For others it is more of a cool- to a meh+, with great gameplay but not offering anything really new.  Also if you absolutely need multiplayer you can wait for the MMO. Yet considering that Christmas is coming up, the price makes it a decent stocking stuffer for someone who has an older PC.

Purchase Now – Help (Cool) Shite

• Buy Torchlight from Amazon.com
• Buy Torchlight from Amazon.co.uk

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

If you have played Stormreach, there are some things that have changed since the change to free to play, first off you can now reach a max level of 20 and there is the new class of the Favored Soul. Also there is no longer a subscription model required to play. There is a subscription model in place if you want access to extra areas and features or you can purchase these items from an online store. Otherwise the game is pretty much the same as Stormreach.

First off, you create your character, if you are not under the subscription or have not paid for any content you do not have access to two of the races or the classes. The races are Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Halflings, Drow Elves, and Warforged. Unfortunately you have to pay for the Drow Elf and Warforged, but once you purchase it, it is available on your account, and you can make multiple characters of that race. This also goes the same for classes, the classes in the game are Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Favored Soul, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, and Wizard. The Monk and Favored Soul classes both need to be purchased to be unlocked, and are slightly more expensive than the races.

If you are unfamiliar with D&D, the game will not be difficult to get into, since the game is action based. This can be unfortunate for those who want to play a more turn-based style game like the pen and paper one. Even though it is action based stats matter and your feats and skills do play a key role in the game. There is a very nice mix of stats vs action reliance in the game, if you are a rogue, you will get to see this most, since you can unlock doors and disarm traps. Depending on how high your search and spot are you can find secret areas and control panels for traps. There are some Stat based doors that require specific things, like a high strength or high intelligence to get past. Naturally leveling is pretty much the same as in the pen and paper game, but to reach a new level you have to go up five ranks in the current level. When you reach a new rank you get an enhancement point which lets you purchase skill and feat enhancements for your character. One thing to note is the level cap for players starts at four and can only be increased with an item that can be gained as a quest reward (if you are lucky) or through purchasing in the store.

As much as stats are important, the game is about dungeon exploration and combat. When you get a quest you can go to the entrance to the dungeon and choose a difficulty, normally you would have solo and normal difficulty unlocked, unless you or a party member has already beaten the dungeon on the lower difficulty. When you enter a dungeon, you are entering an instance, for those unfamiliar with the term, an instance is a copy of the dungeon that you and your party are playing in, meaning you cannot run into random players and the dungeon is filled with monsters and loot rather than with corpses. You are given a goal to complete, which can range from obtaining an item to doing some task. One minor touch which makes the game great for those who still want to have the atmosphere of the pen and paper game is the dungeon master’s voice, who describes the dungeon and the environment when you enter the dungeon and before key events in the dungeon. Of course this feature can be turned off, which is important if you find yourself running the same dungeons a few times in a row, as the voice can get annoying if you have heard it too often.

Like all MMOs, content is always being added. Yet the game still has a few bugs littered around, and game play is being tweaked to better fit the growing audience. This can be a nuisance to people trying to create their best character based around certain feats that may not work quite right. For those who don’t care so much, the game works and is stable and fun can certainly be gleaned from it.

Now for ratings, D&D Online is a difficult game to rate, as it has great graphics for a free MMO and the store is something to be expected in that business model. Unfortunately if you don’t want to pay any money you may not be able to create the character you want. Also the level caps for free players who have not purchased a particular item can be a pain. Ultimately it comes down to fun, and while these things can hinder the fun, it is possible to play using only free things and still have an enjoyable experience. If you like D&D and MMOs D&D is a solid cool. If you only like the pen and paper game, it is probably more of a cool- or a meh+. The one important thing to remember is that it is free, so the only thing you waste in playing it is your time, if you have a bit of free time it is worth a look, especially if you don’t have the money to pay monthly fees.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Please  note that there is no button to click here.  If you do want to check our Dungeons and Dragons Online you can go to the website HERE and check it out. They have a button to press. I promise.

While the initial premise seems simple, it grows more complicated as the series plays out. Unfortunately this splits the audience. For the first eight or so episodes Eclair and Lumiere (the two main characters) go on missions, but after that the main story arc appears and begins to play out. If you preferred the missions and how each episode was a complete story, you will probably find the change not to your liking. If you want a series running story arc you have to sit through about four hours of non-important episodes. For those in the third category, who simply want to wait for a story to get rolling, then this series is perfect to fill that void.

One issue some may have with the series is the sexually suggestive shots of the lead characters as fade outs to commercial and fade ins to the show. While they are usually great drawings, if you find the sexual nature distasteful you may need to fast forward or give up on the show. The other source of sexuality are the numerous up-skirt shots, which while prevalent in some animes, if you have not seen a lot of them outside of what is shown on US soil, this sort of “fan service” (an odd term, but one used to describe this sort of material) is not something normally seen. The age of the characters poses a slight problem, while the story explains that they are a lot older than they look, Lumiere looks like a young child, and yet there are suggestive drawings of her.

The most important part about the series is the story, even though it takes a while to get started, it is a very fascinating one that reveals the origins of Eclair and Lumiere. There is one “feature” of stories in animes which pops up from time to time, and that is their tendency to be confusing and let the unexplained explain itself after you have already decided to just let it go without an explanation. One example of this is the mention that events are playing out the way they had before, of course the question is what do the individuals mean by that, eventually it is revealed what they mean, but by then you will have probably formed your own explanation. If the story issues are ignored, the story is actually very good and goes in a slightly unexpected direction. By the end everything is revealed and all of the confusion in the show is cleared up.

Now to rate, as anime stories go, this one is good enough that it deserves a cool, but if you are not into such an unexpected story that doesn’t start up till a good bit into the series, then it is more of a cool-. While some may consider it shite for the upskirts and odd sexual content, it is still watchable. Basically it is worth having a look at, whether you are watching it for legitimate reasons or just to comment on the “fan service” animes deliver.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Is it all “fan service” and “upskirts” or is there something deeper here? Let us know and give us the feedback we so richly desire!

If the first season was a way to grab American viewers and get them interested in anime, the second season introduced them to the complexities of anime. (To avoid getting too deep into the differences between anime and American cartoons, lets agree that the storytelling style is different and both take leaps of faith in very different directions.) For those who have seen the first season and are familiar with the characters and major facets feel free to skip to the next paragraph. Big O is a tale about Roger Smith, a negotiator and mega deuce pilot in Paradigm city, a city that has lost its memories. He is assisted by R Dorothy Wainwright, an android girl who has attached herself to Roger as a client and friend. Norman is Roger’s butler and something of a keeper of Big O. Big O is a Mega Deuce, a giant mech which was built long ago and is now considered very rare. There are also a few central characters of importance, but they only really become pivotal in this season and were merely in the first season to help get Roger from point A to point B.

As season openers go, the second one opens with a fascinating look at the origin of Roger the negotiator. It is a guest directed episode that reveals how Roger came to be the pilot of the Mega Deuce Big O, but it also serves to show off a strange style of storytelling that while not completely unexpected, strays away from the standard format of the show. Regardless of the oddity of it, the first episode still has enough familiar elements of the show to make the viewer feel at home. It also serves to resolve the cliff hanger ending of the first season without getting too tied up in things.

From the second episode on the show begins to evolve into more of an involved mystery, which is not hard to understand, but some of the concepts brought up as theories make very little sense. An example from the start of the season comes in the form of tomatoes, Roger is not sure whether he is a real person, or a person grown from a tomato or like a tomato (an odd metaphor or possibly reality). Obviously this isn’t something dealt with in most American cartoons. Things become further complicated as the show begins to reach its climax. Right up till the last two episodes everything seems to make some sense, and even if it is a little strange, it is perfectly within the realm of acceptability. Of course when the final revelations hit everything quickly becomes way too existential and over the top to be easily followable for non-anime buffs.

At this point it is probably best to simply put a rating to this season rather than simply continue to cite examples of areas where the series chose to head back to its anime roots. Overall the season is a cool -. as it was not terrible but potentially alienates a portion of its audience with the complexity. Of course if you are someone who has watched a lot of anime and enjoy an explanation from left field this one will probably fall in the cool + range. One thing to note, it is very hard to find a DVD set of this, in fact you can only really pick it up in volumes, which for some can be exceedingly frustrating, but if you stumble upon it, particularly in a rental store, it is a must watch.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Obviously the movie is bound to be hilarious, as it features a former Saturday Night Live cast member and an actor from the American version of The Office, as well as a number of comedians and comedic actors. Of course it wouldn’t be a good movie if it did not have a compelling story, and Away We Go offers a story which at first has a pretty basic premise but shows some depth as the story progresses. The movie opens with Verona and Burt discovering that Verona is pregnant. Like any young couple they look to their parents for support, unfortunately when Burt and Verona approach Burt’s parents, they discover those same parents are moving to another country for a year. Upon thinking it over, they decide to look for a new home to raise their child and travel to various locales where they have friends or relatives in hopes of finding the right place. Naturally in every location they visit something interesting always happens. While the story is meant to be comedic, there is a major driving theme of love, both for the unborn baby and between Burt and Verona, as well as the theme of home as both a place and a state of mind. While this may seem rather deep, it is not something you really need to dwell upon as the story is laid out so most of these concepts are pretty obvious.

One possible complaint about the film is the use of title sequences to explain the next scene, essentially each section of the movie can be broken up into where the couple is going to. An example of a title screen would be Away to Montreal, of course this can be nice for people who fall asleep, as they can have a general idea of what is going on, but might seem a little cheap for some. This seems to be more of a stylistic choice and a way to transition consistently, while this is not bad, some may wonder if this was done because they had no way to smoothly get from one location to another. Another odd point is the swearing, while most will find nothing wrong with the amount of cussing in the movie, some may find it a bit excessive for a romantic tale, the number of sexual references may also be a bit jarring. Yet if you are of a more modern sort, the swearing seems pretty natural and certainly more genuine than most modern romantic movies tend to make conversations sound. Otherwise, there is really nothing wrong with the film, it is more a question of should one view it as a humorous road movie or as a romantic movie with laughs sprinkled throughout?

It is difficult to put a rating on this film, as much of the charm can break this film for a viewer, but if you want to see a funny relationship movie that is not your ordinary sort of romance, this is a cool+, but if you just want something funny this can be anywhere from a cool or a meh+. This movie is definitely not a night out with the fellas kind of comedy, but if you are a guy, there is enough here to keep you entertained while your significant other gets a little more out of it.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Like most fighting games, there are a bunch of characters to choose from and several different game modes. Of course it should be noted that while there are around 77 fighters to choose from, they are broken up by weight class, so there are about an average of 15 fighters per weight class. This means if you stick to the same weight class you will exhaust the number of unique opponents pretty quickly, but of course you can always pick a different weight class. The game modes are as follows: an exhibition mode where you can pit two fighters against each other and play either against a computer controlled opponent or a player; an online mode, where you can play against a human opponent over the Playstation Network; a create a fighter mode where you create your own character; a tutorial mode where you can learn who to play; and a career mode where you create your own fighter and work your way up through the ranks.

The first thing you will notice when you boot up the game is the question about the tutorial mode, if you have never played the game before, you absolutely need to play the tutorial, even though it is long. The reason being, the controls are so complex that unless you have a pretty intimate knowledge of MMA a lot of it will make no sense. Even if you do have an intimate knowledge, the controls may seem awkward until you get the chance to perform the maneuvers, and unfortunately if you are trying to do some of the more complex ones in an exhibition match you may find yourself stifled. While some may say that you have to get into full mount to do a lot of damage (many guides online say only try for full mount) you can finish the fight from almost any position, as long as you are on top, though it may be possible to do that from the bottom, but it is highly unlikely. The one problem with the controls is the transitioning, it is sometimes hard to figure out which way to spin the stick to allow you to transition out of something, particularly from the bottom. This does not hinder you too badly, but can be extremely frustrating when your opponent gets you in the full mount position. Of course submissions can be done from any position, but it is difficult to finish a submission, which with the recent patch will be slightly easier, but if you don’t have an online connection you won’t be able to obtain this patch (to the best of my knowledge). With the difficulty in obtaining the submission victory, that leaves the knockout and technical knockout and the decision victory, both knockouts are pretty easy to get, which means you and your opponent can both get a win without much difficulty. Which for some may seem like a problem, as there is really no way to tell when you will get hit with that vicious punch, it could be the first hit or it could take all three (or five for a championship match) rounds. Of course you could just let it go to the judges’ decision, but like in real life no one wants to go to decision.

The one mode that really matters is the career mode, as this is where your created fighter can gain stats and you can also build up a reputation and gain sponsors and get the title of your weight class. To start you create a fighter with the look you want and the height and weight class. Obviously the weight class matters, as you cannot jump weight classes in career. The height effects your reach, but reach only matters if you care about how far you want to stand from your opponent to do damage. You also need to pick your style, which comes in two parts, your stand up and your ground style. While all fighters can perform most things, some positions can only be obtained by certain ground styles. The stand up style determines your types of strikes, meaning whether you are more efficient with your punches or you are better up close in a clinch, etc. You then have your attributes, strength, cardio, and speed. These are pretty obvious, cardio is meant to represent your stamina and determines both your in ring and out of the ring cost for actions. Finally there are the numerous stats, like standing strike offense and standing strike defense. These stats determine how good you are at a particular part of a fight. This means you have to train a lot to get these stats raised. There are two kinds of training in career mode, training of your attributes and sparring, which gives you points to raise your stats. You can also raise your technique level in your ground and standing style by participating in training camps, unlocking new maneuvers and raising stats related to the style. Then there are the fights, which are like any other fight in the game, but have the added bonus of giving you cred and raising your rank, helping to give you a reason to keep fighting.

Now for the bad news, while the game has smooth animations and a great fighting system there are still some things that could be better. The transitioning can be a little difficult at times, and the fighting system is complex enough to turn away some fans of MMA, but the controls make sense, they just take a little while to master. The other big problem which some may not see as a problem, is the inability to change weight classes in career mode. In real life fighters will change weight classes and in a game all about being able to fight all the various fighters in the UFC it would only make more sense to be able to go up or down in weight to fight these people.

Now for a rating, this game even with its problems still is a cool+, as the issues are not something that can’t be overcome or ignored. For fans of MMA who like videogames you may notice that this is not the first UFC game to come out, but it is certainly the best so far. For those who are not fans of the sport this is not going to be anything more than a meh+, as it is well made, but not something you may have even more than a mild interest in.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

The film centers around Boris, an old Jew who hates the world and sees everyone as beneath him. Then one day he meets a young girl who he helps mold and oddly enough, molds him. Seems like a bit of a predictable story, but a lot of the charm of the movie is in the characters surrounding both Boris and the young girl Melodie. What makes this film different from other comedies of today is the way in which it is presented. Boris, right from the start, breaks the fourth wall. This allows him to share his inner thoughts and both help the viewer identify with his character and also help guide you through the story. Obviously using the main character as the person to guide the story can seem like a weak story telling device, but it is a choice which does not hurt the film, but it does not necessarily help it.

Oddly, the main problem with the film is not the film itself, but the trailer. While the trailer is very funny, a lot of the jokes from the film are in the trailer and even some of the very important plot points of the story are shown. For those who have not seen the trailer, the movie will be funny and possibly unpredictable, but for the folks who have seen the trailer play multiple times on television or on the internet, it definitely takes a lot away from the movie. Not everything is spoiled, but the film is meant to be a comedy, so ripping out those funny gems leaves you with a good story, but nothing to keep you entertained while you wait for the revelations.

As for the film’s depth, the main theme is love, and essentially it is presented in many different ways and interpreted by Boris. This means at the end of the film everything is explained, so for those who want to watch a film that is deep but gives away enough of it for almost anyone to pick up on it, this film is great. Of course many may argue that this is done to make a statement about how ignorant we are as human beings, as Boris finds almost every human beneath him, but that seems like way too much over analysis.

So is it worth a watch? If you have seen the trailer, this is not a movie you want to see in the theater, give it till it gets on DVD, so you can forget what you saw in the preview. Unless of course you don’t mind a lot of boring talking and jokes you have heard before. For others, it is funny enough to be worth a look, probably a cool- but for most this is a pretty solid meh, in other words something that may not work for you.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Departures is a Japanese subtitled film about death, it is a tale about a man, Daigo Kobayashi, who is a cello player in an orchestra in Tokyo. When the orchestra is dissolved due to a lack of interest from the public, Daigo is forced to sell his Cello and return to his childhood home with his wife. Of course seeing as he no longer has a job, he must seek one out. One morning Daigo sees an ad in the local paper about departures, and assumes it is some kind of travel agency looking to hire someone. Unfortunately for him, it turns out to be an encoffinment agency, where he is hired as an assistant. His duty is to clean and dress the bodies prior to being placed in their coffin. One thing which makes this different from a western style of preparation is the location, as this preparation is done in front of the family and friends of the deceased. This sets up many interesting moments for Daigo.

While death is an obvious theme throughout, the mood is not always sad. Throughout the film there is a lot of visual beauty, from scenes of animals to the making up of the dead bodies. It is obvious that this film is not trying to show a gritty side to death, but a peaceful and majestic side. This means a lot of slow scenes of Daigo making up a body, or of him talking to someone. While many people may find this boring, it is a side of Japanese culture which is not always seen on modern films, making it a refreshing change. For those who are not too familiar with this, in Japanese culture a lot of things are done a certain way to project beauty, from the act of serving tea to speaking to someone, there is a certain amount of ceremony and order involved to make the act seem more significant or to show respect. Unfortunately for those who do not know a lot of the Japanese language, some of the particular words used hold some significance, but not enough to ruin the story for you.

The story is filled with symbolism and metaphors, it is definitely not a film you want to sleep through. Even though the premise sounds slightly ridiculous, Daigo’s duties lead him down a path of self discovery as well as finding answers to life and death. No great story is without its funny moments, these scenes serve to cut the tension and help the pace. While there are not many of them in the film, it is nice to break up the emotional story.

If you have not figured it out yet, this film is not for everyone, the reason many senior citizens enjoy the film is because it is slower, which makes it easier for them to follow. For most young people, it is probably a rather boring film, but seeing as I sat through the whole film and found it interesting, who is to say all young people will dislike it. Now for ratings, I think it is a cool+, particularly if you are looking for a Japanese film that presents a side of Japanese culture that is not seen in the ultra violent slasher films produced today or the classic monster films of yesterday. If you are the sort of person who falls asleep easily in a film, then this is not the film for you, but for someone who enjoys a good dramatic story, this will probably rank in the cool- to meh+ range, as it is dramatic but the premise seems a little ridiculous.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Considering the film is made up of bits not used in Anchorman, there is enough there for Wake Up Ron Burgundy to have a pretty decent, if predictable, story. The events of this movie take place after Anchorman, with Ron dealing with a group of bank robbers known as the Alarm Clock. Of course this whole storyline uses extended versions of a few scenes and actually allows for more humor from the channel 4 news team. Of course with any film, the story has to flow well. Unfortunately this is where the movie shows its weakness, as the story does not mesh well as a sequel to Anchorman. The biggest reason for this is the reuse of scenes, namely the scenes where Ron is interacting with Veronica Corningstone, as these scenes show them at odds or acting like they hardly know each other when in actuality they are supposed to have already fallen in love. Of course the narration helps to add some explanation, but toward the middle of the film it is already clear that it does not work and is pretty much ignored. Of course the scenes that were deleted that form the main story work well, as a lot of them do not feature any of the main cast. This allows for these characters to exist without really throwing off the established mythology. One could say this film’s story is meant to be a lot like an insert-able story that could have happened at any time in the life of Ron Burgundy. Without spoiling the movie, if you have seen Anchorman, then some of the plot will seem almost exactly the same, but of course most people who enjoyed the first film liked it for the jokes, and this film does not recycle many of those.

A comedy film like Anchorman has a lot of memorable jokes, so of course one should expect this film to be no different, and it isn’t. The one aspect of this film that makes it work better is the use of all of the characters, while Anchorman has some great bits, it really focused a lot on Ron Burgundy. This film, while still centering on him, allows for more bits with the rest of the cast. Whether this is a good thing, is really dependent on whether you like the other characters. Oddly enough, this film also gives a lot more background on both Brick and Champ, two characters that were funny in the first film but maybe needed a little more screen time. Then there is the Alarm Clock, their scenes sometimes felt a little strained, but some scenes, like the bank scene with Amy Pohler were pretty funny and helped show that this film could stand on its own as an entertaining and hilarious movie.

Time for a rating, if you liked Anchorman, then I would say this is probably a great movie to add to the collection, as it is probably as funny as the first, making it a solid Cool, but if you haven’t seen the first film then you wouldn’t enjoy it as much, so for those uninitiated I would give it a Meh+. Of course if you are looking for a great story, then this is definitely not it.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

The Big O’s main theme throughout the first season centers around memories, and whether or not our memories shape us into who we are, and if it is absolutely necessary for us to have them. Obviously this theme is a little odd, but considering that the story is set in the city of amnesia, Paradigm City, it is pretty obvious that memories play a pretty key role. Roger Smith is a negotiator in this city, and he is the protagonist of the show. He is a man who pilots the Mega Deuce Big O, a giant robot that protects the city. He also lives in a large mansion with a butler named Norman and an android named R. Dorthy Wainwright. Above I mentioned that The Big O shares a lot in common with Batman, the reason being, is because the people at Sunrise who created The Big O worked on the Batman animated series, so when they started this project they took a few things from their previous job with them. This makes the series a lot more American friendly than most animes from Japan. Even though Roger Smith doesn’t where a costume, he has many cool gadgets and also abhors guns, a lot like Batman. Also Roger Smith looks a lot like Bruce Wayne, but in an anime style. The story follows Roger Smith, but it also centers around his friend at the Military Police, Daustin, who shares a close relationship with Roger. Even though this relationship is similar to that of Batman and the Commissioner, Daustin does play a very large role in the series, although not at first, possibly a much larger role than the commissioner had in Batman’s adventures. While most series have to have a clear cut villain, The Big O does not really have one in the first season. Instead Dorthy and Roger investigate various cases and slowly begin to unravel some secrets of Paradigm City.

Of course the story of The Big O is filled with combat between Big O and various other giant robots. The design of the cockpit and the controls of the Mega Deuce are fascinating, as they are very old and appear almost as if they originated during a time before computers. Which fits right in with the story, as no one knows where these robots came from. Anyone who watches the show, will recognize the familiar line displayed on the cockpit’s screen when Roger enters Big O, Cast In The Name Of God, Ye Not Guilty. While some may find the fights between Big O and his enemies to be rather simplistic, considering that initially only Big O’s punching ability is shown, it is a slightly different way of doing fights. Instead of changing the way the main character fights, they keep putting robots against him that have unique abilities, that way it remains fresh. While Big O’s fights are cool to watch, Roger also has his moments of combat or espionage which help break up the battles and add some depth to the show’s action.

Big O has its positives, its one negative is the theme song, while some may not mind the repetitive nature of it, others may find it rather dumb and an odd choice for such a serious show. Yet the rest of the sound design is pretty decent, and certainly is not too repetitive. Time for a rating, if you are looking for an anime that is sort of easy to grasp if you are not into anime, this is definitely a cool or cool+ even. For those who are pretty die hard anime fans, this probably won’t be that big of a deal for you, but it certainly at least deserves a cool-. If you absolutely despise mech animes and are not a big fan of Batman, then this show is definitely not for you. One thing to note about the actual DVDs is that for some reason I could not find an actual season DVD, and instead had to buy them in volumes, this first season is pretty much contained in volume one, season one runs from episode one to episode thirteen, so it should not be too hard to track it down.

The first question that probably comes to mind is, How much of Mike Tyson’s life is covered, or rather, does the film shy away from the controversial events? The answer is that Mike Tyson is not shy at all about even the most controversial moments of his life, from his rape conviction, to the famous ear biting incident, all that and more is talked about. What is even more shocking is actually the perspective he gives to the viewer, as a lot of the events of his life have been so heavily publicized that everyone knows what happened, but maybe not the whole story. Mike Tyson fills in his side of the story, and is not blaming others as one might expect he would do. In fact he is so honest about the events of his life and his career that he puts almost all of the blame on himself. The film starts with the scene of him winning his first heavyweight championship, but quickly snaps back to his childhood and his life in a rough part of Brooklyn, and builds a solid foundation for his story, explaining why he thinks the way he does and what motivated him. Of course from the beginning it is clear that the story he is telling is not a simple rags to riches story, but one about a tainted kid who grows up and has his ups and downs.

Of course no film about a pro boxer would be complete without a lot of talk regarding his accomplishments in the ring. Tyson does focus mostly on the career of Mike Tyson, but unlike most fight interviews where a fighter talks about a fight and gets into the moves he used and the intricacies of each particular fight, Mike Tyson goes over his mind set at the time and also how various things going on his life effected his boxing. Some may think of this as a way for him to make excuses, but it all relates back to him and the blame lays squarely there. A very necessary part of the film is the actual fights being shown, as they help break up the scenes of Mike Tyson speaking and allow for the viewer to get a picture of what was going on outside of Mike Tyson’s head.

Something very awkward about the movie that could turn some away is the presentation of the film, as sometimes it is hard to make out what Mike Tyson is saying, or some of the overlapping audio of Mike Tyson (done for affect) can cause a viewer to not catch everything being said, but other than that little hiccup, the majority of the movie is pretty clear. While the movie focuses on Mike Tyson’s life during his boxing days, there is a nice section on his family, which is probably where it would have been nice to see an interview with some of them, but it still functioned well on its own. One thing to note about those who are looking for it to be a film to take children to, it is rated R, and even if you have a kid who is a huge boxing fan, I would not recommend it. There is a section on sex and drugs, and Mike Tyson occasionally uses some rather strong language, so unless you are comfortable with those topics and the language, keep the kids away for now.

Ratings time, while I want to give this a Cool+, as it is just an interesting perspective piece, some may think the lack of other interviewees leaves something to be desired, but if you are into boxing, or interested in hearing the story of Mike Tyson and want to know his side of the story, then this is a great movie. For those who are only mildly interested, it is probably going to be a Cool- or even as low as a Meh, but it is certainly not Shite.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

The story centers around the idea that once in every man’s life they dream of becoming the strongest fighter in the world. Of course for Baki Hanma this dream is something he takes very seriously. At the start he is a teen with some pretty decent knowledge of fighting, but as the story progresses he meets and fights many other individuals with similar dreams, allowing him to master his own style. While the series does not have magic, it does have some characters who are over the top and seem to possess powers. For example, Baki’s father, who is the strongest fighter in the world, seems to be unbeatable due to the fact that he has what looks like a demon’s face in his back. This is explained away by saying he developed the odd shape of his muscles through fighting, and that musculature could only be developed in combat. While this first season is all about fighting, it does also have some interesting dialogue and depth for a show all about fighting.

While Baki does fight many individuals, he learns a lot about himself and the path he wants to take in his life, choosing one slightly different from his father’s. There is also a little bit of biology thrown into the show to add a little bit of science to the carnage. Endorphins and adrenaline as well as muscle memory are brought up during the season, explaining how Baki as well as other fighters can perform at near super human levels. He also happens to fight a gorilla near the beginning of the series, which while not too ridiculous, becomes so when it turns out that this gorilla can fight like a person. Even though it is possible, you may need to forgive the writers of the show for such an odd choice of opponent.

For some story is important in their anime, but the real question is, are the fight scenes worth watching? Since the show is animated, there are a lot of opportunities to have action that you cannot show in a live action television show, as they would just be difficult to do without looking too cheesy. Aside from just bruising and bleeding, the show has many scenes of the breaking of bones and the contorting of limbs in awkward and painful ways. Also, the action is pretty easy to follow, as the scenes are well planned out, meaning it is more than just some flashes and quick punches.

As a season, Baki the Grappler Season one is interesting in the way it is structured, as we see Baki as a teen, and see him become an adult. There are only a few problems with the show that one may need to get over, the first is that it is a show about one central character trying to be the best fighter, so while in real life he would lose a lot, Baki does not lose very often. The second is the second half of the season being structured more like a tournament, rather than Baki seeking out opponents to learn their ways. All in all, I would give this a cool or cool+ if you are into anime and mixed martial arts, for the rest it probably falls somewhere between a cool- and a meh. Obviously if you don’t like shows about fighting then this is definitely not for you.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Stone Cold’s protagonist is Joe Huff, a cop from Alabama who is on suspension when he is approached by the FBI to infiltrate a biker gang known as The Brotherhood, to help take them down before they commit more murders, as they had already killed a judge after he sentenced one of their members to life in prison. So Joe must go undercover as John Stone, joining The Brotherhood. From there it is pretty predictable what happens, he uncovers some information and even manages to woe a woman in the gang. Of course much like most undercover action movies, the hero must be discovered. While some may not be able to predict how his true identity is revealed, most will be able to pretty quickly. Of course the story can’t end there, it has to get even more violent and ridiculous, with Joe fighting a large number of the gang practically single handedly, I am sure you can see where this is going…

Story is certainly not the strong point of this movie, it is the action and the sex appeal. When it comes to nudity, there are enough breasts in the first few minutes to draw most males in, if you like that sort of thing. There are also a few sprinklings of women throughout. Unfortunately, this does not really help the movie much, as aside from the strip club scene there is only one other topless scene, and neither of these make up for the predictable story. Unless you really like breasts, then maybe… but for the rest of you maybe the action will catch your eye more. Unfortunately, aside from having a bunch of scenes with motorcycles, the movie’s action sequences are pretty similar to other eighties and early nineties action movies. Of course this does at least try not to be too over the top with its action, but of course by today’s standards it is pretty unbelievable.

While it may seem like the movie is terrible, it is actually okay if you are into movies about motorcycle gangs or want to watch a “popcorn” movie with a nice smattering of action. There are some interesting little things you can pick up on, like the fact that there are only maybe two or three black people in the entire movie. Kind of odd, the cast is mostly white with a few ethnics sprinkled in. Obviously this movie falls under the category of shite, but it is a good kind of shite, the sort that you can watch and joke about with buddies. If you consider yourself a big fan of eighties action movies, this one should definitely be in the collection, as it fits the bill perfectly.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

One thing which has remained the same no matter which Street Fighter game you pick up are the “interesting” characters. Of course now they have a new look, a cartoon-like cell shaded appearance. Even though the characters are in 3D, the game is still a 2D fighter. For those who are old school fighting game purists, it is great they have stuck to their roots, as there are very few 2D fighters making their way to the consoles. With the game’s fighting happening in 2D this means the general controls have remained much the same. When you think of fighting games you probably don’t just picture two opponents throwing simple punches and kicks at each other, and Street Fighter IV still has all the special moves you remember, but with new characters comes new specials. Also a focus attack is introduced. This move is a two part attack, the first part is the build up, where you are vulnerable to attacks. These attacks do damage your character, but they do damage that can be regenerated back over time. The second part is the unleashing of the attack, if you have been taking damage during the first portion, the attack will be stronger. The danger of this attack is in the opponent’s ability to either KO you while you are charging up or hit you with a powerful enough attack to break you out of the focus, giving them a moment to capitalize on a defenseless opponent. While the game does contain the Super combos, it also introduces Ultra combos, which can be performed after the revenge meter has been built up. This meter is built up when you take damage, which is the opposite of the super combo gauge, which is built up when you land hits or hit your opponent. It is the Ex-specials and the Ultra combo moves that can sometimes change the orientation of the screen, taking you into a more cinematic view.

One staple of any fighting game is the back stories of the characters. Street Fighter IV has introduction and ending cutscenes done with anime style cartoons for each character. There is also a rival cutscene, but this is done using the in-game graphics. While the story is really not that big of a deal, these cutscenes are a nice feature, and they also look good enough to air on television, even if the story is not there. The rival intros are great to draw you into the rival fight, as it is sometimes a shock to find out who someone’s rival is, and with the cutscene you can see why that person is your rival before you engage them in combat.

The biggest feature to the game is something not seen in any Street Fighter game on first release, online multiplayer, this feature is great if you want to try your skills out on a human opponent. The online game is pretty much what you would expect, it is like playing versus offline, but with someone who is not right next to you.

Obviously no game is perfect, but Street Fighter IV comes pretty close to an awesome experience. As mentioned above, there is an online mode, this mode can be irritating for those who are looking to just have a fun time. There are many who will alter their records to appear like terrible players and utterly decimate you, which can make the match making seem flawed. As far as gameplay, if you don’t really like 2D fighters and prefer to be able to circle around your opponent, then this game is not going to be as “strategically” vast. Even so, I would give this game a solid Cool, and a Cool+ if you are into Street Fighter. If you are not too into fighting games, it is a great game to play, but it would probably only rate a Meh.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

The first thing to note when the game first starts is the comic book nature of the game. The opening cut-scene looks like a comic book panel. Of course the images inside the panel are animated, and there is audio over the visuals. The cut-scene cinematics are all in the same style and look only slightly better than the in-game graphics. One way to describe the art style of the game is to say it looks a lot like Sin City, all black and white with a touch of red. For some this may be rather irritating to the eye after a long period, but it works as a canvas for the large amount of carnage displayed on screen. The violence portrayed is both gruesome and over the top, but can be repetitive for those who don’t like to look at people getting chainsawed or shoved into spike walls repeatedly. Whenever you perform a bloody kill the area fills with the red of blood, making each kill stand out against the background. Of course the number of ways to pull off these gruesome kills seems infinite at first, but the game can become a little repetitive after a time.

Most beat-em up games do not require the player to do much more than to press an attack button and move forward, with the occasional jump. MadWorld relies more on grabbing than anything else, picking up the enemy and dragging them over to some object to perform a context sensitive kill. While you have a chainsaw to perform a quick kill and the ability to simply punch your opponent into submission, the real point of the game is to rack up points by performing combos ending with a context sensitive kill. An example of this is one taught early on, where you are tasked with shoving a rubber tire onto an enemy to prevent them from moving, then you grab a street sign pole and jam it down the throat of the enemy. From there you drag the enemy over to a “rose wall”, a spike covered wall, and bash them against the wall until they die. There are a few different combinations you can perform, and all sorts of tools you can find to do damage to your opponents, but after a while it can get a little old. All of these actions are performed with buttons and motions, while pushing buttons is not too bad, if you get really into the game you may find your arms a little sore after making huge gestures when you perform your kills. Of course one thing that helps keep the game from being too repetitive is the bosses and challenges littered throughout the levels.

The game’s story centers around a tournament, where you must kill a number of contestants to advance in rank and try to rack up a high score based on your unique ways of killing random thugs strewn throughout the levels. To break up the monotony of killing random thugs there are the bosses, who are other contestants in the game, and various mini-games to test yourself, while these mini-games use the same kinds of actions as the normal levels, they give you a more gruesome way to eliminate thugs, all while trying to rack up as many points as possible. The first mini-game you are faced with is one where you must throw as many thugs as you can into an airplane turbine in the time allotted. While these mini-games serve to give you a different way to use your skills, they are not too different from the levels they reside in.

Time for a rating, while I enjoy beat-em up games, and find this game to be one of the most adult games on the Wii, it is hard to give it a cool+ considering how repetitive it gets after a while. If you like beat-em up games and want something more adult on the Wii, this is a must buy and I would rank it a cool, but if you are not a fan of that genre and are simply in it for the gore it is probably more of a cool-, as eventually you will have seen all of the ways you can kill your opponent many times throughout the course of the game. If you are not really a fan of either, then this game is probably a meh to a shite+. Just remember that this is not a game to play around the kiddies.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

While both games have different controls they both play relatively identically. If you have not played the other Crystal Chronicles on the DS then here is a quick lesson on how combat works, if you have played it you can probably skip to the next paragraph. Combat is done in real-time, you attack, jump, and pick up items and enemies by pressing various buttons. Spell-casting is accomplished by selecting the spell using the stylus (on the DS) or by pointing at the specific spell icon and selecting it (on the Wii), then pressing another button and holding it down causes a ring to appear, you can then try to line up the ring with an enemy or ally (depending on the spell) and release the button to cast it. The spells include Blizzard, Fire, Thunder, Cure, Rise and Clear. The first three are all attack spells, while the last three are all to be used on allies, Cure heals the target, Rise revives a KO’d target, and Clear removes a status effect. You can combine attacks with jumps, or you can grab an opponent and use the attack button to attack them while you are holding them, or you can perform a charge attack by holding down the attack button till some light has generated around the character and release.

The gameplay is pretty simple, and the graphics are equally as simplistic, do not expect this game to have really awesome graphics on either the DS or the Wii. The graphics are in 3D, but to be honest they are nothing to write home about, part of the reason is because both games run on the same engine, so the Wii version has the same graphics as the DS version. Of course the game is fun, but it is really not for the hardcore Final Fantasy player, as the game’s puzzles are pretty easy to solve and the story is sort of predictable. Basically the story centers around the crystals, and how they are necessary to keep the balance of things. Unfortunately, although the game has a multi player mode there are issues with that as well.

It should be noted that the single player and multi player modes are the same, and the multi player mode uses the same character from the single player version. There are a couple problems, first it is very hard to find people to play online, but if you are playing offline with friends then your only problem may be that you don’t want to replay the same campaign moments over again on your own. This is the case if you are playing on the DS, if you are playing with someone on the Wii you cannot host a game. Hosting allows you to progress in your single player campaign, so even though you may have helped your friend get through a difficult boss (although the bosses are not too hard once you find their weak spot), you will still need to run it yourself to progress in your single player campaign. Of course you do get to keep any items you pick up and any increases to your character’s stats transfer over. One last thing to note about the Wii version is the user interface, unlike the DS with the screens oriented with one above the other, the Wii version has the screens oriented with one on the left and one on the right. Using the + and – buttons you can make either the left screen bigger (using the + button) or the right one larger (using the – button). This can be a little bit of a pain to work with, but you really do not need to look at the right side screen up close unless you want to get a closer look at the map or your inventory. Generally during dungeon crawls you can simply make the left screen bigger and not worry about the right screen.

Time for a rating, if you are a huge Final Fantasy fan and need to own every Final Fantasy game, then this game is obviously on your list. If you loved the last Crystal Chronicles then I would say this is probably a Cool or even a Cool +. For those who are only sort of interested I would recommend the DS version, as you do not need to deal with the zooming of the screens, I would give the DS version a Cool for fans of dungeon crawling beat-em ups and a meh to meh – for everyone else. The Wii version is really a meh to shite + based on the controls, if you have a DS you are better off buying that version.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Zeno Clash falls under the category of beat-em up, except it is played in a first person perspective, which might be a little jarring at first, considering that you are throwing punches and trying to dodge opponent’s attacks. The controls are fairly straightforward, you throw a punch by clicking with the left mouse button, if you are looking down you can throw a kick instead. Clicking the right mouse button causes the character to perform a strong punch, which takes a moment to perform but does a lot more damage. You can also grab a downed opponent by walking up to them, movement is done with the wasd keys, from there you can choose to throw the opponent or hit them with punches. Of course no beat-em up would be complete without some weapons. While there are weapons, using them can be a little difficult. The difficulty comes from the fact that the game employs a lock-on system during hand to hand combat. This system makes fighting opponents easier than simply trying to punch randomly and hope you hit. Unfortunately this system does not work for weapons, part of the reason is because there are a few ranged weapons, which must be aimed by holding down the right mouse button, but the sword does not need to be aimed, so without the lock-on system you can run into the problem of trying to swing and not hitting. This difficulty is not so much a problem, but can be a mild irritation when you are required to use one to fight bosses. Ranged weapons only pose a problem when you are attempting to kill something coming at you very fast, as you need to take time to line up the shot, but of course you can put the weapon away by locking on to an opponent.

Obviously the game is about fighting, but why is the character forced to fight all of these opponents? Well, the story begins with you waking up after killing Motherfather, who is a hermaphrodite with a large amount of children. The main character is one of these. After waking up the character quickly runs off with a friend. Of course you do need to fight your way out of the town, but much of the story is told through flashbacks. In fact, after leaving the town the character begins to explain why he was there. Of course when you begin to play the game the story is a little hard to figure out, as the story begins in medias res, starting at the middle, but to be completely honest the story while interesting is not something you need to focus too much on. Although the story is told through cut-scenes with the same graphics as the in-game graphics. The game is very visceral, and the graphics portray this, with blood and dirt covering the hands of the player, while characters will bleed and exhibit damage. Unfortunately for some, this game may be a little too graphic intensive for you to run it on your system.

While the game has its fun moments, it is short. The game takes a little over four hours to complete, but that does not mean it is not worth the money. On steam it is around twenty dollars, so you basically pay about 5 dollars an hour. Which is definitely worth it. As for system requirements, even on the lowest texture settings it still looks pretty good, but if you really want to get everything out of it you should try to have at least something close to the recommended settings. Now for the rating, to be honest if you have the system to run this then you should definitely get it, I would consider this a cool plus, but considering its length it may be more of a cool minus. Basically this is a must own, particularly if you like beat-em ups.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

“Love Guru” is a movie about Guru Pitka, the love guru, who is tasked with trying to help the Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup. To do this he must help Daniel Roanoke get back together with his wife. To get Roanoke back with his wife the guru goes on a few adventures with Roanoke and tries to teach him how to prove his love to his wife. Of course no Mike Myers movie would be complete without a ton of dumb jokes. From jokes about midgets to sexual innuendos, “Love Guru” is filled with jokes. Of course many of these jokes you have heard at one time or another, so this movie really does not have anything new to offer the viewer. Yet for some strange reason this movie was entertaining.

Part of why the film is tolerable is the numerous actors in bit roles. For example, Stephen Colbert and Jim Gaffigan are both mildly funny as the announcers for the Toronto Maple Leaf’s games. Ben Kingsley does a good job as Guru Tugginmypudha, and there are a few moments here and there which can be funny due to the oddity, like when Mike Myers appears in the film as himself. While these moments can be welcome changes of pace, by no means does this actually elevate the film, as these portions are not really pivotal to the story, except for the portions with Ben Kingsley’s character. Of course the Guru Tugginmypudha is pivotal to the story, but while his particular actions can be kind of funny, those scenes tend to be rather ridiculous in nature, feeling like the whole scene was written just to add a particular joke to the movie. While this is not a surprise considering that Mike Myers wrote it, the surprise comes in the fact that some of them just are not that funny.

As a film, “Love Guru” is rather terrible, but it is one of those movies that you can throw on in a room full of people and laugh at all the terrible jokes. Does that make it a good film? No, but it certainly serves the purpose that most films in this genre of films serves, to throw dumb jokes at you to make you laugh. This film is definitely a shite film, in fact, many will probably say it is a shite minus, but if you are a huge Mike Myers fan, this review certainly won’t stop you from seeing the film, and I don’t begrudge anyone who found the film enjoyable, as there are a few funny moments, but otherwise the film is a huge time waster.

While the game does use the same system of gem matching, it allows for much more complex strategies, since the board is now no longer a grid, but a circle. Of course with a change in board shape comes a change in the shape of the individual pieces. Rather than being round and shift in four different directions, the pieces are now hexagonal and can move in six different directions. This adds a little more strategy in how you maneuver pieces, especially because instead of the skulls of the previous game there are now mines which can do up to 10 damage each. Unlike the original game where all you had was health, your character now has shields as well, meaning even though you could take over thirty damage in a turn it is possible to recover. Puzzle Quest Galactrix eliminates the ability to collect money on the game board, but the board does contain other objects aside from energy, in the form of three separate colors, and mines. These objects are Psi, which is used to run away from combat (after you have unlocked the ability), experience, which is used to gain levels, and shield, which is used to replenish your shields while in combat. The goal in battles remains unchanged, defeat your opponent by using mines or with skills. Unlike the original Puzzle Quest you no longer gain skills by gaining levels, and you also do not gain more health either. These changes make Puzzle Quest Galactrix last longer and allow for more customization.

Unlike the original game where you choose a class and are restricted in your skills, skills are now crafted in a one-sided mini-game, allowing you to get any skills you want. Of course you have to meet a few prerequisites, but aside from that you have an endless number of choices. The same goes for your avatar, even though you pick your hero you can change the ship you use for adventuring. By changing your ship you can have more speed (for use on the map), more hull integrity (health), and more cargo space. Speed becomes necessary when you want to evade enemies on the map, while cargo space is needed when you are trying to collect things from asteroids. This collection process is also done through a mini-game, which is rather similar to the mini-game played to gain skills.

One of the most frustrating mini-games, but the most interesting is the hacking mini-game, which is needed to move to new areas on the galaxy map. It is frustrating because it is timed and must be played using a very different strategy from the battles. In the battles you are always trying to create combos and cause a cascading of new pieces to appear on the board. While you can do this in the hacking mini-game, the fact it is timed means you lose precious seconds as your moves are being resolved, also if these pieces being eliminated do not match the color in the hacking sequence then the match can amount to a big waste of time. Unfortunately if you do not enjoy this mode you may find exploration to be difficult.

All in all the game adds many new ways to play, but with these new features, comes a slight learning curve, where veteran players must break old habits. With the ability to choose any skills you want, you can create the perfect build to fit your style, and the numerous quests and puzzles will keep you entertained for a rather long time. Of course the most important question is, is it worth buying? To be honest, this game is a definite cool plus for puzzle quest fanatics, while people who like puzzle games fall into the cool or cool minus category. As for which system to get it on, the PC and the DS have pretty intuitive control schemes, while the XBOX 360 and PS3 offer better graphics than the DS. It depends on what you want, but to be honest the PC gives you the best of both worlds, but for those who want it on the go, the DS is really your only option right now.

Puzzle Quest Galactrix is available now to purchase from Amazon.com.

For those who have never seen “Puzzle Quest” in action the idea of a battle system based on gem matching must sound pretty ridiculous, but it works and makes for a strangely intuitive combat system. Your goal during each battle is to damage your opponent until his health is zero, while avoiding your own death. Each side takes turns moving objects on the grid to form rows or columns of three or more, or performing a skill, and once they have made their match or used their skill, their turn ends. Each colored gem, there are four in all (red, green, blue, and yellow), corresponds to a particular type of mana. Skills are used by selecting them and using some of the mana you have stored. While you want to collect the gems, your main objective is to hurt your opponent, and the easiest way to do this is to match skulls, there are two kinds of these, a normal skull and a 5 skull which does increased damage and destroys objects around it. The last two symbols on the board are gold, which looks like gold coins and when matched, provide you with more gold, and experience points, which go to increasing your level. By matching four in a row or column you gain more of the thing you matched, as well as an extra turn. Matching five in a row or column does everything matching four does, but also places a wild card multiplier onto the grid. Combat is not the only thing played out on the grid, you also capture mounts in a one sided mini-game, and level them up by playing in a speed version of a normal battle.

Combat

While mounts and a unique combat system are great, any hardcore RPG player wants quests and a story. “Puzzle Quest” has both, but the story is a little weak, really only a means to explain why you are to kill something or venture somewhere. As for quests, the game has many side quests which can allow you to gain experience and gold, and battle numerous enemies. The only thing hardcore fans may not enjoy is the lack of penalties for losing a battle. This feature is rather important though, as although the game is based on strategy, a lot of times luck plays a factor in determining if the next group of things to end up on the board will be placed in a way to help you or to help your opponent. For example, when you clear the grid of a large amount of objects, it is possible for the next set of objects that falls in to create a cascading effect, clearing more objects. If this happens to your opponent and objects are matching in lines of four they could get the chance to continue their turn and continue to chip away at your health. While this does not happen too often, it is still a possibility and can really hurt you later in the game when you face tougher enemies with better skills. Of course as you level up you will have access to better skills and increased stats, but that does not make it any easier.

As with any game, one must ask whether the game is worth purchasing and, in the case of “Puzzle Quest”, which system to get it on. After playing the game off and on for a while, it is obvious that this game is definitely a Cool or at the lowest a Meh Plus by Cool Shite standards, but it is not for everyone. If you hate puzzle games, definitely avoid this, but if you love puzzle games but find you want a longer lasting experience, this is for you. As for the system to get it on, The PC is probably the best, second to the DS, as both allow you to easily select the pieces you wish to move. The PSP version has slightly better graphics than the DS, but obviously the PC has the best, it is also available on XBOX Live Arcade, so if you do not have a PC the 360 version should suffice.

One of the major focal points of the Q and A centers around the Clerks 2 film, where Kevin Smith discusses the shooting location and the antics of Jason Mewes. One thing to note about this film is Jason Mewes is absent from it, so for those expecting to hear someone other than Kevin Smith answering questions, this film may disappoint. By no means does this hinder the work, rather I found Kevin Smith to be very thorough and vulgar enough to make up for Jason Mewes’s absence. While much of Threevening centers around Kevin Smith’s work as a writer and director, He also talks about his work with Bruce Willis in “Live Free or Die Hard”. Going thorough his process of becoming an actor in the film to what actually happened the day he was called out to do the scene, including the ridiculous demands of the “gate-keeper” Bruce Willis.

Although the film does talk about Kevin Smith’s career, the Evening With films have always had sections about Kevin Smith’s personal life. Which some might expect to be boring, but Kevin Smith does not disappoint. Although for fans of Smodcast the Shecky story is rehashed in this DVD, but even though it is the second time the story is told, this retelling was much more elaborate and detailed. From a much longer explanation of how he obtained the dog to more details about the stretched out labia. Of course the story I found most enjoyable but also the most disgusting was the anal fissure story. While some may think such a topic should not be discussed in public, it is a great tale filled with anal and jury duty agony, but all the while humorous.

There are some downsides to the film, particularly if you are not a fan of Kevin Smith or any of his films. While you may find the humor enjoyable some of the things he discusses in regards to his films are probably not going to be as riveting to someone who is a big fan of Kevin Smith’s work. Also it is rather long, so not everyone can schedule out five hours to watch the film. Yet even though I did watch the film in one sitting, I never found myself wanting to do something else, but then again I am a Kevin Smith fan. One downside which some may not notice is the lack of questions, while in previous DVDs Kevin Smith answers a lot of questions in sometimes only a few minutes, he spends a lot more time on each question, meaning many of the topics in the film stem from the same question. As is the Cool Shite custom, this film needs a rating, and I think it is definitely a cool plus for those who are huge fans of Kevin Smith’s work, and maybe just a cool or meh plus for everyone else.