Force Unleashed II

I have been following LucasArts' follow up to their previous Star Wars title Force Unleashed, wherein you played as a character known simply as "The Apprentice," Darth Vader's secret learner.

This October, play as Vader's former apprentice once again. Or at least as the original's clone. This title will be available on the Xbox360, PS3, Wii, DS, PC and the iPhone.

Read more, and view the videos and screenshots here.

Microsoft's official website lists Kinect price

Microsoft's official website has listed its new, hands-free gaming peripheral, Kinect, with a price point of $149.99.

Personally, unless they can show me something a little more interesting title-wise for the Kinect, I won't be paying anything more than $10 for this peripheral. Come on Microsoft, let's see what this thing can really do!

A Transformers game that doesn't suck? READ ON!

Transformers: War for Cybertron is now available on the Xbox 360, the Nintendo Wii, the PS3, the PC and the Nintendo DS. All platforms finally get to experience a true Transformers video game; a title which will appeal to the old fans and the new alike.

Head over to IGN and read the review.

I have also begun watching Soul Eater, an anime which, at first reminds me somewhat of other series such as Bleach, involving demons and the destruction of said demons to save the world. But what has really caught me, actually, is the art style. The extra-cartoony look of Soul Eater makes it seem that much more deranged, almost Alice in Wonderland-like, in some ways.

That's about all for now. Talk to ya soon.

Staff Members

I am looking for staff members to help update the website/blog itself, as well as moderators for the forums. Message me on the forums for more information, and we will see what we can work out.

Thank you very much.

The EE Forums are now online

The EE Forums are now online, and you can visit them by visiting the link to the right or by clicking HERE. I need forums staff members right now, and I believe I am going to need help around the main website here as well. If interested, just send a comment, or message me on the boards.

Now, switching to video game news, E3 came and went, last week, and to be fair, I was not overly impressed by what we saw. Microsoft did little for me. Kinect is not grabbing my attention, and I for one do not foresee myself purchasing a Kinect down the road.

Nintendo is looking up, however, with the 3DS and the slew of titles announced, and for the first time in a very long time, I am actually excited for a hand held system. That combined with the Wii's announcements, including The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and a remake of Goldeneye 007, Donkey Kong Country Returns and more pushed Nintendo back to the head of the industry once more, as far as I am concerned.

Sony had some decent titles, such as Killzone, but nothing overly interesting. I think that many of the titles seen at the expo this year that show promise, or that I am finding myself excited about are actually third party games. Such as Konami's Metal Gear Solid: Rising.

All in all, good show for Nintendo, but not the greatest E3 I have ever seen.

That's all for right now. Just so you know, if you are ever reading this page, I will be updating a lot more frequently now! See ya.

More than a year later...

Yeah, I am still kicking. What's new?

I have begun writing a new novel. The complexity of what I am writing, and the matter of just simply trying to organize my thoughts is very nearly exhausting. Trying to keep everything together is not easy, but, at the same time, it is very fun. The story seems to be coming along quite nicely.

I think I am going to start posting more works of my own, and see what everybody has to say.

That's about all for now.

Wow, I Had Forgotten About This Sucker

Nothing new going on, lately.
I think I'm getting back together with my ex, which I am pretty happy about. So yay for me.

On to other things it has sort of been a slow year and a bit since I last posted on here. Appleseed Ex Machina came out (I have not seen it, yet). In addition, the rights to a film based on my favourite book The Wheel of Time, have been gained and so now I get to sit here and wait and see just how terribly they can butcher it. More than ten books condensed into three films, with massive over-arcing storylines and numerous characters. Fantastic.

What else. I saw Taken last night. Terrible movie, of course, but Liam Neeson makes up for it by kicking so much ass.

Several new games came out this year, as well, but nothing that really grabbed my attention or sucked me in completely. Currently, I am plugging away at Star Ocean: The Last Hope.

That's about all I have to write for now, so I'll take my leave of all the people who aren't reading this.

Appleseed: Ex Machina to premier at Jules Verne Adventure Film Festival

Appleseed's brand new film, Ex Machina, is due to premier in Los Angeles on December 15 at the Jules Verne Adventure Film Festival. Appleseed and Ghost in the Shell creator Masamune Shirow, producer John Woo and director Shinji Aramaki have teamed up to provide an anime experience unlike any other.

The Festival runs from December 5 through the 15th.

Layout in Development

I've begun working on the actual portion of the website. Once that is complete, this blog will become the website's official blog.

Stay tuned for more.

Tales of Symphonia

Fans of the popular GameCube RPG, Tales of Symphonia, will be treated to a brand new anime based off the plotline from the game. Episode 1 (of four OVAs, which will be released every two months) of Tales of Symphonia: The Animation (テイルズ・オブ・シンフォニア) was released June 8, 2007.



Just a heads up for any fans of the game.
Official Tales of Symphonia Website

Review: Full Metal Panic! Volumes 1 & 2

Though already four years old, I still consider Full Metal Panic! a benchmark in Japanese animation. Combining fantastic mech designs and battles with the input of CGI development, the series is visually astounding. Clean-looking, colourful characters and environments, and fantastic music are just a small part of why Full Metal Panic! is such a truly entertaining series.

It’s a meshing of genres, from giant robots, comedy and romance, though the latter of which is only really hinted to in the first two volumes, and nothing much happens. Obviously the romantic qualities would be set upon young Mithril Sergeant Sousuke Sagara and Japanese school girl Kaname Chidori, yet even after the first eight episodes, it’s a distant relationship that only ever really shows any sort of emotion when Sousuke is struggling to save Kaname every few episodes. And yet, this relationship is one of Full Metal Panic!’s shining points, as their relationship isn’t a direct romance, but rather something that could (or could not) arise, being forestalled by Sousuke’s baffling ineptitude at settling into Japanese society, and time and again causing one to smile and laugh. And for that reason alone, I love how their romance can’t even begin, instead making one giggle at just how opposite the two are.

Even in Volume 1 it was clearly evident Sousuke had no idea what he was doing unless he was in the cockpit of a giant robot, and the same stays true in Volume 2. During this outing, however, things heat up as the terrorists are still on Kaname’s trail, hoping to kidnap her and learn more about her special “abilities” (which at this point are still unknown to the viewer). Sousuke, assigned by Mithril to protect Kaname and her abilities from the terrorists, once again finds him waist deep in trouble as the terrorists make another move.

Audio is one of my favourite parts of Full Metal Panic!, from the opening credits, through the intense fights and their sound effects, right down to the soft, closing melody. Voiceovers are still some of my favourite in any anime, featuring the voices of talented actors such as one of my favourites, Allison Keith (Melissa Mao), best known for her work as Asuka in Evangelion. Vic Mignogna voices Kurz Weber perfectly as the womanizing, perverted comedy-relief character he is, Kyle Hebert portrays Sousuke Sagara well as the uptight soldier, and Luci Christian as the cute high school girl, Kaname Chidori. To be frank, few people ever prefer the English voiceovers to the Japanese, but in this case, I do.

Visuals, I’ve already said it, but, they’re fantastic, and some of the most eye-appealing and colourful I’ve seen in years. The character designs, the robots, the battle damage and explosions are all fantastic. Really, there’s little else to say. Full Metal Panic! is a treat for the eyes.

Full Metal Panic! provides enough laughs, explosions and close-romantic-encounters to satisfy pretty much anybody through the duration of only four episodes. Makes one antsy with anticipation to continue on with Volume 3.

Rating:
Plot: 4/5
Art Direction: 5/5
Sound: 5/5
Overall: 4.8/5

Review: Death Note Volume 1

A phenomenon in Japan for the last few years, following the success of Tsugumi Ohba’s acclaimed manga, the first four episodes are finally about to hit North American shores in “Death Note Volume 1.”

With eleven of the twelve manga volumes now available in North America, thanks to Viz Media, and following two live-action films and even a novelization, many have clamored for the anime to be brought stateside. With the announcement of Death Note to be aired on Canada’s YTV (which was later rescheduled) and Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, on October 20, 2007, North American fans of the manga were finally able to feast their eyes on the first episode. In addition to the first episodes being aired stateside, episodes have already been available for download off IGN’s Direct2Drive for several weeks.

Yagami Light is a simple A student, living a simple life with his simple family. His mother and sister sit around, cooking, studying and watching t.v., while Light works hard at school, and his father works tediously on a new case that has surfaced regarding a mass-murderer named Kira.

After discovering a simple, black notebook outside his school, Light brings it home and opens up the cover. For obvious reasons, he is unsure of the notebook, believing it to be some sort of prank, after reading the inside cover, stating that the book is capable of taking the life of any person, so long as he knows their name and what they look like. Guidelines are also listed, including the manner in which victims should die, and how long the writer has to describe the deaths before the “default” setting takes effect and the victim dies of a heart attack.

After “testing” the book, something comes over Light and he soon loses the “simple, innocent” personality we are introduced to in the beginning. He decides to use the notebook to make the world a better place, by eliminating criminals, by killing anyone who causes others harm. However, as perfect as he believes his plan seems, it obviously goes to his head as he starts imagining himself as the “God” of a new world, a world he plans to bring to realization.

Shortly after, he meets Ryuk, the true owner of the notebook; Death God. Light is barely phased by meeting Ryuk when the Death God suddenly appears in his room, explaining how he dropped the notebook on purpose to see who might pick it up and hopefully cure the Death God of his boredom. Light quickly learns everything is just a game to this Death God, and that he has, in fact, found a way to entertain the boring life of the Death God.

From there on out, the plot intensifies, as even Light’s own father is brought into the investigation to unearth the root of the murders. The dialogue and plot stay faithful to the original manga, and the central characters, even within the first four episodes are amazingly well fleshed out. You find yourself rooting for numerous different characters at once, and at the same time, unsure of whom the protagonists and antagonists are. In essence, that’s yours to decide; it simply depends on which viewpoint you sympathize with more, which is a fascinating twist. You, as the viewer, are allowed to decide for yourself who the antagonist is, instead of being forced to cheer for someone else.

Art direction is excellent as well, depicting some of the moodiest work I’ve seen in an animated program in some time. It’s not that the art is well done in it’s own right (though it is) but that the direction taken really does set the mood, with darker-looking environments and characters. For example, Light’s room is always dark, and when you’re sitting there watching Light’s face glowing with the light from the t.v. or computer and you see Ryuk’s dark, menacing figure framed in the background against an even darker wall, you’ll feel as though you’re right there, as though you understand exactly what Light’s feeling.

It’s intense, and it’s wonderfully done. And although Death Note is no longer a “new” series in any kind of way, it certainly has an original plot, and intelligent, interesting characters, half of which work together to defeat the others. And through it all, nobody is ever sure that the other is actually their ally or their enemy, even though you, as the viewer usually know exactly who everyone is, which allows you to understand exactly the decisions that each character makes, in order to attempt to outsmart everyone else.

Yagami Light, Ryuk and all the characters introduced in the first four episodes of the anime are as well fleshed out as they are in the manga, and seeing them in motion, finally, is a real treat for longtime fans. In addition, Death Note Volume 1 comes unedited, with a collectible figurine, and of course, is bilingual with optional English and Japanese subtitles.

After seeing the first four episodes, and getting myself all riled up and ready to continue on, and see what’s available in the next volume, I can already tell that Death Note is going somewhere, and I’ve only just experienced a few mere episodes.

Death Note Volume 1 is now available on DVD from Viz Media.

Rating:
Plot: 5/5
Art Direction: 5/5
Sound: 5/5
Overall: 5/5

So little catches my attention anymore...

Whether it be anime, film, music, nothing really grabs me. I've recently finished watching Death Note, and the Full Metal Panic! series. I've given up on trying to keep up with Bleach after so much time with "other things" in my life. So now, I sit around, looking for something that I could possibly find myself interested in.

Musically, nothing comes to mind.

Films? Nothing even remotely interesting on the horizon for some time, except for the Golden Compass. Other than that? Nothing.

Anime? I've just started watching Tenjou Tenge. Girls with oversized boobs and swords... umm, give me a story to get hooked on first, maybe then I'll find myself more interested each time it starts up.

I think the entertainment industry really needs to get on it, and come up with some original ideas. Death Note was the last anything that I saw/read/heard that I found to be new, and captivating.

Everybody, no matter what genre of entertainment, can really take something from Death Note.

Day 1

It's Day 1 for EE, and I'm just trying to get everything set up together, and fix the template.

Essentially, this is just my little blog-spot to post my writing, photography, my friend's works, and my news and reviews in the entertainment business, ranging from movies, film, anime to music, architecture and anything else that may interest me.

That's all for now. Later.