Monday, August 24, 2015

Curses 'N Chaos (PS4/PS Vita)

Tribute Games has done some impressive things with their retro/indie hybrids. Wizorb, for example mixed classic 8-bit retro RPG mechanics, and visuals with classic brick breaking combat to make the perfect retro tribute. The end result was that the game not only caught the attention of me, but also a number of other gaming journalists who were into the indie scene when that game had launched. It was even accepted among the gaming community on an equally impressive scale. Seeing the previous success, and impressive nature of 'Wizorb' I was very curious to find out what Tribute Games' latest creation, "Curses 'N Chaos" was all about. I had not seen the trailers prior to requesting it for review, but I did see the screenshots, and accompanying art which all looked awesome to me. When I finally got into the game I was pleasantly surprised, and hooked from the start as I found yet another hybrid retro experience done up with all the glory of an innovative indie. This game turned out to be a mixture of Metroidvania platforming, RPG elements, and wave based combat similar to what you'd find in a shmup (shoot 'em up). It may seem odd, but it's the type of game that takes skill to master, and delivers on so many levels in demanding that mastery.

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Weekend Blog Log (Aug. 23, 2015)

Here I sit once again contemplating life, and the recent week's happenings. I've come to the realization that I'll never have a solid week's worth of peace. It's just not going to happen. It's not a realistic goal. Despite being unrealistic, and out of reach I do also realize that I will have my peak moments of happiness in life that will make the down times an easily forgettable series of events. I just have to hold out for those shining moments, and sojourn on through the darkness that will eventually happen ...

At the beginning of this week I was thankful, and beyond grateful that I'd finally gotten enough review material to matter. Instead of scraping by with only a single game to review I had received an anime Blu-ray set, and several games to cover. It kept me busy, and my mind off of the negative things in life for a short while. Unfortunately as I took on said tasks my efforts were plagued by drawbacks including a week's worth of stormy weather, and the stress that comes with friendship. I hate even mentioning it, because I know it'll only serve to drag my readers down with me, but that's the nature of my life. I'm on a roller coaster ride that just won't level out. Nothing, but highs and lows. This weekend I've tried desperately to regain focus, because I've still got review work scheduled. I'm hoping that I can find that peace of mind among the storms, and life's negative surprises, so I can get done what needs to be done. That is my hope for the coming week.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

The Troubled Life of Miss Kotoura Premium Edition (NIS)

GENRE: Romantic Comedy, Drama, School Life

DIRECTOR: Masahiko Ohta

STUDIO/PRODUCER: NIS, Nippon Ichi Software

MSRP: $51.99 (USD) 

RELEASE DATE: Aug. 4, 2015

LENGTH: 2 Blu-ray Discs, 12 episodes, 288 mins.

AUDIO/VIDEO: This Blu-ray set is geared to be played, and watched on an HDTV. It sports 1080p visuals on an AVC MPEG-4 16:9 scale. The colors are vivid the animation is clear, and the characters look amazing doing their thing on the widescreen in HD. As far as the audio goes it is a LPCM 2.0 Japanese soundtrack with optional English subtitles. The menu system which house all of the anime greatness is easily accessible, and contains a "Play All" option, a "Scene Selection" option, and even an "Extras" option for viewing the opening, and ending song sequences.

CAST: *ACTORS/CHARACTERS* Hisako Kanemoto (Haruka Kotoura), Jun Fukushima (Yoshihisa Manabe), Kana Hanazawa (Yuriko Mifune), Yuriko Kubo (Hiyori Moritani), Hiro Shimono (Daichi Muroto)

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Kung Fury: Street Rage (PS4)

Going into this review I was very curious to see what a $1.99 promotional video game experience would be like. The price tag alone had me intrigued. I had hoped for the sake of the gamer, and the developer that 'Kung Fury: Street Rage" would be a brawler similar to that of "Streets of Rage". To my dismay though It was nothing like that. It was nothing like the quality indie games former XBLIG developers had made back on the Xbox 360 gaming console, nor was it like the previously mentioned 'Streets of Rage' experience. In fact Hello There AB, the developers behind this movie based action brawler made it as bare bones as they possibly could. I guess they figured bringing back the nostalgia of the 80's arcade experience, and offering little else of new generation standards would suffice. As much as I love the arcade cabinet screen look, and the 80's nod I cannot back this game even at the lowly price of $1.99. I've seen indie developers do more, and ask less for what they have created than what 'Hello There AB' has done. You can't just feed off of a movie's hype, or nostalgia to make yourself known as a proper indie studio. Quality matters even in the indie development scene.

Adventures of Pip (PS4)

Tic Toc Games takes all the impressive things about the retro gaming era including the 8-bit goodness of the NES, the 16-bit upgrade of the SNES, and the graphical 32-bit upgrade of consoles like the original Playstation, and makes the penultimate homage to the classic gaming experiences us older generation of gamers grew up enjoying. Of course there are a lot of nods, and inspiration borrowing from titles of said consoles, and console eras, but for the most part "Adventures of Pip" remains it's own unique experience throughout it's entirety. Beyond the Metroidvania platforming, The Castlevania quotes, the Legend of Zelda II features, and the Super Mario World maps you'll find a story about a tiny pixelated kingdom not unlike our own world. Within said kingdom lies a land divided by wealth, social standings, and the lack thereof. The currency, and social stature being that of pixels themselves. Things like today's real world stock market, the homeless, and the potential introduction of a one world currency (BitCoin) come to mind in relation to this game's accompanying lore.

Sunday, August 16, 2015

Conspiracy Coroner - "The Entertainment Industry Sold It's Soul to the Devil"

Hello there! It's your friendly neighborhood conspiracy coroner, back with some entertainment industry possibilities! Prep yourself once again for the details about one of my conspiracy theories relating to the greedy stance taken by many, if not all industry providers. It's gonna contain a dab of religion, but I will not push the envelope beyond generalities, so don't get your undies in a wad. Replace the biblical entities with any good, or evil deity that you wish. Good is good, and evil is evil ...