Month: March 2017

Boruto Action – Lost in Mistranslation Episode 106

Published by Kane Bugeja

The guys finally get around to talking about the new anime season this week and ponder what will fill their viewing schedules…and also what definitely won’t. There’s still a grey area there for things that might be fun to watch in that “it’s so dumb it’s awesome” kind of way, but it really isn’t that big. Unless you’re super into cutesy anime girls…or robots…or cutesy anime girl robots. But surely the market for that kind of thing isn’t one of the largest in the world…right? -30-

Netflix Releases First Trailer For Live-Action Death Note Film

Published by Frank Inglese

This may be showing my age, ever so slightly, especially with a great deal of new Anime and Manga fans hitting the scene who would have been too young to remember this, but there was once a time wherein which rumours spread regarding a live-action Hollywood adaptation of the series Death Note starring, at the time, cinema’s most popular teen heartthrob; Zac Efron. Now obviously that never happened, but it was at least confirmed that Efron had somewhat interest in playing the role as Light. This live-action film has since been taken under the wing of Netlfix and the role of Light Yagami, changed now to Light Turner, has gone to actor Nat Wolff. Many still believe that Wolff isn’t the type of actor that could pull off a characters as dark and complex as Light, but then again many also thought Zac Efron was a great choice, so we really don’t know who to believe on this one. Other notable names are Keith Stanfield who will fill the “shoes” of L, and Willem Dafoe …

Bandai Shows Off The Digimon 20th Anniversary V-Pet’s Tag Battle System In New Video

Published by Frank Inglese

Months ago, Bandai revealed to the world that they would be re-releasing their original Tamagotchi off-shoot, the Digimon V-Pet, in celebration of its 20th Anniversary. This comes as a follow up to three other Digimon Digivice upgrade and redistribution projects and I have a sneaking suspicion that it wont be the last. The new device, titled Digimon 20th Anniversary V-Pet, will not only be a physical replication of the original but will come with heavily upgraded gameplay mechanics that will give Tamers access to a slew of Digimon, new and old, as well as new levels of Digivolution, and new ways to battle with friends. One of which happens to be the “Tag Battle” system that has been coded into the device’s software so as to allow four monster battles. The Japanese video game pop culture website 4Gamer recently held quite the interview with the staff in charge of the Digimon 20th Anniversary V-Pet, and whilst many of the questions answered were done so in a mostly vague manner, only revealing information already done so through …

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue – Review

Published by Jake McGlone

Deep within the darkness you can find the light. In the recesses of the light you can find darkness. Don’t think too light of the darkness or the light nature of being dark on the subject around lightly darkened spaces with dark tendencies making light of the situation around the dark nature of light. But within this darkness we can find a glimmering light, the light of Kingdom Hearts. It is a series developed and published by Square Enix for both home consoles and hand-held consoles, with nearly 16 games in the line-up there is many an adventure to choose from. As a game franchise I hold very close to my Heart, Kingdom Hearts is one I have grown up with and thoroughly enjoyed since getting the first game for my tenth birthday. I remember fondly saving Kairi and Riku and the Princesses of Heart and stopping Ansem. Then I though Oh boy, time to play Kingdom Hearts 2! Wait, where is Sora… Who is Roxas? Whats is a Nobody? What is an organisation XIII? WHAT THE HELL …

Snap Discussion: Nintendo Memories

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

It all started with speculation of the Nintendo Switch, which then lead us to take a long trip down memory lane where each of us shared our memories growing up with Nintendo systems. Looking back on it all, Nintendo certainly has been with us through the good times and bad, and now with the Switch that tradition continues stronger than ever. We all shared our favourite games, our treasured memories, the people we shared those with, and in the case of McGlone, he had to exploit the Multiverse Theory to extract memories. All compiled here for your convenience, revisit all of our Nintendo Memories. Nintendo Switch – Switching Up The Future of Gaming NES Game Boy SNES Nintendo 64 Game Boy Color Game Boy Advance GameCube DS Wii 3DS Wii U -30-

Nintendo Memories: Wii U

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

Kane Bugeja Bayonetta 2 Look! On the store shelves! It’s a Wii! It’s a new controller! It’s an entirely new console with a similar name! And so began the Wii U’s downfall. Which is a shame, because it’s not a bad console, it just had terrible marketing. Still, I have one and I enjoy it, so…that’s something. Though it is still objectively another quirky gameplay gimmick, it is one that…I was going to say “works in theory” but I just realised that I’ve never actively used the gamepad screen for anything. Barring my initial introduction to the system and a Mario hide-and-seek mini game, the Gamepad has more or less served as a large, unexpectedly comfortable controller. The simple fact that it is directly below a player’s normal range of vision prevents it from truly bolstering gameplay as a second screen and its limited range hinders its capabilities as a surrogate main screen, leaving the console as a shell of what it could be, living under the misconception that it is a small addition to …

Nintendo Memories: 3DS

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

Kane Bugeja Pokemon Rumble Blast Once touch screens and motion controls have come and…somewhat stayed, what is next in the world of gaming? 3D. Like in the movies, but also just as forgettable. Okay, maybe that’s a little unfair, but, from personal experience, 3D really did not change anything about my handheld gaming experience. Apart from the curiosity that spurs me to check each game’s 3D mode once, I almost exclusively plays sans this feature, despite owning a 3DS. Of course, as is probably the case for most people, I own it for the games, not the additional dimension. Thus, I will forever be thankful that there is a slider to easily remove this feature from any and all games. Handhelds are designed for travel play after all and being forced to hold one steady at an exact distance from your face is very counter-intuitive. Yes this has been fixed with the (poorly named) New 3DS, but still, you know what I mean. As far as games go however, I really enjoy the 3DS. As …

Stone Is Not Crash – Lost in Mistranslation Episode 104

Published by Kane Bugeja

Bell-bottoms, JNCO jeans, live action anime adaptations, Naruto AMVs. What do all these things have in common? Jack squat, but that won’t stop this episode from including them all. Why? Nobody knows. But it might be fun to try and guess…”might” being the operative word. Inexperience Point https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2rHdkYqM1oreE8b6DkfsxA -30-

The Esoteric Breath of Video Games

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild the first open world Zelda game. That right there was the first reason why I lost complete interest in it since day one. Well great, another open world video game in a market where have one too many sandbox adventures. These games are all about excessive space, most of it serving no real purpose to the gameplay or game design. Be it role playing games, first person shooters, or straight up action games, we have seen far too many open world games and it’s become the most saturated sub-genre of gaming. Given the power of current technology, they’ve done away with intricate level and game design, instead providing vast amounts of nothing to traverse through. It’s hard to invest yourself in these sandbox worlds when they feel so devoid of life and meaning. Origins There were exceptions, and I don’t know if I would call this an open world game per se, but Shadow of the Colossus on the PlayStation 2 thrust players into a desolate land, …

NieR: Automata – Review

Published by Kane Bugeja

The human condition is, by and large, one of the most common elements of fiction. Who are we? Why are we? How could we? When will we? All the incredibly vague questions with no seeming answers that are conveyed through stories about fighting villainy, finding love, or whatever else takes a creators fancy. For the most part, however, these stories tend to share a common element; people. The aforementioned who seek the answers. So what happens when you remove humanity from the equation, but retain the same questions? Short answer: Chaos. Long answer: Complicated. Welcome to the remains of Earth, a planet long ago burnt out by the fires of conflict. Possessing a storied history that began in a what-if ending for Drakengard of all places, the world of NieR is not a fun one to call home. Having already dragged itself through a period of time involving rampaging demons, clones and disease, residents (and players of the first NieR) believed an upswing of society was finally around the bend. It wasn’t. Instead, humanity found …

Nintendo Memories: Wii

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

Kane Bugeja Red Steel 2 The Nintendo Wii, the experimental console with the funny name. You see, because Wii sounds like…you know, nevermind, you know what it sounds like. But what it also sounds like is a brand new gaming experience, full of movement and exercise and…sitting down lazily swinging your arms around, pretending that you’re standing up. Yet another gameplay element/gimmick subsumed by gamers overall aversion to physically enacting the movements of characters. You know, because if we could actually do the things videogame characters could do, we’d be doing them. Man I wish I could double jump. Digression aside, one of the most inherently Wii experiences I ever had was through Red Steel 2. One part Western, one part samurai film, this game brought forth the Motion Plus, an add-on designed to improve the Wii’s motion tracking. Which was somewhat of a success. Though Red Steel 2 was definitely one of the more complete motion gameplay experiences I’ve had, there were certainly times where swinging wildly outclassed intention and skill. Still, even ballistically …

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable Live Action Movie Teaser Revealed

Published by Jake McGlone

The gang behind the Diamond Is Unbreakable live action movie have done a wonderful job of revealing a steady stream of teaser images after the last episode of the anime last December. This was through images of the actors dressed up in their fabulous attire. Now we hit the apex teaser as a teaser trailer was recently streamed for the movie. The trailer opens with a picturesque view of Morioh, before showing Josuke walking towards the camera. Following Josuke knocking a ne’er-do-wells teeth out, there is a quick flash of images regarding the movie, which is following the ‘Hunt For The Arrow’ Ark. Important images shown include: He believes in being the best there is at what he does, archery. The gate museum has a 100% success rate of people not getting stabbed in the neck. Seriously, all that water around cannot be good for your health. He is probably thinking about Starfish, or squids, or something. The house is so dirty because of all the archery. The film has finished on location shooting in Spain and …

Big Bad Billy Bat Fett – Lost in Mistranslation Episode 103

Published by Kane Bugeja

With March finally upon the world, there is only one thing to do that makes sense: Talk about the brand new Nintendo Switch, the portable console that has everyone’s attention certifiably grabbed. Of course, this podcast seldom makes sense and the guys spend most of it solving some of the greatest questions of the age. When is a person considered evil? Who decided rap would best represent One Piece? Was 1999 the greatest year for film in the history of the world? Who is and isn’t Jango Fett? The answers may surprise you. -30-

Tales of Berseria – Review

Published by Luke Halliday

The Tales series continues to release new installments more and more frequently, with a new title having been released on a yearly basis for quite some time now. Other franchises releasing installments at this pace have often fallen flat and the quality of the games decreased severely. Remarkably this has not been the case for the Tales series which continues to knock it out of the park with each release, Tales of Berseria being the latest in the winning streak for Bandai Namco. Set in the same universe as Tales of Zestiria, one of the series finest installments to date, Tales of Berseria finds itself at an advantage most other Tales games do not, there is a pre-existing world and history to mine for story in interesting ways. Most games in the series start with a clean slate, Berseria however jumps back in time set around a hundred years before Zestiria and lays out how the world once was. It is interesting to note that the terminology used in the time of Berseria is different …

Nintendo Reveals List Of Indie Games To Be Released On The Switch In 2017

Published by Frank Inglese

It scared me to think that the Nintendo Switch is only days away from an official release. Scares me only because it brings to light just how easily time can pass you by. Days roll into weeks, weeks roll into months, months roll into years, and the Nintendo Switch comes out in two days time! It’s simply far too exciting for words. Now we’re all very much aware of the Switch’s launch titles; The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, Super Bomberman R, 1-2-Switch, and a few more, but soon folks will be looking for something more to play as they begin finishing the games that game alongside the console’s launch. Nintendo, this time around, have put a great deal of their focus into cultivating a nourishing environment for indie developers and their interesting games with the Switch and, as a part of the Nindies Nintendo Direct that streamed but a day ago, they have revealed an extensive list of Indie video games that are set for a release across 2017. Unfortunately there really …