Game Review: Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm (PS3)

Naruto Uzumaki is back for another mission from the Hidden Leaf Village, in Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm for the PS3.

This is a game that tries to blend an action fighter, with adventure elements, while showing us the first five arcs from the Naruto Universe. Although it doesn’t really accomplish it as well as I was hoping. It’s a simple fighter to say the least, most moves are accomplished by mashing one button until your thumb falls off. Still, there are combos and counters that can make things interesting. This game can be fun for a while, but it does lose it’s luster if played for too long.

It’s no stretch of the imagination to say that game was made for the fans. Putting yourself in Naruto’s shoes as he chases after Sauske is an otaku’s wet dream. Yet the luster is lost in the game’s setup. The story arcs are split up into missions, which are accessible through the start menu, at the player’s leisure. The main missions can only be done by completing the many side missions that the game offers. Most are just sparring with other ninja, but there are also tree climbing missions and missions where you have to travel through the trees; two big things that most will remember from the Naruto series. These side missions seem to be nothing more than time fillers to make the game longer, and greatly take away from the main story of the game by becoming a nuisance to unlock more of the story. Although that isn’t the only thing that takes away from the experience of the Naruto Universe. After every mission, you are placed back into the same bright and cheery Hidden Leaf Village. Even after a mission where the Sand village attacks the village and leaves it in shambles, Naruto still pops back into the same spot in the Hidden Leaf Village as though nothing has happened. It breaks the emersion into the game. Other games can at least change the overlaying background to match the current story line. Still, the graphics in this game are very good. The cell shading makes the game seem more like the real anime, which is a plus in a game about an anime. The fighting is simple, but watching it always seems to satisfy me in some way. The moves seem fluid and seemless, and the finishing moves are very over the top, something which a game like this thrives on. All in all, I think this game is a bright and shiny toy that loses its luster quickly. Definitely a rental over a buy.  

C+ (Good looks, but the gameplay gets old quick)

Anime Review: Tekkonkinkreet

Tekkonkinkreet is the story of two orphan children, Black and White, and their journey as they keep control over their home, Treasure Town. All of this is challenged when the Yakuza encroach on their territory and start making plans of their own. This movie is ultimately about the bond of friendship and brotherhood between Black and White as it gets stretched to its limit.

I have always seen previews of Tekkonkinkreet and wanted to see it, but I never have until now. I have to say that this movie met my expectations and surpassed them. The plot for the movie is great, full of twists and turns that you won’t see coming. Even with these turns, the movie didn’t leave me confused as to what is happening, I just accepted it and kept watching. The ending doesn’t leave you with a bad taste in your mouth, it ends fully and completely, which is good in my mind. The tone for the most part is very dark, especially in the case of Black (Might be why he is called Black. ), but there are plenty of light-hearted parts that break the tension, and these moments are mostly brought about by who? You guessed it, White. These two are polar opposites that prove the saying, “opposites attract.” The animation is breathtaking in Tekkonkinkreet. It has this rough around the edges form, but it works so well in this case. They don’t try to make the animation better while having these rough around the edges thing. Treasure Town itself looks like something out of an artist’s landscape of a town. While I was watching the opening credits, I found myself focusing more on how the town looked more than what was happening in the scene (Which might have been the point). The voice acting was spot on for each character; the kids sounded like kids and the adults sounded like adults. Each main character’s voice sounded like it was meant to be. I watched the English version, so I can’t compare the English voice to the original Japanese (Maybe later). The soundtrack on this movie is great. As I was watching some of the scenes, I didn’t even notice the music in the background. It just melted into the scene and added to the intensity of what was happening.

If you haven’t gotten the picture by now, I thougholy enjoyed Tekkonkinkreet. I have no complaints about this movie. This is now one of my favorite anime movies of all time. I highly recommend this movie to anyone looking for a good flick to watch. But reader beware, this movie clocks in at a little less than two hours, so be sure you have time to watch it.

End Grade: 10/10
Why? This movie was good all over. I watched the movie twice, the second time looking for something wrong with it, but I couldn’t find anything.

Anime Review: BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad (Rev.)

Is there more to life? That is the question that is brought up in the beginning of Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad.

The story begins with 14 year old Yukio Tanaka, or as his friends call him Koyuki, wondering if there is more to life than being an average middle school student. So of course something comes along to change his life right then and there. This happens when he meets Ryusuke Minami, an amazing guitarist who is trying to form the perfect band. The anime then follows Koyuki as he tries to become part of the band, and the band as they try to make it big. There is plenty of drama and action as these guys try to break out big on the music scene.

I had seen a few clips of Beck here and there, but I was hesitant to watch it. I thought that an anime about a band wouldn’t be that interesting to watch, like a Behind the Music made into a cartoon or something. Boy was I wrong. Beck is full of drama, especially between Koyuki, and Ryusuke’s sister Maho. But it doesn’t stop there, not only is there jealousy, but there is also band quarrels, school troubles, money issues, and a certain mystery involving Ryusuke’s past. Yet when things get to tense, something always happens to lighten the mood. Usually from this anime’s comic relief, Chiba the loud and rough vocalist for the band, with a heart of gold. The animation for Beck was fairly decent for an anime of today’s standards. There were some times when it seemed to be lacking; a van driving out of frame seemed to just slide off screen rather than drive away. A punch from a huge beefy guy would look so weak, and yet still have enough power to knock someone out, and then there is Koyuki’s friend Tanabei. This kid looks and sounds like an average teenager, but his hair looks like what they would put on a middle aged man, you get used to it after a while, but it does tend to throw you off kilter upon seeing it. The voice acting was spot on, every voice seemed to match every character perfectly. Of course the music is great too. As I write this review I am listening to some of the tracks laid down by the band, something about this music is just so addicting.

Beck has now become one of my favorite anime’s. It’s anime’s like this that make it hard for me to make a top ten list, but if I were able to, Beck would definitely be high in the ranks. I haven’t felt this way after watching an anime since I watched Neon Genesis Evangelion. I highly recommend this anime to anyone that asks that pivotal question, “What should I watch next?”

End Grade: 9/10
Why? The little imperfections in the animation, thats about it. If those weren’t there, this would easily be a 10.

Anime Review: Samurai 7

Today’s review will be on Samurai 7, an anime based off of director Akira Kurasowa’s The Seven Samurai. This anime is in my unprofessional opinion really good. I had my doubts when I first found this anime, but as I continued watching it, I found myself unable to look away.

The basic plot of this anime is that the small village of Kanna is being controlled by the bandit group known as the Nobuseri. This group always comes to the village during harvest time and takes the village’s rice for their own. Fed up with their oppression, they send Lady Kirara to the city of Kogakyo to find and hire samurai to destroy the bandits and free their village. The story moves on to show their struggles of finding samurai and of their struggle against the Nobuseri.

I have to say this anime looks good. I am a sucker for an anime with quality artwork and this one has it in spades. Everything from the design of the city to the 3D design of the Nobuseri themselves, it all looked and flowed together great. Aside from that this anime still has an great storyline. Just as you feel the tension in a scene starting to rise you can usually count on some comic relief to lighten the mood, usually from the loud and obnoxious robot samurai known as Kikuchiyo. I find this mix of drama, action, and comedy blended together just right so as to not make it seem to cheesy or to serious. The series is only 26 episodes long, and I never found myself dulled with any boring filler. I also appreciate the ending as well, it does in fact end with everything coming to a close, whether good or bad, and yet it also leaves a bit of room to wonder what could happen next. I watched this in English and for the most part the quality is good (I’ve never watched an English dubbed anime that I thought was completely horrible though), except for one little girl who looks like she is four but sounds like she is 40. In the end I would recommend Samurai 7 to anyone that asked. Whether you like samurai animes, or giant mecha animes, or if you just want an good story that will keep you entertained, then go out and find Samurai 7 today.

End Grade: 8.5/10
Why?: There were some odd/long parts but they were few and far between, and the voice on the little 40/4 year old girl was just weird, which dropped the score ever so slightly.

Kotty