Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Jam's Pick of the Week

Even though my real pick this week is God of War 3, I know that some of you don't own a Playstation 3 (boy do I love Uncharted 2!). So to stick with the theme of free to play, addictive games, this week I've chosen a series from way back when that never got the widespread acclaim it should have - the Grow series.

What the heck am I looking at??

The Grow series is presented by Eyezmaze, a game maker that aims for simple interface games across the world. The Grow series is based on one simple concept: level up. You start each game with an empty playing field or object that you must add smaller objects to. As you do, each object you added before it (assuming you ordered it in such a way that the new item affects the one before it) levels up, becoming a more advanced version of itself, slowly changing into a completely new item, or affecting the entire playing field. The trick to the game is to place objects in the right order so that at the end you have some wacky machination that barely resembles what you started out with. It's an addictive concept that makes you play over and over to get the best result, or just to see what happens when you order objects differently. When I place mountains, will I get snow-covered cliffs or a volcano? Try it and find out!

This is not going to look like a cube once you're done with it.

There are a number of different Grow games, including a special Christmas themed one where you place ornaments onto a tree (good times!). I like them for the simplicity and the fact that you never really know what's going to happen the first time you play. You can't play just once! The above games, Grow v.3 and Grow Cube, are my two favorites, and the Eyezmaze site has a bunch of different games including more from the Grow series. All in all they're fun, charming, and quirky enough to warrant multiple playthroughs.

I hope you enjoy my pick, thanks to all our fans who choose us as your daily time waster!

- Jam

DiGiorno rising crust is number one.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Otaku 5-0 Season 4: Episode 10

Aloha everybody!

Sadly, I am unable to attend this episode due to illness, but the rest of our podcast team gathers for another episode of entertainment-based topic based discussion, with an added treat - Zyconis puts in his first stint as an episode moderator!

Mahalo,
~Totoro (Otaku 5-0 Executive Producer)



Click here to download episode.

Show Notes
Otaku 5-0: Episode 4.10

Recording Date: March 29, 2010
Running Time: 64 minutes

Co-Moderators
Jupiter (Podcast Executive Producer)
Mr. A (Assistant Podcast Executive Producer)
Zyconis (Contributor-at-Large)

Panelists
Jam (Contributor-at-Large)
Hahen (Contributor-at-Large)

Format
1. Opening Bit: (Jam)

2. Lead-in (Jupiter)

3. Pick/Fail of the Week

4. Favorite/Least Favorite... Cartridge Game

5. Topic From The Past - Favorite... Video Game Villain (Episode 1.A)

6. DVD Grab Bag VI, Part 1

Mr. A selects 21 (2008)
Zyconis selects Hula Girls
Jupiter selects Running Scared
Hahen selects Help!
Jam selects Sansho The Bailiff

7. Lead-out (Jupiter)

Musical Notes
- Opening Theme: "Kefka's Theme" from Final Fantasy VI
- Interstitial Clips: "I'll Do It Right!" from Naruto, "Pre-Title" from His & Her Circumstances, "Subtitle" from Full Metal Panic!
- Ending Theme: "Breach of Contract" from Ah! My Goddess

Coming Soon...
The next audio podcast episode!

Feedback is always accepted here at Otaku 5-0. Please send an e-mail to otaku50podcast@gmail.com OR put a post on our message boards!

Friday, March 26, 2010

Mr. A's review of.....How To Train Your Dragon


The Story

Hiccup, a meek little nobody, lives in the island village of Berk which is populated by Vikings. His father, Stoick the Vast, is the village chief. Things seem pretty normal around these parts, fishing, hunting, farming....and killing dragons. Again, pretty normal considering that this village has been plagued by the fire-breathing freaks for almost seven generations. And everyone is pretty good at it...except Hiccup. That is until he nails an elusive "Night Fury" dragon using one of his odd inventions (he's like a Viking Bill Gates!). As Hiccup moves in for the kill he realizes that, even though everyone does it, he can't bring himself to kill the wounded dragon. Instead young Hiccup decides to nurse the young dragon back to health, thus forming the awesome bond that drives the rest of the film. Things go great until people start getting suspicious and the risk of getting discovered starts to run high.

The Review
To be honest, this movie has nothing to do with the book it was based on, but it's actually quite enjoyable. Dreamworks delivers again with their CG animation. The voice acting is great as always and the character designs, especially the main dragon Toothless, are incredible. The story's pretty straight-forward, but the humor makes up for it. I honestly have no gripes about this film.

The Verdict
With enough flashy colors to keep the kids entertained and a good enough plot and jokes to keep the big people happy, this is one of the greatest family films I've ever seen. And on top of that I got to see it with someone who means a lot to me who I haven't seen in a really long time.
9.5/10


Well that's about it. On a personal note HI, KELLIE!!! Thanks for getting the bill on this one. Next one's on me, okay?

Jaa mata,
Mr. A
(executive dragon trainer)

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Otaku 5-0 Season 4: Episode 9

Aloha everybody!

After a week-long break, our podcast team returns for more entertainment-themed topic discussion, bringing our streak for disclaimer-free episodes to... TWO!

Mahalo,
~Totoro (Otaku 5-0 Executive Producer)



Click here to download episode.

Show Notes
Otaku 5-0: Episode 4.9

Recording Date: March 22, 2010
Running Time: 75 minutes

Moderators
Jupiter (Podcast Executive Producer)
Mr. A (Podcast Executive Producer)

Panelists
Totoro (Otaku 5-0 Executive Producer)
Maka (Assistant Video Executive Producer)
Zell (Contributor-at-Large)
Jam (Contributor-at-Large)
Zyconis (Contributor-at-Large)
Hahen (Contributor-at-Large)

Format
1. Opening Bit: Manga Minute (Zell)

2. Lead-in (Mr. A)

3. Pick/Fail of the Week

4. Entertainment That Changed Everything: Books

5. Casting Couch: Family Guy

6. Best Star Trek Moment Ever!

7. Lead-out (Mr. A)

Musical Notes
- Opening Theme: "Kefka's Theme" from Final Fantasy VI
- Interstitial Clips: "Pre-Title" from His & Her Circumstances, "I'll Do It Right!" from Naruto, "Frog's Theme" from Chrono Trigger
- Ending Theme: "Breach of Contract from Ah! My Goddess

Coming Soon...
Our next audio podcast episode!

Feedback is always accepted here at Otaku 5-0. Please send an e-mail to otaku50podcast@gmail.com OR put a post on our message boards!

Jam's Pick of the Week

Giving you the latest and greatest in free gaming news, it's Jam with his Pick of the Week! This week's pick is brought to you partly by Nintendo, and mostly by fans around the world of a lovely, amazingly designed freeware title known simply as Cave Story.

The least exciting thing you'll see in this game is the title screen.

Cave Story (or Doukutsu Monogatari) is a freeware action platformer made in the style of "Metroid-vania", emphasizing exploration to both discover what the world has to offer and to unravel the plot. In the game, you play as Quote, a boy who awakens in a small cave unaware of how he got there or why. As you begin to explore, you meet the inhabitants of your new home, the Mimiga - innocent and rabbit like in appearance, and fearful of being captured and turned into monsters by a villain known as the Doctor (no, not THAT Doctor!). Think Robotnik from the Sonic series (Eggman if you will), only less evil and more of a jerkface.

As Quote, you move from room to room helping the Mimiga by defeating baddies, completing short quests and jumping and shooting your way through enemies and even boss fights. You can discover items as you explore to increase your health, change up your firepower (mwahahahaha) and other things that'll help you kick butt. The more powerful you become, the more efficiently you can take out enemies and bosses and find out just exactly how you ended up in this labyrinth of interconnected rooms.

Look to your left. Now to your right. Now back to your left. All of these things want to kill you.

Developed by a team called Studio Pixel over the course of 5 years, Cave Story was a labor of love for the good ol' days of pixel drawn adventure games. Given a modern twist, tight controls and a slew of great additions to the classic formulas of old school platformers, Cave Story doesn't skimp on either gameplay or story. Everything, even down to the music, was done up to the best of its creators' abilities.

Thanks to the attention it garnered as just a freeware game, Nintendo chose to work with Studio Pixel over the last few years to redesign and update the game for a WiiWare release, which is now available through the Wii Ware Shop. Like the re-release of The Secret of Monkey Island, it was given a graphical overhaul, refined script and reworked musical score; and if you so choose it, you may opt to switch to play the game in the original resolution with the same graphics and music as when it was released. This is a nice option for the purist fans of the original game who would prefer to play it as is, and it doesn't lessen the experience any to do so.

Retro Gold :: New Hotness

Cave Story has received a lot of praise from fans and critics, and will hopefully end up becoming a big hit in the Wii Shop, if only for the original game's quality being on the level as some first-party releases. If you haven't yet jumped on the bandwagon, DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE COPY OF CAVE STORY and see what the buzz is about.

That's all from me today, tune in next week when I might talk about something other than free games. Maybe I'll talk about pizza! But I doubt it, unless there's a game about pizza.

Yo! Noid doesn't count.

- Jam

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Mr. A's review of.....Super Atragon (Shin Kaitei Gunkan)


I finally got to see this 2-part OVA after all these years and I just had to write a review about it:

The Story
Go Arisaka, a member of the Japanese Navy, and his team are sent to Antarctica to investigate a series of strange events. Things only get stranger when they discover that every person and thing has been annihilated due to some odd form of radiation. As the gods of brisk pacing would have it, the entire team is suddenly wiped out with the exception of Go and his girlfriend Annette (who plays a bigger role in all this than you think). Waking up from what he hopes is just a horrible nightmare, Go finds himself aboard the Ra-Go, a super battleship capable of both undersea as well as air combat built during the Pacific War. Armed with state-of-the-art weaponry and a steadfast crew, the Ra-Go sets out to put and end to the mysterious forces trying to destroy the Earth.

The Review
Though the film stock itself hasn't exactly stood the test of time, the story is something told over and over again throughout history. The areal combat sequences are well done, if incredibly one-sided. Characters are a tad bland and backstory could've used some work. On the other hand the redesigned Goten-Go, dubbed the Ra-go in this version of the story, is a sight to behold. I'd actually say it's almost, if not far better than the redesigned Goten-Go seen in the film Godzilla: Final Wars.

The Verdict
With the right amount of action, romance, and story-telling, Super Atragon is one of those animes that they just don't make anymore. Go and pick this one up if you can (I found a few copies on Amazon) or rent it or look for it on YouTube (I won't tell you exactly where, I don't want the guy to lose his account).
8/10


Before I go, I thought I'd leave you with a new nuggets of trivia:
First off, the Japanese name of this as well as the original film by Toho Studios and the book they were both based on has been translated as "Undersea Battleship", however the Japanese word for battleship is Senkan. The word Gunkan actually means "Warship".
Secondly, the name Atragon comes from the word Atoragon, the international title used for Toho's version of Kaitei Gunkan. Presumably, the title is a contraction of the words "Atomic Dragon" (a reference to Manda, the films antagonist).

Jaa matta,
Mr. A

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

No new episode this week, but...

Aloha everybody!

I regret to inform you that there will be no new episode of our audio podcast this week, due to a staff meeting for a 2010 Kawaii-kon event (more about that later. I promise.) However, I would like to offer a bonus installment of my feature article series, titled, "It Came From YouTube!"

This edition will focus on TV commercials, past and present. The first clip is a commercial for GLAD freezer bags, with a catchy, funky beat.



The events of the next commercial for Captain Morgan's rum provide a textbook definition of the word, "Assist."



I found this next commercial for Bud Light hilarious, and an answer to the question, "What would you do for a Bud Light?"



Old Spice and its commercials have become a cultural juggernaut in recent years, starting from its first commercials featuring Bruce Campbell of, "Evil Dead" fame. However, this commercial may end up being their best yet.



See you in Cyberspace,
~Totoro (Otaku 5-0 Executive Producer)

Jam's Pick of the Week

ALWAYS! I WANNA BEEE WITH YOU!
AND MAKE BELIEVE WITH YOU!
AND LIVE IN HARMONY, HARMONY OH LOOOVE!


This is the manliest game you'll play this year (until Shank gets released).

Robot Unicorn Attack, released by Adult Swim games, is the latest and greatest in the line of "run to the right" games. In this lovely entry to the genre, you play as a robot unicorn, running to create rainbows as you leap through the air and use your magic horn to smash through stars frozen in place, releasing their epic magic and granting you the companionship of fast moving, golden dolphins. No, I'm not making any of this up.

The game starts you with 3 wishes (lives) that you use to run and jump to the right collecting fairies and smashing through stars. As the robot unicorn, you can jump, double jump, and use your horn to do a dash attack which not only breaks through stars but also gives you a fair amount of distance to use on those wider chasms. High scores go up on a scoreboard on the Adult Swim website so you can compare your score with others, some of which will probably blow you away.

Besides the simple and addictive formula and eye catching graphics (who doesn't love a rainbow trailing a unicorn?), the game features the best song you've never heard - "Always" by Erasure, as its theme. After your first play through you'll definitely be singing it to yourself, and along with other people who have played the game. There are more every day!

I can't recommend this game enough as your daily time waster. The song, the graphics, the soul crushing heartbreak when your robot unicorn comes to a sudden and explosive stop, all blend together to create the game of the freakin' year!!

HOLD ON TO THE NIGHT!
THERE WILL BE NO SHAME!!

- Jam

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Mr. A's review of...Avatar

Editor's Note: The original review was deleted from our archives due to a technical error. However, I was able to successfully recover it.

The Story
Jake Sully, a crippled ex-Marine, is sent to the planet of Pandora to take his deceased brother's place as an Avatar pilot. Why? Because of the massive amount of Unobtainium, an incredibly rare alloy that, for some damn reason or another, Earth needs to do.....something. Unfortunately the only thing stopping them from mining the planet empty is the Na'vi, the humanoid natives of Pandora. Along the way Jake falls for Neytiri, a Na'vi female and next in line to became her tribe's shaman. With all the other money hungry, trigger-happy humans getting inpatient, Jake must race against time (and my review) to save the Na'vi before it's too late.

The Review
Visually this film is INCREDIBLE, the acting is some of the best I've seen in recent years...but that's it. Seriously. Every plot-point, every twist, every touching moment is ripped from other films. Off the top of my head I can name Pocahontas, The Last Samurai, Jurassic Park, Beauty and the Beast, Star Trek, and even some of Sam Worthington's own Terminator Salvation.

The Verdict
If you want mindless graphics and a slow moving story, then beeline it to the theaters. If you want something a little more original take your hard-earned money and go see The Book of Eli.
5/10

And that's it. Nothing more, nothing less. Now to sit back and wait for the other Avatar...the one that bends air.

Jaa mata,
Mr. A

Totoro's Review Of... Alice In Wonderland (2010)



Recently, I was able to attend a screening of this long-awaited movie from the director of Edward Scissorhands & Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street.

And here is my review...

(CAUTION! SPOILERS AHEAD!)

The Story
For those of you who have been living in a cave for the last century or so, let me give you the entire story in one sentence: A young girl in search of an adventure falls down a rabbit hole into a magical world populated by strange creatures.

I have always found Tim Burton's films to be an acquired taste. I first heard of this film after seeing a teaser poster while attending a screening of Star Trek with Mr. A. After some cursory research I learned that Tim Burton would be directing this adaptation of the Lewis Carroll story. Needless to say, I thought it would be a perfect fit, but whatever initial expectations I had lowered after seeing his ho-hum adaptation of Charlie & The Chocolate Factory.

The Review
This movie is right up Tim Burton's alley. The source material is well-represented here, and Burton does his best to give the characters some sense of emotional depth. I found it quite refreshing in HOW the story was told (i.e. Alice is returning TO Wonderland after a 13-year absence.) I also was interested to see that characters from other Lewis Carroll writings (primarily the Jabberwocky) were included in the film.

From an acting perspective, I found the entire cast (including Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen & Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter) quite entertaining. In fact, in an odd way I found the movie reminiscent of the classic screwball comedies of the '30s & '40s. I found the performance of Mia Wasikowska as Alice pitch-perfect, providing what Roger Ebert called, "the baseline of sanity" needed to enhance the screwball effect of the movie.

The Verdict

I was quite entertained until the 3rd act. The movie loses steam once the "final battle" starts (which makes perfect sense, seeing how that's when the story is at its most conventional.) Another flaw with the movie is the ending, which may leave some audiences dissatisfied. Despite its flaws, I give Tim Burton credit for not only bringing the skewed reality of Wonderland to life, but for making a film that I actually liked after leaving the theater.

8/10

Mahalo,
~Totoro (Otaku 5-0 Executive Producer)

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Otaku 5-0 Season 4: Episode 8

Aloha everybody!

On this installment of Otaku 5-0, not only do Jupiter & Mr. A continue their co-moderating duties as we present more entertainment-themed topic discussion, we also have recorded a rare disclaimer-free episode!

Also present in the recording venue was Kiriko, a fan of our podcast who was always interested in seeing how an episode of Otaku 5-0 was produced. She had a great time just hanging out and we hope to see her again many times in the near future.

Now, please enjoy the fruit of our labors.

Mahalo,
~Totoro (Otaku 5-0 Executive Producer)



Click here to download episode.

Show Notes
Otaku 5-0: Episode 4.8

Recording Date: March 8, 2010
Running Time: 71 minutes

Moderators
Jupiter (Podcast Executive Producer)
Mr. A (Assistant Podcast Executive Producer)

Panelists
Totoro (Otaku 5-0 Executive Producer)
Neko-X (Otaku 5-0 Senior Producer)
Maka (Assistant Video Executive Producer)
Jam (Contributor-at-Large)
Zyconis (Contributor-at-Large)
Hahen (Contributor-at-Large)
Kiriko (Podcast Friend)

Format
1. Proverb of Wisdom (Jupiter)

2. Lead-in (Jupiter & Mr. A)

3. Pick/Fail of the Week

4. Great Debate: Justice League or The Avengers?

5. Good Sequel, Bad Sequel

6. How We Would Have Done It: Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith

7. Lead-out (Jupiter & Mr. A)

Musical Notes
-Opening Theme: "Kefka's Theme" from Final Fantasy VI
-Interstitial Clips: "I'll Do It Right!" from Naruto, "Pre-Title" from His & Her Circumstances, "Subtitle" from Full Metal Panic!
-Ending Theme: "Breach of Contract" from Ah! My Goddess

Coming Soon...
Our next podcast episode, Totoro's review of Alice in Wonderland (2010)!

Feedback is always accepted here at Otaku 5-0. Please send an e-mail to otaku50podcast@gmail.com OR put a post on our message boards!

Jam's Pick of the Week

I love Flash games. I love Flash games because you don't have to pay for them. I love Flash games because you don't have to pay for them and sometimes you find a gem from a very creative programmer that's so good you want to hit somebody for not making it a fleshed out console game packed with content and HD graphics. I'd say for fans of tabletop games and action RPGs, you'll dig this week's pick: SteamBirds.



SteamBirds is a simplistic, top down, turn-based action game based around planes and aerial dogfights. You control a plane (or many planes!) that constantly moves forward, and during each of your turns you can direct your plane to fly along a curve (up to 90 degrees depending on the plane). When you have an enemy in your field of vision and in your line of sight, you can unleash gunfire on them and try to bring them down. Do it fast enough and without taking damage, and you get a nice shiny reward of four gold stars! Any achievement hound will have their hands full getting a level completed just right.

Right off the bat, which is to say the second level, the game starts to give you more options. Not so many as to bog you down, but useful alternatives than just flying in a curve, such as putting shields up to prevent damage from being done to you (at the cost of not being able to shoot that turn), doing quick turnabouts, and other things. Playing the game reminded me of a tabletop/card hybird game I used to play called Pirates of the Cursed Seas (a physical variant of Pirates of the Burning Sea, which itself is also a good game). If you used to play that game with a friend, you'll definitely dig this. I'd recommend this game if you want a way to spend your time instead of wasting it. Or if you just really like gold stars. :) See you soon to bring you more and more things to keep you from doing work. :D

This post brought to you by Magical Trevor.

- Jam

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Otaku 5-0 Season 4: Episode 7

Aloha everybody!

On this installment of Otaku 5-0, I am put, "on vacation" as the rest of our podcast team gets together for more entertainment-related topic discussion, ending the festivities with Zyconis (our newest Contributor-at-Large) taking his turn at The Gauntlet!

Mahalo,
~Totoro (Executive Producer)

WARNING! Portions of this podcast contain mature language and adult content. Listener discretion is advised.



Click here to download episode.

Show Notes
Otaku 5-0: Episode 4.7

Recording Date: March 1, 2010
Running Time: 61 minutes

Moderators
Mr. A (Executive Producer)
Jupiter (Executive Producer)

Panelists
Maka (Technical Director)
Zell (Contributor-at-Large)
Jam (Contributor-at-Large)
Zyconis (Contributor-at-Large)
Hahen (Contributor-at-Large)

Format
1. Bad Joke of the Day (Mr. A)

2. Lead-in (Jupiter & Mr. A)

3. Pick/Fail of the Week

4. The Top 3... Trilogies

5. Please Produce This...

6. The Gauntlet - Zyconis

Questions
A. If you had to choose between everyone loving you but being single OR having that special someone but no one cares for you, which would you choose?

B. Describe yourself in haiku.

C. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

D. What is your definition of the word, "Joy"?

E. Pirates or Ninjas?

F. What is the first anime that got you interested?

G. Where do you stand on dubbing?

H. If you could do three things with no negative consequences, what would they be?

7. Lead-out (Jupiter & Mr. A)

Musical Notes
- Post-Disclaimer Theme: "Gato's Theme" from Chrono Trigger
- Opening Theme: "Kefka's Theme" from Final Fantasy VI
- Interstitial Clips: "Pre-Title" from His & Her Circumstances, "Subtitle" from Full Metal Panic! Fumoffu?, "Frog's Theme" from Chrono Trigger
- Ending Theme: "Breach of Contract" from Ah! My Goddess

Coming Soon...
The next audio podcast episode & a feature article from Totoro!