Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Naruto
Nintendo and Tomy join forces


The toy maker will be able to use Nintendo's resources to promote its games in Japan.

Nintendo of Japan and Tomy have announced that they've reached an agreement that allows Tomy to promote its games using Nintendo's sales and marketing services. One of the first games to be marketed under this agreement will be Naruto, a GameCube fighting game based on the Japanese cartoon and comic of the same name. A Game Boy Advance version of the game is also in the works.

Naruto is scheduled for release in Japan in the spring of 2003, and it will also be on display at the upcoming Jump Festival, which will be held in Japan on December 21 and 22. I'll post more details as they become available



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Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen! 3
Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen! 3 announced


Tomy will release a third title in its Naruto fighting game series for the GameCube.

TOKYO--According to Weekly Jump magazine, Tomy is planning to release Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen! 3 for the GameCube. It should be available in Japan by the end of the year.

Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen! 3 will have at least three new characters: the chubby Chouji, the female ninja Temari, and the ninja master Jiraiya. The characters are grouped into teams of three based on the game's manga and anime inspiration, such as Team Konoha (Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji) and Team Sand (Kankuro, Gaara, Temari). Tomy has hinted that there will be a new game mode based on these teams. The game will also inherit the four-player fighting mode from last year's iteration of the series.

I will provide more information on Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen! 3 as it becomes available.






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Naruto: Narutimate Hero!!!
Naruto is a manga-cum-anime series that's big in Japan and has recently been gaining a lot of popularity in the United States as well. Last spring, the first game based on Naruto was released for the GameCube in Japan by Tomy, and now Bandai is bringing out its own game based on the series this October for the PlayStation 2. The new game's title, approximated from Japanese, is Naruto: Narutimate Hero, and like the first game, it's a high-flying fighting game somewhat akin to the PowerStone and Super Smash Bros. series in its cartoon-like, larger-than-life mechanics and presentation.

We got to try a bit of Narutimate Hero's versus mode, which let us pick from a fairly large stable of characters from the series. Once in the match, the game plays about like you'd expect--you can pull off a variety of hand-to-hand and projectile combat moves by using various button and d-pad combinations. You'll also be able to dodge, leap way, way up into the air, run up walls, and perform various other evasive maneuvers, and these are useful since the combat moves at such a fast pace.

The look of Naruto: Narutimate Hero is especially noteworthy, as it features one of the most stylish and unique implementations of cell-shading we've seen to date. Though the characters have the flat, cell-like cartoon look that's typical of this graphical technique, they also feature prominent shading that looks like it was drawn on by a pencil. The net effect of this is that Narutimate Hero's characters pretty much look like they've just sprung from a manga; indeed, matches are also preceded by cutscenes in which the characters taunt each other from the panels of a comic book. The game's backgrounds also have a characteristic look that's reminiscent of hand-drawn art, and overall, the game is quite appealing to look at.

The build of Naruto: Narutimate Hero at Bandai's TGS booth was said to be 100% complete, and the game is currently scheduled for a late October release in Japan. Though it doesn't currently have a US release, the Naruto anime has been getting more popular there, so perhaps Bandai or another publisher will opt to bring it over. We'll bring you more on the game if and when that happens.


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Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 is the third entry in publisher Atari and developer Dimps' fighting franchise that's based on the classic anime series. While the Dragon Ball Z series has had spotty luck making the leap to games over the years, the first entry in the Budokai series gave fans a reason to believe that the dark days of half-baked games that coasted on the license were ending. Unfortunately, the promising series hit a bump in the road with 2003's second entry in the series, which tweaked the simple formula that was introduced in the first game by adding a board-game structure that bogged down the solid action.


Fortunately, Atari and Dimps appear to have learned their lesson with Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3, a game that takes a back-to-basics approach that regains the simple appeal of the original game while adding new mechanics and a broader roster to it. We tried our hand at a work-in-progress version of the PlayStation 2 game to see if the series has truly regained its magic.

You'll find four modes in the game: dragon universe, duel, world tournament, and training (plus there's a locked dragon arena mode). Dragon universe is the expected story mode that lets you step into the role of characters from Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT to play through key story sequences from both series. You'll find the usual suspects--such as Goku, Piccolo, Gohan, Vegeta, Recoombe, and the rest of the gang you've seen in the previous games--along with some new faces. The universe mode offers a deeper character development system that blends the skill capsule system with a role-playing-game-like experience system that lets you earn Z points you can distribute to your fighter's stats. You'll be able to increase your brawler's health, ki, attack, guard, arts, ability, and com levels (we'll explain what "com" is in just a second).

While the adventure is still basically linear, in terms of the way the story is told, you'll have some measure of freedom in how you go through it. An onscreen world map will show you the key locales you'll have to reach and then poke around in to get the story to progress. However, if you just stick to that, you'll miss out on hidden battles, skill capsules, and interactions with other characters. Duel is your standard versus mode, which lets you duke it out with a friend or an artificial intelligence-controlled opponent. World tournament sends you through a series of battles, at different difficulties, that lets you earn money you can use to buy skill capsules. Finally, training brings you up to speed on the game's fighting system.



The fighting system in the game has been refined to include counters.
In addition to those initially selectable modes, you'll also be able to unlock the dragon arena, which is a slick mode that's one of the game's most pleasant surprises. At first blush, the mode looks like another variant on the duel mode, because you'll be able to battle computer-generated opponents. The nice twist is that you'll be able to earn experience to level up your character. The experience you earn will be based on the level of the opponent you choose. But that's only part of what the mode has to offer. If you poke around a bit more, you'll discover that you can input passwords that you'll find on the game's Web site to earn the right to fight against other players' characters. You'll notice that as you customize your fighters in the game, you'll receive passwords for them. If you post these passwords on the Web, then anyone can input them into his or her game to fight against your character. If your character's com stat is high, your character will be a butt-kicking machine when imported into someone else's game.

The gameplay in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 is shaping up to be a truly winning mix of old and new concepts. The core fighting system from the previous two games returns, although it's seen some very cool additions. The basic system revolves around a four-button layout that lets you punch, kick, guard, and fire off ki blasts. You'll be able to perform simple combos, throws, and common and unique special moves that you'll access once you've equipped the proper skill capsule.



You'll see plenty of familiar faces in Budokai 3's roster.
This time out, Dimps has tweaked the system to include a counter--specifically, the teleportation counter--that lets you avoid damage through carefully timed presses of the guard button. While it's just one move, the counter significantly changes the fighting in the game for the better by adding some depth to it. The counters are tied to your fighter's ki bar, and they use up one block for every use. Furthermore, they can't be used indefinitely, which forces you to balance using ki to either power up your fighter or perform special attacks. In addition, you'll find an impressive array of new special attacks that are taken straight from the anime--most notably beam struggles, which let you to try to overpower an opponent's ki blast if you both fire off simultaneous attacks.

The graphics in the game represent a serious improvement over the previous entries in the series. Dimps has apparently gotten quite skilled at refining the shading techniques that give the polygonal characters looks that are comparable to their animated counterparts. The other crucial element to the game's visuals involves the animation, which just nails the look and feel of the crew, especially during special attacks. The strong visuals are complemented by fresh, cinematic camera angles that are in the spirit of the anime and that help sell the action beautifully. The one change in the game's presentation that isn't an improvement revolves around the use of static screens for the story sequences. It's hardly a major point, but we have to admit that we miss the real-time cinematics from the first game. Still, that loss is acceptable when you take stock of the particle effect and lighting systems in the game, which both look outstanding.

Dimps hasn't just focused on the game's characters and their attacks; you'll find that the environments are impressively designed and feature rich detail and a whole lot of destructible elements. One nice touch you'll see in relation to the environments is that whatever over-the-top damage you do--such as, say, knocking your foe through a mountain--will be reflected in the environment for the whole battle. The game's frame rate remains fairly stable and high, although you'll find the occasional bit of slowdown during your brawls, which is negligible. Even the incomplete version we're playing purrs along well enough to let us lay the smack down on our opponents with ease.



The graphics have been considerably improved over previous installments.
The audio in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3, which is always one of the highlights of the DBZ games, holds true to the high standards set by the previous entries in the series. Plan on hearing the anime's voice cast in full force, which definitely brings the colorful cast to life. In addition, you'll hear familiar tunes, which are heavy on rock, that accompany the over-the-top action. The effects for the various attacks aren't quite as crisp as they could be in our preview version, but they're still fine.

Based on what we've played so far, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 is looking like a promising return to form for the series. The enhancements on the already solid fighting system add a welcome bit of depth that should please fans who are hoping for a meatier fighting experience. The expanded roster will obviously please players who wish to see one of their favorites make an appearance. Finally, the assortment of game modes and the liberal use of authentic voice both help to keep the game good and real for fans. If you were a fan of the original Dragon Ball Z: Budokai but were underwhelmed by its sequel, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 is definitely worth a look. If you've ever been curious about the series, now's the time to try it, because Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 is shaping up to be the best entry yet. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 is currently slated to ship this November for the PS2.



(ok, only 2 more post 2 go!)
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Painkiller: Battle Out of Hell?
DreamCatcher Interactive is on hand in London to show off Painkiller: Battle Out of Hell, the expansion to Painkiller, and if you thought that the action in Painkiller couldn't get even more frenetic, then wait until you see Battle Out of Hell. The DreamCatcher representatives let the gameplay speak for itself as they loaded up the expansion and gave us a glimpse into what's in store for us.

If you played the original game, then you know that it ended with hero Daniel Garner still trapped in hell and looking for a way to rejoin his wife in heaven. Polish developer People Can Fly is working on the expansion, and it looks like the programmers have figured out how to squeeze every ounce of performance out of the game's engine. We were given a demo of one of the expansion's levels, which is set in the hellish version of Stalingrad, the epic World War II battle where hundreds of thousands of Germans and Russians died. But in this version of Stalingrad, you're caught between zombie Germans and zombie Russians doomed to fight the battle for eternity, and it makes for some really intense gameplay. As we watched, squads of zombie Germans charged, then exploded or caught on fire when cut down by the chaingun. And if the flaming Germans and exploding buildings aren't enough, things really get insane when the zombie tanks show up on the scene. That's right, zombie tanks. Needless to say, we were very impressed with the sheer amount of action packed in this level, and we're told it gets even better. People Can Fly figures that if you managed to beat the original Painkiller, then you're probably ready for a bigger challenge, so the expansion will feature tougher enemies. For instance, now even the most basic of enemy soldiers can toss grenades at you.

As with the original game, People Can Fly is paying a large amount of attention to making sure each of the 10 levels in the expansion are unique. So the artists aren't recycling anything; if a texture is used in one level, it won't be used in any others. And as good as the Stalingrad level looked, it represented only one level, with the other nine remaining a secret for now.

Though Battle Out of the Hell features fewer levels than the original Painkiller, we're told that the new levels are bigger, so we can expect the same amount of gameplay. In addition to the 10 new levels, there will be two new weapons, though only the submachine gun/flamethrower combination weapon was revealed to us. There will also be two new multiplayer modes, though once again we were told of only one of them, which is a variant of capture the flag.

Battle Out of Hell is looking very good, and our short time with the expansion left us wanting more. The good news is that we can expect the expansion to ship in time for Christmas.





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Monday, October 11, 2004

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne Debug-Mode
Debug-Mode

While in a terminal, swap Nocturne for another PS2 game. Go out of the terminal and when the debug screen pops up, switch Notcurne back.

(KO) KIDOUT ~what can anime do 4 you~
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my tip.
from now on, if your having problems in video games, i have guildes to help. yes, i will start giving faqs on games (halo, x-men, fable, inu-yasha ect;) so put a commect, or Pm and i will help. (put the games name, and the styem it is for)
today, i will post the Mortal Kombat: Deception Special Moves/Fatalities List, so look for that.

-(KO) KIDOUT ~now without heart attacks~
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Sunday, October 10, 2004

Appleseed US Premiere At Boston Film Festival
The Boston Fantastic Film Festival will be hosting the US Premiere of the Appleseed movie, on Saturday, October 16th at 7:30pm. The event is taking place at the following location:

Brattle Theatre
40 Brattle Street
Harvard Square
Cambridge, MA 02138

A full schedule of the event is available, although the Appleseed movie is the only anime film showing during the festival.

-(KO)KIDOUT ~your word for evil~


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Continue this story!
Let me start with:
There was once
(contune the story on Comments)

-(KO)KIDOUT ~3,2,1 lets jam!
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   i am a menber of CME
yes, as of now, i am a member of CME!! its so cool!

-(KO) KIDOUT ~now, get my watel, its the one thats says "bad mother fucker"~
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