Death Note Anime Review

Death Note is pretty big among the Anime community. If you are a fan of anime, chances are that you've heard of it or even watched it. Death Note started out as a manga, then jumped into an anime series and has had three Japanese live action movies made after it. In 2011 North America will get a remake of the live action movies. The Japanese versions were separated into two films with a third film following one of the main characters on a side story. The Japanese films already condensed a a 108 chapter Manga and a 37 episode Anime into two films. I will be interested to how the American remake will fit so much content into one movie.

But what is all this hype about? For those who don't know the story, Death Note follows a bright high school student named Light Yagami who stumbles upon this magical note book that when a name is written down on it's pages while thinking of the individual they will die. This Death Note was dropped into the human world by a Shinigami, or god of death, named Ryuk who was looking to spice up his never ending life. He follows Light around as Light kills criminals with the Death Note to make a better world and dispense his kind of justice. However too many criminals are dying and it gathers the attention of many authorities including the Japanese police force and a mysterious independent crime investigator known only as L. L teams up with the Japanese police to find out the identity of this unknown killer dubbed by the public as Kira.

There is a reason why this anime is so popular, it really is that good. There is no gimmicks and fanservice here, just a good story that is smart and sets a moral dilemma. It's the basic good versus evil motif, but there are times when you are afflicted in deciding if Light is truly evil. Since the story follows light from beginning to end you get to really know his character.  In the beginning it seems his actions come from a good place, that he is just a bit misguided, but the power corrupts him as he spirals out of control. Though in the end I could not stop routing for him. This does not mean that you are not routing for L either. L is also a very lovable character and I found myself routing for both sides. Very little do you see that happen as too much emphasis is shown to just one side of the story having the opposite side demonized. Both characters have their shining moments, while at other times you can't believe what they are about to do next. And I think that is what makes the story so enjoyable as well as making real, believable characters as no one is ultimately good or evil.

As for the technical aspects of this anime, I think that the visual and audio are amazing.  The English voice acting was done very well, since I've pointed in the past that some anime fans can't stand most of the English Dubs. The style of it gives a very dark feeling for the most part since this is not a light hearted story. The themes and tone are very dark and serious most of the time so this anime might not be for everyone.  However the visuals and content aren't as dark and gritty as say When They Cry or Hellsing.

Overall I would recommend this to anyone. Even trying to get Video Animer's other writer to check it out since he seems put off by the hype. If that is a concern of yours, it shouldn't be. This is one anime that I can say I have a hard time finding something I don't like about it.

Weekend Watch: Hexyz Force

Weekend Watch is a new segment were we let you know about upcoming video games and animes. Let the anticipating... begin!

Our very first Weekend Watch will be about Atlus' upcoming title for the psp: Hexyz Force.  We are still a few months away from this release, which first came out in Japan November 19, 2009 and will be released in the U.S. May 25, 2010, but this game is shaping up to be one good RPG. There are two sides to this story and you get to choose between light and dark in order to uncover the truth behind what is really going on. Having two sides of the story will give you hours of play time and replay value. Each side of the story is unique with a bit of over lapping as the characters meet so you will need to play through the game twice to get the full story.

If you would like to learn more about this game then you can view the gameplay trailer below and visit it's official site: http://www.atlus.com/hexyzforce/

Eye Candy

So this blog looks pretty bland I know. In a couple of my earlier reviews for Littlebigplanet and Animal Crossing I added photos of the game to help you get a visual feel for the game as well as the review. It also brightens up the blog. But that was a special case since the games themselves had a device for taking in game pictures and saving them. I hate stealing peoples pictures even if I get permission. I like to give you guys a new perspective. So what I'm asking is what is a good device that I can buy that will hook up to my ps3, wii and perhaps even handheld games to take pictures and videos and then be able to get them onto my computer. FYI I don't have an SD slot for my computer. I also want good quality, maybe even HD, but I don't want to spend too much. I understand it won't be cheap, but I'm not looking for the highest quality either. Just something that would work for here and youtube. It also has to be relatively idiot proof. I know some about computers, but I am no expert.

Also I'm thinking of making a banner or background. What kind of ideas would you like to see for that?

New reviewer!?

I'm the new reviewer here at Video Animer Reviews. I'll try to bring new reviews here in my own perspective. Hopefully you, the reader, will find my reviews interesting and objective. I have one review already under my belt, and you can check it out below.

WitchBlade Anime Review

To start off my anime reviews I have decided to go with one of my favorite newer animes from the past couple of years.

Witchblade was based off of an American Comic Book unlike most animes which base themselves off of a manga series. There was also a television series in the U.S. by the same name. However the anime series is not based off of the original characters in the comic, but is placed in the future with a new blade wielder.

For those unfamiliar with with the story, a woman is chosen by the Witchblade to become a new warrior. In this case it's a young woman name Masane Amaha, who wakes up after a large unknown disaster in Japan losing all her memories of who she was before and carrying a baby in her arms. The actually story takes place a few years later as Masane and her daughter are trying to make a new start for themselves. However she has a hard time taking care of herself and creating a suitable environment for her daughter and the authorities step in to take her child away. After being placed in jail she is attacked by a strange mechanic monster which initiates the Witchblade for the first time. When enacted the wielder of the Witchblade gains super human abilities and an insatiable lust for battle. She is soon discovered by a company which produces weapons and they contract her to take care of a problem they have with some of their old weapons. All this happens while a rivial company has produced it's own set of Witchblades called Clone Blades. Masane must fight to help protect the ones she loves, even though it's killing her.

But this is not just a battle anime. It is filled with deep emotional connections, since the reason she fights is for her daughter. This anime is filled with emotions and has a bunch of laughter as well. You can really feel a deep connections with all the characters and it had me in tears at the end.

The style of this anime is just beautiful as well. However some of the drawings are a bit racy. The dvd is unedited, but some parts had to be covered up when it was aired. However there is no obscene images, just a lot of skin. But what can you expect when society is all about objectifying women. The guys will be sure to love that aspect of the anime as Masane has rather large breasts, which are the butt of a lot of jokes in this series, but that should not discourage female audiences as the storyline makes this a well worth anime for almost any viewer.

God of War 3 Review

God of War 3 came out last week, and after a full week of playing it, I'm ready to give my views on it and give as honest of a review of it as I can.

For those who might not know, God of War 3 is the latest big name exclusive from Sony. Coming from an already successful series, a lot of the pressure is put on the developers to make God Of War 3 to exceed its predecessors. Have they succeeded?

Story: Having ended the previous game on a triumphant note, Kratos continues his journey for vengeance on the back of Gaia, along with the rest of the Titans up Mount Olympus. With Olympus in danger, Zeus rallies the other Olympians to fight back the Titans. This results in a large, spectacular battle between the two sides. There's some unexpected twists, but the story doesn't get complicated. It plays out mostly like a Greek tragedy.
8/10

Gameplay: God of War 3 is no slouch in the gameplay department. Kratos wields multiple weapons including his signature blades to the Nemean Cestus. And whats more, the magic is revamped from previous entries. Instead of choosing magic to use individually, its now tied to what weapon you currently have equipped. Controls are nice and tight for the most part except for doing double jumps. Somehow, it feels a little hinky after the previous two games.
9/10

Graphics: Its an eye pleaser. Everything is nice and crisp, and I've never seen more real looking water. And the presentation is all top notch. Never has brutally killing Kratos' enemies feel so satisfying to look at. The real clincher are the Titans. Twice you fight on a moving Titan, and its just spectacular that it will leave you in awe. By far one of, if not best looking PS3 game thus far.
10/10

Sound: The sound effects are just amazing. Hearing bones crunch, guts splatter, sirens screaming bloody murder is just phenomenal. The music is not shabby either. It's nice to hear dramatic music when exacting your revenge against the gods of Olympus.
8/10

All in all, its a very excellently made game, with high production values, non stop adrenaline, and all the testosterone you can get. Seriously, Kratos is one certified BAMF. Final thoughts are, if you've played the rest of the God of War series, then this game is a must have. And if you've never played a God of War game before, you should check it out anyways. It does not disappoint.

Overall Score: 9/10

A Merge of Interests

As of today this will no longer be a blog for video games and like stories. I'm throwing Anime into the mix. Not much similarities there unless this was a Japanese Blogging Site, but it's not. I'm just merging two of my interests together.

I have been a fan of Anime for some time now, but recently gotten into the scene and culture around it. Also with the extra cash from working and no longer being in school has really helped me beef out my collection. I'm no where near Otaku status, but my interests in it has definitely strengthened.

So let me get right into it. The first discussion on my mind is a very popular one in the Anime community: Dubs versus Subs. Which is better? For those who don't know a Dub is the voice acting. Where an anime is done in Japan, all the voice acting is in Japanese, so to do an English Dub is to get English speaking voice actors. A sub is with the original voice acting and subtitles. This has recently come up on the NISA boards after they have decided to dive into the Anime buisness picking up 4 titles: Persona: Trinity Soul, Toradora, Pandora Hearts and Our Home’s Fox Deity. Since this is a new venture for them they don't have the cash right off to do English Dubs.

Personally I prefer dubs, but I also like having the original voice acting as an option. Why do I prefer dubs? Well here's my reasoning. The top most reason is my eyesight. I understand this isn't an issue for a lot of people out there, but reading all those subs really starts to hurt my eyes and can create headaches. I have bad vision as it is and its really tiresome to read all those subtitles.

Another thing is that all that reading really distracts you from the action. When i could be listening with my ears and watching the show, it ends up as me reading with a lot of pretty colors flashing by.

It's also nice to hear it in a language I can understand. That way I can listen to the meaning of the words more so then I can hearing it in another language. A lot of people might dispute this fact by saying that the English voice acting is usually done poorly, but I have not found that to be the case.

Now I'm not saying that if one day I learn Japanese and can understand it well enough to listen and comprehend what is going on, that I won't watch it in it's original form. I am no way discrediting original voice acting.

With that said, I will be doing a new review soon. If anyone still reads this, what would you guys like to see a review on? This can be game related as well.

Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon Wii Review

This is a lesser know game for the Wii, but I guess you have to shovel through all the crap of what Wii calls games these days to find something decent apart from their main franchises, Wii Sports and Wii fit not included. I almost gave up on my Wii until I came across this game. The art style is beautiful for a Wii game, but for it not being HD I had no complaints. It shows that good graphics can come from a Wii game. But enough Wii bashing and more about the actual game.

Fragile Dreams is about a boy finding himself alone after the apocalypse. With a message from his dead grandfather telling him to head towards the red tower, he sets off along in the search for other survivors. You find many new friends along the way, most of them not being human. These new friends either help you or make you missions or "games" in order for you to gain their trust and let you continue on.

You the player have no idea why the world is in such a start at the beginning of the game, I'm still not sure if your character knew anything about it before you are revealed the answers near the end of the game. As you play you will find random items that you will hear a memory from when you go to rest at a campfire, which is your save point, health restorer, item management and shop all in one. I will go into greater details about campfires in a bit. In hearing these memories at the campfires you will learn that others around you knew something was going to happen, but it's very vague. But this just drove me to play more and more. I couldn't put the game down I was so intrigued in the story wanting to know more.

The game for me seemed to be a melting pot for an RPG and a survival horror game, though neither is done to the extreme. Your character will level as you battle enemies that appear only in certain sections of a room and once you leave that section they no longer follow you. You also have an array of weapons with different functions and attack points which break with use so you will have to carry more than one with you at a time and buy extras of the weapons you use most. You can also only store so much with you at a time, bringing me back to the Resident Evil style of carrying items. The game also has creepy settings and music making you beg for the few light areas of the game where you feel you can breath again as the brightness of your screen allows you to not only see all areas without your flashlight, but also gives you a safe secure feeling.

Some of the enemies can be truly creepy to add to that survival horror factor, or maybe it's just me. I don't like to face killer robots, maybe it's a terminator thing from my scarred childhood, but those things freaked me out. Among the killer robots, there were enemies like angry dogs, strange jellyfish and these strange crying women with pins coming out of their backs. When they curled up exposing a hole on their backs was the only time they were vulnerable to your attacks. I'm guessing they were test subjects, but that just made them a bit more creepy.

As for the Bosses, which is where I am less impressed with the game, they are not creepy in the slightest and the first few, which happens to be a floating mask is way too easy. I beat him in a matter of minutes each time and never received any damage. Some of the basic enemies in the game were much tougher then he was. And even the final boss was a quick battle where I never died once. In fact the only time I did die in the game was with the crying women. Those girls can be brutal.

With the difficulty of this game being a joke they sure give you a lot of save points which just insure your safe survival as you restore your health. There was a campfire every few rooms sometimes being only a couple rooms apart literally. It was nice though to be able to unload those random story revealing objects though as they took up space in your inventory. So when you come to a campfire you first open up any secret items you receive and then sometimes the merchant comes along, who is very weird may I add. He's almost creepy in his own right. After that you can organize your inventory and save.

The one thing that really confuses me about this game is all the cats that can be found just wandering around. You can buy or find a cat toy and use it to have the cat follow you in a small area. This seems pretty much pointless with the exception of one cat later in the game which ties into the story a tiny bit. Plus the cats help you out near the end of the game, but whether they continue to help you out if you haven't done this is something I don't know.

So what does it all boil down to?

Game Play 7/10
While it is a fun game to play, it is also a very easy game to play. It is also on the short side, but not as short as many of the newer games I've seen. It took me about 15 hours to complete which can be cut down if you don't like to explore like I do. But I did also feel like some areas, like this really long hallway, were there just to lengthen the game. While it does have a linear storyline some of the areas are pretty large and can be explored to find goodies which aren't necessary to complete the game since you do see the merchant a lot to get weapons and health items and the random items don't fill you in on the main reason why the world has ended. As for replay value this game doesn't have much. You can try to go through again and collect all the random items that you missed the first time, but I haven't found a way for you to know which you've collected and if you missed any and missing an item will not add anything new to the overall story.

Controls 7/10
I thought it was fun that the game utilizes the wiimote as the flashlight in game. A lot of the areas are rather dark so you really do need the flashlight to search around. You move by using the analog stick on the numchuck, but the combination of the two movements can become a bit tricky making it hard for you to turn around quickly with monsters all around you. The A button is your attack and action button and B is to cancel. Rarely you will need to crawl around, but it is used and is fairly easy by just tapping C to crouch and uncrouch. I hate it when a you have to hold down a button the whole time while crouching and crawling which you do not need to do here.

Graphics 9/10
Sure it's the Wii so no HD, but it doesn't mean that the art style of a game has to be lacking, which this game does not. I found the environments beautiful. The atmosphere also helps the game be a bit more creepier as things are dim and grimy looking at times, but it still manages to keep it's beauty. The cut scenes are nice and some near the beginning are even done in a anime style giving it a nice feel.

Sound 8/10
I enjoyed the music and was glad that I pre-ordered with a bonus of the sound track. I really enjoyed the music to the final battle and the music helps create a mood for the game, however I found it to be less creepy for the most part compared to other horror type games.

Story 9/10
As I've previously state I enjoyed the story and it had me hooked. Throughout the whole game you get little hints as to what was going on, but nothing to revealing that can have you guess as to what really happened. When it is finally revealed it is a bit strange, but I feel it doesn't disappoint. However I think that the story could have been strengthened a bit with a little more details throughout the game.

In the end I found this to be a good game worth my money to knock out in a weekend. If you are a wii owner and are looking for something other then party games and shovelware then I suggest you try out this game. If you are still unsure you can rent the game and finish it before you have to return it. But I for one am glad that I have added this game to my gaming collection.

Bayonetta PS3 Review

I know I've been slacking lately on my reviews. I was gonna do an Uncharted 2 Review but I got busy. We all know it's a great game, winning the best game of 2009 at the Spike Video Game Awards and it receiving a perfect score by all the main reviewers. So my review probably wouldn't reflect on it any differently, but maybe I will review it as a request from a friend.

But back to the topic. Bayonetta is an action game that is very reminiscent of traditional 2D fighters. Your attacks are based on button pressing patterns, with the more complicated button combinations you do, the stronger your moves are. Of course there is so many combinations that this game becomes a button masher fast. It is nice that while the game loads, which it does a lot, it shows you all the button sequences to do these special moves and allows you to preform them while you wait for the game to load. Because of many complaints of the long loading times, there is a patch that allows you to do a hard drive install.

There are also many cutscenes with great battle scenes that make you wish that the actual battle went more like that. But when you get control back sometimes monsters are too far away and you just end up shooting them instead of using a special move, making the battles seem less epic. During some of the cutscenes enemies will talk in their native tongue, which you are provided with subtitles whether the characters are speaking English or not. But I found with at least one boss the subtitles moved to quickly and I couldn't keep up with what he was saying.

As for the story itself the story is quite cheesy with corny lines. You play as Bayonetta, one of the last Umbra Witches, who is fighting off heaven's army while regaining your memory back after a very long sleep at the bottom of a lake.

There are 16 chapters including a prologue and an epilogue. The chapters are a combination of linear level exploring, boss battles, and a couple vehicle shooters; the latter being overly long and quite boring. During boss battles I find I use the guns too much instead of one of the many melee combinations just for the fact the the boss is too far away for most of the fight. You will get a chance at the end of each boss fight to do a finishing move that involves Bayonetta's hair, which previously covered her bare body as some kind of catsuit, to turn into a creature that signals you to bash one button to power it up.

Game Play: 5/10
Nothing really new or innovating here. It's just a 2D button mashing fighter in a 3D world setting. The Linear levels also make it quite boring for a 3D game.

Controls: 7/10
Again nothing too innovating, but they aren't difficult to use. They also give you a lot of options for those willing to learn the combos and with all the combos listed in the loading screen with time to practice them you can because quite good at a few.

Graphics 7/10
The graphics aren't bad, but nothing groundbreaking or beautiful.

Sound 6/10
Soundtrack was nothing memorable. Voice acting wasn't horrible, but lots of cheesy lines.

Story 7/10
As I've stated you play as Bayonetta who has lost her memory of everything before she has awaken. It is slowly revealed which adds a little interest as you learn of the history when she does. However the characters are not memorable and you don't really feel a relation to them. This isn't a game where you will get lost in the story.

This is not a game that I would pick up for the full $60 asking price. wait for it to go down in price

Heavy Rain PS3 Review

Heavy Rain is one of those games that was hyped up way before it's release and I personally think that it lives up to the hype. On the first playthrough the story was compelling and the battles where intense for a system that just made up of quick time events.. There were battles where I was on the edge of my seat hoping not to get crushed or beaten to death. Since Heavy Rain's game mechanics are set up for if a character dies they stay dead for the rest of the game, staying alive in a battle became a hell of a lot more important. However I did figure out that if you press start and quit the game while your character is dying and before it has a chance to save you can avoid the death and start over right at a certain place in the battle. Just make sure you watch for the origami figure in the bottom right hand of your screen before attempting such blasphemy as to not screw up your save.

The beginning of the game sets you up for the story and learning the controls. I think it easy you into the new system quite nicely. The only gripe I have about the controls is how they want you to walk. To move your character forward you press the R2 button to move your character forward and the left analog stick steers them in the direction you want to go. It is a bit weird to use and takes some getting used to. I also found it difficult to turn sometimes at a certain point in the game where a character has to crawl in a tight space. Other than that I found the controls quite enjoyable. Some of the control movements mirror what you do in the game making it seem like you are almost doing it yourself. The game Utalizes the motion controller in a good way that you don't see with a lot of Playstation games, especially since a lot of games seem to forget it's existence all together. This is refreshing to see with a Playstation game.

I keep mentioning that Heavy Rain has a compelling story, but I keep veering away from the topic. I don't want to give too much away seeing how this is a murder mystery game and the whole point is to find the murderer and save Ethan's son from dying. But I can say that when the murderer was revealed I did not see that one coming. As for the complaints about plot holes for your second time through, I did not feel the same way. I can see why all the characters did what they did, both playable and non playable characters. But again I don't want to go into details as to not spoil it for anyone.

As for the pacing in the game I did find it a bit slow at times, especially with the second playthrough because I already knew what was going to happen. With all the possibilities for this game and after hearing there are 7 different endings, I would have liked it if the Origami killer could have changed with the different choices you have made. It does have some replay value because of the different endings, but with most of the story remaining the same I can't see too much of it. But I think it does have a good solid first playthough with possibilities for replay. Though I did find the game to be on the shorter side as I played through it twice in less than a week.

Game Play 7/10
It's unique style is a nice break from so many games that come out with the same premise and control schemes. The pace can seem a bit slow at times, but other than that it's intense and compelling. Some of the tasks can be tricky to figure out what you need to do or if you have missed something, which in that case it's too late, so I don't find it too easy. Though the difficulty levels just seem to coincide with how well you know the controller giving you no extra challenge in the sense of detective work.

Controls 8/10
The controls for this game are pretty unique. The battle system is pretty different from a lot of games as it's a timed button pressing system. You only have a certain amount of time to press the correct button which can be tricky if you aren't used to the ps3 controller.

Graphics 8/10
This game has some pretty stunning graphics and utilizes bluray and the ps3 capabilities nicely. There are a few places that seem to look out of place. The scrambled eggs you make look nothing like eggs except for that it's yellow, and trust me I made them right because I got the trophy for it. They end up looking like some yellow jello mess. Most unappetizing. Throughout most of the game you do play in muted colors that helps set the dark tone and was in a film noir style which was nice.

Sound 8/10
The music helped set a eerie, depressing tone of the game though none of the music particularly stood out to me. The voice acting on the other hand was just horrible at times. When Ethan calls out for his son at different points in the game it's an ear sore. Luckily he only calls out his name when want him to by pressing the x button.

Story 8/10
As I mentioned the murder mystery aspect of the game was quite compelling and I was surprised when the killer was revealed. There are some slow parts, but not too many. On the second playthrough you do lose the element of surprise because you know who the murderer is, but I did not find any plot wholes because of it.

If you are looking for something a bit different and heavy in storyline based in film noir I would say this is a must buy for anyone with a PS3. The things to look out for currently though is there have been a few technical issues with the game. I had only experienced minor skipping and at one point the voices were out of sync with the graphics. However there have been reports of games freezing and then losing saved information. If this concerns you, then wait for a patch to come out.