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Blue Dragon Plus
for Nintendo DS
Anime Game Review
Currently a top-rated show on Cartoon Network in the U.S., the story of Blue Dragon centers on a young boy named Shu and several of his friends who possess the ability to control phantom shadows that mirror the actions of their masters. The series is directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, with character designs by Akira Toriyama, and a soundtrack by Nobuo Uematsu, so you know there's a winning team behind it!
In Blue Dragon Plus, one year has passed since Shu and his companions defeated the tyrannical remnant of the Ancients, Nene. In the midst of the battle, the world split in two and now consists of a myriad of "cubes" that exploded from its depths.
King Jibral notices a mysterious cube in the distance suddenly start to move violently, and from it he sees the Shadow of a Balaur, a three-headed dragon, emerge. The enormous and sinister Shadow is just the beginning of the new turmoil and devastation to come.
Blue Dragon Plus ups the ante on what to expect from a Nintendo DS game.
Reviewed by Brian Cirulnick, April 2009
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
For the Nintendo DS
Anime Video Game Review
Professor Layton and the Curious Village is a entertaining cross between a Sherlock Holmes mystery and a Hayao Miyazaki film. What first struck me about the game was the high quality of the animation: For a Nintendo DS title I wasn't expecting the level of detail you'd see in a Wii game, however the developers (Level 5) put quite a bit of craftsmanship into creating highly compelling character designs. You'll also find yourself losing track of time while exploring a charming Edwardian world which makes want to wander down every wonderfully detailed dark alleyway and side street.
 In the game you follow the good Professor and his young sidekick Luke as they explore the village of St. Mystere. What I enjoyed about playing the game is that there's an overarching mystery that you have to solve while exploring the town — but with every turn and twist in the game you also get hit by a wide assortment of challenging puzzles. The range of brain teasing in the game is amazing, forcing you solve riddles involving everything from pigpen partitions to picking out murder suspects.
 I like the fact that Level 5 really took advantage of the interface on the Nintendo DS. The game is also compatible with the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection allowing you to download new puzzles, which is a nice bonus. The Curious Village is the first in a trilogy of games and Nintendo has already announced that they're working on bringing the sequel (Professor Layton and the Devil's Box) over to the United States and while work is currently being done on the third title. The game already has a growing number of dedicated fans who put together an unofficial website to help you if you get stuck while playing to game.
Reviewed by Michael Pinto, March 2008
Below: A scene from Professor Layton and the Curious Village.
EVER 17
Anime Game Review
Ever 17 looks and feels like a videogame. It boots up on your PC and displays animated and still graphics as needed to get the story moving. But at no time does it devolve into a shoot-'em-up, platformer, or "resource management" RPG. Ever 17, you see, isn't like any videogame you've ever played. It's a "visual novel", and while these storyline driven games are HUGE... absolutely HUGE... in Japan, they are virtually unknown here.
There are no fancy 3-D graphics, animation, cut-scenes, or blowing people up. There is actually little to no animation in ever 17, not even moving mouths. If you're expecting to watch a playable anime TV show, you'll be disappointed. If you're expecting to run through tunnels and caves with a gun the size of Rhode Island blowing stuff up, you'll be disappointed.
 However, if you're into the thought of a engaging story with outstanding characters, and don't mind reading text as dialogue, you'll be astounded. What this game lacks in fancy graphics it more than makes up for with a compelling storyline and interesting and likable characters.
Ever 17 sports some fantastic character designs, and some really amazing artwork. But, it's the story, stupid, that makes this game so amazingly amazing. The point of view of different characters come together offering clues to the complex web of storyline, which, as you play along, finally resolve into a mind-blowing third act.
Plots revolving around physics, time travel, and geometric perception are mixed with fairy tale imagery of Rip Van Winkle (in the localized version, at least), genetics and inheritance, deadly plagues, and just what it means to "exist", often leaving you wondering just what on earth is going on and what sort of philosophy the game is trying to get at.
Additionally, Ever 17 contains a load of unlockable extras when you finish the game's endings - and there are a lot of endings! With each ending, you get some wallpapers, screensavers, system sound sets that you can use for Windows sounds like shutting down, emptying the trash and more.
This is an absolute MUST HAVE for those of us who wonder exactly what the allure is of these games that they are such a phenomenon in Japan. Play Ever 17 and you'll understand.
Reviewed by Brian Cirulnick, September 2007
Yakuza for the PS2
Video Game Review
If you've ever wanted to be a part of the Japanese Mafia (without having to lose a pinky in the process), then this may be the easiest way into the fold. Yakuza is a Japanese gangster story with a uniquely cultural outlook and a zen-simple but highly enjoyable gameplay mechanic. If storytelling and character development mean as much to you as framerate and polygon counts, then this excellent and engrossing title is definitely in your league.
 Sega has crafted a game for the PS2 that for once, uses an actual published author — Hase Seishu, a well-known Japanese crime novelist, has written a stirring tale dripping with a Japanese aesthetic. The game follows the exploits of Kazuma Kiryu, a gangster caught up in the internal politics of a Tokyo crime family. He takes the fall for a crime he didn't commit, spends a good long time in jail, and upon his release sets about discovering what happened to his friends and loved ones. What follows is a surprisingly deep story. A tale that begins with a fairly straightforward structure quickly twists and turns, involving money, women, and the power structure of the Yakuza clans. Behind all this, the numerous stories that make up daily life in a little corner of Tokyo take place.
If you remember the groundbreaking Shenmue for Dreamcast, then Yakuza will make you feel right at home, except that it has better graphics, better gameplay and a deeper and more compelling storyline.
Below:You too can lead the virtual life of crime in Tokyo...
Reviewed by Brian Cirulnick, January 2007
Nintendo Wii
Game System Review
While Microsoft and Sony are busy trying to kill one another, Nintendo has quietly created a revolution in next-gen gaming with the Wii (pronounced "We") -- this really is the ultimate piece of gaming hardware and is guaranteed to please even the most die-hard videogamer.
For starters, it is completely backwards compatible to all previous Nintendo game systems, even the original NES of the 1980's -- this means being able to play Mario Paint (my personal fav) from the Super NES, or Super Mario 64, universally hailed as one of the greatest videogames ever made. The built-in CD drive is compatible with GameCube discs and, as if that weren't enough, the Virtual Console will also make available a few titles from SNES console contemporaries, Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx 16 (which had some great anime games).
The real revolution in this system, though, is its controller, called the Wii Remote. Shaped like a TV remote, it's been designed to be easily used by beginners and pros alike. Sensors determine the Wii Remote's position is in 3-D space, which means that racing-game steering and a tennis swing, for example, are done through movements of your hand rather than by just your thumbs. What's more, a tiny speaker built into the Wii Remote promises some interactive surround sound experiences. The controller also has a force feedback "Rumble" feature and an expansion port for use with accessories, such as the Nunchuck, which adds an analog thumbstick and trigger buttons. An adapter that fits over the Wii's wee remote will be available for those who prefer the feel of a traditional controller. The Wii Remote communicates via the Bluetooth wireless standard. Up to four remotes can connect to the Wii for party-gaming.
It's killer combination of existing game library via the virtual console and the impressive new specs of the system, along with it's wireless networking capabilities and online downloading and worldwide network of other Nintendo gamers promises to make the Wii everything the other consoles could only dream of.
And, with the PS3 likely to be too expensive for most people to buy and the Wii could bring Nintendo back on top within the gaming community. We're all for that as Nintendo usually has the best games anyhow.
Reviewed by Brian Cirulnick, November 2006
RF Online
Anime Video Game Review
Traditional RPGs (Role Playing Game) have focused on either a fantasy genre or a sci-fi theme. Rising Force Online, by Codemasters provides a mix of both worlds, resulting in an interesting blend of magic and mecha. This next-generation MMO delivers a one-of-a-kind Player versus Player gameplay within a universe where three different factions are at war with one another.
 Set in a deep space galaxy known as Novus, take your pick from three all-powerful warring factions leading your character into the final battle for total control over the entire Novus galaxy. Chose from either the Bellato Union, taking control of individual robot battle units like never seen before within any MMOG, Holy Alliance Cora, the mystical and fantasy orientated race utilizing the power of magic and finally the mighty Accretia Empire, a futuristic alien race intent on spreading destruction across the entire sector with their advanced weaponry systems.
With breathtaking graphics, realistic (insofar as realistic as any universe in which "magic" works) gameplay, RF Online is an entirely new and original take on the existing MMORPG game world. The setting is a galaxy in deep space where magic and science co-exist. To rule this galaxy, three factions using very different approaches will go to war. Choose to fight against either science or magic — or mix them together for a different set of strategic options. Wreak devastation on your enemies across all sectors of the galaxy!
Below: Promotional art and a screenshot from RF Online.
Reviewed by Brian Cirulnick, May 2006
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Anime Videogames Website Links:
Kotaku: a gamer's guide
Roketbaby:
The Videogame and Anime Music Journal
Anime game entry at Wikipedia
Japan Zone: Japan and Computer Games
The Ultimate History
of Video Games
Video Game Book Review
I remember reading David Sheff's "Game Over" about a decade ago. The anecdotal writing style was intimate and gave a real sense of who the people were behind the game industry. However, the book suffered from inaccuracies because it depended upon people's memories of events, which often were at odds with what was *really* happening.
Enter "Phoenix" by Leonard Herman, and you have all the data presented accurately, but the book was dry as hell.
 Now comes The Ultimate History of Video Games and author Steven Kent has gotten it right at last. An entertaining read, it covers everything from Atari's Al Alcorn and Nolan Bushnell through to Square's Hironobu Sakaguchi and Sony's Kaz Hirai and is the best account of video game history to date. Ultimate History's conversational tone, broad scope, and authoritative direct quotes make it very compelling as a narrative but just as useful as a reference. At times, the comprehensiveness is exhausting — 500-plus pages on video games may be a bit much, even for their most ardent admirers.
Kent, a technology journalist and self-professed video game addict, covers almost every conceivable aspect of the industry, from the technological leaps that made the games possible to the corporate power struggles that won (and lost) billions of dollars. Equal parts oral history, engineering study, business memoir, game catalogue and Gen-X nostalgia trip, Kent's book is a loving tribute to one of the most dynamic (and profitable) industries in the world today.
Gamers should note that this is a reprinted but noticeably improved version of Kent's self-published The First Quarter, with a full index, more photographic examples, a more attractive layout, and the removal of all the confusing typos and minor errors. What more could a videogame history buff ask for?
Reviewed by Brian Cirulnick, September 2007
From Sun Tzu to Xbox —
War and Video Games
Video Game Book Review
I remember 1982 like it was yesterday. I was playing "Star Hawk", a vector graphics arcade machine (that seemed loosely based on Star Wars) at the local mall, and doing very well. A much older gentleman watches me play for a minute or so and then says to me "You realize they are training you for the Air Force" and walks away. I thought he was a nut. Now I know better.
 Today it's even less subtle. Games like "Black" put children in the middle of a realistic combat situation -- complete with RPGs and an AR-15 rifle with almost unlimited rounds of ammo. We are training today's kids for tomorrow's wars, and the Military Entertainment Complex shows no signs of abating. Shoot-em-ups like Half Life are enormously popular and very few realize the level of brainwashing happening within an industry that makes more money than Hollywood.
"From Sun Tzu to Xbox - War and Video Games" is a fascinating and, at times, bone-chilling in-depth look at how war has influenced videogames and how videogames are influencing the art of warfare. Stretching from 3000 BC to today, this book investigates how military cultures and the evolution of games have been closely linked, from video gaming's ancestors like chess and go, to the popularization of the 19th century Kriegspiel, to the development of computers for use during World War II and the invention of video games by Defense Department-funded computer hackers (Space War!).
Readers will discover how war fantasies played out from the early arcade years to the rise of online gaming, how the military began working with companies like Nintendo, Atari and Microsoft to produce training devices, and how today's generals hope to sell recruitment to a new generation of joystick warriors.
Coming from an avid game playing background, this book has allowed this reviewer to remain on firm ground while gaming. It's one thing to be manipulated, but another to be unknowingly manipulated. Knowledge is power. Read this book.
Reviewed by Brian Cirulnick, September 2006
Below: Promotional art RF Online.
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