A quick update

So yeah, I haven't reviewed anything in a long time. For the probably 2 people out there who read my reviews, I just figured I'd say something. Mostly it's cause I've not made good progress in anything. Haven't been watching anime lately, playing games that I haven't completed, don't feel substantial enough to review, or just can't really be completed (Civ 5). That and I personally felt my latest reviews weren't anything spectacular - I have no idea what other people think. It can be a bit tough to review positively and entertainingly, since there's not much material. I've been trying to kick things around in my head for what I could do to get some nice new energy into them, but I haven't thought of much yet. There's always the option of doing more of the same and trying to get it to work well again. I also thought of trying something new to get fresh blood pumping, like a massive Doctor Who (2005) retrospective, reviewing each episode, as that's another one of my loves. So yeah, hopefully I can get this rolling again, but I need some kind of spark.

Game Breaks: Sam and Max: The Complete Collection

You crack me up, little buddy!  

*use fingers with keyboard*

Ah, the point-and-click adventure game.  Back in the day, these games were everywhere, challenging players to think in creative and sometimes downright odd ways to solve puzzles and advance the story.  However, the genre hit a peak in the early 90s and since then has declined sharply, becoming a sparsely-represented genre today.  Both the peak and decline can probably be attributed to the same thing in my opinion - simple gameplay. 

Back in the 90s, the fact that these games used very simple gameplay mechanics probably made them easy to churn out with the technology of the time.  By the same hand however, those simple mechanics are outshined now by the more action packed games that steal the spotlight, so P&C games fail to catch attention.  This would also explain why the games are a popular choice for online flash games, as they can still be made well without many resources.  However, there is still one way these games can stand out, as shown by today's entry, Sam and Max, and that's in the writing.  Perhaps it's because they don't necessarily need the same amount of effort in the game mechanics, but several of these games stand out as particularly great examples of humor in gaming.  With that, let's check out the bizarre, twisted, and hilarious world of Sam and Max. 

To be clear, I'm reviewing the first 3 seasons of the series as done by Telltale Games.  There are some earlier games by Lucasarts, but I'm just looking at the newer stuff. 

To sum up, the games focus on the titular duo of Sam and Max, a pair of freelance crimefighters who usually seem like they should be the ones committing the crimes, not the other way around.  We follow them as they protect their city and the world from the sinister forces of washed-up child stars, crazed talk show hosts, a theme-park styled mafia, and even stranger and more evil villains.  Max is a manic, violent, self-interested rabbity-thing, and Sam is the (slightly) more reasonable straight man of the pair.  Your role is to examine things, talk to people, and use and say the right things in the right places to achieve your ultimate goal of the episode, usually in a pretty roundabout way. 

Gameplay-wise, the games are fine.  I mean, in the P&C genre there's really only so much room to shake things up, so for the most part the game are the typical "find items, talk to people, use X with Y, rinse, repeat."  The main room for difference is in the creativity and complexity of the puzzles, and the series generally finds a nice challenge balance so they're not too easy or just frustrating while also some unique puzzle ideas.  However, the games do slip into the genre's trademark odd sense of logic at times, making a few of the puzzles confusing.  By the third season they seemed more straightforward, though at the same time that could've been me developing the right mindset for these kind of games.  All in all, if you like the genre or puzzle solving, you'll probably have fun with it. 

But really, the gameplay isn't the main attraction here.  It's the dialogue, and this is really some of the best I've seen in a game in a long time.  The humor in this game is top-notch and it covers all kinds of humor: reference jokes, dark humor, general zany humor, some physical slapstick, and some fourth wall breaks as well.  Every episode is absolutely hilarious, with basically every interaction with anything being played for comedy.  Some of the episodes in Season 3 take a decidedly darker turn, but even then the comedy is still at the forefront and honestly some of the funniest moments are there as well.  In all honesty, the series is definitely one of the funniest I've ever played, if not the funniest. 

When it comes to the graphics, they look good.  The first two seasons have a cartoony 3D style and, while it's not anything special, it's nice enough to look at.  The series takes a noteworthy jump in graphics quality going into the third season however.  It's still generally cartoony, but everything is just a much higher level of quality.  The environments tend to be a bit darker, but that fits the overall theme of Season 3, so it's not really a problem. 

The music in this series is pretty good - nice and catchy and really fitting the mood.  It has this jazzy feel to it that really makes it feel like the dated cop show that the game borrows from.  I really liked the opening themes with their upbeat, smooth sounds; always got me going and ready to fend off the newest bizarre menace.  Of real note are some of the musical numbers in the first season.  There are 3 or 4 of these, and almost all of these are hilarious and insanely catchy.  My favorite is probably "Useful to Boot," a song sung by a group of obsolete machines about how they're better than the new stuff.  It's funnier than it sounds and will probably be stuck in your head for a while. 

All in all, the series as a whole is great and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who likes point-and-click adventures or puzzle solving, or anyone who appreciates great humor in games.  Comparing the individual seasons, I'd say the series has generally improved with time, with the later seasons being better in most regards.  After playing a bit of The Devil's Playhouse (Season 3), I got so into it I beat all 5 episodes in a few days.  However, there's a decent amount of continuity between the seasons, so I'd definitely recommend playing them in order. 

Finally, while I don't normally mention specific sites/sales, at the time of writing this there's a sale going on at Telltale Games' website until the end of June where everything is 75% off.  This means you can get the whole collection for only $12.50!  At this price, the only reason the games wouldn't be worth it is if you hate the genre or can't stand humor in your games or something.  Seriously, check it out. 

That's all I've got.  See you next time! 

Game Breaks: Bayonetta

Modern action games, and really modern games in general, always have to find some balance between visually thrilling cutscenes and solid gameplay.  Obviously the gameplay is the more important element in this equation; without engaging gameplay you're watching a movie at best and struggling through something painful at worst.  Cutscenes do remain important however.  Obviously they tell the story most of the time, but they also are an important part of lending a style and personality to a game that you can't always communicate in in-game events.  And of course adding to the mix are the ways in which cutscenes are made interactive: dialogue choices, Quick-Time Events, etc..., which also have to be balanced well.

In the end, there are few to no games that balance this perfectly and so the end result is that most games end up either heavy or lacking in cinematics.  The current trend in the industry is to start to move away from cutscenes in games, with the thought that they break the immersion and flow of the game.  This is clear in several recent releases, as more and more story is told to you while exploring or in transit.  I, however, remain of the opinion, that cutscene-heavy games can still be very impressive and entertaining, such as the game I'm reviewing today, Bayonetta.

The story of Bayonetta is, admittedly, pretty generic and not that enthralling or interesting.  The plot follows the titular character Bayonetta, a witch who was sealed away for centuries, has amnesia, and is looking for a mysterious, elusive gemstone.  All of those have to be near the top of the list of most commonly used video game plot devices, up there with evil relatives and orphaned heroes.  Also, since witches' powers come from pacts with demons, Bayonetta is both often hunted by the forces of Heaven as well as called to sacrifice these not-so-angelic angels in order to satiate her infernal partners.  On the positive side, Bayonetta has a great sense of humor and the game is rife with both amusing one-liners and references to other Capcom and Sega games.

Now I know what those of you who haven't played the game are wondering - how can a game without an interesting story work well when heavy with cutscenes?  Two words: Awesome style.  Bayonetta was developed by the mind behind the Devil May Cry series, Hideki Kamiya.  If you don't know what this means, it means the game emphasizes Rule of Cool (and sometimes Sexy) first and worry about the rest later.  You're probably thinking this sounds shallow - and really, it is - but that's usually the last thing from your mind when bullets and people are flying through the air, dragons are tearing your enemies apart, and you're bisecting your enemy with a massive chainsaw.  Most of the scenes in this game just pure adrenaline and pure fun and are completely enjoyable.

Gameplay-wise, Bayonetta is primarily a close-quarters action game with a variety of weapons to use similar to its DMC predecessors.  The combat focuses on relatively simple combos consisting mostly of different combinations of 2 buttons as well as heavily emphasizing well-timed dodges which, if performed right, will activate Bulle- I mean, Witch Time, slowing everything down and giving you an great opportunity to hack away at your vulnerable foes.  In addition, as you perform combos and dodge blows without getting hit, your magic gauge will fill and you can pull of devastating Torture Attacks, cinematic attacks that tear your enemies apart.  Everything about the combat flows as smoothly as anything I've ever seen and is an absolute blast to play.  The boss fights are usually on a grand scale and it always feels like a huge feat to bring one down.  It's fast, it's exciting, and most of all it's a lot of fun. 

The game also mixes in short segments of other styles as well, including some driving segments and a rail shooter-esque part.  While not quite as good as the combat segments, they are fairly well done and for the most part pretty enjoyable.  Several of the scenes involve quick-time events as well, and these I had more of a problem with.  A lot of the time the timing for these events felt a bit too strict for me.  I failed a majority of the events the first time, only getting it right when I had already failed once.  This wouldn't bother me so much if they weren't life or death, especially since the level rankings heavily penalize death.  Another notable feature of the game is the difficulty.  On Normal, the game will give an experienced gamer some challenge but it's not too bad.  However, as you unlock the higher difficulties, it becomes quite a struggle to get through the levels.  The highest difficulty, Nonstop Infinite Climax, was one of the harder things I've attempted in a video game recently.  That said, it never really got frustrating; I always felt like I could win fights, it just took a bit more effort to get there.

I played the PS3 version and while for the most part the game ran fine, the loading times were definitely an issue.  The game tends to load when you do do anything - when you pause, when you open the menu, when you get an item for the first time, in addition to in between chapter segments and new locations.  Some of the loading screens give you an empty void to practice in, which is nice at first but when you know most of your go-to combos, it's just more time to kill waiting to load.  I don't think it ruins the game by any means, but it's definitely a notable problem. Also, for the audience who cares about trophies, Bayonetta's Platinum isn't too hard to get and the requirements are generally pretty reasonable without a lot of tedious or insane goals (though you may need an FAQ for finding a few collectibles).

I don't personally give much weight to graphics but I will say that Bayonetta looks amazing.  The designs all look great and I particularly love the designs of the various angels.  They all look very unique and varied but at the same time retain thematic similarities like a sort of sculpted theme to their look or shiny metallic armored parts, which contrasts nicely with the somewhat grotesque, bloody look they get after fighting them for a while.  The details on the various big attacks look spectacular as well.  The backgrounds look good, though I will say some of the city designs are a bit forgettable. 

The music in this game is absolutely great as well.  Most of it very upbeat, fast and catchy and really gets you into the action.  In particular, the game has a rendition of Fly Me to the Moon it uses to accompany any moment of mass awesome that was incredible and really got that song stuck in my head for days.  This is definitely one of those games I would get a soundtrack of if it came at a reasonable price. 

All in all, even though it was a year and a half old by the time I finally got around to playing it, Bayonetta is easily still better than almost any game I've played that's come out since then.  It's a fast-paced, sometimes unforgiving, sometimes silly, and almost always awesome ride.  Admittedly, if you have interest in this game, you've probably already played it.  Still, if you like action games, if you like Devil May Cry, if you like games that don't take themselves too seriously, get this game.  And honestly, if you're just looking for a good game, you probably won't go wrong here either, especially at the discount price it's going for now.  See you next time! 

My Anime Thoughts: Eureka Seven

Don't beg for things.  Do it yourself, or you won't get anything.  

Well, I finished my long run of Miyazaki reviews, so now I'm just back to reviewing whatever I happen to watch.  As such, I decided to go with something that had been catching my eye for a long time, Eureka Seven.  I'm a big fan of upbeat action and mecha shows, and this looked like something that would match those interests.  So, what do you get when you combine surfing, giant robots, and the power of love?  Is it a perfect wave or just a disappointing ripple?

Our story opens and we're introduced to the main character Renton, a teenager bored with both his life and the boring town he lives in who dreams of something more.  Sound familiar?  In this case, the something more is to become a great surf- I mean, lifter and maybe even join Gekkostate, an anti-government group of lifters led by Renton's idol Holland, the world's best amateur lifter.  One day, his boring life is upset by a giant robot called an LFO crashing into his room with a mysterious girl as a pilot.  Sound more familiar?  Turns out the girl's name is Eureka (say it Ay-oo-reck-uh; weird, I know) and that she's actually a member of Gekkostate.  The LFO is known as the Nirvash, and is the first LFO ever created. 

When a battle breaks out above Renton's hometown between the government and Gekkostate, Renton is tasked with delivering a final part to the Nirvash - a device called the Amita Drive, said to awaken the Nirvash's true power.  After attaching the part, Renton unknowingly triggers a phenomenon known as the Seven Swell, a massive energy wave that quickly dispatches the remaining government LFOs.  Afterwards, Renton is invited to join Gekkostate.  He quickly learns that life with Gekkostate is not as dreamlike as he thought it would be and a lot of the crew are pretty rude to him.  One good thing has come of it for Renton though: he gets to be with Eureka, who he's fallen head over heels for.  Indeed, Renton is willing to do anything so long as he can be at Eureka's side, protect her, and get a chance to tell her how he really feels. 

The story of Eureka Seven is a romance story first and everything else second.  The budding romance between Renton and Eureka serves as both the centerpiece of the plot and the driving force of almost every other major event of the story.  Because of all this, it's a good thing that the romance in this story is done well.  The relationship is really a romantic view of young love at first sight and the ups and downs encountered in a romance between 2 people who don't even really know what love is.  The romance presented is very idealistic and tame and as such wouldn't be for everyone, but for me that just made it more heartwarming and endearing.  In addition, the show also provides a notable focus on the relationships of other characters some of which are a bit more conflicted and don't always have a happy ending.  All in all, the romance aspect is very charming and fairy tale-esque and will be sure to warm your heart at some point. 

On the other hand, this is a sci-fi mecha show and there are other things going on while our young duo struggle with love.  The other story of Eureka Seven focuses on government schemes and fighting against them, learning about the people and things that make up this world, and eventually focusing on how to protect it from being destroyed of course.  The show starts off slow, with a lot of one shot episodes near the beginning, some of which are pretty dumb or annoying.  It picks up and begins to focus in a little ways into it and really picks up about a third to halfway in and from there on out it's a pretty enjoyable ride. 

That said, it does get pretty confusing near the end with a lot of concepts being thrown around that aren't always explained in clear, concise way.  Even a friend of mine who loves the show said he didn't fully get everything till the third rewatch.  Even so, there's a lot of simple themes present throughout the show about love, sins and regret, and prejudice and acceptance to name a few, and these can help serve as something to hold onto when everything else gets a bit confusing. 

For characters, where better to start than our main duo?  Renton starts off the series weak as a pretty bland, meek, and mostly boring character and while he does get better, throughout the series he maintains this childish feeling of naivete and innocence that helps the romance but doesn't make him particularly likeable.  Get used to the idea of starting weak and getting better, it's everywhere here.  Eureka, for example, starts off as a pretty typical mysterious, quiet, and serious girl.  However, she struggles through a lot of development as she confronts both her own personal identity and her feelings for Renton and she grows into a strong and likeable character. 

Another character who gets better as the show moves on is the leader, Holland.  He starts off as a tough, serious, and generally badass leader, but quickly devolves from badass to jerkass.  As he faces the issues he has with past decisions as well as issues with Eureka, his rudeness transforms into a kind determination and he emerges as a fierce protector of both our main duo and his crew as a whole, as well as my hands-down favorite character.  Talho, another main female character, also displays this rising quality, starting off as annoying and rude and later becoming more serious and kind. 

For our villains of note, we have Dewey Novak and Anemone.  Dewey is a sinister and smooth schemer and a great villain, though he unfortunately doesn't have much story presence until near the end.  Anemone is a girl with similarities to Eureka, though manic and crazy to Eureka's calm seriousness.  She also gets some very touching eleventh-hour development.  A couple of other characters I have to mention are Charles and Ray Beams, a pair of married freelancers.  Though they don't appear in many episodes, they steal the show when they do, with Charles' bombastic but noble nature and Ray's loving and nurturing nature.  They also have some very touching and intense scenes as well.  The other side characters range from enjoyable to forgettable, but for the most part not annoying, except for Eureka's adopted kids.  They spend the first part of the series mostly as annoying brats, and then they're cute at times but mostly just annoying kids. 

When it comes to the art and animation, the show excels.  While it's not quite on the level I'm used to after all those Miyazaki movies, the character designs are nice and unique for the most part and everything moves well.  In keeping with the surfing theme, a lot of the characters have a sort of 70's surfer look to them that is very unique in anime and looks nice for the most part.  Also of note are the mech fights, taking place almost exclusively in the air with surfing robots.  Everything flows amazingly during these fights, with the robots moving quickly and smoothly through the air and lots of laser and missile flurries and quick motions.  They're really a treat for the eyes. 

The music in this series is good, mostly mood fitting background pieces.  In addition, like the designs, there's a retro feel present in the music at times.  The openings are upbeat and nice to listen to, but for the most part are sort of typical.  The exception is the last opening, that starts with a beautiful bit of "Amazing Grace" and builds to a fast paced piece that gets you excited for the episode.  The endings are ok but nothing that drew me in and made me pay attention to them.  The dub cast is good for the most part but has a problem here or there.  JYB's performance as Renton fell a bit short to me, mostly adding to the childish feel he had.  On the other hand, Crispin Freeman and Patrick Seitz both blow their performances away and add a great level of intensity and flair to their characters. 

All in all, Eureka Seven is a fun series with a nice romance, a mostly likeable cast, and great animation, though it does get confusing at times.  If you like upbeat mecha shows or romances with a little more punch, you'll probably like the show.  If you're not a fan of these genres or if you like things a bit more gritty or realistic, then the show's probably not worth the 50-episode investment. 

Sorry if I ran on a bit too long, reviewing a long series will do that to you.  As always, I welcome any recommendations for series and any feedback! 

Game Breaks: Hotel Dusk Room 215

As I sit here slowly swirling my ginger ale, I think back on what's led me here.  Couple weeks ago I hit the road with nothing to do and a few bills burning a hole in my wallet.  As I stroll into a shop on the way, I give the shelves the once over.  Nothing stands out as rare or impressive; just another run of the mill place, same old song and dance.  I was all set to write the place off but I decided to take one more look.  There in the corner, out of the way, was a piece that a few little birds have told me can carry its own weight: Hotel Dusk Room 215.  I'd been thinking of giving it the once over, and I figured now's as good a time as any.  I get the attention of the guy behind the counter and a few minutes later I'm walking out of the store and everything looks just a little bit brighter.

Now that that bout of film-noir reminiscing is done, you may have a slight idea of what you're in for.  Hotel Dusk is visual novel game for DS released by the small game company Cing who doesn't have much to their names besides this and other similar adventure style games.  I admittedly don't have a whole lot of VN exposure personally - my experience with the genre is limited to the various incarnations of the Ace Attorney series and the recent hit Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors.  However, the VNs I have played can easily rest among my top favorite DS games of all time.  So when I heard that fans of the Ace Attorney series should check out Hotel Dusk, I was eager to give it a try.

Before I dive into the meat of this review, I'll discuss the gameplay.  For those of you who couldn't tell from the name, visual novel games usually don't have much in the way of gameplay.  The gameplay in a visual novel is usually limited to puzzles and similar point and click style segments.  Also mixed in is a bit of "choose-your-own-adventure" flavor dialogue choices where the decisions you make can lead to either game overs or alternate endings.

That said, I feel the puzzles in Hotel Dusk were really weak.  A lot of them felt pretty gimmicky, like they were putting you through the motions of something that could've been shown in a scene.  Yes, I already figured out to combine this item with the other, do I really need to do this little simple segment as well?  And by the 10th time I had to open a door manually it was getting pretty old.  On the other hand, the conversation choices and searching segments were pretty well done and some of them were even a bit tough to figure out.  I'll admit I got my fair share of game overs in this game.  In fact, I was used to gliding through conversations like these pretty easily and got surprised by my first game over.  It's nothing stellar, but it does its job well enough. 

Now for what really matters in a game like this: the story and characters.  Hotel Dusk is a serious and gritty story of Kyle Hyde, a down on his luck ex-cop turned salesman looking for his lost partner.  His boss also makes him do little jobs of finding things, and one of these jobs sends him to the titular hotel.  He gets a room called Wish that's supposed to grant the wishes of whoever stays there.  As he settles in we're introduced one by one to a large cast of characters.  The most notable of these are Louie, a pickpocket Kyle knows from the old days now working at the hotel; Rosa, a sassy middle-aged maid who does most of the work at the hotel; Dunning Smith, the grouchy and rough proprietor of the hotel; and Mila, a mysterious young woman who can't speak and seems to be connected to a lot of what's going on.  As Kyle starts to explore the hotel, he quickly learns that all the guests have pretty big skeletons in their closets and these secrets are tied to all kinds of shady business, possibly even leading Kyle to the partner he's been looking for for so long.

Hotel Dusk's story is pretty standard for a mystery like this, but at the same time it's fairly well written.  Its got its fair share of plot twists and you'll probably be hooked till the end to see how everything is connected.  Some of the reveals are pretty easy to spot coming, but there are some legitimately surprising moments as well.  That said, I do feel that this is probably the weakest VN I've ever played.  This maybe because I had high expectations given my love of the other DS VNs I've played, but the game didn't seem to have the same punch or spark to it.  It was lacking charm when compared to Ace Attorney, and it didn't compare to the suspense or intrigue of 999.  The mystery was pretty good, but the rest of the story didn't quite feel strong enough to carry it.  Maybe I was spoiled by greatness though, and I will say that Hotel Dusk does still have a solid story that stands up pretty well.

When it comes to characters, however, Hotel Dusk left me with quite a bit to be desired.  Because of the more serious and heavy tone the game takes, a lot of the characters come off feeling rude, annoying, or just boring.  Kyle himself has his nicer moments but for the most part is a bit too cold and rough for my tastes.  I did like Louie, he was a pretty upbeat guy who brought some levity to the game.  Most of the rest didn't win any awards with me though - they had there moments here and there not enough to really make me care about them.  A decent amount of them got some eleventh-hour likeability as you learn about their backstories, but it generally didn't make up for the rest of the game.  Kevin in particular can go take a flying leap; God I hated him for most of the game.

When it comes to graphics, the character portraits in Hotel Dusk had this unique black and white handdrawn style to them that I really liked.  It really fit the somewhat noir-esque mystery story and added a lot of style to the game.  There's not much else to say for the graphics, though, with 3d backgrounds that just mediocre.  Still, in a game like this the character portraits are more important than the backgrounds so it comes out all right.  I really liked the music in this game; there's a lot of period-fitting jazz and bluesy tunes that would pep me up or make me get serious and focused.  It really added to the game and helped bring the hotel to life.  On a final and minor note, the ides of holding the DS sideways like a book bugged me a bit.  It didn't feel like a book, it felt like a sideways DS.  It really just felt unnecessary and annoying.

All in all, Hotel Dusk is a solid DS visual novel that while not the best in its field certainly isn't a failure.  If you're interested in these kinds of games its definitely worth looking into, and if you like serious cop mysteries I'd recommend picking it up.  It's going pretty cheap nowadays and for a low price it's definitely worth the money.  That's all for me, see you next time! 

My Anime Thoughts - Miyazaki Madness: Howl's Moving Castle

"How many aliases do you have?"  "As many as it takes to keep my freedom."

So here we are, at the final movie of the Miyazaki Madness series, Howl's Moving Castle.  (If you want to see my review of Ponyo, look here: http://tinyurl.com/tslponyo)  Following on the tails of what was probably Miyazaki's most critically successful work Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle fell a little flat when compared with that.  While still getting very positive reviews and reception, it got some more mixed reviews as well and is looked at by a lot of people as one of his weaker films.  However, the reception was still mostly positive and the movie was on several "Best of 2005" lists.  It was also a financial success grossing $231.7M, making it one of the most successful Japanese films ever.  So, is Howl's too weak to stand up to the other films, or does it still have that spark of greatness?

The story begins when Sophie, our protagonist, meets the titular wizard Howl on her way to see her sister.  He escorts her there to protect her from rowdy soldiers and blobs in top hats and then proceeds to draw them away.  Later that night at her family's hat shop, she encounters The Witch of the Wastes who, jealous of her encounter with Howl, puts a curse on her and turns her into an elderly woman.  She sets out to find the witch in order to break the curse but on the way she finds Howl's moving castle (or junkheap) to stay the night in and stays there as a cleaning lady.  The castle is also inhabited by Markl, Howl's young apprentice, and Calcifer, a fire demon serving as the heat and power source for the whole castle who has a deep connection to Howl.

As the film progresses we slowly learn about a war going on between 2 nations which seems to be mostly caused by a missing prince.  Given how invaluable magic powers always are to warring armies, all the witches and wizards are being drafted into service by the 2 countries.  Howl, however, wants nothing to do with this; he despises the war and only wants to maintain his freedom.  For the rest of the film, we have a focus on Sophie trying to break her curse while at the same time trying to connect with and protect Howl from both enemies and from himself.  There's also a focus on Howl learning to stop running away and to stand up for himself and those he cares for, as well as putting his selfish ways behind him.

I'm gonna come out and say it: Howl's Moving Castle is in my top 3 Miyazaki films along with Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke.  That said, this is more because of the movie matching up more to my tastes than a lot of his other films and I definitely can't say I feel it's his best.  It definitely has some flaws and I can clearly see why people see it as weaker.

When I think about the plot of HMC, I really see it as a mix of Miyazaki's styles.  It has the adventurous style of films like Mononoke and Nausicaa, while also having the quaint life aspects of films like Kiki and Totoro.  While this means it can have the strengths of both sides, it also means it can have the weaknesses as well.  On the strengths side, HMC has one of the most clearly defined external conflicts of the Miyazaki films and like Mononoke also manages to mix in some good internal conflict as well.  It also has some of Miyazaki's most well done action in my opinion, particularly several great chase scenes. 

Looking at flaws however, some parts of this movie are just really slow, particularly around the beginning and early middle, leaving the end feeling a bit too hectic at times.  In addition, this movie doesn't do the best job explaining things.  Sophie changes frequently between young and old or a mixture without much reason - I assume it has to do with love or self confidence or something, but it's never explicitly stated.  There's another bit near the end I won't get into for spoilers, but it felt sort of hand-waved.  All in all it's clearly no masterpiece but I do feel the plot stands pretty solidly. 

Ah, the characters - I love the characters of this movie.  Well, starting with Sophie though, I feel she's good but not amazing.  She feels a lot like Miyazaki's other heroines; I think they're starting to run together in my mind a bit.  She starts out very quiet and meek but grows and gains a lot of confidence and spunk.  It's sort of the old idea of "through loving you I learned to love myself" kind of thing.  The real show-stealer is Howl though.  His generally flamboyant and upbeat nature is very charming and endearing, though it makes his depressed states that much more annoying.  He's also the one going through most of the character development in the story, addressing his movement from cowardly and selfish to kind and protective and the risks he takes in protecting those important to him.  Another character I absolutely love is Calcifer.  He serves a mostly comedic purpose like Jiji in Kiki - a role he fills well - but at the same time he manages to help drive home a lot of the seriousness of the movie as well.  The rest of the supporting cast is pretty good though pretty typical as well, especially in comparison to other Miyazaki movies.

Well, it's the last time I'll have to say this for a while - It's a Miyazaki movie so of course it looks gorgeous.  The art is incredibly detailed and beautiful, and the animation is well done, smooth and fluid.  Some of Miyzaki's typical outrageous looking character designs are here, particularly the Witch of the Wastes, but they all look very nice.  I also really love the various designs of Howl's monstrous forms.  His lovely scenery is here in full force, from mountainous lakes to fog-covered wastelands to a massive field of flowers - it's a top rate visual feast.  On a final note, I also absolutely love the design of the "castle."  It looks like a walking steampunk scrapheap mixed with a frog or lizard or something with a lot of attention to detail and the movement of all the parts. 

Now normally, music is a bit of an Achilles Heel to me when it comes to reviewing something, especially something without an OP/ED; I'm not the type who pays a lot of attention to the music most of the time.  I will say, however, that I love the main theme of this movie.  It's upbeat and has a very festive, magic feel to it.  It sounds lovely and it fits in very well with all the wondrous things going on in the movie.  A lot of the songs were good as well and always helped fit the mood.   In keeping with tradition Disney is up again for the dub and bringing in the big names for a great dub.  For Sophie, both Emily Mortimer and Jean Simmons do a good job presenting meek youth and aged with spunk respectively.  Christian Bale's quieter tones serve great for the voice of Howl, lending to cheery and serious scenes alike.  The big hit to me, however, was Billy Crystal as Calcifer.  The voice was just perfect for him - he shined was wisecracking and complaining, but he was also exceptional when the fire got small and weak and his voice did as well. 

So yeah, to me Howl's Moving Castle is a great fantasy anime film with a solid plot, amazing characters, and gorgeous art and music.  I can definitely see its flaws and why it's seen as somewhat weaker, but it's definitely worth a watch.  Like most of Miyazaki's movies, it's also one of the best movies to show non-anime fans as well. 

Well, that wraps up Miyazaki Madness!  I really enjoyed it and I hope someone else out there did as well.  Back to just reviewing whatever I happen to watch next, though I'd happily give any recommendations consideration.  See you next time, and I hope everyone had a happy Mother's Day! 

Game Breaks: Yugioh Tag Force 5

So yeah, this is my attempt to start up reviews of video games since I'm really more of a gamer than an anime fan anyway.  I'd been thinking about doing this for a while but I didn't really just wanna get on here and gush about Portal 2 and now I think I found a game that I'll be able to discuss critically.  A couple things here to note that'll probably be different from later reviews.  1)  I didn't completely finish this game - I got an ending to a story and a credit roll, but not much else.  2)  Like my anime reviews, expect a generally optimistic look, but not here.  I didn't really care for this game too much. 

I want to lead off by saying I really like Yu-Gi-Oh.  I love the anime for the most part - GX got tiresome and Zexal looks pretty gawdawful, but the original and 5D's are pretty good.  I played the game for years; I met a lot of my recent friends through the local tournaments, was pretty good if I do say so myself, and would probably still be playing if interest hadn't died out.  And if you hadn't guessed from the fact I even considered this game, I generally like the video games.  There have been a couple disastrous flops, like Destiny Board Traveler and Wheelie Breakers, but I've liked most of them that I've played.  I've generally stuck with the DS World Championship series and hadn't tried Tag Force until now, so I wanted to see which is the better series. 

So when I started up the story mode and got a bit of a scene about an upcoming tag duel tournament while mentioning the in-show WRGP tournament.  Ok, skipping the older 5D's story, but that's ok - we can't keep covering that over and over.  After a bit of chit-chat, the real game starts... and that's it.  I'm just dropped in a world with no real direction other than "go get people to partner up with you."  And this is my first and perhaps biggest complaint with this game - there's no focus.  This mode is misnamed.  It's not a story mode, it's a sandbox mode.  But you see, good sandbox games like perhaps Infamous have a general plot that arches over everything in addition to the freedom and side missions.  Sure there's the WTGP or whatever, but that wasn't even brought up again until I filled up some random NPC's first heart.  Other than that, it's all just aimless character interaction.

I quickly worked out (without much help from the game) that the general goal is to fill up people's hearts so that they'll partner up to tag duel with you and see short little events.  There's 2 ways to do this: dueling (of course) or a mixture of annoying and boring "conversation" mini-games and giving them gifts.  Here's where you pick your poison - you either get slow (and boring by extension), or just plain boring.  Dueling them fills up a bit of their heart (assuming they're not in a bad mood...) but it's really small and you'd have to duel the same person over and over to fill a heart.  On the other hand, once you can manage a decent flow of money, you can buy lost of gifts and spam conversations while giving gifts to both increase happiness and refill conversation chances per day.  But then, I'm just spending all my time doing boring minigames and not dueling!

I heard you could go faster if you build a Reversal quiz deck for fast dueling, but this leads into another problem, a fatal one for a Yugioh game - getting new cards is A PAIN IN THE ASS.  To be clear, money is not terribly hard to get in this game.  After dueling for a long time I managed to throw together a half-decent Gladiator Beast deck according to advice and dueling a certain opponent was able to rake in DP.  However, the cards are split into tons of packs and the odds of getting the cards you need seem very slim.  The major problem here is the password system.  In the WC games, the passwords cost money but they make getting the cards you need simple.  In TF however, passwords let you rent cards, and while its free you can only have so many at a time depending on level I assume.  I'm level 21 and I can only rent 3! 

I have a couple other problems to mention before I move on.  First off, as the name and previous paragraphs imply, there's a large emphasis on tag dueling.  This is my least favorite part of any Yugioh game, because the AI is usually dumb and you spend half the duel not doing anything.  There's enough single dueling options that I can forgive it though.  Loading times are a pain as well since the game loads all the time.  An install helps a reasonable amount, but it's disabled whenever the system goes into sleep mode (this may be a system problem but I've never encountered it before).  It's also lacking any fun side things like duel puzzles or theme duels found in other games.  It has challenges similar to theme duels but they're easy to forget about in a tab of a ranking screen in a submenu. 

I will say some good things about this game in fairness.  Deck editing is much easier in this game, particularly due to a text search option that makes it a lot easier to search for certain support cards.  In addition, the selection is great and I particularly like the inclusion of anime only cards since it gives you the option to play with these great cards that could never be released in the real game.  The animations for certain monsters are actually impressive and fun to watch at first, and they can be turned off or skipped if you get bored of them. 

The faults far outweigh the good though, and this is the first game in years I've considered trading back in (the last was Shadow the Hedgehog, so yeah, it's been a long time...).  For my money, the WC series will always be the better choice and I look forward to the upcoming release.  However, if you really like Tag Duels and want nothing but lots and lots of dueling from your Yugioh game, or if you only have a PSP and feel a dueling itch, it may be worth your time. 

That's my first game review!  I'm currently playing Hotel Dusk, so maybe I'll get a review of that out later, or maybe I'll dip into my towering backlog.  I hope someone likes this and I'd appreciate any feedback!