Bandai and Sammy are merely publishing the game (with Bandai taking the lion's share of the deal, for obvious copyright reasons). The actual developers are an Osaka based company called "Dimps". Thus far it is a truly impressive game, and one that I hope will receive an international release (and when I mean international I mean somewhere else other than Korea). Naturally, the Japanese players will rule the roost on this one.
SEGA produced very limited quantities of the DC TwinSticks (mainly because they made a huge loss on the Saturn ones). Admittedly the DC pad button config imbued high levels of cognitive friction, especially compared to the intuitive Saturn layout, but the DC controls were deceptively thorough. They just required practice.
I can also assure you that the PlayStaion2 Dual Analogue sticks do not work as a "makeshift TwinStick setup".
Actually, the original Virtual On is probably the most strategic. It had the fastest game speed, but had a delay on the controls. In short, you had to plan ahead your consequent thrust vectoring orgy.
In Oratan, the game speed was (marginally) slower but the control responsivity was super high, hence negating the aforementioned strategic element of the previous game.
The PS2 Controller should work, since it has dual sticks, and dual shoulder buttons. That may be the reason Sega picked PS2 over GC or XBox for the game.
From someone who has played Marz (as well as every other incarnation in the series) I can support Mr. Sakaguchi's claim that the Dual Analogue sticks simply do not fit the bill for the more advanced aspects of the game (most notably close combat).
Admittedly Force's close combat is frankly disgusting (you can block almost everything very easily), but trying to initiate any of the more advanced moves requires the physical freedom that two joysticks can only offer. Miniaturising that can, and has, caused problems with how the player controls their Virtuaroid (extended play can be really uncomfortable if you are not careful).
Without wishing to sound like an elitist prick, but most probably failing, Marz is very much dumbed down for newer players. It is still a solid game (better than a lot of the PlayStation2's library of mecha titles), but compared to the other Virtual On games that came before it, Marz really does fall short.
"High-speed tactical ballet"... to the fumbling idiot, the Virtual On series was really more of a "high-speed prison shower scene."
Priceless.
In all seriousness though, since Force the series has become more inclusive to newer players simply becuase it is more "point and shoot" rather than a brutal high speed 3D spatial reasoning test. Naturally Marz is very much like this too (I also have a beta of the game, so I can also attest to the game's similarity to Force).
Actually, in Japan, manga and anime have noticeably atrophied children's use of the Japanese language. To the extent that the Government has instigated a mandatory reading hour, where only Japanese novels can be read.
It is no secret that many high profile directors have been keeping a close eye on anime (Spielberg was one of the first). It seems that Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi's Oscar has opened the floodgates to the medium.
Normally this would be a superb event but, historically, foreign film makers have often misunderstood and misconstrued the medium. Producing subpar renditions of excellent series (G Saviour anyone).
Overall, my buttocks are firmly in "clench mode" for this one.
Indeed this was a solid piece of work, but it raises far deeper issues with the direction games journalism, and the general perception of the medium, is now taking.
I have followed GGA for quite a while and whilst I appreciate Jane's enthusiasm, I do feel that her take on games journalism is particularly exploitative.
Moreover she has the annoying habit of selling her work off to the reader as an academic piece. If she wants that type of prestige, that an academic career offers, then she should follow that (she is eminently capable of this). The halfway house she occupies at present only acts to accentuate her apparent insidious vapidity.
I am all for constructive academic discussion on the medium of videogames, but I will not advocate frustrated games journalists who feel slighted by their chosen career path.
Do not get me wrong, I agreed with everything that article puts forward. It is just the execution that I contest to being overtly manipulative.
It is important to mention that, whilst Ghibli accepted the award, nobody came to the ceremony to collect their Oscar.
Miyazaki is a well documented Marxist (look at Mirai Shounen Conan and the book it is based upon, The Incredible Tide, for proof), so I doubt he would attend an awards ceremony at a heart of American capitalism. Not to mention that he is hugely anti-war anyway.
Whilst he very much deserves the award, there are other more poltical agendas at work here.
Question: Is Transformers considered Anime? If not, why not? What exactly qualifies a cartoon as Anime?
Transformers was created by Takara and shown in Japan before the rest of the world. The fact that it was a Japanese animated production, aesthetic style aside, qualifies it as being "anime" (the same can be said for Ulysses 31 which was produced by Studio Nue, the creators behind Macross).
Always a funny one to throw at geeky fanboys. Ask them whether Ghost in the Shell is anime, considering that it was produced by a Western company (Manga). Most fanboys lose verbal cohesion at this point.
Steel Battalion is the US name for a Japanese game called Tekki. For what it's worth, regardless of the pant soiling number of buttons, the game (beta) wields remarkably well. The big question is whether the damn thing will sell (hint: with a controller that size it won't be cheap).
The only problem with M$ is that their products are naff and that everyone uses them. If their products were of better quality would anyone really care about a monopoly?
Anyway, you are chasing the wrong animal. The timing of the Xbox couldn't have been better, M$ have hedged their bets - and have found a way to circumvent any countermeasures and consequently really rule the world. Poor old Bungie.
1) Armored Core 3 - now damnit!
2) Naotoshi Zin in a gimp suit
3) More money
4)...the Japanese release of "Metal Gear Solid 2" to have an English language track
5) Haro toy (like a Furby, but from Gundam and infinitely cooler)
6) Rob to get some taste in anime 7) More money
8) 1/55 Hi-Metal Bandai "VF-1S Strike Valkyrie" toy
9) Xbox to fail in a sorry arsed pyrotechnic display of incompetence
10)...to be able to use Linux without being gripped by "the fear(tm)"
So my girlfriend's sister says that DoCoMo have something big planned, we laugh at her because we had the -then- new N503i. Two weeks later the N503iS is realeased. Now this!! Damn them - damn them all to hell!!
So Macross is *not* "an epic tale spanning 3 generations"?
May I please point your attention to "Macross 7".
Most of the original characters from the original series are still present (except Misa and Hikaru, but the galactic core can be a tricky place).
Max and Myria are in their fifties for starters, and have seven kids (eight if you count the bastard), of which some have already had kids.
Then there is always Macross Plus, covering the meaning of sentience in four episodes. Something Macek had never the skill to accomplish. Then there is also VFX-2 (laugh all you will, an intricate conspiracy within the higher echelons of UN SPacy is a story worth listening to - even if it is in a game!).
Not mention that Macross 7 managed to cover the meaning of life the universe and everything in 49 episodes (and nope it wasn't 42, but it was chordal), something that Macek was incapable of covering in Robotech, which was well over fifty (I mean Zor, for chrissakes!).
Kawamori is a wily and cunning creative genius, Macek is a parasite.
Carl Macek deserves the electric hair. Admittedly the likes of Robotech made anime accessible to the Western general public (so did ULysses 31 for that matter and that was also done by the studio behind Macross - Studio Nue).
The real problem with Robotech is that it merged three completely unrelated anime series:
Macross
Southern Cross
Mospeada
...consequently butchering the intricate narrative of each of the series.
I mean Protoculture as an *energy* source! The subtlety of Kawamori's original vision is completely knackered.
I have been in British private education all my life, and the situation isn't all that different. Admittedly, you are not expelled for merely threats - however psychological bullying is tolerated. If anything it is encouraged.
Apparently it builds character, personally I found that it made me an uncommunicative recluse.
The only respite I had from the tyranny was when I entered University - I then realised that current civilised societal order is a complete facade (mine included).
The only reassuring fact (cognitive dissonance?) was that I was burying myself in inanimate material (eg - games, anime, music etc.) and not in a manafcatured social order (eg - an insidious parasite of the "posse").
The irony is that the social "elite" are more screwed up than the "geeks" they ostracize - simply because they don't know what a lie they are living.
In case you didn't know "Blue Submarine No.6" is animated by a very interesting studio by the name
of "Gonzo". They use a lot of CG based effects (both 2D and 3D)in their animation.
They normally only did small set pieces for shows (live action and animated), generally
the opening sequences (eg - Macross Dynamite 7, Orguss 02) as well as FMV for
video games (eg - Lunar, Macross DYRL, Macros VF-X, Macross VF-X2).
In any case EX has a very interesting article/interview with Gonzo, take a gander at
the URL:
http://www.ex.org/5.6/11-feature_gonzo1.html
There is also a new show that they are doing, Vandread (also known as Vandrake), which is basically funky big robot stuff.
First off you *are* being far to idealistic, and secondly you aren't quite on the mark (and no, I am not trolling!).
The majority of people in Japan aren't "manga" or "anime" nuts. That is purely left to otaku-culture, which is greatly spurned in Japan. Whilst you do get the odd businessman reading hentai (read: one handed material) manga, the majority of people are pretty disinterested (almost actively, due to the cultural stigma).
That being said, "anime" and "manga" are given a wider creative berth compared to the West, however there is an *immense* social stigma attached to liking "manga" and "anime" even casually.
...as for the lyp-synch issue, this is Studio Ghibli we are talking about here. Money is not a problem, what is more they are deities when it comes to animation...
From what I read on/. and hear on GiS, you mostly seem to watched dubbed anime. Whilst this isn't a *bad* thing (it makes sense considering your info dense lifestyle) you are ultimately missing out on a lot of top notch anime. Here are my personal recommendations:
Gundam Movies I,II,III Whilst they are aesthetically dated Yoshiyuki Tomino's original creative vision was, and still is, a redifining moment of the medium. Oodles of depth.
Gundam 0083: Stardust Memories
If you like BeBop then 0083 is a good anime to watch. Directed by the same guy as BeBop, Shinichiro Watanabe, for Gundam it is refreshingly aesthetically accomplished. Happens chronologically 4 years after the movies and sets the scene for the exemplary Zeta Gundam.
Generally *any* UC timeline Gundam is preety good viewing (bar ZZ and F-91). Stay away from Wing and any of the other alternate universe series, they are steaming excrement!
Laputa Castle in the Sky
One of the many excellent films created by the wondrous Hayao Miyazaki. Beautifully crafted and refreshingly accessible.
Macross Plus
Yet again directed by the excellent Shinichiro Watanabe with mindblowing mecha choreography by veteran Ichiro Itano (he also directed Megazone 23 Part II). Mecha anime doesn't get prettier than this, however the story is a bit of a sell-out (unecessarily Gundam-esque).
My personal favourite...
Aura Battler Dunbine
Sumptuous story, earthy characters and truly original mecha design (by Yutaka Izubuchi of Patlabor and Lodoss fame - the guy also did the costume design for Wing ). Basically all the good stuff of Gundam (plus more!) in one series. Unsurprisingly it was created by Yoshiyuki Tomino (creator of Gundam). Only problem with watching this is that you Japanese needs to be good
Slashdot Mirror
Bandai and Sammy are merely publishing the game (with Bandai taking the lion's share of the deal, for obvious copyright reasons). The actual developers are an Osaka based company called "Dimps". Thus far it is a truly impressive game, and one that I hope will receive an international release (and when I mean international I mean somewhere else other than Korea). Naturally, the Japanese players will rule the roost on this one.
SEGA produced very limited quantities of the DC TwinSticks (mainly because they made a huge loss on the Saturn ones). Admittedly the DC pad button config imbued high levels of cognitive friction, especially compared to the intuitive Saturn layout, but the DC controls were deceptively thorough. They just required practice.
I can also assure you that the PlayStaion2 Dual Analogue sticks do not work as a "makeshift TwinStick setup".
Actually, the original Virtual On is probably the most strategic. It had the fastest game speed, but had a delay on the controls. In short, you had to plan ahead your consequent thrust vectoring orgy.
In Oratan, the game speed was (marginally) slower but the control responsivity was super high, hence negating the aforementioned strategic element of the previous game.
The PS2 Controller should work, since it has dual sticks, and dual shoulder buttons. That may be the reason Sega picked PS2 over GC or XBox for the game.
From someone who has played Marz (as well as every other incarnation in the series) I can support Mr. Sakaguchi's claim that the Dual Analogue sticks simply do not fit the bill for the more advanced aspects of the game (most notably close combat).
Admittedly Force's close combat is frankly disgusting (you can block almost everything very easily), but trying to initiate any of the more advanced moves requires the physical freedom that two joysticks can only offer. Miniaturising that can, and has, caused problems with how the player controls their Virtuaroid (extended play can be really uncomfortable if you are not careful).
Without wishing to sound like an elitist prick, but most probably failing, Marz is very much dumbed down for newer players. It is still a solid game (better than a lot of the PlayStation2's library of mecha titles), but compared to the other Virtual On games that came before it, Marz really does fall short.
"High-speed tactical ballet" ... to the fumbling idiot, the Virtual On series was really more of a "high-speed prison shower scene."
Priceless.
In all seriousness though, since Force the series has become more inclusive to newer players simply becuase it is more "point and shoot" rather than a brutal high speed 3D spatial reasoning test. Naturally Marz is very much like this too (I also have a beta of the game, so I can also attest to the game's similarity to Force).
Actually, in Japan, manga and anime have noticeably atrophied children's use of the Japanese language. To the extent that the Government has instigated a mandatory reading hour, where only Japanese novels can be read.
It is no secret that many high profile directors have been keeping a close eye on anime (Spielberg was one of the first). It seems that Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi's Oscar has opened the floodgates to the medium.
Normally this would be a superb event but, historically, foreign film makers have often misunderstood and misconstrued the medium. Producing subpar renditions of excellent series (G Saviour anyone).
Overall, my buttocks are firmly in "clench mode" for this one.
Mr. Gupta, I work as the Japanese correspondent to British multiformat games magazine, games(TM). Would you be interested in doing an interview?
/. but you don't display an e-mail address.
I apologise for posting this on
I look forward to hearing back from you.
Indeed this was a solid piece of work, but it raises far deeper issues with the direction games journalism, and the general perception of the medium, is now taking.
I have followed GGA for quite a while and whilst I appreciate Jane's enthusiasm, I do feel that her take on games journalism is particularly exploitative.
Moreover she has the annoying habit of selling her work off to the reader as an academic piece. If she wants that type of prestige, that an academic career offers, then she should follow that (she is eminently capable of this). The halfway house she occupies at present only acts to accentuate her apparent insidious vapidity.
I am all for constructive academic discussion on the medium of videogames, but I will not advocate frustrated games journalists who feel slighted by their chosen career path.
Do not get me wrong, I agreed with everything that article puts forward. It is just the execution that I contest to being overtly manipulative.
It is important to mention that, whilst Ghibli accepted the award, nobody came to the ceremony to collect their Oscar.
Miyazaki is a well documented Marxist (look at Mirai Shounen Conan and the book it is based upon, The Incredible Tide, for proof), so I doubt he would attend an awards ceremony at a heart of American capitalism. Not to mention that he is hugely anti-war anyway.
Whilst he very much deserves the award, there are other more poltical agendas at work here.
Question: Is Transformers considered Anime? If not, why not? What exactly qualifies a cartoon as Anime?
Transformers was created by Takara and shown in Japan before the rest of the world. The fact that it was a Japanese animated production, aesthetic style aside, qualifies it as being "anime" (the same can be said for Ulysses 31 which was produced by Studio Nue, the creators behind Macross).
Always a funny one to throw at geeky fanboys. Ask them whether Ghost in the Shell is anime, considering that it was produced by a Western company (Manga). Most fanboys lose verbal cohesion at this point.
Steel Battalion is the US name for a Japanese game called Tekki . For what it's worth, regardless of the pant soiling number of buttons, the game (beta) wields remarkably well. The big question is whether the damn thing will sell (hint: with a controller that size it won't be cheap).
I hope you two co-exist in peaceful harmony forever.
The only problem with M$ is that their products are naff and that everyone uses them. If their products were of better quality would anyone really care about a monopoly?
Anyway, you are chasing the wrong animal. The timing of the Xbox couldn't have been better, M$ have hedged their bets - and have found a way to circumvent any countermeasures and consequently really rule the world. Poor old Bungie.
Cacophanus
http://cacophanus.net
I want all and any of the follwing...
...the Japanese release of "Metal Gear Solid 2" to have an English language track
...to be able to use Linux without being gripped by "the fear(tm)"
1) Armored Core 3 - now damnit!
2) Naotoshi Zin in a gimp suit
3) More money
4)
5) Haro toy (like a Furby, but from Gundam and infinitely cooler)
6) Rob to get some taste in anime
7) More money
8) 1/55 Hi-Metal Bandai "VF-1S Strike Valkyrie" toy
9) Xbox to fail in a sorry arsed pyrotechnic display of incompetence
10)
Cacophanus
So my girlfriend's sister says that DoCoMo have something big planned, we laugh at her because we had the -then- new N503i. Two weeks later the N503iS is realeased. Now this!! Damn them - damn them all to hell!!
Cacophanus - excuse me while I weep...
So Macross is *not* "an epic tale spanning 3 generations"?
May I please point your attention to "Macross 7".
Most of the original characters from the original series are still present (except Misa and Hikaru, but the galactic core can be a tricky place).
Max and Myria are in their fifties for starters, and have seven kids (eight if you count the bastard), of which some have already had kids.
Then there is always Macross Plus, covering the meaning of sentience in four episodes. Something Macek had never the skill to accomplish. Then there is also VFX-2 (laugh all you will, an intricate conspiracy within the higher echelons of UN SPacy is a story worth listening to - even if it is in a game!).
Not mention that Macross 7 managed to cover the meaning of life the universe and everything in 49 episodes (and nope it wasn't 42, but it was chordal), something that Macek was incapable of covering in Robotech, which was well over fifty (I mean Zor, for chrissakes!).
Kawamori is a wily and cunning creative genius, Macek is a parasite.
Ollie
Carl Macek deserves the electric hair. Admittedly the likes of Robotech made anime accessible to the Western general public (so did ULysses 31 for that matter and that was also done by the studio behind Macross - Studio Nue).
The real problem with Robotech is that it merged three completely unrelated anime series:
Macross
Southern Cross
Mospeada
...consequently butchering the intricate narrative of each of the series.
I mean Protoculture as an *energy* source! The subtlety of Kawamori's original vision is completely knackered.
Ollie
A book that helped me to structure my thoughts about being "different" and society's reaction to me was Ursula Le Guin's work "The Dispossessed".
Whilst it doesn't give answers (thankfully!) it most certainly points thoughts in a constructive direction.
Ollie
I have been in British private education all my life, and the situation isn't all that different. Admittedly, you are not expelled for merely threats - however psychological bullying is tolerated. If anything it is encouraged.
Apparently it builds character, personally I found that it made me an uncommunicative recluse.
The only respite I had from the tyranny was when I entered University - I then realised that current civilised societal order is a complete facade (mine included).
The only reassuring fact (cognitive dissonance?) was that I was burying myself in inanimate material (eg - games, anime, music etc.) and not in a manafcatured social order (eg - an insidious parasite of the "posse").
The irony is that the social "elite" are more screwed up than the "geeks" they ostracize - simply because they don't know what a lie they are living.
...my only 100 yen credit...
Ollie
In case you didn't know "Blue Submarine No.6" is animated by a very interesting studio by the name
of "Gonzo". They use a lot of CG based effects (both 2D and 3D)in their animation.
They normally only did small set pieces for shows (live action and animated), generally
the opening sequences (eg - Macross Dynamite 7, Orguss 02) as well as FMV for
video games (eg - Lunar, Macross DYRL, Macros VF-X, Macross VF-X2).
In any case EX has a very interesting article/interview with Gonzo, take a gander at
the URL:
http://www.ex.org/5.6/11-feature_gonzo1.html
There is also a new show that they are doing, Vandread (also known as Vandrake), which is basically funky big robot stuff.
Ollie
...is it me, or has it got facial hair? ;P
Anyway here are *my* recommendations for a new icon:
Something from Tenchi...
Ranma
Totoro
Son-Goku (naturally...)
Ken from Gatchaman
The RX-78-2 Gundam
VF-1S Valkyrie (battroid mode)
Sailormoon
...here are a few more esoteric suggestions:
Harlock (so what, he's a dude)
La Blue Girl
Ollie
First off you *are* being far to idealistic, and secondly you aren't quite on the mark (and no, I am not trolling!).
The majority of people in Japan aren't "manga" or "anime" nuts. That is purely left to otaku-culture, which is greatly spurned in Japan.
Whilst you do get the odd businessman reading hentai (read: one handed material) manga, the majority of people are pretty disinterested (almost actively, due to the cultural stigma).
That being said, "anime" and "manga" are given a wider creative berth compared to the West, however there is an *immense* social stigma attached to liking "manga" and "anime" even casually.
...as for the lyp-synch issue, this is Studio Ghibli we are talking about here. Money is not a problem, what is more they are deities when it comes to animation...
Miyazaki is a dude...
Ollie
From what I read on /. and hear on GiS, you mostly seem to watched dubbed anime. Whilst this isn't a *bad* thing (it makes sense considering your info dense lifestyle) you are ultimately missing out on a lot of top notch anime. Here are my personal recommendations:
Gundam Movies I,II,III
Whilst they are aesthetically dated Yoshiyuki Tomino's original creative vision was, and still is, a redifining moment of the medium. Oodles of depth.
Gundam 0083: Stardust Memories
If you like BeBop then 0083 is a good anime to watch. Directed by the same guy as BeBop, Shinichiro Watanabe, for Gundam it is refreshingly
aesthetically accomplished. Happens chronologically 4 years after the movies and sets the scene for the exemplary Zeta Gundam.
Generally *any* UC timeline Gundam is preety good viewing (bar ZZ and F-91). Stay away from Wing and any of the other alternate universe series, they are steaming excrement!
Laputa Castle in the Sky
One of the many excellent films created by the wondrous Hayao Miyazaki. Beautifully crafted and refreshingly accessible.
Macross Plus
Yet again directed by the excellent Shinichiro Watanabe with mindblowing mecha choreography by veteran Ichiro Itano (he also directed Megazone 23 Part II). Mecha anime doesn't get prettier than this, however the story is a bit of a sell-out (unecessarily Gundam-esque).
My personal favourite...
Aura Battler Dunbine
Sumptuous story, earthy characters and truly original mecha design (by Yutaka Izubuchi of Patlabor and Lodoss fame - the guy also did the costume design for Wing ). Basically all the good stuff of Gundam (plus more!) in one series. Unsurprisingly it was created by Yoshiyuki Tomino (creator of Gundam). Only problem with watching this is that you Japanese needs to be good
Hope that helps...
Ollie
Typical arcade game. Good laugh for five minutes, but then degenerates into mind numbing boredom.
Give my "Virtual On Oratorio Tangram" any day!
Ollie