Avril Lavigne’s ‘Make 5 Wishes’

Publisher: Random House/Del Rey Manga
Story by: Camilla d’Errico and Joshua Dysart
Concept by: Camilla d’Errico
Script by: Joshua Dysart
Art by: Camilla d’Errico
Rating: T 13 +
Genre: Shoujo

Reviewed by Julie Gray
Review originally published March 31, 2007

“No. Not invisible. Being invisible would’ve been cool. I just wasn’t worth noticing”…

Yes, this is a manga starring Avril Lavigne. Whatever your thoughts may be about the music artist/movie star and now manga star, one thing is undeniable; Avril Lavigne seems to be everywhere.

So what does a pop star want with a manga title? Well, as it turns out, ‘Make 5 Wishes’ is great reading and the art work is just divine.

The story begins with a lonely girl named Hana who is going through a tough time when she doesn’t fit in at school. Hana’s life revolves around a virtual reality where she assumes different identities to avoid the loneliness of rejection. Hana stumbles upon a website that claims to be able to make people’s wishes come true. With Hana’s inability to feel anything other than loneliness and depression, the website reaches out to her through her despair and Hana, excited by the prospect of having all of her wishes come true, clicks away.

Camilla d’Errico brings the characters to life with an unmistakable innocence in her art work, it really works well in this manga. The likeness in her drawings of Avril Lavigne is quite impressive.

Once the mysterious parcel arrives, Hana’s life unexpectedly takes a turn for the better but it’s very short lived. Throughout the manga, you feel like you can relate to Hana’s pain but at the same time, there seems to be an annoying feeling nagging away at you – the feeling of knowing the difference between what seems like the right thing to do and what clearly isn’t. Hana seems to have issues differentiating between right and wrong and Avril’s character poses as the ‘righteous’ side of Hana’s psyche, desperately trying to guide her towards making the right decision. In the end, it’s Avril versus the Demon which is a neat little story twist.

At times the dialogue in this manga seems a little too mature to be aimed at 13 year olds and some of the interactions between Hana, her parents and the imaginary ‘Avril Lavigne’ just didn’t seem to synch very well. Perhaps Hana is extremely mature for her age but I felt that it was difficult to relate to her youth when the complexities of her life seemed a little too far fetched to be believable at the age of 13.

The plot, the characters and the general flow of the manga all work well but the artwork in this manga really gives it something special. The glossy, full colour pages are a joy to behold. I was quite unsure of what to think of the manga at first, but now I am very much looking forward to reading the next installment of this series. And regardless of Avril’s real word superstar status, in this manga, Hana is the true starlet.

Avril Lavigne’s Make 5 Wishes comes complete with sketches by the artist and information about the artist, author and Avril Lavigne. If you’re really keen to take a look at this series, you can do so by visiting Del Rey’s website here.

Art Work: 8/10
Story: 8/10
Overall Rating: 8/10

You may view the original published article here.

Ultimate Ghosts n’ Goblins

Developer: Capcom

Publisher/Distributor: Capcom

ESRB Rating: 7+

Genre: Arcade/Platform

Official Website: http://ww2.capcom.com/ugng/

Reviewed by Julie Gray
Review originally published October 28, 2006

The first Ghosts n’ Goblins game was released in 1985. Since then, there have been a couple of sequels; Ghouls and Ghosts in 1988 and in 1991, Super Ghouls and Ghosts. Ultimate Ghosts n’ Goblins debuts for the first time on the PSP but back in the day, this game used to be one of the more popular games found at your local video games parlour.

Capcom have really done retro gamers proud by releasing the next game in the series that has had such a great following over the years. And to ensure its prosperity, releasing this title for the PSP is nothing short of ingenious. Now you can play this classic game anywhere, anytime and wireless if you want too. Certain titles are made for the portable experience and Ultimate Ghosts n’ Goblins is no exception.

The background to this game is not entirely authentic but it’s extremely well done and entertaining. The main character in the game is the noble Knight Arthur. Arthur has a mission to rescue the princess Prin Prin who has been kidnapped. Along the way, Arthur encounters all sorts of challenges and beasties and as Arthur; you get to fight your way through it all – just like in the arcade version of the game. And that’s about the extent of the storyline. Short and sweet but that’s okay.

The graphics of UGnG’s will probably be the first thing you notice. Based around a side scrolling arcade view, UGnG’s now utilises a brand spanking new 3-D engine. It’s amazing what a new graphics engine can do for a game. Ultimate Ghosts n’ Goblins really looks like it has had a major facelift, and that’s just the beginning.

The weapons in the game have also been upgraded, bringing Arthur’s arsenal into the 21st century. The Vince Whip is a great addition as well as the ability to also use shields in the game. Arthur really has been upgraded! Magic is also another element that is introduced in many different ways throughout the game, whether it’s part of a special weapon you pick up or as a trinket you might find or locate on your journey.

There are six levels in total to complete in the game and three different difficulty modes; Novice, Standard and Ultimate. If you’re someone who is old enough to remember this game (20 odd years back at least) when it was in the arcades, you’ll know that even back then, Ghosts n’ Goblins was a challenging game to play and a difficult game to master. UGnG’s is no different and carries on the same tradition as the original. So, if you wanna get kicking some A’ as Arthur in this latest install of the classic Ghosts n’ Goblins franchise, it’s out now and waiting at a retailer near you!

You can view the original published review here.

Tristan and Isolde

Distributor: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX [US]
Director: Kevin Reynolds
Writer: Dean Georgaris
Producers: Moshe Diamant, Lisa Ellzey, Giannina Facio, and Elie Samaha

Starring: James Franco, Sophia Myles, Rufus Sewell, David O’Hara, Henry Cavill

Rating: MPAA – PG-13 for intense battle sequences and some sexuality.

Running time: 125 minutes

Reviewed by Julie Gray
Review originally published March 17, 2006

Why you might like this:
· James Franco – as Tristan, this is a role with a little more grit and scope than the role he played in Spiderman. He doesn’t look too bad with a sword, either.
· If you enjoyed King Arthur, you will more than likely enjoy this.
· A different take on the old ‘Romeo and Juliet’ story with an interesting twist and Rufus Sewell brings a bit of depth to the story as Lord Marke

Why you might not like this:
· Historians may want to avoid this movie for the sames reasons they would probably avoid a movie like King Arthur. Facts and myth quite often get intertwined.
· Too many pretty people with not enough gore
· The American accents somehow managed to creep into the script even though this movie is supposed to be set in Britannia during the Dark Ages.
- Although semi-believable as Tristan, James Franco is just a little too pretty and a little too teary-eyed and broody as Tristan.

Synopsis:
The movie begins with Tristan (James Franco) as a young lad living in war ravaged Britain shortly after the Romans have withdrawn. England is under Irish rule and Ireland’s King (King Donnchadh played by David O’Hara) is depicted as a ruthless and blood-thirsty man who will stop at nothing to keep the English insurgents at bay. Lord Aragon (Tristan’s father) organises a secret meeting with the other English noblemen to discuss the idea of opposing the Irish ruler. As the meeting takes place, the Irish arrive at the castle, attacking the guards and burning down the castle and village. Many are killed, including Tristan’s parents. Tristan is heroically saved by Lord Marke (Rufus Sewell) who loses one of his hands trying to save him. Lord Marke takes the remaining survivors back to his castle in Cornwall along with Tristan whom he adopts as his son. We are then briefly introduced to a very young Isolde, who is attending the funeral of her mother, the Queen of Ireland.

Nine years pass and Tristan has become a skilled swordsman. The English nobles are still scattered and divided through-out England without a ruler. Lord Marke tries again to bring the noblemen together as a united front against the Irish ruler. This time he entrusts the responsibility to Tristan to lead the men against the Irish, much to the disdain of Lord Marke’s nephew, Melot.

After a brief yet successful clash with the Irish where Tristan kills the man betrothed to Isolde, Tristan is struck with a sword laced with poison. He quickly succumbs to the poison and is believed to be dead. Tristan is given a King’s burial and his body is sent out to sea in a boat set on fire. Days later, he is found on the seashore by Isolde and her maid. Isolde hides him from her father and nurses Tristan back to health. As the days pass, their attraction for each other turns into something much more. Isolde, destined to marry a man she did not love and thinking her betrothed to be dead, gives into her feelings for Tristan. Isolde’s nurse warns her against giving Tristan any details about who she is and when Tristan finally asks for her name, she lies and gives him the name of her nurse instead; Bragnae.

King Donnachadh, angered by the defeat of his men and by the death of his daughter’s betrothed, comes up with a cunning plan to try and separate the thin allegiance between the nobles by holding a Warriors Tournament. Word of this tournament spreads throughout Britannia. Tristan approaches Lord Marke and promises to fight for him so that he can win the competition and in turn, strengthen their volatile bond with the Irish. The tournament’s prize being the hand of the Irish King’s daughter.

At this stage in the movie, we can see the inevitability of the doomed lovers slowly coming to fruition. Without giving too much away, the rest of the movie will be appealing if you enjoy watching people’s lives unravel; deceit proving to be the killer of true love after all. Other movies such as ‘Excalibur’ and ‘Romeo and Juliet’ come to mind as obvious influences. Perhaps too much of an influence in parts. Rufus Sewell does well as Lord Marke, carrying off the role like many others he has played in the past, with understated skill and precision. James Franco as Tristan also appeals, especially when we get to see what all the fuss is about under that shirt! A huge step up from the role he played in Spiderman. But for entertainment value, the role of Wicktred (played by Mark Strong) is well worth watching as his masterful ability to deceive takes on a life of its own.

Overall, the movie slowly winds down, the story of Tristan and Isolde’s doomed love comes to an end and we are left wondering just how James Franco managed to stay teary eyed for so many hours of filming. It’s amazing what a little drop of clear-eyes can do.

You may view the original published review here.

Basilisk Volume Two: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls

Publisher: Random House/Del Rey Manga
Author: Masaki Segawa
Original Story by: Futaro Yamada
Rating: M 18+ Mature Content
Genre: Seinen/Action/Martial Arts

Reviewed by Julie Gray
Review originally published December 17, 2006

“Love and Death…”

This manga is a love story but this is no ordinary love story, not by a long shot. Set in feudal Japan in the time of Ieyasu Tokugawa’s rule as Shogun, this manga tells the story of two feuding ninja clans; the Kouga and the Iga. What makes the story so interesting is that the leaders of these two clans have fallen in love even though their respective clans are now at war.

Basilisk was originally a novel written by Futaro Yamada who passed away in 2001. Leaving behind the legacy of a great story, we are now able to read all about the trials and tribulations of the Kouga and Iga ninja clans in manga format!

The presentation of this manga is really beautifully done. The cover is exceptionally striking with incredible detail and color. What we really liked about the animation in the manga is how much it matches the characters in the anime. The style of the drawing is very unique with the male characters drawn with stronger lines to represent strength and the female characters are drawn with a lot more subtlety and grace.

The two main characters in this manga are obviously the focus of the story but it’s the inter-relationships between all of the other characters that really give the story momentum and direction. Without a strong character base, this manga would be just another love story and the characters in this manga are so wonderfully developed. The story itself is also emotionally charged from the very first page and we get the feeling that the struggle between the two ninja clans is nothing compared to the fate that awaits the two ninja leaders; Gennosuke-sama and Oboro-sama. That is enough to keep us interested and wanting more.

The power struggle between Oboro-sama and Tenzen is also a sub-plot that’s interesting enough to mention. At times we couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if Tenzen was suddenly given an opportunity to be rid of Oboro-sama. It’s obvious early on that Tenzen is capable of carrying out ruthless tactics to beat the Kouga and we’re pretty sure that he views the relationship between Oboro-sama and Gennosuke-sama as an abomination and a disgrace to the Iga ninja clan. This is another character we’re very keen to see more of.

The struggle between life and death, the honor and pride of the ninja clans and the forces of good versus evil make for an incredibly interesting manga. Once we started reading, we just couldn’t put it down and we can’t wait for the next installments to arrive.

Will the star-struck lovers pull through this battle to the death or will Gennosuke-sama pull away and avenge the deaths of his village and clan? It’s nail biting stuff. Until the next book arrives, you can visit the Del Rey website here.

You may view the original published review here.

Distributor: Manga Entertainment
Rating: G
Official Website: http://www.lupinthethird.com/

Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro

Reviewed by Julie Gray
Review originally published September 20, 2006

Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro is not your average anime title. There are no scantily clad young girls to be found, no lollipop sucking teenagers wielding meat cleavers hiding in corners or effeminate men running around saving damsels in distress inside giant robots. Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro is quite possibly one of the better titles to be released by Manga Video this year even though it was originally released in 1979 under the original Japanese title of Rupan sansei: Kariosutoro no shiro which translates to Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro.

The fact that Hayao Miyazaki, the director of Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle also directed this little gem should be enough to sell it to the world. We believe romantic adventure thrives in animation today and Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro definitely proves that point to perfection.

The main character of this animated movie is Arsene Lupin the III who just happens to be a master thief, of all things. Lupin is a character with a lot of history. There are around 228 odd episodes of anime released in Japan as well as 13 movies made for television all featuring our hero, Lupin the III. It has been 30 years since the character of Lupin first aired in Japan. That’s a pretty hefty reputation for a thief! Hayao Miyazaki has taken Lupin the III to new heights by giving him the profile of a romantic thief with a heart of gold in this re-released title Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro.

The characters in Castle of Cagliostro are all extremely well developed and in particular, Lupin and his sidekick, the shady yet entertaining Jigen Daisuke who feature throughout the anime as the ‘bad’ guys who are really just good guys with bad reputations. The character keeping our hero Lupin on his toes is the hard-nosed police Inspector Zenigata who seems to know deep down that although Lupin is a thief, he really is a good guy underneath. Of course, every good story always has a bad element and in Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, that bad element comes in the shape of Count Cagliostro, and what a nasty piece of work he is! Although Arsene is a master thief, it appears that in this movie, he is the one who ends up with something stolen. As it turns out, Lupin the III doesn’t count on having his heart stolen by a young lady named Clarisse, who unfortunately, finds herself being held against her will by the Count.

As far as storylines go, Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro is entertaining and witty, humorous and touching where it needs to be. The action is great and the story works incredibly well with the strong characters that are portrayed. You can definitely see Hayao Miyazaki’s magic touch coming through in this movie even though it was originally written in 1979! It just goes to show that no matter how old a movie is, the magic of story telling never wears off, especially for someone as talented as Hayao Miyazaki.

The animation is outstanding for its time. If you’re a true fan of animation, you should be able to spot the subtle differences between the more rounded and flowing animation of Disney in comparison to the harder and edgier animation of the Japanese artists. The frame rate used for most Japanese animation is also created using 12 frames per second as opposed to 24 used by Disney animators. Nonetheless, Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro is a wonderful story and the animation and detail that has gone into it is really superb.

Overall, this movie is a must see for any and all animation fans. The story has a little bit of everything; action, humour, romance and plenty of entertaining moments and the characters are wonderfully portrayed. With an animated legend such as Arsene Lupin the III, it’s little wonder the Japanese have been watching him on their screens for the last 30 years. Now, we all get the opportunity to understand why Lupin the III is such an interesting and entertaining character. With the talented creativity of Hayao Miyazaki behind the scenes, Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro is a must see!

Animation: 8/10

Story: 9/10

DVD Extras: 8/10

You may view the original published article here.

Distributor: Anchor Bay Entertainment/Manga Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (US) M 16+ NZ
Official Website: www.manga.com

Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie

Reviewed by Julie Gray
Review originally published July 21, 2006

Street Fighter has had many adaptations over the years. It all began with the game created by Capcom. This was a game that was considered one of the most popular of its era. Arcade gaming was at its peak when Street Fighter arrived on the scene. This was soon followed by the Anime adaptation of the game which was then adapted into a live action movie starring Jean Claude Van Damme and Kylie Minogue.

Since then, there have been comics and more animated movie releases. What makes this DVD release so special is that this version is unedited, uncut and unrated, filling in all the gaps that were masterfully placed into the edited version for rating purposes.

The storyline behind Street Fighter II begins with our two ‘legendary martial arts warriors’ Ken and Ryu. To many arcade gamers, Ken and Ryu represent the pinnacle of Street Fighter gaming. They are two warriors who become best friends after having trained with the same martial arts teacher. Ryu is a native of Japan and Ken is from the USA. Their friendship is what links the rest of the story together.

Street Fighter is not just a story about friendship. The dark element in Street Fighter is represented by one M. Bison; the big, bad psychic (and, some would think, psychotic) megalomaniac who plans to take over the world by recruiting the world’s greatest street fighters to do his bidding. After setting his eyes upon Ryu (through the use of robots who are setup to spy for Bison), Bison decides that Ryu is the one fighter he must have on his side if his plan is to be successful. The rest of the story follows Bison on his evil mission to control Ken and take over the world.

One of the most important factors in any game-to-anime adaptation is character portrayal. Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie delivers this flawlessly. It is very refreshing to see the same characters gamers world-wide have revered brought to life in all their arcade-like glory. Although Ryu and Ken are the main character focus in the movie, they are joined by a few familiar faces; Guile and Chun-Li, who are part of the ‘good’ fight against M. Bison’s evil robotic reign. Sagat, Blanka, Vega, E.Honda, Dhalsim and Zangief all receive small appearances in the movie, but Guile and Chun-Li appear through-out as main characters opposite Ken, Ryu and M.Bison.

The original movie was released in 1994. One of the main characters in Street Fighter (M. Bison) went through an interesting name change. Capcom, fearful that Mike Tyson (the boxer) might sue them, decided to change M. Bison’s name. The name change was made in three different places, causing nothing but confusion. M.Bison now appears as himself in Japanese versions of the game and as Balrog everywhere else. The Spanish street fighter is known as Balrog in Japan and Vega elsewhere, and the evil head of Shadowloo is recognised as Vega in Japan and M. Bison outside of Japan.

This version of the movie doesn’t really offer a lot of new footage. Obviously, being uncensored means more violence and some nudity. That is easily displayed in the 16+ rating (as opposed to the PG-13 rating for the 1994 version). The infamous ‘shower scene’ where Chun-Li is semi-nude is included as well as the classic fight scene between Chun-Li and Vega, complete with extra gore. The best thing to remember is that this version is the original Street Fighter 2 movie released in Japan all those years ago and has finally been given the green light for release internationally.

Street Fighter 2: The Animated Movie is still a whole lot of fun to watch, even if you do get a little confused. The animation is produced by Group Tac and features fluid snap shots of the same animation that made the Capcom games so popular. The fighting scenes in the movie are what hold the pieces of the (almost) transparent story line together and will ultimately give fans of the movie the world over a much needed dose of long-awaited Street Fighter mayhem.

Animation: 8/10

Story: 7/10

DVD Extras: 7/10

You may view the original published article here

Distributor: Manga Entertainment
Rating: M/PG
Official Website: www.karas-movie.com

Karas: The Prophecy

Reviewed by Julie Gray
Review originally published April 17, 2006

The opening scenes of Karas: The Prophecy are enough to give you the shivers. Shivers of anticipation, that is. Not even five minutes into the movie and we are catapulted into the middle of what appears to be a battle between two futuristic looking fighter planes. A minute or two later and the fighter planes suddenly transform. The planes are not planes at all but humanoids clad in some sort of mechanical armour. Think of a modern day Samurai covered in metallic armour from head to toe. Karas begins with a wave of intensity that is in your face and action-packed.

Back on planet Earth (Tokyo to be exact), it’s Christmas time and the people of Tokyo are none the wiser. The battle in the sky suddenly explodes onto the Tokyo streets. The two armour clad warriors are battling it out with an impressive combination of martial arts and sword play. As they approach the city, suddenly, everything slows down. It’s almost as if time itself has stopped. But we soon realise it hasn’t. Two different dimensions of existence are about to collide.

The backdrop of the story is modern day Tokyo but that’s not where the story remains. Karas: The Prophecy switches back and forth continuously between the dimension of humans and the dimension that belongs to apparitions, demons and spirits. An ancient battle between these factions has been waging for an eternity and humanity’s survival is at stake. Karas is the guardian appointed to retain the balance between the two dimensions.

The story of Karas: The Prophecy is definitely interesting. But the animation of Karas is beyond impressive. The ingenious blend of 2D/3D and CGI in Karas: The Prophecy brings to life the characters and gives them a facet of realism that looks absolutely stunning. Replacing an older method of animation using 2D dimensional frames, the team at Tatsunoko have utilised 3D models in place of cells, giving the animation realistic dimensions as opposed to the flat and generic appearance of 2D images. The overall result delivers a bold animation technique rarely used in Japanese animation today.

The main characters in Karas: The Prophecy are Nue, Eko, Yurine, Otoha and two Detectives investigating ‘strange phenomenon’; Detective Sagisaka and his partner, Detective Narumi Kure. Sagisaka and Narumi are probably best described as the Japanese equivalent of ‘Scully and Mulder from the X-Files’. The department they represent is shunned by the rest of their colleagues because they attempt to solve crimes relating to things that ‘don’t exist’. Yurine and Otoha are, next to Nue and Eko, the main focus of the story. Yurine is a Priestess armed with special powers and the responsibility to keep Japan safe at all costs. She works alongside Otoha who is introduced to viewers as the new ‘Karas’ (Raven) and guardian of Japan. Somewhere in the middle of all of this we find Nue, who is a demon in human form sent to Japan to fight Eko and his henchmen. And lastly, there is Eko who used to be the Karas before power ultimately corrupted him. Now, his only mission is to control the world by any means possible and destroy all those who oppose him.

The characters in Karas: The Prophecy are interesting and their interactions with each other draw you to the screen. As the story slowly unfolds, we begin to understand that the epic struggle between good and evil is ultimately going to claim lives and innocence along the way. A story of sacrifice, responsibility, loyalty and corruption can never be dull.

The voice actors behind the characters ultimately make or break the story. If the voice actors do a good enough job, viewers will be able to look at the animation and take it one step further in their minds. If the voice actors don’t do a good enough job, the characters will not be believable and it will be hard for viewers to connect with them. Karas: The Prophecy was a project that was done right. The voice talent chosen for the English Production was, thankfully, well thought out. Talented actors Piper Perabo from Coyote Ugly is the voice behind Yurine, Matthew Lillard from Scooby Doo and Scream is Eko and Jay Hernandez from Hostel and Goal is Nue.

The Japanese voice talent are also, without doubt, impeccably cast in their roles. It is definitely recommended to watch Karas: The Prophecy using both the English and Japanese language options. Whilst the English dubs were extremely well done, there is an element of authenticity that can only be realised whilst watching a Japanese animation using the original Japanese voices.

The DVD release comes with a few extra features such as interviews with the Japanese voice actors, Directors and Producers, Original TV Spots and Japanese Trailers, and a Behind the Scenes: Making of Karas featurette. There is also a Dark Horse Comics special full colour mini-comic book of Karas included with the DVD by Phil Amara and Nuria Peris.

An inspiring story and epic animation to boot, Karas: The Prophecy will prophesise great things to come for Tatsunoko Productions if this first installment is anything to go by. We are eagerly anticipating the next release of Karas: The Revelation in September this year.

You may view the original published article here.

Animation: 10/10

Story: 10/10

DVD Extras: 8/10

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire by Glu

Reviewed by Julie Gray
Review originally published May 3, 2006

The popular TV programme, ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ is now a mobile phone game. The only difference is, of course, you can’t win real prizes.

The general setup of the game is very basic and very simplistic. You play the contestant, just as you would if you were on the TV game. You are required to guess the correct multi choice answer to a myriad of questions.

Just like the TV programme, you get lifelines; phone a ‘friend’ for the answer, give the question to the audience to answer for you or 50/50 where the computer removes 2 of the 3 incorrect answers. It’s all very exciting – real nail biting stuff. As you progress through the questions, you gain points for answering the question. The quicker you answer the question, the more points you gain. You also gain money for each correctly answered question. The goal of the game is to reach a million dollars. One incorrect answer though, and your immediately eliminated. No second chances with a million bucks at stake, even if it is virtual money.

If you like the thinking type of game, you will enjoy this immensely. The controls are very easy to use, the instructions are straight forward and clear to follow. This game is very addictive; once you start answering those questions, it’s pretty hard to stop.

The music gets a tad tedious after a while but you have the option to turn off the sound for better concentration. All in all, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is a great little game. Well worth the download.

Difficulty Rating: 3/5
Overall Rating:  4 /5

You can view the website for this game here.
**Game reviewed on a Sharp GX10 Vodafone Mobile Phone.

Diamond Rush by Gameloft

Reviewed by Julie Gray
Review originally published September 26, 2006

Diamond Rush is a neat little game where you get to play a character who has the task of uncovering diamonds. Sounds quite straight forward and the game is very easy to play. You will notice that the levels are designed quite closely to that of the Pacman game where you are required to move the character around a maze to avoid obstacles. In this game, there are many different maps to traverse and different obstacles as well, keeping the game interesting. The environment changes as does the level of the map. You will find that as you progress, the diamonds become much more difficult and risky to obtain, increasing the challenge.

Movement in the game utilises the 4 and 5 numbers on the keypad as well as the * key to reset from your last checkpoint where the game is saved. This is exceptionally handy should you be unable to finish the level or find yourself stuck. The game is actually well thought out and allows for up to 2 to 3 days worth of game play – that’s quite a few bus trips!

Graphically, the game looks good, better than some games with boxy graphics and not a lot of background detail. The best part of the game is the level detail and the traps and obstacles along the way. You can really get yourself into tricky situations in Diamond Rush so it’s just the right kind of game for those who like to be entertained and challenged at the same time. Remember, if the traps prove to be too difficult, you can always reset the game using the * on your keypad.

To summarise, Diamond Rush is a quirky and addictive game with enjoyment and challenges mixed in. The variety of each level is enough to keep people interested. The reset button is a great option should you find the traps or levels too difficult. A neat little gem of a game with every element you could want in a mobile game.

Difficulty Rating: 3/5
Overall Rating: 5/5

You can view the website for this game here.
**Game reviewed on a Sharp GX10 Vodafone Mobile Phone.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance

Developer: Raven Software

Publisher/Distributor: Activision

ESRB Rating: M

Genre: Action

Official Website: http://www.marvelultimatealliance.com/Reviewed by Julie Gray
Review originally published January 2nd, 2007

Who didn’t want to be a super hero when they were younger? For most of us, reading about super heroes in comic books or seeing them on TV was the highlight of our day. There is something fascinating and appealing about wanting to be ‘special’ with your own super powers. Marvel Ultimate Alliance is a game that brings most of our favourite super heroes to the Xbox 360 – all at once! Talk about super hero overload!

After being presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Stan Lee last year at E3, I did my best to try and meet the man who created some of the most well known super heroes of our time. He is the genius behind Spiderman, The X Men, The Hulk and The Fantastic Four to name a few. And now we have the opportunity to explore the universe of the super heroes taking it one step further; off the comic book pages and into the realm of video games.

In Marvel Ultimate Alliance, you get to play as four different characters at once. As confusing as this may sound, it’s really quite easy to do. Instead of running around and kicking bad guy butt as one super hero, you get to control an entire party of super heroes! Obviously, as well as being able to control the super heroes, you can utilise their super powers, exploiting each character’s strengths as you come up against a barrage of enemies, putting down the bad guys, one by one.

Personally, I have never been a great fan of games where you’re controlling more than one character at a time. It’s not that I find it difficult to do; I just don’t like the switching back and forth. I also try to avoid games where there is the potential to get stuck in the world or if a game is particularly buggy, you can find yourself in frustrating situations where having to restart the game from your last save point is the only option. Thanks but no, thanks.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance does have a few little hitches with the environment and the character movement. This is almost impossible to avoid and I have yet to play a game which utilises multiple characters that has managed to overcome this problem. But managing more than one character at a time and physically placing your characters around the levels should not be as difficult or as frustrating as it is. Characters get stuck from time to time in this game, but it can be rectified if you try to keep all of your characters moving together. Should you find one of your characters has fallen behind; the other characters in your party will also get ‘stuck’ in the game. If you hold onto the left trigger, you can assemble your party to move in synch with the leader or leaders of the group but this doesn’t always work.

One good thing about having multiple characters to choose from is that if you find one of the characters in your party is lacking certain abilities or just proves to be more of a hindrance than a help, you can easily switch characters with new ones you haven’t yet played. That’s pretty cool. As you progress through the game, you can also unlock other characters from the Marvel universe.

The game modes in Marvel Ultimate Alliance allow you to play single player or Coop modes. The Coop mode is really a lot more fun than single player although you can achieve a lot of the same objectives playing in either game mode. Marvel Ultimate Alliance on the Xbox 360 allows for up to four players to play and is Xbox Live compatible so you can take on the enemies or other players online.

Movement and combat in the game depends on the type of character you play which is quite compelling. The last thing you want is several different characters that all do the same thing. Some characters like Miss Marvel or Storm can fly by pressing the ‘Y’ key in quick succession. This comes in particularly handy when you need to play more strategically when facing multiple opponents. Instead of a land based group assault, you can utilise one of your flying super heroes to attack from the air as well. Remember to use all of your super heroes equally and you’ll enjoy the game a lot more. After all, the game is about the Marvel Ultimate Alliance of super heroes, not just about one super hero in particular. It might be hard to remember this when you’re leading the group as one character but you’ll soon see the benefits of utilising all of the team’s assets and abilities.

The general layout of each mission is quite similar. This could possibly be a part of the game that might come off as a tad boring but that all depends on what you’re willing to make of each level. Characters will level individually. You will find that if you’re leading with one character, that character will more than likely level up quite fast. This is another reason why you should play different characters in the party as often as you can. The more you level up each character in the party, the better your team will become at beating the opponents and meeting the objectives. This game is very team orientated which is refreshing from a game play perspective.

The environment is also an important factor to consider as you progress through the game. Each super hero has two different indicator bars; one for health and one for energy. The health bar is pretty straightforward but the energy bar indicates how much energy you have left to use your super powers or special abilities. As you complete each mission, you will need to replenish these areas by bashing up anything and everything you can see as you move through the levels. It’s kind of amusing to see a group of super heroes bashing up an inanimate object. What sort of super hero would you be without the super abilities? Your super heroes can be injured and even temporarily knocked unconscious. When this happens, their icon on screen will fade out and you will not be able to use that super hero again until you get back to the S.H.I.E.L.D base. You will see a message come up on screen saying that your super hero has ‘fully rested’ which means that they can be revived.

The S.H.I.E.L.D base is where you can do such things as swap your characters around and look at your character’s abilities and skills. Throughout the game you will pick up ‘tokens’ that drop everywhere when you smash and bash things. These tokens are called ‘S.H.I.E.L.D credits’ and will give you the ability to upgrade your super hero’s outfit. Each item that the super hero wears gives that super hero special bonuses to their abilities. You will also gain experience as you meet each objective and defeat bad guys which will level up your super hero and increase their super powers. You can access your super powers by pushing in the right trigger which will bring your super hero powers up on the screen. From there you can choose to use whichever power you want by pressing the A, B, X and Y keys. You can even swap out your super hero powers for other powers as you gain experience.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance also offers you the opportunity to take a break from the main mission. There are other side missions intended for each super hero. These missions are designed to be more in synch with the super heroes and their roles in the comic books. For instance, Wolverine’s side mission is all about him visiting the labs where he was taken and experimented on. These missions are quite tough but well worth doing. You have to unlock these missions as you advance in the game, pretty much like everything else. There are some cool super heroes that you can unlock as you combat evil and complete more and more missions. You can even unlock Blade as a super hero!

Visually, Marvel Ultimate Alliance is really easy on the eye. The level of detail that has gone into each super hero is quite impressive and the environments are equally as detailed. The voice acting is also impressive but don’t expect to hear the voices of the super heroes you have come to know from the movies. I am glad to see that the animation isn’t ‘boxy’ looking which always ruins the realism of the animation. The cut scenes feature spectacular art work taken directly from the Marvel comic books. You can even unlock other art work and several other features in the game if you get far enough through it.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance turned out to be a lot more fun than I initially expected and that’s great news for all Marvel comic book fans. It’s a real relief to get my hands on a super hero game that has staying power and the ability to sustain the excitement long enough for me to stay interested in playing the game. I have played quite a few games based on comic book heroes in the past and I can assure you, many of them are poor additions to the franchises they represent and in some cases, would have been better off not being manufactured at all. Not so with Marvel Ultimate Alliance. This game is a definite must have for fans of Marvel and if you’re after a well made, entertaining game that blends a little bit of action as well as roleplaying all with an authentic comic book style, this game will not disappoint.

http://www.marvelultimatealliance.com/

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