Several hours ago I attended a showing of Tekken Blood Vengeance, the full length 3D CG movie that will be part of the Tekken Hybrid Blu-Ray being released this coming November. It was a one day "special event" running in theaters across the United States. I honestly didn't want to put my hopes too high for this, but as a fan of the series for well over a decade I couldn't help but at least hope for a good show.
Tekken Blood Vengeance's plot doesn't involve any of the King of Iron Fist tournaments at all, so you really don't see much of the extensive cast of characters that fans of the series have gotten used to seeing over the years. The story follows Ling Xiaoyu as she's sent to keep an eye on her mysterious former classmate, Shin Kamiya. She later finds herself paired up with Alisa Bosconovitch, who has an odd, yet hilarious fascination with Shin.
It's a fairly straightforward story with some twists thrown in along the way. A few other Tekken characters make their appearance(I'll list them at the end of this blog), but for the most part the cast of characters remains small throughout the film. As such, unless your favorite character is female, or a Mishima, you probably won't see them fight in this movie.
The CG is certainly top-notch, and 3D effects(although sparsely used) are generally well done. Most of the battles were entertaining most of the time but there were some scenes that I felt could have been done better. Some characters provide comic relief(particularly Lee Chaolan), though there are times when this is not intentional.
The story really wasn't that interesting, and seemed to drag at several points throughout the film(which is particularly bad for a 90 minute film that's dubbed in English). Dialogue came across as hokey and forced at times. Some things were painfully explained by the characters and just had me shaking my head. For example...
Ling: I can't make out part of this photograph.
Alisa: Perhaps if I scanned it I could find something useful. What do you think?
Ling: Yes!
Now I'm paraphrasing, but that's pretty much how the scene went down.
One reason for this could be that the film is, as mentioned before, dubbed in English. Not only is it dubbed, but many of the voice actors aren't that great, or flat out just don't fit the character. You take that and the dialogue("You're like my refrigerator!") and you have some laughably bad scenes. I honestly considered getting up and walking out at one point, and I went there wearing a Tekken 4 T-Shirt that I've had since that game hit the Playstation 2 back in 2002 (it's clean and it still fits, sue me).
But I can't sit here and say it was all bad. Panda was genuinely funny and involved in many of the cooler scenes. Lee Chaolan had the funniest lines in the film. The Nina vs. Anna battle at the beginning was nicely choreographed. While most of the fighting game cast doesn't make it into the film, some of them are still referenced, at least.
After the film ended, there was an interview with Katsuhiro Harada from Namco Bandai, and the director of the film, Yoichi Mori. The interview is in Japanese with English subtitles. Reading the subtitles and keeping an eye on the people on screen isn't anywhere near as easy as it is on a small screen, so in that regard I'm glad they dubbed the film.
The interview gives some insight into why the director made certain choices regarding the story and selection of the characters, which I won't delve into here because they'll ruin some of the plot. This will be on the upcoming Blu-ray for sure.
Overall, I can't say I enjoyed this film as much as I would have hoped, but I still appreciated seeing it on the big screen. If there's ever another CG Tekken film, I hope they go with less story and more action.
List of Characters:
Nina Williams, Anna Williams, Jin Kazama, Kazuya Mishima, Ling Xiaoyu, Panda, Ganryu, Shin Kamiya, Lee Chaolan, Alisa Bosconovitch, and one more.
Showing posts with label Reader Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reader Review. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Friday, December 31, 2010
Dead Rising 2: Case West Review
Dead Rising 2: Case West Review
by king_ruckus
Pros:
Frank West is back, and he's got some great one liners.
Some cool new combo weapons to mess around with.
Mad Scienist hairdo makes Chuck look like Heihachi Mishima.
Cons
No character select in a game that hypes the return of Frank West.
Photography feels more like an afterthought.
Doesn't add much to the Dead Rising mythos.
Dead Rising 2: Case West picks up right after the events of Ending A in Dead Rising 2, with Chuck Greene still suspected of causing the Zombie Outbreak in Fortune City.
After a brief introduction, Chuck Greene and Frank West(the main character from the original Dead Rising) head to a PhenoTrans facility to meet with Frank West's mysterious source and collect evidence that will clear Chuck's name.
You can either play this DLC alone, or with a friend via Xbox Live. Player 2 will take control of Frank West.
Much like Case Zero, this DLC is more like an extended preview of what the full game has to offer, although it seems to offer less than Case Zero did at half the price. You can still build combo weapons, change costumes and mix drinks, but there is no pawnshop this time. There are a good number of normal zombies and gas zombies to fight through, and some of the new weapons can clear a path in seconds. You've also got some human enemies to deal with, but having armed guards and later, Big Daddy rejects, attacking you at random is more of an annoyance than a challenge.
You start off at level 40 even if you've maxed out Chuck Greene in the full game. It's an understandable choice, as the DLC is already fairly easy to get through even before you top out at 50 again.
Frank West is with you the entire time and he's basically invincible. You never have to heal him, and while you have the option to give him any weapon at any time, he's more than capable of handling himself.
In an odd choice that is sure to upset a lot of fans, you can only play as Frank if you join someone else's game. Why Capcom didn't add a character select to this game is beyond me. There is literally no moment in the game when these two characters are not in the same room, even during cutscenes. I don't think it's much of a stretch to say that making Frank West playable in single player would not have taken much work.
Apparently Frank West went to the Duct Tape Academy, because in Co-Op players controlling him can make combo weapons like Chuck can. Both players can also snap photos, though you won't get points for it unless you snap photos of specific markers. No more Horror or Erotica shots. It feels more like a tacked on gimmick than a necessary part of the experience.
So is this DLC worth $10?
Having played through it three times, I'm still not entirely sold. I feel like the final product could have been better. It's a short epilogue that really doesn't expand much on the full game storywise. There are minor tweaks and improvements to the gameplay formula, but the overall experience is still very much the same. Definitely not a bad thing, but not really worth $10 either.
While I enjoy playing the game, I can't say I feel this is a necessary purchase. Die hard fans will most likely rush out to buy it without so much as checking a message board, but for those of you who are just getting into Dead Rising 2 on Xbox 360, opt for Case Zero now and wait for the inevitable discount on Case West.
RATINGS SYSTEM
Retail Releases:
Buy it - This game is worth your money out of the box.
Rent it - Worth playing, not necessarily worth paying full price for.
Skip it - You shouldn't waste your time.
DLC
Buy it - This DLC either adds to the core game significantly, or is a great standalone product.
Wait for a Discount - Enjoyable, but overpriced. Make the leap at your own risk.
Skip it - A money grab. Protect your wallet from the publisher's hands and save your money for something worthwhile.
My suggestion for Dead Rising 2: Case West:
Wait for a Discount.
by king_ruckus
Pros:
Frank West is back, and he's got some great one liners.
Some cool new combo weapons to mess around with.
Mad Scienist hairdo makes Chuck look like Heihachi Mishima.
Cons
No character select in a game that hypes the return of Frank West.
Photography feels more like an afterthought.
Doesn't add much to the Dead Rising mythos.
Dead Rising 2: Case West picks up right after the events of Ending A in Dead Rising 2, with Chuck Greene still suspected of causing the Zombie Outbreak in Fortune City.
After a brief introduction, Chuck Greene and Frank West(the main character from the original Dead Rising) head to a PhenoTrans facility to meet with Frank West's mysterious source and collect evidence that will clear Chuck's name.
You can either play this DLC alone, or with a friend via Xbox Live. Player 2 will take control of Frank West.
Much like Case Zero, this DLC is more like an extended preview of what the full game has to offer, although it seems to offer less than Case Zero did at half the price. You can still build combo weapons, change costumes and mix drinks, but there is no pawnshop this time. There are a good number of normal zombies and gas zombies to fight through, and some of the new weapons can clear a path in seconds. You've also got some human enemies to deal with, but having armed guards and later, Big Daddy rejects, attacking you at random is more of an annoyance than a challenge.
You start off at level 40 even if you've maxed out Chuck Greene in the full game. It's an understandable choice, as the DLC is already fairly easy to get through even before you top out at 50 again.
Frank West is with you the entire time and he's basically invincible. You never have to heal him, and while you have the option to give him any weapon at any time, he's more than capable of handling himself.
In an odd choice that is sure to upset a lot of fans, you can only play as Frank if you join someone else's game. Why Capcom didn't add a character select to this game is beyond me. There is literally no moment in the game when these two characters are not in the same room, even during cutscenes. I don't think it's much of a stretch to say that making Frank West playable in single player would not have taken much work.
Apparently Frank West went to the Duct Tape Academy, because in Co-Op players controlling him can make combo weapons like Chuck can. Both players can also snap photos, though you won't get points for it unless you snap photos of specific markers. No more Horror or Erotica shots. It feels more like a tacked on gimmick than a necessary part of the experience.
So is this DLC worth $10?
Having played through it three times, I'm still not entirely sold. I feel like the final product could have been better. It's a short epilogue that really doesn't expand much on the full game storywise. There are minor tweaks and improvements to the gameplay formula, but the overall experience is still very much the same. Definitely not a bad thing, but not really worth $10 either.
While I enjoy playing the game, I can't say I feel this is a necessary purchase. Die hard fans will most likely rush out to buy it without so much as checking a message board, but for those of you who are just getting into Dead Rising 2 on Xbox 360, opt for Case Zero now and wait for the inevitable discount on Case West.
RATINGS SYSTEM
Retail Releases:
Buy it - This game is worth your money out of the box.
Rent it - Worth playing, not necessarily worth paying full price for.
Skip it - You shouldn't waste your time.
DLC
Buy it - This DLC either adds to the core game significantly, or is a great standalone product.
Wait for a Discount - Enjoyable, but overpriced. Make the leap at your own risk.
Skip it - A money grab. Protect your wallet from the publisher's hands and save your money for something worthwhile.
My suggestion for Dead Rising 2: Case West:
Wait for a Discount.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Rorschach
Man...I just saw Watchmen on an IMAX screen with two friends. We got there late, missed maybe the first three minutes, had some of the crappiest seats in the house, and I still loved it.
(My neck hurts.)
I've been reading comics since I was a little kid, but somehow the magnitude of Watchmen escaped me. I'd heard about it a few times and never looked into it. I had no idea how much of an impact that 12 issue series had on comic books. No idea that one of the coolest characters ever, Rorschach, even existed.
When I first saw the trailer for the film sometime last year, I thought it was laughable. The shot of some unknown guy in a cape(Night Owl) landing reminded me of Batman too much to take seriously. Another of a cornball with a flamethrower(The Comedian, ironically), and then some random blue man floating(Doctor Manhattan). It just looked silly, and I clearly remember saying to my friend "I'll never go see that crap.".
Some of the people in that audience gasped out loud as if they were seeing something special. I was too, I just didn't know it at the time.So glad to be wrong.Over the last couple of months, the hoopla finally got to me and I decided to take a chance. I got my hands on a copy of the graphic novel, and it was, to put it lightly.....bleeping great. Easily deserving of all praise over the years.
Arguably a literary classic, Watchmen was deemed unfilmable by the writer himself. Alan Moore, who is also the brains behind other comic classics such as "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", "V for Vendetta" and "From Hell", refused to have his name placed in the credits. He even refuses to watch the film.
I really hope he changes his mind someday.
When you're trying to condense a 12 issue story into something workable, compromises have to be made. Even the most diehard fans have to understand that. The best thing you can do as a director(in this case Zack Snyder, 300), is be as faithful to the source material you *do* use as possible.
The picture Moore painted in Watchmen is quite clear. A dark, forboding story. Brutal violence, many times doled out by our multi-faceted "heroes". Depictions of sex. Coarse language. Smurf scrotum. The "money making" route would be to do some trimming and go for PG-13. You know....so some of the kiddies can see it. Thankfully, Zack Snyder fought hard to do just the opposite. Sacrificing content due to time constraints is one thing, but messing with the tone of the story would have ruined it.
Watchmen was never meant for kids. Every bit of violence and every act of depravity further reinforce the world in which these characters live.
Before seeing this film I took a look at several reviews. Normally I avoid doing this because some of these bastards don't know how to mark *SPOILERS*, but, having read the graphic novel, I already knew the story anyway.
65% last I checked.
Instead of looking at the positive reviews, I read some of the negatives. Alot of these "negative" reviews praised the majority of the movie(special effects, certain scenes, most of the cast's acting), but ended up giving the film a low score anyway.I came away from the reviews with the impression that most fans of the graphic novels would at least leave the theater satisfied.
Sure enough, I left the theater with slight eyestrain and neck pain, but a smile on my face.
Rorschach was every bit as badass as he was in the graphic novel. Played to perfection by Jackie Earle Haley. PERFECTION. I cannot think of one thing wrong with his portrayal of Rorschach. Not one. What they took away from Rorschach in terms of dialogue, they gave back with action scenes. I'm not ruining a thing. Go, and remember to sip your drink instead of gulping it. You don't want to go to the bathroom and miss something. He easily has some of the most memorable lines in the film.
Rorschach.
Doctor Manhattan(Billy Crudup) was another solid character. I just wish he put some pants on, or even some dark boxers. Put that away, man. Maybe Zack was throwing so many smurf cockshots up there just to annoy people in the industry? I get the fact that he didn't want to compromise, and I appreciate it, but dude just took it a little too far. Crazy.
Night-Owl(Patrick Wilson, "Hard Candy" with Ellen Page), another great portrayal. I really can't say much without ruining certain plot points for those of you who haven't read the graphic novel.
The Comedian(Jeffrey Dean Morgan), was right up there with Rorschach as well.
Basically, everyone does well, but these particular characters stuck out to me.Fan of "First Wave", a show about an alien invasion that ran for five seasons on Sci-Fi Channel, will recognize an actor from that series in his short role.
If you're interested in seeing this and live near a Best Buy, they're running a promotion where if you buy Xbox Live products(Points Cards, Gold subscription time cards, etc), you can get Watchmen movie pack for free. This movie pack gives you two tickets, each valued up to $12, and a promo code for XBL which lets you download Watchmen behind the scenes footage.
Old news, yes, but it helped me last night:-P.
The obvious question, "Is this a good film for people who have NOT read the graphic novel?".
The answer isn't as simple as you might think.
For one thing, the graphic novel is extremely rich and detailed. There is a wealth of backstory and several plotlines that in the film are either cut down drastically or removed altogether. There are references to characters and shots of characters that casual viewers just will not get. People who've read the novel and have it fresh in mind will pick up on them almost instantneously, as they are faithfully recreated from the source material.
This stuff may or may not take you out of the experience. For me, I felt it was doing it's job, which was to further reinforce the world these characters live in while providing at least "some" backstory.
Both of the friends I saw the film with loved it, one of which read up to Chapter III in the graphic novel, the other hadn't read any of it.
If I were to rate this film, I'd give it three and half out of four stars. I'm buying the Blu-Ray as soon as it drops. If there really is a director's cut, I'm sure it'll be even better.
Have you seen Watchmen? Post your thoughts.
(My neck hurts.)
I've been reading comics since I was a little kid, but somehow the magnitude of Watchmen escaped me. I'd heard about it a few times and never looked into it. I had no idea how much of an impact that 12 issue series had on comic books. No idea that one of the coolest characters ever, Rorschach, even existed.
When I first saw the trailer for the film sometime last year, I thought it was laughable. The shot of some unknown guy in a cape(Night Owl) landing reminded me of Batman too much to take seriously. Another of a cornball with a flamethrower(The Comedian, ironically), and then some random blue man floating(Doctor Manhattan). It just looked silly, and I clearly remember saying to my friend "I'll never go see that crap.".
Some of the people in that audience gasped out loud as if they were seeing something special. I was too, I just didn't know it at the time.So glad to be wrong.Over the last couple of months, the hoopla finally got to me and I decided to take a chance. I got my hands on a copy of the graphic novel, and it was, to put it lightly.....bleeping great. Easily deserving of all praise over the years.
Arguably a literary classic, Watchmen was deemed unfilmable by the writer himself. Alan Moore, who is also the brains behind other comic classics such as "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", "V for Vendetta" and "From Hell", refused to have his name placed in the credits. He even refuses to watch the film.
I really hope he changes his mind someday.
When you're trying to condense a 12 issue story into something workable, compromises have to be made. Even the most diehard fans have to understand that. The best thing you can do as a director(in this case Zack Snyder, 300), is be as faithful to the source material you *do* use as possible.
The picture Moore painted in Watchmen is quite clear. A dark, forboding story. Brutal violence, many times doled out by our multi-faceted "heroes". Depictions of sex. Coarse language. Smurf scrotum. The "money making" route would be to do some trimming and go for PG-13. You know....so some of the kiddies can see it. Thankfully, Zack Snyder fought hard to do just the opposite. Sacrificing content due to time constraints is one thing, but messing with the tone of the story would have ruined it.
Watchmen was never meant for kids. Every bit of violence and every act of depravity further reinforce the world in which these characters live.
Before seeing this film I took a look at several reviews. Normally I avoid doing this because some of these bastards don't know how to mark *SPOILERS*, but, having read the graphic novel, I already knew the story anyway.
65% last I checked.
Instead of looking at the positive reviews, I read some of the negatives. Alot of these "negative" reviews praised the majority of the movie(special effects, certain scenes, most of the cast's acting), but ended up giving the film a low score anyway.I came away from the reviews with the impression that most fans of the graphic novels would at least leave the theater satisfied.
Sure enough, I left the theater with slight eyestrain and neck pain, but a smile on my face.
Rorschach was every bit as badass as he was in the graphic novel. Played to perfection by Jackie Earle Haley. PERFECTION. I cannot think of one thing wrong with his portrayal of Rorschach. Not one. What they took away from Rorschach in terms of dialogue, they gave back with action scenes. I'm not ruining a thing. Go, and remember to sip your drink instead of gulping it. You don't want to go to the bathroom and miss something. He easily has some of the most memorable lines in the film.
Rorschach.
Doctor Manhattan(Billy Crudup) was another solid character. I just wish he put some pants on, or even some dark boxers. Put that away, man. Maybe Zack was throwing so many smurf cockshots up there just to annoy people in the industry? I get the fact that he didn't want to compromise, and I appreciate it, but dude just took it a little too far. Crazy.
Night-Owl(Patrick Wilson, "Hard Candy" with Ellen Page), another great portrayal. I really can't say much without ruining certain plot points for those of you who haven't read the graphic novel.
The Comedian(Jeffrey Dean Morgan), was right up there with Rorschach as well.
Basically, everyone does well, but these particular characters stuck out to me.Fan of "First Wave", a show about an alien invasion that ran for five seasons on Sci-Fi Channel, will recognize an actor from that series in his short role.
If you're interested in seeing this and live near a Best Buy, they're running a promotion where if you buy Xbox Live products(Points Cards, Gold subscription time cards, etc), you can get Watchmen movie pack for free. This movie pack gives you two tickets, each valued up to $12, and a promo code for XBL which lets you download Watchmen behind the scenes footage.
Old news, yes, but it helped me last night:-P.
The obvious question, "Is this a good film for people who have NOT read the graphic novel?".
The answer isn't as simple as you might think.
For one thing, the graphic novel is extremely rich and detailed. There is a wealth of backstory and several plotlines that in the film are either cut down drastically or removed altogether. There are references to characters and shots of characters that casual viewers just will not get. People who've read the novel and have it fresh in mind will pick up on them almost instantneously, as they are faithfully recreated from the source material.
This stuff may or may not take you out of the experience. For me, I felt it was doing it's job, which was to further reinforce the world these characters live in while providing at least "some" backstory.
Both of the friends I saw the film with loved it, one of which read up to Chapter III in the graphic novel, the other hadn't read any of it.
If I were to rate this film, I'd give it three and half out of four stars. I'm buying the Blu-Ray as soon as it drops. If there really is a director's cut, I'm sure it'll be even better.
Have you seen Watchmen? Post your thoughts.
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