BitSnark

Okay, let’s get this rolling.

Starting tomorrow, i’ll be doing an E3 blowout of coverage and my own personal opinions, those who are interested feel free to tune in, and those aren’t well, don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out 🙂

Just a quick message to say that i’ll be offline for roughly ten days or so, while I sort out some personal bits ‘n’ pieces.

Take care all and see ya soon! ^^

JP

Ghost In The Shell Anime Review

Genre: Sci-fi Cyberpunk
Director: Mamoru Oshii
Distributor: Manga Entertainment UK
Duration: One movie – 85 minutes approx.
Production Creation: 1995

Plot Synopsis

Based on Masamune Shirow’s near legendary manga, Ghost In The Shell is one of the few anime movie features that can be credited for spearheading anime penetration in the West.

It is AD 2029. Networks are everywhere and everybody wishes to become a part of them. Technology has advanced to the point where people can augment entire sections of their body to fit their medical needs, personal requirements or vocation. All such people who augment themselves still retain, at least in part, their human brain. Within this brain, is the ‘ghost’ or ‘soul’ of each cyborg, and due to the links with cyber overnetworks, ghosts can now be hacked and manipulated by those who know how and false memories are able to be implanted.

When the interpreter of a high ranking government official is targeted by a mysterious hacker known only as the ‘Puppet Master’ and is subsequently ghost hacked, Special Section Nine of the state owned police force is called in to help. Section Nine’s finest officer, Major Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg herself, is assigned to the case. However, the ‘Puppet Master’ will lead her into a world political espionage, physical danger and even to question her very own existence and what it means to be human.

The Review

From the camp of anime fans who say that Ghost In The Shell isn’t all that, to the camp that says it’s a mature sci-fi masterpiece, Ghost In The Shell has enjoyed a wide variety of opinions from anime fan and otaku alike. Regardless though, no anime fan can deny that it’s remains a landmark anime almost eight years on.

Produced by Production I.G, one of the major animation powerhouses of Japan, Ghost In The Shell enjoys very high production values and this is immediately evident as visually, Ghost In The Shell is absolutely breathtaking. The animators and artists have really done a superb job of bringing Shirow’s vision of quasi-futuristic cityscapes, locations and it’s characters to life. Complex skyscrapers, sprawling computer laboratories, urban areas and even run down slums are brought to vivid life with some of the most detailed background art seen in an anime feature since Akira.

The characters though, are something you will largely hate or like depending on whether or not you’ve read the manga. If you’re like me, and haven’t read any or only read very little of the manga, the character designs won’t offend you as they are detailed, expressive and quite stylish. Those of you who are massive fans of the manga though, won’t be too enthralled with what you see here, as the characters, Motoko in particular, bear a scant resemblance to their manga counterparts.

The animation also benefits from the high production values too with fluid and precise movements throughout. CG is also used in places, although sparingly so, to display such things as cloaking devices, explosions and such like. One sequence that takes place at the start of the film, which shows Motoko’s cybernetic overhaul, showcases this lavish animation wonderfully and to this day looks as stunning now as it did during it’s original release.

The soundtrack by Kenji Kawai (Patlabor movies 1,2 and WXIII) is a perennial favourite of mine as it’s very atmospheric, starkly sombre and quite haunting. A special mention must also go to the music that accompanies a group of scenes in the film which shows Motoko wondering in different parts of the city in both slow motion and a mixture of still frames. Drawing influences from Chinese folk music and various other oriental choral melodies, it’s simply a very stirring piece of music that not only adds layers of atmosphere to the anime but also compounds the fact that the soundtrack is among the most memorable i’ve heard to date.

When we dig past the impressive audiovisual aspects of the film, Ghost In The Shell appears to almost break under the weight of it’s undeniably impressive scope and range of themes, but thankfully is saved by Oshii’s typically tight and somewhat methodical direction. There are aspects of politics, introspection, dystopian ideals, self-reflection and many other themes that may have proven too much for other directors to fully explore, but are done so here with admirable success. Some may see the slow and deliberate pace of the film as a factor that acts as it’s detriment, and as such will probably turn action fans off pretty quickly. However, the slower pace works to its advantage since this is an intelligent work that requires a more deliberate pace to engage the viewer to a fuller extent.

Unlike Akira, Ghost In The Shell doesn’t suffer from any kind of compression problems as far as the plot and characters go, but it’s still fairly easy for the uninitiated to become confused since there are a lot of profound and abstract moments in the movie that wouldn’t make too much sense on the first viewing. Nevertheless, the cohesiveness of the tight storyline and characters to the impressively daunting technical aspects of the production remain a balancing act that Ghost In The Shell just about manages perfectly.

Also unlike Akira, there are many times in the film where Oshii encourages the viewer to fill in the narrative gap with their own thoughts and conclusions and as a result, you never feel like that this is a ‘dumb anime’ but rather an intelligent feature film that forces you to think and contemplate rather than have everything spelled out in front of you. The previously mentioned scenes of Motoko walking through the city, flicking between frames containing shop windows, graffiti walls, broken down houses and aircraft soaring slowly overhead, are complete devoid of are perfect examples of this.

Ghost In The Shell is a landmark anime that still retains the same poignancy and ability to compel now as it did when I first saw it. As an anime feature to gain notoriety across the world, it’s importance shouldn’t be understated as in a stark contrast to Akira which had a compressed plot and underdeveloped characters, Ghost In The Shell manages an impressive interpolation with all it’s elements to a create a whole which remains true to it’s impressive hyperbole and strong caliber.

Simply unmissable.

Ratings Summary

Animation: A+
Art: A
Music: A+
Content: A

Overall: A+

Review by: JP Jones

Suitability for children

There are a few extremely violent scenes in Ghost In The Shell along with a smattering of mild profanity (mostly from Batou) and a bit of nudity (mostly from Motoko). Strictly for those aged 15+.

If you liked this why not try…

Ghost In The Shell: Innocence – DreamWorks Entertainment
Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Bandai Entertainment

Boasting a new 6.1 DD sound mix, a soundtrack that comprises Kenji Kawaii’s original mix as well as newer material mastered at Skywalker Sound and also a smattering of new CG for a variety of scenes *pant*, Ghost In The Shell 2.0 marks a crucial re-release of the now thirteen year old anime opus.

Directed by Mamoru Oshii in 1995, Ghost In The Shell was the original anime cyberpunk thriller that combined a high concept near future with brutal action, striking visuals and a haunting musical score to create a production that like Akira before it, would succeed in challenging western ideals that animation is just for kids.

The new Ghost In The Shell film will debut in Japanese cinemas on July 12, with no date for a western release. While a western theatrical run seems unlikely, a DVD release will no doubt be in the offing soon enough.

Streamable trailer link below folks:

With the scrpiting duties for the awaited Gears Of War movie now complete, other pieces of the puzzle are now starting to fall into place. 1up.com is now reporting that in conjunction with New Line Cinema and Epic Games, the director for the film based on the game that made chainsaws cool again is none other than Len Wiseman, he of Underworld and Die Hard 4.0 fame.

While folks may have somewhat mixed feelings regarding his appointment, i’m quietly excited to have him on board as Die Hard 4.0 pretty much proves that he can handle big screen action. Let’s just hope he doesn’t drop the ball here and that the studio let’s him go crazy with the age rating (i.e. a ‘hard’ 18 rating).

Stay tuned.

That’s one of the great things about gaming that I adore so much, anything can happen and Star Ocean IV arriving on 360 is one of those ‘anything’ moments. Announced for the XBOX 360 and with apparent apathy for the PS3 version of the title (that we all thought existed but actually doesn’t), it seems a very strange move by Squeenix to release the next installment in what is one of Japan’s premier RPG series on a western console that has pretty much sunk over in that territory.

I’m dumbfounded further by the fact that the title doesn’t bow on the PS3 or even the Wii for that matter, as both machines are far more popular than the 360 in Japan and the complete lack of ‘care’, for lack of a better word regarding a possible PS3 version (surely the title’s original destination) further puzzles me.

Anyways, very little of the title itself was actually shown bar a pre-rendered trailer showing a couple of the characters and of course, the space travelling theme that has puncuated the series since it’s inception all those years ago.

What do you guys think of this announcement?

The recently revealed Call Of Duty 5, now known as Call Of Duty: World At War, is taking players back to WWII. Apparently, PS3, 360 and PC versions of the game will utilise the CoD4 engine that wowed gamers back in late 2007, whilst other versions will rely on older engines to depict the action.

Specifics regarding the WWII setting itself is that it’s the seldom used Pacific setting, where players will be battling German aligned Japanese forces across a series of islands and locations. In addition to this apparently, players will also find themeleves in Berlin, taking part in the conflict as Russian forces encroach upon the city. In addition to this, the game claims to sport a four player co-op mode also, which surely can only be a good thing.

While some concern may also stem from the fact that Tryearch, and not original Call Of Duty dev Infinity Ward, is developing the sequel, these fears may be allayed some what by the fact that this newest title has over one year of development time over the somewhat bland and hopelessly mediocre Call Of Duty 3.

While like many gamers I am disappointed at the somewghat recycled setting, I am cautiously hopeful that Treyarch have learnt the many lessons from their experience with Call Of Duty 3, and will deliver us an experience that doesn’t have us petitioning to have them takin of the franchise.

Fingers crossed.

Following on from the expected news a couple of months ago that 2K Marin with the help of Ken Levine would be making a Bioshock sequel, comes the unexpected news that Bioshock will be a trilogy, with the third installment in the underwater dystopian romp arriving sometime around the theatrical debut of the Gore Verbinski directed adaptation.

As it stands with the original Bioshock, 2K are 1 for 1, I just can’t help and feel a tad nervous and anxious about how the franchise will fare with a different developer instead of original developer 2K Boston (formerly known as Irrational).

Keep tuned 🙂

Well UbiSoft’s annual event is now behind us, giving the gaming public, retailers and press a much more solid idea about what to expect from Ubisoft for their forthcoming 08/09 slate.

– Brothers In Arms: Hells Highway (PC, 360, PS3)

Looking massively improved over previous builds with the PC version obviously being the most impressive at this stage. Even with that in mind, the console versions boast some impressive graphical trickery such as self shadowing, advanced particle effects and more. Gameplay wise, the game appears to adhere quite closely to it’s predecessors with the famed/hated suppression mechanic making a return and in the process highlighting a stark strategical difference between this title and other WWII FPS romps. Build wise, the devs are currently fine tuning the Unreal Engine 3 that the title uses as frame rate problems currently persist on all versions when the screen gets busy and of course, there is the obligatory bug/glitch squashing too. Ubisoft and developer Gearbox are aiming to get this one out for the end of August, and I’ll be keeping a close eye on this one to see how it shapes up.

– Tom Clancy’s HawX (PC, 360, PS3)

Taking the famed Clancy lineage to the air, HawX appears to be in many ways Ubisoft’s stern answer to Namco Bandai’s Ace Combat series of games. Apparently sporting a more serious and realistic setting than it’s Japanese peer, the title is set in the same pseudo modern-day setting that most Clancy titles exist in. Gameplay wise, the title is not at all dissimilar from the Namco offering, with plenty of dog fighting, bombing and extraction missions, not to mention a comparable online mode also. Technically the game appears to have a fair amount of sheen, but frame rate problems abound the closer you fly through the detailed cityscapes that the game offers. But with plenty of development time left, I’m pretty hopeful they’ll sort it in good time. Tom Clancy’s HawX is due for a Christmas release.

– Prince Of Persia (PC, 360, PS3, Wii, NDS)

Still without a solid, official title, Ubisoft showed off the newest Prince Of Persia title from the developers of the original Prince Of Persia: Sands Of Time. Abandoning the infamous time mechanic of previous titles and using an enhanced version of the Assassin’s Creed engine, Prince Of Persia looks every bit the franchise reboot. Whilst only a little gameplay was shown, the graphical style is staggering, painting an effective love letter to hand-drawn art and a fluidity most games would kill for. Sporting dark, twisted Arabian environments and similarly warped creatures, Prince Of Persia could perhaps be Game Of The Year on style alone. But maybe I’m getting a little too excited here. Very little gameplay was shown as I said and I’m still *very* curious about the state of the combat system, especially considering how wrong Ubisoft got it with previous games and how right over dev’s got it with their titles (I’m thinking of God Of War here). Anyways Prince Of Persia is due for release this Holiday season. Colour me excited.

– Far Cry 2 (PC, 360, PS3)

With original dev’s Crytek now left the Ubi-nest to shack up with EA, valid concerns would always remain regarding the quality of future Far Cry titles, especially considering the less than stellar console *versions*. Well, besides showing a PC version that’s pretty far along and looking mighty impressive, Ubisoft also surprised eager show-goers with a reveal of both console versions running side-by-side. Visually, both versions appear to be quite the treat, with superb physics, accomplished shadowing and great incidental details such as individual splinters spraying from destroyed houses and bits of paper floating through the air depending on wind direction. Again like most titles at the show, the title still requires a fair bit of tinkering on the visual front, with frame rate and VSync issues rearing the ugly heads on both console formats. In terms of gameplay, the game appears to return to the relatively free-form exploration of the first title, with nearly 50KM squared of African wild lands to explore and also sports the same kind of run ‘n’ gun action that the original title pulled off so well. Far Cry 2 is currently due this Holiday season for the PC and early next year for the PS3 and 360. Let’s hope Ubisoft can deliver us the full experience and not some ‘Instincts’ watered down cop out – console owners can do and deserve better.

– Beyond Good & Evil 2 (Platforms Unannounced)

Ranking as perhaps the most worst kept secret in the industry, the Michael Ancel sequel to the awesome game that you missed when you were too busy playing Need For Speed Underground and GTA: Vice City, was finally announced to much critical rapture and excited whooping. The trailer, apparently in real-time showcased some massively advanced effects, such as improved real-time shadowing, real-time reflections on liquid volumes and advanced bump mapping. Basically all that jargon adds up to a game that potentially looks as good as a Pixar movie. This is no joke. It actually DOES look like a Pixar movie. Anyway, nothing was revealed about the gameplay, the trailer instead focusing on showing off the funky new graphics engine and showcasing the pig character from the original game. Some gameplay would be nice, but until then, the very announcement of this game is enough for most people at the moment. No platforms have been announced for the title, nor a release date confirmed, but I would say don’t expect to see it for another year at least.

– Tom Clancy’s End War (PC, 360, PS3)

The traditional RTS gets a voice activated overhaul with Tom Clancy’s End War being the first RTS to be entirely voice controlled. Shipping with a microphone, the title allows players to give precise orders to individual units and organise their armies effectively. While the microphone itself wasn’t shown off too much, it appears to be sensitive enough to recognise commands easily enough; as always the real test will come from people’s differing accents and vocal tempos. Gameplay wise, the title appears to offer a varied selection of units and vehicles from Clancy lore, such as the aircraft used in HawX and the Recon units used in the Ghost Recon titles. Graphically, the game is modestly impressive with a battlefield that can be zoomed right into and soldiers that run, duck and shoot from cover giving them a dynamic to their nature not seen from soldiers in other RTS games. Multiplayer should be a hoot also with people barking orders to their armies and each other over XBox Live and the PSN.

Speaking of which, Ubisoft announced a private beta for the game which XBox Live users can sign up to.

Link below people 🙂

https://www.endwarbeta.com/signup/default.html

In a move that suprised no-one but surely has pleased *everyone* who ever played and enjoyed a fighting game in their lifetime, Capcom today issued a press release stating that the latest in it’s legendary fighting series is indeed coming home to the PC, XBOX360 and PS3.

THIS YEAR.

Ummm, I can’t wait? 🙂

Once the hysteria has subsided click on the linky below:

http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/876/876865p1.html