FK Fanzine: December 2008 in retrospect

With December and in fact all of 2008 now at it's end, I think that's time again to provide another month in retrospect, to let everyone know what we have been up to, and my thoughts on it all. 

As some of you may not know, December has been a very difficult month for myself due to computer problems, and illness, along with some other personal issues. By speaking with my fellow Fanzine staff, I can tell you that December was a pretty tough time for all of us, and I think that's part of why we didn't have more content this time around. On the bright side, I honestly believe that this coming month should go a bit more smoothly, or so we would hope anyway. Thank you again for continuing to read and support Fallen Knights Refuge, and you can look forward to a lot more content through the coming year!

Sincerely, LoC(Fanzine Editor& Chief) 

Happy New Years From Fallen Knights Fanzine!

Happy New Years  2009, from all of us at Fallen Knights Fanzine and Fallen Knights Refuge!

I had planned to have more content up in time for New Years Eve, to try and turn this into a little mini issue, but we still got a few new things here to tide you over, and we should have some more things ready for you later on New Years Day! In The mean time, check out our 2 new reviews, and check back in a few hours, when we should have more for you!

Wishing you all a wonderful 2009, 

- LoC

Langrisser II Review, by LoC

Langrisser II
Sega Genesis


Game Review - by  LoC

Intro:

Of all the Strategy/RPG series over the years, Langrisser has always been one of the most popular...in Japan at least. Unfortunely Career Soft only localized the first game in the U.S, under the title of Warsong. The game didn't sell very well on this side of the seas, although a small and loyal fanbase was established...even back then.


Story:

Decent enough for a Strategy/RPG I guess. Just not likely to win any awards. You play a character named Elwin,who's a desecendent of Langrisser I's Garret. There's an empire trying to claim the power of the dark sword, Alhazard. And the sword being "dark" and all is supposed to set all hell loose. So yeah, you have to claim the sword of light(also named Langrisser) to combat this threat.

Gameplay:

I once saw this series described as "Fire Emblem meets Advance Wars" and that's actually not a bad description. Like Fire Emblem you have a weapon triangle system, and like Advance Wars you have large numbers of troops serving under generals. If your troops are within a certain radius of their commander, they are given statistic bonuses. Depending on the commander's current level, these bonuses range from minimal to huge. So, you can bet it's in your best interest to keep those troops near their leader. Especially since if he/she dies, all the troops under their command go with.  

Challenge/Difficulty:

Well, I don't know how many of you have played the first game...but this one seemed a bit easier to me somehow.  That being said, this game still has more than enough challenge to keep most players entertained, and occasionally frustrated, but not TOO much! 

Graphics:

A pretty big improvement over the original's, but still not quite a work of art. They won't hurt your eyes at least, some of the attack animations look very nice. Sprites seem more super deformed than they were in Langrisser I, but they are still good enough. 

Sound:

One of the best soundtracks of ANY Strategy/RPG, at least if you ask me anyway! I believe the composer was the same one who did the scores for the Lunar RPG series, but I would have to doublecheck. Memorable and excellent music. 

Replay Value:

With multiple advanced character classes to try, there's more than enough to keep you coming back for more

Overall:

One of the best games for Sega Genesis was one that was never even released in the US, which is a complete shame. Your best bet would be to try and pick up an import copy, but even that may be hard to come by. Hopefully if there is any justice, somebody will port this game to the Nintendo DS, and release it in the US for once! 

Slayer - Diabolus in Musica Review by Rugter

Slayer - Diabolus in Musica Review

Slayer. The name of a band that has been stirring up controversy since ‘83. The name that some might see as satanic, some as “those crazy guys”, some as a terrible band that lives just ’cuz of pure controversy, some as the best thrash band ever, some as just a solid band all around. I am a part of the last group, mind you. With their 7th studio effort, Diabolus in Musica, the band decided to go on a new direction. As many of you know, commonly when a band says they’re “changing their sound” the critics go crazy with how will it be so they can… Well, criticize it, and the fans might as well die of fear of what the result could be. Diabolus in Musica is not different at all. In this delivery, the band decided abandon the Seasons in the Abyss sound and give more groove and a thicker guitar sound to their style. And for the most part, it works.

The opening track, Bitter Peace is a good show of their new sound while mixing it with their old sound. The 2 minute intro is quite good, starting slow and giving a good build-up. It’s possibly the 2nd fastest song of the album, and definitely a highlight. Of the new sound, you can notice Araya using more voice effects, drumming is groovier. There’s 2 solos, typical Slayer style. Overall, a good song. The next song, Death’s Head opens with bass and drums, then the main riff starts. Their new sound is pretty much obvious here. By 2:08, Araya starts playing a bassline that sounds like something of some old Slipknot CD, then the whole band joins in. Good song overall, but not a highlight. But the next song, Stain of Mind, is one. More groove in the opening, and then the verse opens. Then a short pre-chorus that is whispered, quite cool. The chorus is the best part of the song:
In fire baptized
All pain sifts through my soul
You’ll never feel greater misery
Master of my enemy
Let the purest stain of mind
Wash the virtue from your eyes!
The solo in this song is quite good too, ending with King doing some insane string bending which makes it sound really high-pitched. A highlight song. Next comes Overt Enemy. Intro with some radio broadcasts sounding, cliché but works well. Slow song overall, until 2:54, where it gains some speed. Quite a good riff there. A good song, though nothing special. Then comes Perversions of Pain. Enter the cheesiest lyrics of all Slayer: 
You better learn my name
‘cuz I’m the one insane
This is another fast song, yet not as good as Bitter Peace. With some solos thrown here and there, it’s actually a nice listen. In fact, the first solo is thrown after the first chorus. Song ends with Araya screaming “A higher level of pain” many times. Enter Love to Hate. The main riff sounds kinda Black Sabbath like. This is yet again a highlight. The chorus is definitely one of the most aggressive ones here:
You love to hate me
But you won’t kill me
Suicidal surge
Desensitize the world!
The riffs are good, we get one of King’s best solos, and the chorus sounds great. Sadly, it’s followed by the 2nd worst song on the album, Desire. After an interesting acoustic intro, the main riff starts playing, and Araya enters, trying to sound like a true necrophiliac (Which is the theme of the song), but he ends up sounding like a bad rip-off of Kurt Cobain mumbling every word. The solos in this song are typical Slayer bad, and the song feels like it drags on for too long. By the time it finishes, you’ll be happy that it has actually finished. The situation doesn’t get really much better, in any case. In The Name of God is one of the most repetitive songs of the album. A slow chugging riff in the verses, a few power chords for the chorus. By 1:50, the song gets faster, but it’s still a repetitive riff. King’s lyrics don’t make it much better. After Tom screams “Antichrist is the name of God! a few times, King gives another terrible solo. Of course, it had to get better, and Scrum gets the image clearer for this album. Lyrics based on… Rugby? Yes, believe it or not, that’s what the song is about. And the pace of this song fits the theme. It’s a fast thrasher, with Araya screaming with quite a bit or power. Good solo, too. Also the shortest song of the album, but still quite good, a highlight more. Sadly, then comes Screaming from the Sky. If you thought it couldn’t get more repetitive than In The Name of God, I’m sad to tell you that you were wrong. This song is even more repetitive, with a riff that is basically the same during the entire song. Araya sings thru a walkie-talkie or something, lame effect in this song, but would later be reused in Christ Illusion’s Jihad for an amazing ending. But it picks up for the ending. Point is easily the fastest song of the album, and possibly the best song of the album. Starts somewhat slow, but builds speed. A great solo by the beginning, then it becomes a force to be reckoned with. Araya screams with a lot of energy, then 2 really fast solos which use the typical formula of their solos, but more reminiscent of Reign in Blood. Araya screams ”Point is where all die!, a bit of drumming to get the song to an end, and the album closes.

Slayer went, decided what they wanted to do, did it and pulled it off quite well. The sound here was perfected in God Hates Us All (Well, kind of) and Christ Illusion. And heck, did they perfect the sound. Quite a good album, definitely better than God Hates us All and Divine Intervention (I feel there is too much filler in both), and far from their worst, even though not as good as their early stuff. Could have been better, but it is definitely not their worst as many claim it to be.

Pros and Cons:
+Has more groove than any of their stuff
+Thicker, heavier guitar sound
+Great production quality
+Some great solos
+The highlights are quite great: Bitter Peace, Stain of Mind, Love To Hate, Scrum and Point.
-Araya’s vocals can be annoying
-Some songs are too repetitive (In The Name of God, Screaming From The Sky)
-Desire

The good outweighs the bad, in any case

Individual Track Ratings:
Bitter Peace - 5/5
Death’s Head - 4/5
Stain Of Mind - 5/5
Overt Enemy 3.7/5
Perversions of Pain - 3.5/5
Love to Hate - 4.5/5
Desire - 2.5/5
In The Name of God - 2.75/5
Scrum - 4.5/5
Screaming from the Sky - 2.5/5
Point - 5/5

Total Score: 3.9/5, which I approximate to 4.

Call of Duty: World at War review

One of the most controversial sequels to a long running franchise has arrived. While many players fell in love with Call of Duty games for the first time with it's last installment, Modern Warfare, most of the opinions have been heavily divided over whether or not the series should return to WW2 considering the breakthrough success of CoD4. The big question for FPS fans is this: does World At War justify the return?

Story - 7/10

The storyline has never been a strong point of this franchise, with the exception of a few shocking moments in Modern Warfare, so it's not really a surprise that this doesn't live up the high standard set in the previous title and other first person shooters since the last WW2 Call of Duty. Instead of focusing on three different characters in the single player campaign, the game instead focuses on two and follows their exploits throughout the entire war instead of just one smaller conflict. The result is a much more satisfactory ending to both campaigns that wraps up with the close of the war instead of leaving the player to wonder what other battles their squads get into. The sad part about this game is that it completely lacks any sort of character development and makes it hard to really care about what goes on with your squad since there are only a few important characters and the rest of the squad is comprised of different soldiers that come and go, never really having any lines of dialogue to make them stand out from anyone else. All in all, this is standard CoD fare, which is a bit disappointing when you consider that the other major WW2 title, Brothers in Arms: Hells Highway did such a stellar job of enveloping you in the struggles that you and your squad face, showing you what psychological damage can happen as you find yourself seeing the darkest sides of war. Another comparison that is hard to avoid between the two ww2 titles is that both games present the cold unfortunate realities of war, but they do it in different ways. While many people have been feeling a bit uneasy about the now notorious opening sequence, which involves you being a P.O.W. and watching bloodshed in front of you, and the entire scene is a bit gut wrenching to watch, because Hells Highway has spent such a long time developing you and your squad, it's a much more emotionally stirring moment as you see teammates die before your eyes or your own personal struggle with sanity. On it's own, the story presented in World at War is honestly pretty forgettable, but it does a good job of portraying some of the larger battles in WW2 and the overall presentation, which feels like it was ripped directly from the history channel coupled with the real archived footage that is shown during the scenes does a good job of holding your interest until the game is over, but doesn't leave much to the imagination or any real desire to play back through it.


Gameplay - 7/10

CoD is back and just as solid as it's always been. So, why the 7? While the gameplay itself is just as strong as ever, it's very obvious that they played it safe and, while they did take a risk returning to WW2, it really does feel like you're playing a really well done CoD4 mod. Many of the perks from the last game are back, some being altered to work with the context of WW2 (such as releasing dogs instead of a helicopter), but it feels a bit formulaic and kind of leaves a bit to be desired. The maps are all well done and do feel original, with a few taking locations from the single player campaign and allowing them to be played with up to 18 players causing carnage from all directions. Vehicles have returned to the fray, working just like they did in CoD3, which is a good/bad thing. On a few of the maps, it almost feels like it ruins the balance if one team manages to score a tank since they take so much damage to take down and can easily destroy an entire squad in moments. On the single player side of things, you still progress through missions in the same linear fashion. Again, it's still a solid experience, but when your mind starts thinking about how epic some of the confrontations could be if you had a bit more freedom, it's really disappointing to see nothing much has changed since the original days. To break up the tedium of the single player campaign, there are a few vehicle segments, most of them being some of the more standout moments of the game and luckily, they're brief so they never really have enough time to feel as though they're overstaying their welcome. The weapons of destruction have returned, all of them feeling exactly as they should and it almost feels like the semi-automatic guns, like the Thompson and MP40 give you a lot more control then ever before, allowing you to make more precision shots if the need calls, but don't expect too much damage out of them. The big highlight of the game is the introduction of the flamethrower, which works like a big "Use-Me-To-Win!" button in the single player. Any time that your enemies are in a corridor, which there are plenty of, just whip this out and spray it for a few seconds to take out anything in your path. Another feature making its way to the game is enemies hiding into the trees, thanks to the first chance to play through the pacific front in a CoD title. It's not really as annoying as it sounds, since it tends to look like the enemies are actually crouching on the trees and are rarely ever hidden in the leaves. Also, during these moments, you almost always have a flamethrower conveniently located in your back pocket, so all you have to do is aim at the trees to win. The last major addition is the inclusion of Co-op play, which isn't really neccessary for most of the difficulties, but helps greatly if you're attempting to finish the game on veteran. The sad part about the structure of the game is that since many of the environments are (as previously mentioned) pretty linear, it feels like you have an extra hand taking down enemies instead of having to spend as much time waiting, but any of the levels could easily be accomplished single handedly if you have the patience. The one neat bonus about the co-op play is that if you're knocked down, a teammate can rush to your aid and revive you. At the same time, the annoying part is that if a teammate decides to rush straight into a hail of gunfire and you don't have enough time to rescue them, the mission ends for everyone and you have to restart at the last checkpoint. My advice? Make sure you know who you're playing with or everyone is using a headset. It would have been nice if there had a been a few unique mission to take advantage of the fact that others are playing with you instead of it just being the same recycled levels from single player with the exact same objectives and checkpoints. If you're wondering, the Nazi Zombie minigame is unlocked by finishing the game, and it's a different take on the zombies, more like Counter Strike than Left 4 Dead.

Sound - 8/10

Holding up to the quality of the series, the overall sound of the game is great. If you're using surround sound or a good set of headphones, you'll occasionally hear chatter from teammates and enemies coming from various locations of the field as bullets whiz by and your room vibrates as mortar shells explode nearby. The game does a great job of keeping you immersed with the constant sound of bullets whizzing by your head, occasionally causing you to look around in real life to figure out where that sound came from. The voice acting is incredibly well done as well, especially as you hear the battle cries of the other soldiers in the russian front charging towards the harder to obtain points on the map. While all of this is well done and even the vehicle sounds are great, a questionable choice is the actual score for the game. There's something very...out of place when you're crouching behind a wall, avoiding gunfire and trying to take out a pesky enemy sniper, when you hear the treads of a tank in the distance and that horrible groaning sound as it rotates its fire to you, then feel the impact of the shell thanks to the speakers, all while...listening to a terrible wannabe techno soundtrack? During the more intense moments, you'll hear the soundtrack swelling, but ...it's really out of place and doesn't sound that great on top of it. There's just something surreal as you rush towards a japanese bunker with two machine gunners aiming at you and a swarm of soldiers armed with nothing but a flamethrower, pistol, and a knife while having a bad drum n' bass song trying to encourage you to go on. At least it's not as bad as EA Trax and you can turn it off!


Graphics - 7/10

Compared to CoD4, this title doesn't really look all that bad, but when you put it alongside many of the other bigger titles this year, such as Far Cry 2, Motorstorm: Pacific Rift, Gears 2, or whatever, it really falls apart. The models themselves are pretty well done, but everything in the environment, excluding the particle effects, leaves a bit to be desired. The actual animation of the soldiers is pretty well done and just like many other titles this year, there is a damage modeling system that determines if you actually manage to shoot off a hand or a leg or whatever based on where you hit them at which is very impressive to watch. On the very last mission, there is a pretty chilling surprise as you rush towards the Reichstag, that is added by the slight ragdoll physics in the game. The explosions look especially terrifying, especially the first time you toss a grenade into a swarm of enemies and watch as one tries to pick it up, then literally see their corpse get ripped apart or tossed high into the air. The graphics do a great job of showing how violent war can be and really does a great job of setting the mood with the destroyed towns that you're rushing through to the lush environments in the pacific campaign that almost give you a fear of tall grass and trees, since you never know what may be lurking inside, just beyond your view. The biggest fault here is that the underlying textures for the world and the model for different things in it is really lacking. A lot of the urban environments have piles of wreckage, but when you're prone and using it for cover, which you will be, much of it looks like some bizarre polygonal structure with a big wreckage texture stretched over it. It was excusable in the past, but as games are pushing the bar constantly with refinements in graphics, it's a shame to see a game like this relying on tricks that would have worked years ago instead of actually using their budget to make a more believable environment. The biggest flaw is in the urban environments, which is a shame since the gameplay there became the more entertaining part, especially towards the end of the game. Looking at it from a distance, the game does look pretty solid, but if you're the person playing, you're guaranteed to notice the issue with the models of the environments themselves since you'll be spending so much time crouched or laying behind it. The good thing is that there was no real quality difference between the single player, co-op, and multiplayer ends however.


Overall - 7/10

The biggest problem with this game is that it feels more like an attempt to cash in on the success of CoD4 instead of really giving the player a solid WW2 experience. The game itself isn't bad or anything, but it really does feel more like a modified version of the previous game instead of it's own unique experience. The addition of co-op was a nice touch, but isn't as entertaining as it should be since you're just playing through the same missions as you were in single player with absolutely no alterations and the same restricted through the levels. Multiplayer is still as strong as ever, but with no real unique additions aside from the vehicles, it's really hard to suggest people check this out unless you're a huge fan of the franchise or love ww2 games. Thankfully, I'm a fan of both, but if you aren't sure about the entire return to ww2 thing, you'd probably do better sticking with CoD4 or looking at some of the other blockbuster titles of 2008.

The Game

That night a few weeks ago seemed so innocent. I was in Blind Spot trying to recover some face after failing at too many jobs. Blind Spot is a great place to rub elbows with the best and worst people of the city. The best come to rub how amazing they are in the faces of the worst…but tonight I was on everyone’s shit list. I completely botched my last job and was the only surviving member to make it back and meekly ask for pay. The rest of my team had been killed while we were breaking into Comtech for some computer chip. Bucky, Calypso and Lockout were all decimated by the security force that caught up with us. I managed to escape, but my dignity and future career went out with a bloody mess.

I’m what this city calls a Stranger. Strangers are essentially hired help for whatever price for whatever job. You need to have some corporate secrets stolen for a hostile takeover? Someone can do it. You need to have your ex-boyfriend snuffed out for being a total sleaze? I’m sure someone would do it for the right price. Most of the Strangers hang out in places like Blind Spot picking up jobs while drinks are served. People will either call us or call people known as Familiars to get their jobs done. Familiars are the head honchos for finding work for Strangers. They’re the ones to find the better jobs by talking to corporations or senators or something. Having a Familiar gives usually gets you higher paying jobs and more security that you’re not getting set up by Feds or something. To hide our true identities and so the fuzz doesn’t pick up on what we’re up to, all Strangers give out bogus names to build a reputation on. To name a few; Raven, Armitage, Mad Maxxine are some of the bigger names that are tossed around frequently and are held in the highest regard in Stranger society.

Everyone knows about Strangers. The majority of the media makes us out to be crazed terrorists that will attack your family and corrupt your children for any kind of money. There are others that idolize us and try taking our jobs in hopes of finding the underground glory that some of us have. They make up stories, hang out at the places we do when we’re finding jobs, end up in prison for theft, or in the hospital (or morgue) after picking the wrong fight a guy with a bigger gun. Posers usually get what’s coming to them from actual Strangers that find out they’re taking our work just to look cool.

It had been an awkward night of mockery and embarrassing fumbles. Some bald headed broad loaded with tattoos and sparkling dermal piercings on her face kept giggling and whispering to her equally body modified friends while they looked in my direction. All I could do was hunch closer to the bar counter like it was trying to absorb me into its onyx marble finish. I would hate this place if I didn’t need it so much. God forbid I become a desk jockey. I welcomed an interruption from the club which came in the form of a vibrating cell phone with an enthusiastic, "Whathefug d'you want?"
My Familiar, Symtum… she’s a social darling and an absolute jewel of a woman for continuously hiring me for work. However, Symtum is a woman not to vex. She’ll rip you apart socially, and then send her grunts to finish off what’s left of your sorry nameless carcass. Personally, I’ve never seen her. But she’s obviously seen me and knows I’m hurting bad financially and also my reputation is somewhere at the bottom of the trash with an empty tequila bottle. She probably realizes I’m a little drunk too. She knows I’m dying to get off my losing streak and willing to do anything to get back the fame and funds. Anything than what she’s about to tell me.
Her voice was like a velvet ginsu knife as it cut through my eardrum and caressed my brain as she spoke smoothly, “Hun, I know times are tough,” She says like she was talking to a close friend and not someone she was, “I know you’re hurting, sweetheart, but I promise things’ll get better for you.”

“Yeahwull, they cant get ennyworse,” I snapped back with the classic comeback as the bartender filled my shot glass to the brim with golden liquid courage.

“See? That’s what I like about you, darling. You’re so positive.” I could feel her words like she was petting the side of my ear with her voice, “I have something for you that I know you can pull off. I know you can and there’s no one else involved but you, lovely.”

No answer from me indicated that I was listening like a good little girl.

“Excellent.” She said,

“Now listen. It’s an easy job and it would take a complete idiot to muck it up. I know you’re an idiot, but you’re my idiot, babydoll. All it takes,” she said, her voice lowering, like her mouth was dripping with raw sex, “is for you to pick up a something for me at the subway station; a little silver attaché case. That’s it, honey. It’s that easy!”

It’s never that easy. It’s never just picking up a case at the subway station. There’s always someone waiting with a bigger gun protecting that little silver case. There’s always something planted on the case for someone to find and kill you later. There is always something.

“Darling,” She said, her silken tongue spun the pet name around my earlobe and into my skull. “You need to go now, sweetie. You’re so close, doll. Go now. I’ll upload the directions to you now. Unless…” She paused, like she was waiting for an objection we both knew wouldn’t be coming up. The directions were uploaded into my cell phone. The subway in question wasn’t far from Blind Spot; maybe five minutes tops if I ran.

“Call me when you get it, babe. Just don’t open it.” The line goes quiet. I wanted to ask why she picked me. I wanted to ask why it was important. I wanted to ask her if I had pissed her off recently. But, what questions would she truthfully answer anyway?

I stuck my tab with the body modders and left Blind Spot with my stomach in knots. I knew something like this was destined to end up going wrong. Strangers that did jobs alone were either notoriously exceptional at what they did or they were dead. Although, I thought as I felt for my gun holstered at my chest, it is only picking up a case. The city was still alive even at two in the morning when I stepped outside. I hoped I would be as well in the next hour or so. The night air was cool and the streetlights gave the cityscape a soft yellow tint. I clutched my coat tightly to myself and started to jog across the street. It wouldn’t be far.

It was ten minutes and I was in the white and red sterile subway station. It was vacant and quiet even as I was heading down the stairs. Usually there was at least one poor wretch begging for my change. My paranoia, partnered with my heartbeat, skyrocketed as the stairs came to the boarding platform. I wasn’t alone anymore, but that didn’t set me at ease.

As I thought, the job of picking up a little silver attaché case ended up being something more complex. There were around two dozen men wearing matching black suits waiting at the subway station with guns in hand. Each of them smiled giddily when I gawked at them with a mixture of dread and stupefied terror etched in my face. When the bullets flew, so did I. I got lucky and dropped two of them with the first round of bullets. The remaining ten ducked started to knock over the benches for cover and started firing bullets rapidly. I would have made John Woo proud if I hadn’t fought so dirty. I ran on walls, blind fired at anything that moved. I shot them in the back. One of those goons nearly had me. He had me pinned down on the floor with a gun to my head, but then I started to cry about having children at home. When his face softened and gun lowered, I turned his face into pulp. It’s not to say that these gentlemen were complete moppets. I could feel bullets in my shoulder and a few lodged in my gut. Only when the three bodies were on the ground dead was when I started to feel the bullets in my body. I was sobbing as I stood in the subway that was painted in various blood types.

I’m spitting up blood. I wish I could say something beautiful about my bodily fluids being vomited out of my mouth and onto the ground in front of me. It’s not. Even when all is said and done, I still hadn’t seen anything of this mysterious silver attaché case. I slipped on my own blood that I just spat up and the ground quickly met up with my face. At this particular point in time, my body was already wracked with pain, so the fall only makes me wail like a banshee to match the oncoming sirens.

But there it was. There was the silver attaché case right under the bench closest to me. I slithered over to the case and ignore whatever the hell Symtum said earlier about not opening it up. I earned this. If it’s money, I thought, I’m buying off the cops that should be showing up here soon. If the case has a gun or something with a minor sharp edge, I’ll go hunt down Symtum and carve out her smug face. I propped my back against an overturned bench that was previously used for cover and I opened the case. I nearly threw up at what I saw.

Inside the case rested a single sheet white paper written in elegant black calligraphy, “Welcome back to the game, Princess.”

Meccha! Taiko No Tatsujin DS: 7-tsu no Shima no Daibouken Review

The second entry for DS in the long-running Taiko No Tatsujin franchise has arrived and I can say that the wait was definitely worth it. While it's not going to be breaking any boundaries on what you can expect from rhythm gaming, it still makes a solid standing on the handheld and deserves a spot in every rhythm gamers collection.

Gameplay - 9/10

Meccha Taiko No Tatsujin doesn't really bring anything new to the table, but what it does do exceptionally well is present the same addictive gameplay from the arcade and console versions and delivers that same style in a portable format, meaning that if you're waiting in a line and just feeling like throwing in a quick session with the Soul Calibur theme, within seconds you're in the song on your selected difficulty and tapping away. The bottom screen functions as the drum, with the middle of the screen (which shows the drum itself) being used for the red buttons that fly across the top and the outer edges (the empty space around the drum) functions as outside hits. Similar to the arcade, there are times where there are larger circles which on the arcade version indicated that you needed to hit the drum with both sticks but because the ds can't detect two simultaneous presses, hitting the center of the drum is the large red buttons and the extreme edges of the screen are the larger blue buttons. While the game does come with two cute taiko styluses (stylii?) if you can find the bundle, you'll quickly find that it's much more effecient to just tap the screen with your finger. Initially there are three difficulties open, with a 4th difficulty being awarded for gaining a certain number of medals from getting higher scores on the first 3. While the songs that you unlock on the hardest difficulty aren't on par with DDR's Max 300, Free Bird in GH2, or any of the other higher tier songs in other console/arcade music games, they do present a challenge because you're just using the touch screen and much more limited with your movements than you would be on an actual arcade style taiko drum. On the other hand, the difficulty of the more challenging songs are just as difficult as many of the songs in other portable rhythm games, from DJMax to Daigasso Band Bros, so don't expect the Oni difficulty to be a cakewalk. There are unlockable costume pieces to customize your taiko and make him your own, with the clothing being unlocked as you play the game more and more while accomplishing different objectives. The touch screen holds up pretty well during the frantic sections, meaning that if you miss something in a song, it's typically because of your own error and not a touch screen malfunction. Lastly, there are plenty of different songs from the same genres that are present in the other taiko games ranging from catchy j-pop and Namco originals extending to classical tunes, with plenty of other genres represented in the game. If you're not a fan of japanese music however, you may be a bit turned off by the song selection. Just in case anyone was wondering, if you don't want to tap your screen that often for fear of damaging it, you can select a few button layouts if that's more of your thing, but it makes certain songs a bit more difficult to do.


Sound - 10/10

What would a music game be without an awesome soundtrack? Britney's Dance Beat, of course. Luckily, this game strongly delivers in that department, with all of the music holding up well with or without headphones. Just as in other versions, every hit of the drum is heard in game, meaning that you literally are playing the music instead of just pressing some button that opens a track in the song, so it's really neat when you're sitting there and listening to the sound of your fingers/stylus tapping out the beat of the music, almost adding another layer to it. The cute yells of "100 COMBO!!!!" are all still intact, as well, giving the game an even cuter feel that the graphics do alone. Again, while there is a pretty large library of songs for a portable game (around 40), if you aren't a fan of japanese music, you're probably going to find this to be quickly grating, then again, if that turns you off, you probably shouldn't be looking at this review in the first place.

Graphics - 8/10

Fans of the series are probably going to find a lot to love here, fans of cute things are going to find a lot to love here. Unfortunately, especially because this is a portable game, there's a pretty big chance that someone is going to look over your shoulder and instantly dismiss this for another "crazy japanese game" or a childs game which is terrible due to the quality gameplay and complex songs present later in the game. The visuals are extremely easy on the eyes while capturing a cute, cartoonish, and almost heartwarming art style that has been present in the previous games. While it might not be the most creative thing in the world for the series, it is really nice to see that they were able to represent the games so well on the handheld. Nearly nothing was lost in the transition, and the game only gets more adorable as you start to customize your taiko, changing everything from the clothes to the color scheme. If you don't think your little taiko drum dressed up in a panda suit and giving you the biggest smile ever isn't the cutest thing, then your heart must be completely lost. The gameplay consists of the standard "press the button when it passes under the bigger transparent one" so there's nothing super creative there, but it is cute to see that, as you get larger combos, the entire cast of the game pops up on the top screen and encourages you as all of these vivid colors flash in the background. While the visuals aren't really risking anything and staying true to the franchise, it is a really endearing art style that we rarely get to see in games these days and is a bit of change from the normal realistic palates so many games depend on.


Overall - 9/10

Meccha Taiko No Tatsujin DS is one of those games you really wish that everyone would have the opportunity to play, but because it's almost impossible to find an american import gaming store and the fact that not everyone is willing to order from import gaming sites, many are going to miss. In my personal opinion, this is the best ds rhythm game that you can buy import or otherwise. The song selection is incredibly charming, the graphics are cute, yet don't distract you while you're playing the songs, and the game itself plays just like it should, especially on DS. While part of me wishes that they would release this game in the US, or anywhere outside of Japan, I did purchase the US PS2 version and because the songs were mostly american classic pop hits, the entire feel of the game felt lost. That said, if you're a fan of import gaming or rhythm games, this game is definitely worth a purchase and easily holds it own against most other music games that have come out in the last few years anywhere.

A Kingdom For Keflings review

There comes a time in every gamers life where something is released from out the blue that finds a way into your heart. A Kingdom For Keflings was unfortunately written off instantly as being a cheap attempt to cash in on Avatars since it came out the day of the NXE update, but there's so much more to it than that. While it might not be another Halo, Gears of War, Fallout, or any of the other blockbuster titles, it is an incredibly easy to get into but very deep, rewarding, and charming title.

Story/Motivation - 7/10

There really isn't much to the game in terms of story, but there is something infinitely more compelling about just trying to see how large you can get your city to become. While the game does give you different missions to accomplish, it feels more like a logical progression of events than feeling like it's forcing these goals on you. Chances are that by the time you get into the game, you will set a mental goal for yourself to eventually make that castle and elaborate fortress your mind conjures up the more you play, so you would end up building all of the required structures anyway. A nice touch is that when you are able to finally elect a town leader by placing one of the keflings into the town hall, they are the voice that gives you the objectives you need to complete in order to gain more love (which counts as a resource. whodathunkit?) that in turn allows you to create more structures and have more keflings populating your world to do your bidding. The small bit of writing that is present is incredibly charming and once you sink yourself into the charming universe, you'll find yourself laughing at some of the more off the wall jokes. The reason I'm marking this section so low is that while everything that is there is pretty genius, it kind of feels like if they wanted to do it, they probably could have included a more story driven mode, since there's already a separate sandbox mode if you don't feel like doing the goals in the order they specify.


Gameplay - 9/10

I knocked it off one point because there is no cover mechanic which is ess...wait...wrong game! Keflings controls incredibly well and while the game itself may not be as complex as something as Sim City or Civilization, its simplicity is what makes it what it is. The big feature of the game is that you can either choose from a pre-made character or pop your avatar into the game and control them, which works somewhat like the creatures from the pc hit title, Black & White. Instead of watching your avatar freely roam about, you have direct control over their actions, which is a lot more intuitive than it sounds. While most games in this genre would have easily just placed a cursor on the screen, since your avatar takes up physical space and, while they may be a giant among the keflings, you find yourself moving some of the things around the town that the keflings would take a lot longer to do in a lot shorter time. The keflings themselves are people that you can assign different specialized tasks to and they continue to do them until you assign them to do otherwise. To be blunt, they are resource gatherers. If you were wondering, there are no enemies, so your main motivation in the game is again, to just build up your own city and to play it however you want to. If you find yourself getting bored or annoyed with a few of the keflings, you can pick them up and kick them, which is always a blast to do, and since the game isn’t to in depth, there is no hatred meter you need to watch out for. That's right, you can abuse your keflings all you want to and they will continue to do exactly as you say! Building structures consists of you going to one of the various factories that you construct, picking a building from the blueprint screen, then getting the various supplies you need and placing them in a predetermined pattern. Typically, building structures in these kinds of games is somewhat boring since it involves clicking on something, clicking on what you want to build, then sitting there and waiting, but since you're actively building the structures, it really does make the task seem to pass faster. A few of the larger structures that take a lot more time to build may possibly get on your nerves since you have to drag so many parts around, but overall it's not that bad. The one downside to the game is that, while there is a sandbox mode, the overall size of the world, which initially feels gigantic, starts to feel more and more confined as you start running out of resources and expanding your kingdom in every direction possible. Just to reinforce it, it needs to be said that this is not the most complex game ever, so don't expect having to build sewers or work out traffic routes, but what the game does give you for the low cost of 10$ is an incredibly enjoyable experience that really stands out and has a really creative use for avatars.

Sound - 5/10

Sound is not this games forte. The music, while it does reinforce the lighthearted feel of the world, quickly becomes grating since there's only a song or two. Luckily for 360 owners, there's always the custom soundtrack feature! The keflings themselves really don't have much to say, so the entire game is just pretty quiet overall, aside from the one song that's constantly playing. At the same time, if you were picking this game up expecting some sort of awesome sound effects, epic score, or whatever, you're probably in the wrong place anyway!


Graphics - 8/10

Similar to Fable, this game has its own unique style and that's why the graphics excel. While it's obviously not going to be on par with any of the major retail releases, it does hold it's own against most of the originals games present on XBLA. The characters that are already included in the game each has their own unique look that really captures the feel of being a hero, but most people are more likely to dive in and insert their own avatars instead. While there aren't any options for customization in game, it still looks pretty neat to see your avatar running around the lush world of KFK, gathering resources, helping the Keflings, etc. The Keflings themselves only come in a male and female variety, but as you gain more facilities and have them specialize in things, you'll notice small details, such as educated citizens wearing hats, shepards that carry canes with them, loggers pulling out their axes when the duty calls, and all sorts of other minor flourishes that really help to characterize your citizens. The world isn't as fleshed out as it could be, but it still looks very nice and has a slightly cartoon-styled look. As you play, you'll find yourself progressing through the different seasons, each showing its highlight, such as flowers beginning to bloom in spring to the cascading snowfalls of winter. Perhaps because I bought the game not expecting much out of it, I was more than surprised to see all that it offered when it came to the graphics, and the only part that I can distinctly remember any slowdown happening at was when the season transitioned to Winter and the snow falls, which is only temporary and doesn't really break the game. Speaking of the snow, another minor touch that was unnecessary but really helps is that during that season, the snow accumulates on the buildings. To go further into the type of customization you can do in the game, eventually you gain the ability to construct a paint shop, which allows you to designate one kefling as a sort of paint brush for your buildings. Using the basic structure, you have a palate of colors to choose from that, albeit basic; really help you make your kingdom your own. This aspect alone distracted me for probably an hour or two, as I went around randomly changing the colors of buildings until I figured out what way would benefit my playing style the most. Just to completely make you feel as though you are in control of these keflings, or that they are strongly dependent on you, until you designate a job to them (which is done by picking them up as they dangle helplessly in your grasp until you drop them on a building), they kind of follow you around and occasionally yell out to get your attention, which may be the cutest thing ever in a strategy game.


Overall - 8/10

Kingdom For Keflings is a surprisingly deep and addictive title, especially if you are a fan of the city building genre. As I've previously stated, don't go into it expecting Sim City or Civilization, but just a game that shines for what it is. Sadly, a lot of people are likely to pass this up because Microsoft did a terrible job of explaining what it was, but for anyone who does at least give it a shot, it's likely to find a permanent spot in your heart and really does deserve a purchase for it's low price. Due to me not having many friends with the game, and the ones I do are rarely on at the same time, I was unable to test out the multiplayer functionality, but it does sound like it would be a lot of fun to invite a friend to your city and enlist them to help you build! Of course, it's more likely that they would try to impede your progress, but since there is no real sense of losing in the game, it's almost entertaining to try to cause mayhem. Lastly, while the world isn't gigantic, it is big enough for you to completely lose yourself in for hours at a time, staying up to try to get just a little bit more love to make another house to get a few more keflings in your town. There's also a sandbox mode if you feel like just doing whatever you want to whenever you want to, which does open up the free-form factor of the game even more. If you've got the change, you should definitely pick this up, but if you're skeptical or don't have the money on you, do yourself a favor and at least try the demo.

Ask-A-Girl

Alrighty guys and gals, it's time for Ask-A-Girl again! I hope these answers suffice for those that sent in questions, and guys, please don't be shy! I'm always up for having questions being asked.

There is a hole in my sock right now, my toe keeps sticking out of it, it's really irritating me. How irritating is it to have a hole in your crotch like that? It must be like 8-million-plus-1 times worse, right?

Sincerely,
Ima Cocker

Dear Ima Cocker,

It is rather irritating to have a hole in our crotch like that, but we do actually get pleasure from this said hole, whereas I'm not too sure the hole in your sock gets much pleasure. Here's a trick: next time your toe goes through the said hole, bend down and listen to it. If you don't hear any sound, apologize to your sock for not giving it the time of day that it deserves.

Can you identify the body or the living person of the slave called Spartacus?

Signed,
Roman Soldier.


Dear Soldier,

I'm not quite sure that I could possibly identify the body of the slave called Spartacus, but I'm sure that if you travel over to the museum in Rome, you'll be able to learn all about him, and possibly visit his grave, if you manage to survive that long as I heard that there are many obstacles you have to go through, including certain ones that may lead to your death if you're not careful, before being able to get to it. Best of luck!

How come no girls have lasers coming out of their eyes? I mean, isn't everyone supposed to secretly be a space cyborg from the year 37890?

Sincerely,
Lonely Cyborg

Dear Lonely,

I do not know who has revealed this information to you. I have informed FBI agents, along with detectives, and firefighters that someone has revealed too much information to you and you must be detained IMMEDIATELY (this, of course, is code for telling you that you need to just check behind the girl's hair and you'll see a button. Press it, and the lasers will come out).

Kiwi's Explosively Great Stories

I present yet some more of Kiwi's amazing totally awesome stories!!

Spot the Timber Wolf anxiously bounded up the walkway to the door of his best friend's, Robert the Mad Dog, house. He stopped at the door, took a breath, then blew the door down with his arm-mounted lasers. "You didn't knock, you rude mech!" exclaimed Robert as he glared at Spot. "Sorry, I was in a hurry."

"I'll excuse your lack of manners, this time."

"So, what are our plans for tonight?"

"The same thing they are every night, Spot." Spot thought for a moment, "Eat babies?" Robert paused at this, "Ok, maybe it's not the same thing we do every night."

"Ooooo, what is it?"

"Dunno! Let's go!"

As they left, a thought struck Spot, "Hey Robert, if there's no door, what's gonna stop thieves?" Robert shrugged, "Everything I have is rigged to violently explode should someone try to steal it."

"How would they know that will happen?"

"When it goes off in their face, I imagine."

Inane conversation continued for some time until they met Tiffany the Cauldron Born. "Hi, Tiffany!" said Spot waving at her. "How is our obligatory female today?" asked Robert. Tiffany waved back and said, "I'm alright, whatcha doing?"

"No clue, but it will probably involve explosions. Wanna come?" said Robert. "Sure! It's not like I have anything better to do!" said Tiffany as she joined the two on their walk to someplace. "What were you gonna do?" Spot asked Tiffany. "I was gonna help out at the orphanage down the street. They've been busy since someone went on a rampage through that neighborhood." Robert looked up at the sky in thought for a moment, "Oh yeah! That was us who did that! Do you think you can pick us up some babies there later?" Tiffany nodded, "Sure! I'll see what I can do!"

And so their heroic journey began.
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Wasn't that just great? If you disagree with me, then Kiwi will hunt you down and blow you up. ^_^ Here's the next part.

"Hey Robert."

"Yeah, Spot?"

"Where do babies come from?" At this, the trio stopped moving. "Well, ummm... I don't quite know, what about you, Tiffany?" Tiffany thought for a moment, then put forward her theory, "Well, ya know how sick and dead people go to hospitals?" The other two nodded their heads. "Well, maybe they salavge the parts from the dead and what sick people don't need. Then they use those parts to make babies!" The other two thought for a moment and realized this made a good deal of sense. "But why do they need two people for a baby?"

"To sign waivers and such?"

"Yeah, you can't trust a single person these days." With a legendary mystery solved, they continued on with their journey. They continued for a while until Robert spoke up, "Hey, do you hear something?" The group listened intensely and then ran to the source. They found an orange Raven running around a Nova Cat, shooting him with pulse lasers, and repeatedly yelling "Pester!"

"It's the Pester Machine!" exclaimed Spot. They sat back and watched the fight. It continued in the same manner it had been for about a minute, until the Nova Cat managed to nick him with one of his lasers. The Pester Machine stood still and gasped. "You... You... YOU HIT ME!" with that he ran around the Nova Cat faster then he had been, yelling "PESTER!" at a rate faster then any mere mortal could even hope to approach. "SO MUCH PESTERING!" shouted the Nova Cat in sheer frustration. Then, he exploded.

The trio approached the annoying menace. "You've slowed down." said Robert. "He was more patient then they usually are. How are you guys?"

"We're good, and we're on a journey. Wanna come?"

"Will there be people to pester?"

"More then likely."

"I'm in then!"
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(Any copyrighted characters or material belong to their respective owners, don't sue, plzkthnx)
Tune in next part for more of Kiwi's fantastic stories! As always, if you enjoyed this stories and want to read more log into Fallen Knights Refuge and look up Members' Works. And bug Kiwi for more as well.

Ask-A-Guy

Because Kiwi is too stupid to upload it himself.

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Kiwi was lured into this thing, with promises of candy, where women send Kiwi questions and he answers them. Since the questions have been pouring in, Kiwi will only answer one this time because he is evil.

Dear Kiwi,
How can you tell if a guy likes you?

Signed,
A Confused Girl

To Confused Person (this means Kiwi ain't sexist, right?),

Well, there are many ways a guy will show that he likes you. He may just come out and say it, but Kiwi's guessing that isn't the case.He may be showing it by regularly going out of his way to help you, or he may just be a gentleman, but then again, chivalry is dead. If he gets nervous around you that can also be a good indication as well. Giving things to you, spending unusual amounts of time with you, and other such things are obvious signs. It depends on what kind of person he is, if he acts differently around you that is usually the best indication, short of a declaration of his love for you (which is the only sure sign).

That's it for now. Go ahead and send Kiwi some more loaded questions, or some food, that works too.

Ask-A-Girl

Alright so, this new idea has been brought up by The Liztress, and I volunteered to be the bait. I'm not sure if I was supposed to post this, but since I have nothing else to do, I'm going to anyway. But, here's how it'll go: I will be responding to questions that the readers, you guys, will be sending to me. But, the trick is, I only will be answering questions from males. I will respond to 3-5 questions for every post I make. Here are the questions for this post/week.

Kat, Why do women say "This dress is a perfect fit and I love the colour, I'll go try something else on"?

Yours Sincerely,
Arnold J. Rimmer

Dear Mr. Rimmer,

When women usually say this, it means that though they love the dress that they're trying on, they want to see if there is anything better because they don't want to "settle" for something, when something else might be better. It basically relates to commitment issues, and if your girlfriend/wife says anything like this when you're out with her, you need to take them aside and ask them if there's anything wrong with the relationship. If not, tell her which dress you think looks the best on her, because that's also what women are usually looking for: the guy's opinion on what they think looks best.

Why are women's breasts so coveted, desired, etc by men? What kind of magic do they have that simply just attracts guys and makes them want to grope said breasts so much?

Sincerely,
Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

I myself have asked this question and I'm not sure what they answer is, though I can offer my opinion. I think guys are attracted to breasts mainly for the reasoning that they help the woman look desirable to the man. Bras push them up, shirts help push them out, and they make the woman look, as I said, desirable to the man. But don't take it as truth as this is just my opinion?

How do I shot web? How I mine for fish?

Sincerely,
Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

idk, lol