... Superman ...

Richard Donner’s Superman is really two films. Mostly, it’s a bouncy comic book adventure, a silly jaunt that paints it’s drama and conflict with the same broad strokes and bold colors of the original comic. Unfortunately, it’s also a delivery vehicle for joyless sci-fi monologues. Fortunately, the rest of the film **ehem** flies by, carried mostly by Reeve’s goofy charisma and dopey do-gooding.

Opening with a 5-minute lazerific credit sequence, director Richard Donner makes clear his intent to A) assault the senses and B) do it very very slowly. The adventure begins on Krypton, a day-glo planet made of plastic and tin foil which is powered by hula-hoops. Donner keeps the audience on the edge of the back of their seats with a riveting look at the inside workings of the Kryptonian legal system, judicial and congressional branches both.

Ah, but these myriad learnings of governmental protocol are all for naught when the planet is blown up by its own inability to contain gooble energy with is yakkity blah blah hoops of power something something. For humanity’s benefit, the baby who will become Superman is launched off of Krypton and into a special effects montage where he flies through hundreds of thousands of miles of heavy metal record covers before landing in (the much cheaper to film) Smallville.

It’s here that Donner finds his legs, finally injecting the film with humanity and intrigue. His is a Norman Rockwell America, with a teen-filled jalopy in every garage and a microscope on every desk. And, it works in the films favor – it’s hard to resist the go-get-’em gumption with which he directs and simply impossible not to get swept away in the scope of the wide open mid-west.

It’s all quickly torn away as Clark finds himself short a family member and bound for Metropolis in hopes of finding his fortune. And, find it he does at The Daily Bugle. Sorry, The Gotham Gazette. Sorry. The Daily Planet. From there, it’s Super-by-the-numbers. Clark and Louis meet cute, court cute, fly cute, and recite internal poetic monologues in broken meter cute. All the while, Lex Luthor devises a plan to steal California. Because what else would a super villain do?

Having been made before Burton re-wrote what the superhero format could be, this iteration of Superman falls into all the campy trappings laid forth by the source material and decades of low-budget serials. As entertainment, the film mostly plods forward amicably. As an effects extravaganza, Superman is beyond dated. The once epic visual effects would embarrass even the most amateur video enthusiast playing around in his garage these days.

The film’s greatest special effect is Christopher Reeve himself – the very definition of a crowd pleaser. He’s sweet, silly, humble and handsome as hell. He somehow even manages to laugh off logistic absurdity that is the third act with such jovial confidence that the audience can’t help but give in, no matter how mind-bendingly stupid the plot really is.

Worth the pocket-change price of admission? Yes! Absolutely. Just skip forward until Clark gets to Smallville.

What the 13 year-old boy in all of us needs to know about this film: Marlon Brando is in this movie because of course he is.

“Check me out in all my polygonal glory!”

Overview:
I’m going to be completely honest. I didn’t know much about Kid Icarus or Pit before he was featured in Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii. Perhaps at one point in my youth my brother and I might have rented the first game from the local video rental shop Megavideo. But there was nothing there that made the game memorable to me whatsoever. I had a chance to play a demo of Uprising at a Nintendo event over a year ago and it piqued my interest. As the game grew nearer to completion and more media was released, my interest had grown so much that it had become a “pick up on launch day” kind of game for me.

Standard heaven military equipment.

Review:
The Goddess of Light Palutina has brought back Pit to fight off Medusa,  destroy the underworld, and battle a menagerie of other gods and creatures. You are tasked with flying and guiding Pit through an interesting take on an ancient war laden land inhabited by familiar and unfamiliar gods. This marks another beautifully designed and graphically amazing game on the 3DS. With some of the largest set pieces and level layouts I have seen yet. Even if you’ve had no interest in the Kid Icarus series before this point, you will definitely want to pick it up and give it try. I guarantee you have never played anything quite like it. Especially on a handheld system.

“Awww…Stop it. You’re making me blush.”

Gameplay/Story:
Uprising is essentially part rail shooter and part 3rd person action platformer. But it goes much deeper than that. Where some games work hard at separating the story and game modes. This game combines them. While you fly through the first part of each stage your characters will be conversing and essentially explaining the plot and things going on around you. It seems a little distracting at first but as you go on you realize it’s a truly genius way of doing it. It should also be noted that the dialogue is fantastic. At times I found myself even laughing out loud. Much to the dismay of fellow train riders who weren’t privy to the hilarity in front of mine eyes. The villains are great too. Each one has their own quirky personality. Sometimes you converse with them throughout the entire stage. You make fun of them and they make fun of you. You almost feel bad sometimes when you beat them because they were so gawsh-darn funny.

He was way funnier when he had 3 heads.

Controls:
The flight sequences are controlled by steering Pit with the analog nub, aiming with the stylus, and firing with the L-trigger. After you land at your designated landing points in each stage you continue on foot. From here you will beat up badies by running, dashing, jumping, and shooting the holy thunder out of them. The controls changes slightly on foot with moving with the analog nub, aiming and camera movement with the stylus, and again firing with the L-trigger. It may seem a little difficult at first to fine tune both aiming and moving the camera with the same action. But as time goes on you will be surprised other games don’t play as fluidly as Uprising. Though I have heard that it can be challenging for lefties. But I think it is possible to play with the circle pad pro attachment and use your stylus with your left hand.

Cutting with stylus.

Music:
This is one of my favorite things about the game. Every single track of music in the game is fully orchestrated. From the menu music to the boss fights. It doesn’t matter. It’s all live instruments. (With the exception of sometimes pulling classic snippets of the original game music for when a certain enemy appears.) It really gives the game, which is on a handheld system, a big feeling. It’s the kind of quality you would expect from a larger scale system game on the PS3 or XBOX 360.

*Bum bum ba ba BUMMM ba BUM* (use your imagination.)

3DS Features:
Of course the game can be played in either 3D of 2D. This option is always available. I recommend playing in 3D on the first play through at least. The sweeping landscapes for the flight sequences look great and play better in 3D. Though it can be a little tiring on the eyes for the on foot parts of the game. This is mainly because you are moving the camera a lot. It can also be tiring on your hands too. Luckily the game includes a free stand for you to rest the 3DS on to help alleviate any cramping or if you are playing at a table. I love it. I use it for any game now, if I am playing at my desk.

Handy dandy standy. Making cramped wrists a thing of the past.

-Together Mode:
One great feature for the game is the multi-player which is called Together Mode. The Online and local play features exclusive maps where you can battle it out in Light VS. Dark Mode, where you play 3 on 3. Each team must defend it’s designated Pit or Dark Pit character. There is also Free-For-All, which is a 6 person melee. Players go nuts and beat the heavens out of fellow angels with the weapons of their choice. This is a great feature because you can use any weapons you acquire during the story mode and use them in online play. This works in reverse as well because you can use weapons you earn online in the story mode. I recommend taking breaks during story mode to earn yourself some higher level weapons to help you through some of the later stages.

Dude on the left: “I’ve been practicing these moves all day.”

-Street Pass:
Street pass this time around lets players create gems of a weapon of their choice. Every street pass shares your gem with passerby’s, and theirs with you. You can then either convert them to a useable weapon using your hearts (in game currency) of combine them to a different weapon using hearts as well. As mentioned before you can use any weapons you gather in both the single player campaign and the multi-player mode.

Don’t worry. It’s synthetic wolf fire.

-AR madness
A truly unique feature with this game is the inclusion of a collectable card game to be used with the 3DS’s camera. Included with the game are a few AR cards featuring different characters from the game. These cards can be used to look at 3D models of the characters similar to the built in game on the 3DS. After scanning the cards it will unlock collectable idols within the game where you can view the character and look at a bio about them. The interesting part is the cards can only be obtained through special promotions. Whether it be through various magazines, the Nintendo online club store, or special Nintendo events.

Gotta scan ‘em all.

Final Thoughts:
It’s been a long time since I played a game that has been this refreshing. The story mode is a solid 24 chapters that you don’t want to end. Giving you plenty of hours of fun game play. There is so much content that even after beating it and playing the online multi-player mode, I feel like there is still so much to do. The game is constantly rewarding you for playing. With useful rewards too. Like more weapons to use in either game mode. The learning curve is hard at first. Taking a few rounds for you to really master the camera/aiming system (Especially for you lefties out there.). But in time it will feel as natural as writing or picking your nose. There is another game with this type of challenge as well. Nintendo has released a string of amazing games in the past few months and this is definitely one of them.

Score:
9.5/10

Thanks for reading!

-William Greenawalt
my web page
follow me on twitter: @iceblockwill

Julianne Long, representing the Japan Association of Translators, moderated the discussion.

One of the greatest things about working in the arts is the multitude of opportunities we are afforded to meet others artists. And, the more people we meet who work in the creative arts, the more I have to question what being an artist means. When examined on the macro scale, artists have more in common with C+ programmers than they do with the romantic image of the brilliant and tortured passionistas, an image that floats around folks like van Gogh, Beethoven and other members of ‘that crowd’.

The primary difference between the two is that a programmer works to procedural ends and an artist works to emotional ends. Once the procedural/emotional layer is removed, the similarities emerge. Both parties spend their initial years of study trying to master the basics of their trade. Once the basics are firmly in place, each person has to go into the years of experimentation where-in they try to figure out how to bend these technical skills into an expression of their world views. This achieved, hopefully enough people find their work resonant (or at least palatable) that they can make a living producing more product in line with their craft.

Ian MacDougall has worked on over 500 production, including 300 films (none of which were the film '300').

A recent panel hosted by the Japanese Association of Translators, which was moderated by Julianne Long, reinforced this supposition. The two panelists were Ian MacDougall and David Nist, a pair of professional subtitlers living and working in Tokyo. While Ian came with the wisdom (and cynicism) that accompanies decades in the industry, David brought a younger perspective, replete with a bit more punch to his commentary. That being said, both gentlemen came well equipped with insight into the business and process of freelance subtitling.

But, the core conceit remained the same throughout the seminar: subtitling was a labor of love that required deep technical skill which, once mastered, allowed for creative expression.

David Nist worked on The Last Samurai and wants both you and the audience to enjoy the experience of films.

They also hit on some excellent bits of insight and advice throughout the discussion. As a filmmaker in Tokyo who occasionally has to do translation and subtitling, these are the points I found most resonant.

The audience is there to have fun.

• When people go to see a movie, they want to have a good time. They aren’t there to see a Shakespearean novel flicker by two lines at a time. They are there to connect to characters and go on an emotional journey. Keep your words to a minimum so that the audience can enjoy the ideas and emotions being communicated on screen.

In translation, the destination language will always require more words than the source language

• This might be old news to professional translators, but this concept hit like a bolt of lightning when they said it. A society will naturally shape their language to make common topics efficient to communicate. So, when these words go into another language, they will require greater verbiage to fill in the context built into the source society’s language.
• An example of how this breaks down is a word like ‘Yoroshiku’. This one word in Japanese becomes oppressively dense in English: I will be kind to you and am requesting that you also be kind to me so we can interact successfully.

“One cuss written is worth ten cusses spoken”

• When writing subtitles, nuances are magnified. If a character is a pathological potty mouth, turn the volume down about 90% for the subtitles as the written word will play louder subconsciously than the spoken word.
• When trying to communicate that a character is particularly country, keep it simple. Instead of grinding it into audiences head that they are southern-fried yokels, just allude to it and let the actor communicate the rest.

If you want to create media, ingest media

• Those planning to work in film need to watch heaps of films.
• Those planning to write, be it scripts or subtitles, need to be constantly reading.

Good advice all. Finally, a couple quotes (one from each speaker) that stuck with me:

“The actor is a trumpet, the subtitle is the mic in front of the trumpet.” -Ian

“If the audiences leave the theater using your words in the characters voices, you’ve done your job.” – David

To find out more about the Japan Association of Translators and its activities, see the JAT website at: http://jat.org/, or email askjat@jat.org.

Jesse Koester_
Producer / Editor @ Ice Block Films

“Lock and load.”

Overview:
Those who know me know that I have never been a big Biohazard fan. I’m much more of a strategic stealth action kind of guy. To date I have only played through a few of the games in the  series. I’ve never actually finished any of them. This is nothing against the series but it was just never my cup-o-tea.
The whole genre, pacing, and awkward controls just never seemed to resonate with my way of thinking. That being said. I enjoyed the heck out of this game. Let’s get into it.

“I look so good it hurts my eyes.”

Review:
Biohazard Revelations marks the second game in the series for the 3DS. The highly convoluted world of the Biohazard series continues yet with some new spins on the structure of game play and story presentation give the series a welcome upgrade. The story this time around brings us to an abandoned cruise ship floating amidst the ocean. Of course it wouldn’t be Biohazard if the ship weren’t crawling with all sorts of nasty disfigured humanoid creatures.

“Position the target in the center and pull the switch.”

Game play:
Revelations introduces a new structure to the game play for this handheld iteration on the 3DS with chapters. The game is broken down into a series of chapters which average out to about an hour long each. The main story chapters of the game follow Jill Valentine and her new partner Parker as they make their way through the maze of a cruise ship. Other chapters in the game allow you to see what is happening at different locations and play as different characters at the same time or even in the past. It’s a great way to give you a broader view of the story and take a break form the sometimes confining hallways of the ship. Either way this gives the game a very fun pick-up and play feeling. It’s  a very episodic, and TV style presentation. In fact every chapter begins with a recap of the previous one. It’s very well done.

“Everything seems normal with this plane. Moving on.”

The game pits you against a handful of new enemies and bosses. Just enough to mix things up, but not so many that you panic about not knowing the trick to defeat them. There is one boss fight in particular where the build up to the fight as you get closer and closer is so well done it literally had me scared to see what was behind the door where he was. Luckily, the game gives you plenty of guns to deal with these scary foes including handguns, rifles, shotguns, machine guns, grenades, shock grenades (for water) and plenty more. Each weapon is upgradable via storage boxes where you can use different abilities obtained through upgrade parts you find around the ship or gained through in game achievements. One way to find them is using a new device called the Genesis scanner. It’s similar to the scanning visor in Metroid Prime: Hunters where you can scan various objects or spots around the room to find extra ammo or upgrades. It’s a great feature that really makes backtracking through previous areas a lot of fun as you scan everything in sight.

As you progress far enough through the game you will eventually unlock Raid mode. Raid mode can be played alone or with friends via wi-fi. In raid mode you can play through different areas of the game with new tasks against a time-clock. This adds more game play and fun once you finish the main campaign mode. In fact it allows you to play co-op with another player and clear your way through maps which in turn unlocks rewards points you can use to unlock better weapons and upgrades.

“Good thing I packed my gun on this cruise.”

Controls:
Here is where my lack of love for the series initially began. I never liked the slow moving and hard to control awkwardness that the series was known for. Biohazard 4 was the first game that I thought was a step in the right direction. Revelations brings in the best of the new control upgrades that have been introduced  from 4 and 5. The new control scheme they have made is surprisingly fun and well done. Although the game plays pretty well on the 3DS as is, you also have the option to us the new Circle Pad Pro attachment to add a 2nd analog nub. Despite the new upgrades to the controls it can still feel a little slow moving. But the game is designed in a way where speed isn’t a necessity. In fact moving fast is the last thing you want to do while moving through a room for the first time.

“If only I could have turned around faster…”

3DS features:
First off it’s always nice to have the ability to play a game in 3D. This game is one of the best looking on the system so far. Although I think they rely to heavily on pre-rendered cut scenes. I am a big proponent of games using real time cut scenes. I feel it keeps you more in sync with the game play. Another feature is of course Street Pass. Although not an amazing feature, it can be useful. When you SP a fellow Revelations gamer you will unlock an achievement in your missions menu. From the mission menu you can unlock ammo and items which can use in the story mode of the game.

“You’ve got some new medals.”

The Good and the Bad:
The game looks great. I wasn’t lying when I said it was one of the best out there on the 3DS. But there are times when they really cut corners. The characters often talk when they are walking around. The problem is their mouths don’t move. They have full on conversations but when you look at your character they just stare blankly into the distance. In fact there is never any real-time facial animation. All the conversations and story scenes are pre-rendered. This bothered me. The system is capable of it. Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3DS did the entire game with real-time cut scenes and that is a remake of a game that is 8 years old. It just comes across as a little lazy to me. Now keep in mind this doesn’t effect the game play. This is just a personal gripe.

“I’m not bad, I’m just pre-rendered that way.”

Final Opinion:
Overall Biohazard Revelations is an amazing game. It’s a full length Biohazard game on a 3D handheld device. It’s designed to play perfectly for that medium. It’s also a great game to get you started in the series. For somebody who had never truly finished a Biohazard game, I had no problem getting into it. The campaign mode is great and unlocking raid mode furthers the enjoyment of the game even more. Despite what felt like a few cut corners on the visual side it still looks great. I highly recommend it.

Score:
8.5/10

A video trailer:

Thanks for reading!

-William Greenawalt
my web page
follow me on twitter: @iceblockwill

Winnie the Pooh (くまのプーさん)
63min, Languages: English / Japanese, Subs: English / Japanese
Dir. Stephen J. Anderson

It’s been dark days for fans of cel animation. Ever since Pixar taught Hollywood how to spin 1′s and 0′s into cinematic (and monetary) gold, it seemed like no studios wanted to drop money, time or man-power into hand-drawn animation. Common in Japan by comparison, hand-drawn animation studios are a rarity in America. But, if a country is only home to one traditional animation studio, it would be hard to do much better than Disney. Especially if they were using their resources to produce films as skillfully made as Winnie the Pooh.

This edition of the oft-adapted teddy bear follows our titular hero as he tries to find honey. You see, he’s hungry. Also, Eyore loses his tail. And, Tigger bounces. Rabbit gardens. Owl presumes. Piglet cowers. Kanga protects. Roo wants to play. If it all sounds familiar, that’s because it very much is. But, the thrill isn’t in the film’s freshness, it lies in the precision with which the well-worn characters are employed.

The animation is playful and detailed in all the ways one would expect when Disney is running the show. The world has a paint-and-sketch feel that calls back to Bill Beet’s character work. The film deviates twice from the plot for abstract animated adventures. The first is a song that takes place on a chalkboard as the characters presume what type of horrible beast a Backson might be (a misread of Christopher Robin’s note that he will be ‘back soon’). The second is a CGI-laden trek into Pooh’s appetite-driven subconscious. While both are spectacular, the chalk-board sequence is particularly well executed.

The world of Pooh is so innocent and sweet, it doesn’t make for an efficient gag delivery train, which is what most American animation functions as. Instead, the film delivers its humor in clever little doses that feel almost like pointed attacks at the modern fart-and-nut-shot aesthetic. The bulk of the gags come in the form of subtle wordplay. And, not just clever dialog, but also as interaction with the text that comprises the very book being read.

However, despite the excellent craft, the film will likely only appeal to the very innocent or the sentimental. Cynics, acerbics, trolls, and haters need not apply.

What the 13 year-old boy in all of us needs to know about this film: John Cleese narrates. Also, Rabbit’s head animator was also the head animator on Genie in Aladdin.

Groundhog Day (恋はデジャ・ブ)
101 minutes, Languages: English / Japanese, Subs: Japanese
Dir. Harold Ramis

(This review is written from the perspective of someone who has willfully avoided Osmosis Jones, Garfield, and Garfield II: A Tale of Two Kitties)

Bill Murray is an incredible actor who has yet to make a bad film. Everything he touches turns to immaculate comedy gold.

Murray is a rare breed – an actor who is a genre unto himself. In the same way that horror, noir and comedy have their own rules unique to the genre, so do certain actors (Jackie Chan or Clint Eastwood for example). Too charismatic to be character actors and too clear with their own creative voice to disappear into a role, genre-owning actors are as fun to watch as they are hard to come by.

The wonderful thing about genre-owning actors is that, like any other genre, the rules and assumptions associated with the genre don’t limit the scope of what the filmmakers can do. Instead, the rules give the audience an easy ‘in’ to the world and the characters, allowing the filmmakers a lot more space to get playful and creative.

Groundhog Day exists very comfortably in the Murray genre, focusing on a world-weary cynic who learns to appreciate and enjoy the magic and the mundane world around him. This film begins with the contemptuous, bitter Murray as a weather man called to cover the emerging of the groundhog on the titular holiday. He finds himself trapped in the day of the year he despises most as it repeats endlessly (or, at least until he learns to love life and not be such a contemptuous, bitter cynic).

Where the film exceeds is building tension as the day repeats. In hands less skilled than Murray and Ramis’, the film could have been a mundane, endless retread. Instead, it’s a bouncy adventure, with each day folding into the next and the last and every other day in the endless loop.

The film also benefits greatly from ambiguity. Unlike similar magic-turns-asshole-friendly stories like Liar Liar or Shallow Hal, the reason Murray is trapped forever in Groundhog Day is never made explicit. It is simply because it is. Also left ambiguous is the amount of time Murray spends in the loop.

The film has not only earned praise for its unique plot and Murray’s lead, but also for the spiritual undercurrents that run through the film. There are certainly few films in this world that receive equal praise for spiritual complexity and integrity from both the christian and buddhist communities, but Groundhog Day has done just that. Indeed, the term ‘most spiritual film every made’ seems to show up frequently in google searches of the film.

What the 13 year-old boy in all of us needs to know about this film: Harold Ramis has said that he thinks about 30-40 years pass before Murray escapes the loop, but that it could also have been 10,000 years.

Jesse Koester_
Co-Founder / Producer – Ice Block Films
www.iceblockfilms.com

“I sure hope I don’t have to eat any snakes.”

Overview
Let’s rewind the time VCR to about 8 years ago. The gaming world was lucky enough to be graced with the third installment of Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid saga. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater was a fantastic game and (in my opinion) notably one of the best titles on the Sony PS2. With it’s shift in time back to the 60′s, the cool “007 meets the Cold War” themed story, and a retro cinematic approach, it’s easy to see why this game was so well received. If you had told me then that 8 years later I would be able to play this game on a handheld I would have said “You’re crazy bro!”. If you had then continued to say that not only would it be on a handheld device but that it would ALSO be in 3D, my head would have exploded. Let’s fast forward the time VCR back to the future, if you would, to the year 2012. Both of those two seemingly impossible things have happened. But my head hasn’t exploded….yet.

Review
Nintendo finally gets Metal Gear back in it’s hands. Or should I say handheld? Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D is a port of the PS2 classic remade for the Nintendo 3DS. Everything that made the original version great is intact. Stellar voice acting? Check. Pump-up music? Check. Amazing cut-scenes with often lengthy monologues? Check-a-roo. The 3DS does a good job of making a game of this scale look great and really pushes the system to the limits. Character models look great in both the cut scenes and game-play alike. There is a small amount of slowdown when playing through larger maps with a lot of guards or animation (I’m looking at you battle with The Fury.) But even these slow downs are not enough to detract from the game on the whole. Especially when you see how well the system handles some of the larger set pieces later in the game. This is by far one of the best looking games on the system.

Make no mistake. This game looks great.

Controls:
So how does this game play on a handheld without a second analog stick or pressure sensitive buttons? Kojima Productions has introduced the game play style they created for Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker to this version of the game. This allows the player to aim with the L-trigger. Meanwhile firing, rolling, and CQC actions are done with the R-Trigger. This frees up the buttons to be used for camera movement just like in Peace Walker. The Directional Pad is now used for items with the left, weapons with the right, and special actions with the up direction. The down direction is used to duck and crouch-walk, and you can crawl with a quick double tap.

The TPS aiming mode from MGS:PW has also been implemented. This gives Snake a 3rd person aiming perspective using four white dots to help you take down your targets. Touch screen buttons allow you to switch between TPS, FPS, and auto-lock shooting modes. An interesting side note about playing in 3D is when aiming in first-person mode the 3D effect will fade out, simulating the act of closing one eye while aiming a gun. It’s a nice touch. If the MGS:PW style doesn’t tickle your fancy your other option is to use Nintendo’s new Circle Pad Pro attachment which gives the 3DS system a second analog pad and an extra shoulder button. I chose to not use my CPP for my review of the game.

Pick your poison.

3DS features:
There are some unique features only available with this 3DS version. First of which is you can enjoy the entire game in 3D. The second is consolidating all start menu menus to quick tap buttons on the touch screen. This allows you to quick swap weapons, use items, or toggle suppressors on and off . The lower touch screen also features a map for easy viewing without having to go into the start menu. Another new feature is the use of the gyroscope for balance when snake is on branches or bridges. Although this can sometimes be annoying, it does make shooting a gun from a thin tree branch a little bit more realistic.

There is also a new feature which allows you to import pictures from your 3DS photo library and use portions of them as camouflage during the game. If you are lucky like me you might even be able to create some homemade camo that gives you a 100% camo index in some very tough areas of the game. You also have the ability to take 3D photos with the in game camera (an item you can acquire during your first play through). You can also use in game photos of the environments to make your own camo which proves to be the most effective use of that feature. The 3D picture feature was actually available for the original version of the game on the PS2, you just had to transfer them to your PSP and view them through the MGS: AC!D 2 Solid Eye attachment peripheral. But thanks to the 3DS’s three dimensional screen you can now easily enjoy snapping 3D pics of scenery, sleeping guards, or Ocelot about to shoot you in the face.

“Come at me bro.”

3D or not 3D? That is the question:
Nintendo has made it easy for people to adjust the 3D depth of any game to a setting of their choosing. It all comes down to preference really. I tend to play most new 3DS titles all the way through with the 3D slider set halfway. That’s what works for me. I love the 3D function and to me was one of the main selling points of the system. That being said, this game is one of the best looking 3D titles on the system so far. It has mainly to do with the original design of the game. With elements further away being out of focus and blurry. This really makes the 3D effect more believable and easier on the eye because it makes it easier to focus on what’s important. If you play through the title I highly suggest doing it in 3D because it’s quite rewarding and not as straining like some other titles might be.

What’s New / Old:
The game manages to keep most of the original game play features in place. For example all the Kerotan dolls are in place but are now Yoshi dolls. But you will have to search carefully because their placement has changed and it will prove to be a whole new challenge to find them all. Title rankings are still rewarded for your skill (or lack of) when you finish the game. There is now a special button in the start menu where you can see what rewards you have received as well as other important game statistics. Also in place is the ability to go into first person during certain cut-scenes of the game using the R-Trigger. Although there are some scenes where it has been removed.

There are a few weak points in this iteration of the game. It’s important to remember that this is a port of a console game. Some people might have problems with the smaller screen and not being able to see everything as clearly as you would on a big screen. Save points can also be frustrating at times.  Like having to reset your items and weapons every time you die during a boss fight. Even though you saved during the middle of the battle. Most modern handheld games make saving frequently a thing of ease. But, these were programing choices made in the original version of the game. So call it a challenge and not a missed fix I suppose. The last thing missing is the extras featured in older versions of MGS3. No demo theater or Snake VS Monkey for you fans out there. But fear not because there are a few new surprises to be found in this version of the game.

“Go ahead. Make a joke about not being able
to see 3D with only one eye. I dare you”

Final Opinion
All in all this is a fantastic game that both veteran fans of the series and those new to it will enjoy. It’s a great port of a classic game on a truly unique piece of handheld hardware. Despite having a few small hiccups with the transition to a system with less buttons the game still stands strong. Being a prequel also makes it a great entrance point for those who have never played a MGS game. I would recommend this game to anybody with a 3DS. If your worried it will be to hard you can always throw it on easy mode and enjoy.

Pros: (The dessert)
- Getting to play a classic game that is still pretty amazing by today’s standards on a 3D handheld system.
- Unique features to the 3DS like touch screen buttons, camera-camo, a retooled control scheme, and the ability to play in 3D. (With some of the best 3D effects on the system to date.)
- It’s a full on Metal Gear game on a Nintendo system that looks great and serves as a new take on a nostalgic title for veterans and a good entry point for new comers to the series.

Cons: (The veggies)
- Porting a console game to a handheld always comes with problems like the lack of a larger viewing screen, awkward saving options, and small amounts of slow down to due differences in processing power.
- The lack of a second analog stick for those without the Circle Pad Pro attachment may make it harder to play for some players.
- There are no extras included like demo theater, Snake VS Monkey, or other special features from previous re-releases.

Score:
9.5 / 10

Thanks for reading!

-William Greenawalt
my web page
follow me on twitter: @iceblockwill

This year was all about the handhelds with Sony’s new PS Vita stealing the spotlight. With only 80 demo machines on the floor, the lines to play the machine were maxed out within 30 minutes of the show opening. Those who were lucky enough to get in line might have waited over 2 hours to actually get their hands on the slick new device. Despite the price drop and recent internet rage against the machine, the Nintendo 3DS was looking strong with a handful of exclusive games on display. The biggest one being Monster Hunter. Although Monster Hunter ( Mon Hun for short) has been a PSP cash cow for Sony here in Japan, it seems that it’s going to be focusing it’s efforts on Nintendo’s systems for the time being. As expected, Capcom had plenty of Mon Hun stuff on display for people to whet their appetites with.

As for the rest of the event, take a look below to see some pictures from the show floor. Thanks for reading and enjoy.

-William Greenawalt
my web page
follow me on twitter: @printisdeadyo

January 15th marked the launch of  “The Art of Yoji Shinkawa” exhibit at the Konami Style Store at Tokyo Midtown in Roppongi. As part of the launch of the event Yoji himself painted a beautiful new painting of Solid Snake (or Big Boss) in front of a small live audience. It was an amazing experience to see such a  gifted artist work his magic in person. If you have a chance, roll over to Tokyo Midtown on the B1 level and check out his work which will be on display until the end of January. If you are lucky, you might be able to see him painting through out the day. It is said he will continue adding onto the painting until the end of the month when it is finished. Just jump in line and you can grab a ticket to check it out. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the video.

-William Greenawalt
my web page
follow me on twitter: @printisdeadyo

We had a chance to get over to the Nintendo World 3DS show this weekend at Makuhari Messe in Tokyo, Japan. Check out a few video clips below and enjoy the new 2D video 3DS goodness. We will definitely have more video coverage coming very soon.

The Nintendo World 3DS Band playing the theme from world 1-2 in Super Mario Brothers

Biohazard The Mercenaries 3DS game footage

Nintendo 3DS’s Augmented Reality demo video

Street Fighter 4 3DS demo video

-Will
my web page
follow me on twitter: @printisdeadyo

The above video represents pretty much everything we saw (or, had time to see) at Design Festa. The text below represents Ice Block’s collective musings after the event was over.

The Design Festa operates under a deceptively simple mission: to give artists in Japan an open forum in which to make trade of ideas and art. Successful as they are in that mission, what makes Design Festa a truly unique event is the massive scope at which it manifests.

Representing artists, designers, craftsmen and performers of Tokyo, the event has become a nearly comprehensive profile of the state of the arts in Japan. The thousands of booths that fill the floor space are occupied by anyone who can afford them (with groups of friends occasionally banding together and splitting the cost). These booths are filled with all breeds of artist, from the high-school students with designs on becoming mangaka to the retiree enjoying life as a banzai tree gardener and everything in-between.

In addition to the static arts, there are multiple live-painting areas, a digital movie theater, a cat-walk, and stages for live performance. Much like the booths, these are also incredibly well booked throughout the weekend.

In terms of restriction on what types of contents people can bring to the Festa, there are few. Actually, there is only one: “Anyone can take part as long as their work is original”. This hands-off approach from the coordinators creates a situation where the artists are able to bring their best ideas in full force. This strength of creativity makes the event appealing to the general public*.

In fact, the one thing that seems to remain consistent across the entire floor is the ability of the artists to expertly toe the line between handy-crafts and fine art. Attendees would be hard pressed to find an article that is either prohibitively expensive or so tacky as to be undesirable.

The high level of both the quantity and quality of works on display speaks volumes about the city that hosts the event. Tokyo is not host to an “arts community”, a term which carries a certain condescending tone and implies that the creative types operate in some sort of annex. The artists represent an integral part of the city’s infrastructure. And, for now at least, there is no better way to engage with that part of Tokyo than at The Deisgn Festa.

For more information, please go to www.designfesta.com.

* If you are unclear about the delicate nature of the artist/consumer relationship, this video should clear it up.

CREDITS
Music: Justin DiCenzo (www.justindicenzomusic.com)
Narration: Kamasami Kong (www.metpod.com)