Saturday morning robots is moving to the greener pastures of: http://saturdaymorningrobots.lithiumstate.nl/

Expect to see the same unflinching insight and enthusiasm only presented in a much prettier package.

Thank you to all those who have made SMR what it is today!

COMIC REVIEW: Watchmen

Well gee, what do you know... everyone was right... It is the best comic ever.

Here I am someone who really loves comics, yet I'm 23 years late to the party on what is without a doubt one of... the best, if not the best graphic novel ever made.

Back in the 80s when Watchmen came out I was a devout Marvel guy. DC stuff was for kids, full of tired old Superfriends. Yet in 1986 Alan Moore and Dave Gibbins produced something really Remarkable over there that puts everything I was reading at the time to Shame. I have to wonder though if my teenage self could have really appreciated it.

Watchmen takes place in an alternate history version of 1985 where Richard Nixon is still president, and Superheroes have been outlawed except for two who work for the government. I cannot give even a little more information because I feel this is a book that must be experienced with as few spoilers as possible. The setting certainly brought me back to the rampant fear and paranoia of the time.

Watchmen is a very dark book with so many layers in both the writing and the artwork that it is staggering. On one level it is about the history of comics, on another a very personal story about what life does to people. On another it may be one of the best treatise on the thought process of God. It never ceased to be entertaining and I burned through the last 6 issues in one evening despite the fact that it is a very dense read with 9 panels per page, and a lot of text.

Alan Moore originally planned to tell the story of The Watchmen with existing characters from Charlton comics which DC had recently acquired such as The Question, Blue Beetle, and The Atom But given the extreme nature of the story, Higher ups at DC put an end to this Idea so he had to create new characters, though It's pretty easy to see where the inspirations lie for those familiar with those characters.

I feel a bit hamstrung trying to talk about the book without being specific, so I will just say this. Believe the hype Watchmen is really that good.

I think from what I have seen that the upcoming Watchmen movie will be entertaining, and more faithful than most comic adaptations, but I feel Watchmen is probably the pinnacle of really using the medium of comics to tell a story in a unique way, and a movie no matter how cool, won't ever be able to touch that.

ESSENTIAL

ANIME FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Rideback

Wow! I haven't been this excited about the potential of a new anime in years. The first episode of Rideback blew me away.

Rideback is a new anime TV series produced by Madhouse. As one would expect from that studio the animation is fantastic, what really impressed me though was the content of the story. It all felt very fresh and original.

Rideback is a "Real robots" genre show that definitely delivers in abundance to mecha fetishists (like myself). The machines called Ridebacks are very original looking Transforming motorcycles with 3 distinct modes. All the ridebacks are rendered in very competent 3d, the look of which reminds me of the 3d work in Heat guy J.

The characters so far seem interesting and likable, and don't generally fall into the blatantly standard types designed to appeal to Otaku. The character designs are gorgeous having a feeling that somehow takes the best of older and newer styles.

This show has the feel of 80s/early 90s shows Like Patlabor, BGC, Megazone 23 and Venus wars in that it makes me feel exhilarated and wanting more rather than just disgusted with the studio going through the motions, as so many modern animes do.

I am really looking forward to the next episode!

COMIC REVIEW: Gantz volumes 1-2

It's been a long time since Dark horse announced their aquisition of the rights to Gantz, the ultra violent, ultra sexual, ultra dark manga by Hiroya Oku Works.

Gantz is by no means an intellectual Masterpiece, quite the opposite in fact. To be blunt Gantz is very dumb. The entire premise seems to have been stolen from the manual to Quake 3 arena: People who are at the moment of death are snatched away and forced to compete in some kind of mysterious life and death combat game. That being said Gantz is totally awesome.

The book is extremely dark and paints an ugly (and I feel accurate) Portrayal of human nature, however unlike something of the same vein like say Battle Royale, Gantz is very easy to read because it is so damned stupid. It is obvious that it is strictly for entertainment, no brains needed, enjoy. That isn't to say that Gantz is ever boring, it is well paced and the characters are believable. Much like The walking dead there are many "Oh my god I can't believe that just happened" moments.

The artwork in these 2 volumes is fantastic, utilizing some pretty inovative use of 3d as background references in comic art. Sexual excess and gore are both lavishly presented.

Dark Horse's release is very faithful in presentation to the original Japanese though I did notice some irregularities in the localization, specifically where referrences to Characters owned by Viz (Kenshiro and Goku) where omitted.

At $12.99. I think Gantz is a must buy for people who like extreme material in their manga, and beautiful artwork. Those who are squeamish about blood or think pretending they don't like looking at tits will impress the girls around them need not apply.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

The end of an era

Electronic Gaming Monthly, one of the oldest, and most respected video games magazines in North America is dead.

My feelings on this one are mixed. It really had to go. Review focused magazines such as EGM are dinosaurs in the age of instant access to information. I am not one of those people who says that print is dead, but the future of the enthusiast gaming press is editorially focused publications such as the UK's EDGE. Even so I've read EGM off and on since the early 90s. and have a lot of fond memories.

It is a shame that due to the suddenness of the magazine's closure they were unable to give such a historical publication a proper sendoff.

1up ours

It's been obvious to anyone paying attention that publishing company Ziff Davis has been in dire financial trouble for years. It's also been no secret that they have been trying to offload the 1up network for quite some time.

Even so Ziff's gutting and subsequent sale, of 1up hurts like hell. I really fail to see the point of UGO buying it if they aren't going to hire the large number of Fired Ziff employee's that made 1up stand out from the crowd of online gaming news sites as a source of trustworthy information and entertainment. Sure, there are still good people there like Sam Kennedy and Scott Sharkey, but it was the crazy mix of Talents that made 1up so great.

It was the people that have made me a religious listener to Podcasts such as 1up yours, 1up FM, Retronaunts, CGW/GFW/LAN party, and viewer of The 1Up show.

According to Joystiq the following people were laid off:

Adrian Frieg

Amy Mishra

Amy Moran

Andrea Garcia

Andrew Fitch

Andrew "Skip" Pfister

Anthony Gallegos

Cesar Quintero

Christina Rosa

CoyLou Steel

Derek Chinn

Doug Parsons

Eric Ellis

Giancarlo Varanini

Greg Ford

James "Milkman" Mielke

Jason Bertrand

Jason Wilson

Jervilyn Jaramillo

Justin Frechette (J Fresh)

Leslie Gelfand

Marci Yamaguchi

Matt Chandronait

May Tong

Meredith Stowe

Michael Donahoe

Monique Convertito

Ndubuisi Madu

Nick Suttner

Norris Boothe

Philip Kollar

Rey Serrano

Robert Bowen

Rosemary Pinkham

Ryan O'Donnell

Ryan Scott

Shane Bettenhausen

Simon Cox

Tammy Ross

Tipler Ubbelohde

In a gut wrenchingly sad blog entry, one of the few "survivors" Sam Kennedy says that we shouldn't be angry at UGO, or even Ziff. I suppose so. there is plenty of blame to go around, from both inside and outside. Believe it or not it could have been worse.

I hope that if the podcasts return and manage to capture the same qualities, that they adopt an inexpensive subscription model. I personally would have gladly paid a monthly fee to keep 1up Yours and the 1 up show around.

To all those who lost their jobs, I wish you the best of luck. To those who have been such a big part of my week these past 2 years, you will be missed.

COMIC REVIEW: Phantom

Phantom is a 5 volume korean comic (Manwha) published by Tokyopop. My experience with Korean animation and comics has lead me to assume certain stereotypes. They often look very nice (Most of the anime in Japan and western cartoons are animated there these days) But the stories are often a nonsensical mess. The most shining example of this is the movie Wonderful days (AKA: Sky Blue). The writing in that movie makes a typical episode of Captain Planet and the Planeteers seem totally logical in comparison.

So why go on about that? Because Phantom really surprised me, not only wasn't the story stupid, it was really enjoyable!

Phantom's main character, K, is a Giant robot piloting police officer in the post apocalyptic cyberpunk future. Tasked with fighting so called terrorists, however K soon gets in way over his head and finds out that theorderly world in which he lives is just an illusion, and Maybe his enemies aren't who he should be fighting.

The first half of volume one feels like the most generic thing ever. I really didn't like K, he is a total punk, but something happens in the middle of the volume that changes everything, and by the end I was totally hooked. The remaining 4 volumes never let up. It's probably the most enjoyable depiction of a real robots genre story that I have ever read in manga.

Phantom is like Patlabor, Gundam and some ludicrous Old skool Hong Kong action flick put together in one book. You wouldn't think that the pieces would fit together but they do and the end result is a lot of fun to read.

It has it's odd asides, and sometimes the dialog is less than brilliant, and the localization is... well it's Tokyopop... nuff said.

The art can be a bit rough when it comes to the characters, but the way the action is expressed and the way the mecha are drawn is excellent. If you are someone who likes Giant Robots (Chicks dig giant robots) Then you should enjoy phantom, just make sure you read all of the first volume before passing judgement.

RECOMMENDED

ANIME REVIEW: Shikabane Hime:aka

I have to admit, that the task for reviewing or mentioning things regardingthe undead is one reserved for Brett. However this time around he`s missed some animated zombie action by playing one too many games, so it`s with great pleasure that I introduce to you a review of Gainax`s latest animation: Shikabane hime:Aka (Corpse princess: Red) based on the manga by the same name that`s written and illustrated by Yoshiichi Akahito since 2005. Since this show is relativly new with season 1 (13 episode run) just having been ended in Japan I wont include spoilers, so its safe to read on.

When somebody dies, yet remains to hold an incredible attachment to the world, he or she`ll walk the earth as a living corpse that`ll before long lose what shreds of humanity it had left to consume the living as vengefull beings. The show puts on a nice twist on the tried concept about zombies and the undead in general, they`re still around yes, less plentyfull but all the more powerfull and are apperantly a well kept secret from the human race as modern people refuse to believe such nonsense. Working in the shadows is a cult who`s priests battle these corpses by utilising their own; forming contracts with other corpses with the promise of allowing passage to heaven when a 108 corpses have been slain. Whether or not these priests actually allow their slave warriors dubbed; shikabane hime to pass on to heaven is an interesting question, seeing as the cult think of their tools as nothing more
but an ugly, unwanted existance as low as the corpses they themselves are forced to fight. The writers use this fact to create several interesting sidestories to fleshen out the characters and it isn`t uncommon to see a priest loathing the fact that he lusts for a vile existance such as his own hime.

The storyline itself is centered around not the priests of the kougon cult but a boy named Ori. Ori is adopted into a family of priests after having been found homeless on the streets, but is offcourse kept out of the loop of what goes around untill one night a rather bizarre talking cat out of all things, beckons him to the shrine where he finds the body of a dead girl. Before panic sets in, he hears people approaching and rushes to find shelter behind a Buddha statue before a pair of priests including his brother enter the shrine and what appears to be reviving the dead girl. The story slowly unfolds from that point on as Ori is encouraged to follow the living dead girl, getting in way above his head. Carnage and great action sequences ensue in what appears to be one of the most surprising anime for me this year around (2008 that is) Yet the more you watch the show, the more you realise that it`s not about Ori it`s the questions being raised about the Shikabane hime that is the focus. They are for all intents and purposes humans, granted with super-human strengths and regeneration but there`s only so much shit they can put up for having a human mind; is it just the promise of heaven that drives them and what compells them to hunt what is essentially their brethren ?


Being a Gainax production, the animation of the show is a step up from typical anime, but really shines during the plentiful combat sequences with Shikabane hime`s unloading their weapon of choice into the undead in a stylish, yet not overly over the top way. I really dig the OP and ED song, both done by Angela who you may know from shows like Soukyuu no Fafner and Heroic Age, the rest of the soundtrack doesn`t really excell to pieces of music that I`d listen to on my MP3 player, but it`s fitting and non-intrusive.



A second 13 episode season Shikabane Hime:Kuro , is sheduled to air this January in Japan, and Funimation has already licensed Aka, and are now in the process of digitally distrubuting it for free, or as a high quality download for a slight fee so by
all means, go watch it and do support Funimation if you enjoy this show, cause it`s innovations that they make that`ll make anime more feasable to the Western fan.

For doing something different with the zombie-theme, having some great character interaction going hand to hand with top-notch action scenes makes this a recommended show to watch !

RECOMMENDED
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Gwenster

GAME REVIEW: Darius gaiden

The Darius series of SHMUPS made by Taito never really gathered much attention aside from the first impressional "woah`s" the original two arcade games got having not one, but three screens to produce the largest horizontal scrolling shooting plane ever.Despite that gimmick, the games were mediocre at best.They say that the third time around is best and Taito certainly proved this with Darius Gaiden.

Shortly after the events of the original Darius, while fleeing from the wrath of the Belser Army, the Darian refugees led by Proco and Tiat set up a temporary base on Vadis to act as a main base before a true refugee planet could be settled upon. However, Belser once again arose, this time from Darius's oceans, thwarting the escape of the remaining Darians and even sending fleets against Vadis itself. A fleet of iconic Silver Hawks were sent to keep Belser from reaching Vadis, but their strength was too great even for them.Once again, Proco and Tiat are chosen to save the day, this time by putting an end to Belser's attempt to imprison the Darius stragglers.


To achieve this feat we need guns and lots of them, offcourse that`s what a SHMUP is all about. The weapon system in Gaiden`s predecessors was quite annoying and there weren`t any smartbombs so Taito was smart enough to incorporate upgradable weapons via powerups and adding powerful defensive shields to help your silverhawk survive tough scenario`s.When the shit hits the fan players can opt to use the ample supply of blackhole bombs the Silverhawk carries.What`s so great about these is they litarly involve the entire level.Not only do all the bullets get pulled in but also parts of the level and stationary enemies like turrets and the likes get ripped off from their spots, enemy fighters and warships hurl uncontrollably into the void and even the giant enemy boss battleships have to exert all their energy not to get smashed into a million bits by a giant blackhole, too bad for any survivors which almost always are exclusively the bosses themselves that after the black hole dissipates a satisfying surge of lightning reels trough the screen leaving destruction in it`s path.It`s just so very satisfying to use the black hole bomb and see the pure carnage it can unleash upon the screen !


Besides upgradable forward/rear firing guns and missiles in their standard array of weaponry the player can opt to try and capture mid-level minibosses and add their firepower to his own.Each miniboss, has a small globe on their head, blast it hard enough and it`ll fall off, capture it and the miniboss will fight alongside you, but since he is regarded as an actual object he can and will take enemy fire and eventually get destroyed.Aside from their added firepower, their the perfect living shields to stick behind to when your fresh out of shields.This process is a precursor to the capture ball as seen in the final Darius installment: G-Darius on the PSX where players can deploy capture balls at will from their Silverhawks to capture any type of enemy they encounter in the level, with the added ability to sacrifice their life for a destructive laser weapon.



Darius Gaiden plays just like an oldskool SHMUP, hello ? that`s exactly what it is.Lovers of SHMUPS should find everything they want in this, difficulty, non-stop bullet hells and relentless waves of enemies and did I mention impressive end of level bosses with equally impressive names ?At the end of each level you can chose which route to take, as such there is a great amount of replay value with the 30 or so levels available with the added challenge of compiling the hardest routes will keep you coming for more.

The best part of Darius Gaiden in my opinion is it`s soundtrack, Zuntata; Taito`s own in-house band has done a memorable job !Starting out in level 1 with creepy female vocals muttering " eyes .. head .. eyes ?? head ! Close your .. eyes .. close your .. head "When the level picks up it`s pace guitar riffs fill the space between gunfire and explosions and that`s when your just sucked in the game.The music is also very dynamic and follows what your doing and what`s going onscreen and it`s done in such a clever manner that it would seem a live DJ is mixing up the various tracks the soundtrack is composed off as you play, cause listening to the actual soundtrack itself in your music player in sequential nature is nowhere near as awesome as what the game does with it.I know games like Zone of the Enders have a dynamic soundtrack but man, we`re talking about a game released in 1994 here it`s pure genius.



For a SHMUP coming all the way back from 1994, the graphics hold up really well.The game is based on relatively large hand-drawn sprites that still look sharp even when the Saturn is plugged into a HDTV.Special effects like large explosions, vortexes and blackholes are rendered in 3D, yet manage not to look out of place in between the wealth of sprites moving on screen mostly without a single hitch.

There`s nothing more words allow me to say about this fantastic classic SHMUP which is why I`ve compiled a gameplay movie just for you guys.All the music played is from the game`s soundtrack, if you love it just search for "Zuntata" on Youtube and you`ll find lots of their music there.

In conclusion, Darius Gaiden should be on your list of essential SHMUPS, it should be available for a really cheap price on a wide range of systems and is not just limited to the Saturn version which I`ve reviewed here with ports to the PC, PSX , PS2 as part of the Taito legends 2 compilation and also it`s found on the Taito memories compilation.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
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Gwenster

ANIME REVIEW: Space pirate Captain Harlock (1978)

I recently had the opportunity of finishing the original Captain Harlock TV series, which first aired back in 1978. I was already familiar with Leiji Matsumoto`s work, the most famous character to have spawned from his creative mind indubitably being Captain Harlock, so it was only a matter of time before I came around to watching this classic in it`s entirety. 1978 is a long way back, especially with how fast animation techniques are updated and more money being put in a single production, so how does this show stand the test of time? The short awnser: incredibly well!

The story around Captain Harlock takes us into the far future. The human race has conquered the stars, and due to many advances in science and technology everyone lives a peaceful life of comfort and luxury. The people of earth have become collectively lazy, as everyday tasks are handled by robots and machines leaving the
humans with nothing but leisure time. One day, a large black sphere lands in Tokyo, with it came the warning that the earth originally belonged to the Mazone, an ancient race that will finally return to reclaim their rightful planet. The threat from the Mazone had been foreseen by Professor Daiba, who tries to warn the Earth`s government but nobody believes him stating that aliens do not exist and
is ridiculed. His words are heard by renegade Captain Harlock who leads his outlaw crew aboard the Arcadia as pirates through the galaxy. It`s all too late, with the Mazone infiltrating from the shadows, and their massive fleets underway to take Earth when the time is ripe. Despite already being exiled from Earth, Harlock continues to sail with a banner of skull and crossbones to vanquish the
Mazone in a lone and long war to protect the Earth and in his own words "Fights for no one`s sake, only for something deep in his heart"

The show was aired in 1978, and like most anime of the period, it is riddled with tragedy, violence and opression. The cruelties and tragedy`s of two civilisations at war have been played out very well and even a man with solid dedication like Harlock can fret about his existence with a seemingly never ending bloody war on his hands.Unlike most shows nowadays, careful attention is giving to each character despite the large and colorful cast. Who could forget Mime ? the alcoholic alien woman who`s dedicated her life to Harlock,or the equally alcoholic ship doctor that uses his cat in order to steal bottles of sake and the vengeful Daiba who takes all the effort he can in exterminating the Mazone. You`ll even feel for that extra character that you just know`ll die in the next episode or two.

The animation is well, what you would expect from a show from 1978. You can compare it to Uchuu senkaan Yamato, though Harlock is better animated in my opinion.Truly tough, the late 70`s animation didn`t distract at all watching Leiji matsumoto`s masterpiece. More often than not, I am annoyed by cheap animation shortcuts or weird CG placements in modern anime than be hindered by old animation in general.

Soundtrack wise, it`s all very epic and mostly symphonic and vocal in nature like the pirate songs that echo trough the darkness of space as the Arcadia sails by is a very nice touch.

Something of note, there are actually many variations made on Captain Harlock by his creator Leiji Matsumoto. They all are different, and don`t follow the same universe or timeline, but they all feature the same characters in slightly
different settings which all entail Harlock stoically fighting against totalitarian regimes be it alien or earthborn in origin. I have seem a few of these " other " Harlock shows, despite being manly none of them have managed to capture my heart in such a way that the original 70`s show does and this show comes from
me as an anime essential classic ! Go see it the moment you get the chance, and you won`t be disappointed.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (for sheer manliness)
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Gwenster