Most Metal Gear Solid (MGS) fans have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new spin-off from the series, originally announced as “Metal Gear Solid: Rising” at the 2009 E3 convention but re-announced at the 2012 E3 convention as “Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance”  It promises to be a much more action-oriented cousin of the classic franchise. 

The story takes place 4 years after the events in “Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriot,” in a time where cyborg technology runs rampant, being used in war as well as to terrorize by the organization Desperado Enforcement LLC.

Yuji Korekado, the Creative Producer at Kojima studios, said in an interview at E3 2012 Convention:

“Within the Metal Gear series, Raiden has been this really cool character with incredible action scenes, so we heard this universal cry from our fans that they wanted the opportunity to actually be able to control Raiden. We answered that call by creating Metal Gear Rising, which will allow users to control Raiden and get to really enjoy those amazing action scenes as a player.”

The plot hints at returning him to his colder persona, “Jack The Ripper,” while further explaining his past as a child soldier and exploring the extent of his human weaknesses. The game will take place in various locations around the world, some in the process of reconstruction from their recent war-ridden past.

In this installment, the man who puts Raiden on a trail of vengeance is Samuel Rodrigues, an operative from the Desperados whose cyborg body is similar to Raiden’s. Since Samuel destroys his body during the assassination of one of Raiden’s protectees while he was working his “low-risk security job” he becomes outfitted with a new and improved body that allows him to perform spectacular feats.

According to the trailers, it seems we have quite a few interesting upgrades that will heighten the experience considerably, such as a stronger blade mode (discussed later), and what looks like a bladed pole he wields as ferociously as his sword.

It is implied at the end of the demo that there will be a sense of cognitive dissonance thanks to his cyborg state, possibly a struggle to maintain human while Raiden takes the life of cyborgs he himself does not consider human. It will be interesting to see how that element plays into the story.

Gameplay

The gameplay is smooth, action packed and heartwarmingly ferocious. It is much more action oriented than the main MGS titles, so if you’ve only played the stealth based games you might be onboard for a sweet surprise when you pick up this game. The cyborg body allows Raiden to perform superhuman actions, such as moving through the environment very quickly with the appropriately named Ninja run. The game features an Augmented Reality interface similar to the Solid Eye from MGS4 that allows you to spot enemies and sliceable structures in the environment from a considerable distance. The greatest feature is Blade Mode: player enters a slow motion state in which he can carefully aim with the analog sticks to cut through an enemy or simply bash X and Y to slice and dice the enemy until satisfied.

The game highly encourages you to carefully aim at the red square that appears at the center of an enemy, which highlights a bundle of nervous fibers loaded with energy the player can use to recover his blade’s energy and health (really useful when surrounded by more than 4 enemies). In some cases the enemy will be a gecko (a large, bipedal unmanned tank), and presumably larger enemies once the game is released. Enemies may be weakened enough for a Blade mode finisher, prompted by a light blue frame on the screen. It is very action packed, aesthetically pleasing and punishingly difficult the first time you play it, but you quickly master the learning curve.

Difficulty wise, in normal mode it is easy enough for new-comers to enjoy the game yet difficult enough for experienced gamers to feel challenged and rewarded upon completing a battle. The voice acting is mostly solid, it only falters in some Codec calls, but this is not a big issue. In the developer’s defense, the game is originally Japanese, so some lip-syncing issues are expected.

The only real issue I had with the demo was that it is difficult to stay focused on your target or Raiden without using the lock-on feature since so much is going on in the screen. Also, the camera doesn’t necessarily move with Raiden’s back. I found myself looking at his face more times than I’d like, which can be disorienting when getting shot and kicked by geckos and cyborgs.

Hopefully, Platinum Studios takes that into consideration. However, since it does add to the fast-paced fighting system by forcing you to be aware of your environment, they may not. I also hope that at some point we can use the skin from MGS4 during the entirety of the game; you can see it in some trailers but its probably only in the first mission when protecting the major.

The demo introduces an upgrade concept not unlike the weapon sales and customization menu in MGS4. It uses BP (Battle Points) as currency, but this time you’re going to be upgrading Raiden’s suit and blade instead of weapons.

Aside from straying from the normal stealth-based gameplay common in a MGS game, the menus and the in-game hud are very similar to previous MGS, but simpler, cleaner and more intuitive. It is really hard to compare this title with previous ones due to its core difference, but it is safe to say that Platinum Studios and Kojima Studios have created a solid spin-off that shows a possibility to branch out into its own franchise while maintaining the Metal Gear atmosphere.

Even with those very small issues, “Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance” looks like a solid, fun and enjoyable game regardless of whether you’re a returning fan or a newcomer. The game will be available on February 19, 2013 and you can try it out for free at the Xbox Live Marketplace and PSN stores.

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Konami Digital Entertainment announced on August 31, 2012, an exclusive consumer pre-order opportunity with major North America retailer Amazon for the highly anticipated “Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance”. The exclusive pre-order was available only during PAX Prime 2012, beginning on Aug. 31 – Sept. 2.

Consumers who pre-ordered the game at the Konami booth received a limited edition t-shirt available only to attendees of the show.

Konami will showcase and take pre-orders for “Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance” exclusively on the PAX show floor at booth #442. “Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance” is scheduled to release on Feb. 19, 2013 for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

Developed by Kojima Productions and PlatinumGames, “Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance” takes the renowned Metal Gear franchise into exciting new territory by focusing on delivering an all-new action experience unlike anything that has come before.

The title brings two of the world’s most respected teams together with a common goal of providing players with a fresh synergetic experience that combines the best elements of pure action and epic storytelling, all within the expansive Metal Gear universe.

“Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance” introduces Raiden as the central character: a child soldier transformed into a cyborg ninja, equipped with a high-frequency katana blade and a soul fueled by revenge.

For more information, please visit: http://www.konami.com.

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Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH is continuing its celebration of 25 years of its seminal Metal Gear series, with the creation of a dedicated online hub where fans can keep abreast of the various events and releases tied in to this special anniversary.

Konami has created a new portal – http://www.konami-europe.net/MG25th – which will be regularly updated with news and events surrounding the 25thanniversary. Series creator Hideo Kojima has already announced a free update for his PlayStation3 epic, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, which adds 34 Trophies to the classic title, and Mr Kojima is also mid-way through a busy year of touring the globe to discuss the success of the popular series, which has sold more than 31 million copies worldwide up to December 2011.

All news of Mr Kojima’s movements and announcements will be released via the new site, and it will today reveal that the classic Metal Gear Solid title is now available for two weeks for just 4.99 Euro/£3.99 – a reduction of 50%, and allowing fans of the series to experience the ground-breaking PlayStation title that saw the series move into the 3D realm. Konami is also launching a dedicated Twitter feed to keep fans abreast of events, and can be found at @MG25th on Twitter.

For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/mgs.

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Much research and long debates by The Toonari Post gaming team have led to this short list of the top ten heroes in video games. In Part 1 of this article series Solid Snake, Master Chief, Samus Aran, Link, and Mario all made the list either because they are classics that are without a doubt some of the best characters or just extremely awesome in their fighting techniques. Polls to vote on battle pairings between heroes and villains will be posted on the Toonari Post Facebook page every week, so don’t miss your chance to have your comments and opinions in an article! You can also comment on this article to leave your vote.

Megaman (Megaman series)

Known as Rock or Rockman in Japan and the creation of Dr. Light; Megaman’s objective is to fight against Dr. Wily and his growing army of robots. He was originally a robot lab assistant named Rock who was transformed into Megaman by Dr. Light to stop Dr. Wily.

Despite being a robot Megaman possesses a great deal of humanity and is able to distinguish between right and wrong. Often he is confronted with enemy robots that seem too powerful for him to overcome, but his pure intentions and determination will always come through in the end. He does not fight for personal glory which is shown through his refusal to compete in an Annual Robot Tournament to prove which robot is the strongest. Overall this is one hero who is more than just another robot. His main method of battling is by stealing the powers of his defeated enemies, which he is able to do through several different methods depending on the game or television show.

Alucard (Castlevania series)

The half-human son of Dracula who fights alongside the Belmont clan of vampire hunters, he is Alucard. Even though he is part vampire and Dracula’s son, he takes up arms against his father because of his mother’s death and his promise to his mother to not hate humanity. Alucard’s mother begged him not to be bitter at her death when she was hunted down and killed by humans who believed her to be a witch.

Alucard listens to his mother’s wishes and seeks out the current member of the Belmont clan, Richter Belmont, in order to help him. Alucard’s determination to protect the humans that hate or fear him, as well as stop his own father, is what keeps players playing. His powers and abilities also give the player a new and different way of playing the Castlevania series.

These new abilities turn what had been a game where only weapons such as a whip, knives, holy water, and other human attacks were used into a game where the character had the ability to turn into a bat, a fireball attack, fog, and other vampire skills. Overall, Alucard is a hero who, though not a playable character in many of the Castlevania games, was certainly a memorable one.

Kratos (God of War series)

Kratos was a barbarian who fought in the name of Ares and was a good fighter. When he was about to die he prayed to Ares to save him, which then backfired. Ares tricked him into killing his wife and daughter, which led Kratos to hate Ares. Kratos decided to kill Ares for revenge, but when he does Kratos becomes the god of war, taking the place of Ares. In later games Kratos kills almost all of the other Greek gods, including Zeus, his own father. Kratos fights with two twin swords that are chained to his arms and with magic that is given to him by either the Olympian Gods or the Titans, depending on the game.

Agent 47 (Hitman series)

Agent 47, also known as Mr. 47, is the main character of the Hitman series of video games. He is a cold sociopath killer who always gets the job done and never gets caught. He is a genetically enhanced clone and hired gun for the International Contract Agency. Trained from birth to be an efficient killer, Agent 47 was born to be bad, making him an anti-hero.

Although he is a ‘hired gun’, his services are usually rendered to deliver justice where injustices have been done. Thanks to his training and genetic enhancements Agent 47 can remain calm in every situation and can use any weapon or vehicle accurately and proficiently; due to these enhancements he also has a great amount of endurance and can live through wounds that would be fatal to a normal person.

Dante (Devil May Cry series)

Dante is the son of the demon, Sparta, the only ‘good’ demon who stands up against other demons. Dante spends his time killing demons and resolving his family issues with his brother, Virgil. Dante is half-human and kills demons because his deceased father also killed demons, making it strange family tradition. He uses a giant sword, two magical guns, and several other kinds of weapons. In later games of the series he uses his father’s sword.

Now that you have a taste of the top ten heroes go vote in the polls on our Facebook page or comment at the bottom of this article. The hero pairings are: Samus v Link (don’t tell Zelda), Solid Snake v Agent 47 (there will be a lot of sneaking), Master Chief v Kratos, Mario v Megaman, Alucard v Dante. Some of these heroes were featured in the article “Top Ten Heroes of All Time Part 1.” Also keep a look out for the “Top Ten Villains of All Time” articles; you definitely won’t want to miss it.

Jordan Fisher contributed significantly to the writing and research of this article.

The article Top Ten Video Game Heroes of All Time Part 2 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

After long debates and much playing the top ten video game characters of all time have been decided by the gaming team at The Toonari Post. Some of them made the list because of their classic appeal or maybe because they are just incredibly awesome characters. Either way, this list features the best of the best and is also the beginning to a series of articles in which the best of the best fight each other to the death.

In these upcoming articles, pairings of the best heroes and the best villains will fight and the winner will be determined by polls on The Toonari Post facebook page. If you are interested in voting and cannot find the poll on Facebook simply comment at the end of this article as to which character you believe will win. Also check out the follow up articles to this one “Top Ten Video Game Heroes of All Time Part 2,” “Top Ten Video Game Villains of All Time Part 1,” and “Top Ten Video Game Villains of All Time Part 2.”

Mario (Mario series)

The mustachioed Italian plumber who protects the Mushroom Kingdom and is always trying to save the Princess from the Koopa King, of course, has to make it onto this list. While there is not too much to say about Mario’s personal beliefs since he is a silent hero and fairly simplistic, he has still had a huge impact in video games. Mario is the first video game hero that most children play as since Mario has appeared in over two hundred, family-friendly games.

However, you shouldn’t sell Mario short (even if he is). Certainly in the majority of his games he is just rescuing a princess, but in other games he’s been known to save the Mushroom Kingdom and even the Galaxy. In every case he is definitely on par with hero status.

Mario has had many different incarnations, but in almost all of them his attacks include jumping on his opponent, shooting fireballs, hitting enemies with his raccoon tail, and becoming invincible for short periods of time. However, without the special drops of fire flowers, feathers, and stars that Mario might find in a random block, Mario is fairly powerless in comparison to some of our other heroes.

Link (Legend of Zelda series)

The Hyrulian Hero of Time who protects both the Kingdom of Hyrule and the world, Link is another hero many children played in their childhoods. Though each game features a different Link than the one before (whether he is a descendant of Link or from a parallel universe), he still is essentially the same character. Normally Link uses his sword, bow and arrow, boomerang, and bombs. Although Link is another silent hero he is often very expressive – especially in his newer releases – and players can still get a feel for his character.

Link is not above helping others and often participates in side quests to help people that are unrelated to his main quest. He is a courageous and kind-hearted character who always does his part to help anyone in trouble. He’s the Legendary Hero and the Hero chosen by the Gods he’s Link the Hero of Time.

Samus Aran (Metroid series)

Samus Aran is one of the few female characters to make it onto this list and the bounty hunter who has taken on both Space Pirates and the energy-draining parasites, Metroids. Samus was a Galactic Federation soldier who defected and became a bounty hunter. She is the chosen one to wear the armor of the Chozo, an ancient, bird-like race of super powerful individuals. The suit she wears is a one of a kind; she also receives upgrades for the armor in the ancient temples of the Chozo.

In the majority of the Metroid series Samus is portrayed as a silent no-nonsense warrior who spends most of her time in her heavily armored bulky suit that can shoot missiles and beams. Being one of the first and most famous female video game characters is reason enough to be on this list. Overall Samus is a hero that men and women alike can enjoy playing. Samus has many different attacks and moves such as her abilities to roll up into a ball, plant bombs, and use her blaster for an arm; a seriously powerful and well-‘armed’ character.

Master Chief (Halo series)

Master Chief is chosen by an AI program, Cortana, as the luckiest of all Spartans. He is a faceless warrior fighting against the Covenant and uses guns and grenades to win his battles – that is, when he can’t just steal an enemy tank or other hardware. Despite, being a relatively new video game and literary character, Master Chief has become very recognizable as a video game icon.

He is portrayed as a loyal soldier always following orders given to him without question and even remaining quiet when others show obvious signs of distrust towards him. According to Steve Downes, the man who voices Master Chief, the character’s personality and speech pattern were supposed to be modeled after Clint Eastwood.

Solid Snake (Metal Gear Solid series)

Solid Snake is the code name for a spy who tries to prevent the end of the world from destruction. In the game there are terrorists who are trying to destroy the world and build giant mechanoids called Metal Gears which Solid Snake attempts to stop. Solid Snake must battle not only the giant Metal Gears but also the terrorists who are trying to stop him. Although Solid Snake fights in the game he is also known for his use of stealth and cunning. His weapons of choice include guns as well as pornography which he puts down to distract enemies.

Now that you have a taste of the top ten heroes go vote in the polls on our Facebook page or comment at the bottom of this article. The hero pairings are: Samus v Link (don’t tell Zelda), Solid Snake v Agent 47 (there will be a lot of sneaking), Master Chief v Kratos, Mario v Megaman, Alucard v Dante. Some of these heroes will be featured in the follow-up article “Top Ten Heroes of All Time Part 2.”

Jordan Fisher contributed significantly to the writing and research of this article.

The article Top Ten Video Game Heroes of All Time Part 1 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

This year at Anime Boston the Dealer’s Room was packed with booths covering two large rooms. Almost anything you could think of, you could find there. QB plushies? Yup. Brightly colored Pokemon hats? In abundance. Strange Japanese-imported collectibles? You betcha. Here are some of the best deals we found this year in the Anime Boston Dealer’s Room.

Manga generally had the most dramatic deals. At Comicopia, if you bought two volumes you got 10% off, four volumes 15% off, and eight volumes 20% off (2-10%, 4-15%, 8-20%). However, New England Comics had a competitive ‘Buy two get 30% off’ deal going on, and Cheap Manga probably stole the show for manga deals. With them, a single manga was $5, five volumes were $20, and 30 volumes were $90 (that’s 1-$5, 5-$20, 30-$90).

Not too far off at the Anime Pavilion, eight volumes cost $60, 14 cost $100, and 45 cost $300 (8-$60, 14-$100, 45-$300). Not to mention Anime Pavilion’s selection consisted of less popular titles than Cheap Manga’s.

Other notable deals were to be found at New England Comics’ booth, where brand new Star Wars comic omnibuses were 60-80% off, making $25 volumes only $7. Each yaoi manga volume at NEC was $7, but if you bought five or more they were $5. Elsewhere you could find deals such as ‘Buy 1 get 2 free’, ‘All manga 20% off except new releases’, and ‘10% off yaoi’.

Also of note to those looking for manga, or looking to trade their manga away at the convention, is the swap meet. The swap meet took place in the evening on Friday and Saturday, and I was able to trade away three virtually valueless items I got in a grab bag for three volumes of manga. Overall the manga scene at the con felt a bit like a game of hot potato; pass that stuff on to the next person before you’re stuck with it for too long.

Figurines were also in abundance at the con, though only a few were on sale. World of Warcraft figurines were $40 each, but $70 if two were bought together. A set of four Walking Dead figures went for $75, and Ore no Imoto figurines were two for $65.

T-shirts could be found for $20 each, two for $36, and three for $48.

Funimation was also hocking their wares by the entrance gate, accompanied by a pair of Cat Planet Cuties mascots in eyecatching costumes, or the lack thereof… Most notable amongst the prices at their booth was a Blu-Ray collection of Evangelion for $20. The first season of Black Butler was $60, as was the new retelling of the Fullmetal Alchemist story Brotherhood. Hetalia films were $25 a pop, Excel Saga was there on Blu-Ray for $40, Baccano was available for $30, and Claymore would set you back $40.

Aftermarket retailers such as Anime Madness, Video Games New York, and Harrison’s Comics and Collectibles were nearby as well offering great deals on anime, music, and video games.

Video Games New York was selling a hacked Wii with emulators and homebrew apps for $150, alongside rare oldschool games (Final Fantasy Anthology for $25, Metal Gear Solid 1 complete with case and booklet for $40) and Japanese import and Japan-exclusive games for old and current consoles alike. New York Video Games was also selling unused Dreamcast consoles for $150, and their stock rotated daily as they brought new items up from their store in New York.

Harrison’s Comics and Collectibles from Salem, MA had a back wall all to themselves, with a huge, nerdgasm-worthy collection of old school N64, Genesis, Atari, Sega CD, NES, and SNES games. Starfox 64, Ridge Racer, Ninja Gaiden, Duck Hunt, you name it, they had it, many for single-digit prices. They also carried Japanese-imported music, anime, comics, and figurines.

Overall, the Dealer’s Room was a great place to get cheap manga, games, CCG cards, plushies, figurines, clothing, model kits, anime, hug pillows, collectible items, and some surprises. Many of the items on sale were direct-from-Japan imports. The best part of buying imported goods at the con is not only do you get to see and touch the item yourself before you buy it, but you also save a lot on shipping costs.

If you’re considering importing something online, you might want to hold off until your next local con to see if you can find it there and make sure it’s what you want. You may also want to wait to buy your manga at a convention, judging by the burning-down-the-house prices exhibited at many of the vendors’ stalls.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.animeboston.com

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