Custom Figure: 'Dalek Attack' 8-Bit Deco Dalek

It's a brand new year and it's time for a whole new batch of classic Dalek toys! If the B&M exclusive History of the Daleks sets don't show any sign of slowing down, then neither will I. But with the boxes largely ticked on both TV21 comics and The Curse of Fatal Death variants, it's time to look at different sources of inspiration. And one area that has remained largely untouched for me is video games. While the world of Doctor Who video games is a largely maligned one, video game-inspired decos are a hit when it comes to action figures – just look at some of the fantastic work NECA does with theirs. So inspired by their work, I turned my attention to doing the same for the Daleks – and more specifically, Dalek Attack!

Anime REVIEW: Blazblue Alter Memory

Video games are something I wish I still had the time and money for. My healthy love affair with the Nintendo 3DS aside, the world of work, action figures and other worldly commitments has made a dent in my relationship in console based gaming. Blazblue is just one of the many gaming franchises I've wanted to try for a while now (I know there's a 3DS version, but it looks more like a game best enjoyed on a console) - a wonderful 2D fighting game with unique and great-looking characters. However with a lot of time passing and still not finding the time, I (along with many actual fans of the franchise) was excited to hear that Blazblue would finally be receiving the anime treatment. Even better news for me was that the series, Blazblue Alter Memory, would be following the game's plot line and thus serve as a good entry point to the franchise. Surely a fool-proof plan right?

Vash the Stampede Ragna the Bloodedge

Blazblue Alter Memory loosely follows the story of the first game, mostly from the perspective of main character Ragna the Bloodedge. The year is 2199, and humanity is awaiting the dawn of a new century following the end of a series of magic-based wars.Word spreads that Ragna the Bloodedge, an SS-class rebel with the highest ever bounty on his head and a powerful form of Ars Magus known as the "Azure Grimoire", has appeared in the 13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi. To collect the bounty and his Azure Grimoire, a motley array of fighters converge on Kagutsuchi. Not only are bounty hunters after him, but soldiers of the Novus Orbis Librarium - the multinational task force Ragna has been charged with trying to destroy. Among those after him is a lieutenant named Noel Vermillion, a woman who not only gets sucked into the world of Ragna the Bloodedge, but has a much more sinister purpose in the world that even she is unaware of...

Noel the tits and ass

At least that's what I think the plot of Blazblue Alter Memory is, because the truth is unless you have any knowledge of the games you will struggle to know what the hell is going on here. The show doesn't really explain ANYTHING during its 12 episode run, introducing more characters and convoluted plot points to confuse you before you've even wrapped your head around the last ones to be introduced. Characters have barely any introduction so are memorable for their traits rather than names, although so few have any real focus its only worth remembering the few that matter anyway. After watching every episode and attempting to read episode summaries online, I'm still not entirely sure what I watched and I'll be damned if I'm going to watch it again to find out.

Rachel the character you won't fully understand unless you play the games

So the story sucks, but surely being based on a fighting game it has some pretty awesome fight sequences right? Wrong. The series was animated by virtually unknown studios TeamKG and Hoods Entertainment (the latter responsible for a lot of in-between animation on more well-known series) and is about as generic as it comes. Credit where it is due the Blazblue cast have some great designs (although that's more credit to the game than the show) which look great on screen, but in motion everything is rather bland and certainly not worthy of such a popular game.

One thing the anime DOES do right is bring back all of the game's voice cast for their respective roles, which is something even a newcomer to the franchise would be able to appreciate. It means everyone's already comfortable in their roles, and even if the dialogue their spouting is nonsense at least they sound quite good doing it.

Tao the best character

Considering the Blazblue game franchise looks like it was born to be a fully-fledged anime, it's painful to say that Blazblue Alter Memory is one of the worst anime series I have ever had the misfortune to watch (beating out Maken-Ki!, which is a pretty impressive feat). I have absolutely no idea who this series is aimed at - it is in no way an entry point for newcomers and long-time fans are (from what I gather) being presented with a storyline they've already seen with subpar animation and minimal action. Anyone who is thinking of picking this up as a quick and effortless way to get into the franchise needs to avoid this as much as possible, because it'll only serve to put you off it. Stick with the games, and try to forget this sorry excuse for an anime even exists.

Game REVIEW: Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion (3DS)

While video gaming reviews aren't a regular feature on this blog, every so often there comes a game which I feel I should make an exception for. The original Epic Mickey game for the Nintendo Wii came out of nowhere and quickly became one of my favourite Wii games, so you can imagine my excitement when not one, but two sequels were announced. While the first was a straight console sequel entitled The Power of Two (which I'm currently playing through and will be reviewing in the near future), the second was a lot more interesting. Not only was it a 2D side-scrolling handheld title for the 3DS, but a spiritual sequel to the excellent Mickey Mouse: Castle of Illusion game for the Sega Mega Drive (or Genesis if you'd prefer). With the weight of two great games behind it, is Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion a game worthy of both legacies?

Apparently set after the events of The Power of Two (although outside the game manual there's no indication of this), the game sees Mickey returning to Wasteland to once again battle the evil witch Mizrabel (the villain from Castle of Illusion) after she and her castle are sent there. Not liking that she's been sent somewhere where forgotten toons go, Mizrabel plots her return by kidnapping Minnie Mouse and a variety of various characters from across Disney-dom - planning to steal their heart power. With Pinocchio's Jiminy Cricket acting as his guide, Mickey ventures through the Castle of Illusion once again!

If you're familiar with the original Castle of Illusion game, immediately you'll be treated by a number of nostalgic sights and sounds. From Mickey's jumping noise to the mushroom enemies that appear in every level, developers Dreamrift have a great deal to tie things in to the previous game. However whether they've gone as far as they could have gone is debatable, as a few opportunities are missed along the way. While in the original game Mizrabel took her design cues from Snow White's wicked Queen, this time around she's supporting Sleeping Beauty's Maleficent's skin...literally. Her first appearance see her morphing into a variety of Disney villains, but this original form is sadly never seen.

Mickey's throwing ability is obviously gone, replaced with projectile attacks via the paintbrush (be it paint or thinner). The morality element of the console Epic Mickey games is gone, with which element of the brush you use making no difference on enemies themselves. These tools really come into play with the interactive items you'll come across in the levels, which can be drawn or rubbed out as you desire. These items range from platforms and magic carpets to firing cannons and octopuses. Drawing these in requires tracing an outline on the 3DS touchscreen, and just how closely you follow the outline will determine how useful they are to you. It's an interesting approach, but so incredibly easy to do that even a child could breeze through the game without learning the effects of poorly drawing something.

As far as levels are concerning, the offering is incredibly meagre. There are a total of three worlds in the game, each split into four levels and one (super easy) boss. The first world is based on Neverland with Captain Hook as the boss, the second Agrahbah and Jafar and the third world Atlantis - only Ursala isn't the boss here, instead they just go straight to the final Mizrabel boss and Ursala is reduced to being an interactive character (more on that in a moment). It feels like they just give up on things at the last minute. The levels aren't really all that challenging until you reach the last few Atlantis ones (which are more frustrating rather than hard). All the levels require visiting more than once, but while repeated trips make the game last longer, they don't make up for the abysmal length of the game. Even a casual gamer could probably finish it in one sitting.

Where the game really shines is its extended cast of characters. The Epic Mickey side of things might as well just be forgotten, because there aren't any "forgotten" characters and Oswald is barely in it. Instead on your travels you come across a HUGE variety of characters from various Disney movies including Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Tangled, The Lion King, The Princess and the Frog, Snow White and more. As you rescue these characters, they take haven in their  own little rooms in the castle's "fortress", making them up to look like home.Talking to the characters then opens a variety of side quests, which include finding extra characters for their rooms (e.g. finding Timon and Pumbaa for Simba), items (a frying pan for Rapunzel) or simply just drawing things for bonus items. Successfully completing a mission results in the rooms improving bit by bit. Room improvement can also be done via upgrade stars, which are awarded for completing levels and later buyable from the peddlar from Aladdin. Best of all, Power of Illusion is one of the few places you'll see these characters interact with each other too.

But this is the problem. The game feels less like a side-scrolling adventure, and more a game of "dress up your Disney characters room". The quests are mundane and repetitive, lacking variety as its just the same thing over and over with interchangeable characters and items. The cast is huge, but when its clear that the majority of effort when into the SIDE quests the overall game really suffers. While the mainline Epic Mickey games over decent replay value in terms of alternate paths and collectible items, there is nothing here that would make you want to pick the game up twice.

I had huge hopes for Power of Illusion, so much that I was looking forward to it more than The Power of Two. But unfortunately this game is barely worthy of either the Epic Mickey or Illusion titles. The 3D is pointless, the game painfully short and the bosses unimaginative. Its great to see so many mainstream Disney characters under one roof, but their inclusion also feels like it goes against the whole point of Epic Mickey. Power of Illusion is a great game for kids, but a massive disappointment compared to the titles it succeeds.

Anime REVIEW: Accel World

Ever wanted a bit more realism to your video games? Well Sunrise's (Gundam, Cowboy Bebop and more) latest anime adaptation not only gives you an insight into what this might be like, but also perhaps provides an eerie look into the way technology will be in the not-too-distant future. Based on a light novel series of the same name, Accel World is a 24-episode series which aired between April and September 2012. Just to bring the franchise full circle, it will also be adapted into two games - one for the Playstation 3 and one for the Playstation Portable.

In the year 2046, Neuro-synchronization, a technology system that allows humans to manipulate their five senses, has become widespread to the point where people can access the Internet and enter virtual worlds through a device known as a Neuro-Linker. Haruyika "Haru" Arita is your typical stereotype - a small, overweight boy with self-esteem issues due to constant bullying. To escape the torment of real life, he logs in to the school's virtual world network where he plays squash alone and always gets the highest score.

Kuroyukihime meets Haru in the virtual world

This all changes one day when he meets the mysterious "Kuroyukihime", his school's Student Council Vice President and all around popular girl. She offers Haru a programme known as "Brain Burst" - a secret program which allows a person to make time appear to stand still by "accelerating" their brainwaves in the real world. Unfortunately, there is a limit to how many times a person can accelerate since each acceleration costs "Burst Points" and the primary way to get more points is to fight and defeat other users in the program's massive online fighting game. However if a user is defeated in battle and loses all of their points, the program uninstalls itself, block all future reinstallation attempts and wipe the user's memory of it.

Silver Crow, Accel World's first flying avatar

Under the guise of the avatar "Silver Crow", Haruyuki fights with Kuroyukihime (known in-game as Black Lotus, the Black King) to reach the highest attainable level of the game (level 10). To do this, they must defeat the other level 9 users, the remaining five "Kings of Pure Colour".

Right from the beginning Accel World presents a very interesting setting - computers are obsolete, and people are able to bring up their emails or surf the web at a flick of their wrist. Its a believable future, and the idea of being able to seemingly physically engage in online virtual games through the use of an avatar is an integral theme. This is shown on two different levels, with the network avatars being either cutesy animals (Haru as a pig) or animal-human hybrids of themselves (Hime's "iconic" butterfly appearance). On this level it all seems like a bunch of Facebook flash games brought to life, but as Haru delves deeper into Brain Burst the visuals take a very different form. Avatars are robotic in appearance (sometimes without any facial features), and the world itself can be anything from a wasteland of burning buildings to lush field or ocean. From an animation standpoint Sunrise are on top of their game at capturing the three different worlds the anime has to offer, even if the middle one is almost entirely forgotten as time goes on.

Black Lotus, the Black King

Unfortunately, the story isn't quite as crisp as the art. Its an ambitious tale with much planned out right at the beginning, but nothing ever seems to really go anywhere. Episodes repeatedly consist of an extensive info dump to begin with, following with a decent bit of build up and then a fairly impressive cliffhanger. But then when you come to the next episode, the cliffhanger has either been all but forgotten or fizzles out within the first five minutes. The story is constantly advancing, but lacks any real punch. Instead it just plods a long when it should be coupled with as much flashiness as possible. After all it is a fighting game they're playing.

Despite her small stature, the Red King Scarlet Rain is armed to the teeth

But as serious as the plot may seem, the fact remains the whole show is about a video game. Upon discovering Brain Burst, Haru's friend Chiyuri is quick to respond that its "only a game" and that they shouldn't treat it like real life, but even she eventually falls into the trap of everything seeming like a life or death situation. When characters respond to real-life blackmail threats by devising a plan to beat the blackmailer online, it really does spoil any illusion the show has. If I took anything away from this show, it wasn't the importance of friendship and trust - it was the cast of Accel World take video games far too seriously.

Dusk Taker, the "bad guy" of the show.

With a conclusion that explained nothing the series seemed to set out to do there's every possibility that a second season is on its way. In some ways I welcome that - there's still a huge story to be told and many questions left unanswered. But on the other hand, despite its good looks, this season had very little to be praised about. If Accel World is to truly climb out of the realms of mediocrity, it isn't just the characters than need to level up...

Portal LED Talking Sentry Turret

Ever since getting into the Portal games (which came a lot later than most), I've been looking for a Turret toy. So when Forbidden Planet put up preorders for a talking LED flashlight turret I didn't think twice before I jumped on it. Unfortunately getting him proved more tedious than I expected - there were delays after delays and my first delivery went missing. However nearly six months after originally placing the order, I finally have my own Turret buddy!

Made by the webstore ThinkGeek, this 3.5" tall Turret is packaged in a special box just like the one seen in the Valve "Aperture Investment Opportunity #3: Turrets" video.

I was planning to do a proper review on this little guy, but once it was in my hands I realised there's no really a lot to say about it. It has no articulation whatsoever - the legs don't move at all and there's no fold out guns. The antennae on the top are bendable to avoid any easy breakage, and similarly the legs are on flexible wires which give them a suspension-like feel. The switch to turn on the LED eye is on the back of the body, while the voice switch is a thin rectangular button on the side. Check out the video below for a demonstration of the voice clips.

There are a variety of blind-packed turrets coming out soon, but if you're looking for a nice desk/display piece and willing to sacrifice guns for a light-up eye and voice clips this is definitely worth the purchase. Of course the price is a little higher due to the electronics, but if you're a Portal fan its quite easily justifiable as a one-off purchase. Hopefully you won't have as much trouble getting one as I did.