Nz17 Productions

Macrobo V: News Update

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 03:32:26 -0400

Another Prinny game for the PSP, dood? Totally sweet dood!

When I first got the opportunity to play Disgaea Infinite, I was a little hesitant. I mean taking an SRPG lovers' best title and turning it into an interactive graphic novel is not the best recipe for fun. Luckily for you I did play Disgaea Infinite and had a pretty good time playing it too. It all starts on the night of the full moon when Etna is expecting a special pudding of which only 100 are made each day from Amazombie, the mail-order department of RosenQueen's telephone shopping network. Young prince Laharl finds out about this pudding and decides he will eat this for himself. Unfortunately for some reason Laharl explodes and blames the Prinnies for tricking him and as a result he reduces the Prinnies salaries to nothing per day. Thus starts your adventure as a nameless Prinny accompanied by a magical watch named TickTock who possesses characters to prevent all the Prinnies' salaries from being cut.After spending about six hours playing Disgaea Infinite to get all fourteen endings (which if you know what you�re doing can be done in two hours), and listening to the fully-spoken dialog, I can�t help but feel that at the end of the day the only people who will really enjoy this game are the hardcore Disgaea fans. This is not to say that others can't easily enjoy this game and have a laugh, but with in-jokes and endings that only make sense when they are put into a greater context, the game can only be fully appreciated by those who are already familiar with the Disgaea universe.This game gets 55 out of 100 points and this is how it achieved that score:

1. Fully-spoken dialog by most of the original cast. (They still haven�t gotten my original Etna voice actress back.) Good 10 points2. Being able to skip past previously read dialog. Good 10 points3. Explains why the cast from Disgaea shows up in other Disgaea, and non-Diagaea games. Good 10 points4. Not really a full game because of a VERY small amount of actual interactivity. Bad 0 points5. Game is quite short. Bad 0 points 6. Only a really big Disgaea fan will love this. Neutral 5 points7. The lines which the Prinny makes the other characters say are funny as Hell. Good 10 points 8. Sadly Prinny does not get enough opportunities to change what the others say. Bad 0 points9. There is little replay value beyond getting all the endings. Bad 0 points10. The game's introductory price tag is very acceptable at only $20. Good 10 points

A digital copy of the game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes.

Macrobo V: News Update

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 10:29:51 -0400

When I first started playing "Jolly Rover," I'll admit I got an immense feeling that this was a "The Secret of Monkey Island" clone, and while that's not too far from the truth, first glances are quite deceptive. This doggie pirate adventure game is, if anything, an homage to the Monkey Island series that made a great impression on the creator of Jolly, Alex Goulding.

Jolly Rover starts you out as a merchant dog on his way to deliver rum to the nearby Groggy Island when a pirate crew captures you and your ship, stealing your whole delivery. You manage to escape the ship and tell the governor of Groggy Island what's happened with his alcohol, with him instead reprimanding you for losing his shipment and demanding his deposit back. Being that you have no money because of the pirates, you are forced to find work to pay back all the money owed.

This is where the action starts: from hint-giving parrots, to salty sea cooks, to cannibal bi... canines. You'll never find yourself with a dull moment. Even casual gamers can pick this up and play without fear of frustration because of the well-designed aforementioned hint-giving parrot.

At the end of the day, Jolly Rover is a great adventure game and while not without its flaws, it's a great first effort by Brawsome (the game's developer), and I look forward to a possible sequel, with a few changes here and there to even out the gameplay.

Final Score: 70 out of 100.

How I came out with the final score:

10. Funny and rememberable dialog. Good

9. A great way of implementing a hint system. Good

8. Giving so many crackers to use towards hints that they lose their value. Bad

7. Innuendo is used a tad too much. Neutral

6. Voice acting is spot on. Good

5. Voodoo dances were not used enough in the game. Neutral

4. Music fits the game, even though it was all royalty free. Good

3. Blue text for unclicked objects, white text for those clicked upon. Good

2. Final boss was a bit of a let down. Bad

1. Collecting crackers, pieces of eight, and flags unlocks concept art, music, and captain biographies. Good.

These are 6 Good things worth 60 points, 2 Neutral for 10 points, and 2 Bad for 0 points. A grand total of 70 points out of 100.

A code to redeem the game was given to us by the developer for reviewing purposes.

ASO Radio: Episode #127

Mon, 24 May 2010 12:29:10 -0400

Yeesh, ASO Radio steps away from the spotlight for two weeks and the manga industry falters on its foundation. Is it a coincidence or is it the amazing power of ASO Radio's missing presence at work, causing a severe decline in purchasing habits? Yeah, that's what I thought too.

Anifanatikku: Burning down Georgia, I mean the Industry

Wed, 05 May 2010 12:39:04 -0400

Burning down Georgia, I mean the industry

Read more in the full Burning down Georgia, I mean the Industry story at Anifanatikku.

ASO Radio: Episode #126

Sun, 02 May 2010 23:52:36 -0400

You know that whole thing about shorter, more manageable Episode lengths? Yeah, about that: got into a bit of a rant about anime production and buyer purchasing habits, so a short Episode isn't happening this time. What is happening is a great bit of anime news, an anime review of a classic from the golden days of the late 80's / early 90's, and a review of a recent release for the Nintendo DS in the HotSpot section.

Anifanatikku: Sakura Con 2010 The power of love, peace and energy drinks

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:42:57 -0400

Sakura con 2010 The power of Love, Peace and energy drinks

Read more in the full Sakura Con 2010 The power of love, peace and energy drinks story at Anifanatikku.

Anifanatikku: Yawara! a fashionable Judo Girl

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:42:05 -0400

Review Yawara! A Fashionable Judo GirlWritten by WarpshadowRating very good

Read more in the full Yawara! a fashionable Judo Girl story at Anifanatikku.

Anifanatikku: Kanamemo

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:41:14 -0400

Review KanamemoWritten by WarpshadowRating fair

Read more in the full Kanamemo story at Anifanatikku.

Anifanatikku: Itsudatte My Santa

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:40:48 -0400

Review Itsudatte My SantaWritten by WarpshadowRating fair

Read more in the full Itsudatte My Santa story at Anifanatikku.

ASO Radio: Episode #125

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 03:23:37 -0400

It is the end of an era, and the dawn of a new era... and time for more ASO Radio! We wrap up our first decade of ASO Radio with Episode #125, a true milestone! And to celebrate, we bring out some dutifully critical reviews of the new Fullmetal Alchemist anime series, Brotherhood, and the original manga too. Put on your listening headphones and tune into a new decade of ASO Radio, my fellow otaku.

Anifanatikku: Aoi Hana

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 23:11:14 -0400

Review Aoi HanaWritten by WarpshadowRating good

Read more in the full Aoi Hana story at Anifanatikku.

Anifanatikku: Vampire Kisses volumes 1-3 (complete)

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 23:10:40 -0400

Review Vampire Kisses volumes 1-3 (complete)Written by WarpshadowRating fair/ goodVampire Kisses is a decent enough Oel manga if only one can forgive a complete lack of conflict or much of anything to hold a reader's interest.

Read more in the full Vampire Kisses volumes 1-3 (complete) story at Anifanatikku.

Anifanatikku: 11 eyes

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 23:10:03 -0400

Review 11 eyesWritten by WarpshadowRating fair/ good

Read more in the full 11 eyes story at Anifanatikku.

Anifanatikku: Urda

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 23:09:38 -0400

Review UrdaWritten by WarpshadowRating fair/ good

Read more in the full Urda story at Anifanatikku.

Anifanatikku: Asu no Yoichi

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:42:35 -0500

Review Asu no YoichiWritten by WarpshadowRating good

Read more in the full Asu no Yoichi story at Anifanatikku.

Anifanatikku: Melanchology of Haruhi Suzumiya, The

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:40:26 -0500

Review Melancholy of Haruhi SuzumiyaWritten by WarpshadowRating very good/ excellent

Read more in the full Melanchology of Haruhi Suzumiya, The story at Anifanatikku.

Anifanatikku: Saki

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:39:48 -0500

Review SakiWritten by WarpshadowRating good

Read more in the full Saki story at Anifanatikku.

Anifanatikku: Asu no Yoichi

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:39:28 -0500

Review Asu no YoichiWritten by WarpshadowRating good

Read more in the full Asu no Yoichi story at Anifanatikku.

Anifanatikku: It takes a wizard

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:38:57 -0500

Review It takes a WizardWritten by WarpshadowRating fair/good

Read more in the full It takes a wizard story at Anifanatikku.

Anifanatikku: Card Captor Sakura volumes 1-5

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:32:30 -0500

Review Card Captor Sakura volumes 1-5Written by WarpshadowRating very good (excellent)

Read more in the full Card Captor Sakura volumes 1-5 story at Anifanatikku.

Anifanatikku: Goku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:31:17 -0500

Review Goku Sayonara Zetsubo SenseiWritten by WarpshadowRating very good

Read more in the full Goku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei story at Anifanatikku.

Anifanatikku: Kiichi and Books of Magic volumes 1-4

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:30:36 -0500

Review Kiichi and the books of Magic volumes 1-4Written by WarpshadowRating good

Read more in the full Kiichi and Books of Magic volumes 1-4 story at Anifanatikku.

Anifanatikku: Koihime Mousou

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:29:50 -0500

Review Koihime MusouWritten by WarpshadowRating fair/ good

Read more in the full Koihime Mousou story at Anifanatikku.

Anifanatikku: VB Rose volumes 1-2

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 11:48:29 -0500

Review VB Rose volumes 1-2Written by WarpshadowRating very good

Read more in the full VB Rose volumes 1-2 story at Anifanatikku.

Anifanatikku: Maximum Ride volumes 1-2

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 11:47:54 -0500

Review Maximum RideWritten by WarpshadowRating good

Read more in the full Maximum Ride volumes 1-2 story at Anifanatikku.