Espgaluda II

Full Version ($8.99) | Lite Version (Free)
Compatible with: iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad, and 3rd Generation iPod Touch

Espgaluda II copies the trend of many recent shmup games, where instead of controlling a spaceship, you control a character the flies through the sky and fights enemies with magic. You choose from 3 characters (and one of them is actually male), each of which have their own distinct bullet patterns and strengths. After finding which character suits you the most, it’s time to go into battle.

The gameplay is surprisingly smooth. To move, simply put your thumb on the screen a little bit below where your character is, and then just move your thumb to where you want him/her go. Your character will move with the same precision and speed that your thumb moves at, which really enhances the game’s playability. Your character fires automatically – there is no need to press and hold down a button – although there are buttons on the side of the screen which can be used to activate various abilities. “Awakening Mode,” for example, is a special ability that forces your character to remain stationary, but also gives you the ability to destroy enemies and bullets by simply tapping on them. Holding the “Guard” button allows you to absorb enemy fire and, upon releasing the button, unleash a powerful counterattack.

If you think this all makes the game sound easy, think again. This game is what people call “bullet hell,” (just like Touhou, Ikaruga, Deathsmiles, and many other shmup games) and it’s called that because THERE ARE BULLETS EVERYWHERE. Learning all of the patterns and how to quickly get out of close situations is the key to mastering the game. Don’t fret though… at least you have unlimited continues!

There are five stages in total, each accompanied by a boss battle. Like with all shmup games, practice makes perfect. Put your abilities to the test and go for that high score!

Do-Don-Pachi Resurrection

Full Version ($8.99) | Lite Version (Free)
Compatible with: iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad, and 3rd Generation iPod Touch

Do-Don-Pachi Resurrection is, in fact, very similar to Espgaluda II, so I actually don’t have much new to add here. Unlike in Espgaluda II though, this time you’re actually controlling a spaceship. The controls, however, are exactly the same: just move your thumb to where you want to go. Your ship shoots automatically, and has various special attacks that can be activated by pressing buttons on the side of the screen. Overall, there aren’t really any new mechanics that set this game apart from other shmups – just destroy everything in sight while fending for your life.

Another great addition to anyone’s “iDevice,” this game also sports some very impressive graphics. The sights and sounds are sure to keep you entertained while you’re busy blasting a giant female humanoid mecha (seriously, I love the boss designs in this game). Don’t get too distracted though, because avoiding the onslaught of enemy bullets is your #1 priority.

Both Espgaluda II and Do-Don-Pachi Resurrection offer various difficulty settings and game modes, so you’re likely to find something suited to your liking. They make use of the OpenFeint networking service, which allows for achievements and leaderboards, among various other features.

Both games are so identical that I can’t really recommend one over the other. Just pick one, and if you like it, pick up the other one too. Both are very well-made and playable games that offer lots of entertainment, especially during those moments when time just seems to drag along. If you’re stuck waiting at the train station, on a line at the amusement park, or waiting for your notoriously late-for-everything friend to show up, these games are a great way to kill your boredom.

Jon talks about a hilarious video he found on YouTube while Scott continues on about how much he loves Working!! Lots of news topics this week (see below) which we discuss. Also, discussion about the iPhone 4 since we’re both hopeless Apple fanboys.

News

• Funimation Confirms Sacred Blacksmith DVDs to Be Uncut
• Toaru Majutsu no Index’s 2nd Season Green-Lit
• U.S., Japanese Publishers Unite Against Manga Scan Sites
• 2nd Man Arrested for Uploading Anime via Perfect Dark
• Funimation, BioWare Work on Animated Dragon Age Film
• Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood ends on July 4
• Bandai Entertainment to Continue to Distribute Sola

Anime/Games

• Escaflowne
• Negima
• Super Mario Galaxy 2
• Etrian Odyssey
• Star Ocean 2
• Working!!
• Heroman
• Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou

Otaku in Review – Episode 18 – Technology in Review | Subscribe in iTunes

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Otaku in Review – Episode 4 – Sleeping with Hisui | Subscribe in iTunes

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In 2006, the anime series The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya aired in Japan. Based on a popular series of light novels by Nagaru Tanigawa, the series was an immediate hit. On June 11, 2006, an episode named “The Day of Sagittarius” was aired. In the episode, Haruhi and her friends (the “SOS Brigade”) are challenged by the Computer Club of the school to face them in a game they created.

From seeing it in the anime, it looked like a fairly standard space battle simulation game. You command ships and have them attack enemies. When I saw this episode, I wondered if such a game actually existed, and thought it would be interesting to play it. Today, iPhone and iPod Touch users can do just that with The Day of Sagittarius III app, available for $1.99 in the App Store.

Upon starting up the game, you have two options: “Start” and “Turtorial.” It’s a good idea to go to the tutorial first, because the game is more complex than it seems… perhaps a bit too complex.

Umm, what?

A big problem with this game is the lack of adequate directions. It seems the people who translated this game wanted to translate as little as possible. So, rather than explaining things with words, most of the explaining is done through pictures, which can get quite confusing. It doesn’t help that the few words that are in the directions don’t really make much sense, and are poorly translated.

If you can manage to decipher the instructions, then you’re ready to start up the game. Your objective depends on the level you’re playing. For example, in Level 01 your objective is simply to destroy all enemy ships, while in Level 02, you are to only take out the enemy’s admiral ships. Doing these tasks is actually quite challenging, and can make for a rather frustrating gaming experience.

Upon starting a level, you’re given 5 groups of ships to command and send after the enemy. Each level starts up with the game paused, and you can actually use this opportunity to issue commands to your ships. You can select each of these groups by tapping them on screen or by selecting them from the list on the left side. You can then command that group to go somewhere by tapping that location. You can also change the formation of the selected group by tapping the icons at the top of the screen. Your ships’ formation and the angle at which they approach the enemy are factors in determining who wins the battle.

Once you set your initial commands, it’s time to unpause the game, and the battle begins. Your ships will move to the designated areas, and will automatically attack any enemy ships they run into on the way. You’re given a mini-map in the bottom-right corner of the screen, which you can tap to scroll to a particular location on the map. You can also scroll by tapping and dragging the main screen itself, but this doesn’t seem to always work, and thus is very awkward. The controls, overall, are very flawed, and this is where most of the challenge comes in. Personally, I feel it would have been much better to implement this game on a platform with a point-and-click interface. These kinds of games just don’t work well on the iPhone.

Things get crazy in the heat of battle

If you’re someone who doesn’t mind getting frustrated and has nothing better to do, then go ahead and pick it up. If you’re buying this simply because it’s based on an episode of Haruhi, you’re going to be disappointed, as the game doesn’t really have much to do with the series. Overall, the game is enjoyable in some aspects, but that doesn’t make up for the frustration that will likely ensue upon playing it. But hey, it’s only $1.99, and at that price, I can’t really say it’s not worth the money. So if you wanna give it a try, go ahead and pick it up, for you may enjoy it more than I did.

First, the good stuff. The interface is sleek and easy to use. It doesn’t take much effort to find the show you’re looking for and begin watching within less than a minute. From what I have used of the app, I haven’t noticed any significant speed or buffering issues. The video quality looks great, and I especially like how the subtitles appear in a shaded box in the lower portion of the screen, making them easy to read. However, translation notes appear at the bottom of the screen instead of at the top, which can make things a little confusing when trying to follow the dialogue of the show.

Huh? Oh, that’s just a translation note.

The app is free, and does not require a paid subscription to Crunchyroll. If you have a paid subscription, you will not see any ads when using the app. Unfortunately, that’s the only advantage a paid subscription offers for the iPhone app. For paid members, the Crunchyroll website offers immediate access to simulcasts, whereas non-paying members normally have to wait a week before they can access. However, the Crunchyroll iPhone app does not offer this benefit to paying members. This may be a feature they plan to add in the future, but as of now, its absence is a big disappointment.

The biggest problem I have with the app, which effectively renders it useless for me, is the fact that it requires a Wi-Fi connection. This means that videos will not run over 3G. Kind of defeats the purpose of a mobile app, doesn’t it?

Well that sucks.

This restriction pretty much makes the app useful only when I’m at home, where I could just simply access the Crunchyroll website from my computer if I wanted to. If I wanted to watch an episode of Durarara!! while on the train, I wouldn’t be able to. Granted, Wi-Fi does exist in many places nowadays, but most Wi-Fi hotspots require some kind of fee/subscription or a password. In contrast, The Anime Network also recently launched an iPhone app which does allow streaming over 3G, proving that this is possible.

Overall, the Crunchyroll app does have some good points, but is overall disappointing. Hopefully the issues I have with it will be rectified in the future. Until then, I don’t see myself using the app all that much. Of course, it is a free app, so there’s no reason for you to not get it. Check it out and see if you find it useful.

UPDATE (01/21/2010): Crunchyroll has posted information about the app on their site, stating that the app is still in Alpha. They also state “For now, it is WiFi only” which seems to imply that they plan on making videos accessible via 3G. This would indeed be good news, as it would address my biggest complaint about the app.