"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!"

Smashing System Bias Since 1972…

Astro Boy Movie Teaser Trailer

Posted on August 22, 2009 by geelw

Oops. I forgot to add this film trailer to the Astro Boy: The Video Game post, so here you go. Cool, huh? When I first saw the new outfit a few weeks back, I wasn’t sure I’d like the Gap-ified new “‘tween” look he’d gotten. However, in retrospect it works a lot better for 2009 than the shirtless little boy in short pants that many folks my age grew up watching in glorious black & white back in the day…

Still, I can hear the more hardcore Tezuka purists outside screaming for my scalp in the background… How the hell did they get here so fast?

Cursed Mountain Arrives Early. I’m Four Hours In….

Posted on August 22, 2009 by geelw

… and I couldn’t be more pleased, although it seems that the kids who want exploding zombie heads every three seconds may be a bit annoyed by the intentionally languid pacing. And the fact that there are NO zombies in the game, only really annoyed ghosts and more pissed off demonic things (that can still kill as quickly, mind you). The game layers on the gloomy mood right away and the overall sense of dread combined with the brilliant score makes for some nicely creepy moments. The game’s general atmosphere has the feeling of the last depressing section of Robert Altman’s McCabe & Mrs. Miller crossed with a dash of Masaki Kobayashi’s classic K(w)aidan and the lonelier moments of Kubrick’s The Shining. Hopefully, that will help some of you reading this in terms of placing the game’s tone.