As For The Pictures

I have just added images to the site. I do not own these pics so if I have offended or have done something wrong to the viewers, please drop me a line and let me know the inconvenience so I can fix it.
Thank You,
George Scherer

Manga Review = Afro Samurai volume 1

Afro Samurai was a cultural hit when it was released in America. Featuring Samuel Jackson, this was an anime classic at release. Now we are proud to have the manga that started it all, and it is just as action packed (if not more) as the hit anime.
Afro Samurai Volume 1 follows the story of an amazingly strong swordsman knows as Afro. The book opens just as the anime. We see a young Afro brought to the battle ground by his father, the current Number 1 (swordsman of the world). There on the battle field is the current Number 2 that goes by the name Justice. Their battle ends quickly with Afros father being de-headed, and Justice taking the headband of the Number 1 and leaving the Number 2 headband with Afro. Afro will then grow up into a man bent on revenge for his father’s death.

Afro will be confronted with many people after the Number 2 headband. This is because in the story the man that holds the Number 1 headband is seen as a god, and the person with the Number 2 headband is the only one that can challenge the Number 1.

He will also run into the Empty Seven. We learn much more about this group in the manga than in the anime. All I will say though is that they work for the Number 1, but wish to take his power away.

The first volume will also introduce Kuma, but in this volume you see the reserve he has to fight Afro when Afro is at 100%. The volume is very well drawn and shows where the style of the anime truly came from.

Afro Samurai is an action packed blood fest of true classic samurai/western style. This truly shows how good stories can become when you combine Eastern and Western styles of media. Afro is a mature comic, and is in retail stores now.

George Scherer

Manga Preview = Black Cat

Black cat is an epic story with fun characters and great action and comedy. Black Cat follows the adventure of Train Heartnet, a once elite eraser and now a sweeper (bounty hunter) that travel around hunting down the biggest bounties. He travels with his partner Sven Vollfied, who was once a top IBI (International Bureau of Investigation) agent, now has also turned sweeper (it was Sven who brought Train in to the sweeping business).
The story follows the two as they try to make a living in this type of business. They will eventually meet a girl named Rinslet Walker, who is a master thief, and be asked to help her on her next mission. Little do any of them now that they will run into a young girl that will change their lives. Before the mission Sven find a young lost girl named Eve, and after spending time with her find that she has relation to their next target. Sven is badly wounded, but with the help of Train the two enter into the mission with Rinslet. During the mission Sven finds Eve and is told that Eve is a Bio-organic girl that can change her body as she sees fit. After some nice moves by train and the team, Eve joins the group.
In reality Kentaro Yabuki (writer and artist) says that Eve is also to be the main character. He tells that the story has two main characters and two story ideas. One is trains past and how it will affect the lives of his friends, and the second is the growing to age story of Eve.
Now to leave you will the big plot of the series. Train was an elite assassin now as a Chronos Number. He worked for the Chronos organization that owns 1/3 of the world economy. The numbers are people that are masters of one weapon and have been given a version of their master weapon made from a metal known as Orichalcum (the strongest metal known to man in this story). The member and the weapon are given a tattoo of a roman numeral, which train will be given the number VIII (hence the name Black Cat).
When Train was on a mission he meets a girl named Saya Minatsuki. She will change Train’s idea of what it means to be happy. When Train decides to leave Chronos his former Partner Creed Diskenth kills Saya hoping to change Train’s mind back to a killer. It is said that the Black Cat was killed for leaving the Numbers. Soon after the rescue of Eve, Creed finds Train and asks him to join his revolution to destroy Chronos.
The story unfolds from this point as Trains past begins to come back into his life, and his friends try to stay alive in this world that Train used to live in. This story is filled with action, comedy, and sci-fi that are done in a very well told way. You will be drawn into the action from the very first volume. Black Cat is one of those stories that once you finish reading it you will want to go tough the ride time and time again. The complete series is in stores now.

George Scherer

Manga Review = Legend of Zelda Volume 1

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is one of the most beloved of all Zelda games, and now we have the manga that represents the hit game.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time part 1 covers the beginning adventure of a mysterious boy named Link. His adventure leads him though the land of Hyrule and also in some most dangerous areas. He will not do it alone though, he will have the help of his fairy Navi and some new friends that he meets along the way. He will also gain many new and amazing weapons along the way to help in the journey.
Link starts this amazing adventure with the death of one of the closest people in his life. He is sent to give a treasure to the Princess of Hyrule. When he arrives he finds that there is a tale of a hero that will appear if three magical gems are brought together in the Temple of Time, and the Ocarina of Time is played in this place. Link then tells the princess not to worry he will collect the gems for her. Link then sets off on this amazing adventure of great victories and mysteries of his past and future being revealed.
This book is aimed more at kids, but it is also very adult in the situations and his reactions that Link has to go through. He will face things that many people must face, even that of a friend that was turned against him. He will have to deal with larger decisions that may cost many to lose their homes and lives.
This is a story of a young man that must grow into the hero that the kingdom of Hyrule has been waiting for. His adventure will reach the hearts of all that read this book.
If you liked the game, or are just looking for a story that anyone of any age can read, pick up this book and prepare for the beginning adventure of this beloved character.

George Scherer

Manga Review = Burst Angel Vol. 1

Burst Angel hit our shores in 2007, and now a year later we are graced with the manga that started the series.
Burst Angel volume 1 takes place in the time before the team was put together. The story follows Jo and Meg as they try to make ends meet with their business “Jakes of All Trades”. They are not only looked for as one of the best people to hire for a task, but are also hunted as two of the biggest bounties there are. The story will also introduce a new character to the series, Takeru. He is the scrawny boy that wants to be stronger, and thinks that being around Jo will help him get there (if he survives the encounter).
Now even though the story is before the anime, don’t think that it means that the action isn’t there. This is an action packed book that shows just how good Jo is, even without a giant robot. It contains 5 chapters that range from the story of a retrieval of an heirloom, to them having to survive while being hunted by mercenaries.
If you liked the anime, or are just looking for a new action packed manga that has “girls with guns”, then you should check out Burst Angel volume 1. You won’t be disappointed.

George Scherer

Game Review = Seal Online

Seal Online is a MMORPG by YNK Games that is an adventure for all ages.
Seal Online makes the normal MMO a fun and easy game that anyone can play. The style is a child/chibi like design that will give you different and funny ways to make your character your own. Now normally when we see a game like this we think really simple detail and little customization, but Seal delivers the complete opposite. The character and armor designs are very detailed and fun to look at. The game also gives you a bunch of different clothes styles and accessories to make your character look original and flashy.
In the game you have several different classes including a warrior, a knight, a mage, a priest, and even a jester. Each class has their own unique style that makes it easy to play as a character that you might normally never play as. You will also level up fast in the game so you have the ability to make a strong character fast and go to that high level dungeon with your friends that might have been playing longer than you have. There are still even more fun factors to the game, like pets and a couples system that gives so many more factors to make friends and rivals over.
One of the biggest problems I had with the game was the camera angles. The preset angles were pretty much useless, and in some sarcoma stances the free style camera was just a hopeless. The other problem was that the Warrior and Knight classes didn’t really seem that different.

Now Seal is a game aimed more at kids, but even some veteran MMO players will find fun and funny new ways to play this MMO. This is also an easy game so it great for new players, and there is even a class that will let you try all the other classes before you make your final choice. The reason why this game is so easy to recommend is that it’s FREE! So if you’re new to MMOs or just looking for some fun twists download Seal and find the kid in you again.

George Scherer

Game Review = Rohan: Blood Feud

One of the games that really stood out to me at e For All was a game from the developers at YNK. The title of this game is Rohan, which is a free online MMORPG. Now when you first hear this you think that it’s free but you must miss out on a lot. Well no you don’t. You actually get the whole game, with full ability to level to the max and full skill stats.
Rohan plays like many MMORPGs; it is very fluid in its controls (with the ability to use keyboard, mouse, and/or both). You get a solid amount of character races to choose from. You get the classic Human and Elf, and the new look at Dark Elfs and a new kind of race know as Dekan (a dragon type race). You also can obtain mounts of many different types. You can gain the average horse, or even go with the giant boar. You also have the ability to buy pets that will increase certain stats for your character.
Now these are great features, but the one that stood out to me was the Hit List. The Idea is that if I’m playing and someone sneaks up on me and starts a fight and I end up losing; after I am brought back to life he is written on my Hit List. With the character on my Hit List I can find him at a later time to get revenge. This is one of the best features I have ever seen in a MMORPG, you can finally get revenge on the jerk that killed you while you were weak.
Rohan is a great look at not only how an MMORPG should be, but it’s also free. The game has solid controls, graphics, unlockables, and quests. The game is very large and will take a lot of your life away.
If you like RPGs you should really download this one, and begin your quest of the Rohan world. Hope to see you in it.

George Scherer

Game Preview = Dragon Age: Origins

Bioware is one of the biggest names in role playing games, and have now introduced there next big original game, Dragon Age: Origins.
Dragon Age will be a mature rated fantasy role playing game. If you have ever played the other Bioware title: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR), you will be right at home. The speech system is very similar to KOTOR’s choice system. The major difference to this is that every line you choose has true ramifications to the overall story. If you are mean to a partner, he or she might decide that you are not worthy to have them on your team, and leave the team forever. Be careful though, if you are to evil to them they might just turn around and try to kill you.
At the close door beta they showed some of the game play from the PC version. I am happy to say that the control style is very reminiscent of KOTOR. The only difference I could tell (and I cannot truly confirm or deny this since the demo’s play screen was turned off after the fight began), is that when you use your abilities it will have a recharge system reminiscent of Mass Effect (that is how it work for the XBOX 360 version that they had as a playable demo in their booth.) If you do not know, the abilities’ icon that you use will shadow over after use, and slowly build back up after use.
The demo that they had for us to try was on the XBOX 360, and was the first time that they were showing it being run on that system. It was fairly different then the PC version. This is mainly caused by the control system. The system is not like that of KOTOR, but more suited to the XBOX 360 controllers. The main control difference you will notice is that it is all about the hot keys. Your Y, X, and B buttons will be for your most used abilities, and one of your shoulder buttons will allow for a full view of your available abilities. From what can be seen the battle system is the real time/ time based action style that KOTOR was. The great new addition is that you will now have the choice to bring up to four characters onto your team, and you will be able to switch control of them at will.
Dragon Age: Origins is one of those games that you don’t hear much about, but when you see it your jaw will hit the floor. I am anticipating this game’s release, and hope to keep you informed on any progress of the game.

George Scherer

Game Review = Dofus

Dofus is a FREE online MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role playing game) that takes a tactical type twist to game play. Unlike most MMORPG’s they take the battle to the grid. What I mean by this is that you will play the battles on a grid like layout. Every turn you are given a certain amount of movement points and action points (these refill every round). If you have ever played games like Final Fantasy tactics, you’ll pick this up really quick.
This is not the only endearing point. This is well a childish, cute type of game. The characters are very cartoon like, and the classes have a funny appeal to them. Like for instance the Sadida, which are the summoner type class, look like tree people, the male Scram, the rogue type class, are walking skeletons. The enemies are also cute. You will mostly fight sheep, small birds, and flowers. Also a lot of the equipment that you will obtain also looks cutesy, with some capes and hats look like something you might find in a kids fairy tale story.
The game unfortunately has some down points. When playing and leveling up you will begin to notice that some of the higher level powers just don’t really do that much, and well are pretty pointless. I played the game with three different types’ f characters, and I rarely use any new powers beyond the starting five. The other big problem is that through all the time I played the game I COULD NOT FIND ANY SHOPS! This is annoying because it takes many levels before you get the ability to make your own equipment. Now yes there are well over 70 other players that will sell what they have either made or have obtained, but half of the stuff is to high level for beginner characters.
Dofus is fun, but mainly for beginners to the MMO style games. It lets you easily try out many classes and see what you might like. The game is also a fast install and the system requirements are low. If you are looking to get into MMO’s and need a good test game to get used to the style, or have a kid that might want to play a light hearted game Dofus is a nice game to start with, and its FREE.

George Scherer

Game Review = Dishwasher Dead Samurai

Dishwasher Dead Samurai is a new Xbox Live Arcade game that will have you making a death toll so high Rambo will be crying.
Dishwasher Dead Samurai is a 2D based action hack and slash. If you have ever played a game like Ninja Gaiden then you’ll be right at home. You play as a young man that wakes up to realize that he no longer has a heart and that there are cyborg agents after him. So what do you do when you are an undead dishwasher being chased by cyborgs? Well kill them in a bloody rage of course.
In your quest to find out what has happened to you, you will clash with many different enemies ranging from cyborg FBI like agents, giant robots, jetpack guys with rocket launchers, and even zombies. Now with this many enemies you will need weapons, and you will get some nice choices in this factor. You will start with two oversized butcher blades, and through your adventure gain a samurai sword that lets you teleport around the level, a set of Kama (think small scythes), a chainsaw, and an Uzi/Shotgun combo. You will gain yellow orbs and psycho picks to upgrade your abilities with these weapons to gain new combos. Along with the weapons you will gain Dish Magic. Dish Magic are three different types of energy based attacks that will give you a saving grace when you are being overrun with enemies.
You will go through 20 different story mode levels, and fifty different arcade mode challenges. Both of these can be played solo or in co-op. You also get the Dish Challenge mode, which is pretty much a survival mode that you get to put your best score up against the world.
The one issue of the game is that it is incredibly difficult. By the time you get to the normal mode you will need to use all of the skills you can think of and combos that you have gained. Though this is a difficult game it is amazingly fun and glorifying when you beat that boss that has owned you for the last hour.
This is a great way to challenge your combo skills and make you be able to stay focused when under pressure. The other plus is its only 800 Microsoft points. So go out and start killing in style (if you can handle the pressure).

George Scherer

Game Review = Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness

Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness for the PSP is a port of the original Disgaea: Hour of Darkness for the Playstation 2. Disgaea is known for being one of the best (and only) Strategy RPG’s out on the market today, and Afternoon of Darkness holds to that title well.
Disgaea follows the story of Prince Laharl, son of the Lord of the Netherworld. Laharl has been asleep for over two years, and awakens to find out that his father has died and that hoards of demons have been trying to take the title of Lord of the Netherworld. After hearing this Laharl begins his journey to take his rightful place as King. Through all this Laharl meets many different demons and even gains some new allies on the journey.
This is a game that mixes Turn Based Strategy and RPG growing elements. You start a level with an emersion panel that you bring your characters onto the field. You get to bring out around 6 characters at a time (but this amount grows as you grow). You gather this army by gaining mana for each enemy you kill. You then go to a shop called the dark assembly and you get to create different types of humanoid and demon (mainly the enemies you defeat) characters that very as much as your main characters. The main reason you get to gather such an army is that many of your characters can tag team to attack. This opens amounts of damage that will make your mouth hit the floor and gawk at the destruction you just did. This tag team can also unlock specially bonuses only gathered by your bonus gauge and the amazing combos that you can perform. The last great thing is that you can level up your items and equipment and make them stronger that you can imagine. You do this by entering the world of the item and going through 10 levels in the item to gain access to the Boss. After defeating the Boss of the item it will grow by 10 levels. This can be done more times than you can imagine, but the farther you go the harder the levels get.
This game has many different elements of both Strategy and RPG’s that it makes a whole new experience that you may never have felt before. This game is a great new addition to the franchise and will draw you in at every turn. Now go out and clam your title as Lord of the Netherworld!

George Scherer