Feature Articles
Final Fantasy XIII: Just what is a ‘role-playing game’?
Non-Japanese reviews for SquareEnix’s Final Fantasy XIII are trickling in, and it seems there’s a disconnect between what Japanese gamers and Western gamers expect from their RPG’s…so much so, that FFXIII director Motomu Toriyama has weighed-in on the issue:
“We think many reviewers are looking at Final Fantasy XIII from a western point of view,” says [...]
Yellow Menace Theater: Fantasy Mission Force
Back when my Jackie Chan fandom was in full swing, I rented Fantasy Mission Force expecting yet another tour-de-force stuntfest from Mr. Chan. Those of you who have seen FMF are snickering already, but bear in mind this was the late 80’s when the only way to find out if something sucked was to actually [...]
Yellow Menace Theater – Halloween Edition ‘The House Where Evil Dwells’
A Moderate Complaint (in which a Filipino-American defends the manhood of the Japanese army)
So a few weeks ago some friends of mine asked me to run a Godlike game. Godlike, in case you’re not aware, is a World War II pencil-and-paper role playing game in which super-powered humans serve on the frontlines during the war’s various conflicts. The players take on the role of these so-called ‘Talents’ and [...]
Yellow Menace Theater: Yojiro Takita’s ‘When the Last Sword is Drawn’
Gen Con Indy 2009: Interview with Cryptic Studios’ Bill Roper – Champions Online
I had to switch to Vimeo for this one, since YouTube doesn’t like videos over 10 minutes in length (boo!). At any rate, we also spoke with Cryptic Studios’ Bill Roper about Champions Online. In short – the game looks fantastic. The character creator (which you will see plenty of in the below video) is [...]
Gen Con Indy 2009: Interview with CCP / White Wolf Games’ Ned Coker
Assistant Editor Gregory ‘Mazinga’ Harris interviews CCP / White Wolf Games’ Ned Coker about the new RPG Geist and CCP’s EVE Online.
Yellow Menace Theater – Seijun Suzuki’s ‘Pistol Opera’
Remembering Thuy Trang, Power Ranger
Thuy Trang died eight years ago this September. Most people wouldn’t know that name, and who could blame them. Her career – such that it was – lasted a mere eight years, beginning with a role in the inaugural season of Fox’s Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers and ending in a bit part in The Crow: [...]
Yellow Menace Theater: Angel’s Egg
After mentioning Mamoru Oshii’s Angel’s Egg a minute ago, I thought – since it’s on YouTube, why not post the whole damn thing? For those of you who don’t know anything about it, Angel’s Egg is a 1985 collaboration between Ghost in the Shell director Mamoru Oshii and Final Fantasy illustrator Yoshitaka Amano – and [...]
Yellow Menace Theater – Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles
In case you haven’t had a chance to check out the not-so-recent Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles, here you go – courtesy of FUNimation and Hulu.
Yellow Menace Theater: The 7 Brothers Meet Dracula
This classic Hammer / Shaw Brothers co-production is better known in the States as Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires and was a staple of many Saturday afternoon martial arts television matinees. Peter Cushing stars as Dr. Van Helsing, once again tracking down his arch nemesis Dracula. A change of scenery from Eastern Europe to [...]
Ten cool things to instantly watch on Netflix
Ever since Netflix dropped onto the Xbox 360, I’ve been streaming video like a smack addict who just stumbled onto a warehouse full of China White. The offerings were a little paltry in the first month or so, but nearly a year later the service has really stepped up its’ game. If you’re looking for [...]
Anime Love
It’s a bit late for Valentine’s Day, but the passage of this consumerist free-for-all got me thinking about romance in anime and manga (incidentally, we spent Valentine’s night playing Super Smash Brothers Brawl…it was like any other Saturday night, really). I’m not usually a romance fan. My general rule with books and movies is: “If [...]
How They See Us: X-Files ‘Hell Money’
(Note: This is the first in a series of articles about media representations of Asians and Asian-Americans in the West. In this and subsequent features, we’ll be examining a single television episode or film to study their treatment of Asians and Asian-American minorities. THe purpose of these articles is not solely to view Western media [...]
