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Reviews
Rastan Saga (1987)
platform fighter par excellence
Perhaps the other review of this game is talking about the zx spectrum which is very different from the original arcade classic.
RASTAN is an all time great scrolling fighter game and amazingly, retains some playability even today.
In terms of pixel count the game was fairly blocky compared to its peers but what it lost in resolution it made up in colour and imagination. The scrolling landscapes were both atmospheric and awesome, every sprite a gem. Minotaurs, centaurs, harpies; an array of mythological beasts and even Teutonic style armour clad knights. Every level was split into a landscape followed by a castle which ended in a boss character. As I recall it had 6 levels but would not let you replay the last level with more money, you just had to start from the beginning.
The crowning glory of Rastan was the music. It was moody, subtle; mad and frenetic, all at the right times and always perfectly in keeping with the fighting fantasy theme. The music while not containing anything you could hum later was like a film score in that it added to the drama and heightened the tension.
OK before I go all hyperbolic on what is essentially a simple blocky platform game lets put this into context. If you look at arcade gaming history and place Rastan alongside other great fighting platform games it ranks in the top 5 easily and for my money takes the number 1 slot.
It was a highly playable masterpiece of arcade gold and even today I can fire up my emulator and hack away at a couple of games thinking that it ain't half bad for an ancient game.
Hooray for Rastan a golden oldie classic.
The Gemini Factor (1987)
creepy twin telepathy
I saw this recently (2007) again which made it around a 20 year gap between its original airing. Thing is, I still loved it. Such a simple story well presented story. Basically its about the strange mystical bonding between a set of brother and sister twins. (Gemini twins) Each episode was nicely paced and the whole six episode story gradually built to a wonderful climax. In short the twins, separated at birth, gradually become aware of each other, not by sight but by a series of strange and often telepathic events. There's a wonderful mysterious undercurrent and although the story lacks any real protagonist, suspense is maintained by the constant uncertainty as to whether the twins will reunite. This has to be my all time favourite children's serial in all genres but primarily it is a sci-fi mystery. Grab your young teen children and force them to watch it, although I would imagine its almost impossible to find.
Kurai tokoro de machiawase (2006)
Hiding with the blind
A cute, blind Japanese girl has to face living on her own for the first time after the death of her father. She has a friend who comforts and helps out but generally the blind girl chooses to cut herself off from the outside world by becoming more and more reclusive. She is totally alone in her house- or at least thinks she is.
It's not exactly riveting and the pace just slightly slower than it comfortably should be.
That said, this is by no means a dull or vapid film and has at the core, a decent little plot even if the characterization is wanting.
With topics such as murder, prejudice, disability and an unusual form of sanctuary there's enough to interest and entertain for the duration. And the ending, whilst not fireworks, at least has a satisfactory resolution.
Zoo (2005)
Splenid and surreal
This is a great film. A little hidden gem. With the current interest in Asian cinema not to mention specifically Japanese culture I am surprised no-one has commented on IMDb (yet). The film transcends culture however and like all great art, is universal.
Not seen it? It's comprised of five vignettes which mostly focus on themes of love and innocence. A running time of two hours allows for each story to be well drawn and satisfying in its own right. There's horror, sci-fi, romance, anime and all wrapped in a beautifully rich blanket of symbol and surrealism.
Worth a watch.