Celebrated Japanese manga and anime series, One Piece, gets the open-world RPG treatment with Bandai Namco’s One-Piece Odyssey.

The adventures of Captain Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirates have been around for over 25 years now. Originating in the pages of the Japanese magazine, Weekly Shōnen Jump, the manga series has been collected into over a hundred volumes. In 1999 One Piece made the jump to anime with a Toei Animation TV show that is still going today.

The series premise has Captain Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, The Straw Hat Pirates sailing The Grand Line looking for the legendary pirate treasure, the One Piece. Luffy has peculiar rubber limbs, a power obtained by eating special fruit, that enable him to deliver punches and other useful stretching tricks. The downside is that he cannot swim.

I’m only casually acquainted with the franchise, having read a few of the early stories and watched some of the TV shows. I wouldn’t call myself a fan, but understand the appeal of what is a quintessential bit of manga / anime fantasy storytelling.

One Piece Odyssey is set within the continuity of the TV show/comics, but you don’t need an encyclopaedic knowledge of either series to enjoy it. In fact, the game is a perfect jumping-in point for newcomers to the One Piece phenomenon.

The game starts with the crew in their pirate ship, The Thousand Sunny, being shipwrecked on a strange island. Here a mysterious girl seemingly strips them of their powers.

The game is a pretty standard Japanese RPG with turn-based combat that will be familiar to anyone that’s played similar games. The open-world areas amalgamate the party into one lead character that the player controls.

Upon approaching (or being approached by) a hostile creature the turn-based combat system is triggered. Each member from the selected party character takes turns attacking the enemies. Whilst only one creature may be displayed “in the world” the combat usually involves defeating multiple hostiles.

As almost a prelude to the game, players are treated to Luffy and the crew all operating at full power with a few combat encounters that look straight out of the cartoons. The characters are then reduced from their original level 40 skills down to level one. This gives players something to work towards, rather than have the Straw Hat Pirates as formidable as they are on TV.

Combat is still pretty easy, with the characters leveling up and unlocking their immense powers very quickly. Some of the battles have additional challenges, like defeating enemies with rapidly increasing strength or having one character incapacitated. But generally, the fights are easy and the rewards plentiful.

Players can explore the locations, with Luffy using his Gum Gum Rocket power to stretch his arms and reach higher platforms. Some light puzzle sequences unlock new areas and enemies.

The story progresses after completing tasks for the main episode. But there are also side quests and objectives that the player can undertake.

Fans of the show will likely get a lot more out of the game, especially as the crew revisited settings from the anime TV show. The game does still make it easy for newcomers to see the appeal of One Piece and enjoy the crews’ adventures.

The larger-than-life cast, from the rather over-excited Monkey D. Luffy to the brooding Roronoa Zoro, means there’s a favourite for everyone. Being able to pick your line-up in the party means you can have a lot of fun with the crew members that you like the most.

The game utilises a cel-shaded painterly style that at once reflects the manga and anime look, as well as rendering everything in 3D.

We have seen The Straw Hat Pirates in 3D before, most notably, for me, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3. By and large, the 2D characters make the transition to 3D very well, although Luffy does tend to look a bit too maniacal with his constant grin.

The game uses Unreal Engine 4 to create crisp and beautifully lit environments complemented by extremely well-designed models for the Straw Hats, supporting characters, and the wealth of diverse enemies.  It’s a lovely game to look at.

As a Japanese role-playing game, it’s not as heady as some that I’ve played. I’d even go as far as to say that it is lighter than the more Westernised recent Final Fantasy games. The dialogue is in Japanese with English subtitles. This should please purists, but a dubbed audio track would have been nice.

One Piece Odyssey is a game that draws very much on the vast history of the series, but it does so in a way that will appeal to fans without intimidating players unfamiliar with Luffy and co.

With only a passing knowledge of the cartoons and comic books, I found that game did a good job of introducing the characters and some of the crews’ classic adventures.  It’s a great game and a good primer for anyone looking to delve further into the mega-hit One Piece adventures.

The post One Piece Odyssey (PC) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

I have a limited at best knowledge of One Piece.

I have seen the odd episode and have played one of the games, but I have never actually properly gotten into the show. I mean with over 1000 episodes, it is a pretty intimidating show to even look at picking up.

I figured the latest movie might be a great way to sample this beloved series, and I was kinda right.

One Piece Film: Red has the Straw Hat Crew headed to a pop concert. Uta is a pop star famous on the internet, and this is her first live show ever. Crowds come en masse, but there is more to this place than meets the eye. She tells the crowd she can make whatever they need appear, so people can stay forever.

People oddly cheer, despite that sounding clearly sinister.

Our hero Luffy is at the show and realises that Uta is a childhood friend of his, and she is the daughter of Shanks.

Some other pirates decide to try capturing her when they realise her parentage and she captures them with some musical power. Then the whole facade slowly disappears and we see there are all kinds of messed up goings on here.

If you are new to the series, then you can definitely follow this.

The movie uses just enough exposition throughout to keep you following. Me, for example, totally forgot who Shanks was. A quick explainer that Luffy got his hat from him and he’s a boss pirate, and I was along for the ride. There are a lot of references in the movie for longtime fans, which I figured out as people gasped and laughed around me for seemingly no reason. But this didn’t detract from the experience as a newbie.

The movie does drag quite a bit in the middle, it really felt like a solid 20 minutes could have been cut to tighten up the pace a bit.

Even some of the fans near me were checking their watches. As I walked out I definitely heard others echo my thought that it was great but long. The basic animation throughout the movie was fine, like better than anime but not as amazing  as some of the anime movies I have seen.

It does ramp the animation up hard near the end with some truly crazy sequences. These scenes looked incredible on the screen and justifies buying the cinema ticket.

On the whole I really enjoyed One Piece Film: Red. Sure it could have been condensed a little, but it does cover a bunch of different story lines and weaves them together well. If you are new to the franchise then some brief exposition will pull you along for the journey offering just enough for the length of the movie.

If you are a long time fan, then based on the reaction of the crowd I think you will have a great time too.

The post One Piece Film – Red (Madman – 2022) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Commemorating the 20^th Anniversary of One Piece!

NOW CLOSED – Taking place during the Pirates Fest — “made by the pirates, for the pirates”, where pirates all over the world, including some of the most infamous, join in for a big treasure hunt to find a lost treasure… belonging to none other than Gold Roger.

Thanks to our good mates at Madman Films NZ STG has THREE Double Passes to see the upcoming One Piece: Stampede Anime film.

One Piece: Stampede begins in cinemas in New Zealand on the 14th of November 2019.

To Enter our One Piece: Stampede Double Pass Ticket Giveaway you will need to answer this Question correctly:

What is the premise of One Piece??

A: Pirates

B: Robots

C: Comedians

Too easy. You can give us your Answer by placing a Comment below, hitting us up on Facebook, Tweet to us, or Email Us.

* Winner(s) will be randomly selected from those that Comment below / Facebook Comment / Email in accordance to the above Question.Winner(s) will receive a Double Pass for the film One Piece: Stampede. One Piece: Stampede has a PG Age rating in New Zealand. Winner(s) must adhere to the conditions on the ticket. Tickets are not transferable and can only be used once while the film is at cinemas. Competition ends on the 14th of November 2019.

The post Enter to Be in to Win a Double Pass to One Piece: Stampede! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Anime fighters, when executed well, can be something truly special. The cell shaded animation styles can make for fantastic looking combat, and the promise of multiple bombastic anime characters merging can only mean one thing, an excellent, beautiful, slugfest.

Well that is what I had hoped for.

Shōnen Jump is something I knew nothing about before checking out Jump Force, and to be honest I still know little about. What is worth knowing is that it’s a manga series that has multiple manga series making appearances such as Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Naruto. This means that the premise of these series merged together isn’t as outlandish or surprising as someone out of the loop like me may have thought.

The story kicks in with an innocent bystander witnessing a fight between Frieza and Goku finding themselves getting powers. They enter the jump force and an uninteresting story unfolds. I am torn on the story as I do like the idea of a unique character interacting with known characters, but I struggled to care about the story at all.

The good news is you get to make a character with a surprisingly decent character creation tool to enjoy this journey in. Part of the process of making your fighter involves choosing their fighting style from the three main protagonist’s styles, which are surprisingly varied. Throughout the game you can change this and unlock new moves giving a decent little RPG-like feel, it’s too bad I struggled to care about the story.

Fights themselves are a combination of tedious and fun. They take place in vast 3D arenas which result in a lot of time being away from your opponents. Early on this is painful as you need to learn how to attack from afar while also learning how to traverse quickly and carefully. As your time with the game progresses this gets easier and fits with the nature of these fighters, but there is a steep learning curve involved. Close quarter combat also has a bit of a learning curve, but it becomes awesome as you start to get marginally good.

Outside of main missions is the menu, which is an open area where you need to visit different vendors to complete arcade fights, online fights, or any other bits and pieces. If this system is used instead of a traditional menu then there is fine balance between interesting and tedious. Dragon Ball FighterZ was small so it was easy to navigate, Dragon Ball Xenoverse got a bit on the larger side but was fun to navigate. Jump Force on the other hand goes a step to far and I found it nothing short of annoying.

The animation style itself has the characters rendered in 3D models, and I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t a fan. The initial art looked good and interesting but once the characters were moving in the game, they looked awkwardly wrong. If the world had been designed as a cell shaded 3D plane like in the Xenoverse games then the whole experience could have been uplifted, but the weird semi- realistic style never quite works.

One other quirk that may annoy some fans is the whole game uses Japanese dub characters. Fans that watch the Japanese dubs of these series won’t be annoyed as much as me. I do struggle to get past it when you know these characters with different voices, and find the Japanese ones grating to listen to.

Jump Force had so much promise, and I was so eager to get into it after the recent excellent BandaiNamco fighting releases, but no matter how much fun the fights are once you get the hang of it, everything else in between these fights is too much to ignore. It isn’t bad by any stretch, but the whole experience struggles to be much more than average.

The post Jump Force (PlayStation 4) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 on Switch offers a compelling experience for both fans of Omega Force’s Warriors series and the hugely popular Japanese franchise One Piece. If either of those things aren’t your cup of tea though, this game won’t be for you.

Similar to Omega Force’s previous forays into different franchises, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 has the signature gameplay style of the Warriors series, but this time with the story and universe of the One Piece series. The two manage to complement each other quite nicely resulting in an overall fun experience for fans of either series. The deluxe edition offers the original game

For those new the story, One Piece is an extremely popular and long running Japanese mange series that has been converted into an anime series, currently approaching 900 episodes, as well as dozens of video games.

The story follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a laidback but very ambitious pirate who dreams of becoming the Pirate King. To do this he ventures out into the unpredictable and dangerous seas searching for the legendary treasure One Piece, picking up various crew members along the way. Despite the often light hearted tone, the original story is deceptively deep and takes you on an emotional rollercoaster of laughter, tears and incredibly intense moments.

One of the key elements of the universe is the rare Devil Fruit. When consumed, Devil Fruit transforms the person, granting them particular powers and abilities. Devil fruit users are rare and there is only one of each type in the world at any time.

As would have been expected, the transition into video game form, hasn’t been too kind on Luffy’s tale. The story ends up being less of an emotional roller coaster and more of a highlights reel, taking you through the key moments of the story, without the build up or the full journey there.

The game ambitiously tries to cover the story until the end of the Dressrosa Arc, equal to about 750 episodes of the anime. Given how much they had to get through, they can be forgiven for skipping over a lot of the content. It does however make the story mode feel a bit disjointed at times and I can see newcomers getting lost or not being able to fully follow what is happening.

Still, if you are a long time fan looking for a nostalgia hit or a newcomer happy to play through a barebones version of the One Piece story, then the game will serve its purpose.

One complaint I did have about the story mode was the level jump between stages. While initially you level up at a rate equal to or greater than the recommended level jump between episodes, towards the end of the game, that isn’t the case. To keep at the recommended level, you therefore have to grind in the other game modes between episodes, which isn’t nearly as enjoyable.

In terms of other game modes, you have two choices: Free Log and Dream Log. Free Log is where you can replay the same episodes from the main story using any character you want but without any story. Dream Log takes the stages built for the story mode but remixes them with different characters and events. Each of these Dream Log episodes has a bit of a theme or premise which forms characters into teams. While it is a bit of fun getting to fight alongside some unexpected allies, the whole experience does feel a bit shallow and mindless.

The Warrior’s style gameplay fits very well with the One Piece universe. Like other games, you are dropped somewhere on a map and then proceed to take hundreds, if not thousands, of weak canon fodder enemies, as you fight your way to capture bases and take down key enemy characters. There is a bit of a narrative that that gives you specific objectives along your way.

The gameplay style does feel a bit dated, having not drifted too far since the PS2 entries in the Dynasty Warriors series. It just feels a bit too simple, relying almost purely on button mashing with no real strategy or skill to it. Even something simple like being able to issue orders to other units on the battlefield would have gone a long way. If you can look past the lack of depth though, there is something rather relaxing about the simplicity of it all. Also, the ability to play local co-op offers an experience that too few games do these days.

The roster features 37 playable characters.

Characters are given their own very unique move set, reflecting their unique abilities or fighting style. While it is impressive how distinct each character’s set of moves are and consequently how different they feel to play, there is a bit of an imbalance issue. Some characters are just better to use than others. Their attacks have a bigger area of effect and their special attack and combos are just better. As a result, I tended to gravitate to using only a couple of characters.

One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 is made for fans of the Warriors series and fans of One Piece. The gameplay does feel a bit too simplistic for current generation, relying on the dated Warriors styled gameplay. For those who don’t mind this type of gameplay, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 is one of the better entries into this genre that I’ve played.

The post One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 Deluxe Edition (Switch) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe has revealed three new characters taking part in ONE PIECE WORLD SEEKER, the most ambitious ONE PIECE game so far. These three new characters on Jail Island are some of the world’s strongest: Sakazuki (Akainu), Kuzan (Aokiji) and Crocodile.

Sakazuki (Akainu), Admiral of the Marine Fleet, is the possessor of the Magma-Magma fruit (Magu Magu no Mi), which allows him to burn everything with his lava. After the attacks of various naval bases, an investigation on these incidents has landed him on Jail Island. He is responsible for a tragedy in Luffy’s life and their reunion promises to be heated.

Former Admiral Kuzan (Aokiji) is the possessor of the Chilly-Chilly fruit (Hie Hie No Mi) and can freeze himself and the surroundings in an instant. He knows all secrets about Jail Island and wants Luffy to leave this place as soon as possible, but he doesn’t reveal the reason for that.

Crocodile, former royal warlord of the sea (Shichibukai), is the user of the Sand-Sand fruit (Suna Suna No MI), that gives him the ability to manipulate the sand freely. Furthermore, he can deprive all things from water just by his touch. What is the purpose of his visit to Jail Island?

ONE PIECE WORLD SEEKER will be available in 2018 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC as part of the ONE PIECE Big Projects.

The post THREE NEW CHARACTERS ANNOUNCED FOR ONE PIECE WORLD SEEKER appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe has announced Jump Forcewhere the greatest heroes and villains from the 50-year history of Shueisha’s influential Japanese Weekly Shonen Jump manga will battle against each other across iconic locations on Earth in this anime fighting game fan’s dream come true!

Featuring the world’s most popular and classic manga / anime franchises including DRAGON BALL Z, ONE PIECE, NARUTO, and many others, players will be able to create their three-character manga/anime dream tag team and take them into battle in hyper-stylish arena brawls set against backdrops of famous landmarks around the world including New York City’s Times Square and the Matterhorn in the Alps. Utilizing Unreal Engine 4, Jump Force brings these titans of Japanese pop culture to life for the first time ever in stunning realistic detail.

The lines that separate our world from the Jump world have been blurred, with evil forces spilling into the real world to rule over humanity. The greatest heroes known to manga/anime including Goku, Luffy, Naruto, as well as many others to be announced, must join forces to triumph over the forces of evil seeping in from the JUMP world. 

“Jump Force provides an incredible opportunity for players to discover the rich universe of Shueisha and battle in iconic real-world locations.”, said Hervé Hoerdt, Vice President Marketing and Digital at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe. “To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Shōnen Jump, Shueisha and BNEE are bringing together some of the most beloved manga and anime franchises of all time. We can’t wait to unveil more details on JUMP FORCE in the coming months.”

Jump Force will be available in 2019 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC via STEAM.

The post Jump Force! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

BandaiNamco have proudly released a new story trailer (above) for One Piece World Seeker.

The story takes place on a mysterious island of the New world devastated by war. Jail Island used to be called Jewel Island because of the value of its minerals, used for technological wonders, it allowed the Island to grow and prosper but this blessing quickly poisoned the life of the residents … Robbers, Pirates and Invaders quickly heard of this safe heaven and made it a difficult place to live.

Countless lost their lives and homes before the World Government brought back order to the island but at what cost… A gigantic underwater installation and growing presence of the marine forces seem to confirm that something odd is going on.

However, some still have hope, and the arrival of the Straw Hat Crew might change everything.

Players will be able to play Luffy, using his Gomu Gomu no Mi (Gum-gum fruit) to investigate the island.  In addition to his Devil Fruit power to travel faster, different types of Haki will be available. The Kenbunshoku-no-haki (observation haki) to see the enemies from afar or the Busoshoku-no-haki (armament haki) to make Luffy’s attacks even more devastating.

Different foes will try to stop Luffy, from the Vinsmoke family to the vice-admiral Smoker and his crew, the battles promise to be epic!

One Piece World Seeker will be available in 2018 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC as part of the ONE PIECE Big Projects.

The post A NEW TRAILER FOR ONE PIECE WORLD SEEKER appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

If there was going to be a game that touched as many as seven systems, including three Nintendo ones, I wouldn’t have ever thought it would be a One Piece game.

Though here we are, with One Piece Unlimited being released to the PS4 and Switch, and now that I’ve spent some time with its Delux Edition on Switch, even with my average interest in the show, it’s a worthwhile experience.

For those who may not be aware of this juggernaut of a manga / anime franchise, One Piece tells the story of the straw-hat pirates, led by Luffy, a straw hat wearing pirate who has the properties of rubber. If that sounds insane, it is, and all the anime I have seen, shows it to be a silly self-aware series that is out to entertain.

The story basically consists of Luffy and his crew arriving at Transtown which becomes their hub for the game, and they go on the hunt for Red Count, a serious pirate.

Going into the game I was curious to re-enter the franchise, but didn’t have all the context for the plot of the game. There was a significant amount of dialogue I didn’t understand where fans of the series would, but it was still entertaining and easy enough to follow. The character interactions and banter is funny, even for someone like myself from the outside.

At its core, One Piece Unlimited World Red Deluxe Edition is an entertaining Action RPG, which is made interesting thanks to the crazy variety of characters. The bulk of the fighting consists of using the simple combos and dodging in time. This does get a little boring and repetitive at times, so the variety of playable characters and bosses do make it worthwhile.

As you play the game you can expand Transtown using spoils collected in Levels.

For instance, the first one you expand is a tavern that allows you take on quests. These can vary but are at their best when you are tasked with collecting animals which initiates their own minigames and require levelling up to make their respective tools stronger. Catching an animal triggers a series of button prompts that come fast, and if you press enough you will catch the critter and if you haven’t caught enough it triggers a random counter which gives you one last boost to catch the animal. This is a frustratingly fun mini game that is easy to lose a lot of time to and breaks up the standard ARPG gameplay nicely.

On top of this One Piece Unlimited World Red Deluxe Edition is a stunning looking game. Over the years games have dabbled with making cell shaded artwork work in a 3D setting, landing with mixed results. In One Piece Unlimited World Red Deluxe Edition’s case it is a great strength, some characters faces look a bit off, but no more so than in the anime, and the surrounding scenery is bright, colourful, and looks amazing. I haven’t played the original version of the game but the Switch version looks like it has been built form the ground up and it all the better for it.

One Piece is a fun albeit repetitive Action RPG that looks fantastic with its port to the Switch. Fans of the series should fall in love with it, but outsiders may not get all the rewards the game offers, or maybe turned off by a lack of English VOs. None the less it is a worthwhile experience for the Switch library for anyone wanting a fun action game.

The post ONE PIECE UNLIMITED WORLD RED: DELUXE EDITION (NINTENDO SWITCH) REVIEW appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Here come the ports.

Now the Nintendo Switch has proven to be the hot new console sensation of 2017 – far more than Sony’s PS4 Pro and I dare say Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox One X – there has been a sudden rush of already released games to the Switch. There’s huge opportunity for games to make their mark on a small (but quickly increasing) market, to be the first in their genre. This allows them to stand out on the Switch where they might otherwise be missed, or where they have already been overlooked on more established platforms.

One Piece Unlimited World Red: Ultimate Edition is a prime example of this. It’s not a fantastic game, but at the moment it is different to most of what’s out there on the Nintendo eShop, and that can be enough. When you consider the ability to take these full-fledged games out with you and liberate them from the TV or computer as well, a compelling case can be made. There’s something so good about playing games on the Switch – such as the drop in co-op support in One Piece Unlimited World Red – that makes games stand out on its platform.

One Piece Unlimited World Red starts with heroes the Straw Hat Pirates arriving at a new island. Like in any good anime or video game, they soon become embroiled in local town affairs without any really good explanation why this town is suddenly so important to them. But whatever, it’s a good premise for a story.

As someone unfamiliar with the franchise, the rest of the story barely made sense however. There is the clear assumption that you already know who everybody, including villains, are: their personalities, histories and motivations. The story introduces enemies seemingly taken from previous series or games and then expects you to immediately beat them up. Without a background in One Piece it didn’t really make a significant difference to my enjoyment of the game – it’s not like One Piece Unlimited World Red is aiming to be the next Witcher 3 in the storytelling department. I’m sure that if I were familiar with the franchise however, everything would make much more sense. Still, as a standalone title, and as the only One Piece title on the Switch, it may be worth researching the background for this game a little before diving in.

The premise is however a good justification for including town building where you collect resources from around the different levels to open and then expand new shops. Resources come not just from combat, but also from fishing and catching bugs in a net. There can be a fair amount of backtracking to grind out levels and farm certain items (wood blocks, I’m looking at you) that are required to develop your town, and the story can be gated by the level of development in your town. By opening up shops and other venues however, you get to purchase new items, listen to the game’s soundtrack and more.

Combat is the core of Unlimited World Red though, and it’s very similar to Dynasty Warriors. Use the face buttons for basic attacks, but then use various combos and abilities to take simple punches to whirlwinds of fury. There’s complexity there but just as often I found myself getting by through button mashing. Animations are great however, and flow together very nicely.

Levels generally consist of waves of grunts peppered throughout the level, before facing off against a boss that has one or more central mechanics. While grunts were never too difficult to cope with, bosses are where I had the most fun in the game. It tests your ability to counter, dodge and attack while working out the the bosses’ unique weaknesses.

I did encounter a somewhat hilarious save file bug, which counted the time I left the Switch in sleep mode as in-game time. For a game that will take you about ten hours for a standard play through, seeing over a hundred hours was quite amusing. Despite this bug though, the game ran smoothly, which is just as well considering the very basic level of visual fidelity of the game as a whole.

For fans of the anime, One Piece Unlimited Red World: Ultimate Edition is another great addition to the enormous entity that is One Piece. For those not already invested in the anime, manga, and other video games it’s a much less interesting option. Still, a couple of weeks out from Fire Emblem Warriors it’s the best option for mindless button mashing fun. The flipside of the poorly-told story is that it can be safely ignored, leaving big level to explore with satisfying boss encounters. The Ultimate Edition includes extra costumes and special quests that were fairly expensive additions on other platforms. Buy it if you love the anime, or save your time for Fire Emblem Warriors, out in only a couple of weeks for Switch as well.

The post One Piece Unlimited World Red: Ultimate Edition (Nintendo Switch) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.