Nijū-Mensō no Musume To Get The Anime Treatment

Nijū-Mensō no Musume by Shinji Ohara will be one of the shows to look forward to this spring anime season. Anime News Network reports. The manga and soon to be anime is about a female thief named "Chiko". This series appears to be related to series of novels written by Ranpo Edogawa. CLAMP's manga Man of Many Faces also seems to have been inspired by these novels.

Do I sound like I know what I'm talking about? In all honesty, I know absolutely nothing about this series, and information on it seems to be scarce even though it's said to have been in serialization for about five years and even garnered a sequel. If it's any good, we'll find out this spring when it's planned to air. I cannot remember the last crime-themed anime I watched. Whatever it was, it must have not been very good.


[Source: Anime News Network]

[ADVANCE]

Tokyo Brass Style - Sorairo Days

Do you remember these gals? They did a cover of Maka Fushigi Adventure and everyone was raving about it. I found this cover of Sorairo Days yesterday and I must say it's very well done. In case you didn't know or forgot, this song is the opening to Tengen Toppen Gurren Lagann. Aside from playing it on a set, the video shows them recording, which I always love. Though the monitors the engineer is using, I was always told sound like rubbish. I've yet to hear them from myself so take that with a pinch of salt. Also, the bass player has my dream guitar.

[ADVANCE]

Fall Season Wrap-Up

The fall season is wrapping up and the winter is upon us. Thankfully, many of our favorite shows are only half way over.

I didn't watch all of the fall shows, so I can't account for the ones that I didn't watch if they turned out to be good.


Ghost Hound:

Only half way over, so far it's been a trip. The show keeps drifting from the psychological to the supernatural. It's hard to say what is the true cause of all the strange happenings that occur. All things seem to stem from a traumatic event that had happened in each of the three main characters life. And, of course, my favorite aspect of the show is the audio. I've never been so impressed with that aspect of a show before. I feel so ridiculously geeky when I bust out my good pair of head phones just to watch the show.


Minami-ke:

This is a slice-of-life comedy about random events in the lives of three school-age sisters living alone by themselves. Plot-wise, well, a plot doesn't really exist. Relationships aren't developed even though they try. It's a show you have to watch. You either like it, or you don't. I personally found the show to be hilarious with it's non-stop tongue-in-cheek humour. And of course, it has the best in-show TV drama ever: Sensei and Ninomiya-kun.

The show is over, but another studio is continuing the show. The animation looks a bit different, but it uses the same voice actors at least. I hope is still as funny.


Bamboo Blade:

Who doesn't love a good competition/sports show? Bamboo Blade isn't entirely about competing, but thankfully, it doesn't deviate too far from that. Each of the girls has a different and interesting personality which keeps the show entertaining. It's only half way over. The plot seems to be stuck for a few episodes. I would like it to move faster, but I also want to see where it's going at the current rate.


Jyuushin Enbu - Hero Tales:

I haven't seen much of this show, but over all I enjoyed it. It has some resemblance to Full Metal Alchemist since I do believe some people from that team worked on this show (don't quote me on that). More or less, has the same feel as FMA . The main character and his sibling remind me of Ed and Al, only this time, the younger sibling actually is a girl (Ohhhh snap!). The primary villain also looks like King Bradley and Major Armstrong fused into one.

All in all, it's my obligatory shounen show. Bleach isn't being aired anymore. That's my excuse. You aren't missing anything if you don't watch it.


Clannad:

A show I didn't think I would like. This is definitely one of those shows you can't judge by it's cover. I still...somewhat...completely and utterly despise the character design, but I've learned to deal with it. It's done by Visual Key, as you may already know, so it also try's to be an emotional show at certain points. It can be somewhat eerie at times with events that are influenced ulterior clockwork behind everything, and that's probably why I like the show. Also, Sunohara cracks me up.

Did I ever tell you about my idea for a Clannad fighting game? No? Maybe some other time then.


Kimikiss:

An innocent, non-harem, high school romo-com. It focuses and a handful of individuals and their relationships with one another. It's somewhat enjoyable and I liked the style and animation. I feel like recently the the plot is running around in circles. It's only half way over, so we'll see if it turns out good or not.




And that about wraps it up. Earlier this fall, I said I'd be watching some other shows, but I turned out to not me interested in them. I also started watching a few J-dramas, so I got behind and had to cut some that just didn't catch my interest.

My first impressions for some of the shows earlier this season were way too long and overdone. I got burned out and pretty much dropped all the others I was working on. When winter starts, I hope to do a few but not so over the top. I apologize if you were looking forward to more. Yeah, right!

[ADVANCE]

Rumour: Matsuno’s ‘Final Fantasy Killer’ For Wii

You've heard of Rumor Reporter. The Advanced Media Network's game industry rumour blog has enjoyed a fair bit of attention this year, thanks to the intriguing posts of its editor Bruce Kelly.

Now, regardless of what anyone else thinks, I do think "Bruce" (if that is indeed his name) is fairly legit. A lot of his "predictions" have come true over time, and yes; they might take a while, but if you keep track of everything the man has said, he's a bit more reliable than EGM's rumours.

Lately, Bruce has decided to take one - just one question every two weeks and do some snooping around to answer it to the best of his abilities. The question that kickstarted his new column this week just so happened to be mine.

Hey Bruce,

Glad to see you’re back in action after a bit of a break. What’s gaming without a few rumours, eh? So, recently you pretty much asked for readers to send in hard questions, and I’m guessing that’s exactly what most of us are going to do. The gloves are really off now.

Here’s my question: What exactly is the deal with Monolithsoft and Nintendo? At this point, all we know is that Monolith is now a second-party developer and that they’re working on Disaster: Day of Crisis for the Wii, and a DS game as well. Now, anyone would think that Nintendo acquiring the studio means Day of Crisis is turning out to be one hell of a game. However, the chaps down at NeoGAF had other theories to present.

To make a long story short, this is what they believe:

* Yasumi Matsuno, the Director of Final Fantasy XII left Square Enix.
* Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has been pushing for a role-playing game that rivals Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy
* Matsuno landed up at Nintendo.
* He worked with Entertainment Analysis & Development for 8 months.
* Soon, Matsuno pitched a role-playing game tech demo to Nintendo.
* Iwata loved it, but Matsuno had no team of his own at the Big N.
* Nintendo acquired Monolith to provide Matsuno with his own team.

Sounds far-fetched doesn’t it? I’m not ready to believe Matsuno would walk out from Square and next thing you know, he just happens to land up with Miyamoto’s team. Obviously, it would be mindblowing if anyone could confirm if this is true, but hey; that’s where you come in, right? Right?

– Ishaan Sahdev

His extremely lengthy and thought-provoking reply after the jump.

Bruce’s Take:

Interesting you ask this, because it’s been something that I’ve been dodging to answer for a while now. Not because of the subject, but because so many things weren’t as clear when Monolith had just been picked up by Nintendo from Namco Bandai.

This is what I hear, with the source being a former producer at Namco Bandai who had caught wind of some of Matsuno’s developments. Unforunately, that producer no longer works for the company and now works for a certain San Francisco-based gaming mammoth. Still, his reports on this have been recent tinkerings of rumors brought to the table with numerous publications and forums aiming to judge their validity.

Here’s what I was told:

- Yatsumi Matsuno left Square-Enix because the guy’s an opportunist. After seeing potential with the Wii, the former FFXII director decided to aim towards a brand-new, non-linear RPG project.

- Many sources have claimed the project to be Vision Red, a rumored Square-Enix RPG “apparently” shown at E3 2007. That is not the case, and the original post is clearly fictional based on its written structure.

- Some sources have claimed it to be Baten Kaitos 3, but this isn’t the case, even though I know for a fact that the game is already in its beginning stages.

- Disaster: Day of Crisis was delayed for a reason. The game will use the familiar “quick-press” Resident Evil 4 quick-reaction system to further immerse the player with a sense of danger and urgency. The game will release sometime in 2008, but it will definitely be before Matsuno’s actual new IP is announced. This is to test the waters towards interest of Disaster’s type of gameplay, which the new IP hopes to mimic in a more advanced way.

- Matsuno interest in the Wii is simple: “He wants to stress gameplay controls living up to high-quality, immersive environments.”

- So where does this leave us with the rumored Matsuno “Final Fantasy Killer?”

The new IP, at least in its design stages stressed the following elements of a brand-new RPG franchise aimed at a late-2008 announcement:

- A fully-immersive non-linear action-RPG set in a brand, new fantasy world which stresses the continuity of gameplay progression through team work and motion-controlling movements, mimicking interactions with objects and environments in the world. The game will be played in real-time, unlike Matsuno’s previous turn-based projects (Ogre Tactics, Final Fantasy Tactics, Vagrant Story)

- The game is not currently planned for an expansion with an online aspect (MMO), but multiplayer gameplay is heavily stressed. “Imagine Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures (GameCube) with a 3D environment.”

- Definite Wii Connect 24 support with brand new worlds to explore and interacting with other players.

- Being developed by Monolith Soft and Matsuno with Iwata and Miyamoto’s supervision possibly.

- Clearly obvious: Will be Nintendo Wii’s direct competitor to the PS3’s Final Fantasy XIII releases.

- If all goes well, will be planned as a series for the Wii and differentiate the system’s low reputation for RPGs on the console. A DS version is also in the planning stages simultaneously.

- So when will gamers be able to hear more? It’s hard to tell given even Disaster’s shaky release date, but expect GDC 08 to have more rumblings of Matsuno’s involvement with his Wii project.

Intriguing. Clearly, he isn't bullshitting, considering just how specific some of his information is. Then again, with the games industry you never know. Thoughts?

[Source: Rumor Reporter]

[ADVANCE]

Gametrailers: Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn Interview

An excellent new Fire Emblem interview from Gametrailers.com was posted a few days ago. This game is looking better and better everytime I see it, especially compared to the first game. We have the traditional weapons triangle hierarchy is returning in. Also, a new factor is battle in height. So archers can be above enemies on a hill and hit them from far away. As you watch the interview, you'll also notice that one battle is completely against aerial units. That's something I've personally never seen. A new, what seems to be, more robust support system and skill system are implemented. That should be interesting as well.

Now that Brawl is delayed until next year, I might be picking this one up.

[ADVANCE]

Will Wright Confirms Spore for Wii

Yes, you heard Wright. (Yeah, I went there) Will Wright, creator of the highly-awaited Spore has confirmed that a Wii version is indeed in development. Excellent news for Wii owners.

That's PC, DS and now Wii. If you ask me, it's probably going to hit the 360 and PS3, too. After all, this is EA we're talking about.

Anyhow ... Super Smash Bros., No More Heroes and now Spore. 2008 isn't looking so bad for the Wii after all.

[Via: Go Nintendo]

[ADVANCE]

Impressions: Bleach: Shattered Blade

All right, since I haven't been doing my job here, I'm going to be writing my first impressions for the new Wii game Bleach: Shattered Blade.

From the Wii games I've played this may be the best display of the Wiimote's awesomeness from a third-party developer. To attack, you swing the 'mote either up and down to the sides or thrust it at the TV for ... well, a thrust. You move around with either the d-pad on the mote or the nunchuck's joystick. Blocking is a pretty valid point, although every character has moves that break guard.

For insight on the characters and more on gameplay, hit the jump.

After playing the game for about 6 hours, you should have a decent hold on how to play and defend against a lot of the characters, but, some of the characters add an intresting aspect to the game. For example, Uryu Ishida ... hes 100% ranged (obviously) and Ichigo flash steps when he's in bankai mode. For me, this adds ALOT of fun to the game, both when playing them and when fighting them. There is also Hanataro Yamada of the 4th squad, who well, heals his opponents when he attacks them with his katana. I tried to play as him, but it's just too odd for my tastes.

The voice actors from the English dub are also voicing the characters in this game. However, there is no option for Japanese voices with English subs, but I guess we can't have everything. The art is what I've come to expect from third-party devs on the Wii. It's pretty, but its no Metroid Prime 3.

Other than the graphics, this game is a lot of fun, and I'll be picking it up for home. If you like Bleach, this game is totally worth checking out!

[ADVANCE]

The REAL Reason Behind Sonic's Bad Rep

Go to Google Image Search. Turn off your safe search filter. Type in "Sonic".

I wonder if SEGA knows...

Do note that this post is filed under "Hentai".

[ADVANCE]

Okami Wii Finally Confirmed

And in comes the last of Capcom's megaton announcements. Supposedly, they saved the best for the last. In short, Okami for the Wii has finally been confirmed. Much as I'd love to say a bit more about this match made in heaven, most of what I have in mind has already been said countless times on forums and other blogs.

Well done, Capcom. Well done, indeed.

[Via Eurogamer]

[ADVANCE]

CGSociety and Ubisoft Discuss Assassin's Creed Development

If you're a 3D artist, chances are you've heard of CGSociety. In recent times, I've had a ton of exposure to the CGSociety community due to my workplace, and I am just incredibly baffled by the sheer amount of talent overflowing their forums.

Modeling artists, texturing artists. MAX, Maya, Zbrush ... CGSociety has a plethora of talent in every corner of the CG art industry.

Recently, the site had a chance to speak to Raphael Lacoste, Art Director of Assassin's Creed and other members of the art team. Originally hired by Ubisoft's Yannis Mallat to work on a Prince of Persia game, Lacoste soon found himself part of a team creating an entirely new concept. The CGSociety feature gives readers a considerable amount of insight into the art direction process for the game.

When we arrive on the edge of a cliff and discover a whole city, the impression is of an incredible open space. When we get lost in small crowded streets full of smoke, we are feeling oppressed. If we climb up on the roofs of the city, the feeling is far more liberating. We are mastering our moves, on the top of the living, breathing world. The contrast is also between the cities and the different quarters of the cities. We tried to make definite variations in the mood, even with edgy and almost monochromatic filters.”

That's just the obligatory quote. If you're a fan of videogame art, and especially if you're a CG artist, this is highly recommended reading.

[CG Society Production Focus - Assassin's Creed]

Picture courtesy of Raphael Lacoste's CGSociety Gallery

[ADVANCE]

Street Fighter 4 Teaser Trailer

No clue why the hell Games Radar took their Capcom Gamer's Day post down. Ah well, who cares? Street Fighter 4! Now, let's just hope it's on all three systems...

[ADVANCE]

Hellgate: London Special Edition Includes Graphic Novel

Even more game / manga publisher collaboration news for the day! This time, it concerns Flagship's Hellgate: London special edition (because we all know any game without one sucks).

Flagship has chosen Dark Horse to publish a Hellgate: London graphic novel that will be included in the special edition box. According to the press release, "In addition to the Hellgate: London game and the exclusive, special-edition, 104 page Hellgate: London graphic novel, the collectors set will also include a bonus DVD of The Making of Hellgate: London, as well as the game soundtrack, and a special Hellgate: London world map. "

And here's the obligatory quote:

“Dark Horse has been a perfect partner for graphic novels,” said Bill Roper, CEO of Flagship Studios. “Their attention to detail, creative talent, and dedication to representing the Hellgate: London world has been second to none.”

Press release after the jump as always.

EA AND NAMCO BANDAI GAMES ANNOUNCE OCTOBER 31ST RELEASE DATE

Redwood City, CA (August 6, 2007) –- Get ready to hack, slash, and shoot your way through a demon-infested London this Halloween! Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) and NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. today announced that Hellgate: London, the premier title from Flagship Studios, will start hitting retail stores in North America on October 31, 2007 and in Europe on November 2, 2007 for the PC. Hellgate: London represents the next leap in the evolution of the action RPG genre, combining the depth and addictive gameplay of traditional RPGs with the visceral action of first-person shooters.

“We wanted to hit the sweet-spot for release in terms of the development schedule and delivering the highest-quality game to our players,” said Bill Roper, CEO of Flagship Studios. “Halloween was the perfect fit as it ensures that Hellgate: London will have an appropriate amount of beta testing, while also being an incredibly fun time to unleash the game.”

One of the most anticipated PC games and RPGs of the year, Hellgate: London offers infinite re-playability with dynamically generated levels, items, enemies and events. The player creates a heroic character, completes quests, and battles through an innumerable amount of demons to advance through a deep, rich story-driven campaign. A robust, flexible skill and spell system, highly customizable appearances, and a massive variety of randomly generated equipment allow each player to create his or her own unique hero.

While some may prefer to slay demons solo, players will also be able to take the fight online*, teaming up with friends to save London in a secure, client-server environment and playing through the entire story-driven campaign for free. For those players who want to extend their Hellgate: London experience, Flagship is offering an optional subscription service which will give players access to huge amounts of content on an ongoing basis in the form of quests, character classes, demons, items, etc. More details about Hellgate: London’s online options are coming soon.

The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB, PEGI or BBFC. Visit www.esrb.org, www.pegionline.eu or www.bbfc.co.uk for updated rating information. For more information about Hellgate: London, log onto http://info.ea.com or the game’s official website at www.hellgatelondon.com.

* Internet connection required.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA™, EA SPORTS BIG™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2007, EA posted revenue of $3.09 billion and had 24 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

About Flagship Studios

Flagship Studios is a creator of innovative entertainment software, designing games that focus on ease of play, replayability, and fun. The studio was formed in 2003 by former executives and developers from Blizzard North® and represents the creators of the worldwide, best-selling Diablo® franchise. With members that are renowned within the gaming industry, Flagship Studios embodies a team that has worked together for over a decade and have numerous #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards to their credit. For more information about Flagship Studios log onto www.flagshipstudios.com.

About Namco Bandai Games America Inc.

NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., is a leading interactive entertainment software publisher and developer based in Santa Clara, CA. The company is a part of the NAMCO BANDAI group of companies known for creating and publishing many of the industry's top video game franchises including the PAC-MAN®, SOULCALIBUR®, NARUTO™ and Tekken® brands. For more information about NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., and our products log onto www.namcobandaigames.com.
EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS BIG, and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S and/or other countries. Hellgate™: London is a trademark and/or registered trademark of Flagship Studios, Inc. throughout the world. Licensed by NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

[ADVANCE]

Digital Manga Publishing Promotes Club Otakie With DS

Another example of Nintendo's newer systems really fitting in with very well the manga and anime industries. While the GBA was no slacker itself, I see a lot more potential for the DS and Wii to cater to the needs of what manga and anime fans would crave, especially considering some of the cooler niche titles on the systems.

A few months ago, Nintendo and TOKYOPOP announced that they would be teaming up to set up an anime theatre at Leipzig. Now, Digital Manga Publishing have announced that they will be creating a new mail order catalog, Club Otakie, for their fans. In order to promote this catalog, DMP will be hosting contests open to members from now till December 17th, where they will be giving out prizes every week.

This week's prize just so happened to be a DS Lite bundled with Brain Age 2 and a carrying case. Other prizes include goodies such as iPod Shuffles and $25 MasterCard Gift Cards. I'm fairly certain the DS won't be restricted to just this week, given the system's broad appeal. And what better game to ensure you're appealing to the widest age group possible than Brain Age 2?

Now, if only Nintendo and manga publishers would get even closer...

Press release after the jump.

Digital Manga Inc. Promotes Club Otakie Signups with Prizes like iPod Shuffles and Nintendo DS Lites!

Gardena, CA, October 16, 2007– Digital Manga, Inc. will be creating a new mail order catalog, Club Otakie, for fans. To promote the mail order catalog, Digital Manga is offering a contest for all signups where Digital Manga will be giving out prizes each week until December 17, 2007.

A total of 30 prizes will be awarded and contestants will be eligible to win a prize each week as long as they stay signed up!

Digital Manga, Inc. has selected its first winner, Diane R. from Lochbuie, Colorado, who will be winning a Nintendo DS Lite Pack, which includes Brain Age 2 and a carrying case. Other prizes that will be given away include iPod Shuffles and $25 MasterCard Gift Cards.

Winners will be announced on the Contest Detail page every week.

For more information on the contest and for list of prizes, go to http://www.emanga.com/signup.php

[ADVANCE]