The Beatles: Rock Band - Opening Cinematic (HD)

Today many things happened. Sonic has a new game slated for 2010 and it once again "might" be good. It is the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Dreamcast and when I bought the $200 system full of joy with my one game, Sonic Adventure. It is also a good day to get married apparently. A huge thing happened today though, The Beatles: Rock Band came out.

Shadow Complex...DAMN

Best game of the year? Probably not when up against CoD:MW2 and Uncharted 2. But I have never been so impressed at a game's level design EVER. I am also having an extreme amount of fun playing this game and can't wait to go back and beat it. For just $15 I would recommend this game to ANYBODY who has an Xbox 360 as this is such a great price for what you're getting.

GC 2009: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Trailer

Yay! I hope it doesn't suck! I'm pretty hopeful!

Blue Submarine No. 6...it wasn't too late.

Watched it yesterday. I wasn't sure what to expect out of Blue Sub No. 6. Honestly I had not idea. I remember it came out on Toonami and it was a huge deal. They showed an episode a day all week for that one week only. Commercials ablaze. I was 11 though and I just wanted Dragonball lol. So basically I didn't watch it. I regretted it so I picked it up for a few bucks and man I can understand why it was so acclaimed. First off, the fact that the anime was made in 1998 and has the computer graphics that it has stunned me. Even now after 11 years the visuals amazed me and are still better than other crappy 3D incorporated shows such as..Duel Masters...or MAR. Besides that I'm happy with how the OVA progressed and even though it was based off of a manga, the studio did an excellent job with pacing and trying their best to explain the story through quick flashbacks and implications rather than insulting the viewer by explaining every detail. I was happy with the anime overall and would probably show it to anyone who's willing to watch it. Go watch it though. Made the same year as Cowboy Bebop.

Sword Of the Stranger...holy balls.

So I watched Sword of the Stranger two days ago and I was really taken back by everything. The animation being wonderful should be a given since it was a theatrical release, but it should still be noted. What I really liked about this movie was that it dealt with a reasonable problem (the exception being the medicine plot device) and reasonable characters who are all pretty sane. I was getting a little tired of anime theatrical releases that get all their hype from being "different" (Paprika, Sky Crawlers) or "a masterpiece for all ages" (every Miyazaki film except for Lupin III). I think what made it really stand out for me was the way the story unfolded for these characters and the fact that they're all treated with the same humanity in the film. If you hate buying movies, I believe you can youtube it. Have fun! Best movie of the year for me so far!

Link to site.
http://otakuxgamer.blogspot.com/

Sumomomo Momomo! I gave it a try! ^^

Okay so I REALLY liked the manga version of this so I really wanted to watch it. The show is fine and hopefully it gets better in later episodes when it adapts manga chapters that actually form arcs.

Problem with most shows that try to adapt manga to anime is that most early chapters of manga are quick 17 pages and tell a quick story; perhaps introducing a character or showing you the lives of the characters. These work fine in manga, but when shows decide "one story=one episode" this doesn't really work when trying to expand a 17 page story to 22 minutes. Just a lot of boring empty storytelling. That's why I like it when adaptations try to do their own thing (Fullmetal Alchemist, Trigun, Blue Sub No.6) or aren't adaptations at all and specifically design the episodes to contain a story with good pacing (Code Geass, Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, FLCL, Samurai 7, Samurai Champloo).

Interestingly enough a lot of light novels (Shakugan no Shana, Haruhi Suzumiya) and eroges (Fate/Stay Night, Air, School Days) don't suffer from this since directors don't necessarily have short "chapters" that become episodes. Then there are 4-panel manga which seems to adapt just fine into anime (School Rumble, Shin-Chan, Lucky Star) because episodes are usually crammed with multiple stories at a rapid pacing. I guess it depends on what you like.

I beat Megaman 2 last night for the heck of it!

Last night my friend Josh came over around 10:30 and he was in quite a Megaman mood. So I hooked up the Wii and we started playing Megaman 2. I let him beat the 8 bosses, but he had some trouble with Wily stage 1 so I stepped in and eventually we beat it! My first time actually beating the game so it made me happy!

On a side note...Samurai 7 on Father's Day

I never wrote about this so I'm writing it down now so I don't forget. I watched Samurai 7 the week leading up to Father's Day and if I recall correctly I finished it the day of or after. I remember trying to watch this around the time Samurai Champloo first came out in 2005 and I totally wasn't into it. I guess I've grown a lot because what I once thought was boring has totally become one of my new favorites!

Samurai Champloo...was definitely something else.

I finally decided to finish Samurai Champloo! I know it's been a few years since it came out, but I don't know anybody who actually finished it. Anyway seeing the all star cast made me buy it off amazon and I finished it in roughly 3 days. I definitely liked the anime, but I don't feel like it's for anybody. If you think it's a fighting anime you may be getting the short end of the stick there and if you're also looking for a comedy I can't say this is much in that vein either. Though the director of Cowboy Bebop I can't say it has the same flow either. It's definitely for a more mature audience than the anime I'm used to watching and if I had to choose a genre I would most likely say light drama. Anyway I'm not a critic so if you'd like to try it then I wouldn't stop you! ^^

[MAD] Endless Eight in 36 seconds (Loop)

I sadly agree that this pretty much sums what I've been going through these past couple of weeks.

Leiji Matsumoto - Daft Punk likes this guy.

Been super busy with preparations. Sorry T_T

A recent trip to my local F.Y.E. had me glancing at an anime called Matael Legend. I recognized the the style of the woman drawn on the cover instantly from Interstella 5555 (the Daft Punk movie using music from their Discovery album). Wanting to know why Daft Punk chose the person who did this style of anime I rushed home to research. The man responsible for the style is Leiji Matsumoto.

Matsumoto hit it big when he collaborated on Space Battleship Yamato in 1974, but hadn't created his hit franchise until he wrote the manga for Galaxy Express 999. It was adapted into an anime in 1977, the same year Captain Harlock premiered (another anime created by Matsumoto). Both stories happen in the same fictional universe and have spawned many spinoffs and movies. I had a chance to watch the Galaxy Express 999 movie which condenses the 113 episode tv show into 130 minutes. (Good job!)

The setting is 2221 A.D. and a new galaxy railway system is the best way to travel between planets. Humans can also now transfer their minds into mechanical bodies thus making them immortal. A young boy named Tetsuro wantsa mechanical body, but it is too expensive but their exists a rumor stating that their is a planet far beyond that gives mechanical bodies for free. The only way to reach such a planet is on Earth's railway system, the Galaxy Express 999. Tetsuro tries to steal himself a trian ticket, but things get pretty suspicious when a young woman named Matael gives him a ticket for free on one condition...taking her with him.

I loved the movie and if you can get past the 1979 art style then don't avoid this classic. The soundtrack for the movie is amazing and clearly reminiscent of its time and the story itself is a fun trip. This movie can be watched by anybody and reminds me that adding a bunch of stupid blood and gore and "coolness" doesn't make a movie better...ahem. If would like to spread the greatness, but if you really want to appreciate it just ask me for the movie as I have a copy of it. Any other questions just ask. Sorry, but I'm still busy! Gotta go!

Galaxy Express 999 Movie

Sony E3 Media Briefing

Ending the morning was Sony. Videos later if I'm not playing inFamous.

PS3 Stuff:
Uncharted 2 - Naughty Dog's exclusive
MAG - Exclusive
Agent - Rockstar's new PS3 Exclusive - No Footage
Assassin's Creed II
Final Fantasy 13
Final Fantasy 14 Online - Exclusive
ModNation Racers - Exclusive
The Last Guardion - Ico3 - Exclusive
Gran Turismo 5 - Exclusive
God of War 3 - Exclusive


Crazy Controller Unveiled:
Basically the Wii Motion Plus without the unnecessary wires.


PSP Go Stuff:
Gran Turismo PSP
Metal Gear Peacewalker
Resident Evil Portable - No Footage

Nintendo E3 Media Briefing

I will link the videos as soon as I get them. ^_^

Wii Crap:
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Wii Fit Plus
Wii Sports Resort
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

Wacky DS Stuff:
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Golden Sun DS
Women's Murder Club: Games of Passion
Cop: The Recruit
Style Savvy
Flipnotes Studio
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again
WarioWare: DIY
Send your DSi pictures to Facebook

Usual Nintendo Innovation that I'm sick of:
Wii Vitality Sensor

Megaton:
Super Mario Galaxy 2

"Harder Edged" Wii Games:
The Conduit
Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles
Dead Space: Extraction

RIDICulous Megaton: Team Ninja x Nintendo
Metroid: other M - OMFG!

Microsoft E3 Media Briefing...I came.

I will set the links up as soon as I find them. For now go to IGN, Joystiq, or Gametrailers.

World Premiere Video Previews of:
The Beatles Rock Band
Tony Hawk Ride
Modern Warfare 2
Final Fantasy 13


Video Previews of Xbox360 Exclusives:
Shadow Complex - Epic's new XBLA Title...reminiscent of Metroid.
Crackdown 2
Left 4 Dead 2
Splinter Cell Conviction - Sam Fisher is REALLY mad about his daughter being killed.
Forza Motorsport 3 - The video feature is RIDICULOUS.
Halo 3 ODST - Looks promising :D
Halo Reach - If you read the books...you're mind is being fucked right now.
Alan Wake - Nice narrative

Xbox Live Features:
last.fm - Music on the Xbox!
HD Instant - Stream HD movies, no download!
Facebook - Oh lordy.
Twitter - Holy Balls.

Usual Game at end of conference:
Metal Gear Rising - Looks like a game about Raiden!

Unbelievable Tech:
Project Natal

Have you ever seen Minority Report? This motion sensing tech reminds me of it. It makes the Wii controller look like a typewriter next to a computer.

Peter Molineux also shows off an Interactive game with a character called Milo. You can talk to give, play with him and he responds accordingly. He hands you goggles and you can hand him a piece of paper. Skynet is probabaly watching this. I can't describe the technology right now. I will pudate later.

This was announced officially two days ago, but I forgot to write about it. PSP GO!

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

In the spirit of the "rebroadcasting"/secret 2nd season of Haruhi Suzumiya airing in the months to come I decided to read the novel and watch the original show again to get myself back in the mood. After Welcome to the N.H.K. and Nodame Cantabile I haven't really watched anything besides Total Drama Island...which I wouldn't consider an anime (LOL). Oh...I have watched School Days...I'll talk about that later. Besides that I posted the links if you ever want to watch any of the series.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Season 1 Ep 01
The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya Ep 01
Nyoron Churuya-san Ep 01
TMHS Season 2 The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya Ep 01

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya...Season 2 unsuspected start!

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Season 2 - Watch the First Episode!

Interesting, loveable Haruhi. Damn broadcasting companies messing around in Japan making things more difficult. I'm just ridiculously happy season 2 has officially started.

Also in celebration, you should watch The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya!


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E3 Anticipation!!

With E3 being just a little over a week away I thought I would post up some of my most anticipated games that I hope will be previewed at the show.

Project Trico - PS3
From the same studio who did Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, only someone who has played those games can properly appreciate and understand what they are capable of when watching the only footage of it.


Half-Life: Episode 3 - PC
I'm not really expecting this game to be previewed at all, but the PC could use a little boost in hype before Games Convention and Blizzcon. No details have been given of this game, but after seeing the end of Episode 2 I've never been more excited about kililng aliens since the end of Halo 2.


Bayonetta - PS3/Xbox 360
From the majority of the team that created Okami, Viewtiful Joe, Madworld, and upcoming Inifinite Line this game is being directed by former Devil May Cry creator, Hideki Kamiya. This footage couldn't make me more excited this fall. The extreme action genre will be well served.


Beyond Good & Evil 2 - PS3/Xbox 360
I never thought a game could truly have a good view on politics. Then I played Beyond Good and Evil and took a bunch of pictures of creatures. The game also makes you love the main characters and I wasn't setting the bar that much higher for next game's graphics until the rumored footage of the game came out. Could it be fake? Why make it then? Though Ubisoft said it wouldn't be talking about B&G2 this E3, I'm still crossing my fingers.


DJ Hero - PS3/Xbox 360
I definitely didn't care too much about this game, but I guess since it was part of the "Hero" franchise I just assumed it was just more saturation into the music genre. After reading the preview articles and seeing the new peripheral I've gotten extremely excited for this game. Knowing that Activision will undoubtedly start coming out with five DJ Heros a year, I want to play this one before all that happens. I can't find any picture of the entire DJ turntable so here is a partial image.


Modern Warfare 2 - Ps3/Xbox 360
If you've played Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare then you're either inlove with the Campaign mode, or you've played the multiplayer for hours. I skipped Cod5: World at War because that team doesn't deliver what I like, but Inifity Ward is definitely delivering and after reading the previews, I'm excited.


Other games I'm anticipating, but don't really care about it having too many previews at E3 are Final Fantasy XIII, Starcraft 2, BlazBlue, King of Fighters 12, Call Of Juarez: Bound in Blood, Red Dead Redemption, Inifinite Space, Mass Effect 2, Uncharted 2:Among Thieves, Castlevania, God of War 3, and Monster Hunster Freedom Unite. Maybe I'll post about them later. ^_^

ICO 3: The Queen News. Done.

I know I usually don't like to blog about game news that isn't official yet, but how can I resist when it's about next ICO project? eh eh?! I mean all we've been fed in the past 14 months is one stupid teaser image and the name of the project. The rumor site Playstation LifeStyle has just posted up an article discussing a video posted along with it. Not too sure about the reliability of the author or site, but after watching the footage one can assume it might actually be official. Lets hope more is revealed at E3 in June. I'll be posting ^_^.

Click me. I am cool video link.

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Capcom is still <3

Just when Capcom surprised us that even they don't have to own Marvel to negotiate the re-release of Marvel vs. Capcom 2, but they've proven they can negotiate any rights as Tatsunoko vs Capcom has been announced for localization in North America. There have been rumors going around, but Capcom has confirmed so via Twitter (LOL) and it's Unity Blog. There is still one more game Capcom is hiding from us for its E3 line-up but at this point I wouldn't mind it if it was just another Resident Evil for the Wii.


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What have I been up to...

Super busy lately. Finishing up finals had me studying a bit as did applying to a new college. If you must know what I have been playing and watching then It'd probably disappoint you to know that I am still playing Final Fantasy 6 and watching Nodame Cantabile. Reading a lot of Dragon Ball manga though!

Do I even watch Anime? Sayonara Nodame Kai Edition ^_^

Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei - Watch the First Episode!
-I've actually read this a lot more than watched, but I have seen a few episodes. A satirical dark comedy about a suicidal Japanese teacher who just can't take society anymore can't push himself over the edge, but he attempts to every so often. He also teaches a class full of students who each represent a social problem in Japanese society and this only confirms his decision to die. Pretty much the opposite of what all you lolicons out there want eh?



Nodame Cantabile - Watch the First Episode!
-I took notice of this anime because of its opening theme. I haven't gotten a hold of the manga so the anime had to do. A male college student majoring in piano has dreams of someday becoming a conductor, but due to a childhood accident he is too afraid to ever get back on a plane. How can he be a famous musician if he can't go to Europe to show his true skills? During his days at college he meets a girl who is also excellent at the piano yet she doesn't actually read the music sheet, she plays by ear. This is pretty much shojo yet I do appreciate the more mature setting and the fact that this story does go beyond the college years into adulthood. Also as you can guess the soundtrack is classical music, so give it a try if you love that!



Dragonball Kai - Watch the First Episode!
-Hahaha. Dragonball Z. Good show. Americans grew up on it. I can imagine a lot of Japanese kids growing up on it too as the Z arc aired from 1989 to 1996. 291 Episodes. That was big boy stuff for action animes until One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach came by, the latter two even took inspiration from the series. A big problem with the Z series was that they talk too damn much. Well for the 20th year anniversary Toei announced that they would begin rebroadcasting Dragonball Z under the name Kai because they will be remstared for HDTV, have rerecorded voice work from most of the original cast, re-edited footage to closely follow the manga (less talking), damaged frames removed, and new OP and End sequences. If you have anything bad to say about this then eat a %@! then go watch Gossip Girl.

Sam's been busy!?!?! Kawaii!!

So I've been writing a lot less these past 3 weeks because I've been working very hard on some other projects. I'll write about what I've actually been working on once the results are in, but I just wanted to shed some light on my absence. Oh, this game is also the reason and I know none of you played it because you're too cool.



An article in Play magazine with some interesting interviews made me want to write about how most Japanese developers are starting to seriously lag behind other developers in both creativity and diversity, especially in the RPG elements, but it looks like I'll have to save that for another time. Oh well. u.u



Don't be mad. I enjoy Final Fantasy! ^_^

Patapon 2...DOWNLOAD ONLY?!

Patapon 2, the sequel to last year's critically acclaimed PSP game (and one of my favorites) will not be on a UMD. What started out as a rumor has been confirmed on IGN that Sony will be releasing Patapon 2 for the PSP via download only. If reserved at a store then you'll actually be purchasing vouchers that allow you to download the game. The game is coming out May 5th so make your decision to buy it soon. If you still haven't tried out the first game yet and you own a PSP then I recommend you go get it. It was $20 when it came out last year so you can probably find it for cheap now. It also sports an amazing soundtrack. You'll be beating to the rhythm all day long.

Now march onward then! Pata-Pata-Pata-Pon! Reach into your wallet for the cash! Chaka-Chaka-Pata-Pon! Buy the game! Pon-Pon-Pata-Pon! Run home and play it! Pon-Pata-Pon Pata!


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Do I Even Watch Anime? Lucky Rumble Edition ^_^

Hehehe....Yes I do...it's just old. T_T

-I decided to watch some School Rumble this week and man did I splurge. I finished both seasons and their OVAs but not without good reason. The show is about Tenma Tsukamoto, a girl in high school in love with a mundane boy with no personality at all, and Harima Kenji, a high school delinquent who's in love with Tenma. The clever romantic comedy follows these characters and their classmates and knows how to deliver the punch lines at just the right times. If you're looking for something to laugh at this show is amazing and I promise you will enjoy it.
School Rumble Episode 1!


-While School Rumble is great for casual anime viewers, the most otaku based folks might appreciate this in a different sense. Lucky Star is a casual comedy about four high school girls just trying to live their daily lives. The references to japanese culture and anime is ridiculous and very appreciated. I know I've already spoken about this before, but I'm finally getting to watching the last couple of episodes to the series.
Lucky Star Episode 1!


This might be considered old anime to some, but you must always make sure to go back and watch any gems you might've missed. ^_^x

Anime? Psh. I got my Manga :D

Manga.

I know we like to play video games. That's expensive though. We also watch anime and we either pay for that too or take advantage of the fact it's not licensed in America yet. Then we have manga, which also has the same problems as anime in the sense of people aren't really buying that so either.

While I understand that not everyone has money I urge people who are interested to at least go to their book store and skim through some manga. It's definitely a different feel than reading it online. If you don't know what to buy and are scared to spend $8 on some random manga then I recommend picking up a copy of the new Yen+Plus magazine.

Similar to Shonen Jump (but without the uber mainstream titles you've already read) and Shojo Beat (but not overflowing with girl-only manga), Yen+Plus is Yen Press' potpourri of some its freshest manga hitting the shelves. It contains 11 main titles that it serializes everything month and sometimes includes previews of new manga that month such as Black God or Legend. The 5 main manga titles; Nabari No ou, Sumomomo Momomo, Bamboo Blade, Higurashi: When They Cry, and Soul Eater. The other 6 titles are a combination of OEL and manwha titles including Sarasah, Pig Bride, One Fine Day, Maximum Ride, Nightschool, and Jack Frost. It's rated older teen and is a mix of shonen, seinan, and shojo comics which should be able to thirst any tastes you have regardless of age.

I understand you're thinking "thanks for titles, I'm totally going to get the scnaslations now." Well sure you can do that and some of you probabaly will but if you love the media so much why not support them? While there will always be DVD junkies who will buy the english release of anime once it's released here the print market is totally different. Magazines are differnt and are doing poorly as is manga. Turn Cartoon Network on and tell when you see anime that isn't Bakugan. Doesn't really exist does it? Good thing we still have Syfy (LOL), but they've had their anime roots since the early 90's. I'm not saying pay $25 for 4 episodes of anime, just $9 for 11 solid titles in over 200 pages of greatness!

New Games Every Week! The Chronicles of Blade: Galactrix Anthology Edition @_@

What if you came on and there were no games...and then the same next week...and then again? Would you cry?

-The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena - X360/PS3/PC
-The Godfather II - X360/PS3/PC
-Ninja Blade - X360
-Puzzle Quest: Galactrix - X360
-Flock - X360/PS3/PC
-Samurai Shodown Anthology - PS2
-DSi comes out this week!

Pick of the Week!
The DSi coming out is a pretty big deal and if you still haven't gotten a DS then you should probably pick up a DS Lite as it has the Game Boy Advance slot and the DSi does not. If you don't care about that GBA slot then take a look at the DSi, it has 2 cameras, an SD Card slot so you can play your music...and it's $40 more than the DS Lite. I do advise trying out the older Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords instead of the new one, the game is an interesting fusion of puzzle and rpg elements, you'll be quite surprised on how good it actually is.