Ace Attorney Live Action Film

Japanese film website Eiga.com confirmed that Takashi Miike (Yatterman, Crows Zero) is directing a live-action adaptation of CAPCOM's Ace Attorney (also known as Gyakuten Saiban) videogame franchise. The film will star Hiroki Narimiya (Gokusen's Noda, NANA's Nobu, Akihabara @ DEEP's Page) as the novice attorney Phoenix Wright (Ryuichi Naruhodo) in his first collaboration with Miike. Other cast members include Takumi Saito (RoboGeisha, Princess Princess D) as prosecutor Miles Edgeworth (Reiji Mitsurugi) and Mirei Kiritani (Arakawa under the Bridge's Nino) as Maya Fey (Mayoi Ayasato).

The film will take place in a parallel world in Japan, where a large increase in harsh crimes has led to a new court system. Under this new system, the defense attorney and public prosecutor have three days to battle cases out in open court to determine guilt or innocence of the accused, placing priority on speed instead of thorough investigation. The film studio Toei plans to use a lot of computer graphics and visual effects in the courtroom scenes in order to make them more interesting, but it will still retain the games' signature lines such as "Igi Ari!" ("Objection!") and "Kurae!" ("Take That!")

A photograph of the courtroom set for the film.

The official site for the Ace Attorney adaptation also announced that the rock band Porno Graffitti will contribute the film's theme song. Porno Graffitti had previously worked on the soundtracks for Fullmetal Alchemist, Bleach, and Great Teacher Onizuka.

Hiroki Narimiya as Phoenix Wright.

Filming was scheduled to finish in late June, with the film slated to open in theaters throughout Japan in early spring of 2012.

Sources: Eiga.com, andriasang and CAPCOM via Anime News Network

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Animetal USA album review

Animetal is a Japanese novelty heavy metal band famous for covering speed metal versions of theme songs from Anime and Tokusatsu shows. It was formed by vocalist Eizo Sakamoto in 1996 and released a total of 10 albums until they disbanded in 2006.

Earlier this month we were able to lay our ears on Animetal USA's first album. Animetal USA is a newly formed team of American musicians in an attempt to fill in the gap left by the original Animetal band. These musicians are vocalist Mike Vescera (ex-Loudness, Yngwie Malmsteen) guitarist Chris Impellitteri (Impellitteri), bassist Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Dio) and drummer Scott Travis (Racer X, Judas Priest)

Animetal USA was able to bring up a unique sound in their debut album. They still incorporate some anime songs with riffs from famous heavy metal songs and each musician having a different style in performance. Also, the Japanese lyrics are re-written in English (with some catchphrases and lines left in Japanese).

Anyway, here's a track-by track review for the songs from anime theme songs that I am familiar with:

• Space Battleship Yamato
  Okay, so the intro sounded good on this one. Check a translation of the original Japanese lyrics on the net and you will see that it's close to the band's translation. It's almost as good as the version of Space Battleship Yamato that appeared on Animetal's 2006 album Decade of Bravehearts.
  
  
• Gatchaman no Uta
  One of the songs that I looked forward to hearing. Yay! They used the riff of Iron Maiden's Flight of Icarus on the intro which makes sense because Gatchaman is a series that is related to flight. Good... The translation was also close to the original lyrics except... wait... did Mike just sang "Who is HE?" on the first line and "HE's soaring on with HIS white wings: Gatchaman!" further? It's like referring to Gatchaman as one man. The riffs were also good but the lyrics is what brought this song down.
  
  
• Mazinger Medley
  I was like "Holy S***! Mazinger Z!". The riffs of their Mazinger Z Theme wasn't as good as Animetal's. The lyrics used was similar to original singer Ichiro Mizuki's version. Yeah, My hair raised when I first heard the chorus...
  And the Mazinger fandom doesn't stop there, also included is Great Mazinger's Theme. Yeah, another eargasm when I heard the chorus. The lyrics were just perfect for both songs.
  
  
• Makafushigi Adventure! (Dragon Ball)
  The riffs were similar to the original version. Scott does a series of double pedal beats to make it sound heavier. The lyrics sounded just good.
  
  
• Zankoku na Tenshi no Teze (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
  Okay, the intro was too long and a bit boring. Chris does a good rendition of this popular theme. The lyrics... Bad! Seriously, It sounded like they translated it word for word and used it right away. Ends up, too few words per musical line making it sound complicated. Well you can still enjoy it. Just don't pay too much attention on the lyrics, the lead solos are killer!
  
  
• Ai wo Torimodose!! (Hokuto no Ken/Fist of the North Star)
  Again, the intro was too long and was a slightly altered rendition of the original... which reduces the manly energy brought by this song to the fans of Hokuto no Ken. It could have been better if it wasn't altered by a bit. Well, at least you'll hear Mike screaming the famous "You Wa Shock!" line. The English lyrics fits the tune perfectly as well.
  
  
• Pegasus Fantasy (Saint Seiya)
  "Saint Seiya!!" A note-per-note metal rendition of the original. The lyrics went well with the tune but some parts felt a bit lame.

Overall:

To sum it all up, It's good to see that another band plays with the style of Animetal among other bands (Eizo Japan, Sheja) who also do heavy metal covers of anime songs, along with the cool costumes on stage. Animetal USA, some people say that it's a terrible idea, others believe that it's great. Well, it all depends on your preference. If you want to hear heavy metal versions your anime theme songs in a language that you can understand perfectly then it's worth checking this album out.

Pre-order Animetal USA at CDJapan

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Devil May Cry HD Collection

As a part of the series' 10th anniversary celebration, CAPCOM announced that they will release the Devil May Cry HD Collection for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles in the United States and Europe in early 2012. The collection will include high-definition upgrades of the first three DMC games: Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 2, and Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening.

Buy Devil May Cry 4 (PS3) at Play-Asia.com

Source: Game Reactor via Anime News Network

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Harvest Moon - New Games Coming Early Next Year

Along with Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns, Marvelous is currently developing yet another addition to the Harvest Moon farm-simulation game series as reported by Famitsu. It will be called Harvest Moon: The Land's Origin and it will be out for the Nintendo 3DS in early 2012.

The Land's Origin will allow you to customize your home from the ground and up. You'll also be able to customize the interior and place objects wherever you like.

The main character will also be customizable. You will be able to select the gender, hair style, skin color, eye color and the set of clothes. Once the game is underway, you can have the hairstyle changed by visiting a hairdresser.

Here's the first set of screenshots for The Land's Origin:

Also, Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns will be out for the 3DS on October 11, 2011 in North America.

Buy Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns 3D (Nintendo 3DS) at Play-Asia.com
Buy Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns DS (Nintendo DS) at Play-Asia.com

Source: Siliconera

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REBELLIONS, Demo Trailer + The Making of

Last month, a demo trailer for an upcoming movie titled REBELLIONS リベリオンズ was featured in TOEI's official Youtube channel. Here's the clip:

Earlier today, a pre-production video was streamed. The 12-munite "Part 1" features an interview with director Koichi Sakamoto and a look at the visual effects process for the action movie demo. The movie stars Nao Nagasawa (Ninpu Sentai Hurricanger), Minami Tsukui (Geisha Assassin), and Saaya as they battle out an army of cybernetic foot soldiers in a post-apocalyptic world.

Here's the clip:

As of now, TOEI is still looking for partners and investors for the production of this movie. We may or may not see the movie in theaters and DVD's in the future.

REBELLIONS リベリオンズ on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/rebellionsmovie

REBELLIONS リベリオンズ on Twitter
http://twitter.com/RebellionsStaff

Source: JEFusion

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Persona 2: Innocent Sin Playtest

Being a Shin Megami Tensei enthusiast myself, when this month came in I've always looked forward to playing this game. Not only that it's directly connected to the first game but this is also it's first time to be released in English.

Yes, It's the new Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2 - Innocent Sin. It's a remake of Persona 2: Innocent Sin, originally released for the PlayStation in 1999 and the first part of the sequel to Shin Megami Tensei: Persona.

The story begins with Tatsuya Suou and Lisa Silverman from the Seven Sisters High along with Eikichi Mishina from the Kasugayama High, the three of them getting involved in summoning the Joker. It is rumored that if you perform the "Joker Charm" by dialing your own cell phone number, Joker will appear and grant any wish. Lisa and three of Eikichi’s subordinates call themselves, but the Joker wasn’t as friendly as they hoped. He wipes the ideals from Eikichi’s henchmen leaving only shadows behind. The Joker also has a strange connection to Lisa, Tatsuya, and Eikichi. He happened to know and hate them. Philemon gives out the power to summon Personas to Tatsuya and Lisa (yep, the masked guy from Persona 1, remember him?). The group, then, ran off to Seven Sisters High where the school’s emblem is rumored to be cursed...
 

Innocent Sin received major changes, such as new character portraits and cutscenes added, an updated user interface and a new set of BGM's. The battle system is overhauled and based on the one used by the game's sequel, Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. In other aspects game's original gameplay system was retained. Lastly, the Sumaru Climax Theatre quests were also added, it features sidestories written by various other authors from Atlus. The stories are quests worth hours of gameplay. Additionally, players can make their own quests.

First thing about the gameplay, it's great that they eliminated the first-person dungeon crawls, like that one in this game's predecessor. The aspect of prowling dungeons or buildings in Persona 2 is presented in a 3D map with an overhead perspective which is cool but the controls, when using the joypad, it's over-responsive! I mean, you move your joypad to the right by just a little bit and your character moves too fast you'll end up missing your destination. You can use the D-pad as an alternative but it's a bit uncomfortable.

Now moving on to the battle system, I think it's also one of this game's weak points. Once you know what spell or weapon to use, you'll keep using that when you face the same monster. This is where the "Auto-Battle" option comes in handy, it hastens up the pace but you'll be stuck seeing the same animations again and again. The battle animations and the Persona summons does get boring over time (based on experience, ugh!) To speed up further battles, the "Skip" option comes in. The skip feature replaces battle animations with flashing enemies and number of damages done.

The gameplay complaints aside, Innocent Sin still has it's strong point and that is it's story. It takes place three years where Persona 1 took off. If you have played the previous game, you will immediately see the connections unlike the latter sequels. The unique line-up of characters is just great, it makes the game a different take on 90's Japan and just like any Megami Tensei game, as you progress on the story, you could get, somewhat, pulled in the game's universe. Reaching the end of it really takes a lot of effort.

So there you have it. Innocent Sin will show you the missing link of evolution between Persona 1 and 3. It's strongest point is it's story. Most people may find it boring but it's up to you to decide if you want to check out what the "Lost Persona game" is about.

I'm still checking the game out myself, just curious on how the story goes...

Buy Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2 Innocent Sin (Sony PSP) at Play-Asia.com

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Power Rangers Online, Possible US Release

According to South Korean game company, Ntreev Soft, a side scrolling MMO titled Power Rangers Online will be coming out in the latter half of 2011.

A teaser site for the game is now online. It showed an image of Mahou Sentai Magiranger which is aired in South Korea as Power Rangers Magic Force in 2006 (and adapted as Power Rangers Mystic Force in the US in the same year). 

Power Rangers Online will be released in South Korea, to be published by Ntreev Soft, known for creating Pangya, and Daewon Media. It will be developed by IRONNOS, creators of Crimson Gem Saga​. It will be a side-scrolling action MMO. A closed beta is said to be on its way in the near future, with a full release by the end of the year.

For now, it is still unclear what series will be the basis of the game and how far will it stray from the said source. We don’t even know if it will really be a Power Rangers game. Korea has had both the Americanized Power Rangers and the Japanese original Super Sentai broadcast there, so the game could take either series as the template for the game. While some would argue whether or not that matters, the two series are different from each other, and choosing one over the other could affect how people view the game.

Why should we care? Well first, Ntreev Soft does have a US branch. Second, the Power Rangers series still goes on today, so does the Super Sentai Series. Third, Super Sentai does have a growing fanbase outside Japan nowadays so even if the game is based on the American Power Rangers or it's original Japanese Super Sentai series, a North American localization is still possible... and hopefully, it does happen. We fans want to try the game too.

Source: Dualshockers via GameRant

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Shaman King, the Prequel

The 4th volume of Shueisha's Jump X magazine announced that Hiroyuki Takei will present a new Shaman King manga with a 44-page story in the next volume of Jump X on November 10. The manga with color opening pages will present a previously untold "zero story" about the main character Yoh Asakura.

According to the magazine, the manga short is leading up to a "Big Project" next spring. The magazine also revealed that its standard release date will change from the 25th of each month to the 10th.

Source: Manga News (French) via Anime News Network

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Kingdom Hearts 3D, Further Plans for The World Ends With You

It was reported earlier that Neku Sakuraba, from the Nintendo DS game The World Ends With You, will appear as a guest character in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.

This week’s issue of Famitsu magazine features an interview with Tetsuya Nomura about the upcoming Kingdom Hearts.

Famitsu asked the creator if Neku's appearance in the game as a guest character was a hint that Nomura still has plans for The World Ends With You.

Replying to the question, Nomura wouldn’t confirm a sequel outright but stated that Neku’s presence could be a hint of something coming and that Square Enix are working on something. For now, that’s as close to an official announcement as we’re going to get.

Buy The World Ends With You (Nintendo DS) at Play-Asia.com

Source: Siliconera

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New Suikoden Game Announced For PSP

Konami have announced a new Suikoden game for the PSP. It will be titled Suikoden: The Woven Web of  a Century and by the looks of it, it won't be related to the main series. A spin off to the Suikoden series like Suikoden Tierkreis for the Nintendo DS.

The announcement was made while Konami discussed Frontier Gate at Tokyo Game Show but there's no release date or price specified yet. A preview site was opened for the upcoming game.

Suikoden is a role-playing game series originally created by Yoshitaka Murayama. The first game was released in 1995 for the PlayStation. The game series is loosely based on the classical Chinese novel, Shui Hu Zhuan by Shi Naian and Luo Guanzhong. Each individual game in the series center around relative themes of politics, corruption, revolution, mystical crystals known as True Runes and the "108 Stars of Destiny" — the 108 protagonists who are loosely interpreted from the source material.

Source: Siliconera

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Final Fantasy X, Re-release

In relation to the TGS Announcements from Konami, Square-Enix their surprise for the fans as well...

See, this game, a decade has passed since this was released and it was announced in Tokyo Game Show 2011 that Final Fantasy X will have an HD re-release for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.

Final Fantasy X was first released in Japan back in July 19, 2001 for the PlayStation 2. It's about Tidus and his journey in the world of Spira. Due to it's commercial and critical success, this became the first Final Fantasy game to have a direct sequel which is Final Fantasy X-2.

As of now, we have very limited details about the re-release. More details will be updated here soon.

Source: Siliconera

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Metal Gear Solid and Zone of the Enders HD Collections coming to PlayStation Vita

First, to sum it all up, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection is a re-release of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker in HD. It will be released on November 2011 in Japan for the PS3 and XBOX 360. Zone of the Endres HD Collection, on the other hand, is a re-release of Zone of the Enders and Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner in HD as well. It is dated for a 2012 release.

It has been announced by Konami at the Tokyo Game Show 2011 that both the Metal Gear Solid and Zone of the Enders HD Collections will also have it's versions for the PlayStation Vita.

One of the major features to be implemented by Sony for the PS Vita is its "Transfarring" ability, which basically means moving and playing saved games between the handheld and the PS3. Both HD collections will reportedly allow PS3 and PS Vita owners to take advantage of this feature. The HD Collections for the PS Vita are currently dated to arrive in 2012 as well.

Pre-order Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (PS3, US Version) at Play-Asia.com

Pre-order Zone of the Enders HD Collection (PS3, US Version) at Play-Asia.com

Pre-order Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (Xbox360, US Version) at Play-Asia.com

Pre-order Zone of the Enders HD Collection (Xbox360, US Version) at Play-Asia.com

Source: Siliconera

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PlayStation Vita to launch on December 17

The president of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan, Hiroshi Kawano, confirmed at his company's press conference that the new PlayStation Vita portable system will be launched in Japan on December 17. SCEJ also revealed 26 titles that are planned to be released on the platform's launch date. Titles include: 

• BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend
• Project N.O.E.L.S. (working title)
• Browser Sangokushi Touch Battle (working title)
• Fish On (working title)
• Ultimate Marvel vs. CAPCOM 3
• Shin Sangoku Musou NEXT
• F1 2011
• Army Corps of Hell (Jigoku no Gundan)
• Lord of Apocalypse
• Shinobido 2: Sange
• Power Smash 4
• Uncharted -Chizu Naki Bōken no Hajimari- (Uncharted: Golden Abyss)
• Sawari Ma Cool!
• Minna to Issho -Friend Network-
• Minna no Golf 6 (Everybody's Golf)
• Yūsha no Kiroku (working title)
• Monster Radar
• @field
• Shin Kamaitachi no Yoru: 11-nin-me no Suspect
• Dream Club Zero Portable
• Nico Nico
• Makai Senki Disgaea 3 Return
• Dark Quest: Alliance
• Katamari Damacy no Vita
• Ridge Racer (working title)
• Michael Jackson The Experience HD

Pre-order PSVita (Wi-Fi/3G Model) at Play-Asia.com now.
Pre-order PSVita (Wi-Fi Model) at Play-Asia.com now.

Source: 4Gamer via Anime News Network

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Davis Film obtains film rights to Golgo 13

It was announced at the Toronto International Film Festival that the production company Davis Film have acquired the film adaptation rights for Takao Saito's assassin manga: Golgo 13.

Golgo 13 follows the exploits of Duke Togo, an assassin for hire with superior combat skills, particularly with a sniper rifle. The manga was first published in November 1968 and is the longest running manga still being serialized.

Samuel Hadida of Davis Film hopes to turn the 40 year old manga series into a big-screen feature. Golgo 13 already inspired two earlier live-action films (one starring Ken Takakura in 1973 and another starring Sonny Chiba in 1977), an anime film, a video anime project, and a recent television anime series.

Davis Films is known for its successful adaptations of Japanese media, including Crying Freeman, Silent Hill, and the Resident Evil films.

Source: Hollywood Reporter via Anime News Network

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Animetal USA, First Album

Animetal is a Japanese novelty heavy metal band famous for covering speed metal versions of theme songs from Anime and Tokusatsu shows. The band also had a few original songs, including the ballad "Eternal Future" (Towa no Mirai) from the Rurouni Kenshin movie.

Animetal was formed by vocalist Eizo Sakamoto in 1996 and released 10 albums until they went on an indefinite hiatus in 2006.

Animetal USA

Animetal USA, a newly formed American counterpart of Animetal, will be releasing their first album titled "Animetal USA" from Sony Music Japan in October 12, 2011. They are also planning a world tour for next year.

Animetal USA's members are all well-known musicians from famous bands.

Vocals: Mike Vescera (Loudness, Yngwie Malmsteen)

Guitars: Chris Impellitteri (Impellitteri)

Bass: Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Dio)

Drums: Scott Travis (Racer X, Judas Priest)

Arrangement: Marty Friedman (Megadeth)

11 songs will be in the upcoming album and some songs will be sung with original Japanese lyrics and some will be in English. The songs include theme songs from such classic anime series such as

"Space Battleship Yamato"
"Kagaku Tai Gatchaman"
"Kyojin no Hoshi"
"Tiger Mask"
"Mazinger Z"
"Dragon Ball"
"Hokuto no Ken (Fist of the North Star)"
"Kinnikuman"
"Saint Seiya"
"Neon Genesis Evangelion"

Pre-order Animetal USA at CDJapan

Source: NNN24, HOCHI via Crunchyroll

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Galaxy Express 999 (1979 Movie) Review

I've checked this movie out of curiosity. I wanted to see what this popular anime title was like and how Captain Harlock was related to it...

The 1979 movie version of Galaxy Express 999 is a compression of the story of both the manga and the television series of the same title created by Leiji Matsumoto. It follows the adventure of young street kid Tetsuro Hoshino as he desires for an indestructible mechanical body to be able to live forever and to avenge his mother who was killed by Count Mecha. While the mechanical bodies are expensive on Earth, it is supposedly given away for free in the Andromeda Galaxy, the last stop for Galaxy Express 999, a space train that only comes to Earth once a year.

In the process, Tetsuro meets Maetel, a beautiful woman who resembles his mother. Maetel offers him an unlimited pass for the 999 if he will be her traveling companion which Tetsuro agrees to. Both of them boarded the 999 and went out on their journey to the Andromeda Galaxy.

My Views:

Usually, I don't watch anime, movies or TV shows that's drama-oriented. Before watching this movie I thought that I might get bored with it, turns out I was wrong. I actually liked the movie. First is because of the adventure and the sci-fi elements that was present. Tetsuro and Maetel stopped over on various planets on their way and encountered  several characters including the cameo appearances of Captain Harlock and Emeraldas who had longer roles that I have expected. Second is the very touching storyline and some breath taking moments and third is the good voice acting and the musical score. Well, something is different in the BGM's of 1970's movies which makes it cool. Also, the band Godiego performed two songs in this movie: one is the insert song "Taking Off" and the other is the ending theme "The Galaxy Express 999", both songs are fit for the movie perfectly.

Overall:

Galaxy Express 999 might've been at least 3 decades old but it can still do a good job of entertaining both young and older anime fans. It is a good summarization of a 113-episode series and It's a superb classic anime movie. No wonder it's still very popular and has spawned sequel movies, OVAs and video games. Another awesome work of Leiji Matsumoto.

...and now, the ending theme music please.

"...The Galaxy Express 999
 Will take you on a journey
 A never ending journey
 A journey to the stars..."

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Gokaiger Game for the Nintendo DS

This past August, we had a Kamen Rider game for the Nintendo DS in commemoration of the series' 40th year.

Another Tokusatsu show-based game for the Nintendo DS is coming up from Bandai Namco, it will be for the current running Super Sentai series Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. It will be titled Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger: Atsumete Henshin! 35 Sentai!

It is scheduled to be released in November 17, 2011.

Official Site

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Persona 4 to get a PS Vita port

Atlus' recent teaser website is what most fans expected it to be, it is for a port of Persona 4 for the Playstation Vita. It will be titled Persona 4: The Golden and in the same manner as last year's Persona 3 Portable for the PSP, new features will be added to P4's port.

Amongst the new additions for this port are new characters. One of them is a girl named Marie.

Another will be the addition of more voice-overs for the Vita version as well as new songs. Also being added is a new opening movie, and new event and anime cutscenes during the course of the game.

Persona 4: The Golden will also utilize the Vita’s online capabilities. You’ll be able to cooperate with another player if you are having a hard time in the game’s dungeons. Finally, Famitsu mentioned a mysterious highly-requested feature that has also been added to the game but will be announced at a later date.

Spring 2012 is the slated release date for Persona 4: The Golden.

Source: Famitsu via Siliconera

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Evangelion 3.0 in 2012

It has been confirmed that Evangelion Shin Gekijouban Q Quickening (or Evangelion 3.0), the third film in Hideaki Anno and Khara's four-part remake of Gainax's 1995 anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, will open in Japan in Fall of 2012. The announcement was made during a new preview of the film that aired after the television premiere of the second film.

The Yaraon! blog was able to post some images from the new preview. Here's one of them:

Sources: Anime News Network, Yaraon!

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Black Rock Shooter PSP game, North American release

NIS America, the anime and game distributor responsible for such titles as Disgaea and Prinny, acquired the rights for the North American release of the Black Rock Shooter The Game for the Playstation Portable.

For those who are not yet familiar with Black Rock Shooter, it is a 50-minute OVA is based on the song of the same name by Supercell.

The story takes place in 2032 AD after Earth has been assaulted by aliens for 19 years. A battle android named BRS is created solely for the purpose of saving Earth, but she comes to find that only 12 human beings are left on the planet.

By the way, here's a trailer for the game:

Not all anime game titles get an official English release, Thanks to the BRS's popularity, Non-Japanese fans can get to experience and enjoy the game in full. In addition to the game, the OVA has also spawned two manga series.

No release date has been announced yet so we'll just have to stay tuned.

Source: NIS Press Release

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GARO 2nd Season to Premiere this October

Garo Makai Senki (Garo Makai Battle Chronicle), the second series of the Garo tokusatsu franchise, will premiere on late night television on October 6.

Before the episodes premiere on television, they will first be previewed in premium screenings in five Japanese theaters. The first three episodes will be shown in theaters on September 24, followed by more episodes in screenings on October 8, October 22, and November 5.

...and here's a trailer:

It has been six years since the run of the first Garo series which focused on the life of Saejima Kouga, who obtained the title of Makai Knight to protect humanity against dark demonic manifestations called "Horrors". The series had 25 episodes, a two-part TV special (Beast of the White Night), and recently, a 3D movie (Red Requiem, 2010) and an upcoming spin off movie (KIBA the Dark Knight).

Source: Presepe News via Anime News Network 
Official Site

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Gokaiger Shoot 'em Up game for iPhone

Namco Bandai released a game for the recent Super Sentai series Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger titled Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger: Let’s Gokai Galleon.

It is a shoot 'em up game where you get to control the Gokai Galleon, Captain Marvelous' pirate ship, and shoot up enemies in space. Shoot down eight enemies and you can temporarily transform the Gokai Galleon into the invincible mecha, the Gokai-Oh.

Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger: Let’s Gokai Galleon is available on iTunes for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch devices (3rd generation or later), and iPad.

Source: Siliconera

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Loudness, upcoming album

Loudness is best known for their recent contribution for the Mazinkaizer SKL soundtrack (the songs "The Eternal Soldiers" and "The Danger Zone") and for being one of the first Japanese heavy metal bands being recognized outside Japan back in the 1980's.

Loudness will be releasing their 25th studio album next month and it will be entitled Eve to Dawn. It will be their third album with drummer Masayuki Suzuki since 2009's The Everlasting and 2010's King of Pain.

Track List:

1. A Light In The Dark

2. The Power Of Truth

3. Come Alive Again

4. Survivor

5. Keep You Burning

6. Gonna Do It My Way

7. Hang Tough

8. 喜怒哀楽 (Emotions)

9. Comes The Dawn

10. Pandra

11. Crazy! Crazy! Crazy!

Eve to Dawn will be released on September 14, 2011. Audio samples are also available on their website.

Pre-order now through CD Japan: Eve to Dawn / LOUDNESS.

Source: Official Website

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Pokemon Black and White review

I've finally finished both games. Now it's time for my thoughts on it...

Pokemon Black Version and Pokemon White Version are the first two games for the 5th generation of Pokemon series for the Nintendo DS.

In Pokemon Black/White You will experience your own adventure in becoming the champion of your region, Unova and in completing the PokeDex as a side quest. Unlike the other Pokemon games, the protagonist is a teenager - not a twelve year old kid. You were given this chance when Professor Juniper from your hometown sends the starter Pokemon to you and your two friends Bianca and Cheren.

As your journey starts, you will meet a mysterious boy called N, who is plays the role of your rival. Along your journey, you will also encounter the evil schemes of Team Plasma who wants to free the Pokemon from their trainers.

Now, for the gameplay, It is still similar to the previous games plus a lot of changes. 156 new Pokemon has been added to the lineup giving you 643 to collect in total. The graphics are now in semi-3D, the battle scene has been enhanced and there are some areas where the camera angles actually changes. 

Professor Juniper is the first female Pokemon Professor in the game series.

The system had major upgrades as well, One of the noticeable improvements is the implementation of the Season cycle. Since the 2nd generation games, a day/night cycle system has been implemented where the wild Pokemon that you encounter varies if it is day or night. In Black and White, the day/night cycle is still implemented, the season cycle is added where you encounter different Pokemon from season to season. One season lasts a month. Several areas have new areas accessible within certain seasons. An example of this is Icirrus City where, in Winter, a snowfall allows you to access areas previously inaccessible. It also affects some Pokemon such as Deerling which has different forms depending on the season. 

Also introduced are the Triple Battles and Rotation Battles as an upgrade to the Tag Battles started in Pokemon Emerald and Ruby. It also comes handy that the TMs can now be used infinitely, similar to HMs.

C-Gear Interface (below)

Also added is the C-Gear function. It sits upon the bottom screen in a similar manner to the Poketch in the Diamond, Pearl and Platinum. It constantly looks for local Wireless, Infrared and Wi-Fi connections. Through infrared, players can have speedy battles with up to four players and speedy trades directly from the player's party or PC box.

Another one of the new features within Pokemon Black and White is the Pokemon Global Link. Accessed through the C-Gear, this feature allows you to upload your save to the Internet to access a specific website in order to get features and Pokemon in the game.The Dream World is another aspect added to the game where you can sync your game up to your Pokemon Global Link account and play mini-games.

Overall:

Pokemon had a major upgrade in Black and White. The new legendary Pokemon's designs are nicely done. New features and new areas to explore provides you with a new Pokemon experience and could leave you playing any of these games for hours. The wait for these games are worth it. Just like how the previous Pokemon games were, it's simply addictive. It's almost a perfect game for all ages. Check it out and you will not be disappointed, especially if you are a fan of Pokemon.

I wonder what will be the title of the third one... (Pokemon Gray, anyone?)

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