Tag Archives: entertainment

VIDEO: “Resident Evil: Revelations” Shares Its Wii U-Specific Features

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Nintendo’s console gets some extra use on May 21

May 07, 2013
(from crunchyroll.com)

Here’s a good reason to fire up that Wii U. As you may know, the version of Resident Evil: Revelations on Nintendo’s console sports some special features, from using the GamePad to interact with the environment to giving enemies special voices via Miiverse messages. Now Capcom has a trailer to show the various additions that make it unique.

Resident Evil: Revelations—which was originally released for Nintendo 3DS—makes the leap to PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii U in North America on May 21. It hits Europe a few days later on May 24.

“Peanuts” Art Exhibition In Japan Features 40 Japanese Artisans

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Move over Hello Kitty, the American beagle is stepping into the world of collaborations

May 05, 2013
(from crunchyroll.com)

Ms. Hello Kitty has pretty much monopolized the unexpected collaboration market so far, but she is not the only one that shines with interpretations by artists in different fields of art. The “SNOOPY JAPANESQUE: Snoopy x Japanese Artisan” exhibition currently underway at Matsuya Ginza in Japan is exhibiting about 100 art pieces of Peanuts characters interpreted by Japanese artisans of traditional art, such as lacquer-ware, porcelain, and Japanese painting.

Read the rest of this entry

GameStop Ending PlayStation 2 Trade-Ins in June (Updated)

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Sony ended new US console sales in January

May 05, 2013
(from crunchyroll.com)

Much maligned retailer GameStop has confirmed via front counter placards posted at all locations that it will end PlayStation 2 trade-ins and future console sales on June 1st. Since being launched in 2000, the console was responsible for ushering in the DVD home video era as well as outselling the Dreamcast to the point that Sega was forced to end console and hardware development in both the US and Japan.

Gamestop PS2 Trade-In stop notice
Image via Reddit

 

GameStop is officially ending trade-ins after 13 years, which saw the company grow along with the console, as a large percentage of sales volume for the chain was built on the strength of the console’s massive library of titles, which included the Metal Gear series, Gran Turismo, Killzone, Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper and the equally massive library of RPGs from such publishers such as Square-Enix, Atlus, Namco Bandai and smaller publishers.

 

PS2 Versions

 

That GameStop is ending Playstation 2 trade-ins and sales shouldn’t come as a surprise, as the last new game to be released for the system in the US was released last year and new consoles were discontinued in January to prepare for the PlayStation 4 and to clear out the distribution channels of old inventory ahead of its release later this year. My fondest memories in gaming were aided by the PS2 so this change marks the end of an era for me.

 

Now I ask you, the reader what your fondest memories of gaming on the PS2 as a result of a trade-in at GameStop or even your best haul after gaming the system to get the most out of their trade-in specials? Better yet, anyone remember the Great Memory Card Shortage of 2002-03 that forced the chain to import memory cards from Japan?

 

Update: GameStop has issued the following statement on the ending of trade-ins and has confirmed that sales of available stock will continue.

 

“We can confirm that as of June 1st we will no longer be accepting the PS2 console or its related product for trades. We know that the 12 year old system is a popular one and for many gamers, GameStop is the only place to find a great selection of its games. We will still offer a wide selection of the PS2 hardware, accessories and games in many of our stores and online for several months, based on remaining stock from trades.

We are very excited about the upcoming PS4 and are making room in our stores for it and other new platforms expected this fall.”

Special Effects Legend Ray Harryhausen Passes Away

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FX artist was renowned for his stop-motion work in feature films

May 07, 2013
(from crunchyroll.com)

If you enjoy special effects in film, no matter the genre, take a moment out of today to tip your hat to the great Ray Harryhausen. The effects legend—who pioneered the practice and was known for his bold use of stop-motion in films ranging from It Came from Beneath the Sea toJason and the ArgonautsClash of the Titans, and much more—has passed away at the age of 92.

 

Harryhausen’s passing was announced by his family via Facebook, citing the long-standing influence the artist had over the history of Hollywood, with recent quotes and tributes from many famous filmmakers. He certainly had a spirited and storied run, and it’s one that the film industry would be very different without.

 

Whether you feel like reminiscing, or need an introduction to some of what made Harryhausen special, here’s a look at some of the colossal creatures he brought to life:

Long live Dynamation.

EA Signs Exclusive Deal with Disney to Make “Star Wars” Games

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Dev teams such as DICE and Visceral to work on new games

May 06, 2013
(from crunchyroll.com)

The next major play after Disney’s acquisition of the Star Wars franchise has been revealed. Following the recent closure of Lucasarts, the Walt Disney Company officially signed an exclusive multi-year deal with Electronic Arts to develop and publish games based on Star Wars.

 

press release was issued to announce the agreement, but not too many details have been divulged at this point. EA Labels President Frank Gibeau followed up with a post over at EA’s site, shedding a little bit of light on the developers we can expect to see handling the franchise.

 

While we don’t have any details to share today on specific titles, our development teams are already brimming with design ideas. The EA Studios that will develop these games are some of the most innovative and popular creative teams in the world, and include DICE and Visceral, in addition to the BioWare team, which is already developing for the Star Wars franchise. These imaginative teams will make games that may borrow from films, but the games will be entirely original with all new stories. Powering it all will be the Frostbite 3 development engine – guaranteeing incredible graphic fidelity, environments and characters.

 

EA’s publishing deal covers all interactive platforms and “most popular game genres.” A dollar amount for the agreement wasn’t publicized, but one would imagine it ranged anywhere between “a whole lot of money” to “seriously, a ton of money.”

T-Shirt Site Offers Hayao Miyazaki x “Wizard of Oz” Mash-up

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Design wins Woot’s 300th derby

April 30, 2013
(from crunchyroll.com)

Online retailer Woot’s t-shirt subsite is now selling shirts featuring the design that won its 300th derby. Wizard of “Aw”s is a mash-up of The Wizard of Oz and the works of Hayao Miyazaki, though Spanish artist dijay admits to having never actually seen/read The Wizard of OZ and instead managed to piece enough information together from cultural references to make this design.

 

 

Bringing the Game to Life

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There are many Role-Playing Games (RPGs) out there that demand our attention. Now, I may not know all the good and new ones, but a few have popped out in the past few years that I found very interesting and addicting.

Star Wars- The Old Republic cover.jpgFirst, there is Star Wars: The Old Republic. This game was a highly anticipated mass multiplayer RPG that was released in December 2011.  The game was announced free-to-play in November 2012, but with many restrictions. A player can choose to play as either Republic or Empire, and one of four classes in each faction as well as a multitude of species. And to top it all off, you can even choose your alignment (light-side or dark-side) Although there are eight classes in all, each class has an “evil twin”, so to speak. The Republic classes Jedi Knight, Jedi Consular, Smuggler, and Trooper, match with the Empire classes Sith Warrior, Sith Inquisitor, Imperial Officer, and Bounty Hunter, respectively. The abilities and roles in the game are all similar except in name and action display. The stories for each of the eight classes, however, are different. Each story has three chapters as well as unique companion stories. Of all the stories, I think the most interesting are the Sith Inquisitor, Bounty Hunter, and Jedi Knight. If you want to know why, play for yourself and find out.

Heavy Rain Cover Art.jpgThe next RPG is not really considered role-playing, but it is very close and has an amazing story. Almost every action you do in this game affects the ending and you never know which action that is until it is too late. This thought-provoking and emotional game is called Heavy Rain. Released in February 2010, this game was made by the French developer Quantic Dream. The player follows four main characters who are all investigating the town for a serial killer called the Origami Killer. Each character has their own reasons for chasing this murderer, but their main goal is to save the next victim of the Killer, a young boy. Of all the individual stories, the most heart-warming is that of Ethan Mars, whom we begin playing as and the father of the victim. As mentioned before, most of the actions done in this game affect the ending. If a certain section of the story is failed or the player does not complete a certain task, the game continues on.

Fablebox.jpgOne of the oldest RPG games I remember playing (that was actually good) was Fable, played on the first generation Xbox. I was surprised to see that Fable was frequently voted one of the worst games of the decade, seeing as it was voted one of the best the year it was released (2004). The player starts the game as a simple farm boy. Your first quest of the game is to get a box of chocolates for your sister’s birthday. But your life changes when your village is attacked and burned down by bandits. You are transported to safety at an academy called the Heroes’ Guild and from there, the farm boy learns to become a hero. Because this game was one of the first big RPGs of the decade, the actions you decide in the game do not influence what happens at the end. But you do have to work for your new abilities, armor, and strength. There were two sequels made for this game, but neither of them seemed as good as the first Fable.

What I love about RPGs is that they are always (and must be) accompanied by a story. As you play, it almost seems as if you yourself were in that game because you worked for your abilities and your choices influenced future events. For me, that’s what makes these games so addicting: you are basically living through a game.

Top 20 Anime Heroines You Love to Hate

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“Pet Girl of Sakurasou” and “Accel World” take top honors

(from crunchyroll.com)

Amanda Rush

April 30, 2013 1:00pm

Everybody has one: an anime character you derive actual satisfaction from trashing. Whether it’s a character so awful they almost ruin a show you love or someone who epitomizes everything that’s wrong with a show you loathe, sometimes the greatest fandom joy comes from gleefully indulging in character bashing. That’s the principle behind Japanese polling site Biglobe’s new poll ranking the top hateable anime heroines.

This poll features a lot of crazy popular and highly debated characters. Over 5,000 people voted. Get ready to defend your favorite girls, because here’s the top 20:

1. Mashiro Shiina, Pet Girl of Sakurasou 

pet girl of sakurasou

2. Kuroyukihime, Accel World

 

kuroyukihime

 

3. Mikono Suzushiro, Aquarion EVOL

 

Aquarion EVOL

 

4. Inori, Guilty Crown

 

guilty crown

 

5. Sheryl Nome, Macross Frontier

 

sheryl nome

 

6. Tsukuyo, Gintama

 

gintama

 

7. Eru Chitanda, Hyouka

 

hyouka

 

8. Nyaruko, Nyarko-san: Another Crawling Chaos

 

nyaruko

 

9. Asuna, Sword Art Online

 

asuna

 

10. Muginami, Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne

 

lagrange

 

11. Yui Hirasawa, K-ON!

 

yui k-on

 

12. Mogana Kikaijima, Medaka Box

 

medaka box

 

13. Ranka Lee, Macross Frontier

 

ranka lee

 

14. Zessica Wong, Aquarion EVOL

 

zessica wong

 

15. Mei Tachibana, Say “I love you”

 

mei tachibana

 

16. Sakura Kinomoto, Cardcaptor Sakura

 

cardcaptor sakura

 

17. Mayaka Ibara, Hyouka

 

mayaka

 

18. Mio Akiyama, K-ON!

 

mio

 

19. Subaru Konoe, Mayo Chiki!

 

Subaru Konoe

 

20. Manami Tamura, Oreimo

 

manami

 

See anyone you hate? Ready to rage that so many would dis a beloved character? Sound off in the comments.