Gary Barber, MGM‘s Chairman and CEO, along with Paramount Pictures, announced today that Mark Burnett (50% of the shows we love on TV) and Roma Downey (Son of God) will be joining Sean Daniel (The Mummy franchise) and Joni Levin (The Way Back) on the Ben-Hur producers’ chariot (Downey as an Executive Producer), with the film slated for release on February 26, 2016. The duo made the following joint statement;
What an honor it will be to help bring this epic film back to the big screen. When Gary Barber allowed us to read John Ridley’s amazing script, we immediately knew we had to join this team. We are thrilled to be ablework with Timur, Sean, John and the entire MGM and Paramount teams. General Lew Wallace’s Ben-Hur is one of the most important Christian works of fiction ever written and this script is astounding. It will be the most anticipated movie release of 2016.
Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) will be directing the movie, to be based on a screenplay originally developed by Keith Clarke (The Way Back), with revisions made by Academy Award-winner John Ridley (12 Years A Slave). The story will follow “a falsely accused nobleman who survives years of slavery to take vengeance on his best friend who betrayed him. Both must come to choose between retribution or forgiveness“, with the same focus on the nature of faith that was the heart of the 1880 Lew Wallace epic novel Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ.
BANDAI NAMCO GAMES EUROPE ANNOUNCES ONE PIECE UNLIMITED WORLD RED’S CHOPPER EDITION & STRAW HAT EDITION!
-Straw Hat Crew members get their own special editions!-
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA– April 28, 2014 – BANDAI NAMCO Games Europe S.A.S announced today that ONE PIECE Unlimited World Red will be reaching Australian and New Zealand shores on 26 June, 2014! This new game will be available on PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system, Nintendo 3DSTM handheld system! ONE PIECE Unlimited World Red is an action-adventure RPG game developed by Ganbarion Co., Ltd., based on the widely popular and praised ONE PIECE manga created by the renowned mangaka Eiichiro Oda.
Boasting amazing and exclusive content, this new game will offer hours of exciting gameplay where the players’ will happily discover two brand new characters and an all-new mode planned for the European & Australasian release: Battle Coliseum Mode! This fresh content will please all ONE PIECE lovers as it is directly related to the latest episodes in the Dressrosa arc!
For the impatient fans planning on buying the game on its release day (“Day 1”), BANDAI NAMCO Games Europe S.A.S. has prepared a unique offer to show this game’s uniqueness, the “Straw Hat Edition”:
One Piece Unlimited World Red full game
Exclusive Costumes: 10 outfits – Luffy Strong World Outfit & the Anniversary Pack with 9 outfits commemorating Japan’s 15th anniversary of the One Piece animated series.
A unique quest where the 2 brothers are re-united: “Flame Fist & Straw Hat”
This terrific Anniversary Pack won’t be sold later!
The amazingly cute collectors ‘Chopper Edition’ includes:
One Piece Unlimited World Red Day 1 Edition
Key Holder of Chopper
10 stickers of the Straw Hat Crew members and the game logo
Wall scroll of Chopper
Lanyard with Chopper
Artbook
The Takoyaki DLC Pack (3 costumes & 1 quest)
“After 2 episodes of the Pirate Warriors series, we decided to come back to another kind of game and create the best Action/Adventure RPG game possible for all ONEPIECE fans, thanks to Ganbarion and their tremendous knowledge; we are sure to top all our previous games’ and offer a fun experience within the ONE PIECE universe! Speaking of fun; we are bringing this new game to 4 different platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS” said Herve Hoerdt, Vice President of IP Strategy, Marketing & PR at BANDAI NAMCO Games Europe. “Creating this exciting Collector’s Edition based on Chopper has been quite a challenge for our Marketing teams, we are really happy with its diversity and is unique genre!”
Be sure to check out the all new trailer for ONE PIECE Unlimited World Red here:
ONE PIECE Unlimited World Red is scheduled for release on PlayStation®3, PlayStation®Vita, and Nintendo 3DSTM on June 26, 2014. For the latest news and updates, join us on www.OnePiece-Game.com. For the latest videos, check bngames.eu/OPunlimitedworldredvideos. For more information about BANDAI NAMCO Games’ entire line up, go to www.BandaiNamcoGames.com.au
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About BANDAI NAMCO Games Europe S.A.S.
BANDAI NAMCO Games Europe S.A.S., part of BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc., is a leading global publisher and developer of interactive content for platforms including all major video game consoles and PC, with marketing and sales operations in 50 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Australasia. The company is known for creating and publishing many of the industry’s top video game franchises, including PAC-MAN™, Tekken™, SOULCALIBUR™, NARUTO™, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN™, Dragon Ball®, GALAGA™, RIDGE RACER™ and ACE COMBAT™. More information about the company and its products can be found at www.BandaiNamcoGames.eu or Facebook.
PlayStation is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: ALL-STAR BATTLE IS AVAILABLE NOW IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND!
–Get ready for the most stylish fighting game ever made!-
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA– April 28, 2014 – BANDAI NAMCO Games Europe S.A.S announced today that JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: ALL-STAR BATTLE is available across Europe and Australasia exclusively on PlayStation®3 (and on Playstation®Network)! This fast-paced 2D fighting-game based on the illustrious JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE licenceis developed by famed Japanese developer CyberConnect2, who are widely praised for delivering an authentic and high quality manga experience to video games.
Just like in the original piece of art, fans will be able to fight through 8 different Chapters in the Story Mode to discover the Joestar family’s fate; this long path will see generations getting shattered by the hatred of one single man: Dio Brando. On top of this faithful rendition of the manga, JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: ALL-STAR BATTLE will be getting an exclusive Arcade Mode and all the balance changes that have been applied in the Japanese version post-launch! For the gamers looking forward to customising their character; a complete Customisation Mode is included to let their imagination get real. This Customisation part isn’t the only flamboyant showing that this game has to offer: the Campaign Mode will require all the players’ skills in order to succeed in the highly challenging missions! Last but not least, the item-hunters will be delighted to know that a Gallery Mode is also available in order to get new items thanks to the Gold Collected on the Campaign Mode and Arcade Mode!
As a fighting-game, players and fans from Asia (except Japan), Europe, Australia, North America and all over the world will be able to compete in the Online Mode and show their best combos and brawling mechanics!
“Bringing to life such a legendary licence is a great honour for us at BANDAI NAMCO Games! We’ve been listening to our fans’ voices: the game is finally available in Europe and Australasia with extra content!” said Herve Hoerdt, Vice President of IP Strategy, Marketing & PR at BANDAI NAMCO Games Europe. “A renowned license requires an expert studio to be working on it: teaming-up with CyberConnect 2 appeared to us as the easiest choice ever in order to ensure an AAA quality for this flashy game. Get ready to be the most stylish fighter in the world!”
The demo for this amazing game is still available on the PlayStation®Network! Download it and try the new Arcade Mode!
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle is now available in Australia and New Zealand exclusively on PlayStation®3 (and PlayStation®Network). For the latest news and updates, join us on www.Fight-with-Style.com. For the latest videos, please go to http://bngames.eu/JoJoPlaylist. For more information about BANDAI NAMCO Games’ entire line up, go to www.BandaiNamcoGames.eu.
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About BANDAI NAMCO Games Europe S.A.S.
BANDAI NAMCO Games Europe S.A.S., part of BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc., is a leading global publisher and developer of interactive content for platforms including all major video game consoles and PC, with marketing and sales operations in 50 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Australasia. The company is known for creating and publishing many of the industry’s top video game franchises, including PAC-MAN™, Tekken™, SOULCALIBUR™, NARUTO™, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN™, ONE PIECETM, Dragon Ball®, GALAGA™, TALES OF™, RIDGE RACER™ and ACE COMBAT™. More information about the company and its products can be found at www.BandaiNamcoGames.eu or Facebook.
Previous format-exclusive Jamais-Vu and MGS1 Déjà-Vu missions will now be available across all formats
Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. has detailed a key update to its METAL GEAR SOLID V: GROUND ZEROES title for PlayStation®4, Xbox One, PlayStation®3 and Xbox 360, which unlocks previously format-exclusive elements to all users.
Available on May 1st, the free update gives PlayStation®3 and PlayStation®4 users access to the ‘Jamais-Vu mission’, which was previously only available within the Xbox One and Xbox 360 editions. The Jamais-Vu mission re-introduces METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE star, Raiden, to the series, in a special mission set within METAL GEAR SOLID V: GROUND ZEROES’ containment camp.
The new mission sees Raiden charged with investigating an alleged alien incursion, where – forgoing his famed katana blade – he is dropped on the edge of the camp, and must gain access and secure firm evidence of the alien presence. The aliens – dubbed ‘Snatchers’ by the intelligence group – are externally disguised as camp guards, but produce an inhuman X-Ray when tagged using the iDroid app or Raiden’s binoculars. Raiden must locate and eliminate the alien imposters while evading capture by the unaware humans charged with guarding the base.
Conversely, Xbox One and Xbox 360 users will also be able to access the previously Sony-exclusive ‘MGS1 Déjà-Vu mission’ when they update. The MGS1 Déjà-Vu mission celebrates the heritage of the acclaimed METAL GEAR SOLID series by creating a bespoke mission that harks back to the series’ first 3D entry. The mission visually references key events from the original PS one™ classic and tasks the user with reproducing famous scenes from the original METAL GEAR SOLID. As players recreate these iconic moments, a flashback system reproduces the original reduced polygon graphical style of the original game and introduces familiar enemies and recognisable weather conditions for added authenticity.
These new stages further enhance the replay value of METAL GEAR SOLID V: GROUND ZEROES. The missions tie in perfectly with the game’s 1975 setting and expand on the game’s basis as being a prologue to the forthcoming METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN. Additionally, Kojima Productions has also used this update to improve display items and menu aberration.
As first part of the METAL GEAR SOLID V experience, METAL GEAR SOLID V: GROUND ZEROES focuses on the legendary Big Boss – a stealth operative – as he infiltrates a secret Cuban prison base called ‘Camp Omega’ on a rescue mission. Alone behind enemy lines, the game reveals a total freedom of movement within its missions, with users choosing how they engage guards, the route they pick, and which prisoners they rescue. The game’s uniqueopen world and many possibilities encourage the player to revisit its content again and again to discover its secrets and features an online global ranking system where players can compare their achievements against others. It also has unique second-screen elements, via the free iDroid app, which allow users to sync maps, summon air support and use found cassettes on a linked iOS, Android or Smart Glass system.
METAL GEAR SOLID V: GROUND ZEROES has already been hailed as one of the key games of 2014. It is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and Xbox.
About Konami Group
KONAMI CORPORATION was established in 1973, and became a holding company of the Konami Group on March 31, 2006. KONAMI CORPORATION covers the fields of “Digital Entertainment Business”, “Health & Fitness Business”, “Gaming & Systems Business” and “Pachinko & Pachinko Slot Machines Business”. KONAMI CORPORATION went public on Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1988, the London Stock Exchange in 1999, and the New York Stock Exchange in 2002. Home Page URL: www.konami.co.jp. Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. is a wholly-owned subsidiary, responsible for popular franchises like Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill and Pro Evolution Soccer amongst other top sellers. Konami Group is also the manufacturer of the wildly popular Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME, which has sold more than 25 billion cards worldwide. For more information concerning Konami Digital Entertainment and its products, please visit www.konami-europe.com.
Yuji Horii – the creator of the “Dragon Quest” series and a “royal” in the gaming world – just announced that he, alongside his team at “Square Enix“, have already begun developing the next “Dragon Quest” game. This particular reveal – which comes to us straight from Chiba’s “Niconico Super Conference” – means fantastic news for fans of the “Dragon Quest” series but devastating news for fans of the “Shonen Jump” title “HunterXHunter” with the creator of the beloved manga having taken long breaks from writing and illustrating in the past just so he could play the latest “Dragon Quest” titles. This came as a great surprise not only for fans but for other team members supposedly working on the game.
Reports from the expo say that “Dragon Quest X” producer Yosuke Saito and chief planner Anzai Takashi both looked quite surprised at the public reveal. This can mean one of a few things but my thoughts are either there was no plan to reveal that the next game was in the works or the two men have been kept in the dark while Mr. Horii started production alone.
Regardless of what the real reason behind the surprise is, we’re getting a new “Dragon Quest” game! That alone is enough to cause when heck of a stir. Make sure you stick to the sight for any and all new information as it is released and let us know your thoughts o this reveal in the comments section just below the article.
Compatibility: Requires iOS 5.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
Download the FreeAppADay.com App and wish for more top rated apps like Wild West Pinball to become FREE for a day!
DON’T MISS OUR NEW GAMES:
– Pinball HD Collection
– Running Dino
ABOUT THE GAME
Wild West Pinball team – more than 3 000 000 players around the world!
Welcome to Wild West Pinball – world first professional pinball simulator for the iPhone. With fast 3D graphics and realistic physics this game will blow your mind. All parts of pinball table are real objects and you can see how it works! Western style locations and environment gives you a lot of fun.
IMPORTANT
• You can find SOUND, MUSIC and THEME options in standart iPhone “Settings” section.
• During the game pinch your fingers together or apart to toggle camera mode from live to fixed.
FEATURES
– New improved 3D engine
– Missions and Checkpoints
– Hidden locations
– Realistic physics
– Multiball
– Camera effects with two modes
– Save/load game
– Unique sounds
– Original soundtrack
– Table tilting
– Local scores table
– World scores table
HOW TO PLAY
When running the app, you are presented with a 3D simulated camera zoom, pan and fly-over of one of the games. Swiping right brings up Gameprom news and swiping left brings up the local score screen. Tapping on a game’s fly-over screen starts game play. Controls in game:
• Tap ANYWHERE on the left side of screen to control the left flipper and ANYWHERE on the right side to control the right flipper.
• Shake your iPad to realistically shake the pinball table, but not too much or you’ll tilt.
• Tap on the “electronic caption” at the top of the screen to pause or resume your game.
• During the game pinch your fingers together or apart to toggle camera mode from live to fixed.
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial for the Atari 2600 – widely regarded as the worst video game in history. But back in July 1982, when Atari negotiated with Steven Spielberg for the rights to make the classic film into a video game – for a cool $22 million – the studio was certain the game was guaranteed to make them a huge profit…
Problem was, if they wanted to release in time for the holiday season, that’d give its developers only 5 full weeks of development; a feat absolutely unheard of, and wholly unrealistic. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial was inevitably a failure, and is considered a large, possibly determining factor in the video game crash of 1983. Legend then claimed that Atari proceeded to bury the rest of the cartridges in a landfill in New Mexico. Most didn’t believe what they considered a pure myth, but now a crew working as part of a documentary being produced by Xbox Entertainment Studios have dug up the proof. The above image – among others – was sent out from the site by Director of Programming for Xbox Live, Larry Hyrb, via Twitter.
The excavation crew also found a copy of Centipede and Missile Command. From here, they will continue to dig at the site for what could be another couple months in order to unearth the entire batch. Later this year, the documentary will have been completed and made available exclusively on Xbox platforms. So, seems some legends end up being true.
Overview The fight continues in Cardfight Vanguard Part Two from Hanabee Entertainment. Picking up where we left off in Part One, Team Q4 are well and truly getting into the thick of things in the tournament going at it with all manner of cardfighting foes. As things begin to heat up in Cardfight Vanguard, we get some shocking introductions and the series begins to take some very interesting routes as it progresses.
With new elements added to the mix, Cardfight Vanguard begins to open itself up to a whole other world of ideas and possibilities, essentially blowing it’s own concept wide open. This part sets the tone for the rest of the series to come and now that the introductory elements of the first part have been largely left behind, the series is now free to explore all kinds of new territories.
Story
From the humble beginnings in the card games shop Card Capital, Cardfight Vanguard takes things to a whole new level as Team Q4 enter their first official tournament as they aim for nation cardfighting glory. This is clearly a step up from the definitively small-time competition that was the focus of the first season of the series. While the first season took place in the card shop and had our main four battling it out against one another, we now see them going against the best of the best in the world of Vanguard.
A new antagonist rears his head in the form of Ren Sugamori, a supposedly legendary player who has some mysterious ability that aids him in winning every single game with absolute ease, an almost predictive ability at that. Naturally it is only a matter of time before Aichi and Team Q4 must come head to head with these wild cardfighters.
The bulk of this part makes up the tournament battles as Q4 goes head to head with a number of enemy teams. It is a fun series of battles for Q4 but the real main event is undoubtedly the face off with Ultra Rare and Team Asteroid. We come to see Aichi and his friends struggle and grow in their own individual ways.
One can question the once great realism of Cardfight Vanguard following the introduction of Psyqualia powers into the series, but it is a concept that does add a great deal to the series. Not only does it make for some truly fearsome foes, the inner conflict that Aichi now faces is captivating stuff to say the very least. All the while, the series does what it does best, remain all kinds of fun.
Ultimately this part of Cardfight Vanguard genuinely opens the series up to countless possibilities and brings to light some very interesting ideas and takes on the game of Vanguard. The cast continues to grow and the show grows more and more intense. Cardfight Vanguard takes a major step forward here an a big part of that comes due to the implementation of the Psyqualia concept.
Visuals and Audio
The aesthetics of Cardfight Vanguard continue on strongly from what we first saw in season 1. The visuals improve in some subtle ways and the character designs become more crisp and appealing. The animation is just as fluid and smooth as it was in the first part if not a little more so. There are some interesting visual effects such as the Psyqualia powers effect, but overall this part generally remains consistent to the standard set in part one.
Soundtrack-wise Part Two much like is as consistently good as ever. The themes are excellent ways to kick off and conclude any given episode and the incidental music is solid and memorable in many instances. The release features the English dub alongside the Japanese original audio track which is of course a real treat. The English dub is quite good and includes a number of brilliant performances across the board.
Extras
While the first part was undoubtedly one of the best anime releases in quite some time in regards to bonus content. That release feature a number of Vanguard cards so that viewers could themselves get into the wonderful game that the series revolves around themselves. Unfortunately this release is somewhat lacking in terms of special features and bonus material. Instead this release only features the 3 discs of episodes covering from episode 17-32 of the series. While this may be a disappointment to some coming off the heels of the absolutely phenomenal release that was part one, the series itself is good enough to stand on its own and the bonus content of the first part are enough to carry over for this release.
Overall
From the humble halls of a card-games shop to the grand stage of national tournaments. Cardfight Vanguard has big things on its mind and it is chasing that with every last ounce of energy as it continues to craft itself into one of the greatest card-games anime of all time. It balances realistic approach of a rule-focused card-gaming presentation with a magical element in regards to the newly introduced Psyqualia psychic powers resulting in a unique style that other card-games anime just can’t nail like Cardfight Vanguard does seemingly effortlessly. Some might say that Yu-Gi-Oh is the best card-games anime, but Cardfight Vanguard is making a real case for itself as its successor.
Cardfight Vanguard is proving itself to be something very special in the anime genre. An honest portrayal of card-games culture and the fantasy elements of the genre in a way that is fresh as well as innovative. With all the makings of an iconic card-games anime, the future is growing brighter and brighter for Cardfight Vanguard with each passing release from Hanabee Entertainment. It is no wonder that the series has captivated and enchanted millions around the world, whether it be through the anime or with the addictive card-game it is based upon. Cardfight Vanguard is a classic in the making.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Here we are, people! Episode four, the one that truly kicks off the “adventure” aspect of “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure”, something we didn’t exactly see in the last season. The group is off to look for DIO now that the beautiful Holly Joestar has become plagued with an uncontrollable stand. You can read all about it in the episode impression article from last week titled “The Curse Of DIO” (Click Here to read). This week we follow our heroes as they head to Egypt on the first possible flight they could get but, as you can probably already assume, no plane nor Joestar is safe in “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” so strap yourself in for what will be one of the strangest in-air battles you’ll ever see. We’re met with another laughable description of DIO, a flight that makes “Snakes On A Plane” look tame and another young man who’s hankering for a fight. Welcome to “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders” episode four – “Tower Of Gray”.
– DIO: The Joy bringer –
DIO: The Joy Bringer.
Last week I made a joke wherein which I compared the dark lord DIO (not the musician) to “Twilight” star Robert Pattinson. Thinking it would be a “one off” scene where the writers went above and beyond to make DIO a great deal more extravagant than I actually though he was, I quickly dismissed how odd of a character explanation he got but it looks like I was wrong…dead wrong. The first, let’s say, four or five minutes of the episode takes place in DIO’s dark lair. We’re met with the grueling sight of a wrinkled, old, shaman-type character who, once again, insists on putting DIO on a pedestal. The woman, who looks as though her life has almost reached its expiration date, explains to the audience that coming into contact with DIO wells up both the emotion of fear AND joy.
Now I say “explains to the audience” because everyone else in that room was either a naked woman about to be devoured by the mullet-wearing vampire or…DIO himself, so I could only assume she was there for our pleasure. If that’s what you want to call it. There’s quite an explanation as to why people feel joy and fear around DIO but it was far too convoluted for me to hold in any kind of regard so it was quickly dismissed. Let’s just all agree that DIO is…well, everything and move past it for now. That it, until some other odd-looking, weirdo decides to explain to us why they love the almost-translucent being.
– Beetles On A Boeing –
Beetles On A Boeing.
Trying to anticipate what is going to happen next in a series like “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” is something that a normal human being like myself just cannot do, though…I really wish I could because I’m constantly taken by surprise. A gentle scene fade places the audience on the first flight out of Japan. The crew are heading to Egypt and I suppose they thought it was a good idea to take a late flight, you know, so they’ll be able to get some sleep. Being seven feet tall and three feet wide, I was surprised that the four men were physically able to sit side-by-side on a commercial flight. The fact that they chose to sit so close to each other despite the lack of people on the plane and the number of empty seats shown in the wide shots tells me they are really starting to like each other. Trouble follows the motley crew, as they they were all about to try and get some sleep, they were met with a furious buzzing sound, one that they couldn’t seem to get over.
Flying in from what looked like the “first class’ section of the plain came a “run of the mill” rhinoceros beetle…I’m joking, not for one second did I think this thing was “normal” and neither did the crew. One thing I’m not too fond of when it comes to “Stardust Crusaders” is that every character knows everything even before that “thing” becomes clear. Jotaro – who, only the other day, discovered he has a Stand – quickly announced that this seemingly-normal beetle was one…that was before it did anything even remotely suspicious. Clearly you can see how that would get a little frustrating but, I have to admit, Jotaro HAS made a few assumptions in the last 4 episodes that have turned out to be true so I’m not sure I can put too much crap on the guy. After some “back and forth” with the beetle, it is revealed for certain that it is a Stand named “Tower Of Gray” who’s being controlled by somebody on the plane. Now it’s up to the team to track down this killer and take him/her out before he/she can cause any more trouble for the crew.
– They Call Me “Mr. Bug-Be-Gone” –
They Call me “Mr. Bug-Be-Gone”.
Jotaro, with guns always blazing, has “Star Platinum” throw a few punches thinking he’s fast enough to take the Stand down quickly. As it turns out; that’s not the case, this stand is far too speedy for the hulking, blue, specter to land a hit on which, to me, is a bit of a cop out seeing as a great deal of the season at this point in time was spent boasting about the brilliant power and speed of Jotaro’s “Star Platinum”. With Jotaro not being able to land a hit, Avdul decides to give his “Magician Red” a try not thinking about the fact that his Stand’s flames can affect non-supernatural beings and items meaning he could easily blow a hole in the plane. Kakyoin, the know-it-all, stops the two idiots from doing more damage to the flight than the enemy and explains that his “Heirophant Green” will be able to take care of this Stand without the risk of damaging the plane and causing a catastrophe.
His words were then followed up by “Emerald Splash” after “Emerald Splash” which is an attack that sends a flurry of obviously sharp objects in indeterminate directions but, you know, he can do it without the risk of crashing the plane. Distracting the stand with with “Heirophant Green’s” “Emerald Splash” allowed Kakyoin to set up traps around the plane which go off and rip the beetle to shreds. Now all is good with the world and the team can go back to enjoying their – holy crap the pilots are dead! This is fantastic! Exactly what the team needed. Joseph notices the plane is on a bit to drastic of a lean so he heads up to the cockpit to check out just what the hell is going on. Turns out the pilots were killed a while back, I guess that’s where the beetle flew in from just before it met its fate by the hands of Kakyoin.
– “Good Luck, We’re All Counting On You –
“Good Luck, We’re All Counting On You”.
To think; episode four of “Stardust Crusaders” is actually just another “Flying High” (Airplane) movie sequel. Old man Joseph – who, if you can remember, has been in a few situations of this kind in the past – quickly takes to the pilot’s seat with the intention of landing this bird softly. With reasonable expectations he explains that he plans on landing the vessel in the sea, a place where it will be easier to land and the chances of people getting hurt will be reduced. Good idea, old man! Believe it or not the former world hero actually pulls off a successful landing in the ocean with nobody, apart from those torn apart by the rogue stand, getting hurt!
What I think I enjoyed about this scene above all else was that Joseph actually references his own life and past “JJBA” storylines saying “But, Jotaro…this is my third time. Have you ever heard of someone being in a crashing plane three times”. I actually found it pretty funny in a genuine way not in a “this is so terribly stupid” kind of way. I do enjoy when a character or series acknowledges their past or brings attention to something the audience would naturally comment on. It shows somewhat good character writing and I think audiences appreciate things like that. I know I do. The plane has “safely” landed and the local authorities are already organized enough to send out rescue helicopters, boats and whatever else these people need to be saved but where the hell are they?
– Welcome To The Kong! Hong Kong, that is! –
Welcome To The Kong! Hong Kong, that is!
Hong Kong – the beautiful, oriental land – is where the “Stardust Crusaders” team have landed…our prayers go out to the citizens of the city because the only thing that happens to follow this particular crew is trouble. Having no luck with air travel, Joseph decides to call in a few favors to old friends in the hopes that he can get them a nice little boat so they can sale the rest of the way to Egypt. Clearly Joseph isn’t the smartest of men because he never took a moment to think and realize; “we could just try another plane”. He said it himself; “I have experience with propeller planes”, could the squad not just pack themselves into a non-commercial vessel?
I guess it doesn’t matter that much, though I’m quite shocked that nobody called the old man out for getting travel tips from “Around The World In 80 Days”, the book by author Jules Vern. After getting into a yelling match with a local food vendor, Joseph decides to take his new family out for a nice Hong Kong-style dinner. At the restaurant a plan is devised, the one I actually just mentioned: They will go the rest of the way by boat, heading to Egypt on land will prove too difficult for the men so it seems as though the only way is by sea. Lucky for them a few of their members are seasoned travelers; we know Avdul is an intelligent man who’s traveled the globe and apparently the transfer student Kakyoin is too!
– They Call Me “Jean Pierre Eiffel”…Now –
They Call Me “Jean Pierre Eiffel”…Now.
Never a dull moment. A strange man approaches the table that our heroes happen to be sitting at. The fellow foreigner (and obvious next addition to the “Stardust” team) approaches the men simply asking for some help. It doesn’t look like he can read the menu so old man Joseph invites him to sit with the group and partake in some exquisite Hong Kong cuisine…well, that IS after Jotaro tells him to “piss off”. After some friendly banter and after they’ve filled their bellies, the foreigner finally speaks up to exclaim his name and the reason why he ACTUALLY approached them, though he does it in quite the strange way…”bizarre” even. Picking up a carrot that has been cut into the shape of a star, the silver-haired man comments that he’s met a strange man with a symbol just like it once before. The group immediately jump to conclusions; “he’s a worker of DIO!”, “he knows DIO”, “he’s here to kill us for DIO” and, well, they were right…once again.
Avdul being sick of slowly fading into the background of the series decides to shoot first and ask questions later. “Magician Red” attacks the man but is quickly shot down; this man has a stand of its own and it’s a lot faster than the ol’ “flame falcon”, who knows, it could even be faster than the infinitely speedy beetle they just fought. Deflecting the Stand’s fire onto an overturned table and leaving scorch marks that resemble a clock, the man finally reveals himself to be non other than Jean Pierre Polnareff (named Jean Pierre Eiffel in English localizations) who, although you’re not really meant to know who he is at this point in time, we all know to be the second last member to join the “Stardust Crusaders” club. Polnareff issues a challenge to Avdul and the episode ends. Hopefully the episode that is to be released next week ends up being better than the one from this week because, if I’m to be brutally honest; it was quite weak.
Check out the “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders” anime on Crunchyroll and check out more episode impressions HERE.
Fellow magic players gathered this weekend to celebrate the prerelease of Journey Into Nyx, the final set for the Hero’s Journey. The famously addictive strategy trading card game from the Wizards of the Coast presented magic players with the seventh ultimate challenge of choosing the right path to forge a Godslayer from White — Forged in Glory, Blue — Forged in Intellect, Black — Forged in Tyranny, Red — Forged in War, and Green — Forged in Pursuit.
The Journey Into Nyx prerelease pack presented players with a unique Hero Artifact, promo card (Dawnbringer Charioteers, Scourge of Fleets, Doomwake Giant, Spawn of Thraxes and Hero’s Bane), forge a Godslayer activity card, d20 Life Counter, 2 Theros boosters, 1 Born of the Gods booster and 2 Journey into Nyx boosters and a seeded booster. If you were one of the lucky players, you would have received one of the new two colour Gods, Atheros, God of Passage (White and Black) and Pharika, God of Affliction (Black and Green).
As with the previous Theros and Born of the Gods prerelease events, magic players had the choice of competing in sealed and/or 2 Headed Giant, with a casual or competitive prize pool for winners, depending on the flight session they attended. Having attended the 5-9pm Saturday flight at Burwood Good Games, I won an additional booster pack for obtaining a draw in one of my rounds, and scored myself a Hydra Broodmaster!
Don’t miss out on the launch weekend this coming week and the Journey into Nyx Game Day scheduled for May 24-25.
