Today Viz Media has announced that they will be selling a 2014 San Diego Comic-Con exclusive figure of Naruto wearing the 4th Hokage’s coat. This is a special 1/6 scale figure from Gecco that is 27 cm tall and has been sculpted by Shin Tanabe and painted by Katsuhige Akeyama to provide a carefully designed expression and highly detailed figure.
Since this is an exclusive figure it can only be purchased at Viz Media’s booth during the convention which is held between the dates of July 23rd to July 27th. The figure is going to be priced at $150 and supplies are limited so any major Naruto fans attending the convention with plenty of money to burn will likely want to swing by Viz’s booth (#2813) to make sure they do not miss out.
Ever since Team GrisGris announced that they were going to be moving from sprites to 3D character models in Corpse Party: Blood Drive, the first Corpse Party game for the Vita, there has been some concern that the game wouldn’t be as frightening as it has been in the past.
Well now the first trailer for Corpse Party: Blood Drive has been released by 5pb. and it looks like the game hasn’t lost a step by making exploration look creepy and let’s not even talk about the sounds and screaming. The trailer also introduces us to a number of new characters who seem to sound important with one looking like she dabbles in black magic so it will be interesting to see if they make it out alive. For now Corpse Party: Blood Drive is set to be released in Japan on July 24th but hopefully we’ll be hearing a localization announcement sometime later this year.
Yesterday Aksys Games announced that they would be bringing Arcana Heart 3: Love Max!!!!! over to North America sometime this fall and today Arc System Works has released the opening video for the game as well as some new Japanese screenshots and details for the game.
The game has been rebalanced with a number of new modes added in such as trial mode to test the player’s skills, a time attack mode, and more. Alongside the previously mentioned hot springs scene, which is partially shown in the new screenshots, there are slice of life stories for each character called “Memories” that are unlocked at specific times in the game and explore the characters’ lives outside of combat.
Its a bit sad when you think about where our favorite franchises of yesterday have gone. The Tony Hawk line of games didn’t even get a proper revival this past generation, but it looks like mobile is the best and only way for things to continue. Today, Tony Hawk’s Shred Session was announced for Mobile devices, where you can pull of simple tricks with a few swipes.
Here are some more details of what to expect:
From the Santa Monica boardwalk to the twisted streets of London, every locale in the game has been reimagined as a skater’s dream. There are two modes in Tony Hawk’s Shred Session: Survival, where players pull off continuous tricks and combos as long as they can; and Shred Sessions, where players rip through levels to complete classic Tony Hawk game objectives, or compete head-to-head against friends’ top scores.
Real world skateboarding detail has not been overlooked, as players will be able to choose to skate as one of six modern day pros (Chris Cole, Aaron “Jaws” Homoki, Lizzie Armanto, David Gonzalez, Riley Hawk, and of course Tony Hawk himself), each with their own signature moves. Each rider can be outfitted with real skate brand apparel, and decks can be customized with signature designs that include bonuses to help reach even higher scores.
And there you have it. You know, they might have something with the accessibility of mobile for this long, forgotten series – as those real life skateboard titles Activision shoved out essentially buried Tony Hawk along with Guitar Hero, and while this may not work – it very well could bring back there namesake to consoles yet again if successful. You can look for Shred Session to hit the iOS and Android later this year.
Siren Visual have just announced some new title acquisitions through their official Facebook page. They revealed that they have acquired Chi’s Sweet Home, Chi’s New Address and La Linea for distribution down under.
Chi’s Sweet Home and Chi’s New Address follows the adorable kitten Chi in bite-sized adventures. Siren Visual will be releasing all 208 episodes that comprise Sweet Home and New Address in a subtitled only DVD format. There is currently no set release date for the Chi series.
La Linea is a series that may be familiar to some as the series previously aired on ABC in Australia back in the 70s and 80s. It is an Italian animated programme that follows a Mr Linea, a line-man, as he traverses a wonderful imaginative world of lines as drawn by an animator overseeing his world. The complete release of La Linea is slated for an August release date.
The next Call of Duty title will be announced in two days. In the mean time, a mysterious website with a distorted image has popped up. In their press release, Activision has teased the new game with a short VICE documentary called “Call of Duty – Super Power for Hire” on private military corporations (PMCs). The full documentary will be released on VICE’s website in the coming days.
No details have been announced about the game itself, but there is plenty of options for a PMC themed game. Titles like ArmA II and Metal Gear Solid 4 have all breached the topic, while infamous PMC firm Blackwater even released their own Kinect title.
The long awaited expansion pack for Don’t Starve has officially left Steam’s Early Access program. Don’t Starve: Reign of Giants brings a whole slew of new features like characters, seasons, biomes, and creatures to Don’t Starve. The expansion is currently available for PC users on Steam and will be released for the PlayStation 4 as soon as it passes Sony’s certification program. In the mean time, a big in game mystery is in the works, with notes appearing in game. Catch up with the developments in the forum thread and check out the comic the community has unlocked.
Don’t Starve: Reign of Giants is available now on Steam for $4.99. The expansion pack is 10% off until May 7th, 2014. Don’t Starve’s PC version is compatible with Linux, Mac, and Windows.
With today being the first of May Viz Media has launched a sale for the first volume of their top three manga series. Now it is worth noting that unlike the other two, Bleach‘s first volume will only be on sale until the end of today where it can be purchased for $1.99 digitally.
As for Naruto and One Piece, both of these series’ first volumes can be picked up digitally for $1.99 all the way until the end of May. These digital versions can be purchased either on Viz’s own website or through the Viz Manga app available for smart phones.
Ubisoft are excited to introduce CSI: Hidden Crimes, a case-solving strategy game inspired by the CBS Television’s ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’. The writer from the TV show, Jack Gutowitz, presents players with eight episodes of murder cases to decipher with their smartphones and tablets.
Take on the role of the detective bringing justice to the streets of Las Vegas. CSI: Hidden Crimes allows players to:
Explore crime scenes, find clues and make a logical analysis in the lab with the CSI team
Question suspects and match evidence to solve cases and put murderers behind bars
Stay on the case and team up with friends to unlock new levels in the game
The free-to-play hidden object game is just as exciting and unpredictable as ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’. CSI: Hidden Crimes is now available to download for Android from Google Play and for iPhone and iPad from the App Store here, both with the option of playing with friends via Facebook Connect. Check out the official Facebook page here for further updates on upcoming episodes.
Though only present for the closing moments of the last episode, Iona has left quite the mark on Ruko’s psyche. Which is understandable considering she outright declared a disgust for Ruko’s mere presence in the world of Selectors. With that in mind, she’s really going to need her friends to stay by her side. Unfortunately, what we need and what we get isn’t always the same thing…
Despite her hesitation for battle due to Iona’s comment, Ruko is convinced by Yuzuki and, surprisingly, Hitoe to enter a WIXOSS Party being held at the card shop. After deciding to all buy matching scrunchies for the day, we are shown a brand new Hitoe as she recounts her day to her parents. Being the first time she has had friends, Hitoe explains even mundane moments with an innocent happiness. Her demeanour paints her as a much younger character, more akin to a child who can’t hold their excitement in, the complete opposite of her usually shy nature. Another small aspect that forges this as such a sweet scene are her parent’s glances at each other, expressing a sense of joy and relief that their daughter has finally found some friends. It really is just a touching little scene…one that makes what happens next all the more tragic.
One who knows the truth
As one final addition to the tower of joy and sweetness that is about to come crashing down, we are treated with Hitoe’s observation of the beautiful sky above her. Having lived for so long staring down in fear, she finally notices how bright the world can be…then the shadow comes. Not a literal shadow, but rather a mysterious figure who looms over the poor girl, before forcing her into a battle. Now we already know that losing three times in a row results in the loss of Selector privileges, so Hitoe’s status is on the line…along with so much more. It would seem that the LRIGs aren’t averse to keeping secrets, as this episode comes with the biggest reveal of the series so far: the true penalties of loss. As if it wasn’t enough that a person loses their privilege and LRIG, they also lose their wish. More than that, the very concept of that wish becomes for ever tainted for that person. For example, as stated in the episode, were someone to wish to be a great piano player, three loses would render said dream dead. Whether unable to ever purchase another instrument or through a tragic accident that rendered them physically unable to play, their dream would never come to fruition. Now take this information and apply it to Hitoe. If you’re not upset right now, I don’t believe you’re thinking about what this means. Her wish was to make friends. It seemed so simple before, so innocent, but that only serves to make it more tragic. Reduced to a hollow shell of the person we saw mere moments before, Hitoe now lives in fear. Not only because she no longer has friends, but because anyone who has even the potential to show her compassion now causes physical harm to her. Can you even imagine such a life? Destined to be alone for the rest of your life, afraid of any form of contact. It’s honestly one of the saddest things I’ve ever seen in an anime. It also didn’t help that Hitoe’s loss resulted in the apparent death of her LRIG friend Midoriko…not that she even knows who that is anymore. Despite all of her efforts, Midoriko was unable to save her friend…or herself.
One tainted wish, three broken lives
After the events of Hitoe’s loss and subsequent amnesia regarding all Selector information, both Yuzuki and Ruko are understandably gripped by fear and sadness. Not just of the truth and the fact that such a thing may very well happen to them one day, but also of the revelation that the LRIGs having been hiding things from them. Being the more composed avatar, Hanayo receives a fair amount of anger from Yuzuki, born from the fact that she mistakenly believed she could completely trust her own card. Compounded by the fact that her relationship with Kazuki isn’t as strong as it has been in the past, Yuzuki isn’t in the best place emotionally right now. The same goes for Ruko as well. Having been the one to reach out to Hitoe in the first place, the loss of her friend hit her hard. However, unlike Yuzuki, Ruko spends her moment of sadness confiding in her LRIG. Though we already knew something was different about Tama, this episode confirms that she lacks the memories of the other LRIGs, noting that it’s hard for her to think as “something white” is in the way. Though sort of skipped over, this fact will surely become a major component of the plot as the series progresses. I also have a feeling that Ruko’s wish will gain a greater sense of importance as the episodes progress, namely due to her defiance of the wish system in regards to Hitoe. Being the first time she has ever outlined any sort of definitive wish, it just seemed to be an important moment of character development.
Speaking of character development, Ruko also has a brief moment of awesomeness when she finally stands up to Akira. Having regarded Hitoe’s expulsion from the Selector ring with her usual flippant personality, Akira manages to incur the anger of Ruko. With words exchanged between them, the two agree to battle. Should Ruko win, Akira will apologise for her careless remarks. Also adding another loss to Akira’s tally wouldn’t be too bad…depending on what she wished for. I’m not exactly a fan of Akira’s deceptively sadistic persona, but if she wished for a happy life or something, I don’t exactly want to see how that gets tainted…it’d certainly make for an interesting series though. Though I guess we did briefly see just how brutal the penalties of WIXOSS can be. After all, Iona apparently had a hand in the death of a Selector, one who unfortunately wished for good health. I know they glazed over it in the episode, but we all know that poor girl didn’t make it. I have to admit, for the Selector with the least screentime, Iona sure is being painted as a villain.
Even Ruko has a breaking point
Well this whole episode has been heart-wrenching. Poor Hitoe, one of the most innocent character ever created, forced to suffer through a life of fear and loneliness. Makes me hope that somebody (probably Ruko) manages to bring the whole WIXOSS system down and restore the things that people lost. It’s a possibility. But unless that happens then I guess ex-Selectors just have to suffer through the fact that they made a bet and lost…though they don’t remember ever playing in the first place. Either way, this mysterious Selector that defeated Hitoe is bound to return. Let’s just hope they don’t come after Ruko or Yuzuki next.
Check out more selector infected WIXOSS Impressions HERE.
Today Viz Media has announced that they will be selling a 2014 San Diego Comic-Con exclusive figure of Naruto wearing the 4th Hokage’s coat. This is a special 1/6 scale figure from Gecco that is 27 cm tall and has been sculpted by Shin Tanabe and painted by Katsuhige Akeyama to provide a carefully designed expression and highly detailed figure.
