The Pokemon Company Japan has just released the very first promotional video for the upcoming Pokemon XY spin-off series, “Strongest Mega Evolution Act 1”. Fans of Pokemon who follow pop culture news will already be well aware of this short series but for those of you who are not, allow me to explain: “Strongest Mega Evolution” is a Pokemon anime set in the latest generation which follows the story of a young trainer named Alan. We will join Alan and his Pokemon partner Charizard as they journey through the Kalos region with the goal of battling and defeating every single known mega evolution so that he can prove that his Mega Charizard is the strongest in all the land.
The series will feature a few new characters created specifically for the short series and there has been no word about whether or not Ash or his crew from the “Pokemon XY” anime will make an appearance. The 30 second piece of footage released (which is more like a teaser than a promotional video) is entirely in Japanese and does NOT feature subtitles so for now we’re pretty much in the dark about what exactly the narrator is saying but as soon as an English version or a subtitled version is released you can bet you’ll see it here on the site.
“Pokemon XY: Strongest Mega Evolution Act 1” is set to air in Japan on the 3rd of April, which is only about a week away.For now, head down to the featured video section below to check out the promotional video and don’t forget to hit up our comments section below that to let us know what you think.
Contrary to what I had thought in the past, it seems as though European Anime fans are the most flamboyant in the world…I mean, they must be seeing as the newly-announced, European-exclusive, special edition release for the upcoming PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita title “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle” has been announced and it looks like it will be coming with a bedazzled figurine of the “Stardust Crusaders” hero Jotaro Kujo.
Late last year Japan was graced with the release of this ultimate shonen title, they were also offered a special edition of the game which came with a brilliant-looking statue of Jotaro Kujo and his stand “Star Platinum” in action (as well as some awesome other extras)…European gamers WILL be getting a release similar to the Japanese one, the difference is small but…quite noticeable as you can probably already see from the image above. Namco Bandai Games announced that the “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle – Ultra Limited Exquisite Edition” alongside the standard release of the game will be getting a release throughout Europe on the 25th of April.
No actual price has been announced for it yet but you can bet that it will be reported on here as soon as the news breaks. For now just revel in the beauty of this glistening figurine down below in our gallery section and don’t forget to hit up our comments section to show your excitement for this upcoming release.
Update: Namco Bandai UK have contacted us directly explaining that there was a bit of miscommunication regarding this particular piece of news. The “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle – Ultra Limited Exquisite Edition” is available only in the UK and only as a one-off sale where proceeds will be going towards charity.
Focus Home Interactive and Rogue Factor officially unveiled their latest project to the public today. Mordheim: City of the Damned is a turn based strategy game that will be released later this year. The game is based on Game Workshop’s long running Warhammer universe.
In Mordheim: City of the Damned, players will choose to lead one of the warring factions seeking to control the Wyrdstone fragments from the Comet of Sigmar. The player will train, arm, and lead their troops into battle. However, life altering injuries and death are very real possibilities in Mordheim, so players will need to engage in battle carefully.
Mordheim: City of the Damned will ship with both singleplayer and multiplayer support. The game will be released for PC in late 2014.
The time has come. NOAH is in now in cinemas awaiting you and all that creeps, crawls and slithers to join the animal kingdom in his Ark. In addition, Paramount Pictures presents an ‘Animal Featurette’, starring Ben Snow the visual FX supervisor, Bret Northcutt the digital matte supervisor and Darren Aronofsky the almighty director.
The featurette explores the challenges of digitally bringing the animal kingdom to life, and taking into consideration the beauty and expanse of the animals portrayed in the story of Noah’s Ark.
Paramount have also released a sneak-peak of the scene ‘I am Not Alone’ between Russell Crowe and Ray Winstone in NOAH (embedded in the article below). With God on his side, NOAH will surely be able to wipe out the wicked from this world.
Razer and Wargaming announced their new partnership to create a line of World of Tanks branded gaming peripherals. The line will include a Razer DeathAdder in a bright orange, black, and white colour scheme with the World of Tanks “Roll Out” branding and orange LEDs. The mouse is designed for right handed use and is armed with a 6400 dpi 4G optical sensor.
A Razer Goliathus SPEED soft gaming mat with the World of Tanks branding will also be available. The mat features a black and white print of the Pz.Kpfw. IV Hydraulic tank with orange and black paint smears. The Goliathus features a tightly woven cloth designed to provide mice with a slick gaming surface. The edges are are stitched with thread to extend the life of the mat and prevent fraying.
The Razer DeathAdder World of Tanks edition is available for pre-order for $79.99. The first 20,000 units sold will include an in-game code for the Pz.Kpfw. IV Hydraulic tank and an extra garage slot. The Razer Goliathus World of Tanks edition is available now for $19.99 and includes a code for 500 Gold and 3 days of premium access.
Goat Simulator is launching on Steam for PC on the appropiate date of April 1st and to celebrate, the team at Coffee Stain Studios have released a crazy funny new launch trailer which you can watch below. Good news for those who pre-ordered the game as well as you will be able to live the life of a goat four days earlier and will have access to the game from March 28th. Goat Simulator aims to bring you as close as possible to living the realistic life of a goat, and then throws in crazy physics mixed in with explosions and jetpacks. Unlike a normal goat, your goal is to wreck as much things as possible by flipping, headbutting and ramming into gas stations. Steam Workshop is a big part of the experience and players can create their own goats, levels, missions, and more.
Coffee Stain has also teamed up with the Official Goat Simulator wiki on Gamepedia to run a Goat Simulator level-design competition with the winner having their map shown off in the Curse Inc. booth at E3! For details about that contest follow this link. Those with a keen eye and ear for zombie games might spot the similarites between this trailer and the official trailer for a certain other popular title that released back in 2011. Leave a comment below if you know what is is and if you can’t pick it, click here to find out what that game was!
Here we are, the penultimate episode. For weeks we have been trying to figure out how Yuyuko Takemiya is planning to wrap up Golden Time and as this episode came to a close, the answer became more unclear than ever before. For the first time ever, I had my breath literally taken away by how that last line was delivered. As if he were actually dying, Banri spoke his last profound words and danced into a wall of white light, seemingly with no regrets and prepared for the inevitable. The simplicity and the bluntness caught me completely off-guard. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, Banri’s voice actor has a bright future ahead of him. The final line; the raw, visceral scream when he ran away, every single time an emotional scene comes along, he nails it perfectly. Especially when he so calmly stated:
“After that, I returned to my former self and lost all my memories since the accident…”
With that, after his long internal struggle, Banri was set back to square one. None of his memories of his college life remain – his friends, his happiness, Kouko… All locked away in the deepest recesses of Banri’s mind. But, where does that leave us? Will the final episode resolve everything that has gone wrong, or will it be a bitter-sweet ending? Since it will more interesting that me waffling on about how much I loved this episode, I’m going to draw on my limited experience as a fiction writer to give a few examples of how the ending could go.
1) The unresolved, but still sweet ending – A few episodes ago, the importance of Banri’s mother’s ring was heavily emphasised as being a “guiding light” that Banri would follow back to Kouko even if he lost his memories. Now that the worst case scenario has happened, that could be the key to Banri landing back on the path towards a happy future with Kouko. I imagine the final scene being Banri waking up in hospital with none of his memories and catching a glimpse of Kouko sitting on the edge of his bed. The camera will cut to a shot of the ring on her finger and he will simply utter the name, “Kouko.” Tears will well up in Kouko’s eyes and she will smile as she forms the phrase, “Okaerinasai Banri” (Welcome home Banri). Sugary sweet, tear jerking, and enigmatic while still leaving you hopeful that everything will turn out alright.
2) The tragic, but realistic ending – Losing all of his memories and moving home could completely alienate Banri from everyone he once knew and, despite their best efforts, it could be impossible for the situation to be fixed. A simple resolution whereby they all meet once more and everyone introduces themselves to Banri again and everything starts over would be odd, but cute in its own way. Golden Time has been realistic so far and while I don’t expect this to be how it goes, it is entirely possible.
3) The Kouko-drags-him-back ending – Every time that Banri’s memory reverted back to before the accident, either hearing Kouko’s name or seeing her crying has snapped him back into reality. She obviously holds the key to unlocking his memories, but will she be able to locate the lock now that it seems so permanently detached? This seems like the most likely ending and there are so many ways that it could play out that you can’t help but be excited.
4) The Banri’s-memories-magically-returned ending – At this stage, Banri’s memories just suddenly reappearing, without some serious prompting, would feel like a huge disservice to the fans who have been so invested up until now. We want action! We want drama! We… want… ROMANCE! Don’t pull an Oreimo on us, Golden Time! I don’t want to have to pretend that you never happened!
5) Linda ending? – Banri of the past loves Linda. Linda wants the chance to relive the day of the accident again. The chance is there for the taking… I don’t think Golden Time will end with a Banri x Linda conclusion, but that temptation could make for some really interesting conflict between Kouko and Linda. It’s not what I would write, but then again, I didn’t write something as wonderful as Toradora, so what do I know?
Without a doubt, there are a million different ways that Golden Time could end and each is as tantalising as the next. Kouko begged Banri to let her stay with him forever if he didn’t lose his memories. Her arrogance last episode was all a sham and it was all to shield her own heart in the event that he couldn’t prevent the tragedy. Will she really be happy though? Her actions may help her forget, but is Banri someone she can stand to lose even though he forgot her? I don’t thing Kleenex is going to cut it this time, folks; when tomorrow evening comes around, no amount of tissues will save you from the emotion that shall pour forth from both your monitor and your eyes. Start building an arc, the flood is coming. Until then.
Golden Time is currently simulcasting on Crunchyroll where new episodes can be found each week and watched on mobile devices, consoles, smart TVs and of course on PC.
For more impressions of winter’s best and worst, head over to our Anime Impressions page.
The latest expansion to the Pokémon Trading Card Game franchise, Flashfire is set to add more than 100 new cards for you to collect and add to your decks.
True to its name, the pack will bring in both the X and Y Mega Evolutions for Charizard-EX. But it doesn’t stop there my friends, a slew of new cards are also set to join the original (not actually) dragon Pokemon. Joining the EX division we have Toxicroak-EX, Magnezone-EX and the toughest mother around, Kangaskhan-EX. Additionally, 25 Pokemon from the X and Y games will also make and appearance, along with fifteen who have never before seen a TCG release. These cards will also be supported by 15 new Trainer cards, set to increase depth and player strategy in competitive battles.
So, once May 7th rolls around, nab yourself a booster pack to add to your TCG arsenal or start from scratch with a theme deck. Either way, enjoy the latest additions to the TCG family. If physical meet ups aren’t exactly your style and you feel more comfortable behind a PC screen, each card pack also contains codes that will unlock virtual cards for you to use in Pokemon TCG Online. Isn’t technology wonderful?
NEW UPDATE, TRAILER, SCREENSHOTS ILLUMINATE DUNGEON OF THE ENDLESS
The award-winning indie developer Amplitude Studios is offering gamers a brand new update, trailer and screenshots that reveal fresh aspects of its self-published title Dungeon of the Endless. The studio’s first rogue-like dungeon-defense game is currently in its Alpha stage of development on Steam’s Early Access program. This fifth update, called “HERO SELECT,” enables players the ability to unlock and choose their starting characters. They will also discover two brand new music tracks to accompany them into the depths of the Dungeon of the Endless.
Dungeon of the Endless is a rogue-like dungeon-defense game offering a retro 2D look with modern 3D graphics on PC. Players will build and equip a team, gather resources and construct defenses, and explore an infinite number of dungeons in an effort to reach the planet’s surface. The tough hybrid title plays entirely differently than the 4X game Endless Space, but keen observers will notice ties between the two, as each is set in the Endless universe.
Amplitude Studios is the indie developer that created Endless Space, the fan-favorite 4X game that recently won the venerable 2013 Golden Cube and Community Choice Unity Awards.
Pokémon TCG: XY—Flashfire available in stores on May 7, 2014
Pokémon TCG: XY—Flashfire is the latest expansion to the Pokémon Trading Card Game franchise. Booster packs and theme decks will be available in stores on May 7, 2014, bringing more than 100 new cards to collect and play
Key Features of the Pokémon TCG: XY—Flashfire Expansion:
Three new Mega Evolution Pokémon — The expansion features two powerful versions of Mega Charizard-EX (a Dragon-type Mega Charizard X and a Fire-type Mega Charizard Y), in addition to Mega Kangaskhan-EX.
Five new Pokémon-EX cards and four new full-art Pokémon-EX rare Ultra cards—New Pokémon-EX cards include Charizard-EX (two versions), Toxicroak-EX, Magnezone-EX, and Kangaskhan-EX.
New Pokémon—Over 25 Pokémon from the Pokémon X and Pokémon Y video games appear in this set, in addition to 15 Pokémon that appear in the Pokémon TCG for the very first time.
15 new Trainer cards including three new full-art rare Ultra Trainer cards—New Trainer cards bring increased depth and player strategy to competitive battles.
Booster Packs—Packs of 10 additional cards selected from the expansion will be available.
Theme decks—60-card preconstructed decks are designed to introduce players to the Pokémon TCG by enabling them to play right away.
XY—Flashfire theme decks and booster packs include an in-pack code card that unlocks virtual cards from the XY—Flashfire expansion for play in the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online at www.pokemon.co.uk/tcgo.
Pokémon Trading Card Game
The Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) is a collectible and competitive trading card game. In the competitive Pokémon TCG, each player constructs a deck of 60 cards and uses it to battle against other players in fast-paced, strategy-oriented play. Since the debut of the Pokémon TCG in 1996, more than 20 billion cards have been shipped to 74 countries around the world.
Play! Pokémon
Play! Pokémon provides opportunities for Pokémon TCG and video game players to enjoy their favourite games together—from casual Pokémon League gatherings to competitive events that make up the Pokémon Trading Card Game and Video Game Championship Series. The Championship Series culminates each year in the Pokémon World Championships, where players from more than 30 countries battle for the title of Pokémon World Champion in three different age divisions. The 2014 Pokémon World Championships will be held August 15–17 in Washington, DC. There are more than 300,000 entrants in Pokémon events worldwide each year.
New to Play! Pok émon? Check out a Pokémon League in your area! Pokémon Leagues are strong communities of Pokémon TCG and video game players around the world, and groups can be found in cities and towns in many countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the United States, and others. Pokémon Leagues are a great way to play casually and trade with others! For more information about Play! Pokémon and finding a Pokémon League in your area, please visit pokemon.co.uk/play.
