Feral Interactive today announced that LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 is being brought to the Mac, set to be released on February 16th. The game, originally developed by TT Games and published by Warner Brothers for consoles and PC, succeeds Years 1-4 amongst other successful LEGO titles that have been released on Mac.
“LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 is a wonderfully light-hearted and imaginative game in which the characters’ special abilities all have unpredictable effects on the world,” said David Stephen, Managing Director of Feral Interactive.
You can pre-order the game now from Feral Interactive’s website by clicking here, and you can watch the trailer for the game down below.
Minimum system requirements call for a 1.4GHz Intel Mac with at least 2GB RAM, 128MB or better graphics card, and Mac OS X 10.6.8 or later.
Surprise Attack has announced that its beta trial has been successful, with ten games on schedule for release in the first half of the year. Because betas aren’t just for games, you know. Surprise Attack is aiming to launch 20-25 games during 2012, with most expected to be on mobile and tablets, which isn’t really a surprise given the rapidly expanding nature of the mobile gaming market.
Surprise Attack was launched in October 2011 by Chris Wright, the former THQ senior marketing executive, and worked on campaigns for free. Of the beta period he had this to say:
“One of our key learnings from the beta was that there is huge demand for the kind of services we offer,” said Chris Wright, founder of Surprise Attack. “We spoke with around 50 developers during the beta period. A common trend was that they know they need help with marketing their games but a great many don’t want to sign up with a publisher – they want to build their studio brand and have more control over the marketing.”
Clients currently signed up with Surprise Attack include:
Kaz Hirai Levels up to SCEA President just as the PS Vita 3G Model gets dissed by JB Hi-Fi, is Diablo III may or may not be coming to consoles, we get into another game show and talk about what we’ve been playing.
Cast: Alexis Ayala, Luke Halliday, Matt Vella & Michael Marr
We just heard about Sony offering 12 games for 30%-50% off in their “12 for ’12” sale and now SNK Playmore is jumping on the sale bandwagon by announcing that they will be offering a very large sale that will run alongside the “12 for ’12” sale. This means the sale will begin on January 17 and end on January 24.
What games will be for sale you ask? Well 16 of the Neo Geo Station classic titles have been put on sale for 50% off. This means that while all of the titles cost $8.99 originally, they now will cost $4.49 each until the 24th. A complete list of the titles can be seen below:
Those with at least a year long memory should remember that last year Sony held a special PSN sale that was called “11 for 2011.” This saw a number of games go on sale to commemorate the new year and this year Sony has continued to provide a new year sale with their newly started “12 for ’12” promotion.
The list of 12 games below are a number of the most popular games from 2011 including Payday: The Heist, Dungeon Defenders, Eufloria and more. Each game has seen a 30% price cut for normal members and a 50% price cut for PS Plus subscribers. The sale will begin today and end on January 23. The full list of games for sale can be seen below.
PixelJunk SideScroller – Sale $6.99, PS Plus $4.89
PAYDAY: The Heist – Sale $13.99, PS Plus $9.79
Dungeon Defenders – , Sale $10.49, PS Plus $7.34
Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection – Sale $6.99, PS Plus $4.89
Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition – Sale $10.49, PS Plus $7.34
Eufloria – Sale $6.99, Plus $4.89
BloodRayne: Betrayal – Sale $10.49, PS Plus $7.34
Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken – Sale $8.39, PS Plus $5.87
Yamada’s First Time Studio: Hal Film Maker Publisher: FUNimation Format: Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Release Date: January 31, 2012 Price: $64.98 – Available Here
Overview:
In life there are many types of romance, but in anime there are usually only a few genres that are ever explored. There is your standard harem type anime where multiple girls will try to gain the affection of one man and then there is your simple romance between a man and a woman. However what happens when both of the people involved in said romance are both still in high school and one of them is a crazy sex-fiend who has never had a boyfriend before?
Well Yamada’s First Time, also known as B Gata H Kei happens of course. Originally created as a 4-koma manga by Yōko Sanri this anime adaptation has now made its way to North America courtesy of FUNimation. Does this romantic comedy contain plenty of laughs all while delivering a heartwarming story or simply devolve into an anime full of fanservice?
Story:
Yamada has been called one of the prettiest girls in school and now that she is entering high school she has just one goal in mind. Have sex with over a hundred guys before her time in high school is up. Now while Yamada is extremely popular with the boys there is just one problem, she is still a virgin who has a mind as dirty as a gutter and an imagination of a hormonal teenage boy. She has set this goal for herself against her best friend Miharu’s advice but now she needs to find one boy to be her cherry picker and it just so happens she finds him before they even begin their first day of school.
Yamada sets her sights on a young plain looking guy named Takashi Kosuda who Yamada calls a “cherry boy.” The reason for her setting her sights on such a man is simple; he obviously has no experience with sex and won’t make her feel self-conscious about her own actions in the bedroom. The problem with this is poor Kosuda is completely dense and has zero experience with girls. Now if only this crazy girl can stop thinking about sex every waking minute (and dreaming about it when she is asleep) she can try and reach her goal. The journey of a hundred sex friends begins with the first lay, but can Yamada overcome her shy self to get it done?
Now from an anime premise like that one would immediately begin to think that Yamada’s First Time is literally just full of sex and has absolutely zero romance. However this title can go down as one of the most misleading titles ever as it offers a comedic journey full of romance as two people begin to develop genuine feelings for one another and the viewer is along for the ride.
Despite Yamada’s outer confidence, in the inside she is extremely shy and very concerned about what to do whenever she is around Kosuda which means she usually will freak out and scream at poor Kosuda or something hilarious will happen to interrupt them. With all of the obstacles thrown in their way Yamada begins to slowly develop genuine feelings for Kosuda despite her best efforts to remain oblivious to her own heart. This is never more obvious than when her first potential rival for Kosuda’s love appears and threatens to take him away from her and her jealousy exposes her true feelings.
Now while the stars on stage for Yamada’s First Time are obviously the budding lovebirds Kosuda and Yamada, the supporting cast is nothing to scoff at either as each of the characters see at least some sort of fleshing out. Whether it be Yamada’s best friend Takeshita and her boyfriend giving advice from their own relationship or their classmates antics there are laughs to be had in every episode.
Now that being said, while Yamada’s First Time does contain a great romance story, I would be remiss to not mention the fact that there is plenty of fan service here. There are plenty of scenes where Yamada or Kosuda are thinking up various fantasies with each other as well as numerous panty shots and a couple of topless scenes as well. That doesn’t even touch on the fact that there are so many sexual innuendos and references throughout the entire show.
Now while this may be off-putting for some, more often than not the various innuendos and fan service are strictly for comedic purposes as it usually is done to highlight the fact that the two characters falling in love are still teenagers trying to figure things out for themselves and often messing up hilariously. So while there may be plenty of fan service and sexual innuendos are fired off left and right the story between a teenage girl and boy finding love far outweighs any negativity that could have on the series.
Visuals:
As a whole the artwork for Yamada’s First Time is satisfactory but unfortunately doesn’t move past that point. While the backgrounds and scenery can be well drawn at times, there isn’t a whole lot to be seen at various points of time. The character design is a tad more pleasing to the eye and fits the series as Kosuda seems like what background character would look like in any other anime, which is sort of the point. Yamada and the other main female characters are well drawn and their out of school outfits are varied enough to avoid repetition and keep the viewer interested.
Audio:
Now there are voice actors who simply voice the characters they are assigned and simply consider it another job. However there are also those you can tell who are generally enjoying the roles that they are playing. The voice actress for Yamada, Brittney Karbowski, fits her role perfectly and she provides a very believable role for the admittedly hard to classify Yamada.
Well, if you had to classify her it would be something akin to bi-polar considering the fact that she can flip from being shy and unsure of what to do to angry and yelling the next second. Also considering the vast library of sexual innuendos and various sexual jokes made the English dub a side-splitting good time.
As far as background music goes the show varies in quality but is usually not very noticeable. On the other hand the melodic “B Gata H Kei” is amusing and provides a nice dose of laughter nearly every time it plays. The opening “Ohiete A to Z” and the ending “Hadashi no Princess” songs are both performed by Yukari Tamura the Japanese voice actress for Yamada. Both of these songs are rather cute to listen to and the opening animation matches the song perfectly. The ending song, “Hadashi no Princess” is very melodic and is one that I found myself listening to each time an episode ended.
Extras:
There are a number of extras included with Yamada’s First Time, such as your standard inclusions of trailers for past and upcoming releases from FUNimation as well as the clean textless opening and closing songs. However there are a few extra bonus features that are worth a look as well, such as a three minute long outtake reel that can provide a few laughs and two commentaries.
The two audio commentaries provided are for Episode 1 and Episode 11. Episode 1 contains commentary from Director Zack Bolton, Scott Freeman as Kosuda and Brittney Karbowski as Yamada. This commentary is very funny and focuses heavily on the actors work in the roles they provide for the show. Episode 11 only has two commentators and this time around they are both writers for the show, Leah Clarke and Jamie Marchi. Unfortunately this one isn’t quite as funny but does provide a deeper look behind the scenes of making the show.
Overall:
Yamada’s First Time can be seen as one of the biggest surprises you will find all year long. While the idea of having 100 sexual partners may have been Yamada’s initial goal, the romance that develops between her and Kosuda is not only touching but a joy to watch. Sure there is more than a fair share of fan service included with the show but for those willing to look past that, there is an amazing original story to be seen here. With a cast of enjoyable characters and plenty of laughter to be had Yamada’s First Time takes a genre that struggles with cookie cutter stories and takes it for a spin.
In League of Legends, Sejuani yields from the frozen tundra of the Freljord. Growing up she has only known suffering and starvation of her people. During these times of trials, Sejuani has endured the stings of blizzard winds refusing to wear furs or body protection. She is relentless in one-one combat fueling her fury with the sheer will to fight on for her people. The fight is not over until she has unified the rule over all Freljord. Her determination and endurance has granted herself the tile of “the heart of the blizzard”.
Her abilities reflect her tundra roots that make her one icy princess. Here are Sejuani’s abilities:
Frost (Passive) – Sejuani’s basic attacks apply Frost, reducing enemy Movement Speed by 10% for 3 seconds.
Arctic Assault – Sejuani charges forward to deal magic damage and apply Frost to enemies. Sejuani stops upon colliding with an enemy champion.
Northern Winds – Sejuani summons an arctic storm around her which deals magic damage to nearby enemies every second. Damage is increased against enemies affected by Frost or Permafrost.
Permafrost – Sejuani converts Frost on nearby enemies to Permafrost, dealing magic damage and increasing the Movement Speed reduction dramatically.
Glacial Prison (Ultimate) – Sejuani throws her weapon, stunning the first enemy champion hit. Nearby enemies are stunned for a shorter duration. All targets take magic damage and are affected by Frost.
Sejuani is classified as a “disruptive” tank. This means she’ll jump right into the thickest fights and attack high priority champions. If left alone, she will slow down running opponents and stun them in their tracks. Not only that she is riding a huge boar – that’s pretty cool.
Check out the League of Legends champion spotlight video and screenshots below to see the Sejuani in action.
Coming off the heels of Zumba Fitness 2, Majesco are ready to bring the dance-fitness phenomenon of Zumba back to the Kinect. Those awaiting to see just how this version will fare are in luck, as a fresh batch of screenshots have been released to give players a glimspe the rather crisp visuals that these instructors display.
Thinking of pre-ordering? Best Buy will be offering an exclusive routine to anyone that puts down some funds ahead of time for this motion-based dancing experience. Check out the new screenshots below, and mark your calenders as Zumba Fitness Rush hits stores on February 12.
7sixty continues to release various gameplay videos displaying two characters battling it out against one another in Phantom Breaker. The latest trailer can be seen below which features Waka Kumon facing off against Tokiya Kanzaki. For those who don’t know, Waka is the daughter of a family of exorcists and she is battling to try and put an end to the constant fighting and Tokiya is the CEO of a major pharmaceutical company and he is battling to bring his dead parents back to life.
Phantom Breaker features a total of 14 characters that each possess a unique weapon and new abilities. The game will also feature a story mode for 11 of the 14 characters which tells the story of each of the 11 characters. Currently the title is set for release early in 2012 exclusively on the Xbox 360.
If you thought that perhaps FUNimation may be picking up a few titles this season then they will be having some very slim pickings as Sentai Filmworks has picked up multiple anime over this Winter 2012 season and today they announced that they have acquired yet another anime. The anime in question is the adaptation of Yukito Ayatsuji’s Another horror novel.
Another is going to be released on DVD and Blu-ray later this year though at the moment there is no news about whether or not the anime will be given an English dub. Currently the anime can be viewed with English subtitles on Crunchyroll but be warned, it is a horror themed anime which centers around a school that is cursed and various boys and girls who attend the school will begin to die horrible deaths as the anime progresses.
