Despite being a few weeks late, FUNimation and NicoNico.com have announced that they will begin streaming the first four episodes that have already aired of Shakugan no Shana III (Final). The series began airing on October 7th in Japan Shakugan no Shana III (Final) was announced for streaming earlier this month at NYCC as part of the Funico partnership between the companies.
Shakugan no Shana III (Final) is the final adaptation of Yashichiro Takanashi’s light novels which ended last month on its 22nd volume. The episodes can be found here on FUNimation’s website here. Subsequent episodes will be available every Friday at Noon and is expected to be simulcasted with the Japanese airing.
Today NIS America announced that they have picked up the rights to the second season of Arakawa Under the Bridge and they have also revealed when we can expect to see it brought to North America. The second season will be released under the name Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge and will be released as a Premium Edition that will contain both 2 DVDs as well as 2 Blu-ray discs.
The package will be released on February 7th next year and will also feature a number of bonuses. The whole package will come inside of a sturdy collectible slip case which NIS America is known for, as well as a full color art book that will contain character information, episode guides, artwork and even interviews with the cast and production staff. Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge Premium Edition will cost $69.99 when it is released, if you wish to check out our review of the first Season for Arakawa Under the Bridge you can do so here.
Skyward Sword is getting ever closer, and Nintendo are getting ever more spoiler like with their coverage of Link’s latest epic quest. The newest information from the developer covers the Lanayru Desert area of the game, so if you don’t want what amounts to a brief walk-through of the area then best stop reading!
The Lanayru Desert checks off the sand themed area box for Skyward Sword, taking over from past locations such as the Gerudo Desert and Desert Colossus – make sure and tell us what you think in the comments section below – is this just a copy of previous game areas? Read on to find out.
The barren and dusty area is littered with monsters – there is little left of the highly advanced society that used to dwell there. Echoing the revival of Hyrule in the Wind Waker, Link discovers a crystal that reawakens the area when he strikes it, drenching Lanayru with vibrant colours and bringing the old mining robots back to life.
There are familiar faces to be found in this vast surface region too – it’s always a happy day when there are Gorons around! Rollercoaster like mine carts wind around towers, and Link must take advantage of his newfound claw-shots to traverse the pillared landscape. Nintendo also mention that Link will return here numerous times – there is a Desert Sea to be crossed, which perhaps explains the presence of a giant Captain Hook robot in the trailer! (see final video)
The main attraction in Lanayru(other than pirate bots rather nifty trousers) is the Lanayru Mining Facility, the dungeon for the area packed with snake like monsters and less than friendly mining equipment. Link will pick up a rather unique new weapon here – the Gust Jar. It does exactly what it says on the tin, and unleashes a blast of air that can stun enemies or clear paths through sand. Lurking in the ever so subtle giant arena of death will be scorpion boss Moldera, who no doubt is slightly averse to being attacked by a certain windy container…
With all the hype surrounding the impending release of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, it just wouldn’t be complete without a bit of controversy and fluff ups. According to many rumours that have begun circling, some Kmart stores in the US had broken embargo and been selling copies of the Xbox 360 version of the game, way before its release. While the actions were not intentional, many of the copies have apparently found their way to EBay, selling for hugely inflated prices.
According to Joystiq, there is still one listing available at the time of print, with proof of purchase shown in the form of an original Kmart receipt. A quick check on EBay US showed many copies available, with most selling after the release date but there were many selling for price tags of $200 and over with express shipping.
In relation to the consequences of playing the game early, Stephen Toulouse, Microsofts Xbox Live main man, has stated via his Twitter that although originally there were plans to ban accounts, no action will be taken but does urge everybody to wait until the release to play against others.
Need for Speed the Run is shaping up to be a very interesting package indeed, with developers EA throwing just about every promotional and gameplay feature that they can think of at racing fans:
Fast cars with functioning doors. Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks and Sean Faris of Vampire Diaries fame. The Black Keys on music duty. Battlefield 3 engine Frostbite 2 for graphics. It’s own pair of Adidas shoes (yes, you can have Need for Speed themed feet, the world we live in).
And now a trailer from Transformers director Michael Bay. Well done EA, well done.
To celebrate EA have released a behind the scenes video that showcases Bay at work with the developers and explaining how he got involved in the first place. The director – who seems familiar with the franchise – comments on the increasingly film like qualities of today’s games, and the growing involvement of Hollywood actors and directors alike in the industry.
Unveiled just a few days ago, the rather aweseom trailer was unlocked early by an army of Need for Speed fans on the game’s Facebook page. It’s just what you would expect from the action savvy director (movie fans will be able to check off a good few Bay hallmarks), and you can’t help but wait for one of those cars to start transforming.
The game hits store shelves on November 15, and will be released on PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, 3DS and PC.
Australian Bond fans need wait no longer – the classic title Goldeneye is now available on PS3 and Xbox 360 – almost a year to the day since the Wii reimagining of the Nintendo 64 original. Of course the big selling point here is that the game is in full HD, and it was even built on a brand new engine to ensure the best possible action.Daniel Craig is still on duty as 007 – a move which I appreciate but have never understood – and Judi Dench is along too as the ever patient M.
“This is the epitome of a classic reborn,” said David Oxford, Executive Vice President at Activision Publishing. “We know that fans love the original GoldenEye film, so our team worked closely with the original screenwriter and film talent, along with the devoted developers at Eurocom, to create a modern reimagining tailor-made for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gamers around the world.”
There are other additions too, with Eurocom and Activision out to recruit gamers into Mi6 Ops missions that are brand new to the single player experience. The ever popular multiplayer is also now online, allowing 16 man matches that will no doubt see dangerous levels of addiction. PS3 fans will also be able to use the Move peripheral for some sharp shooting gunplay.
The Guild Season 1 and 2 Directors: Jane Selle Morgan, Greg Benson, Sean Michael Becker Starring:Felicia Day, Vincent Caso, Jeff Lewis, Amy Okuda, Sandeep Parikh, Robin Thorsen Composers: Don Schiff Producers: Felicia Day, Kim Evey, Jane Selle Morgan Distributor: Siren Visual Price: $19.95 – Available Here
Overview: Yes this was released quite awhile ago, so for someone who quit playing WoW in 2009, going back in time to the year when I first saw the guild was a bit bizarre. Maybe the guild inspired me to quit? I can’t remember to be honest, but one day after 4 years of on and off playing, I just stopped. But I still remember the lingo and understand the references, so something like this is still enjoyable to watch.
To take the idea for a show based around the community of WoW and run with it is a pretty brave thing to do, and it obviously worked rather well. It’s even mentioned in the commentary by Felicia day, “you need a target able audience” and WoW certainly has one of those. Vulnerable horny males, who cream at the thought of a pretty girl playing WoW…? No, I think just gamers in general enjoy it.
Story:
It helps that it’s really quite clever and well made; the first season is based more around the game and the issues surrounding having an addiction, while the second season broadens the appeal once the characters are fleshed out. If you aren’t a gamer or a WoW Player, I suppose the first season might weird someone out a little. The intro is charming, but a bit juvenile, and might give people the wrong idea.
Felicia Day’s performance is probably the standout, (although Zaboo’s mother is noteworthy, as well as Zaboo himself) she acts as a bridge between the audience and the show, and Felicia Day nails it. The train of thought, facing camera style isn’t easy to do, but she manages elegantly. As for her writing, it’s sharp, creating a number of wildly diverse personalities that bounce off of one another, while balancing the in-jokes about WoW with the norm.
Perhaps the three most important of the supporting roles are Zaboo (Sandeep Parikh), Vork (Jeff Lewis) and Clara (Robin Thorsen). Although the first season does focus on Codex’s problems with herself, both seasons still follow the concern of Zaboo’s obsessive love for Codex, which he expresses in strange/hilarious ways, such as moving into her house without warning. Other sexy one liners such as “I just dropped 8 gigs of ram down my pants” in an attempt to turn Codex on are pretty funny, to which Codex replies “In life, you are a starting character”. She then tricks Zaboo into moving out by telling him he needs to gain more manly attributes and “level up in RL”, Zaboo then accepts the “quest” with the hope that he’ll become sexually appealing to Codex, things like this are why the guild is so charming.
Zaboo then turns to Vork (The Guild Leader) for manly guidance, and agrees to move in with him, Zaboo pays rent in WoW Gold, instead of real money. Vork is one of the more bizarre characters of the guild, and that’s saying something because most of them are bizarre. He is an unemployed 40-something trying to run the guild, while “cutting the fat” from real life to get by. He also lives in a house without any electricity, but manages to steal that along with Wi-Fi from his Alzheimer’s-afflicted neighbor.
Meanwhile, Clara, the slightly overweight cheery, neglecting mother of three attempts to provide advice to Codex while she tries to cope with Zaboo’s obsessive tendencies and her new love interest (Stuntman). A trio forms between the girls as the new stuntman is introduced, including Tink (Amy Okuda) and the show turned into boys vs girls towards the end of the season. The WoW servers go down for maintenance (plot device?), so the Guild essentially has nothing to do, so they then decide to have girls and boys night. In the commentary Felicia Day mentioned this wasn’t intended, but that’s just how the script panned out in the end.
As such, interesting truths about females came from the shows plot that I didn’t except, such as admitting two males fighting over a girl is an enjoyable idea (Codex), or guys are just “tools to use” (Tink). Although the admissions are something that highly annoys me, you can’t help but admire the way they’re put together within the context of the show. It is after all based around a WoW guild, and those two truths are something that happened inside the WoW community, mostly because of the vast difference in numbers between males and females. Applying the social dynamics of a virtual world into the script works surprisingly well, especially if you’ve played WoW, you only appreciate it more.
Vincent Caso (Bladezzz) and Amy Okuda (Tink), in my opinion are the less-likable characters, although Bladezz does develop some positive aspects in Season 2 during guy’s night. However Tink’s dismissive manipulation of Bladezz’s does makes her the less likable character out of the two, Blades does get her back in the end by deleting her WoW character, which I enjoyed.
The seasons ending feels natural, making you wonder what will happen next, and I almost went ahead and starting watching season 3 straight away. I think that sums up The Guild’s quality, it sucks you in.
Video and Audio: Season 1’s 1.33:1 and Season 2’s 1.85:1 anamorphic wide-screen presentations look decent for a transfer of web series. The Guild’s production values up the anti in the second season, which is nice to see, especially with lighting the scenes. But this is a web series, sometimes you’ll be reminded of that as you’re watching it. Audio is Dolby 2.0, and it’s primarily devoted to dialogue, the standard isn’t too bad with minor drop outs. Despite being a low-budget DVD, this set contains English subtitles on all 22 episodes; The Guild’s theme song is also quite catchy.
The Extras: You get a wide ranging chunk of extras in the Guild DVD, which is nice. Such things as cast & crew interviews, audition footage, gag reels, audio commentaries, the scripts (in PDF), subtitles, a note from Felicia day and the gaming term glossary for the non-gamers. You can see the hard work put into this DVD and it pays off for any guild fan, as well as viewers who haven’t seen the show before.
Verdict: Considering this started out as a web series, you can’t help but feel impressed, especially since the backbone of the story revolves around online gaming (not exactly cool). The Guild is not only good, but it’ll go down in history as one of the first and most successful web series, as well as making strides for gender equality in gaming and woman’s film making. Not to mention that it could be considered a social commentary about online gaming addiction, which isn’t something that many people approach. The downside is people might already own the content of the DVD and some others won’t see the need to pay for what they can see for free online, but for everyone else, this set gets a solid recommendation.
Mild bewilderment and amused concern are spreading across living rooms today as homes across the world are infested by packs of bizarre bunny like creatures. Although friendly in nature the mysterious creatures are fast becoming a problem, wreaking havoc and stealing women’s underwear.
Freakish rabbit creature expert Professor U.B. Soft – called in to try and contain the spread – had this to say : ‘These creatures are Rabbids, part of the extended family of the Raymanus genus. They are highly flexible and resilient, and possess unlimited amounts of energy. I’ve seen people try everything to get rid of them – stepping on them, slapping them, even talking to them!”
Nothing seems to work for the affected households, who are eventually forced to compete in body building contests, air guitar duels and various other absurd competitions.
The Rabbids are native speakers of Bwaaah, and seem to enjoy the company of those who possess an Xbox 360 games console and a Kinect sensor. This is the first time that these creatures have ever been associated with the Kinect peripheral, which is being pushed to it’s limits to recognise the movements and voice commands of up to four people simultaneously trying to get rid of the pesky critters.
Professor Soft was kind enough to provide video footage of the Rabbid outbreak, and concerned readers should pay close attention to the video below.
The Black Eyed Peas Experience is the latest in Ubisoft’s line of ‘Experience’ music titles, following on from the Michael Jackson release last year. It has 30 of their biggest his included, complete with some pretty full on choreography!
The latest live action trailer for the game has just been released, and sees a group of fashionably dressed pro dancer types take over a block for a Black Eyed Peas themed boogie – with their Wii and Xbox 360 along for the ride (plenty of space for that Kinect sensor!).
Promising help for all us normal people in the form of hints from professional choreographers and the Peas themselves, Experience will no doubt have some entertaining results in living rooms across the world.
The game is released on 11.11.11, which I’m sure most people will recognise as Remembrance Day, the day the world ends the day Skyrim comes out. So if you’re after more dancing than dragon slaying be sure to check it out.
THQ have released another official trailer for Saints Row: The Third which is set for release in less than two weeks. The trailer shows off many of the new features, weapons and vehicles of the game and if you were excited before, this is going to drive you insane.
Additionally, THQ have confirmed that preorders for Saints Row: The Third have blown away the amount that Saints Row 2 managed to accomplish by over 4 times! Don’t forget if you want the special bonuses such as the Man-A-Pult, Stunt Suit and the Octopus gun then you better preorder the game as well.
Check out the trailer down below! Saints Row The Third will be out on the 18th of November.
