Namco Bandai have today released a new trailer for the upcoming Crayon Shin-Chan 3DS adventure game titled Crayon Shin-chan Space DE Acho!? Obakarate Your Friendship! or Crayon Shin-Chan 3DS for short.
Crayon Shin-Chan 3DS follows Shin and friends as they try to protect their town from an alien invasion, in a crude, lude and definitely rude way that you’d come to expect from young Shinnosuke Nohara. The Crayon Shin-Chan anime has been around for nearly two decades now and has recently been reinvisioned in English by Funimation Entertainment.
You can check out the awesome trailer below. Let us know what you think in the shoutbox or comments section.
It’s the dying minutes of the game, and Tottenham have contained Arsenal to a score of 1-1. But then the break.
Walcott tears down the left flank and passes the ball straight to Van Persie who taps it gently towards the man who would score the winning goal… David Villa.
In case you didn’t know, this weekend Arsenal lost to Tottenham. And they certainly don’t have Barcelona’s David Villa at their disposal. But this weekend, I found myself hardly caring because my Arsenal are close to top of the table, with one of the strongest teams in their history.
On hearing the phrase long-weekend, people conjure images of a day in the park or a Sunday afternoon adventure. And when a game is released packed full of features and modes, people tend to play the entire experience the game has offered them, online and offline. But I’ve spent most of my weekend locked away, playing away at one spectacularly addictive mode from FIFA 12: Career Mode.
To put it shortly, if you care even a little bit about soccer, this mode will have you missing entire hours as you become completely enthralled in the Manager’s experience.
Immediately upon becoming the manager of your chosen club, you are thrust into the start of the transfer season, a few million dollars in your pocket. Between playing a spatter of pre-season friendlies, you throw any excess players overboard and chase after those who you think will swing things in your favour. This culminates on the bi-annual transfer deadline days, where you go into what can only be described as the menu version of bullet-time. As every hour ticks away, you begin desperately throwing millions of dollars towards players who you not only want, but you need to make your side the best. Other clubs will be doing the same throughout the transfer season, so that by the time the season starts, the in-game Manchester City you will be playing against is far different from it’s actual counterpart. The thrill of buying and selling players is so addictive, I found myself lining up potential buys ages before the next transfer period, praying I could afford them when the time came.
And that’s just the pre-season. Once you’ve got your side all lined up, you’ll find yourself trying to grapple your way to the top of the tables match after match, and as your players begin tiring from the constant stream of games, you’ll find yourself pressed to substitute your star players for your not-so-star players. And let’s not forget player tantrums. If a player is in good form and you’re playing him regularly, he’s sure to be beaming, but that average player you’ve benched for half the season? Well, he’s going to start whining and whining until he either decides to leave entirely or you get tired of his incessant moaning and sell him to the first buyer. Or I suppose you could listen and try to play him a bit more…
As the season goes your younger players may improve significantly, and your older players might deteriorate. You can set up scouting networks, searching for your future stars and creating the youth team of your chosen club. Headlines of important soccer news scroll down the Career Mode menu, letting you know how the team is doing, which players from other clubs to watch out for, and which players you seem to not be using enough. And your own statistics are tracked. As you win more games, you managerial abilities will be noticed by other clubs, who will try to poach you away from your team by offering you better salaries. Not that your manager salary impacts anything, but it’s a nice touch.
In the end I think it’s easy to see why my three-day weekend slipped by in a blaze, as I was completely absorbed by a singular game mode. In the end, much of the mode involves menu-surfing, but the way the features are implemented and the slick interface connecting them all creates a time-consuming and personal experience very few games achieve. The game made me feel like I really was the manager of the almighty Gunners, and (between you and I) I’m a much better manager than Arsene Wenger.
I love Jay Jays. I see it as the Australian version of Hot Topic and before someone starts complaining that its not a nerdy place well you just got to look at some of their products. I mean t-shirts filled with Spongebob, Invader Zim, Mario, Yoshi, Boo and Transformers kinda have to be seen as a bit nerdy. So let’s check it all out..
Where: Albury, Armidale, Ballina, Bankstown, Batemans Bay, Bathurst, Bay Street. Products that were memberable:
• Gir Backpack
• Boo Hoodie
• Yoshi shirt
• Transformer Top
• Hello Kitty Tank Top
• Mario and Lugi Shirt
• Superman Shirt
• Futurama Bender Shirt
• Decepticon Shirt
• Green Latern shirt
• Spongebob shirt
• Epic fail shirt
• Optimus Prime Shirt
• Invader Zim Underwear
• and much more 😀
The Good:
They have fun nerdy fashion that is hard to find anywhere else in Australia.
The clothes are actually reasonably priced at the shirts usually costing $20
The Bad:
They stopped selling invader zim stuff!!! I love Invader Zim and well since Invader Zim isn’t as big in Australia as it is in America, they stopped selling these design because people weren’t buying them.
My silly ownopinion:
I love JayJays for all their nerdy shirts and accessories. It’s one of my favourite stores in Australia and I honestly get a lot of my clothes from there. I love that they have so many nerdy stuff for girls and boys, though I must admit … sometimes I buy some of my clothes from the boys side because something such as Yoshi or Boo is so much cooler then Hello Kitty or Tinka Bell.
It’s getting mighty close to the release of Final Fantasy Type-0 for the Playstation Portable. As one of two PSP games that will utilise two UMDs, expect a lot of content to find its way into the game. Of course, expect the game to be available on the Japanese Playstation Store. So, what has Square Enix revealed so close to the release date? Let’s list them right now.
First up, we have a new summon. Named Diablos, this demon summon sucks out the HP from enemies with its gravity ball. The ball does grow in size. The downside of this ball is that, if one of your fellow students are nearby, their HP will be sucked up as well. Considering that you sacrifice one of these students to summon it, proceed with caution.
Second, aerial combat will be available. On your airship, the defenses available are cannons that shoot out flying dragons out of the sky. If you don’t get all of them, then expect the dragons to land on your ship, activating a standard battle. Tough, isn’t it.
Above this paragraph are the Cranberry Knights. These Moogles are the support for each class at Suzaku Peristylium, the school Type-0 is set in. Each class, including Class 0 (where our heroes are placed), have their own Cranberry Knight. Think of them as a mission and shop hub, where you receive mission and shop for items and weapons.
The free battles and exploration mechanics are not the only mechanics in the game. The game will have an element of real time strategy when the forces of Byakko and Souryu face off. Your class Moogle will issue the mission orders while you excute orders such as defending the stronghold. Clear these missions and you will receive command missions, which allows you to have more control over the army.
There is also a Coliseum in the game. Named the Suzaku Coliseum, this is where you go to train your characters. There are two modes of play, Mock Battle, where you face 20 waves of enemies and receive EXP and Phantoma (used for magical abilities) for your success and Secret Training, activated while your PSP is in Sleep Mode. Leave it for a while and your characters will see a change in their parameters… in a good way.
The way to learn abilities seems to be influence from more modern Western RPGs. Every time your character increases by one level, they will gain Agito Points (or AP). These Agito Points can be used to learn abilities. The abilities are character specific, I will add. Above is the ability Sword field, used by the character Machina Kunagiri. Two rapiers of light appear and spin around, damaging enemies in their path. This ability was present in the demo.
Lastly, Square Enix has revealed several sub-characters. The one above this paragraph is Caetuna, who happens to be a I’Cie from the character’s homeland of Suzaku. Considered to be a great with magical powers, they say that she can summon multiple creatures. She is also the oldest I’Cie in Orience, which is the name of the game world. Others include Diva (storyteller), Ninbus (I’Cie from Byakko), Enkido (a Genbu I’Cie), Aria (the orderly of Class 0), Naghi (cheerful member of the intelligence division) and Carla (item and info seller at Suzaku Peristylium)
Who’s excited to see what could be Final Fantasy’s last PSP outing? Would you like to see this in the West?
Source: Andriasang
Welcome to Part 2 of the Staff’s Top 5 Geek Culture Crushes. Now sit down and get yourself ready for the rest of our wonderful crushes, and maybe even get be worried and amazed at our own choices.
Josh Morris
No#1 – Midna (Twilight Princess) – I so wish I could have been Link in Twilight Princess because I would have totally ditched Zelda for this babe. At the end of the game, Midna transformed back to her humanoid form as she left for her home world. Needless to say, Hyrule could defend itself from that day on.
No#2 – Tifa (Final Fantasy 7) – You know it! This brawling chicka would kick my butt. Of course I would let her anyway.
No#3 – Hermione Granger (Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows) – The character or real life persona Emma Watson would do just fine. Who else can go to Brown University and be totally innocent asking for a “rubber”. All she wanted was an eraser.
No#4 – Talim (Soul Calibur 2) – Hm…. crescent blades and short hotness makes this girl attractive beyond reason.
No#5 – Natalie Portman – She seems to be a popular choice no matter what discussion. She can wear her Star Wars costume or rap on Saturday Live and still be drop dead gorgeous. Thank you Natalie for making my heart stop!
Ashlee McKinnis
1. Alistar (Dragon Age: Origins) – This guy is just freakin’ adorable. So awkward and sweet, I like especially because he has no idea how cute he is. Who wants a guy who thinks he really hot anyway? Also has a sense of humor… Ah sweet animated perfection. Have you ever licked a lamp post? Wink Wink.
2. Green Lantern (Ryan Reynolds) – He is a whole lot of yumminess. Not a word, I know but I couldn’t think of anything to express how hot he is. I haven’t actually seen this movie yet. I am going to go see it with my sister so we can sit and oogle. Should be a fantastic couple of hours.
3. Dimitri Belikov (Vampire Academy novels and soon to be comic) – Ah…. the strong silent type. Has a slight russian accent and has a slight obessesion with westerns (he even wears a duster). He is loyal and extemely dedicated. Everything you would want a boyfriend to be.
4. Nathan ‘Nate’ Drake (Uncharted 2: Among Thieves) – Men love Lara Croft.. Women should love Nate Drake. He has a quirky sense of humour, smart, and athletic. Ah… having another mental image.
5. Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson) – First I would like to get it straight that I am indeed… well straight. However hot is just hot and Black Widow from Ironman 2 sizzled. Speaks several languages and can kick some serious butt. No sense of humour though… but still extremely attractive.
Michael Marr
1: Kaylee (Firefly): Out of all of the Firefly girls, I personally thought that Jewel Staite, who played Kaylee the mechanic was the cutest out of the bunch. She had a kind and caring personality, but was also the physically cutest. Her happy bubbly personality and unique skill set made her an invaluable member of the show. Essentially she was the girl that the other crew members tried to protect, but she made herself seem capable in so many other ways. As caretaker of the ship, she was also one of the funniest characters becasue she could understand so many thing that the others could not.
2: Feldt Grace (Gundam 00): One of the supporting cast from the Gundam 00 series. Feldt is one of the few members of Celestial being who manages to survive the climax of season 1 to make a re-appearance in season 2. Initially, she started off as a shy, scoial recluse, but eventually came out of her shell thanks to her crewmates on the Ptolemios. In second season, she returned as a veteran member of Celestial being, and performed the role of combat supervisor for the Gundam Pilots. Her technical skills are sharp, and she’s cute as anything. She also presented herself as a potential love interest for the protagonist Setsuna F Seiei near the end of season 2.
3: Serra (Fire Emblem GBA): Out of all of the female compatriots that made themselves known in Fire Emblem 7, Serra was the only one to have her own soundtrack. Every time it played, you knew she was going to be the bane of whoever else she was talking to (particularly Erk, Hector and Matthew). Interestingly any of the 3 may end up getting together with her by game’s end. She has a very selfish personality that seems more driven by ignorance rather than plain self interest. She’s loud and clearly not particularly smart, but all the same she’s a hilarious party member to keep around. Additionally, her healing abilities are invaluable in the long run of the game. And as Matthew said “She’s quite cute… if only she could just… shut…up!”
4: Rena Lanford (Star Ocean 2, Star Ocean EX): Rena is one of the two main characters from Star Ocean 2. She’s a young girl from a small town that believes very strongly in the legend of a hero. She’s a VERY cute character, and she has a very nice personality. She’s kind to everyone she meets and her smile lights up the mood of the game.
5: Zoey (Left 4 Dead): Proving that hot chicks will survive the Zombie Apocalypse. Zoey is not only a girl with a cute face and great looking body, but hse’s a complete badass with her Zombie killing skills. She is by no means one of the typical damsel in distress types. She’s more than capable of handling herself. But even through the worst of the apocalypse, she still tries to add humour and a positive attitude to keep up team morale.
Kelly Teng
1. Batman (Christian Bale specific, though) – Some may find his ridiculously low voice annoying, but I for one think that the deep voice makes Batman one of the most intriguing and mysterious characters. A typical antihero, Batman exudes broodiness and sadness; however there is a spark of life in him that makes him a definite candidate for one of the most appealing superheroes. Also: The Batmobile. Need I say more?
2. Zack from FFVII and FFVII: Crisis Core – Man, I’d have to say that playing Zack in Crisis Core was perhaps a better experience than playing Cloud in FFVII. Zack is full of energy and life, and he always tries to do right by other people – plus, he wields his sword like a true hero (with a true hero’s muscles too).
3. Kairi Okayasu from Peach Girl – I admit, I NEVER watch anime or read manga, but when I was younger I stumbled across Peach Girl and fell in love with Kairi. He’s absolutely awesome, cares a lot about everyone, is nice to everyone, but is still not afraid to fight for what he believes in. Also, he chases Momo, the protagonist, unrelentingly…definitely a winner for me.
4. Roy Earle from L.A. Noire – Earle is everything I hate in a person, but damn, that guy has got some sort of appeal. He’s arrogant, rude, funny, arrogant, smart, and arrogant some more. You’ll always hear about how girls like arrogant guys, and my crush on Earle is most definitely proof.
5. Fernando Torres from FIFA – Yeah, I cheated. Technically not a video game crush, but I love Torres so much that you’re just going to have to accept it. And yes, he will score again this semester. With me. And for Chelsea.
Jared Hilliers
1. Rogue (Xmen)
First of all, Rogue’s played by Anna Paquin in the original films, so that’s a win. Secondly, she probably has one of the coolest powers out of all the Xmen. She’s essentially a sexually frustrated succubus, which makes her more appealing and mysterious, at least to the guys.
2. Tomb Raider (Angelena Jolie)
Okay, the film is terrible, but this movie came out when big budget video game adaptions began. It held the title of highest grossing video game adaption up until last year (The Prince of Persia broke the record), not to mention it turned Angela Jolie into an international superstar. A hot one at that, it’s almost like the character Lara Croft was based on her, she was perfectly suited to the role.
3. Samantha Carter (Stargate)
She makes smart look pretty sexy, astrophysicist, engineer and pilot, A SEXY PILOT. I think the shows popularity really benefited from Sam and they never managed to get someone similar for the spin offs. Both of those series are now dead, Atlantis and Universe, but Samantha Carter is one of the most memorable characters (especially for the nerds)
4. Jessica (True Blood)
*In Bill Comptons voice* JESSICA! This character is probably one of the only reasons I watch the show, if they kill her off I might stop. She’s the stand alone ranga and one of the sexiest vampire characters around. That’s a pretty hard thing to do in one of the hottest TV shows running, something like Twilight doesn’t even compare. SO HOT RIGHT NOW!
5. Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson)
I probably don’t need to explain myself here, she’s one of, if not the sexiest woman from my generation. All they needed to do was put her in tight leather and everyones sold. Ryan Reynolds, why would you leave that??
Kellie Wallace
1. Soap Mactavish from Modern Warfare series. Ive been a fan of Soap’s since i began playing modern Warfare 2 a year ago. His good looks and accent got me. He’s the best character ever created…period
2. Jack Carver, Far Cry. At first i didnt like Jack’s arrogance but his bad ass attitude was awesome.
3. Isaac Clark, Dead Space. Who doesnt like the idea of a man fighting aliens to save his love?
4. Nathan Drake, Uncharted. I can now see all the fuss about Nathan. He’s charming, good looking and one hell of a climber
5. Sev, Killzone. Something about his loyalty and mohawk reminded me of someone…
Thanks for reading our lists and I hope we didn’t scare you too much.
Indie games are rather a tough bunch to nail down, ranging from everything to the astonishingly beautiful “Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery” (iOS devices) to the immersive and action-packed “Interstellar Marines” (Upcoming; Mac, PC), they’ve proven themselves, especially in recent years, to be complex and extremely varied.
Take as an example “Limbo” (PC, Mac, XLBA, PSN) the dark and claustrophobic puzzle platformer from Swiss developer “Playdead”, as it’s a game that I personally had an awful lot of fun with. I found it to be visually enthralling, provocative, cleverly designed and extremely deep, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t consider that game to be a work of art, and a triumph in visual storytelling.
Compare that to “Super Meat Boy” (PC, XBLA), the thumb-blistering action platformer from the aptly named “Team Meat”, which, despite the intense buzz surrounding the game, I’ve always found to pretty underwhelming in anything other than short bursts. Don’t get me wrong, I love what Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes tried (and largely succeeded) to do with this title; they created something that perfectly mirrored the RSI-inducing platformers of old, and then took it to the next level in terms of difficulty, but for me an ideal platformer should be about the process of figuring out how to get from A to B, and having the actual dexterity to do it is somewhat subjacent.
One of the reasons I find myself falling more and more in love with indie games in general is my own work in the indie scene, with a developer I set up called Cube Noir (shameless self-plug), through which I’ve discovered just how friendly and open a community there is for small developers, and my heart was especially warmed by the huge amount of positive feedback we’ve received, both from fans and fellow small developers, even in the short amount of time we’ve been around, as well as the job emails I’ve received from many talented artists and programmers.
It has also given me a direct insight into the creative process, which has been especially useful for my journalistic work, in particular when it comes to comparing games that started on entirely different grounds. Take for example the upcoming multi-player space-age shooter (with dinosaurs!) “Orion: Prelude” (PC, XBLA, PSN), and compare it to the depressingly overrated “Call of Duty” franchise. How on earth, when a large team of highly-funded and extremely wealthy developers can only manage to recreate the same generic FPS experience over and over with slightly better graphics, can a small team of brand new developers with limited funding manage to create something quite so original and refreshing? It just doesn’t make sense to me, but it makes it a great deal clearer in my mind who is REALLY more passionate about creating great games, and it sure as hell ain’t the COD guys.
A full minute and thirty seconds of all-new gameplay footage of the upcoming Rocksteady release, Batman: Arkham City has hit the internet. It shows our favourite caped crusader flying through the towering structures and quirky landscapes of Arkham, which looks to be a real treat to the fans of the older, more “out there” visions of Gotham City in the earlier movies.
We also see some great brawl action as Batman takes on 4 bad guys hanging out on a rooftop. The silky-smooth fight moves return from the game’s predecessor, Arkham Asylum, with an even wider array of fisticuffs and gymnastics.
Coupled with the gradual announcements of more and more classic villians we love to hate, the game is shaping up to be a real fan-pleaser, as well as being an impressive title in it’s own right.
It’s set for release in the US on October 18th 2011, so be sure to get your pre-order sorted now, as it’s bound to fly off the shelves!
Hunter x Hunter Episode 1 – “Departure x And x Friends”
There has been a lot of hype building up to the first episode of the Hunter x Hunter reboot. If you had been following the hype-train you’d have caught that while this adaptation will be much closer to the manga than the previous series, it will have some pivotal differences. One of which is the relocation of Gon’s back-story with Kite. For those who watched this episode and were disappointed that Kite did not make an appearance. It appears that Madhouse are chucking a One Piece and showing the protagonist’s back story later on, to lessen the gap between his first appearance and his reappearance.
But enough of that, how did the episode stack up? Well, we begin with Gon at Whale Island capturing the Lord of the Lake, whom might I add is given a nice blue recolour here. Things happen at a much brisk pace from there. Gon is given the blessing of his dear Aunt Mito to take the Hunter Exam and from there we move straight to the ship to the exam. It al happens at a much faster pace than the previous anime series, but I believe it is for the better. A lot of the older series’ fat has been cut here, making a much more cohesive story.
What I liked about the bit’s on Whale Island was the way they portayed Gon’s relationship to Aunt Mito. I was surprised that their connection was so well established despite the lack of the back story with Kite that heavily featured Mito. I’ve got to say, the pinky promise, followed by the thumb-kiss was adorable and really solidfied that mother and son dynamic they have. However, I’m still not 100% sold on Mito’s voice actress, as she sounded a little older than I’d have picked for her character. But she conveyed her love for Gon perfectly, and that is what counts most.
Once the story progressed to the boat to the Hunter Exam’s location, things heated up. Not only did we get the introduction of Kurapika and Leorio, but we had the expansion of a manga character who is now given more to do than he did in the manga. Of course of am speaking about Katsuo. In the manga, Katsuo simply falls overboard and is saved by Gon, Kurapika and Leorio. However,, in a great move by Madhouse, they have expanded upon his character, ultimately giving the moment of his falling more urgency and heart than even the original manga had. Which really I consider a change for the better.
Kurapika and Leorio are introduced as they both bicker and argue over pety things, Leorio being angry at being spoken to with disrespect (being called simply “Leorio” instead of “Leorio-san”) and Kurapika angry that Leorio mocked his clan. Leorio challenges Kurapika to step outside to settle the dispute. The ship’s Captain attempts to stop them, but Gon provides some word’s of wisdom to hush him. “If you wan’t to understand someone, make an effort to know why they are angry.”
There were many great character moment on display here, which is really what is the heart of Hunter x Hunter. I am simply bursting at the seams as I await the slow-burning over-arching theme of Gon’s loss of innocence. This episode begins with Gon, a 12 year old boy, the face of innocence by all definitions. For those who follow the manga, you’ll know that one of the greatest experiences of Hunter x Hunter is watching as Gon loses his innocence bit by bit as he grows to learn of the true nature of the world. That it is a dark and unforgiving place, that despite being civilised is still at it’s core about survival. It’s hunt or be hunted, it is the way of the world and Gon learns that truth the hard way. We see him at his most pure here, I guarantee that by the time the Yorknew City arc comes around, he won’t be the same innocent Gon we see here. Not at all.
As for the music and animation, well let’s start with the music. Put simply, it fit perfectly with the series. I loved the OP theme, “Departure”, it was both exciting and exactly what I expected and hoped for. The ED theme, “Just Awake” is the perfect opposite side of the coin to “Departure”, while “Departure” is very lively and hopeful, “Just Awake” is heavy, dark and brutal, giving a perfect sign of things to come from the series.
The animation was top notch, and definitely retained the Madhouse style, while capturing the spirit of the manga perfectly. There was a few highlight bits of animation, such as the wave that crashes between Leorio and Kurapika during their stand-off and Gon scaling the ship’s mast. I can’t wait for the action scenes to start, that is when the series is really going to kick it into gear. But for now we play the waiting game.
What else can I say? This episode left me satisfied for things to come as well as pleased with the introduction the episode gives the series. We got great introductions for 3 of the 4 main characters and the pacing was well done. It was over all a solid first episode for a series that has nothing but bright futures ahead of it, no matter how dark thing’s are going to get.
Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar Developer: Marvelous Entertainment Publisher: Rising Star Games Platform: Nintendo DS Genre: Farming Released: 30th September (UK)
It’s hard to believe that Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar comes as the fifth Harvest Moon game on Nintendo DS, almost putting it among the ranks of FIFA and other games that release a new edition each year. So with Harvest Moon games releasing with such regularity, it’s nice to see that the developers are still able to add something new in Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar, with this game’s feature that sets it aside from the others being the titular ‘bazaar’, a large weekly market.
The bazaar was once the pride of Zephyr Town, drawing in huge crowds as the best market in the region, but has fallen into disarray following dwindling customer numbers. Now you, the new kid on the block, have been assigned to the town’s farm by the Mayor himself in the hope of restoring the bazaar to its former glory by selling your amazing produce, bringing prosperity to the town once more.
It’s one of the better handheld Harvest Moons thanks to some differences, particularly the grand bazaar at the end of every week, although it seems to offer a slightly slower, more relaxing pace of play than previous Harvest Moon games which had you rushing around in order to squeeze everything you needed to do into one day and dealt out punishment with a heavy hand when you did anything wrong. You still have to water your plants otherwise they shrivel up and die (likewise with your livestock, minus the shrivelling), but Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar seems to be more forgiving in this respect, a subtly done and welcome change.
However, this more sedate pace of play could easily be perceived as dullness. There’s no denying that the town you find yourself living in doesn’t have a whole lot going on most of the time, with conversations with the various residents being little beyond a greeting out of courtesy, and deep discussions hindered by limited set phrases from others and a lack of many two-way conversations. To liven things up a bit there are festivals dotted through the calendar, but just hope they don’t clash with your birthday, as this way everyone will be too absorbed in the festival to care, mark or even mention the occasion at all. The first week is so uneventful you will even find yourself heading to bed early to pass the time in your boring schedule, waking up the next day at 6am only to have exhausted everything possible to do by noon, using just a fraction of your stamina bar (which depletes based on the level activity you have been undertaking) in the process. When it really looks up though, is once you are talked through and introduced to the first bazaar.
As well as selling your wares, the selection of market stalls provides a place to spend your earnings, with animals, special tools, things that are crucial to your progress as a farmer, all accessible from the bazaar alone. A satisfying selling system is in place where you have to ring a bell to attract attention to your stall and the goods you’ve got lined up, and if they’re interested the punters will display a number above their heads. This number represents the amount of their chosen item they would like to buy, and subsequently the amount of times you need to press A.
The Mayor gives you a target turnover for the market, giving large goals to ensure the market can grow and prosper. Although there is a normal shop to sell things to during the week, you soon learn to hold onto your items for selling until the bazaar, as things fetch a higher price among the public and every penny is needed to reach the Mayor’s ambitious goals. It provides a much more engaging way of selling than packing your goods into a basket to earn a living, even though the basket does play its part still and now acts as storage, something you learn to make use of for perishables if you want them to last until the sale date. As the in-game weeks go by, you realise the quality of your products increasing, with more advanced recipes having been learnt or a better standard haul of vegetables/animal produce, and the cycle adds a sense of structure in a departure from the usual dragging-on-without-any-significant-feeling-of-progress of its predecessors.
The graphics are a totally safe effort, but in lacking ambition use the system really well; characters have basic animation, but the whole in-game world is cute, clear and colourful, plus visual touches like smoke puffing out of chimneys and insects (which you can also catch) roaming free add an element of life to the otherwise fairly static scenes. Despite the lot of them being a boring bunch, getting to know the locals features much like in other games too, with you eventually wooing one of the town’s women into slotting into the farmer’s wife role, or the opposite if you picked the female character at the start of the game. Convincing a member of the opposite sex to be your spouse consists of barely more than throwing flowers and gifts at them daily until they give in, though given their uninteresting personalities, some may even prefer a solitary existence.
Overall, Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar is a bit of a slow-burner in that it gets off to a slow start initially, and from there the majority of gameplay hinges on the weekly bazaar which acts as your primary source of cash and equipment. Interacting with the other residents isn’t advised for fear of falling asleep, slumping over and accidentally lodging a stylus up your nose, but your otherwise peaceful existence makes it a relaxing game to play, and by having your calendar in-game, rather than based on real-life (a la Animal Crossing), means there’s no pressure to tend to your farm every day, leaving you free to progress through the game casually at your own pace.
It appears the anime Dog Days, created by studio Seven Arcs, is going to be receiving a second season. The anime twitter of HMV tweeted earlier today that a second season of the animal-eared anime was announced earlier the same day during a Dog Days Special Promotion that was held in Tokyo.
The anime finished airing during the Spring series of anime and finished with an open ended ending so a second season should flow nicely from the first. In the anime, Princess Millhiore Biscotti performs a ritual to summon a hero from another world to help defend her country from her once childhood friend and leader of a rival, country Leonmitchelli Galette. The hero she summons is named Cinque and he soon learns that not all battles are violent… but amongst the peaceful war dark shadows move in the dark. Currently there is no information about when fans can expect the second season to begin airing.
