Valkyria Chronicles 2 Announced, Fans Weep

Superb strategic RPG Valkyria Chronicles, which has been adapted into a popular anime and manga, is set for a sequel.

However, there is already a major upset – the game is for PSP, not the PS3 as with the original, making it worthless.

As if this were not bad enough, the game switches pace from stirring martial drama to hackneyed school RPG. The graphical style also looks to have taken on a more shoujo-esque tone than the original, perhaps indicating this title is looking to target the female demographic.

The story itself takes place a few years after the original, with the academy students forced to tackle a rebellion in the south of Gallia.

Valkyria Chronicles 2 is set for a winter release. The site is at valkyria2.jp, with the major update due in a few days.

How a PSP school spin off justifies being called a full sequel to what still ranks as one of the most original titles on the PS3 is thus explained: “It’s for a handheld but we don’t want users to think the quality will be reduced.”

Possibly they would have done better to stick to calling it a gaiden rather than inciting fans expecting a full PS3 blockbuster, as already a negative reaction is evident… It may just be the case that a full sequel was canceled or delayed however.

You can also read Sankaku Complex’s review of the first game – it is easy to recommend.

Source & Translated by Sankaku

Lyto Game Festival 2009 cosplay

Lyto Game Festival 2009
Location : Dian Ballroom, Mall Ciputra (Citraland)
South Jakarta, Indonesia
Sunday July 12nd, 2009
6pm - till drop

MAG MultyToys Grandsale Cosplay

Mall Artha Gading MultiToys Grandsale Cosplay
Location : Mall Artha Gading, Kelapa Gading
Jakarta, Indonesia

Sunday July 12nd 2009
12am-till drop
Photo by me

Iron Man 2: Mickey Rourke as Whiplash

Think Tony Stark had it tough in 2008's smash hit "Iron Man?"

Well, from the looks of Mickey Rourke as the well-equipped Whiplash, it certainly appears ol' Shellhead's got his work cut out for himself in "Iron Man 2!"

"Iron Man 2" stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man. Directed once again by Jon Favreau, the film opens May 7, 2010.

With the movie currently in production at Marvel Studios, stay tuned to Marvel.com for more "Iron Man 2" goodies!

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Thor Update: Portman Cast as Jane Foster

Even the Mighty Thor can be thunderstruck by affairs of the heart!

Marvel Studios announced today that Academy Award® nominated actress Natalie Portman has been cast to star as Jane Foster in the studio's highly anticipated movie "Thor."

In the early "Thor" comics, Jane Foster was a nurse who became Thor's first love. The character will be updated for the feature adaptation.

Portman will star opposite Chris Hemsworth who will play Thor and Tom Hiddleston who will play the villain Loki. Kenneth Branagh will direct the film.

Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige will produce "Thor." Principal photography for the film is set for early 2010. The film will be released in the US on May 20, 2011 and distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Marvel Studios expands its film universe with a new type of super hero: "Thor." This epic adventure spans the Marvel Universe; from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

Portman will next be seen starring in Jim Sheridan's "Brothers" opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Tobey Maguire. She recently wrapped production on "Hesher," starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and executive produced by her production company handsomecharlie films, and Don Roos' "Love and Other Impossible Pursuits," which also she executive produced. In 2004, she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress as well as an Academy Award nomination in the same category for "Closer." She also earned critical acclaim for her role in "Garden State" and is most well known for her role as Queen Padme Amidala in the "Star Wars" Trilogy. Other film credits include "The Other Boleyn Girl," "V for Vendetta," "Cold Mountain," "Anywhere But Here," "Heat," "Beautiful Girls" and "The Professional."

"Thor" is one of a continuing slate of films being produced by Marvel Studios based on the Marvel characters, including "Iron Man 2" on May 7, 2010, "The First Avenger: Captain America" on July 22, 2011, and "The Avengers" on May 4, 2012.

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Idolmaster Shock: New Character Ryo Akizuki is Shota Trap

Wut teh Duck?!!!! from where he got da boobs???

The latest game in the idol rearing Idolmaster series, Idolmaster: Dearly Stars, for the DS, has unleashed a shocking twist: its new character Ryo Akizuki (Ritsuko’s cousin) is actually a crossdressing shota trying to pass himself off as a loli idol.

As if this were not enough to be getting on with, the new loli character is the result of a teen pregnancy; fans are wondering where the franchise is heading, and liking it…

Highlights:

“I’ll be busted as a boy if they find me like this!”

“I’ve got to change quickly!”

“On with the makeup…”

Naturally an immediate Idolmaster shota fanart boom has ensued. Amusingly enough, there is already a lot of fanart of “her,” which is going to need retouching…

For main source & translated by sankaku <<< (Not save for women)

O.O
still speechless...
he has boob...
for crying out loud... he got from where??????

hihihi my barbarian TRAP (Shasha) wil be more cute

PS3 Tales of Vesperia have loli too...? :|

The first things fans did upon the release of the Tales of Vesperia demo on the PS3 was apparently to investigate new pirate loli character Patty’s underwear, with a view to finding out what colour and type they were. Their findings are visible below.

Such topics are of course of grave interest to Xbox 360 users in Japan, where Idolmaster continues to be one of the major reasons for Xbox ownership, so it is undoubtedly mortifying to be denied such an important gameplay experience.

Only on the PS3.

With such quality exclusives, Sony only goes from strength to strength…

for more pic go to Main Source translated by Sankaku

Loli really rule everything... geee...

“Slim PS3″ Video Emerges

Rumours and even photographs of dubious provenance of a new PS3 model with a slimmed down case have persisted for some, despite denials by Sony, but now even a video of the supposed new console emerges.

The video purportedly shows a “leaked” system on sale in some unspecified dubious shop in the Philippines. No proof of it working, or of what is actually inside it, is offered.

Source

Beuh... another poison.... gyaaaargghhh...

Russian Sailormoon Cosplay

Whether Mother Russia is superior, and to what exactly, may be open to question, but a rather more pressing question is why this parade includes such impressively executed Sailor Moon cosplays.

Russian cosplay does seem to be coming along well, which is well evidenced by the relevant gallery.

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Pikachu Radar

Pikachu apparently watches over the skies with this ita-radar/SAM system, in what we can only hope is an unlicensed after-market decal, rather than anything the system was sold with in an official capacity.

The source and model of the unit is unknown, but it appears to be part of the Russian SA-10 surface-to-air missile radar system… Just what Pikachu is doing here remains a mystery.

Source

PIKA PIKAPIII...!!!!

Gundam RX-78-2 Up Close

The full size Gundam currently ensconced at Odaiba in Tokyo has just opened to the public, and as a result a flood of additional photographs and videos has appeared, with a variety of interesting closeups and low-angle shots adding to the wealth of imagery already available.

And a video showing off its moving parts:

Giant robot tourism appears to be the great hope of the Japanese travel industry…

Source

Mighty Sexy Birdy Cephon Altera Figure

Birdy the Mighty’s athletic protagonist Birdy Cephon Altera gets a typically erotic rendition of her in mid-cavort, with plenty of fleshy detail preserved by her skintight suit.

The figure itself is a 1/7 PVC rendition of Birdy, by Uplark, a manufacturer who so far only have a handful of releases to their credit…

Pre-orders are open, and the figure goes on sale in September.

Tales of Vesperia PS3 Extra Costumes

The reason why the Xbox 360 “beta test” of Tales of Vesperia never received extra costumes in the form of sexy swimwear has been laid as bare as Rita’s navel in her new bikini: they were saved for the PS3 release, much to the disappointment of Xbox players of the game, who it seems are betrayed completely by the unmissable raft of extras in the new version.

The other costumes

Source and Sankaku

Dengeki Top 2009 Spring Anime Rankings

The latest ranking for the most interesting anime of Spring 2009, brings with it some upsets, though obviously the number one title is a given…

The results come by way of Dengeki Online, web portal of the massive ASCII Media Works publishing company, including the likes of Dengeki Daioh, Dengeki Moeoh and Dengeki Bunko among its otaku-oriented magazine lineup, where it held a poll for the “Most Interesting” anime of the recently concluded 2009 Spring season.

The results are none too surprising, with the #1 spot easily being taken by what was unquestionably the choice series of the season by otaku:

* The results are from an online poll at Dengeki Online taken from June 19 to July 1 that asked which newly aired 2009 Spring Anime was most おもしろかった, which translates to “most interesting /amusing”.

#1 K-ON!
#2 Eden of the East (Higashi no Eden)
#3 Saki
#4 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST
#5 Sengoku Basara
#6 Dragonball Kai
#7 Valkyria Chronicles
#8 Basquash!
#9 Asura Crying
#10 Cross Game

K-ON! taking the throne should not be a surprise to anyone, given the KyoAni show’s great popularity and with the quality of the later episodes still fresh in people’s minds.

Saki or the Fullmetal Alchemist remake might have seemed a more likely candidate for the next two spots, making Eden of the East’s position the closest thing to a surprise on the rankings. Certainly, Eden’s higher than average production quality, among other things, must have aided.

Fullmetal Alchemist’s spot may be lower than expected by some, but given that the show is currently covering subject matter that was handled by the original series’s 30 initial episodes in around half that amount, fans are likely awaiting divergence of the new series from the old.

In any case, rankings for this year’s Spring season will probably come out to be harder fought than this Summer season, given the relative slow pace of the new season, yielding only the new Haruhi season, Spice and Wolf II and Zan Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei as obvious candidates for popular late-night anime.

Source

PS3 vs Xbox 360: Vesperia vs Magna Carta II

The full release of Tales of Vesperia for the PS3 is being greeted with enthusiasm by fans, and the impressive new HD trailer below shows why.

However, Xbox 360 followers are not to be outdone, and point to the release of Korean made RPG Magna Carta II as an entirely new AAA title for the console – more detail is also included below.

Patty’s addition seems to mean those who have played the previous beta version will have no option but to try the full version…

Magna Carta II is also being feted as a hit Xbox 360 exclusive, with stunning store demos showing it off in all its glory:

Source

Modchip Vending Machine

By inuiShirou
Nintendo may have won some notable successes in its war on modchips, or “majikon”, and related devices, but it seems in some places in Japan they are easier to get than ever, all thanks to the ubiquitous (and perhaps notorious) Japanese vending machine.

Some are sold out…
The usual favourites are those for use with handheld devices.

“(These are not) Cigarettes”

Situated in Osaka’s Nipponbashi shopping district, the vending machines compete with the many shady shops and stalls selling this sort of merchandise.

The vending machine operators brazenly tout their services: “Try selling your wares in a vending machine! If it can fit in a cigarette box, anything goes! (Of course we can’t handle illegal goods!)”

It looks as if Nintendo faces an uphill struggle…

Source

Evangelion Movie Trailer is Hollywood Quality

Funimation has released the trailer for the English dubbed American edition of the first of the Rebuild of Evangelion movies, “You are (Not) Alone”, the second of which recently hit Japanese theaters.

Fans who have watched the original trailers cannot help but notice the stark contrast in style between the two, and many are not amused…

(More detail of the recently re-remastered Blu-ray version is visible in the previous article)

The original Japanese trailers basically shows scenes that would evoke memories of the TV series, coupled with the song Fly Me to the Moon, a much appreciated element of the original series.

The US version meanwhile focuses on the giant robot action, complete with the mechanical crotch shots seen in the posters above, making it look rather like typical Hollywood fare…

Even source Gigazine can barely contain their scorn, and fans are generally scathing, though of course the reaction of the wider cinema going public is what will be of ultimate concern to the distributors, for better or for worse…

Source

EvangeLION

By inuiShirou

These three young lions have been named after the iconic cast of Neon Genesis Evangelion (Shinji, Asuka and Rei), but in a stroke of misfortune it seems the naming is rather wide of the mark:

Rei: Sister of Shinji, she is the most active of the pride and is the leader.

Asuka: Since she was born a month later than Shinji and Rei, she was bullied a lot. She is the same size as them now though, so they get on well.

Source
It's reminds me to my friend that named his daughter Aerith

Wiimote Fail

By inuiShirou

An apparent case of strap failure ends in disaster for overly rambunctious 2ch Wii user, although the effect is at least interesting to look at.

Of course, whether the fault lies with the user or with Nintendo’s made in China strap is an open question, perhaps best settled by a class action lawsuit, some might say…

Source

hehe :p

Top 15 Games of 2009 First Half: Nintendo Faces Crisis?

The sales figures for the Japanese video game market in the first half of 2009 hold few immediate surprises, being completely dominated by Nintendo and Sony, with strong sales from portable systems, but closer inspection reveals a potential disaster in the making for Nintendo…

The ranking:

1. Mario & Luigi RPG3!!!	DS	631,165
2. Monster Hunter Portable	PSP	556,650
3. Ryu ga Gotoku 3	PS3	485,630
4. Biohazard 5	PS3	467,819
5. Wii Fit	Wii	432,191
6. Kingdom Hearts 358/2Days	DS	385,799
7. Rhythm Tengoku Gold	DS	384,191
8. Shin Sangoku Musou Multi Raid	PSP	382,191
9. Pokémon Fushigi no Dungeon	DS	338,568
10. Tales of the World 2	PSP	316,797
11. Taiko no Tatsujin Wii	Wii	313,668
12. Wagamama Fashion Girls Mode	DS	285,944
13. Machi-e Youkoso Doubutsu no Mori	Wii	256,057
14. Mario Kart Wii	Wii	254,631
15. Hoshi no Kirby	DS	250,437

Certainly a superficially strong performance from Nintendo, but some cannot help but notice that most of the releases come from 2008, with Wii Fit actually a 2007 release, which does not inspire much confidence in Nintendo’s 2009 prospects; how long can they go on selling 2008’s lineup?

Even Nintendo admits there is a severe problem here…

Source