All posts filed under: Articles

Indulge the Snyder – Zack Snyder’s Justice League – Humble Opinions

Published by Luke Halliday

After years of fan campaigns and hashtags aplenty, Zack Snyder’s Justice League—also known colloquially as The Snyder Cut—has finally been released in all of its 3 hours and 52 minutes of indulgent glory. Was it worth the wait? Yes and no. Anyone who has ever watched a Zack Snyder film would note that he has a very particular style and directorial vision for his films. That vision and style come to its natural endpoint here, in what is both Snyder’s magnum opus and a love letter to himself. This is without a doubt one of the most self-indulgent films perhaps ever released. With the shackles of Warner Bros. executive oversight removed, Snyder makes the most Snyder-esque film he possibly could have. There are slow motion shots in excess, very few (if any) moments of levity, and a dark colour palette that is ultimately personified in the film through a Superman costume change. If you are a fan of Snyder and his work, this may be the greatest film you’ve ever seen. However, if you found …

Infinity on High – Demon Slayer: Mugen Train Movie – Humble Opinions

Published by Luke Halliday

It goes without saying that Demon Slayer has proven to be quite the phenomenon, both in Japan and around the world. The fact that a Shonen Jump adaptation film wound up being the highest grossing Japanese film of all time, surpassing the likes of such cinematic greats as Your Name and Spirited Away, is an impressive feat to say the very least. So, does the film live up to the ridiculous level of hype that has surrounded it? Yes. Yes it does. A big part of what sets Demon Slayer: Mugen Train apart from other Shonen Jump anime films is that it actually adapts source material and is canon to the ongoing story of Demon Slayer. Often these anime film takes on anime series either go the abridged format, adapting a popular story from the anime in abbreviated form, or they go for a completely original story that takes place outside of the canon of the main series. Perhaps the crucial element that led to the success of this film is that it is compulsory …

The Tournament Begins – SK8 the Infinity (Episode Eight) – Season’s Writings

Published by Luke Halliday

And so the tournament has begun. Reki and Langa are still painfully “broken up”, but we are starting to see the beginnings of some kind of reconciliation for the pair. I, personally, am not the biggest fan of relationship dramas between characters in anime, other than a few exceptions (see Luffy versus Usopp in One Piece), because most of the time it just feels like drama for the sake of drama rather than a genuine emotional reasoning to cause their conflict—and SK8 the Infinity is straddling that line somewhat dangerously at the moment. This week’s episode largely focuses on the beginning of the tournament being held by Adam, and we see a few of the races along the way. Frustratingly, Reki chooses not to enter the tournament and continues to wallow in his misery. I feel we are starting to lose sight of the Reki we know and love, and it is starting to border on being out of character here. I understand that Reki feels jealous and hurt, but it honestly feels like the …

The Most Insane Spectacle in The History of Wrestling – AEW’s Stadium Stampede – Going Over

Published by Luke Halliday

What can ten professional wrestlers create in an empty 80,000 seat arena? Well, we now have the answer to that question: absolute entertainment. On 23 rd May 2020, All Elite Wrestling held their annual Double or Nothing pay-per-view event—headlined by the first ever 5 vs 5 Stadium Stampede match. This match would see a ring placed in the middle of a gridiron football field, yet allows the entire stadium to be the battleground for what ultimately amounts to wrestling’s answer to Marvel’s Civil War. The idea of this match ultimately sounds silly: wrestlers brawling across a massive football stadium. What can they really do that couldn’t be done in a standard wrestling environment? Well, the answer was beyond this writer’s imagination. It was simply the most insane spectacle in professional wrestling history. The match has been brewing since the inception of AEW’s weekly program, AEW Dynamite, when The Inner Circle first formed and laid The Elite to waste in the main event of the first episode—in chaotic fashion. Over the course of the past eight …

One Record Wonder – ‘Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too?’ by The New Radicals – In Retrospect

Published by Luke Halliday

Whether you were aware of it or not, you’ve likely heard a song written by the New Radicals frontman Gregg Alexander. While the New Radicals only ever released one record—Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too?, which itself produced arguably the most timeless one hit wonder in music history “You Get What You Give” (this writer’s all time favourite song)—Alexander would go on to enjoy a successful career as a song-writer for artists such as Beyoncé, Ronan Keating, The Kaiser Chiefs, Enrique Iglesias, The Struts, and even Santana—just to name a few. Alexander even received a Grammy Award for writing the song “Game of Love” by Santana and Michelle Branch. Despite the countless hits he had written for other artists, it is still the New Radicals one record wonder Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too? that stands as Alexander’s crowning achievement as a musical artist. While the New Radicals are most best remembered for their proverbial one hit wonder “You Get What You Give”, and for good reason, their one and only record is a musical odyssey the …

Brief Guide to SEGA RPGs

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

  With the latest entry in SEGA’s much beloved Valkyria franchise (video games, anime, manga, music, you name it) recently hitting stores titled Valkyria Revolution, on the Xbox One, PS4, and even Vita, now is as good time as any to really appreciate the deep and rich catalog of RPGs released under the SEGA flag. SEGA may not be the king of video games as it once was in an era gone by, but over the course of its 30+ year existence it has created some of the finest role playing adventures that deserve the same acclaim as any of the best role playing epics by Nintendo and Square-Enix. So here’s a quick and dirty overview of RPG franchises and games by SEGA that are worth any role player’s time. Valkyria First Game: Valkyria Chronicles (2008 / PS3) Most Recent Game: Valkyria Revoluion (2017 / PS4, Xbox One, Vita) Best Game: Valkyria Chronicles Remastered (2016 / PS4)   Shining Force First Game: Shining Force (1993 / Mega Drive) Most Recent Game: Shining Force Feather (2009 / DS) …

Nintendo Switch Review Roundup

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

So the Switch landed on March 3 2017 and we’ve been so busy selfishly enjoying the games for ourselves that we forgot to share our thoughts! So to cheat a little, here’s a quick little catch up of the major Switch releases we’ve seen thus far. It’s great that the Switch has had a slow and steady release cycle, gives a chance to savor the releases and catch up on the writing. So here’s our quick stop review guide! The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild All the hype, all the accolades, all the praise… all of it worth it. Living up to the hype is one thing, but far exceeding and surpassing is almost unheard of, and the latest in the legendary Zelda franchise accomplished just that without breaking a sweat. The open world template is an innovation of the Western gaming sphere, with Japanese developers too having a go at adopting this widely accepted and appreciated style of video games. Open world gaming is quite simply the only genre that has showcased …

Current State and Future of Japanese Video Games

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

With E3 2017 setting the big picture for video games in the next 5 years or so, and with recent trends and new hardware, it’s time to stop and identify the current trends in Japanese video games and what we can expect to see from the Land of the Rising Sun. Let’s accept one cold, hard reality: games like Minecraft, Call of Duty, and Grand Theft Auto not only get glowing reviews from Famitsu magazine, but they also comfortably make it to the top ten charts of Japanese video game sales. Deny it all you want, but dating simulators and bullet hell shooters are an acquired taste by Japanese gaming standards even. The sales figures speak for themselves, heck Minecraft for the Switch was the most downloaded title in Japan over the past few months! The point I’m trying to make is that Japanese gaming is changing, and there’s been a stronger unification as to what humanity enjoys in the digital medium. Let’s have a look at some of the major ones shall we? World …

Hats On To You – Super Mario Odyssey Reveals Game Mechanics

Published by Kane Bugeja

Since there is no conceivable rock under which one could live big enough to hid the fact that Mario exists, I’m going to move right into explaining the latest adventure that will soon grace our respective consoles. What with the Switch and all. With the eyes upon Mario’s classic headwear hiding a secret about as well as a glass pane, people have long suspected that Cappy (the cleverly/obviously named cap) would play a role larger than that of Mario’s portable platform mechanic. And those people were right. Apparently, accepting a magical hat as an ally grants one the ability to affix their consciousness to whatever so wear said hat next. In simple terms: Mario puts his hat on things and then becomes things. Which is as odd as it is cool. Ever wanted to be a Bullet Bill? A Goomba? Koopa? A random guy in the city? A taxi? I know I’ve never thought about it before, but now I certainly want all of those things. And if that didn’t sell you on this new …

Truce and Justice – Fire Emblem Warriors Reveals More Characters

Published by Kane Bugeja

I’m not going to waste too much of your time dissecting the formula that is the Warriors franchise. Lots of enemies. Crazy powers. Power fantasy. That’s pretty much it. And whilst that sounds pretty fun to most people who have ever held a controller, it is the skins laid over this formula that draws in the numbers. This time around, it’s Fire Emblem. Though we have known for some time that Falchion (and by extension its wielder) would grace this game with its legendary presence, details beyond have eluded us. “Have” being the operative word. Following the electronic extravaganza that is E3, we are now in the know when it comes to who shall fill out this game’s fine roster. Namely, Fire Emblem Fates shall be represented by Corrin, Xander and Ryoma. So, whether you played Awakening or Conquest, you’ve got one prince to put a smile on your dial and lovely lady Corrin to enjoy. Especially when she does that whole dragon thing she does. Thus, with a new list of old allies, a …

The Game is Afoot – Monster Hunter: World Announced

Published by Kane Bugeja

Monster Hunter. The test of character that has seen many a player give up quite early into their hunting careers. Which is totally understandable, given that some monsters are difficult and unfair and it is totally not a lack of player skill that leads to defeat after defeat after defeat…after defeat. But once those glitches are sorted out, and that bird wyvern goes down, a veritable paradise unfurls and now said paradise has spread its wings to consoles beyond Nintendo’s purview. In addition to the tried and true mechanics of the franchise, namely hunting monsters and using their parts to make weapons to hunt monsters and using their parts to hunt monsters and so on and so forth, the more powerful processing potential of the PC, PS4 and Xbox One opens up the greatest advancement in the Monster Hunter world ever: Reduced loading screens. With map areas still very much a part of the hunting ground layout, World promises to mitigate the segmented nature of this practice by removing loading screens. Though admittedly not too …

NJPW Dominion 2017: Okada vs Omega II – The Greatest Story Ever Retold

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

There is a difference between good and great, a lot of things that are good are absolutely stellar but what’s truly great is what stands the test of time forever. You’re only as good as your last gig, and sometimes we have to make a choice and find the passion and drive to create something that is truly larger than life, to create something that is quite simply immortal. Wrestling as an entertainment platform is one that melds fiction and reality to create something that suspends our belief better than any form of entertainment, there is nothing that can compare to sports entertainment. Whether it is WWE or NJPW, the lore underlying them has a life of its own. It’s like anime in the real world, there’s no better way to put it. Earlier this year I, and the rest of the wrestling world, had the pleasure of being absolutely blown away by the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 11, an absolute classic between The Rainmaker Kazuchika Okada and Bullet Club Boss Kenny Omega. The …

The Battle is Set!! – Dragon Ball FighterZ Announced

Published by Kane Bugeja

Like the World Martial Arts Tournaments that gave our heroes their first fighting aspirations, a new battle seeks to give the warriors of Dragon Ball their next fix. Maybe. I mean, I’m making a lot of assumptions on the game’s behalf. It’s a game by the way. A video game. A fighting video game. In the style of Guilty Gear and BlazBlue (also developed by Arc System Works, as this is to be), Dragon Ball FighterZ revolves around a 2D fighting system and character models that possess a distinctly anime feel. Of course, said feel is slightly outshone by the influx of lighting effects and beam attacks, that are impossible to ignore when they are utilised. The fact that it is also a 3v3 affair bolsters the chaotic nature of the clips shown, expressing a distinct learning curve all fighters must hike. Or not. I’ll admit, fighting games are not my forte. Still, FighterZ looks like a bundle of fun and any excuse to kick Freeza in his smug face is fine by me. -30-

The Next Cycle – Dissidia Final Fantasy NT Heads West

Published by Kane Bugeja

Gotta say, pretty happy about this. With the original two a distant PSP memory and Japanese arcades claiming the third, I wasn’t entirely sure that Dissidia would make its way to a console within my reach. But it shall. A port of the aforementioned arcade release, the adaptationally named Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is set for PS4 in early 2018. Not entirely certain as to what NT stands for, but I’m going to hazard a guess at New Tournament, seeing as Chaos and Cosmos are no more, their roles seemingly replaced by Spiritus and Materia respectively. Makes you wonder how the various FF heroes and villains ever get anything done, being summoned to new worlds by gods every six seconds. Still, sure is a neat chance to test their mettle against opponents most strange. I mean, where else would you find a guy called Onion Knight? -30-

Ultra Evolution – Pokemon Sun and Moon Sequels, Pokken Tournament DX Announced

Published by Kane Bugeja

Well that sure came out of nowhere, didn’t it? And I’m not just talking about the announcement itself, but the organisation of said announcement. Okay, to be fair, the majority of the latest Pokemon trailer was devoted to the newly announced Pokken Tournament DX. As the new and improved Switch iteration of the oddly entertaining Pokemon/Tekken hybrid fighting game, DX promises an increased roster and a few new modes. The headliner of the aforementioned new roster is Decidueye, Rowlet’s fully evolved form and all around cool archer bird. Fellow starters Litten and Popplio also join the cast, but on the support side of things. Which is nice, though fighting as Incineroar would have been cool…because of him being a wrestler cat and all. Tagging along on the end of this trailer (which centres on a brother venturing across a country, playing Pokken at every given opportunity), Pokemon Sun and Moon are seemingly aligning themselves with the Black and White mentality: One sequel apiece. Newly crowned Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, the games seem to promise …

Netflix Releases First Trailer For Live-Action Death Note Film

Published by Frank Inglese

This may be showing my age, ever so slightly, especially with a great deal of new Anime and Manga fans hitting the scene who would have been too young to remember this, but there was once a time wherein which rumours spread regarding a live-action Hollywood adaptation of the series Death Note starring, at the time, cinema’s most popular teen heartthrob; Zac Efron. Now obviously that never happened, but it was at least confirmed that Efron had somewhat interest in playing the role as Light. This live-action film has since been taken under the wing of Netlfix and the role of Light Yagami, changed now to Light Turner, has gone to actor Nat Wolff. Many still believe that Wolff isn’t the type of actor that could pull off a characters as dark and complex as Light, but then again many also thought Zac Efron was a great choice, so we really don’t know who to believe on this one. Other notable names are Keith Stanfield who will fill the “shoes” of L, and Willem Dafoe …

Bandai Shows Off The Digimon 20th Anniversary V-Pet’s Tag Battle System In New Video

Published by Frank Inglese

Months ago, Bandai revealed to the world that they would be re-releasing their original Tamagotchi off-shoot, the Digimon V-Pet, in celebration of its 20th Anniversary. This comes as a follow up to three other Digimon Digivice upgrade and redistribution projects and I have a sneaking suspicion that it wont be the last. The new device, titled Digimon 20th Anniversary V-Pet, will not only be a physical replication of the original but will come with heavily upgraded gameplay mechanics that will give Tamers access to a slew of Digimon, new and old, as well as new levels of Digivolution, and new ways to battle with friends. One of which happens to be the “Tag Battle” system that has been coded into the device’s software so as to allow four monster battles. The Japanese video game pop culture website 4Gamer recently held quite the interview with the staff in charge of the Digimon 20th Anniversary V-Pet, and whilst many of the questions answered were done so in a mostly vague manner, only revealing information already done so through …

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue – Review

Published by Jake McGlone

Deep within the darkness you can find the light. In the recesses of the light you can find darkness. Don’t think too light of the darkness or the light nature of being dark on the subject around lightly darkened spaces with dark tendencies making light of the situation around the dark nature of light. But within this darkness we can find a glimmering light, the light of Kingdom Hearts. It is a series developed and published by Square Enix for both home consoles and hand-held consoles, with nearly 16 games in the line-up there is many an adventure to choose from. As a game franchise I hold very close to my Heart, Kingdom Hearts is one I have grown up with and thoroughly enjoyed since getting the first game for my tenth birthday. I remember fondly saving Kairi and Riku and the Princesses of Heart and stopping Ansem. Then I though Oh boy, time to play Kingdom Hearts 2! Wait, where is Sora… Who is Roxas? Whats is a Nobody? What is an organisation XIII? WHAT THE HELL …

Nintendo Memories: Wii U

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

Kane Bugeja Bayonetta 2 Look! On the store shelves! It’s a Wii! It’s a new controller! It’s an entirely new console with a similar name! And so began the Wii U’s downfall. Which is a shame, because it’s not a bad console, it just had terrible marketing. Still, I have one and I enjoy it, so…that’s something. Though it is still objectively another quirky gameplay gimmick, it is one that…I was going to say “works in theory” but I just realised that I’ve never actively used the gamepad screen for anything. Barring my initial introduction to the system and a Mario hide-and-seek mini game, the Gamepad has more or less served as a large, unexpectedly comfortable controller. The simple fact that it is directly below a player’s normal range of vision prevents it from truly bolstering gameplay as a second screen and its limited range hinders its capabilities as a surrogate main screen, leaving the console as a shell of what it could be, living under the misconception that it is a small addition to …

Nintendo Memories: 3DS

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

Kane Bugeja Pokemon Rumble Blast Once touch screens and motion controls have come and…somewhat stayed, what is next in the world of gaming? 3D. Like in the movies, but also just as forgettable. Okay, maybe that’s a little unfair, but, from personal experience, 3D really did not change anything about my handheld gaming experience. Apart from the curiosity that spurs me to check each game’s 3D mode once, I almost exclusively plays sans this feature, despite owning a 3DS. Of course, as is probably the case for most people, I own it for the games, not the additional dimension. Thus, I will forever be thankful that there is a slider to easily remove this feature from any and all games. Handhelds are designed for travel play after all and being forced to hold one steady at an exact distance from your face is very counter-intuitive. Yes this has been fixed with the (poorly named) New 3DS, but still, you know what I mean. As far as games go however, I really enjoy the 3DS. As …

Nintendo Memories: Wii

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

Kane Bugeja Red Steel 2 The Nintendo Wii, the experimental console with the funny name. You see, because Wii sounds like…you know, nevermind, you know what it sounds like. But what it also sounds like is a brand new gaming experience, full of movement and exercise and…sitting down lazily swinging your arms around, pretending that you’re standing up. Yet another gameplay element/gimmick subsumed by gamers overall aversion to physically enacting the movements of characters. You know, because if we could actually do the things videogame characters could do, we’d be doing them. Man I wish I could double jump. Digression aside, one of the most inherently Wii experiences I ever had was through Red Steel 2. One part Western, one part samurai film, this game brought forth the Motion Plus, an add-on designed to improve the Wii’s motion tracking. Which was somewhat of a success. Though Red Steel 2 was definitely one of the more complete motion gameplay experiences I’ve had, there were certainly times where swinging wildly outclassed intention and skill. Still, even ballistically …

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable Live Action Movie Teaser Revealed

Published by Jake McGlone

The gang behind the Diamond Is Unbreakable live action movie have done a wonderful job of revealing a steady stream of teaser images after the last episode of the anime last December. This was through images of the actors dressed up in their fabulous attire. Now we hit the apex teaser as a teaser trailer was recently streamed for the movie. The trailer opens with a picturesque view of Morioh, before showing Josuke walking towards the camera. Following Josuke knocking a ne’er-do-wells teeth out, there is a quick flash of images regarding the movie, which is following the ‘Hunt For The Arrow’ Ark. Important images shown include: He believes in being the best there is at what he does, archery. The gate museum has a 100% success rate of people not getting stabbed in the neck. Seriously, all that water around cannot be good for your health. He is probably thinking about Starfish, or squids, or something. The house is so dirty because of all the archery. The film has finished on location shooting in Spain and …

Tales of Berseria – Review

Published by Luke Halliday

The Tales series continues to release new installments more and more frequently, with a new title having been released on a yearly basis for quite some time now. Other franchises releasing installments at this pace have often fallen flat and the quality of the games decreased severely. Remarkably this has not been the case for the Tales series which continues to knock it out of the park with each release, Tales of Berseria being the latest in the winning streak for Bandai Namco. Set in the same universe as Tales of Zestiria, one of the series finest installments to date, Tales of Berseria finds itself at an advantage most other Tales games do not, there is a pre-existing world and history to mine for story in interesting ways. Most games in the series start with a clean slate, Berseria however jumps back in time set around a hundred years before Zestiria and lays out how the world once was. It is interesting to note that the terminology used in the time of Berseria is different …

Nintendo Reveals List Of Indie Games To Be Released On The Switch In 2017

Published by Frank Inglese

It scared me to think that the Nintendo Switch is only days away from an official release. Scares me only because it brings to light just how easily time can pass you by. Days roll into weeks, weeks roll into months, months roll into years, and the Nintendo Switch comes out in two days time! It’s simply far too exciting for words. Now we’re all very much aware of the Switch’s launch titles; The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, Super Bomberman R, 1-2-Switch, and a few more, but soon folks will be looking for something more to play as they begin finishing the games that game alongside the console’s launch. Nintendo, this time around, have put a great deal of their focus into cultivating a nourishing environment for indie developers and their interesting games with the Switch and, as a part of the Nindies Nintendo Direct that streamed but a day ago, they have revealed an extensive list of Indie video games that are set for a release across 2017. Unfortunately there really …

Nintendo Memories: DS

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

Luke Halliday Bomberman DS The Nintendo DS is a console I hold near and dear to my heart. Not only do I have so many fond memories playing with my brother and sister with the system, the Nintendo DS was the final gift I received from my grandmother before her passing. She has terminal cancer and the last gift she got for us all before her time had come was a Nintendo DS for each of us. She knew how much we loved gaming and she was happy to support our passions and was always a big proponent that what’s fun is good. With the Nintendo DS I got a few games; Nintendogs, Super Mario 64 DS, and Bomberman DS. The latter of which became the go to game for me and my siblings. We spent hours and hours blowing each other up, it was us against the COMs but it felt like us against the world. We use to pretend that we were playing online against people around the world, even though the game …

Celebrate The Launch Of “Berserk And The Band Of The Hawk” With New Trailer

Published by Frank Inglese

Kentaro Miura’s Berserk is still a wonderfully popular Manga series, with its elongated support being spurred on by two different Anime series’, both new and old, as well as a series of films. Some time ago the Manga even inspired it’s fair share of video games, but it’s been quite some time since the general public have seen something new from the franchise’s gaming side. Omega Force revealed quite some time ago that they were currently developing a Dynasty Warriors-style video game based upon the gruesome Manga, and today finally marks its release for not only the PlayStation 4 but the PlayStation Vita and on the PC thanks to Steam. A series that lends itself well to the gameplay style Omega Force seems to have mastered over the years, Berserk And The Band Of The Hawk will follow the story told in both the series’ original Manga as well as the Anime and films that followed. With playable characters ranging from series protagonist Guts to key member of God Hand; Femto, formerly Griffith. To celebrate the game’s …

Nintendo Memories: GameCube

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

Luke Halliday The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker So finally we have made our way to the little purple box that could. The GameCube holds a very special place in my heart, in fact I still consider it my favourite video game console of all time. I spent countless hours diving into the wonderful worlds of the GameCube, I don’t really know quite where to begin even. My first interactions with the GameCube came with a display unit at my local Kmart, I watched on with keen fascination as kids lined up to play Smash Bros Melee on the system. Eventually me and my younger brother got our turn and were blown away by how much the game had improved upon the original. This would be a common theme for my other ventures on the GameCube. While the GameCube didn’t feature some revolutionary controller or gimmick, it revolutionized with its games, taking the familiar faces of Nintendo and doing something wildly different with them. Whether it be the water wonderland of Super Mario Sunshine, …

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild DLC Pass, Original Story and Hard Mode Added

Published by Jake McGlone

Nintendo often get criticised for their constant attempts to innovate, at the same time as being criticised for not being with the times as it is. You want a new console? Sure! You don’t want it to have new features? Who are you and why are you in my office?! At some point, the company cannot win. Fast forward to today where  Nintendo has announced that they will be releasing an DLC pass, expansion pack for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The pack has three  main sections and will begin to release coinciding with the games launch. The pack in total goes for $19.99 USD, which will most likely mean that Australia will be paying $25-$30. A reasonable price for what is on offer. Both the Switch and Wii U versions will be identical. The main downside to this is that the three packs will not be available for separate purchase. All or nothing, yo. The first pack, released with the launch, comes with three chests sprinkled around the large Great Plateau area, one of which …

Nintendo Memories: Game Boy Advance

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

Kane Bugeja Zoids: Legacy The Game Boy Advance was a console that certainly lived up to its name. Compared to its predecessor, the GBA was a powerhouse console. At least from the perspective of a child. The graphical upgrade was amazing and games utilised colours to a far greater extent than the console named after such a visual mechanic. Combine this with the cavalcade of games, both old and new, and you’ve got yourself a handheld that saw the Game Boy era to a powerful end. In the mix of awesome games that made this console, such as Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire and Emerald, Dragon Ball Z: Buu’s Fury, Sonic Advance 3 and (obviously) Bionicle: Maze of Shadows, there was one game that stood out to me more than any other: Zoids: Legacy. Terribly translated and damn near indecipherable for anyone who had not seen the series, Legacy was a hot mess of an adaptation. And boy did I love it. Still do. With Zoids games few and far between, I am so glad that I said …

New Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of Wild Screenshots Ahead Of Its March 3rd Release.

Published by Jake McGlone

No matter how close it would come to Christmas, I was always trying to get a peek of the presents under the tree because why do parents think its a good idea to leave them so tantalisingly close?! The point is, until its in our Dorito encrusted hands, we are always going to want more. Thankfully the good folks over at Game Informer have released some new Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild screenshots. Maybe these little gems will hold anticipation for the remaining days before the release of the Nintendo Switch. Will these do anything to satiate the roaring emptiness inside of us all in anticipation for the Nintendo Switch and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild being released in less than a month? No. Was I serious about wanting to own a store brandishing my face as the main logo? Yes. -30-

Street Fighter V Introduces Us To New Fighter: Kolin

Published by Frank Inglese

I’m a simple man, and therefor don’t know much about the world around me. Something I know for certain though is that the world in question is run by an elite series of hyper human beings known as the Illuminati. They’ve got their God-like hands in everything; music, television, film, food products…I assume. Nothing will stop their reign! Apart from, like, Ken or something. A martial artists can probably thwart this secret governing society. Actually, I’m fairly certain that they have before. Street Fighter III saw the introduction of a brand-new villain; Gill, who was once actually the leader of the aforementioned shadow organisation; the Illuminati. Now while you may assume that I’m on the verge of revealing that he himself is to appear as a new playable character in the already released Street Fighter V…you’d assume wrong. It is, instead, his silent assistant Kolin who will be joining the roster for the latest instalment of playable characters. Yes, Kolin is her name, and fighting for the Illuminati is her game. Revealed by Capcom just …

Digimon World: Next Order – Review

Published by Frank Inglese

Japan, 1997: The Birth Of Digimon – Bandai took the world by storm with its Tamagotchi variant directed at young males. With a focus on training and fighting, it quickly became not only a great alternative to pet ownership but a competitive craze that would dominate the year as well as the few that followed. Japan, 1999: A Whole New World – Bandai releases Digimon World for the PlayStation. A spiritual follow-up to the Sega Saturn title Digital Monster Ver. S: Digimon Tamer which would, one day, be lost in the shadow of what many consider to be the quintessential Digimon video game. Digimon World sucked Tamers into the world of the Virtual Pets they loved so much, introducing us all to a brand-new world. Japan, 2012: A Missed Opportunity – Another addition to the Digimon World line; Digimon World Re:Digitize was released across Japan, but never in any other regions. This game saw Tamers, once again, return to the Digital World in much the same way as its descendant. While many other Digimon games had come …

Nintendo Memories: Game Boy Color

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

Frank Inglese Pokemon Crystal Pokemon is a franchise that I keep close to my heart even to this day because of its impact on my young life. As an only child with no Father and a Mother that had to work long hours to sustain our small family, it was Pokemon that gave me a strange, inorganic sense of companionship. I related to the young boy on the screen, travelling around the world with no-one but his trusty pets. It helped me deal with a lot of the trauma of my childhood and, in fact, still does so today. Pokemon Crystal, specifically, will remain my personal favourite Pokemon title to this day, it seems, not only because of its base excellence but because of the connection between myself and my now passed Father that it still represents. Prior to the release of the second generation, my Father took me on a trip into Sydney City to attend a small but impactful convention that revolved around Pokemon and the upcoming video game releases. For the life …

RADWIMPS release music video for their song ‘Weekly Shonen Jump’ featuring Jump Heroes

Published by Luke Halliday

Fans of Japanese rock band RADWIMPS would likely be familiar with their ode to Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, aptly titled ‘Weekly Shonen Jump’ which featured on their critically acclaimed 2016 album Human Bloom. The song sees RADWIMPS lead Yojiro Noda opining of his desire to be a man just like a hero out of Shonen Jump, to be there for the girl he has feelings for whenever she is in a bit of a pinch, looking out for his chance to be her hero. It is a beautiful song through and through. A music video has now been released for the song and it happens to feature countless Shonen Jump heroes throughout the video like Izuku Midoriya of My Hero Academia or Yuma from World Trigger to name a few. You can check out the video below to get a nice listen of RADWIMPS latest single paired up with some heroes of Jump. RADWIMPS’ Human Bloom album is currently available in full on their Spotify channel, for those who are inclined to be using Spotify. …

The New Nintendo Switch Trailer, Once Again, Shows Off Its Gameplay Versatility

Published by Frank Inglese

All, if not most, people now know about Nintendo’s next big home console/handheld gaming device the “Switch”, so I wont bother with any kind of recap. I’m sure that those of you out there who are reading this already know everything there is to know about the console, so there’s also nothing I could tell you here that you wouldn’t already know. In fact, I feel as though some of you reading this are the types to sit and rewatch a trailer again and again until you’ve properly digested every iota of information in it, so I’d imagine that there’s more that you can explain to me than me to you. Something you may not know about, though, is that today Nintendo released another trailer for their upcoming console that, although oddly like the reveal trailer, runs for about five minutes long and features some of the games revealed through the conference held just a few weeks ago. The trailer, as you may have already guessed, doesn’t necessarily show the games themselves, but instead it shows the …

Expelled From Paradise – Review

Published by Jake McGlone

If there is one thing that life (and many a movie) has taught me up until this point, it is the undeniable fact that humanity will eventually screw up this whole ‘living comfortably on earth thing’. Such is the case for Seiji Mizushima’s Expelled From Paradise where the denizens of our little blue marble in the sky have pulled an Elysium and gotten the hell out of dodge. In lieu of living on the surface the majority of the populace subside within the space station DEVA where all of their many wants and desires are fulfilled. This fulfilment is done through virtual spaces such beaches and malls. Unfortunately, an entity known as Frontier Setter is hacking into DEVA (possible via the ‘mainframe’, don’t ask me I am not a doctor) and sending odd messages through these virtual spaces. These messages vaguely make reference to another space station GENISIS. The message itself seems inherently innocuous but is a clear sign of a lack in cyber security aboard DEVA. Obviously, this leaves the upper echelon of DEVA command, Central …

Nintendo Memories: Nintendo 64

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

  Frank Inglese Pokemon Snap My first true obsession, dating back to when I was far too young to be addicted to anything at all, was without a doubt Pokemon. My first ever Pokemon game was Blue, followed by Red and then Yellow. As I said; I was well and truly hooked. After receiving my Nintendo 64, it was Pokemon Snap that had me enthralled. My parents, being the ones who fueled the fire of my Pokemon video game dependency, didn’t necessarily know what the title was, but saw Pokemon and naturally believed it to be a good choice…it was! Pokemon Snap took players on a journey into the realm of Pokemon in a way unlike any previous game. It was NOT a turn-based RPG, for one, and you could not capture and collect Pokemon. It was, instead, a game about a young photographer who just so happens to live in the Pokemon world. For the very first time it felt like I, as the player, was directly interacting with the world I dreamed of being …

Prison School: Complete Series – Review

Published by Frank Inglese

While things like ghouls, goblins, creatures, and critters tormented me and my heightened imagination as a child, it is the thought of being locked in a high security penitentiary that does a wonderful job scaring me into submission as an adult. While I’ve done no such punishable crimes up until this point in my life, and I have no plans to commit any going forward, I’ve seen too many television series about being locked behind bars…and it scares the living daylights out of me. I suppose, when looked at in this particular light, it’s clear to see why a system like the penal works so well, arguably, because it keeps frightened citizens like myself from doing anything less than legal. Now, if you were to tell me that the institution that would host my incarceration was one akin to that featured in the recent hit Anime series Prison School, well…the rate of crime in my area would multiply tenfold. You see, although I don’t consider myself a felon of any kind, I do understand that …

Capcom Reveal Monster Hunter XX and Sailor Moon Collaboration For Upcoming Game

Published by Frank Inglese

At this point in time, no one is shocked that the latest in the long series of Monster Hunter titles, Monster Hunter XX, is already collaborating with other popular franchises. The last few games in the series had countless tie-ins with not only Nintendo-owned and other Capcom IPs but also Anime series like Ushio and Tora, Fairy Tail, Yowamushi Pedal, and others that are far too abundant to list. Well, Monster Hunter XX hasn’t even been released yet, and already Capcom are revealing ANOTHER collaboration for the upcoming game, and despite how bizarre they have been in the past…nobody expected this: It’s Sailor Moon’s 25th anniversary, and to celebrate you will be able to dress your very own Palico up like the series’ own flagship feline; Luna! Alongside a Luna skin for your cat companion, a weapon (only able to be equipped to the Palico) called the Cutie Moon Rod from the series will also be made available. On top of that, this collaboration will also gift you with a Guild Card Background also reminiscent of …

Nintendo Memories: Super Nintendo Entertainment System

Published by Luke Halliday

Jahanzeb Khan Street Fighter II Turbo Despite being a die hard SEGA fan and the Mega Drive (Genesis) being my unanimous 16 bit machine of choice, my very first foray into video games ever was through the Super Nintendo. The first video game I ever played was Star Fox (known in PAL territories as Star Wing). Star Fox didn’t necessarily cement my love for video games (the would be Sonic the Hedgehog) but it was still a hell of a way to get introduced to video games. I may love the Mega Drive more but I couldn’t overlook the amazing library of the SNES. There’s just too many quality games on the system, games that are still as relevant and playable today. Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, Earthbound, F-Zero, Mario Kart… the list just goes on. What do I consider as my FAVOURITE of them all? Well that answer changes every time I’m asked this question. For now, I’m going to mention the one game that made the SNES VERY …

Dressed to Impress – Cosplayers Angie and Knite Confirmed as Guests for Madman Anime Festival Perth

Published by Kane Bugeja

With the month of March approaching faster than most would care to realise, Madman has come forth with their first guests for the Perth rendition of the aptly titled Madman Anime Festival. And, wherever anime conventions go, cosplayers shall be there. From the intricately sewn lacework of a Victorian era frock, to the purposeful low tech iteration of EVA-01 made from a cardboard box, presentation runs the gamut. There are even those cosplayers who have amassed fans of their own and it is two examples of this trend who are to attend the aforementioned festival as guests. Prominent in the Asia convention scene, Angie will be attending the Festival in what will be her first Australian appearance. Fans will be able to meet, greet and nab some sweet prints and photo books with and from Angie, in the times when she isn’t judging cosplay contests. It has also been made known that Angie will be cosplaying as Asuna from Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale on the Saturday, coinciding with the Australian release. No word though on …

Nintendo Switch Dark UI Possibly Leaked Via Deleted Tweet.

Published by Jake McGlone

We have all been there before. You have just finished working on something really hard and you can not wait to show it  off to all of your twitter followers. However, in your folly you accidentally leak something from Nintendo that had only been shown previously for a whopping 3 seconds. This was the case for 1001 spikes developer Nicalis when they shared a picture on their twitter, which has since been deleted, of their games adorning the Switch. This wonderful act of sharing inadvertently gave Nintendo Switch fans a first look at a dark themed UI as well as a few hints into some other features. Via promotional photos we received a look at the base UI for the Switch, with the bottom 6 icons reading left to right: Game News, Nintendo E-Shop, Album, Controllers, System Settings, and Sleep Mode. Also in the photo are multiple user pictures, denoting multiple user profiles, and a logo in the bottom left hand corner showing whether the console is in Dock mode or Handheld mode. These are in addition to the standard fare, such …

GACKT Casually Enters Championship Poker Tournament, Ends in 7th Place

Published by Luke Halliday

In the continued adventures of legendary visual kei superstar GACKT, he has casually entered into a championship poker tournament known as the Asian Poker Tour. Outside of being a wildly successful Japanese musician and revolutionizing the visual kei genre over nearly 20 years in the business, GACKT had also recently begun his own Youtube gaming channel where he would play video games mostly in silence while surrounded by a selection of expensive vehicles. That said, it still comes as a surprise that GACKT has suddenly revealed himself as a world class poker player entering this tournament without warning or fanfare, for reasons only known to him. Perhaps more interesting to note is that out of 96 entrants he placed 7th, winding up in the top 10 poker players in all of Asia. It is crazy to think that along with the many of projects that GACKT is working on, he still manages to find the time to engage in a high-stakes poker tournament, because that is the kind of thing he just does. In my …

Utada Hikaru’s Fantôme Album Tops 1 Million Sales, New Music Video Released to Celebrate

Published by Luke Halliday

After a 6 year stint on indefinite hiatus, iconic Japanese singer/songwriter, Utada Hikaru returned in September last year with a brand new album titled Fantôme. Since its release the album has gone on to top 1 million units sold making it 4 times platinum in Japan. This is Hikaru’s first album to top 1 million units sold since her breakout smash hit album First Love way back in 1999. Not only was the Fantôme album the top selling album of 2016 in Japan but it also received the Best Album Award at the 58th Japanese Record Awards. To celebrate the album hitting 1 million sales and winning best album, a new music video has been released for the song “Boukyaku (feat. KOHH)” which you can check out below. Most Westerners would remember Utada Hikaru for her theme songs contributed to the Kingdom Hearts video game series such as ‘Simple and Clean’ and ‘Sanctuary’. Rumour has it that she is slated to return for Kingdom Hearts III with another song serving as the theme for the …

Reggie Says Nintendo Has Learned From Wii U Mistakes

Published by Luke Halliday

Let’s be honest here for a minute guys, the Wii U was a bit of a failure for Nintendo. It sold poorly and never really became a mainstream console, forever in the shadow of its predecessor the Wii. There was a lot of reasons for why this happened, a terrible name, lack of third party support, an overconfident Nintendo and above all else a poor marketing campaign that ensured the console was dead on arrival. With all this taken into consideration, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime has claimed that Nintendo has learned from their mistakes with the Wii U and does not seek to repeat history with the Nintendo Switch. Reggie says that Nintendo ‘thought deeply’ on the failure of the Wii U and they feel that they did not communicate to consumers what exactly the Wii U was and what it was capable of doing. In relation to what they learned he says that they are doing things differently with the Switch, claiming that, “Nintendo Switch is a home console you can play …

Has ‘Fire Emblem’ Reached Critical Mass?

Published by Luke Halliday

Yesterday, Nintendo held a special Fire Emblem focused Nintendo Direct conference. During this conference they announced 3 new Fire Emblem titles alongside the previously revealed Fire Emblem Warriors game. With so many Fire Emblem games announced and so many having been released in recent history, one has to ponder the question; has Fire Emblem reached critical mass? Of the announcements were a new mobile game Fire Emblem Heroes, a remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden for the Nintendo 3DS called Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia and a yet to be titled new Fire Emblem game for the Nintendo Switch. Of course this is all hot off the heels of the announcement of Fire Emblem Warriors a musou styled game from Tecmo Koei stalwarts Omega Force. Fire Emblem Heroes is set to hit mobile devices on the 2nd of February and the other titles are set for sometime throughout the rest of the year. That’s not to mention the fact that there will be another line of Fire Emblem amiibos released to tie in with the …

V-Jump magazine Reveals New 3DS Title Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultimate Mission X

Published by Frank Inglese

Dragon Ball Heroes is, arguably, one of the most popular arcade video games to be currently in circulation across the great country of Japan. It is, certainly, highly revered by fans of Akira Toriyama’s long-running Shonen series, and by those who follow it’s video game lineage. In an attempt to capitalise on it’s success even further, and to extend outside of arcades, Dimps (the developers) and Bandai Namco Entertainment conceived and released two titles for the Nintendo 3DS that took the Collectable Card-based system of the arcade game and reworked it to be all-inclusive. Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultimate Mission 1 and 2 were just as well received as their arcade counterpart, perhaps due to the fact that you no longer had to collect physical cards to play, thus eliminating the need to spend further money. Some purists will say that the game then loses it’s heart, but others are just happy to have everything in one place. The latest issue of Shueisha’s V-Jump magazine is set to be released across the weekend, but some sneaky …

Digimon World: Next Order “Un-Hatch Your Destiny” Trailer Released + Boltbautamon Introduction

Published by Frank Inglese

Digimon World: Next Order is only about a week away from an official release outside of Japan, and yet thanks to the Western world getting a higher quality PlayStation 4 version of the game Japan has decided to follow suit with their own “International Edition” with that release to coincide with our own. Now despite it not being too far away, Bandai Namco Entertainment are continuing to roll out trailers for the upcoming game, which doesn’t surprise anyone, as well as introducing us to brand-new Digital Monsters that we assume have been designed specifically for Next Order. The new trailer, titled “Un-Hatch your Destiny”, is another overview video of Digimon World: Next Order that focuses on the death, rebirth, and Fusions features of the new game, showing partner Digimon perishing in battle only to be reborn though this time as the result of a Fusion between their dwindling data. The trailer IS in English, and can be seen just below this paragraph wherein which I have provided it: Bandai Namco Entertainment Japan today also revealed …

Ultra Street Fighter II Commemorates 30 Years of Fighting Excellence

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers is one of the major releases planned for the Nintendo Switch in 2017, and it’s every bit as desirable as Splatoon 2 and Super Mario Odyssey. In fact, the resurgence of games like Street Fighter and Bomberman (in the form of Super Bomberman R) is the reason why the Switch is a true return to gaming’s humble and exciting roots. Watch the trailer of Ultra Street Fighter II, you can see clips of the launch of Street Fighter II Turbo on the SNES early on, and man was that a magical thing to experience firsthand. What’s great is that we get to relive that magic once more on the Switch, and just in time for the 30th Anniversary of the Street Fighter franchise (25 years for the flagship Street Fighter II itself). Ultra Street Fighter II looks to reinvigorate the gamer of yesteryear, and unite them with the current crop of fighting fans who have been enthralled by the likes of the hugely successful Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter V …

‘Your Name’ Makes History, Surpasses ‘Spirited Away’ as Highest Grossing Anime Film Of All Time

Published by Luke Halliday

Just when you thought that the hype train for Your Name, Makoto Shinkai’s anime masterpiece, was beginning to slow down, it goes right on and becomes the highest grossing anime film of all time hitting a whopping $281 million USD at the box office and counting. The film is sure to continue pushing that figure higher and higher with it set to open in 92 more countries in this coming year. The record was previously held by Hayao Miyazaki’s seminal anime fantasy Spirited Away. Even the most optimistic of pundits weren’t too sure that Your Name would surpass it, but indeed it has. Just don’t let Shinkai know, he is a little touchy on the subject. Having personally reviewed the film for our site, which you can check out here, I must say that Your Name is every bit deserving of this historic accomplishment. The film is an honest to god masterpiece that has touched the hearts of audiences across the globe. Whether he will admit it or not, Shinkai has done something wonderful in making …

Nintendo Memories: Game Boy

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

Jahanzeb Khan The King of Fighters 96 One of the coolest things about portable consoles back in the day was that despite them being technologically inferior to home consoles (and significantly so), developers still challenged themselves to bring 16 bit or even 32 bit video games to the confines of the 8 bit monochrome Game Boy. More often than not these transitions weren’t always ideal, but when developers were able to the successfully bring the home console and/or arcade experience to the handheld it was one hell of an achievement. Back in the day SNK and Neo Geo were the absolute kings of 2D sprites and animation, with their arcade technology being the cutting edge of 2D graphics, so much so that systems like the PlayStation and even Saturn struggled to run the highly detailed 2D engine of Neo Geo. SNK’s The King of Fighters series was red hot, and having The King of Fighters 96 on the Game Boy should have been a disaster, but it wasn’t. The game was re-imagined and optimised for the …

Arc System Works Announce BlazBlue for Nintendo Switch, The Wheels of Fate Are Switching

Published by Luke Halliday

The wheels of fate are turning indeed with Arc System Works announcing that they will be bringing their popular BlazBlue fighting game series to the Nintendo Switch. BlazBlue is an anime style fighting game with high octane action and very bizarre phrases such as calling rounds ‘rebels’ and the battle cry that the wheels of fate are turning. Arc System Works did not reveal any footage of the game unfortunately nor did they give a release date but the very fact that we are getting a new BlazBlue game on the Nintendo Switch is reason enough to be excited. I hope my main monster Arakune returns for this new game! -30-

Nintendo Switch to Retire Miiverse and Streetpass, Thanks For The Memories

Published by Luke Halliday

Who doesn’t love a good Streetpass? Heck I have even made friends because of it (Hey, Rolan). Well if you are a fan of the Streetpass feature of the Nintendo 3DS, don’t expect to see it return on Nintendo’s upcoming home console/handheld hybrid, the Nintendo Switch. The same looks to be the case for the popular social network Miiverse which is also being retired according to David Young, Nintendo public relations director. Both popular features are set to be retired on the Nintendo Switch in favour of deeper social media integration with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and Twitch. All of which will be accessible by the new ‘Share’ button on the Joy-con controller. So while it seems that will be the replacement of the Miiverse function, Nintendo has no plans to introduce a replacement for the Streetpass, which seems like its time has passed. Farewell to Streetpass and Miiverse. Thanks for the memories, but sometimes you just gotta switch things up. -30-

‘Eccentric Family’ Anime Named Official Goodwill Ambassador for City of Kyoto

Published by Luke Halliday

What’s fun is good! Those are the words by which the Shimogamo tanuki family of the fantastic and painfully under appreciated Eccentric Family anime live by. Those very same words will now be the slogan for the City of Kyoto which has announced that the Eccentric Family anime and its colourful cast of magical characters will be the first ever global goodwill ambassador of Kyoto. The ambassadorship aims to use the Eccentric Family characters and series to promote the lovely city of Kyoto to the rest of the world, aiming to raise tourism and help boost the local economy of the city. As part of the inauguration event, the Shimogamo Shrine, the real life shrine which the characters in the series live at, played host to a special ‘Gathering of Tanuki’ event with fans of the series gathering in tanuki coats to celebrate the new ambassorship as well as the news of the upcoming second season of the Eccentric Family anime. ANN were present to grab some photos of the event. You can check out …

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is still Wii U Bound

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The Switch could not ask for a bigger launch title than The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and that new trailer was absolutely breathtaking. Still, this title did start out as a Wii U game, and with the Wii U being phased out and production slowing down (if not ceasing) the future of the Wii U version was in limbo. Great news for those still wanting that curtain call for their Wii U as the The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will also be landing on the Wii U on the very same day it launches for the Switch on 3 March 2017. This has happened before, as The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess began life as a GameCube title, and then ended up becoming a launch title for the original Wii console in 2006. The GameCube version still released alongside the motion-control enabled Wii version. Nearly a decade later history has repeated itself. Those of us who still want to get that extra mileage out of their Wii U have …

Nintendo Switch January 2017 Presentation Highlights: THE GAMES!

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

What an incredible showing by Nintendo! What a great time to be alive! Nintendo Switch is set to launch on 3 March 2017 with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, ARMS, and 1, 2, Switch! confirmed as launch titles with more to be announced as we quickly head into the historic release. Demo events are planned worldwide so we should be able to try the system over the next couple of months. The price point is $US 299.99 and hopefully we will get a confirmed $ AU price point soon. I’m sure the stream gave you all the info you needed, so here are some quick and dirty game highlights from the stream! Splatoon 2 I honestly would have settled for an enhanced expanded release of the original Wii U Splatoon but it’s a full fledged sequel folks and it’s set for 2017! Looks great from what we can see and the added mobility and portability of the Switch system will certainly make Splatoon 2 a title we can enjoy all day every …

Hori’s Nintendo Switch Accessories Revealed Through Online Leak

Published by Frank Inglese

Avid fans of not only the video game industry but of Nintendo specifically will know that tomorrow marks Nintendo’s live presentation of their upcoming console, the Switch, across the globe. Having known about this for a little while now, anticipation within the gaming community is at an all-time high, so the news of image leaks regarding the console’s first wave of accessories has come at arguably the most opportune time. As with any good handheld release, the likeliness of there being peripherals to help not only protect the console but to make it more comfortable for the player is quite likely, and as such, seeing as though the Nintendo Switch does indeed fit the category of “handheld device“, it was only a matter of time before products like this were to be revealed. Surfacing online are a series of images depicting accessories for the Nintendo Switch developed by well known video game accessory company Hori. Most of the peripherals revealed are based, aesthetically, on what we can only imagine to be a launch title for the …

Exit the Dragon – Microsoft Announces Cancellation of Scalebound

Published by Kane Bugeja

Alas, poor Scalebound. We did not know thee, no matter how much we tried. Since its official announcement way bay in the day of E3 2014, Scalebound served as somewhat of an enigma. With promises of dragons, climactic battles and the musical stylings of The Prodigy, annual trailers were the main source of insight into PlatinumGames’ latest venture…at least, they were. For reasons not totally known, Microsoft has announced the cessation of production on Scalebound. Furthermore, official channels depicting the game in question have been Scalebound-down as it were, removing all mention of it and footage pertaining to it. Of course, the footage of E3s past is still available, just not on the Xbox Youtube account. As of writing, the official Twitter account still stands, though the idea of activity on that front is somewhere between unlikely and pointless. Even the game’s website is nothing more than a home page displaying the news thusly: Today, I have a difficult announcement to share that affects our fans, Microsoft Studios team and a valued partner. After careful …

‘Your Name’ Grosses Over $1 Million in Australia, Surpasses ‘Spirited Away’ and ‘Pokemon’ at AUS Box Office

Published by Luke Halliday

Your Name has quite simply become a phenomenon. Makoto Shinkai’s film about two teens waking up in each other’s lives which has garnered universal critical acclaim and commercial success has just passed a major landmark down under according to Australian anime distributor Madman Entertainment. In a blog post update on their site Madman confirmed that Your Name has grossed over $1,000,000 AUD at the Box Office, surpassing Spirited Away 10 times over and Pokemon the First Movie 20 times over, making it the second highest grossing anime film ever in Australian Box Office history. The only other anime film to gross higher than Your Name was 2004’s smash hit Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie which grossed a total of $1,367,050 AUD in its time in cinemas. It is worth noting that while Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie received a standard cinema run, Your Name only received a special limited time run, with no where near the same amount of cinemas showing the film as Yu-Gi-Oh! did way back in 2004. With that in mind, cracking the 1 million mark …

Your Name – Review

Published by Luke Halliday

We live in a society that is always looking ahead, constantly looking for the next big thing to become ‘hyped’ about. We are all looking for the next thing to fill our lives with a bit of excitement however fleeting that feeling may be. Unless you have been living under a rock for the last year, there is one anime film that has been on the end of anime fans lips around the world, that is Makoto Shinkai’s latest film, Your Name. By the time the film had finally been released it was hard to decipher what all this hype truly meant. It is on track to becoming the highest grossing anime film of all time and even a potential Oscar win. But is it really worth the hype, could all the hubbub be for naught or did Shinkai really create the magnum opus masterpiece his career has been barreling towards with each and every film he has produced? By the time the credits had rolled I knew one thing for certain; there was no …

Reader’s Vote: Japanese Video Game Of The Year 2016

Published by Luke Halliday

Have your voice heard in SnapThirty’s annual Japanese Video Game of the Year Awards for 2016. There will be a special Reader’s Vote award for Japanese Video Game of the Year alongside the normal slew of awards. That said, it is time to take up arms and support your favourite Japanese Video Game of 2016. Vote below for your favourite game and if your favourite isn’t on the list add it in with the ‘other’ option. Keep in mind that only games of Japanese origin are in contention here. Enough talk, get voting Snap Family! -30-

Reader’s Vote: Anime Of The Year 2016

Published by Luke Halliday

Have your voice heard in SnapThirty’s annual Anime of the Year Awards for 2016. Once again there will be a special Reader’s Vote award for Anime of the Year alongside the normal slew of awards. That said, it is time to take up arms and support your favourite anime series of 2016 Vote below for your favourite anime and if your favourite isn’t on the list add it in with the ‘other’ option. Enough talk, get voting Snap Family! -30-

Nintendo Memories: Nintendo Entertainment System

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

As we count the weeks, days, and three months or so leading up to the launch of the Nintendo Switch, we at SnapThirty are going to take a stroll down memory lane and revisit each of Nintendo’s legendary system (except for The System That Shall Not Be Named). Starting off with the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), we reminisce on our fond memories and favourite games. Jahanzeb Khan Castlevania Castlevania is best described as a video game that is far greater than the sum of its parts, and the debut title on the NES ranks comfortably with the likes of Mega Man, Contra, and Metroid as one of the leaders of 2D action platforming. Castlevania introduced a methodological combat mechanic situated in a ingeniously designed action platformer. Perhaps among the earliest horror video games, the original Castlevania had you take control of a tough as a tank Vampire Hunter by the name of Simon Belmont. Castlevania had all the right ingredients: unique personality and mechanics, sound level design, brutal and satisfying boss battles, distinguished aesthetics, and above …

First Thoughts: Akiba’s Trip The Animation – Showin’ A Little Skin

Published by Frank Inglese

The Winter Anime season of 2017 has yet to interest me too greatly. Usually, by this point in time, I’m inundated by a high volume of new Anime to sink my teeth into, but judging by the list of series’ set to begin airing over the next week or so…this season’s going to be a slow one for me. Having played the video games too many times to admit, it’s Akiba’s Trip: The Animation that has my full focus this time around. Akiba’s Trip: Undead And Undressed, originally released for the PlayStation Vita, has seen some three re-releases at this point in time, meaning that the game is more than just a fluke success. That’s why it makes sense that an animation studio like Gonzo would pick up the rights for an Anime adaptation. Strangely enough, this mostly unheard of Anime, and by extension video game series, is also receiving the simuldub treatment, with the English Dub being released shortly after that of the original Japanese. We saw this with Space Dandy quite some time …

Rumour: Shenmue HD Re-Release Possibly On The Way

Published by Jake McGlone

There are some undeniable facts in this world. You can never have too much of a good thing, nobody actually knows what they’re doing when checking for an avocados ripeness, and when a game garners over 6 million dollars, there is going to be some residual interest. This was the case at E3 2015 when the creator of Shenmue, Yu Suzuki, stole the limelight at the Sony press conference by announcing a Kickstarter for Shenmue 3, in an attempt to spark interest amongst developers and fans alike. Fast forward to today where that spark is now a full fledged forest fire. However, in lieu of thousands of trees being destroyed, there is just a developer chomping at the bits to get behind this momentum. That developer is Sega Europe and it has been revealed that they have registered, at the very least, three domain names related to Shenmue. These include: the vanilla sounding shenmueremastered.com, the 100% NOT a typo shemnuegame.com, and the main character of this article shenmuehd.com. Whilst it is not unheard of for a developer to register domains …

Everything We Know About Bandai’s 20th Anniversary Remake Of The Original Digimon V-Pet

Published by Frank Inglese

Some time ago, Bandai Japan updated the official Digimon: Digital Monsters website to feature a countdown timer alongside an interesting graphic sporting both series mainstay Tyrannomon accompanied by the original V-Pet, released in 1997. The timer was obviously counting down to the re-release of the V-Pets we came to know and love in our youth. Not only was it the images that gave it away, but the long line of re-makes and re-releases that Bandai have been rolling out over the past year. Well today that timer finally hit zero, and with it came the reveal of what is indeed a pair of very exciting re-makes. Now, I have spent a great deal of my day attempting to translate the onslaught of information that came with the announcement, but that is not the hardest feat I have attempted to accomplish today…it is this; relaying it to you all in an understandable and concise manner. Considering I do not read, write, or understand Japanese, I have had to use a series of translation applications to discover …

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 – Road To Boruto Gets It’s Very First English-Dubbed Trailer

Published by Frank Inglese

Naruto who? I have no idea who that is, but I think who you’re trying to talk about is the rambunctious young ninja Boruto, right? Yeah, Boruto, he’s destined to be the saviour of the ninja world. The one and only Boruto Uzumaki, who can compare? So Naruto is dead and gone…well, not literally, but time continues flowing ever forward and with that comes growth. Our old friend Naruto has had two children now with his beloved wife Hinata, and the oldest of the two, Boruto, reminds the old man a little too much of himself, but you know this don’t you? Of course! You’ve seen Boruto: Naruto The Movie, but you’ve yet to play the game, and that’s where things get tasty! On the horizon is the latest and greatest Naruto fighting game title; Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 – Road To Boruto. While this new title isn’t exactly a totally different game from the last, it IS a heavy expansion that follows the story of the aforementioned movie. This expansion was revealed …

Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius To Add Popstar Ariana Grande As Playable Character

Published by Frank Inglese

In the more recent years, Square Enix have been doing some strange things with their number one IP Final Fantasy in the way of cross-promotion. With the latest iteration of the series, Final Fantasy XV, they have collaborated with Audi, Beats By Dre, and Nissin Cup Noodles in what can only be described as the most gratuitous product placement in video game history…barring perhaps Pepsiman. Look it up. At this point in time it is expected for huge franchises like Final Fantasy developed by huge companies like Square Enix to gather money for a project wherever they can, or to build on a game’s popularity whenever they can. With Square Enix’s venture into the world of mobile RPGS, Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius, is is a new collaboration between the game and real life superstar Ariana Grande that is not only confusing but exciting the world of both modern music and modern gaming. In what I can only imagine is an attempt to give Brave Exvius a wider reach, Square Enix have decided to collaborate with …

Premiere Visual Released For Upcoming JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Live-Action Film

Published by Frank Inglese

Now that the Anime adaptation of Hirohiko Araki’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable has reached it’s finale, fans of the long-running series are thirsty for more. Most are anticipating the release of a preview for the upcoming Part 5: Vento Aureo, whereas others are looking towards the realm of live-action cinema to scratch their itch. Luckily famed director Takashi Miike and crew have exactly what what we need to drive away any withdrawal symptoms that come with a lack of JJBA content. Across the new years celebrations the very first visual for the upcoming live-action JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure film, which will be focussing solely on Part 4: Diamond Is Unbreakable, was released online. This image shows lead actor Kento Yamazaki in full costume as the story’s protagonist Josuke Higashikata. The most prominent reaction to this visual reveal is that of a positive one, with many saying that it is as close as a filmmaker is going to get to recreating his look from the Manga. It’s great to see that many are fans of …

Chihayafuru Part 1 and 2 – Movie Review

Published by Luke Halliday

It is hard to imagine how a series about professional karuta, a traditional Japanese card game, could be so exciting, yet it is. Chihayafuru is one of the greatest ‘sports’ anime of all time if you could really classify it as such. The series imbues every moment with genuine excitement and a sense of beauty that is truly incomparable. One of my first thoughts when I heard it had been adapted to not one but two live action films was how would they capture the beauty of the animation, to my surprise they did it by doing something very simple; showcasing the game of karuta in reality for all its true to life wonder. These two Chihayafuru films definitely go hand in hand, as is the reason why we have decided to review them together. The first film follows karuta fanatic Chihaya as she reconnects with friends of the past and builds new friendships over the game of karuta, all in the lead up to the epic tournament finale that closes the first film out. …

Erased – Movie Review

Published by Luke Halliday

How do you take a complex multi-volume manga or its fantastic 12 episode anime adaptation and translate that into a 2 hour live action film? How do you condense that story in a way that the heart of it isn’t lost in the process? It is a difficult challenge to overcome and for the most part the live action adaptation of the time travel mystery series Erased does an admirable job, until it all falls apart in a baffling final act that betrays the audacious climactic turn of events of the source material in favour for an illogical climax that lacks the same ingenuity and emotional impact. That said, for the majority of its run time Erased is a fine adaptation, as long as you stop watching before the final act. Erased follows Satoru Fujinuma (the always fantastic Tatsuya Fujiwara), a down on his luck aspiring manga artist who works as a pizza delivery driver for a living. Satoru has a bit of a secret however, he has the innate ability to relive events with …

Kyoto Tower Lights Up For Blue Exorcist Birthday Celebration

Published by Frank Inglese

Japan has a heck of a lot of national pride, that’s for sure. When they do something, they do it well, and when it succeeds you bet your bottom dollar that everyone in the country will celebrate! Kazue Kato’s Blue Exorcist has been running for some seven years now: It quickly grew to mass popularity, and has stayed that way ever since. The Shonen Manga got itself an Anime adaptation a few years ago, with a second one on the way very soon, so there’s much for creator Kazue Kato to be happy about. With the passing of every year, Miss Kato heads online to celebrate the fictional birthday of Blue Exorcists twin heroes Rin and Yukio, with many others following her lead by creating fanart of the two celebrating another year. Well, because of the series’ increasing success, and with much more around the corner, it was not only the internet that celebrated the boys’ birthday this year but Kyoto city itself. The arc of which the upcoming Anime is focussing on is the …

“The Film Has Been Seen Enough”, Says “Your Name.” Creator Makoto Shinkai

Published by Frank Inglese

Apparently there IS such thing as too much of a good thing, at least, that’s the case for Makoto Shinkai; the creator of modern Japanese Pop Culture’s biggest film since whatever it was that Hayao Miyazaki worked on last. You would have to be living underneath a fairly large rock not to know about the recent blockbuster film Your Name. The story of two literal star-crossed lovers living out each other’s lives through dreams was created by genius writer, director, composer, animator, Makoto Shinkai. You may be familiar with Shinkai’s other popular films 5 Centimeters Per Second, Children Who Chase Lost Voices, Garden Of Words, and a few key others. Those that know of Makoto Shinkai also know that he’s somewhat of an eccentric guy, especially when it comes to that of his passion projects. He is a meticulous perfectionist, and leaves absolutely no stone unturned, and it’s thanks to this that he is now asking that people around the world STOP seeing his latest film. Seeing as it is still being shown in select …

Starting the New Year with Wrestle Kingdom 11

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

  Before Wrestlemania, and hell before the Royal Rumble, there is no wrestling event that kick starts the New Year quite like Wrestle Kingdom by New Japan Pro Wrestling. Having become more widespread since Wrestle Kingdom 9, thanks to localisations efforts and the inclusion of an English color commentary team (which was great in Wrestle Kingdom 9 but certainly left A LOT to be desired in Wrestle Kingdom 10). We are now getting ready for Wrestle Kingdom 11, set to take place on January 4 2017 (January 5 for those living in the Outback) inside the one and only historic Tokyo Dome. It’s been said many times before, but this is Japan’s equivalent of Wrestlemania being held in New York’s  Madison Square Garden. Wrestle Kingdom 11 certainly has a lot of buzz for it, but the star power is lacking… thanks mainly due to some of the biggest NJPW stars of the last 5 years now becoming fixtures of WWE. So much of what made Wrestle Kindgom amazing is now missing, with the likes of …

Compare the Pair – Digimon World: Next Order Presents Vita and PS4 Graphics Side by Side

Published by Kane Bugeja

Oh how refreshing it is to be back in a world where Digimon games are seeing a Western release. No sarcasm there, simply genuine happiness. Doubly so considering that it is one of the few franchises that has tried to make use of the PS Vita, otherwise known as the world’s most under-utilised gaming device. That being said, Bandai Namco’s latest trailer for Digimon World: Next Order may just show reason for people’s aversion to the console. Handheld in nature, the Vita has never, and will never, compete visually with its more powerful, home-locked brother. Combined with the comparative lack of large scale releases, the Vita has seen far less attention outside of Japan. Of course this is a self fulfilling prophecy, as the lack of sales results in companies not porting to the Vita, resulting in a lack of sales, resulting in a lack of ports to the console. Nothing new there. Regardless, the Western release of Next Order shall apparently only see a PS4 release and the trailer that is about to follow ultimately …

A Touch Of Anti-Magic – Black Clover Special Anime Episode PV Released Online

Published by Frank Inglese

There are a set of modern Manga gracing the pages of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump that make up what I’d like to call the publication’s “Comback“. In the early 90s began the “Golden Age” of Shonen Jump comics, and this spanned almost two decades until very recently wherein which those that were left over came to an end. With One Piece being the only series from the time left to continue indefinitely, Shueisha have made efforts at revitalising Shonen Jump. Gone are the days of Slam Dunk, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Rurouni Kenshin, but these new artists are paving a new way into the future. With Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia, Daisuke Ashihara’s World Trigger, and Yūto Tsukuda/Shun Saeki/Yuki Morisaki’s Food Wars! at the forefront of the serialisation’s battalion it’s hard to deny that we’ve reached another great generation of Manga production. One not mentioned, but one just as popular as those listed is Yuki Tabata’s Black Clover. A Fantasy Manga reminiscent of many others, Black Clover quickly gained quite the fanbase across the world. It’s heavy-handed but well-written combination …

First Promotional Video Revealed For Boruto: Naruto Next Generation Anime

Published by Frank Inglese

With every popular Manga comes a popular Anime series, and considering how popular Naruto still is even after it’s finale it’s only natural to assume that it’s Manga spin-off/continuation, Boruto: Naruto Next Generation, would too get it’s very own Anime adaptation. After Boruto: Naruto The Movie it was revealed that a Manga series based on the events of the film would be produced by Mikio Ikemoto and Ukyo Kodachi. The Manga, which has been running for a little while at this point in time, recounts the events of the latest film and continues onwards, telling a very familiar tale featuring some very familiar faces. TV Tokyo, who will be airing this new series, opened up a website yesterday dedicated to this upcoming Anime series. Alongside revealing the key art for the Anime, a promotional video was also posted, but it showed nothing more than scenes from both the original Anime and the aforementioned movie which disappointed some but still worked to build hype swell around a “franchise” with more than enough as it is. During this …

Yu-Gi-Oh!’s Sixth Series Revealed Courtesy Of Official Twitter

Published by Frank Inglese

Yu-Gi-Oh!, unlike many Trading Card Games of late, has withstood the test of time. Originally appearing within the pages of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump back in the later months of 1996, Yu-Gi-Oh! has continued long into the new age, albeit with every new iteration spearheaded by someone other than it’s original creator Kazuki Takahashi, who moved on from it quite some time ago. As time continued to move ever forward, more and more Yu-Gi-Oh! Anime and Manga were produced alongside that of the actual Trading Card Game, the cards of which can be found almost everywhere around the world. Yu-Gi-Oh!, like Dragon Ball Z or Pokemon, is a worldwide phenomenon that simply will never end, and yesterday that was confirmed thanks to the series’ official Twitter account which revealed that, in 2017, Yu-Gi-Oh! will return in a brand-new Anime series. So far unnamed, the sixth Yu-Gi-Oh! series will follow the life and times of a young Duelist named Yusaku Fujiki; a somewhat shy boy who wishes to be as far removed from the spotlight as …

Live-Action Tokyo Ghoul Film’s First Teaser Image Released

Published by Frank Inglese

Truth be told; I’m perplexed as to why a live-action adaptation of Sui Ishida’s hit Manga Tokyo Ghoul hasn’t already been made and released. It truly is one of the most popular Horror/Thriller Manga of contemporary times, rivalling even that of Attack On Titan and yet only now are we hearing about it’s upcoming film. Regardless, this has sent the internet into a whirlwind the likes of which only a live-action film adaptation of a hit Anime can. Partially revealed sometime ago, the live-action Tokyo Ghoul film has been in development for not as long as one would imagine. The development studio and cast behind the film have remained mostly quite about it’s progress and, in fact, the movie’s contents, but those of you who have watched or read Tokyo Ghoul can accurately guess what it is going to portray. The very first teaser image for the upcoming film has just ben released, and it shows both the main character Kaneki Ken (portrayed by actor Masataka Kubota) alongside his signature mask which, keen eyes may …

First Line Of Generation Two Pokemon Now Available In Pokemon GO

Published by Frank Inglese

Niantic, the developers behind the once-explosive, Pokemon GO have always had plans to distribute Pokemon from the series’ second generation across the world of the augmented reality video game, but specifics on when that would come about were never revealed. Educated speculation dictated that once the developers saw a decline in the popularity of the title that they would begin with the rolling out of the next generation, and it seems as though now is the appropriate time. It’s close to the end of 2016 and it is looking as though Pokemon GO has quickly run out of steam, lasting but a few months before simmering down to what it is now. Granted, those few months were absolute lunacy, with many non-players hoping that the craze would fade away sooner rather than later. Personally, I thought the game would remain far longer in the public eye but it is now little more than a memory, hopefully the introduction of baby Pokemon from Generation Two will help fuel the the train of popularity once again. The …

Yamcha Is The World’s Strongest Fighter In This New Dragon Ball Spin-Off

Published by Frank Inglese

The problem with most people of this day and age is that they only remember the bad times as they disregard the good. Yamcha, whom you should all be very much aware of, is the butt of an endless stream of jokes with many considering him to be, perhaps, the most useless characters to ever grace the pages of Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball Z Manga and it’s Anime adaptation. That, for the most part, is a fair point…ONLY if you’re considering Dragon Ball Z. You see, Yamcha was once quite the force to be reckoned with during the days of Dragon Ball, but time has forgotten that, and he is now only known as little more than a failure of a fighter. He WAS, for a short while, the star player of a baseball team, but that was overshadowed by, well…Goku’s constant battle against world-ending evil. Fear not, fans of Yamcha! Shonen Jump Plus, a digital Manga run by Shueisha so far only available across Japan, has begun featuring a brand-new Manga based upon Akira …

Creepy – Review

Published by Frank Inglese

General consensus dictates that neighbours are meant to be trusted. You, as a citizen of the area, are to band together with others like yourself to form a small but tight community. You see one another on a daily basis, you interact with each other whenever you can, and because of this a specific bond is formed between yourself and your neighbours that breeds positivity in your local area. There’s nothing safer than your home, but there’s nothing that can put you more at ease than knowing that your general area is too just as safe. Fact is…the people you interact with while mowing the lawn or watering the garden aren’t the same when behind closed doors. That’s not too scary though, it’s a simple truth of this world, the frightening thing however is the severity of that difference. In Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s latest theatrical project “Creepy“, we’re taught that the world’s most dangerous people aren’t only shown on the nightly news…they could be right next door. A special “thank you” must be extended to The …

First Promotional Video Released For My Hero Academia Anime’s Second Season

Published by Frank Inglese

Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia is one of the most popular Shonen Jump Manga in the publication’s modern era, and it’s Anime adaptation is seemingly no different. An instant hit, this series gained large-scale popularity across the world, with Viz Media being forced to release the Manga digitally through it’s Weekly Shonen Jump app by sheer demand of widespread audience. The Anime adaptation, which has been legally streamed across the world, met with much he same reception as it’s source material so it’s no surprise that, almost as soon as it’s first season ended, it was revealed to be getting a second. Bones, the studio behind the series, has just revealed the ver first promotional video for the upcoming second season, and although it’s only some thirty seconds long it’s still enough to get the blood pumping. Unfortunately the release period for the second season has yet to be disclosed, but we WILL be seeing this in 2017, and it is more likely to begin airing in the earlier months rather than the later, but …

Premiere Gameplay Trailer Released For Marvel VS Capcom Infinite

Published by Frank Inglese

Now that it has been officially revealed and the world is excited for the upcoming crossover title Marvel VS Capcom Infinite, it’s time that we start seeing more of what this new addition to the much-loved series of fighting video games has to offer. To end this year’s Capcom Cup tournament as a part of the PlayStation Experience conference, Capcom released the very first gameplay trailer for Marvel VS Capcom Infinite featuring the same four fighters that were present in the game’s reveal trailer which was only released yesterday. Alongside footage of X, Ryu, Captain Marvel, and Ironman brawling, Capcom also released quite a fair bit of information regarding the game’s new mechanics, the most exciting of which is the removal of 3-hero teams to instead only accommodate 2, and the implementing of a new in-battle mechanic that allows players to harness the power of the Marvel universe’s Infinity Stones, each representing a different type of power. Reborn Rivalries: Universes collide once again in this all-new crossover clash for the ages, where players select their …

Live And Let Die! Sony Officially Reveals Marvel VS Capcom Infinite

Published by Frank Inglese

It was only a few days ago that we at SnapThirty reported on a rumour circulating the web that speculated on the release of a Marvel VS Capcom 4. As part of the rumour it was explained that the official reveal would come as a part of the 2016 PlayStation Experience conference, and that it would be made available sometime in 2017. Well, we’re currently at the back end of this year’s PlayStation Experience, and just as the rumour explained; a new Marvel VS Capcom has officially been announced. As expected, the reveal was delivered in the form of a short teaser trailer that depicted what many assume to be the flagship fighters of this particular iteration duking it out 2-on-2. On the Marvel side is none other than Ironman but surprisingly supported by a more recent fan favorite Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers). Those two are pit against new Capcom mascot Ryu (Street Fighter) fighting alongside a familiar face with a shiny new body; X (Mega Man X). The group of four go head-to-head-to-head-to-head for a good …

RUMOUR: Marvel Vs Capcom 4 Planned For a 2017 Release?

Published by Frank Inglese

Rumours are brilliant because even though you know for a certain that there’s a high chance they mean nothing, it still excited and delights you in ways that most other things simply cannot. I love a good rumour, but that may only be because I’m quite the gossip, regardless it’s this particular one that has me in pure elation! If you’ve ever played a video game, like, ever than you’d know about a little series called Marvel VS Capcom; it’s a set of fighting titles that literally pit characters from the Marvel Universe against video games legends like Ryu, Megaman, and Dante. So far, the count is at three Marvel VS Capcom games, but an interesting rumour circulating the web is telling us that there will soon be a fourth! Perhaps…remember, this is just a rumour. Pop culture website Polygon recently released an article stating that Marvel VS Capcom 4 will indeed be released in 2017, with their sources being many and mysterious. This, my friends, is why I must state that this news is nothing …

Blood Blockade Battlefront Returns For Season Two In 2017

Published by Frank Inglese

Blood Blockade Battlefront was the sleeper hit Anime of 2015 that, despite not garnering a mainstream level of popularity, is a series much loved by most Anime fans across the globe. Strange, right? Well it’s no Attack On Titan, nor is it One-Punch Man, but for those “in the know” it was one of the hottest Anime titles of the year. Based on a Manga by Trigun creator Yasuhiro Nightow, B3, as it was shortened to, centred around a supernatural defence agency located in the remains of New York after a devastating catastrophe of God-like proportions. Diverting from the source material, B3 featured an original ending that seemed to me as though it was pretty final, but it has just been unofficially revealed that a second season is planned for a 2017 release under the altered name “Blood Blockade Battlefront and Beyond“. This is unofficial because the magazine this will appear in has yet to be released, but an early edition of the so far unnamed publication has been acquired and pictures of it have …

Pokemon Sun and Moon – Review

Published by Frank Inglese

In life, there is nothing sweeter than the sharing of experience. We as humans actively seek companionship from others as a trade for our own for more than basic primal needs to belong. There is a joy that comes with sharing that simply cannot be explained, but it is a necessary element of happy and healthy living. Pokemon was first conceived with this in mind: Satoshi Tajiri built Pocket Monsters on a foundation made up of interactivity. Swapping weird and wonderful creatures with friends new and old is the foundation on which Pokemon was constructed, and to see such a base concept come so far speaks volumes about the human mentality. Twenty years later and Pokemon is far more than what it once was, breaking through the proverbial ceiling and reaching higher into the stratosphere than anyone thought possible, and yet with this latest iteration we’re delivered something humble in essence. Even this far removed from the original games, Pokemon fans are still sharing experiences with one another, trading from across the globe and battling like never …

Xbox 15th Anniversary: 15 Notable Japanese Xbox Games

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

It was nearly 15 years ago when Microsoft entered the console wars with its Xbox console, and 15 years later it currently stands in a pretty sweet position with the Xbox One console. During that time we saw the hugely successful Xbox 360 system and next year we can look forward to the Xbox Scorpio. A lot has happened in the last 15 years, but what has always remained consistent is the Xbox’s poor commercial performance in Japan. For numerous reasons the Xbox brand just doesn’t garner the same interest from Japanese gamers, and has consistently to this day remained the poorest seller in the land of the rising sun. Still, this is the 15th anniversary for all things Xbox, and these systems were graced with a range of excellent Japanese video games. Some were exclusive, some landed on the system first before any other platforms, and some in fact performed best on the Microsoft game box. In no particular order, here are 15 of the most notable Japanese games that graced Xbox systems over the …

Destroy STIs And Your Childhood With These Sailor Moon-Themed Condoms

Published by Frank Inglese

Sexually Transmitted Infections are still quite an issue across the world. This is just one of those things that hasn’t changed despite years of development to prevent their spread. It’s easy enough to use condoms while partaking in the act, but many people prefer to go about it without the prophylactic and this is when issues arise. It is apparent that, over in Japan, the spread of diseases like syphilis is far too common in young men and women, so common in fact that the government has publicly kicked off a new campaign that is to promote safe sex in, for lack of better words…quite the unconventional way. Collaborating with Naoko Takeuchi, the Japanese Government have begun using imagery of the hit Manga/Anime/Pop Culture Phenomenon Sailor Moon to urge young men and women to not only get tested for sexually transmitted diseases but to actively work against preventing them. In a majority of medical institutions across Japan you will now be able to catch glimpses of the Pretty Guardian herself exclaiming “If you don’t get tested, I’ll punish …

Terraformars (Live-Action) – Review

Published by Frank Inglese

It’s the future. Well, no, it’s currently the present, but eventually it will become the future. In saying that, though, by the time the future comes along it will be regarded as the present, but let’s not split hairs. It’s the future, and it’s time for the more significant citizens of Earth to begin searching for another planet to relocate to and subsequently destroy, so the Japanese government looks towards Mars, the red planet, as our race’s ambitious next step. Do not let it’s colour deceive you though, as it turns out, Mars is incredibly cold! Far too cold to live on! It goes against everything the primary colours stands for and yet we still make the attempt to terraform it. I know what you’re thinking; “Frank, how did we do it?“, well I have the answer: Cockroaches and moss. When I first bought my new car, most people said that black was a bad choice of colour because it absorbs heat far greater than any other. I took that knowledge to Secret NASA and …

First Preview Released For Fullmetal Alchemist Live-Action Film

Published by Frank Inglese

There’s a timeless saying that goes; “when it rains, it pours“, and while this is only a moderate shower, it’s one that is building necessary hype for some upcoming live-action feature film adaptations of Japanese pop culture properties. Only a few days ago the very first full trailer was released for the Ghost In The Shell Hollywood adaptation which was exciting in and of itself, but following it’s release the world has been gifted a quick look at another anticipated live-action adaptation; the Fullmetal Alchemist film. The movie’s official website has been updated today to feature a thirty-second preview video of the upcoming film that shows lead actor Ryosuke Yamada as Edward Elric alongside his full-CGI brother Alphonse, as well as some familiar locations, and a canine-like beast that many are assuming is the adaptations take on a chimera. While there’s not much more to be said about this brief look at the film, my personal opinion is that it actually looks great! My hope is that, unlike many other movies of it’s kind, it …

Coming In Fast! Dragon Ball Fusions To Be Released One Month Early

Published by Frank Inglese

I’m hard pressed to think of something more exciting than the early release of a much-anticipated video game. Bandai Namco truly know what gets people going, and it’s at times like these that we are reminded of how lucky we truly are. The upcoming Nintendo 3DS game, Dragon Ball Fusions, was set for a release on the 13th of December and has been that way since it was revealed, but Bandai Namco Entertainment have decided that waiting until the very end of the year to release this exciting title simply isn’t on. Instead, they will be releasing Dragon Ball Fusions across North America a month early, now being made available on the 22nd of November! While our friends living over in the United States are lucky to land this one early, us living in Europe and it’s attached regions will have to wait until the February of 2017 to get our hands on it, but my hopes are that Bandai Namco Entertainment decide to speed up the release of Fusions outside of the USA as well. …

Paramount Releases First Full Ghost In The Shell Live-Action Film Trailer

Published by Frank Inglese

This type of thing is happening so often in contemporary times, and yet none of it seems real until it is directly in front of us. Although the live-action Ghost In The Shell film starring Scarlett Johansson was revealed quite some time ago, it is only now that my mind is able to properly comprehend that this is indeed a reality. Paramount Pictures have, overnight, begun streaming the first official trailer for the upcoming Ghost In The Shell film, and it has taken the internet by storm simply because, well…it’s here. The trailer goes for a startling two and a half minutes, which is only startling because, from what history as taught us, this promotional process usually starts small and builds up, but with Ghost In The Shell it’s starting off fairly strong with, I hope, all the intentions of getting stronger. The trailer briefly describes what the movie’s story will be baed upon, but it’s so vague that really only true fans of the source material will be able to understand. This film seemingly …

Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki To Return To Feature Film-Making

Published by Frank Inglese

For much of our lives, humans blissfully anticipate their opportunity to retire. Work hard when you’re young, save as much money as possible, do enough so that when it comes time to retire you can do it comfortably, but there’s a part of retirement that no-one seems to foresee, and it’s boredom. Hayao Miyazaki, the Godfather of modern Anime cinema, announced his retirement some time ago alongside the internal shuffle of Studio Ghibli, but we all knew it was simply never going to last. When you’ve dedicated yourself to one art, it’s near impossible to give it up, even as the twilight years of your life start to roll around. Hayoa Miyazaki has a fire burning in his heart that will never be extinguished and that’s why he has returned to feature film making for an indefinite period of time. Since his retirement, Miyazaki has been working on a small project called “Boro The Caterpillar” which, upon completion, was to be shown as a part of the Studio Ghibli museum tour circuit. This short film …

Very First Trailer Released For Akiba’s Trip: The Animation

Published by Frank Inglese

While many around the world are gearing up for the release of the PlayStation Vita’s Akiba’s Beat, there are still many of us that have yet to overcome the majesty of Akiba’s Trip; a beat ’em up video game heavily reliant on one’s ability to strip enemies down to their skin. The latest in the incredibly short series of games, Akiba’s Trip: Undead and Undressed, gained quite the cult following around the world which spurred a series of re-releases that have yet to end with the recent reveal that yet another is planned for a worldwide release to coincide with it’s upcoming Anime series. Simply titled “Akiba’s Trip: The Animation“, this new series will tell a story similar to that of both Akiba’s Trip and it’s sequel. Though many of the characters are reminiscent of those we’ve seen in the past, this is a new story that basically follows the same outline. Acquire, the game’s developer, have recently released the very first trailer for the upcoming Anime series that doesn’t show as much as we …

Log Horizon Season Two: Part Two – Review

Published by Frank Inglese

Achievement breeds complacency, and complacency breeds comfort. Comfort in one’s self, comfort in one’s environment, comfort in one’s situation. Is there anything wrong with justified contentment? Not at all…unless that sense of security forces you to entirely lose sight of what’s most important. In personal lives, what’s most important is only that to the individual, and so bursts of rest, respite, relaxing, and serenity are only small breaks in the road to ultimate accomplishment, but when the lives of many rely on your ability to stay on path, divergence or delay simply isn’t an option. It has been some three years since Shiroe and company were “teleported” to the hybrid world that is partially like their own but mostly like an in-universe MMORPG titled “Elder Tale“. For a majority of our time with the series, we have followed as the character cast developed a society wherein which they could exist relatively care-free so as to, one day, have the opportunity to focus on escaping this new reality wholeheartedly. After years of struggle, it looks as though the pseudo-civilisation they …

Niantic Nerfs The Rattata And Pidgey Population With New Pokemon GO Update

Published by Frank Inglese

As a man living in the suburbs of Sydney, it was the high rate of Rattata and Pidgey appearing in my area that somewhat turned me off of Niantic’s Pokemon GO. Well, that and the fact that everyone around me was far better at it and, me being quite the bad sport, chose to forgo developing my virtual Pokedex early on. It’s become somewhat of a running joke that Trainers living in the suburbs are the metaphorical Kings and Queens of rodent Pokemon because unless you’re venturing into more population dense areas like major cities chances are you’ll not be catching anything more than a purple rat or a brown bird; two of the most boring Pokemon to ever be designed.   Niantic have recently revealed that, with the new update of the game, the population of Rattata and Pidgey across the board is going to be reduced heavily. Finally! Rattata, Pidgey, and Zubat will now be far more difficult to come across, though you can still expect some, and they will no longer hatch from …

Upcoming Bleach Novel Centres Around Rukia Kuchiki and Renji Abarai

Published by Frank Inglese

The final chapter of Tite Kubo’s Bleach left as quickly as it came and left it’s audience with a plethora of questions which all thought would go very much unanswered. This is simply what happens when a Manga goes on for so long but is not given the proper amount of time to conclude. Luckily, for those of you out there that still want more Bleach, it has just been revealed that two novels are planned for a release across 2016, what’s left of it, and 2017. The first of the two to be released is a novel written by Makoto Matsubara, who is known for previous Bleach novels, and will focus on a special story that revolves solely around Rukia Kuchiki and Renji Abarai, who we now know are a couple with a child. This story, though specifics still havn’t been released, could indeed focus on the development of their intimate relationship leading up to the birth of their child…or it could be literally anything else, though I know what people will be hoping …

Nobuhiro Watsuki Creates Short Rurouni Kenshin Spin-Off Manga “The Criminal Ashitaro”

Published by Frank Inglese

Many people would consider Nobuhiro Watsuki’s “prime” to be his time behind the pencil while creating Rurouni Kenshin, but little do many know that Watsuki-sensei has continued to get better and better during his years outside of the spotlight. With other Shonen Jump-published Manga like Buso Renkin and Gun Blaze West under his belt, Watsuki is a Mangaka that is so much more than a one-trick pony, but it is always good to return to the classics and that’s why his contemporary Rurouni Kenshin spin-off manga “Rurouni Kenshin Variant Story: The Criminal Ashitaro” is such an exciting, albeit stout, venture. This two-chapter short story, with the first having already been featured in the December issue of Shueisha’s Jump Square magazine, centres around a character called Ashitaro Hasegawa; a prisoner who is released from a high-security Tokyo prison. On his travels as a free man he comes across another young boy named Aran Inoue, and a lovely lady who has awaited his release ever since he was put away behind bars. Watsuki, as you may imagine, is entirely in charge …