Sometimes, you can see it coming from miles away…. According to Ds Fanboy and Famitsu, Blazer Drive is being converted to a Nintendo Ds. This by itself isn’t nothing surprising, but the small detail is that Blazer Drive only has 3 chapters out! Remember what I said on this post? I guess I was really made to be a Ds game…

Now, we have several issues with it: First, it’s being made by Sega, which isn’t the most reliable games producer for conversions; Second, whe only have 3 chapters worth of plot! But the screenshots around seem to imply they are using a parallel plot to make the game free from the manga plot. Hey, if it worked with the Eureka Seven games…

EDIT: Yes, I know, the ACTUALL name is Blazer Drive….Serious screw-up I’ve made. But not going to change the title due to permalink issues. I hate you, Hotcakez….

This day I shall forever burn into my mind. I wish you were there RIUVA…but I guess that Island Paradise was worth it, yes?

So it was a glorious day for me on June 14, 2008 the day I shook hands with the God of Metal Gear, Lord Hideo Kojima. The minders would not let us tarry for pictures so I got some pretty crappy ones, hopefully the rest of my comrades got better ones. Nevertheless I got what was most important, my very own signed copy of MGS4. In addition the first layer of air on my freshly opened copy included air from the same room as Lord Kojima. I can now die a happy man. I was most fortunate to be a San Francisco native and even more fortunate that Lord Kojima would agree to visit so small a place instead of just stopping at New York City, and Los Angles.

Meryl and Snake (Larger Version)

The rest of their group.

Earlier in the day… (This was my start point by the way)

I got up later than I wanted so I rushed out as soon as I could, I was disheartened at first when my buddies were late as well. So I ended up as the first one on scene at 1130. They got there around 1200, thankfully there weren’t that many people at the time behind me so the guy behind me didn’t mind. Around 1400 they announced that we were not going to be guaranteed to get a signature, no one got out of line though since in my area there were roughly 200 people in front of us. Strangely enough I saw more DS units being used that PSPs. The guy in front of me wanted to get his copy of SSBB signed too, I wonder how well that went over with the Sony crew… Another guy wanted to get an issue of Playboy signed, if he did get it I am sure the tale will soon be circulating. I am glad we persevered and by 1700 we got our entry wrist bands for the signing. The cut off came about 45 minutes later.

The Hero behind me. That is hard core man fucking HARD CORE…(Larger Version)

The only picture I got with Lord Kojima looking up, stupid handlers…nothing against Mr. Imaizumi. (Larger Version)

Thanks for looking up Mr. Imaizumi!

The scuttle butt (rumor) was that the cosplayers that they found were granted an audience with Lord Kojima, but I am not sure. They did however get out of line rather early, so I assume that they got something for their excellent cosplay. The 1UP/EGM guys were there two interviewing some people, mostly cosplayers and the man behind us. The guy behind us was a long time and hard core fan of Lord Kojima who came all the way from Phoenix, Arizona. He is a hero amongst the gaming faithful. Not only did he get a copy signed he got his manual for Snatcher signed too, in addition Lord Kojima responded to the question of a Snatcher sequel with a shrug and a “maybe.”

Damn you friend of the guy with the box! As you can tell they shoved us out as soon as we got our stuff signed. Damn you Sony employee DAMN YOU!!!!!!!!! Not that Ms. Kikuchi’s profile was in any way bad, but still…

Guy Hero who was behind, me you sir are a lucky lucky man. (Larger Version)

Today’s Loot, yeah I know I got the SHnY CDs rather late but I don’t give two shits, for I have a signed copy of MGS4. Thank God that the 13th was pay day.

I am glad they decided to speed things up by having a bunch of MGS4 sleeves on hand for Lord Kojima, Mr. Kenichiro Imaizuri, and Ms. Yumi Kikuchi to sign in order to speed things up, since it allowed even more people to get an autograph and walk away happy. It would have been better if a speech was also in the cards but as the last stop before they went back to Japan, it was understandable that they were a bit exhausted after all their other stops. I got sun burn, but it was worth it. Next time though I will bring sunscreen and some food before camping out during the day. After the event we went off to Japantown to get some ramen. Now off to play!

I am so fucking happy I could cry… (Larger Version)

So it’s been a week or so after I went to my gaming convention (Kublacon) in lieu of Fanime. Just goes to show that while I love anime my soul belongs military history and war gaming. While the event was roughly a week ago I just handed in a 5 page paper last week and mulled over my humiliating series of defeats for one game and surprising success in another. This is about the only time I get in a good number of games given how college has been chewing me up and spitting me out into a gutter. Seeing as how there is nothing scheduled I might as well throw up a post even it will bore half of you to death. I was in despair that Charles Sharp had a last minute issue and had to cancel all the lectures on WWII Cavalry, Panzer Division Organization, and Organization of American/Soviet Armored Formations.

Laugh if you must but this guy can run you through with a claymore faster than you can catch your breath.

It was not a total loss though since the lecture on the Scottish Jacobite Soldier of the 18th Century proved quite interesting. After hearing about the Scots and the Highlander’s risings which took place within 50 years of each other, I feel that Code Geass has lost some of its luster. I have said before how Britannia is not a very competent Imperial Power, but after hearing about how the Hanoverian government dealt with the ferocious Highlanders I am beginning to realize just how dangerous IKnight’s ancestors were. I have to say by comparison what the Jacobites went through to restore Stuart rule makes the Black Knights look like bunch of holiday excursionists on their way to the beach. It takes a special kind of deviousness for the British to crush the Rising of ’15 be lenient and let most of the rebels go while conducting a “hearts and minds” campaign that led to the formation of the famed Black Watch. It takes even more guile to beat the same bunch of kilt wearing independent minded warriors in the Rising of ’45 massacre a lot of them and then proceed to persuade them into fighting for the creation of the British Empire.

That native fellow can scalp a man faster than a Black Knight can cry for his Zero. Ain’t war hell?

I was rather surprised to learn that the same Jacobite Rebels that fought so hard in the Rising of ’45 would then go on campaign against the Natives in North America, the French wherever, and even in the American War of Independence. Admittedly the British did find ways of ensuring compliance in ways that Lulu could not even begin to imagine, nevertheless bringing the fierce Highlanders to heel is a feat in itself. Though for a bunch of “losers” they did a pretty good job of earning the respect of the British, Native Americans, French, and the Colonials. Notably they even rejected their battle honors for fighting in American War of Independence citing that Battle Honors should not be granted for war against kith and kin. This only highlights how kind of spoon fed we are in regards to the moralistic platitudes of Britannian colonial brutality and ruthlessness. It seems that there can be no substitute of greater scope and grandeur than original that was the British Empire.

He plays that instrument just to annoy people especially poncy blokes who ain’t got the nerve to tell him to stop. Ironically enough Amu-chan also likes her tartan.

Its mostly a personal gripe since after evolving into a miniature hobbyist from a CCG player its been harder and harder to not wince every time an anime series throws around the term “great/genius strategist and tactician” I guess that is why I much prefer Macross over Gundam/Code Geass in these recent incarnations. At least with the former I can sense that the team knows aviation and share a passion for fighter planes and tactics, with the latter it is clear that no one doing the writing has so much even read a field manual. Now I can only wonder how these Britannians could have been so daft as to not bring the Scots with them to build their Empire. Alas a bunch of badly disciplined nobles fill in the elite category these days. I am pretty sure that if there was no mention of real places I would probably never even bother to ask, but such is life and I still can’t help but wonder what the Scots are doing. Well at least we have gratuitous amounts of fanservice and Lulu Keikaku magic, and ultimately that is what matters most, Cecile in evening gown.

The last conversion I made.

I got three more guys to modify. I was thinking converting the far left guy to look more like a Konig Monster with the remaining blokes to look more like VF-25 Battroids.

Panzer Grenadiers, and the MBT that never failed to join the party in Round 1.

The whole kampfgruppen.

As for my games In Warhammer 40k I was better able to implement fire and maneuver tactics coupled with the use of two small infantry squads as bait to lure in the faster elements that my opponents had. I lost my first game when the opposing assault elements launched an early coup de main and proceeded to camp out in my staging areas, my reserves arrived rather piecemeal with by heavy armor support being absent or other wise firing wildly enough to not even hit a barn door. The next two games went better and I did grasp victory in both mostly because my opponents lacked enough heavy anti-tank fire power and over invested in assault elements and light vehicles. One of them infiltrated too close to my starting line and got shot to pieces, it also helped that his primary AT forces were exposed and earned themselves the honor of being at the top of the list for extermination. All in all while both of my later opponents went straight for the two static infantry squads and a lone artillery unit, my heavy armor and panzer grenadiers were better able to pick off isolated elements and trash their anti-tank firepower that was left vulnerable once their assault elements rushed head long to my infantry which in Soviet fashion I was prepared and expecting to lose. In the end out of 46 players I came in along with two others in 9th place, a big step up from last year where I was quickly massacred while running a more infantry heavy formation.

Justin K.’s Eldar

I have a better grasp about how to employ my mechanized forces better but still have not quite gotten the employment of my own airborne assault element. In terms of infantry deployment I did much better as I could use one squad to lead the enemy by the nose for a bit while the other gave them a few good volleys before the marked squad made one last close in firefight before getting assaulted. Thus far running a mechanized Tau army is proving to be a more successful adventure than I anticipated.

In Warhammer Fantasy I am still learning the ropes of my High Elf army I did poorly with their last incarnation and this time I did little better. I ran more infantry than I am really use to and only having one heavy cavalry unit my tactic of stacking the flank wasn’t doing much good as my lack of mobility made my entire formation rather ponderous. My first games was a massacre as I went in without so much as a clue to what my opponent’s army could do as it was given a new rules set. Suffice to say I was stuck in thinking that they were still in their old incarnation and I paid dearly for it as the units I expected to just run over proved to be bigger tar pits than I imagined and that allowed him to turn my flanks and defeat me in detail. My second game was a mirror match and while I was doing well mid game ultimately his superior numbers of artillery and archers took their toll and obliterated my ponderous infantry units as my heavy cavalry and close support hero were knocked out early on. My last game went much better as my opponent was also scarcely more numerous and scarcely faster than me. I won narrowly though by then I needed to seriously re-think how I am going to re-build this army. The points level was much lower than I am accustomed to and the cuts I made in supporting elements really did me in. I came in 33rd out of 36 players.

Ananda S.’s Nurgle Army (yes they are supposed to look diseased)

I think that next time I need to support my infantry formations with more mobile elements. The lone hero on flying mount (my close air support) did poorly as it was the first thing targeted by all my opponents. Next time with a higher points level I can add some screening units and a scout element to mug opposing artillery crews. All in all my infantry blocks did well, but they just could not carry the day while my heavy cavalry unit was hard pressed to deal with multiple threats. Overall it’s always good to take time in anything to reassess our failures and successes hind sight is 20/20, all that is left for me is a couple more field trails and to complete my half finished projects so I don’t get dinged on paint scores again.

All in all the convention was good fun and I did learn a lot. I was able to sell off most of my unwanted stuff at the flea market and re-coup 130 USD from the convention bill and having stocked up on snack foods and scouted out the local restaurants before hand also helped me keep the cost down. I was much more discriminating at the dealer’s room this time around only purchasing discounted tools and such as I had enough modeling projects going on that adding more would have been unwise. Having a camelback to keep hydrated also kept me from burning out, as well as a handy place to store candy bars and miscellaneous purchases. I live about 15 minutes away from the hotel where it was held so commute was bearable. As Kublacon is an old convention they were able to again work with the hotel to get 5 USD a day validated parking so I could keep my car close enough to be a storage locker for my tons of miniatures. I was also able to park near those sweet security cams. I wish my younger brother and cousin would have gone with me, but the former was dragged off by his girlfriend and the latter has be sabotaging his own life.

Some guy’s Dearth Wing army who did not leave his name with his models. Yeas I suck at photography.

In hindsight while Fanime would have been interesting the costs would have been much more as I would have had to pay for a hotel room and commute 2 hours down there. I have been to smaller local anime conventions in ages past, but never once felt the sort of common camaraderie with my fellow convention goers than at Kublacon. I am probably an old guy at heart since if find discussing warfare, military history, and miniature gaming with fellow enthusiasts more stimulating than discussing EVA. It also helps that most of these guys are aged nerds who have seen this and done that. I guess it’s a consequence of the community being so small and the mandatory face to face human opponent that goes with it that allows for more polite human interaction with the same old faces and some new ones. I got a second hand experience of Fanime from the club vice president and his crew who were able to go as press to Fanime and they spared me much of the more lack luster skits to bring me the gems. Kublacon is also in a different dynamic than Fanime since it was much more family oriented with a legion of kids following around the convention mascot for kids’ activities.

Wood Elves by Justin K.

Another guy who did not leave his name with his army. Though the bloke did work hard on his Bretonnians.

The latest issue of Famitsu DVD version has brought good news: Persona 4 is announced for the Ps2 and it’s scheduled to be released in Japan on September 10th. The issue, besides having several pages about the game content (which can be seen on RPGGamer), also brings a special 17 m trailer with several ingame anime sequences and game footage.

Persona 4 happens 2 years after Persona 3 and it’s located in a countryside setting and instead of a lunar system, it has a weather system, with the events being related to them: in foggy days, there is always a murder, for example. Another addition is the new kind of “Evoker”: instead of the polemic gun from Persona 3, the protagonists seem to summon their personas with the help of glasses. More new addictions is a list of 180 Personas, multiple endings, 4 party members at a time and the estimation of being 1.5 times bigger than Persona 3.

But meanwhile, there is no info if the game is connected to Persona 3 or Persona: Trinity Soul or if it will have a English localization. But considering the strong sales of Persona 3, it is a good chance we will have.

GAR + Moe= Instant Win.

After some Internet Dorama because of a leaked patch by one of the beta testers, Mirror Moon (the group behind the translation project) has finally decided to release the official translation patch for the UBW route. And more, they have included some extra goodies, like the ability to add voices into both the Fate and UBW routes, provided you have a copy of Realta Nua (the PS2 version of the game), and AppLocale is no longer required if your computer is non-Japanese locale.

The links for the patch can be located in Mirror Moon page. Now enjoy your Rin and GARrcher.

This is a warning for all who are going to read this review. I am not someone who plays many games, due to my inability to have any sense of agility and direction in any game that requires reflexes. I have not played most of the famous MMORPG: Lineage, Granda Espada (my PC was too awful to play it then, and it’s laggy), WoW or Asheron’s call. Hence, I am reviewing this game on a clean slate without much knowledge on the similar games.

You will usually not associate me with any form of MMORPG due to my hatred of various things that plagued such massive online games: Retarded flamers, newbie-unfriendly domains and the steep difficulty of the game. However, Mythos has clearly showed something promising despite still being in the developmental stage. I am no expert of games, but Mythos, a closed beta game, might just be on something great if they do their things well enough. Of course, you can go to the expert or a gamer’s review for a better understanding of the game mechanics. If you are just a normal casual gamer and wants to hear a normal casual gamer talking about this game, read on.

Mythos, a free-to-play closed beta MMORPG, is the brainchild side project of Flagship Studios who made Hellgate London. The game happens in the world of Uld. It is a young world after the dark days during the war between the Kingdoms and Discordia. In this new world, you are born either as a satyr, gremlin and human. As a young adventurer, the promise of ruins and treasure is making your wanderlust grow, as you get ready to explore this new world.

This is my foray into the MMORPG world of dungeon crawling, treasure hunting and massive deaths.

The good

I so love this boss. It is like maximum catharsis when I finished it off the first time!

One good thing I like about the game is definitely the art style. I used to play Advanced Dungeons and Dragons on tabletop until the point where they change it to D3.5 (simply because there are no people to play with). Many of the monsters look really nice, and the above image shows a giant T-rex called Seretooth which is one of the major bosses in the game. It is totally cool when monsters show a great amount of detail. I really enjoy the sounds and the various types of monsters. Considering that it is still at early closed beta, the attempt to have a good variety of monsters is impressive.

The game engine is also superb, but I am no computer expert to tell you about how good it is. I personally like how the monster AI is rather interesting, even though it can always be improved with more different tactics. A few random sources I have checked with have brought parallels with Diablo 2, calling it the new improved version of it. Considering how wildly popular Diablo 2 turned out to be, this must be a back-handed compliment for the game.

Another thing about the game is the skill tree. I personally like it a lot because despite the three basic classes they provide: Bloodletter, pyromancer and gadgeteer, there are enough skill trees to give you quite a number of permutations. In fact, each basic class has three sub-skill sets. Each sub-skill set has a few unique skills and you can actually mix and match to make your unique form of gadgeteer to kick some monster’s ass. It’s really quite hard to explain in words, but it does open more variations than your common MMORPG.

Mythos definitely has a very casual feel that will not alienate casual or elite player. They have two game modes: normal and elite. Normal is clearly for those who have retarded reflexes like me who simply wants a decently easy casual game that can cause you to be dead if you start to fumble around. Elite, despite the many complains (and the developers are listening) is the harder version where more powerful mobs exist. It is for the professionals, but it seems that many of the good players are complaining about the lack of challenge. However, considering only two zones have been created, it is perhaps an invalid complain. More zones, for more experienced players, are on the horizon.

One more thing that is out of the game is the involvement of developers. This is perhaps the first team of developers that are extremely active in the forum to address questions, post information, as well as interact with the fanbase. Provided, this is just in the early stage of closed beta, but the emphasis by the development team to be involved in such “mundane” social interaction with the players is an excellent plus. There has been many times where the complains of many players go on deaf eyes from developers who have lost the plot completely. When even a random newbie has a chance to interact with the developer in the forum, you feel appreciated as a beta tester.

What needs to be improved

Most of the bad points come from the fact that it’s an early development. One of the biggest issues I have is the lack of a coherent main plot for the game. Despite the best attempts to weave a tale, I do not really feel that there is a real quest or main plot that will hook people. In Diablo, it is Diablo himself that players aim for at the very end of the game. For many games, it is the undertaking of a major quest that hooks the player to capture the holy grail. I am sure that Flagship Studios or the game developers will settle this soon enough.

Quests become repetitive after a while, degrading the game somewhat into a true dungeon crawl with no true purpose. That might work for some people, but I also enjoy the role-playing part of the game, rather than grinding that bores me after a while. The developers have mentioned in their private forum that they are fixing this part of the game to make it more interesting and complex.

As a non-gamer, there are a few things that perplexes me. 1/4 of the inventory that I hold is filled with potions. Surely, there is some sort of a potion bag or an apparatus to hold them so that I can stuff more of my dirty loot treasure in there. Another issue that has been looked into by the developers is the need to increase the stash, a “container” that stores excess equipment that you do not hold in your inventory. In addition, there should be a bank account for cash, a NPC that identifies all unidentified items at one go and more hidden quests.

One last thing that I am displeased about is perhaps the chat interface and the lack of a true tutorial course within the game. At the start, you are thrown into the game without knowing what is going on except that you need to go inside this area and kill some undeads. I also did not know about the item categorization (which is differentiated by the different glow colors). I did not know that there is a limit of temporary maps that can reside in your map. Moreover, I didn’t know that those gemstones cannot be removed after putting them into my weapon. That is where a short tutorial for the first character that is created will be extremely helpful for the character. I wish that it will be implemented. Truth be said, I eventually figure it out from the helpful community, but I do wish I know it much earlier.

Despite the complains, it is just in closed beta. The basic core of the game is definitely very enticing and I am pretty sure that the developers will be doing all they can to make it work. Let’s hope it does, while I go back to gaming. The link below provides the promotional clip for Mythos. See and explore the world of Uld!

The promotional clip

For the gamers adepts of adventure games, Phoenix Wright isn’t an unknown name. This character is part of a series of GBA/NDS games with it’s name who simulates the life of an attorney while trying to defend his clients.

The series is now on the 4th installment, with a new main character called Apollo Justice, a rookie attorney making his first cases. To promote the English release of the game, Capcom has provided an online flash demo of the game which THAT brings you here for you to try it out.

I know this probably has nothing to do with anime or manga but please bear with me for a bit. I really do try to avoid these type of posts but since I haven’t posted in a while, I just couldn’t help myself.

Lately I’ve been griping over the mass amounts of money that I’ve been pouring into the gaming industry recently. Aside from the obvious cost of purchasing the games themselves (unless you’re someone who pirates all their games in which case I can’t say whether I support you or not), there have been many “hidden” expenses that may or may not be really necessary. Whether or not this new “hidden” cost is really necessary could be viewed differently depending on the type of person you are. In my case, I’m most likely a person who’s been raised to penny-pinch but has the personality of an impulse buyer. It doesn’t help at all that I strive to get “not the best but the at least impressive” experience out of all my entertainment related business. This of course leads to many days of needing an Advil.

Guitarfreaks / Drummania

This game is probably the main reason for my bitch whining. After attempting to play Venus on advanced for over several hours the other day and doing horrible job, I thought to myself if it really was me just sucking or if it was actually the controller (from Guitar Hero) damaging my performance even more (it’s most likely just me sucking). However, the more I played the more I noticed “missed” notes when I’m fairly sure I hit them. So after reading various forum posts and FAQs, I’ve further convinced myself that the problem was partially due to the Guitar Hero controller. Whether or not this is indeed the fault of the controller will probably be determined in the future.

So what is the solution to my problem? Don’t suck as much? Probably. But for someone like me, who tends to not face reality when he doesn’t want to, there’s this. The official Guitarfreaks Arcade Style Controller. Starting at a whopping $249.99 (without shipping), the Arcade Style Controller gives the closest arcade experience at home. While I do not doubt the “true experience-ness” of the product, since I’ve researched a bit and it does seem to be legit, I’m just contemplating the worthiness of the product. Is it really worth it to lay down three-hundred big ones just to improve my experience and/or performance? Since I’m obviously not happy with the experience I get from a cheaper solution, I obviously should opt for the “better” solution right? Excuse my sarcasm. -_-;

Gran Turismo (possibly 5 prologue but for now just 4)

Here’s another game that really encourages the “true-to-life” experience. You can of course play this game using a standard PS2 controller, or even a cheap third-party driving wheel. But if you want the “truest” possible you’ll need to get one of these…

The Logitech G25 Racing Wheel. What this model features that the cheaper models don’t already are the clutch pedal, the six-speed shifter and probably an improved force feedback motor (while the motor is indeed quieter, I’m not sure if the feedback is actually improved from the previous wheels… so don’t quote me on that one ^^). Oh, and let’s not forget the hand-stitched leather. =P

For this bad boy you’re probably laying down close to $300 (depending on where you go). I’ve seen some for $229 at the cheapest but that doesn’t include shipping.

Sorry I just couldn’t resist. =P

And of course… the PS3

Everybody knows about it so I’m just going to keep it short. $500 for the model that supports backwards compatibility… ‘nuff said.

Even if you don’t play games, you could probably relate to my situation when you’re staring down that ultra limited Gundam or Haruhi figure and whether or not you should lay down the big bucks for a plastic model. The costs of the two hobbies probably reach the same amount just because of the sheer volume of goods the anime/manga industry has. And since both the gaming and anime/manga industry share some of the same markets, you could say that they’re a bit similar. However, don’t take my naïve self too seriously. ^^;;

I am not sure whether any of you out there reads kinetic/visual novels but for me, the greatest anticipation for me in the year of 2007 must be the visual novel that I am yearning for. To give those who are in a bit of a loss, Narcissu Side 2nd is the prequel of Narcissu, who is centered on Setsume, a girl who is living inside a hospice waiting for her death to come. Eventually, a boy came into the picture and they decided to escape if only to experience something different rather than waiting for death. Narcissu Side 2nd is a story of Setsume with a girl who used to stay with her in the hospice, and was already in when she was around.

Now, Narcissu Side 2nd is soon on the works, and the OP has been released.

How is the OP? Gorgeous.

Tomo Kataoka, in my humble opinion, is one of the most excellent creators of stories, and has kindly presented Narcissu as a freeware for everyone to see. In March (yes, I am slow), he released the Narcissu Side 2nd OP and I have only found out about it after remembering that it is soon to be released. I am a big fan of Narcissu, for those who came to this blog way before hand when I am singing great praises of Narcissu.

For one, the OP definitely captures the most important feeling inside what is all good about Narcissu. Narcissu, despite its bittersweet ending, is a simple story about the life journey in a metaphorical way. It is not dramatic, nor is it nerve wrecking. It is that simple style in which nothing really crazy happens, yet it will capture your heart when the ending arrives.

I have no doubts that if the quality of the OP is an indication of the in-game novel quality, I can definitely get yet another good novel, with yet another beautiful song by Eufonius as the OP. I realize that the sequel of Narcissu seems to have much more of a budget compared to Narissu, and that can only bode well. I also find that the OP captured that wistful hope that runs in the vein of the first visual novel in which the beautiful road trip is a symbolization of various cliches, yet piecing up to a beautiful and seamless artwork.

Narcissu is definitely one of the best visual novels that I have read, and I did read a good amount of other visual novels to think that it’s one of the shorter, yet more meaningful novels lying around in the Internet. Considering that many visual novels are commercial, the work of Narcissu being a freely translated open source makes the quality of graphical design and storytelling even more amazing.

With that, you can get the beautiful OP in a queer compression format on the Japanese site or the MPG file in megaupload. Now, I am just going to quietly anticipate for the full version of the series to be out.

It’s speculated by Tomo that it will be out in late April, but it seems that he is somewhat busy/stalled in his work for Narcissu Side 2nd. As a mere fan, I will be quietly waiting for him to be done. I wish him and Stage Nana well.

I used to think all games with any mention of “Gundam” in the title weren’t worth playing at all. However, this game has recently changed my mind. Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Rengou vs. ZAFT Portable is a port from the Arcade title of the same name (minus the portable). Published by Bandai-Namco Games and developed by Capcom, the game is basically set up to be a 4 player battle royale. The portable version features a single player arcade mode where you can get straight into the action, free-battle mode, and a mission mode. It also sports a multiplayer feature where you can play with up to 3 other players in a battle royale style match. You can also play with a friend in co-op arcade mode as well.

Story
The game follows the anime (Gundam Seed) and includes some of the characters from the first few episodes of Destiny. In mission mode you play as an unknown soldier (which you get to name) on either OMNI or ZAFT’s side. You can then choose to branch off and join the members of the Kline Faction or stay with your nation.The story doesn’t really deviate from the anime. You participate in some of the major battles from the anime as well as a bunch of other battles created just for the game.

Gameplay
I think the gameplay is pretty solid. In Arcade mode, you progress through stages and each stage usually involves you lowering the enemies’ meter down to 0 or defeating a certain target. You choose your mecha and pilot which you can mix and match (i.e. Kira + Buster Gundam). Free battle and multiplayer battles are typically set up the same way as well.

There’s not much achievement you can gain from this game since there’s nothing really to unlock unless you count missions in mission mode but, that’s it.

Controls
The controls feel very simple to use. It only takes a few seconds to get used to the button configuration. Response times of commands are generally quick and pretty much always does what you want it to do.

Sound
BGM and voices are taken from the anime with a few extras just for the game. The sound quality is pretty good quality given that it is a portable game. Going into SEED mode with Kira when facing Athrun is always fun hearing too (AAAATHUURAAANN).

Closing Comments
Along with this game, I’m playing DJ Max Portable 2 and I can’t seem to put either down. If I’m not playing one, I’m playing the other usually. Gundam Seed Rengou vs. ZAFT is probably one of the first Gundam games that I actually got addicted to playing (other than Super Robot Wars… which doesn’t really count).

From Digital Battle

No.

And I am left to continue sobbing in one corner. Well, not really. Anyway, what’s coming soon? An Ouran High School Host Club video game for PS2. Aimed at women, to boot.

“Game company Ideafactory has announced that the popular series Ouran High School Host Club is being made into a video game for the Playstation 2. The manga has already been adapted into a successful anime series, and over 6 million volumes of the manga have been sold in Japan alone.

Unlike the majority of “renai” or “relationship simulation” video games on the market, which are aimed at a male audience, the Ouran game is being marketed towards a female audience. The game is slated for release this spring, but no specific release date has been announced yet. Ideafactory has already set up a site for the game here.”

Credit: Anime News Network
Original Source: Moon Phase

So… I don’t really know how I feel about this since I have never really encountered a relationship simulation game. It could be good, who knows. It will definitely benefit the fangirls, though!

This is the only piece of concept art released so far.



Here’s a gameplay video of the demo.