The Secret World of Arriyetty: The Borrowers, Miyazaki Style

Posted on February 16, 2012 by geelw

More gorgeous Studio Ghibli goodness? Sure, why not? Thanks to me not paying much attention to Disney’s output for a while (other than keeping a eyebrow raised over John Carter which I really HOPE is good), I completely missed this trailer for the Miyazaki-produced animated film opening tomorrow. It looks mighty impressive from the trailer and I’ll probably catch it once it appears on cable (hey, I’m cheap and don’t go to movies unless I get premiere tickets or it’s something like PROMETHEUS, which demands you see it or else). That said, I’ll always have a bigger attachment to the source material, the great 1952 book by Mary Norton. Go borrow a copy – I think you won’t be disappointed one bit. Just remember to return it at some point or someone will be tearing up floorboards looking for you…

Toy Fair 2012: Mimoco’s Mimomicros Make Memory Managment Much More Managable Monetarily

Posted on February 16, 2012 by geelw

Mimoco’s super-cool line of original, crossover and licensed character MIMOBOT flash drives has always been a favorite of mine, but even with the price of memory dropping and USB 3.0 devices here and on the way, not everyone can afford to collect these supremely stylish USB storage solutions. The company’s MIMOMICRO line (set for a March 2012 launch) takes care of that issue entirely by allowing users to drop their own microSD cards into a custom drive that, at $12.95 makes for an inexpensive, nifty conversation piece. My favorite model from Toy Fair was The Millennium Falcon MIMOMICRO from the company’s Star Wars line. There will also be five other characters to choose from (C-3PO, Chewbacca, Darth Vader and Yoda), plus a trio of DC Comics MIMOMICRO drives that Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman fans will absolutely want to snap up.

If money is no object, well, you’re in luck, as Mimoco also has some sweet new MIMOBOT drives on the way, including an Albert Einstein drive that’s pretty cool and funny (kind of like the professor was, from what I’ve read about him), a bunch of original characters and more licensed drives than you can shake a memory stick at.

Alrighty then, I’ve done my part here- now, go click on one of those links above before I come up with more awful puns or another terrible title that uses the same letter to start off each word.

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Coming In WInter 2012 (Video Blowout Proof Below)

Posted on February 16, 2012 by geelw

Namco Bandai really, REALLY wants to show off Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch so much that they released not one, not two, not three, but FOUR excellent gameplay trailers and a ton of screenshots for the upcoming Level-5/Studio Ghibli PS3 exclusive. Even better, we’re getting both English and Japanese voice-overs so there won’t be any Majin & The Forsaken Kingdom style ear-scorching voice work. OK, I actually liked most of the voices in that game, but not having the option to hear the Japanese dub was a bit of a pain to a lot of reviewers and gamers. While I’m doing the happy dance about this great looking game (that’s sure to be an instant classic, by the way), I do wish that the Nintendo DS was still seen (or more precisely, would still be seen by Nintendo) as a viable platform, as there’s also a Ni no Kuni DS game that NEEDS to be published by someone and promoted as one of the last (and best) games on the platform.Any news on that, NamBan?

Two more gameplay clips below the jump…

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Jak & Daxter Collection Behind The Scenes Shows There’s Defintely A Storm In Every Port…

Posted on February 16, 2012 by geelw

Some folks out there think it’s “easy” to get an HD version of an older console game out, but it’s far, far from just porting the graphics and adding a shiny layer of high def texture maps and too much depth of field. Especially when the games you’re looking at giving the glossy graphics treatment broke all the rules on the console they were created for. If you were wondering why it’s taken so long for Sony to get the Jak games onto the PS3, this video will give you a good idea of just how well Naughty Dog did their job with the original games. Mass Media has their work cut out for them, but it seems that they’re going to be knocking this collection out of the park and making a LOT of fans happy (like yours truly)…

DAF Branch Office Report…

Posted on February 15, 2012 by geelw

Yes, I’ll get to posting some more Toy Fair 2012 impressions later today and the rest of the week. I met some really cool folks there and saw some really super stuff, however.. I’m about to keel over from not enough sleep. Anyway, here’s a quickie MS Paint tree sketch while you’re waiting. Stare at it and maybe it will grow a bit while you’re waiting. If it DOES grow, you just let me know, OK? I’ll be the one sleeping like a log over in the corner. If a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one there to hear it, it’ll probably snore loudly… Zzzzzzzzz…

Armored Core V “DOOMSDAY” Trailer (Plus A GameStop Exclusive… A Pretty Cool One, At That)

Posted on February 15, 2012 by geelw

Usually, I kind of roll my eyeballs around in my skull until they fall out of my head and get all linty from rolling under a dresser when I see these pre-order bonuses. This time, I managed to catch one eyeball and pop it back in just so I could do a proper double-take. Pre-ordering ACV from any GS in North America will get you the Heavy Armor Pack DLC, which features 168 parts you can use to give your Core a big honkin’ advantage over those who just grab the game at retail on day one and have to work harder to get the cool gear.

On the other hand, a GOOD AC player will probably figure out a way to rig up a mean mech without taking the pre-order plunge. Of course, 168 FREE parts are very hard to pass up, that’s for sure…

Mass Effect 3 “Take Earth Back” Teaser – Stellar Storytelling (Short Version)

Posted on February 15, 2012 by geelw

I saw the full-length version of this last week at the Spotlight EA event and it’s pretty spectacular, stirring stuff by time the dramatic ending rolls around. Not that Mass Effect 3 needs the hard sell at all. Hell, BioWare has pulled out all the stops with the upcoming PS3/Xbox 360/PC game an you’ll see many improvements plus a super 4-player co-op mode that ties into the main single player storyline. It’s almost like the developer (and whomever did the CG work) is showing off how well their game is going to yank players all across the emotional spectrum and leave them in sobbing, yet defiant heaps of Shepard-ness right before they hop back in to finish the fight. Wait, wrong game franchise! Oh, you know what I mean. If you STILL haven’t played the other two (or Mass Effect 2, if you’re only a PS3 owner), you should pick them up ASAP, as they’re cheap and will get you even more revved up for this finale. Also, the demo is out NOW, so give it a whirl – the single player is about 2 hours or so and you’ve got some co-op fun added as well.

Final Four Street Fighter X Tekken Characters, Release Dates Revealed

Posted on February 15, 2012 by geelw

No huge surprises here, but the addition of Street Fighter’s M. Bison and Akuma plus Tekken’s Jin and Ogre brings the tally to 38 fighters… which to me, means we’ll probably see some more coming via DLC down the road from Capcom. Er, not that 38 fighters is anything to sneeze at, mind you. It’s just that between the two fighting franchises, methinks there are some other characters that are MIA for any number of reasons. Of course, Namco’s upcoming Tekken X Street Fighter may also bring in a few of these new challengers, so we’ll need to see what up with that still in development follow-up at some point…

More trailers below the jump!

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A Twisted Metal Valentine (a bit late, thanks to Toy Fair)…

Posted on February 15, 2012 by geelw

Day Three of the show was pretty exhausting and again, I’m BEAT. As I didn’t check my email until now (Hey! I needed a nap after all that walking around), I missed this cool TM Launch trailer (oops) Anyway, here you go (a day late, too). Oh, well… it’s the thought that counts, right? Now, I just need to snag a copy of the game and play it…

Tekken 3DS Prime Edition Trailer: This Week’s Fight of the Century…

Posted on February 14, 2012 by geelw

POW! Namco Bandai’s firstly familiar to Sony fans fighting franchise finally flies onto a new platform. 40+ characters and a lot of precise button crunching await those 3DS owners looking for another cool fighter for their favorite handheld. Of course, with the publisher also releasing Tales of the Abyss for the 3DS on the same day, it’s going to be a tough choice for some gamers on a budget. On the other hand, that’s what next week’s paycheck is for, right? Game on!