Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn Launch Trailer: History Repeats Itself Once More, But I Don’t Mind At All…

 
One thing some detractors of the long-running Mobile Suit Gundam video games seem to always say is many of the games go over the same original series storyline from 1979 to the point of insanity, but these folks are missing the point, I say. Given one of the goals of the series has always been to get kids to get their parents to buy them all those tie in goodies, re-introducing the story, characters and concepts repeatedly helps keep the series alive when a new generation crops up and wants to know why daddy has a OG model RX-78-2 Gundam on a shelf somewhere he won’t let get touched. Namco Bandai and Tecmo Koei have teamed up previously for a few Dynasty Warriors Gundam games, but with Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn, they’ve brought it all back to the beginning and have recreated some of the original series’ key moments as small to larger scale battles that should get Gundam and DW fans grinning right from the start. Anyway, the game is available NOW in North America as a digital download on PSN.

Yes, the UK gets this on a disc like Japan did, but this seems to be the new reality for many game companies looking to cut costs here. It’s a forced paradox here, but by NOT supporting digital releases, the chances of getting physical product if there’s a sequel are slim to none at this stage of the game. So, do what you can to get this game, but let Namco Bandai know you’d like to have more choice in HOW you get your content. Even if they end up doing online only physical sales through their shop (based on actual pre-orders that fill a minimum disc pressing requirement), it’s a better thing for all that people who want to buy certain niche games (but can’t or won’t for a few reasons) can do so and make the company a profit in the process…

This Funko Hikari Friday Giveaway Is More Than Meets The Eye!

Hikari logoThis week’s Funko Hikari Vinyl Figure giveaway is a double shot for you to win one of two really cool licensed classic Transformers vinyls! Oh, here’s a little note to you big Mr. Bay-haters out there: these aren’t the ones from that new movie at all, so you can enter with pride and confidence that your shelves won’t be cluttered with that you call “inferior” product at all. Anyway, if you’re now feeling even better at that news, why not try to win?

Go hit up one of Funko’s social network channels NOW:

www.facebook.com/OriginalFunko
www.twitter.com/OriginalFunko
Instagram @OriginalFunko

Enter and keep your digital ear to the ground next Thursday, as you might just be the lucky winner of this cool Limited Edition Optimus Prime Clear Glitter Hikari Sofubi Figure:

Limited Edition Optimus Prime Clear Glitter Or this equally cool Limited Edition Bumblebee Clear Glitter Hikari Sofubi Figure:

LE Bumblebee Clear Glitter Hikari Sofubi FigureEach is #1 of 3000 and if you’re not one of the two lucky ones who snag these, you can still run like heck down to that favorite Funko emporium in August to BUY one of these babies. So, what are you waiting for? Go get your chance-o-meter revved up and get lucky!

Funko’s Hikari Friday Giveaway: No Bones About It, You’ll Want Skeletor In Your Clutches!

Hikari logo If you’re a huge fan of He-Man and the Masters of The Universe, a collector of all things vinyl toys or just want a chance to win something cool and rare, here you go. This week’s Funko Hikari giveaway is this lovely (well, if you can call that mug “lovely”) #1 of 2000 Limited Edition Mystic Powers Skeletor Hikari Sofubi Figure. Check it out:

Mystic Powers Skeletor Entering as always, is a TOTAL cinch:

www.facebook.com/OriginalFunko
www.twitter.com/OriginalFunko
Instagram @OriginalFunko

Winners are announced on the following Thursday and if you DON’T win, you can buy this outright at your favorite Funko dealer this September. Anyway, go get lucky and get this! Good Luck!

Gallery: End of Serenity

End  of Serenity_LogoJust when I was lamenting Natsume not updating its YouTube page, I get a load of screenshots and art from its E3 lineup to run here, so I’ll do just that over the next couple of days. first up is Edge of Serenity, the PSP exclusive (I’ll gather it’s Vita compatible but won’t confirm that until I hear it from someone out west) coming on June 24, 2014. As you can see this is all old-school JRPG goodness packed with classic 2D sprite art, turn-based battles and probably a very MIDI-esque music score to keep things nice and nostalgic.

End  of Serenity_MainArt

Character profiles have also been revealed for the principals, so let’s meet the cast, shall we?

Yute is a tough young merchant with a strong sense of wrong and right; the dangers of the road have sharpened his sword skills despite his tender age. He can’t bear to turn away when he sees injustice.

Eril, also known as the Azure Sorceress, is set on exposing the Underworld’s nefarious plans. Using an Atomigem-powered weapon known as an Accelerator, her cold demeanor hides a heart bruised by her upraising in a small orphanage that she strives desperately now to save.

Kat, with her jingling bells and cat-like ears, may look like a teen, but she insists she is in fact over 100 years old! Only when she opens up her heart and reveals her secret will she ever truly be understood.

Earon is an undisputed master of martial arts. With his snow white hair, it’s no surprise this trainer was thinking about retirement…that is, before he discovered that one of his former pupils might be involved in the Underworld, and has set off to discover the truth.

Kaede is a pupil trained by Earon, accompanying him on his critical mission. Rumors swirl that she is actually the last of a village of ninjas; only Kaede knows the truth, but she’s not exactly talking…

20 new screens are below the jump – make sure to grab End of Serenity next week when it arrives on PSN!

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Random Film of the Week: Forbidden Planet

Forbidden Planet_MPEven though the first time I saw Forbidden Planet was when I was about five or six years old on a medium-sized black and white TV with not always perfect reception and the film was rather horribly panned and scanned from what I recall, I fell in love with it and it’s remained one of my favorite science fiction films. I’ve since seen it countless times and it remains quite a fun film to watch thanks to everything melding together so flawlessly (including its handful of flaws).

I think it was also one of the first movies I actually remember looking at the music credits for and being surprised that two people composed the “electronic tonalities” that were buzzing my eardrums and pleasantly sinking into my brain’s recesses. Louis and Bebe Barron’s impressive score drove home right away that this was no ordinary 1950’s flick with a low budget and cast of no-names mugging it up for the camera. I’ll also admit to thinking director Fred Wilcox was a relation, but I think my mother or father pointed out that many people have the same last name who aren’t related at all (but I don’t think I believed her at the time). Flash forward a few years later and when I finally saw the film in color on a huge TV in its original widescreen format, I was even more floored thanks to the beautiful color palette and (mostly) still impressive visual effects. I was also a bit jealous because back in 1956, it must have been blowing audiences back in their seats to see this on a massive Cinerama screen with those sounds booming from multiple theater speakers… Continue reading

E3 2014: Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley – Not The Only Thing Natsume Showed This Year, But…

Alphadia Genesis Wii UYou wouldn’t know this by looking at their North American YouTube page. Now, I’m not singling Natsume out for anything mean here at all, folks. They’re a solid but much smaller publisher than some of the bigger and busier ones who show stuff at E3 and to me, that’s precisely why they NEED more updates on their main video page. Granted, they DO have a nice social presence on facebook with a page that’s updated fairly frequently. however, not everyone has or wants a facebook account and YouTube works quite well as far as letting potential customers see what’s coming (despite the pain in the butt that is Google+ hampering some basic functionality there).

Anyway, as I’ve been trumpeting, Alphadia Genesis is also coming (a port of an iOS and Android JRPG) and I posted about the rest of their lineup before the big show. Hey, I just want to see the little guys succeed, so if I can generate some thrills and hits for Natsume and their cool lineup of upcoming and already available games, I’m doing my job here.

E3 2014: Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn Trailer: It’s Back and Better – Go Get Your Zeon!


It’s too bad this reboot of the Dynasty Warriors: Gundam franchise is digital-only, as I’d love to own this on a disc and not need to bust out the Japanese dictionary and flash cards in order to read the menus and understand the dialog. Oh, I suppose I should just go learn the language already, but I also want to support Namco Bandai here in America with a buy at some point. Of course, these digital releases are cheaper for them to get out because there’s no discs to press or ship out to assorted retailers, no overstock sitting around unsold and no resale market to worry about raking in money the company won’t even see a penny of. On the other hand, I’m a disc guy first and foremost, as are plenty of people who prefer their games in a case for a few good reasons. Anyway, this one looks good enough to buy in any form, so perhaps I’ll end up doing just that when this rolls out in July. Oh, and that VERY Star Wars-like cantina music at the end for the DLC pre-order? Priceless (but oddly enough, has nothing to do with the SW films old or new, go figure!)

Reborn 6 Reborn 5 Reborn 4 Reborn 3 Reborn 2 Reborn 1 DWGR_01 DWGR_02 DWGR_03 DWGR_04 DWGR_05 DWGR_06 DWGR_07 DWGR_08 DWGR_09 DWGR_10 DWGR_11 DWGR_12 DWGR_13 DWGR_14

Sorry, 20th Century Fox. Your Throwback Tease Was Too Rich For My Blood…

beyond_the_valley_of_the_dolls_xlgSo, I get an email on Thursday from 20th Century Fox’s YouTube channel about Beyond the Valley of the Dolls and it gets me grinning because I’d been thinking of picking this up at some point and thought this was news of a lower-priced reissue. HA! I clicked that link under the trailer and got sent straight to Amazon, where the movie’s 2-disc DVD set is still commanding a whopping $70 (eek!). Um, thanks, but no thanks, folks.

Hell, at that exorbitant price point, I’ll just lurk around TCM and wait for them to show it again one late, late evening (or too early in the morning, actually). Of course, getting any Russ Mayer flick for under the cost of a body part is tricky these days if you live in the US and want a legal version. But man, owning them all must sure be a heck of a thing if you display your collection proudly and have to explain the man’s work to friends and relatives who’ve never seen anything he’s done. Good luck with that!

It’s BAAAACK! The Humble RPG Maker Bundle Returns!

 
Sure, it’s now set at a minimum of $25 (or more if you want to give more to charity), but this Humble Weekly Bundle is still a really impressive set of game making programs, add-ons and even more free games that you can shake a stick at. If you missed out on this before, don’t let the fact that it costs more deter you, ya cheapskate. This is about $370 worth of stuff if you buy it normally, so the price here is MORE than fair. I’d gather (and hope) this particular bundle stays on the Humble site for a while as a perpetual deal that pops in and out every so often, but that’s up to the folks behind the program who also probably need to sell this stuff at closer to a profit making level in order so they can stay in business. Anyway, go get yours if you haven’t already and go make that next “retro” classic RPG you’ve always wanted to!

E3 2014: MilitAnt Trailer: Prepare to Bug Out in 2015 With Xibalba’s Upcoming PC/PSN Shooter

militantLogoSure, you can say Indie games are a dime a dozen these days, but more often than not, keeping your ear to the ground will reveal cool stuff like this PC, PS3/PS4/Vita bound game, MilitAnt from Xibalba Studios. As I tend to love “old-school” stuff like this, I’m all in and wanting to see more.

MilitAntIntro3Thankfully, the game’s site has a bunch of screens and art to show off, so some of that stuff is here. This one’s not due until 2015, so there’s plenty of time for Xilbalba to make it even better and hopefully (waaaaaait for it…) as bug-free as possible (A ha and ha-ha). Anyway, I’ll keep you posted on this one as more info and images creep out. You aren’t afraid of ants, right? I sure hope not!

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