FFXIV: A Realm Reborn 3rd Alpha Trailer

More adventures in The Black Shroud in the 3rd video from FFXIV:RR Alpha. Let me know what you old FFXI players feel like when you see this video. ^^

Nintendo Wii Mini Preview

With the release of a new console sometimes often comes with a rerelease of an old console. We've seen it with the original NES and SNES and more recently we saw it with Sony's PSone & PStwo rerelease. Usually when released the system is released it doesn't loose to many of it's features. Unfortunately that isn't the case for the recently announces, Canadian Only, Nintento Wii Mini.

Could of even included a game, but no~

Smaller and sleeker back and red design with a Wii Motion Plus controller and a nunchuck to match.Unfortunately, they removed the GameCube backward capability as well as the WiFi. Does this mean the system can't even access the internet? Priced out for $99.99 Canadian ($100.48 US if you want to be anal like that.) Even though the system itself looks great, the lack of WiFi really takes away from the system. The $100 Price Tag is a little higher than I would expect as there were Wiis being sold for $89 at Walmart.com this past weekend.

Black and red.. does it run 3 times faster than the original Wii?

I wouldn't of minded it so much if they kept the WiFi and maybe added something else to it. Oh well. Still a good looking machine that I will eventually have to find to place in my game museum.

Preview: Berserk - The Golden Age Arc - The Egg of the King English Trailer

Check out the English trailer for the upcoming Berserk movies. This first movie covers the early days of Gatsu and Griffith hanging out together and relaxing all cool and slashing some people outside in the woods. When a foursome of demons, they were up to no good, starting making trouble in me neighborhood. I got into one little fight and Caska got r... oh, sorry. Didn't mean to take this joke that far.

Just check out the trailer below.

Anyone else hope there will be outtakes like the Media Blaster's release of the TV series?

Review: Wii U

All of Nintendo's thoughts and dreams are now in one system. Except for 3D.

Despite what some of the Internet is saying, the next generation of game consoles have arrived. Nintendo's Wii U console hit store shelves worldwide this month and already has sold 400k in units. (That is 100k more then the original Wii did in it's first week, if you're keeping tabs.) This will be my first main console review on this blog, so to celebrate I will be using a slightly different format. Another thing I should point out is that at the time of this post, I only have one game. Sense I don't have a couple games to really test to power of the Wii U, I will focus on the console its self. Design, presentation, online capabilities, backwards compatibility, and the overall system. So let's start with the first thing everyone notices:

DESIGN:

The Wii U is possibly one of the prettiest systems I own, pushing my newer XBox360 into second place. Very slick black plastic will keep your fingerprints forever though. (OR at least until you wipe off your system.) Power, ejection, and disk drive are positioned in the same place as the original Wii. The sync button now hangs out right next to the expansion slot as well. It's a little design improvement, but the back of the system holds the most important piece of new equipment: HDMI port. Let me take this time to thank Nintendo for including an HDMI cable. Thank you. So much.

Koopas and Goombas now come in small, medium, large, and holy-shit large.

The new controller is the selling point of the system as most know. At first it looks just like a tablet built into a controller, but as this review goes on you will find out that it is so much more. The controller itself comes with standard button layouts, directional pad, two nipples (or control sticks/dual shocks/whatever you want to call them), four trigger buttons, a microphone, stereo speakers, a camera, motion control, and a button designed to interact with your TV. I'll get into this magic button later though. Despite the fact that the touch-screen, it still functions very well.

So far it's all and all a damn good looking console. Maybe at a later date I need to do a top 5 vs top 5 again. Prettiest consoles VS ugliest. I'm looking at you Atari for all 5 of the ugly. 5/5

PRESENTATION: The first thing you will notice one you power up your Wii U is that alot of the focus is drawn to the controller. There is a very good reason for this as the controller will now be your ultimate tool for gaming on the Wii U. You'll set up the system's usual set up like time and t.v. settings. The controller will eventually ask you for the maker of your TV and your cable or satellite provider. After you give the controller this information, you will be able to control your TV with only the use of the GamePad. It may sound stupid, but once you mess with it for a bit it becomes an amazing little add on. Like the Wii & 3DS, you will be asked to either make a user account and select or create a Mii to go along with it. From here you can also set up your Nintendo ID for online services. I strongly suggest you do this as the online capabilities will be something to talk about. Of course accessing online will also require you to do a system update. A rather large one as well.

After the set up you'll be able to access a majority of the Wii U's functionality including the new Miiverse, whatever video streaming you like to do, the Internet, and of course play some damn games.

The only gripe here is the loading for a handful of the programs on the Wii U. Sometimes it seems like it'll take forever to get into System Set-up. On the other hand, games and other applications load quickly. Hopefully they can fix this with a system update. This should of really been fixed before release though. Docking you a partial point for that one, Big N. 4.5/5

Imagine if Cloud say this instead of the other hand at the end of FFVII. ^^

ONLINE: I want to call the Wii U's online community by the name "Online community." Alas, it's missing the things that usually make an online community what it is. There are no trolls. No group of kids looking to ruin your game. There are no perverts, camwhores, or complete dicks. Mind you, there are probably plenty of men with female Miis. The Miiverse is a friendly and well monitored community that allows you to post a sort of tweet or small facebook-like post on a game's board. Either by typing it our or drawing a witty picture, you can leave messages for fellow players as well as screen shots of something happening in game to them as they are playing. This makes for a very amusing and fun community. People finding and taking pictures of awkward moments in games such as a horse staring intently at a wall in Assassin's Creed III make a great time online. I've only had the system for a week and I already have more friends then I did on Xbox Live or PSN. Making friends is easier then it was on the Wii as well. No more Friend Codes, people. The online community itself is my favorite part of the system. 5/5

BACKWARDS CAPABILITY: Sorry kids, no GameCube games for the Wii U. Wii games work fantastic with the system though, as do all of the Wii's controllers, balance pad, and classic controllers. You can even transfer everything from your Wii over to your Wii U with the minor cost of formatting your original Wii. (I plan something special for my original Wii. >.>) Here is where my biggest bitch comes in though: To access Wii games and virtual console, you need to open the Wii application. It's not convenient compared to playing GameCube games on the original Wii. I'm hoping in the near future Nintendo does a nice system update that will allow you to play all Wii games right from the Wii U desktop. 4/5

COD:BLOPS2 (I like that name) is a port of the 360 version.

OVERALL: The Wii U is going to be a great system. High definition, great sound, fantastic operating system, and an epic online community could see the system hold out for years to come. The concerning fact is of course, the games. The fact that I can turn on the gamepad without turning on my TV to check to see what friends are online or if anyone has made a witty new post is a dream come true.

Nintendo is going to need to continue to push 3rd party developers as well as it's own to continue to keep the games flowing. Don't worry about pulling people from other consoles to play the same game. You won't pull someone who has been playing COD for years on the Xbox to play COD on the Wii U, unless you can tempt them with something a little more. My other concern is system shelf-life. I know Sony and Microsoft are both working on their next systems, but how long until we see those? How much better can graphics get? Do graphics even matter anymore? I grew up during the time that having a system that said "16-bit" on the cover made other kids want to mug you. Nintendo, I see your finally making good success with the 3DS. Show me you can do the same with the Wii U, and get the Nintendo name back into the console war at full power. 4.6/5

Zelda MiniGame Included in Nintendo Land. Harder then it looks.

There is one thing I would like to point out to the people who may ask "Well, is it stronger or weaker then PS3 and Xbox?" I will say this - despite a little bit of frame rate issues, I've heard no problems with the Wii U's graphics. A majority of the issues that people are discovering are in the games that are ports from other consoles such as COD or Batman. Don't listen to what other people say though - try the system yourself. I think you'll be glad you did.

If you've got a Nintendo Wii U or plan on getting one, hit me up online under the Nintendo Network ID name Kajimaru. See you guys online.

FFXIV: A Realm Reborn Alpha Trailer 2

    SE has released the second trailer from FFXIV: A Realm Reborn's Alpha Testing. This video features an area called The Black Shroud. The Black Shroud is located outside of Neo Windurst/Gridania. We previously say Gridania in the last Alpha trailer. In this video you will see lush green hills, hidden pathways behind waterfalls, and even dark caves surrounded by Imps. FFXIV:RR seems to be coming along nicely. Let's just hope that SE learned from all of their past mistakes. I dearly hope that this will be the return of Final Fantasy in mainstream gaming as well as MMOs.

Trailer: The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia Book

Dark Horse Comic's English release of The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia is still about two month's away but IGN has given us a trailer to sink our teeth into. Check it out below:

The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia is a hardcover encyclopedia that will contain 248 full-color pages. It will feature a full history of the franchise, concept art, chronology of the Zelda game series, making-of the series, a comic by Zelda Manga-ka Akira Himekawa, as well as an introduction from Shigeru Miyamoto.

Nintendo & Dark Horse Comics will release Hyrule Historia on 1/16/13 with a sticker price of US$34.99. Worth picking up for any Zelda lover.

Final Fantasy XIV: End of an Era Video

The official FFXIV YouTube channel has posted a video of the end of XIV's current world. This video also represents the end of the original FFXIV's world to make way for the Realm Reborn coming early 2013. Check it out.

FFXIV: The End of the World

Image curtsey of FFXIVPRO.

The moon is falling and the final hours of FFXIV are at an end. When we see this world again, we will see the world reborn. Here is great hopes that SE's development team put their heart and soul into this new world we're about to see. Until we meet again, see you soon adventurers!

Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012 Series

Ninja Turtles, now under the Nickelodeon flag, return for an all new animated series. Borrowing a little from each of it's previous incarnations will the new turtles be ready for some pizza time or is the new series going to be flushed down like an unwanted red slider back in the early 90's? (Was that joke too tasteless?)

THE STORY:

The origin doesn't vary far from the original. Thankfully the Turtles are mutants still and not aliens. Hamato Yoshi makes his way from Japan to New York where he adopts 4 baby turtles. On his way home he runs into some suspicious looking people fighting over an item. This item happens to be the slime that transforms him into a rat and his turtles into humanoids. Trains them as Ninjas, They grow to become teens, and you know the rest. Thankfully we're not here for a new origin, we're here for some new turtle action!

 3/5 Average.

THE AUDIO:

The music in the new series is fantastic. Upbeat songs are nice and catchy while the lower key music doesn't sound like it's taking itself to seriously. Sound effects are perfect with each moment. Even the new opening song is catchy and fun. It's a addicting and fun rap song that calls back to the original T.V. series as well as some of the other incarnations with lines like "The Secret of the Ooze" & "Heroes in a Half Shell." A killer soundtrack indeed. The voice acting is also fantastic - each Turtle's voice suits their character well. At first I had Don (who's VA played Ralp in the 87' series) and Mikey's sounding a little too kiddy, but once I got about half way into the premier I found that these voices suited them extremely well. Even the random bits of Japanese that Splinter and Leo toss out sound great. 5/5 for the Turtles!

THE VISUAL:

I was a little concerned when I found out that the new series was being made with CGI. I find that CG animated series don't have the same charm as hand drawn/computer drawn animation. This series is definitely making me feel otherwise. The animation is smooth, fluid, and expressive. The characters them self have alot of emotion to them. There are some great moments where they use some very comic book/manga like facial expressions that gives the series a charming look. Even the backgrounds are done well. They did a great job keeping the comic/manga look with CGI. 5/5 Excellent!

THE CHARACTERS:

The characters basic attitude have not changed much from previous entries into the series. The twist in the characters lies in something that is often ignored in previous incarnations despite the fact that it is in the title: They are teenagers. I'm not talking 17-19, I'm talking about that socially awkward age of 15. Leo remains the leader who can't completely control his teenage brothers. Between Ralp giving him a hard time and Mikey breaking rules, he enjoys reenacting his favorite T.V. series. Ralp remains the smart-ass who enjoys giving his brothers a hard time. Mikey still loves skateboard but still acts like the little annoying brother you never wanted. Splinter has a new design that makes him more foreboding as a parent and teacher. (He is also my favorite Splinter to date.) April returns this time as a teenager but with few lines and being nothing more then a damsel in distress I could not judge her well. Hopefully she becomes much more. The enemies for the premier are the Kraang - Brain-like aliens the resemble the Utroms from the comics and the 2003 series take their look and name being closer to the 87's Krang. 5/5 - Even though these characters are not perfect, the have a lot of room to grow!

OVERALL:

Welcome back Ninja Turtles. That sums up my feelings. The series itself has provoked me to start purchasing the figures and that is saying something. The new series does one thing that I think they learned from the Turtles Forever movie - Don't take yourself too seriously. These turtles give us the right amount of action and comedy to keep my eyes glued. I'm already DVRing the series as new episodes that are giving Saturday Morning Cartoons a serious comeback. I can't be the only one who feels this way - Season 2 has already been confirmed. 4.5/5!

Pizza Time!

FFXIV: A Realm Reborn Alpha Trailer

SquareEnix has released a trailer featuring the revamped Gridania as a little teaser for returning XIV players. Remember kids, XIV goes down this weekend to make room for it's revamped 2.0, aka A Realm Reborn. Check out the trailer below!

Wii U: Top 5 Announced Games I am Looking Forward Too.

With Nintendo's newest console only a week away from world-wide release, I thought I would take a moment and go over the top 5 games I am looking forward to. Let's not screw around and get right to the list.

5.) Nintendo Land

Nintendo Land places itself as number five on this list. It is meant to be the "killer app" game of the Wii U much like how Wii Sports was for the original Wii. The game features 12 mini games that use you and your friend's Miis. A copy of Nintendo Land will also be packed with every Wii Deluxe Edition making the extra $50 on the upgrade worth it.

4.) All 3 Party Games

Finally, Nintendo can get some decent 3rd party games. I hope the Wii U's life carries over to the next generation for this same reason. Mind you, I have a 360 & a PS3. Usually I choose my 3rd party games by what type of games they are. Family, Party, & Multiplayer games were always bought on my Xbox360 previously but sadly I think my Wii U will replace my 360 in my living room. My PS3 will continue to be my single-player console. I can't wait to see websites doing 3 panel comparison shots for all three systems.

3.) Zombie U

Originally I wasn't excited about this title until I found out one disturbing feature. When you die, your dead. It's over. You want your items and gear from your dead body? Better find your zombie-past self and kill 'em. Another great feature is that the game takes place in London. It's not often I get to roam the streets of London and definitely even less often that I go to London to fight zombies.Hopefully the difficulty will be high on this one. I could use a game to put me in my place.

2.) Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate

Speaking of being put in my place: Monster Hunter is back and on the Wii U. Hopefully the online features will be seamless. I can't wait to spend hours hunting some huge beast just to have it pick me up by the neck and fling me across the zone like an unwanted rag doll.

1.) New Super Mario Brothers U

Another New Super Mario game? I'll take it. This time you can not only have 3 potential enemies (or friends as Nintendo calls them) but a 5th player using the game pad to help Mario & friends along the way. This game will also have a boost rush mode where you need to finish levels as quickly as possible without getting killed & a challenge mode for single or multiplayer. You can even share your best times or scores with your friends online.

There you have it. I probably won't get a Wii U until after Christmas but at least I'll have some great games to look forward too. Hopefully Nintendo keeps pushing them out as well. ^^



New Evangelion Unit: Comes in Pink!

With the newest Evangelion movie, You Can (Not) Redo, out in Japanese theaters the Internet is exploding with spoiler images and summaries from those who have seen it. We know Kaworu and his unit were set to appear in this movie as we got a tease of him coming at the end of 2.0. There is also another un-numbered unit. I'm going out on a ledge here to say it's probably Mari's new EVA Unit. Check out the picture and let me know what you think. Radical theories are welcome.

Toonami - More New Shows OTW!

So I completly forgot to post about the last Toonami change, where they added the 2012 Thundercats and Symbionic Titan to the midnight lineup. Before I move on, I'd like to point out a few awesome things about the new Thundercats series.

I still hope for season 2.

1. Voice Acting & Animation is top-notch!

2. Bringing the new Thundercats is a call back to the early days of original Toonami -when they shows the original Thundercats!

3. Great story, I don't care what you people say about the Petal Leaf Episode.

Now, let's move on to the new new changes: 

"Grr, we have to watch more reruns again?"

Tonight 's Toonami will not only show the end of the Luke-warm Casshern Sins but also reintroduce Inu Yasha to the late night Adult Swim audience. Maybe if Inu Yasha becomes popular again, we'll finally get the final act. Inu Yasha isn't a great to me as Ramna 1/2 was, but it'll do for now. As for the next new show..

Trust me when I say you'll enjoy it even if it is a spinoff!

Remember earlier when I mentioned how cool it was bringing the new Thundercats to the revived Toonami as the original played during Toonami's original run? Well, it's time for another Toonami classic to return in a new form - Tenchi Muyo is back. Well, Sorta. The Tenchi Spin-Off Tenchi Muyo GXP will start airing next week. This side story features a young man named Seina Yamada who becomes mistaken by the Galaxy Police as another main character. He ends up having all sorts of fun that would normally be reserved for the son of Jurai himself. Check it out if you're a Tenchi fan or not: It's a blast.