SGcafe Anime, Manga, Cosplay, Vocaloid News For Otaku May 2012 Issue by VR Media Pte. Ltd.

May 7th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture

Bushiroad to sell Milky Holmes Curry Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/bushiroad-to-sell-milky-holmescurry/ By shia on May 7th, 2012

Bushiroad has announced the sale of “Detective Opera Milky Holmes ‘Curry for useless living’”(探探探探探探探探探探探探探探探探探探探探探探探探探)

Basic Information Product Name : “Detective Opera Milky Holmes ‘Curry for useless living’”(探探探探探探探探探探探探探探探探探探探探探探探探探) Maker : 探探探探探探探探 Sale date : June 2012 Price : 16800 Yen Copyright : (C) bushiroad / Project MILKY HOLMES (C) bushiroad All Rights Reaserved. illust:探探探探探探探探EDENS’NOTES探 (C) bushiroad All Rights Reaserved. illust:探探探探探探 Additional Information : Contains 20 packs of curry in a carton. Each pack will contain a pack of unflavored curry(no main ingredient like pork/chicken/beef) and a bromide. Source : Amiami and Rakuten , OHP

While it is quite normal for companies to sell character goods along with food products like instant curries, what differentiates it from others is that it only comes in cartons of 20 packs(loose packs not announced). Each of the pack will have its own bromide and there will be 6 designs to collect(Samples below).

Notes from the manufacturer state that as the bromides are sealed in the packs they will be random. It is possible that even if you buy a carton you might not get the full set. “Detective Opera Milky Holmes ‘Curry for useless living’” will be on sale June 2012 at the manufacturer recommended sales price of 16,800 Yen per carton. AmiAmi and rakuten are currently taking pre-orders at 14240 Yen.

Japanese Red Cross Society X ufotable collaboration : Fate/Zero blood donation drive Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/japanese-red-cross-society-xufotable-collaboration-fatezero-blood-donation-drive/ By shia on May 7th, 2012

As part of the 探探探探探探探 vol.8探(Machi探Asobi/Street play Vol.8) festivities in Tokushima starting from the 3rd of May, ufotable collaborated with the Japanese Red Cross Society to try to get people to donate blood. It turned out to be very successful venture. 1

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By 1300hrs they had to stop accepting donations as the response was too good.

Published by: VR-Zone

On the 4th of May, the blood donation drive started again at 1300hrs, over 100 participants were lined up and by 1320hrs, due to the overwhelming response , they had to stop accepting anymore blood donors.

What is 「「「「「「「「? Machi Asobi is an annual entertainment event held in Tokushima to promote tourism in Tokushima, more information can be found on its website here. This year the event is held from the 3rd of May until the 5th. Other sponsors/organizers of note are , Nitroplus, Bushiroad, Cospa and many others. Source : Gigazine.net

In exchange for their donations of blood, the participants got an exchange receipt for a limited edition Fate/Zero Blood donation drive poster which they could redeem from the 5th of May until the end of July.

Hatsune Miku (Cheerful Ver.) the star of Good Smile Company 11th anniversary CM Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/hatsune-miku-cheerful-ver-the-starof-good-smile-company-11th-anniversary-cm/ By shia on May 7th, 2012

Good Smile Company(GSC) turned 11 on the May 1 and to commemorate that, they have created a short commercial… starring Hatsune Miku (Cheerful Ver.)! Good Smile Company 11th anniversary marks the transition from a limited company to a public company . Good Smile Company is the worldwide leader in Japanese hobby products and service including the design, 2

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manufacture and marketing of Japanese character figures from anime and manga series, as well as originals such as Hatsune Miku, Madoka Magica, K-On!! and many others. Source : Mikatan English Blog, oreteki

Published by: VR-Zone

the market currently. With it, you can dodge a heated gunfire much more easily, kill your opposing team members more efficiently. The only issue is planning out your teamwork with your party members.

Max Payne 3 Multiplayer preview Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/max-payne-3-multiplayer-preview/ By sentinel011 on May 7th, 2012

We have tried the single player a couple of weeks ago, so how did the multiplayer fare? We find out today. The learning curve was pretty steep, but it does make a difference once you are adept to using the shootdodge and Bullet Time. I hardly use shootdodge unless I plan out my route ahead, so most of the time I learn my basic flanking combat skills, which garnered me quite a few kills in the first round. Unfortunately, my other team mates manage to get the hang of shootdodge and Bullet Time, so their scores end up higher during the second.

Fans of the first two Max Payne games which like heavy dialogue, story and the Noir-ish landscapes will not like the multiplayer aspect of Max Payne 3. But that isn’t to say that the multiplayer isn’t fun – in fact, it’s way too fun. The original fans might just be influenced at how fun this multiplayer concept might be once they get their hands on it. First up, let us touch on the basics of the game. The multiplayer can accommodate 16 players at any time. If you have a console like XBOX360 or the PS3, you won’t be able to play split screen. We will touch more on that further on. Defeating players by gunning them down or complete objectives lets you earn XP. You can earn XP via small ingame objectives too, such as looting corpses. Looting gives you certain items that will allow you to recover health, extra ammo or a couple of grenades.

We mentioned the abilities called Bursts earlier, and the more you use it, the more XP you gain to level up your Burst abilities. You can choose your favourite Burst ability at the multiplayer lobby, which also enables you to purchase or pick your favourite weapon(s) before each session. There are tons of Burst abilities to choose and unlock in the multiplayer. Of course, the same can be said for weapons as well as other special add-ons that increase your XP gain by two, or absorb more damage, amongst many others. The following videos describe on the three different game modes of Max Payne 3, namely Team Deathmatch, Payne Killer and Gang Wars. There are other subtle interfaces and systems that Max Payne 3′s multiplayer mode has included, such as Fireworks, which act like signal flares that help weed out ‘campers’ or let other team members know of your location if you are far away from them. There are many scenarios where Fireworks is very useful in the game. Other systems such as Motion Comics and Kill Panels give the player great satisfaction after gunning down enemies, or stylishly getting gunned down. Sounds weird, but hey, it does actually give a great feeling even though your character gets shot. Vendettas are a system in the game that allows you to gain more XP by gunning down the opponent that just shot your character to death in the next re-spawn. XP gained also allows you to gain up to 50 ranks, which allows you to earn in-game cash. The cash can also be used to unlock content

XP gained allows you to level up, gaining in-game cash to purchase weapons and weapon upgrades, items such as grenades or painkillers to regain health, as well as special abilities known as Bursts. There are up to 3 target levels to gain. Like I mentioned in my previous article, Bullet Time can be used in multiplayer. The only condition is that it doesn’t apply automatically to anyone or right from the get-go in the beginning of the session. This is what sets the multiplayer apart from many other third-person multiplayer shooters on 3

May 7th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

Also, the more weapons your character carries, the slower your character moves. Very similar to Mass Effect 3′s system, but this still this takes the cake. Here are some of the available weapons and items you can equip:

• BOUNTY ORDERS

WEAPONS

• BALACLAVA

• .38 • Pt92

• LOCKBOX • MILITARY GOGGLES

• M 01

• FIELD BANDAGES

• 1911

• Adrenaline auto injector

• M972

• ID CARD

• DE.50

• MANUFACTURER GUARANTEE

• MPK

• WALKIE TALKIE

• M500

More powerful weapons in your inventory requires more weight, which in turn will make your character slower in speed and health regeneration. There are 5 item slots for your characters head, chest and three pieces of “gear”. Each of these items will give you abilities like spotting your enemy’s location for a couple of seconds, to increased armour and replenishing your spent adrenaline bar.

• Mini-30 • SAF .40 • M4 super 90 • Ak47

• GAS MASK

• FAL • RPD • SUPER SPORT • M82A1 • LMG.30 • Grenade launcher • Flash grenade • Frag grenade • Tin can • Smoke grenade • Tear gas ITEMS • Ammo Pouch • ARMOUR – STANDARD

We feel that the game is fairly easy to pick up and play once you get your basic manoeuvring techniques right. But at higher levels, the right weaponry, item and play style will surely rise your levels quicker than ever. If you are looking for the Noire-style environment from Max Payne 1 and 2 in the multiplayer, look elsewhere. However, if you want to associate Max Payne’s Bullet Time sequences with great multiplayer systems, then this multiplayer might just be the thing. For us, we feel the game’s a lot of fun, and is a different category with its single player mode. It almost feels as though you are playing 2 different games. We sure hope the final retail version can be as good, if not better than this preview build of the game. Look out for our review on Max Payne 3 soon!

• SPECIAL STEALTH BOOTS • HELMET • WALKIE TALKIE • HYPO

Persona 4 The Golden heads to North America Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/persona-4-the-golden-heads-tonorth-america/

• URBAN CAMP

May 7th, 2012 By Kyoka on May 7th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

Source: Crunchyroll

2012 Gunpla Builders World Cup Slated Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/2012-gunpla-builders-world-cupslated/ By magnetic_rose on May 7th, 2012

Yes Persona fans have probably assumed it and Atlus has now confirmed it, Persona 4 The Golden will indeed be making its western PS Vita debut. Scheduled for a fall 2012 release in North America, Persona 4 The Golden is a polished port of the Playstation 2 hit rpg Persona 4 game which will include new animation, more Persona, a new character named Marie, new voice acting as well as wireless support and more.

The finals of the 2012 Gunpla Builders World Cup will take place in December at the Gundam Front Tokyo mini-theme park, in Tokyo’s Odaiba Aqua City Diver. This is the second year the Gunpla Builders World Cup will be held, and the first time in Japan; the inaugural event was held in Hong Kong, where Ho Yick Yin of Malaysia bested eleven other regional finalists and won the open category. Representatives from Japan, Italy, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, North America, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Thailand will be competing for the honor of being then best Gunpla builders for 2012.

Players can soon travel by motorbikes to reach various areas in P4 The Golden Atlus has put up an Official English Site for the game, for now its a bit low on content, or you can head over to their Official Japanese Site for more details. Persona 4 The Golden’s Producer reveals some gameplay details. Source: Kotaku

New Trailer for AKB0048 Anime Released

This year’s competition will follow last year’s format: an open category will be available for contestants aged 15 and older, and an open category will be open for contestants aged 14 and younger. Information on regional competitions for Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines are yet to be released. Source: ManTanWeb

Nyaruko to get Nendroid and Figma figures Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/nyaruko-to-get-nendroid-and-figmafigures/ By shia on May 7th, 2012

According to Good Smile Company’s Twitter, Haiyore! Nyaruko-san will be getting Nendroid and Figma figurines.

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/new-trailer-for-akb0048-animereleased/ By magnetic_rose on May 7th, 2012

A new trailer for the AKB0048 anime still currently in production has been released. The anime is being developed and produced by Kawamori Shouji and Satelight of Macross Frontier fame. The series is about a group of idols who were branded as terrorists by a post-apocalyptic government who banned “entertainment which corrupts people’s minds”. The girls then take arms to protect themselves and their fans. It is currently airing on Japan TV Station Kanagawa (tvk) on Sunday evenings at 11pm, GMT+9.

May 7th, 2012

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The smartphone application will contain manga, wallpapers, movie trailers and other specials and will be available in the Android app store and Apple app store. It would tentatively come out in May.

Haiyore! Nyaruko-san revolves around Mahiro, who was saved from being kidnapped by aliens by Nyarlathotep(Nyaruko) and she lives in with Mahiro on the pretext of protecting him from further harm. As the story progresses, more and more “evil gods” from the Cthulhu mythology join in and turns Mahiro’s life upside down. No pricing or release date details were provided for the figurines.

Source : 探探探探 mynavi, OHP,

Square Enix Teaser for New Game on iOS and Android Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/square-enix-teaser-for-new-gameon-ios-and-android/ By bj0rN on May 7th, 2012

Source : ANN , GSC Twitter

Rurouni Kenshin PSP game announced along with smartphone application Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/rurouni-kenshin-psp-gameannounced-along-with-smartphone-application/ By shia on May 7th, 2012

“How do I become a true maiden?” Square Enix planning on releasing a new title for iOS and Android. You can check out the website of the new game here. No other details have been given, though one might associate it with as an Otome game, with emphasis on the player becoming an “Otome”. An Otome game is a romance game targeting at female players. The new Square Enix game is set to release this summer. Source: Square Enix

Jump Square Magazine(June Edition) has announced a new Rurouni Kenshin PSP game in one of their special feature articles along with a official Rurouni Kenshin smartphone application. While no additional information has been given about the new psp game judging by the copyrights on the game, it would be produced by Namco Bandai and might be a fighting game. 6

May 10th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture

Spec Ops: The Line demo now on Xbox Live Marketplace and soon on Playstation Network Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/spec-ops-the-line-demo-now-onxbox-live-marketplace-and-soon-on-playstation-network/ By sentinel011 on May 10th, 2012

Game Review Digest – Conception, Cherry Tree High School Comedy Club and Xenoblade Chronicles Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/game-review-digest-conceptioncherry-tree-high-school-comedy-club-and-xenoblade-chronicles/ By sentinel011 on May 10th, 2012

Sometimes, highly anticipated games fall flat, whereas the lesser known games turn out surprisingly more fun. Here are some of our recent reviews.

CONCEPTION The story beings with the you, the protagonist living with your female cousin Mahiru as your parents had died in an accident while you were young. You have been called by Mahiru to the roof top and there she reveals that she might be pregnant. While you are shocked by this turn of events(wondering whose child was that…) you are sucked into a rift that appeared in the sky, when you came to your senses , you realised that you are in another world known as Granbania. Spec Ops: The Line Playable Demo is out now for Xbox LIVE Gold members. Of course, it is only redeemable via XBOX360. Xbox LIVE Silver members will be able to redeem it on 15 May, while gamers on the PlayStation Network will be able to do the same on 17 May for the PS3. Spec Ops: The Line is set in Dubai, and you play as Captain Martin Walker, who searches for Colonel John Konrad and his missing battalion, The Damned 33rd. The demo allows you to play through the game’s earlier two chapters of the full game.

You were summoned into Granbania by the King, Shangrila , who was trying to summon the “Maribito”(Messiah) , that would save the world from the corrupting influences of the “Kegare” monsters that spawn from the negative energies of the world. You realise the only way to get back to your original worlds to reopen the rift that summoned you and the only way is for you to save Grandvernier and halt the “Kegare”, thus you agreed to help.

Multiplayer will be an essential part of the gaming experience Spec Ops: The Line has for players,and apart from its squad based system, you are able to use the environment to your advantage such as using sand to bury your enemies. The full game will be out on stores on 29 June for both consoles and the PC. Pre-order the game now to get a free upgrade to the ‘Fubar Pack’, which enables you to unlock special skins for your characters, stats advantage at Rank 1 in multiplayer, and many other upgrades. More details here. The standard retail price for the game are as follows: • Windows PC $59.90 • PlayStation®3 $79.90 • Xbox 360® $69.90

The game is mainly a dungeon crawler with love simulation elements in it. The player will run down the dungeon to progress with the story, get Kizuna Points to “Concieve” Children with the mikos, these children will become your party members. In between running down the dungeons the player will meet the mikos to further their relationships. Deeper bonds will lead to children with better abilities. 1

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Miley to stroll from one place to another. On first glance, the game’s colorful graphics and small screen resolution resembles those free browser based flash games. The screen cannot be expanded to full screen so you will be playing the game on a window smaller than half the size of an average laptop screen which may seem a tad annoying to some since most PC games have the option of a full screen mode.

All in all, it is an average RPG with run of the mill storyline(Save the world so that you can go home). Decent battle system, great voice acting. YAY: Solid voice acting | Interesting concept | Funny dialogue NAY: Story is too short | Lack of variety in skills Full review here. –

Cherry Tree Comedy Club

High

School

A relaxing game with good dialogue, some interesting characters and a colourful and upbeat graphic style. If you’re wanting to spend a couple of hours playing a one-shot, this game is definitely worth your time. The game is currently available via their homepage, but will be available over the coming weeks through major digital distributors including GamersGate, GameTap, Impulse and Steam. YAY: great dialogue | cute and colorful characters NAY: full screen mode not avaliable | no mouse input | spelling errors Full review here.

Cherry Tree High Comedy Club (developed by Doujin Circle 773 and will be downloadable on Steam soon) follows high school student Miley Verisse, a comedy fanatic, on her journey to revive her school’s comedy club. Once known to produce a famous comedy duo, the Cherry Tree High Comedy Club (CTHCC) dissolved after the duo left.

The indie game makes use of the basic yes/no along with keyboard directional controls which on first impression, gives you the feeling that it would do much better off on a mobile phone or tablet. The lack of a mouse input can also be frustrating in places where you would think of actually clicking instead of holding down the arrow keys waiting for

–

Xenoblade Chronicles

Xenoblade Chronicles (XB) doesn’t suggest greatness at first. Being on the Wii, its opening areas are graphically decent, but uninspired. Oh hey, robots. Oh hey, strong,

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swarthy Japanese RPG trope characters. This doesn’t look good. Thankfully, it gets past that quickly. We’re introduced to Shulk, the classic orphaned boy, who can somehow wield The Blade of True Power™ called the Monado, one of the only ways to truly put down the evil Mechron robots invading their Titan. Titan? XB decided that it would be a fantastic idea to set their world on the backs of (and inside of) two gigantic Titans that have frozen themselves in time.

Published by: VR-Zone

YAY: Gives the Wii a run for its money | Amazing English translation | Voice-overs aren’t terrible | Fantastic battle system | Great, in-depth systems without overcomplicated controls | Open-world concept is really, an actual openworld NAY: Some graphics still have obvious fuzz and clipping | It’s pretty easy to get lost in the overworld | JRPG character tropes still exist Full review here.

Production Staff and Cast of Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate Announced Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/production-staff-and-cast-of-koi-tosenkyo-to-chocolate-announced/ By Mycstea on May 10th, 2012

The official website of TV anime Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate has released it’s voice acting cast as well as production staff. While exploring, XB shows off one of the first innovations it has happily stolen – no random battles. Enemies are clearly telegraphed on the overworld as Shulk runs around, and players can choose to engage them or avoid them as best they can. Some enemies are even simply there for décor – neutral, shy, they might even seek to avoid combat or simply ignore you completely.

Slated to premiere this July, TV anime Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate is an anime based on game maker sprite’s hit visual novel of the same name.

Get into battle, and you’re introduced to some melding of Final Fantasy XIII’s action gauges and the Tale’s series of real-time movement. While there’s a basic attack option, battles feel more akin to MMO’s with special “Talent Art” skills to utilize. These skills can be activated at any time, dealing a base set of damage before recharging for re-use. Each skill though, does something special if players fulfill specific conditions. One, for instance, lets Shulk deal more damage if he backstabs an opponent, while another from Reyn might flip an armored opponent on its back. Released in 2010, the visual novel Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate follows the protagonist Yuuki Oojima as he attempts to win the election as a student council president. Originally from the Food Research Club, Yuuki was forced to join the election in an effort to save his club from being abolished. The voice acting cast has held on to the original cast of the PC game. Listed below are the full cast list for the voice acting staff. • Yuuki Oojima played by Yuiichi Nakamura (Okazaki Tomoya – CLANNAD, Gray Fullbuster – Fairy Tail) All these quality-of-life touches breath a sort of joyous sense into Xenoblade Chronicles. You don’t want to stop wandering around the world because of all the nooks and crannies. You don’t want to stop fighting because the battle system is actually bloody good. You don’t want to stop questing because it’s so easy and unlocks so much more things. You don’t want to stop tinkering with your gear because there’s a wealth of options to tailor Shulk and his pals out just the way you want them. In short, if you own a Wii, and you’re reading this on SGCafe home of all things Japanese-related, why are you even still here? Go. Go now. Buy this game.

• Chisato Sumiyoshi played by Eriko Nakamura (Haruka Amami – THE IDOLM@STER) • Mifuyu Kiba played by Kaori Mizuhashi (Mami Tomoe – Puella Magi Madoka Magica) • Michiru Morishita played by Asami Imai (Kurisu Makise – Steins;Gate) • Isara Aomi played by Mai Kadowaki (Illyasviel von Einzbern – Fate/stay night) • Satsuki Shinonome played by Yuu Asakawa (Rider – Fate/stay night) As some people would have pointed out that the anime casts’ names are different from the game’s voice cast, they are 3

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all essentially the same people with different voice actress names. Elements Garden is again charged with the music direction of the TV anime. Also tasked with the following positions are the production staff of the anime version. • Director – Toru Kitahata (Boku ha Tomodachi ga Tsukunai episode director, Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai episode director) • Series Composition and Script – Katsuhiko Takayama (e.f. series, Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu) • Character Re-design and Overall Animation Art Director – Hiroaki Gouda (Amagami series, Onegai series) Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate will be airing in Japan from July 2012. Source: Jamguru

New Vocaloid Character Mayu Introduced Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/new-vocaloid-character-mayuintroduced/ By Mello on May 10th, 2012

Mayu showing her “yandere” face. DJ UTO, head of EXIT TUNES, and Hidari introduced Mayu as a yandere junior high school girl, seperating her from the other Vocaloid characters who are portrayed as kind and gentle. Fans online have noted about her appearance, that she has a hat with a speaker attached and earrings styled like Bluetooth headsets, as well as the buttons on her dress resembling amplifier buttons and knobs. There are also speculations that the rabbit doll she holds is an Animaloid as it has a microphone at the top of it’s head. From the reflection of her images, she looks like she is using the toy rabbit as a mircophone. It is also noted that she is carrying an axe with a red bow, in line with her yandere characteristics. With exception of the original illustration and logo, fans are allowed to use Mayu’s image and name for derivative works such as goods and merchandise for free without needing to apply for copyright permission from Exit Tunes. Individuals and doujin circles can freely use her as long as distribution is limited in scope or is one of the “noted distribution methods,” regardless of whether the created product is being sold or not. Furthermore, commercial entities can freely use the voice without prior approval from EXIT TUNES.

Music label, EXIT TUNES (previously released Vocaloid related CDs and albums in the past for Crypton Future Media and INTERNET Co.,Ltd Vocaloids. ) recently announced their own Vocaloid character, MAYU, at it’s 10th anniversary EXIT TUNES ACADEMY event in Saitama. Mayu is an upcoming Vocaloid3 character. A teaser website has been released for the new vocaloid character which currently offers wallpaper downloads for computers and smartphones as well as icons. The website also has usage guidelines and a link to Mayu’s official Twitter account. Mouseover Mayu’s face and she shows you her “yandere” expression. Behind the original design and illustration of Mayu is Hidari, who has worked with EXIT TUNES on album covers, as well as providing original character visual concepts for Fractale. (a sci-fi shonen anime television series)

The noted ways one could use the character includes of car decals (itasha), playing cards, candy, key chains, plastic protectors, cases, games, cosplay, cosplayer photographs, coasters, stickers, handphone straps, towels, tumblers, leaflets, T-shirts, doujinshi, stuffed toys, computers, music sheets, figures, hats, posters, computer mice, mouse pads, mugs, robots, CDs, DVDs, augmented reality, virtual reality, and MikuMikuDance models. The promotional music video for Mayu’s first song “Kami Uta” (feat. 164, composed by DJ UTO), which Hidari had a hand in, was screened at the EXIT TUNES ACADEMY event. The song will be released on an upcoming Mayumi Morinaga CD. According to fans who have attended the event, Exit Tunes is planning something for summer Comiket. The announcement video played during the even was also known to be uploaded along with an announcement tweet by Exit Tunes and then deleted. In it consists of a portion of MAYU singing 164′s Ama no Jaku (originally a GUMI song). No information has been released yet on who will voice Mayu. Additional information about Mayu will be announced at a later date. Source : 4Gamer, Hatsune Miku Miku, Vocaloidism

May 10th, 2012

The Idolm@ster pachinko game announced Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/the-idolmster-pachinko-gameannounced/ By shia on May 10th, 2012

Bandai Namco in collaboration with Sammy has announced “The Idolm@ster Live in Slot” While not much details have been revealed there will be a press conference on NicoNicoDouga on the 13th of May(Sunday). The Idolm@ster franchise has been stepping up ever since its proper anime adaptation was broadcast in Summer 2011. New games has since been made for the PS3, XBox360 and the PSP and have gathered a very decent sales record. Source : OHP

Japan to stop “Completion Gachapon” Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/japan-to-stop-completion-gachapon/ By shia on May 10th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

a better environment and are open to suggestions. (From : 4Gamer) Even if “Completion Gachapon” was completely banned , we are confident it would not hurt our foundations in this industry(From : Japan CNet)

What else could it affect? While the current action by CAA is limited only to social games, there is some chatter on 2ch that compares this method of doing business to be very similar to trading card games. Where players have to buy packs and open them for a chance of a rare card that they want. While the CAA is not targeting anything else, it could mark the beginning of a slippery slope down legislation in this area. Source: FNN , Yomiuri, 4Gamer, Japan CNet

Nakagawa Shouko Asia Tour – Singapore tickets on sale now Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/hello-i-m-shoko-nakagawa-asiatour-singapore-tickets-now-available-on-sistic/ By sentinel011 on May 10th, 2012

Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency(CAA), has announced that they have requested that social game companies to stop with “Completion Gachapon” and will be issuing a official statement soon. Companies that do not comply would be sent court orders.

What is “Completion Gachapon”? Sistic has released tickets on sale for Nakagawa Shouko’s “HELLO! I‘M SHOKO NAKAGAWA ASIA TOUR” for Singapore. Hong Kong based Puffin Entertainment has released ticket sales via Sistic during Mid-April, a couple of weeks earlier. The “live” venue will be held at Kallang Theatre on 4 August, 8pm.

“Gachapon” in this context is the usage of microtransactions to get a chance at a random item from a predetermined group of items. “Completion Gatchapon ” would be, “To get rare item, you must have obtained two or more items from a ‘Gachapon’ to exchange for said rare item”

Tickets are priced at SGD$150 for VIP tickets. Standard tiers are priced at SGD$120 and SGD$90. Below shows the seating plan for the concert

Why is “Completion Gachapon” being banned? According to FNN, social games is going through a boom phase now, with an estimated of 350 billion yen in networth up 70 time from 4 years ago. Although 1 “Gatcha” chance might cost a few hundred yen , it would take tens of thousands of yen to get the rare items through “Completion Gachapon” which some people have done it without realizing the gravity of situation. Thus the request to stop “Completion Gachapon” was sent out.

Response from social game companies Gree : We accept the recommendations from the CAA, for the sake of our customers we would like an environment where the consumers can feel safe with our service. We strive for 5

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Jun Maeda x Nagi Yanagi Album Owari no Hoshi no LoveSong On Sale Now Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/jun-maeda-x-nagi-yanagi-albumowari-no-hoshi-no-lovesong-on-sale-now/ By Mycstea on May 10th, 2012

A joint collaboration album between Visual Art’s Key composer Jun Maeda and singer Nagi Yanagi titled Owari no Hoshi no LoveSong is now on sale

Released on April 25th, collaboration concept album Owari no Hoshi no LoveSong is now on sale at 3 675 yen (with tax) for Limited Edition, and 3150 yen (with tax) for regular edition. Famed composer of Visual Art’s Key, Jun Maeda had been working on a joint project with famed singer Nagi Yanagi since last year, having both worked on Visual Art’s Key game Rewrite in the year 2011. An earlier preview single called Killer Song, had been released in Comic Market 81 last December. Since then, the couple has been working on this collaboration album which later released under the record label Flaming June last month.

There is also a facebook event page for the concert, which is convenient to check out if your friends are going. Japanese fans of Nakagawa Shouko also have a package tour catered for them, travelling together their idol. Puffin Entertainment is no stranger to the J-Pop industry around Asia, having produced several concerts for artistes like Scandal, LOVE PSYCHEDELICO, Luna Sea, L`arc~en~Ciel, Lisa Ono and the list goes on. Since 1999, they have produced numerous J-Pop and Anison concerts in Hong Kong.

Jun Maeda, composer and writer responsible for famous tunes such as Tori no Uta (AIR OP Theme, 2004), Toki wo Kizamu Uta (CLANNAD After Story OP Theme, 2008 ), Doll (Gunslinger Girls S2 ED Theme, 2008) and My Soul, Your Beats! (Angel Beats! OP theme, 2010). He is mainly in charge of overall production, composing and lyrics for the entire album. Also known for his writing, he has been responsible for the storyline and script for most main Key visual novel games.

The venue, Kallang Theater, used to be Singapore’s largest cinema in the 1980s. It has since turned into a 1700-seat auditorium. Source: ani-culture | Kallang Entertainment | Shouko Asia Tour

Theater

Puffin

May 10th, 2012

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5. Muteki no Soldier – 終終終Soldier 6. Kouru no Yume – 終終終 7. Executioner no Koi – Executioner終終 8. Toaru Kaizokuou no Kimagure – 終終終終終終終終終終終終終終終終終 9. Yuki no Furanai Hoshi – 終終終終終終終 10. Hifuki Yama no Mahoutsukai – 終終終終終終終終終 The Limited Edition also includes a DVD with illustration music videos for some of the songs included in the album. 1. Owari no Sekai Kara – 終終終終終終終終 2. Killer Song Famous singer Nagi Yanagi has been working with Supercell before this current collaboration, providing the vocals for Supercell’s debut hit single Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari (Bakemonogatari OP). She also provided more vocals for Supercell in his singles Sayonara Memories and Utakata Hanabi (Naruto: Shippuden 14th ED Theme, 2011) / Hoshi ga Matataku Konna Yoru ni (TYPE-MOON’s Mahoutsukai no Yoru, 2011).

3. Muteki no Soldier – 終終終Soldier 4. Last Smile 5. Hifuki Yama no Mahoutsukai – 終終終終終終終終終 A sample of all songs are available on Flaming June’s Youtube channel. Owari no Hoshi no LoveSong is now on sale. Source: Flaming June official website

PS Vita to have Crystal White and Miku Limited Edition versions Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/ps-vita-to-have-crystal-white-andmiku-limited-edition-versions/ By sentinel011 on May 10th, 2012

Also lending their talents for the project are famous illustrators Goto-P and ZEN. Providing the cover images for both the normal and limited edition, Goto-P sets the feel of the album with grace. ZEN is responsible for the image cover of Killer Song. Both artists, along with mangaka Yuriko Asami (Angel Beats! – Heaven’s Door mangaka), light novel illustrator Nanakusa (Shinigami no Ballad), light novel illustrator Hamayumiba Sou, mangaka Juri Misaki (CLANNAD Official Comic), illustrator Na-Ga (Angel Beats!) and Pixiv illustrator yae provide the artwork that accompany every song in the album . For preview images, please visit Flaming June’s official website listed at the end of the page. Owari no Hoshi no LoveSong contains 14 tracks, listed below. 1. Owari no Sekai Kara – 終終終終終終終終 2. Futari dake no Ark – 終終終終終終Ark 3. Killer Song 4. Flower Garden

Your hands will literally be all over Hatsune Miku now. Sony Computer Entertainment will release Limited Edition Hatsune Miku PS Vita this coming Summer.

This Limited Edition PS Vita was produced in collaboration with SEGA and its next Project Diva game release titled tentatively as “NEXT HATSUNE MIKU Project DIVA”, which will go on sale from 30 August 2012. Both the set and the game will be released on that day. In addition the special design on its back touch screen panel, a special front panel Miku-designed protective film, a 4GB memory stick and a set of specially designed AR cards will be included in the Limited Edition Hatsune Miku PS Vita set. 7

May 10th, 2012

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Updated last Friday on it’s official website, Ayana Taketatsu and Minako Kotobuki are now cast in hit Japanese TV anime Hyouka.

A Crystal White version of the PS Vita will also be released, but at an earlier date on 28 June. It will retail for 29,980 yen and 24,980yen for the 3G/WIFI and 3G sets respectively, all tax inclusive. In addition, PS Vita will have a set of fitting Crystal White IEM earbuds on sale for 2800 yen, also tax inclusive. The “Limited Edition Hatsune Miku PS Vita” will be in stores on August 30. Of course, it is limited within Japan, and retails for 39,980 yen for the 3G/WIFI version. The WIFI only version retails for 34,980 yen. All prices are tax inclusive. Hyouka (終終) is a late night anime produced by acclaimed anime studio Kyoto Animation. Adapted from novel of the same name by Hobobu Yonezawa, the animated version boast rich visuals, animation and high production values. For such reasons and beyond, Hyouka is now one of the most anticipated anime of the season. In the story, lead character Houtarou (Yuiichi Nakamura) is ordered by her elder sister to join the Classic Literature Club. As the plot progresses, Houtarou and his friends begins unraveling a mystery buried for 33 years.

Source: News Dengeki

All Main Cast of K-On! Now Performing in Hyouka Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/all-main-cast-of-k-on-nowperforming-in-hyouka/ By Mycstea on May 10th, 2012

Interestingly the entire main cast of TV anime K-On! is now performing in Hyouka. Cast as Classic Literature Club member Eru Chitanda, Satomi Satou previously voiced as Ritsu Tainaka. The rest of the K-On! cast are however acting as side or minor characters. Aki Toyosaki and Youko Hikasa, who played Yui Hirasawa and Mio Akiyama respectively now play Rie Zenna and the Quiz Study Group Chairperson.

Ayana Taketatsu and Minako Kotobuki are now cast in hit Japanese TV anime Hyouka.

May 10th, 2012

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Ayana Taketatsu and Minako Kotobuki, who also played as Azusa Nakano and Tsumugi Kotobuki respectively now play manga club members Kimura and Henmi. Hyouka is now on air every Sunday at 2430 on Chiba Television. Limited Edition Blu-Ray and DVD of all 11 episodes are scheduled to be released on June 29th 2012. Source: Ota-suke

May 15th, 2012

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture

AnoHana Menma Figure by ALTER Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/anohana-menma-figure-by-alter/ By Mycstea on May 15th, 2012

High quality figure making company ALTER opens preorders for their new figurine 「Menma「 from hit TV anime Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi ha Mada Shiranai on May 16th 2012 (Tomorrow). Widely considered to be one of the best figurine producing companies ALTER has a great history of sculpting and producing some of the greatest figures in the past decade. Previewed of it’s sculpt several months ago in Wonderfestival 2012, ALTER has displayed 「Menma「 as a figurine to look out for.

TV anime Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi ha Mada Shiranai is an original story animated by A1-Pictures and distributed by Aniplex. The plot revolves around six friends, drifted apart following a tragedy. Years pass and the sudden return of their deceased friend’s spirit marks the beginning of a string of emotional events and a touching finale that has sent tears streaming down the cheeks of even the manliest of men.

Depicted with her usual naive and romantic expression, Menma is wonderfully depicted sitting on the upper ledge of the group’s Secret Base.

Fully coloured for release preview, 「Menma「 is a spectacular 1/8 scale figure with details fans would recognize and admire.

May 15th, 2012

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The vaguely semi-translucent material used to make Menmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clothings wonderfully depicts the light weight and fluffiness of her clothing.

The zinc plates that make up the walls of the Secret Base was skillfully and wonderfully painted, with effects to simulate rust and aging.

One of the things I found really appropriate was the inclusion of Menmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diary, one of the artifacts that stir the heartstrings of viewers. Also sculpted in are the random rubbish and ornaments left behind by Poppo during his stay in the Secret Base, such as an umbrella and a tribal looking sling bag.

May 15th, 2012

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Welcome to Diablo III! The fight for Sanctuary has begun.

Some last touches I really appreciate is the inclusion of the flower logo from the logo as well as the Super Peace Busters carving that is on the wooden plank, a homage to the original Secret Base as seen in the image below.

Please note that due to a high volume of traffic, login and character creation may be slower than normal. If you’re unable to login to the game or create characters, please wait and try again. We’ve temporarily taken our Battle.net websites offline and launched more servers to accomodate for the traffic. We hope to resolve these issues as soon as possible and appreciate your patience. In short, sit tight folks, it’s gonna be a long night in hell…

Game review – Disgaea 3 for PS Vita Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/game-review-disgaea-3-for-ps-vita/ By sentinel011 on May 15th, 2012

「Menma「 is available from tomorrow for preorder. Source: ALTER Kaihatsubu Oshigoto Blog

Diabloical laughter fills your mind… Diablo 3 servers overloaded and crashing Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/diabloical-laughter-fills-your-minddiablo-3-servers-overloaded-and-crashing/ By Neubronner Eugene on May 15th, 2012

For those lucky members who’ve got their Diablo 3 all primed and ready. For those who took off from work/school/ life to hook themselves up ready for the “Big One”. Sorry, error 9001. Reports are streaming in from all over the Internet that few – if any – are able to log into Blizzard’s hotly anticipated game Diablo 3 as it launches worldwide due to server crashes and general error overflows. If you’re one of those stuck waiting, Blizzard has this to say on their Facebook page:

While everyone is going nuts waiting for the launch of Diablo 3 in a few hours, here’s a little something RPG purists will take note of. Japanese RPG fans will surely have heard of the Disgaea franchise, and this latest iteration doesn’t fall short. People who do not know Japanese yet prefer their voice packs over the English ones may sigh a breath of relief as Disgaea 3 for the Vita enables you to switch in between languages and subtitles, including to what most otaku would love – Japanese voice with English subtitles! In short, if you’re a fan of strategy games then this is the game for you with a lot of things to experiment with and 3

May 15th, 2012

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something for you to spend time on. The soundtrack is rather decent since it plays along with the quirky comedic storyline and you can have Japanese dubs along with English subs. There are also countless ways of how you can go about by completing the stages, so if you’re looking for a game that you can spend a lot of time with, this is the thing for you.

In the first article, Hikasa begins with a self introduction to writing her first column articles. She continues by commenting on gaming, and specifically moves on to the TV anime 「 – Saki -, marveling at the character designs and how cute the show is (at this point, probably hinting on her desire to voice for a role in the anime).

Read the full review here!

She continues by elaborating on her match in Mahjong Battling Club (「「「「「「「) on her Nintendo DS. She then elaborates on about her games within her portable console and her eventual desire to play against real players.

K-On! Voice Actress Yoko Hikasa Expresses Interest in Mahjong, TV anime Saki Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/k-on-voice-actress-yoko-hikasaexpresses-interest-in-mahjong-tv-anime-saki/ By Mycstea on May 15th, 2012

In a rare confession of interest, voice actress Yoko Hikasa expresses her interest for the popular working class hobby, Mahjong.

Her second article shows her progress as she moves on to playing in Mahjong machines in Gaming Centers and eventually plays online games with players across the country.

Known for her role as bassist Mio Akiyama in hit TV anime K-On!, Yoko Hikasa is a prominent voice actress recognized for her girl-next-door voice but yet powerful vocals. However, little is known about her secret admiration for the game Mahjong. In a rather interesting chain of articles released recently, Hisako not only expresses intense interest in the game, but also hinting her desire for a role in the TV anime 「- Saki. In the short columns featuring her thoughts, 「「「「「「「「「「「「「「「「 (「「「「「「「「「「「「「「「「「「「「 in furigana), Hikasa pleasantly talks about the game as an interesting, yet unpredictable game.

Last but not least, her last article shows her graduation from digital medium to playing against real Mahjong with players in Mahjong Centers and the conclusion of her short but eventful columns. It is indeed rather interesting to see Hikasa’s gradual descent into Mahjong addiction, as well as her slight but significant hint at pursuing a role in the TV anime 「 -Saki-. Source: Otanews

The IdolM@ster Live In Slot! More details revealed Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/the-idolmster-live-in-slot-moredetails-revealed/ By shia on May 15th, 2012

May 15th, 2012

Following our post here on a new IdolM@ster IP, Sammy has revealed it to be a slot machine. The 2nd PV after the jump. One of its unique selling points would be the ability to save records and data and to load it using the user’s mobile phone and the ability to customize the contents in the game.

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The Figures will be on sale at the “Anno Hideaki’s Special Effects Museum – View Techniques of the Showa Period in Miniature” exhibition that was announced a few days ago here from the 10th of July 2012 to the 8th of October 2012. The figma and the figure will also be on sale in the GSC’s Online shop here after the 8th of October 2012 until the 22nd of October 2012. The prices have yet to be confirmed. Source : Good Smile Company Mikatan’s English blog

The IdolM@ster Live In Slot! will be available in Japan Summer 2012. The Idolm@ster franchise has been stepping up ever since its proper anime adaptation was broadcast in Summer 2011. New games has since been made for the PS3, XBox360 and the PSP and have gathered a very decent sales record. Source : The Idolm@ster , Sammy, Original Article

Giant God Warrior Figure and Figma announced Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/giant-god-warrior-figure-and-figmaannounced/ By shia on May 15th, 2012

According to GSC‘s Mikatan‘s blog, Giant God Warrior from Studio Ghibli’s latest film titled ‘Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo’ will be made into a figure and figma.

Sony posts March PlayStation Vita Sales at 600,000 Units Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/sony-posts-march-playstation-vitasales-at-600000-units/

May 15th, 2012 By shia on May 15th, 2012

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Isetan Scotts is hosting the Pika Pika Carnival from the 11th to 20th of May 2012, the first ever event of its kind here in Singapore. Pokemon trainers who own the Pokemon Black or White cartridges are eligible to receive a free in-game Pikachu when you show up at the carnival. Distribution is limited to one per cartridge and is done by WIFI at the area. When you arrive at the carnival, simply follow the instructions on a signboard at the entrance to receive your gift.

Sony has revealed that worldwide PlayStation Vita sales to be at 1.8 million at the end of March 2012 according to Eurogamer . While the numbers were not included in their annual earnings report, Sony’s CEO Kaz Hirai announced, “In the past year, 1.8 million units were sold in US,Japan, Asia and Europe.” Sony had announced 1.2 million worldwide Vita sales at the end of Feb 2012. Taking the total sales since March and the Sales figures in February, March would be about 600,000 Units. Of that 600,000 figure, the Vita has only managed 52,492 sales in Japan in March according to Eurogamer. The PlayStation Vita launched in December in Japan, February in Europe , US and Singapore. Source : Eurogamer

Event-exclusive Pikachu distributed at the Pika Pika Carnival Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/event-exclusive-pikachu-distributedat-the-pika-pika-carnival/ By Mello on May 15th, 2012

The event-exclusive Pikachu is distributed at level 100, will hold a Light Ball and know of the attacks Volt Tackle, Thunder, Grass Knot and Quick Attack. It is said that it is the very same Pikachu that was handed out last month at the Tohoku Pokemon Center Pikachu Festival in Japan. Each received Pikachu has a different temperament, so be sure to compare yours with your friends to see what you get. Apart from that, the event also boasts Japan exclusive Pokemon merchandize for sale carnival such as plushies, stationary, bags, bento boxes, and the exclusive Pokemon Battle Chess. Plushies sold at the event include Pikachu, Chikorita, Oshawott, Lugia, Tepig, Minccino, Scraggy, Emolga and more. There are also three different Pokemon carnival games at the event in which you can win attractive prizes. Each game costs $3/$5 per try. Pichu visors are given out for free at the event as well, so do make your way to payment counter to get your hands on one. And if you can’t get enough of the yellow furball, there are also Meet and Greet sessions with Pikachu on 12, 13, 19 & 20 May at 1 pm, 3 pm & 5 pm.

Nendoroid Kuroyukihime Preview Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/nendoroid-kuroyukihime-preview/

May 15th, 2012

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By bj0rN on May 15th, 2012

Nendroid Gakupo Out September, On Pre-order Now! Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/nendroid-gakupo-out-september-onpre-order-now/ By magnetic_rose on May 15th, 2012

Accel World have updated their website with preview images of the upcoming Nendoroid Kuroyukihime by Good Smile Company.

Apparently Haruyuki also comes along with Kuroyukihime so that she has a nice little piggy companion to hug with.

Another Vocaloid is set to join the line-up with the new Gakupo Nendroid â&#x20AC;&#x201D; now available fro pre-order! Accessories will include a Japanese fan, two swords, three faces, and an eggplant horse. If you have no idea what that little bit is all about, we suggest trolling through PIXIV or NICO NICO~ The Gakupo Nendo will retail for JPY 3,334; check out more pics below.

Preorder opens on 15th May 2012 and is expected to be released later in September. Accel World is staged in a world which in the year 2046, neuro-synchronization enables people to launch themselves into a virtual world. Kuroyukihime is a virtual avatar inside Accel World. Source: Accel World

May 15th, 2012

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Source: Tomopop

May 18th, 2012

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture

Pokemon Black & White 2 SP Anime Movie Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/pokemon-black-white-2-sp-animemovie/ By bj0rN on May 18th, 2012

By Mycstea on May 18th, 2012

A joint collaboration between CAPCOM, SEGA and BANDAI NAMCO Games, Project X Zone is a strategy RPG game exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS. Creators of numerous titles and franchises, CAPCOM, SEGA and BANDAI NAMCO are perhaps one of the most famous Japanese game creators. A new game produced by Monolith Soft, 主Project X Zone主 attempts to bring the essence of all three companies and create the ultimate crossover strategy RPG game.

The Pokemon Black & White 2 animated movie has been officially release by Pokemon Co.

View the nearly five minute clip below. Here’s the casting list: 主主主主主主主主 Main character – Irino Miyu » Sena[Eyeshield 21], Syaoran[most CLAMP series], Daisuke[D.N. Angel] N主主主主主 N – Kamiya Hiroshi » Izaya[Durarara!], Miyazi[Starry Sky] 主主主主主主主 Bianca – Taketatsu Ayana » Ayumi[The World Only God Knows], Azusa[K-On Movie] 主主主主主主主主主 Cheren – Kimura Ryouhei » Shoma[Penguin Drum], Yoshiya[The World Ends With You] 主主主主主主主主主 Rival – Minagawa Junko » Ryoma[Prince of Tennis], Joshua[Chrono Crusade] 主主主主主主主主主主 Elesa – Sawashiro Miyuki » Celty[Durarara!], Dead Master[Black Rock Shooter] 主主主主主主主主主主 Akuroma/Achrome[that professor guy] – Suwabe Junichi » Atobe[Prince of Tennis], Ren[Uta Puri]

According to an earlier report by Andriasang , 主Project X Zone主 (read as Project Cross Zone) is a collaboration initiated by BANDAI NAMCO Games with CAPCOM, of which SEGA followed later. Much information regarding certain aspects of the game are not yet revealed. However, a great deal of information regarding the participating cast and game system have been revealed so far. 主Project X Zone主 will feature a fully voiced cast, including in-battle and out of battle sequences. As mentioned earlier, 主Project X Zone主 is a strategy RPG game. Similar to the likes of 主Super Robot Wars主 and 主Advance Wars主, players first adapt an overview of the battleground with miniatures representing a party. Once a battle commences, the game will shift into a special battle screen.

主主主主主主主主主主主主 DarkTrinity – Ishida Akira » Athrun[Gundam Seed Destiny], Mizuki[Prince of Tennis] This movie is a preview to introduce players to Pokemon Black & White 2.

Gaming Giants Collaboration Production: Project X Zone Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/gaming-giants-collaborationproduction-project-x-zone/

During this mode, players will be able to create special combos by utilizing the D-Pad and A-button. This gives the player the flexibility to create different combos and combinations, of which the game will reward the player heavily for. Currently revealed so far, the list of characters from the various game makers and games are listed below: 1

May 18th, 2012

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Persona 4 The Golden: Kujikawa Rise’s Evolved Persona • Resident Evil franchise: Chris Redfield & Jill Valentine • Devil May Cry franchise: Dante • Darkstalkers franchise: Demitri Maximoff, Rei Rei & Morigan

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/persona-4-the-golden-kujikawarises-evolved-persona/ By bj0rN on May 18th, 2012

Famitsu has posted new updates for Persona 4 The Golden. The latest evolved Persona, Rise Kujikawa’s Kouzeon and her new abilities.

• Street Fighter franchise: Ryu, Ken & Chun-Li • Megaman franchise: X & Zero • Dead Rising franchise: Frank West

• Valkyria Chronicles 3: Kurt Irving & Riela Marcellis • Sakura Wars franchise: Sakura Shinguji, Ichiro Ogami, Erica Fontaine & Gemini Sunrise • Virtual Fighter franchise:Akira Yuki & Pai Chan • Shining Force EXA: Touma & Cyrille主 • Space Channel 5: Ulala • Resonance of Fate: Zephyr & Leanne • Dynamite Deka: Bruno Delinger

Featuring you Rise Kujikawa’s evolved Persona, Kouzeon. Apparently she does have a few new abilities in the game. • Battle Support – Rise will now provide healing to your team during certain moments in the battle. • Rise-chi Check – Rise will do a scan on your enemies at the beginning of the battle. • Assistance – Rise being able to revive your main character if he falls at certain moments? • Cheer up! – When all of your opponent is down, you’ll gain an all out attack. Rise will also support in the all out attack sequence.

• Tales of Vesperia: Yuri Lowell & Estellise Sidos Heurassein • Tekken franchise: Jin Kazama & Ling Xiaoyu • .hack franchise: Kaito & Black Rose • Xenosaga franchise: Kos-Mos & T-elos • Super Robot Wars OG: Sanger Somvold • God Eater Burst: Soma Schicksal & Alisa Ilinichina Amiella • The Legend of Valkyrie: Valkyrie • Super Robot Wars OG Mugen no Frontier: Haken Browning & Kaguya Nanbu 主Project X Zone主 is slated to be released this year. Readers can check out their website (Japanese) here for more information. Source: Andriasang

May 18th, 2012

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Rise Kujikawa, also known by her stage name Risette (or Rise-chi) is a famous teen idol. Rise is well-known amongst teenagers and adults, but quit her job suddenly, citing health reasons. In Persona 4 The Golden, during the winter time, she will wear a snow suit with pink sunglasses on top of her head, high collar with pink and white stripe with her matching pink snow jacket that says “Lovers”, purple gloves, darker navy snow pants, and light purple shoes. Source: Famitsu

Persona 4 The Golden: New Dailies Added Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/persona-4-the-golden-new-dailiesadded/ By bj0rN on May 18th, 2012

Next Tales Title to be Announced on 2nd June 2012 Famitsu has added some details and new screenshots with regards to the new dailies that are added to the new installment of Persona 4 The Golden. New components like bug catching, fishing and omikuji are now added.

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/next-tales-title-to-be-announcedon-2nd-june-2012/ By Mycstea on May 18th, 2012

To be announced officially in Tales of Festival on June 2nd 2012, the next 主Tales主 title will be formally unveiled.

Some of the component interacts with each other. For example, the bugs that you net in the bug catching component can be used as bait to be used for the fishing component.

May 18th, 2012

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Sword Art Online 2nd trailer streamed Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/sword-art-online-2nd-trailerstreamed/ By shia on May 18th, 2012

The second Sword Art Online trailer has been released. Sword Art Online is an animation adaptation of a light novel of the same name. The story revolves around the Virtual life of Kazuto “Kirito” Kirigaya. It is set in the future where full immersion of virtual reality is possible. Kazuto joins a MMORPG called “Sword Art Online”, where the goal is to get to the top of the castle that forms the virtual world of Sword Art Online, Aincrad. Tragedy struck on the first day of it’s official service. The gamemaster/creator of the game announced : “Until the players have cleared the Castle, they will be unable to log out. Anyone that dies in the game would also die in real life, if they were forcefully disconnected, the players would also die in real life.” A recent article in Jump magazine leaked on 10th May to reveal a sneak peak of a new sequel in video game franchise 主Tales主 series. As fans have eagerly awaited for news of a sequel since the previous installment Tales of Xillia last year, NAMCO BANDAI is keeping news of the new game under wraps until it’s official unveiling. NAMCO BANDAI’s 主Tales主 is a franchise of role playing games with it’s history starting from as far back as 1995. The first of it’s franchise, Tales of Phantasia and following titles revolve a theme of “high fantasy”, mostly involving swordplay, magic and lore. Recently interviewed by Famitsu, 主Tales主 franchise producer Hideo Baba let loose small tidbits about the new game. The next 主Tales主 series is definitely a new entry into the franchise as a “Mothership” title, not escort titles such as Tales of Tempest or upcoming Tales of VS.

From that point on, Kirito’s life was turned into a death game where his only hope is to clear the dungeon and get out alive. Sword Art Online chronicles Kirito’s journey in his one and only chance of getting back into the real world. The music composition for the animation will be done by renown composer Kajiura Yuki, her works consists of major hits such as Madoka, .hack//, Fate/Zero and many others. Sword Art Online is currently selling in the form of a Light novel , Volume 10 of the novel will be releasing this July 2012. The animation will begin airing in July 2012. Source : OHP , Featured Image

Sadako 3D Gets Asia Release Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/sadako-3d-gets-asia-release/ By magnetic_rose on May 18th, 2012

The game now explores a completely new world of human civilisation, slightly distant from it’s “high fantasy” origins. The environments are slightly modern and robotic. The storyline and game system will also revolve around the theme 主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主, or translated 主Are you prepared to destroy a world for the sake of a girl?主. However fans of the series need not worry as the game preserves the feel of the 主Tales主’s gameplay system, while trying to bring the franchise to a new level. Fans would not want to miss the official unveiling of new content on June 2nd. Do catch the announcement and unveiling of the next 主Tales主 series online by simply registering to 主Tales of Channel主 and view it live as it streams. NAMCO BANDAI has set up a special teaser website for the countdown of the next 主Tales主 title. Visit the website here. Source: Game News, Game Talk

In a press conference held in Tokyo on 12th May, it was announced that the newest film from The Ring series entitled “Sadako 3D” will be released all over Asia. Key cities include Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, and Singapore. To advertise the film, gigantic ad trucks depicting the main antagonist Sadako climbing out of a television screen have been driving around Central Tokyo.

May 18th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

Sadako 3D will star Ishihara Satomi, Seto Kôji, and Hashimoto Ai, and will be directed by Hanbusa Tsutomu of Koukou Debut fame. Source: Tokyo Hive

Persona 4 Amagi Yukiko Figure Available for Preorder! Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/persona-4-amagi-yukiko-figureavailable-for-pre-order/ By magnetic_rose on May 18th, 2012

As part of Megahouse’s Priestess line, a 1/8th scale figure of Persona 4′s Amagi Yukiko is now available for pre-order at online shops and import toy stores. She will come with at least two separate faces, two sets of glasses, and a small Japanese fan that you can pose or remove at will. Yukiko will go for JPY 7600 and will start shipping in August. More pics below~

May 18th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

The event includes a live concert and sales event but in short it can be said to be a Visual Art’s themed festival.

Other then the concert, the event will host a series of galleries, depicting the colourful paths of VA’s 20 years of glory. Namely, • 主主主主主主主主主20主主主主主主主主 – Exhibit of Visual Art’s 20 Year Commemoration Mementos • 主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主 – Corner Jammed Pack with Staffs’ Interesting Ideas • 主主主主主主主主主主主主主 – Full Display of all VA Characters • 主主主主主主主主主主主主 – Reconstruction of Staff Workroom • 主主主主主主主主主主 - Corner of Rare Original Artworks • 主主主主主主主主主主主 Exhibit

– Commemorative Illustration

There will also be exclusive merchandise on sale at the event including Live Goods, Event Exclusive merchandise, Hight Tier Commemorative Goods (laptops and giant LCD panels), Fun Sets and Special CD with Phamplets.

Source: Tomopop

Visual Art’s 20th Anniversary Celebrations Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/visual-arts-20th-anniversarycelebrations/ By Mycstea on May 18th, 2012

Famous visual novel publishing company Visual Art’s is celebrating it’s 20th anniversary with a host of exciting celebrations. Publishing company of visual novel companies such as Key, Ocelot, Spray and 130cm Visual Art’s is celebrating it’s 20th anniversary with a host of exciting events this coming July 29th at Yokohama Arena.

Exclusive performance of club remix label OTSU will also be performing on site from 10am – 3pm. Entrance is free. Page 1 – Description of Festival, goods and OTSU Page 2 – I’ve + Key Sounds Label/ Kaori Utatsuki/ Mami Kawada/ KOTOKO Page 3 – C.G mix/ Eriko Shimamiya/ Larval Stage Planning Page 4 – Miyako Suzuta/ eufonius/ Rita/ NanosizeMir Page 5 – Lia/ Aoi Tada/ marina/ LiSA and other details

While we wait: Diablo 3 cosplay shots from South Korea’s launch Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/while-we-wait-diablo-3-cosplayshots-from-south-koreas-launch/

Formally named VA20主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主 Shift: Next ->Generation! 主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主主. Losely translated, it means: Visual Art’s 20th Anniversary Commemoration Event 主Visual Art’s Big Thanks Festival 主 Shift: Next -> Generation! – The Song Played Together With You For the Future -. 6

May 18th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

By Neubronner Eugene on May 18th, 2012

If you’re annoyed by our previous post and sitting there screaming at the Lords of Hell “TO JUST LET ME IN!” and need a sweet, sweet timeout, we here at SGCafe have just the ticket. South Korea’s Blizzard fansite Inven has posted pictures of their launch, and wow, what a launch. Invited to the event were Spiral Cats, one of South Korea’s top pro cosplay teams, to strut their stuff. They had almost the entire cast going too, with a Witch Hunter, Sorceress, Witch Doctor and suitably clad Tyrael. Only missing were the Barbarian and Monk classes. As usual, the costumes were drop dead gorgeous, with incredible detailing and some sweet-as personal styling. It probably helps that the team, made up of members like Tasha and Miyuko, are very pretty as well.

May 18th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

via Inven

May 22nd, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture

Pre-Orders Open For Good Smile’s “Penguindrum” Nendoroid Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/pre-orders-open-for-good-smilespenguindrum-nendoroid/ By Mello on May 22nd, 2012

The Princess of the Crystal nendoroid will include three different facial expressions, two leg poses, as well as Penguin number one, two and three, allowing you to pose her standing on top of their heads. Her skirt, scarf and frilly parts on her arms can be removed allowing you to pose all the stages of her famous transformation scene as well. The pre-painted PVC nendoroid stands about 100mm tall and is priced at 3,334プ.

Good Smile Company will be releasing Nendoroid No.243, Princess of the Crystal ( ププププププププププププププププ ) from the anime “Mawaru Penguindrum” ( ププププププププ ) in September 2012. Mawaru Penguindrum is about a terminally ill girl, Himari Takakura, miraculously saved from death by a strange spirit who lives in a penguin-shaped hat. However, in exchange for extending her life, the spirit tasks Himari’s brothers, Kanba and Shouma, to seek out an item known as the Penguin Drum with assistance from a trio of strange penguins. When Himari puts on the hat, she is magically transformed into the Princess of the Crystal.

Pre-orders for the nendoroid can be made at Play-Asia or CDJapan. Soucre: JPopAsia

May 22nd, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

Sanrio x Puella Magi Madoka Magica Collaboration: My Melody ★ Kuromi Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/sanrio-x-puella-magi-madokamagica-collaboration-my-melody-%E2%98%85-kuromi/ By Mycstea on May 22nd, 2012

Hit TV anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica to receive a cross collaboration between Sanrio, with My Melody and Kuromi drawn with a distinctive Madoka and Homura look. My Melody and Kuromi merchandises will be available in July. Source: Walkerplus

Sanrio, company famous for it’s franchise of Hello Kitty, has modified their characters My Melody and Kuromi to look like the main characters Madoka and Homura from hit TV anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

My Melody and Kuromi are both rabbits from the Hello Kitty franchise and reflect well on the personalities and look of the PMMM characters. Similar to Madoka’s personality to a certain extent from her own anime Onegai My Melody, My Melody is a cheerful and optimistic rabbit who is scatterbrain at times. Kuromi however is similar to Homura more on her “cool” exterior but passionate inner self. A range of products are to be released from this line including mugs, phone straps, notepad, handkerchiefs and plush toys.

PlayStation Vita “Crystal White” Wifi-only and 3G/ Wifi dated and priced, Hatsune Miku Limited Edition available for Singapore release Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/playstation-vita-crystal-white-wifionly-and-3gwifi-officially-dated-for-singapore-release/ By shia on May 22nd, 2012

Sony Computer Enterainment Hong Kong(SCEH) has announced 21st May 2012, the availability of the PlayStation Vita “Crystal While” Wifi-only(PCH-1006 ZA02) and 3G/ Wifi(PCH-1106 ZA02) for the Singapore market on 10th July, 2012 at the suggested retail price of SGD399 and SGD469 respectively. The Hatsune Miku Limited Edition 3G/Wifi Pack will be released on the 30th August 2012;as of post time, there has been no confirmation of the price or the availability of the Wifi-only model. In celebration of the offer , SCEH will be giving customers(for a limited time only) who purchase any PS Vita 3G/Wifi model(Crystal White/Black) a special voucher code for the games WipEout ™ 2048 and Touch My Katamari™ which can be downloaded from the PlayStation Network .

May 22nd, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

The Hatsune Miku pack will be of limited quantity and will include the following. • PlayStation®Vita HATSUNE MIKU Limited Edition 3G/Wi-Fi Model • PS Vita Exclusive software NEXT HATSUNE MIKU Project DIVAプTentativeプ • Memory Card 4GB • Original Design Protective Film • Original Design AR Card Exclusive to the Asia region, SCEH is offering a Trooper Pack(White) at the suggested retail price of SGD17.90.

• Trooper Pack for PlayStation®Vita (WHITE) • USB Cable ×1 • AC Adaptor ×1 • Power Cord ×1 • Booklet ×1 Source: Sony Asia, DIVA(Tentative) OHP

Hatsune

Miku

Project

Kannagi Manga’s Takenashi Reveals Ailment Behind Her Hiatus SCEH will begin selling IN-Ear headset Crystal White(PCHZHS1 GYW) for the Playstation Vita in Singapore at the beginning of July at the price of SGD 19.90.

NEXT HATSUNE MIKU Project DIVA(tentative) is the latest installment in the HATSUNE MIKU Project DIVA series of games. While preserving the original game play of “pressing the buttons as the vocaloid sings”, the addition of the “scratching” action will give rise to a new dimension of entertainment. The graphics has been given an upgrade , new costumes are also added along with new songs to provide a experience for new and old players of the series.

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/kannagi-mangas-takenashi-revealsailment-behind-her-hiatus/ By Mello on May 22nd, 2012

The seventh volume of Eri Takenashi’s manga, Kannagi, has finally shipped after three and a half years. She revealed in the manga that she had been on hiatus since early November 2008, when she was admitted to hospital for a surgery for cubarachnoid hermorrage, a disease which causes bleeding in the area between the brain and the tissues that cover the brain. The surgery was successful with no major side effects, however, she finds that she is easily tired as compared to before. With her health at stake, she has now decided to put her health before her work. Takenashi also mentioned that she has choosen to reveal her illness only now as she was in a state of frustration and anxiety at that time. She hopes to be able to draw more soon. Kannagi is about Nagi-sama, a goddess who comes to life before an art student when he carves a statue from a Kannagi tree. Takenashi had been creating the manga in Comic Rex 3

May 22nd, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

since the magazine debuted in December of 2005. At least 2 million copies of the first six volumes have been printed. Bandai Entertainment has released both the Kannagi anime (2008) and the original manga in North America. Source : Comic Natalie, Anime News Network

Borderlands® 2 Limited Edition Ultimate loot chest announced for Singapore Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/borderlands-2-limited-editionultimate-loot-chest-announced-for-singapore/ By shia on May 22nd, 2012

The Ultimate Loot Chest Limited Edition comes with the following : • Borderlands 2 Game • Marcus Kincaid bobblehead • Replica Borderlands loot chest • Field notes from Sir Hammerlock • Inside the vault hardbound book • Set of 4 stickers • Cloth map • Set of 4 lithograph postcards • Creatures of Pandora wide format ID chart • Numbered certificate of authenticity • Comic book(digital) download codes The Ultimate Loot Chest will be available for the PC, PS3 and XBOX360 version of the game. Pricing and pre order details are not confirmed as of post time. The game will be out on September21, 2012 and has yet to be rated by the Media Development Authority of Singapore.

2K Games and Gearbox Software announced over the weekend the Borderlands® 2 Ultimate Loot Chest Limited Edition. Borderlands 2 is the Sequel to the the hit game Borderlands, which was a four-player cooperative shooter that combined fast-paced first person combat with character building . Borderlands 2 is set 5 years after the events of Borderlands, where the four vault hunters exposed the secrets of the Eridian Vault. A man called Handsome Jack has taken credit for the vault hunters’ actions and claimed the wealth of the Vault, allowing him to take over the Hyperion Corporation and effectively gain dominion over Pandora. Promising to clean the lawless planet up, Handsome Jack embarks on a campaign to exterminate Pandora’s existing colonist population and industrialize the planet. The player begins fighting to the death to win a priceless cache of loot in a gladiatorial tournament run by Handsome Jack for his personal amusement. The player succeeds but Handsome Jack betrays him and leaves the player for dead. The player is rescued by the mysterious Guardian Angel from the first game and directs the player to rescue the four original vault hunters from Handsome Jack.

Source : OHP,

Persona 4′s Naoto gets a spin-off Novel Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/persona-4s-naoto-gets-a-spin-offnovel/ By Mello on May 22nd, 2012

May 22nd, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

Recently, Persona 4 seems to be slowly taking over the world by storm, figures and merchandise have been popping up everywhere, early waiting for us to place our orders. Since the game’s original launch, we’ve seen the game inspiring both an anime series, manga series and even a fighting game. Next in line however, is a spin-off novel series to the PS2 game. Persona 4 X Detective Naotoプププププ×ププNAOTO プ, is set a year after the events of the original game. It stars 17 year old ace detective Naoto Shirogane, the only member of the original Investigation Team with actual detective experience (and a gun license). The story will feature Naoto at a new school in a new town, investigating a rash of mysterious disappearances, as well as sporting a new hairstyle.

The phone will have a customized 3D launcher “Magi” which uses the SH-06′s 3D technology to give users a 3D menu that does not require any special glasses.

Front cover of the first volume. Pardon the small image, as it is currently available at a resolution friendly only to Japanese cellphones. Persona X Detective Naoto will be written by Natsuki Mamiya and Illusturated by Shuji Sogabe (who drew the other Persona mangas). The front cover is drawn by original Persona 4 artist, Shigenori Soejima. The novel will be published by Degenki comics and priced at 704プ. No release date is issued yet for the novel, but rumors are that it will be out next Spring. Usually, there’s a good reason to be suspicious of most game “tie-in” properties, but with this one it’s not going to be yet another retelling of the main story. Fans of Naoto, it seems like we’re all in for a treat. Meanwhile, do comment on whether you’re in favor of Naoto’s new hairdo. Source: Dengeki Bunk

It comes loaded with lots of unique contents. Featured below is the game “Attack of The 8th Angel”.

Evangelion 3.0 and NTTDocomo tie-up for Nerv phone Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/evangelion-3-0-and-nttdocomo-tieup-for-nerv-phone/ By shia on May 22nd, 2012

In commemoration of the Evangelion 3.0 movie, NTT Docomo has launched a limited edition Nerv mobile phone running on the Android platform. The phone would be made by Sharp and the base model would be the Sharp Aquos SH-06D and there will only be 30,000 units. The phone will have its own custom casing.

May 22nd, 2012

One notable feature is the inclusion of a 3D model viewer that utilizes the 3D feature of the phone to let the user view 3D model data that will be in the Evangelion 3.0 movie.

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Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankei Nai yo ne anime announced Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/onii-chan-dakedo-ai-sae-arebakankei-nai-yo-ne-anime-announced/ By shia on May 22nd, 2012

Other notable contents are the inclusions of original themes, wallpapers and emoticons that are only unique to this phone.

Media Factory has just announced the conversion of popular light novel, “Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankei Nai yo ne”(Even if (he is)my brother, as long as there is love everything is ok) into an anime. The teaser site will be opened on the 23rd of May. The story revolves around Akito, who was separated from his twin sister, Akiko while they were young, and after some circumstances, They are living together again and going to the same high school. Akiko has a severe brother complex while Akito fends off his younger sister’s advances in a light hearted romance comedy. The story is written by Daisuke Suzuki since 2010 with illustrations by Gekka Uruu. It is currently in its 6th volume and there is a manga adaptation going on in Comic Alive magazine. Suzuki’s previous works include the hilarious “Goshuushosama Ninomiya-kun“. It is a romance comedy about a hetero-phobic succubus who lives in with the male protagonist. Image © 2012 Daisuke Suzuki, Media Factory/Oniai Production Committee Source : ANN, Yaraon!, Japanese Wikipedia

Devil Summoners: Soul Hackers 3DS Official Site Launched The pre-order for the phone begins on the 16 of June and it will be on sale in the latter half of June. No price has been given yet. Source : OHP

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/devil-summoners-soul-hackers-3dsofficial-site-launched/

May 22nd, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

By Mello on May 22nd, 2012

The official site for the 3DS remake of Devil Summoner Soul Hackers has opened, as of now, only the Character information and World sections are partially revealed. A section detailing what’s new for the 3DS will be revealed at a later date, as well as the availability of wallpapers and twitter icons. The website confirmed that the port will be released in Japan in August 30th 2012. The game will be priced at 6279プ.

Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers was first released for the Sega Saturn in November 1997, the tenth anniversary of “Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei”, the first game in the Megami Tensei series. It was then released for the Playstation in 1999. Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers is the second installment of the Devil Summoner series and is set at a lower difficulty than other games in the Megami Tensei series, allowing an easier introduction to new gamers to the series. Source: Famitsu

Hyouka Real Life Locales a Sight to Behold Various enhancements known for the port include improved loading times, additional battle animations and full voice acting. Atlus is also working with animation studio Statelight (Macross Frontier), who created a new opening anime for Persona 2: Innocent Sin to create a new opening video for the game. (the original opening will also be included in the game.)

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/hyouka-real-life-locales-a-sight-tobehold/ By Mycstea on May 22nd, 2012

Japanese fans of TV anime Hyouka has visited the Chitanda estate, in real life.

Cast list information for now include: プ Masahiro Sakurai – ププププ Kazuya Nakai » Shinjiro Aragaki (Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3), Soma (God Eater), Hyoun (Shining Wind) プ Shingo Sako – ププププ Daisuke Ono » Sebastian Michaelis (Kuroshitsuji), Nine (Final Fantasy Type-0), Fredrick (Fire Emblem: Kakusei)

Late night TV anime Hyouka has always been the subject of praise with regards to it’s high production values and gorgeous visuals. Based on a novel by Hobobu Yonezawa, TV anime Hyouka (ププ) is an anime adapted by acclaimed anime studio Kyoto Animation. Houtarou, a regular student in Kamiyama High School, is compelled to join the Classic Literature Club in his school 7

May 22nd, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

on his sister’s “request”. He meets an interesting cast of characters who eventually join the club as well, one of which is Eru Chitanda, the leader of the Classic Literature Club. During a progression in the plot of episode 4, the group goes to Chitanda’s home in an effort to analyze and solve the events that happened 45 years ago.

Similar to the reaction of the cast, fans of the anime have visited the estate Chitanda’s house was based on and was in awe at the accuracy and beauty of the giant complex. With it’s rich heritage preserved, Kamoso (プププ), is a well preserved tourist attraction located along the Shin-Toumei Expressway. It is known for it’s great range of flowers in their orchards (not featured in the anime), as well as their resting kiosk which sells traditionally made food. The Chitanda estate in Hyouka is based on Kamoso. One can surely enjoy a leisurely time sipping away green tea and munching on traditional snacks while gazing upon the great variety of flowers. You can visit Kamoso’s website here.

May 22nd, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

Source: Otanews

May 24th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture

Nippon Ichi opens teaser site for new PS Vita game; part of 20th anniversary project Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/nippon-ichi-opens-teaser-site-fornew-ps-vita-game-part-of-20th-anniversary-project/ By KarbyP on May 24th, 2012

A visually-arresting piece of artwork depicting a girl and several silhouettes, plus a line of Japanese text that roughly translates to “for inspiration, we looked at things that lie beyond the veil of everyday life” – that’s what you get when you head over to Nippon Ichi’s new teaser site for an upcoming PS Vita title; the second part in the company’s 20th anniversary project. At this point in time we know absolutely nothing about this new PS Vita title – who the characters are, what kind of setting, game genre… heck, we don’t even know what the game’s supposed to be called! Nippon Ichi has chosen to play it coy, so we’ll just have to wait until they decide to spill the beans.

Kadokawa Comic’s “Another”, Ayatsuji, illustrations Hiro Kiyohara

story

Yukito

Like we mentioned, this mysterious Vita title is but the second in a series of games being developed as part of Nippon Ichi’s 20th anniversary project. The first title under the project was previously revealed to be an RPG featuring character designs by Noizi Ito, whose name you might recognise as the illustrator for the Suzumiya Haruhi series of light novels.

That said, judging from the teaser site artwork, Japanese forum-goers are speculating that Hiro Kiyohara, the mangaka behind Another, might possibly be responsible for the game’s visuals. An anime adaptaion of Another previously ran in Japan from January to March.

May 24th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

has launched a new collborative project with Good Smile Company. Sakuma Drops: Character Vocal Series features your favorite fruity hard candy in special Vocaloid packaging, plus a bonus phone strap.

Above: artwork for the first game under Nippon Ichiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 20th anniversary project Source: Nippon Ichi Software 20th Aniversary Project #2

Vocaloid Sakuma Drops Hits Store Shelves in Japan Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/vocaloid-sakuma-drops-hits-storeshelves-in-japan/ By magnetic_rose on May 24th, 2012

Sakuma Drops â&#x20AC;&#x201D; best known for their pivotal role in the Studio Ghibli film Grave of the Fireflies (Hotaru no Hakka), 2

May 24th, 2012

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Akito Himenokouji – Ryota Ousaka (Yuki Sanada from Tsuritama) Akiko Himenokouji – Ibuki Kido (New comer) Haruomi Ginbei Sawatari – Asami Shimoda (Ami from Idolm@ster series) Anastasia Nasuhara – Minori Chihara (Nagato from Haruhi) Arashi Nikaido Nisemonogatari)

–

Eri

Kitamura

(Karen

from

The story revolves around Akito, who was separated from his twin sister, Akiko while they were young, and after some circumstances, they are living together again and going to the same high school. Akiko has a severe brother complex while Akito fends off his younger sister’s advances in a light hearted romance comedy. Source : Official Site,ANN

Sea☆A’s 3rd Single Friendship Birthday ☆Arashi no Yoru ni☆ on sale now Each tin will retail for JPY 500 each, and are available in Japanese convenience stores, or online via Karuwaza Online. Source: Mikatan Blog

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/sea%E2%98%86as-3rd-singlefriendship-birthday-on-sale-now/ By shia on May 24th, 2012

Sea#A an anisong unit from south east asia under the care of Lantis has released their 3rd single on May 23, 2012.

Brother Complex love comedy “Oniai” cast announced Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/brother-complex-love-comedy-oniaicast-announced/ By shia on May 24th, 2012

Their 3rd single #Friendship Birthday ########## (Friendship Birthday ~Like a hurricane~) is the opening theme for the anime######## ###########(Like a hurricane ~Secret friends~). The Limited Edition includes a CD and DVD which includes the following CD The webpage for Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankei Nai yo ne (Oniai) anime adaptation has been updated with cast and staff information . The animation staff will be from Silver Link (Baka Test, Tasogare X Amnesia) and will be out this fall. The cast will feature new talents and old veterans alike.

1. Friendship Birthday #########(Friendship Birthday ~Like a hurricane~) 2. ###########(Shiawase#ranranran) 3. Friendship Birthday ##########English version# 4. Friendship Birthday ######### (instrumental) 3

May 24th, 2012

5. ########### (instrumental)

Published by: VR-Zone By Mello on May 24th, 2012

DVD 1. Friendship Birthday######### (Music Clip) 2. Friendship Birthday######### English ver. (Music Clip) 3. Behind the scenes

Limited Edition(DVD included) Product code#LACM-34937 Price #1,800 Yen

Normal Edition Product code#LACM-4937 Price #1,200 Yen

With the ton of Persona 4 merchandise rapidly being churned out, seeming to put the likes of Persona 3 on the back of our minds, here’s one piece of Persona merchandise to remind us of the well loved PlayStation RPG. The protagonist of Atlus’ Persona 3, also known as Minato Arisato, will be released by Figurearts as a non-scale PVC figure on September 27, 2012. The figure will stand at 155mm tall and is priced at 2,940 yen. The figure will come with 2 right arms, one holding a tarot card, and the other an evoker. He is seen being posed with Death, who is not included in the set.

The limited edition comes with the DVD and costs 1,800yen, while the normal edition costs 1,200yen. Sea#A is an anisong unit comprising of 3 Singaporeans and a Malaysian, the name Sea#A is a acronym of “South east asia # Anime” as they come from South East Asia (SEA), the star in the name is used to signify to aim to become a top idol and anime is to represent their love for Japanese animations. Sea#A will be performing at Anime Festival Asia Malaysia on the 10th of June 2012. More information can be found at AFA:Malaysia’s Homepage here. Source : Sea#A OHP

For pre-order: Persona 3′s protagonist (155mm-tall figure) Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/persona-3s-protagonist-for-preorder/

Persona 3 was first released in July 2006 for the Playstation 2, the well received game was then ported to the PSP in November 2009, with additional character routes, events and relationships added to the original game. The game has since inspired a manga series, a spin-off anime series, drama CDs and various merchandise as well.

May 24th, 2012

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Persona 3′s Protagonist figure can be preordered at Tamachii. Source: Bandai

DmC: Devil May Cry to launch in 2013 Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/dmc-devil-may-cry-to-launchin-2013/ By Mello on May 24th, 2012

Capcom has also released details of a new character, Kat. A former runaway that joined The Order early in her life, she is a psychic and therefore can see demons in Limbo. However, she cannot physically interact with them, only acting as a guide to Dante. DmC: Devil May Cry will be the first installment in the series since January 2008′s Devil May Cry 4. The game will be fully playable at Capcom’s booth at E3 next month. Source: MTV Multiplayer Ninja Theory’s Devil May Cry title, DmC: Devil May Cry will launch this coming January in North America, Europe and Japan. Capcom has confirmed that the game will hit the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on January 15 2013 in N.A. and Europe, and on January 17 2013 in Japan. A PC version is scheduled for release later in the year.

The 6th International Manga Awards Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/the-6th-international-mangaawards/

DmC Devil May Cry will be fully localized with voice talent in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian. Polish, Dutch, Russian, and Brazilian Portuguese languages will be supported via localized text. Ninja Theory’s DmC will feature a redesigned version of Devil May Cry’s protagonist, Dante, a younger version of the familiar character in the modern world. A prequel to the current series, the Dante of this game is still coming to terms with being the child of a demon and an angel. However, this could be seen as an advantage as he will be able to call upon angel and demon abilities at will, transforming his Rebellion sword into a holy scythe or a devilish axe.

May 24th, 2012 By magnetic_rose on May 24th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

that their Manga artists consent to their works being submitted. How to Apply - The application period is from 27 April 2012 to 15 June 2012 (entries must arrive by 15 June). - Applications should be sent to either: P.O.Box MBE 703 The Sixth International Committee,

Manga

Award

Executive

Yanagiya Taiyo Building 1F, Nihombashi Muromachi 4-3-16, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0022, JAPAN; OR Local Japanese Embassies or Consulates General; -Two copies of the works must be submitted (additional copies may be requested for works which win the award). - Please ensure the entry form, filled in either in English or Japanese, is attached to the works. - The submitted works will not be returned to applicants. Therefore, if works have not yet been published, the original should be retained by the artist. We might donate submitted works to public organisations, or exhibit them. Prize

The International Manga Award was established to share Japanese pop culture and to help promote understanding of Japan. It was created to honor Manga artists who have contributed to the promotion of Manga overseas. This is the 6th such award, the selection of which was officially decided to be carried out at the 6th International Manga Award Executive committee. Entries will be accepted for the 6th International Manga Award from April 27. Application Period is until 15 June 2012. The Golden Prize of the 6th International Manga Award will be given to the best Manga from all the entries and three distinguished works will receive the Silver Prize. In addition, the Japan Foundation will invite the prize winners to Japan to attend the award ceremony. They will also have meeting with Japanese Manga artists and visit publishing companies, etc., in Japan.

- The Gold Award of the Sixth International Manga Award will be given to the best Manga and approximately three works of merit will receive the Silver Award. - Winners will be invited to Japan for around 10 days as supplementary prize for the award ceremony (except for Bronze Award). - The award ceremony will be held in Tokyo in January 2013. For more information, complete rules, and entry forms, visit: manga-award.jp/.

Famitsu unveils Next Hatsune Miku’s official name, AR mode, 2 new songs Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/famitsu-unveils-next-hatsune-mikusofficial-name-ar-mode-2-new-songs/ By KarbyP on May 24th, 2012

Conditions of Entry - The Manga works (24 or more pages) must be produced in countries outside Japan. Both published and unpublished works are eligible except works which received the past Manga Awards. - The Mangaworks should be produced within three years of date for apply. - The works must be submitted in printed form as a rule. - Overseas publishing companies are permitted to apply for the Sixth International Manga Award only if they confirm

Sega has finally decided on an official name for Next Hatsune Miku Project Diva (working title). The game is now known as “Hatsune Miku Project Diva f”, this week’s Famitsu magazine reveals. 6

May 24th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

The “f” in the title most likely stands for “Future”, which is what the kanji writing for “Miku”, or ##, translates to (the same kanji characters are more commonly read as “mirai”). Also in this week’s issue: a quick look at the game’s augmented-reality feature, and screenshots depicting the music videos for two new songs - ”Melancholic” and “Himitsu Keisatsu” (Secret Police). Augmented Reality (Pic 2)

Hatsune Miku Project Diva f will feature an augmentedreality mode that allows you to take photos with the virtual idol using the PS Vita’s built-in cameras. Details are scarce in the Famitsu story, and not much is known – it’s not mentioned if the functionality will work with both the front and back-facing cameras, or just one of them – except that you will be able to play around with Miku’s poses and expressions to better fit the environment. To demonstrate this, the Famitsu article shows pictures of Hatsune Miku resting on your bed, standing around in your kitchen, stretching in front of a window pane, and even one of Miku sharing an umbrella with a person in the rain. The Famitsu story also hints at other AR features besides photo-taking. Melancholic (artist: Junky)

May 24th, 2012

A popular Kagamine Rin song with over 1 million views on Nico Nico Douga, Melancholic tells the story of a 14year-old girl who’s not very honest with her feelings of romantic affection. Famitsu mentions that this is the first time Melancholic has been included in a Project Diva title. What they didn’t mention, however, is that the song was previously featured in Hatsune Miku and Future Stars Project Mirai for the 3DS. The song comes with a matching “Melancholic” Kagamine Rin module (see: bottom-left of scan) that, if past games are any indication, will be unlocked when you clear this song under certain conditions. This module and many of the objects used in the music video – such as the giraffe you see in one of the screenshots – are designed by renowned Vocaloid illustrator Chiho-P. Himitsu Keisatsu (artist: ### or Buriru)

Published by: VR-Zone

Buriru’s Himitsu Keisatsu (Secret Police) is a tune whose high-tempo beats have a certain evocative energy to it. Unlike Melancholic, Famitsu notes that this is the first time the tune has been included – ever – in a rhythm-action game. The PV takes place in a live house with an atmosphere resembling that of the interrogation room at a police station, and the entire performance is set-up in a way that makes you feel like a criminal suspect getting grilled by officer Hatsune Miku. Interestingly, in this PV Miku is carrying and singing into one of those police radio mics instead the usual karaoke type. The matching module for this song is “Dark Agent” Hatsune Miku. KEI’s Hatsune Miku module Last but not least, the Famitsu story also mentions a Hatsune Miku module that’s being done by KEI, the illustrator who originally designed Hatsune Miku and did all the initial sketches.

May 24th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

The staff and cast will be unchanged from the TV anime series. As of post time the theatrical release date is unconfirmed. Hanasaku Iroha revolves around Matsumae Ohana, a girl who was sent to live with her grandmother in a Taisho period style hotsprings inn after her mother leaves her for her boyfriend. Hanasaku Iroha is a heartwarming story about her adapting to a new environment and overcoming difficulties that life throws at her. The anime aired from April 3rd, 2011 to September 25th, 2011. There are a total of 9 DVD/Blu-ray volumes and the last volume was released on March 21st 2012. The character designer for Hanasaku Iroha is Kishida Mel who was here in Singapore during STGCC 2011. Source : OHP, ANN, STGCC 2011

Next “Tales of” game teased in commercial That’s all we know about Hatsune Miku Project Diva f, for now! We’ll let you know as soon as more details emerge. In the meantime, read more stories about Hatsune Miku here on SGCafe!

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/next-tales-of-game-teased-incommercial/ By Mello on May 24th, 2012

For the full story on Hatsune Miku Project Diva f, grab a copy of this week’s Weekly Famitsu, on sale in Japan Thursday May 24. In Singapore, Kinokuniya usually has the magazines in either on a Friday or the following Monday – let us know in the comments below if you know when!

Hanasaku Iroha Movie Announced Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/hanasaku-iroha-movie-announced/ By shia on May 24th, 2012

The Hanasaku Iroha production committee has finally announced that “Hanasaku Iroha Home Sweet Home” will be a theatrical release.

A teaser commercial for the next “Tales of” game has been released by Namco Bandai during the broadcast of Japanese music program Hey! Hey! Hey! The commercial recaps previous games in the “Tales of” series, listing their various catch phrases and then ending with some artwork for the new game. It also includes the catch phrase, ”Are you prepared to destroy the world for a girl”, for the new game. Created in 1994, the “Tales of” series now spans over twelve flagship titles, fifteen side games and four animated productions. Similar to many Japanese role-playing game series, most games or media of the series are unrelated to each other beyond certain elements. The games in the series have been divided into two types: Mothership Titles, the flagship games of the series, and Escort Titles, which are side-stories from the series. The new game is said to be a Mothership title.

May 24th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

The game will be officially announced at the Tales of Festival which is held on the 2nd and 3rd of June, but keep your eyes peeled for another commercial which will be released on the 28th. Source: Famitsu

May 26th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture

New Atelier Ayesha trailer (Events chapter) doesn’t cut you off so abruptly

Madoka Kaname emerges from the anime series and into your life [doll mode] Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/kaname-madoka-doll-to-bereleased/ By Mello on May 26th, 2012

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/new-atelier-ayesha-trailer-eventschapter-doesnt-cut-you-off-so-abruptly/ By KarbyP on May 26th, 2012

If you’ve been wondering about how Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Twilight Land (アアアアアアアアアアアアアアアアアアアアア) – the 14th main entry in the Gust’s long-running Atelier series of RPGs – stacks up compared to past titles, maybe Gust’s latest trailer for the game can help. Unlike the previous digest trailer or the mesmerising opening intro, this one doesn’t cut you off just seconds into a scenario, giving you a better idea of the atmosphere in three event scenes from the upcoming PS3 title.

Mediacom Toy will be releasing the Real Action Heros MGM: Kaname Madoka doll. MGM stands for Mediacom Toy, Good Smile Company and Max Factory as this doll is a collaboration between the three companies. Project planning was done by GSC, the head is made by Max Factory based on the figma faces, and the body and clothes are from Medicom Toy.

Event 1 – Ayesha visits a grocery store, and casually asks the shop owner, Regina, about business. Event 2 – Wilbell Voll-Erslied, who appears to be a mage, is attracted to Atelier’s “scent”. Wilbell: “The scent of a magic user… sweet as candy.” Event 3 – Ayesha visits the grave of her sister, Mio, and is shocked when Mio’s spirit suddenly manifests in front of her. Atelier Ayesha comes out for the PlayStation 3 on June 28 in Japan. アアアアアアアアアアアアアアアアアアアアア.

May 26th, 2012

The non-scale doll from the anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica ( アアアアアアアアアアア ) will stand at around 275mm, more than 1 and a half times bigger compared to bthe 1/8 PVC figure and figma.

Published by: VR-Zone By Mello on May 26th, 2012

The queue at 10pm the night before. Diablo III has somehow given fans a boost of energy. That is, enough energy to queue from night to the next day to receive their game. Thousands of fans turned up from 9pm the night before the launch, waiting in line to collect their copy of the game. The number of people in queue only dwindled around 5pm the next day.

The skirt and petticoat of the doll will be made with real fabric, enhancing the look of the puffy frills, while the top of the dress and gloves will be made with PVC. The companies have tried to make it seem as if Madoka just walked out of the anime world into reality, hence they took special care to select the right materials for each part. She will also come with several replaceable expressions and hand poses. Optional additional parts such as her bow and arrow and Kyubey will be announced at a later date.

The launch event was held at Funan It Mall, (supposedly) from 9am to 9pm at the main atrium of the mall. Collection counters were set up as well as booths selling Diablo III Razer merchandise and Diablo Tshirts.

She will be released in December 2012, mean while keep your eyes peeled for preorder slots. Source: MikaTan

Diablo III’s launch opens the Gates of Hell

Blizzard Brand Director Ben Hsieh and Cinematics Dircctor, Mark Messenger, were here to grace the event as well as autograph any Diablo III merchandise you wanted them to sign. The countdown ended at 3pm with a rain of confetti, while gamers continued queuing in line to receive their copy of the game. Hourly lucky draws were also being drawn and winners walked away with Diablo III mice, mousepads, headsets as well as tshirts.

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/diablo-iiis-launch-event-drawscrowds/

May 26th, 2012

The 11-year wait had finally come to an end, as Diablo III continues the critically-acclaimed series, returning players to Sanctuary to confront evil once again. Sanctuary, a world saved many years ago from the forces of the underworld by several powerful heros. No doubt they all faced the armies of the Burning Hells, not all of them were fortunate to return. Some even went mad from the experience. The game boasts new indoor and outdoor regions in the world of Sanctuary, a new auction house system, interactive environments, a new quest system and characterization options, as well as a new skill system and advanced social features.

Published by: VR-Zone

System The new banner system as well as the recurring Hardcore mode will be welcomed by seasoned players of the game as the banner system will visually represent the achievements players earn throughout the game such as defeating bosses, progressing in PvP and playing a Hardcore-mode character. Much like a trophy display for Diablo III achievements. The Hardcore mode is available in all four difficulty levels and players can create Hardcore characters once they are at level 10. however, players choosing to play in Hardcore mode will only be allowed to play and trade items with other Hardcore characters in the Hardcore version of the auction house.

Tales of the World: Tactics Union to be released on Android Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/tales-of-the-world-tactics-union-tobe-released-on-android/ By Mello on May 26th, 2012

Classes Unlike it’s predecessors, the only recurring class available is the babarian, the other four classes are the witch doctor, wizard, monk and demon hunter. Babarian This heavily armed guardian of Mount Arreat is equipped with powerful abilities and moves to eliminate the demonic beings. Armed with various heavy weapons, this class is definitely ready to face the horde of the Burning Hells. Witch Doctor Hailing from the Tribe of the Five Hills of the Umbaru race, this class has the spells and alchemical powers to summon ally creatures as well as produce fiery concoctions to destroy any demon who dares to step in their path. Wizard The wizard eliminates hordes of the Burning Hells by striking them with lighting bolts, channeling explosive arcane energies and manipulating space and time. Monk A need for speed can certainly be used to describe the Monk. This class defeats demons by sending out a series of lighting-fast blows. Also armed with holy fevor, the journey to physical and spiritual perfection leaves this warrior a deadly apparition. Demon Hunter To track down and destroy all demonic beings that threaten humanity is the demon hunter’s creed. Armed with a pair of dual crossbows, this deadly class can craft a load of gadgets and traps for use at the battlefields of Sanctuary.

There’s yet another upcoming new Tales of game, but it won’t be found on a console or handheld system. Namco Bandai has announced a new mobile Tales of game, Tales of the World: Tactics Union, but sorry iPhone owners, you won’t get to enjoy this game as it will only be released for Android devices. The game will be distributed by Japanese mobile provider, KDDI.

May 26th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

to be able to take advantage of the features of controlling the game on a touch screen compared to on a console or handheld device. Gamers will also be able to fight as party unlike other Tales games where you have to control each character individually even as a party. Namco Bandai will also be creating new artwork for the game’s conversation scenes. Other details will be released at a later date.

This game brings Tales of characters from previous games together in a crossover tactics RPG game. The characters confirmed for the game are: Lloyd Irving from Tales of Symphonia Norma Beatty from Tales of Legendia Guy Cecil from Tales of the Abyss

Rubia Natwick from Tales of Tempest

The game will be free to play with options to purchase additional download items. Users are also required to subscribe to KDDI’s Smartpass program to access the game, which costs an additional 390 yen per month.

Flynn Scifo from Tales of Vesperia

The game will be released on 2nd July 2012. More information can be found on the game’s main site.

Sophie from Tales of Graces

Source: 4Gamer

Asbel Lhant from Tales of Graces

Yakuza 5 reveals new character, Haruka now playable

Natalia L.K. Lanvaldear from Tales of the Abyss

The game will take place in a newly created world, Revaria, and two new mascot characters have been created for the game. Terun resembles a star, Nahato looks like a moon.

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/yakuza-5-reveals-new-characterharuka-now-playable/ By Mello on May 26th, 2012

Terun

The new website for Yakuza 5 has been revealed, and with it comes information of the new characters and locations that will be in the upcoming game. Recurring characters include Kazuma Kiryu, Taiga Saejima, Shun Akiyama and Haruka Sawamura, with Haruka being one of the main characters this time, in other words, she will be a playable character.

Nahato Tales of the World: Tactics Union will make use of touchscreen controls for gameplay. Namco Bandai hopes 4

May 26th, 2012

Tatsuo Shinada, the newest addition to the group is a former baseball player. He was fired fifteen years ago based on a suspicion that he delt with baseball bettings, but there is a possibility that he may have been innocent. He is currently struggling withe debt and lives in poverty as a writer.

Published by: VR-Zone

Nagoya – Kineicho

The new locations for the game are as listed: Tokyo – Kamurocho

Osaka – Soutenbori

Yakuza 5 continues where the previous game has left off, Kiryu has since left Okinawa and is now a taxi driver in Fukuoka. Charged with killing 18 people, Saejima is currently serving a prison sentence when he hears that Akiyama has come to Osaka on business. Haruka has also arrived in Osaka, choosing to leave Okinawa to pursue her childhood dream of becoming an idol. She lives on her own and rehearses her performances by herself, but it turns out the talent agency she’s with has other plans. She will also have a surprise reunion with Shun.

Fukuoka – Nagasukai The game is set for release on the Playstation 3 in December. Source: Famitsu

My Melody x Puella Magi Madoka Magica Collabo Merchandise Out in Summer Sapporo – Tsuimino

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/my-melody-x-puella-magi-madokamagica-collabo-merchandise-out-in-summer/

May 26th, 2012 By magnetic_rose on May 26th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone By Mello on May 26th, 2012

Sanrio — the company behind Hello Kitty and other famous kawaii properties, will be putting out a collaboration line with seminal anime series Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Dubbed the My Melody x Puella Magi Madoka Magica project, the line will feature My Melody as Madoka and Kuromi as Homura. All merch will first be available in July via Animega retails stores in Japan. Other locations will be supplied soon after.

Namco Bandai will be opening the Tekken Museum set up in a special corner of the Osaka Nihonbashi Namco tomorrow. The museum will showcase goods, figures, artwork as well as life-size statues of your favorite Tekken fighters. Fans of the franchise who are entering the special tournament to commemorate the museum’s opening will be able to recieve tips from WCG Tekken Champion Novi (アア) and top female Tekken player Yuyu (アアアア) at the launch event.

Source: Crunchyroll

Namco Bandai opens Tekken Museum in Osaka Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/namco-bandai-opens-tekkenmuseum-in-osaka/

May 26th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

Apart from the touchscreen gestures, the game will also make use of the Vita’s back-facing camera.

In addition to the launch event, the museum will also hold mini tournaments every second and fourth Sunday of the month during which players can receive special prizes. The items showcased at the museum will also be switched monthly, so it’s worth more than just one visit. Best of all, admission is free. Source: 4Gamer

Get ready to Jet Set Radio on your PS Vita Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/get-ready-to-jet-set-radio-on-yourps-vita/ By KarbyP on May 26th, 2012

Source: Eurogamer

Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Collector’s set announced Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/street-fighter-25th-anniversarycollectors-set-announced/ By Mello on May 26th, 2012

PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 won’t be the only platforms privy to a remastered HD version of Jet Set Radio. Sega announced today that the Dreamcast cult classic – quite possibly one of the grooviest games I’ve ever played, if I might add – will be making its way to the PS Vita as well. Better yet, it’ll make use of the Vita’s touchscreen during the sections where you graffiti-tag everything into oblivion! Deck the halls with Poison Jam (a rival gang in the game) graffiti! (Note: in case you’re wondering why the video in the link above says “Jet Grind Radio” instead of Jet Set, that’s because that was the name for the Western release of the game. Because Sega was being dumb of trademark issues and additional content in the US version ) “The fan reaction to our recent reveal of Jet Set Radio has been incredible,” Sega’s Senior Vice President of Digital Business Haruki Satomi said with regards to the previously announced HD-remaster on PC, PSN and XBLA. “As Jet Set Radio is focused on creativity, the touch capabilities of the PlayStation Vita are proving to be a perfect fit.”

In conjunction with Street Fighter’s 25th Anniversary, Capcom will be releasing a collector’s edition set. This treasure chest is choked full of Hadouken, containing four Street Fighter games plus all DLC, will be released in two versions, one for PS3 and the other for the Xbox 360. The set will include: Games: • Street Fighter x Tekken (including all DLC character and Swap Costumes) • Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition (with all DLC costumes) • Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition 7

May 26th, 2012

• Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix Two Blu-Ray Disc Sets that include: • A documentary that highlights the influence the franchise has had on fans throughout the years • Street Fighter IV and Super Street Fighter IV Anime Movies • Complete episode of Street Fighter animated series

Published by: VR-Zone

Can’t decide if this is something you’d actually play, especially given that you can just catch all the futuristic teenage drama action (the story is about a group of highschool students who overcome various obstacles – technical and otherwise – in order to build a Gundam-esque giant robo for JAXA) in anime form later this year? Or maybe you’ve been learning the Japanese language, can understand a great deal of it in fact, but just aren’t sure if your level of proficiency is high enough to read the visual novel comfortably.

• Street Fighter II: the Animated Movie

Either way, boy, has 5pb got the solution for you!

Other goodies: • Light up Ryu statue that stands 8″ tall

Today the publisher announced that it will put out a Robotics;Notes demo on both the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live a full two weeks before the game’s release (so that you’d have enough time still to make your pre-orders) on June 12. You’d need a Japanese account on either service to download the demo.

• 11-Disc Soundtrack of the past 25 years of Street Fighter including, remixes and fan-created music inspired by past Street Fighter games • a 64-page Hardcover artbook including fan works submitted by both professional and aspiring artists • Ryu’s martial art black belt with アアアア (Furinkazan) written on it. Created according to replica specifics. • A Certificate of Authenticity, which comes individually numbered

The collector’s set is priced at $149.99USD and will be released on the 18th September this year. Considering the the amount of stuff in the set, this collector’s set is definitely worth your cash! It is now up for preorder here at Capcom’s online store. Limited sets available. Capcom is also working on a mini site for Street Fighter fans to share their love for the game. Source: Capcom

Robotics;Notes demo hits PlayStation Network and Xbox Live on June 12

The demo will be made available to all PlayStation Network/ Sony Entertainment Network users on that day. On Xbox 360, however, only Gold members will be able to download the demo on June 12. Xbox Live Silver members will have to wait a full week before they’re given access to it. Still plenty of time to lock in those pre-orders! 5pb also took the opportunity to unveil the box art and some sample pages of a special booklet you’ll receive in the limited edition of the game, so you might want to swing over to Famitsu for all the images. Nothing earth-shattering per se, but we did spot a mock-up of what a gaming handheld a decade from now would look like on one of the pages. Behold: the PS-DS (that’s not really what it’s called)

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/roboticsnotes-demo-hits-playstationnetwork-and-xbox-live-on-june-12/ By KarbyP on May 26th, 2012

Robotics;Notes, the third entry in 5pb and Nitroplu’s Science Adventure visual novel series and a direct sequel to Steins;Gate, comes out in Japan next month, on June 28. Have you made your pre-orders yet? What, no?

May 26th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

Source: 5pb [via Famitsu]

May 28th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture

Idolmaster 2 (PS3) DLC Catalogue #08 is all about Overmaster Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/idolmaster-2-ps3-dlc-catalogue-08is-all-about-overmaster/ By KarbyP on May 28th, 2012

This month’s DLC catalogue for Idolmaster 2 (PS3) features Overmaster, which was previously one of the new songs added to the PSP version of the first game, Idolmaster SP. Miki, Hibiki, and Takane served as your rivals in that game, managed under 961 Productions – who manages Jupiter in Idolmaster 2 – and Overmaster was the unit’s debut song. So with this release, you could say that Overmaster has sort of gone full circle on PlayStation platforms. Apart from Overmaster, there’s really not much going on this month in terms of DLC for Idolmaster 2 – just your usual stack of new costumes and accessories.

As with the previous DLC catalogue, most of the content here has already been released to Xbox 360 users last year. That’s two packs in a row now where Namco Bandai has recycled content. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think that they were running out of content ideas. But the fact remains that there are still plenty of Idolmaster songs yet unreleased in the videogames - Nemuri Hime (live version here), for one, is an often-requested track that hasn’t been.

May 28th, 2012

Could the slate of slow DLC releases mean… that Namco Bandai has something big planned very soon? A new Idolmaster game, perhaps?

Published by: VR-Zone

stores will get you a poster featuring the key visual while tickets bought from one of the ten theaters screening the movie will get you a set of postcards.

Source: 4Gamer

Persona 4 movie – an abridged version of the anime series – to screen in Japan Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/persona-4-movie-an-abridgedversion-of-the-anime-series-to-screen-in-japan/ By Mello on May 28th, 2012

In conjunction with the film, there will also be a “Live TV” session broadcasted on Nico Nico TV on June 6 at midnight for those who are not attending the opening night screening. Cast members Daisuke Namikawa & Shotaro Morikubo will be in that episode and Atlus is intending to release new information then… but on what? We’ll just have to wait to find out. Don’t we all wish there would be a screening here in Singapore too? With the amount of Persona fans here, hopefully the sales of Persona games might convince Atlus to hold a screening here in the future. Source: Persona 4 Starting June 9, Persona 4 the Animation -the Factor of Hope-, will be up for a limited theatrical release in Osaka, Nagoya and Kanto in Japan. The re-edited version of the Persona 4 anime which includes “True End Story”, an unaired episode of the show that was included on the 10th DVD and Blu-ray of the 25 episode TV Show, is now complied into a film that will run for a total of 90 minutes. It features content on the serial murders and abductions in the town of Inaba.

Zone of the Enders HD release, plus sequel in the making Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/zone-of-the-enders-hd-release-plussequel-in-the-making/ By Mello on May 28th, 2012

Persona 4 cast members, Daisuke Namikawa (Yu Narukami), Shōtarō Morikubo (Yosuke Hanamura) and Kappei Yamaguchi (Teddie) will be at the opening night of the screening to grace the event. Tickets for the opening night screening in Shinjuku at midnight on June 9, will cost around 3,000 yen. All attendees will receive a set of of film stickers.

Zone of the Enders HD Edition, the HD remake of the Playstation 2 game, will be released on October 25th for the PS3 and Xbox 360. The standard version of the game will be price at 3,980 yen in stores and 3,480 yen as a digital download. Pre-sale tickets have been available since Monday and different premiums will be given out with purchase of those tickets at different locations. Pre-sale tickets at the Animate

Konami is also intending to take advantage of the PS3′s ability to share save data and intends to implement that function as well as release a portable version of the game in 2012. An official site for the game has also been opened. 2

May 28th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone By Mello on May 28th, 2012

Zone of the Enders HD includes the remakes of both the original Z.O.E. and it’s sequel, Anubis. Z.O.E. was released in 2001 and the sequel, in 2003. The 2D visuals in both the original games are redrawn with new HD elements for the remake, this includes text as well as animations. The visuals have been improved to 720p HD and from 30 frames per second to 60 frames per second. The quality of background music and sound effects have also been greatly improved. New features for the games include Trophy and Achievements support as well as a new opening animation from Sunrise.

Fancy having your wedding aboard the Thousand Sunny? Now you can. One Piece’s newly published 668th chapter has announced that from the beginning of next month, a full scale replica of One Piece’s Thousand Sunny pirate ship at Nagasaki Prefecture’s Huis Ten Bosch theme park will be available for rental for wedding hostings.

Other than the standard edition, ZOE HD will also be sold in two other packages, namely the Premium Package and the Konami Style Premium Package.

Couples registering for the wedding package hosted by the Straw Hat crew will be treating their guests to a very special cruise. The ship is known to be able to hold 250 people although the cost of booking has not been announced. In the past year, the cruise has been taking children and adults alike for a 20-min cruise per ride. Boarding passes cost ¥1,000 for adults and and ¥600 for kids below the age of four. The Premium Package includes a Special Box, a Zone of the Enders reBOOT Edition remix CD, the Chronicle Book which recreates booklets from the 2001 and 2003 releases, and the ReBOOT Book, which features dialogues between Hideo Kojima and art director Yoji Shinkawa and a look at the remake’s development, all for a price of ¥8,980. The Konami Style Premium Package will be sold exclusively at the Konami Style e-Shop includes all of the above as well as a Zone of the Enders blu-ray with it’s cover specially drawn by Yoji Shinkawa. Hideo Kojima of Kojima productions has also revealed that a sequel is now in the works, under the name “Enders Project”. The game will be making use of a technology that converts real character models into Fox Engine assets. Source: Famitsu

Life-size One Piece pirate ship to host weddings

Other than being fascinated by the overall likeness of the ship from the manga, passengers can also have their photos taken with statues of the Straw Hats, visit the souvenir shop that sells exclusive merchandise or have a snack at the aquarium bar. The ship also have a working Gaon Cannon that the crew will fire during the short cruise. There are also rumors that the ship might hire a “live Straw Hat crew” for weddings, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see. After all, if they do, we’d have to keep Cap’t Luffy away from that buffet table no? Source: Crunchyroll

Puella Magi Madoka Magica online game lets you manage a party of SD magical girls Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/puella-magi-madoka-magica-onlinegame-lets-you-manage-a-party-of-sd-magical-girls/

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/life-size-one-piece-pirate-ship-tohost-weddings/

May 28th, 2012 By Mello on May 28th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

map). They will face “Witch barriers,” traps, treasure chests and more that will appear on the board’s spaces. Characters will gain abilities and weapons as they progress through the game and their equipment will become stronger and level up as well. The game will also be playable in two modes, allowing players to either party with or play against fellow gamers. The game is free-to-play, but additional in-game items will be sold for money. The game was scheduled to be released in early Spring this year but has yet to see an announcement of the launch, however, the website has recently announced that they will be accepting applicants for a closed beta test shortly. Source: Anime News Network

An announcement has been made on the Puella Magi Madoka Magica Online website that the browser-based game will feature super-deformed magical girl player characters. Character customisation will be available and will provide players with over 400,000 combination possibilities to create their own unique magical girls.The characters will also feature a variety of detailed facial expressions.

Gamers will be able to create their own magical girl or play as Madoka or her friends, befriending five other magical girls, including other players to form a party to take on the powerful witch, Walpurgis Night. The six player party system will allow for multiples of the same character. A new storyline is also said to be written specially for the game.

The game takes on a board game style gameplay system. Players have to roll the dice to navigate the gameboard (aka

Evangelion PS3 game and pachinko machines announced Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/evangelion-ps3-game-and-pachinkomachines-announced/ By Mello on May 28th, 2012

A new Evangelion simulator game, Gekiatsu PachigeDamashi MAX Evangelion “7″ X “Seimei no Koudou” (Existence’s Pulse) [激激激激激激激激激激MAX 激激激激激激激激 “7” × “激激激激激”] will be released for the Playstation 3 this coming September 6. The official website for the game has been opened recently, as well as pre-orders for the new game which is priced at 7,329 yen. More information on the game will be announced on their website at a later date.

The game will be released in conjunction with two Evangelion pachinko machines, the “CR Evangelion 7″ and “Seimei no Kodou” pachinko slot machines. Both machines are based on the Rebuild of Evangelion film series and will feature footage from the films, as well as exclusive CG scenes created specifically for the machines.

May 28th, 2012

The machines also include two additional modes, the “research and “appreciation” modes. The “research” mode equips players with the ability to gather and analyze data on the machines to help you with your game while the “appreciation” mode enables players play videos and music they have seen and heard in the past while playing the game. This includes several rare scenes that cannot be found in other media forms.

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The manga is based off Kenji Inoue’s Baka to Test to Shōkanjū (Baka and Test – Summon the Beasts) light novel series and have been published on Famitsu Comic Clear, an online magazine that offers free to read titles. Baka to Test to Shōkanjū Spinout! has been made into an anime adaptation consisting of shorts that is available as bonuses on the DVDs and Blu-rays of Season 2 of Baka to Test to Shōkanjū. The first season of the anime was released in North America by Funimation in 2011.

Limited edition clear files featuring new artwork created for specifically for Rebuild of Evangelion pachinko and slot machines by Takeshi Honda, Shunji Suzuki, and Akemi Hayashi will be given out to those who purchase the game. Source: Famitsu

Manga series Baka to Test to Shōkanjū Spinout! to end its run Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/manga-series-baka-to-test-toshokanju-spinout-to-end-its-run/ By Mello on May 28th, 2012

Spinout’s story is set in a school where class placements and facilities are determined by virtual battles. Students fight it out with avatars, whose strength levels are based on the students’ test results, for better facilities and classes in school: A class gets all the best facilities, like highclass dining rooms, plasma television sets, and fully air conditioned facilities, while students in F class are stuck with junk rejected from all other classes. Source: AnimeNewsNetwork

Hatsune Miku and Vocaloid stars invade Jubeat Plus for iOS Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/hatsune-miku-and-vocaloid-starsinvade-jubeat-plus-for-ios/ By KarbyP on May 28th, 2012

Sega’s Hatsune Miku Project Diva has been hogging all the limelight lately. And now rhythm-action rival Konami wants to get in on the action too. This week the Roppongi-based publisher released for its Jubeat Plus iOS game a “Nico Music” pack, containing four popular Vocaloid songs, a first for the series: Fans of the manga Baka to Test to Shōkanjū Spinout! (激激激激激激激激激激) from Famitsu Comic Clear, will be sad to know that the manga will be coming to an end in the next chapter, the 30th in the series.

- Romeo and Cinderella (Hatsune Miku) - Senbonzakura (Hatsune Miku) - Migikata no Chou (Kagamine Rin & Len) - Happy Synthesizer (Megurine Luka & Megpoid Gumi) Click on the links above for corresponding YouTube videos showing off the respective songs in the Extreme mode of play. If you don’t mind knocking around your PC monitor for a bit, you might be able to simulate the experience through the YouTube videos alone (at least, that’s what I tried to do).

May 28th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

It will come in 2 designs, red “Dead End” and black “Yuno’s Eyes”. Both designs are 3,990 yen. Pre-orders are now available here until the June 3, 2012. The Swiss army knives are expected to retail in the second half of July 2012.

The Nico Music pack is available now through the Jubeat Plus app (free to download) and costs 450 yen. You will, however, need a Japanese iTunes account to even access the app. Although there is a “Jukebeat” app by Konami in the US iTunes app store, this music pack is currently not available there. Source: 4Gamer Read more stories about Hatsune Miku here on SGCafe!

Mirai Nikki teams up with Victorinox for thematic Swiss army knife Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/mirai-nikki-collaborates-withvictrinox-to-make-mirai-nikki-themed-swiss-army-knives/ By shia on May 28th, 2012

Mirai Nikki’s site announced that they would be collaborating with Swiss army knife maker Victorinox to produce Mirai Nikki themed Swiss army knives.

Mirai Nikki is a psychological thriller that thrusts the main character Yukiteru into a deadly battle royale with eleven others where the winner gets to make any wish come true, after killing the rest. Each of the participants are given a diary that has a unique feature that can aid them in surviving the treacherous game. Source : OHP, Pre-order, ANN, Victorinox

Soul in their eyes – K-On’s characters follow your every move Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/soul-in-their-eyes-k-ons-charactersfollow-your-every-move/ By Neubronner Eugene on May 28th, 2012

Adding to the “I’m not entirely sure why they came up with this” category of Japanese anime goods is the news that goods makers Run’A have released a series of photoframe/ coinbanks of the cast of K-On. These photoframes are more than just a picture of Azu-nyan and others however. Each picture’s eyes have been carefully calibrated to follow you around the room. I’m all for having our favorite characters looking at us adoringly, but take a look at those pictures of Miu again. Is that not creepy or what? 6

May 28th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still interested in picking these up however, Runâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;A is selling them online at 1050 yen per pop (Approx SGD$15 before shipping etc) here. Via Hachima Kiko

May 29th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture

PS3 Malicious announced for Vita as Malicious Rebirth Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/ps3-malicious-announced-for-vitaas-malicious-rebirth/ By Mello on May 29th, 2012

each enemy gives you an additional weapon morph for your scarf. It may sound easy, but the game is not as easy as it seems, some bosses cannot be attacked straight on and you will have to put your mind to use to defeat them. The game is set to be released this summer. More information will be announced soon. Source: Remoon

1/8 figure & nendoroid Famima Hatsune Miku for raffle prize Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/18-figure-nendoroid-famimahatsune-miku-for-raffle-prize/ By Mello on May 29th, 2012

A Playstation Vita version of the download-only PS3 game, Malicious, has been announced recently in Dengeki Playstation as Malicious Rebirth. Game developer, Alvion announced a Vita port of the game some months back, but has not made any announcements since then. Alvion is looking into adding new stages as well as abilities for the main character that you will control. A teaser site was launched last week, but as of now there is only a slideshow that states “Malicious is coming”.

A 1/8 scale Hatsune Miku: Family Mart figure as well as a Nendoroid Hatsune Miku: Family Mart version (also known as Famima Miku) will be released in August 2012 as prize A and prize B raffle prizes in a Happy Kuji event. (Kuji means lottery in Japanese)Each raffle ticket will cost 800 yen. A website has recently been opened for the Famima Mikus as well.

Malicious brings you into the world of spiritual beings. You are given the option to play as the guy or girl version of the spirit who has to defeat enemies a ton bigger (or stronger) than you. The game has however been given double takes as the clothes and physical body of your character will tear off and disappear as you receive damage from the enemies. You will be up against a main boss in each stage as well as many other tiny soldiers, cannons and such that will rush at you ruthlessly. As a spirit, you have the ability to jump, spin and soar as high as you wish. Your first bestowed powers allow you to use your “magical scarf” to shoot at the enemies, defeating 1

May 29th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

The 1/8 Famima Hatsune Miku is sculpted by YOSHI and will stand at 18cm tall.

Nendoroid Famima Miku is seen holding a pack of Famichiki, one of Family Mart’s (Famima) signature snack. It is a slice of fried chicken put inside a small bag for takeaway snack, much like the Taiwanese fried chicken we can buy in shops here in Singapore. No doubt there are other shops like 7-eleven and Lawson that sells a similar fried chicken snack, Famichiki is known to be one of the best. The nendoroid will also come with an alternate hand poses of Miku greeting customers and standing normally.

Originally serialized in Ribbon magazine, Akazukin Chacha is a manga illustrated by mangaka Min Ayahana. The storyline of Akazukin Chacha tells the adventures of magical girl Chacha and her friends as the stage revolves around their school Urara School. Recently, Mainichi JP reports of the revival of the classic manga after a long 12 year conclusion. Immensely popular in Singapore despite its short run on Channel I, Cartoon Network and AXN, the original TV anime series Akazukin Chacha is an anime that brings back a sense of nostalgia to senior anime fans. One of the biggest factors for the anime’s popularity was due to the performance of the opening theme, performed by hit Japanese boy band SMAP, “Kimi Iro Omoi”. Following it’s roots as a shoujo manga, the new Akazukin Chacha is to be serialized in Cookie magazine with the name “Akazukin Chacha N”. The new storyline is supposedly set in the city of Tokyo, leaving those familiar with the original work anticipating the twist to modernity. More information of Akazukin Chacha N will be announced in the July issue of Cookie, with the first chapter to be released in the August issue, on sale on June 26th. Source: Mainichi JP

There are a total of nine prizes in the raffle, the rest of the prizes will be announced at a later date.

Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate airing date announced, more cast members

Source: Tomopop

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/koi-to-senkyo-to-chocolate-airingdate-announced-more-cast-members/ By Mycstea on May 29th, 2012

Akazukin Chacha manga revived after 12 years

Leaked magazine scan reveals the airing date of TV anime Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate and extended list of cast members!

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/akazukin-chacha-manga-revivedafter-12-years/ By Mycstea on May 29th, 2012

Classic TV anime Akazukin Chacha is getting a new manga serialization titled “Akazukin Chacha N” after 12 years.

May 29th, 2012

To follow up on our previous report, Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate, has finally released an airing date in the latest edition of G’s Magazine. From the favorable response from both Japanese and local observers, Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate is garnering a good momentum as an anime to look forward to.

Published by: VR-Zone By Mello on May 29th, 2012

Gameart’s next Vita title, Dokuro, a side scroller puzzle game will release a demo this coming June 6. A three-stage demo which includes thirty areas will be available for download on PSN, however, the full demo will only be immediately downloadable for those who have obtained a download ticket from shops. From the leaked photo above, Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate will begin airing on TBS channel on Wednesdays starting June 5th 2525hrs (which is actually June 6th 1.25am) in Japan. Other broadcast timings have also been listed as follows: • KBS Kyoto from July 13th, every Friday at 2500hrs (Saturday 1am) • Sun TV from July 15th, every Sunday at 2430hrs (Monday 12.30am) • CBC from July 19th, every Thursday at 2600hrs (Friday 2am) • BS-TBS from July 28th, every Sunday at 2500hrs (Monday 1am) There has also been an expansion in cast, with the following roles and voice actresses confirmed:

Gamers without a ticket can only get the download from June 14, when the first stage is made publicly available. The following two stages will be released on June 21 and 28. The stage one of the demo will also be available at PS Vita demo stations in shops for the first half of June. If you’ve decided to purchase the game after trying, your save data from the demo can be carried over to the actual game. Source: Famitsu

Good Smile Opens Official English Nendroid Page Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/good-smile-opens-official-englishnendroid-page/ By magnetic_rose on May 29th, 2012

• Nozomi Edakawa played by Yuuko Gibu (Yui Amagi – Itoshii Kanojo no Mamorikata) • Ai Sarue played by Yuka Inokuchi (Tabitha – Zero no Tsukaima) • Kii Monzennaka played by Ayumi Fujimura (Kneesocks – Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt) • Hazuki Shinonome played by Chiemi Ishimatsu Seiyuu observers be assured, these voice actresses are all the same voice actresses from the visual novel game. Visit the website of TV anime Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate here. Source: Otanews

Dokuro demo to release on June 6 Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/dokuro-demo-to-release-on-june-6/

Good Smile Company — in its effort to reach its worldwide fans, has officially opened an English-language info page for its popular Nendroid line. The new page is in English and features extensive information on all Nendroid products — including product details, photos, and release information. Visit the site today at: http://nendoroid.jp/en Source: http://nendoroid.jp/en

May 29th, 2012

Sega: songs and modules in Hatsune Miku Project Diva F will be “all new” Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/sega-songs-and-modules-in-hatsunemiku-project-diva-f-will-be-all-new/ By KarbyP on May 29th, 2012

So far five new songs have been unveiled throughthreetrailers for Hatsune Miku Project Diva F. How many more songs to go? Plenty more, apparently, if a pamphlet for the game is to be believed. The pamphlet claims in bold-faced font (bullet point number two) that all the songs and modules will be completely new. Then, of course, in fine text it says that all the songs and modules are only new in the context of the Project Diva series. If a song has only been in Hatsune Miku and Future Stars Project Mirai (3DS), recycling it for Project Diva is apparently fair game, live how we’ve seen last week when Famitsu described Melancholic as “a new song for the Project Diva series” (but already featured in Project Mirai, which I guess is not officially part of the series).

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K-ON High School and College manga to end soon Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/k-on-high-school-manga-to-end-injune-2/ By Mello on May 29th, 2012

The High School edition of the manga, K-ON, featuring characters Azusa, Ui, Jun and more will be ending it’s run shortly. Since April 2011, K-ON! manga have split their characters into two series in two magazines. The college version featuring the graduates from the high school had their stories in Manga Time Kirara, while the second series featuring high school light music club members was in Manga Time Kirara Carat.

This is as opposed to Project Diva F’s inclusion of Himitsu Keisatsu, or “Secret Police”, which Famitsu said is “the first time any rhythm action game has featured the song” – Sega’s Music GunGun, Namco Bandai’s Taiko no Tatsujin and Konami’s Jubeat also features Vocaloid songs. Well, that works for me. And just about everyone who’s miffed at Nintendo for region-locking the 3DS. According to the pamphlet, even though all the songs and modules are new, the volume of content in Project Diva F will certainly not be paltry by any means, relative to previous series entries. Hatsune Miku Project Diva F goes on sale in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and most other Asian territories on August 30. Check with your local retailer for pre-order details. In the meantime, here’s some gameplay footage – over 10 minutes of gameplay, demonstrating everything from “scratching” to Chance Time changing things up in the PV – to tide you over: Source: Hachima

May 29th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

In the beginning of this month, Manga Time Kirara had announced that its next issue, which will be on sale on June 6th, will feature the final chapter of the latest run of Kakifly’s K-On! The July issue of Manga Time Kirara Carat has also announced that its high school counterpart will end in the next issue. Source: OtakuLivedoor

Fan creates custom Hatsune Miku skin for his black PS Vita Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/fan-creates-custom-hatsune-mikuskin-for-his-black-ps-vita/ By KarbyP on May 29th, 2012

In Japan, if you pre-order a copy of Hatsune Miku Project Diva F from a games retailer, you’re promised a special Miku skin protector for your PS Vita.

In fact, he went as far as skinning the rear touch panel on his PS Vita as well, modelled after the design as seen on the limited edition Crystal White version.

Here’s a shot of the limited edition Crystal White PS Vita for comprison:

But if you decide to go the digital route and buy directly from the Sony Entertainment Network, however, you do not receive the skin. To make up for the lack of a pre-order bonus, the price you pay for a digital copy is slightly lower. So what if you’re a big Hatsune Miku fan, and you want the digital copy (so that it’s in your PS Vita always) and the special pre-order skin? You could buy both retail and digital copies, I suppose. Or you could make your own Hatsune Miku skin – which is what one fan did. 5

May 29th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

How’s that for a truly limited – one of a kind! – PS Vita? Our hats off to him. Source: Otanews

Atelier Ayesha “enemy encounters” trailer shows off Wilbell Voll-Erslied’s magic Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/atelier-ayesha-enemy-encounterstrailer-shows-off-wilbell-voll-erslieds-magic/ By KarbyP on May 29th, 2012

What do you think? Which is your favourite Atelier Ayesha character? Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Twilight Land comes out for the PlayStation 3 on June 28 in Japan. Another week, another Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Twilight Land (アアアアアアアアアアアアアアアアアアアアア) trailer! This one focuses on enemy encounters and the game’s combat system. As you’d expect from a Gust JRPG, the battles offer plenty of options!

アアアアアアアアアアアアアアアアアアアアア.

As adorable as Ayesha may be, Wilbell Voll-Erslied (whom you’ll recognise from Event 2 of the previous trailer) is really the star of the show here. 6

May 31st, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture

Malicious Rebirth: new bosses revealed Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/malicious-rebirth-new-bossesrevealed/ By Mello on May 31st, 2012

One of the new bosses is a senior knight of a ruined country. Large machines covered in thick armour, his puppet soldiers line up with him in the battlefield ready to attack. Now it is time for you to fight him and avenge the others he have killed. He will be waiting in the “Triumph Square”, a tomb where many warriors who have died in battle are buried.

Two new bosses and scarf transformations for Malicious Rebirth, the PSN-only game port to PS Vita has been revealed today. I’m sure players of the PS3 version would gladly welcome the two new transformations, one allows you to transform your scarf/cloak into a huge tornado looking object, which is said to be a hammer that can be used as a powerful ranged attack. You can store power by charging it to increase the attack rate. The other turns it into a double-barrel cannon allowing you to shoot multiple magic bullets at once. However, there is a catch, two new bosses are revealed as well, and as usual, you would have to kill them both to receive the two transformations.

May 31st, 2012

The second boss managed to become immortal by a formula it discovered that combines the art of numerology and magic of the prophets. It has fused the body of the spirit of righteousness with its own via a surgical procedure. This battle is fought in the basement of the old Shine temple city in the northern lands. It has previously been used to produce immortal soldiers.

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From the look of the screenshots, this ain’t going to be an easy feat. Then again, how many of the Malicious bosses were actually easy? After spending hours attempting to kill the bosses, I’d say you might need some patience and a little quick thinking to get the two new ones down. Then again, the visuals are great, retaining the watercolour based feel seldom found in video games, I think the challenge of finally defeating the bosses and the visuals, would be my main reasons to pick up this game. Source: Famitsu

“Your Tales of” project launched by Namco Bandai UK Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/your-tales-of-project-launched-bynamco-bandai-uk/ By Mello on May 31st, 2012

A project named “Your Tales of” was launched today in the U.K. by Namco Bandai. The community inspired project invites fans to submit their best fan art of the Tales of series. You are allowed to submit fan fiction, art, video, music and cosplay photos for the project. The best ones will be choosen to be in a 16-page limited edition booklet titled “Your Tales of”, and will be given out with Issue No. 101 of the NEO Magazine, which will be on sale this August 9. Although it is held by Namco Bandai U.K., the terms and conditions do not state that you have to be in the U.K. to join, you only have to abide by and agree with the U.K. 2

May 31st, 2012

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regulations, so guys, get cracking! You have until June 30 to submit your creative works here. The book will also feature a foreword from Tales series producer Hideo Baba. Hollie Bennet, the Community and Consumer PR Executive at Namco Bandai UK has said that Namco wants to reward fans for their loyalty and for constantly working together to tell others how great the Tales of games are. Tales of Graces f is also set to launch in the UK in August, and as the storyline features a strong focus on teamwork and friendship, they have decided to organize this project to reward the Tales of community by giving them a chance to participate in this special project. Source: Namco Bandai UK

Zone of The Enders iPhone case up for sale Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/zone-of-the-enders-iphone-case-upfor-sale/ By Mello on May 31st, 2012

A Zone of The Enders iPhone case was put on sale at the demo event last week, but fret not if you were not there to get it. Starting from 10am on friday, fans will be able purchase the iPhone cases online for for 9,800 yen at Gild Design’s website. The “iphone trick cover” (designed in a way to make others think that the phone is some other digital device) are made from the type of aluminum that is used to make planes, therefore you can be assured that your phone will be safe in the hands of this unique case. The cases come in two designs that are laser etched to prevent it from disappearing with the normal wear of the case.

Source: Famitsu

Remainder of Happy Kuji raffle prizes revealed Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/remainder-of-happy-kuji-raffleprizes-revealed/

May 31st, 2012

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By Mello on May 31st, 2012

Remember the raffle that will give one lucky winner the chance to bring the super cute Famima Miku home? Photos of the remaining prizes of the Happy Kuji have appeared on the Internet. Here are the details for the remaining prizes: Prize C: Print of the original Hatsune Miku illustration by KEI.

Prize F: Clear folders. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s listed as 5 types but only 3 have been revealed.

Prize D: Mini Bolster cushions. 2 designs.

Prize E: Glasses. There are 3 designs but only one is shown on a glass. Illutration by CHAN X CO.

Prize G: Original figure gift cards.

May 31st, 2012

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According to Joystiq, Final Fantasy Dimensions will be available for Android devices too, even if the official website appears to be keeping mum on that front, for no good reason. In a statement from Square Enix’s pre-E3 press release:

Last Prize: Original 3D poster, illustrated by KEI.

“Drawing upon the roots of the series with such features as beautiful 2D pixel art, job-driven character growth, additional scenarios in which to inherit the jobs of your adventuring companions, and a classic story of light, darkness, and crystals, FINAL FANTASY DIMENSIONS delivers the best of FINAL FANTASY, retro and fresh alike, directly to your smartphone.” That description doesn’t really tell us anything. The logo, on the other hand, tells everything as Joystiq’s JC Fletcher has cleverly made a connection between FF Dimensions and Final Fantasy Legends: The Warriors of Light and Dark:, a mobile game previously released in Japan for iMode and EZmode feature phones. This wouldn’t be the first time a Japanese game maker has refreshed an older feature phone game and re-release it for smartphone owners.

Unfortunately, these are only released for the raffle and tickets are only available at Family Marts in Japan. Source: NekoMagic

Final Fantasy Dimensions for iOS announced, releases in Summer Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/final-fantasy-dimensions-for-iosannounced-releases-in-summer/ By KarbyP on May 31st, 2012

We don’t know a single thing about FF Dimensions. FF Legends, on the other hand, has plenty of details illustrated on its official website – so we’ll tell a few things about that game instead (which is most likely the same game). Here’s what you need to know: - Made by members of the Japanese Final Fantasy IV (Final Fantasy II in the US) team. - Was episodic in its previous incarnation on the feature phone (it may not be so for this smartphone retelling). - Old-school Final Fantasy gameplay, with 2D sprites and a Job system that lets you learn abilities by accumulating AP through battles. Equipping certain combinations of job abilities may allow you to learn Fusion Abilities. - Has a crap-load of characters:

The new Final Fantasy pre-E3 announcement we reported on a couple of hours back is probably a big bogus. Nevertheless, in some strange fit of coincidence, Square Enix has indeed unveiled a new Final Fantasy game. Except this one is for the iOS, entitled “Final Fantasy Dimensions”. 5

May 31st, 2012

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bio-terrorist Albert Wesker, escapes from the authorities during a bioterrorist attack and ends up partnering with a much more mature Sherry Birkin. Meanwhile, Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance Captain Chris Redfield, Piers Nivans and their team members arrive in the Chinese city of Lanshiang, under the threat of an attack. Capcom has planned a stage event for Resident Evil 6 at their Capcom Summer Jam and will be releasing more details then. The game is set to release on 2 October 2012. Source: Capcom Europe

Capcom Summer Jam to reveal Monster Hunter 4 details For more information on FF Legends, head over to Wired where they’ve got a preview of the game from way back in 2010.

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/capcom-summer-jam-to-reveal-mh4details/ By Mello on May 31st, 2012

Source: Joystiq, Wired FINAL FANTASY DIMENSIONS | SQUARE ENIX.

Resident Evil 6 characters revealed Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/resident-evil-6-characters-revealed/ By Mello on May 31st, 2012

Capcom Summer Jam, to be held at Tokyo Big Site on June 30 and July 1, will reveal details on Monster Hunter 4, which was announced for the 3DS last September. Very little has been revealed about the game other than a short teaser video and that it will incorporate the Circle Pad Pro. Capcom is intending to hold a Monster Hunter stage event discussing the series and announcing new information on Monster Hunter 4. There will also be stage events for Resident Evil 6 and Lost Planet spin-off, E.X. Troopers. Here is Capcom’s full Summer Jam lineup: • Resident Evil 6 (PS3, 360) – Stage event • Monster Hunter Tri G (3DS) – Tournament, Playable demos • E.X. Troopers (PS3, 3DS) – Stage event • Street Fighter X Tekken (PSV) – Playable demos • Sengoku Basara HD Collection (PS3) – Playable demos A new Resident Evil image has been released, revealing the main characters of the upcoming sequel to the franchise, Resident Evil 6. Leon Kennedy and Helena Harper have returned and will be fighting their way through Tall Oaks while Chris Redfield and Piers Nivans will take the action to the streets of China. Newcomer Jake Muller and a grown up Sherry Birkin will be battling melee style. The new game will be set in 2013, the president of the U.S.A. revealed the truth behind the 1998 Raccoon City Destruction Incident, believing that it will reduce the current resurgence in bioterrorist activity. Leon is faced with making the decision to end the President’s life after he gets infected and mutated. Jack Muller, son of late

• Browser Sengoku Basara (PC) – Playable demos •

Sengoku Basara Card Heroes (Mobage) – Playable demos

• Steel Batallion: Heavy Armor (360) – Playable demos • Airu de Puzzle (PSP) – Playable demos What do you hope will be announced for the new Monster Hunter? I’m yearning to know what new monsters there will be in the upcoming game. Source: Capcom

May 31st, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

This Nendoroid Matryoshka (Hatsune Miku & Gumi) set is not for sale Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/this-nendoroid-matryoshka-hatsunemiku-gumi-set-is-not-for-sale/ By KarbyP on May 31st, 2012

Good Smile Company’s Mikatan is back with more adorable pictures of Nendoroid figures on her blog. This time around, however, all the figures featured in her latest blog post are models that are not currently in production – they were designed and made by individual employees, for an internal contest. Just for fun.

Steins;Gate’s Makise Kurisu doing the “mad scientist” pose, from the episode where she tries to cheer Okabe up. Matryoshka (Hatsune Miku & Gumi)

Still, just because they won’t be put in a production line and sold for money, doesn’t mean there aren’t any gems in here. Let’s take a look, shall we? Nendoroid Homura & Madoka set

This set of Nendoroid Hatsume Miku and Gumi is based on the following song! Nendoroids are usually cute and adorable. This particular pair of Homura and Madoka nendos, however, inspires awe rather than try to whack you over the head with cuddly cuteness (although there’s a little bit of that too). The design seems to be inspired by the epilogue of Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

Tricolore Airline Hatsune Miku

Makise Kurisu

May 31st, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

Based on the following music video: Nana Mizuki

Tingle… really?! Of all the possible characters you could sculpt a figure of. Does it really have to be Tingle? For more craziness, head over to Mikatan’s blog. Source: GSC’s Mikatan

Blizzard and Diablo 3, perfect launch or storm? Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/blizzard-and-diablo-3-perfectlaunch-or-storm/ By Xharky on May 31st, 2012

What the?! Nana Mizuki?! Well… nobody said that figures had to be based on 2D characters. The world of 3D works just fine too. Tingle

With the release of long awaited Diablo 3, with its ‘always on’ DRM forcing players to be logged onto Blizzard’s servers even when playing solo, comes a multitude of issues faced during these first two weeks. In the first few days, the majority of errors players encountered were the lack of server capacity and disconnections. Players who took a day off from work, school, etc. and bought a game they paid upwards of S 8

May 31st, 2012

$90 for faced a waiting game for server resources to free up, and to be able to login and create their characters. Not only that, gameplay was interrupted by constant disconnections and additional lag during the game itself. Characters based on keeping their range from monsters such as the Demon Hunter, Wizard, and Witch Doctor had to deal with unresponsive controls, ‘teleporting’ monsters, or getting shunted into groups of monsters due to server delays.

Issues that were not faced in Diablo 2 were surfacing. Players who never intended on making use of the auction house system, and who were planning to solo run and farm through the entire game were being shafted by having to be online and contributing to the server strain. Also, the fact that Blizzard can take down the servers at any time, and toss everyone out, is inexcusable. Now, there were arguments that people should stop whining and complaining, but the following quote covers it entirely. “If Blizzard expects us to always be online to play their game. We should expect Blizzard to always be online when we want to play it.” The above argument holds true when applied to Diablo 3. It isn’t a single player game, but it isn’t an MMO either. Some may try to justify it by saying it is required to tackle dupers and cheaters, but the system present in Diablo 2 worked perfectly fine. There were battle.net based characters that were completely online, and offline characters (open games) where duping, cheating, modding, whatever floats your boat were the norm. Arguments that mentioned the auction house or the real money version of it are irrelevant. Offline (single player / open battle.net) characters can be kept completely separate, as Diablo 2 has proved. Not only do players have to deal with server issues and downtimes, they have to deal with other problems. Having your characters located on Blizzard’s servers even if all you do is play private games, also means opening yourself up to account compromises, which is causing quite a storm on Diablo 3 forums. There have been widespread reports of accounts being accessed and stripped of all their items and gold. Some have managed to track down the culprits, through the recently played list, or friends list (whom the culprits added their throwaway characters to), and watched as it happened to other players.

Published by: VR-Zone

“I looked in my “recently played” and identified the account that was used to hack me. I joined a game with him, and WATCHED him hack other accounts. Lvl 60 characters would join the game, go to their stash, and then sell off most of their stuff to a merchant. They would then trade with the “mule” account (a lvl 10 DH), I presume transferring the gold. The naked lvl 60′s would then leave the game.” Players then have to either go through a lengthy recovery and restoration process, or ‘suck it up’ and grind their gear over again. With the amount of people on the forums claiming that they were hacked and had their accounts emptied, it doesn’t seem to be a minor issue anymore. Blizzard appears to be trying to keep everything under wraps, with claims and counter claims about malware, key loggers, trojans, and the like. Counter accusations of players buying game currency from third party companies have appeared too. Not only that, threads with discussions have been constantly deleted (original), most likely to keep everything as quiet as possible.

Some players have speculated that using the auction house and joining public games are in some way contributing to the account compromises, that somehow the perpetrators were getting player’s login information through these sources. It is unknown at the moment whether there truly has been a server compromise on Blizzard’s side, or there suddenly have been an increase in the amount of viruses and backdoors specifically targeting Diablo 3. Nonetheless, with how high profile Diablo 3′s release have been, it brings upthought on whether the current compromises have something in common with what happened during Rift’s initial release. Blizzard representatives have been giving the usual excuse that if no one bought game currency and items from thirdparty companies, there would be no account compromises. “The sad thing is, if no one bought game currency (gold, credits, whatever) from these third-party companies, then essentially no account compromises would be occurring. Compromises not done by gold selling companies are very rare indeed. “ What they, as a company has done, is to implement an auction house system that enables players to trade equipment and items for gold and vice versa. Alone, this wouldn’t change a thing on whether players would buy third-party gold. However, with their upcoming (delayed repeatedly) implementation of the Real-Money version of the auction house, one must wonder if the amount of account 9

May 31st, 2012

compromises will increase, as Blizzard has effectively found a way to put a real life price equivalent to items within the game. The third-party companies now have a way to launder stolen items directly to real money. The entire system provides incentives for gold selling companies to compromise more accounts, perhaps more than if players actually bought gold and items from them.

Published by: VR-Zone By KarbyP on May 31st, 2012

Update: According to Erren Van Duine, senior US editor at RPGSite.net, the “invite” is fake.

And if you thought open battle.net had dupers, what would you think about Blizzard contributing to the problem? For example, in a situation with Person A, B, and C. B steals A’s items, and then sells it through the auction house (either gold, or real money) to C. A reports it to Blizzard, and gets his account rolled back. Right now, there would be two copies of the item, one present on C, and one present on A. Unless Blizzard finds a way to reasonably reverse transactions, especially the real money ones, that have been done through the auction house system, they are in effect, duplicating items. With all these problems and issues faced, is Diablo 3 truly a great buy? Metacritic thinks not, with D3 currently standing at a low 4.1 on the User Score scale. What do you readers think? And how long until Torchlight 2, so we can play offline when servers are down?

Square Enix to unveil new Final Fantasy tomorrow at pre-E3 briefing [Updated] Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/05/square-enix-to-unveil-new-finalfantasy-tomorrow-at-pre-e3-briefing/

Original story: We could be hours away from the unveiling of a brand new Final Fantasy, if this image of what appears to be a media invite Square Enix sent out is to be believed: “We are very glad to invite you to our big pre – E3 announcement, it will include a new announcement about the new FINAL FANTASY in the series. See you soon at the booth A4 – B7 this wednesday the 30th at 10:00.” What could this possibly be? Final Fantasy XIII-3 (the ending in XIII-2 is a cliffhanger, after all)? Final Fantasy VII remake? Or just – and this would be incredibly lame if it were true – Final Fantasy XIV 2.0? What do you think? We’ll find out at roughly 10AM Los Angeles time (GMT -0700 hours) on May 30… which is just a couple of hours from now! Stay tuned for more Source: FF-reunion