SGcafe Anime, Manga, Cosplay, Vocaloid News For Otaku Sep 2012 Issue

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September 5th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

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

Interview with Tekken’s Katsuhiro Harada: Lili’s “fluffy” skirt was an experiment with Havok Physics Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/interview-with-tekkens-katsuhiroharada-lilis-fluffy-skirt-was-an-experiment-with-havok-physics/ By KarbyP on September 5th, 2012

And up until now you’ve never seen skirts of this length in the Tekken series too, because in fighting games, characters do a lot more animation than in other action games. They might be doing a handstand and such. So this was kind of a new challenge we did with Havok Physics, and our fans are going to benefit from that by having an extra pre-order bonus to play with. —Also not too long ago, you revealed a set of six character costumes created in collaboration with various Japanese illustrators you’ve worked with in the past, as well as with UK comic artist Simon Bisley, who came up a helluva look for Heihachi. How did Simon Bisley get involved in the artist collaborations?

We caught up with Tekken Project’s Katsuhiro Harada (development lead) and Michael Murray (senior game designer) when they were here in Singapore yesterday for an exclusive Xbox blockbuster games showcase. Time was short – they had to leave for Korea shortly after the event – so we weren’t able to ask them a whole lot this time around. But we did speak with the Tekken duo on a couple of interesting extras they’ve created for Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Lili’s fluffy skirt, a Heihachi costume designed by UK comic artist Simon Bisley, and the inspiration behind customisable character panels. —Recently you unveiled a video of Lili fighting in the game in a knee-length skirt that had amazing cloth physics. What was that all about? Katsuhiro Harada (interpreted by Michael Murray): Essentially it’s an extra piece of DLC that’s being offered as a pre-order incentive, that we’ve created using Havok cloth physics. In most other games that utilise the Havok Physics engine, the technology usually surfaces as these objects that can break apart. You don’t really see it being used a whole lot to animate things like the movement of clothings, so we partnered up with Havok to try and accomplish something in that nature for Tekken Tag 2.

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In Tekken we’ve always done this [putting out a call for creators who love the Tekken series to design something for us] in the past with Japanese manga artistes who are quite interested in Tekken, and some of whom are fans of the series. So for extra costumes, we essentially chose based on that criteria, because it’s easier to work with them if they understand the title and the characters and such. This time we wanted to find a similar situation with a nonJapanese artist if possible. And when we reached out to find out if anyone might be interested, we were told [by the overseas marketing/PR team] that Simon Bisley was quite interested. So we were able to have our artists work with him to come up with something unique. —So is this similar to your collaboration with Snoop, in that you wanted to work with an overseas artist to come up with something that might appeal to people who traditionally have not played Tekken? Well, it’s not just Snoop. Different from the arcades, for the console versions of Tekken, 70% of our audience are not very hardcore fighting gamers. They’re just your average gamer, thinking of picking up the title. So this [working with Simon Bisley] is the same not just with [the collaboration with] Snoop, but also some of the other things we’re doing like Fight Lab. We just wanted to add a variety of different entrances for people to get hooked on the game. So maybe someone who wouldn’t traditionally play Tekken, maybe they might find this particular element interesting, and then from there they can come in and explore all the other great [core gameplay] features we have in the game already. We just wanted that extra hook, to get more poeple to at least take a look at the game first. —The last time we talked, you said that if more people preorder Tekken Tag Tournament 2, then the more free DLC content you’ll be able to make for players – outside of things like characters, stages, and techniques. So I’m guessing by that you’re referring to cool extras like the customisable character panels illustrated by artists Shunya Yamashita, Tomio Fujisawa, and Junny.

We understand that the character panels were already part of the arcade version of the game, but will all the new characters you’ve announced have the panels too? Also, what was your inspiration behind giving players the option of customisable character panels? I don’t think I’ve seen it done in any other fighting games before. Well, first of all, yes, the three artists have each drawn a panel for all the characters in the game. And this was, like you said, probably the first time it’s done in a fighting game. We decided to do it because we wanted to give the player freedom to customise as many areas in the game [as possible]. As we said before, with the Combot you can customise his moveset, and that’s kind of a first as well. Then there’s customising the soundtrack of the game, for example you can pick which music track you want for the loading screen… so we really want to give the players as much freedom as possible. Another reason we decided to include this feature, is that the 2D character panels really stand out in the game because Tekken is a 3D fighter. Since with a 2D fighter, the character panels are already drawn in that manner, so if you were to have a customised panel like that, it wouldn’t really stand out because it doesn’t look so different. But since this game is rendered with 3D polygonal models, to have the option to use 2D illustrations for the panels, that’s something we thought would be well received. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 will be available in Singapore on September 11. Preorder your copy at your favourite video games retailer today to receive a bunch of bonus premiums including over 150 swimming costumes for the game’s characters. More details can be found at the end of this post.

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Five Things we Love and Gripe on at STGCC2012 Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/five-things-we-loved-and-hated-atstgcc2012/ By Neubronner Eugene on September 5th, 2012

This year’s Singapore Toys Games and Comics Convention moved to the still brand new expanses of Marina Bay Sands (MBS). Many wondered how the event would fare, especially with some great run-up news in the form of a Sunday splash feature on cosplay just a few weeks before. Well, let’s be frank. It was all sorts of great and problematic. As any event really is. So for those who didn’t make it, or those who wanna recall the moments alongside us, here’s SGCafe’s Top 5 Loves and Gripes. Disclaimer: This is in no way in order of relevance, and may or may not be tongue-in-cheek. The Loves Love 1 – Big spaces for big costumes It seems the local cons have settled on shaving off a gigantic space for their main stage events that doubles as a cosplay location. That’s great, giving plenty of space for good shots without blocking everyone else’s path. It also means cosplayers don’t miss out on stage events, which is a major peeve of ours whenever we’re at Comiket and moving between the cosplay section and the rest of Big Site.

We’re also loving the sequence plan outs. Events throughout the day – some held on both such as FightSaber’s – meant that we could hit either the main stage or side stage and there was always something going on. From wandering around and spotting Tristan Eaton doing his unique illustration to being surprised by Piko’s sudden mini concert (Didn’t see that one coming!) or being wowed by Touya Hibiki (You did read our news on her exclusive early release right here at SGCafe, right?) there was always something going on. We never felt like the place was dead in any aspect or respect, especially with the rocking DJ clash between ZANEEDS and MONOMIND to cap things off. Love 3 – Solid lineup of goods The variety of goods and exclusives on hand was a success as well. True, we didn’t get any massive reveals such as the big ComiCons would get, but there were more than enough exclusives and special releases around to make it worthwhile. Hot Toy’s was doing some crazy business, with queues snaking all over for their lineup of Avengers, Batman and other Western releases. I just wish more of the stuff at their booth was actually for sale instead of merely on display. But hey, we did get exclusive EvilRob releases, the exclusive worldwide re-release of the freakin’ Thundercats Lion-O (It’s ok kids, your dad’s are geeking out for that one) a special release of NANOBLOCK’s Miffy-chan collabo, and more. That ain’t half bad for our little red dot.

We also fell in love with the fact that Hall C (Which, take note guys, was not actually part of the event’s scheduled locales) was opened up for use by cosplayers and photogs. Whether the organizers actually paid to use that room or the MBS crew relented (Especially since Day 1 had hellish congestion along its corridors) to more space is up for debate. But who cares? It was fantastic! Love 2 – Events all day, all night

Love 4 – Bringing the GAME to STGCC It was also a pretty good thing to see both EA and Bandai Namco bringing out games supporting the event, alongside 3


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a mini tourney and several free play booths. There was some serious hilarity watching whoever was brave enough to step into the cordoned off area and bust out the super saiyan moves to Bandai Namco’s Dragonball Kinect title. Man, do I look that bad when I play Dance Central? (Editor Sentinel011: Yes, yes you do)

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Gripe 1 – There’s a staging area folks… So that stage area. Great stuff. Why aren’t more people using that space? Now, far be it for me to tell you where to sit, stand and eat, but there were lots of people filling up every corner of the exhibition hall’s sides just lounging around. And let’s not even get started on those outside or who decided to cannibalize Hall C. Hang on, hang on, I did say it ain’t my place to tell you where to go. But why weren’t more people choosing to sit in that nice area in Hall B where the stage was at? If there’s one thing Comiket has taught us, it’s that shoving all your cosplayers in the same place does everyone – cosplayers, photogs and harried staff – a big favor in organization.

We don’t know who you are, but you sir, are a braver man than us…. We did wish there was more space set aside for card games. Or did we miss that out? We do know Vanguard and other titles are picking up steam here in Singapore, and we’ll be bringing you more coverage on that in the future, but where were the card games at guys! I only saw a handful of folks playing quietly in corners. I could have sworn I saw Magic making a splash here last year…

This is actually Hall C, and not part of the event. Great idea, fortune smiling, who knows!?! But there’s that big hall next door too…. If we had to guess, we’d probably pin it to the fact that the lights pretty much never came on in Hall B. Only a small bit of the back of the hall was lit, and that was mainly covering the graffiti section. The rest of it was plunged in semidarkness to give the stage ambiance and let the projectors do their work during various events. Another good chunk was taken up by whatever was the queue for the next event. I’m still not convinced it’s the best way to do things, but whatever works I guess. Gripe 2 – Paging for Mister Spencer, Paging for Mister Spencer

You see this crowd? This is because it was stupidly easy to get to the event on time. Before time. VERY before time. Love 5 – Ease of Transport This is in no way a snub at other events in Singapore, but Marina Bay Sands may be the best damn venue yet for everyone. Not only was it easy to get to the event with the MRT, but once we exited from the station it was basically two escalators up and there you were. Compared to other events, this was a serious boon for cosplayers lugging huge props, photogs tugging their cameras, people going home with their loot and great coverage for random passerbys who wandered into the event.

And while we loved that we could wander around and find something going on anytime, anyplace, it wouldn’t have killed them to give us some announcements on a public announcement system maybe? Yes, I have a map layout pamphlet that lists down who’s doing what when.Yes, I have a schedule to follow to hit up all the big highlights. Yes, my editor told me which events he wants me taking a look at so I know where I have to be all day.

Want to know what we here want at SGCafe? More such easy transports at events. Ah, we can dream. The Wha? Why?!?! Top 5 Gripes 4


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Published by: VR-Zone

This is the line for Piko’s audition (You can’t even see Piko!!) Awesome if you knew about it. Not so awesome if you were chilling at the main stage instead…. I’m also busy taking photos, lining up interviews, touching base with both consumers and booth owners, hounding down celebrity guests for exclusive voice clips and being waylaid by friends who have more free time than I did at the event. Want more people at a event than just the rabid fans? Make it known guys. Gripe 3 – Take those photos in the right spot folks This kinda goes hand in hand with the staging area issue, but we figured it was big enough to warrant its own gripe. Look, the event organizers know we’re all nuts about cosplay. You love it, I love it, we all love it. Will it kill everyone to please take photos in the right place (i.e. the area set aside for it)? Yes, we all have those fanboy/girl moments where we suddenly see a really cool Marvel Girl, Bane, Yuna etc. costume and scream out WE MUST HAVE OUR PHOTOS NAOOOOO11!!!!1111!!!!!! But please, if you’re the photog ask politely if they could accompany you to the right spot to take a photo or if they’ll be there later and then take it there.

As kickass as Clive is in his Gundam suit, this is pretty much hell for anyone trying to get around the hordes of photogs…. For the cosplayers and photogs who are probably champing at the bit to flame me right now, it’s not about appearing “stuck up” or grabbing a shot before the cosplayer disappears. It’s just plain common courtesy for everyone involved. The cosplayer is probably taking a break and shopping around for their own goods. The people around you are trying to squeeze past to wherever they want to go. And if you happen to take it in front of someone’s booth and, God forbid, deprive that booth owner of a sale somehow, do you think the booth owner is gonna be happy? Spare everyone a thought, ‘ey?

Here’s an example off the top of our heads of a great cosplayer. Some nice lady was cosplaying KOS-MOS from the Xenosaga series on day one. She must have stood posing for what must be five minutes or more while The Horde (TM) descended on her. She did it at the staging area. No complaints from anyone, right there. Can we all try to be like her?

We almost walked out the door without even realizing there WERE tote bags for sale… Gripe 4 – Why’s the tote bag at the exit and what’s with this ticket? We applaud STGCC’s team for helping to save the Earth by selling con-limited bags and using simple, basic paper slips for tickets. Anyone who still thinks global warming isn’t happening and we don’t need to do anything is living a bigger dream than we can help them with. But would it be a little bit more realistic to have placed the booth selling these exclusives someplace that wasn’t, say, right by the exit? By

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the time I even realized there was such a booth, I’d already stuffed purchases into a dozen different plastic bags.

Published by: VR-Zone By KarbyP on September 5th, 2012

The tickets, too, were ridiculously easy to lose. This isn’t as much of a problem if you bought a one-day pass and used the stamp at the exit to get back in. It became a problem for a few folks who showed up on day 2 sans pass. To be fair though, it was probably the folks fault for losing it in the first place… No such luck for us with our lanyards. Gripe 5 – Con food is overpriced. This is a normal, natural and absolutely expected part of going to a con – realizing that you’re about to be ripped off with 6 dollar bottles of tea and more. Still doesn’t stop us from complaining. Over and over. Thank God for the free cup of coffee!

This. This right here would’ve cost us 10 dollars at the con!!!! In closing, STGCC made a good choice moving to MBS. Sure it’s a little more annoying to get to than, say, Suntec City, but the ease of transport worked that problem out quick. Tons of events, which we’ve heard no complaints about (and have no complaints about), solid lineups of toys, comics and doujin artists. Great guests, good cosplay, the list goes on. There’s still like, half a dozen more events before the year closes, but so far, STGCC is kicking it Gangnam style over the others.

Gravure idol Ran Sakai will play the lead role of Konata Izumi in a Lucky Star On Stage live-action musical that will run from September 20 to 30 at the Tokyo Dome City Theatre.

Sakai was chosen over some 13,000 other hopeful starlets, all of whom made their way down to Saitama prefecture’s Washinomiya Shrine (the same shrine as depicted in the TV anime series) this past Sunday for an open audition. The musical also stars Yurimo Sakurai as Kagami Hiiragi, Mana Ogawa as Tsukasa Hiiragi, and Wakana Hagiwara as Miyuki Takara. Not to be mean-spirited or anything, but something tells me that “looking good in cosplay” wasn’t exactly one of the criterion the casting crew were looking for. Just sayin’. I’m sure the musical performances are top-notch. Because something else clearly isn’t. We’ll let you be the judge.

“Lucky Star On Stage” liveaction musical casts gravure idol Ran Sakai as Konata Izumi Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/lucky-star-on-stage-live-actionmusical-casts-gravure-idol-ran-sakai-as-konata-izumi/

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…Okay, the last trailer above is actually really good. But do you think it will be good enough to justify paying 6,800 yen to go see the musical, if you happen to be in the area? Source: Crunchyroll, Walker Plus

Singapore: Halo 4 pre-order details, launch-day Ultimate Deathmatch tournament announced Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/singapore-halo-4-pre-order-detailslaunch-day-ultimate-deathmatch-tournament-announced/ By KarbyP on September 5th, 2012

Microsoft Singapore today announced price and pre-order details for Halo 4, its flagship Xbox 360 first-person shooter that will be released here on November 6. Three SKUs for the game will be sold here: a standard edition (SRP $69.00), limited edition (S$99.00), and a limited edition console plus game bundle (S$599.00) that will come with two controllers and a headset, all covered in skin designs themed after the sci-fi shooter. StarHub customers in Singapore will be able to pre-order the game – any of the three SKUs – from the telco beginning September 18. Between September 18 to 25, StarHub will be the only place where gamers here can pre-order the game. Microsoft has 7


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granted the telco, who is a launch partner for Halo 4, an exclusive one-week headstart. Thereafter, game retailers in Singapore will begin taking preorders for Halo 4 on September 26. All “early bird” pre-orders will come with three pre-order premiums, instead of the standard two premiums. At this point it’s unclear if early bird pre-orders refer only to those made with StarHub, or if those made with retailers will count too. We are currently awaiting confirmation on this from Microsoft.

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Launch festivities When Halo 4 launches in Singapore on November 6 at Funan DigitaLife Mall, the day’s festivities will include a “Halo 4 Ultimate Deathmatch” tournament – presented by StarHub – where fans will compete in the confines of a caged arena to see who can outlast everyone else, in order to emerge as Singapore’s first ever Halo 4 champion. Rules and other specifics pertaining to the StarHub Halo 4 Ultimate Deathmatch challenge will be announced at a later date.

PepsiCo, Sony Music Apart from StarHub, Microsoft has also tied up with PepsiCo’s Mountain Dew and Sony Music for Halo 4′s launch in Singapore.

PepsiCo will be launching limited edition Halo 4 branded Mountain Dew bottles nationwide here beginning October 15. There will also be a Mountain Dew consumer campaign on Facebook with activities that fans can participate in to win exclusive Halo 4 prizes, worth over S$100,000 in total.

Game music lovers can also look forward to purchasing the official Halo 4 soundtrack here, to be published in the region by Sony Music.

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Fans who pre-order the soundtrack between October 22 to November 6 will enjoy a special discount. Look out for more Halo 4 announcements to come from September 18 onwards, once the pre-order campaign has kicked off.

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STGCC 2012 at Marina Bay Sands! Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/stgcc-2012-at-marina-bay-sands/ By SarahColdheart on September 5th, 2012

Halo 4 is slated for a November 6, 2012 release exclusively for the xbox 360.

Sayuri Sugawara of Final Fantasy XIII fame to grace the stage at EOY 2012′s Jpop Live Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/sayuri-sugawara-of-final-fantasyxiii-fame-to-grace-the-stage-at-eoy-2012s-j-pop-live/ By Rika on September 5th, 2012

EOY has announced their first artiste to join EOY2012′s Jpop Live lineup! Hey everyone! This is Sarah here and I went to the Singapore Toys, Games and Comics Convention held at the Marina Bay Sands convention halls, level 1 on 1st and 2nd September 2012. The first day’s queue was quite long especially for the internet pickup while the cash only booth was moving steadily fast.

Sayuri Sugawara, a young singer from Akita, recently gained international attention with her performance of Final Fantasy XIII’s theme song 『Kimi ga Iru Kara『(Because You Are Here) and subsequently enjoyed success touring stages throughout Japan.

For those who had bought the actual tickets from the various stores that had it, you could have picked up your free STGCC bag from the ticket counter or from their bag counter inside where a lucky draw was held for those who wanted to purchase it. Only those who bought their tickets before the event would get the free bag.

Having debuted in December 2008 after winning a contract with For Life Music, she has released six singles, two minialbums and one full compilation, one of which has peaked at 『14 on the Oricon Daily charts. December 11 will mark the songstress’ first international live appearance at Singapore’s very own Esplanade Concert Hall. Music lovers will not only be treated to the smash hit from FFXIII, but re-arrangements and originals from the beloved JRPG franchise whose soundtracks have achieved critical acclaim over the years. Sayuri, whose second fulllength album is due to be released soon, will also perform her own soulful originals, both familiar and new. Tickets go on sale October 1 via SISTIC, so don’t miss the rare opportunity to catch Sayuri live on stage! Fans will also be given the chance to meet the singer in person for autographs after the concert! To learn more about Sayuri, visit her official channels here: Website: http://sugawarasayuri.jp Ameblo: http://ameblo.jp/sayurisugawara MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/sugawarasayuri Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sugawarasayuri

Since I arrived early, the first performance on the main stage was by Fight Saber, they would perform for the afternoon session on both days too. The stage was held in Hall B, separate from where the art booths, stores and other activities in Hall A. It was quite spacious and if you ever needed a break, you could just stand or sit behind the allotted seated area for the audience.

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The first panel of the day was with Jacky Dosai, Toya Hibiki and Kousaka Yun. The emcee (first on the right) asked how did they find Singapore. Jacky commented that he enjoyed the Marina Bay Sands very much and would be going to the casino to play some more.

Published by: VR-Zone

Click any of the thumbnails to see a bigger picture. These were from Play Imaginative’s booth. Super Alloy Batman was sold there as their special edition product.

The session talked about the differences between cosplaying 18 or so years ago and now. At first there was a 50/50 ratio of males and females cosplaying. In the present, there are more females cosplaying or even crossplaying. It is perceived that there are more females because they would like to experiment with makeup, dressing up and shopping items for their characters more.

The layout of this year’s convention was pretty good. You could pass through the artist alley where original artists and doujin artists sold their merch before you either entered the hall where the stage area is or to the other major big stores. Many of them were from out of Singapore too, like Indonesia and Malaysia. A lot of different fandom prints, artwork, pins, toys and much more could be bought.

After the panel ended, I checked out the various booths in Hall A. The walk way was spacious enough to not be too difficult to walk by and see the merchandise.

This is an artist rendition of Itou Noizi. I am not an artist. Out of respect to her, the creator of Suzumiya Haruhi, Shana and much more, the emcee told everyone that videography and photography was not allowed during her panel. The stage 10


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helpers would tell people not to take any pictures or videos if anyone was seen holding up a camera at her. As the emcee asked her questions, she sketched some characters for the audience to see while the camera zoomed in on her illustration. She only uses mechanical pencils and normal markers! Her pencil case was big and cute too, filled with all other stationery. As Itou drew, she answered questions like “What food did she like here in Singapore?” – She didn’t know what the name was but she liked to eat the big crab. (Guests were all shown around for a food tour and most of them got to eat the chilli crab.) Prior to coming to Singapore, she wondered if anyone outside of Japan would know her work. She was happy and nervous as she talked on that there were fans out of Japan!

Just for STGCC, Tristan Eaton illustrated this during the media launch of the event and completed it by the next day when it was open for the public.

This must be one of the most tiring games to play at Bandai Namco. It’s a Dragonball kinect game. You have to punch and do supersaiyan moves to defeat Vegeta and other characters. Perhaps to get to the boss of the game, you need to be OVER 9000! Zaneeds had their own store for posters and their own records. Yes, that’s Hatsune Miku in Merlion cosplay! Heheh, so cute. A lot of different toys were sold in the numerous toy stores too. Movie posters or Middle Earth’s maps could be purchased at Popcorn and candy or Japanese related toys and stationery could be bough at Bon Japan! They had the limited edition KitKats that had green tea or other flavours not found in our local markets that do not import Japanese food stuff.

This is more relaxing. Generally relaxing anyway sit you get to sit down as you DEFEAT YOUR OPPONENT IN TEKKEN. There was also an EA booth that had sports games to play on

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the opposite side of the hall. You could sign up in the various tournaments for the games too.

Yes. Another artist rendition of Piko. No unauthorized pictures or recordings of Piko (although, if you do search online, there are people who have posted them up) during his mini concert. Yes, a MINI CONCERT. His panel wasn’t a talking session, he gave us all a mini concert in that hour he had with us!

Maybe they’d have to take the Avengers blimp on top of Hot Toy’s booth to get home with a giant Cirno.

The second thumbnail is the line for his autograph at the Walk of Fame! If you click to see the larger version, you’ll notice that there are a lot of people in line to get his signature or meet him. You can’t even see him since he’s being blocked by everyone in the queue!

Or maybe not. Hot Toys brought in exclusives like Captain America, Jim Gordon and Angelica. They looked so realistic! There were other toys displayed at Hot Toys but you couldn’t purchase them all. They were just for us to appreciate the workmanship on them.

If you weren’t interested in getting autographs, you could still walk around the stalls where people tend to slash prices down on the second day. Yes. That is a giant Cirno. No, it is not a mascot. It’s actually a giant doll that you could win in an auction. I have no idea if anyone won it and if they did, how would they bring Cirno home? Baka, baka, baka…

Of course, there was cosplay at the event. It would be weird if there weren’t any. On day one, there were more children cosplayers, which was really cute since some of their outfits were handmade by their parents! The Gundam in the picture 12


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with Jake the dog and Finn the human is not a prop. That’s a cosplayer (Clive) in there and yes, he does move! It’s very good that the organizers opened up Hall C. It was empty and you can’t enter the stage or the actual events from there. However! It was used as a place for photographers and cosplayers to have photoshoots and a lot of mini photo studios popped up there. This was the same hall where people were held in to queue in the morning when the actual halls were closed. It’s a cool air conditioned place and good for waiting or walking around for people without making a crowd outside the halls’ corridors.

The first evening’s closing performance was Monomind and Zaneed’s DJ party! The first segment was by Zaneeds, then Monomind, closing with a DJ Battle between the two groups.

Not a cosplayer? Maybe you’re an artist or you just want to doodle something at the Graffiti Wall! It’s a tradition here for comic or anime conventions in Singapore to have one.

You can tell Gangnam Style is this season’s popular trend. The one in the middle is actually done by Sonny Liew!

And the second evening’s final stage event was a cosplay runway featuring both western and eastern cosplay. From anime, movies and even games!

The two days of STGCC were fun. You got to meet artists, talk to them. Find people in the same fandom as you, play the games or buy merchandise. It was quite a good event. Hopefully next year’s STGCC will have even more guests. This was the first time it was held at the Marina Bay Sands. Besides the small hiccups with ticketing (they need to figure out somehow since the paper tickets are very easy to lose especially if you buy a two day ticket), the staff and the volunteers have been very polite and good. See you all next year for STGCC 2013!

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AKB48′s Mayu Watanabe to perform ED theme and voice the lead role in Sunrise’s Nerawareta Gakuen anime film Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/akb48s-mayu-watanabe-to-performed-theme-and-voice-the-lead-role-in-sunrises-nerawareta-gakuen-animefilm/ By KarbyP on September 5th, 2012

Source: Natalie

Mayu Watanabe, better known to AKB48 fans as “Mayuyu”, has been cast as Natsuki Suzuura (『『『『『) the female lead character in Sunrise’s anime film re-interpretation of Taku Muyumura’s classic sci-fi children’s novel, Nerawareta Gakuen.

Petite Rock Shooter X iPhone project: 2 free game apps to come in September Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/petite-rock-shooter-x-iphoneproject-2-free-game-apps-to-come-in-september/ By KarbyP on September 5th, 2012

On top of voicing the lead role, the 18-year-old will also perform the movie’s ED theme song. This is a different track from the opening theme that was previously revealed to be composed and performed by doujin music group Supercell. The anime movie, which opens in theatres in Japan November 10, is not an adaptation (like many anime sites presumed) but rather a re-interpretation of Taku Muyumura’s original work. Whereas the 1981 children’s novel revolved around students – lead characters Michiru Takamizawa and Koji Seki – from a middle school in Osaka’s Abeno prefecture, this new film is instead set in a Kamakura school, and tells the story of Natsuki and her childhood friend Kenji Seki. Ryosuke Nakamura (TV anime Monster) takes on directing duties in this Sunrise’s Studio 8 production. This is the first time Nerawareta Gakuen (『『『『『『『) has appeared in animated form. Previously the children’s novel had been adapted into a total of six live-action productions: four serial TV dramas, and two films.

Imageepoch ’s Petite Rock Shooter browser game, a Black Rock Shooter spin-off that features illustrations from Zaneed’s CHANxCO, is getting its own slew of spin-offs in the form of several iOS game apps. Today two of these apps were officially announced: Pursue the Mystery of the Sexy Planet, and Maya-tan’s World Destruction Diary.

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Petite Rock Shooter: Pursue the Mystery of the Sexy Planet

Published by: VR-Zone

Sexy Enemies are thus named for the responses they let out when you manage to hit their weak points.

(ぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷ ぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷ)

Described as a “Shooting X RPG X Sexy” game, Pursue the Mystery of the Sexy Planet (Sexy Wakusei no Nazo wo Oe) has players exploring an “Onsen Sexy Planet” (『『『『『『『『) as the titular petite heroine, fending off against waves and waves of Onsen Planet denizens who drop treasure when defeated.

Defeat a Sexy Enemy to earn a rare treasure. Then head back to HQ, pick out new weapons, bullets, and avatar customisations, before moving on to your next sortie. Here’s a partial list of Sexy Enemies and their respective character voices (CV): Great Zukka Seijin (『『『『『『『『『) CV: Kaori Nazuka (『『『『)

To attack these enemies, you perform a flick on the touchscreen in the direction you’d like the heroine’s bullets to fly.

Great Cande Seijin (『『『『『『『『『『) CV: Hitomi Nabatame (『『『『『)

Apart from regular enemies, each level in the game app is also concluded with a boss encounter: giant-sized foes, officially called “Sexy Enemies”, who are played by various renowned voice actresses. 15


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Published by: VR-Zone

Great Puchitto Seijin (『『『『『『『『『『) CV: Asami Imai (『『『『)

Great Garnett Seijin (『『『『『『『『『『『) CV: Akane Fujita (『『『)

Great Tippo Seijin (『『『『『『『『『『) CV: Shizuka Itou (『『『)

Great Marakana Seijin (『『『『『『『『『『) CV: China Kitahara (『『『『) 16


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Published by: VR-Zone

(Seriously, folks, I’m not making this up. This is quite literally what the Japanese press release says)” The goal of this game appears to be improving your Petite Hunters’ stats and going on raids to attack the king of the Mayans for points. Players are also encouraged to fill up a book of Petite Hunter illustrations.

Black Rock Shooter: Pursue the Mystery of the Sexy Planet is a free-to-play title (with paid premium items) that will be released on the iTunes app store sometime in September. Supports iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and all iPads running iOS 5.0 and above.

Petite Rock Shooter: Maya-tan’s World Destruction Diary (ぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷ ぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷ)

Mayatan no Seikai Metsubou Nikki is a simulation slash calendar app where you raise Petite Hunters in order to stop the world from ending. Translated from the press release: According to the Mayans, the world is slated to end on December 23, 2012. In other words, the countdown towards world destruction has already began. And the only folks who can stop the world from ending, are the Petite Hunters. Who love cosplay. Only through the Petite Hunters’ combined power can you stop the world from ending. So raise them in this simulation game, and save the world from danger. 17


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Published by: VR-Zone

Outside of the core game, Maya-tan’s World Destruction Diary is also a calendar app that will notify you of various Petite/Puchitto Rock Hunter anniversaries, read out to you by various voice actresses. Maya-tan’s World Destruction Diary will also be free to download, available from the iTunes app store sometime in September. Again, iPhones 3GS/4/4S and all iPads are supported, as long as it’s running iOS 5.0 or above.

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Published by: VR-Zone

Don’t miss out on these stunning acts and more at Anime Festival Asia 2012′s I Love Anisong live this November!

Hatsune Miku S Series limited edition Walkman is back – but only in black Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/hatsune-miku-s-series-limitededition-walkman-is-back-but-only-in-black/ By KarbyP on September 5th, 2012

LiSA returns to AFA2012 anisong artiste line-up, joined by Minami Kuribayashi and m.o.v.e. Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/lisa-returns-to-afa2012-anisongartiste-line-up-joined-by-minami-kuribayashi-and-m-o-v-e/ By Rika on September 5th, 2012

AFA has announced crowd favorite LiSA to take the stage once more this November together with singer-seiyuu Minami Kuribayashi and rap-rock duo m.o.v.e. as part of their I Love Anisong experience. Angel Beats fans will be thrilled with the return of LiSA, who featured in the series as a vocalist of in-story band Girls Dead Monster. The singer, who began her career as the frontman of indie band Chucky in 2005, took Oricon charts by storm with her singles from the series, as well as the opening theme of Fate/Zero. Her new single Crossing Field, theme of Sword Art Online, was just released less than a month ago. Minami Kuribayashi, propelled to stardom by her involvement in Kimi ga Nozomu Eien, has a multitude of series and games from over the years under her belt: Chrono Crusade, My-HiME, Super Robot Wars Original Generation: Divine Wars, and recently, summer 2012 anime Muv-Luv: Total Eclipse as well. An accomplished vocalist, she can also be heard as part of fantastical story-musical group Sound Horizon.

When Sony first announced the Hatsune Miku S Series Walkman, created to commemorate the Vocaloid’s 5th anniversary, pre-orders for the much coveted music player sold out within the span of a few hours. After all, only 3,939 pieces were available in each of two colours: blue, and black. Fortunately for Miku fans, there is now a second way to get one: Sony today announced that they will once again open pre-orders for a second batch of “general sales” (non-limited edition) Hatsune Miku S Series Walkman, due to popular demand. But there’s a catch: the new batch is only available in black. Sony does not have plans to release a “general sales” model for the blue version. And since these new pieces are not considered “limited” anymore, don’t expect to see a “『『『『/3939″ engraving on the backs of these new pieces. Apart from that, however, the new batch appears to be similar to the initial pieces offered in all other areas.

m.o.v.e. should prove to be a familiar name to fans who grew up in the years of classic street-racing series Initial D, whose opening and ending themes such as Around The World, Gamble Rumble and Dogfight were performed by the iconic pair. Newer fans may recognise vocalist yuri as the voice behind Vocaloid Lily, and rapper motsu is no slouch himself as part of trio ALTIMA, which debuted last year performing themes for Shakugan no Shana Final and Accel World with Maon Kurosaki and fripSide’s Satoshi Yaginuma.

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Published by: VR-Zone

If you want one, best head over to Sony’s official online store in Japan and place an order right now – if you have a Japan shipping address. Sony Store Japan does not ship internationally. Pre-orders are open from now till September 10, 13:00 hours Japan time (GMT+0900), while stocks last. Source: Sony Store Japan

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Published by: VR-Zone

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

First look: Persona 4 The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena Official Setting Materials (artbook) Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/first-look-persona-4-the-ultimate-inmayonaka-arena-official-setting-materials-artbook/ By KarbyP on September 7th, 2012

Famitsu today shared a number of sample images from the A4-sized Persona 4 Arena artbook, which is slated to hit bookstores in Japan September 26. Not only does the artbook contain many of the original illustrations for the fighting game as sketched by Persona series character designer Shigenori Soejima, it will also include many storyboards used for Madhouse’s animated scenes, long interviews with the developers with character background details that never came to light, and more.

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Published by: VR-Zone

Last week Udon Entertainment published an English localised version of the original Persona 4: Official Design Works. So for those of you hoping for an English version of the Persona 4 Arena artbook, keep your fingers crossed (and make sure you pick up a copy of P4:ODW). Who knows, Udon may bring this one over to the West as well. Source: Famitsu

The recommended retail price for Persona 4 The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena Official Setting Materials (ペペペペ4 ペペペペペペ ペペペ ペペ ペペペペペペペペ ペペペペペペペ) is 2,520 yen. Although most major bookstores in Japan will stock the artbook, customers who purchase it from Enterbrain’s Ebten online store will receive an exclusive bonus: two A4sized clear files featuring, respectively, an illustration of Yu Narukami by Shuji Sogabe (Persona 3 and Persona 4 manga), and one of Fuuka Yamagishi done by Shigenori Soejima.

CLAMP’s xxxHOLiC to get live-action TV adaptation Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/clamps-xxxholic-to-get-live-actiontv-adaptation/ By IceTea on September 7th, 2012

Fans of CLAMP’s xxxHOLiC rejoice! The manga/anime series by CLAMP will be adapted into a live-action series in 2013 to be broadcast on Japan’s WOWOW premium television station. It is slated to air in early 2013 and actress/model Anne will play the role of Yuuko, while Shota Sometani will play the role of Watanuki. The TV serial will follow the manga, and will be directed by Keisuke Toyoshimi. xxxHOLiC was originally published by Kodansha in Young Magazine and Bessatsu Shonen Magazine, telling the story of a mysterious shop run by Yuuko, a witch, who grants people’s wishes in exchange for something precious from the person. Watanuki ends up in her shop one day while trying to escape from the torment of spirits and she agrees to help him get rid of them. In exchange, he works in her shop and assists Yuuko in granting other people’s wishes. Source: MANTANWEB | Clamp-Net | WOWOW

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Published by: VR-Zone

Project Diva Dreamy Theatre Extend lets you recreate the Hatsune Miku concert experience at home Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/project-diva-dreamy-theatre-extendlets-you-recreate-the-hatsune-miku-concert-experience-at-home/ By KarbyP on September 7th, 2012

“Hatsune Miku Concert: The Last Miku’s Day Thanksgiving Festival” (初初初初初初初初初 初初初初初初初初初初) New to Dreamy Theatre Extend, however, is 3D stereoscopic support (a 3D-enabled display is required), as well as a Live Appreciation mode featuring content (songs, dance routines, modules) from the Miku’s Day: Big Thanksgiving Festival concert held back in March 2012.

Sega today announced not only the price and release date details for Hatsune Miku Project Diva Dreamy Theatre Extend, but also a new feature that will be included in this PS3 app: Live Appreciation mode, which lets you recreate the Miku no Hi: Kanshasai concert experience at home. The Dreamy Theatre Extend PS3 app – which requires that you connect a PSP loaded with Hatsune Miku Project Diva Extend to the PS3 for the app to work – will be released on the PlayStation store on September 13, downloadable for the price of 3,900 yen. If you’re not familiar with the Dreamy Theatre series, for the most part these apps are just a way for you to play the PSP Project Diva games on your PS3 in full HD (which is why the original PSP games are required). Each version of Dreamy Theatre only supports the content in one of three PSP titles – this new one correlates to Project Diva Extend.

A total of 11 songs are supported in Live Appreciation mode: 1. ペペペペペペペペペペペペペ (Electronic Angel) 2. ペペペペ (Meltdown / Roshin Yuukai) 3. StargazeR 4. ペペペペペ (The End of Solitude / Kodoku no Hate) 5. ペペペペペペペ (The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku / Hatsune Miku no Shoushitsu) 6. ペペペペペペペ (Time Limit) 7. ペペペペ (Butterfly on Your Right Shoulder / Migite no Chou) 8. ペペペ (Puzzle) 9. Just Be Friends 3


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10. SPiCa 11. ペペペペペペペペペペペペペペ (World’s End Dance Hall)

Modules from Project Diva Arcade Six additional modules from Project Diva Arcade have also been added to Dreamy Theatre Extend, bringing the total module count here to 160. These were not originally selectable in the PSP Project Diva Extend. (From left to right: Snow Miku, Americana, Sakura Miku, Megurine Luka Conflict, Kagamine Rin Suou Youko, Kagamine Ren Aitetsu Youko)

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Published by: VR-Zone

it was a well-timed release in tandem with The Avengers Initiative. So what exactly can we expect out from the game? We peer into what’s in store for us: Download the first installment of Marvel’s biggest cross‐over mobile gaming event. Level up, gear up, and fight as Hulk in the first adventure of an episodic series built exclusively for touch screen devices. Track down and defeat some of the world’s most notorious villains like Wendigo, Abomination, The Kronan, and The Skrulls, and help THE AVENGERS pull the world back from the brink of catastrophe. Marvel’s Avengers Initiative, an episodic mobile gaming event unlike any other. In the wake of The Pulse, The Vault, a top‐secret S.H.I.E.L.D. facility in the Rocky Mountains, has busted open, releasing all of the super‐powered criminals and monsters imprisoned there. Aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, Nick Fury recruits a reluctant HULK to round up all the monsters he can while S.H.I.E.L.D. can assemble the rest of THE AVENGERS to figure out who opened the doors to The Vault‐ and why.

Disney Marvel releases new Avengers Initiative game for iOS, Android devices; brief by production crew, hands-on with game

VISCERAL COMBAT Experience raw, SUPER‐POWERED COMBAT with blazingly responsive swipe, attack, and combo controls in a complete gesture based action game.

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/disney-marvel-releases-newavengers-initiative-game-for-ios-android-devices-includes-brief-byproduction-crew-hands-on-with-game/ By sentinel011 on September 7th, 2012

SGCafe has attended a briefing on the latest Marvel Avengers game in Disney’s office early yesterday. We spoke to TQ Jefferson, Vice President of Production for Games at Marvel Entertainment as well as Patrick Moran, a veteran Game Director at Wideload Games, an internal video game studio at Disney Interactive.

STUNNING HD VISUALS Stunning HD visuals with huge boss-sized enemies and amazing special effects.

The Avengers has been around for years, and with the recent movie and its DVD/Blu-ray release, one can’t help but feel 5


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Published by: VR-Zone

unlock achievement badges, character dossiers, and other bonus content exclusive to the Marvel XP community. Here are some points of the game that Patrick shared with us: - The Avengers Initiative will be released in an episodic format. It is slated to be 4 episodes, with the first episode of the player controlling Hulk. The next few episodes will come free with the game as more updates release - The next episode of The Avengers Initiative is slated to release before the end of the year, possibly in December UNIQUE CUSTOMIZATION FULLY CUSTOMIZE Hulk to play the way you want to play. Acquire exclusive costumes, unlock incredible super‐powered abilities, discover explosive augmentations, and upgrade all of Hulk’s combat stats.

- It has its own Gaming Universe lore, seperate from the Comic book and Movie Universe, but not without influences that the public can relate to - The play style follows closely with current generation consoles to bring up the experience. - The game take roughly 4 hours long to complete - Combat is simple on early levels, but gets progressively tougher as you advance the game, which you will need different skills and tactics to beat your enemies - The Rage meter unlocks abilities and Power attacks, which can deal damage or provide supportive abilities like Health Drain - Syncing your results and achievements with Facebook game Avengers Alliance with The Avengers Initiative will be through common email address when you register both games under Marvel XP

EPISODIC CONTENT Marvel’s CROSS‐OVER MOBILE GAMING EVENT continues with updates, scheduled events, and anticipated character reveals, setting a new standard for mobile gaming.

- Superb visuals and sound, as well as a stellar voice cast for the characters - Reason the game wasn’t produced for the 3DS and PS Vita was that they felt the game can reach out more onto the mass market via iOS and Android Apps, providing more accessibility to the public - The reason why Hulk jogs instead of leaping or hopping is because they had to come up with a compromise on the gameplay and the accuracy on the way Hulk moves (Editor: I personally felt that it was also that the Hulk felt more intelligent in the game as well) - High-end Android Smartphones with Tegra 3 chip will have improved visuals over their iOS counterparts, as the game was made using the Unity Engine - Versions that support Windows tablets and smartphones are not planned at the moment

MARVEL XP Now featured in Avengers Initiative and newly optimized for touch screen devices, Marvel XP is a FREE LIVE SERVICE that TRACKS YOUR PROGRESS, REWARDS YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS, and helps you experience Marvel on a whole new level across multiple games, including Avengers Alliance on Facebook. REGISTER NOW and

We managed to try the app on our iPhone 4S a couple of days back. So how did it fair in our books? Let’s find out! Visuals are stunning on the 4S, with great textures and sound. The starting tutorial is good as well, teaching you how to block and side-step to avoid your enemy’s attacks. As you play as Hulk, you face an individual enemy at any given battle, which is reminiscent of old school games. Attacks are done by swiping horizontally or vertically, with chances to 6


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Published by: VR-Zone

dish out extra damage via combos when you counter, dodge or block their attacks. The more flashy combos, the more XP you gain and the faster you gain abilities. There’s a crystal where you gain to purchase Powers that is unlocked when your Rage meter is filled, Augments that enhance your overall damage, increase health, improve your Rage Powers and make your enemies stunned longer, and Stamina that reduces the amount of Damage received. These crystals also let your purchase Costumes that enhance Hulk’s stats. You can obtain these crystals by defeating enemies, smash large crystal shards growing out of the ground, or pick up the shards littered throughout the battlefield. The game’s mechanics are simple enough, but there are a few gripes about the game. The game’s quite repetitive, and the initial loading screen is quite a put-off as it takes one about 5-10 seconds for the game to load. But from there, the game’s menu and gameplay are quite smooth. The bad thing is, as your level gets higher, your enemies and their levels get exponentially higher as well, which defeats the purpose of grinding through the levels to gain more abilities. The game actually gets harder and harder as you continue, regardless of your level, no matter how much you level up. We had to give up momentarily as we are Unable to go past the Level 50 Hulkbuster Ironman at our current Level 12 Hulk.

Gearbox Software’s CEO Randy Pitchford was here in Singapore recently to promote Borderlands 2, sequel to the first-person-shooter slash role-playing hybrid that won the Guiness World Record for having the most weapons in a video game.

There is, however, and option to purchase more crystals using Real World Money. We are not sure if by purchasing these crystals, will the enemies gain in level and difficulty as before the purchase. If you have anything less than a Dualcore Smartphone, you can give up on running this game at the minimum 30 frames per second. Sadly, we are not able to test out the Android version of this game, to test the difference between the iOS and Android devices.

This is gonna be long, so it might be a good idea to go and grab some popcorn.

All in all, we had mixed feelings about the game. What we do hope is that the format of gameplay will be different with the rest of the Avengers team. At US$6.99, it might be hard to stomach for casual fans of The Avengers, but we are sure that the hardcore ones will lap it up happily.

Borderlands 2: An Interview with Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/borderlands-2-an-interview-withgearbox-software-ceo-randy-pitchford/ By KarbyP on September 7th, 2012

On top of talking to us about the new features in Borderlands 2, Randy – who’s extremely open and transparent in media interviews – also shared with us his thoughts on exploits in the original game (weapons duping, “Armoury” glitch), as well as the thought process behind some of the crazy stuff (crazy awesome, that is) included in the game, such as Axton the Gunzerker’s double-middle-finger taunt.

—The original Borderlands had characters who weren’t like your typical NPCs/bosses in other RPGs or quest-based games – Dr Zed, T.K. Baha,, Nine-Toes, to name a few – that really established a wicked tone for the game right from the get-go. And in Borderlands 2 we’re getting folks like Tiny Tina, Handsome Jack. and Ellie (who PC Gamer described as “the opposite of how most females tend to be represented in games”). How does Gearbox come up with these characters? What do you guys do in the office, when not making games, to generate that kind of creative culture? The sort that would take a word written down on the whiteboard – Mechromancer – and turn it into wicked character class in the game? There are so many creative and inventive people I have the pleasure of working with every day that character creation emerges organically as a team experience. Any given thought comes from somewhere – an individual – and the stickiest or most interesting thoughts tend to be iterated upon and built upon by the other people on the team. It tends to go around and around until a character almost develops a life of its own. When you get to a point with a character where you can imagine “What would Tiny Tina do here?” and you can actually imagine the answer to that question for any given situation, you know you’re there – you’ve created a character. Whether the character is memorable or not, or believable or not, is really just a function of who has created it, what their goals are and how inventive they are capable of being. At Gearbox, we tend to try to amplify and explore creativity very freely, so you can get some pretty interesting things that come from that.

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Published by: VR-Zone

—Vault hunters Roland, Lillith, Brick, and Morecai, were silent brooding protagonists in the first Borderlands. You never really got a sense of who these characters are, apart from a quick cutscene that introduced them at the beginning of the game. In Borderlands 2, these original vault hunters return as nonplayer-characters, each with their own personalities and motivations. How was the process of re-imagining these classic Borderlands 1 player characters as NPCs like? One of the most exciting aspects of the decision to bring the Vault Hunters from the original game back in Borderlands 2 as non-player characters, aside from the inherent awesomeness of getting to introduce a new set of vault hunters will all new skills and abilities, is that we can explore the identities of these characters in a way that was never possible when they were playable characters. “Who is Roland? What would Lilith do with decision X or Y?” We feel intimate with the characters if we played the first game because we became them, yet we never really got to know them. Borderlands 2 offers us that experience: to get to know these characters. We did start to explore the characters in making the first game, but couldn’t rightly justify acting much on those explorations without taking control or identity away from the players. Borderlands 2 gives us that opportunity and it’s been a fun experience. I like to think of it as reading a book that later becomes a movie. Usually, the movie version of the character is a little different (or a lot different) from the image I had in my head. But, if the film makers do a good job of entertaining me and if I believe it, then the new image they create for me takes over and fills in all the visual blanks. This is an odd experience for anyone who loves the content they expose themselves to. I like the experience – thinking about how my mind’s eye version is different from what the creators show me is really enlightening. In the case of books to films, rarely does the author have such a command over the character in the film. Casting, script writing, costume design and film direction are almost never the same person as the original author. In the case of Borderlands, it’s us through and through, so it’s authentic in a whole new way that is interesting.

—Each character now has a new type of skill called the “Melee Override” that replaces their default melee attack with a special technique (Zer0 gets a lunge attack at enemies up to 5-feet awa, Maya can shoot out an orb slag that damages enemies around it). How did the Melee Override skills in Borderlands 2 come about? What gave the team the inspiration to create these skills? For Borderlands 2 we had a general goal of making more varied, interesting and meaningful skill possibilities than in the original game. So, some of the invention came from that general goal. We also have amongst us arbitrary and often unpredictable inspiration that can happen from anywhere within the team. I think the orb slag (known as Scorn) was derived from an idea to allow Maya to cast her Phaselock ability (which traps your target in an orb) at enemies. In practice, it was simply more fun for this to be on a different cool-down than her standard Phaselock ability and it was more fun for this to be an instantly accessible feature. So, doing the orb slag as an addition to the melee attack became a natural solution to that design puzzle. With Zer0, I think it really was as you imagine – between Paul Hellquist (Creative Director, Borderlands 2) and Jonathan Hemmingway [Lead Designer, Borderlands 2 - responsible for most of the implementation of the character skills] they just talked it through and decided they wanted to do it.

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There was a moment where I even tried to kill it because I didn’t think it was going to work. Originally, they wanted to build the entire active ability around it! I was wrong, thankfully, and not only did they get it to work but it became extremely fun. One of my favorite skill trees in the game is built around the function. But, I guess my influence helped too because I think we ended up with a much more suitable active ability and a much more varied skill tree. It’s interesting how that happens – how the interests and influences of the different talent on the project will morph and shape ideas in an almost chicken-and-egg kind of process where the resulting collectively-inspired material is often better than what any single individual would’ve offered and delivered on their own. —Right. What about Zer0′s ability to throw kunai knives, or Salvador the Gunzerker’s double-bird taunt (flipping middle-fingers up on both hands), which are activated by hitting the “class skill activation” button, after your character’s class skill is already activated ( Zero’s Decoy or Salvador’s “Gunzerking” dual-wielding ability)? Effectively you’re mapping two active abilities to the same button, which I thought was pretty clever. The Gunzerker skill “Come At Me Bro”, which allows him to hit the active ability button to flip a double bird while Gunzerking [dual-wielding], was actually derived from our first demonstration of the game. At PAX Prime 2011 and at the GameStop manager’s event around the same time, we presented Borderlands 2 for the first time and played as the Gunzerker in a mission to rescue Roland from the Hyperion prison bot that had kidnapped him from the Bloodshot Bandits who had previously captured Roland. We ended that demonstration with a little dramatic flair: a giant Hyperion constructor bot nuking the Gunzerker off the edge of a giant dam. As the Gunzerker was flying backwards off the dam, someone thought it would be funny if he flipped off the constructor bot that knocked him back with a big, first person double bird. Once others at Gearbox saw the animation, well, that just had to become a skill! There was already a lot of intent and design at the time for the Gunzerker’s tanking tree (his “Brawn” tree), so the idea of the double bird serving as a taunt was a natural fit. I think elsewhere in the game there already were explorations of follow-on effects using the active ability button, so it was a pretty naturally designed and implemented feature at that point. The kunai is another one of those “wouldn’t –it-be-coolif” discussions that not only gets out of hand, but becomes a thing. It’s one of the things I love most about working with the team at Gearbox – just so many passionate and clever people that creativity can come from anywhere and everywhere and everyone is just so excited to allow this thing we created to be the vehicle for everyone’s passion and capability to produce entertainment for our customers. It’s a blast! —The last time we played a build of Borderlands 2, we noticed that a jackpot weapons vending machine was added to this sequel.

Published by: VR-Zone

How useful will players find the jackpot machine? Is it possible to get a Legendary (Orange) or Pearlescent weapons in an end-game scenario? Since the loot you get is typically scaled to your character level. The slot machines were added because they’re fun and there are some areas in the game where it felt natural. The guys that worked on them decided that the slot machines could be more than just cash generators – that they could open up to share loot in a cool way, like the best of the chests in the game. I asked Paul Hellquist (Creative Director, Borderlands 2), who personally engineered the reward logic, what the odds were of getting a three-vault-icon jackpot and he said he couldn’t remember the exact probability, but the odds were around one in a thousand. In Borderlands 2, you can get some really unique stuff from the slot machines – even custom skins and heads for your character, or vehicle customizations if you’re lucky – but it ultimately turns out to be a bit of a currency sink, just like a real life slot machine. —Bosses in Borderlands 1 never really gave you any good loot. All the good stuff came from chests that you can access after beating a boss fight. In fact, the only boss in the game that dropped really good loot was the Crawmerax – which you can’t kill unless you’re literally at the maximum level. Does Borderlands 2 handle boss-loot differently? Crawmerax was our first attempt at a raid boss. We learned a lot from that, and from the way loot was handled in the first game. Borderlands 2 reflects all of those lessons learned. There are some great chests and some great farming opportunities. There are also some amazing bosses, some of which will drop the best loot in the game. Borderlands 2 is all about iteration and perfection of the systems we invented all brought together in an entirely new experience of adventures, environments, enemies and loot. —New in Borderlands 2: quest objectives aren’t just simple affairs of killing bad guy A, collect dropped item B, bringing it to NPC C now. In this sequel some of the mission objectives will actually require you to do specific actions, such as purposely leaving three robot enemies in a stunned, critical state (but not killing them), lighting a Vorkid on fire with an elemental weapon, and luring an enemy into a trap – objectives that threw me for a loop because I was so focused on killing stuff I hadn’t realised that the game would not let me proceed if I just went on a killing spree. So I suppose this is another example of that iteration of the first game’s systems that you talked about? What’s your favorite quest or quest objective so far? I think you got it – it’s about variety of experience and about memorable adventures. It’s about fun. The first Borderlands game only scratched the surface of what is possible and we really applied the lessons and experience we had to bring things to a whole new level in Borderlands 2. To answer your question about my favorite – and I don’t want to spoil anything here so I’ll be a bit vague – but among my favorite missions are the ones with mutually exclusive turn-ins. To explain, imagine a character who is important to you needs something that you can provide. Imagine it’s a unique 9


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Published by: VR-Zone

thing. One of a kind. Now imagine that as you are ready to provide that unique item, another character for a totally different, but interestingly conflicting reason, begs for the same thing. It’s entirely unique and you can only help one of the two characters. You can choose to help one or help neither, but you cannot resolve the mutual exclusivity of the conflict. The choice isn’t about branching paths or anything, the choice is about you as a player.

After all, you did say that the General Knoxx DLC was really meant as a way to give players their “vault treasure” that was promised to them throughout the game’s storyline (in the end, the vault was just a prison for an ancient monster). Did someone on the team decide to just sneak it in and leave it there for players who want to get more guns to play with? If not, when did you first realise this was in the game, and why did you decide not to remove it?

The choices we all make in such situations teach us something about ourselves. It’s a really interesting construct we’re exploring in a few different ways in the objectives and missions of Borderlands 2 and I’m really interested and excited to discover what, if any, impact these kinds of missions have.

This is a great question. I’ve seen this one debated on-line quite a lot. I’m pretty sure none of us have ever gone on record to answer this question and there is a reason for that.

—In the original Borderlands, it was possible to dupe weapons in multi-player games by having one player drop his entire inventory onto the ground, and quit the multiplayer session without saving. This turned out to be a godsend for many Borderlands players, as friends didn’t need to bicker over who gets which legendary weapons in a co-op playthrough. It also made money a non-issue in the game – which was great because people could focus on playing it, rather than grind for money or weapons. Was this intentional design, or was it something you guys didn’t realise was possible until the game had launched? If it had been the latter, could you talk about why you ultimately decided not to patch the game to remove the exploit (which for the most part did not negatively impact players’ game experience)? And more important, will players be able to do this in Borderlands 2? We realized that duping was possible. There are a lot of things that are possible that are, at their roots, a form of cheating. We could’ve stopped it, but we would’ve had to do some nasty things under the hood or require an alwayson experience [like in Diablo 3], which we’re not really motivated to enforce since there are so many users who have offline use cases that we do not want to interrupt. Also, it would’ve taken a lot of resource and attention to stop that kind of behavior, and for what? We think it’s kind of fun for some people to exploit systems. We don’t like it when players purposefully try to ruin the experience for others and we have taken pains to do a better job of making that harder to do, but we think players who are having fun with the systems are still having fun. There’s a fuzzy line there that is difficult to see, but I’m pretty certain our philosophies are right on the matter and we do our best to try to make our software and our priorities fit with our philosophies. There are always limits in time and space and human capability, but I think if I focus on our intent the right solutions tend to naturally follow. In the Secret Armoury of General Knoxx DLC, there is a quest (Armoury Assault) where you can infiltrate the armoury and loot dozens and dozens of rare weapon chests under a three-minute countdown. You were supposed to be able to do it only three times per playthrough (after which, the quest is activated only on a second playthrough), but players have since found an exploit that made use of a hole in the entrance to drop in, loot nearly the entire armouy without triggering the countdown, and do it over and over. Again, was this something intentional?

I’m going to maintain status quo and invoke magician rules here: “A magician never reveals his secrets as that would destroy the illusion.” Hopefully, if you enjoy the reality of the situation you have on your hands, you’ll appreciate that answer in the same way as a magician’s audience that has just experienced the joy of wonder from witnessing something that they know is impossible would not *really* want that feeling of wonder spoiled by being told how it was done without any magic at all. The intellectual side of each of us knows that there is no magic, but the illusion lets us all feel like children again for just a moment. I like that feeling and I love that we’re sometimes able to create that feeling for others. It’s why we do what we do. So, thanks in advance for letting us keep some of the wonder safe. —I love that you guys didn’t want to ruin the fun for folks who enjoyed doing that. Speaking of weapons, so in Borderlands 2, each weapons manufacturer now has its own signature trait for all their wares. For instance, Tediore weapons are disposable – instead of reloading, when it’s out of ammo you just throw it at your enemies and it’ll explode like a grenade, and a new piece of the same weapon would appear back in your hands. How is the damage for Tediore weapons’ explosions calculated? Will the discarded weapons do more damage if it were a rocket launcher, versus if it were a pee-wee pistol? That is a geeky technical question! I’ll give you a solid answer: the damage done by a thrown, exploding Tediore weapon is a function of the weapon’s capabilities and stats and the amount of ammunition that remains inside the weapon that is thrown, modified by other player stats of course. There are some pretty cool follow-on effects of the thrown Tediore that are a joy to discover, so I won’t spoil all of those follow-on mechanics here. —Finally, do you have any examples of how powerful characters can eventually get? In the original game, building a “gold class” character was a matter of finding the best class mods, and smart stat pumping so that you had a “8/5″ instead of “5/5″ skill points for the skills you need. But now that Bad-ass ranks are also in the mix, did anybody in the development team tried to mess around and see just how ridiculously powerful they could become? (Bad-ass ranks and class modes are explained from 4:38 in the following video) We have some end-game raid-type encounters that demand some pretty well built characters. The QA team has had a LOT of time to develop and iterate some pretty high end characters and we’ve been collecting an absurd amount of telemetry during this game’s development. 10


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Published by: VR-Zone

We know a lot about optimal builds for throughput. We know a lot about best support builds. We know about best builds for keeping up rate of fire. We know a lot about burst damage. We know a lot about a lot with this game. Having said that, given the nature of the procedural weapons generation system and how big and complex the game is, it is impossible for us to know everything. We’ve included the ability to inspect weapons from the menu. On the PC, one can take a screenshot that includes a picture of the weapon and the item card with its stats. I imagine that some industry folks out there will be using this feature to populate online databases that, coupled with skill tree builders and other bits and pieces of information, can let one really min-max the hell out of this game if one is so inclined. There are some unbelievably difficult optional or endgame encounters in the game that even the best of us have a difficult time beating in near perfect raid-team configurations, but I imagine through good data and cleverness, some players will be able to discover ways to solo the same content. It’s one of the things that is exciting about making a game like this. We cannot imagine all of the possibilities and we have learned never to underestimate the power of a hard-core gamer!

The story tells of the trials and tribulations endured by Hana and half-wolf children Yuki and Ame, both of whom constantly shapeshift between their human and animal forms, in this charming animated feature that is sure to capture the hearts of its viewers with its tender, sincere themes of family and growing up. Screenplay co-writer Satoko Okudera, who also worked on Hosoda’s previous two feature films, weaves a touching narrative with the talents of Yoshiyuki Sadamoto’s (Chrono Cross, .hack series) simple yet memorable character designs. Ghibli fans will be glad to know that executive producer Seiji Okuda (Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service) is also on the movie’s impressive team of staff. Wolf Children officially hits theaters today 6 September, only at Filmgarde Cineplex!

Borderlands 2 for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 will be released on September 21 in Singapore. For pre-order details, read our previous story here.

Summer Wars’ Mamoru Hosoda tells a folktale with a modern twist Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/summer-wars-mamoru-hosoda-tellsa-folktale-with-a-modern-twist/ By Rika on September 7th, 2012

Directed by Mamoru Hosoda of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars fame, Wolf Children chronicles the life of two children born of a human, Hana, and a wolf-man, Takao.

ペペペ SPECIAL GIVEAWAY ONLY FOR SGCAFE’S FANS! ペペペ Entering this lucky draw is easy! Step 1: Make sure you already ‘Like’ SGcafe’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/sgcafe.cosplay Step 2: ‘Share’ this picture before Wednesday 12th September, 11:59PM (make sure your share is public!) Step 3: Comment on the picture with “I want to win SGcafe’s exclusive Wolf Children giveaway!” Five lucky winners will receive a pair of season passes to watch Wolf Children and an exclusive movie premium! ペ RULES: ペ You must be located in Singapore to qualify (how would you receive your prizes otherwise?) ペ Only shares made viewable to the public will be considered.

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September 7th, 2012

Kyary is g.u.’s FASHION MONSTER Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/kyary-is-g-u-s-fashion-monster/ By Rika on September 7th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

Tokyo apparel brand A Bathing Ape today announced that they will be releasing a collection of six t-shirts themed after Street Fighter II, to commemorate the fighting game series’ 25th anniversary. A total of six designs are available:

The new face of Uniqlo’s sister apparel chain g.u. has just been unveiled: it is none other than Kyary Pamyu Pamyu!

Ryu VS Ape Tee

Known for its highly affordable casual wear, g.u. has teamed up with the model-singer in a campaign to promote her upcoming single, FASHION MONSTER in conjuction with its 2012 Fall/Winter collection. The campaign tagline is “For The Free Adult”, reflecting g.u.’s commitment to freeing consumers from high-cost clothing (hence the name, a pun on “jiyuu”, meaning “freedom”.)

The similarity between Street Fighter and BAPE is that both are top “street” brands that came out of Japan. So the concept of this tee is to pit the two against one another in a 16-megabit classic graphic style. The world map on the back of the tee uses a BAPE CAMO design. Also available in white (front, back)

Readers not living under a rock should be familiar with the bizarre but catchy viral favorites PONPONPON and Tsukema Tsukeru, and if the sampling we get on the promotional video is anything to go by, Kyary’s new single looks set to surpass its predecessors yet again!

Milo Street Fighter Tee

FASHION MONSTER goes on sale October 17th. Visit g.u.’s campaign site here: http://fashionmonster.gujapan.com/

Street Fighter teams up with street apparel brand A Bathing Ape for 25th anniversary T-shirts Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/street-fighter-teams-up-with-streetapparel-brand-a-bathing-ape-for-25th-anniversary-t-shirts/ By KarbyP on September 7th, 2012

Street Fighter II’s main illustration, re-imagined in a Baby Milo “arrange” style. Milo on Street Fighter Logo Tee Features the Street Fighter II main logo on the front, with the eight main Street Fighter II characters, done Baby Milo style, illustrated on the back.

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September 7th, 2012

Milo Guile VS Ryu Tee

Published by: VR-Zone

Fighter Logo Tee, Milo Guile VS Ryu Tee) are BAPE.COM exclusives. From September 22 onwards, the tees will also be carried in three BAPE retail stores: • BAPEXCLUSIVE™ ペペペペペ • BAPE STORE® DOVER STREET MARKET • GINZA COMME des GARÇONS Source: BAPE.COM

A scene where Guile and Ryu are figthing, where their fireballs cancel out one another’s, done in an original graphic style.

Milo on Character

Evokes the all-too-familiar character-select screen that greeted players right after starting the game.

Milo Ryu Hadouken Tee

Every single Little Battlers Experience robot model – from past to present – will be featured in Danball Senki W Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/every-single-little-battlersexperience-robot-model-from-past-to-present-will-be-featured-indanball-senki-w/ By KarbyP on September 7th, 2012

Television commercial for Danball Senki W (Little Battlers Experience W) calls the game “the ultimate PlaMo craft RPG”. Why? Apart from cross-platform play (PSP and Vita), the game will apparently feature all robot models from past to present, plus new models that have yet to be announced. Outside of the regular LBX robot line-up, the game will also feature “Killer Droids”, which are these boss enemies several times the size of a regular LBX model. Little Battlers Experience is set in a futuristic universe where teenagers and adults alike collect combat-ready miniaturised robots called “Little Battlers” that they do battle with, Pokemon style. For more information on the game and anime series, read our previous story here.

Street Fighter’s main character Ryu performs a Hadouken in this original design, remixed in Baby Milo style. Also available in black (front, back).

Availability The T-shirts will first go on sale on September 20 both on BAPE’s web store as well as at Tokyo Game Show 2012. All six designs are priced at 7,140 yen (~US$91) each.

Danball Senki W (‐‐‐‐‐‐‐W, or Little Battlers Experience W) comes out for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita platforms in Japan October 18.

Phoenix Wright returns as the ace attorney in Gyakuten Saiban 5 Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/phoenix-wright-returns-as-an-aceattorney-in-gyakuten-saiban-5/

Note, however, that two of these shirts (Milo on Character and Milo Ryu Hadouken Tee) will only be available from the Tokyo Game Show, while another two shirts (Milo on Street 13


September 7th, 2012 By KarbyP on September 7th, 2012

In other Ace Attorney related news, the release date for Professor Layton VS Ace Attorney (3DS) has been refined from a vague “sometime in 2012″ to November 29.

Published by: VR-Zone

Payne‘s younger brother will go up against Wright as the case’s prosecutor. Like with Professor Layton VS Gyakuten Saiban, this new Gyakuten Saiban will utilise 3D polygonal character models as opposed to the 2D sprites used in past games. As a result, the game camera can now pan all around the courtroom, depicting the drama from different angles. The shift from 2D to 3D might induce concerns from fans, since the series is known for its characters and their often 2D animations. Famitsu says that Capcom has tried to retain the “2D touch” as much as possible, and that many of the old characters’ trademark responses will not be missing.

Phoenix Wright will return as the lead character in the next “numbered” instalment of Capcom’s courtroom adventure series, Gyakuten Saiban (ペペペペ), this week’s Famitsu magazine revealed. Gyakuten Saiban 5 (GS5), first announced at the series’ 10th anniversary event back in January, takes place one year after the events of the fourth instalment (known as Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney in the West), itself set seven years after the third game. Sometime within that seven years, Wright had lost his law license due to a conspiracy, and spent his days earning a living as a pianist and poker player before ending up as the defendant in the game’s first case. In 5, Wright has finally returned to practicing law after an eight-year hiatus, in order to fulfil an “important promise” he had made to an unspecified individual. In doing so, he will take on a case that’s more difficult than any he has faced before – or so Famitsu teases. A mysterious new female character, who’s decked out in a yellow and light blue outfit, moon-shaped pierced earrings, and biker gloves, will serve as Wright’s assistant in this new title.

There were also three screenshots depicting what may be hinting at new gameplay systems. One of these screens has a bunch of object silhouettes lined up behind a selected person of interest, with the word “Update” appearing front and center on the screen. A second screenshot shows a “Let’s Ascertain” (ペペペペペ) button in the top-left corner of the touchscreen, while the usual “Court Records” button sat on the top-right corner. The final screenshot is from Cross-Examination mode (of the witness’s testimony), and shows four facial expression icons – one in each corner of the touchscreen, along with the words “pick out the weird facial expression” (ペペペペペペペペペペ ペ) in the center. Unlike previous games, Motohide Eshiro (Okamiden, Gyakuten Kenji/Ace Attorney Investigations) will serve as producer on Gyakuten Saiban 5, with Takeshi Yamazaki (Gyakuten Kenji) as the scenario director. Noriyuki Iwadare will compose the game’s music. Series creator Shu Takumi, who was the director and scriptwriter for the first four games, will apparently be taking a backseat, likely busy with putting on the finishing touches to Professor Layton VS Gyakuten Saiban (ペペペペペペ VS ペペペペ).

The game’s first case, part of which will be playable in a demo at Tokyo Game Show 2012, has something to do with an explosion in the courtroom. Screenshots show a mysterious man wearing a helmet and goggles, conspirating: “With this, all the evidence now points to that girl…”

SGCafe will be at Tokyo Game Show 2012. Expect a full hands-on report on the Gyakuten Saiban 5 demo from us shortly after TGS has begun.

Wright’s client in the case is Shinobu Morizumi (ペペペペペ), a frail high-school student who has a medical condition that can cause panic attacks when she gets nervous. Winston

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Published by: VR-Zone

Source: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05

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September 12th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

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

By KarbyP on September 12th, 2012

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance cancelled on the Xbox 360… in Japan Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/metal-gear-rising-revengeancecancelled-on-the-xbox-360-in-japan/ By KarbyP on September 12th, 2012

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 was released here in Singapore yesterday. Since then, we’ve heard that quite a few gamers were frustrated that the alphanumeric codes included in their copies of the game – which were necessary for online play and to download the pre-ordered bonuses – did not work.

Kojima Productions and Platinum Games’ lightning-boltaction title still slated for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms outside Japan. But within the land of the rising sun (heh), there will be no Revengeance. Today a message on Kojima Pro’s website announced that the Xbox 360 Japanese version of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance has been canceled, due to “various circumstances” (no real reason was given). The site apologised to gamers looking forward to playing the Japanese version on the X360, as well as to partners who might be affected by the decision.

“Who do I complain to?” One of my personal friends wrote on Facebook, before signing off with a long trail of symbols indicating his exasperation. I can understand how frustrating that must be, since there’s really no way to find out if this was an isolated case (i.e. only the codes included in your copy did not work), or if everyone faced the same issue. As it turns out, this was an issue that affected all Tekken Tag Tournament 2 console players in Asia: the codes didn’t work, simply because they’re not ready to be redeemed yet. Not till September 13 for Asia, and September 14 for Europe, according to Tekken oyabun Katsuhiro Harada:

The announcement did not mention anything with regards to the English or International version of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance outside of Japan, so unless you hear otherwise, it’s probably still safe to expect to see Raiden and his robocanine fight crime on the X360. Source: Kojima Productions

Tekken Tag Tournament 2: codes for online mode and pre-order bonuses do not work… yet (Asia & Europe) Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/tekken-tag-tournament-2-codes-foronline-mode-and-pre-order-bonuses-do-not-work-yet-asia-europe/

Harada didn’t go into detail as to why the codes that come with our copies here in Singapore will only be useable tomorrow, even though the game was released September 11, but I’m guessing part of it has to do with the fact that Tekken Tag Tournament 2′s Japan release date: September 13. So think of it this way: Asia (Japan, Singapore, etc) was supposed to receive Tekken Tag Tournament 2 on September 13. But since the North American release date is September 11, Namco Bandai Partners here in Singapore decided to distribute the game earlier, so that there’s lesser confusion on when the heck we’d received the game in our neck of the woods. And so that we could practice offline two days in advance of our Japanese counterparts (games are almost always released on Thursdays in Japan). Just one more day till we can officially play Tekken Tag Tournament 2 online. 1


September 12th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

According to the piece in Famitsu magazine, Inafune visited their offices on a certain day in September on the premise that he would talk about the game. Or so Famitsu thought.

In the meantime, if you want to get in some practice bouts before jumping on online ranked matches tomorrow, head on down to Tough Cookie Gaming Cafe later today, our favourite place to play fighting games at here in Singapore. Tough Cookie has more than enough joysticks to go around, and a couple copies of TTT2 for customers to play with, so you won’t need to bring anything down (although if you could bring your own copy of Tekken Tag Tournament 2, that might be a good idea in case too many people show up to play).

In the end, all Inafune did was bring Famitsu a piece of concept art – which will be shown online tomorrow – but would not say anything concrete, apart from that Yaiba would be a refreshing zombie action game with “ninja” and “mecha” elements. And that more information would come forth on September 20, the first day of Tokyo Game Show.

Tough Cookie Gaming Cafe is located within Parklane Shopping Mall, level 2 (35 Selegie Road #02-25B, Singapore 188307). Its opening hours are from 3PM to 3AM Mondays to Thursdays and 11am to 3am on weekends. Rates are as follows (with effect from August 1, 2012): CONSOLE $3 per person per hour (you’re not tied to a single console, so feel free to mingle) $12 whole day LAN $2 per person per hour $12 whole day For more information on Tough Cookie, visit their Facebook page.

Keiji Inafune’s Yaiba: “Ninja” and “Mecha” are keywords, Koei Tecmo likely to be publisher Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/keiji-inafunes-yaiba-ninja-andmecha-are-keywords-koei-tecmo-likely-to-be-publisher/ By KarbyP on September 12th, 2012

… And that’s how we end up with a Famitsu story on a brand new game, without information on its developer, publisher, platform, or anything else pertinent.

Keiji Inafune is keeping a tight lid on details for his upcoming zombie action game, Yaiba. Not even the folks from Famitsu – who has the scoop on Yaiba in their magazine this week – knows what the game is like.

Except there’s a very high likelihood that Koei Tecmo will be publishing Keiji Inafune’s Yaiba, and not solely because of the “ninja” connection. As it turns out, Koei Tecmo owns the trademark “Yaiba” in Europe, registered on August 31, 2012.

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September 12th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

The objective of this mode is to earn as many fan votes as you can throughout the five day period. In other words, this is an event where you’re competing with several other idol groups. Specifically, in the third performance of each day, you’ll go head-to-head with a rival idol unit who’s performing at the same time your unit is. These rivals can be any characters from within 765Pro, 876Pro, 961Pro, or even Mobage’s Cinderella Girls social game. When you beat your rivals, you will unlock their name cards in one of the game’s “Record” galleries. In other words, don’t expect to see a 3D character model for any of the Mobage Cinderella Girls – chances are they’ll only appear as 2D illustrated cards that you can collect.

Which can only mean that the title would be coming to the West. Not at all surprising given that Keiji Inafune has always been vocal about the Western video games industry being at least five years ahead of Japan. Source: 1, 2, 3, 4

Idolm@ster Shiny Festa: characters from Mobage’s Imas Cinderella Girls social game make an appearance Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/idolmster-shiny-festa-charactersfrom-mobages-imas-cinderella-girls-social-game-make-an-appearance/ By KarbyP on September 12th, 2012

To help you beat your rivals in SOF mode, you’ll be able to use “Memories Bursts” (#######) here, exclusive to SOF mode. These are power-ups that boost your score, similar to the Memories Appeals in previous Imas games. However, in order to use Memories Bursts you will first need to accumulate energy in a Memories meter, which gradually increases as you play the game normally or when you watch music clips. Idolm@ster Shiny Festa for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) comes out in Japan October 25. Source: Imagebam

Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R is coming to the PlayStation Vita Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/guilty-gear-xx-accent-core-plus-r-iscoming-to-the-playstation-vita/ By KarbyP on September 12th, 2012

Sort of. The Mobage Cinderella Girls are possible rivals in a mode called “Star of Festa”. As you accumulate fans and increase your idol rank in Idolm@ster Shiny Festa’s regular mode of play, at some point you will receive an SOF Pass, which unlocks Star of Festa mode. In the game’s fictional universe, Star of Festa is a 5-day live event with each day consisting of three live performances (three different songs). 3


September 12th, 2012

One more way to get your Guilty Gear on: on top of an already announced PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 port of Guilty Gear XX ΛCore Plus R, this week’s Famitsu magazine reveals that Arc System Works’ fighter is headed to the Vita too.

Published by: VR-Zone

be patient for now and wait for September 13, 12 midnight Japan time (11PM Singapore/Hong Kong time, tonight). Any guesses what Project Omega might be? It’s certainly not this.

An anonymous netizen who got his copy of Weekly Famitsu early provided the image above, with most of the details blurred out (to encourage people to, well, actually buy Weekly Famitsu for the full details).

In the same issue of Weekly Famitsu, it’s also mentioned that a teaser site for Keiji Inafune’s zombie game, tentatively titled “Yaiba”, will come up on September 13 as well. This teaser site will explain the concept of the game and provide some visuals for us to look at.

But even with the details blurred out, if you take a closer look at the info box, you can clearly see that the release date is listed as “Sometime in 2013″ in Japanese.

But all of that will only happen tomorrow. So, go play some Tekken Tag Tournament 2, or something. In the meantime, see what else Weekly Famitsu revealed this week, if you haven’t already.

Famitsu magazine headlines: new heroes and rivals in Project X Zone, Keiji Inafune’s zombie game “Yaiba”, etc [Updated X2] So I guess unlike the PSN/XBLA versions of the game, the PlayStation Vita port will actually contain the full arcade experience at launch.

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/famitsu-magazine-headlines-newheroes-and-rivals-in-project-x-zone-keiji-inafunes-zombie-game-yaibaetc/ By KarbyP on September 12th, 2012

More details for the Vita version should emerge later this week. Anyone in the fighting games community excited over this? Source: Imagebam

Teaser sites for Sega’s “Project Omega”, Keiji Inafune’s “Yaiba” set to come online September 13 [rumour] Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/teaser-sites-for-segas-project-omegakeiji-inafunes-yaiba-set-to-come-online-september-13-rumour/ By KarbyP on September 12th, 2012

Batsu from Rival Schools and Tekken’s Alisa joins the cast of Project X Zone (update: now with scans). Keiji Inafune’s “surprise” title at TGS is a zombie game tentatively called Yaiba. Village “genres” in the new 3DS Animal Crossing. All this and more in this week’s Famitsu magazine headlines. Expect to hear more about these games later in the week, since Famitsu magazine doesn’t officially hit news-stands till tomorrow in Japan. Also expect a more detailed report on some of the bigger titles listed here, if and when Japanese netizens post mag scans or pictures of some of the pages from this week’s issue. If you live in Singapore and are interested to pick up a copy, Kinokuniya Books usually has them in on Fridays.

Update: the information has been corroborated by a second, independent source. Project Omega is real, guys! Still, we’ll keep the [rumour] tag for now. Original story: According to a netizen who got his copy of Weekly Famitsu early, Sega will put up a teaser site tomorrow for something codenamed “Project Omega“, a brand new game from the makers of Jet Set Radio. The URL for said teaser site is http://sega.jp/projectomega - but don’t head over there right now. All you’ll get is the huge 404 error page, just like the image above. Just 4


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Yaiba (tentative title)

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#”. Previous games in the series replaced the “Machi” with “O-Mise” and “365 Nichi” respectively.

Tobidase Doubutsu no Mori (the new Animal Crossing) 地地地地 地地地地地地

Platform: Unknown This is a zombie game produced by Keiji Inafune, likely to be the surprise title he’ll be showing off at the Tokyo Game Show next week (and that’s on top of Soul Sacrifice, a game he’s producing for SCE WWS). Photo source: Imepic

Earth Defense Force 4 地地地地地4

Platform: PS3, X360 Release date: Sometime in 2013 Online multiplayer is supported. In fact, the wording here seems to suggest “massively” multiplayer online, or at least more than the typical four-player co-op scenario as seen in most shooters.

Tongariboushi to Mahou no Machi 地地地地地地地地地地地地

As with past Animal Crossing games, Mr Resetti will reprimand you should you reset or shutdown your system without saving. But this will only kick in from the second reset onwards. You can now pick a “genre” for your village… Well, the wording suggests that what you’ll really be doing is decreeing a specific set of laws/ordinance, that will change the genre of your village. Some possible village genres given included: - One where cheap flowers are planted everywhere, to bring out the simple pleasures in life - “Morning type” village - An affluent village - A village that never sleeps, in which case operating hours for shops are extended. A character, Rolan, will now let you coordinate the wallpaper and carpet in your room for 3000 bells. With a “My Design PRO” feature you’ll also be able to send your custom designs (of shirts and whatever else you can create custom drawings for in the game) to others via QR codes.

Platform: 3DS Release date: Undecided I actually have no idea what this is. Guess we’ll find out later this week. Update: Okay, this looks like a new entry to Konami’s Animal Crossing-like series, Tongariboushi to Mahou no ____. Was previously rumoured to be in development after Konami made a trademark registration for “########### 5


September 12th, 2012

Professor Layton VS Ace Attorney 地地地地地地 VS 地地地地

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New rivals/enemies: Juri Han, Seth (Street Fighter series, Capcom) Jedah Dohma (Darkstalkers series, Capcom) Riemsianne (Shining Force EXA, Sega) Heihachi Mishima (Tekken series, Namco Bandai) Ayame Kouma (Sakura Taisen series, Sega) Skeith (.hack series, Namco Bandai)

Release date is November 29… but we already covered that last week.

Jet Set Radio

Platforms: PS Vita, PS3, X360, iOS, Android Release date: Sometime in 2012 Price: 1000 yen The takeaway here appears to be the price: 1000 yen in Japan regardless of platform.

Project X Zone Pics from: 1, 2

New comrades announced: Batsu Ichimonji (Capcom’s Rival Schools/Justice Gakuen, from Capcom) Vashyron (End of Eternity/Resonance of Fate, Sega) Alisa Boskonovitch (Tekken series, Namco Bandai) Neneko & Neito (Yumeria, Namco Bandai) 6


September 12th, 2012

Cross-Reviews

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The exhibition will be held at the Osaka Tempou Special Installation Gallery [####################] (mapfan, Google Maps) from 24 November 2012 to 17 February 2013, open from 10AM to 8PM daily, seven days a week. Ticket prices are at 2000 yen (1,800 yen for pre-reserved tickets) for adults and university students, 1,500 yen (1,300 yen) for middle and high school students, and 800 yen (500 yen) for children four years old and up to elementary school.

Little Big Planet PS Vita – 9, 9, 9, 9 Final Fantasy III (PSP) – 9, 8, 7, 9 Tiger & Bunny: On-Air Jack (PSP) – 8, 8, 8, 8 Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning (PS3, X360) – 9, 8, 8, 9 Source: Tales @ Nihongo de OK

Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece Exhibition going to Osaka Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/eiichiro-odas-one-piece-exhibitiongoing-to-osaka/ By KarbyP on September 12th, 2012

Eiichirou Oda’s One Piece Exhibition was previously held at the Mori Arts Center Gallery in Roppongi Hills from March 20 to June 17, to commemorate the manga’s 15th anniversary. Over 510,000 visitors came to the exhibit, which set a new record for the Roppongi-based gallery. Here are the exhibition details in Japanese, for those of you who might want to do a search for the gallery venue: ■■ONE PIECE■■■■■■ ■■■■■■■■■■ ONE PIECE■ ■■■×■■×■■■■■■■■ ■■■2012■11■24■■■■■2013■2■17■■■■ ■■■■■ ■■■■■10:00■20:00■■■■■■19:00■

The Eiichirou Oda One Piece Exhibition will feature a new exhibit exclusive to its Osaka run, so that folks who’ve been to the Roppongi Hills exhibit in Tokyo will find something new should they revisit.

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ ■552-0022 ■■■■■■■■■■■1-5-10

Of course, existing exhibits like the Bouken Panorama Theatre (black-and-white pic in the gallery below) will be at the Osaka location.

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ ■■■■■■■■■■ ■■■■■

The One Piece X Mado Lounge restuarant collaboration, on the other hand, will not be available, since Mado Lounge probably doesn’t have a resutaurant there. There’s nothing stopping the exhibition organisers from setting up a similar food collaboration with another nearby restaurant, however.

■■■■■■-■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ ■■■■■■■■■■■■ Source: Famitsu

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September 12th, 2012

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This is how Milla Maxwell, Tales of Xillia 1 heroine, looks like in TOX2 Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/this-is-how-milla-maxwell-tales-ofxillia-1-heroine-looks-like-in-tox2/ By KarbyP on September 12th, 2012

Leaked magazine scans of what we presume to be Famitsu Weekly reveal Milla’s new look in Tales of Xillia 2, along with another “main visual” illustration that’s hailed as a dream collaboration between artists Daigo Okumura, Mutsumi Inomata, and Kousuke Fujishima.

All three were artistes involved with character designs for the original Tales of Xillia, as a result of Namco Bandai’s increased budget for the title, made to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Tales series. That said, most of the characters in the first game were designed by either Fujishima (Jude Mathis, Alvin, Elise Lutus) or Inomata (Milla Maxwell, Leia Rolando, and Rowen J. Ilbert). Fujishima had previously worked on the Tales of Phantasia, Symphonia, Abyss and Vesperia games, while Inomata the Tales of Destiny, Eternia, Destiny 2, Rebirth, the Tempest, Hearts, and Graces titles. So they were both approached to give the characters in each of TOX1′s two playable chapters – one starring Jude (voiced by Tsubasa Yonaga), and the other Milla (CV: Miyuki Sawashiro) – distinctive looks. With Tales of Xillia 2, however, character design work fell squarely on the shoulders of Daigo Okumura (who came up with the design for Tipo in TOX1), as both Fujishima and Inomata are not involved this time around. Although, of course, many characters from TOX turn out to be making their way back into the sequel. Tokkurin.net, which also stumbled upon the scans, noted that it was interesting for the developers to introduce Milla in TOX2 simply as “Milla” instead of “Milla Maxwell”. Tokkurin speculates that this might be Milla from an alternate timeline, or perhaps an indication that Milla has accomplished the mission she was tasked with as a Maxwell. Tales of Xillia 2 is slated for release in Japan November 1, 2012. An English version of the first Tales of Xillia is coming sometime in 2013. Source: @kazu4281, image 2

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Transformers: Fall of Cybertron XBOX360 Review Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/transformers-fall-of-cybertronxbox360-review/ By sentinel011 on September 12th, 2012

There are two types of Transformers fans – one who grew up watching the G1 Optimus Prime and another who have watched all three Transformer movies Michael Bay has created. So how does Fall of Cybertron cater to both fans and gamers of these two genres? Developer High Moon Studios takes storytelling to another level with this sequel. War of Cybertron was good, but it is Fall of Cybertron better? Many things have improved, such as the graphics, the story’s pacing as well as its movie-like depiction of the entire game. While sniping, blasting and machine-gunning your way through the missions is enjoyable, arguably the most fun parts were the melee attacks of the Combiners and Grimlock. DLCs are planned to give multiplayer a boost, with the Dinobot Destruction Pack up soon.

All in all, whether you are a Transformers fan or not, you will have a Bot-gasm time playing Fall of Cybertron. Read our full review here!

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September 18th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

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

AFA ID interview exclusive: ANIKI Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/aniki/ By Rika on September 18th, 2012

At 40 years young, Aniki says his career in anisong has only just begun. Even now, he tells us that the recent tragedy of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake completely changed his perception of heroes. Although his songs heavily revolve around themes of heroism and manliness, it was not until he saw the heroic acts of volunteers and others working to help Japan recover that he realised these heroes existed outside of movies and anime as well. The revelation that every person is someone else’s hero so touched him that he dedicated his new albums to them in a show of support. Perhaps one of the most well-loved names in anison today, Ichirou Mizuki returns to the AFA stage for another electrifying performance! Known as Aniki (big brother) to his fans and fellow performers and the man behind anisong powergroup JAM Project, the humble performer takes no credit for his success, claiming it to have been a miracle that he is now known worldwide as a legend. He lives well up to the title and more, however! Aniki has been keeping the hopes of many children and fans alive by provided themes to more than 1200 series over the decades, ranging from anime to games and tokusatsu series, and currently holds a record for performing a whooping 1000 songs at a live event that lasted 24 hours. The Japanese pop icon is not only a familiar face in the anime industry. His charismatic stage presence and participation in rakugo, a traditional comedy performance art, led to his appearances on variety shows,TV commercials and voiceovers. These often featuring his trademark saying “Z!” (pronounced “Ze!”), taken from the timeless classic Mazinger Z theme song to which Aniki tells us he owes his career. “Had Mazinger Z never existed, I might not be here now,” he says. Aniki attributes the success of his timeless hits to the emphasis of three important characteristics: Originality, simplicity and clarity. Originality is important, as the song must be able to stand out with a fresh and unique sound. He also keeps the children that often make up his main target audience in mind, paying special attention to its simplicity and clarity since complicated lyrics would make it difficult to sing along to.

The unpredictable nature of the industry makes it impossible to forsee what awaits for him in the future, and Aniki admits that there are still a multitude of goals he has yet to achieve. He is always looking forward to opportunities where he can collaborate with other anisong singers, both Japanese and international. The chances he now has to travel abroad and hold anisong concerts in many places brings great joy to the singer, and he literally aims to reach for the stars by taking a page out of Macross’ book and striving for a concert in outer space! Fight on, Aniki! We are cheering for you!

Anisama in Shanghai 2012 “postponed” due to antiJapan protests in China Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/anisama-in-shanghai-2012postponed-due-to-anti-japan-protests-in-china/ By KarbyP on September 18th, 2012

Anisama in Shanghai 2012 -Next Stage- was supposed to happen at the Mercedes-Benz Arena on October 27 this year. As of yesterday, however, that won’t be the case anymore. Due to the escalation of anti-Japan protests in China over the Sankaku islands (which the Chinese call “Diaoyu Dao”), the organisers behind Anisama Shanghai yesterday announced their decision to “postpone” the concert to an unspecified 1


September 18th, 2012

later date for now, out of concern for the safety of artistes and staff involved. The concert itself has not been axed. Not yet, anyway. But it might as well be. No timeframe was specified as to when the new date for the concert might be, or if fans could even expect to hear about such details in the near future (which is no fault of the organisers’ really). The Anisama in Shanghai 2012 management will also begin to issue full refunds to ticket-holders beginning today, September 18, through Shanghai event planner HIS (that’s who you need to contact if you happen to be holding on to a ticket). This year’s Anisama in Shanghai would have been the animecentric concert’s second year in a row to be held in China, after a successful run last year in February. The concert lineup for Shanghai 2012 included Minami Kuribayashi, JAM Project, May’n, Luna Haruna, and Nana Mizuki. Source: Anisama in Shanghai 2012 HP

New PS3 models might come with 12GB SSD or 500GB HDD storage [rumour mill]

Published by: VR-Zone

A new PS3 model with SSD storage would certainly make a lot of sense. According to this Eurogamer story, installing an SSD into your PS3 can reduce load times in Gran Turismo 5 by about half. Rumours of flash storage in a new model of PS3 have been circulating the net for several months now. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long to find out if the rumours are true. Sony Computer Entertainment is slated to hold a pre-Tokyo Game Show press conference this Wednesday. Check back with SGCafe again on Wednesday for all the big PlayStation news to come out of the press conference. Source: Polygamia

Shin Megami Tensei IV’s 2nd trailer hints at both modern and ancient settings Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/shin-megami-tensei-ivs-2nd-trailerhints-at-both-modern-and-ancient-settings/ By KarbyP on September 18th, 2012

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/new-ps3-models-might-comewith-12gb-ssd-or-500gb-hdd-storage-rumour-mill/ By KarbyP on September 18th, 2012

Step aside, Persona 4. You’ve basked in the limelight long enough. Now it’s time for the Shin Megami Tensei series (Persona being a spin-off of the SMT games) to shine. A new model of the PS3 equipped with 12GB SSD storage has been advertised at a shop in Poland, Polygamia.pl reported today. According to the Polish website, certain retailers in the European country have received materials from Sony detailing two new PS3 models: a PS3 Slim with 500GB of HDD storage, and a second model that’s equipped with 12GB SSD. Rumour has it that the SSD version will sell for 199 Euros, while the 500GB HDD version will go for 299 Euros, and that both models will hit stores September 27 in Poland.

Atlus today uploaded to YouTube a second trailer for Shin Megami Tensei IV for the Nintendo 3DS, which shows a number of scenes from the upcoming RPG with nary any context. There’s some western mythology going on. Then we see a dessert. Then the trailer cuts to a scene in some urban surroundings – streetlights, high-rise buildings and the like. And that’s when we catch a glimpse of what might be part of the gameplay in SMT IV: a man is shown playing with his watch, which starts up an app – “Area Scan”. Translucent white squares emerge all around him, before spreading out into the distance. A holographic screen then appears, informing us that our mysterious person of interest is actually standing in the middle of Shibuya. An eerily quiet Shibuya. Then we’re once again shown a mix of scenes seemingly suggesting that SMT IV jumps back and forth between ancient and futuristic settings. Graphics during battles appear to be rendered in a mix of 2D and 3D animation styles. At some point the voice cast starts speaking (not in order of appearance in the trailer): Hiroshi Kamiya (Gundam 00′s Tieria Erde, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensi’s Nozomu Itoshiki) plays Jonathan, Kazuya Nakai (One Piece’s Zoro) voices 2


September 18th, 2012

Hobb, Miyuki Sawashiro (Persona 3′s Elizabeth) as Isabeau, and Katsuyuki Konishi (Bleach’s Keigo Asano) as Walter.

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the characters in TOX2 are designed by Daigo Okumura) on their adventure at some point. In a way, this is a poetic reunion (or “a dreamy collaboration”, according to Famitsu) for the three aforementioned illustrators – Fujishima, Inomata, and Okumura – who shared character designer credits in the first game. Expect to see more Tales of Xillia 2 in-game footage in this format (30-second TVCMs) in the coming weeks; this new one is only 『2 in a set of seven that Namco Bandai will collectively call “TVCM Series 3″. Odd naming convention, if you were to ask us – Series 1 and Series 2 only saw one TV spot each. Tales of Xillia 2 is slated for release in Japan November 1, 2012. Gamers who pre-order the title in Japan, according to the TVCM, will receive a ”Tales of Xillia 2 -Before Episode-” short story and official design materials book, a product code for up to three character DLC costumes, and PS3 XMB dashboard skins (17 designs in all).

In the video’s description Atlus says to expect a massive cover story on Shin Megami Tensei IV in this week’s Famitsu magazine. At the Tokyo Game Show, which begins this Thursday, a “nocut” version of this very trailer will also be shown; only once per day during the Business Days (September 20 and 21, open only to media and industry folks), and multiple times throughout the days that are open to the public (September 22 and 23).

An English version of the first Tales of Xillia is coming sometime in 2013. Source: Famitsu

Cosplay as a trademark in the Philippines? Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/cosplay-as-a-trademark-in-thephilippines/ By SarahColdheart on September 18th, 2012

『『『『『『『IV『『『『『『『『『『 – YouTube

Tales of Xillia 2 commercial features in-game footage of TOX1′s Jude Mathis and Milla Maxwell Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/tales-of-xillia-2-commercialfeatures-in-game-footage-of-tox1s-jude-mathis-and-milla-maxwell/ By KarbyP on September 18th, 2012

(Image from Cosplay Cool Centre) There has been a sudden furore over the word “cosplay” in the Philippines as it has been trademarked by Cosplay.ph. As quoted: Famitsu has first dibs on a new Tales of Xillia 2 commercial – entitled “A new journey for those two” – that features ingame footage of Jude and Milla, respectively the male and female protagonists of the first TOX. Jude Mathis (character design: Kousuke Fujishima) and Milla Maxwell (Mutsumi Inomata) join Tales of Xillia 2 protagonists Ludger Will Kresnik and Elle Mel Martha (all

“The purpose of the wordmark was preemptive in order to keep the word “cosplay” safe so that it cannot be used to impede us from organizing cosplay events, because it is very closely associated with our branding. We believe that this measure was imperative for us to grow and flourish and so

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Published by: VR-Zone

that we can continue to develop world-class events that we all know Filipino Cosplayers deserve.” Further investigation from members of the Filipino Cosplay community have noted that this was because of an event that happened in the past. A yahoo group called Pinoy Cosplay was formed in 2000 and in the later part of 2005, the url “pinoycosplay.com” was bought by a Mike Abundo. He created a cosplay forum and had no connection to the admins of the more established group. He did not stop there and continued buying over other urls similar to another Filipino cosplay forum site, trying to lead people to his own forums. As this “cosplay” has been trademarked by Cosplay.ph since 2011, there has been no reports about any serious ‘action’ taken over the word. Interestingly, there has been a similar outcry in Singapore where the word cosplay was trademarked in 2005 but nothing has happened since then. What are your thoughts over the word “cosplay” being trademarked or copyrighted in your own country? Do you believe that the ones who would hold the trademark/ copyright would be honourable enough to safeguard it as long as there are no major interruptions over your own cosplay activities?

AFA ID interview exclusive: 7!! Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/afa-id-interview-exclusive-7/ By Rika on September 18th, 2012

Fans of popular shounen series Naruto would recognise the group behind “Lovers”, one of the opening themes for Naruto: Shippuden. The invitation to provide an opening theme for Naruto was a dream come true for the four, whose interest in anime and manga extend beyond their time as a band. Even now, their love for the Naruto series has not waned a bit, and 7!! still visits manga cafés twice a week, with bassist Keita being the biggest fanatic of all. Inspired by main character Uzumaki Naruto and his willingness to push both himself and others to excel beyond their own boundaries, the band tells us they would like to write another song for the series based on that concept if given the chance. 7!! is still young in terms of their musical career, having made their major label debut only very recently, and AFA ID marks their maiden gig outside of Japan as well as their first in Indonesia. While performing for audiences in Indonesia is entirely new to them, their commitment to making the experience a memorable one made sure to leave a great impact on their audience. To this lively-spirited group, SGcafe wishes them all the best. We can’t wait to see where their talent takes them!

AFA ID interview exclusive: bless4 Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/afa-id-interview-exclusive-bless4/ By Rika on September 18th, 2012

Performing for the first time out of Japan, we have newcomers to the anison scene, 7!! with its four members: Nanae on vocals, guitarist Michiru, bassist Keita and drummer Maiko. As the pronunciation of the group’s unique name is a sure point of debate amongst newer fans, 7!! explained that 7 in Japanese is pronounced ‘nana’ while ‘oops’ is an expression of surprise, usually vocalized as “eeeeeehh..” (represented in the band’s name as a pair of exclamation marks). Thus, 7!! is pronounced Nana-eeehhh as a nod to vocalist Nanae, who first conceived the idea of the band in her high school years. After asking her friend Keita to join as the bassist, Keita in turn recruited Michiru to be the group’s guitarist, and Maiko was invited after Nanae witnessed her perfomance on drums at her high school festival.

First in the AFA ID Super Anisong Stage interview line-up is bless4! A vocal and chorus group comprising four brothers and sisters: Akashi, Kanasa, Akino and Aiki, bless4 is a name well-known among anisong fans for ‘Gekkou Symphonia’, the ending theme to Aquarion EVOL. Formed when the siblings were inspired by the strong presence of music in Okinawan culture, the band was 4


September 18th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

originally named BS4, but because it sounded too similar to the names of Japanese TV channels, it was modified into their current name Bless4. The name also reflects the siblings’ idea of being able to share blessings through their music.

Famitsu.com has just published an article on Dead or Alive 5 revealing that Virtua Fighter‘s Pai Chan will join her Sega cohorts Akira Yuki and Sarah Bryant as part of the guest character contingent in Koei Tecmo’s upcoming 3D brawler, Dead or Alive 5.

As a group, each sibling does their part to support the group as a whole: Akashi is the band’s frontman, Kanasa excels at songwriting and managing the band’s schedules, Akino helps to style and dress her siblings and Aiki is head choreographer for the band’s dances.

Apart from a couple of screenshots of Pai, the article also had screens of Mila, a brand new female character to the series that Koei Tecmo Europe unveiled yesterday, who appears to be a kickboxer similar to Zack. Dead or Alive 5 comes out for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles on September 25.

On top of their love for music, Bless4 are also anime fans! In their earlier years spent growing up in the US, their aunt would send them recordings of Dragon Ball episodes. Even though they didn’t understand Japanese, the straightforward story and energetic fight scenes communicated all they needed to know. Keeping the series they grew up with close to their hearts, the group hopes to write and perform a piece for a Dragon Ball movie one day. While they are not strangers to performing overseas, AFA ID marks the group’s first visit to Indonesia, a warm and welcoming country whose multitudes of J-culture and anime fans was a pleasant surprise to the siblings. “It is truly a beautiful thing to think that although we live in different places, the anime we like is the same,” they said, and felt it was truly remarkable how anime could become fans’ gateway to interest in Japanese culture too.

Virtua Fighter’s Pai Chan joins the guest roster in Dead or Alive 5 Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/virtua-fighters-pai-chan-joins-theguest-roster-in-dead-or-alive-5/ By KarbyP on September 18th, 2012

The rumours were true after all. Well, copyright registrations don’t lie. 5


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Published by: VR-Zone

Source: Famitsu

We”ll bring you more on Keiji Inafune’s Yaiba next week, right from the showfloor of TGS.

Teaser trailer for Keiji Inafune’s Yaiba promises that “The dead will die again”

Source: 4Gamer

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/teaser-trailer-for-keiji-inafunesyaiba-promises-that-the-dead-will-die-again/ By KarbyP on September 18th, 2012

It’s officially the stroke of midnight now over there in Japan. Like we reported earlier today, a teaser site for Kaiji Inafune’s ninja+mecha+zombie action game has went live, giving us a first look of what the game would be look. We had thought that a single piece of concept art would be all we’ll be getting for now. But as it turns out, Inafune was kind enough to give us an entire teaser trailer. There are a couple of screenshots as well. “Yaiba” (or “blade” in Japanese) appears to star a ninja who is at least partially cyborg. So that solves the mystery of what Inafune meant when he said that the game would have “ninja” and “mecha” elements. The other two keywords he thrown around were “zombie” and “action”.

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September 22nd, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

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

MCZ|Tokido: “I’m no longer playing Persona 4 Arena” Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/mcztokido-im-no-longer-playingpersona-4-arena/ By KarbyP on September 22nd, 2012

—Other than Tekken Tag Tournament 2 are you playing anything else at the moment? Last time we talked you said that you were going to be picking up Persona 4 Arena. Ah… Persona 4 Arena… I’m not playing that anymore. —Huh? Why not? Now that Arc System Works has announced the new Guilty Gear and the new BlazBlue, all the Persona 4 Arena players have gone back to playing those games, including me. In general I buy every single fighting game for consoles when they come out, but if a game turns out to be “no good game”, then I stop playing. —So by that do you mean Persona 4 Arena is a “no good game”? [I'm sure a lot of people like the game but] it’s just not for me. I found it to be a little boring. —I actually thought you might like it more, since Persona 4 is similar to Street Fighter in the sense that SRKs/reversals/ invincible moves are fairly important.

We ran into Hajime “Tokido” Taniguchi yesterday at the Tokyo Game Show. The talented multi-fighting game pro chatted with us about two games he’s been playing – Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Street Fighter X Tekken – and one game he’s stopped playing: Persona 4 Arena.

Yes, but the reversal is too easy, just press two buttons. I didn’t really like that. —I see. Are you still playing Street Fighter X Tekken? Yes, in fact that’s my main tournament game right now, because of the Street Fighter 25th Anniversary.

—Hey Tokido, what a coincidence. What’re you doing wandering around on the TGS showfloor?

—Now that the new characters for Street Fighter X Tekken are out, who do you think are the top for characters in SFxTK?

Tokido: I’m waiting for Fuudo to finish up at his booth, so we can both go back together. Fuudo’s home is very near to the TGS venue [Makuhari Messe], I’m staying over at his place tonight.

Of the new characters, Cody is really strong. And after the patches, Dhalsim is strong too, especially now that Ryu has become weaker.

—Nice! So what games have you been playing recently? Recently I’ve been playing Tekken Tag Tournament 2, which has just come out last week. —Who do you use in Tekken Tag 2, and why?

And then… Rolento is still very strong. And of course, ChunLi is top-tier. So my top four are (not in any specific order), Cody, Dhalsim, Rolento and Chun-Li. Ryu, although not as good as before, is still very good.

I use Kunimitsu and Lars. Kunimitsu because she is consoleexclusive character, so the people who have been playing the arcade version do not know very much about Kunimitsu yet. That levels the playing field a little for me. Also I think Kunimitsu has potential, so that’s why I picked for.

—That’s an interesting list. A while back Sako said in a Famitsu SFxTK column that his top four picks were Ryu, Ken, Kazuya, and Rufus.

—Right, Kunimitsu. Yeah, and she appears to be invulnerable to mid attacks.

—What criterion do you look at when determining if a character is strong or weak in Street Fighter X Tekken?

Yes, some mids.

Mostly I look at the reach of the attacks, and whether the moves are safe from a distance or can be punished from far away.

—What about Lars? As for Lars, he’s just really good. Lars makes a very good tag partner for any character in the game, because he has a good Tag Assault combo. 6+LK (f+3) to go into back-facing stance, then while rising RP (2), 6+LP (f+1), LK (3) (note: the commands listed here may be inaccurate; we’ll check with Tokido again later today).

Yes, that was before the patches. Now, a lot has really changed in the game.

If you have any questions you’d like to ask Tokido, post them in the comments below today. We’ll pick some good ones and try to get them to him.

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September 22nd, 2012

Stay tuned to SGCafe for more coverage from the Tokyo Game Show 2012.

Hatsune Miku: Live Stage Producer to be released on iOS and Android (finally!)

Published by: VR-Zone

with different assessment criterion – examples provided include dance-focused, singing-focused, and more. Topranking players in each day’s contest can win various in-game prizes, ranging from 3D modules, to interior decorations and items for their club.

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/hatsune-miku-live-stage-producerto-be-released-on-ios-and-android-finally/ By KarbyP on September 22nd, 2012

I can’t stress the “and Android” part of that headline strongly enough. About time Sega gave Hatsune Miku fans using Android devices something to look forward to.

Hatsune Miku: Live Stage Producer is scheduled for a Fall 2012 release on both the iTunes and Google Play app stores. iOS devices supported include the iPhone4, iPhone4S, iPad 2, and the new iPad. Android devices must be on firmware 2.3 or higher to run the game. The game is free to play, with paid DLC planned.

Hatsune Miku: Live Stage Producer is a simulation game app in which you’re the club manager where Miku performs at. Your club makes money when customers come in to watch Miku perform. But here’s the thing – in the game world of Live Stage Producer, Hatsune Miku isn’t that famous yet. Fans won’t be rushing to the club in throngs to watch her perform. Not at first.

For the club to succeed, as the manager you’ll need to schedule lessons – voice training, dance training and trivia, for instance – for Miku to train her strengths. There are six parameters in total: Singing, Dancing, Style, Cuteness Talking, and Variety. And you’ll need to schedule performances regularly, of course. Initially, only two songs are selectable for performances: Marginal, and Kouya to Mori to Mahou no Uta. Sega promises that more Hatsune Miku songs will be added to title, however, as DLC. As Miku’s skill increases, you’ll be able to task her with taking on difficult contests. These “contests” are essentially daily leaderboard rankings. Every day, new contests will appear 2


September 22nd, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

Instead, the base of the joystick lever has a magnet attached to it, which moves in the opposite direction of whichever way you push the stick lever in. A sensor at the bottom then tracks the magnet’s movement and translates that to directional inputs on the computer. Sanwa Denshi (三三三三) calls this prototype a “smalltype magnetic-sensor lever” (三三三三三三三), and according to Nozomi Sato from Sanwa Denshi’s sales department, this is the first time (here at Tokyo Game Show 2012) that they’ve ever shown off the prototype to anyone. In fact, we were but only the second group of folks to approach the good people at Sanwa to find out more about the prototype lever – two hours prior to our visit, 4Gamer’s reporters were there to check the joystick out. At the time we’re putting this story online, 4Gamer’s report on the prototype has yet to be published. So unless there’s a mistake somewhere, we might actually be the first in the world to report on the magentic-sensor prototype. Oh, and in case you don’t understand what in the world I’m talking about (since I’m really not a joystick expert by any means), here’s a video to demonstrate.

Advantages sensor lever

of

the

magnetic-

Kunio Saito, the engineer at Sanwa Denshi’s technical department who created this prototype, said that it’s several times more durable than existing levers; as the magneticsensor stick is not mechanical in nature, there is virtually zero wear-and-tear to worry about. “Infinite life cycle” were the words, in English, that sales rep Sato used.

Sanwa Denshi’s “smalltype magnetic-sensor lever” prototype on display at Tokyo Game Show [video] Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/sanwa-denshis-small-type-magneticsensor-lever-prototype-on-display-at-tokyo-game-show-video/ By KarbyP on September 22nd, 2012

Not only that, but the prototype lever allows for analog inputs by default. In that regard, you could say that although the magnetic-sensor lever’s outward appearance might resemble that of a joystick, in terms of usability the prototype would essentially work like a bigger and sturdier version of the analog sticks found on our console controllers. How much bigger? I wasn’t able to measure the stick’s “throw distance” (how far the lever can be pushed in one direction, from the neutral position), but a rough estimate would be about close to twice that of the Sanwa Denshi JLF lever that’s equipped in nearly all of today’s quality console fight sticks. Note, however, that a gate was not attached to the prototype; a square-bounding gate is usually attached to the JLF lever in fight sticks.

When we checked out Sanwa‘s booth over at the Tokyo Game Show today, we saw something rather spectacular on display: a prototype joystick lever whose shaft was not connected to the micro-switch sensor, usually found at the base of the lever.

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September 22nd, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

PS3 concept fight stick – called “Seiki” or “Hope” – showed off at last year’s TGS. Again, there’s been no progress on the development of Seiki, and no plans to turn it into an actual product. They simply decided to make it to show gamers, custom-stick modders, and manufacturers what might be possible.

Other sights at the Sanwa Denshi booth Apart from the magnetic-sensor lever prototype, Sanwa also had on display a custom BlazBlue stick outfitted with lights, a clear ball-top, and clear buttons, as well as another concept prototype with rounded buttons that they said might be appealing for puzzle or music games (I’d love to play Pop’n Music with this controller; sadly, Konami no longer ports PnM games to consoles).

Saito said that the analog nature would be a good fit for games like Konami’s Winning Eleven and Sega’s Virtua Striker series of soccer games. Currently, Konami’s Winning Eleven Arcade Championship cabinets are equipped with a standard joystick by default. However, the game also allows players to bring their own PS3 controllers and hook it up to the cabinet for analog controls, so there might be a market for this product. But that’s not all the magnetic-sensor stick would be good for. Though it may be analog in nature, Saito also said that it would be possible to implement digital-only controls for fighting games. “In the computer programme, you can set ‘trigger’ values for the magnetic-sensor stick so that a directional input will only be detected when you push the lever to beyond a certain point,” he explained in Japanese. “This acts as a virtual micro-switch, so the possibilities are there.” Sanwa Denshi has applied for a patent for the magneticsensor lever, and is currently awaiting for it to be granted. That said, currently Sanwa has no plans to develop this into an actual product that. Not at this point anyway. Why make a prototype joystick lever if you don’t have plans to deploy it as an actual product in the near future? When we posed that question to both representatives, they would only say that being a leading arcade parts manufacturer, Sanwa Denshi is often looking at new possibilities and challenging themselves from an engineering standpoint. So don’t expect to see the magnetic-sensor lever released any time soon. Speaking of prototypes to never come out as an actual product, we also checked with Sanwa on the status of the 4


September 22nd, 2012

Stay tuned to SGCafe.com for more coverage from Tokyo Game Show 2012.

PlayStation @ TGS: New PS3 models, PS Vita colours, and a price drop for the PSP

Published by: VR-Zone

Here are the recommended retail prices and release dates for the new models in Japan, US, and Europe. No concrete information on price or availability has been announced for Asia yet.

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/playstation-tgs-new-ps3-models-psvita-colours-and-a-price-drop-for-the-psp/ By KarbyP on September 22nd, 2012

All three models are offered in two colours: charcoal black and classic white. For a limited time beginning November 22, Sony will also be offering a PS3 “starter pack” in Japan that bundles a copy of Everybody’s Golf 6 (also known as “Minna no Golf 6″) with a PS3 250GB in your choice of colour. The starter pack carries a recommended retail price of 25,980 yen (including tax).

At Tokyo Game Show 2012 Sony finally took the veil off those new PS3 models you’ve been hearing rumours about for a while now. As it turns out, the 12GB SSD model is exclusive to the European market initially. Outside of the new PS3 models, Sony also announced two new colours for the PS Vita, a launch month for the PlayStation Plus service on PS Vita, and a new price point for the PSP. Whew, that’s a whole lot of PlayStation to detail. Let’s get started, shall we?

New PlayStation 3 models

The new PS3s are not only slimmer than the current slew of PS3 Slims, but also lighter by over 20% (50% when compared to the original PS3 60GB version launched in November 2006). Three models of the new PS3 will be released this year – 250GB and 500GB HDD configurations, as well as a 12GB SSD model that will be launched only in Europe initially. 5


September 22nd, 2012

PlayStation Vita announcements

Published by: VR-Zone

PlayStation Plus on PS Vita And finally, Sony also announced that its PlayStation Plus programme will come to the PS Vita in November 2012. PlayStation Plus is a subscription-based membership programme that gives users free games every month (that you can access and play as long as you stay subscribed to PS Plus), hour-long trials of full retail games, as well as other benefits such as online game saves and automatic system updates. If you already have a PlayStation Plus subscription on the PS3, your existing subscription will be valid for the Vita as well.

Two new colours for the PS Vita – “Cosmic Red” and “Cypher Blue” – will be available in Japan from November 15, 2012. Both the 3G/Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi only models will come in the new colours. Like the existing Crystal Black and Crystal White units, Cosmic Red and Cypher Blue PS Vita models will be priced at 29,980 yen for a 3G/Wi-Fi unit, and 25,980 for the Wi-Fi only configuration.

Outside of free games and game trials, PlayStation Plus on the Vita will feature: Online game saves – members will be able to automatically or manually upload game save files for compatible games to the Cloud. Up to 1GB of storage has been allocated for save files on each PlaySTation Network user’s account. Automatic content downloads and updates – the PS Vita will automatically download game demos and game updates, as well as Vita firmware updates, so that you won’t have to wait the next time you pick up your Vita to play. Automatic Trophy sync – currently PS Vita users have to manually access the “Trophies” app to sync their unlocked game trophies to their account online. With PS Plus, the VIta will automatically start up at a designated time to sync Trophy information instead.

PSP price drop Not much to say here, except that the existing PSP model will now be priced at 13,800 (PSP only), while PSP value packs (which comes with a pouch and other accessories) will be sold for 14,800 yen. Read more of SGCafe’s TGS coverage through the following URL: sgcafe.com/tag/tgs

Tokyo Game Show: Day 1 Photos Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/tokyo-game-show-day-1-photos/ By KarbyP on September 22nd, 2012

A “Reader” app will be released free for the PS Vita in the middle of October. Through the app and Sony’s “Reader Store”, PS Vita users in Japan will be able to access over 3,000 comics. No word yet on if the Reader app and content will be available in regions outside of Japan. Here are some of the sights we saw on Day 1 of Tokyo Game Show 2012. 6


September 22nd, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

Not a whole lot of cosplayer photos yet (check back with us on the weekend for that), but there’s booth babes (called “booth companions” in Japan), a life-size bust of Phoenix Wright, and more.

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September 22nd, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

so elaborate and creatively designed. They showed many that I didn’t expect. I can see that so much effort was put into their cosplay. What came to your mind when you found out that there were many fans of anime and J-Pop in Indonesia? AT: I’m very happy to know that we have something in common. If I ever find someone who has done a similar cosplay to mine, I could spend some time to chat and discuss our common ground.

What inspired you to start cosplaying?

AFA ID Interview Exclusive: Akatsuki Tsukasa Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/afa-id-interview-exclusive-akatsukitsukasa/ By Rika on September 22nd, 2012

On Day 2 of AFA Indonesia, we got a chance to interview AFA guest Akatsuki Tsukasa, a lovely lady from Taiwan whose stunning cosplays of popular characters such as Vocaloid’s Hatsune Miku and One Piece’s Boa Hancock have captured attentions of fans worldwide! Dressed for the day as the galactic fairy Sheryl Nome from the series Macross Frontier, she tells us about her first experience attending an event in Indonesia, fulfilling cosplay dreams and gives us some advice to share with her fellow cosplayers!

AT: I started out cosplaying since I was younger. I love to draw fanart, and I have friend who is a fanartist as well. It was my friend who brought me into cosplay, and since then I’ve been cosplaying for quite some time now. If you’re not cosplaying, what do you usually do in real life? AT: I’m a part-time model, and sometimes when I’m not doing any cosplay project, I accept costume commissions. So, you’re from Taiwan! Could you tell us how many cosplayers there are in your country? AT: So many! We have lots of cosplayers in Taiwan. It’s big enough we could just go out and bump to one another even if it wasn’t during an event. There are even some venues we usually go to and gather at when there is no event held. Many cosplayers look up to you. Do you have any cosplay idols of your own? AT: I do! Kaname and Reika! They’re from Japan. So meeting Kaname here is kinda like dream come true. You’ve cosplayed so many characters from so many series! Do you have any favorites among all the characters you’ve cosplayed so far? AT: Yes, I do. It’s Sheryl Nome from Macross Frontier, the one I’m cosplaying now. She’s a singer, and her character is very strong and brave in the series.

This is the first time you’ve come to Indonesia. Do you have any cosplayer friends here? AT: Before I came here, I had no Indonesian friends. But over the last few days, I made some new ones. I want to meet more cosplayers and exchange coscards. What are your thoughts on Indonesian cosplayers? AT: From what I saw here, Indonesian cosplayers are really hard working on their costume designs. And during their performances, they really brought up the characters to life. You can feel the atmosphere, it was great. The costumes were 8


September 22nd, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone By Rika on September 22nd, 2012

What’s the most difficult cosplay you have ever done? AT: Probably Megurine Luka from Vocaloid. There are so many details on the costume that I spent one and a half week just to do up the designs alone. Are there any cosplay dreams of yours that have yet to come true? AT: I really want to go to the seaside, on a boat, as Nami from One Piece. Just like in the series!

Cosplay has been the heart of SGCafe’s forum culture, and SGCafe is re-branding our three characters to further reinstate Japanese culture. Our characters are now named from M99-chan, kneesocks-chan and Blurking as Kyuuchan, Zet-chan and Kouma-kun respectively. SGCafe provides a further challenge to all cosplayers who have been yearning to do an original cosplay based off official designs – cosplayers are encouraged to come up with any concept costume to suit our three mascots, or they can simply cosplay the characters based off our concept art. Philippine cosplayers will be the first in Southeast Asia to experience the thrill of creating and cosplaying their original concept costumes, a taboo action that supposedly defeats the purpose of cosplaying as your favourite character.

AT: I plan to do Kuroko, from the series Kuroko no Basuke.

With this fun and exciting concept to revitalize and ignite the passion of cosplaying, SGCafe will pick the best designs and cosplays at CosplayMania at the Manila Finals! The cosplayer who can make the best original interpretation of the characters will become SGCafe’s official ambassador! Of course, there will be awesome prizes waiting for you.

Is there any advice you can give to cosplayers who are just starting out?

This segment will be featured on Day 2 at the exhibitor booth stage area! Be sure to check it out!

AT: My advice, before you start cosplaying, you should read the comic or watch the anime couple of times to understand the emotion and the behavior of the character you’re about to cosplay. That way, hopefully you can be as genuine as the character itself.

To participate, please register the form here and at SGCafe’s booth upon arrival. Please register with us early to avoid disappointment!

And what’s next on your cosplay list?

Akatsuki Tsukasa, together with Kaname, were the judges for ARCC x CLAS:H Competition hosted by AFA ID, where Indonesia’s representative for AFA 12 this November was chosen. We wish her all the best in her future projects and look forward to seeing what she can come up with next!

SGCAFE PRESENTS: PROJECT OrCa Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/sgcafe-presents-project-orca/

The minimum criteria to represent each character will be as follows: Kyuu-chan Character/personality: Quiet, soft spoken, cautious Physical features: round face frame, purple hair with 1 braid Accessories: Spectacles, headphones (any colour and design) Zet-chan Character/personality: Spunky, outgoing Physical features: small face frame, long grey hair with twin tails Accessories: Ribbon (any colour and design) Kouma-kun Character/personality: Confident, easy-going, joker of the trio Physical features: sharp facial features, brown spiky hair 9


September 22nd, 2012

Accessories: None Another good representation would be to totally switch the character’s personality over; example will be Kyuu-chan can be noisy and a risk taker. Guidelines:

Published by: VR-Zone

Thursday, September 20 September 20′s stage event focuses on Hatsune Miku collaborations, and it appears that they have an announcement or two up their sleeves.

1. Cosplay as Kyuu-chan, Zet-chan or Kouma-kun 2. Follow the section “Character personalities” for the minimum criteria

Sega is also teasing that a Hatsune Miku “new model” might perform a dance segment during this stage event. Now, before you get too excited o, know that “new model” Hatsune Miku-san probably refers to this (scroll to the end of the post).

3. No restriction to types of costumes as long as minimum criteria is met

Thursday, September 20

Prizes: 1 Autograph board of all the guests (Jesuke, KANAME三, Reika) 1 Autographed photo of Shoko Nakagawa 1 Cosplay.ph T-shirt

Have fun and see you at Cosplaymania! Hatsune Miku stage events at Tokyo Game Show: Catch them “live” from September 20 to 23 on Ustream

Hatsune Miku Project Diva games outside of Diva f (Diva Arcade, Dreamy Theatre Extend, to be specific) will take center stage on Friday’s event.

Saturday & Sunday, September 22 & 23 Finally, the stage events for Saturday and Sunday are Project Diva f demonstrations catering to female and male audiences respectively. In other Hatsune Miku related news, the new edition of Comptiq magazine has everyone’s favourite virtual singer on the cover (illustrated by Hatsune Miku designer KEI) this month. Every copy of the mag also comes with a Hatsune Miku Summer Guidebook that features many of the modules and art done for Hatsune Miku Project Diva f.

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/hatsune-miku-stage-events-at-tokyogame-show-catch-them-live-from-september-20-to-23-on-ustream/ By KarbyP on September 22nd, 2012

A different Hatsune Miku stage event will take place at Sega’s booth at Tokyo Game Show everyday from September 20 to 23. Here’s how you can catch all of it from the comforts of your home, school, or office.

Tomorrow, Tokyo Game Show 2012 finally kicks off. Although we’ll be bringing you reports from the show floor, many of the publishers attending the show – such as Sega – will also be live-streaming events from their booth throughout the four-day period. In Sega’s case, you’ll be able to catch all of the action live from either Ustream or Nico Nico Live. The link above also shows you the full stage-event schedule for Sega, which includes presentations for Hatsune Miku, Yakuza 5, and Phantasy Star Online 2. Interestingly, the Hatsune Miku stage event starts at the same time every TGS day – 3PM Japan time (GMT+0900), or 2PM Singapore time. The contents for each event, however, are completely different.

Source: Sega

Hirohiko Araki of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Makes Shonen Jump 1-Shot & 1st Artbook in 12 Years Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/hirohiko-araki-of-jojos-bizarreadventure-makes-shonen-jump-1-shot-1st-artbook-in-12-years/ By IceTea on September 22nd, 2012

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September 22nd, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

But these bikinis will only be available to you if you pre-order the game. So if you plan on picking up the game but have yet to put down a pre-order, you might want to get in touch with your favourite games retailer as soon as possible – only six more days to Dead or Alive 5′s September 25 release date in Singapore and the US.

The mangaka for Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Hirohiko Araki, will return to Weekly Shonen Jump with a new on-shot manga next month. He will also be publishing his first new art book collection in 12 years then. These announcements were made in 25 Years with Jojo anniversary booklet that was bundled with the October issue of Ultra Jump. Araki’s fictional manga cerator alter-ego Rohan Kishibe will be ‘contributing’ his latest manga chapter titled “Kishibe Rohan wa Ugokanai ~Episode 5~” in this year’s 45th Weekly Shonen issue out on October 6. Preorders will be opened soon for the new artbook too, which will include illustrations, a hisotyr of Araki by his first editor, and the latest encyclopedia of Stands. More information woul be released in Ultra Jump magazine and Araki’s official website. The 25 Years With Jojo booklet will include 22 other mangakas art and messages contribution to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. They include mangakas such as: Kubo Tite (Bleach), Eiichiro Oda (One Piece) and Takeshi Obata (Death Note). Source: [Akiba Jigoku!]

Yes, Virtua Fighter’s Sarah and Pai has bikini costumes, just like the rest of the DOA5 ladies [photos & videos] Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/yes-virtua-fighters-sarah-and-paihas-bikini-costumes-just-like-the-rest-of-the-doa5-ladies-photos-videos/ By KarbyP on September 22nd, 2012

Yes, Virtua Fighter’s Sarah Bryant and Pai Chan will get bikini costumes, too, like the rest of the female cast in Dead or Alive 5 (including newcomer Mila).

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September 22nd, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

Of course, don’t buy a fighting game just because it has girls in bikinis. Here, let Dead or Alive 5 producer Yosuke Hayashi and Team Razer pro gamer Fuudo (Street Fighter, Virtua Fighter) show you the finer points of Dead or Alive 5 in a real match: The above video was part of an exhibition tournament held between Dengeki Online and the developers of the game, Team Ninja. This is actually the second time Dengeki Online has done an exhibition tournament with Team Ninja, and so they’ve taken to calling this a “revenge match”. Some more matches between Dengeki Online and Team Ninka (with the DOA5 girls in bikinis, to boot): Source: Dengeki Online, Tecmo Koei

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September 27th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

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

TGS2012 – Cosplayers galore [Part 1] Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/tgs2012-cosplayers-galore-part-1/ By sentinel011 on September 27th, 2012

Cosplayers are a staple in Tokyo Game Show, and we managed to take a couple of cosplayers around the hall. The standard of cosplay is not too far off from Singapore, we feel. Of course, most of the cosplayers dress up as characters from game series. From Final Fantasy to Monster Hunter to Resident Evil and even Street Fighter, cosplayers add a little bit more flavour to Tokyo Game Show. With that, enjoy the pictures!

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September 27th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

More pictures in our gallery below:

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September 27th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

(Photos by Ivan Lee)

TGS2012: Cure Cosplay Collection Night rocks the evening with 200 cosplayers participating Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/tgs2012-cure-cosplay-collectionnight-rocks-the-evening-with-200-cosplayers-participating/ By sentinel011 on September 27th, 2012

Cosplay is an integral part of anime and game conventions, and what better way to have a segment catered to cosplay at a games convention? We check out the many great cosplays not only from Japan, but from Thailand, Philippines and USA too. Here’s a collection of some of the pictures within the Cosplay Collection Night!

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September 27th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

More pictures can be found in our gallery below:

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September 27th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

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September 27th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

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September 27th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

(Photos by Ivan Lee)

Game Review: Borderlands 2 – GUNS! GUNS! GUNS! Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/game-review-borderlands-2-gunsguns-guns/ By sentinel011 on September 27th, 2012

Is it a problem that I find Tiny Tina, Borderlands 2’s insane explosives expert, to be the most hilarious 13-year old girl ever? Should I be worried for my mental state of health that I sided with a group of hillbilly hicks who sleep with their cousins over the wee Irish-sounding folk of Overlook? Probably. But with as much fun as I have with 2K’s latest outing in Borderlands 2, I don’t think I give much of a damn. Read on for whether this wins it a great score.

The four hunters are hulked up versions of the first game’s own four heroes. Each comes with their own unique skill – Salvador the gunzerker flips out two guns and goes akimbo, eventually able to dual wield even rocket launchers. Axton deploys a portable turret that dishes out damage while also buffing allies within its reach. Maya’s phaselock ability stops one enemy dead in its tracks for allies to either blast away at or slow down while dealing with others. And finally Zer0’s deception skill stealth’s him and powers up his next attack.

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September 27th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

with the Italian artist behind lifestyle brand tokidoki to see what he has to say to his fans this year! Having been a regular guest at STGCC since the very first time the event was held here, we asked Simone just what it was that kept him coming back to our little island and found out, to our pleasant surprise, that it was not out of obligation that he returned annually; in fact, he enjoys STGCC immensely, and tells us how amazing it is that everyone is so enthusiastic. The artist also revealed that he loves coming to Singapore to shop, as well as to meet new people! If there’s a problem, it’s that the guns guns guns mantra may have been taken a bit too far. Eventually players will find several amazing weapons to hang on to, and then it becomes a case of popping open chests in the vain hope that something new and even more amazing shows up. It doesn’t help that while it is easy to compare weapons side by side, everything boils down to comparing arrows. So a new shotgun I picked up does less damage and shoots fewer pellets, but it has greater accuracy and a faster reload speed. Or this one might do equal damage, but has a spread that makes even Moxxi’s loose reputation seem positively saintly in comparison. After a while, it gets tiring staring at green and red arrows, and loot is going to be left rotting on the floor.

Borderlands 2 is a winner. The humor keeps coming fast and furious, loot is plentiful, and the raid bosses are an amazing idea for co-op Vault Hunters. While the main game might be over quickly, there’s no doubt that it is fun as hell while the ride lasts. Read up our full review here!

STGCC Interview Exclusive: Simone Legno Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/stgcc-interview-exclusive-simonelegno/ By Rika on September 27th, 2012

For Simone, inspiration can come from anything at all. He tells us that his idea for Sandy and the rest of her pals from the series Cactus Friends, for instance, came to him from the time he had spent near a desert. The craziest type of character he has created thus far is a monster-type, bound for a commercial that he can’t yet reveal to us. The illustrator added that, for some reason, he is especially fond of to mixing violent and cute themes together. Character ideas can also be based on things that he really likes. The Royal Pride series, Simone tells us, was influenced by underground punk rock and fast cars. He does have much more up his sleeve, however! When we asked if he could share with us the secret to churning out character after lovable character for tokidoki, Simone only could tell us that it all came from his own ‘secret stash’. Guess we’ll have to wait to see what he’ll surprise us with next! Simone does not only stop there as he too thought of creating video game base on the character Sandy from the Cactus Friends series. Perhaps a plot base type he told us with all smiles and enthusiasm, but sadly due to the many project at hand, it would still be in the thought process until further notice. As it is still too early to say for Simone Legno on what new products that we could expect from tokidoki, he told us that they are but a small company who are too busy and already with many projects on hand that. Aside from that they are expecting something big from what we have found out, though it is still under confidential, that much we found out. Simone however would love to collaborate with Star Wars being that it is one of his all time favorite and having work with other productions like Marvel and Street Fighter in 2010. Also if you are wondering about possible collaborations that he is interested in from the J-Culture side, he told us that if given a chance, he would like to try working on tokidoki x Japanese robots style or even something smaller out of from.

Known for his quirky, playful character designs, Simone Legno is a familiar name to returning visitors. We sit down

His wish though that in 5 years time, he hoped that tokidoki would be in the other countries around the World.

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September 27th, 2012

TGS 2012 – DmC: Devil may Cry game play impressions

Published by: VR-Zone

simplicity of the moves now gives players slightly more game variation in terms of moves, especially air combos with the Devil/Angel Pull functions.

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/tgs-2012-dmc-devil-may-cry-gameplay-impressions/ By sentinel011 on September 27th, 2012

With Capcom remaking its Devil May Cry franchise, it makes fans wonder if appealing to girl gamers by making the male leads look like Robert Pattinson from Twilight. However, can the game play save Ninja Theory’s DmC and its stigma and please the fans? We let our hands-on experience will decide.

While ultimately we are fairly satisfied with the new DmC, we did not play enough to understand most of the story, to understand why Dante’s hair was black initially, not to mention he now looks like a teenager overdosing on drugs. Alas, we shall wait for the full game to be released for the consoles on January 15, 2013 for the PS3 and XBOX360.

The long going Devil May Cry franchise began early since Playstation 2′s launch, with the entire concept of this awesome demon hunter who has a dark history of his own. Much have since passed, with some hits (Devil May Cry 3) and misses (cue Devil May Cry 2). First impressions of the character designs already put most fans off. But after since a game play trailer revealed at past game conventions, a couple of fans are willing to give it another chance.

TGS 2012 – Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance tested and impressions

DmC: Devil may Cry is an alternate reality where Dante look like he is still right smack in high school, despite being 20. Dante’s signature white hair replaced by dark coff of short black hair, still wields a sword and 2 guns. However, certain game play changes have been made, and while we found the moves familiar, the method to pull off these moves aren’t.

The first playable demo for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance takes place in this year’s Tokyo Game Show. We often hear that Metal Gear Rising isn’t canon just because it lacks the sneaky approach all other previous Metal Gear games are. How does it fare on our demo test?

Jumping is still X button, as with shooting with the Square button. Triangle buttons are your standard attacks, while the Circle button allows you to do alternate melee attacks. L2 initiates Angel mode, and depending on which button you press you can fire out a chain to pull yourself towards your enemy or do some enemy crowd control with a large blue scythe. The Devil mode allows you to do powerful melee attacks that break through shields with its gigantic red axe and pulls your enemies toward you. Dodging is different now; you press L1 or R1 to dodge either left or right. Gone are the days where you have to hold L1, X button and your left analog stick to roll side to side. While it might seem easier on paper, implementing this system for seasoned DMC players will prove quite a bit of challenge. The

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/tgs-2012-metal-gear-risingrevengeance-tested-and-impressions/ By sentinel011 on September 27th, 2012

We found this experience to be irrelevant, as what we feel brings the best Metal Gear experience would be its storytelling and the way the cut scenes are portrayed – flashy and awesome, yet down to earth (to a certain extent). However, since Metal Gear Solid 2, I’ve been wondering on how wonderful if Raiden could have a hack-and-slash game, as the typical espionage game prevents him from dishing out his flashy swordsman moves we all see in numerous cut scenes.

Enough about that, let’s now focus on the game itself. As mentioned, this isn’t the typical espionage game that the Metal Gear Solid franchise is known for. Metal Gear Rising is a third person hack-and-slash game, much like Platinum Games own Bayonetta.

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Gameplay is tight, fluid, and looks pretty darn awesome in our demo. Despite the lack of anti-aliasing most PC gamers are used to nowadays, Metal Gear Rising still looks very good. Environments are detailed, and everything still looks and feels like a standard Metal Gear game.

Published by: VR-Zone

All in all, we feel that this 15 minute demo shed light on how great this game is turning out to be. Purists of the Metal Gear Solid series should stick to the espionage type of games, if they feel so compelled to give this particular game a miss. But however, we feel that many Metal Gear fans who simply want to enjoy game franchise’ greatness for what it is, that is its story and art direction, we feel that they will not be disappointed. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance will be out in stores for its US release on February 19, 2013 for the PS3.

STGCC Interview Exclusive: Jason Paz Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/stgcc-interview-exclusive-jason-paz/ By Rika on September 27th, 2012

The game’s pretty straightforward, with Square and Triangle buttons as standard slashing moves, X to jump, and R1 to dash. Of course, there is the ‘Free Cutting’ mode where you can time your slashes with a press of your button. Holding L1 allows you to go onto the mode, and flicking your right analog stick will have your sword cut towards that direction. For example, you hold the right analog stick up, and then let it go in a swift motion much like flicking your finger downwards on your smartphone; your sword will cut downwards. It takes quite a bit of practice to get it right, though. There can be no dodge. Offense is the best defense! Blocking or parrying is another skill you need to master. By pressing the direction of your opponent’s attack on your left analog stick and Square at the same time, you can effectively parry most attacks. You can only block, not parry, attacks like those from Gekkos. We feel that the Boss fight with LQ-84i, the robotic dog with an optical neuro AI is best played by parrying its attacks when it rushes you with a Hyper Mode charge attack, as it gives you more chances to inflict damage onto it. The chainsaw fitted onto its back can be attached to its tail when it’s not doing its charge attack. It is able to do sweep and hack attacks at you.

We noticed there are different bars for you to equip certain items such as grenades, as shown in the demo. Items can be obtained by hitting specific types of boxes throughout the game. To equip an item, press the Select button and go to the tab that enables you to highlight the item you have just obtained. To use the grenade, we have to press L2 to ready the grenade and R1 to release it. There’s a guided trajectory showing you where it will land. We believe that there are more items where you can equip to give Raiden various power ups and boosts, perhaps greater agility, speed armor or damage?

We were given the opportunity on Saturday to be able to interview Jason Paz, a new addition to Marvel’s stable of remarkable talent. A man filled with passion for illustrative art, Jason was more than willing to share with us his feelings, inspiration and influences. Still in the last year of his contract with Marvel, the artist is ever eager to absorb and learn as much as he can. His early exposure to the public came in the form of art competitions where his talent first gained recognition, and subsequently Jason joined comic studio giant Marvel as an inker. Jason told us his greatest influence is Carlo Pagulayan, a fellow artist who Jason frequently works with, and his idol is none other than Bryan Hitch of The Ultimates fame, with whom he had the honor of working with, alongside other artists like Stephane Roux. His working experience, Jason said, has been nothing but awesome thus far, and one day he hopes for more opportunities to work with more artists, especially those from DC.

While he was in Singapore, we asked Jason about his impression of the AMC drama series, “The Walking Dead”, Frank Darabont’s television adaptation of the comic series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. He found it was much more realistic than what readers of the comics would be familiar with, and the producer had given an added depth to the characters and overall story that was not found in the original series. 10


September 27th, 2012

When asked his impression of the artists who had gathered at the event, Jason exclaimed that there is an amazingly wide pool of talent to be found here!

STGCC Interview Exclusive: Stephen Segovia Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/stgcc-interview-exclusive-stephensegovia/ By Rika on September 27th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

always been a point of fascination and deep interest for him. We wish him the best of luck in his work!

K-On After-School Tea-time Vehicle Navigation System Announced Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/k-on-after-school-tea-time-vehiclenavigation-system-announced/ By shia on September 27th, 2012

It Media has just announced that RWC will be collaborating with K-on to present the K-on! After School Tea-Time Navigation System.

We spoke with Stephen Segovia, an up-and-coming Filipino artist under an exclusive contract to Marvel, whose talent has graced the covers of “Dark Wolverine Vol. 1, #77”, “Iron Man Thor Vol. 2, #2”, and “Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk”. When asked when exactly it was that he realized he had finally made an achievement, Stephen told us it was during the two months’ break after “Thor: The Deviant Saga”. Later, when he was asked to work on “Xtreme X-men”, that he finally felt that he was important and he felt really fortunate to receive the job. If given the choice between DC and Marvel, the former has Stephen’s vote. His favorite characters in the DC universe are none other than the Batman and Nightwing, his reason being that he feels they are more realistic and easier to relate to, relying on their own skills as well as a variety of ingenious inventions to aid them instead of superhuman powers.

Stephen finds the arts scene here in Singapore to be extremely vibrant, brimming with the talents of so many artists of all kinds, from graffiti to fine art, and the illustrator jokingly told us he wished to be reincarnated as a Singaporean in his next lifetime so he could experience what it is like here. He also said it was an enjoyable time seeing visitors cosplay at the event even though it is not explicitly stated to be part of the program, and was very impressed by the hard work and attention to detail put into their outfits. The cosplay community, he observed, is continuously growing here, just like the comic scene.

The Navigation system will guide users via the voices of 5 K-On members, Yui, Mio, Ritsu, Mugi and Azusa. The 5 girls will also talk amongst themselves occasionally as the driver drives. An example of the voice is shown the picture below(with translations).

Character Azusa : Please drive safely Character + K-On Members Azusa : We have reached the destination. Thank you for the hard work(In driving). Yui : Thank you for the hard work. Azu-nyan worked hard too. Azusa : Th-Thank you very much.

As the user drives more , he/she will unlock more new icons and memorial album pictures.

As his work has primarily focused on existing characters thus far, we asked him if he had any ideas for an original creation. Stephen told us he wished to create a character based on the samurai if given the chance, as the Japanese culture has 11


September 27th, 2012

The device is detachable and comes with it’s own specially crafted case, along with a stylus that shaped in the neck of Yui’s Guitar. This fits snugly into a carrying pouch that looks like the Sakura High school schoolbag that the girls tote around.

Published by: VR-Zone

K-on! After School Tea-Time Navigation System is on sale now online at the Princely Sum of 39,800 Yen at the following address. Source : ITMedia , OHP , Manufacturer OHP

“Puchimas – Petit Idolm@ster -” comic to receive anime adaptaion Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/09/puchimas-petit-idolmster-comic-toreceive-anime-adaptaion/ By KarbyP on September 27th, 2012

K-on! After School Tea-Time Navigation System comes with : • The navigation device • Original crafted clear case, • A stylus shaped as the neck of Yui’s guitar • Sakura High School Carrying Case • AC Adapter • Cigar DC Adapter • USB Cable • Suction Cup stand

It’s not quite the second season of Idolm@ster anime that some fans had hoped for, but in many ways this is even better. Yesterday at TGS Yozo Sakagami, producer-in-chief for the entire Idolm@ster series, announced that Dengeki Maoh’s Im@s spin-off comic, Puchimas, would be adapted into an anime series. The four-panel comic series by manga artist Akane is about “puchi-idols” – cuddly caricatures of the main Idolm@ster cast – who are kept as pets by various members of the 765 Productions office. Voice actresses or seiyuus for the ensemble cast will voice not only their original characters, but also their respective puchi-idols. For instance, Asami Imai will voice both Chihaya and the puchi-idol Chihya.

• Quick reference guide • Decoration Stickers

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September 27th, 2012

Published by: VR-Zone

Puchimas’s OP, which you heard in the trailer above, is entitled La La La Wonderland, and it will be released as a CD single on November 28. No date has been given for the anime series itself, but more details on it will be published in the next issue of Dengeki Maoh this month. Outside of the Puchimas news, Sakagami also lifted the veil on a slew of Idolmaster announcements. As the stage event was themed after the fictional Namassuka Sunday TV programme as seen in the Idolm@ster anime series, there were a few other activities as well, including a Hibiki Challenge and, of course, live performances from the personalities in attendence: Manami Numakura (Hibiki), Asami Imai (Chihaya), Yumi Hara (Takane). A full report on the Namassuka Sunday stage event will come soon on SGCafe, so stay tuned for more.

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