Monthly Archives: April 2013

The Wired Fish Podcast S4 – Episode 6

Ahoy Fellow Fishes to another Wired Fish Podcast! In this episode, look back on the Skullgirls Indiegogo campaign and get hyped up for its success. Not only did Skullgirls meet many of its goals, it also meant that Mane6, the developers of the C&D’ed Fighting is Magic, get to use the Skullgirls engine for their new fighting game. After that, we delve into the small, niche, and indie gaming scene and wonder how these guys are doing so well compared to the AAA scene.

Timestamp of contents after the break.

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Newsbreak: Arkham Origins Announced, Hachi Prepares to Become The Night…Again.

Find out the REAL story behind Big Boss and the founding of...whoa, wait, wrong series...

Find out the REAL story behind Big Boss and the founding of…whoa, wait, wrong series…

Source: IGN

In a move that will surprise no one with a basic knowledge of series-milking, Warner Bros. announced the development of Arkham Origins, the latest in the critically and fanbase beloved “Arkham” series of Batman videogames. Precious little information is available at the moment, other than the fact that it will take place before either of the other games, starring a younger, more inexperienced Batman just arrived in the city and on the lookout for love and meaning in his life after the accident.

I may be lying about that last part, but it is totally a prequel.

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Art Blogger Breaks Down Dragon’s Crown’s Various Influences

Dragon's Crown royalty

The moment we laid eyes on Vanillaware’s upcoming Dragon’s Crown, we were absolutely floored by how beautifully detailed and stunningly animated the game was. Once again, Vanillaware’s expertise with 2D animation would be on full display, and this time in HD. With each trailer I posted here, I described to the best of my knowledge what I was seeing. And by best I meant “one the surface, what am I looking at.” However one art blogger, Richmond, took it one step further to analyze the various influences Dragon’s Crown had on display.

For his analysis, he watched the most recent trailer for the game (which now has an English version) Just to summarize a few of the many things he covers, much of what influences Dragon’s crown comes from Disney Cartoons, Greek mythology, sculpture, and architecture, Judeo-Christian motifs, Renaissance paintings, classic films, and Conan The Barbarian. He even analyzes things many might overlook, like an emblem on a knight, the parchment around the sword that’s stabbing a ghost knight, and even that other buxom sorceress. If you’re an art nut and/or wondering what makes this game tick, go on and read Richmond’s article over at Art-Eater. He’s also got something for you fighting game fans out there.

From Mickey Mouse to Jesus, This Dragon’s Crown Trailer is Full of Epic Homages [Art-Eater]

Newsbreak: Dynasty Warriors 8 Confirmed For International Release, Hachi Starts Counting Seconds

Ooooh, my "Flaming Chinese Man" collectible is coming in the mail!

Ooooh, my “Flaming Chinese Man” collectible is coming in the mail!

Source: Koei Warriors

In the most exciting news I’ve heard since sliced bread was used to power that Haitian dirigible (oh, you didn’t hear? Pay attention…), a producer over at Koei made it officially known that Dynasty Warriors 8 (known as Shin Sangoku Musou 7 in Japan, because of…reasons that would take a bit of doing to explain) will be releasing here in the US and in Europe. And it’s sooner than I anticipated, coming to us on July 16th. Continue reading

Hachimuse: Remembering Roger Ebert

A life worth giving a thumbs-up to.

A life worth giving a thumbs-up to.

 “So on this day of reflection I say again, thank you for going on this journey with me. I’ll see you at the movies.”

-Roger Ebert, on his last post on his website, April 2nd, 2013

Roger Ebert, one of the men most responsible for the modern age of media review, passed away April 4th at the age of 70 after a long, hard-fought battle with Thyroid cancer. His death leaves a gaping hole in the world of reviewing of any kind, and he will be missed terribly. Continue reading

The Wired Fish Podcast S4 – Episode 5 (2 Parts)

We’ve got two things to talk about today, and the first one is very serious. It was speculated (then revealed after recording) that the shooter at Sandy Hook, Adam Lanza, used first-person shooters like Call of Duty to train himself how to use a gun. Then again, the guy had a huge cache of guns in his basement and was quite nutso. Still, that didn’t stop the press from latching on to the videogame violence headline. This is what we’re here to talk about.

After that, talked bout PAX East game reveals. One of the biggest reveals was DuckTales Remastered. WayForward’s handling development, which makes us all the more giddy. What else at PAX East filled us with this kind of excitement? Well, you’ll have to load up part 2 after the break!

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Shin Megami Tensei IV Coming To The U.S., Aiming For July 16th

MegaTen4 US Release

Told ya there was nothing to worry about. Atlus has confirmed that Shin Megami Tensei IV will be crossing the pacific and hitting our shore this summer. As a matter of fact, it’ll be coming much earlier in summer than expected as many stores are pegging July 16th as the release date. If that’s the case, then damn Atlus isn’t playing with the localization then. Japan’s getting MegaTen IV in May, and we only have to wait two months for it. Other times, we’d be living Loading Bars, waiting for our turn to play the game while Japan already gets its fill.

SMTIVWith this, Project X Zone, Etrian Odyssey IV, Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, and Devil Survivor 2: Break Record (yeah, that’s happening), the 3DS is shaping up to be a JRPG powerhouse. I wonder if the U.S. will get that sweet 3DS XL bundle. I know we’re getting the same boxart though. In a surprise twist, the western design of the title will keep its original 真・女神転生 in the title, with the familiar “Shin Megami Tensei” at the top. Usually Atlus completely removes that in favor of the western logo. That string of kanji (which just says Shin Megami Tensei) kinda become symbolic of the mainline series’ return, and many fans, both Japanese and western (including I), have taken a liking to it. Eh, then again, they kept it with Nocturne, a mainline entry in the series — albeit with much more downplayed kanji characters.

Okay I’ll shut up now. My inner graphic designer would stay here talking all night.

Shin Megami Tensei IV Coming To North America This Summer [Siliconera]
Shin Megami Tensei IV U.S. Website

The MoMA Needs To Step-Up Their Game In uh… Games

Image

To spoil an art exhibit about videogames, you will need: 

  • 1 Tbs apathy
  • 14 Videogames 
  • 14 Misleading gallery labels 
  • 13 Generic controllers, damaged

Take the fourteen videogames, and place them against a black backdrop of minimalist design. Condense titles that are too large for a quick play through, into videogame trailers and pair them with screenshots so visitors know why these games are important. Next, connect generic controllers to the computers running emulation software to negate any Continue reading

[April Fools] Nintendo And Hasbro Announce Kirby X My Little Pony

Kirby X My Little Pony (1.1)

If you thought Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem was a weird crossover, then get a load of this. With the premier of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic in Japan close as hand, Nintendo and Hasbro announced that they’ll be partnering up to create a crossover game, tentatively titled Kirby X My Little Pony. While development is still in its early stages, Nintendo was willing to share some info regarding how the story will pan out and how the game will play.

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