ICO – My Short Excursion For A Mace…

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… Ends in failure. I was playing ICO (from the ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection) At the room with the lever and pipes at the top (a little bit after the waterfall), there is a secret room where you can play a game of basketball. Already miffed that I died in the room with the pipes (I slipped off), I had to go and do all the crap that was needed to be done again. So, my sis with the walkthrough still open tell me that I have to hit a tree to get a rock down. So, I bring the rock to the secret room to play basketball. It’s pretty hard to get the rock in there as Ico has some odd strength throwing the rock (but struggles holding on to it). After a few more attempts, the rock does a strange physics hiccup and… this happens! I tried jumping and swinging, hitting the tree that had the rock (there was only one), going far enough and coming back, and nothing. It just stayed perched there like an owl hooting at my misfortune.

Maybe if I fully left the area and returned it might’ve gone back to the tree where I found it. But alas, I didn’t frickin’ feel like it! So to the rock I have this to say: Dumb rock!

Thanks to my sis for taking the picture.

Code Geass: Boukoku no Akito promotional video released, Japanese screening set for this summer

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Three and a half years ago I watched the conclusion to the second season of Code Geass. I lamented over the fact that it had ended, but enjoyed my time with the series and still hold it in high regard. Luckily, for fans such as myself, it seems like we have some more Code Geass to look forward to. A promotional video for the long since rumored spin-off has finally been released and can be seen below.


Code Geass: Boukoku no Akito, roughly translated to “Akito the Exiled”, is a side story taking place around the same time as season one of the original. This time the setting is in Europe, but Britannia’s steel grip over power is still being felt. Europe and it’s allied nations are in the midst of defending themselves from Britannia’s invasion and the story’s focus will be on a special division of the army, consisting of young soldiers and their Knightmare Frames, as they fight to keep their country’s freedom.

There’s no confirmation yet as to whether the animation will be a full TV series or an OVA. Either way, I’m all for revisiting the world of Code Geass, especially if it can keep me as enthralled as I was in the original. Though I have to admit, I was a bit taken aback by the sudden saxophone when the video started. Judging from the video alone it seems like it may be trying to distinguish itself from its predecessor. Regardless, we’ll have to wait a few more months to find out more. Code Geass: Boukoku no Akito will be screened in theaters this summer in Japan.

Via: Random Curiosity

Retro Weekends – Sonic The Hedgehog

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In the 80s, Mario was not only the mascot of Nintendo, he was the mascot of an entire medium. Unlike the Pong Paddles, the triangle in space, and whatever the hell Pac-Man was supposed to be, Mario was just a regular man in some strange adventures. He was a recognizable face, and his games revolutionized the industry. SEGA was looking to cash-in and make a name for themselves with their own mascot. The 8-bit era produced nothing major, but that all changed during the 16-bit era. This weekend, we look back at Sonic’s debut in his self-titled game, Sonic the Hedgehog.

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Check out the opening to Heroes Phantasia, Namco Bandai’s anime crossover RPG

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Heroes Phantasia, what I had though to be a new Tales game upon first hearing the name, is a crossover RPG for the PSP featuring characters from several different anime such as Slayers, Mai-HiME, Blood+, Darker Than Black, and more. You can look at the game’s introduction video below, which contains animation done by Bones, Production I.G, Sunrise, and J.C., and see which series you recognize.


Still, I can’t believe I haven’t heard of this game until today! Due to all the copyrights involved, I doubt a stateside release would have a high chance of occuring, but I can still hope. I really enjoyed Mai-HiME and have fond memories of watching it with a couple of my anime-loving friends, so getting an RPG with characters from that, as well as Slayers and the like, would be pretty awesome. Heroes Phantasia is set to be released on January 19th in Japan.

Via: Crunchyroll

Sumioni, Where Okami Meets Muramasa [UPDATE]

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The other day when I was lurking around, I noticed a certain blog talking about another Vita game coming out. I saw the image of the princess that they posted, and I thought “Huh, this kinda looks like Okami, but with a little bit of Muramasa thrown in.” So I investigated what Sumioni was. I came away very impressed with what I saw. If you look at the trailer above, you’ll see that not only does it resemble Okami with the visuals, but it too has a “Celestial Brush”- like mechanic. But like Muramasa, combat is fast paced and is done in 2D. What I really like is how you’re actually writing out the Kanji characters for certain techniques, unlike the abstract shapes and lines like you did in Okami. Being done by Acquire, Sumioni is slated for release on the Playstation Vita sometime in 2012. No release date is set for NA, but it looks likely according to the developer. Nevermind. Sony has just confirmed it is coming to the US. I switched the above video for the NA version. Original trailer here.

The PS Vita’s Best-Looking Game Gets a New Heroine, Multiple Endings [Kotaku]

A Week With Katawa Shoujo (NSFW?)

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A few months ago, one of the news sites I visit regularly posted an article up about a dating sim starring disabled girls.  It sounded cool for the novelty, so I loaded up the trailer.

It was looking alright until the part where they show the girl with half her body burnt give off that smile.  If that’s not a tug at the heart, I dunno what is, so I put the game on my radar.  Soon enough it was finally released with the asking price of zero dollars — I couldn’t go wrong!  I gave it a hasty download.

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Gamer Review: Shinobi (PS2)

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Hotsuma is going to show the moon what happens when planetary bodies get mouthy him...

Games are meant to fulfill a variety of “enjoyment types”, so to speak. Some of them are meant to evoke strong feelings of relation to the characters that populate its world, like JRPGs. Others are meant to simply pull feelings of joy and happiness from you (*coughKatamariDamacycough*). And still others are meant to inspire a mad devotion to learning the intricacies of a complex, involved system of gameplay styles.

There are literally dozens of others I can think of right now, but the subject of this review caters to one very specific aspect of the gamer psyche: the thirst for a challenge. Any game worth its salt is going to involve a modicum of difficulty in its structure. Be they through difficult puzzles, tough enemies, difficult bosses or even a world that requires more thought than just “You are here. Go over there”, games present us with obstacles to overcome to add that necessary sense of satisfaction.

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Late to the Party Reviews : Super Mario 3D Land

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I was going to join this party a little later on down the road, but something interesting happened while filming our upcoming podcast for The Wired Fish.  While discussing our biggest disappointments of 2011 (spoiler), Hachi called out Super Mario 3D land as his disappointment.  Not that it was a bad game, but rather that it felt like it was missing something.  From what I experienced playing the demo at Comic Con, I loved it, and in the back of my mind was hoping that his claims were full of shit, and that maybe he doesn’t know how to handle the 3DS nub properly, so I could laughingly say “You’re playing the game wrong”.  That same night, I decided to debunk his claim one level at a time…

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The Wired Fish Podcast Season 2 – Episode 1

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Ahoy Fellow Fishes! Here arrives the glorious return of The Wired Fish Podcast. Quite a few things have happened since our Summer recordings and it’s time to talk about some of them. First up is the fan backlash that occured with Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Next is some quickshots on The Last Of Us, Xenoblade, Fire Emblem 3DS, and Pokemon + Nobunaga’s Ambition. After that is the scandal surrounding Ocean Marketing and Paul Christoforo. And finally Christmas gifts The Captains received. Sit back and enjoy the show.

Sites mentioned for Ocean Marketing.

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/paul-christoforo-ocean-marketing-emails

http://penny-arcade.com/resources/just-wow1.html

[UPDATE] Paul Christoforo still hasn’t learned his lesson.

Episode Table of Contents after the break.

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Recent Release Review : Sonic CD (PS3/XBLA)

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I was debating whether to call this a current game review or a “Late to the Party” Review, where I plan to discuss older games that fall beyond a certain cutoff point, but enough changes were made to this version to call it an entirely new release.

When I was a kid, I remember getting a Sega CD when it launched — the piece of shit hardly worked when mounted to my Genesis, and even though I wanted to get into Sonic CD, faulty hardware and my lack of mechanical expertise (I was like 5 when it came out) meant that there was only one or two occasions where the system actually worked for me.  I tried a second time when that Sonic collection for the Gamecube came out, but I couldn’t get into it.  Now that all of my good games this holiday season are behind wrapping paper, I needed something short and sweet to play before Christmas flooded me with games, and look at what came out — a Re-Release of Sonic CD with some new bells and whistles.

Finally, I beat the game, muliple times : once for the normal gameplay experience, once with Tails who is a new addition to the game, then I went through every stage and boss through Time Attack mode, and finally a proper run through the game for the good ending, I chose to do it by altering the past instead of gathering those damn time stones. Continue reading →

Capcom Supports SOPA, Then Doesn’t, Blames “Bad Journalism”

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Lately, what else is there to say about Capcom. I mean, they cancel Megaman Legends 3, make UMvC3, then make a really crappy Megaman X port for the iPhone, they piss off the king of Spain, and now… they support SOPA. That is until later on the week when Capcom stated that they kinda don’t. Earlier, a spokeswoman for Capcom USA emailed Digital Trends stating that the ESA, a lobby group made of of big name videogame companies, “represents us on these matters.” Thing is, the ESA (the Entertainment Software Association) supports SOPA. Therefore Capcom supports SOPA. Other companies, like Epic Games, do not support SOPA. Other ESA members have stated that they do not support it. With Capcom hiding behind the lobby group, then we can come to an understanding that they are for SOPA.

Then Christian Svensson comes out and says that they never said they supported it. He states, “We’ve only ever stated that the ESA represents us in legislative matters (again, like every other publisher). We have not stated any stance on our support (or not) for SOPA. Inferring more than that is bad journalism.” How dare he. Listen Mr. Svensson, this was not bad journalism. They had a right to say what they said. Being coy about it only means that you probably do support it. At least have the balls to say that you do or you don’t and not hide behind the blanket of the ESA. SOPA is a serious issue, and being cute about and teasing is not going to win you any fans (or get back any for that matter).

Capcom Says It Never Said It Supported SOPA, Won’t Say It Doesn’t Support SOPA, Either [Kotaku]

Retro Weekends – The Super Scope

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Before digital dismembered hands held guns aimed at cacodemons, we held the guns ourselves and aimed them at our screens. Well… fake guns anyway. The Zapper for the NES was a neat little novelty that came with the NES. The novelty did fade though, and Zapper support soon faded away. Games like Operation Wolf and The Adventures of Bayou Billy would have support, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Zapper alive. But with the SNES, Nintendo sought to make a peripheral better than the Zapper. It would be bigger, use an IR sensor in conjunction with cathode rays, and best of all, it was wireless. Ladies and gentlemen, the Super Scope after the jump.

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Anime Theater: ShootFighter Tekken

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Oh! It's a Super Saiyan Ghetto-Retard!

I want you to remember a time that you watched a really funny internet video. You saw it, and you said to yourself “Wow, this is hilarious! I have to show my friends!”. And so you posted it on your facebook, or showed it at a group hangout. Sure, it was stupid and devoid of any real meaning, but everyone laughed and had a good time, and it was quickly forgotten. If the mood strikes you, a long time later on you might still reference said video with a knowing wink and a smile, and a few people will chuckle and move on with their lives. And you will too.

This is kind of what Shootfighter Tekken is in a nutshell. A three episode OVA utterly devoid of any real intellectual or emotional depth, but still a ton of fun to watch while it lasts. Is it one of the greats, destined to stand with the great artworks of anime? No. But I deny you to not have a blast while watching this gaudy, ridiculous, and awesome little gem.

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Retro Weekends – Blasto

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Happy New Year first of all.

Now then, on Christmas Eve morning, we took a look back on the PS1 and my experience getting and owning a PS1. I longed for an N64 for a very long time after playing a lot of it at my cousins’ house. Then come Christmas of 98 I had received a Playstation. You can go to that article to see how I reacted. I briefly mentioned that my first game for it was Blasto. Well, that’s the game we’ll be talking about on this weekend of yet another eve, New Year’s Eve.

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Retro Weekends – The Playstation

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Merry Christmas fellow fishes! Today’s Christmas Eve, and today’s probably a very important day for you. You got gifts to get (slowpoke), people to see, things to prepare in the house, stuff to cook… well you get the idea. So I thought it’d be best to make this weekend’s Retro Weekend extra early and put it up at 7:00AM. I’m sure you got time to spare for this article. Last week I said that we’d come right back here and talk about something that changed my gaming habits. Well, if you look at the header image up there, then you know exactly what I’m going to talk about. Hit the jump to read about my history with the original Playstation. Continue reading →