Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax-Three Support Characters Added

Well it's not exactly new characters to play with, but we are getting three new support characters for the game. Though there's already twenty for the game and only twelve playable characters so far... It seems a little bit weird but I won't complain as I do like the characters that are coming.

I am glad that Toaru and DRRR are getting more supports as they are two very beloved franchises, especially the Toaru series since Railgun and Index are currently still going and DRRR just finished this year and will be having another series set a few years in the future.

Accelerator from Toaru Majutsu no Index

Gotta say I super love Accelerator, and I am more surprised that Sega and Dengeki Bunko chose this version of Accelerator but then I remember... Black angel wings and how badass Accelerator got even more so now that he's kind of mellowed out and has stopped being a jerk.

Dokuro-chan from Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan

Dokuro-chan does look cute, and the fact that she's a bludgeoning angel just makes her perfect for a fighting game. If you've never heard of Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan go ahead and read the wiki on it, the premise for the the light novel and series is quite ridiculous, but I don't want to talk about it. I just want you to go read it and shake your head about its absurdity.

Orihara Izaya from Durarara

And then the person everyone seems to want, Orihara Izaya. And Sega/Dengeki Bunko know that they are popular, especially together as they showed in the new added part in the trailer a little section of them talking and Izaya asking if "Shizu-chan would like some help" to the answer of getting kicked and quickly moving out of the way.

I hope though, that we'll actually get an announcement for some playable characters, but I do enjoy the new assists as I love Accelerator and will actually probably use him along with Boogiepop as my assists.

Game launches in November for both the PS Vita and the PS3. No announcement or plans for a US/international version, but there is a lot of extra content including parts of the novel. But there is a story mode that could be translated.

Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler-Ciel Phantomhive Scale Figure Impressions

Kotobukiya came out with another preorder for their ARTFX-J line and I was a bit surprised by it to be honest. A Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler figure wasn't something I would have thought would be done. But I guess the success of the Book of Circus arc and going back to the manga series for a reboot shows that it's a good idea for marketing and fans. But I am surprised that Kotobukiya would release Ciel first before any other character, since it seems Sebastian has already been prototyped out. But I'm not going to complain as I do love Ciel as a character.

Up close Ciel's face looks so lovely and the detail in the eye is so amazing. I like how they made the clothing rather simple in color but yet those slight details in the clothing and accessories make the figure just pop even more. But more than anything else the base is something else, just amazing.

Chess tends to be a reoccurring theme in the manga series as it constantly alludes to many other things (though they don't play chess all that much). But the base for Ciel is simply gorgeous. The finer details just make the base simply breathtaking. 

The Ciel figure itself is 1/8 scale and is 11,000yen roughly (depending on where you order it) and is being released in March 2015 if the manufacturing isn't pushed back.

Expect to see a full review of the figure once I get it in my hands. Because I am super excited for it already.

Professor Layton VS Ace Attorney:Review and my feelings about this crossover

Well it took the US and its territories long enough, but we got it. We finally got Professor Layton VS Ace Attorney.These are two very different franchises, but yet come together for one game, and I will say the game on its own is pretty good for what it is. There have been many complaints that the game is so easy but you have to realize that the game was meant to breathe new life into both series. So if you've played only one series or the other, it's meant to make you see the other side and make you want to play the other... And for me, it certainly did that.

 I've been playing Phoenix Wright games since the first one came out, it was the one game I wanted for my 3DS and I was happy to play it. The story was so fun. And the Japanese best version of the game; Gyakuten Saiban, well it came with not only the Japanese version but the English as well. So when a new game came out with my favorite defense attorney, I went to get it as soon as I could.

U.S. Cover of the game featuring the main four heroes

 I am trying to keep this review spoiler free so I'm sorry if there are things in here that you didn't want to read, since I tried to keep it to the content and want you to experience the game itself.

So as it comes to reviews, I will be reviewing it based on these criteria in order:
-Story and setting
-Characters
-Voices/Music
-Gameplay
-Cohesiveness

Story and Setting
The story itself starts off in London, England featuring Professor Layton and his assistant, Luke recieving a request from a previous student of the Professor. While at the same time Phoenix and Maya are going to a conference in England. In a weird twist of fate both groups of people then get thrown into Labyrinthia, the city of walls.

Concept Art for the game

In Labyrinthia everything is decided and foretold by the Storyteller, and what he writes is an absolute to the point where if he goes out into the street people create parades for him, and revere him; for his power is absolute.

But where you play a part in it; well it depends on who you are currently playing as. If you're playing as Layton and Luke, your main point is to figure out the secrets of Labyrinthia and what lies beyond the veil that control the regular people whose days go by in relative peace.

As for Wright, he does what he does best, and that is pull miracles in the courtroom. Since the trails that happen in Labyrinthia are witch trials, Wright has to learn the new ins and outs of the courtroom including a new mob mechanic.

The story that happens within Labyrinthia itself is brimmed with an intriguing storyline, but the problem with it is its pacing, especially towards the end of the game itself.

Characters
Layton, Luke, Phoenix and Maya are all developed quite nicely and interact great. Personally I love how Luke and Maya interact together the most, mainly because both characters have somewhat child-like whimsy around both of them. Though all four main characters act like how you think they would be. But it isn't just about them but the characters that surround them.

The citizens of Labyrinthia all have unique personalities and likes. Labrythinthia's citizens are all about puzzles though, so a lot of your interactions will contain puzzles with them. But when you're in court, this is when character development shines the most. Most characters seem one dimensional, but during the witch trials, these seemingly one dimension characters aren't so one dimensional anymore.

Though I felt the greatest love for your opponent, who for the most part in the trials is Inquisitor Barnham.

Inquisitor Barnham's first appearance in court

Inquisitor Barnham's a knight, but at the same time, he is beloved by the citizens for his personality though he may seem like a bad guy at first glance, you realize through court cases that, well that isn't the case with him. As he only desires one thing; truth. At first Phoenix was able to trip him up, as a knight he is quick on his feet and can adapt fast in court. He is a good counter to Phoenix in the courtroom and can keep him on his toes, which made court battles between the two very fun to watch and read. Really good character dynamics between the two.

But though the regular citizens and Barnham are great; a lot of the other main characters are rather insufferable, Espella in particular just really irritates me. Her personality is just so infuriating at times, she tries to keep self sacrificing herself but it seems so half-assed that I can't believe it to be true sometimes. I simply cannot empathize with her and that's a huge problem seeing as she is one of the main characters that interacts constantly with Wright and Layton. It's just lazy writing and development, which held the game back since this game is extremely story driven.

Voices/Music
I've got to admit the voices for this game are top notch, even though there's no Japanese track the English voices were such a delight to listen to. All the British characters all had accents and Maya and Phoenix sounded great. Though it was weird hearing Phoenix's inner thoughts in the same exact pitch that he was speaking normally. That just didn't translate well when voiced parts happened. If there was some sort of indicator that he's talking to himself in his head it would have made everything better.

The music though, I simply loved it. Music greatly added to the charm of the game and was appropriate for what ever happened. The music that plays during most puzzles was extremely soft yet the constant beat was just enough that I didn't mind whenever I failed a puzzle or had to take some time to think about what I was doing. Though the song I enjoyed most was Layton's theme. It's just soothing for the ears, a great arrangement that suits the Professor.

Gameplay
Gameplay is divided into two main parts based on whichever character you're playing. Layton's puzzles are rather straightforward along with the investigation. It just is a whole bunch of different types of puzzles based on either the place or the current person you are interacting with.

Layton explains to Phoenix and Maya about puzzles

The puzzles themselves I've heard from other people are quite easy for a Layton game, but as my first time playing this sort of thing, a lot of puzzles kind of kicked my butt. Though later on I realized that using the memo function and trying to figure it out. Then everything became a little bit easier, but sometimes I thought puzzles worked one way, when the exact opposite was true. But the puzzles were fun for a person who had never played anything Layton before.

As for Phoenix's side it at first seems like a standard court case in Labyrinthia, but you have to remember that these are witch trials. The witch trials have introduced a new mechanic called the mob trial. Now to explain the mob trial I need to show a picture of it first.

Mob Trial-exclusive to this game

The mob trial has you interviewing and questioning all these characters, all at once. Bits and pieces come from each character in the cross examination. The main gripe of this type of trial is the way that the game mechanic works.

So when you're cross examining a person and you press for more information and you'll hear a sort of ping sound and then if you go over there are ellipses that are over the characters head who you can question for even more information on. It makes the game more straightforward, which for most peoples main gripe is that it makes the game easier. But most people don't understand that Ace Attorney is a type of visual novel (adventure game in Japan) so I can see how if need be it can have mechanics to make things more straightforward, especially to make it more accessible to a bigger group of people. But I will admit the main gripe does still stand, it doesn't require as much thought as the original Ace Attorney series, which is a bit sad, because court cases in the Ace Attorney series is so fun, and is usually a huge climax in each case; a nonstop fun climax.

Cohesiveness
Overall the game plays great. The story is really engaging and the characters overall are fun and delightful... But the pacing is rather the worst part of this game and just breaks things up into chunks instead of seamless play.

As you progress through the story, you'll notice that at times it's as if the characters are playing tag with one another. As soon as you get to a really good part; bam, switches you to another point of view and what they're doing, practically just killing the hype that the game has just built up for you. This is especially true when you're playing as Layton and it switches to Phoenix. And the only reason why it feels like that is the most crucial development when it comes to the whole overarching story has you playing as Layton. But then even in game, you're kept from information for the sake of breaking up the current story to have it go somewhere else. Which is dumb.

Afterthoughts 
Would I recommend this game to people? Of course I would! The reason being both the Professor Layton and Ace Attorney series are introduced in such a way that makes it so interesting for anyone to get interested in. And not only that, puzzle games and visual novels/adventure games aren't what I would call the mainstream and these series show how fun and intuitive these genres are.

While there are pacing issues with the story it doesn't detract so much overall when you play the game. Honestly with the way that the game has it, you feel like you're doing a lot of stuff within the game. You feel like you're making great progress. If you like either of the series, I suggest that you pick it up but even if you don't look up some images or the preview if it looks interesting, you may find yourself liking a new genre. I know I did. I am obsessed with Layton right now and want all the games.

*+New+* Nintendo 3DS Ad- Featuring Kyary Pamyu Pamyu

If there's one thing Japan has the corner market on, it's creating fun and crazy commercials to promote all sorts of things. And this time they have Kyary Pamyu Pamyu helping with the advertisement.

KPP and the various covers that are coming out in Japan in October

Basically the ad has KPP do what she does best, turn regular things into crazy, colorful and cute. Which the function of the New Nintendo 3DS has you being able to switch face plates along with the slight changes in its schematic. The price for the plates themselves start at 940 yen to almost 3,000 yen (wooden looking one that is shown next to toad costs 2,750) but the average design plate costing 1,400 yen which is about the same range as most covers for the current 3DS and 3DSXL.

Though the commercial is about the New 3DS the Nintendo characters just shined throughout the whole thing. Here are a few images taken from the commercial.

Everyone is so bright and colorful transformed

I have to hand it to Nintendo they made everyone look so fun and stylish, I really personally like Toad, Zelda, Villager, Isabelle, and Bowser the most. Though Yoshi looks like he's about to sell you some ice cream though; seriously he looks like a 1950's soda jerk and Luigi looks like a weirdish looking hipster with that beanie, but yet oddly enough it still works because of his mustache. But the image I liked the most has to deal with Toon Link.

A very cheerful and happy Toon Link

Personally I really love Toon Link and how expressive he is in his faces. So even though he looks like he could be the new poster boy for Willy Wonka, that huge bow and top hat with the triforce on the side; topped with holding KPP's hand. It was just adorable.

Also there was Kirby who absorbed KPP's likeness but I couldn't cap a good enough image to use for it, but it's really adorable.

This marketing strategy of using a famous idol in Japan will reach more viewers and hopefully encourage more sales of the New 3DS. I will probably get one myself once it hits US shores, but first I'll have to see the difference of screens and everything else before I decide. But those switchable face plates for the 3DS version, I've gotta say, if there's an ample enough screen for me to see (I wear glasses and like to play without them on) then it will seal the deal with me.

Here's the commercial directly from Nintendo if you wanna take a look at it yourself.

The Majority Complete Collection-Kickstarter

If there's one thing I really like it's games, especially card games. They're one of my favorite things to play since it's rather easy to teach people how to play and is an engrossing experience.

So when I was browsing the traditional games on Kickstarter I was surprised to see one for The Majority-Complete collection.

The Majority Collection-What $25 gets you

The Majority is a doujinshi game (an independent printed and created game) by the circle Ayatsurare Ningyoukan; The Majority is made only by two people. Those people are Muneyuki Yokouchi; an indie board game developer who has been making games since 2006 and Kiyoshi Arai; an illustrator who has worked on video games (including Final Fantasy 12 and 14). The objective is forming strong political factions and gaining money in the supernatural filled world of Pandemonium.

While The Majority looks rather simple it is played with 3-4 players so the instructions tell all but The Majority 2 is played with two people and the cards reflect it with instructions on the cards.

The Majority 2 cards in action

For the Kickstart itself the company, Ninja Star Games is asking for only $10,000 as their goal which would break down to $5,000 for each game. The game pledge is only $25 which is not entirely bad at all for two games.

Most likely the reason for the $10,000 has to deal with paying the developer and illustrator, translating the game, editing and typesetting, and the actual printing and shipping of the game itself. If this succeeds we may be getting more Japanese games translated into English as Ninja Star Games goal is to find gems and get them translated into English, a more international appeal and more importantly to play more fun games.

The Majority Kickstarter is here!

*All images are from Ayatsurare Ningyoukan's site and The Majority Kickstarter.

Sony Computer Entertainment of Japan new Josei Works

Well Sony of Japan has finally announced a new PS Vita color scheme and it was a highly anticipated combo. White x Pink.

After tax it's about 20,498 yen

Now for Japan this is recommended for "Girls" which seemed to have gotten a lot of people all up in a storm about all sorts of things (sexist marketing among others). But seems to be highly taken out of context not only in his words but in a social setting as well.

The first problem is if you actually sit through the entire conference (which I did for the whole thing) you'll notice what was first put up.

All those Josei titles coming out at the end of the year

Any person who is in to anime or games aired towards women would know that this whole genre that are up in the TVs right now are probably "Josei" titles. Josei as a word itself in Japanese can be used to describe various female things from the gender itself to femininity. Though in manga/anime titles Josei is aimed towards older women who have gotten past reading shojou comics and moved on to more adult themes.

Through the entire ladies interest they were talking about the sucess with the PSP and how much more women interest is out. And due to the overwhelming interest the PS Vita in white x pink was born. There was talk about the color being flowerlike and how you could even match it with your lifestyle. Lifestyle could mean to make it match your daily coordination or even go and deco it up in crystals or foods.

Do I think this announcement was made with ill intent? Of course not, it was Sony seeing a need in the market and trying to fill that. The fact that it was recommended to a certain demographic means that they were their market and want to get out to it.

I swear its because of backlash like this that Sony of Japan hardly if ever sends out their other colors of their machines.

Though I am starting to understand why they say the PS Vita is J-gamer paradise as all the games I want to play seem to be going in that way that they're only from Japan and either have been localized or a VN of some sort.

Kill la Kill-Episode 25 Recap and thoughts

Well folks, episode 25 is out. Yup, the last actual Kill la Kill episode. And I've got to say at least for me it was vastly unimpressive or maybe a better term would be it just didn't feel like a good conclusion overall to the series.

So here's a basic recap and my thoughts on this episode, so if you don't like spoilers best to stop now.

The episode starts with the tearing down and graduation of Honnouji Academy and then leads into Satsuki getting kidnapped by none other than Rei Hououmaru, who was left alive after the final fight with Ragyo (even though she was inside Ragyo while she was in her Shinra Koketsu form).

Well turns out Hououmaru is pissed at the fact that Satsuki and the Elite Four and plans to kill them and destroy all that the Kill la Kids worked for into creating a world without COVERS. So the Elite Four fight copies of their old selves made real by remnant life fibers and the memories of the no star students. Which obviously those who aren't in power fear those who are; which was Hououmaru's driving point behind this, that the Elite Four and Satsuki we no better than anyone else because they dominated those without power by fear.

Fighting of course ensues, Tsumugu brings custom DTRs for the Elite Four, he gets jobbed as usual; fighting all around. School turns into a giant robot (just like 4chan and other people predicted) and Mako gets captured...Because of cheese.

I kid you not, this legitimately happens. We don't get to see it though, but Mako confesses herself to Satsuki that she got captured because she saw some cheese and wanted to eat it.

More fighting happens, Ryuko harkens back to her memories of Senketsu and then scissors fall from the sky. Ryuko turns them into giant scissors and talks about everyone graduating from Ragyo and eventually about her graduating from wearing her sailor uniform.

Everyone goes there separate ways and bam. The end. Obviously you need to watch it of course to get the feel of it and see what parts are missing but that was the episode in a nut shell.

They did do one thing though interesting that harkened back to the whole Kill la Kill; clothes vs fascism. And that was brought up by the point of graduation.

Graduation is a rather unique social phenomenon in Japan regarding subcultures but also ones that also involve fashion. It is the point where you put away your childhood and then go to the adult world and become a normal member of society. The most common subculture fashions who have these sort of graduations tend to be ones that go against what the typical Japanese stand for, a homogenous society. Though as of late, the younger Japanese are realizing though that they may be adults that doesn't mean they have to sacrifice their individuality and become normal.

Which ties back to one of Kill la Kill's themes in the second half of the anime, that crazy people are crazy and they do what they do, and are needed in the world just as much as everyone else.

While we may not have another episode of Kill la Kill ever again, I wish it didn't end like it did here with episode 25, it just felt empty and added a whole bunch of crap that they weren't able to fit into the main story at the time.