Alainmendez

Fill up on all the Ghostbuster trivia that's not only clever, but pleasing to the eye. We're basically sluts for infographics here, and this one designed by Mike Seiders is pretty fantastic.

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During a Q&A session on Super Smash Bros. at E3 this evening, director Masahiro Sakurai discussed how the development team goes about balancing the game.

Read Masahiro Sakurai On How Super Smash Bros. Is Being Balanced on Siliconera!

Nintendo have released the first screenshots of the new Legend of Zelda game for Wii U.

Read The Legend of Zelda For Wii U Screenshots Look Gorgeous on Siliconera!

Fantasy Life, the Nintendo 3DS life simulation RPG from Level 5, will be released in North America on October 24th.

Read Fantasy Life And Layton vs. Ace Attorney Coming To North America This October on Siliconera!

Bayonetta will be able to don Nintendo costumes in Bayonetta 2, Nintendo revealed this morning.

Read Dress Bayonetta Up As Samus And Peach In Bayonetta 2 on Siliconera!

Hot damn, you've got to love the summer months. All of you favorite companies are ganging up to show you the toys that you're going to drool over during the summer months. Then, of course, try to figure out how to pay for said toys when they release late this year or early next year.

I say this because the latest event is the main subject of the latest episode of the Tomocast. I'm joined once again by Andres and Tian to talk about Megahobby Expo, as well as the top news stories that have hit our glorious site. So go ahead and follow us on iTunes, directly download the episode here or hit the jump to stream it and get the show notes. Enjoy!

To conclude today’s events at E3, Sony ended their press conference with a short trailer and reveal of Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4.

Read Nathan Drake Looks A Bit Older In Uncharted 4 For PlayStation 4 on Siliconera!

All hail Nedesem for this brilliant, brilliant image. Now we all need to make sure to keep George R.R. Martin far away from mules until he's finished writing the series.

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While they're far from dead, adventure games have it pretty rough nowadays. Bridging the gap between regular, more action-focused video games and visual novels, they succeed at telling a story and making you part of a world... but at the cost of the excitement and engagement that usually comes with playing a video game. Murdered: Soul Suspect tries to close that gap further to mixed results.

Murdered puts you in the shoes of Detective Ronan O'Connor, badass extraordinaire, a criminal-turned-cop dressed like an MRA old-timey detective with his fedora and vest. Hot on the trail of the Bell Killer--a serial killer targeting young women in Salem, Massacheusetts--Ronan gets too close to solving the case and winds up dead. Now, trapped in limbo, Ronan must solve his own murder, and take down the Bell Killer in the process.

For starters, don't bring up Ghost Trick (an awesome title) like Murdered is a gigantic rip-off--"the main character solving their own murder" isn't exactly a new story concept. Murdered: Soul Suspect combines elements of Ghost Trick (limited possession) and Ace Attorney (piecing together individual, collected pieces of evidence) to make up the gameplay's main focus: investigation. When you possess a person, you can't make them move to an area or do specific things--rather, you can eavesdrop on their thoughts, or jog their memory with elements from the crime scene to get them to think or react to what's happened. Poking around crime scenes lets you recreate brief flashbacks of situations, and looking at "memory residue" (like, say, a girl hiding) makes you choose key words to describe why she might be hiding--this analyzes the scene and sheds more light on what went down. Once you have enough evidence, you pick events or items in order to figure out what happened and progress the story.

It works for the most part, treating crime scenes like a mess that needs to be organized. Unfortunately, it's often a little too specific on getting things in an exact order, regardless of they play out in a cutscene or flashback. What sounds logical doesn't matter in piecing together evidence, and Ronan does like to repeat himself or spell things out for the benefit of the player a little too often. Also, for all the twists and turns and opacity of the story, I figured out who the Bell Killer was well before the game ended. Unfortunately, that's just something that happens with some murder mysteries, and you're along for the ride until your suspicions are confirmed or disproven.

In addition to investigation and collecting random bits of evidence to reveal the history of Salem, Ronan's backstory, and the Bell Killer case, you'll have to spend some time dealing with demons--ghosts that have let their lingering regrets and hatred consume them, turning them into hungry, feral wraiths. These stealth segments are tense at first--you can't fight demons, you can only take them out with a sneak attack. You'll hide in very conveniently-placed clouds of ether, make distractions to draw demons to you, and then take them out in one shot. However, as the game goes on, demons become more of an annoyance than a threat. Their telltale shriek comes out of nowhere and sends a chill down your (well, my) spine, and then hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work we go. It becomes second nature to jump from hiding place to hiding place, kill a demon, then pop back into the ether and wait for the others. You also never take on more than 3-4 demons at once, they have no peripheral vision, and won't investigate when one of their own is taken out right behind them. Demon encounters are an interesting addition to the game that provides a break from investigations, but it feels like a missed opportunity.

Length usually isn't a problem for me in games... if they're replayable. Like nine hours in (and I've been dicking around), I'm done with the main story of Murdered: Soul Suspect and I have over 90% of the collectibles and side quests taken care of. Now that I'm done, there's just not much to do, and little motivation outside of the story to come back. I replay Asura's Wrath once or twice a year, because it's short and fun and exciting as hell. However, if we're looking at adventure games like movies, well... let's just say that I'll rewatch The 13th Warrior more regularly than I'll rewatch Kiss the Girls. Murder mysteries tend to lose their impact when you're not going in fresh. As a big-budget adventure title, Murdered: Soul Suspect is a rarity in today's gaming scene, and I appreciate playing a game that--even with a few missteps--handles investigation and casework so fluidly and naturally. It's a shame, though, that the game goes by incredibly fast, and then doesn't give you any real reason to go back to it afterward.

REVIEW ROUNDUP

+ Great sense of eerie atmosphere and supernatural storytelling

+ Investigation feels natural and subtle, and really gets you thinking like a detective

+ Absolutely awesome to play a big-budget game that's not a samey, homogenized actioner

+/- Stealth-based demon encounters are tense at first, but very quickly become bland

- NPCs have repetitive sound bytes, and you'll often see the same character models just a block apart

- Short games are fine, but short games that don't give you a reason to play again are not

Bravely Default: For the Sequel will get a reprint in Japan under Square Enix's own "Greatest Hits" label. The Ultimate Hits version of Bravely Default: For the Sequel will cost 2,500 yen and will be available on August 7.

Read Bravely Default Joins Square Enix’s Ultimate Hits In August on Siliconera!

In case you missed it, Atlus has posted a preview of the package art for the upcoming Persona 4: The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold, and the  visual is a must see of manliness. The Persona 4 Arena fighting game follow-up with characters from the Persona 3 and Persona 4 RPGs will be released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 release on August 28, 2014 in Japan and Q3/Q4 2014 in North America.  

Using the available data, I’ve made a prediction for what the cover of Persona 4 Arena 3 will look like pic.twitter.com/CtZe31EAvf

— Persona (@personasama) June 6, 2014

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Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.

The official site for One Week Friends, one of the most well-received TV anime in this season, has posted an illustration, featuring Kaori and Yuuki passing each other in the corridor of the school, for the jacket of the upcoming second Blu-ray/DVD volume. Same with the first volume, the color illustration is newly drawn by the anime character designer Eri Yamazaki. The discs containing the third and fourth episodes of the TV anime are scheduled to be released in Japan on July 16. The price for the Blu-ray is 6,800 yen (excluding tax/about US$66.25) and that of the DVD is 5,800 yen (about US$56.51).

The illustration for the 2nd volume (July 16)

The illustration for the 1st volume (June 18)

CM for the 1st volume (Kaori Fujimiya edition)

Toho Animation's YouTube channel has also posted two videos for the round-table talk by the five

main cast of the TV anime: Sora Amamiya (Kaori Fujimiya), Yoshitaka Yamaya (Yuuki Hase), Yoshimasa

Hosoya (Shogo Kiryu), Rumi Ohkubo (Saki Yamagishi), and Shintao Asanuma (Hajime Kujo). The cast talk

about their characters, voice recording sessions, and favorite scenes.

The first part

The second part

Source: "One Week Friends" anime official site

(C)ONE WEEK FRIENDS Project

(C)MATCHA HAZUKI/SQUARE ENIX

Bill Watterson, the famously reclusive creator of beloved comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, returned to your newspaper's comics page this week, and you probably didn't even notice. The sub rosa comic strips – three of them, to be exact – are the first Watterson has illustrated and published in almost 20 years.

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Three weeks ago, Disney said it had "no plans for Leia products at the Disney store." This after announcing just one new female actress in the initial casting announcement for Episode VII. The toy announcement drew considerable criticism , including a barrage of tweets tagged with #WeWantLeia. Now, Disney says Leia toys are coming.

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This is kind of unprecedented, but Tesla might just open up its electric car patents to other manufacturers.

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gwendabond:

1. You like good books more than you care what section of a bookstore they’re found in or maintaining some ill-defined sort of lit cred (spoiler alert: it does not really exist).

2. You’re interested in developing your own informed opinions about various genres and varieties of fiction. The lit cred of being actually well and widely read does exist.

3. Because YA is so powerful that it’s built an enthusiastic reading culture all its own that includes both teens and adults, now in this our age of greatest distraction.

4. You’ve ever experienced something, anything for the first time, but especially one of those great big moments that help define or redefine who we are, that shape what we think and feel about love and death and life, those great big moments that change us or make us dig in deeper to who we already are. You want to feel that again. Or you want to understand it better. You want to understand what it’s like for someone else. And guess what? These moments keep happening, your whole life.

5. You like stories that aren’t afraid to put the experience of girls front and center, all different kinds of girls, and treat them as importantly as they deserve to be. (There are plenty of fine YA books starring boys and taking them seriously too, but I think we all know that finding those stories has never been a real problem, just a fake one.)

6. You like story. The pure, focused, raw stuff. It may be simple or it may be deceptively simple or it may be—oh yes it may be—complex, it may take place on a spaceship or in a mansion that houses a dark early American science experiment or in a high school, or in the future or in the past or right now. But you will have no trouble finding books that prize story, and there’s no mistaking that. And story is one the most powerful substances in the world.

7. You’re intrigued by the fact that while outsiders, aka those not well-read in YA, may try to pit fantasy and science fiction against realistic contemporary, humor against horror or girl books against boy books, most of the people in the YA community will tell you that’s nonsense and that one of the best things YA brings to the reading experience is its ability to have all those things exist side by side, often within the same book, to mix and match them with the freedom that comes from being a category more than a genre. A category that contains most genres and isn’t afraid to push at the boundaries of them and of the category itself.

8. You crave an emotional journey and whether it’s dark or swoony or light you can find an excellent example in YA.

9. You don’t dismiss reader pleasure—not your own, not other people’s. Whether it comes from delicious prose, unforgettable characters, strong voice or perfectly-executed twists, so many YA authors are masters at creating reader pleasure, while still telling whatever kind of story it is they mean to tell.

10. I could have really ended this list with number one, couldn’t I? So the TL/DR is:

You like good books.

*

Originally posted at the other place: http://www.gwendabond.com/bondgirl/2014/06/ten-reasons-to-read-ya-no-matter-what-age-you-are.html

Gwenda is wise. Listen to Gwenda. 

Capcom's compilation of the original Ace Attorney trilogy is coming to the west on Nintendo 3DS.

Read Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy Announced For Western Release on Siliconera!

A couple of screenshots of Adachi in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax.

Read First Look At Adachi In Persona 4 Arena Ultimax on Siliconera!

In Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, Orpheus Kai is level 26 and has Harp of Regeneration which recovers HP and removes negative status effects for all allies each turn.

Read Persona Q: Shadow Of The Labyrinth Has Orpheus Kai As A DLC Persona on Siliconera!

Having seen her in colour at MegaHobby Expo (alongside the freshly revealed Anthy) we knew it was only a matter of time before Megahouse's take on iconic heroine Utena Tenjou went up for pre-orders. Now she's pre-orders have started to be listed (although curiously only at some stores - we'll update as more go live).

We also get some nice new promo shots. I must say I'm a touch concerned by some of the close up paint detail, but the overall sculpt and colour is so good I think I'll be putting my money down. Who among you is with me readers? 

[ Pre-order at AmiAmi | Big in Japan ]

The 20th anniversary Sailor Moon website launched the official page for the upcoming musical "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon -Petite Étrangère-" on June 3 with a new key visual introducing the cast for Sailor Chibi Moon/Chibiusa and Sailor Pluto. 10-year-old Kokoro Kuge and 11-year-old Airi Kanda are double-casted for Chibiusa, and 24-year-old fashion model Mikako Ishii plays as Sailor Pluto for her first stage performance. Among the six main cast who performed in the 2013 musical "-La Reconquista-," only Sailor Mercury's Miyabi Matsuura is replaced by 18-year-old Koyama Momoyo, other cast reprise their roles.

The musical will be performed at AiiA Theater Tokyo (capacity: 830) from August 21 to 31, then at Umeda Arts Theater's Theater Drama City (capacity: 898) in Osaka from September 5 to 7. The price for thicket is 6, 800 yen (about US$66) and the general release day is July 6.

"-Petite Étrangère-" key Visual

DVD jacket for the 2013 musical "-La Reconquista-" to be released on July 9

Press conference for "-La Reconquista-" in September 2013

Source: The 20th anniversary Sailor Moon website

© Naoko Takeuchi

© Naoko Takeuchi, PNP/Kodansha, Nelke Planning, Dwango

Here at Crunchyroll, we care about making sure that you, our loyal fans, can access the Crunchyroll service anywhere, anytime! Today, we are happy to announce that with a Chromecast device you can now “cast” your favorite Anime shows from your mobile phone, tablet or desktop – directly to your TV. Our team has been working closely with the team at Google to ensure that the Crunchyroll experience on takes full advantage of all that the Chromecast product has to offer. 

Josh Gentry, who leads App Development at Crunchyroll states:

"We have thoroughly enjoyed working alongside the Chromecast Team to bring Crunchyroll to such a unique platform that enables our users to extend their experience on their mobile devices and computers to the living room."

You may have watched it already on Netflix, Cartoon Network, or online. Let me tell you that if you've seen the smash anime Attack on Titan, you almost certainly need to own it, and if you haven't seen it, you're almost certainly going to want to. Tomorrow's your chance!

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Adachi is one of the new characters in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax.

Read Adachi Is A DLC Character In Persona 4 Arena Ultimax on Siliconera!

Scientists have teleported quantum information between two bits of diamond located 10 feet apart. It's a prime example of "spooky action at a distance" — and an achievement that could lead to quantum networks exponentially more powerful and secure than today's supercomputers.

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Ahh, the table flip. Has film brought us a better short hand for "uncontrollable anger" than the table flip? No. It has not. And while this supercut only features movies (and thus leaves out a few of the true greats of table flipping), it is still epic.

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