Alainmendez

This morning, Sony announced the list of free games PlayStation Plus subscribers will get access to in North America and Europe during the month of May. The list for North America is as follows:

• Skullgirls Encore (PS3)
• Puppeteer (PS3)
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 (PS3)
• Limbo (PSV)
• Surge Deluxe (PSV)
• Stick it to the Man (PS4)

Meanwhile, in Europe, PlayStation Plus subscribers will get free access to the following games, starting April 30th:

• Muramasa Rebirth (PSV)
• Everybody’s Golf (PSV)
• Puppeteer (PS3)
• Payday 2 (PS3)
• Stick it to the Man (PS4)

A PlayStation Plus subscription costs £5.49 / €6.99 per-month.

Read Skullgirls Free For PS Plus Members In North America, Muramasa Rebirth In Europe on Siliconera!

Capcom recently revealed their latest Ace Attorney game in the form of The Great Ace Attorney, which will take place in the Meiji period of Japan (1868 – 1912). As reported earlier, it will feature an ancestor of Phoenix Wright’s, who aims to become a lawyer. The game’s first trailer shares a glimpse of what it will be like.

It’s the 19th century, during the Meiji era of the great Japanese Empire, The Great Ace Attorney will tell an unknown tale—the spirit of an ace attorney’s ancestor, in Ryuunosuke Naruhodo, and a flower that blooms in the new world, in Susato Mikotoba. The story of a miraculous encounter will be told.

The trailer also reveals the full title of the game as The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures of Ryuunosuke Naruhodo.

Here’s a closer look at Phoenix Wright’s ancestor Ryuunosuke, and Susato Mikotoba, who appears to be the heroine of the upcoming game:

The Great Ace Attorney is currently in development for Nintendo 3DS.

Read The Great Ace Attorney Trailer Shows Phoenix’s Ancestor And The New Heroine on Siliconera!

How much love does Firefly inspire? Enough to make cartoonist Boulet sit down with his Etch A Sketch and draw this single-line Firefly scene, with Serenity sitting in the background.

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Persona 4 Arena Ultimax will be available in Japan on August 28th, this week’s issue of Famitsu magazine reports. (Thanks, Hachima)

As reported earlier in the week, Persona 4’s Rise Kujikawa is now a playable character in the game, and a Shadow variant of Rise will make an appearance as well. There’s speculation that the game’s story will somehow connect to that of Persona 4: Dancing All Night, but no details are available on this front.

Additionally, the game now has a new Golden Arena mode, which is a tournament utilizing an RPG-like system whereby you can level up and customize your characters with different skills. Famitsu says there are over 150 skills to choose from.

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax will be available on PlayStation 3 in Japan, but North America will get the game on both Xbox 360 and PS3 this Fall. Meanwhile, the arcade version of the game in Japan will be updated with the Golden Arena mode later this month.

Read Persona 4 Arena Ultimax Will Hit Japan On August 28th on Siliconera!

The much loved, but forgotten by Konami RPG series is coming back and this time it isn’t a slot machine. Suikoden II is on deck to be re-released as a PsOne Classic. A rating for Suikoden II popped up on the ESRB as a PlayStation 3 game with Sony Computer Entertainment America listed as the publisher.

Originally released in 1998, Suikoden II follows a hero caught in the middle of a war. The story isn’t just about the protagonist, it’s about all of the Stars of Destiny you meet in the game. One of the neat features is you could load save data from Suikoden into Suikoden II. The first Suikoden is currently on PlayStation Network in case you want to start leveling characters up for the sequel.

Read Looks Like Suikoden II Will Be Re-Released On PlayStation Network on Siliconera!

Besides creating Otome Yōkai Zakuro and providing the character designs for Penguindrum, Lily Hoshino is a boys love doujinshi artist with plenty of Naruto work to her name. It's not too surprising to find that she's a Yowamushi Pedal fan, and today she posted the latest in a trio of sketches of its cyclists.

Earlier in the month, she posted a more complete illustration of A Certain Magical Index/Scientific Railgun anti-hero Accelerator.

last month

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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.

Business has not been looking good for Kidrobot. Last year they closed their Miami store, last month they announced a price increase on most of their items, and the bad news keeps on coming. Today, on their blog, Kidrobot’s president announced that after almost six years they’ll be closing their flagship store in New York City.

Losing their NYC store is a very bad sign for the company, but I can imagine rent alone was an issue for them. So while they will be closing their current store, they talk about hopes of opening another NYC store in the future. Still, I’m sure that’s not going to happen for a few years.

Now that leaves only four stores Kidrobot has left: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Boulder. Sadly, I'm sure these won't last very long either. They haven't listed an official date of when their NYC store will be closing, so if you're in the area, visit them now!

Tucked away in this fantastic Wired article about the history of MST3K comes the amazing news that creator Joel Hodgson is trying to bring back the beloved series — this time online, and with a brand-new host.

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We've known that the next game in the Ace Attorney (Gyakuten Saiban) series has been in the works for a while, and this week's issue of Japanese gaming mag Famitsu offers up an interesting reveal. The next 3DS entry will be set in Meiji Era Japan, following the exploits of one of Phoenix Wright's ancestors. 

Dai Gyakuten Saiban: Ryuunosuke Naruhodou no Bouken takes us back to the courts of the 19th century, with Ryuunosuke Naruhodou as the lead. There's currently no release date, but Dai Gyakuten Saiban features Shintaro Kojima as producer and series creator Shu Takumi as director.

Via Gematsu

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Joseph Luster is the Games and Web editor at Otaku USA Magazine. His blog can be found at subhumanzoids. Follow him on Twitter at @Moldilox.

The rumor from Best Buy’s product page is true. Rise Kujikawa is a playable character in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. Famitsu magazine confirmed Rise in this week’s issue and it looks like they have more Persona news to announce too.

Read Yes, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax Makes Rise Kujikawa Playable on Siliconera!

The digital re-master edition of Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro, Hayao Miyazaki's first feature film released in 1979, is to hit theaters across Japan from May 9, after 35 years since its theatrical release. The team for this re-master version has spent three years to revive the original quality of the sound and image.

The film is often chosen as one of the greatest anime films of all time, as well as one of Miyazaki's best. According to Culture Convenience Club's survey conducted in September 2013, the most voted film as his best film by the males was The Castle of Cagliostro, which got 17.4% of the total votes, while the females chose My Neighbor Totoro as their most favorite (22.5%).

"Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro" Japanese original trailer

The Japanese original poster

Source: Cinema Today

Stop the presses: if you have any extra money in your pockets, get ready to put it in the bank and use it. Hobby Link Japan has got itself a sale on a bunch of Megahouse figures. Going on until May 2, you can get up to 65 percent off a ton of scaled statues and trading figures. Personal highlights include:

• Portrait of Pirates Red-Haired Shanks (reviewed)
• G.E.M. Barnaby Brooks Jr.
• Yzak Jule
• GCC DC Konohanasakuya (reviewed)

I wish I had some extra cash. There are a bunch of P.O.Ps that are part of this sale and I don't have an extra buck to spare. Woe is me. Anybody out there planning on getting anything from this sale?

Yen Press announced a slate of new licenses at this weekend's Sakuracon, highlighted by the introduction of a new Yen On light novel imprint.  In addition to  The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Spice & Wolf, and the upcoming blockbusters, Sword Art Online and Accel World, this will feature new license A Certain Magical Index. More after the jump

New light novel announces include:

• ANOTHER by Yukito Ayatsuji – Not technically new or a light novel (you might see more of that!), but before and since publishing this deliciously spine-chilling horror tale digitally last year, we’ve gotten tons of requests for a print release. Well, we’re happy to say your prayers have been answered! Look for the hardcover omnibus print edition of ANOTHERhitting bookstores this October as part of the Yen On launch!
• A CERTAIN MAGICAL INDEX by Kazuma Kamachi, art by Kiyotaka Haimura – I can’t tell you how thrilled we are to finally be bringing A CERTAIN MAGICAL INDEX to you guys! One of the most popular and acclaimed light novel series in Japan, INDEX is also one of our most requested titles! This winter, science and magic clash in Academy City, when one unlucky young man finds a mysterious nun in his room and gets landed in the middle of a war he never expected!
• IS IT WRONG TO TRY TO PICK UP GIRLS IN A DUNGEON? by Fujino Omori, art by Suzuhito Yasuda – Like that title alone isn’t reason enough to check out this new breakout light novel series! Also known as DanMachi, Fujino Omori’s hilarious fantasy tale about a fateful encounter in the labyrinthine Dungeon between a hapless boy who wants to make a name for himself as an adventurer and a failed goddess rounds out the Yen On launch list this winter!

And their manga announcements include:

• KING OF EDEN by Takashi Nagasaki, art by SangCheol Lee – Maybe you’re not familiar with the name Takashi Nagasaki, but you sure should be! Nagasaki, the critically acclaimed co-author of Monster, 20th Century Boys, Master Keaton, Billy Bat, and Pluto, pens a grotesque thriller that will leave you begging for more! Starting May 1, digital chapters will be simultaneously published worldwide!
• PandoraHearts ~odds and ends~ by Jun Mochizuki – If you love the cracking mind-warp that is PandoraHearts, you won’t want to miss this art book! Lavishly presented in hardback with a slipcase, Mochizuki’s darkly whimsical world comes to vivid life in this collection of over 120 color and black-and-white illustrations from PandoraHearts,Crimson-Shell, and more! Look for it in November 2014!
• GOU-DERE SORA NAGIHARA by Suu Minazuki – No Yen list would be complete without a little raunch, am I right? In this hilarious fantasy romp out in November 2014, Shouta Yamakawa, a boy in love with his favorite demure manga heroine, Sora Nagihara, casually wishes she could be real…only to find himself staring into her eyes?! But Shouta soon realizes he got more than he bargained for ’cos this Sora turns out to be one bold, brazen babe!
• LOVE AT FOURTEEN by Fuka Mizutani – Serialized in Hakusensha’s wonderful Rakuen Le Paradis anthology, LOVE AT FOURTEEN is a charming, bittersweet slice-of-life story about two very mature students in junior high falling in love like the teenagers they are. If you have a soft spot for subtle (not to mention adorable) romance, you’re going to have to read this in November 2014!
• THE ANGEL OF ELHAMBURG by Aki – In this beautiful standalone volume, a close friendship between a king blessed by a strange angel and his knight begins to crumble under the weight of jealousy and contempt when a woman, and soon her child, comes between them. We love Aki with a burning passion here at Yen, so we’re beyond excited to be adding the gorgeousness of THE ANGEL OF ELHAMBURG to our Spring 2015 list!

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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 site for the upcoming Mobile Suit Gundam THE ORIGIN anime has been updated with a look at the character designs for Casval Rem Deikun (who grows up to be classic antagonist Char Aznable), Artesia Som Deikun (future Sayla Mass), Zeon Zum Deikun (visionary space colony philosopher/politician), Jimba Ral (Deikun family ally and father of memorable Zeon officer Ramba Ral) and Degwin Sodo Zabi (usurper patriarch of the Zabi family, ruling in the original anime). 

A four part adaptation of Yoshikazu Yasuhiko's Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin manga, released in North America by Vertical, kicks off in spring 2015 with "Blued Eyed Casval."

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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.

What went wrong with Transcendence? This movie was supposed to be the new science-fiction hotness. An original storyline about artificial intelligence and brain-uploading, the directorial debut of Chris Nolan's cinematographer Wally Pfister, a great cast... and yet, it's getting widely panned. Why did the A.I. revolution fail?

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The folks at Nameko Paradise blog had an opportunity to handle GSC's decomaster of Nendoroid Ozawa Rina, to adorable results. The host of the video walks us through her various signature poses with Nameko as illustrated on book and game covers.

There isn't much more to say except that it's delightful - I've been in love with this figure's design since we first started seeing her around, since she translates perfectly into Nendoroid form.

I've also included a few images in the gallery below from their blog (click through for more), with detailed looks at the figures. Enjoy!

First Bruce Timm brought back The Animated Series' version of Batman , and now Terry McGinnis is back in his cartoon Batsuit in this clip from Darwyn Cooke's upcoming Batman Beyond animated short.

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A wonderful twist on a a movie we love. Cosplayer Nona Neon spent a lot of time and effort to construct a quality Femme Jaeger version of Gipsy Danger from Pacific Rim. Now all she needs is a giant Kaiju cosplay member to fight. Because they even made the sword!

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Angered by his own inability to recite iambic pentameter, actor William Shatner hops inside a time-traveling robot to kill Shakespeare. But his plot against the bard doesn't go as planned.

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Be warned — watching this super-cute Fifth Element edition of 8-Bit Cinema will make you want to watch the whole movie, right now.

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Japanese character toy/figure company Mega House announced today that it will release two types of Rubik's Cube inspired by the first and second story arcs of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure TV anime series, named "JoJo's Bizarre Cube" in Japan in late April. Each of the six faces of the cubes is gloss-printed with the anime characters and symbols. The price for the 60mmx60mmx60mm cubes with a base is 2,480 yen (about US$24.26). If the sales goes well, they may release more JoJo's Cubes featuring the later story arcs in future.

The JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure TV anime is now available to Crunchyroll’s audience worldwide except Japan.

"JoJo's Bizarre Cube Part 1: Phantom Blood"

"JoJo's Bizarre Cube Part 2: Battle Tendency"

Source: press release

© Hirohiko Araki/Shueisha, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Production Committee

©1974 Rubik’s® Used under licence Rubik’s Brand Ltd.

The 20th issue of Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine, which is released in Japan today on April 16, officially announces that a TV anime adaptation of Nakaba Suzuki's fantasy manga Nanatsu no Taizai/The Seven Deadly Sins is in the works. The issue widely reports the news on the cover (check the image below). In commemoration of the announcement, it also includes an interview article between Suzuki and Hironobu Sakaguchi, the original creator of the internationally popular game franchise Final Fantasy.

The manga has been serialized in the magazine since its 45th issue of 2012 and the latest eighth tankobon volume will be released in Japan tomorrow on April 17. The total print run of the tankobons has reached 3 million. This is the first anime adaptation for 37-year-old Suzuki who has a 20-year career as a manga artist.

The 20th issue of Shonen Magazine cover

The tankobon volume 1 cover

The tankobon volume 8 cover

Source: Comic Natalie

© Nakaba Suzuki/Kodansha Ltd.

Space Battleship Yamato hits blu-ray April 29th, and you can pre-order for just $10. For those not keeping score, that's really, really cheap for a new release blu-ray. [Amazon]

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