Otakon 2011: VIZ Media Industry Panel in Pictures

 

After a short delay from the preceding Tiger & Bunny panel, Amy Martin, the person in charge of VIZ Media’s social media accounts, started off the panel by cheerfully announcing VIZ’s 25th anniversary as well as a new website with which to celebrate the milestone. In addition to various other social media aspects, Martin proceeded to announce available and forthcoming manga, novel, and anime titles. The slideshow above is 99% of what was revealed. After the break, there’s a text breakdown of everything that appears in the pictures along with info on a couple slides that were not pictured.

• 25th Anniversary
  – www.viz.com/25years
  – Promotions on iTunes end August 23, 2011
• October premiere of Naruto Shippuden – Bonds movie
• VIZ Manga app is now available for iPad™, iPhone™, iPod™ touch.
• www.vizmanga.com
  – “Now you can finally read your favorite manga on your computer...legally!”
  – Buy once and transport across platforms/devices
  – First chapter is always free
  – Simultaneous print and digital releases
• Future Releases (Manga)
  – Oishinbo
  – Naruto to see quicker release schedule (volumes 36-45)
  – Ai Ore (volume 2) – August 2011
  – The Story of Saiunkoku (volume 4) – August 2011
• New Fiction
  – ICO: Castle in the Mist (paperback), by Miyuki Miyabe – August 2011
  – Book of Heroes (new edition, paperback), by Miyuki Miyabe – August 2011
  – Ten Billion Days and One Hundred Billion Nights (hardcover), by Ryu Miysuse – November 15, 2011
• 2-in-1:
  – Tenjho Tenge “Full Contact” edition (18+) – Available now
• 3-in-1 Editions (Omnibus) – Kekkashi
  – Fullmetal Alchemist
  – Bleach
  – Naruto
• Art Books
  – The Art of Vampire Night – September 6, 2011
  – D. Grey Man – Features interview with creator
  – One Piece: Color Walk 2 – November 1, 2011
• VIZ Kids Box Sets
  – Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Adventure! (volumes 1-8), October 28, 2011 – Comes with poster
  – Legend of Zelda (volumes 1-10), October 25, 2011 – comes with poster
• VIZ Media Box Set
  – Fullmetal Alchemist (volumes 1-27) – November 1, 2011 – Comes with light novel and poster
• Specialty Books
  – Naruto: The Official Character Data Book – January 2012
  – Studio Ghibli’s Arriety – January 2012: The Art of Arriety, Arriety Film Comics (volumes 1-2), Arriety Picture Book
  – Bleach MASKED: Official Character Book 2 – March 2012
• New for Shojo Beat
  – A Devil and Her Love Song – February 2012
  – Dawn of the Arcana – December 2011
  – The Earl and the Fairy – March 2012
  – Hana Kimi (3-in-1), March 2012
  – Skip Beat
• Available Now
  – Meet Mameshiba!
  – Mameshiba On the Loose!
• Special Format
  – Mameshiba (Heart) Winter – November 2011
  – Pokemon Magnetic Playbook – November 2011
• Newest Pokemon Movie
  – Zoroark: Master of Illusions – Video and manga – DVD: September 20, 2011
• Coming Soon
  – Fluffy, Fluffy Cinnamonroll – January 2012
  – Voltron Force – Old crew trains new crew – Spring 2012
• New for VIZ Kids (April 2012)
  – Mr. Men Little Miss
  – Little Miss Sunshine: It’s Always Sunny in Dillydale
• Key Summer Releases (DVD)
  – Vampire Night Guilty (volume 3)
  – Kekkashi Set 2 – August 23, 2011
  – Hero 108
  – Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva (November 8, 2011)
• Continued Simulcasts
  – Tiger & Bunny
  – Blue Exorcist
  – Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan
  – Blue Dragon (uncut), If numbers are good enough, this may see a physical release.

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Japan Earthquake Update and Relief Suggestions [EDIT 1]

As I'm sure most of our readers have heard already, on Friday, March 11 a powerful earthquake (8.9 on the Richter Scale) struck just 80 miles east of Sendai, on the central Honshu island of Japan. In addition to shaking up buildings throughout Japan and causing widespread death and injuries, the quake also sent a massive tsunami thundering across the Pacific Ocean, which hit the northern coast of Honshu at speeds comparable to a commercial jet. The city of Sendai was hit with the brunt of the wave, but it also swept through various cities and towns in the north of Japan, resulting in the utter decimation of many towns and deaths numbering in the hundreds.

Additionally, a nuclear power plant at Fukushima (a city approximately 50 miles southwest of Sendai) was severely damaged by the earthquake, resulting in a breakdown of its safety system and a potential for dangerous nuclear fallout. Citizens have been evacuated from the immediate area and officials are hard at work on containing and cooling the reactors, but there is still a significant risk.

Despite all the bad news, it would seem that Japan's strict building codes and mandatory earthquake/tsunami training has been an incredible boon in ensuring the safety of their citizenry. While the death toll is certainly horrific at the moment, it would undoubtedly have been at unthinkable levels had Japan not been as prepared as it was. On that note, The New York Times is running an eye-opening story on Japan's anti-earthquake measures, which is a must-read for anyone interested in the implications of this disaster.

Plus, charitable organizations around the world have quickly mobilized to provide relief to the people in Japan suffering due to this unforeseen disaster. Most notably, the American Red Cross has been heavily promoting their SMS service, which allows you to easily donate $10 to Japanese earthquake relief by texting "REDCROSS" to 90999. (The organization also has a donation page on their site, where they can take larger donations by credit card or other payment methods.)

For more information on ways to help the Japanese people affected by the earthquake, visit the website Causes Exchange, which has a very helpful list of charities that are accepting donations toward the cause. (Big thanks go out to Anime Diet for providing the list, and for their swift coverage of the disaster.)

Meanwhile, Anime News Network is maintaining a massive list of anime/manga industry members who have checked in to confirm that they are OK in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami. Notable names so far include Mamoru Hosoda, Kenji Kamiyama, Tite Kubo, and Hideo Kojima.

Longtime anime convention personality Walter Amos has confirmed via a Facebook post that "Noboru Ishiguro (Space Battleship Yamato, Macross), Artland Studios, and all its staff are OK." Artland staffer Yuko Suguro sent Mr. Amos the following message today:

Thank you for checking out [sic] on us! Artland is fine and so is Mr. Ishiguro. There were [sic] no damage in the building, and no one got hurt. We are working regularly from today, but everybody is a bit nervous because of the continuous after shake [sic]. I think everything will be back to normal by Monday.

If you have any news or stories about the earthquake, or if you have suggestions for ways that people can get involved in helping those affected by it, please leave us a comment on this post or send an e-mail to evanm [at] anigamers [dot] com. As new developments or suggestions come up, I will update this post with the new information.

EDIT 1: Vertical, Inc. Marketing Director Ed Chavez confirms in a Twitter post today that Mari Morimoto, Japanese/English translator for such manga as Dragon Ball and Naruto, is safe after leaving an evacuation center in Sendai with her mother.

[Sources: US Geological Survey, Business Week, Reuters, Anime News Network]

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Vertical Claims No Longer Human License Was "Premature"

According to a statement released yesterday from Vertical, Inc., No Longer Human, the manga title announced recently at the New York Comic Con alongside The Book of Human Insects, has not actually been acquired for North American distribution. The statement, quoted in full below, claims that rights negotiations are still ongoing, but a "communication error" caused the announcement of the acquisition of Usamaru Furuya's manga before negotiations were complete.

Luckily, it would seem that the series is still well on its way to American release, but cancelled licensing deals are a consistent fear whenever the anime or manga industries see a premature leak or announcement of a rights acquisition.

“No Longer Human” Announcement Premature

Thursday, October 14, 2010

At their Saturday October 9th panel at New York Comic-Con, Vertical, Inc. announced to great fanfare a number of license acquisitions scheduled for 2011 release. Regretfully, one property, No Longer Human by Usamaru Furuya, was prematurely disclosed to the public.

Due to a communication error between the company’s New York and Tokyo offices, the property was falsely presented as slated for publication. While the licensors for this series and Vertical are currently actively in contract negotiations, the North American rights have not been secured. Vertical, Inc. will continue to work with the rights holders for No Longer Human with hopes to properly acquire the license, and it apologizes to all parties involved in this unfortunate and unintentional error.

[via Japanator]

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NYCC 2010: Bandai Entertainment announces new Blu-ray/DVD versions of Gundam, Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Solid State Society

Bandai Entertainment's Marketing Director Robert Napton was on hand at the New York Comic Con/Anime Festival to announce a number of new re-releases of previously licensed Bandai properties. The first was the original Mobile Suit Gundam series (often called "First Gundam"), which will see a two-part DVD release in 2011 under the Anime Legends label with both the English dub and original Japanese. The Japanese track was conspicuously absent in Bandai's first North American release of the series (also from Bandai), drawing widespread ire from Gundam fans looking for the original audio.

Speaking of Gundam, Bandai will also be bringing Gundam Unicorn to DVD, with two episodes per DVD in a three-part release. Each DVD will retail at $29.98. Until now the series has only been released in Blu-ray format. Meanwhile, the Gundam 00 movie will be released with both Japanese and English dubs, though Bandai had no further details on the release plans. The film will see its American premiere at the New York Anime Festival this Sunday, October 10 at 2:00 PM.

Napton brought Cristina Vee (voice of Mio in K-ON!) on stage during the panel to announce two new additions to the cast for K-ON!: Cassandra Lee as Rittsu and Shelby Lindley as Mugi. Finally, Bandai will release Mamoru Hosoda's critically acclaimed anime film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Kenji Kamiyama's Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society on Blu-ray. No details yet on date/price.

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Kodansha USA to Take Over Del Rey Manga Titles

Today, Kodansha USA, the American subsidiary of Japanese publisher Kodansha, announced that, as of December 1, 2010, it will be taking over licenses held by Del Rey Manga, the division of Random House that formerly published a large number of Kodansha titles. Random House Publisher Services will now be directly interfacing with Kodansha to bring its manga titles to the American market.

According to Kodansha USA's press release, "Del Rey's ongoing manga titles which were licensed by Kodansha will be gradually taken over by Kodansha USA Publishing on a per-title basis." As such, fans of ongoing series like Moyashimon and Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE will probably be able to get their hands on new Kodansha versions of these series in short order. Unfortunately, the release says nothing about completed Del Rey licenses, which may result in some (though likely not all) of Del Rey's former series going out of print.

As big a change as this is, it's admittedly not very surprising, since Kodansha USA began releasing republications of Akira (Katsuhiro Otomo) and Ghost in the Shell (Masamune Shirow) — both former Dark Horse titles — last fall, while Del Rey Manga has been facing a number of problems since then. Notably, their number of licenses have dropped, they've significantly reduced their number of convention showings, and Marketing Manager/"Awesome Bow-tie Dude" Ali Kokmen was laid off this past July.

On the bright side, Associate Publisher Dallas Middaugh will remain with Random House as he coordinates the new partnership between the publisher and Kodansha, though it would seem that he will be the only person left over from Del Rey Manga.

[via Anime News Network]

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Satoshi Kon dies of cancer at age 46 [EDIT 3]

EDIT 1: Former Otakon con chair Jim Vowles claims in a forum post that he has spoken to studio Madhouse's founder/producer Masao Maruyama (a frequent guest at Otakon), who confirmed Kon's death. According to the post, Kon died yesterday, though no mention of cancer is made. This certainly lends credence to the other stories we've been hearing, but I'll stay on top of any further updates.

EDIT 2: Anime News Network has reported on Vowles' confirmation, leading me to finally lay to rest my doubts about the death. Ani-Gamers will likely run coverage in the near future to pay tribute to the beloved, award-winning director.

EDIT 3: Anime News Network has published a letter from Kyōko Kon, Satoshi Kon's widow, that was originally posted on the Madhouse web site. It confirms that Kon died of pancreatic cancer on August 24 at 6:20 a.m (Japan Time). He was 46 years old, not 47, as many reports — including ours — have stated.

We are currently hearing widespread, unconfirmed reports of the death of anime director Satoshi Kon (Millennium Actress, Paprika, Paranoia Agent). It all began with a Japanese tweet from Gainax producer Yasuhiro Takeda alleging that Kon had died today at age 47. From there, the rumor snowballed across Twitter in multiple languages, but due to the time difference between North America and Japan, there has been no official Japanese confirmation as of yet. Nevertheless, Anime culture researcher Alex Leavitt translated a tweet from Takeda that confirms his confidence in his prior statement and provides a possible cause of death ("Seems real, heard it was cancer").

There is little that can be done now but wait for an official report out of Japan, but if this news turns out to be true, it represents a powerful blow to the anime industry. Rest assured, Ani-Gamers will keep on top of this emerging story and update this post as more information surfaces.

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Thousands of Gamers Mob Bioshock Infinite Trailer Site

Breaking: Today at 7PM GMT, thousands of slaving Internet denizens flocked to an unsuspecting website and fleeced it without mercy for its precious bandwidth, thus frustrating one another in the attempt to view a 180-second-long trailer (embedded in this post after the break). Our man on the scene*, frustrated beyond any reasonable human limit, exclaimed “DAMN YOU INTERNET GO AWAY” as he frantically tried to acquire the bandwidth needed to behold the video clip. Even once the video presentation had begun, our man on the street found himself waylaid by errors and inconvenience, reaching a point at which he implored the website “DONT STALL AT THAT MOMENT. [...] COME ON.” To the credit of the website hosting the video, it held strong against the tide of users and reports of it collapsing against the strain have been isolated and minimal.

Dropping the irreverent tone, the real news story is that Irrational Games, creators of SWAT 4 and the original Bioshock, have released a teaser trailer for their upcoming game Bioshock Infinite. The trailer follows on from a low-key teaser site campaign hosted on www.whatisicarus.com and a behind-closed-doors presentation in New York earlier this week. Large quantities of additional media have now been released about the game, in particular on Joystiq, who also have an interview with studio founder and creative director Ken Levine. From details that have been released, the game is set in 1912 onboard a floating city called Columbia, held aloft by comically large hot air balloons.

On a personal note, I must say that I find myself ambivalent towards this announcement as I am not very enthused by the environments presented in the trailer, and have been unimpressed overall by previous entries in the Bioshock series. In addition, the game is not scheduled to be released until 2012, and between now and then there are many other video games that I am personally much more excited by.

*A person I follow on Twitter and fellow Ani-Gamers writer, Mitchy D.

Video Games | BioShock: Infinite | Debut Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

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Otakon 2010: Bandai acquires SoraKakeShojo, My Otome o~S.ifr~, reveals K-ON! cast [EDIT 1]

I apologize for the lateness of this article, but I've had limited Internet while on vacation.

North American anime distributor Bandai Entertainment was out in full force at Otakon 2010 in Baltimore, packing their panel room to capacity (something only achieved by a select few panels all weekend) and drawing a large group of anime press.

Bandai's two big acquisitions were Sora Kakeru Shōjo (The Girl Who Leapt Through Space, a.k.a. "SoraKake Girl") and My Otome o~S.ifr~ (the 3-episode OAV prequel to My Otome), both of which seem a little too unmarketable to be honest choices from Bandai's North American division. The most likely explanation is that both series were forced on BEA by their Japanese parent company or sold in a package deal.

Meanwhile, Bandai also fleshed out two of their existing licenses: Gundam Unicorn and K-ON! The second volume of the 6-episode Gundam OAV series (entitled "The Second Coming of Char") will run slightly longer than the first episode at 59 minutes, and the Blu-ray will also feature 29 minutes of bonus footage. It will be available November 2010 in the Bandai Store (street date price $44.99, pre-order $39.98). At other online retailers it will sell for an SRP of $59.98 (barring those stores' individual markdowns).

On the moé front, K-ON! — the slice-of-life series about a group of high school girls in a light music club — will be receiving an English dub from Bandai's mainstays at Bang Zoom Entertainment, including Stephanie Sheh (who was present at the panel) as Yui and EDIT: Cristina Vee* (who showed up in-costume to sing a batch of K-ON!'s songs) as Mio.

* We originally referred to voice actor Cristina Valenzuela (also known as "Cristina Vee") as "Christina Zee." We apologize for the error.

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Otakon 2010: FUNimation Industry Panel

...with Adam Sheehan and Josh Morris

State of the Industry
(prescribed with a grain of salt considering the source)

Dubs are here to stay, as there is more consumer demand for DVD releases with subs than without. “There’s money to be made here.”

Viewers older than 25 now represent 51% of market, while those from 18-24 years of age represent 40%. People ranging from 13-17 years old represent the largest group of online viewers.

Convention attendance is steadily growing.

Social Media Branch
http://blog.funimation.com/ (which will post this entire panel in a week or so)
twitter.com/funimation (75,000 followers)
Facebook (72,000 fans)
YouTube.com (159,000 subscribers, 8th largest following worldwide)

Simulcasts
One Piece
Rainbow
Black Butler Season 2
Legend of Legendary Heroes
Sekirei Season 2
Shiki

Anti-Piracy Initiatives
Hired 1 lawyer and 3 additional staff to police and report online and offline copyright infringements.

DVD Releases
My Bride is a Mermaid (funimation.com/mybrideisamermaid)
Master of Martial Hearts – “Mortal Kombat with less clothing,” due August 2010
Casshern Sins (funimation.com/casshernsins) – parts 1 & 2 due August 17, 2010.
Corpse Princess (funimation.com/shikabanehime) – due September 14, 2010.
Hetalia (funimation.com/hetalia) – 26 episodes due out September 14, 2010.
Hetalia Season 2 – with tons of extras due out October 12, 2010.
Eden of the East (funimation.com/edenoftheeast) – complete series due out September 28, 2010 for $54.98 ($59 Blu-Ray)

Voice Cast Announcements
Oh! Edo Rocket (see picture for blurry but readable list)
Black Butler (see picture for blurry but readable list)

New Acquisitions
Phantom, Requiem for the Phantom
Strike Witches Season 2 (picture) coming 2011
Blessing of the Campanella (picture) coming 2011
Okamisan (picture) coming 2011
Hetalia Seasons 3 and 4 (picture) coming 2011
Hetalia “Paint It White” movie coming 2011
Summer Wars (picture) coming 2011
Evangelion 2.22 (picture) coming 2011 – possible theatrical release mentioned

Social Networking Site
Launching in September, with beta available sometime in near future, funimation.com will feature personal profiles for users as well as news, videos, behind-the-scenes exclusives, forums and contests. “Elite member subscriptions” will be available, which offer ad-free viewing and early access to dubs prior to DVD releases.

A Couple Answers from Q&A Session
FUNimation offers encouragement for small retailers via incentive support, streaming video services for in-store play, and free promotional materials that do not have to be returned.

Oasis performs opening song for Eden of the East, but only in first episode (could explain the price tag).

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Otakon 2010: Aniplex to dub and distribute Durarara!! in the US

At their industry panel at Otakon 2010, anime studio Aniplex announced that they will be distributing their new 24-episode TV anime Durarara!! based on Ryohgo Narita's light novel series on DVD in the United States. The first part of the "High-Tension, Suspense Action, Mysterious and Totally Crazy Anime!!" will hit American shores on January 2011, with two more DVD sets (two DVDs per box) of eight to nine episodes each following close behind.

Following this already exciting announcement, Aniplex also revealed some of the dub cast for the series, while confirming that the DVD release will come with both dub and sub tracks. Celty Sturluson will be played by Kari Wahlgren (Haruko in FLCL), Ryuugamine Mikado will be played by Darrel Guildbeau (Satoshi in When They Cry), and Heiwajima Shizuo will be payed by Crispin Freeman (Togusa in Ghost in the Shell, Zelgadis in Slayers, Kyon in Haruhi). After some questioning from fans in the audience, representatives revealed that the Durarara!! OAV will be included in the DVD release, voiceover studio Bang! Zoom (Code Geass, Gurren Lagann, Haruhi) will be dubbing the show, and there is no guarantee of a box set until Aniplex finishes putting out the Japanese DVDs.

Interested fans can currently watch all 24 episodes of the recently-completed Durarara!! with subtitles on streaming video site Crunchyroll, though Aniplex did not mention if they would be taking down the streaming videos once the DVDs come out in the United States. (Aniplex has also put up an official site for Durarara!!)

At the panel, Aniplex reps also announced a Blu-ray release of anime franchise Read Or Die, featuring both the critically-acclaimed OAV and the television series of the same name.

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News Briefs: Comic-Con Int'l, OneManga shutdown, Squenix E-manga

Bandai Entertainment acquires Turn A Gundam, Tales of the Abyss: At Comic-Con International, the North American anime distributor Bandai Entertainment announced it has acquired licenses for the Yoshiyuki Tomino-directed 20th Anniversary Gundam project Turn A Gundam (1999), as well as the 26-episode RPG adaptation Tales of the Abyss (2008). As excited as I am to see Turn A finally get a DVD release, it pretty much makes no sense for Bandai to bring over a decade-old installment in a franchise with a historically poor sales record in the US. [Source: ANN]

Vertical acquires Lychee Light Club: Vertical's panel at Comic-Con International featured the revelation of the company's newest manga license — Lychee Light Club (2005) by Usamaru Furuya. The series, which ran in seinen magazine Manga Erotics F, follows the story of a group of boys who create a machine to seek out beautiful women of the world, only to find that it has become sentient! The single-volume release is set to ship on April 29, 2011. [Source: ANN]

Yen Press licenses Highschool of the Dead, Betrayal Knows My Name, The Bride's Stories, and Higurashi – Demon Exposing Arc: Manga distributor Yen Press announced a number of new manga at Comic-Con, namely Highschool of the Dead by Daisuke Satō and Shoji Sato, Betrayal Knows My Name, a.k.a. UraBoku, by Hotaru Odagiri, The Bride's Stories by Kaoru Mori, and Higurashi: When They Cry Demon-Exposing Arc by En Kitou. [Source: ANN]

Manga scanlation aggregator OneManga shuts down: It would seem that the coalition of US and Japanese manga publishers who joined together last month to fight piracy has actually struck a chord with fan-run scanlation sites. OneManga, one of the largest aggregators of manga scanlations, has announced that they "have decided to abide by [the publishers'] wishes, and remove all manga content (regardless of licensing status) from the site." The announcement has sparked widespread rage from manga readers who have relied on the site for up-to-date (albeit illegal) translations of their favorite series. I'm personally glad to see the site go, as it aggregated many licensed manga series, but it will be a shame to lose a source of obscure, unlicensed manga. [Source: ANN]

Square Enix announces e-manga distribution service: In response to the previously mentioned fight against scanlations, Square Enix recently announced their plan to legally distribute manga online, which will — in theory — help alleviate the perceived drought of online manga caused by the shutdown of scanlation sites. The Japanese publisher's site already features free downloads of the first chapters of Fullmetal Alchemist, Soul Eater, Black Butler, and O-Parts Hunter, while it lists The Record of a Fallen Vampire, Pandora Hearts, Sumomomo Momomo, and Spiral: Bonds of Reasoning as "Coming Soon." Square Enix has made it clear that the paid subscription service may not feature all of those manga series when it launches in fall 2010. [Source: ANN]

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E3 2010: Sony conference reveals Move details, Steam on PS3, PlayStation Plus

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(Runtime: 28 minutes)

Sony's press conference certainly ran a little bit too long for my taste, but it was much, much more entertaining and useful than Microsoft's trainwreck just a day earlier. If you're into audio rather than text, why not listen to our Sony press conference wrap-up podcast with me, Elliot, and Kit? Or, if you're a text guy/girl, head after the break to check out all of the details on the new PlayStation Move motion control accessory, the surprising announcement of the integration of digital distribution service Steam on PlayStation 3, and Sony's new Xbox Live-esque premium subscription service for PSN. Either way, it's sure to take less time than the actual conference.

As Nintendo wisely did with their press conference, Sony left one main presenter in charge of the proceedings, which was Jack Tretton, President of Sony Computer Entertainment America, in their case. Early on in the conference, Tretton discussed Sony's dedication to 3-D gaming, showcasing gameplay footage (and a Feburary 2011 release date) from Killzone 3. Most importantly, though, the PlayStation 3's 3-D capabilities will only work if you a) buy a 3-D television and b) buy 3-D glasses. With the unveiling of Nintendo's 3DS less than three hours prior, it was pretty difficult to take any claims of traditional 3-D seriously.

Speaking of major changes to the PS3, Sony simply wouldn't stop talking about PlayStation Move, the new motion control device that uses a glowing ball at the end of what is essentially a Wiimote to track movement in 3-D space. The Move wand itself will hit stores in the fall of this year: September 15 in North America, September 19 in Europe, and October 21 in Japan. In terms of pricing, I was surprised to see fully fleshed-out details from Sony, including prices for the wand ($49.99), the suspiciously-similar-to-the-Wii-Nunchuck "navigation controller" ($29.99), a bundle with the Eye camera, Move controller, and Sports Champions game ($99.99), and finally a bundle containing the contents of that bundle with a PS3 ($499.99).

Yes, that's right, you have to purchase three accessories — the wand, navigation controller, and Eye camera — to play a first-person shooter like, say, Killzone 3, with the Move. And as luck would have it, Killzone 3, Ruse, NBA 2K11, Time Crisis, and Echochrome will all have Move functionality on launch day, while games like Resident Evil 5 will receive software updates patching in the optional Move controls.

Sony is also now poised to offer a premium subscription service on the PlayStation Network (PSN) — called "PlayStation Plus" — that will provide "exclusive digital content" such as preferred early demos, discounts on products in the PSN store, early access to betas, and even some free game downloads. The service will cost $49.99 for a year and $17.99 for three months, very much like Microsoft's Xbox Live Gold service, but PSN gamers can still play online without subscribing to PlayStation Plus. PlayStation Plus will be available "later this month."

To promote their slate of third-party titles, Sony brought in EA Chief Operating Officer John Schappert, who announced "unprecedented support" for the PlayStation 3, including, um, "exclusive, limited-edition, PS3-only" versions of Dead Space 2 and the Medal of Honor reboot? That sounds pretty precedented if you ask me. After a few more trailers from EA, we were left with release dates for Dead Space 2 (January 25, 2011) and Medal of Honor (October 12, 2010) as well as confirmation of "unlockable beards" in the latter. Yes, my friends. He said UNLOCKABLE BEARDS.

Video Games | Portal 2 | E3 2010: You Monster Debut Trailer HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Finally, the most important announcement of all to many gamers, even those who don't own PS3s: Gabe Newell of Valve stepped onto the stage and put down many of his gripes with the PS3 (while, I can only assume, simultaneously picking up a large bag of money) in order to announce that PC/Mac digital download system Steam will be launching on the PlayStation 3. We don't quite know how it's going to work, or even if your games purchased on PC will carry over to PS3, but we do know that Portal 2 will be coming out on it! The trailer shows some serious promise, but I'm going to need to see more before I'm sure if I'm interested or not.

In the balance of the conference, Sony managed to announce "PS3-exclusive day-one content for Mafia 2," a PS3-exclusive pack of missions and a November 16, 2010 release date for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, a November 2, 2010 release date for Gran Turismo 5, and finally ... a new game in the Twisted Metal franchise on the PlayStation 3. Phew! Overall, the press conference felt much more disjointed than Nintendo's, since most of the announcements were cut up among multiple speakers and trailers, but it contained enough information to keep hardcore and casual audiences interested (at least until they fell into a coma from sitting way too long at one conference).

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For more news and commentary out of E3 2010, check out our E3 2010 label page.

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E3 2010: New Zelda, Kirby, Kid Icarus games, 3DS details at Nintendo conference [EDIT 1]

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(Runtime: 18 minutes)

Phew, that was some press conference. After Microsoft's brutally awkward conference yesterday, a lot of us were left wondering if video games truly had all fell into the dreadful mediocrity of motion-control gimmicks. Boy, did Nintendo prove us wrong! (I know, who would've guessed THAT, right?)

Reggie Fils-Aime, president of the North American division of the game publisher and console manufacturer unveiled new title after new title in a rapid-fire series of announcements, surely sating the appetites of even the most hardcore Nintendo fanboys. First off, legendary designer Shigeru Miyamoto showed off the new Wii Zelda title, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. During an admittedly awkward demonstration (held up by so-called "interference" with the Wii's motion-sensing capabilities), Miyamoto gave us a glimpse into the new control scheme — in which the sword is mapped to the Wiimote and the shield is mapped to the nunchuck — and the graphical style, which marries the matured designs of Twilight Princess to the cel shading of The Wind Waker while presumably running on the Super Mario Galaxy graphics engine. At the very end of the presentation, Miyamoto tried his very best to gracefully tell the audience that Skyward Sword still needs a lot of work done, and will take until 2011 before it's finished.

Video Games | Zelda: Skyward Sword | E3 2010: Debut Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

But it wasn't long before Reggie launched into what we all expected from a Nintendo presentation — casual games. However, much to my surprise, we only saw two new casual games: Mario Sports Mix (think Wii Sports with Mario) and Wii Party (think Mario Party with Miis). The former will hit shelves sometime in 2011, while Reggie promised that we'll see the latter this holiday season. Meanwhile, Ubisoft presented a trailer for Just Dance 2 on the Wii, which will hit this fall.

On the third party front, Nintendo didn't have very much to show off, though the titles themselves were certainly worth talking about. First is a remake (or maybe it's a sequel) of Goldeneye, the beloved Nintendo 64 first-person shooter that has stuck in many gamers' minds as a reminder of the golden days (har har) of Nintendo's consoles. After that was Disney's Epic Mickey, featuring a fascinating discussion of the importance of play style from designer Warren Specter. The game will feature choices between solving puzzles by creating or destroying the environment, which Specter hopes will provide a rich experience that is different for every player.

Meanwhile, Nintendo unveiled the subtitle, a new trailer, and a 2010 holiday season release date for their previously announced Golden Sun DS sequel, now entitled Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. Additionally, the Wii will see the release of Kirby's Epic Yarn, the first Kirby console game since the Gamecube's Kirby Air Ride (2003) and the first side-scrolling console Kirby game since Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (2000) on — yes my friends — the Nintendo 64. Kirby's Epic Yarn, which sports an interesting new art style reminiscent of the Super Nintendo's Kirby's Dream Land 3 (1997), is already prepped for release this fall. We also got a trailer for the Team Ninja-developed Metroid: Other M, which will arrive on August 31.

Video Games | Kirby's Epic Yarn | E3 2010: Debut Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Last but certainly not least, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata stepped on stage to present the Nintendo 3DS, a successor to the DS that features a touch screen on the bottom and a slightly larger 3-D screen on the top half (It displays 3-D WITHOUT glasses). The left side of the handheld has a "slide pad" that acts as an analog stick, the insides have a motion sensor and a gyro sensor, and the system can display more powerful graphics than the current DS models. Additionally, the front of the device features two cameras, allowing the 3DS to take 3-D photographs. On the software side of things, Iwata confirmed that the 3DS is capable of playing 3-D Hollywood movies, and Nintendo has already partnered with Disney, Warner Bros., and Dreamworks to provide that content. Finally, a slew of third-party developers, including CAPCOM, EA, Harmonix, Konami, Level-5, and Ubisoft, have signed on to create games for the system, and some of the confirmed games (first- and third-party) are listed below:

• Kid Icarus: Uprising from Kirby/Smash Bros. developer Masahiro Sakurai and Sora Ltd.
• A new Nintendogs game from Miyamoto
• a Metal Gear Solid game from Kojima himself
• an Assassin's Creed game from Ubisoft
• a "completely original Resident Evil game" from CAPCOM

Overall, I was very impressed with Nintendo's press conference. While a lot of the technology (3DS, swordfighting with Wii MotionPlus) still seems a little wonky or hazy [[EDIT: and I was very disappointed in the continued lack of any new IPs]], their presentation was refreshing in how to-the-point it was. Nintendo made it clear — much moreso than Microsoft did with their awful Kinect presentations — that this was all about games, and whether you are interested in their titles or not, it's hard to deny that they put on a damn good show.

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For more news and commentary out of E3 2010, check back with our E3 2010 label page.

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E3 2010: List of upcoming 3DS titles surfaces [Rumor]

I can't be sure of the credibility of this source, but I just received a PDF containing a list of what seems to be all of the games and game franchises currently slated to appear on Nintendo's new 3DS handheld, which (as reported on Ani-Gamers) features 3-D video game graphics without 3-D glasses.

After the break I have included the full list of titles, which includes those confirmed during Nintendo's press conference (a Metal Gear Solid game, a Batman game, and Kid Icarus: Uprising, among others) and many not mentioned, such as DJ Hero, Super Street Fighter IV, and a Paper Mario game. There is also a link to the PDF itself if you're interested. I would check the Nintendo press site myself to confirm the validity of the document, but my login has expired. When I have access again or another outlet confirms/denies the list, I will edit this post to let you all know.

Additionally, you can look forward to my full write-up of Nintendo's rather exciting E3 press conference later today.

[Thanks, Patz]

Activision Publishing, Inc.
• DJ Hero® 3D
AQ INTERACTIVE
• cubic ninja
ATLUS
• Etrian Odyssey
• Shin Megami Tensei
• Shin Megami Tensei: Persona
• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
Capcom
• RESIDENT EVIL® REVELATIONS
• SUPER STREET FIGHTER IV 3D Edition (name not final)
Electronic Arts
• FIFA Soccer
• Madden NFL
• The Sims™ 3
Gameloft
• Asphalt GT
Harmonix
• Music game
HUDSON SOFT
• Bomberman franchise
• DECA SPORTS franchise
• KORORINPA franchise
KONAMI
• Baseball franchise
• Contra franchise
• Frogger franchise
• HIDEO KOJIMA’S METAL GEAR SOLID SNAKE EATER 3D “The Naked Sample”
• PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER franchise
• WINNING ELEVEN franchise
LEVEL-5
• Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle (name not final)
Majesco Entertainment
• BloodRayne: The Shroud
• A Boy and His Blob
• Face Racers: Photo Finish
• Lion’s Pride: Adventures on the Serengeti
• Martha Stewart
• WonderWorld Amusement Park
• Marvelous Entertainment BOKUJYOUMONOGATARI 3D (name not final)
NAMCO BANDAI Games
• Dragon Ball® franchise (name not final)
• Gundam® franchise (name not final)
• PAC-MAN™ & GALAGA™ (name not final)
• RIDGE RACER® (name not final)
• Super Robot franchise (name not final)
Nintendo
• Animal Crossing™
• Kid Icarus™: Uprising
• Mario Kart™
• nintendogs™ + cats
• Paper Mario™
• PilotWings Resort™
• Star Fox 64™ 3D
• Steel Diver™
• ROCKET Crash-City GP
• VS-robo
SEGA
• Sonic (name not final)
• Super Monkey Ball (name not final)
SQUARE ENIX
• CODENAME: Chocobo Racing® 3D
• DRAGON QUEST® franchise
• FINAL FANTASY® franchise
• KINGDOM HEARTS franchise
Take-Two Interactive
• Carnival Games® franchise
TECMO KOEI GAMES
• DEAD OR ALIVE® 3D (name not final)
• DYNASTY WARRIORS® (name not final)
• NINJA GAIDEN® (name not final)
• SAMURAI WARRIORS® 3D (name not final)
TOMY
• LOVELY LISA 3D
• NARUTO SHIPPUDEN ACTION
THQ
• de Blob 2
• Kung Fu Panda Kaboom of Doom
• Marvel Super Hero Squad Infinity Gauntlet
• The Penguins of Madagascar
• Puss N Boots
• Saints Row: Drive-By
Ubisoft
• Assassin’s Creed™ Lost Legacy
• Battle of Giants™: Dinosaur Strike
• Driver® Renegade
• Hollywood 61 (name not final)
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon™
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory™
Warner Bros
• Batman franchise
• LEGO franchise

CLICK HERE to read the original list. (PDF format)

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For more news and commentary out of E3 2010, check back with our E3 2010 label page.

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E3 2010: Microsoft unveils Kinect details, MGS Rising trailer at press conference [EDIT 1]

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(Runtime: 22 minutes)

It's a little late, but I've got all of the tantalizing news from Microsoft's awful E3 press conference right here in this post, complete with a brief, unedited podcast roundup (starring both me and Elliot). Well, let's get on with the show.

It's hard to imagine that it's been a full year since we first heard about Microsoft's Project Natal, but today we were given a glimpse into a more fully-featured version of the revolutionary, controller-free Xbox 360 interface, now renamed "Kinect," presumably to tie into Microsoft's new phone, the Kin. The project has now become a slightly new interface for the Xbox 360, complete with voice commands and hand gesture-controlled menus. Kinect will launch worldwide this fall, specifically in North America on November 4, 2010.

Granted, most of the games shown at the conference seemed to simply be clones of Wii games, including a sports pack, a cart racer, and even the Wii Fit-esque Your Shape: Fitness Evolved from Ubisoft. Meanwhile, Microsoft also showed off non-game features (actually, a lot of them) that take advantage of the microphone and camera in Kinect. These include a video chat application (demoed by the MOST AWKWARD engineer and her twin sister), new interfaces for interacting with video and music content, and an ESPN application featuring videos of sporting events. [[EDIT: Among some of the third-party games available for the new peripheral are a new Forza racing game (available in 2011) and an MTV Games-produced, Harmonix-developed dancing game.]]

Oh yeah, there were some games there too. We saw a previously-released trailer for Activision and Treyarch's Call of Duty: Black Ops, coupled with an announcement that Microsoft has signed an "exclusive, multi-year agreement with Activision" that will result in all Call of Duty games, map packs, and expansions releasing first on the Xbox 360 through 2012. [[EDIT: Of course, Halo: Reach was there, with a video of its single-player campaign (now with GIRL Spartans!).]] Cliff Bleszinski, also known as "CliffyB," got up on the stage early on to show off Gears of War 3 (spoiler: it's more Gears of War) and Hideo Kojima showed off one of the highlights of the conference: a new trailer for the Raiden-centric game Metal Gear Solid Rising. Apparently this game is about cutting. Cutting everything from limbs to brick support beams to watermelons.

Last but not least, Microsoft announced their new Xbox 360 model (often called the "Xbox 360 Slim" by consumers and press), which is smaller and features built-in Wi-Fi and a 250GB hard drive for the same price as the current Elite model. And it launches ... today? Just like the Sega Saturn? Well OK, way to follow in the footsteps of one of the industry's greatest success stories. But that just wasn't enough — everyone in the audience was also given a free Xbox 360, a move mirroring Oprah Winfrey's now-classic "and you get a car" event that left most of the press conference's audience speechless and somewhat confused.

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For more news and commentary out of E3 2010, check back with our E3 2010 label page.

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E3 2010: Microsoft press conference livestream/chat [EDIT 2]

EDIT 2: The press conference is over. Thanks to everybody who participated in the chat room.

EDIT 1: The Microsoft conference was postponed by a half-hour, giving me a bit more time to make this post more usable for you, dear readers. You're welcome.

So I'll admit right now that I didn't make much of a grand plan for us to cover E3, the Electronics Entertainment Expo. But you know who did? The fine folks at Insert-Disc! So, while we will be providing our typical round-up posts for each major press conference, I (as well as a few other Ani-Gamers staffers if they'd like to) will be hanging out in the Insert-Disc Cover It Live chat room during the press conferences. After the break, I've included an embed of I-D's Cover It Live chat room (so you can join from right inside this post) and links to a variety of live streams of the Microsoft press conference. With luck, I should be doing the same thing for both of the other major conferences.

Live streams of the press conference:

• G4TV
• GameSpot
• GameTrailers
• YouTube

Of course, once the press conference is over, head on over to Insert-Disc to let the guys know how much fun you had in the chat room and how much you love them for actually having an organized plan for their coverage.

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Nintendo announces 3DS, 3-D capable DS successor

According to a press release on Nintendo's Japanese site, the company has just announced a successor to their Nintendo DS handheld, which has sold over 125 million units in the nearly six years of its lifespan. The new system, tentatively called the "Nintendo 3DS," will be a ... wait for it ... a 3-D DS!

The release specifically points out that with the new 3DS, "games can be enjoyed with 3D [sic] effects without the need for any special glasses," quite an exciting prospect considering the present ubiquity of polarized glasses in the 3-D media landscape. Additionally, even though the 3DS is set to "succeed 'Nintendo DS series' [sic]" (it's not a simple hardware revision like the DS Lite or DSi), the handheld will be able to play games from the Nintendo DS and DSi, though Gameboy Advance backwards compatibility (not mentioned in the press release) is almost certainly out of the question.

There has been some talk lately of evolving 3-D technology to not require those silly glasses, and the spurious spectacles are still a roadblock for many consumers (myself included) who remain hesitant to embrace 3-D technology. Whatever Nintendo uses in the 3DS has the potential to cause a paradigm shift in the way that 3-D is used in and outside games, much like the Wii has done to motion control in the gaming sphere. (Then again, it also has the potential to be really gimmicky. Again, like the Wii.) Nintendo is set to provide details about the handheld at E3 in Los Angeles this June.

[via Nintendo via Joystiq]

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Weekly Astro Boy Magazine app now available to new lands

Starting today, anyone who owns an iPhone or iPod Touch (or even, presumably, an iPad, in the future) and lives in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand or other listed countries can download the stonking good App “Weekly Astro Boy Magazine”. They join Japanese, Canadian and American fans who have been able to get the app since its original launch in 2009.

While this would be great news at any other time of year, this is especially timely given the ongoing Ani-Gamers Tezuka Month celebrations, and that fact that I personally have been awaiting the release of this App with baited breath since its initial announcement.

The app works by first asking you to download a small reader application — costing $1 or the local equivalent — and then each week additional “issues” are published which the user can purchase, each for an additional $1. The individual issues contain a mixture of chapters from various Tezuka works including the titular Astro Boy, Black Jack, Dororo, and Phoenix. The translations are the same as those used in the domestically published works due to the program makers agreements with Tezuka Productions and publishers — for example the Dark Horse translation is used for the Astro Boy chapters.

A free version, containing the first issue of the magazine, is available for you to download and try with no obligation. In addition, you are under no obligation at any point to purchase new issues so you don't have to worry about the app siphoning money out of you.

A nice bonus is that all the previously released chapters are available for download in English in the new territories right now — I will freely admit abusing the wi-fi at my work office downloading additional issues of the magazine this afternoon.

From a brief play with the application this afternoon I am very happy with the viewing software — the user interface is well built for viewing the manga pages, if perhaps a little awkward when you want to change the issue you wish to read and I have a bad habit of exiting the reader application entirely when trying to do this. In addition there is no real way to know which chapters you are receiving each week short of subscribing to the Application's twitter feed (included at the foot of this post) The official website only lists the titles present in a volume, not the chapter names or any additional details. I would be interested to see how it performs on a iPad once they are released, due to the larger viewing area.

A special bonus for me is that the first Astro Boy Story serialised in the magazine is “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, the origin for the Naoki Urasawa adaption "Pluto" and a story I have wanted to read for a long time but never had the opportunity.

I heartily recommend that you give the App a try should you have an iPhone or iPod touch — it does have a free version after all.

[via astroboymagazine.com, AstroBoyMag official Twitter]

Check out more articles about Osamu Tezuka in our March 2010 Tezuka Theme Month!

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Vertical, Inc. confirms Ayako license [EDIT]

At last, the veil of the embargo has been lifted, and I have been given the OK to confirm what most readers have likely already suspected: Vertical, Inc. Marketing Director Ed Chavez did indeed reveal to the press one week ago today at a "Vertical Vednesday" event that Vertical was in the process of acquiring publish rights for the manga Ayako. The series, which appeared on Amazon last week before Mr. Chavez had even gotten a chance to announce it, is a historical drama from the "god of manga," Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy, Black Jack, Buddha).

Despite Vertical's clear interest in the title, some in the manga world feared that the leak, which shattered the company's plan for a more controlled promotional roll-out, would jeopardize the license itself, and might cause Vertical to be unable to release Ayako in the United States. Thankfully, though, Mr. Chavez confirmed to Ani-Gamers in a Twitter message that Ayako is "locked up ... for the most part." Assuming that Chavez's original release date still stands, we will see Ayako on store shelves on October 19, 2010.

EDIT: By the way, this means that my prediction was totally right. Score!

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Amazon listing reveals Ayako as potential Vertical license

An Amazon listing that appeared this past Tuesday shows the Osamu Tezuka manga Ayako, apparently published by manga and Japanese prose publisher Vertical, Inc. The manga is a three-volume historical series by the "god of manga" that examines the breakdown of Japanese society in the post-war occupation. It was created around the same time as MW and Ode to Kirihito, two dark Tezuka tales that have sold quite well for Vertical.

Vertical's Marketing Director Ed Chavez also announced a new Tezuka title for the publisher at a recent "Vertical Vednesday" event in New York City, and while I attended the event, the name of the Tezuka manga is under embargo for the time being, and Mr. Chavez has refused to comment on the presumed Ayako leak. Please note that Ani-Gamers is not at the liberty of confirming if Ayako was announced at the event or if it was another title.

However, if Vertical is indeed looking into licensing Ayako, it is important to note that the book might never see the light of day in America because of this Amazon debacle. The title being listed on Amazon does not necessarily mean that licensing deals are complete, so a major hiccup such as this could break down any talks that might be going on between Vertical and Japanese licensor Shogakukan.

I predicted that Ayako would be Vertical's newest Tezuka license earlier this week, and this listing certainly lends some validity to my prediction. Mr. Chavez also hinted at a few new licenses during yesterday's Vednesday event, which I have already begun mulling over. I'll be sure to write up a post if I come up with a prediction for those.

[via Kuriousity]

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