Pokémon Day – Linkara Review January 1, 2013

Pokémon been absorbed so much into the media that it took over movies, television and video games at the same time.  But that wasn’t all you could find Pokémon in, there were Pokémon comic books too!  And who better to review a comic book than Lewis “Linkara” Lovhaug, the host of Atop the Fourth Wall.  In this episode from 2011 he reviewed the first issue of the Pokémon manga, The Electric Tales of Pikachu.  Based mostly on the animated series, this issue retold the story of how Ash got started on his quest to become the very best like no one ever was and how he met his Pikachu.

This review was the culmination of a plot Linkara was doing in his reviews.  Over the course of several weeks of reviews, people all over the world were slowly disappearing, ranging from his fellow critics to his own personal friends.  By the time the review was made he was supposedly the last person left on the planet.  There’s some cool special effects culminating in an epic battle with one of Pokémon’s most infamous embarrassments.

So if you want to see just what a Pokémon comic looks like, give this review a look.

More Pokémon content is coming!  Hope you’re all enjoying Pokémon Day on the site and Happy New Year to all of you!

Pokémon Day – How Pokémon Went Viral January 1, 2013

Hope you guys are enjoying Pokémon Day so far on the site.  Up next we have a really well made viral video from DNSQ where he takes his own look at the subject matter.  How Pokémon Went Viral talks about the history of the game series and provides thoughts and opinions on just how this franchise took off.  It’s a really well written and edited short with great music.  Give it a look.

Stay tuned to gamexcess.net for more Pokémon Day content!  Happy New Year!

Pokémon Day – Suede Reviews January 1, 2013

William Dufrence, formerly known to the internet as That Dude in the Suede is now simply known to the internet as Suede, and he is one of the anime reviewers for thatguywiththeglasses.com. Since April 2012, he has used his web series, Animenia, to review the feature-length Pokémon movies, and they have been absolutely fantastic.

However, he is not doing these movie reviews alone. Suede has reviewed the first two Pokémon films with Justin “JewWario” Carmical and Lewis “Linkara” Lovhaug. J-Dub is host of You Can Play This a classic import game series (with a Nintendo focus) and Linkara is host of Atop The Fourth Wall, where he reviews comic books every week. All three reviewers are die-hard Pokémon fans with a deep love for the series and knowledge of its expanded universe in both America and Japan.

If you want to watch their review of Pokémon: The First Movie, you can see Part 1 of the review here and Part 2 of the review here. Suede also provided a full commentary of that review where he talked mostly about the differences between the Japanese and American versions of the movie, as well as some extra things he didn’t get the chance to say in the original review and you can watch that here. That not enough for you? You can watch their review of Pokémon: The Movie 2000 in its entirety here.

While this was the last movie they’ve reviewed together to date, Suede has done some supplemental Pokémon reviews in the meantime on his own as he works on the third Pokémon movie review. The first up is a review of the Pikachu animated shorts which preceded the feature-length movies in theatres, and were included with the DVD releases of the movies. You can watch that review at this link. The most recent Pokémon video he did was released just in time for Christmas and is a review of the banned Pokémon Christmas episode, Holiday Hi-Jinx, which you can watch right here.

Suede has pledged to review all fifteen of the feature-length Pokémon animated movies, and that means that more will be coming. These guys really have a great time doing these reviews, the editing and animation are great, and their knowledge about the subject is quite extensive. Give it a watch.

More Pokémon related content will be coming all day today! Happy New Year!

Pokémon Day – Pokémon As A Mythic Narrative (Connecticon 2012 Panel) January 1, 2013

Princess Angel and I were fortunate enough to catch this amazing panel at Connecticon 2012 this summer, and luckily someone has put it online for everyone to get the chance to watch.  Charles Dunbar at studyofanime.com hosted a panel where he talked about Pokémon as a Mythic Narrative.  Specifically, he talked about the origins of Pokémon’s story and the inspiration behind many of the Pokémon themselves.

It’s an amazing panel filled with a lot of humor.  Trust me, you’ll be glued to watching every single minute of it and whether you’re a Jr. Trainer or a Grand Pokémon Master you may just learn something new along the way.  Enjoy.

Lighting Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Jump Fiesta Trailer December 27, 2012

Lighting indeed returns in the third sequel to Final Fantasy XIII.  The world has thirteen more days before it faces total destruction.  Only Lightning, the heroine of Final Fantasy XIII can save it!

Just what kind of world will we be visiting this time around?  Take a look for yourselves and see!

Lighting Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is coming to Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 in 2013.

Dead Space 3 Demo Announced December 26, 2012

EA has just announced that Dead Space 3 will get a demo on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 on January 22nd, 2013. However, if you meet the requirements and are fast enough, you can play the game’s demo early on the Xbox 360.

EA Origin Members who have Xbox 360s can register their account on this website for early access to the Dead Space 3 demo.  If you register early enough, EA promises to send you an Xbox Live code you can redeem for early access to the demo on January 15th, 2013.  Registering for an Origin account is free of charge to anyone with an e-mail address, regardless of whichever platforms they play games on.

Dead Space 3, is coming in February 2013 to PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

Nintendo TVii Released December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas, everyone!  Just in time for the holiday, Nintendo has activated the long anticipated Nintendo TVii service on the Wii U.  All Wii U owners will immediately be able to access the TVii service and start watching it.

What is the Nintendo TVii service?  This short film should explain everything.

Nintendo TVii is free to all Wii U owners.  No separate download is required, but you may need to have the most recent Wii U firmware installed.  Just click on the red TV icon on the lower portion of your Wii U and you can get started.  The service will also be compatible with Netflix and Amazon Prime customers.

The Last of Us Cinematic Process Video December 14, 2012

For those of you who have been following the development of The Last of Us as closely as I have, you’ll know that its being made by Naughty Dog, the creators of the Uncharted franchise.  Part of the reason why Naughty Dog was able to do such a phenomenal job bringing a realistic virtual performance out of their characters is because they had their voice actors actually perform their scenes in a motion capture studio.  Naughty Dog is continuing this tradition with The Last of Us, their newest game, which tells the story of the survivors of a new parasitic apocalypse.

Sony has saw fit to post up a quick video of just how this process works and introduce a brand new character, named Tess, to us.  Take a look.

The Last of Us is coming May 7th, 2013 exclusive to the Playstation 3.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Boot Camp 2012 Gameplay December 14, 2012

Next year, one of the most classic in gaming franchises of the 3D era is going to be headed into a brand new direction for the franchise.  Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance follows Raiden, the hero of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty as he tries to make his way through a world free from the shackles of the Patriots and which the latest and greatest technology for war has become cybernetic augmentation.

We all saw a taste of just how powerful Raiden had become in Metal Gear Solid 4: Sons of Liberty.  Well, he’s gotten upgraded since then.  Just how powerful is Raiden this time around?  You will be able to take out a Metal Gear Ray single-handedly using only a sword.  Take a look at this gameplay clip for what looks to be an epic boss fight.

But fighting Metal Gears is not all you’ll be doing in the game.  If you would prefer to see some all new gameplay (that hasn’t already been seen in the recent demo) take a look at this new level shown at Boot Camp 2012, where Raiden has to navigate the sewers filled with augmented mercenaries.  Will you attack up front or sneak around them?  You decide.

Metal Gear Rising Revengeance is coming February 2013 for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.  A demo is currently out with the Zone of the Enders: HD Collection.

Dead Space 3 Two Ways to Play Trailer December 13, 2012

Dead Space 3 is going to bring more than just a single player campaign that looks to conclude the entire Dead Space story, it’s also bringing an entirely new cooperative feature which has never been seen before in a Dead Space game, and probably hasn’t been seen before in any other game.

Previously, games which featured a single-player campaign which could be played cooperatively would justify this in the game’s story in one of two ways.  One, that the second player would take control of a previously AI controlled sidekick already explained in the game story.  This sidekick (or sidekicks) will follow you through the game’s story, allowing friends to drop in or drop out of controlling them at their leisure.  The other option is the more common one where a game will create an identical second protagonist which looks by all appearances to be a clone of the main character and no mention will be made that our game hero now has a clone fighting with them.

That’s just not happening with Dead Space 3.  By yourself you play as Issac Clarke, the same hero which survived the Necromorph attacks on the USG Ishumura and the Sprawl.  You’ll be alone, and your only friends will be your wits and whatever weapons you can craft this time around.  If you’re playing with a friend however, Issac won’t be alone.  A new character, John Carver, will join Issac as they will work together to survive.  The game’s storyline, while it will follow the same general path, will be altered to reflect the addition of a second player in the game.

So how does this dynamic story change with the addition of a new player?  Take a look.

This is phenomenal and other game developers who plan to bring cooperative play.  So really, if you really want to get the entire story in Dead Space 3, you’re probably going to want to play it alone, and then with a friend.

Dead Space 3 is coming February 5th, 2013 to PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.