May 2014

ANIME SPOTLIGHT: If Her Flag Breaks


Posted on May 29, 2014 by Jason Nason

Our third week at Anime Spotlight is a more recent series, If Her Flag Breaks which made its debut on television in Japan just last month. The series follows the adventures of Sota Hatate, who has the unique ability to see “Flags” above the heads of other people. The “Flags” mark critical crossroads in people’s lives — when the choices they make will determine love, friendship, victory, and even death. He transfers into Tokyo’s elite Hatagaya Academy, but instead of living by himself in the boys’ dormitory, he ends up living with many beautiful girls under one roof.

The show is in the harem genre, which basically means that the show revolves around a central male character where the majority of the main female characters are either close friends or want to date the main character. It’s the type of thing that isn’t too common on North American television but is pretty common in anime. It’s actually kind of funny.

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May 29th Nintendo Download


Posted on May 29, 2014 by Jason Nason

Nintendo Wii U eShop

Mario Kart 8 (Nintendo) – Rated: E – $59.99

Feel the rush as your kart rockets across the ceiling. Race upside-down and along walls on anti-gravity tracks in the most action-fueled Mario Kart game yet. Take on racers across the globe and share videos of your greatest moments via Mario Kart TV. Driving up a waterfall or across the ceiling can provide an intense adrenaline rush, but that’s not all anti-gravity is good for. It also provides a wild new gameplay mechanic: if you collide into other racers in zero-g, you’ll earn speed boosts worth bragging about. Luckily, you can upload and share your best moments and watch your friends’ using the all-new Mario Kart TV. Returning features include 12-player online play, gliders, underwater racing, motorbikes, and custom karts. You can even race as Bowser’s seven minions, the Koopalings!

Mario Kart 8 will be available on May 30.

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It was a Colourful Weekend at Anime North


Posted on May 27, 2014 by Jason Nason

It couldn’t have been nicer for a weekend full of fun and colourful costumes at Anime North. The convention took over the International Plaza Hotel and the Toronto Congress Centre over the weekend where thousands of people came in from far and wide. A simple open of your Nintendo 3DS made it apparent just how far some people had come.

My Mii Plaza filled up to capacity nearly instantly all weekend and I had visitors on my handheld from New York state, Saskatchewan, Quebec and New Brunswick to name a few. People from all walks of life were at the convention, and you would be hard pressed to find a friendlier bunch of people taking in the sights.

A convention of this size and scale isn’t something that can be taken in all at once. In fact there is just so much to do that it’s impossible to do it all. From planned theme photo shoots where cosplayers can gather together to meet their kin, Q&A panels on a wide range of topics taking place every hour of the day, music, video, dances and more. Plus the vendors room is always buzzing with people looking for something unique and delightful to add to their collection.

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Costumes Aplenty This Weekend at Anime North


Posted on May 22, 2014 by Jason Nason

We’ve become accustomed to seeing people dressed up in our everyday lives. From different work outfits, religious attire and even those who prefer to dress in their own unique personal style every day. But if you are in Toronto this weekend prepare for a bit more colour and style than usual.

This weekend brings the return of Anime North to Toronto, the annual convention celebrating anime, manga, Japanese culture and a wealth of other entertainment genres. You’ll find video gaming, movies and tabletop gaming all represented here and you’ll also find no shortage of colourful characters walking around.

Cosplay is the act of dressing up as your favourite entertainment character. There is no range or restriction to who you might see decked out in full garb, from medieval warriors, school girls, storm troopers, super heroes or even Pokémon. They’ll all be here, and then some.

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May 22nd Nintendo Download


Posted on May 22, 2014 by Jason Nason

Nintendo Wii U Virtual Console

Street Fighter Alpha 2 (Capcom) – Rated: T

Street Fighter Alpha 2 explodes on-screen with lightning-fast gameplay and amazing innovations. Quick Move Reversals, Alpha Counters and the incredible Custom Combo System create a new standard for all games to fight by. Push your talents to the limit as you discover new hidden moves and reversals for every character. Neutralize opponent’s attacks with high and low Alpha Counters and execute incredible Custom Combos to create your own rapid-fire assault of attacks. All your favorite warriors are back for more! Previously hidden characters Dan, Akuma, and Bison are joined by five new fighters: Rolento, Gen, Sakura, and classic favorites Dhalsim and Zangief.

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Nintendo of Canada Revs Up Fans for Mario Kart 8


Posted on May 20, 2014 by Jason Nason

Nintendo of Canada has announced that they will celebrate the launch of Mario Kart 8 by giving fans a chance to play the game this Saturday, before the game is released next week. The special previews will take place at select Best Buy stores across Canada. The celebration will continue with special karting events in Toronto and Montreal on Saturday, May 31.

“Mario Kart 8 will drive players wild with fun, challenging tracks, new playable characters and its anti-gravity feature which will flip kart racing on its head,” said Ron Bertram, Nintendo of Canada’s vice-president and general manager. “Nintendo of Canada is sharing in the excitement of Mario Kart 8 by giving fans a chance to play the game before it launches at select Best Buy stores and at Mario’s Canadian Karting Day events hosted in Toronto and Montreal on launch weekend.”

On Saturday, May 24, these locations will kick Mario Kart 8 into high gear with hands-on demonstrations from 12pm to 4pm. The first 50 players at the store in Toronto and Montreal will receive a voucher to a local karting track for a free race. Additional giveaways will be available for the duration of the retail events, while supplies last.

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Nintendo Patent Infringement Case Dismissed


Posted on May 20, 2014 by Jason Nason

Nintendo announced on Monday that the company has won a patent infringement case in a U.S. District Court in Texas. The case was brought in February 2009 by Wall Wireless, LLC, which claimed that the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi systems infringed a patent. Wall Wireless is a company whose primary business is enforcing patents. The court dismissed the case on May 19th, 2014, after the United States Patent and Trademark Office canceled all the patent claims Wall Wireless was relying on in its case.

This dismissal follows a decision by the Japanese Patent Office, which also found that Nintendo’s products do not infringe Wall’s Japanese patents.

“We are very pleased to see the U.S. case dismissed, and also to have the Japanese Patent Office confirm that Nintendo does not infringe Wall’s Japanese patents,” said Richard Medway, Nintendo of America’s vice president and deputy general counsel. “Nintendo vigorously defends patent lawsuits and other proceedings when we believe we have not infringed another party’s patents. It does not matter where such cases are filed or if it takes more than five years to vindicate our position. Nintendo continues to develop unique and innovative products while respecting the intellectual property rights of others.”

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ANIME SPOTLIGHT: Another


Posted on May 15, 2014 by Jason Nason

In my second anime spotlight, I’ve chosen a short series that is the polar opposite of last week’s choice. Another is a slower paced, sometimes creepy, horror series where students and teachers keep dying in a mysterious curse that has plagued one class for twenty six years. This series can be found for free with the Crunchyroll app.

The story focuses on a boy named Kouichi Sasakibara who, upon transferring into Yomiyama Middle School and meeting the curious Mei Misaki, finds himself in a mystery revolving around students and people related to his class falling victim to gruesome, senseless deaths. Twenty-six years prior, a student named Misaki died, but her classmates pretended as though she was still alive. The fellow students and teachers in class 3-3, couldn’t deal with the sudden death and kept up the charade through the rest of the year. Then during the end of year class photo, the dead student appeared in the photograph. In the years since, this calamity has plagued the class with senseless deaths following.

Kouichi Sasakibara arrives in the town of Yomiyama when his father goes off to India for work. After being released from the hospital suffering from a collapsed lung, the boy moves in with his aunt and enters class 3-3 at the school. It has been fifteen years since Kouichi has been to the town, not since he was born. His mother, who was also in the fated class, died during child birth.

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May 15th Nintendo Download


Posted on May 15, 2014 by Jason Nason

Nintendo 3DS eShop

Moon Chronicles (Renegade Kid) – Rated: T

Experience Renegade Kid’s award-winning first-person shooter, remastered in glorious 3D. Moon Chronicles delivers an atmospheric sci-fi adventure with enhanced graphics and intuitive touch-screen controls for a truly unique experience – all running at a silky-smooth 60 frames per second. Moon Chronicles is available exclusively in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS.

Join Major Kane on a mysterious mission to Earth’s moon to investigate a unique hatch of unknown origin. With each new episode you are brought one step closer to understanding the secrets that lie beneath the surface of the moon. EPISODE 1: ONE SMALL STEP – Major Kane’s investigation quickly spirals into a desperate search for lost team members and the discovery of troubling evidence. BONUS MISSION: TSUKIGAMI’S VR TRAINING – Created by Captain Tsukigami to emulate the behaviors of alien hostiles; this mission helps you perfect your skills, while providing some intense first-person shooter action. Episodes 2, 3, 4 available at future dates as new Downloadable Content.

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Castle Storm – Free to Siege | Review


Posted on May 13, 2014 by Jason Nason

CastleStorm – Free to Siege is a free-to-play game which doesn’t shove micro-transactions in your face but doesn’t shy away from them either. The game is simple and fun to play.

You start off the game playing the Kingdom Quest campaign, where after years of peace the calm is threatened when the vikings start mysteriously attacking again. Luckily you play the hero who will work to defend the castle with a trusty bastilla, guide the troops into hand to hand combat against the vikings, as well as take to the battlefield yourself to get into the thick of things.

The game mashes up the genres of tower defense, action strategy and beat’em up with all three being used at once on occasion.

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Final Fantasy 8’s Ending Is Generally Seen As This, Right?


Posted on May 12, 2014 by Les Major

Bare with me here since it’s been a lifetime since I played Final Fantasy 8 but a friend of mine got me reading into some theories about the games story and ending recently. My confusion comes from the fact that no one seems to usually talk about how I perceived the ending of the game. I think out of everything I’ve seen one YouTube video that actually dealt with my perception.
Spoilers are ahead of course! So join in and tell me what you think.Read More


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Top Web Comics Offering Free Ad Space For Contest Entries


Posted on May 11, 2014 by Les Major

It really can’t get much better than this! Top Web Comics is offering free ad space to any web comic that submits an entry into their Unofficial Watch Dogs Art Contest. That isn’t the prize, that’s literally what EVERY entry per web comic gets! It’s no joke, no strings attached. Break out some Crayola’s and get your six year old cousin to draw a pic of one of your web comic characters as Aiden Pearce using his smart phone to hack something in a down town area and you’ve got yourself free advertisement for your web comic!

Know anyone who draws web comics? Do you draw web comics? Well get in on this! What a great deal, it’s all free, and the two top voted contest entries get a free copy of Watch Dogs! Join the Unofficial Watch Dogs Art Contest today!


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Final Fantasy III Coming to Steam


Posted on May 9, 2014 by Jason Nason

Square Enix announced today that FINAL FANTASY III is coming soon to Steam. The Steam version of FINAL FANTASY III has been optimized for PC gaming and has new and improved 3D visuals and story sequences, and will include Steam Trading Cards and Achievements, along with new visual designs for the Job Mastery Cards.

FINAL FANTASY III was first released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in Japan in 1990 and was the first title in the series to become a million-seller. The game was remade and released in 2006 for the Nintendo DS, and later also released on iOS, Android and a host of other platforms.

This is the latest version of the 3D remake, which will include new and improved 3D visuals and story sequences, quicker browsing through the monster bestiary and other game record. There will also be new visual designs for the Job Mastery Cards, achievements and new Steam Trading Cards.

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May 8th Nintendo Download


Posted on May 8, 2014 by Jason Nason

Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console

Mega Man II (Capcom) – Rated: E – $2.99

It’s Mega May! Every Thursday in May, a different Mega Man game (actually, two this week!) will launch in the Virtual Console section of the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS. In Mega Man II, jump and blast your way through a barrage of maniacal robotic monsters while collecting a variety of weapons and items to help fight more Robot Masters. Who is this stranger from the future called Quint? Can Mega Man reach Dr. Wily before time’s up?

Dr. Wily is up to no good and this time he has stolen the experimental Time Skimmer that allows him to travel years into the future. Meanwhile, Mega Man and his trusty side-kick, Rush, are sent on a mission to investigate an underground lair. At arrival, the duo immediately come face-to-face with a group of Robot Masters! Jump and blast your way through a barrage of maniacal robotic monsters while collecting a variety of weapons and items to help fight more Robot Masters! Who is this stranger from the future called Quint? Can Mega Man reach Dr. Wily before time’s up? Suit up, power up, and let’s go!

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