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Cosplay Spotlight: Donald Duck (Kingdom Hearts)

Stephanie Gutowski — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 20:45:03 +0000

When I hear the words “Donal Duck cosplay,” a very specific image comes to mind. I picture a snapshot of Disneyland, mascot characters ambling through the dense crowds, posing for photo ops as they pantomime their feelings for tiny, overjoyed guests. Hopie’s interpretation, however, is something vastly different and infinitely awesome. What’s more, this particular iteration comes from Kingdom Hearts, I series I can’t help but love. Especially when there are fans like this bringing the game to life.

Perhaps I owe much of my fascination to the group as a whole, for where would Donald be without Goofy and Sora? It’s not a literal translation of the character model, but it works perfectly. I’d go so far as to call it better than an exact replica. Also, the duck-butt. Something so seemingly daunting has become a wonderful interpretation of a much-loved character. She made it hers, but kept the icon intact. It’s a type of awe I can barely describe because I thought this character was downright impossible to pull off without a professional-grade, mascot suit. But I’ll never tire of cosplayers like Hopie proving me wrong.

What’s Next For Nintendo DS?

Justin Berube — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 16:17:27 +0000

These days everyone is talking about Nintendo’s next handheld, the Nintendo 3DS, and forgetting about the classic Nintendo DS. Yes, the Nintendo 3DS’s big release may be just around the corner, but the Nintendo DS isn’t going to die the day it comes out. In fact the Nintendo DS has plenty of quality titles coming out in 2010 and 2011.

All of these classic Nintendo DS titles will be playable on the Nintendo 3DS and are worth taking a look at even if they won’t be taking advantage of the new technology found within the Nintendo 3DS. You see, a good game is good forever regardless of the tech behind it.

Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!
Developer: Nintendo Software Technology
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Puzzle
Release Date:
November 14, 2010 (North America)

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! is a puzzle game where players try to navigate Mini Mario toys, via the stylus, to the level exit without getting them destroyed. There are also optional items to collect within each stage that add a layer of challenge for players wishing to fully complete the title.

Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! is one of the best DSiWare titles to this day. Once I sat down with the DSiWare title I was hooked and wanted to really complete the game, which I eventually ended up doing.

Because of my love for the previous title I am really looking forward to the upcoming fourth installment of the Mario Vs. Donkey Kong series in Mini-Land Mayhem! Mini-Land Mayhem! also brings back the level editor from the previous installment and Nintendo has promised to have level design contests within the game!

Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
Developer: Camelot Software Planning
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: RPG
Release Date:
October 28, 2010 (Japan)
November 29, 2010 (North America)
December 10, 2010 (Europe)

Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age are two of the most popular RPG’s on the Game Boy Advance. Fans of the series have been waiting for another installment for years and they are finally about to get their wish when Golden Sun: Dark Dawn is released for the Nintendo DS.

Golden Sun: Dark Dawn takes place 30 years after the ending of the second title and features some of the offspring of characters from the original games. This is one title that RPG fans will not want to miss!

Kingdom Hearts Re:coded
Developer: h.a.n.d.
Publisher: Square Enix
Genre: Action RPG
Release Date:
October 7, 2010 (Japan)
January 11, 2011 (North America)
January 14, 2011 (Europe)

Kingdom Hearts fans have something to look forward to with Kingdom Hearts Re:coded on the way. Kingdom Hearts Coded was originally released in Japan as an episodic cell phone game. This cell phone game never made it outside of Japan. Now the original game is getting an overhaul and being put on the Nintendo DS and released in all major regions!

Kingdom Hearts Re:coded takes place after the events of Kingdom Hearts 2. Jiminy Cricket is looking at his journal when he notices a strange message. From there he and King Mickey are determined to figure out what it means.

Pokémon Black & White Versions
Developer: Game Freak
Publisher: Nintendo/The Pokémon Company
Genre: RPG
Release Date:
September 18, 2010 (Japan)
Spring 2011 (North America)
Spring 2011 (Europe)

Pokémon Black & White Versions mark the fifth generation of Pokémon. This game has been on every Pokémon fans radar for quite some time and is going to sell more copies than you can imagine.

Pokémon Black & White Versions feature over 150 new Pokémon and several new features. One new feature allows friends to video voice chat when both are using a Nintendo DSi system. Another feature allows users to upload Pokémon to the Internet for use on an official website.

It has also been confirmed that players can, after certain requirements are met, bring their Pokémon from the previous generation to this title. I personally can’t wait to bring my favorite Pokémon, Mewtwo, over so that I can cause some chaos!

Ōkamiden
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Genre: Action-Adventure
Release Date:
September 30, 2010 (Japan)
2011 (North America)
2011 (Europe)

Ōkamiden is the official sequel to the hit game Ōkami and is only available on the Nintendo DS! Ōkamiden’s main character, Chibiterasu, is the child of the star of the previous title, Amaterasu.

The game will once again feature the ability to draw with the Celestial Brush. This time, however, drawing with the Celestial Brush will be made easier thanks to the Nintendo DS’s touch screen.

Chibiterasu will often times have a partner riding her back. This partner can be removed and moved around with the stylus creating several two character puzzle scenarios. Fans of the original title should be watching out for this game.

Kirby
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Platformer
Release Date:
2011(Japan)

Very little is currently known about the new Kirby title coming to the Nintendo DS. What is known is that it appears as though up to 10 Kirby’s will somehow be playable at once.

This title has yet to be announced for release outside of Japan, but I think it’s very likely that it will happen.

Battle & Get! Pokémon Typing DS
Developer: ?
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Typing?
Release Date:
2011 (Japan)

Much like the new Kirby title, very little is known about Battle & Get! Pokémon Typing DS. The title will come with a wireless keyboard and will probably just be a typing tool for children. I still think this is a title to look out for just for the novelty of having a keyboard for the Nintendo DS and who knows, maybe players will be able to obtain some Pokémon for the main games within it?

This game has yet to be confirmed for release outside of Japan. I do feel the game does have a chance to make it overseas due to the vast amounts of Pokémon fans all over the world.

Professor Layton and the Specter’s Flute
Developer: Level-5
Publisher: ?
Genre: Puzzle/Adventure
Release Date:
December 19, 2009 (Japan)

The Professor Layton series is, without a doubt, one of the best series of games for the Nintendo DS. Professor Layton and the Specter’s Flute will be the fourth installment in the series but takes place long before the previous games. The first three Professor Layton games are the first trilogy and this title will be the start of the prequel trilogy.

Professor Layton and the Specter’s Flute will no doubt feature several puzzles to solve while a great mysterious story plays out. The story in previous Professor Layton games entices players to work hard to solve puzzles so they can figure out what’s going to happen next.

This title has yet to be officially announced for regions outside of Japan but there is evidence to support that it is coming. At E3 2010 it was announced that Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle would be coming to the Nintendo 3DS platform. Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle takes place after The Specter’s Flute. If anyone thinks they are going to skip over a game they are crazy.

Fire Emblem: Shin Monshō no Nazo: Hikari to Kage no Eiyū
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Tactical RPG
Release Date:
July 15, 2010 (Japan)

This game has yet to be announced for any region outside of Japan but I thought it would be worth a mention. You see Fire Emblem: Monshō no Nazo was released for the SNES and contained a remake of the original Fire Emblem and an entire new game that was the sequel to the first. These halves of the game were called Book 1 and Book 2 respectively.

In 2009 a remake of the first Fire Emblem game (Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon) which features Marth of Super Smash Bros. fame came out in North America for the Nintendo DS. This would mark the first time fans outside of Japan have been able to play the game and it’s the first time players could experience the tale of Marth.

Fire Emblem: Shin Monshō no Nazo: Hikari to Kage no Eiyū is a remake of Book 2 from the SNES Fire Emblem: Monshō no Nazo. I think it’s time that Nintendo allowed the rest of the world to experience the next chapter of the story. Ever since Marth was put into Super Smash Bros. Melee fans have wanted to know more. This is the perfect opportunity.

In addition Fire Emblem: Shin Monshō no Nazo: Hikari to Kage no Eiyū has a bonus feature that has a remake of BS Fire Emblem: Akaneia Senki. BS Fire Emblem: Akaneia Senki was available to play over the now defunct Nintendo Satellaview service for the Super Famicom and there is currently no real way to play the game fully on that system. The remake within this latest Fire Emblem title for is the only real way to play it today.

Nintendo should really release this game outside of Japan and there is still hope that it could hit in 2011. If it doesn’t hit then I’m sadly positive that players outside of Japan will have to wait a long time for this installment in the series.

Is there a Nintendo DS title that you’re anticipating that I missed? Follow me on Twitter @KingNintendoFan or Like me on Facebook and be sure to tell me about it so that I can add a mention of it to the list! Long live Nintendo DS!

New Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep Gameplay Trailer

Bryce Wilson — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 14:20:36 +0000

I’ve never played Kingdom Hearts, so shoot me. I’ve heard wonderful things about it, read glowing reviews, and even wanted to play it, but unfortunately I haven’t. Maybe that will change when Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep heads to the Sony Playstation Portable in September of 2010. If you’ve been interested, enjoy the following trailer.

Square-Enix E3 Lineup Revealed

Rangebar Merani — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 00:51:00 +0000

Square-Enix has officially listed its lineup for E3 next week in Los Angeles, stating that this year they will showcase the widest range of titles in the company’s history.

Here’s the full list of announced games Square-Enix will be showing off at E3:

Final Fantasy XIV
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep
Kingdom Hearts: Recoded
The 3rd Birthday
Front Mission Evolved
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days
Lara Croft and The Guardian of Light
The Tales of Bearsworth Manor: Chaotic Conflicts
The Tales of Bearsworth Manor: Puzzling Pages
Dungeon Siege 3

Now that’s quite a lineup. I’m most excited for FFXIV and the Kingdom Hearts titles. Look out for our coverage of E3 live from LA next week!

[image source: jontintinjordan]

Locked Out Again — New FFXIII/Kingdom Hearts Trailers Only Behind Closed Doors

Cavin Smith — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 22:47:14 +0000

It’s time for this year’s Jump Festa, an annual exposition put on by Weekly Shonen Jump publisher Shueisha. Though anime and manga are the general focus of the event, video games are welcome too, and Square-Enix is back for their traditional showing. The problem? The public’s getting jacked again as their most impressive wares are still only being displayed in a “closed theatre.” What gives S-E?

It’s been roughly a year-and-a-half since Final Fantasy XIII’s original announcement and the developers still have very little to show for it. Though the initial footage of protagonist Lightning is still quite impressive, the average gamer’s only been treated to what amounts to remixed teasers since, and the press hasn’t gotten it much better. We plebeians had to settle for artists reproductions and second-hand reports of what transpired behind closed doors at both E3 and the Tokyo Game Show.

Is this fair? In purely technical terms, sure. Square-Enix can show whatever they want, whenever they want, to whoever they want. But this kind of behavior doesn’t instill much confidence in their products, hurting not only the game’s image in terms of potential consumers and Final Fantasy fans all over the globe, but also Sony’s bottom line. FFXIII/Versus have always been a feather in the PS3′s cap, with many claiming they won’t even consider purchasing the console until the games actually hit. Take a step back into history and you’ll notice that Playstation sales didn’t really start to pick up until Final Fantasy VII was released. This could be a major breadwinner for Sony (and Square-Enix), but with each delay and each trailer being shown behind closed doors, that potential slips more and more.

Is it a signal of troubled development? Most likely. It’s always tough getting a new development platform off the ground and, no doubt, the White Engine has posed some nasty problems. We also know what might happen when footage is shown of a game in an unplayable state. Often acceptable by press standards, unleashing video of unpolished gameplay on the public could be disastrous. Just look at what happened to Silicon Knights and their unfortunate showing of Too Human just a couple E3s ago. Denis Dyack become persona non grata at forums all over the internet.

While that’s a legitimate fear, the frustration seems to come more from the idea that Square-Enix should have something to show at this point. There seemed to be no major problems with the trailer at TGS, which showcased more of Versus’ concept, as well as several new characters. Then again, even that wasn’t playable. Could we honestly be in for another FFXII? And that was one game. Imagine three (all part of Fabula Nova Crystallis), each with its own troubled development cycle. Is this what happens when a next-gen game gets way too ambitious for its own good?

For now, all we can do is sit on our hands and wait and consume whatever scraps actually get thrown our way. The recently-announced Kingdom Hearts games are also being shown in the closed theatre, but I think we can all give those a little more leeway. Just about everything else is the standard fare.

Here’s the full listing of what Square-Enix has to offer at Jump Festa ’08:

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker (Playable)
Dragon Quest IV (???)
Final Fantasy IV (Playable)
Chocobo’s Mysterious Dungeon (Video)
Dissidia: Final Fantasy (Video)
Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days (Video – New)
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (Video – New)
Kingdom Hearts: Coded (Video – New)
Fabula Nova Crystallis [FFXIII/Versus/Agito] (Video – New)
Final Fantasy VII AC: Complete (Video – New)
Star Ocean: First Departure (Video)
Front Mission 2009: Border of Madness (Video)

As many of the trailers are listed as being new, we might just get something out of this yet.