Madhouse Still Working on Ninja Scroll 2 Plans posted on 2008-08-08 16:43 EDT

Madhouse Still Working on Ninja Scroll 2 Plans posted on 2008-08-08 16:43 EDT

Still needs script that is acceptable to studio founder Maruyama, creator Kawajiri

Masao Maruyama, the co-founder of the Madhouse anime studio, revealed at his Otakon 2008 panel today that his company is still working on plans for a sequel to the Ninja Scroll action anime film. However, he noted that Ninja Scroll 2 project still needs a script that is acceptable to himself and franchise creator Yoshiaki Kawajiri.

The original movie opened in Japan in 1993, and Manga Entertainment released it in North America and other areas. Madhouse has since created a 2003 spinoff television series that Urban Vision licensed for overseas distribution. The American publisher WildStorm created its comic book take on the story in 2006.

Stan Lee's Pow Develops Quartz with Gonzo's Parent GDH posted on 2008-08-10 12:31 EDT

Animated television series is Lee's third Japanese project in development

Pow! Entertainment, the production company of American comic book pioneer Stan Lee, has revealed on its website that it is developing an animated television series named Quartz with GDH, the corporate parent of the Gonzo anime studio. Lee co-created many of Marvel Comics' flagship franchises, such as Spider-Man, X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and Iron Man. For over 15 years, Gonzo has been producing anime including Afro Samurai, Blue Submarine No. 6, Vandread, and Witchblade.

Pow! Entertainment and Lee have already been working with manga creator Hiroyuki Takei (Shaman King), Shueisha's Jump Square magazine, Viz Media's Shonen Jump magazine, and the Sony Music Entertainment subsidiary Dream Ranch on a project called Ultimo. This action title about two super-powered rivals will be previewed in the September issue of Shonen Jump in North America.

Lee is also developing the Hero Man animated television series with the anime studio BONES (Fullmetal Alchemist, Soul Eater, Wolf's Rain) and Wowmax Media! in Los Angeles. Director Hitoshi Nanba (Baki the Grappler), designer Shigeto Koyama (Eureka Seven), and animator Toshihiro Kawamoto (Cowboy Bebop) are working on the project. Hero Man's story is tentatively set on America's west coast, where a boy discovers a toy robot that turn into a giant robot.

Lee revealed at Comic-Con International in California last month that he was working on a third, unannounced project in Japan, but did not mention the project's title or production partner at the time.

Diamond's Hardcover Black Jack Adds Exclusive Stories posted on 2008-08-12 12:26 EDT

Vertical to publish 3 volumes of limited hardcover edition for comic distributor

Vertical will publish three volumes of a limited hardcover edition of Osamu Tezuka's Black Jack manga with exclusive stories for Diamond Comics Distributors. Tezuka pioneered modern Japanese manga with the Black Jack medical drama, Mighty Atom (Astro Boy), Jungle Emperor (Kimba the White Lion), Metropolis, and many other popular works.

Vertical is also publishing a regular softcover edition of Black Jack which includes stories in the order that Tezuka personally selected for a deluxe edition in Japan. Tezuka chose not to include some stories in that Japanese edition, but Tezuka Production announced it will be re-publishing these excluded stories after his 1989 passing. The exclusive stories in Vertical and Diamond's hardcover edition are culled from these excluded stories.

Otakon 2008 Draws Over 26,000 Attendees posted on 2008-08-10 23:35 EDT

Increase in attendees is largest since 2004

According to event organizers, more than 26,000 attendees filled the Baltimore Convention Center this weekend for Otakon 2008. The figure does not take into account some at-the-door registration numbers, including people who received a complimentary pass to the show. The number represents an increase of over 3,000 attendees when compared to the attendance of last year's Otakon, which drew 22,852 people. The last time the convention posted a growth rate this significant was 2004, when the convention welcomed 20,899 attendees after drawing 17,338 people in 2003.

On Sunday, convention organizers also announced that the 2009 convention will occur earlier in the summer, from July 17th until July 19th. This puts Otakon back in the middle of the convention season, one week before San Diego Comic-Con and two weeks after the conclusion of Anime Expo.

Code Geass R2 Anime Sequel to Run on Adult Swim in U.S. (Updated) posted on 2008-08-13 18:06 EDT

Second Code Geass robot anime series is still broadcasting in Japan

Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block will run the Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 sequel series in the United States. The late-night block has been running Bandai Entertainment's English-dubbed version of the first Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion robot anime series since April 26. The 18th episode of Code Geass R2 just aired in Japan on Sunday, and the series is expected to end after 25 episodes in October when the second season of Gundam 00 will take over its timeslot. Code Geass R2 continues the alternate-history struggle between the Britannia Empire and the oppressed "Elevens" of former Japan, after the cliffhanger ending of the first series. Goro Taniguchi is directing the animators at Sunrise on this project with character designs by the popular manga artist quartet CLAMP.

Live-Action Blood Reportedly to Open in U.S. in March posted on 2008-08-13 10:28 EDT

Korea's Star News says Universal plans 2,000-screen North American opening

The Korean news website Star News reports that Universal Studios is planning to release Chris Nahon's live-action film adaptation of the Blood: The Last Vampire anime film on 2,000 screens in North America next March. South Korea's Gianna Jun (Ji-hyun Jun of My Sassy Girl) stars as the ageless girl Saya who hunts down a breed of blood-feeding demons in Tokyo in 1970. France's Pathé and Hong Kong's EDKO Film plan to distribute the film in other countries around the world simultaneously. Pathé lists a June 2009 release date for France, but the current Korean release date has not been announced.

Jobs, Internships at Viz in San Francisco & Hollywood posted on 2008-08-14 04:22 EDT

Viz Media is currently seeking applicants for two job openings and several internships at its San Francisco location, and the new Viz Productions office in Hollywood is seeking an executive assistant. The two San Francisco job openings are for a brand coordinator and a retail development manager. The internships in six departments are unpaid, but are open to enrolled students for college credit.

Dir en Grey to Play 22 N. American Cities by December posted on 2008-08-15 01:28 EDT

To celebrate the release of its latest album, the Japanese metal/visual kei band Dir en grey will once again tour the United States and Canada by playing in 22 cities between November 5 and December 5.
Nov. 19 - House of Blues - Chicago, IL

Tezuka's Final Unfinished Anime To Be Completed by Son posted on 2008-08-13 08:37 EDT

Legend of the Forest was only half-animated at Osamu Tezuka's 1989 passing

Macoto Tezka, the film director also known as Makoto Tezuka, announced on his blog on Sunday that he is completing Legend of the Forest, the final unfinished work of his late father and anime pioneer Osamu Tezuka. Legend of the Forest or Mori no Densetsu began production in 1987, but only the first and fourth of its four parts were completed before the elder Tezuka passed away in 1989. The film is set to the four movements of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4, as performed by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Similar to Walt Disney's Fantasia, the elder Tezuka had planned the work as an experimental film that synchronized classical music with animation.

The film's two completed parts were already released in Japanese IMAX giant-screen theaters in 2003, but the director's oldest son intends to complete his father's final task. The younger Tezka is a respected live-action film and anime director in his own right; he has directed at least 13 short and feature-length films, as well as three television series. Those include four anime based on his father's Black Jack manga: the 2004-2006 television adaptation, Black Jack Special: The 4 Miracles of Life, the Black Jack: The Two Doctors Of Darkness film, and the Black Jack 21 television series.

As the head of Tezuka Productions, the younger Tezka had approved and has been supervising Pluto, the re-imagining of his father's Astro Boy science-fiction world by acclaimed suspense manga creator Naoki Urasawa (Monster, 21st Century Boys). Viz Media announced at California's Comic-Con International last month that it will be releasing the manga. The production studio and staff that will complete Legend of the Forest will be announced later. America's Right Stuf International and Australia's Madman Entertainment had licensed Legend of the Forest in the past, and the half-hour compilation of the two finished parts has been screened at various international film festivals. Tezuka Productions released the two completed parts on Apple's online iTunes Store in the United States.

Tokyopop Says Pulled Titles Are Delayed, Not Cancelled posted on 2008-08-15 14:40 EDT

Cites reorg for slower schedule, but concedes few books may not see print

The North American publisher Tokyopop told the Publishers Weekly trade magazine that the 28 Summer releases and 11 January 2009 release that were listed by Diamond Comics Distributors as "cancelled" are only postponed. Diamond caters to direct-sales retailers such as comic book stores through its Previews catalog of upcoming releases. In the past, Tokyopop and other publishers have "cancelled" the solicitation of books in Previews, and then re-solicited the same books at a later date.

Tokyop Marketing Director Marco Pavia noted that his company's recent restructuring has forced the company to lower its monthly output of books. However, he also acknowledged that a few of the books may only be released online, and he did not rule out the possibility of dropping some titles. Some world manga creators have said that Tokyopop notified them of their works' outright cancellation. Comic store manager and Comics212 blogger Christopher Butcher lists the books that are no longer solicited by Diamond.

Manga Mag Artist Keizo Tsukamoto Earns Guinness Record posted on 2008-08-20 16:01 EDT

Tsukamoto has drawn every Weekly Manga Times cover for 38 years

Keizo Tsukamoto, the cover illustrator for Houbunsha's Weekly Manga Times magazine since 1970, has received recognition from Guinness World Records for having the world's longest continuous career illustrating one magazine. Tsukamoto drew his first Weekly Manga Times cover when he was 23 years old in April of 1970. 38 years later, he is still drawing the cover art and has not missed a single weekly issue. As of last month, that adds up to 1,937 cover illustrations. Tsukamoto is most famous for creating smiling female faces for the magazine, but he still covers a variety of subjects and media in his other pieces. He also created his own manga mascot: a rabbit named Pyonko. It takes Tsukamoto three days to draw a typical cover illustration. He starts by drafting a piece with pencils and then finishes it with airbrushes; he still does not use any computers. Tsukamoto has been at the magazine so long that he has gone through six editor-in-chiefs. Even his oldest son and daughter are in their 30s. He told The Yomiuri Shimbun paper that he is now aiming for 50 years.

Japan's Showgate Warns Alleged Singaporean File-Sharers posted on 2008-08-14 20:47 EDT

Letters sent on behalf of anime production company by local law firm

The Electric New Paper of Singapore reports that the local law firm Rajah & Tann has been sending warning letters to alleged anime file-sharers on behalf of the Japanese production company Showgate. According to a copy of a letter that the newspaper-affiliated website obtained, the letters say that the users have been using the BitTorrent file-sharing system to download anime and infringe on Showgate's copyrights. The letters add that the users have seven days to respond or face legal action. Showgate's numerous anime titles include Blue Drop, Devil May Cry, Genshiken, Ghost Hound, Hokuto no Ken Raoh Gaiden: Ten no Haoh, Ikkitousen: Great Guardians, Indian Summer, Karas, Mnemosyne - Mnemosyne no Musume-tachi, S.A (Special A), and Shakugan no Shana. Some of these titles have not yet been officially distributed in Singapore.

Singaporean users had received legal warnings from a local distributor named Odex last year, but Odex director Stephen Sing told The Electric New Paper that Odex is not involved with Raja & Tann's current efforts. Showgate is an associate member of the Anti Video Piracy Association of Singapore that Odex founded, and it consulted with Odex on Odex's efforts last year.

BitTorrent is one of the first "swarming" peer-to-peer files-sharing systems; one of its main advantages over previous systems is how it lessens the burden on the first person who puts the file on the network. All the other users of a particular file are simultaneously sharing parts of the file as they receive them, which effectively blurs the distinction between uploaders and downloaders.

To allow for this decentralized sharing of a file, each user's BitTorrent client program normally has a list of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of the file's other sharers. A company can obtain the IP addressees of these sharers on BitTorrent simply by joining the "swarm" for that file. Successor systems are being developed that offer the anonymity that the regular BitTorrent system does not offer.

In related news, online users in North America are reporting this month that they have received notices from their Internet service providers for allegedly sharing the anime Sekirei on BitTorrent. The notices are reportedly being spurred by letters sent by the copyright tracking firm BayTSP on behalf of a different Japanese production company, Aniplex. While an Aniplex representative has confirmed with ANN that that the company uses BayTSP, Aniplex is verifying if Sekirei is included in that arrangement. In a separate matter, BayTSP had acknowledged last November that it accidentally sent notices on behalf of Odex to users outside Singapore.

Cybersix Comic Co-Creator Carlos Meglia Passes Away posted on 2008-08-17 23:56 EDT

Argentine's Cybersix comic was animated by Japanese studio TMS

Carlos Meglia, the Argentine/Spanish creator of several comic and animated titles including the Japanese-animated Cybersix television series, passed away due to complications from an aortic stroke on Friday. He was 50. Meglia made his professional debut as an assistant to fellow Argentinian illustrator Oswal in 1974, but he made a name for himself by drawing his own comics and working in animation in the 1980s. He co-created the Cybersix comic, one of his most well-known works, with his longtime collaborator Carlos Trillo in 1991. The series follows a woman, genetically created in the aftermath of experiments by a former World War II scientist, as she hunts down the scientist's other creations to survive. The Japanese anime studio Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS) and director Toshihiko Masuda adapted the story into a 13-episode 1999 television series that ran in Canada, Latin America, Japan, and many regions around the world. Meglia also contributed to other comic franchises such as Star Wars, Spyboy, and Elektra.

Man Arrested for Threatening Japan's Comike with Grenade (Updated) posted on 2008-08-16 06:39 EDT

20-year-old man allegedly made threat against dōjinshi con on 2channel forum

Police arrested a 20-year-old man from central Japan on Friday morning for allegedly threatening online to throw a grenade at the ongoing Comic Market (Comike) dōjinshi convention. Hiroyuki Kageyama, an unemployed man from Kakogawa City in Hyogo Prefecture, allegedly wrote on the 2channel web forum on July 16, "I'll toss a hand grenade at the Comike site." Kageyama was officially arrested for "interfering with the operations" of the Comike organizers.

The 74th Comic Market is being held from August 15 to August 17. Last summer, 550,000 people attended the event at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center. The Comic Market organizers posted an urgent notice on their website on August 8 to announce that they are taking the unprecedented step of checking attendees' bags "to prevent people from carrying dangerous items." They explained that there have been several online threats against Comic Market since July. They also notified people that some escalators will not be in service in the aftermath of the accident that occurred on August 3 during the Wonder Festival model kit convention. On Friday, the Comic Market website posted another urgent notice to announce the arrest in the 2channel threat case.

Police arrested a 23-year-old man named Tomohiro Katō on June 8 after he allegedly struck pedestrians with a truck and then stabbed people at Tokyo's Akihabara otaku shopping district. Seven of his victims eventually died. The authorities say that Katō made a series of posts on a mobile phone bulletin board to announce his intentions in the seven hours before the incident. A 21-year-old man named Masaki Hori was arrested on July 3 for posting on 2channel that he would "use a dagger knife and a two-ton truck to commit a massacre" on voice actress/singer Nana Mizuki and her fans at the Tokyo site of her July 5-6 concerts.

Otakon Asks for Info on Suspected Fraud by Ex-Staffer (Updated) posted on 2008-08-22 13:46 EDT

Former staffer allegedly sold fraudulent discounted memberships

Otakorp, the non-profit organization that runs the Otakon convention in Maryland, reports that a former staffer named Geoff Beebe had been selling fraudulent convention memberships at a discount. While Beebe allegedly claimed to have permission from Otakorp's board of directors to do so, the organization states that he received no such permission and was committing fraud on both Otakorp and his buyers. Otakorp is asking the general public for information on this matter through its webform or other means of contact. Update: Otakorp has told ANN that "Beebe signed a statement confessing to selling the memberships with the intent to keep the proceeds. We made this announcement because we feel that we may not actually know the full extent of the memberships he sold or if perhaps this was an ongoing situation that we only discovered recently. We are hoping that any new information we receive will help us to prevent something like this again in the future."

New Fullmetal Alchemist TV Anime Series Confirmed posted on 2008-08-20 22:20 EDT

Announcement to be made on Hiromu Arakawa's latest manga volume

The wraparound jacket band on the 20th volume of Hiromu Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist manga will confirm on Friday that a new television anime series is in the works. A new anime series was a topic of much fan discussion for several months, but it was thrust into a more public spotlight last month when a management document was purportedly leaked from the BONES anime studio. The document listed Fullmetal Alchemist animator Yasuhiro Irie as "Hagane 2 kantoku" (Iron/Fullmetal 2 director).

After the purported leak, BONES President Masahiko Minami posted an official statement that said that no file with this same formatted information existed within the company. When asked about the possibility of a sequel to Fullmetal Alchemist or Darker than BLACK (another BONES anime), Minami told ANN, "It hasn't been decided yet. We are interested in doing them. As original science-fiction works, they were extremely fascinating. With these kinds of dramatic story lines, I feel that there's a lot we could do potentially." Viz Media will publish the 17th volume of the manga version in North America this October, while FUNimation Entertainment released both the first television series and its theatrical movie finale.

New Regency Drops Voltron Film, Relativity May Pick Up posted on 2008-08-18 02:11 EDT

Forbidden Kingdom's Relativity negotiates to produce on smaller budget

The Variety entertainment news source reports that New Regency, a production company based at Fox, no longer has plans for the live-action Voltron film project, while another company, Ryan Kavanaugh's Relativity Media, is negotiating to pick up the project. If Relativity Media signs onto the remake of the 1980s animated robot series, it will finance and produce the film with a lower budget and the use of technologies similar to those used in Zack Snyder's adaptation of Frank Miller's 300 comic. Relativity Media produced or co-produced over fifty projects in the last three years, including Ghost Rider, The Forbidden Kingdom, and Wanted. Variety reported in April of 2007 that New Regency was negotiating for the rights to the project from the Mark Gordon Company, which is still involved with producers Mark Gordon and Jordan Wynn. The newspaper now reports that New Regency never completed the deal and could not reach an agreement with Voltron's Japanese rights holders. These talks began before the live-action Transformers film earned the fifth highest worldwide box office take of 2007, and before Warner Brothers began negotiating for the rights to another American adaptation of Japanese robots, Robotech.

If the Voltron project still goes forward, executive producer Bryan Zuriff and the other staffers will select a director by next week. Justin Marks (He-Man, Green Arrow) already wrote a script that resets the Lion Voltron story, which was based on the King of Beasts Golion anime, in post-apocalyptic New York City and Mexico after an alien invasion.

Oregon Man Says Son Borrowed Mature Manga from Library (Updated) posted on 2008-08-21 13:08 EDT

Battle Club, Battle Vixens among the titles in unrestricted adults section

KPTV, the Fox television affiliate in Portland, Oregon, reported on Tuesday on a man who says his 12-year-old son was able to borrow mature manga titles from a Multnomah County Library, even though they were shelved in the adult section. Rozz Rezabek said he discovered the manga in his son's room, and he noted the books were listed on the covers as "Mature: Ages 18+." KPTV showed Yuji Shiozaki's Battle Club and Battle Vixens manga in its video report. A library spokeswoman told the station that it does not restrict access to the adult section and that it is up to the parents to monitor their children's reading. While patrons can file a statement of concern at the library, Rezabek said he may discuss the matter with an attorney.

A CBS affiliate in South Carolina reported last year on a parent who complained that her son found a volume of Yuu Watase's Absolute Boyfriend manga in a bookstore's children's section.

Source: MangaBlog

Update: The American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights says that the group "opposes all attempts to restrict access to library services, materials, and facilities based on the age of library users." The Multnomah County Library's own mission and philosophy statement affirms this principle by stating that the library "will neither deny nor abridge a person's right to use a library because of his/her age, economic levels, beliefs, race, personal or physical characteristics." Thanks, Faceman.

Moribito to Premiere on Adult Swim at 1:30 a.m. ET/PT posted on 2008-08-23 23:00 EDT

Sci Fi's Gurren Lagann, Now and Then showings take two weeks off

Cartoon Network's Adult Swim television network will premiere the Moribito - Guardian of the Spirit (Seirei no Moribito) anime series tonight at 1:30 a.m. and 4:30 ET/PT in the United States. The series adapts Nahoko Uehashi's intricately detailed fantasy novel about a spearwoman who protects a prince from his own father and other enemies. The North American publisher Scholastic published the novel in English in early June. The television release was arranged before Media Blasters acquired the home video distribution rights from Geneon Entertainment. The anime features Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex director Kenji Kamiyama and music composer Kenji Kawai (Ghost in the Shell, Death Note, and Ringu films).

On America's Sci Fi Channel, both the Gurren Lagann and Now and Then, Here and There anime series will take the next two weeks off. In their places, the channel's Ani-Monday programming block will run the Read or Die video miniseries on August 25 and the Street Fighter Alpha movie on September 1.

Kristen Bell Joins CG Astroboy Film Cast posted on 2008-08-25 12:54 EDT

Lead female role in film with Freddie Highmore, Nicolas Cage, Donald Sutherland

The Variety entertainment trade news source reports that actress Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars, Heroes, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) will be voicing the lead female role in the computer-graphics film version of Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy manga. The cast already includes Freddie Highmore in the title role of the robot boy hero, Nicolas Cage, Donald Sutherland, Nathan Lane, Bill Nighy, and Eugene Levy. Bell had previously played the role of Hiromi in Hiroyuki Morita and Studio Ghibli's The Cat Returns. Variety still lists Warner Brothers as being involved with the film, although IMAGI Studios, the production company behind the film, announced in June that Summit Entertainment will be handling the international release.

2nd Death Note Film to Run in U.S. Theaters in October posted on 2008-08-25 20:12 EDT

Shonen Jump newsletter to offer early tickets for October 15, 16 showings

Viz Pictures, the film affiliate of the North American publisher Viz Media, has announced that it will screen the live-action Death Note II: The Last Name film in nearly 400 American theaters through National CineMedia's NCM Fathom on October 15 and 16. Director Shusuke Kaneko adapted Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata's supernatural suspense manga into two movies, the second of which will show on those two October evenings at 7:30 p.m. (The first film was screened this past May and is coming to DVD next month.) The English-dubbed screening will include an exclusive featurette that discusses the movie's production and features an interview with Kaneko.Subscribers of the email newsletter for Viz Media's Shonen Jump magazine can order advance tickets starting on August 29. The general public can purchase tickets starting on September 5. Viz Media's website for the Death Note films features a trailer for the second film and will provide more details for the screenings. The screenings will use NCM Fathom's high-definition digital presentation system, which was also used for Viz Media's Naruto and Bleach movie screenings.

Oreskaband to Release First U.S. Album Next Spring posted on 2008-08-26 23:55 EDT

The Sports Nippon newspaper reports that the six-woman Japanese ska band Oreskaband will release its first album in America next spring. After meeting up in middle school and playing as a band in high school, the women from Osaka recorded the "Pinocchio" ending theme for Naruto and the "Tsumasaki" ending theme for Bleach. The group performed as the first Japanese artists on the 46-city Warped Tour before 600,000 people, and they also performed at Anime Expo last year. The American indie label Side One Dummy Records gave them the record offer.

New York Anime Fest Invites Iron Chef's Morimoto posted on 2008-08-28 02:55 EDT

The New York Anime Festival (NYAF) has announced that Masaharu Morimoto, the chef best known for his appearances on the Japanese and American versions of the Iron Chef television competitions, will appear at the convention on September 26. Morimoto will hold a question-and-answer session and a book signing on that day. His Manhattan restaurant, aptly named Morimoto, will then host the convention's official after party for all NYAF attendees, exhibitors, professionals, and press members on the evening of September 28.

Report: Max Makowski to Helm Voltron Live-Action Film posted on 2008-08-29 17:55 EDT

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy director to helm remake of classic robot anime

The Latino Review movie website reports that Max Mokowski is set to direct the upcoming live-action adaptation of Voltron series, which aired in North America from 1984 to 1985. (The Lion segment of Voltron, in turn, is an adaptation of Hiroshi Sasagawa and Toei's Golion anime series.) Max Makowski was responsible for production of the Today Show for the Asian market. He also worked as a cameraman and writer for CNBC and NBC Asia and directed episodes of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. He is currently working on an adaptation of the Japanese movie SHINOBI and is set to direct a movie adaptation the 1970s series Kung Fu, which featured David Carradine. Plans for a live-action adaptation for Voltron were dropped by production company New Regency this month while another company, Relativity Media, was negotiating to continue the project.

Otakon Acknowledges Artist Alley Controversy posted on 2008-08-30 14:55 EDT

Same group was reportedly able to purchase 14 tables under different names

Otakon, North America's second-largest anime convention, has officially responded to a controversy that has arisen over the Artist Alley at this year's convention, which ran from August 8 to August 10. According to many attendees and artists, a single group purchased as many as 14 different tables and sold pieces drawn by the same person under several different names.

Matt Smiechkowski, the president of Otakorp, Inc. (Otakon's corporate parent), stated in a message posted on the Otakon website that the convention is aware of this controversy, but that Otakon staffers were not able to take any action regarding it during the convention. Under Otakon's policies, a single group is not allowed to book that many artist alley tables, but it is not clear whether artists were also prohibited from displaying their work at booths booked by other groups. Regardless, Otakon staff will be examining the table reservation and booking process to ensure that this sort of "rules-bending" is less likely to happen at future conventions.

Miyazaki Predicts Next Work at Least 3 Years from Now posted on 2008-09-01 08:51 EDT

Ponyo director speaks at Venice Film Fest about work with young animators

Director Hayao Miyazaki spoke briefly to reporters after a Sunday press-only showing of his latest movie, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, at the Venice International Film Festival. In his remarks, Miyazaki came out strongly in support of traditional animation without the aid of computers. "I think animation is something that needs the pencil, needs man's drawing hand, and that is why I decided to do this work in this way…. I will continue to use my pencil as long as I can," he stated.

The 67-year-old Miyazaki also indicated that he has no plans of retiring, but added that for whatever his next project will be, he plans on utilizing the skills and talent of a younger generation of animators to help him. He has no specific plans for the future, but thinks that the next anime he will oversee is at least three more years in the future, when he will be over 70.

Ponyo is one of two anime films from acclaimed directors competing at this year's festival — the second one being Mamoru Oshii's The Sky Crawlers. The Venice festival has already honored Miyazaki once in 2005, when it gave him a Lifetime Achievement Golden Lion award. Ponyo is scheduled to open in the United Kingdom next April.

Kite: Liberator Sequel Being Written by Creator Umetsu posted on 2008-09-04 11:24 EDT

Sequel to story that is itself a loose follow-up to the original Kite anime

Yasuomi Umetsu, the creator and director of the Kite action franchise, has reported on the Kite: Liberator website's staff column on Wednesday that he is writing the plot for the sequel to Kite: Liberator. Kite: Liberator itself is a loose follow-up with science-fiction elements to the Kite video anime. Media Blasters released the original Kite anime in North America, and it shipped the first Kite: Liberator anime in North America in the same week it shipped in Japan.

Pokemon Crushes Japan Posted by Frank Meyer - Wednesday, August 13, 2008 10:29 AM

How huge is the Pokemon franchise in Japan?

Well, according to Variety, the 11 movies based on the über-cute Nintendo videogame have raced past $455 million (50 billion yen) at Japanese box office, breaking local records for feature cartoons.

Variety reports that the most recent film, Giratina and the Sky's Bouquet: Shaymin, has raked in $32 million since its release on July 19.

Pokemon started as a Game Boy RPG in the ‘90s, and has since branched out to manga, a trading card game, an animated series and other merchandise.

The first Pokemon movie stormed the U.S. in 1999, generating $86 million, a record has yet to be broken for a Japanese film. (Well, until Kung-Pow 2 comes out, I’m bettin’…)

Downey Trashed 'The Dark Knight' Posted by Stephen Johnson - Thursday, August 14, 2008 10:39 AM

Outspoken, awesome actor Robert Downey Jr. had a few choice words to spit at The Dark Knight. Dude did not like it:

"I feel like I'm dumb because I feel like I don't get how many things that are so smart. It's like a Ferrari engine of storytelling and script writing and I'm like, 'That's not my idea of what I want to see in a movie.' I loved 'The Prestige' but didn't understand 'The Dark Knight'. Didn't get it, still can't tell you what happened in the movie, what happened to the character and in the end they need him to be a bad guy. I'm like, 'I get it. This is so high brow and so f--king smart, I clearly need a college education to understand this movie.' You know what? F-ck DC comics. That's all I have to say and that's where I'm really coming from."

Tell us how you really feel, Downey. What about you, reader: Was the Dark Knight too highbrow for your puny little mind, or is Downey angry because his summer super-flick, Iron Man, will be remember perpetually as a second-place finisher to The Dark Knight?

Harry Potter: Half-Blood Prince Pushed Back To ‘09 Posted by Frank Meyer - Thursday, August 14, 2008 4:36 PM

Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince, the upcoming sixth installment in the hit film series, just got pushed back to July 17, 2009, says Warner Bros.

The statement from WB’s Alan Horn about the schedule change is as follows:

"Our reasons for shifting Half-Blood Prince to summer are twofold: we know the summer season is an ideal window for a family tent pole release, as proven by the success of our last Harry Potter film, which is the second-highest grossing film in the franchise, behind only the first installment. Additionally, like every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of the writers' strike, which impacted the readiness of scripts for other films--changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of opportunity that we wanted to take advantage of. We agreed the best strategy was to move Half-Blood Prince to July, where it perfectly fills the gap for a major tent pole release for mid-summer.” But don’t fret Hogwarts fans, the shooting schedule of the two-part Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will not be affected.

"The release date change does not alter the production schedule for this or future Harry Potter films,” Horn added. “Post-production on Half-Blood Prince was completed on time, and the studio's release plans for the two-part Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will not be affected by this change. We know Harry Potter fans are eagerly anticipating seeing the final chapters unfold onscreen. In fact, the good news for them is that the gap will now be shortened between Half-Blood Prince and the first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.'"

Studios Fight Over 'Watchmen' Posted by Stephen Johnson - Tuesday, August 19, 2008 2:51 PM

While the onscreen action in upcoming would-be blockbuster The Watchmen is sure to be hot, the real knock-down drag-out fighting is going on behind the scenes, as movie studios Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox fight it out in court over who owns the rights to the film. The movie, based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' comic book of the same name, is was directed by Zack Snyder. It's in post-production now, and is slated for a March release. Both companies claim that they own the rights to the film version.

Yesterday, a judge denied Warner Bros.' motion to dismiss Fox’s lawsuit over Warner's right to make the film. The ruling means the legal fight will continue, and possible consequences include some sort of profit sharing between the two studios. Weirdly, Fox said it would rather see the film killed than collect a percentage of the box office.

'LotR' Writers Working On 'Hobbit' Posted by Patrick Roche-Sowa - Wednesday, August 20, 2008 10:44 AM

A few months ago, visionary director Guillermo Del Toro confirmed that he had signed on to direct the film adaptation of The Hobbit and its sequel, which will cover the time between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring. Today it was announced that Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens, the three writer/producers of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, are also attached to the fantasy film prequels. Production is set to begin at the end of next year, with the films releasing in 2011 and 2012. Del Toro will direct both films back-to-back, just how Jackson originally shot the entire LOTR trilogy.

Warner Bros. "Re-Booting" Superman Posted by Stephen Johnson - Friday, August 22, 2008 1:17 PM

Reportedly, Warner Bros. wants to "reboot" the Superman franchise. They're apparently unhappy with the reception Superman Returns received when it came out a couple summers ago.

Warner Bros. Pictures Group President Jeff Robinov told WSJ Superman Returns "didn't quite work as a film in the way that we wanted it to. ... It didn't position the character the way he needed to be positioned...Had Superman worked in 2006, we would have had a movie for Christmas of this year or 2009. ... But now the plan is just to reintroduce Superman without regard to a Batman and Superman movie at all."

The tone (as you'd expect) is going to be darker. Well, darker "to the extent that the characters allow it." But given the character's place as a cultural icon representing all that is good, true, pure and American, can Superman be dark? We don't think so.

We think a "darker" Supes would be fitting a round peg in a (very) square hole. We think the 1978 Superman had the right idea--when trying to portray a character who is super-naturally righteous, the best course of action is to make the movie as light as possible, but throw in some nudge-nudge-wink-wink to the audience, as if to say, "we know this dude is impossibly corny... but just sit back and watch! It's only a movie!"

In any case, look for a new Man of Steel in 2011.

Next Catwoman Is…Cher?!?!? WTF…. Posted by Frank Meyer - Tuesday, August 26, 2008 3:28 PM

In the “Oh God, Please Say It Ain’t So” Dept….

Industry insiders are saying that legendary Oscar-winning actress/singer Cher, 62, is in talks to play Catwoman opposite Christian Bale in the third Batman film from British director Christopher Nolan.

If so, Cher will step into a role last played by Halle Berry and Michelle Pfeiffer and join a cast that reportedly includes Johnny Depp as The Riddler.

"Cher is Nolan's first choice to play Catwoman,” says one studio executive. “He wants to her to portray her like a vamp in her twilight years.The new Catwoman will be the absolute opposite of Michelle Pfeiffer and Halle Berry's purring creations."

Filming is due to begin in Vancouver early next year on what is being tentatively titled The Caped Crusader.

Warner Bros’ The Dark Knight has become the most successful of the Batman movies, heading towards the $530 million mark worldwide.

See Live-Action 'Dragonball' Trailer Before Max Payne Posted by Frank Meyer - Wednesday, August 27, 2008 2:29 PM

The first trailer for the live-action Dragonball film will debut October 17 in front of upcoming third-person shooter-turned-action flick Max Payne.

Director James Wong (Final Destination, X-Files) is helming the adaptation of Akira Toriyama's Dragonball fighting manga, with a cast that includes Justin Chatwin (War of the Worlds, Lost), Emmy Rossum (The Day After Tomorrow), James Marsters (Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Spike, Smallville's Brainiac), and the mighty Chow Yun-Fat (Hard Boiled, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End).

The film will open on April 10, 2009.

The "In A World" Guy Dies Posted by Frank Meyer - Tuesday, September 02, 2008 11:38 AM

In a world full of anonymous voice over actor, one man stood tall…

Yes, the most famous voice in America, Don LaFontaine, has been silenced.

Known as the "King of Voiceovers," Don LaFontaine is the "in a world..." movie trailer guy.

Yes, THAT GUY!

LaFontaine died Monday at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, following complications from a collapsed lung. The official cause of death hasn't been released.

LaFontaine was seen in front of the camera in a recent Geico Insurance commercial in which he parodied himself, playing "that announcer guy" and saying his famous catchphrase.

LaFontaine was born in Duluth, Minn. and was a voice of Entertainment Tonight and The Insider, as well as for CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox and UPN, TNT, TBS and the Cartoon Network. He recorded nearly 5,000 movie trailers and hundreds of thousands more commercials and other presentations, including ads for Chevrolet, Pontiac, Ford, Budweiser, McDonalds, and Coke. LaFontaine also served as the in-show announcer for the Screen Actors Guild and Academy Awards.

New Ghostbusters Flick With Old Cast? Posted by Frank Meyer - Friday, September 05, 2008 11:58 AM

There’s a new Ghostbusters flick in the works, but it ain’t the remake/reboot with a hip, younger cast some have been discussing in the movie biz. It’s the third installment of the franchise, to star original ‘Busters Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson!

Yes, Columbia Pictures has tapped The Office co-executive producers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky to write a script for a film designed to bring back together the original stars in a new adventure.

Ivan Reitman directed both the 1984 original and the sequel that was released in 1989, while Ramis with Aykroyd wrote both films. But Eisenberg and Stupnitsky recently penned Year One, a comedy that was directed by Ramis, and appear to be in his good graces, so it looks like they might be getting a shot.

Ghostbusters was Columbia's highest grossing film ever until it was beaten by Men in Black and, later, Spider-Man.

Maguire, Raimi Back For 'Spider-Man 4'? Posted by John Manalang - Monday, September 08, 2008 10:46 AM

Rumors have invaded the intertubes that Sony Pictures are closely signing Tobey Maguire and director Sam Raimi to take on Spider-Man 4.

Maguire and Raimi have been the duo for the past three Spider flicks--all of which received mixed reviews from the first film being good, transitioning to a stellar sequel, and turning into a down-right awkward third film. According to reports, the film's script written by Zodiac scribe Jamie Vanderbilt will stay true to Spidey's comical nature by avoiding the "dark" tone from the third film, and the influence of Warner's blockbuster hit, The Dark Knight.

As for Peter Parker's next foe, speculations are leaning towards Dr. Curt Connors's "Jekyl and Hyde" character with The Lizard. Connors have already made appearances in the past Spider-Man movies, as played by actor Dylan Baker. In other movie news from the Spidey universe, his arch-nemesis, Venom, will be getting a movie spin-off.

Will Smith As Captain America? Posted by John Manalang - Tuesday, September 09, 2008 8:06 AM

From All-American bum to All-American superhero?

Actor Derek Luke said to MTV that Will Smith might be in cast for a fresh (prince) take on Marvel's super soldier in the upcoming film, The First Avenger: Captain America. Luke, who stars in Spike Lee's latest join Miracle at St. Anna, said, "I heard they offered Will Smith ‘Captain America".

He added that "how times have changed" in Smith's surprising casting rumor. Recently, Marvel decided to cast Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in the recent Iron Man flick. According to IMDB, scribes for the upcoming Captain America film are Zak Penn, who wrote the The Incredible Hulk with Edward Norton, and Iron Man character co-writer Jack Kirby. The First Avenger: Captain America is currently due out in 2011.

'Batman 3': Caine Confirming Depp, Hoffman? Posted by John Manalang - Tuesday, September 09, 2008 9:25 AM

Academy Award-winning actor Michael Caine said that Johnny Depp and Philip Seymour Hoffman will be playing the next villains in the yet-to-be confirmed follow up to The Dark Knight, according to MTV's report.

Caine said, “It’s Johnny Depp as The Riddler...and The Penguin is Philip Seymour Hoffman," after a reported confirmation through Warner Bros. Studios. Playing as Bruce Wayne's loyal butler, Alfred Pennyworth, Caine has been involved with Christopher Nolan's vision of the caped crusader since Batman Begins in 2005. He also added in the report: “I was with [a Warner Bros.] executive and I said, ‘Are we going to make another one?’ They said yeah. I said, ‘How the hell are we going to top Heath? And he says ‘I’ll tell you how you top Heath — Johnny Depp as The Riddler and Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin.’ I said, ‘S–t, they’ve done it again!’”

Rumors about Batman's next movie villains have been swirling since July, including who will be the next Catwoman. But of course, it's a little too damn early to confirm anything since The Dark Knight's colossal success still continues. Currently, the movie's domestic total is at $511 million, sitting right below Titanic as the second highest grossing film of all time.

Universal, Disney Bring Digital Theaters Posted by Stephen Johnson - Tuesday, September 09, 2008 10:50 AM

Universal and Disney have agreed to join a group of theater chains and movie studios to finance the cost of digitizing our nation's theaters. So soon you won't have the indignity of watching movies on boring, old fashioned film.

Digital movies will slash transportation and distribution costs (owners will be able to just download flicks) and also allow for new technology like the coming crop of 3D flicks that would be impossible with film.

The plan is for the nation's three big theater chains (Regal Entertainment Group, Cinemark Holdings Inc. and AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc.) to convert several thousand of their 15,000 screens next year, with a goal of converting almost all in three to four years.

Universal, Disney Bring Digital Theaters Posted by Stephen Johnson - Tuesday, September 09, 2008 10:50 AM

The plan is for the nation's three big theater chains (Regal Entertainment Group, Cinemark Holdings Inc. and AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc.) to convert several thousand of their 15,000 screens next year, with a goal of converting almost all in three to four years.

Isaac Hayes Dead at 65 Posted by Ty Colfax - Monday, August 11, 2008 10:57 AM

Isaac Hayes, best know for his theme to the movie Shaft, died Sunday afternoon. He was found unconscious next to a still-running treadmill in his home and pronounced dead at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis. He was 65.

Hayes started his career at Memphis' Stax Records back in 1962 at the young age of 20 where he released legendary, trailblazing soul albums Hot Buttered Soul and Black Moses. A long and prolific career garnered him an Oscar and 3 Grammys and before a very public split over Scientology, Hayes spent many years as the voice of Chef on Southpark.

At the time of his death, Hayes was working on a film entitled Soul Men with Samuel L Jackson and another star who died over the weekend, Bernie Mac.

Hugh Laurie Gets Even More Rich Posted by Ty Colfax - Friday, September 12, 2008 11:12 AM

Universal Media Studios, producer of the FOX networks colossal hit drama House, have penned a deal with Hugh Laurie that will make him the highest paid actor on TV. Take a guess at how much they're giving him… We'll wait. $9 million a year or roughly $400,000 per episode. The deal also extends Laurie's obligation to the series assuring he'll stay until the 2011-12 season. Must be nice to just berate people all day for tons of insane money. But, he deserves it. He's super talented and the role is perfect for his style.

Warners Blames Music Games For Loss Posted by Stephen Johnson - Thursday, August 07, 2008 4:13 PM

Warner Music is doing poorly financially; the company reported that their losses were $9 million in the three months ending in June. No surprise--it's just too easy to get music for free these days--but what is surprising is one of the causes Warner cited. They say music games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero just aren't paying them enough.

"There is what I would call a very paltry licensing fee per song," said Edgar Bronfman Jr., the chairman and chief executive who owns a 6.5 percent stake in Warner Music. "I think the industry as a whole needs to take a very different look at this business and participate more fully and in a much more partnership way," he said. "And if that does not become the case, as far as Warner Music is concerned, we will not license to those games."

Woah... a shot across the bow! But if I were a game maker, I'd respond with: "Look, bucko, there wasn't any licensing fees for music games a few years ago, so you should be happy with what you get!"
Okay, I probably wouldn't say "bucko."

Warren Ellis Worked On 'Dead Space' Posted by Stephen Johnson - Friday, August 08, 2008 8:10 AM

We were already looking forward to survival horror game Dead Space, but now we're even more excited: Warren Ellis, writer of revolutionary comic book Transmetropolitan, worked on the game!

Here's what Ellis told Kotaku:

Oh, I got released from an NDA the other day, so I can finally say that I wrote a bunch of the groundwork, backstory and structure on the forthcoming EA videogame DEAD SPACE, which recently got a comic prequel from the hands of Antony Johnston and Ben Templesmith. I believe there was at least one other writer on the

project, but I'm sure there's some of me in there somewhere. Yeah! Check out the hands-on look at Dead Space under the cut. It comes out on October 20th for PC, 360 and PS3.

Teen Blames GTA For Car Bomb Posted by Stephen Johnson - Friday, August 08, 2008 9:16 AM

Dear juvenile deliquents, please stop it. Stop committing crimes. And if you can't do that, at least stop blaming Grand Theft Auto when they catch you.

Three teenagers in Milton, Georgia were arrested and charged with 57 felony counts for tossing Molotov cocktails in cars. One of the fellas said he'd learned it all from Grand Theft Auto.

"This case is another strong example of the serious ramifications that can come from letting impressionable teens play violent video games like this one," Police Chief Chris Lagerbloom said. "We urge parents to pay particular attention to their children's extracurricular activities and to intervene before it's too late."

8 People Drop A Grand On Useless iPhone App Posted by Stephen Johnson - Friday, August 08, 2008 11:44 AM

If you were checking out the iTunes App store yesterday, you might have noticed a program called "I Am Rich." The application proudly points out that its main function is to remind you that you are rich. See, it costs $1000 to buy and does virtually nothing except display a ruby on your iPhone screen.

Eight people bought it.

Then, for undisclosed reasons, Apple pulled the application. Keep in mind: There seems to be nothing fraudulent in the description of the application. It states plainly: "It's a work of art with no hidden function at all."

The designer of the app, Armin Heinrich, sees a market for the program. "I am sure a lot more people would like to buy it -- but currently can't do so," Heinrich told the LA Times. Whether Heinrich will receive the $5,600 Apple seems to owe him for the purchase remains to be seen.

Police Replace Kid's PSP Posted by Stephen Johnson - Friday, August 08, 2008 2:13 PM

Colorado's Juan Martinez is an eight-year old with a congenital heart disorder. He's waiting for a transplant, and to pass the time, he plays with his PSP. That's sad.

Last month, a 19 year-old bully stole the kids system.That's infuriating.

The cops arrested the miscreant on an outstanding warrant, but were unable to returned the purloined Portable. That's sad.But then, the police put together some money and bought the kid a new PSP and a bunch of games! That's heart-warming! We can only hope that the guy who stole the PSP gets what's coming to him and more. That's Justice.

GTA Concerning Parents More Than Porn, Alcohol Posted by John Manalang - Monday, August 11, 2008 9:17 AM

According to a What They Play survey, parental units are more concerned about their offsprings' exposure to games like Grand Theft Auto than porn, booze and more violence - which pretty much encompasses Grand Theft Auto titles.

The survey conducted this recent August 1 through 6 resulted the following: Out of 1,600 participants, 19% revealed that they are concerned when their children play GTA, 16% said that they are worried about children watching porn, and 14% are concerned about children drinking beer (100% drinking beer while playing GTA and watching porn, we presume.) Marijuana seems to be the number one concern among parentals, with over 49% of the response.

The initial survey out of 1,266 participants conducted this recent April gave out the following: 37% were offended by male and female sexual relations, 27% felt uncomfortable seeing two men make-out, 25% are grossed out by severed heads and 9% are offended by "multiple use of the F-word."

Midway Austin Faces Layoffs, 'Criminal' Canceled Posted by Patrick Roche-Sowa - Monday, August 11, 2008 3:00 PM

Midway might be in trouble. Last week three high-ranking officials left the company thanks to a very poor performance in the last financial quarter, and now Midway's Austin studio is laying off anywhere from 90 to 130 employees, and canceling Criminal, a game that was first reported to be in development two years ago.

In a press release, Midway assured the media that the studio will stay open, and these layoffs are a result of the cancelation of the game, not vice versa. Add this to the list of things shaking up the videogame industry from the inside out. We'll keep you posted if anything more develops.

Sega: Yu Suzuki's Not Working Here Anymore Posted by John Manalang - Tuesday, August 12, 2008 8:30 AM

Update: Epic fail by Sega of America President Simon Jeffrey. As Kotaku reports, Jeffrey reinstated that one of Sega's creative force, Yu Suzuki, is still in the company's payroll as a leading "creative officer". Big sigh of relief there for Suzuki fans. So look at the story below as a motivation to watch what you say, before it gets out of hand...and make Sega fans cry.

The man behind Sega's Shenmue game series, and Virtua Fighter 4 is no longer employed with the company. Sega of America president Simon Jeffrey said that the talented Yu Suzuki has gone on his own venture.

"Last I heard, he was doing some online stuff in China," said Jeffrey. As Kotaku points out, Suzuki-san also worked on classic arcade titles such Out Run, Space Harrier, Virtuta Cop and Hang On - the first title he helped program when he joined Sega in 1983. But unfortunately his stellar career with Sega won't continue anymore as he is "kind of his own man right now," as Jeffrey said.

It's too bad that Shenmue III's existence is no longer possible with the given situation. Suzuki has been reported working on a MMO Shenmue title, but it never got to see the light of day. Shenmue, developed by Sega-AM2, was originally released for the Sega Dreamcast in November 2000.

'Age Of Conan' GM Fired After Cyber Sex Posted by John Manalang - Tuesday, August 12, 2008 10:35 AM

Funcom, creators of the Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures MMORPG, fired a game master after he got a little too happy and participated in cyber sexual relations with a player. No need for any witty remarks, just read an excerpt from the chat transcription below:

GM: Ahh lol I see. You trying to get laid by a GM ;)

Player: Of course, I thought you were THA MASTER. Gamer Master.

Funcom said that they are "aware of this matter, and necessary measures have been taken." However, after browsing through the steaming transcript, it seems that the player was the one provoking the GM to have a "cyber fix with [the player's body." Alright, that's enough.

Pilfered PS3 Trailed Through PSN Posted by John Manalang - Tuesday, August 12, 2008 1:38 PM

On the town of Cleveland, Dustin Waller's bride-to-be wanted something special for his future hubby. So, she decided to visit a local video game retailer and purchase a shiny Sony Playstation 3 - something that Mr. Waller have been wanting for so long. Too bad she bought a stolen system.

Officials approached Waller's home and asked how he got hold of the console. How did they find out? The report said that the former owner of the system enabled the auto-login function with the tracked PSN ID. After officials confiscated the stolen product, Mr. Waller became a sad man.

But then, the retailer decided to reimburse Mr. Waller for his troubles. What does he get after having his dear Playstation 3 taken away from him? A Microsoft Xbox 360 console. Was he happy? According to the report, "Waller is appreciative of the offer from the store but notes the Xbox isn't nearly as expensive or sophisticated as the PlayStation." Maybe if it came with an HD DVD drive? No? Oh wait...

'Batman: Arkham Asylum' Details Posted by John Manalang - Wednesday, August 13, 2008 8:58 AM

As reported yesterday, Eidos Interactive announced a new video game title with the Dark Knight himself in Batman: Arkham Asylum. As the title suggests, the game's setting would revolve around the lovely home of the Joker along with his fellow Arkham bunk mates.

According to Eidos, the game starts off with Batman delivering the Joker to the asylum. However, the villains at Arkham have set up a trap for the caped crusader as soon as he walks in the door. "Players become Batman, like he has never been seen before in a video game, as he fights through intense circumstances in Arkham Asylum utilizing his intuitive detective skills and aggressive melee attacks," said by Eidos Interactive CEO Phil Rogers.

Batman: Arkham Asylum will be released in 2009 for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC platforms.

EA Spells Favre Wrong in 'Madden '09 Collector's Edition' Posted by Ty Colfax - Wednesday, August 13, 2008 10:59 AM

The Collector's Edition menu for Madden '09 has a typo; a major typo. They've spelled their coverboy, Brett Favre's, name wrong. F-A-R-V-E is not how you spell Favre. Poor guy. First he cries on TV about retiring, then he has to close out the last two disappointing years of his great career in New Jersey, and now you spell his name wrong.

*sigh* EA, you make it too easy.

PS3 Has No Obsolescence Planned Posted by Stephen Johnson - Wednesday, August 13, 2008 12:39 PM

The PlayStation 3 was designed to not become obsolete, according to Sony's product marketing VP Scott Steinberg "We do not have a planned obsolescence strategy," he told Gamasutra, pointing to the PSP as another example of technology that isn't going to go flat anytime soon.

More positive-spin:

"Blu-ray is bigger, and Blu-ray games are going to be the biggest games in the industry," Steinberg says. "I think that feeds into [gamers'] choices as well. ...I think there are a lot of great 'a-ha's that consumers are going to find with music, and the movie store. ...You buy it for a gaming machine, but it delivers on a value proposition."

Hack Your Wii; Play DVDs Posted by Stephen Johnson - Wednesday, August 13, 2008 1:04 PM

The Wii is finally joining the last-generation! Hackers have figured out how to play DVDs on your Wiis. The hack works by installing a hidden channel on your Wii, and then you'll be able to watch DVDs with the MPlayer application, an open source media player. The file will run on modded and unmodded systems, and you can also play media from SD cards. No word from Nintendo yet, but the company has come down pretty hard on pirates and hackers in the past...

Activision Lays Off Over A Hundred Employees Posted by John Manalang - Thursday, August 14, 2008 10:15 AM

A bunch of employees from Radical Entertainment and High Moon Studios have been laid off by parent company Activision Blizzard, according to various reports. Almost 100 employees at Radical Entertainment and 60 High Moon Studios workers were stripped away from their duties permanently. Radical human resources VP Leah Rubin said this regarding the situation: "Activision Blizzard is committed to making the best games possible and has elected at this time to reduce the number of titles that Radical is developing from four games to two. Therefore, we will be proportionately reducing the size of our studio."

Tecmo CEO Yoshimi Yasuda Resigns Posted by John Manalang - Wednesday, August 20, 2008 2:35 PM

The company behind Ninja Gaiden 2 and the Dead or Alive series announced today that Yoshimi Yasuda, CEO of Tecmo, has resigned from his position. Citing "personal reasons", the company said that Yasuda's request was confirmed in today's board meeting. Tecmo chairman Yasuharu Kakihara will now take Yasuda's former position. The recent troubles with former Team Ninja leader Tomonobu Itagaki weren't mentioned in connection with Yasuda's departure.

'Final Fantasy XI' 24-Hour Boss Nerfed Posted by Patrick Roche-Sowa - Friday, August 22, 2008 4:15 PM

You might have heard recently that there is a boss in Square Enix's MMO Final Fantasy XI that takes 24 hours to take down. However, Square Enix has heard your cries of exhaustion and plan to tone-down the difficulty on the Pandemonium Warden, Absolute Virtue, and Jailer of Love in an update sometime in September.

We think this is a cop out, I mean, it was kind of awesome that you had a boss in your game that could only be taken down by a full on 24-hour straight battle. That's the stuff heroes are made of. Suck it up, people! You're playing an MMO, you're not supposed to have a life outside of the game! Let's see some dedication!

Sony: We're Keeping It Free Posted by Stephen Johnson - Thursday, August 28, 2008 8:20 AM

Sony's President Shuhei Yoshida has reiterated his company's plan to keep things costless for gamers. He says the firm plans to keep "as many services as possible for free" on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable.

"We already provide our network access for gameplay for free--and the interesting thing about the network side and the Internet business is that there's a variety of revenue sources. Not necessarily getting people to pay, but with advertising and so on," Yoshida said in an interview with gamesindustry.biz.

The question is, gamers, what do you think the chances are of either A) The PS3's online offerings becoming as robust and workable as the 360's, or 2) The 360 offering free online to compete? This may be the next big battle of the console wars!

Rumor: 'Dark Knight' Game Canned? Posted by Stephen Johnson - Thursday, August 28, 2008 9:03 AM

The mystery and drama ("drystery?") surrounding The Dark Knight videogame just got a little deeper: Rumor is the game was thrown on the video game garbage heap.

An unnamed source at Pandemic Australia quoted by an Australian gaming blog said the game was kaput, canceled by the suits due to it running behind schedule. Seems relatively likely, given that the movie has been out for awhile, but Pandemic has offered no comment.

Gaming In The Workplace Posted by Stephen Johnson - Thursday, August 28, 2008 1:43 PM

Eventually, all young gamers must grow up into productive members of society contributing to the engine of American Capitalism (A/K/A drones), but while you might have thought those countless hours fraggin' fools and finding the power-ups was wasted, a forthcoming book begs to differ.

“Changing the Game” by David Edery and Ethan Mollick argues that lessons from the gaming world are applicable in the business world. Not only that, but companies should allow and even encourage game-playing in the workplace. Afterall, what's the difference between doing data entry and grinding at World of Warcraft except that one gives you real money and the other fake.

Square-Enix Acquiring Tecmo? Posted by John Manalang - Friday, August 29, 2008 7:38 AM

The house that built Final Fantasy is proposing a "friendly takeover" to the creators of Ninja Gaiden II and Dead or Alive. According to Kotaku, Square-Enix will be outilining its plans to possibly acquire Tecmo at 1pm in Japan today.

Last week, former Tecmo CEO Yoshimi Yasuda resigned to his position due to "personal reasons" as said by Tecmo. The company has also been in hot water recently with former Tecmo developer Tomonobu Itagaki for unpaid bonuses, according to the Ninja Gaiden creator.

In a statement from Square-Enix, revealed by Kotaku:

"[Square-Enix] offering to purchase a controlling interest in Tecmo by purchasing shares in that company at 30 percent premium (¥960 a share compared to yesterday's close price of ¥706 a share)."

Tecmo has until September 4 to accept Square's offer. Yoichi Wada, president of Square-Enix, said the following about the possible takeover:

"In entertainment, games are the equal of the film and television industry, and growth is strong. But, now the Japanese game industry isn't leading with the same vigor that it did previously... This is a worldwide battle."

Sorry Phelps, No 'CoD: World At War' For You Yet Posted by John Manalang - Tuesday, September 02, 2008 9:56 AM

If you were watching last Thursday's Early Show on CBS, you witnessed Michael Phelps's nerdly joy rise beneath that olympian facade when he was handed over the "first" copy of Activison's upcoming FPS, Call of Duty: World At War, for the Playstation 3.

Well, it turns out it wasn't actually the first copy, as developer Treyarch stated on their blog:

"As it turns out, Michael Phelps is a big Call of Duty fan, so we wanted to give him the first copy of CoD:WW. It’s well deserved Michael!...Now what you didn’t see is the “I O U” card that was contained within =D… Yes, unfortunately the game isn’t quite finished yet, but it’s close. We’ll be sending Michael the first disc off the production line though later this year, we promise!"

Better keep your promise, 'cause we know Mr. Phelps will be waiting for it while he shines his eight gold medals. Call of Duty: World At War, published by Activision, will be out this November for the PS3, 360, Nintendo Wii, DS and PC platforms.

E3 2009: Going Public? Posted by John Manalang - Wednesday, September 03, 2008 8:19 AM

Once again, everybody, it's time go outside and hug somebody, caress their faces and whisper to them, "We all might be invited to E3 2009...I love you."

According to Kotaku's report, the Entertainment Software Association's board of officials have been considering bringing back the glory days of E3. That means, folks, we can all say hello again to each other, take pictures with babes we can never meet outside the convention, and more importanlty, enjoy all the latest titles side-by-side. Executives and especially fans have been criticizing that the spirit that is E3 has been slowly fading away since it was toned down, but this rumor can be a beacon of hope.

If the ESA does decide to make E3 2009 a public event, do you think that it can still remain as "gaming's biggest convention"? Please do share.

Tecmo Reaches Settlement With Team Ninja Employees Lawsuit Posted by John Manalang

Friday, September 05, 2008 8:20 AM

Announced today by Tecmo, a judicial settlement was reached regarding the two Team Ninja employees who sued the company for unpaid wages due to being placed in a "flexible hour" working schedule--resulting in over 100 unpaid overtime hours within 300 employees.

Here's Tecmo's statement regarding the announcement:

"Settlement for the Lawsuit Has Been Reached On July 16th, two of our employees brought suit against our company regarding unpaid overtime in the Tokyo District Court and presented a proposed settlement. On September 1, 2008, a judicial settlement was reached."

It's still uncertain whether former Tecmo employee Tomonobu Itagaki's initial suit will soon be settled. However, the two employee's "flexible hour" suit was filed after Itagaki's unpaid bonuses claim against Tecmo. In more recent news about the Ninja Gaiden company, former CEO Yoshimi Yasuda resigned last August 20, citing "personal reasons" for his departure, and the company is still "in talks" in merging with Dynasty Warriors publisher company Koei.

'Afro Samurai' Preview Posted by John Manalang - Monday, September 08, 2008 4:09 PM

Namco Bandai gives us the latest on their video game adaptation of the hit anime series, Afro Samurai. This guy's definitely a better character than Forest Whitaker's 1999 film, Ghost Dog.

The amazing Samuel L. Jackson reprises his role in this video game translation, along with Kelly Hu and Ron Pearlman. Afro Samurai rocks a unique artstyle that effectively transcends the anime's essence into this great looking title. Of course, a samurai isn't a samurai without utilizing his trusty sword well, as this game features a very deadly "cutting system". Afro Samurai, published and developed by Namco Bandai, is due out in January 2009 for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

Arkham Welcomes Mark Hamill And You? Posted by John Manalang - Wednesday, September 10, 2008 9:22 AM

Using his incredible voice talent once again, Warner Bros. has reportedly confirmed that Mark Hamill will be playing as The Joker in Eidos Interactive's upcoming action title, Batman: Arkham Asylum. Hamill previously voiced the clown prince in Batman: The Animated Series.

Also, according to Kotaku's source, Warner Bros. may confirm a contest next week for a chance for YOU to be featured in the game as one of Arkham's inmates with your cell block completely personalized with photos and graffiti. Sweet! Batman: Arkham Asylum, developed by Rocksteady Studios, is due out sometime in 2009 for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC platforms.

'Street Fighter' Movie In February Posted by John Manalang - Thursday, September 11, 2008 10:52 AM

Capcom's legendary fighting franchise will be making its second live-action, theatrical debut this February 2009 with the release of Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. Just as the title suggests, the plot will revolve around the fast-kicking brawler from China, and it will not involve the staple characters of the series, Ryu and Ken.

Kristin Kreuk, Smallville's resident sweetheart, will be playing as Chun-Li while big man Michael Clarke Duncan will play as the Vegas boxer, Balrog, and Minority Report's Neal McDonough will be the tyrant M. Bison, who was last played by the late-great Raul Julia on its previous big screen debut. Ironically, Mortal Kombat movie star Robin Shou will play as Street Fighter Alpha master, Gen, in this title. Shou played as Liu Kang in the MK movies.

Another familiar character absence in the movie would be the Air-Force hotshot Guile, but his best friend Nash (Charlie), will be appearing in the film played by Chris Klein. Are we excited for the next Street Fighter? You bet! Wait...you're talking about Street Fighter IV, right?

Microsoft Employee Fired For 360 Expose' Posted by John Manalang - Friday, September 12, 2008 4:51 PM

On September 5, Venture Beat ran an article exposing the internal corporate influences behind the Xbox 360 console's notorious "red ring of death" defects. The writer, Dean Takahashi, sought the help of Robert Delaware, who was a temporary game tester, to unravel the mystery behind the series of customer complaints.

After the story went live, Delaware was fired by his supervising manager for speaking to Takahashi without permission from Microsoft. Takahashi said in a follow-up to the story:

"He fully knew the risk he was taking, based on multiple conversations I had with him about using his name. Clearly, from a legalistic point of view, Delaware broke company policy and it is the company's right to fire him...[Delaware is expected] to face civil charges from his former employer ... and Microsoft as well."

According to Takahashi's report, Delaware helped unravel the following:

"Microsoft knew it had flawed machines, but it did not delay its launch because it believed the quality problems would subside over time. With each new machine, the company figured it would ride the “learning curve,” or continuously improve its production. Even though Microsoft’s leaders knew their quality wasn’t top notch, they did not ensure that resources were in place to handle returns and quickly debug bad consoles. There were plenty of warning signs, but the company chose to ignore them. The different parts of the business weren’t aligned."

Michael Phelps Hosting SNL Premiere Posted by John Manalang - Thursday, August 28, 2008 11:47 AM

Michael Phelps: Olympian, Champion, Legend...Comedian?

Well, we'll find out when the world record breaking athlete hosts this season premiere of Saturday Night Live on September 13. Joining Phelps's debut would be SNL newcomer Bobby Moynihan and rap superstar Lil Wayne will provide the musical entertainment for the night.

It will be very interesting to see what skits SNL producers have prepared for Phelps, albeit remarks on his colossal 12,000 calorie daily diet. What wonders it would bring to our lives if we had the same metabolic rate as Phelps. Oh well, we'll be watching his comedic performance while we eat an enormous bowl of Frosted Flakes.

Enzyte Founder Gets Serious Jail Time Posted by Stephen Johnson - Friday, August 29, 2008 12:36 PM

You know those commercials for "male enhancement" product Enzyte? With the bouncy theme song and the maniacally smiling mascot, Smiling Bob? Well, it turns out it was all a scam! Who would have guessed?

The founder of the company that makes Enzyte, Steve Warshak, was sentenced to 25 years in prison after he was convicted in February on 93 counts of conspiracy, fraud and money laundering. His company has to return $500 million. Damn! Never underestimate the power of gullibility/feelings-of-inadequacy!

“This is a case about greed,” The judge remarked. “Steven Warshak preyed on perceived sexual inadequacies of customers.”

Public Service Announcement: Male Enhancement isn't ever gonna happen, buddy, pills or not...Now, if only we could find some Male De-Enhancement pills, we'd be set.