June 2011

All articles posted in June 2011.

Next Zelda adventure is almost ready

Frederick Linsmeyer • June 30, 2011 • Gaming
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Promo

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Promo

The gamers over at IGN have picked up some very interesting news about The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Eiji Aonuma, Nintendo’s game producer, has divulged details on the game’s status and story line.

Aonuma stated that the game was completed around this year’s E3 and that now the team is working on a global launch that could see Skyward Sword in the hands of fans around world simultaneously.

There are also some surprises in the story, character development and game play. For starters, Zelda isn’t a princess yet and Ganon hasn’t amassed his dark army of minions, much less even being the main villain. The legend unfolds in a floating city, Skyloft, that is focal to the adventure and will see similarities that were used in The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask in how Link finds his way back as he did in Clock Town. Awesomely enough, Link won’t have to wait to claim any of the cool pieces of equipment that he needs – much of it will be available early on in the game. In that sense, the controls for the Wii Remote have been fine tuned so that more precision is required instead of aimlessly waving limbs around to attack. Dependant of the environment Link is in, different techniques will be needed to defeat regardless if they were fought before.

It’s shaping up to be a great game, and looks like Nintendo has taken a lot to fix what was wrong with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Let’s hope this game rejuvenates the series in opening a new chapter in the quest to protect the Triforce.

Source: IGN

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Heroes of Anime Sweepstakes

Frederick Linsmeyer • June 27, 2011 • Anime

Viz Media is celebrating 25 years with a contest for our favourite anime heroes. The Heroes of Anime Sweepstakes will award a video game or DVD box set from Naruto or Bleach to a random fan each month. Fans who enter before midnight, September 15th, 2011 will be in the running for a 16GB Apple iPad 2 and a month’s paid subscription of Hulu+ (not sure how that will work for Canadian residents since Hulu isn’t available north of the border) or the grand prize: a trip for two to New York City to catch a special screening of Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Bonds.

Residents of the United States and Canada (excluding Quebec) are eligible to enter on Viz Media’s web site. Check the web site for full contest details and regulations.

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Canada Day Events 2011

Frederick Linsmeyer • June 26, 2011 • Local
O Canada!

O Canada!

It’s time to celebrate Canada Day this coming Friday! As always, there are plenty of parties and events going on throughout Metro Vancouver this year, with bands, interactive exhibits, games, family-friendly activities, cake and fireworks!

This is just a small list of everything that’s planned for this long weekend, so be sure to consult your local community calendar for an event nearest you.

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Fullmetal Alchemist Food

Frederick Linsmeyer • June 25, 2011 • The Otaku Culture

Even though the manga and second anime series have finished, fans are still hungry for more Fullmetal Alchemist. And what better way that to promote the upcoming movie, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, than with lots of food? Tokyo’s Namja Town will be kicking off a month long buffet of dishes inspired by the characters and themes from the animated show — ice cream, dumplings, pizza, cookies and even a “flame” burger. Take that Burger King! The promotion runs until July 24th, 2011.

To see the full menu, check out the Anime News Network’s article (or you can brave the Japanese site, natalie.mu), complete with tantalizing pictures.

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos comes out in Japanese theatres on July 2nd, 2011. There’s no word if it’ll be released outside of the island nation.

Source: Anime News Network

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Vancouver Canucks 2011-2012 schedule

Frederick Linsmeyer • June 24, 2011 • Hockey
Alex Burrows

Alex Burrows

The Vancouver Canucks have released their schedule for the upcoming 2011-2012 regular season. The first home game is on October 6th, 2011 when Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins come to visit. The Canucks take on the Stanley Cup champs, the Boston Bruins, on January 7th, 2012 in Beantown. All posted times are Pacific. Read the rest of this article…

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Naruto volume 52

Frederick Linsmeyer • June 22, 2011 • Manga
Naruto volume 52

Naruto volume 52

It’s a bittersweet reunion as Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi come face to face with Sasuke and his destructive direction. Naruto’s promise to Sakura is about to be put to the test – can he make Sasuke see the error of his ways or will he fight his friend until death?

Be prepared for an epic battle between two of the strongest shinobi as another war looms in the shadows between the Akatsuki and the rest of the ninja world. Who will win?

Volume 52 of Naruto will be out on store shelves on September 6th, 2011.

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Kotobukiya Mega Man

Frederick Linsmeyer • June 18, 2011 • The Otaku Culture

Kotobukiya Mega Man figureWhile this Mega Man figure has been on the market for a while, my local anime store, Sakura Media, never had it in stock – until this week. In a sea of heroic robots, this unit stands out really well, and is nicely detailed. In addition to being articulated, Mega Man comes with extras – including facial expressions, buster cannon and an energy tank. Personally, I’m more of a pre-assembled figure fan, but I can’t say no to classic Mega Man.

Setting aside a few hours, Mega Man slowly came to life. The directions were fairly clear and easy to understand, which is important when making a model. The only downside, and this is probably my fault because I’m not used to putting together these kits, was the annoying little plastic tabs from where the parts joined the mould frame. I used scissors to clip the part from the frame and then a sharp utility knife to remove the remaining tabs. The end result showed a bit of discolouration.

Kotobukiya Mega Man figure

It’s a really neat figure and comes with so many accessories to change the functionality, which will keep any collectors shelf safe from Dr. Wily. The price can vary between $40-$60 USD, although I paid $29.99 CAD thanks to a no tax sale. Don’t forget, the Blue Bomber’s sister Roll (purchased separately) too!

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Cleaning up after the riot

Frederick Linsmeyer • June 16, 2011 • Local

After the idiotic actions that occurred last night after game seven of the Stanley Cup final, the true spirit of Vancouver kicked into gear when many returned to help clean up the mess left behind. At the same time, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and other social media sites were flooded with pictures and video of the hooligans in the midst of their lunacy. The Vancouver Police are asking for anyone who has clear and identifiable images of those responsible to submit them so they may begin the process of investigating and laying charges. For more details and contact information, check out the Vancouver Police Department media release.

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Despicable

Frederick Linsmeyer • June 15, 2011 • Editorials

Once again, the downtown core of Vancouver is awash in stupidity as young and drunk idiots using the devastating 4-0 game seven loss between the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins as a reason to cause mayhem.

While I was downtown at Canada Place watching the game, I made a mental note to leave the area before the game ended in the event that things turned sour. With five minutes left in the game, I was boarding a train at Waterfront trying to head east and out of the core. I was oblivious to the jackassery until my phone started going crazy with text messages from friends asking if I was OK and made it out of the downtown core safely. However, I’m happy that the people who gathered at Canada Place left in peace and did not try to riot.

In watching CTV‘s live feed of the senseless destruction, I feel angry that hooligans would use a family-friendly hockey event to commit such stupidity. People jumping over burning cars, smashing windows and fighting others is just unbelievable. Even worse is seeing the images of people in Canucks jerseys running rampant — not all Canucks fans riot after a loss. Granted, I am frustrated with the team’s performance in the Stanley Cup final, but it is no excuse to be stupid.

As the world wakes up, they are going to see a very different Vancouver. Last year, during the 2010 Winter Olympics, there were limited disturbances and they were quickly quelled. One year later, we seemed to forget. This is going to paint a very bad picture for this city. We are better than this and we need to remind ourselves that we should not tolerate such disrespect to our fellow citizens. So many people stood by and watched, photographed, recorded the looting and the torching of vehicles and other personal property.

I’m embarrassed. I’ve always been proud of our city and have always openly welcomed others to see what I call home. It’s a shame that we cannot hold in our emotions after a hockey game. It’s truly a shame. I went home to move on. Why can’t everyone else?

Boston, you proved to be a fierce foe in the final — congratulations on your win. You deserved it so much more.

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Naruto wig package fail

Frederick Linsmeyer • June 12, 2011 • ROFLCOPTER
Naruto cosplay wig fail

Naruto cosplay wig fail

There isn’t much to explain for this picture, taken at an FYE store in San Antonio, Texas a year or so ago. Is Naruto trying to be emo or is Sasuke aiming for a style that totally doesn’t suit him? Or did the manufacturer just not care at all during the design process? Whatever the reason may be, it’s still a fail.

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