MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

merry christmas from the anime blog!

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Christmas Eve is already here!

Merry Christmas Eve! At The Anime Blog homebase (of St. Louis), we’re preparing to visit our family. In the meantime, check out the latest AnimeAICN article!

We hope you all have a safe and happy holidays – and check back for a special message from us on Christmas Day! :)

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Final Fantasy XII: Full Version Review

Final Fantasy XII

final fantasy xii logoAfter I played the demo, I had no intention of picking up this game for a while. A friend of mine got lucky playing poker, however, and I received it as a gift. Lucky me. Well, in spite of that, fate did not seem to want me playing this game. I couldn’t play it for over a week due to broken controllers, a scratched disc, and several other unlucky circumstances. Maybe I should have seen it as a sign.

I was not overly fond of the demo but I still got swept up in the excitement of a new FF. As I mentioned in the demo review, FF’s are some of my favorite games of all time and the allure of a new one is too much for me to resist. I eagerly jumped into this game with my shiny new controller and an honest desire to enjoy the game in spite of the demo.

Gameplay

battlesFor their most recent installment, Square Enix released the first console FF with a real-time battle system (I never played Final Fantasy XI – I think that was also in real time). Each character has a set of gambits or commands that control what they do in battle. For instance, you can set up characters to automatically heal themselves if their hit points get below a certain percentage. You can still manually command a character to do something in battle but it takes a bit longer. The battles are fast paced and you don’t really have time to think.

Apart from leveling up, you enhance your characters via the license system. For every enemy killed, you gain experience and license points. The license points are used to obtain licenses that can add hit points, enhance magic, gain strength, etc. There are also licenses for each weapon, accessory, and piece of armor. You can’t just buy a weapon and use it if you don’t have a license for it.

There are many aspects of the gameplay that will be familiar to FF players such as espers, chocobos, quickenings (similar to limit breaks), and of course, plenty of sidequests. I didn’t find the fighting to be overly tedious or difficult. The game is not completely hack and slash but the fighting is mindless and there aren’t really any puzzles to figure out. I pretty much never used my espers and rarely used magic other than to heal. Merely by going through the game with out any sidequests or by wandering around to level up, you can probably still achieve a level that you can beat the game with. I was actually rather disappointed with the ease of the final battle.

Story

BalthierThe story is set in the world of Ivalice where warring empires and small kingdoms duke it out for the power to rule. To be frank, it is rather dull. I never cared about any of the characters. I never laughed, cried, or really shared any emotions whatsoever with them. It felt to me like a lackluster version of Star Wars and a friend of mine remarked that it “was like watching a really boring war movie.” Then there was the ending…well, I have more interesting things floating in my udon soup right now (seriously—there’s this brown spongy thing – is it a mushroom? tofu?) than the ending to this game. It’s sad really because FF’s are known for their endings.

Graphics

The graphics were of course, outstanding. The CG’s were especially pretty. The environments were vast, beautiful, and full of rich, natural colors. The character designs were rather dull, but then, they fit in with the general dullness of the story. I must admit though, I really liked the Viera. Some of the other anthros were really neat as well. I can’t use enough superlatives to describe the overall graphics in this game. I am very excited to see what the Square Enix team will come up with for the PS3.

Sound

battleshipsThe music is generally entertaining and I never had to mute it in favor of my own music. The FF franchise as a whole generally has good, memorable music. They re-use a few of the more unforgettable tracks from previous FF’s such as the intro theme and victory song from VII.

The voice acting is all really good even though the dialogue was lifeless. It took a while to get used to some of the stranger accents (Fran, the Marquis…), but I really enjoyed Balthier and Cid’s voices.

Overall

This game felt a little too much like an mmorpg, and I really don’t like those. It took me a while to get any enjoyment at all out of this game actually. I couldn’t play it for more than a couple hours at a time without falling asleep. It wasn’t until I was about 60-70 hours into the game and going through extra areas and doing sidequests when I realized that I was enjoying the gameplay. Oh well, they can’t all be winners. I give this game a 5/10.

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Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro Live-Action!

KitaroKatsuhide Motoki’s Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro has gone from manga to anime to…live action! The main character Kitaro (who was – gasp – born in a cemetery) tries to help people and to get goblins and humans to live in peace together. You’ll notice his striped sweater, which gives him magic powers that he can control with his mind!

I highly recommend you check out the Official Kitaro Movie Site and be sure to check out the trailer! Kitaro hits theaters in Japan on April 28, 2007.

Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro live action
The live-action film

Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro manga
The manga

Additional references from TwitchFilm.com!

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Anime Expo® 2007 Announces Online Registration Up, Available & Running!

A Newly-Designed Site for the Nation’s Largest Convention Provides the Perfect Holiday Present for the Anime/Manga Enthusiast

<a href='http://animeexpo.com/' rel='external ' title='Largest anime convention in the United States'>Anime Expo</a> 2007Wondering what to buy for the Anime/Manga enthusiast this Holiday Season? Look no further than to the newly-designed Anime Expo® website to purchase their attendee badges for 2007! Anime Expo® 2007 will be held from June 29, 2007-July 2, 2007 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, CA. More information can be found on the 2007 Anime Expo website!

Attendees who pre-register prior to December 31, 2006 will automatically be entered into a drawing for hot manga titles from the young and up and coming manga company Infinity Studios, LLC. Winners selected will receive a host of amazing titles including the newest titles releasing in January 2007: SHINOBUDEN Vol. 2 and SWEETY Vol. 2!

All prices (all Major Credit Cards and any ATM Visa/Mastercard check card accepted) are as follows:

  • All 4 Days-Now till Dec 31st = $45
  • All 4 Days-Jan 1st – Mar 16th = $50
  • All 4 Days-Mar 17th – May 31st = $55
  • All 4 Days-Jun 1st till the con = $60 (door price)
  • 1-Day (Fri 6/29) – $25.00
  • 1-Day (Sat 6/30) – $30.00
  • 1-Day (Sun 7/1) – $25.00
  • 1-Day (Sun 7/2) – $20.00
  • 2-Day (Fri/Sat) – $50.00
  • 2-Day (Sat/Sun) – $50.00
  • 2-Day (Sun/Mon) – $40.00
  • Kids 4-day child – $30.00

The pre-registration contest ending December 31, 2006 applies only for All 4-Day passes ($45.00). Winners will be announced January 2007.

Attendees interested in booking flights and hotels for Anime Expo® 2007 can do so via the AX Travel Store.

Discussions about all current Infinity Studios, LLC offers and products can be found on the internet in the forum area of the Infinity Studios, LLC website.

About Anime Expo®
Located in Long Beach, California – Anime Expo®, the nation’s largest anime/manga convention, serves to foster trade, commerce and the interests of the general public and animation/comics industry. This event serves as a key meeting place for the general public to express their interest and explore various aspects of anime/manga, as well as for members of the industry to conduct business. AX 2007 will be held June 29 ­ July 2, 2007 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Southern California. More information can be found at www.anime-expo.org.

About Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation
The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) is a non-profit organization with a mission to popularize and educate the American public about anime and manga, as well as provide a forum to facilitate communication between professionals and fans. This organization is more popularly known by its entertainment property Anime Expo ®. More information can be found at www.spja.org.

About Infinity Studios, LLC.
Headquartered in Richmond, California, Infinity Studios, LLC is a leading worldwide developer and publisher of Asian Graphic Novels. Founded in 2004, Infinity Studios, LLC maintains operations in the U.S., Japan and Korea. More information about Infinity Studios, LLC and its products can be found at www.infinitystudios.com.

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More Anime AICN this week

Scott Green's Anime AICNScott has posted an update to his Hellsing: Ultimate Contest. He also has has some news regarding Shinobi: Heart under Blade screenings.

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