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This past Saturday, I was able to attend the ever-glorious New York Comic Con/New York Anime Festival (NYCC/NYAF) held in the Jacob Javits Center. This is my 4th year attending the convention and every time I go, I gradually grow more and more impressed with the outcome. As I walked in, it was hard to even fathom how many people attended. The convention center itself is fairly large but the number of people attending was massive. The day passes for Saturday had even sold out. The popularity of the convention is just growing larger with each year.

Starting just last year, NYCC and NYAF had combine both conventions into one. I was definitely surprised with how they handled this situation this year. They moved NYAF upstairs into a larger, more spacious room that had access to the outside area. It was definitely nicely handled. NYCC itself had the largest areas to itself. The amount of vendors and booths there were outrageous. As I first walked in, I noticed the amount of video game booths that had been attending. There was Square Enix, Nintendo, Capcom, and more. Square Enix focused on Final Fantasy XIII-2 (the sequel to Final Fantasy XIII) that will be released early 2012. There were many trailers and figurines that could be bought from the series. Nintendo focused on promoting a select few games for the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii. It’s main focus was letting con-goers demo the upcoming Legend of Zelda game, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Nintendo also pushed the new Nintendo 3DS game, Professor Layton and the Last Spectre (a prequel to the previous Layton games). There was also an exclusive screening of the animated movie Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva. Capcom held tournaments for their hit game Marvel vs. Capcom 3 while promoting their reboot, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. The crowd that showed to view and participate was overwhelming but fun.

There was something for everyone at this convention. There was a Sesame Street booth along with various video games, comics, and even K-pop being viewed and sold. Of course the only downfall to any convention is the large crowd but it’s incredibly worth the experience. We even got to see some great costumes worn by con-goers as well as costumes on display. The upcoming movie, The Avengers, had a large promotion and even had a costume contest as well as the costume from the movie Captain America on display (I snagged me an Avengers poster for myself). In another section of the convention, a view of the Dark Knight’s costume could be seen on display.

The amount of shopping, browsing, activities, and more someone could do is just simply astounding. Every year it seems like there’s just more and more to do. The guests that had attended this year are gradually getting more and more exciting and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for next year.

Here are various links you can check out for more information:

http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/

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It’s been two weeks since Otakon 2011 has come to an end and we still can’t stop talking about it! This year, AMIN writers Melanie Braverman and Joseph Erman, along with myself, attended Otakon and cosplayed together, as we normally do. If you’ve seen our last year’s coverage, you can see that the amount of people who attended was over 29,000 people. How did Otakon fair this year? Of course they topped their record and had a total of 31,348 attendees!

This year’s gust lineup was pretty amazing as well. As I had reported before, musical guest Chemistry performed! Their Friday night concert was amazing as the audience jumped to their feet with excitement. Their setlist comprised of these songs:

Go Alone
TOGETHER
merry-go-round
Wings of words
This Night
Life goes on
Shawty
Period
Independence
Keep your Love

A personal favorite of mine is ‘Shawty.’ Although Chemistry is known for their ballads and amazing duets, they also have an amazing R&B feel to their songs. We’ll have more of these fine young men later since I was able to sit down with them and have an exclusive interview.

Saturday is always the most fun, in my opinion. Tons of cosplayers were out, sweating in the sun or simply hanging out in the convention center. Here at AMIN, we do what we do best: get ready for the masquerade! Our staff was getting ready to perform for the cosplay competition where we cosplayed as doctors from the hit game series Trauma Center. This year, the competition was fun and there were a ton of new people. It was a great experience to be back at the Otakon masquerade. We were afraid of the outcome because of something special happening around the same time. Full Metal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos had made it’s American debut (with Japanese audio and English subtitles). Although we missed the first airing, we made it for the Sunday airing.

Before we knew it, Otakon 2011 had come to a close. It’s always a thrilling experience for our staff and we hope to have an even more successful Otakon experience next year! See you in 2012!

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The long wait is finally over, and Pokemon Black and White have finally been released in the United States. It has been available for less than a week (in most areas) and the game has already shattered sales records and is being acclaimed as the best Pokemon Game of all time. I have to agree. So far this game is incredible. I haven’t completed very much of it yet since I like to take my time training most of the Pokemon that I catch. Even though I’ve played this game for at least an hour every day since I’ve bought it, I’m only on Rt. 4; or in other words, I just beat the 3rd Gym. So for

Normal type Pokemon, Lillipup

this review I’m only going to comment on what I’ve seen so far.

The music in this game is great. I love the new battle music the most, but the music designed for the towns are excellent as well. Most of the newly designed graphics are amazing. No longer are you looking down on the Pokemon World. In Pokemon Black and White Versions, you are on more of an eye level with your surroundings. You still have a vantage point where you can see everything around you, but I feel more involved in the game. If you haven’t made it to Castelia City yet… hurry. Crossing the Skyarrow Bridge from the Pinwheel Forest into Castelia for the first time reminded me of the first time I saw the New York City skyline lit up at night. Castelia City was modeled after the real life cities of Tokyo, Hong Kong, and New York City… although I think NYC inspired this tiny little ghetto street called Slim street. If you were going to get “shanked” in Pokemon… it would be here.

I really enjoy how the Pokemon Center and the Pokemart are now in the same building. It wasn’t something that bothered me in the other games, butit’s very convenient. One of my favorite changes of the game is that TM’s no longer break after using them. This means that they can be used over and over again just like HM’s, but can me forgotten when a Pokemon wants to learn a new move from gaining enough levels. HM’s still cannot be forgotten without the aid of the Move Deleter.

I really enjoy how the Pokemon being used in battle are constantly moving. It gives them more life. The designers also found a way to have the eyes of sleeping Pokemon close…which is beyond adorable. The animations of the moves, and when you use items such as potions, status effecters, and battle items all seem to move faster, which helps speed up the battles. I have yet to experience a rotation or 3-way battle, but I’m really looking

forward to it.

I do have a few complaints about the game however. The view of the Pokemon your character uses in battle is very pixelated. With all the new attention paid to having the Pokemon constantly moving, and the seamlessness of the attack animations, I figured that’s something that could have been figured out. I miss not being able to name your Rival. It was a fun customization aspect of the game that I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed it until it was gone; and let’s just say Cheren and Bianca are no Gary/Blue/Giant Douche/whatever your personal taste in a Rival name may be. Also

Castelia City

that Pokemon you are able to catch are very limited in the first half of the game. You really only come across about ten or so Pokemon, none of which are very exciting. Think of it as only being able to use Ratatta, Pidgey, Caterpie, Abra, and your starter to get through the first half of the game. Finally, I need to ask Nintendo a simple question… Why did you get rid of having a

Pokemon follow you around? Ever since Pokemon Yellow version, Pokemon trainers young and old have been raving about having a Pokemon follow you around. The ability to have any Pokemon available in the game follow you around in HeartGold and SoulSilver was a huuuuuuuuuge hit! So why, WHY DID NINTENDO GET RID OF IT?! I also really enjoyed using the Pokewalker that came with my SoulSilver game, and I’m curious why Nintendo got rid of two new and very popular features so quickly. So, overall I’m going to give Pokemon Black and White Version 8 out of 10.

That’s right! Nintendo World in NYC plans on holding a Pokemon Black and White Launch Celebration! Attendees will be able to purchase the game a day early and join in the festivities.

Some of the festivities include:
•Debut of the new Pokemon song by the band The Presidents of the United States of America
•Purchase the new Pokemon Black and White games
•Get your passport to Unova (the new Pokemon region) and visit fun Pokemon stations
•Meet Pikachu!

Join in on the fun on Saturday, March 5th at 10 Rockefeller Plaza, NYC at Nintendo World. The fun starts at 3PM and continues until 6PM!

For more information, visit the official website for Pokemon Black and White.

I know I’ll be attending and purchasing my copy early. I’ve been waiting for this game to be released in English!

For those of you who can’t attend this event, check out how to plan your own Pokemon party here!

With Pokemon Black and White being released this weekend, some of our readers out there may be interested in throwing their own Pokemon Black and White Bash in honor of its’ US release. Near me, none of the places that will be selling the game around me will be holding a release party, so I wanted to give tips to those out there that want to host their own! I suggest doing this before your group goes to get the game. Let’s face it, once everyone has the game, no one’s leaving their room for a week.
Decorations
There are plenty of places like Party City, Target, and Walmart, that sell premade Pokemon Decorations. While those mostly are for children’s birthday parties, the plates, napkins, and cups would add a great touch to your party. Of course you can make decorations yourself, but that requires a lot of time and preparation. I also suggest putting a sign over your front door that says “POKEMON FAN CLUB.”

Food & Drink
Pokemon shaped cupcakes are a great way to include Pokemon themed snacks at your party. However, they can range from simple to advanced technical wise. The Pokeball is the easiest. Use red icing for the top half of the cupcake, and white for the bottom and BAM instant Poke’cake. You can do this for Great, Ultra, Master, and Kurt’s apricorn balls as well, but those get a little more technical and detailed.
Another really simple idea is to buy frozen meatballs, or make your own, and once they’re cooked/heated put them in a giant bowl. Put a sign next to it that read’s Brock’s Poke’Chow. Chex Mix can be used for this as well.
For drinks, print out customized labels that are used in the game and cover cans and bottles; for example: fresh water, lemonade, soda pop, moomoo milk, berry juice, and tea.

Music
Nintendo and Pokemon have released several CD’s throughout the years. Purchase those to play while games are being played and food is being eaten. I also suggest downloading 16OURS “Pokegear”, a parody of Lady Gaga’s Telephone… shameless plug, yes I know.

Non-Electronic Games
Gotta Catch ‘Em All!:
Hide small cutouts of Pokemon around your house/room/apartment/whatever. Have everyone begin in an area labeled “Pallet Town”, and free the trainers to begin their journey to “Collect them All.”
Poke’Face:
Have a friend that is a skilled artist be available for face painting.
Togepi Egg Race
Paint some regular eggs like a Togepi egg and have a few spoons available. Put your guests into teams and then treat it like a regular egg race. First team to finish the track with their Togepi egg in tact wins.
Electronic Games:
Of course you can’t have a Pokemon party without a few Pokemon battles. Have everyone bring all the games and systems they still have lying around and battle to see who is the Pokemon Master of your group. If you can find games like Pokemon Battle Stadium, Pokemon Pinball, and Pokemon Snap, I would suggest using those as well. Your guests will have a lot of fun playing some “retro” games.

I HOPE EVERYONE HAS FUN AT THEIR POKE’ PARTIES! LOOK FOR MY REVIEW OF POKEMON BLACK AND WHITE COMING SOON!

So first and foremost, I am warning everyone that as much as I enjoy 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, for those of you who are not familiar either the game itself or the study of psychotherapy and pharmaceuticals… you might have a little trouble understanding what’s going on.

Here are the basics. The playable character in the game, Junpei, wakes up in what looks like a prison cell with no memory of how he got there. Shocker. After a few minutes he remembers being drugged in his home by someone in a gas mask. Soon after, Junpei realizes he is in a ship and the only window in the cabin breaks and begins filling up with water. Here’s where the game play starts. It’s honestly like any other flash media room escape game you can find online. There are even some harder puzzles out there in the wide world of the internet as well. What sets this game apart is its complex story line, multiple endings, and that it is a visual novel.

This aspect of the game, I’m not a huge fan of. While you are given options in the game, like which room you want to explore, that’s really all the choices you get in the game. You never get to directly control your characters movements or explore the ship on your own. In between the mini escape games are long stretches of reading passages, not very well written passages. Everything was written very literally; much like how Twilight was written.

Like I mentioned earlier, what sets this game apart is its use of a unique story, and that no one ending gives you the whole story. The story makes use of a drug company gone mad and a disease where someone cannot tell one person from another using their face. Also, you need to complete each ending to have a full understanding of what exactly happening to these characters and why. Fortunately, when you finish an ending, the passages you have already read can be fast forwarded, which is a huge plus because the text passes by at a snail’s pace. If you have a very long car or plane ride ahead of you I do suggest buying this game because it has a lot of play time. But if you’re looking for more of an action game, I’d stay away. Overall, 999 gets a 6/10.

Check out the trailer for 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors:

Super Scribblenauts, a game for the Nintendo DS developed by 5th Cell, was recommended to me recently from a friend. At first I was a little hesitant to play. From what I understood previously about the game, all that was required of you was to a few silly words here and there, and you would be through the game in an afternoon.
I’m happy to see how wrong I was. In Super Scribblenauts, yes you do use an on screen keyboard to enter nouns and adjectives to help you reach little stars called “Starites”; but that can range from simply using “giraffe” to “giant green pregnant giraffe”. It all depends on you.
As you progress through the levels, you complete constellations. You can redo the levels to gain higher scores and earn more points to customize your character avatar. However, you have to think of new words and adjectives each time if you want to earn more points. That’s something I actually really enjoy about this game. It’s not some mindless action or turn based fighting game that you can watch TV and play at the same time. Super Scribblenauts challenges and makes you think while still being an entertaining game. Overall I give it an 8 out of 10 points!

Check out some of the gameplay from Super Scribblenauts!

For the past few weeks, I’ve been itching to play the newly released game Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective. With my Nintendo DSi out of commission for a few weeks, I couldn’t do so but just two days ago, my DSi was returned to me fixed and ready to play this new game.

Created by Shu Takumi (creator of the Ace Attorney series), Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is a new detective game with an interesting plot with equally interesting gameplay. You find yourself playing as the lead character Sissel who has just woken up to realize he has actually just been killed. After realizing he’s been killed in a junkyard, a mysterious lamp explains to him that he has gained powers as a spirit called “Ghost Tricks.” Sissel is able to manipulate and move through objects and travel back in time four minutes before the death of another person and alter their fate to save them. He has one night to figure out what has happened tonight and to find out the mystery behind his own death before he disappears at dawn.

Being a fan of the Ace Attorney series, I knew I had to buy this game. It’s an interesting plot considering you’re already dead at the beginning of the game. This game requires patience and problem solving as you try to figure out the best way to save someone four minutes before their death. You also meet a large group of characters who aid you along the way. You also realize as a person dies, you are able to talk to them even after you save them. Unfortunately, the formerly deceased retain their memories of when they were once dead but this gives Sissel the advantage to gather information. You also meet a little Pomeranian named Missile who has his fair share of dying during the night while protecting his mistresses. He aids you in a great deal of ways throughout the story. As each chapter of the game progresses, the mystery of your death seemingly gets larger and larger and keeps you guessing.

I give this game an 8.5/10. It’s an amazing game that is recommended for everyone, especially those who like puzzles and mysteries.

Check out the trailer for Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective!

Last night, gaming company Level-5 had their “Next Dimension” conference. Level-5 filled us in on Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle, Ni No Kuni, and a new game Time Travelers. Their newest and most exciting announcement… Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright for the Nintendo 3DS!

The game will be a “combination of puzzles and a crime mystery” and the two characters will work together to solve a mystery in a place named Labyrinth City. Labyrinth City is a medieval town populated with witches. The theme of the story will be “witch trial” and will be written by Ace Attorney creator Shu Takumi.

I for one am incredibly excited for this crossover. This is a crossover that many fans have always wanted… and for fans like me, it’s a dream come true!

Take a look at the first HQ trailer for Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright!

EDIT: Check out the official website for the game Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright! Take a look at the trailer!

Source: VGTribune

During Otakon 2010, AMIN writer Jessica Dawson and I were able to meet up with the bassist of Antic Cafe (An Cafe) Kanon. Since An Cafe’s announcement of their hiatus earlier this year, each of the band members has been pursuing their own activities. Kanon had been one of the panelists at Otakon 2010 where he discussed his newest video game he has produced titled Pinky☆Distortion. He also took part in Friday night’s Otakurave where he DJed for the con-goers. AMIN writers Christina Jacildo, Jessica Dawson and myself had attended the Otakurave that night. Kanon played a variety of anime songs from anime such as the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and K-ON! He was well recieved at the Otakurave where the con-goers pushed and danced their way to the front just to see Kanon DJ.

Watch our exclusive interview with Kanon!