February 26th, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

Sega Gets You Dancing WithNew maimai Dance GameSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/sega-gets-you-dancing-with-new-

maimai-dance-game/

By magnetic_rose on February 26th, 2012

Sega has announced the release of a new rhythm game witha front facing touchscreen and a camera that records theplayer’s performance. The new game is called “maimai” —“mai”, incidentally, is the Japanese word for “dance”.

To play, you need to press the eight buttons surrounding themain display, or slide your finger across the touchscreen, intime with the music. There’s also a camera near the top ofthe console, which can record the player and the screen atthe same time.

Sega plans to add the ability to upload player videos toNicoNico Douga — which would work well within the cultureof NND users who like to show off their gaming prowessonline.

maimai will be available in July 2012, and will be availableoverseas shortly after.

Source: DigInfo.tv

Bleach Ends TV Run,Hollywood AdaptationConsideredSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/bleach-ends-tv-run-hollywood-

adaptation-considered/

By magnetic_rose on February 26th, 2012

A TV guide published in Japan inadvertently leaked the newsthat the Bleach anime will end its broadcast run on March27.

Its 6:00 PM Tuesday time slot on TV Tokyo will be taken overby the new weekly Naruto SD: Rock Lee no Seishun Full-Power Ninden starting April 3.

In other news, Hollywood entertainment magazine Varietyis reporting that Warner Bros. has purchased the rights toBleach and is working on a live-action movie adaptation.

Dan Mazeau of the Clash of the Titans remake will be incharge of the screenplay, and Peter Segal of the Get Smartremake will produce and possibly direct the film.

Source: ANN

Sony ComputerEntertainment official PS Vitalaunch in SingaporeSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/sony-computer-entertainment-

official-ps-vita-launch-in-singapore/

By sentinel011 on February 26th, 2012

Portable gaming takes the next step with the PS Vita, withSingapore the third country to be launched outside of Japan.

February 26th, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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With more gamers in Singapore wanting a new experience inportable gaming, the PS Vita certainly lives up to the hype.It’s going for a suggested retail pricing of $399.

Below are the game titles available for purchase at allauthorized Sony retail outlets and participating shops:

Title Name Publisher Genre Format SRP (SGD)ArmyCorps ofHell™(EnglishVersion)

SQUAREENIX Co.,Ltd.

Action PS VitaCard /PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD54.90/SGD51.99

ASPHALT :INJECTION

UbisoftLimited

Racing PS VitaCard /PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD56.90/SGD44.69

BLAZBLUECONTINUUMSHIFTEXTEND(English/Japanesevoiceversion)

ARCSYSTEMWORKSCo.,Ltd.

2D fightinggame

PS VitaCard /PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD54.90/SGD45.49

DISGAEA3Return

NIPPONICHISOFTWAREINC.

SimulationRPG

PS VitaCard /PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD69.90/SGD58.49

DUNGEONHUNTERALLIANCE

UbisoftLimited

RPG PS VitaCard /PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD56.90/SGD44.69

DynastyWarriorsNEXT(Englishversion)

TECMOKOEIGAMES

Action PS VitaCard /PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD54.90/SGD46.79

EASPORTSFIFAFootball

ElectronicArts

Sports PS VitaCard /PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD54.90/SGD54.90(DL)

EscapePlan(Chinese+ EnglishVersion)

SonyComputerEntertainment

Puzzle PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD19.49

Everybody’sGolf 6

(AsianChinese+ EnglishVersion)

SonyComputerEntertainment

Golf Game PS VitaCard /PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD54.90/SGD46.79

F1 2011™ CODEMASTERSLtd.

Racing PS VitaCard /PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD59.00/

TBD(DL）

GRAVITYRUSH ））））））(ChineseVersion)

SonyComputerEntertainment

ActionAdventure

PS VitaCard /PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD54.90/SGD46.79

HustleKings™

SonyComputerEntertainment

Sports PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD14.5

LittleDeviants™

SonyComputerEntertainment

Action PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD32.49

LORD of

APOCALYPSE™SQUAREENIX Co.,Ltd.

ActionRPG

PS VitaCard /PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD69.90/SGD62.39

Lumines :ElectronicSymphony

UbisoftLimited

Puzzle PS VitaCard /PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD59.90/SGD51.39

ModNationRacers:Road Trip(AsianEnglish +ChineseVersion)

SonyComputerEntertainment

Racing PS VitaCard /PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD39.90/SGD35.09

MotorStorm™RC

SonyComputerEntertainment

Racing PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD9.89

MICHAELJACKSONTHEEXPERIENCEHD

UbisoftLimited

Rhythm/Dancing

PS VitaCard /PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD56.90/SGD44.69

NINJAGAIDENΣ PLUS(Englishvoiceversion)

TECMOKOEIGAMESCO., LTD.

Action PS VitaCard /PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD54.90/SGD46.79

Puzzle byNikoli VSudoku

HAMSTERCorporation

Puzzle PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD3.89

RagnarokOdyssey(Japaneseversion)

GungHoOnlineEntertainment,Inc.

Action PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD58.49

RaymanOrigins

UbisoftLimited

Action PS VitaCard /PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD59.90/SGD51.39

RealityFighters(AsianEnglishVersion)

SonyComputerEntertainment

FightingAction

PS VitaCard /PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD39.90/SGD35.09

Shinobido2: Revengeof Zen

SpikeCo.,Ltd.

NinjaStealthAction

PS VitaCard /

SGD69.90/

SGD58.49

February 26th, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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(Japaneseversion)

PS StoreDownloadVersion

STARSTRIKE™DELTA

SonyComputerEntertainment

Shooting PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD12.99

SUMIONI(Japaneseversion)

ACQUIRECorp.

INKACTION

PS VitaCard /PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD54.90/SGD46.79

Touch MyKatamari

NAMCOBANDAIGames

Others PS VitaCard /PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD59.90/SGD53.91

ULTIMATEMARVELVS.CAPCOM3 (EnglishVersion)

CAPCOMCO., LTD.

FightingAction

PS VitaCard /PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD54.90/SGD44.69

Uncharted:GoldenAbyss(Chinese+EnglishVersion)

SonyComputerEntertainment

ActionAdventure

PS VitaCard /PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD69.90/SGD58.49

VirtuaTennis 4

SEGA Sports PS VitaCard /PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD54.90/SGD40.59

WipEout™2048

SonyComputerEntertainment

Racing PS VitaCard /PS StoreDownloadVersion

SGD39.90/SGD35.09

PlayStation ® Vita Peripheral & Accessory

ProductName

Model No. Release Date SRP (SGD)

Memory Card(4GB)

PCH-Z041G 22nd Feb,2012

SGD27.90

Memory Card(8GB)

PCH-Z081G SGD39.90

Memory Card(16GB)

PCH-Z161G SGD77.90

Memory Card(32GB)

PCH-Z321G SGD129.00

USB Cable PCH-ZUC1 SGD11.90AC Adaptor PCH-ZAC1H SGD11.90Cradle PCH-ZCL1G SGD19.90In-EarHeadset

PCH-ZHS1G SGD19.90

To celebrate the launch of the PS Vita in Singapore,Sony Computer Entertainment is having a roadshow onthe ground floor of 313 Somerset in Orchard Road. Theroadshow will be held from today till Sunday, 26 February.

At the opening launch, Mr Tetsuhiko Yasuda, Chairman ofSony Computer Entertainment Hong Kong, gave a speechon the development kit for the PS Vita and the Playstation3 established in Singapore since last year, with some gamescurrently in development locally. Nanyang Polytechnic isinvolved in this development.

Mr Michael Humphrey, Designer of WipeOut 2048, waspresent to give a demonstration of the game using thePS Vita’s intuitive features. Other guests include MediaDevelopment Authority and Nanyang Polytechnic.

People can experience the PS Vita’s features at the roadshow,with games such as Fifa Football and WipeOut 2048.

Picture source: Vr-Zone

One Piece: Pirate Warriors PV4 is outSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/one-piece-pirate-warriors-4th-pv-is-

out/

By shia on February 26th, 2012

The 4th Promotional Video for One Piece: Pirate Warriorsis out.

One Piece: Pirate Warriors in a nutshell is basically aDynasty Warriors game set in the One Piece universe.

The story is follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, ayoung boy who organizes a crew of pirates and sets off tofind the legendary treasure “one piece”. Luffy while he wasyoung had ingested the Gum-Gum fruit that lets him becomeas stretchable as rubber.

February 26th, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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Pirate Warriors comes in a few flavours , Normal Edition ,Treasure Box, Gold EditionThe Treasure Box, a collector’s edition which includesthe game’s soundtrack, 15 collectible pins, a serial codeto download nine custom themes featuring individualmembers of the Straw Hat Pirates, and a book featuringcharacter and CG-rendered artwork and environments fromthe game’s production and a rare collectible for the Socialgame , One Piece Grand Collection

The gold Edition includes what is in the Treasure BoxEdition and a Limited Skinned PS3 plus an exclusive customtheme of the Straw Hat Pirates and another exclusive rarecollectible for One Piece Grand Collection.

Game Information:Japanese Name : ））））） ）））） (onepiece kaizoku musou)Genre : Action

Maker : Koei Tecmo , Published by Bandai Namco

Release Date : 1st of March 2012

Price : Normal-8190yen , Treasure-12890yen ,Gold-38170yen

Source : Bandai Namco

Kingdom Hearts 10thAnniversary Box Out March29thSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/kingdom-hearts-10th-anniversary-

box-out-march-29th/

By magnetic_rose on February 26th, 2012

Square Enix and Disney’s Kingdom Hearts series will becelebrating its 10th Anniversary with a limited edition boxedset — out 29th March in Japan.

The boxed set includes Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream DropDistance for Nintendo 3DS, Kingdom Hearts re:Coded andKingdom Hearts 358/2 Days for Nintendo DS, a 3DS cover,and a set of 12 postcards.

The Kingdom Hearts 10th Anniversary Box will be priced atJPY 15,000.

Source: Siliconera

New Images for Conceptionfor the PSPSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/new-images-for-conception-for-the-

psp/

By magnetic_rose on February 26th, 2012

Feast your eyes on Cancer, Leo, and Virgo (yes, she is also aregular high school student trapped in the alternate world).

February 26th, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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Click here for more on Conception: New PSP Game“Conception” Ups Ante on Dating Sims, Heads Straight toChildbirth

Source: Conception OHP and Famitsu

Kochi Indies MangaMagazine Open to OverseasSubmissionsSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/kochi-indies-manga-magazine-open-

to-overseas-submissions/

By magnetic_rose on February 26th, 2012

Kochi Indies Magazine is an independent publication whosemain purpose is to nurture young artists with aims of joiningthe manga industry.

Kyoko Yasuoka, the editor in chief said, “We, as mangaeditors, advise them how to create manga on the professionallevel. Once they reach a certain level, we publish their mangain our magazine and distribute it through the book stores inthe region and our online store.”

The good news is, Kochi Indies Magazine isopen to illustration submissions from foreignartists. For inquiries and to submit your mangaillustration to the magazine, email them at kochi-indiesmagazine[AT]chime[DOT]ocn[DOT]ne[DOT]jp

Source: Crunchyroll

Studio Ghibli and Level 5′s Nino Kuni in English by End of2012Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/studio-ghibli-and-level-5s-ni-no-

kuni-in-english-by-end-of-2012/

By magnetic_rose on February 26th, 2012

Ni no Kuni — an RPG for the PS3 created with thecollaborative efforts of Studio Ghibli and Level 5, will see anEnglish-language release by the end of the year, according totheir distributor Bandai Namco.

Ni no Kuni will include both English and Japanese voicetracks in the English-language release.

According to Level 5, it was such an honor to workwith Studio Ghibli, as well as with acclaimed animationsoundtrack composer Joe Hisaishi, that they wanted to do

February 26th, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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their best to bring a rich gaming experience to both Japaneseand overseas gamers.

Source: Crunchyroll

Otome Game “Hanayaka Nari,Waga Ichizoku” Gets AnimeSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/otome-game-hanayaka-nari-waga-

ichizoku-gets-anime/

By magnetic_rose on February 26th, 2012

As announced on the cover of Enterbrain’s B’s-Log magazinethat was mistakenly leaked by its editors (it has since beenrecalled), otome PSP game “Hanayaka Nari, Waga Ichizoku”will have an animated version very soon.

“Hanayaka Nari, Waga Ichizoku” is set during Japan’sTaishō era (1912-1926), where you play as a naive younghouse-maid, caught up in the struggle for succession of apowerful and wealthy family.

Source: ANN

“EinHerjar” Singapore BetaNow OpenSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/einherjar-singapore-beta-now-open/

By magnetic_rose on February 26th, 2012

Free-to-play Japanese browser game “EinHerjar” opens thedoors to its English Beta, with the aim of attracting usersfrom Singapore and the rest of South East Asia.

EinHerJar is set in “a vast and wild Nordic land wherea human race has proclaimed themselves as descendantsof the Gods. Each player will play as a chieftain of aViking clan… [and] will be in charge of many tasks suchas managing resources, finding new areas, constructing

buildings, etc. in order to build up the mightiest Vikingkingdom.”

Registration is currently open and — as previouslymentioned, the game is free to play. However, you can alsopurchase power-ups and items via micro-transactions. Tosign up and play, visit: EinHerJar.com

Source: EinHerJar OHP

March 3rd, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

Now Streaming: Singapore’sfinest SoulCalibur players viefor $10,000 in prizesSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/now-streaming-singapores-finest-

soulcalibur-players-vie-for-10000-in-prizes/

By KarbyP on March 3rd, 2012

Catch Singapore’s finest SoulCalibur players in action atE2Max from now to 12midnight today, as they vie fora chance to represent our sunny island in the grandfinals of SoulCalibur Impact 2012, a global SoulCalibur Vtournament to be held in Newcastle, London on March 17.

Watch live video from Round1.sg on www.twitch.tv

The action is fiercer, Pyrrha’s 236+B stab move morevisceral if you catch it live at E2Max, of course. And there arefree-play SoulCalibur V terminals for folks to try the game, or(if you’re familiar with the game) play some casual matcheswith members of the community too.

But if you can’t make it to the event venue, localSoulCalibur community and co-organiser of the tournament(in conjunction with Namco Bandai Partners Singapore)“Soul Singapore” has got your back: they’re streaming thetournament live.

Top 8 starts from 7.30PM, and for everything else you canrefer to the event schedule posted here.

This is the first time Namco Bandai Partners Singapore hasworked with a local games community to organise a fightinggame tournament of this scale.

“Fighting games have always been a key part of NamcoBandai’s business and with important franchises such asSoul Calibur and Tekken under our belt, our next steps areto grow these licenses organically,” said Mr Kelvin Seah,General Manager of Sales & Marketing at Namco BandaiPartners Singapore.

“We have seen the passion and dedication of the localgaming community, and are fully committed to raising theprofile of Singapore’s gaming scene and giving it the supportand attention it deserves.”

New Street Fighter XTekken alternate costumes,Godsgarden tournamentunveiled on JapaneselivestreamSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/new-street-fighter-x-tekken-arrange-

costumes-godsgarden-tournament-unveiled-on-japanese-livestream/

By KarbyP on March 3rd, 2012

Capcom just unveiled several new character “arrangecostumes” (that’s Engrish for “alternate costumes”) forStreet Fighter X Tekken at the grand finals of the SuperStreet Fighter IV Arcade Edition ver.2012 3v3 nationaltournament in Japan, streamed live on Nico Nico Dougaright now.

Tekken side:-Asuka (cosplaying as Ibuki)

-Lili (as Poison)

-Paul (as… Blanka?)

-Law (as Fei Long

-Xiaoyu (as Chun Li)

-Jin (erm… no idea; let us know in the comments)

March 3rd, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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-Ogre (as Gill)

Street Fighter side:-Vega/Claw (as… again, let us know in the comments)

-Balrog/Boxer (as Steve)

-M.Bison/Dictator (as Yoshimitsu)

-Juri (don’t know this one either)

-Akuma (as Heihachi)

But that’s not all; on the stream Capcom also announcedthat they will be collaborating with Godsgarden on a StreetFighter X Tekken tournament very soon. We’ll bring youmore details on the new arrange costumes as well as theGodsgarden tournament when they are made available.

Source: Jin’s My Game New Flash

Latest episode of CrossCounter Asia features an all-new 8-bit introSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/latest-episode-of-cross-counter-asia-

features-an-all-new-8-bit-intro/

By KarbyP on March 3rd, 2012

Local Street Fighter champs Xian and Zhi are back with moreexcellent online ranked-match adventures – and a brandnew intro done in 8-bit style – in the latest episode of CrossCounter Asia.

It looks like this will be the last episode to focus exclusivelyon Super Street Fighter IV, at least for a while, as thedynamic duo takes a break from the game to play some StreetFighter X Tekken, which comes out next Tuesday.

March 3rd, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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Persona 4: Arena casualsstreamed live, more detailson Labrys, instant-kill movesSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/persona-4-arena-casuals-streamed-

live-more-details-on-labrys-instant-kill-moves/

By KarbyP on March 3rd, 2012

Arc System Works’ and Atlus’s long-awaited fighting gamePersona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena (Persona 4:Arena for short) was finally released in Japanese arcadestoday.

To commemorate the occasion, the Naka city (Ibarakiprefecture) branch of arcade chain Plabi Joy Com isstreaming a bunch of P4:Arena casual matches live on theirUstream channel.

Now that the game is out, we also have more concreteinformation about Labrys, the new character we reportedon yesterday. According to Japanese arcade-goers, the robo-chick is not a playable character at this point. Instead, youface off against her in the latter half of story mode. Winone round against Labrys, and Kuma/Teddie appears to stopthe match. Players then proceed to fight the “true form” ofKuma/Teddie as a final boss.

Go to this Famitsu.com story if you’d like a closer look at theofficial Labrys character artwork.

In the same story you’ll also find screenshots detailingcharacter colour variations in the game (14 in total, butonly 8 accessible at the start; the rest you’ll have to unlockthrough the arcade game’s Player’s Guild card system) aswell as “instant-kill special moves”.

These instant-kill moves are similar to the Astral Heatsin BlazBlue and Destroyed in Guilty Gear in that if youland it on your opponent you’ll win the match immediately,no questions asked. According to Famitsu, the activationconditions include: you must be on match-point, and youhave 100 SP points to burn. Unlike Astral Heats, it looks likeyou can use these instant-kill moves even with 100-percenthealth (as seen in the following screenshots).

March 3rd, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena is slated for aSummer 2012 release on consoles (PlayStation 3/Xbox 360).

Miku Flick, an iOS game fromSega, comes out on Miku’sDaySource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/mikuflick-an-ios-game-from-sega-

comes-out-on-mikus-day/

By KarbyP on March 3rd, 2012

A new Hatsune Miku rhythm action game from Project Divapublisher Sega is coming to the iOS! Gamer.ne reports that

Miku Flick will be released on the Japanese iTunes App Storeon March 9, also known as Miku’s Day, for 1,200 yen.

In Miku Flick, players will tap and flick on a Japanese-style virtual keyboard and type out the lyrics of well-lovedVocaloid songs (such as “Stargazer” and “World is Mine”) tothe beat.

Tapping any of the virtual keys on your iPhone is goodenough for first-vowel consonants like “a”, “ka”, “sa”, and“ta”. But to access the syllables “ki”, “ku”, “ke” and “ko” youwill need to tap “ka” and flick to the left, upwards, right, ordownwards respectively.

As an example, one of the screenshots shows what appearsto be a line from World is Mine, requiring the player to typein “i de” just as Miku is about to sing those syllables. Toaccomplish this, you first tap on the key for “a” and flick tothe left, then tap on “ta” and flick to the right – in two quick,successive strokes.

March 3rd, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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Due to the nature of the game, a basic understanding ofJapanese Hiragana may actually be required to play MikuFlick. Although from the screenshots it sure looks there aremarkers on the virtual keyboard to help players who may notbe able to pinpoint the right Kana in the nick of time.

Miku Flick supports the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPodTouch (4th generation), iPad, and the iPad 2. For moreinformation, head over to Sega’s official site.

Source: Gamer.ne

AKB48′s Mayu Watanabe andShizuka Oya on FujiTV musicquiz showSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/akb48s-mayu-watanabe-and-

shizuka-oya-on-fujitv-music-quiz-show/

By KarbyP on March 3rd, 2012

Can you guess the name of the song AKB48′s MayuWatanabe is humming in this video? Here’s a hint: it wasone of the most popular tracks featured in Guitar Freaks andDrumMania. The answer is revealed from 0:35 onwards.

This clip is from variety show Quiz DoReMiFaDon, whichaired last night on FujiTV. Contestants on the show –comedians, TV talents, and idols like AKB48′s Shizuka Oya –

scored points by correctly guessing the title of a song purelyfrom the first few seconds of its intro. Mayu Watanabe madea brief (pre-recorded) appearance on the show to promoteher solo debut single, Synchro Tokimeki, which came outtoday.

Shizuka Oya’s idol/actors team (Oya, renowned model Rola,comedian Bibiru Ooki, and D☆DATE’s Shunji Igarashi)eventually clinched first place on the show, no doubt inpart due to Oya’s uncanny ability to recognise Shinryaku noSusume (the theme of Ika Musume) and Sousei no Aquarionalmost immediately after the intros were played. See itfor yourself in the following Shizuka Oya highlight reel onYouTube, starting from the 04:50 mark.

Oddly enough, however, she wasn’t quite as quick to thebatting post when it came to her own music, and evenhilariously mistook Ue Kara Mariko (the song in which Oyamade her first senbatsu or “front-line member” appearance)for Everyday Kachusha (beginning of the highlight reel).

This is what Persona 4Ultimate’s new character,Labrys, looks likeSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/this-is-what-persona-4-ultimates-

new-character-labrys-looks-like/

By KarbyP on March 3rd, 2012

Earlier today the Net was abuzz with news of Labrys, anew character in Persona 4: The Ultimate in MayonakaArena who’s voiced by Ayana Taketatsu (Azusa in K-On!!). The information was published in Weekly Famitsu,which technically only goes on sale in Japan tomorrow. Butthanks to the power of the Internet, you’re hearing about itone day in advance.

And now that scans from the magazine have also appearedonline, you’re seeing it early too. Here’s your first look at thesilver-haired heroine and her “steely” charms.

March 3rd, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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According to the scans, Labrys is the student councilpresident at Yasogami High School (which the Persona 4characters go to). Not much else is known about her exceptshe speaks Kansai-ben, and wants Kuma to put a stop to hisMayonaka Arena tournament.

We’re not sure if Labrys is an original character exclusive tothis game, although Japanese forum-goers have pointed outthat she may have made her first appearance in a Persona3 drama CD. If you’re a fan of the franchise with moreinformation on Labrys you’d like to share, do let us know inthe comments below.

Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena hits arcadesand consoles later this year.

Source: Hachima

Pixiv Artists Draw FinalFantasy Characters inShounen Jump StylesSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/pixiv-artists-draw-final-fantasy-

characters-in-shounen-jump-styles/

By magnetic_rose on March 3rd, 2012

Check out the gallery after the jump!

Fist of the North Star – Hara Tetsuo

Prince of Tennis – Konomi Takeshi

March 3rd, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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One Piece – Oda Eiichirou

Hikaru no Go/Death Note – Obata Takeshi

Eyeshield 21 – Murata Yuusuke

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure – Araki Hirohiko

March 3rd, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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Naruto – Kishimoto Masashi

Bleach – Kubo Tite

Katekyo Hitman Reborn – Amano Akira

Slam Dunk/Vagabond – Inoue Takehiko

March 3rd, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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Dragon Ball – Toriyama Akira

Gintama – Sorachi Hideaki

Black Cat/ToLoveRu – Yabuki Kentarou

Source: Pixiv

Hakuouki Gets New OAV,Third Season, *AND* Full-lenght FilmSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/hakuouki-gets-oav-third-season-

and-full-lenght-film/

By magnetic_rose on March 3rd, 2012

Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan is having a landmark year. Notonly is the Playstation and PSP game franchise releasing asixth OAV, but a third season for the TV animation is in theworks, and a feature-length film has also been announced.Phew!

A special arc for the Hakuouki Sekkaroku OVA will bereleased in June 2012; this 6th OAV will cover the Shimabaraarc from the first five OAV releases from Kazama’s point ofview.

The new TV animation Hakuouki Reimeiroku is scheduled toair this summer; it follows the arc from the first two seasonsand tells the story of the rise of the Shinsengumi.

Lastly, a two-part movie will premiere early next yearfeaturing an original screenplay. Details on the film are

March 3rd, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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still scarce, but fans should watch out for it in the comingmonths.

Source: Crunchyroll

Square Enix AnnouncesGuardian Cross for the iOSSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/square-enix-announces-guardian-

cross-for-the-ios/

By magnetic_rose on March 3rd, 2012

Square Enix will be releasing a new game entitled GuardianCross — for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. GuardianCross is a free-to-play card-battling game, with specialoptions that can be purchased with cash.

Guardian Cross was developed by the same team whocreated Knights of the Crystals for Facebook. The iOSversion will be released in the first quarter of 2012, with anAndroid version following soon after.

Source: Crunchyroll.

March 17th, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

Miku Flick: Can you clear thehardest song in Break theLimit mode?Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/miku-flick-can-you-clear-the-

hardest-song-in-break-the-limit-mode/

By KarbyP on March 17th, 2012

The answer is “No”. It is, quite literally, unpossible.

But before we get to that, let’s first take a look at how MikuFlick actually plays. Contrary to my initial speculation, itseems like you really don’t need to be well-versed in theways of Japanese hieroglphyics (or just hiragana) to play thegame.

Oh, make sure you stop at the 03:10 mark (when you get tothe “results” screen… we’ll let you know why in a bit).

Seems manageable, even though it’s on Hard, right?

Now here’s the same song again, this time in Break the Limitmode (this is footage from the same video, beginning from03:10)

Yep, in Break the Limit mode you’re expected to type outevery single syllable in the song. And in the case of “TheDisappearance of Hatsune Miku”, the final (and hardest)song you unlock in Miku Flick, that’s simply not humanlypossible.

Not every song is as unscalable in Break the Limit mode. Asthis next video from YouTube user Yuuki7oct proves, Breakthe Limit is perfectly playable – he cleared “moon” with an“A” ranking (over 15,000 points). Although it will no doubttest your skills.

Miku Flick is available on the Japanese iTunes store for1,200 yen, and supports the iPhone (3GS and up), iPodTouch (3rd Generation and up), and iPad.

Tell Your World EP debuts #4on Oricon Daily Ranking, fullMV released on YouTubeSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/tell-your-world-ep-debuts-4-on-

oricon-daily-ranking-full-mv-released-on-youtube/

By KarbyP on March 17th, 2012

The full EP album for Hatsune Miku X Google Chrome “TellYour World“, was released earlier this week on March 14,debuting at number four on the Oricon Daily ranking charts,amongst the likes of SDN48, 2PM, and miwa.

#1 “NEXT ENCORE” SDN48#2 “2PM Best ~2008-2011 in Korea” 2PM

#3 “guitarium” miwa

#4 “Tell Your World EP” livetune feat. Hatsune Miku

#5 “Ramune no Nomikata” SKE48(team K II)

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#6 “PLAYGIRLZ” Afterschool

#7 “YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz I” YELLOW FRIEDCHICKENz

#8 “Kono Koe” Takahashi Yuu

#9 “NEWTRAL” Ikimonogakari

#10 “nanoir” Nano

To commemorate the release, livetune has uploaded thefull music video to Tell Your World on his official YouTubechannel (video embedded up top).

Here are some stills taken from the music video:

Apart from the titular single, Tell Your World EP alsoincludes the full versions of “Far Away”, “Star Story”, and“Fly Out”, which are tracks that fans have often requested tobe released on a CD.

Source: Ota-suke

Street Fighter X Tekken Blog:patch for infinites & bugsforthcomingSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/street-fighter-x-tekken-blog-patch-

for-infinites-bugs-forthcoming/

By KarbyP on March 17th, 2012

In his latest entry on Capcom Japan’s official StreetFighter X Tekken blog, assistant producer Tomoaki Ayanoannounced that the development team is currently workingon a patch (or possibly, several patches) that will address– among other game glitches – sound effects and voicesnot playing back correctly during online matches, infinitecombos for a subset of the cast, and a glitch where certaincharacters are frozen in place after activating a QuickCombo.

The development team is currently looking into the causesbehind infinite combos and the Quick Combo glitch. Bothissues will be fixed accordingly.

As for sound effects and voices not playing back correctly,Ayano AP once again explains that the audio glitch has todo with the way the netcode is written – sound effects aresometimes cut off during “roll-backs” that allow multipleplayers to connect to one another with minimal lag (KarbyP’snote: this is similar to GGPO technology, which wasimplemented in Street Fighter III 3rd Strike Online Edition)– and that the team will do its best to improve the onlineexperience with regards to audio.

The audio issues were the topic of discussion in Ayano AP’sprevious blog post last week. As a minor update, he says thatthe team should be ready to announce a release date for apatch in mid-April.

Apart from the bug-related announcements, Ayano AP alsourges Street Fighter X Tekken players to check out theofficial Capcom USA blog next Tuesday, March 20 at 8AMJapan time (7AM Singapore time) where some additionalStreet Fighter X Tekken game elements (probably DLC) willbe unveiled.

March 17th, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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Kuro’s infinite loop should be a thing of the past once thegame gets patched. Screenshot taken from this video by thevenerable Desk.

Win One of Six Pairs ofTickets to L’Arc~en~Ciel Livein Singapore!Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/win-one-of-six-pairs-of-tickets-to-

larcenciel-live-in-singapore/

By magnetic_rose on March 17th, 2012

Win one of six pairs of tickets to L’Arc~en~Ciel Live inSingapore, from Animax Asia’s Hunter x Hunter Watch andWin Contest!

Watch Animax Asia every day from 12th March to 8th April2012 at 7PM to 9PM and again at 10PM to 12AM. One of fourcharacters from the Hunter x Hunter series will be randomlyshown at a corner of the screen.

Log into the Animax Asia website and answer the questions:1) “Which Hunter character appeared on the Channeltoday?”; and 2) “Why do you want to be a Hunter?”.

Six winners will be selected from all the correct entries.Winners will be announced on 9th April 2012 via the AnimaxAsia website.

Source: Animax Asia

Latest Images for Conceptionfor the PSPSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/latest-images-for-conception-for-

the-psp/

By magnetic_rose on March 17th, 2012

Last batch of images — features Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius,Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. More after the jump!

March 17th, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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Click here for more on Conception: New PSP Game“Conception” Ups Ante on Dating Sims, Heads Straight toChildbirth

Source: Conception OHP and Gamer.

Tiger & Bunny -TheBeginning- To Hit SingaporeCinemasSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/tiger-bunny-the-beginning-to-hit-

singapore-cinemas/

By magnetic_rose on March 17th, 2012

Sunrise has confirmed that there are plans to screen theTiger & Bunny film in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taipei,upon its release in the latter half of this year.

Gekijō-ban Tiger & Bunny -The Beginning- will act as asort-of prequel for the TV show, and will introduce newcharacters not shown in the original series.

A second film featuring all-new characters and plot is alsoslated for 2013.

Source: ANN

Giant Cosplay Photo StudioOpens in OsakaSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/giant-cosplay-photo-studio-opens-

in-osaka/

March 17th, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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By magnetic_rose on March 17th, 2012

A massive new cosplay photo studio has opened in Osaka,Japan just last 29th February 2012.

Dubbed “Haco Stadium Osaka”, the studio — which spansseveral floors, has spaces decked out in different themes thatyou can use as backdrops for your cosplay shoots.

Definitely more eye-catching backgrounds than somerandom people at a convention hall!

Reception and Community Space

Rental Lockers and Change Rooms

Schoolroom

Industrial

Jail Cell

March 17th, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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Ancient Japan

Morrocan-inspired

Renaissance

Cosmopolitan

Modern Minimalist

If you plan to fly to Japan and experience Haco foryourselves, do check out the Beginners Guide and the TicketReservations (Japanese only) ahead of time.

Alternative Options

If you’re nowhere near Osaka and are flying to another partof the country, Haco also has a service that can help you!Haco Studio Hotel will help you get in touch with local hotelsin your immediate vicinity, that will cater to your photoshootneeds.

This service is available all throughout Japan, with thegoal of matching photographers and cosplayers, with hotelsthat can provide them with themed rooms for their shoots.Definitely a novel concept!

So, do you think a similar service will prosper inSingapore? :)

Source: Haco Stadium and Haco Studio Hotel

JManga.com PromotesWorldwide Subscriptions withPromoSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/jmanga-com-promotes-worldwide-

subscriptions-with-promo/

By magnetic_rose on March 17th, 2012

Starting 29th February 2012, online manga portalJManga.com has opened subscriptions to manga fansworldwide. The service was previously only available toreaders in North America.

To celebrate this event, JManga.com is currently runninga promo for new subscribers with paid accounts! New

March 17th, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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members who sign up for the USD 10 (approximately SGD12.50) monthly plan will get an additional USD 10 worthof store credit, while users who sign up for their USD25 (approximately SGD 31.40) monthly plan will get anadditional USD 25 worth of store credit.

Members who would like to sign up for free subscriptions arenot left out of the party! Close to 200 titles have been openedup for free previews, up ten-fold from the standard twenty-title free preview allowance. Manga fans who have troublegetting their hands on their favorite titles should definitelytake advantage of these promos, which run until 14th Marchonly.

JManga is an online manga portal that releases mangafrom different publishers on a number of genres such asshounen, shoujo, seinen, josei, and kids. The site stemmedfrom industry efforts to curb online piracy from file-sharingand “free” manga sites.

Source: JManga

Brief of Last Miku DayThanks Giving Live 2012Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/brief-of-last-miku-day-thanks-

giving-live-2012/

By shia on March 17th, 2012

I would like to bring you on some coverage of of the justconcluded Last Miku Day Thanks Giving Live 2012

While the Thanks Giving Live 2012 was terrific, somehowafter the previous day’s MikuPa 2012 new additions ,ThanksGiving Live 2012 felt less satisfying compared to MikuPa.Also the models used are the previous year’s models, withless depth due to the lack of specularity(reflective surfacing)and no translucent models. The only new model I noticedwas the American Miku.

While on the Visual front Thanks Giving Live 2012 wasbland, The live band was in my humble opinion better due

to having a live string quintet and saxophone trio which wasnot in the previous day’s MikuPa 2012.

All in all, It was a great live with excellent music and goodvisuals .

Today’s Set List

1. Tell Your World2. Yume Yume

2. World Is mine

3. Electric Angel

4. Koi Suru Vocaloid

5. Clover Club

6. Po Pi Po

7. Romeo and Cinderella

8. Finder

9. Uramote Lovers

10. StargazeR

11. Moon

12. The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku

13. Change me

14. Butterfly on Your Right Shoulder

15. Just Be Friends

March 17th, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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16. Magnet

17. World’s End Dancehall

18. Meltdown

19. Kodoku no Hate

20. Promise

21. Time Limit

22. Puzzle

23. 1/6

24. SPiCa

Encore 11. Ai Kotoba

2. Melt

3. Hajimete no oto

Encore 2

1. Project Diva desu.2. World is Mine

Will keep everyone here updated once they announce theDVD/BDs .

Source : OHPSource : Set List Click on “HATSUNE MIKU Concert Final39′s Giving Day”LIVE SET LIST

Brief of Hatsune Miku LiveParty 2012Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/brief-of-hatsune-miku-live-

party-2012/

By shia on March 17th, 2012

I would like to bring you on some thoughts of the justconcluded Hatsune Miku Live Party(Mikupa) 2012

Please bear with the horrible quality images, as the streamwas of quite poor quality.

The Visuals have been given quite a boost this year. Mainthings to note this year’s concert are :

1. There is more depth perception this year.

2. Movement is more Fluid compared to previous year’sMikupa.

3. With more Fluid movements there comes more closeshaves to closet malfunctions.

4. Most important was the addition of specular (lightreflection) effects(Note the sleeves.).

5. Rainbow Sparkles in the song Marginal.

6. Uta Ni Katachi ha nai keredo – Wedding dress miku.Tranclucent alpha blending effect.

The Full Set List can be found here.

There will still be another concert currently airing, on the 9thof March 2012 @ 1900 JST.There will be Net Tickets for the Event on Nicovideo goingfor 2000Yen, or if you want to get for both(yesterday andtoday). It will be for 3500yen. More details can be found hereand here.

Source : OHPSource : Set List for MikuPa

March 23rd, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

Gundam Unicorn Episode 5releases teaser trailer, to airin Japan in MaySource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/gundam-unicorn-episode-5-releases-

teaser-trailer-to-air-in-japan-in-may/

By shia on March 23rd, 2012

The teaser trailer for Unicorn Episode 5 is out.

The Theme song is BROKEN MIRROR and will beperformed by BOOM BOOM SATELLITES.

Gundam Unicorn Episode 5 will be in Japan Cinemas on the19th of May 2012.Pre-orders for the BD/DVDs will begin on the same day.

The expected release date for the BD/DVDs will be on the8th of June 2012 @ 6090Yen/5040Yen respectively.

Winners of Tokyo Anime FairAwards 2012Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/winners-of-tokyo-anime-fair-

awards-2012/

By Sakamoto on March 23rd, 2012

The Tokyo Anime Fair (TAF) recently announced thewinners of the 11th annual Tokyo Anime Awards in therespective nominated categories.

Animation of the Year:From Up on Poppy Hill (Kokuriko-zaka Kara)

Television Category:Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Tiger and Bunny

Domestic Feature Film Category:From Up on Poppy Hill (Kokuriko-zaka Kara)

International Feature Film Category:Tangled

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Original Video Anime Category:Mobile Suit Gundam UC

Best Director:Akiyuki Shinbo – Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Best Screenplay:Gen Urobuchi – Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Best Art Direction:Takumi Tanji – Children Who Chase Lost Voices from DeepBelow (Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo)

Best Character Design:Masakazu Katsura – Tiger and Bunny

Best Voice Actor/Actress:Hiroaki Hirata – Tiger and Bunny [Kotetsu T. Kaburagi/Wild Tiger]

Best Music:Satoshi Takebe – From Up on Poppy Hill (Kokuriko-zakaKara)

Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Tiger and Bunny top theawards by gathering 3 awards each.

The awards ceremony will be taking place during TAF, whichruns from March 22 to March 25 2012 at the Tokyo Big Sightevent center.

Macross: My Boyfriend is aPilot PS3 game slated for July2012 releaseSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/macross-my-boyfriend-is-a-pilot-

ps3-game-slated-for-july-2012-release/

By Sakamoto on March 23rd, 2012

Namco Bandai is hot on its heels after releasing TekkenHybrid, which included Tekken Tag Tournament and thefilm Tekken: Blood Vengeance. Now it has done somethingsimilar with the original Macross: Do You Remember Love.

According to famous gaming magazine Famitsu, theMacross Hybrid Pack is slated for release on 26 July thisyear, for the Playstation 3 only. It includes the movie anda game titled ‘My Boyfriend is a Pilot’ for 7,140 yen (SGD$108).

Macross fans can also pick up a limited 30th anniversaryedition, that includes a 90 minute bonus video, booklet,film, mini theater pamphlet, mini poster, mini art book, andanime song archive for 13,800 yen (SGD $210).

March 23rd, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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Steins;Gate: Hen’i Kuukan noOctet (an 8-Bit Retro VisualNovel)Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/steinsgate-heni-kuukan-no-octet-

an-8-bit-retro-visual-novel/

By Sakamoto on March 23rd, 2012

Another of Nitroplus and 5pb’s genius creations,Steins;Gate: Hen’i Kuukan no Octet (or more commonlyknown as Steins;Gate 8bit) was released for Windows PC on28 November 2011. Hen’i Kuukan no Octet (transliteratedas Variant Space Octet) basically takes place in an alternatetimeline from the original game. While not necessary, it isrecommended that you play the original Steins;Gate andalso Chaos;Head (which already have English translations)to understand the story more.

The story is a continuation from the true ending ofSteins;Gate (which I won’t spoil right here, for obviousreasons). Basically, Okabe Rintarou realizes the world linehas changed once again. He receives a D-mail from hisfuture self from the year 2025, and the divergence meteris off by 0.000132%. He is told by his future self that theIBN5100 has been stolen once again this time by a mannamed Knightheart and he must take it back to save theworld from falling into chaos. He’s still the same ol’ crazyHououin Kyouma otherwise.

The graphics and music for this game are completelyreproduced to simulate the feel of the retro computers in the80′s era. The moment you start the game, you can chooseto emulate the game between 5 different computer settings,whose names are parodies for their real-life counterparts:

NEC PC-8801NEC PC-6001

Sharp X1

Sharp MZ-2000

Fujitsu FM-7

If you recognize any of these, you’re highly likely to be a geek,or a nerd.

Graphics-wise, each pixel and line is rendered one by oneand takes time to load as if you were playing it on a8bit CPU running on 1Mhz of processing power. It can beexcruciatingly slow, but that’s how long the games of that eratook to load. Fortunately, there is also a skip mode whereyou can skip the graphics loading. The game emulates theretro noises down to the last bit, instead of streaming anmp3 file. There’s even “sound chipping”, which is commonwith 8-bit games. For instance, when other sounds beep onscreen, parts of the music will be silenced for the durationof the sound.

This game is less or a visual novel and more of a textadventure game, where you sometimes have to interact withthe game through typing commands such as “talk”, “move”etc. It may be difficult for an average gamer, as you’ll haveto work out which ones to use in a particular scenario. Youhave to pay attention to the text and know the characters andpreceding storyline which generally offers hints on what totry out. But sometimes the game can really evil, like makingyou type “wait” a few times before you can actually proceed.This game takes from the actual difficulty found in early textadventure games, such as games from Infocom.

You can view the translated demo here (MAJOR S;GSPOILERS ALERT). The full English translation is in thisblogger’s site as well:

March 23rd, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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Coverage onNipponbashi(Osaka) StreetFestival on 20th March 2012.Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/coverage-on-nipponbashiosaka-

street-festival-on-20th-march-2012/

By shia on March 23rd, 2012

The 8th Nipponbashi’s Street Festival just concludedyesterday and here is some cosplay coverage from varioussites that covered the event.

Nipponbashi is a shopping district in Osaka, Japan. It is alsoknown as “Den-Den Town” as it is home to “Otaku” interestsand it is often compared as the Akihabara of Osaka.

The event had a street parade that consisted of cosplayerswalking down the street. The Event Attracted over 220,000people and was featured on the news.

March 23rd, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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Source: OHP , 1 , 2

Mahoutsukai no Yoru : Masterup!Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/mahoutsukai-no-yoru-master-up/

By shia on March 23rd, 2012

2012/3/21 INFO Mahoutsukai no Yoru disk has beenfinalized!

To the Japanese, “Master up” Means the DVD/CD has beenfinalized and it has been sent for printing and most likely therelease date will be revealed soon.

Source: OHP

Mahoutsukai no Yoru: AnOverviewSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/mahoutsukai-no-yoru-an-overview/

By Sakamoto on March 23rd, 2012

Mahoutsukai no Yoru is a kinetic novel developed by Type-Moon, set for a release date of 12 April 2012, for the WindowsPC. Originally written as a novel by co-founder Kinoko Nasuon 28 July 1996, the demo was released as a bundled extrain Volume 7 of Type-Moon Ace.

Koyama Hirokazu will be featured as the lead artist insteadof Takeshi Takeuchi, who has worked on Type-Moon’sprevious works, such as Tsukihime and Fate/Stay Night.

Unlike standard visual visual novels, Mahoutsukai no Yoru(also referred to as Mahoyo) has no choices and no routes;only a linear story. Also, like Type-Moon’s other PC works,the characters will not be voiced. One thing to note is thatthere will be no ero-scenes as well.

Mahoyo is set in the Showa Era, around the late 1980s.Depicted as a prequel to Tsukihime, this story involvesSoujuurou Shizuki, a boy who stumbles upon a mansionsometime in winter, which houses two witches. Thus, astrange communal life begins with these three people. Thisgame also focuses on Aozaki Aoko.

Most who have played or watched the series will rememberher as Tohno Shiki’s redhead sensei from his past and theone who gave him his glasses to seal off his Mystic Eyes ofDeath Perception. She was already a sorceress then, but inMahoyo, Aoko is still a student magus in training together

March 23rd, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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with her teacher and friend Alice Kuonji. Other familiar facessuch as Aoko’s sister, Aozaki Touko from Kara no Kyoukai,also makes an appearance in her student days.

The demo is really amazing, even though playing timeis about 1 to 2 hours at most. It isn’t that long anddoesn’t really reveal the plot except for the fact that there’ssomething strange afoot with the secluded house atop themountain that’s Konjuo’s state. It’s clear that the originaltwo inhabitants are Alice and Aoko and it’s going to be ajourney to find out how a no-good, almost villager-lookingSoujuurou ends up rooming with them. Aoko does complainabout him not knowing much and almost wasting her wholeday in touring the school. Alice on the other hand mightbe a student from the same school; however, there’s noofficial proof as the uniform in not identical, though it canbe explained away with the difference of a decade.

The timeline is messed up here, much like the Kara noKyoukai OVAs. It probably won’t have the 5 chapters back-to-back, but you never know till the full version comes out,since this is Nasu’s writing we’re talking about.

You can really see Aoko in a different light, with her manyexpressions being shown in this demo, from her serious faceto her ‘dere’ face. The transitions are also unlike what is seenin their usual Type-Moon works. Run using the KiriKiri2engine and in 16:9 widescreen format, it allows for plentyof cinematic scenes. Screenshots don’t do this game justice;you have to play it and see for yourself.

An English fan-translated patch has already been releasedshortly after the demo was available, you can get it in the linkbelow:http://novella.forum24.ru/?1-10-0-00000006-000-150-0#095

Perfume goes global, hostsMTV Video Music AwardsJapanSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/perfume-goes-global-hosts-mtv-

video-music-awards-japan/

By sentinel011 on March 23rd, 2012

Perfume has been making waves throughout Japan withtheir electro-pop tunes and catchy dance moves, and hasgathered enough attention to host this year’s MTV VideoMusic Awards Japan.

MTV Video Music Awards is an international award showheld yearly where voters and/or fans can vote for theirfavorite artist’s music videos.

The show will be held in Chiba at Makuhari Messe Hallon June 23rd, and it is its eleventh year in Japan, withperformances by domestic and international artists.

Also just a few weeks ago, Perfume announced that theywill be going global, after changing their record companyfrom Tokuma Japan Communications to Universal J, theJapanese division of Universal Music.

“We want to sell the package as they are now,” said KimitakaKato, managing director of Universal International at thelabel’s Japanese division.

“I won’t get them to sing 100 percent in English and notWesternize them at all unless they ask us to,” he continued.“I think with Perfume it’s all about that futuristic Japaneseimage.”

He accurately described Perfume as, “mysterious, futuristic,robotic, doll-type girls, well choreographed with laserbeams,” and said that UMG will be playing off of that image.

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They’ll be starting slowly with Perfume, first promoting thegirls in Asia, before heading out on a “small showcase tour”in other territories.

Perfume will also be releasing their latest single, ‘Spring ofLife’, on April 11 under their new label. CDJapan’s pre-ordersof Perfume’s First Press limited edition of the single weresold out merely 2 days after its release.

In addition to updating their official website, Perfume haslaunched an official global website aimed at overseas fans. The global site features an interactive page where you canpan 3D dancers made out of Triangles, presumably usingPerfume as a template. The site also features tweets usingthe Twitter hashtag #Perfume_um. The official Perfumefacebook page has also been released.

The group has launched an official YouTube channel.The Kirin website also has video clips of the new Hyoketsucommercial and some making-of footage.

Source: natalie, natalie, tokyohive, 6theory

Evangelion Store Tokyo-01Hosts Evangelion RacingWeekSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/evangelion-store-tokyo-01-hosts-

evangelion-racing-week/

By magnetic_rose on March 23rd, 2012

The Evangelion Store Tokyo-01 in Harajuku will be holdinga special “Evangelion Racing Week” from 16th to 31st March2012.

The highlights of the event include special appearances bythe Eva Race Queens and the Evangelion Super GT bikes.

Special re-issues of limited edition track-only merchandisewill also be made available for purchase at the Eva Tokyo-01store during the campaign period.

Source: Tokyo Walker

Madoka Magica Film Slatedfor Fall 2012Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/madoka-magica-film-slated-for-

fall-2012/

By magnetic_rose on March 23rd, 2012

The Chūnichi Shimbun has published a special feature withPuella Magi Madoka Magica director Akiyuki Shinbo.

The feature includes information that the Madoka Magicamovie is slated for release in fall of 2012.

Source: ANN.

March 30th, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

Super Bride Wars pits “maiwaifu” against yoursSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/super-bride-wars-pits-mai-waifu-

against-yours/

By KarbyP on March 30th, 2012

Sorayume’s Super Bride Wars (Cho-Yome Taisen) is a cardbattle RPG that features characters – especially those you’dwant to call “mai waifu” – from various game, manga, andanime series.

Players collect character cards to use as avatars, and powerthem up with item cards before sending them out on questsand combat. As characters level up, the costumes they wearand other personal artifacts will change. Delve deeper intothe game, and you may gain access to ways of play that takeadvantage of the “cross-copyright” nature of Super BrideWar’s content.

For bigger screens, go to GREE’s page for Super BrideWars.

Anime series featured include Shin Koihime Musou,Shuffle!, D.C. ~Da Capo~, Boku wa Onee-sama niKoishiteru, Disgaea, Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni KawaiiWake ga nai (added in February), and Omamori Himari(March).

A new series is added to the game every now and then, butthe cards contained in each series are offered for a limitedtime only.

March 30th, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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Originally beginning life as an exclusive on 10game(pronounced “Jugem”), a social game portal for featurephones, Super Bride Wars has since been ported over tomixi, Mobage, GREE, and – earlier this month – Hangame.

Interestingly, you can actually play the Hangame versionon the PC via emulation in addition to on feature phonesand smartphones – just as long as you have a Hangameaccount. On the other platforms, Super Bride Wars onlywork on handsets (in fact, only on feature phones for mixiand Mobage).

Super Bride Wars is free-to-play (with paid premiumcontent) and available on Hangame via the following URLs:

◇Feature phone versionhttp://social.hange.jp/game/launch.do?guid=on&appId=O_ECU◇PC emulated version

http://social.hangame.co.jp/easygame/index.nhn?appId=O_ECU◇Smartphone version

http://swpf.touch.hangame.co.jp/O_ECU/

Check out 4Gamer’s story here for direct URLs to the gameon the other Japanese social game portals.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, OHP

Idolmaster 2 March DLC andGravure 4 You trailersSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/idolmaster-2-march-dlc-and-

gravure-4-you-trailers/

By KarbyP on March 30th, 2012

This week NBGI has graced us with not one, but twodelectable Idolmaster trailers. Why, thank you, NBGI! That’sa surefire way to put a smile on anyone’s face… even theeternally-blue Chihaya Kisaragi!

PS3 Idolmaster 2 Catalog No. 06 PV

The first is a promotional video for DLC that will be makingits way to both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Idolmaster2 this Friday (March 30). Like we previously reported, mostof Catalog No. 06′s content originate from episode 25 ofthe Idolmaster anime: insert song “Watashitachi wa Zutto…Desho?” (also known as “Itsumademo, Dokomademo” in theanime), the costume “Forever Star”, and performance stage“Eternal Big Tree”.

There is also a “Love Sign” amulet that gives you a differentBurst Appeal animation (as seen in the video), as well asseveral costumes and accessory sets. Head over to 4Gamer’sstory for a look at all the drool-worthy wardrobe loveliness.

Imas G4U! (PS3) Play Video VOL.9

Then there’s volume 9 of the Idolmaster photography mini-game spin-off series Gravure 4 You. This new volume hasa Yukata/sailor swimsuit theme, and puts the spotlight oncover girl Chihaya Kisaragi, as well as Ryo Akizuki fromIdolmaster: Dearly Stars (Nintendo DS).

For those of you unfamiliar with Idolmaster: Dearly Stars,Ryo Akizuki is Ritsuko Akizuki’s cousin… and is actuallya guy. Growing up, the ever-so-effeminate Ryo had oftenbeen mistaken for a girl. So he aspired to join show-business, believing that by becoming an idol he would oneday develop boyish charms and become suave like Makoto(who, ironically, is a gal).

His wish was eventually granted when he joined talentagency 876 Productions, where Ryo was supposed to debutas a male idol. Unfortunately, when he went to understudya female idol, said idol fell ill and Ryo was asked by hisproducer to perform in her place to resolve the situation. Inthe end, Ryo did his job so well that he was forced to debutas a female idol instead.

Don’t be fooled… it’s a trap!

But I digress. For those of you interested in the list of BGMtracks and backdrops included for this volume of G4U, checkout 4Gamer’s story here.

Like previous volumes, Idolmaster Gravure 4 You! VOL.9will be sold only as part of the “Anime & G4U! PackVOL.9″ bundle which also includes the ninth volume of theIdolmaster anime on Blu-Ray (episodes 24 and 25, plusan extra OVA episode that never aired on TV). A copy ofthe fictitious Idol Gravure Monthly magazine (◇◇◇◇◇◇!!VOL.9), plus several other premiums are also in the package.

March 30th, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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Anime & G4U! Pack VOL.9 goes on sale in Japan on June28, for the price of 9,980 yen.

Some screenshots from Gravure 4 You! VOL.9 (for more, goto 4Gamer’s gallery):

Source: 4Gamer

K-On ! After School Live!! HDVer. Release date set on 21JuneSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/k-on-after-school-live-hd-ver-

release-date-set-on-21-june/

By shia on March 30th, 2012

March 30th, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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Sega has announced the release date for K-On ! After SchoolLive!! HD Ver for the PS3.

The game is a port and visual upgrade of the K-On Psp gamethat released in 2010.

The Special that comes with the game includes a set of 6 ICcards and stickers.

Game Data================

Title : ◇◇◇◇◇◇ ◇◇◇◇◇◇!! HD Ver.◇(K-On ! After SchoolLive!! HD Ver.)

Maker : Sega

Platform : PS3

Genre : Music

Release date : 21st June 2012

Recommended sales price : 5229 yen

SingTel to offer 3G and Wi-Fiversion of PSVITA with plansSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/singtel-to-offer-3g-and-wi-fi-version-

of-psvita-with-plans/

By shia on March 30th, 2012

According to VR-Zone Singtel will be offeringoffering thePSVITA with plans soon.

The current PSVita on sale in the Singapore market is theModel with only Wi-Fi. There was no official 3G with WiFifor Singapore until now.Singtel will start selling the 3G with Wifi Version

SingTel is bringing in the 3G/WiFi version of the PS Vitahandheld game console which will begin retailing from 14April.

MobileBroadBand7.2 Plan

MobileBroadBand7.2 Plan

MultiSim

Price ofPSVITA

SGD$99 SGD$288 SGD$419

Monthlysubscription

SGD$40/mth SGD$17.90/mth

SGD$10.70/mth

Bundled localdata usage

50GB 1GB N/A

Customers may pre-order the PS Vita online at http://www.singtel.com/PSVita from 28 March and Singtel will bethrowing in SGD$20 Sony Playstation Network Credits ifyou preorder with them.

Source : VR-Zone , OHP

Phantasy Star Online 2Closed Beta to release inApril 2012Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/phantasy-star-online-2-close-beta-

to-release-in-april-2012/

By shia on March 30th, 2012

Sega has announced a sequel to one of their biggerproperties, “Phantasy Star Online 2″

March 30th, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone

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The game will be available on the PC, VITA and iOS/Android. Phantasy Star Online 2 will be free to play withmicrotransactions. The smartphone version will be differentfrom the PC and Vita version, while the PC and Vita versionshave some form of multi platform play. Only the data isshared with the smartphone version.

The release dates are as followsPC : Summer 2012

Phone : Winter 2012

Vita : Spring 2013

The beta test will start this April and Sega is accepting closebeta users from the 26th of March 2012 1600HRS JST.

Source : Andriasang , Jin115

Sea☆A to sing for animeArashi no Yoru niSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/sea%E2%98%86a-to-sing-for-anime-

arashi-no-yoru-ni/

By Sakamoto on March 30th, 2012

Sea◇A, anison’s first South-east Asian female idol group thathad recently performed at the Anime Festival Asia 2011, willhave an upcoming song used in anime “Arashi no Yoru ni~Stormy Night Secret Friends~”, which tells a tale of a goatand a wolf in search of an “emerald forest” to escape fromtheir clans and live free from persecution.

You can catch their new anime song at 5:30 Japan time,every Wedensday evening beginning April 4 2012. Sea◇Ahas recently performed songs for other animel such as“Cardfight!! Vanguard” and “Toriko”.

Idolmaster 2 March DLCincludes an insert song – thevery last one – from animeseriesSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/idolmaster-2-march-dlc-includes-an-

insert-song-the-very-last-one-from-anime-series/

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By KarbyP on March 30th, 2012

According to a leaked magazine scan, the insert song fromepisode 25 of the Idolmaster anime series, “Watashitachi waZutto… Desho?”, is making its way to Idolmaster 2 (PS3) asDLC next week.

This song is also known as “Itsumademo, Dokomademo”,which was a temporary working title for the songaccidentally left unchanged in the anime series, due tomiscommunication on Columbia Japan’s part. The title forthe song was corrected when it was released as a track onThe Idolm@ster Anim@tion Master 07 CD.

Apart from the song itself, the costume featured in episode25 – Forever Star – will also be available as DLC, as wellas a number of other additional costume parts – we’ll findout more when Bandai Namco Games releases the officialIdolmaster 2 March DLC trailer, which should be hitting theInternets sometime between now and next week. Do checkback next week for the trailer.

Also coming next week: expect some sort of Idolmaster-related announcement from Anime Contents Expo 2012.Like we mentioned in the headline, Watashitachi wa Zutto…Desho?/Itsumademo, Dokomademo is the very last insertsong from the Idolmaster anime series. And the DLC comesout one day before Anime Contents Expo 2012… coincidencemuch?

The DLC will hit the PS3 version of Idolmaster on March30. It is unknown if Xbox 360 users will be able to purchasethe content for use in Idolmaster 2 on Microsoft’s platform(certain DLC items are PS3-exclusive).

“Watashitachi wa Zutto… Desho? (We’re Forever… Right?)”

Source: 1, 2

Arc System Works announcesXblaze at BlazBluetournamentSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/arc-system-works-announces-xblaze-

at-blazblue-tournament/

By KarbyP on March 30th, 2012

Arc System Works today announced Xblaze (working title), anew game and the first title in what the BlazBlue, Guilty Gearand Persona 4: Arena developer is calling the “AdventureProject” series. This means that Xblaze is most likely a visualnovel, like the majority of ADV-genre games in Japan –Steins;Gate is part of 5pb’s “Science Adventure series”, forinstance.

No platform has been named, but Xblaze is currentlyscheduled for a 2012 Winter release in Japan.

A brief teaser trailer was shown at BlueRevo, an officialBlazBlue: Continuum Shift II tournament where the bestplayers from all over Japan (and overseas; at least oneteam was from the US) competed in teams of 3. The fulltournament and announcement was streamed live over NicoDouga as a pay-per-view feed earlier today.

But if you just want to check out the teaser trailer for XBlaze,well, you’re in luck – Famitsu.com uploaded some direct-feed footage of the teaser, embedded here below for yourviewing pleasure:

Some stills from the trailer (from 4Gamer):

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The teaser says that Xblaze is yet another story about the“Azure” (the crux of BlazBlue’s story revolves around aweapon known as the Azure Grimoire). However, accordingto 4Gamer, Xblaze may or may not be directly related to theBlazBlue games as we know it – BlazBlue producer MichiMoritoshi was rather coy when he went on stage to unveilthe game.

Moritoshi also mentioned that a second title in theAdventure Project series is also in the works. As for actualBlazBlue news, he hopes to be able to announce somethingat another major event soon.

Source: 1, 2, 3, 4

Asiasoft “Bans” Qisahn OverDiablo 3 PricingSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/asiasoft-bans-qisahn-over-diablo-3-

pricing/

By Sakamoto on March 30th, 2012

Singapore-based game distributor Qisahn.com has wagedwar with Blizzard’s Southeast Asia distributor Asiasoft overan alleged “ban” on Qisahn selling Diablo III in Singapore.Asiasoft is a big-name distributor in Southeast Asia, hostinga large share of other MMO titles in the region, the latestbeing Trion World’s RIFT.

In a blog post titled “Preorder Diablo III at S$65.90/RM$160“, Qisahn alleged that Asiasoft turned off any sort ofnegotiations regarding news about pre-order prices alongwith the launch party and goodies. Quoted by Qisahn in theirblogpost, “For the past one week, we tried calling / SMS-ingdaily but the manager is either too busy, on leave, in Malaysiaor I don’t know, just not responding.”

Details seem to be very limited at best, but it seems to suggestthat Qisahn was ready to sell Diablo III below the suggestedretail price set by Asiasoft. Not too happy about the allegedsituation, Asiasoft have “banned” Qisahn from their supplylist.

Will players be affected too?

Qisahn is now asking its customers and blog viewers to usetheir price to muscle a better deal and suggesting it is goingto import the title from distributors elsewhere. Qisahn hasalready made a name for itself in Singapore and Malaysia,as an online company that usually has better deals on theirproducts compared to other retailers. However, Qisahn isnot free from controversy itself, having admitted to falselyselling Hong Kong PSP Vita sets as Singapore sets only acouple of weeks ago.

More news to develop as this saga unfolds.

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Source: NGNT

Idolmaster Cinderella GirlsDebut CD release in AprilSource: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/idolmaster-cinderella-girls-debut-cd-

release-in-april/

By shia on March 30th, 2012

BandaiNamco will be releasing their first batch of singles forthe game Idolmaster Cinderella Girls.

Idolmaster Cinderella Girls is a spin off social mobile gamefrom the original Idolmaster series of games.

Idolmaster is a series of games that put the player in theposition of a producer of a group of new idols and turningthem into superstars.There will be 5 singles debuting in this batch.

1. Shibuya Rin(CV. Fukuhara Ayaka)Song: Never Say Never

2. Futaba Anzu(CV. Igarashi Hiromi)Song: Anzu no Uta

3. Mimura Kanako(CV. Ootsubo Yuka)Song: Shokora Tiara

4. Takagaki Kaede(CV. Saori Hayami)Song: Koikaze

5. Jougosaki Riko(CV. Yamamoto Nozomi)Song: Doki Doki Rhythm

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All 5 CDs will be out on the 18th of April 2012 and will bepriced at 700 Yen each.

QR code for the link to Idolmaster Cinderella Girls:

Source: Idolmaster Cinderella Girls Game OHP, IdolmasterOHP, Official Blog, ColombiaMusic Japan