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Rediscovering Kanon: Dive into the Heartbreaking and Hopeful Visual Novel Classic Remastered on Steam

If you love visual novels as much as I do, you probably already know how deeply moving and beautifully crafted the original “Kanon” is. I played the original release with an English translation patch because, back then, it was never officially published in North America. Fast forward to now, and I couldn’t be more thrilled that a remastered version has just been released on Steam for PC gamers! You can check it out here.

Kanon Overview

What is Kanon?

“Kanon” is a visual novel developed by Key, a renowned studio known for creating emotionally impactful and beautifully written games. First released in 1999, “Kanon” was Key’s debut visual novel, paving the way for other beloved titles like “Clannad” and “Little Busters.” “Kanon” combines elements of drama, romance, and supernatural themes, set against a backdrop of a snow-covered town that adds to its melancholic and hopeful atmosphere. read more

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Sam Altman Returns To the Helm Of OpenAI

The Turbulent Return of Sam Altman to OpenAI

Introduction

In a plot twist worthy of a Silicon Valley drama, Sam Altman, the co-founder of OpenAI, has made a dramatic return to the helm of the company as CEO. This development follows a tumultuous week of upheavals, resignations, and intense negotiations, reshaping the future of one of the most valuable AI startups in the U.S.

Altman’s Abrupt Dismissal and Rapid Comeback

Last week’s sudden dismissal of Sam Altman from OpenAI, the startup he co-founded, sent shockwaves across the tech industry. The reason behind his ouster was shrouded in mystery, with the original board giving scant explanation other than a vague reference to his lack of candor and a need to defend OpenAI’s mission oai_citation:1,Sam Altman to return as OpenAI CEO after his tumultuous ouster | Reuters. This decision not only surprised the AI community but also key stakeholders, including Microsoft, which owns about 49% of OpenAI and has invested over $11 billion in the company oai_citation:2,Sam Altman to return as OpenAI CEO. read more

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Sony promises more PS5 preorders will be available in the coming days

By now one thing is clear. The launch of PS5 preorders was complete chaos. Sony has promised plenty of advanced notice and that preorders would not be a surprise. They even had a secret mailing list where they would pick and choose people to preorder the console before anyone else. Then in a live event Sony announced preorders would begin the next day. Retailers didn’t get the memo.

I believe it was Walmart who started the chaos. They took to Twitter immediately after the Sony press conference with a tweet something like “Make you wait for a PS5? Naw that’s not us. Order your PS5 now.” read more

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Viz Media and Rose City Games Partner to Create Video Games

rosecity

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

VIZ MEDIA AND ROSE CITY GAMES PARTNER TO LAUNCH A NEW PUBLISHING PROGRAM FOR INDEPENDENT VIDEO GAMES

 

The First Original Game To Be Published Is The World Next Door

Portland, OR, and San Francisco, CA, February 6, 2018 – Rose City Games and VIZ Media announce a partnership to debut original, narrative-driven games. VIZ Media, publisher of popular gaming adaptations for POKÉMON, SPLATOON, THE LEGEND OF ZELDA, HOMESTUCK, MONSTER HUNTER and more, will deepen its robust connection to the gaming world. Rose City Games, a leader in the rapidly-developing indie game scene, will introduce new and diverse voices from the world of indie games to the massive pop culture audience VIZ Media has cultivated since its founding. read more

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New Pokemon Games on Nintendo Switch in 2017

Nintendo just announced some "new" (more like "enhanced") Pokemon Games that will be available on the Nintendo Switch this Fall, 2017. The games include Pokken Tournament DX, Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, and Pokemon Gold and Silver...

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Unboxing Review – Opening the 1st Lootcrate Sanrio Small Gift Quarterly Subscription Box

My Sanrio Small Gift Crate from Lootcrate arrived last week. I see the article I posted when they first announced this subscription is getting a lot of traffic, so I’m guessing you guys want to see some box opening pics right? 🙂 You’ve come to the right place!

Overall I am happy and continuing to keep my Sanrio Small Gift Crate Subscription.

First, take a look at the packaging. It’s super cute! And filled to the brim with lots of cute Sanrio goodies inside.

#Sanrio #lootcrate #hellokitty #sanriolootcrate #lootcratesanrio #quarterlysubscriptionbox #kawaii #cute

A photo posted by jenilee (@xenokitten) on

#Sanrio #lootcrate #hellokitty #sanriolootcrate #lootcratesanrio #quarterlysubscriptionbox #kawaii #cute

A photo posted by jenilee (@xenokitten) on

#Sanrio #lootcrate #hellokitty #sanriolootcrate #lootcratesanrio #quarterlysubscriptionbox #kawaii #cute

A photo posted by jenilee (@xenokitten) on read more

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New Cardcaptor Sakura Anime is “In the Works”

Crunchyroll shared news lastnight that a new Cardcaptor Sakura anime has been announced to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Cardcaptor Sakura manga. Earlier this year it was reported that a new Cardcaptor Sakura manga would be released that would continue the adventures of Sakura and her friends as they enter into Junior High.

No information is available at this time as to if the new Cardcaptor Sakura anime will follow the newly announced manga, or whether it will be a series or stand-alone movie, or perhaps a reboot or remake of the original series (for example, taking the route of fellow magical girl Sailor Moon and what she did for her anniversary with the new Sailor Moon Crystal anime), or perhaps this new Cardcaptor Sakura anime will be something new entirely. Also no release date or voice actor cast or further info has been released just yet, which indicates it may be well into 2017 or even 2018 before we actually get to see this new anime.

Crunchyroll currently has all of the original anime to view on their site. I personally need to sit down and marathon them all at some point. Over the years, I’ve seen a dozen or so episodes and at least 2 of the movies, and from what I’ve seen it’s a very cute show! Just so much to watch and so little time that I never “got into it” as much as I would expect to be into a magical girl romantic comedy / fantasy adventure such as this.

Now that the new show has been announced that motivates me to want to hurry up and watch the original episodes 🙂 I know what my plans will be this weekend lol. Anyone else?

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Everything We Know About Nintendo Switch – Nintendo’s New Gaming Console and Handheld – Release Date March 2017

UPDATE: 1/18/2017: We now know the launch date is March 3rd, Price is $299.99. Preorders have already begun and appear to be nearly sold out at most retailers. There will be two versions of the console, each identical except for the color of controllers. In one version they are grey like the console itself, and in another version they are neon red and neon blue. Interesting to note, you can purchase additional/new/replacement joycon sticks for example, the neon red and blue, ones separately from retailers such as Gamestop. So even if you can’t preorder the exact color console you want (For example, I was hoping for the neon one, but had to get grey, and honestly, feel happy/lucky to have even been able to preorder the Switch at all), you can simply buy these new Joycon sticks and swap them out for whatever ones you got with your console.  Or if say, you don’t like the mix-matching colors and want all red, or all blue Joycons, you can do that too. Kinda a neat touch to customize your console. I wonder if they will release pink controllers at some point? lol!  We also now know that online play will be available free at first, but going to a paid monthly subscription model sometime in fall of 2017. No price has been announced yet for the online service.

Also please check out my list of the Top 10 2017 Nintendo Switch Games for Girls! So many good Games are coming out this year! Are you as excited as I am?

UPDATE: 1/12/2017: Nintendo Price, Launch Titles, and System Specs Revealed in Live Stream Event Tonight. Preorders Begin at the Nintendo Store in NYC tomorrow morning with more Live Events. Read more details and learn where to watch the live events.

UPDATE 3: 10/25/2016 11:00am EST: No hardware specs to report, but NVIDIA offers up a closer explanation of what’s exactly going on from a technical standpoint inside the Nintendo Switch. In a blog post last week, NVIDIA revealed that “Nintendo Switch is powered by the performance of the custom Tegra processor. The high-efficiency scalable processor includes an NVIDIA GPU based on the same architecture as the world’s top-performing GeForce gaming graphics cards. The Nintendo Switch’s gaming experience is also supported by fully custom software, including a revamped physics engine, new libraries, advanced game tools and libraries. NVIDIA additionally created new gaming APIs to fully harness this performance. The newest API, NVN, was built specifically to bring lightweight, fast gaming to the masses. Gameplay is further enhanced by hardware-accelerated video playback and custom software for audio effects and rendering. We’ve optimized the full suite of hardware and software for gaming and mobile use cases. This includes custom operating system integration with the GPU to increase both performance and efficiency. NVIDIA gaming technology is integrated into all aspects of the new Nintendo Switch home gaming system, which promises to deliver a great experience to gamers.” (Source: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2016/10/20/nintendo-switch/)

A price rumor is also floating around several UK sites which pins the price around $350 GBP which translates to a whopping $424 usd – Techradar is speculating a price around $300 to $350 for US Gamers. (Source: http://www.techradar.com/news/nintendo-nx-price)

The Wii U price at launch was $299 for the standalone console, or $349 for a bundle with a game. Given the “beefier” tech insides of the Nintendo Switch compared to the low end, Wii U, I could see this price speculation put forth by techradar as being fairly accurate — However, most gamers are going to naturally want to compare the Nintendo Switch to the Nintendo DS / Nintendo 3DS and not perhaps make the logical association with the Wii U and increased tech prowess of the new system — The 3DS launched at a price of just $249 — Meaning, if Tech Radar’s rumors are true, the Nintendo Switch is going to be nearly double the cost. Nintendo’s fiercest competitors, Sony, and Microsoft, debuted their new gaming consoles at $399 and $499 when they first came out — However, since the technology has been on the market for several years, both consoles are now under the $300 mark, making Nintendo’s Switch a late arrival to the party. — Will Nintendo Switch’s specs and exclusive games be enough to justify such a large price? Or is it a price that the market can no longer bear? Nintendo has its work cut out for it to win back fans who have felt neglected by Nintendo in recent years. If they price the system too high it may be doomed to failure before it even launches.

I think it’s going to come down to what titles Nintendo has available and how they choose to handle localization of these titles – Nintendo of America especially has come under fire for strict censorship which has pushed away droves of fans. Nintendo’s glory days are far behind them — but that doesn’t mean they can’t make a come back with the right games that fans want. The Switch will either give rebirth to the once great gaming company, or become the final nail in the coffin.

To that end, Nintendo has been very transparent about who they have onboard currently developing titles for the new system. A full list of developers is now appearing on the Gamestop sign up page at http://www.gamestop.com/switch which at time of this writing includes the following companies:

  • 05 Games
  • Activision Publishing, Inc.
  • ARC SYSTEM WORKS Co., Ltd.
  • ATLUS CO., LTD.
  • Audiokinetic Inc.
  • Autodesk, Inc.
  • BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.
  • Bethesda
  • CAPCOM CO., LTD.
  • Codemasters®
  • CRI Middleware Co., Ltd.
  • DeNA Co., Ltd.
  • Electronic Arts
  • Epic Games Inc.
  • Firelight Technologies
  • FromSoftware, Inc.
  • Frozenbyte
  • GameTrust
  • GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURE INC.
  • Gungho Online Entertainment, Inc.
  • HAMSTER Corporation
  • Havok
  • INTI CREATES CO., LTD.
  • KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.
  • Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.
  • LEVEL-5 Inc.
  • Marvelous Inc.
  • Maximum Games, LLC
  • Nippon Ichi Software, Inc.
  • Parity Bit Inc.
  • PlatinumGames Inc.
  • RAD Game Tools, Inc.
  • RecoChoku Co., Ltd.
  • SEGA Games Co., Ltd.
  • Silicon Studio Corporation
  • Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
  • SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD.
  • Starbreeze Studios
  • Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.
  • Telltale Games
  • THQ Nordic
  • Tokyo RPG Factory Co., Ltd.
  • TT Games
  • UBISOFT
  • Ubitus Inc.
  • Unity Technologies, Inc.
  • Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
  • Web Technology Corp

UPDATE 2: 10/21/16 1:30pm EST:

Arstechnica has reported several confirmed tidbits regarding the Nintendo Switch read more

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Orange Manga Review + Crunchyroll Begins Airing Orange Anime Based on the Manga by Ichigo Takano

I’m not as big of a reader as I used to be when I was younger, however, the last few seasons of anime have not held much to capture my interests, and being single again I find myself with too much spare time. So this past year I’ve been reading a lot of manga! One of my favorites, which is available to read for free on Crunchyroll, is “Orange” — and a few days ago Crunchyroll announced they will be simul-casting the new anime based on the manga as well! I thought that makes it a good time to share my love of this series. I’m so excited about the anime adaptation! This review is for the manga version 🙂

There may be some slight spoiler for the first volume – I have tried to avoid them and keep this as brief and condensed as possible but if you’re worried, I’d recommend reading or watching the series first before going any further. read more

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CrunchyRoll Announces New Anime Violet Ever Garden Details and Trailer

Check out the new trailer for Violet Ever Garden.

I am so excited for this! (and isn’t the opening theme awesome too? And look how cute she is – and just OMG. Geeking out right now so bad lol.) I had never heard of it, until I saw the trailer on CrunchyRoll’s Facebook page. From the comments on the facebook wall and the official website at http://www.kyotoanimation.co.jp/books/violet/ this anime is about Artificial Intelligence / AI / Robots / Robotics – Similar to Chobits, Time of Eve, Metropolis, HAL, and Plastic Memories. – All favorites of mine – I am fascinated by the concept of humanoid AI creatures – especially those who have feelings, or what we would classify as feelings – and how they would fit into society. It might also be quite similar to Tegami Bachi as it looks like she has the power to convey emotions within letters just like Lag Seeing – Tegami Bachi is another favorite of mine as well – so this is shaping up to be a must watch for me.

Violet Ever Garden is a Japanese light novel, written by Kana Akatsuki and illustrated by Akiko Takase.

I also found the below trailer and story synopsis from http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-05-27/kyoani-award-winning-novel-violet-evergarden-gets-anime-project/.102551 

Kyoto Animation describes the story:

Auto Memories Doll.It’s been quite a while since that name caused a fuss. Originally invented by Professor Orland solely for his beloved wife, Auto Memories Dolls eventually spread out into the world, and a machine that allows people to rent out the dolls was also created.

“I will run as fast as I can to wherever my customer desires. I am the Auto Memories Doll, Violet Evergarden.”

A girl who almost appears to have popped out of a fairy tale with her blonde hair and blue eyes said this with her inorganic beauty and sweet voice. read more

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Third-person Action RPG *Anima: Gate of Memories* due June 3 on Steam (Windows/Linux), PS4 & Xbox One, North American PS4 launch to take place June 7

The folks at Badland Games just emailed me their press release for their upcoming title: Anima: Gate of Memories which is based on a series of books. It is being developed by a small team and heavily involving the author of the novels.

This looks to be a really fun, story-rich RPG with multiple endings, choice-based dialogue system, beautiful graphics, and fun combat system. I’m seeing if I can get a key so I can share some more details and possibly stream or upload some videos for you guys – but until then, enjoy the press release and official trailer below!

Third-person action RPG *Anima: Gate of Memories* due June 3 on Steam (Windows/Linux), PS4 & Xbox One, N. American PS4 launch to take place June 7

https://youtu.be/nimAxpPBoVY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

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North American PS4 Release on Tuesday, June 7th

 

=&3=& BadLand Games and Anima Project proudly announce that the much-anticipated RPG Anima: Gate of Memories will be released digitally on June 3, 2016 on Xbox One, Steam, and PlayStation 4. In North America, the PlayStation 4 launch will take place on June 7th.  Anima: Gate of Memories will have both a standard and collector’s edition PlayStation 4 box release in select territories on June 3rd.

 

Anima: Gate of Memories is a third-person action RPG focused on combat and exploration. Players will enjoy a deep and multifaceted story where their choices and actions directly impact the journey and decide the characters’ fates. As players travel through the tower of Arcane and the gorgeously animated world of Gaia, they’ll endure epic battles with formidable opponents — each with special features and gameplay.

 

Join The Bearer and Ergo — agents of an ancient society called Nathaniel which for centuries has protected mankind from the darkness — on their journey to recover an old artifact called The Byblos that has been stolen by a renegade of the order. After a long pursuit — crossing areas ravaged by war — they are able to corner the fugitive in the middle of an ancient construction. All at once, the entire area is swallowed by light. Our protagonists awake inside a strange structure where they are no longer alone; strange beings have also been summoned there. Soon, both will discover that something darker than they could imagine is about to begin — a war in the shadows in which they will have a leading role.

 

Based on the international

Anima: Beyond Fantasy read more

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Taisho Alice Picked Up For English Localization by E2 Gaming Who Expressed Interest In bringing Other Otome Games Overseas As Well

Taisho Alice has just been picked up for a North American Release by E2 Gaming. I found this news on Tumblr and verified it on E2 Gaming’s Facebook Page, where they’ve also announced a new image song for the English release.

Taisho Alice could best be described as a fairytale crossover. The different routes relate to common fairytales such as Snow White, Cinderella, Princess Kaguya, the Wizard of Oz, and of course, Alice in Wonderland.

It is an Otome Game – this is a type of game (generally a visual novel) (a game in which you read, and are prompted at times to make a decision which effects which parts of the story and which endings you will see) in which the main protagonist is a female – There are often (but not always) dating sim elements and a strong focus on romance and relationships – and lots of “eye candy” if you’re into bishounen (beautiful (often anime) men).

It is developed by a company called Primula and this is their debut work. It just released a little over a year ago in Japan – so it is good to see we are already getting news of an official US release. Also looks like it is a PC Game – and no word yet on if there’s plans to port it to consoles as well.

It looks like it was an episodic type of release in Japan – but no news has been revealed about how it will be distributed in North America. It is listed as having a medium to long playtime (which I estimate to be 20-40 hours).

The main story revolves around you (as “Arisu”) going through your mirror just as Alice in Wonderland did. When you get there, genderswapped versions of famous characters come to greet you – including meeting your own double who seemingly has lost his memories. The setting of the game is supposedly a “blend of Japanese and Western”.

I’m really liking the artwork in this game – and even though the concept of fairytales has been done to death in similar games – this one still sounds interesting and has likable characters.

Not much news is available yet – but you can learn more about the game by visiting the following pages:

NOTE SOME OF THESE SOURCES MAY HAVE SPOILERS!!!!

http://otome-jikan.net/2014/10/17/taisho-alice-introduction/

http://otome-games.wikia.com/wiki/Taisho_Alice

=&0=&.com

 

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Dedicated and Untethered VR headset to be released by Samsung

Editor’s Comments: Today’s Guest Post comes from Gamingbabe who wants to share news about Samsung’s new stand-alone VR headset. I’m excited to see another VR headset coming to market. Although it’s not available in the US yet, it recently released a much improved version of their Samsung Gear VR in South Korea for a price tag equivalent to just $350 which makes it less than half the cost of the HTC Vive or Occulus Rift. It’s also much beefier tech wise compared to Samsung’s current VR headsets – It will be interesting to see how it fits into the picture and how much attention and market share it will receive if and when it releases in the US. read more

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Kitten’s Super Adventure, an Insanely Cute New Cat Game Combines Spyro The Dragon with Adorable Kittens

You have got to see this super kawaii (cute) new game! Especially if you’re a fan of Spyro the Dragon, or if you just REALLY love cats – Luckily, I’m a fan of both, so I think that this game is super adorable!

Check out the official Twitter account https://twitter.com/KittenSAdv

Also help make this game a reality by supporting the project on IndieGoGo https://www.indiegogo.com/…

Even if you don’t want to donate, if you like cute stuff, you can just go look at all the adorable screenshots and video demos.

Here is one of the demo and promotional videos which helped the game to already be greenlit by the steam community. And beneath the video are some features which I mostly copied and added some commentary to from their indiegogo page. I really hope this game becomes a reality 🙂 It is maybe the cutest game to ever come to Steam.

Features:

– Multiplayer
(This is a feature that is still in the experimental stage and is planned to be in the final version, where you can enjoy being a kitten with other players, show off your customized kitten, have races, contests, you name it!)

– Rich Storyline
(You can check out the IndieGoGo for the story details. To me it sounds a bit silly, immature, but still want this game just for a cuteness factor)

– Large Explorable Worlds
(The size of each level will vary and present different obstacles/tasks to complete).

– Interactable Objects, NPC’s, Etc.
(Some object will be around just for fun while others will be main keys to progressing further in the game or opening portals to the other playable areas).

– Puzzles
(Puzzles can vary from “Activate the buttons” to getting through multiple areas with move able objects that need to be in a certain patter. Puzzles will change with the levels.).

– Ability To Customize Your Kitten
(Customize your kittens body structure, clothing, accessories and more!
Some levels in story mode may remove your clothing/accessories and replace them with ones that fit the story, please keep this in mind and remember to save your customized kitten setups).

– Save Customization For Later Use
(You can save a bunch of different customized kitten setups to be used at any point in time during free roam or story mode).

Here are some videos showing customization options – keep in mind, they are alpha videos and do not represent the final game.

– Varying Mechanics
(The base mechanics for movement and interaction will always stay the same but depending on the level there may be an extra mechanic or even a few extra mechanics that can be utilized such as using a hoverbike, riding a skateboard, using a jetpack, etc.).

Kitties with Jetpacks? LOL….

Alpha Gameplay Video – once again not representative of the final product

https://youtu.be/1luzSzRxpdU

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