Q1 2011 gaming report – Nintendo DS, 3DS and PSP

A look back at DS, 3DS and PSP for the months of April, May and June 2011

A true crossroads in the handheld space; Q2 2011 is seeing a big shift as the usually solid lineup presented on DS shifts to 3DS while the PSP is rocked by one sweet E3 announcement leading to even slower (?) game development on the platform. Yes, handheld gaming is in flux as two systems begin their swan song and the third is just getting ramped up. How did handheld gamers fare in these three months, let’s take a look.

Q1 2011 gaming report – PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii

A look back at PS3, Wii and 360 for the months of April, May and June 2011

As E3 floats by and events such as Comic-Con are upon gamers it’s time to take another look back at what was the second quarter of 2011 for the PS3, Wii and 360. Each system is fighting for gamer’s dollars and with no major holiday in sight, the months of April, May and June are truly the beginning of the dogs days of summer … or are they? It’s been said many times over the past few years that the trend of no top notch titles in summer is gone, headed the way of the dodo. Good games do indeed come out in spring and summer and this year is no exception. Now the realm of exclusives has shrunk but overall gamers must be pleased with the offerings below as well as solid downloadable titles such as Beyond Good & Evil HD, Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls and Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury. So let’s take a look at those sweet games that hit in Q2 of 2011.

Blue Exorcist Episodes 2-4 Impression

Viz Anime is serving up some devilishly tasty anime with Blue Exorcist

We took a look at the premier’s episode of Blue Exorcist on Viz Anime a few weeks back and since there are now well over 10 episodes to watch. So how is the series stacking up to the lofty sights set in episode 1? Quite well as we see in episodes 2-4. These three episodes, when combined with episode 1, would make up the average DVD 1 release for an anime so let’s take a look at the three as a whole.

Child of Eden with Kinect Impression

Your body is the weapon in Child of Eden

Ignore its lack of length; the time Child of Eden gives gamers is pure visual bliss that shows why Kinect is needed by gamers looking for something new. In much the manner that Wii Sports (cough, bowling) made the odd named system a must have for casual and non-gamers, so too will Eden hook many a hardcore gamers with its mixture of solid gameplay and visual/audio fusion.

Neko Ramen manga Impression

Tokyopop may be no more but the fun of a ramen making cat can still be enjoyed

Gone bye-bye is Tokyopop but picking up a volume of their manga can still bring joy to the manga fan looking for something new, something a bit more stand alone not needing 5, 10 or 30+ volumes to complete. One such manga is from the creative mind of Kenji Sonishi and it reads more like traditional newspaper comic strips here in the states. Neko Ramen: Hey! Order up! and Neko Ramen: Curry is also delicious! are just the first two volumes of this funny manga and they work great by themselves. So what’s so tasty about this ramen infused treat? Let’s take a gander.

VIZManga.com Announced

VIZAnime.com rocks, so why not rollout with the manga version … as long as it’s not only in Japanese

Love me some free anime so VizAnime.com rocks and now it’s time for VizManga.com with a little twist. Where VizAnime hooks up free, non-dubbed content (some English), VizManga is an extension of the app of the same name which has been out for a while. The prices of each manga are less than the hard copies and of course there is no worries about storage but the free content is limited … oh well. It’s still as solid addition to what Viz has been doing and here is their official press release from last Friday …

Pokemon Rumble Blast on Nintendo 3DS October 24th

Catching them all, all them toys, on the Nintendo 3DS this October 24th

A new Pokémon game is always a major event and while Pokémon Rumble Blast is not a traditional Poke-RPG the fact it’s on the Nintendo 3DS is cause for notice and potentially celebration for Poke-fans. Besides the 3D aspects gamers can look forward to a number of social play features and of course over 600 Pokémon to game with. From Nintendo, here is more on Rumble Blast …

Batman: Arkham City Collector’s Edition

Loving some Dark Knight pre-order, special edition goodness

What’s not to love gamers? Joker, Riddler, Catwoman, (a cool) Robin, Two-Face and of course Batman are all making it into Batman: Arkham City which will hit stores this fall and in addition to a prequel comic from DC Comics gamers now get to see the sweetness that is the special edition. Let’s take a look at what true bat-maniacs can look forward to direct from the source …

The Hub at Comic-Con

Beginning today at Comic-Con, checkout what The Hub has going on

Comic-Con is as nuts as any public event full of fans, costumes, panels and oh so much more but one station making some noise, the newer kid on the block, is The Hub who’s bringing a whole new generation of animation fans the joy of Transformers, G.I. Joe, Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Pony and more (Jem anyone?). Nobody can doubt Transformers is hot and Transformers Prime is the latest animated iteration that mergers the movie with G1 characters and even the recent animated shows and now fans can find out how it’s made. Also up is the 45th Anniversary of the Original Batman Series starring Adam West. While not animated this show is as campy and fun as in decades past so it fun to see this brought to light. Here is the official info, check it out if in San Diego and if not, well tune in folks.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader Blu-ray Impression

Third time’s the charm, or we should say it’s a charm to go back for a third time to Narnia

The land of Narnia is magical and amazing to behold in HD and the latest film, The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader on Blu-ray combo pack, is a film families and fans should embrace. The world is grand and it’s one both gamers and anime fans will also enjoy for the ties it has to both genre. What’s to love about this seafaring voyage? Let’s take a look …

New iPhone Apps: Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? and Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree

Will kids be entertained or turned off by these two new iPhone Apps?

Oceanhouse Media has put out some very enjoyable apps including The Lorax and Dr. Seuss’s ABC and they are at it yet again. Two recent releases bring children’s literary joys to user’s smart phones yet again with more than just reading to be done. These interactive books will engage the young ones in a user’s life and help them learn new words and sounds. What are these apps all about, let’s take a look.

Ga-Rei-Zero Blu-ray Complete Series Impression

The paranormal gets personal with sword wielding friends

Very few anime start and hit as hard as Ga-Rei-Zero from FUNimation. The action ramps up to insane levels and no life is spared and just when things reach a fever pitch with characters viewers just met … it’s time to see where it all started. Not for the young of age, the action and violence gets crazy but there’s also one solid story to follow, let’s take a look.

RideBack Blu-ray Complete Series Impression

When ballet, terrorist and motorcycle mechs collide

Rin was born to a dancer and all her life she knew nothing but the joy of dancing but an accident ended her dream. In FUNimation’s RideBack, Rin is introduced to robotic motorcycles called ridebacks which allow her to touch those sweet dancing sensations but how does this translate into an anime, let alone one full of terrorist and corrupt governments? Let’s take a look.

FUNimation hooking up Deadman Wonderland, Steins;Gate and more

Deadman Wonderland will rock … as for Steins;Gate, yeah, you too.

While FUNimation continues to expand their excellent anime coverage and release catalog there are two titles that just need to be called as they were recently announced as acquisition releases for the company. These two series allow for gamers to expand into another media and for fans of a once thought dead (pun intended) Tokyopop properly to live again. What’s got this otaku all excited? Deadman Wonderland and Steins;Gate, that’s what. There is much more from FUNimation besides these two titles so be sure to check out their news section often.