Kou dai xi yuu isn't an officially licensed Blue Dragon game, and is what its developers would call a "kwinky dink." (Mistwalker would call it a rip-off!)

Check out the trailer below for the animated version of the game, complete with Akira Toriyama-esque art stylings. Hey, Akira Toriyama did the character design for the Mistwalker Blue Dragon, but not Kou dai xi yuu.

What. Are. The. Odds.

We're glad they left out the original game's hair metal. What was that all about, anyway?

Chinese anime and online game stuff [Canned Dogs]

According to IGN the terms of the agreement see Atari issuing a $2.7 million cash payment and $800,000 in "royalty payment reductions." In even better news for Atari, the publisher is said to have a new candle at its headquarters, giving much needed light to employees following a series of electric bills that have gone unpaid. Rumors point to executives also having found a previously unclaimed crust of bread.

Atari Hangs On To Dragon Ball Z License [IGN]

San Francisco-based anime and manga giant VIZ Media announced that it has acquired the Blue Dragon television, home video and non-video game merchandising rights for the Americas, Europe and Oceania. Kids in Fiji, your prayers have been answered! The cartoon is based on the Xbox 360 game, which is the first time Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama and Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu have collaborated since Chrono Trigger. The anime is from the studio responsible for Naruto and is helmed by Rave Master director Yukihiro Matsushita and the character designer for Ichi the Killer: Episode 0. Lead character Shu is voiced by the same actor who does Shizune in Naruto. No word as to when the anime will hit American television screens, but it's bound to be way after the fan subs. Brian Ashcraft

Blue Dragon Anime Rights Acquired [AnimeNewsNetwork]

That's right, Blue Dragon could be the last anime for Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Quest character designer. It's based off the Hironobu Sakaguchi Xbox 360 game of the same. At the recent Tokyo Anime Fair, the animator said:

The offer to direct an animated version of Blue Dragon came in February of last year. Studio Pierrot approached me regarding it. I knew that Sakaguchi had been working on assembling staff to produce a game, although at the time Blue Dragon hadn't yet been formally announced. According to the materials, it was to be a fantasy world like "Lord of the Rings", with a detailed world view and story.

This may be my final anime, I'm a little worried (about it). There's incredible pressure, but at the same time, there's a sense of accomplishment — that it's worth doing. Blue Dragon will be a masterpiece, not simply because I'm working hard on it, but because the staff is expecting nothing less.

Blue Dragon begins airing on TV Tokyo on April 7th. Increased Xbox 360 console sales to follow. Brian Ashcraft

Blue Dragon Is the End for Toriyama [AnimeNewsNetwork]