Ace Combat 6 Trailer Really Does Make Things Better

I know I am not alone when I say that nothing represents the Final Fantasy franchise more succinctly for me than the artwork of Yoshitaka Amano. From the logos to the concept art that we never actually see in the game, his work captures the feelings one gets while playing through a Final Fantasy game, if that makes any sense at all. He's the one person working in the game industry that I would completely fall into a bubbling fanboy puddle upon meeting, which is why I probably shouldn't attend the New York Anime Festival, which has just announced Amano as a Guest of Honor.

Amano will be on hand along with Vampire Hunter D novel author Hideyuki Kikuchi and novel translator Kevin Leahy courtesy of the convention and Dark Horse Comics. The New York Anime Festival will be held September 26th through the 28th. Hit the jump for further information in handy press release format.

Want to get your hands on Guilty Gear creators Arc System Works' latest fighting game? Aksys Games has announced that they'll be performing the first North American locations test for the BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger arcade cabinet at the Anime Expo in Los Angeles. Combining 2D characters with 3D backgrounds, the game is being touted as the spiritual successor to Guilty Gear. Blazblue The arcade cabinet will be available in the sweaty, smelly console gaming room for the full run of the convention, July 3rd through the 6th. As if you guys needed more incentive to get dressed up and spray your hair interesting colors.

Anime Expo [Official Webpage]

Ace Combat Team Working On Anime-Inspired Wii Flier

On August 2nd, Mamoru Oshii, the director behind anime Ghost In The Shell, will release his new flick The Sky Crawlers. Based on a series of novels, the romance adventure focuses on a group of dogfighter pilots and is set in a fictionalized World War II-type setting. The film just had it's American premiere at the Skywalker Sound studio in California, where soundtrack work for the film was done. And to tie-in with the movie, Namco Bandai is releasing Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces, which is being developed by the Ace Combat team. That's good news! The game will sport an original story and use the Wii Remote for throttle and the Nunchuk for the control stick. It's out the fall in Japan — no word about a Western release.

Innocent Aces [Dengeki Online via Game|Life]

PSP High Kicking Japanese Schoolgirl Game

Fan service manga/anime Ikkitousen is getting a scrolling action PSP version! Featuring a bevy of gals in short skirts kicking ass, Ikkitousen is inspired on Chinese epic Romance of Three Kingdoms and is set against a backdrop of warring high school students. Based on the upcoming third season of the anime and dubbed Ikkitousen - Great Guardians, the PSP game features hand-to-hand combat, high kicks and pantsu. Lots and lots of pantsu. Oh, there's costume battle damage, too that looks way riskier than what battle damage Soul Calibur IV is punching out. The PSP game will be out this October. Until then, click through the NSFW gallery below.

Ikkitousen Great Guardians [Famitsu]

Lucky Star Used For Prostitution Advert

Manga Lucky Star is pretty popular in Japan! The manga's characters play video games, and Lucky Star itself has already gotten a couple of DS games as well as a PlayStation 2 visual novel. Nerds love Lucky Star. Probably why the owner of this Osaka "delivery health" shop (think outcall call girl business) decided to use characters Kagami and Miyuki. Also, Kagami is a fan of shooting games — as in video game shooting games. Ah, nevermind.

俺の嫁がデリヘルwwwwww [Izakaya Ichiban]

Capcom vs. Legendary Anime Company!

This. Is. Cool. The upcoming issue of Famitsu announces an interesting fighting game match-up: Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Cross Generation of Heroes. Yes, that Tatsunoko, you know, the studio behind TV anime Speed Racer, Casshern and what Westerners know as Robotech. The game is being developed by Capcom and will storm Japanese arcades this winter. It will feature tag battles, and so far Ryu, Chun-Li, Ken Washio from Gatchaman and Casshern have been announced.

Thanks Tak!

Ollie Barder points out: "Robotech isn't owned by Tatsunoko, and Macross has very complicated rights issues (even in Japan) so it's unlikely the Capcom game would feature it. This is a helpful list."

Metal Gear Solid + Lupin The Third = So Awesome

How popular is anime Haruhi Suzumiya? Popular enough to get its own PSP game and Wii game. Popular enough to be ripped off for the Bejing Olympics. And now, popular enough for Russian copyright infringement. Pictured, Haruhi appears on a tasty treat. But remember kids, in Russia, Haruhi Suzumiya infringement eats YOU! Heh.

Comparison after the jump!

First Official Dragonball Movie Promo Image

Maybe we've been a little harsh. Maybe Hollywood's Dragonball movie will actually be good. Maybe not! Without an official trailer, all we've had were some crummy quality on-set images. Now we have a somewhat crummy quality scan! Here's the first official promotional image for the DB. It appeared in manga Shonen Jump, where the original Dragonball manga appeared. (Hollywood got that right!) A translation of text that appeared on the promo:

I’ll grant you a wish…!!

Rumor after rumor but [now] Dragonball live action movie finally comes true!
Director James Wong of Final Destination, and producer the revolutionary film maker Stephen Chow of Shaolin Soccer. Remarkable casts are Son Goku is Justin Chatwin who played Tom Cruise’s son in Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds, and Master Roshi is Chow yun-fat of Pirates of the Caribbean.

All Dragonball fan’s wish are granted now ! We will continue to offer new information to you on Jump Cinema Island !

Another thing they got right: Justin Chatwin's Goku-hair. It's spectacular! Hit the jump for the full image.

And now for a value-added post, if you're a Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition owner, and live in the U.S.

There's an offer out on the Internets for a swell DVD case for the animated series DVDs included within. You also get $5 off your purchase of Vol. 2 of the anime. The Right Stuf International is taking the orders on behalf of publisher ADV. The site has the details and everything you need to order. It's $3.99, but clearly, this thing pays for itself.

Devil May Cry DVD Case/Insert/Coupon Offer [Anime Superstore]

Have A Look At The Dragonball Movie Teaser Poster

Here it is! What's apparently the English-language Dragonball poster, which has the tag:

The Legend Comes To Life 2009

It's not terrible. Maybe the trailer won't suck! Maybe this will be a decent movie!! Who knows?

Dragonball Teaser Poster [/Film via Dragonball The Movie]

No Way Should Pokemon Be This Cute. Like, Ever.

Square Enix's Next Wii Game Is... Soul Eater!

The latest issue of Famitsu Weekly reveals that Square Enix will be bringing Atsushi Okubo's manga series Soul Eater to the Wii. The series, which will be adapted in video game form as Soul Eater: Monotone Princess, just began airing as an anime series.

The Wii version currently has no date, but looks to be on the action oriented side, rather than a more hardcore RPG.

Soul Eater Announced For Wii [Jeux France]

Screw Coffee, Evangelion Goes Rule 34

Big Headed Freaky Assed Haruhi Suzumiya Doll

I never thought that an act as passive as showing up in costume somewhere A) would merit a Guinness record or B) would require so many rules.

But first, remember how we threw down the gauntlet on the the 80 Marios who showed up in London back in mid-March? Right, just wait for the next anime convention, that'll be blown apart. And that's what's gonna happen.

A-Kon, "the oldest continually running, anime-based convention in North America (at 19 years)," thinks they can pwn 80 wimp-ass Marios, easy, at their gathering, May 30 - June 1 in Dallas. And just to make sure there are no protests or challenges or "nuh-uh, nuh-uh!(s)" from their cosplay rivals, they've drawn up a list of rules for everyone to follow. They want this locked down tight.

For those who remember Namco's The Tower of Druaga — first released in 1984 and built on Super Pac-Man code — now, two dozen years later, there's an anime series based on it. The first episode is available today.

The anime is being broadcast in Japan, simulcast to the Internet. You have to register an account and pay to rent the episodes, but it does give you a PSP/iPod video download to keep as an incentive. The Internet broadcast is available for viewing in all regions except Japan.

Episode 1 of The Tower of Druaga Available NOW! [BOST Digital Entertainment]