Bleach
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Super-exciting Bleach: Heat the Soul 5 trailer!!!!!
We love Japanese game trailers. Especially anime ones. This overly enthusiastic commercial includes one of the most energetic Ichigo performances we've ever heard. Maybe he's really psyched about this upcoming PSP brawler? Heat the Soul 5 somehow manages to extend the series to its fifth iteration (in the course of three years!) -- introducing new characters and fighting elements to the mix. With the current popularity of Bleach in the States, you'd think at least one of these PSP-exclusive fighting games would cross the Pacific. Right?
Show and Tell: From wallpaper to DS
We haven't seen a lot of custom skins made by our readers, so we were pretty excited when That Girl sent in pictures of her skin, adapted from a wallpaper. The colors and design really suit her DS Lite perfectly, and it's always nice to see someone tastefully customizing their handheld while giving a nod to another fandom. It's not just the outside that's prettified, either; hit the jump to see the inside of the DS.Have you made a custom skin or anything else Nintendo-related? We'd love to know about it! Show us what you've got and we'll tell the world -- just take a few pictures, scribble a few lines, and send it all to showmeit [at] dsfanboy [dot] com. We'll take care of the rest.
Bleach: Heat the Soul 5 screens show off tag battles
Some fantastic screenshots of the upcoming Bleach: Heat the Soul 5 have wound up on the interwebs today, courtesy of Game Watch. The freshly picked screenies depict the all new two-on-two tag gameplay at work. It looks like the tag action will be the core of the gameplay as choosing the right type of tag team will determine special moves and the like. There are three different styles of tag teams: offensive, defensive, and technical. So far only 30 characters have been revealed out of a planned 42. A bit of a step down from Bleach 4's 51-strong roster, but who knows if any more hidden characters will pop up.Currently, Bleach: Heat the Soul 5 is set for release in Japan on May 15th. Bleach 5 looks to be the biggest Heat the Soul title so far. Could it be the first one to cross over the Pacific and into North America?
Ban-kai!: Sega to bring Bleach DS sequel stateside
Likely surprising no one considering the popularity of the Bleach manga/anime series, Sega announced its plans to publish Bleach: Dark Souls (or Bleach DS: 2nd Kokui Hirameku Requiem, as it's known in Japan), the follow-up to Bleach: The Blade of Fate, this summer in North America.The Treasure-developed 2D fighter features a number of improvements on the original: an exclusive storyline that takes place in between the series's first and second season 44 playable characters (The Blade of Fate has 26) 30 new Power-up Cards and Power Crystals Bleach encyclopedia containing "fun and interesting facts about the entire Bleach universe" All that comes on top of the game's four-player online battles and multi-plane stages. Hit the gallery below for English-translated screenshots from Dark Souls, or check past the break for a two-minute trailer from the Japanese release.%Gallery-17918%
More characters revealed for Bleach Heat the Soul 5
The Heat the Soul series continues to expand, as the cast of the popular Bleach series grows. The latest iteration of this PSP-exclusive (and currently import-only) brawler adds a few more familiar faces for series' fans. Hollow Ichigo (pictured, right) as does Renji, Ishida and a few more faces. To check out the recent additions to the line-up, visit the Japanese official page now.
Bleach: Heat the Soul 5 website opens
Strangely, America has yet to experience the popular PSP-exclusive Bleach brawler, Heat the Soul. The franchise is already getting its fifth iteration in Japan, promising even more characters and gameplay modes than ever before. The site includes a few images from the game, and reveals the very first characters that'll join this latest outing. Unsurprisingly, Ichigo, Rukia, and Hitsugaya are confirmed characters. However, Cifer also joins the ranks in this new adventure. We can't wait to see what other characters are added to this please-bring-it-to-America fighting game.
Critics' top 10: 2007 vs. kittens
2007 is almost over, and the end of the year brings joyous tidings of List Season. It's the time for taking stock of the last 12 months of gaming, and trying to make sense of it by putting things in numerical order. Join DS Fanboy for our best-ofs, worst-ofs, and other categories-ofs. When determining the best games of the year, it's a good idea to go at it from different angles: by referencing our own history of reviews, obviously, but we must also look to the wider journalism community. Our reviews, while insightful and entertaining, were not comprehensive. We just didn't play everything. In addition, one reviewer's opinion is simply not sufficient data to make definitive conclusions, even if that one reviewer is me. So we turned to everyone else in aggregate to see what they thought of this year's releases. We've gathered the top 10 DS games of 2007 according to their Metacritic ranking. Keep in mind that many of these games tied in Metascore, meaning that if we were to rank the games, there would be fewer than ten positions. It's still sequential, but with a lot of tie scores. We then carefully applied science to these games in order to convert the Metacritic numbers into a rubric we feel more accurately conveys the quality of these games. Head past the post break for Metacritic's top ten DS games of 2007, graded on a scale from adorable kitten video to unbelievably adorable kitten video.
Readers' Choice: The best of 2007
It was a good year for games with titles beginning with the letter "P" -- at least, according to you guys. When asked, you didn't hesitate to rattle off some of your favorite titles of the year, from Phantom Hourglass to Puzzle Quest, and now the time has come to crown the winner. Just to make things interesting, we're allowing you to choose more than one game -- and to vote more than once (though only once per day). So get in there and duke it out, DS fans. There's a title at stake.Tomorrow, we'll take a look at some of the year's other great games, those selections that didn't receive quite as much attention when we asked you to name your favorites, but all the same, games that are deserving of a little extra time in the spotlight. What's your pick for the best game of 2007? Bleach: Blade of Fate Contra 4 Etrian Odyssey Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Picross Pokemon Diamond/Pearl Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
Sony unveils Bleach: Heat the Soul 5
Sony's semi-annual update of the PSP-exclusive Heat the Soul series continues as they've announced Heat the Soul 5. We're huge Bleach fans (don't look for my cosplay of Ichigo, please), but even we think it's a bit much to announce five games from one franchise in such little time. Supposedly, this iteration will feature the most updates, but the games are pretty good as-is ... what else can they possibly add? A better question to ask may also be: when will a Bleach PSP game arrive to the States?[Update: Scan available on Jeux-France.]
V-Jump scans aplenty: Final Fantasy IV, Dragon Quest IV, and more!
NeoGAF's wonderful neo2046 has extracted all of the delicious DS essence from within the pages of the latest V-Jump. Thanks to his largesse, we can gawk at some new images of upcoming Japanese games, including both Square Enix remakes of fourth entries in famous RPG series. In addition to Dragon Quest IV and Final Fantasy IV (above) you'll find Tales of Innocence, Bleach: The 3rd Phantom, which stubbornly continues not to be a Treasure fighting game, and Digimon Championship 2008. Enjoy looking at some incomprehensible magazine pages! And check out the Bleach game in particular, since this is the first good look we've had.
Metareview: Bleach: The Blade of Fate
Somehow, we just never see a lot of news on the Bleach games. There never seem to be many screenshots or videos -- probably since the games for the DS and Wii have been out for so long in Japan already -- that the glowing reviews for Bleach: The Blade of Fate just seemed to come out of nowhere. Treasure's effort is being hailed as a rival to the import classic Jump Super Stars, and as for English-language DS fighters, apparently, there is no comparison. Fan of the anime/manga or not, if you like fighters, it sounds like this may be one you don't want to miss.IGN -- 85%: Despite a few dropped matches and a little Wi-Fi slowdown, IGN reviewers struggled to find anything negative. "Treasure lives up to its reputation in delivering system-pushing presentation ... Bleach is hands-down the best fighter on the system. We aren't fans of the anime, we've only seen a few episodes in preparation for the game's coverage, but Bleach still won us over, as it plays extremely well, has tons of options, and pulls off some seriously impressive 2D work on DS. The sheer amount of extravagant attacks and system-filling combos should be enough to win over fans of the anime, but the core gameplay is where Bleach wins over the rest of us, delivering a stronger fighting mechanic than nearly any pocket battler out there."Modojo -- 80%: Modojo checked out the Japanese import earlier this year and found a solid experience. "The character's fighting styles differ substantially and give the game a real flair that other fighters often lack. The fighting has tournament level depth, and advanced players could spend hours working on juggling air combos, jump and guard cancels, and super attacks ... Overall, Bleach: Souten ni Kakeru Unmei succeeds where most other handheld fighting titles fail. It offers an inspiring, deep combat system, a replay value extended greatly by the games connection features, and a wonderful experience for anyone already enamored by the anime or manga."NintendoWorldReport -- 80%: Despite some issues with the card system, they found the Japanese import worth playing. "... Bleach DS features a card system that pretty much breaks the game in multiplayer. In single player it's harmless and even seems "cool" at times. However, level four cards are hard to earn, and this where the system completely unbalances multiplayer games. It's no longer a game of raw fighting skill, but a game of who has the best cards and can stack them in his favor ... Despite the detrimental card system, Treasure has put together a pretty solid title that can appeal to fighting game fans as well as Bleach fans."
DS releases for the week of October 8th
Don't relax just yet, fanfolk -- that wallet isn't getting a break any time soon. Just when you thought you might get a chance to recover from buying Phantom Hourglass, a bevy of new and interesting releases is coming our way. You want action? Check. You want humor? Check and check again. There's a good set this week, and we're not even up to the holidays yet. Bleach: The Blade of Fate The Cheetah Girls: Pop Star Sensations Flipper Critters FIFA Soccer 08 Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck Touch Detective 2 1/2 To see what's happening in the rest of the world, slip past the break.
Bleach: The Third Phantom is an ... SRPG?
We're used to hearing bizarre ideas from Sega by now, but the project announcement in this week's issue of Shonen Jump has left even us flummoxed. Following up its two previous Treasure-developed 2D fighters based on the Bleach anime/manga license, the Sonic studio plans to release the next edition to the series, Bleach: The Third Phantom, as an SRPG later this year.Aside from a mostly bare teaser site and a partial, blurry shot of a magazine preview, not much else of the game has been shown. We'll make sure to keep you updated if we hear anything in between our contemplations on whether or not this Bleach SRPG is a good idea.[Via Siliconera]
Marching toward early 2006: Bleach trailer
American gamers are really late to the party for Bleach: The Blade of Fate. Well, those of us that didn't import, anyway. Even people who care nothing at all about the Bleach anime have something here to love: for some, it's the involvement of the beloved Treasure, and for more practically-minded people, it's the four-player online fighting.We fall into both groups. We do what we can to support the continued existence of Treasure, and we can't deny the allure of a portable 2D fighting game with online multiplayer. We don't look forward to getting schooled by people who have been playing this for almost two years, but we're used to losing at fighting games anyway.Maybe we should start trying to figure out what the Bleach manga and anime are about, just in case we get curious about why we're doing all this fighting. Because, really, the story is the most important bit of any fighting game. Check out the trailer after the break!
Bleach pours out of Japan; Wii, DS games coming to US, Europe
Games based on the popular anime Bleach are coming to the US and Europe by way of Sega, according to a press release. Both Shattered Blade (Wii) and The Blade of Fate (DS) have been out since 2006, and the DS title has a sequel that came out five months ago. Having played a Bleach DS game at the Tokyo Game Show last year, even without knowing much about the anime I have to say I was impressed by the fighter. Both games are due out in North America this fall and Europe in early 2008. [Via DS Fanboy]
Bleach: The Blade of Fate coming stateside
Having read your suggestions on Japanese games that need to be localized earlier this morning, we spotted a couple of requests for Bleach DS, a 2D fighter based on the popular anime/manga series of the same name.We made a note of your interest and called in a few favors to see what we could get going*, and by the time lunch rolled around, wouldn't you know it, Sega announced that it would be bringing Bleach: The Blade of Fate to North America this fall. Europe can also expect to see the game early 2008. If there's one thing that can be said about us, it's that we get results.**Though we're still far behind Japan when it comes to awesome fighting games on the DS -- Jump Super Stars, Jump Ultimate Stars, Custom Beat Battle: Draglade, and Bleach DS 2nd for example -- we're not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially when that equine present has a 28-strong character roster, allowing for four-player online battles. And it was developed by Treasure, no less! Throw your white clothes in the washer and check past the post break for some shakycam video of the game. *This did not actually happen.**Actually, even this can't be said about us.
Saturday PSP background explosion
Every week, PSP Fanboy brings you new backgrounds to rejuvenate the look of your PSP. Remember, you can save these images directly to your PSP by accessing the site wireless at m.pspfanboy.com. We're finally caught up on our background requests, so if you want a background, now is the time to request it. If you already requested a background and it hasn't appeared, check the archive. It may have been created previously. Keep reading to see what backgrounds hit this week. Backgrounds after the jump ... New for PSP: Get selected wallpapers delivered automatically to your PSP via our new RSS feed.
Ask PSP Fanboy: Volume 21
Every Saturday, PSP Fanboy will answer your burning questions. If you have a question for the team, send an e-mail to andrew @ pspfanboy.com with the subject "Ask PSP Fanboy."Q: Are there any PSP websites that let you download movies onto the PSP that you don't have to pay for?A: Have you checked out PSP Fanboy Theatre? The newest edition features "Night of the Living Dead," a film that is now part of the license-free public domain. Check out the Internet Archive and download films from there. If you're asking for something more illegal than that, sorry -- we can't help you.Q: Is Bleach 4 coming out outside of Japan for PSP?A: The Heat the Soul series has been quite popular in Japan. However, there are no plans to release it outside of Japan. The original PSP games are published by Sony, but the series is owned by Viz. So, if it ever does leave the country, will it be published by Sony? Or by Viz? Or by Namco Bandai, who traditionally publishes anime-based titles, such as Naruto? There are a lot of complications to deal with in regards to licensing, but we're confident that as the series continues to get more popular, an American release will not be far off (and then a European release to follow afterwards).
Bleach gameplay reminds us: it's not coming out
We get a few emails once in a while asking us if Bleach: Heat the Soul is coming out to American or Europe. Unfortunately folks, it doesn't look to be happening yet. While Japan enjoys the fourth Heat the Soul game, we're left empty-handed. It took a couple of years for the manga to cross over, and then a few more for the anime series to make it big. Now that the franchise is finally carrying some serious clout, we're hopeful that the games will make their inevitable way to the States. Until then, let's just watch this footage of Heat the Soul 4. Impatient gamers, of course, will be tempted to simply import the title.
Oculus' uber-oxidised water hastens healing
We've seen self-assembling chips, self-healing panels, and even regenerative houses hit the drawing board before, but California-based Oculus has created a liquid that can reportedly quicken the healing process when recovering from wounds. The firm's Dermacyn topical wound care is an "oxychlorine formulation" using the company's own Microcyn concoction, which is made by "taking purified water and passing it through a semi-permeable sodium chloride membrane to produce the oxychlorine ions," and essentially contains "electrically charged molecules which pierce the cell walls of free-living microbes." The formula is reportedly successful in killing off virii, bacteria, and fungi, and currently, the company is enrolling patients in a Phase II trial to evaluate its effectiveness in treating diabetic foot infections. The company is hoping to start said trial in Q3 of this year, and if all goes well, wants to execute a pair of larger Phase III trials shortly thereafter.[Via BBC]
