Checkpoint: Naruto, FF Versus XIII, Sisters

Last update - Jan 25, 19:44 GMT (14:44 EST, 11:44 PST)

The first Naruto game for Nintendo's new 3DS handheld was revealed by Takara Tomy at some toys industry event in Japan, with a March 31 release date attached - making it the first non-mecha anime-based 3DS game (one of the console's launch titles is a Gundam thingie...). An official website is also up, listing the game's full title as Naruto Shippuuden Nin Rittai Emaki! Saikyou Ninkai Kessen!!, but we'll just call it Naruto Shippuuden 3DS. It'll be a side-scrolling action game, with 3D effects most evident during cut-scenes that accompany special moves.



Tetsuya Nomura, director of Final Fantasy Versus XIII, has revealed a whole lot of details about this upcoming PS3 game in a Dengeki magazine article, a summary of which can be read on andriasang. Among many others, Nomura hints at a 2012 release, so the most reasonable thing to wait for right now is the HD version of that latest FF Versus XIII trailer that was shown at Square Enix' event from a week ago - only two more days to go!


A trial version for the upcoming eroge Sisters: Natsu no Saigo no Hi (Sisters: Last Days of Summer) was released today, and you can grab it from one of the download mirrors listed on its official website. The complete game is scheduled for release in Japan this February 25 - a date shared by plenty of other eroge releases, albeit tragically (for them) followed by February 26 - the Nintendo 3DS launch day.


The "appropriate legal action" that FUNimation blogged about yesterday, with regard to the illegal distribution of Fractale's first episode, appears to be a case filed by the company at the US Federal District Court - amusingly titled "FUNimation Entertainment v. Does 1-1,337". The complaint's description states that "summons(es) [are] not requested at this time", however, so it's unclear who these "1337 John Doe's" might be.

Update: ANN writes that this lawsuit is not related to Fractale, but to episode 481 from the ongoing anime series One Piece. The suit lists 1337 defendants by their host IP addresses and Internet service provider, which they allegedly used to download and distribute said episode via Torrents originating from 3 websites identified in the lawsuit.

"Funimation believes that the identities of the current 1,337 defendants and "additional infringing parties" will be revealed during the pre-trial discovery phase of the lawsuit, and it will then amend the suit to include their names."

An official website has opened today, for the upcoming TV anime series Pretty Rhythm: Aurora Dream that was announced last week, and the above character arts have also just surfaced. Begins in April 2011.

Update #2: Found some higher-res version of each character, so replaced that sole image with a small gallery.


The 2011 Oscar nominations are up, and it looks like the anime film Summer Wars didn't make the cut, in the "Best animated feature film of the year" category. How to Train Your Dragon, The Illusionist and Toy Story 3, on the other hand, did. Another fail choice from that bullshit Academy Awards committee.