Tuesday, September 14, 2004

Spirited Away DVD Lawsuit Settled (2004-09-13 12:38:14)
Walt Disney has agreed to "express regret" to people who bought the DVD, and to inform the public whenever it makes changes to films in the future (this applies to all Disney DVD releases in Japan, not merely Spirited Away). In addition, Disney has agreed to replace the plaintiff's DVDs and give them each 10,000 yen (US$90).

The three plaintiffs launched the lawsuit in December 2002 over frustration with Disney's July 2002 Japanese DVD release of Spirited Away. Disney and Ghibli insisted that the addition of a red tint to the DVDs video was done on purpose in order to improve the quality of the video on plasma screens with a 9300k color temperature. Many people however believed that the tint was actually a production error.

The requirement that Disney inform the public of changes made to future DVDs would make it difficult for the company to claim to have purposefully adjusted video in order to cover up production errors
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X3: X-Men 3 (2006)
Release Date: May 5th, 2006 (wide)

Release Date Note: (6/2/03) The tentative release date of May 5th, 2006 is the same relative weekend, three years later, as the May 2nd, 2003 release date Fox gave X2: X-Men United. (4/9/04) That date is confirmed.

Title Note: (6/2/03) The title of 'X3: X-Men 3' that I'm currently listing this movie under is not official, as there is currently no official title for this movie.

MPAA Rating Note: (6/2/03) Nothing's official until the MPAA sees the final cut, but it is extremely likely that Fox will be shooting for a PG-13 rating like the first two movies received.

Distributor: 20th Century Fox

Production Company: Ames Entertainment, Bad Hat Harry Productions (Bryan Singer), Frantic Films, Marvel Studios (Iron Man, Fantastic Four), The Donners Company (Timeline, Constantine)

Cast: Hugh Jackman (in talks) (Logan, AKA Wolverine), Patrick Stewart (in talks) (Professor Charles Xavier), Shawn Ashmore (Bobby Drake, AKA Iceman), Daniel Cudmore (Piotr Rasputin, AKA Colossus), Alan Cumming (Kurt Wagner, AKA Nightcrawler), Famke Janssen (Dr. Jean Grey), James Marsden (Scott Summers, AKA Cyclops), Sir Ian McKellen (in talks) (Erik Lensherr, AKA Magneto), Anna Paquin (Rogue), Rebecca Romijn-Stamos (Mystique); other cast not announced or confirmed as signed yet.

Wolverine Note: (6/1/03) Officially, Hugh Jackman has not yet signed on for 'X3.' However, he is a bit of a Catch-22, because there have been several remarks made to the effect that Fox will never do an 'X-Men' movie without Wolverine. In other words... if he doesn't sign on, the movie probably won't happen. So, I suspect that Fox will do what they need to do to get Jackman to sign on (ie, I think finding a new actor for Wolverine at this point is probably not what they will pursue).

Cast Unlikely to Return: (6/1/03) The cast member from the first two movies most likely to not return for the third movie is Halle Berry (Ororo Munroe, AKA Storm), due to her rising profile as an A-list star, and the script difficulties of keeping Storm's role in each of these ensemble movies large enough to do her status justice. There are rumors that Fox may someday develop a 'Storm' movie for her to star in, however. (11/18/03) According to USA Today, Halle Berry is still considering returning for this third film. According to her costar Shawn Ashmore (via X-Men Hype!), besides budgetary concerns, the biggest requirement for Berry to return might be for her hours to be shortened, and her role lengthened. Although that sounds contrary, what he *means* is that she doesn't want to have to stay in Vancouver for six months during the entire shoot like most other cast members have to.

Possible Returning Cast: (6/1/03) Several actors/characters who were in the second movie might return for this third one. First off, Kelly Hu revealed recently that she is signed on for a sequel, but there is no word yet about whether that would be 'X3' (or 'X4' or 'X5,' etc.). Other possibilities from the first two movies who might return are: Steve Bacic (Dr. Hank McCoy, AKA Beast), Bruce Davison (Senator Kelly), Bryce Hodgson (Arthur "Artie" Maddicks), Shauna Kain (Theresa Cassidy, AKA Siryn), Tyler Mane (Sabretooth), Ray Park (Toad), Cotter Smith (President McKenna), Aaron Stanford (John Allerdyce, AKA Pyro), Katie Stuart (Kitty Pryde) and Kea Wong (Jubilee).

New Mutant Notes: (6/2/03) In a special screening of X-Men in Los Angeles the week before the release of X2, screenwriter David Hayter revealed that the character most likely to be introduced in this third movie is original X-Man Dr. Hank McCoy, AKA The Beast. What is unclear is whether the same actor who had a small cameo as McCoy, Steve Bacic, would return in the role, or if Fox would seek someone a bit more famous. Of course, if Dr. McCoy has already evolved into the blue-furred version of Beast by the time of this movie, that problem may solve itself. Other likely candidates that have been mentioned or rumored for either 'X2' or 'X3' in recent years are original X-Man Warren Worthington III (AKA 'Angel') and Remy LeBeau (AKA 'Gambit'). In that same talk, Hayter said that he doubted Gambit would ever have more than a small role because he's too similar to both Cyclops (powers-wise) and Wolverine (personality-wise).

(12/23/03) Talking recently to Dark Horizons, producer Lauren Shuler-Donner confirmed that Beast is a strong possibility for this third movie, and threatened that she might also push to include Gambit. I say threaten, because I am among that vocal portion of the fanbase that is rabidly anti-Gambit. Whereas most of the X-Men characters thus far adapted for the movies are cool, Gambit is "kewl" and "kewlness" sucks. He's a relic of a dark time in comic book history when style was valued over substance, and probably the character that most singularly divides fans into two camps: the Gambit fans and those Gambit bugs. I would pity any actor who ends up playing Gambit; the down side is potentially huge... even if you please the Gambit fans, you still have to deal with all of the people who think the character just plain sucks.

Director: Currently seeking one.

Director Notes: (6/1/03) Officially, Bryan Singer has not signed on to return as director of this third movie, but he has been quoted as saying there is a strong chance that he will do so. Even if he doesn't, Singer is likely to be very active as producer and story contributor. (12/10/03) "Variety" confirmed this week that Bryan Singer is indeed in talks to return for this third movie. (7/19/04) Bryan Singer has signed on instead to direct 'Superman', and since both movies are aiming for the summer of 2006... this series loses the man who got the ball rolling. Alas... but can comics fans really complain?

Screenwriter: Not announced yet.

Screenwriter Note: (6/1/03) Officially, no screenwriter has been hired yet to work on this third movie. The top contender is David Hayter, who wrote the first movie and cowrote the second, and the team of Dan Harris and Michael Dougherty who also cowrote the second.

Based Upon: (6/1/03) This will, of course, be the third movie based on the popular 'X-Men' comics that have been published by Marvel Comics since the early 1960s. The previous films were 2000's X-Men, which grossed $157 million in the U.S. after opening to $54.5 million (on a budget of $75 million), and X2: X-Men United, which currently has grossed $199 million in the U.S. after opening to $85.6 million (on a $110 million budget).

Franchise Note: (3/12/04) Bryan Singer and 20th Century Fox are reported to be considering filming both 'X3' and 'X4' back-to-back, with those movies potentially closing the book on the 'X-Men' movies as a team, but opening the door to myriad spin-off movies (with the first one confirmed to be 'Wolverine').

Premise: (6/1/03) There is much that is currently unknown about this movie's premise, but here's what is known. This movie will follow the continuing adventures of the superpowered group, the X-Men, led by Professor Xavier, and based at his school for gifted students, as they try to foster good will for mutants like themselves, in a world where some people are born with extraordinary powers, and many ordinary humans fear them for it. One likely subplot to be addressed in this movie is the status of Dr. Jean Grey, who experienced something strange in the second movie, something to do with something called Phoenix... (I know a lot more about Phoenix than that, but I'm trying not to spoil the second movie.) Another possible element that may be introduced in this third movie is the idea of the Sentinels, giant mutant-hunting robots constructed to capture and control the "mutant menace" forever.

Filming: (6/1/03) There is currently no production start date, but if Fox is aiming for a May, 2006 release date, filming will probably start sometime in early 2005 or so. The location is likely to be Vancouver, Canada, and the budget will probably be north of $110 million.

Genre: Action, Based on a Book, Eye Candy, Science Fiction, Sequel, Superhero

Unofficial Rumor Controls: Comics2Film, CountingDown.com, IGN FilmForce, X-Men Hype!

Production Designer Interview: CountingDown.com (this great, detailed piece reveals plenty of what was not used in X2, which may therefore show up in 'X3')

Official Site of the Previous Movie: X2-Movie.com

Official Comic Books Site: Marvel.com

Unofficial Fan Site: X3Movie.net

Message Board: Share your thoughts on our "X3: X-Men 3" Message Board

Input about my Previews of upcoming Movies, or any movie covered here, is encouraged. Just e-mail Greg Dean Schmitz using our feedback form. Please note that all release dates are subject to change.
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Sunday, September 12, 2004

dummys
for all you people who herad Gundam F-91 was, delay, you are wrong,No delay for Gundam F-91 has been announced; the DVD is still scheduled for November 9th. Zeta Gundam has been delayed from November 23rd to November 30th
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A.LI.CE DVD Release
Establishing itself as the distributor for 3D anime, Arts Magic has licensed and will be releasing Japan's first 100% CG anime, A.LI.CE this fall (September according to Arts Magic, September 28th according to DVD Empire, and November 30th according to TRSI)
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cybervania!
We had the opportunity to get hands-on with Nano Breaker--an action game currently being developed by Koji "Castlevania" Igarashi--at Konami's fall press event in San Francisco. Set on an island in the distant future, Nano Breaker will see you assuming the role of a cyborg warrior named Jake Warren, who is armed with a shape-shifting plasma blade. The game's story revolves around nanomachines turning on humankind and transforming the island's inhabitants into powerful monster machines known as orgamechs, and, as Warren, it'll be your job to destroy all of the monsters before they make it off the island and contaminate the world.

Played from a third-person perspective, Nano Breaker initially gives the impression that it's a quite mindless hack-and-slash affair, but playing through the demo, we found that the game isn't nearly as simplistic as it would have you believe. Combos in the game, for example, are divided into four categories: vertical, horizontal, thrust, and juggle. As you progress through the game and find different colored computer chips, you can also access a special combo screen, and, provided your chips are the correct color, you can use them to unlock additional combo moves.

Another intriguing feature of Nano Breaker is that you're rewarded for spilling copious amounts of bright red machine oil (it looks like blood, but we're assured that it isn't) all over the environment every time you kill an enemy. We weren't able to determine whether certain attacks yield more oil than others, but, for example, after we painted the demo areas with 10,000 gallons of the red stuff (it didn't take nearly as long as you'd expect), we were rewarded with a slight extension to Warren's health bar.

In addition to the numerous combos at his disposal, Warren will have the ability to perform double jumps and special moves that include but are not limited to: surrounding himself with an energy shield, striking the ground and killing every enemy on the screen, and performing a "perfect block" to deflect enemy projectiles back at targets. The plasma blade is also an incredibly versatile weapon, which, although it generally takes the form of a sword, will actually transform into a spear, a hammer, an axe, or even a whip, depending on your attacks. In its whip form, the plasma blade can be used to pull smaller enemies toward you, and, if you time your attack perfectly, you can slice them in half for a one-hit kill.

After battling our way through the Nano Breaker demo's linear, corridor-like locales and jumping across a few platforms, we happened across what will presumably be the game's first boss at the end of a pier. The boss attacked us with tentacles, bites, and laser blasts and was only vulnerable to attacks in the chest area--which, in turn, was only exposed for a short time after we managed to land three consecutive blows on its head. The boss, like all of the visuals in Nano Breaker, was actually quite impressive to look at and was big enough that the camera--which performed its job admirably at all times--had to pull back quite a long way just so that we could see what we were up against.

Nano Breaker is currently scheduled for release in the spring of 2005. We'll bring you more information on the game as soon as it becomes available.


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cow boy bebop game


Cowboy Bebop has gained quite a hefty following since the Cartoon Network began airing the show regularly, and currently, it is one of the most popular anime series on North American television. This October, Bandai, in conjunction with developer Banpresto, will be releasing a third-person action adventure game based on the series, exclusively for the PlayStation 2. Bandai had a build of the game available at its E3 2004 booth, and we took the opportunity to get a feel for how the game will play.

In Cowboy Bebop, the show's three primary characters, Spike, Jet, and Faye, will all be playable. In the demo we saw, only Spike was playable; however, the controls and gameplay should be roughly similar for all three characters, with only a few differences. The level we played was that of a semi-bustling city street--bustling with bad guys, that is. Multiple mohawked thugs were roaming the streets upon our entry into the level. When playing as Spike, we had both hand-to-hand combat and a gun at our disposal. The game has an autotargeting system for both styles of combat, so you'll always be locking onto the enemy closest to you.

Most of the time, you'll want to be going hand-to-hand with your opponents, it seems, and for a couple of reasons. One, the gun itself was a bit unwieldy to target with, since we had to hold down the R2 button to actually arm ourselves with it, and aside from one sequence where we were able to shoot down a water storage container on top of a building, and have it land on an enemy, overall, the gun wasn't especially effective. The second reason is that your level score will actually be penalized if you use your gun to actually kill an enemy. Since it takes at least a few shots to kill an enemy, it shouldn't be too hard to avoid this.

The game's hand-to-hand combat is actually rather unique. You'll be able to land basic punches and kicks using the X and square buttons, but you will also be able to execute specific combo attacks using the R1, L1, and L2 buttons. These combos can be performed successively, but even just hitting one of those buttons once will launch into a short combo attack burst. Overall, the hand-to-hand system definitely seemed to offer some good attack variety, at least with Spike's moves.

The game's graphical style is heavily geared toward a cel-shaded look, which makes sense considering the game's animated background. The game actually looked quite good, with each of the character models having a nice style and a good flow of animation. It's bright, it's colorful, and the game just looks like what an anime-based game probably ought to look like.

We'll have more on Cowboy Bebop as it becomes available

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Lego Star Wars, news
At a recent press event, we were able to get our hands on a one-level demo version of Lego Star Wars, which Traveller's Tales is currently developing for the PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. The game looks exactly as a Star Wars game set in the Lego universe (or vice versa) should, and we're pleased to report that we enjoyed the demo level enough to play it through both on our own and cooperatively with an Eidos representative.

The level we played through was set on a Trade Federation battleship from the beginning of The Phantom Menace, and it saw us assuming the roles of Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon as they battle their way through the ship to stow away aboard a droid army ship headed for Naboo. The game's controls seemed pretty easy to learn from what we saw. In this particular level, they required little more than movement, jumping, attacking (with a Lego lightsaber), an action button, and a "Force" button. You'll be able to use the Force in a number of ways in Lego Star Wars, including "pushing" enemies, assuming control of other characters (such as droids required for activating switches, and Jar Jar Binks, who can jump higher than either of the Jedi), flicking switches, and, perhaps most appropriately, manipulating objects made of Lego.

Some Lego objects aboard the Trade Federation battleship, for example, could be stacked on top of each other to construct platforms for reaching areas previously out of reach. Other objects would give up the same Lego coins that are dropped by enemies when you kill them and which, in the final version of the game, will be spent on enhancing your character's attributes. During a video of a level set on Naboo (complete with Lego flowers) we also witnessed Qui-Gon using the force to build a Lego bridge across a large gap using blocks that were in a pile below. All of the force powers are activated with a single button press. You're really not required to do anything more than that--the results were still pretty satisfying, though.

Given that the puzzle- and combat-based gameplay in Lego Star Wars is relatively simplistic (though none the worse for it), the most impressive thing about the game has got to be its visuals. All of the locales from the Episode I and Episode II movies that we got to see (the game will also cover Episode III) were instantly recognizable, and although very few of them looked like they could be constructed entirely of Lego blocks, all of them featured authentic Lego detailing in some form or other. The Lego character models and their respective animations were also pretty easy on the eyes, and among those that we got to see in action were Darth Maul, Yoda, Jango Fett, and the Trade Federation's battle droids.

Lego Star Wars is a definite contender for the pleasant surprise of the GameStars Live show right now, and we look forward to bringing you more information on the game as its April 2005 release date closes in. i dont know why the fu*k are they makin a star wars lego video game, just make a 10-mintune short film, at the showing of the next star wars movie.



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Lego Star Wars!!!!!!!
Eidos today announced that it has secured the distribution rights to a multiplatform Lego Star Wars game. The company will release the game with Giant Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC, and Game Boy Advance in April 2005.








Lego Star Wars will be an action adventure game based on the prequel trilogy of films in the Star Wars series: The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and next May's Revenge of the Sith. While only Obi-Wan (pictured) has been confirmed for the game, Lego versions of the other major characters from the films are sure to make an appearance.

Traveller's Tales is developing the Xbox, PS2, and PC versions of the game, while Amaze Entertainment is working on the GBA version. Check out my site soon for more information on Lego Star Wars as it becomes available.




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Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Square Enix unveiled more information and actual footage of its forthcoming CG project, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, at the Venice International Film Festival in Italy today. The upcoming CG movie is set two years after the events seen at the end of Final Fantasy VII, the first PlayStation entry in Square's long-running RPG franchise. Although the Final Fantasy franchise is now up to its twelfth entry and has expanded to include online and side-story offshoots, Final Fantasy VII and its cast of characters remain some of the most beloved in the series. This devotion by fans accounts for the insane amount of interest over this CG production based on a seven-year-old game.

Prior to the screening, Tetsuya Nomura--a veteran Square developer whose work includes character designs in Final Fantasy V, VI, VIII, X, and X-2 and a directorial role for the Kingdom Hearts series--was on hand to discuss Advent Children with the assembled press. Nomura, alongside co-director Takeshi Nozue, scenario writer Kazunori Nojima, producer Shinji Hashimoto, and Square Enix president Yoichi Wada, chatted about the upcoming evening's screening. While the group offered some interesting insight into the film's development--such as the contrast in team size between Advent Children (a main team of 40) and Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (over 200 people)--and mentioned that they wouldn't disappoint fans when questioned about an appearance from the ill-fated Aeris, they remained mum on hard details of the version due to be screened. Much of what follows might be considered spoiler material, so if you're trying to keep away from the plot, then you might not want to continue reading.

While the lack of info was disappointing, it ensured the screening packed a serious punch that evening. The game's story is set two years after the events in Final Fantasy VII, which put main character Cloud up against Sephiroth, a troubled, powerful warrior whose quest for an identity and revenge nearly destroyed the world. The passage of time has found the city of Midgar slowly being rebuilt by survivors of the epic conflict. However, the slow rebirth of life is dealt a blow with the appearance of a disease called geostigma, a deadly, incurable disease that's the result of exposure to the lifestream energy that emanated from the planet at the end of FFVII. Unfortunately, while the world was saved, Cloud experienced a loss that deeply affected him--ultimately changing his view of life. In ensuing years since his win and loss, Cloud now runs a courier service, Stryfe Delivery Service, and lives a quiet and uneventful life with children who were orphaned in the final battle with Sephiroth. Cloud's modest life is disrupted when he is hired to protect a mysterious figure from Kadaj, a violent young man with his own equally troublesome gang. One of Kadaj's motivations for his life of evil is his search for a mysterious mother. As the two begin clashing, Kadaj and his gang prey on Cloud's orphans, causing even bigger trouble. Cloud's low spirits make the coming fight difficult, but, once he's cheered on by more than a few old friends, it's on. The epic fight ahead may well rival Cloud's last fight against you-know-who.

Before we run through the various segments that made up the 24 minutes of footage shown off in the title, we'll offer you some bullet points about some of the plot. Yes, Aeris is back, but not perhaps in the way you'd hope for. Yes, the FFVII gang is back--and in fine fighting form from the looks of it. Yes, Cloud is using Final Fantasy VIII-style gun blades and yes, it all looks pretty cool.

The footage shown was broken up into roughly two chunks, the first part was a piece of the film's initial opening along with segments focusing on the game's story, while the second was a series of action sequences that will surely please fans. The introductory montage of footage depicts events from FFVII, and fills you in on the epic tale that unfolded. The narrator is a young girl named Marlene, who you discover is one of several orphans living with Cloud and Tifa. She is at the bedside of Denzel, a young boy who appears to be terribly ill with geostigma. A ringing phone sends Tifa to answer it and then she calls Cloud with a message. A client named Reno has offered him some urgent work in the city of Healen. When we first see Cloud, the blonde warrior is seen to be kicking it in an arid canyon area that becomes decidedly more dusty as he tears off on his motorcycle, kicking up a dramatic cloud of dust as he does. His journey for his new job opportunity is complicated as two members of Kadaj's gang, Yazoo and Loz, show up and try to stop him. The segment contains one of the running questions in the footage--the trio call him "brother" several times. That will certainly fire up plenty of speculation. Cloud finally arrives at the designated meeting place and comes into contact with Reno, a hooded, wheelchair-bound stranger. It seems Reno's research into Sephiroth was incomplete and that he wants to try to rebuild the world. However, in order to do so he needs someone with Cloud's training.

As Cloud is meeting with Reno, the scene shifts to Tifa as she follows Marlene into Aeris' church. The young girl finds a bandage, similar to one seen on Denzel, implying that Cloud has geostigma, that she shows to Tifa. Marlene merely has a moment to ask about Cloud's wellbeing when one of Kadaj's boys shows up and fights with Tifa. She unloads a flurry of attacks on him. While Tifa's battle against Kadaj's boy (one which we've seen clips of before) is rolling, the scene shifts again to focus on Reno talking with a new figure, which he fills in on his plan and how they have the opportunity to remake the world. The footage of that pair of characters is intercut with Tifa's valiant but doomed fight against her foe. She cries out to a boy who walks in on the battle as the scene shifts to the boy being confronted by one of the gang members before fading out.

The next sequence sees Cloud arriving and finding her battered body and rushing her home. When she regains consciousness Tifa asks him why he didn't tell her about the geostigma, wondering if he wanted to die. Cloud's melancholic response doesn't bode well for his motivation and clearly frustrates Tifa. As he continues his talk with Tifa the footage began switching to quicker paced cuts of action and taking on a much more surreal quality due to its quick shifts of focus. Some of Reno's men appear in the room with him and Tifa, resulting in his becoming determined to save the children.

As Cloud races off on his bike to save the kids, a familiar voice is heard, beginning a surreal and surprisingly touching sequence featuring Aeris. While the scene is broken up over the course of several shots, it begins slowly and builds to a climax as the pair have a dialogue. The shot initially begins as a plain white tightly shot angle that focuses mainly on Cloud and teasing with a fleeting look at Aeris' shape as she stands with her back to him. As the pair discuss forgiveness and Cloud's sadness and search for forgiveness Aeris gently reminds him that she never blamed him for what happened. In the end, all that mattered was that he tried to come for her.

The above sequence is intercut with shots of Cloud racing on his bike to find the orphans and Kadaj talking to the children, including Denzel, about the disease many of them share. The white-coiffed fighter reminds them that their mother all gave them the power to fight a planet that was now killing them. He offers to heal them, summoning up a corona of energy around one of his hands. Another segment intercut in the dream sequence is Cloud taking on the other members of Kadaj's gang on his bike with a gunblade. As his conversation with Aeris ends, Cloud is caught off-guard by the sight of the orphans standing in the road. He tries to stop his bike and winds up falling from it and landing near Denzel whose eyes glow with power. As Kadaj nears Cloud, the old comrade Vincent, in a flurry of red cloth, saves Cloud from trouble. The pair speak a bit, the presence of Marlene causes Cloud to ask Vincent to safeguard her and take her home, which leads Vincent to turn him down. They talk of redemption and forgiveness as Cloud asks him if it's possible to achieve it leads Vincent to discover it on his own.

The next batch of scenes sees a mix of footage of Tifa speaking to Cloud, urging him to be strong, as we see him a series of action sequences where Cloud is performing all manner of daring feats such as fighting on his bike, using his gun blade, and leaping through the air to slice a motorcycle in half. Tifa's pep talk calls Cloud out, reminding him of the strength he possessed two years ago and that he should remember he was a fighter.

The next scene focuses on Reno and Kadaj overlooking the city and talking about the future. Kadaj then charges up and fires a burst of energy into the sky, summoning a massive creature that rains down to earth, forming into something resembling Bahamut as it drops. As that trouble brews, we see Tifa running through the town square to Denzel trying to get him out as chaos reigns in the open square. The boy just looks at her, possessed, as his eyes flare with power.

The already fast-paced footage then kicked into overdrive as it reached its impressive teaser-like conclusion. The scene is set in a square overrun by monsters of an indeterminate origin as Kadaj's summon causes all manner of problems. Young, possessed Denzel is saved by a team that includes Barret, Red XIII, Yuffie, and Vincent. Tifa remarks to Denzel that they are friends who have come to help. The shot of the returning characters doing their thing against a massive mech is painfully short and certainly left us wanting more

The final sequence shown in the trailer is nothing short of insane, portraying Cloud as a dual- sword-wielding bad ass extraordinaire. The sequence finds him in the air as a mountain's worth of debris is headed toward him. The young hero falls backward for just a few moments and sticks his swords into a building to slow his fall then uses them to launch himself up into the heart of the debris field. The slickly edited shot has an outstanding sense of motion as Cloud cuts through all the debris like butter. The twist to the end of the footage is a shot of Sephiroth at the heart of the debris as his theme song, One-Winged Angel, plays.

It goes without saying that the CG film is well in line with Square Enix's extremely high standards for cinematics--in fact, it appears to raise that bar a few notches. The character models are highly detailed and animate smoothly while the environments are slick, detailed areas that draw heavily on light and shadow.

Certainly the upside for fans are the amazing visuals that are gorgeous and detailed, and the story appears to be an interesting one, as well. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is tentatively scheduled to ship this fall in Japan on DVD with a US version to follow. Look for more information on Advent Children soon.

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Super Monkey Ball Deluxe rolls onto the PS2 and Xbox
Sega of America announced today that its sleeper Super Monkey Ball series, originally released on the Nintendo GameCube, will be making its way to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox early next year. Super Monkey Ball Deluxe will feature all the different modes, stages, and options from the two GameCube titles, as well as an array of exclusive content, all for the low price of $29.99.

Specifically, Deluxe will feature 300 stages--114 from the original game, 140 from the sequel, and 46 brand-new boards--in which the player must roll a monkey, who's inside a giant hamster ball, around a precarious series of platforms while collecting bananas and reaching his goal without falling off any platforms. Additionally, the fan-favorite party modes, such as Monkey Fight and Monkey Target, will all be packed into Deluxe--which features 12 party modes in all.

Sega has not announced any new Super Monkey Ball titles for the GameCube at this time, but the continuation of the series is a good sign that there will be more ballin' to come.


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