September brings summer to an end and is also the beginning lineup for the big winter game releases. Some classic games make a comeback this month as part of anniversary collections and some heavy hitters make it to the lineup as well.

Action

9/11 Battlefield 3 Premium Edition (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)

9/11 Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (PS3, Xbox 360)

9/11 Finding Nemo: Escape to the Big Blue (Nintendo DS, 3DS)

9/16 Kirby’s Dream Collector’s Special Edition (Nintendo Wii)

9/18 Hotel Transylvania (Nintendo DS, 3DS)

9/18 NCIS (3DS)

9/18 Street Fighter 25^th Anniversary Collection (PS3, Xbox 360)

9/18 Borderlands 2 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)

9/18 Kinect Sesame Street TV (Xbox 360 Kinect)

9/18 Kinect Nat Geo TV (Xbox 360 Kinect)

9/25 The Testament of Sherlock Holmes (PS3, Xbox 360)

9/25 Thundercats (Nintendo DS)

9/25 Angry Birds Trilogy (Nindendo 3DS, PS3, Xbox 360)

9/25 Puzzler World 2012 3D (Nintendo 3DS)

9/25 Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse (PS3, Xbox 360)

9/25 Dead or Alive 5 (PS3, Xbox 360)

9/25 LittleBigPlanet (PS Vita)

“Battlefield 3 Premium Edition” is the re-release of “Battlefield 3″ with all the gears and whistles. The Premium Edition includes all past expansions to the game as well as the premium pass, which allows the player to download the future expansions that have been announced for the game.

“Tekken Tag Tournament 2″ is Tekken’s way of making a glorified return. With over 50 playable characters, new customizable characters, dozens of levels, and new gameplay features including pair play, retro-arcade tournament battles, and many online features, “Tekken Tag Tournament 2″ is looking to make a comeback to being one of the top fighting games.

“Kirby’s Dream Collector’s Special Edition” is something Nintendo is coming out with for both old and new Kirby fans. This collector’s edition includes six classic Kirby games (Kirby’s Dream Land, Kirby’s Adventure, Kirby’s Dream Land 2, Kirby Super Star, Kirby’s Dream Land 3, and Kirby 64). The collection also includes new challenge stages as well as a copy of the Kirby 20^th Anniversary Soundtrack CD.

“Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Collection” is a must have for the diehard Street Fighter collector. The collection includes 4 games (Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Street Fighter III Third Strike Online Edition, Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition and Street Fighter X Tekken), an 8 inch light up Ryu statue, a full-size Ryu martial arts belt, 64 page art book, 11 disk soundtrack collection, and a blu-ray set including a documentary on making the Street Fighter IV, Street Fighter IV and Super Street Fighter IV animated movies, Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, and the entire Street Fighter anime series. Though this massive Street Fighter collection will have an asking price of $150, it is a must have for the Street Fighter Collector.

“Borderlands 2″ is the highly anticipated sequel to the smash hit “Borderlands.” With “Borderlands 2″, the game offers new classes to choose from, new lands to explore, a new weapon system including new types of weapons and defensive tools, and, probably the biggest plug from the game, guns. Tons and tons of guns. The game really wants to get across to its audience the massive amounts of different guns that the player is able to choose from just like in the first game (which holds the Guinness world record for most guns available in one video game.)

“Dead or Alive 5″ returns with the same cast of characters in a whole new setting. In “DOA 5″, they put a lot of details into the setting and background as means to express more of a visual spectacle. Along with detailed backgrounds, they added a new feature in the details of the characters, wet texturing. As the players fight it out, their characters will sweat and may battle in wet and raining environments, which will cause the characters to get damp hair, wet skin, and semi-translucent clothing.

RPG

9/18 End of Nations Collector’s Edition (PC)

9/18 Disney Princess: My Fairytale Adventure (Nintendo Wii, 3DS)

9/25 World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria (PC)

“World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria” is the latest expansion to “World of Warcraft”. This expansion increases the level cap to 90, introduces the monk as a playable class, the Pandaren as the new playable race (also the first neutral race), and new areas to explore.

Sports

9/11 NHL 13 (PS3, Xbox 360)

9/11 NBA Baller Beats (Xbox 360 Kinect)

9/18 F1 2012 (PS3, Xbox 360)

9/18 Harley Pasternak’s Hollywood Trainer (Xbox 360 Kinect)

9/18 Kinect Sports Ultimate (Xbox 360 Kinect)

9/25 Wipeout 3 (Nintendo Wii, 3DS, Xbox 360)

9/25 Pro Evolution Soccer (Nintendo Wii, 3DS, PS3, Xbox 360)

9/25 FIFA Soccer 13 (PS3 Xbox 360)

“NHL 13″ is looking to be the most realistic hockey game to date. The game system has gotten a completely new overhaul with game mechanics and AI for the most realistic hockey experience. The game also features the updated GM Connected, which allows players to bring total customization to their team by swapping and trading team players to their specifications, and the game also includes NHL Moments Live, which allows players to relive some of the biggest moments in NHL history.

Simulation

9/4 The Sims 3 Supernatural (PC)

“The Sims 3 Supernatural” is the seventh expansion pack in “The Sims 3″. This expansion includes various features from new costumes, new characters like zombies, witches, werewolves, vampires and other monsters, and new jobs like being a fortune teller. The Limited Edition of the game also includes a Plants Versus Zombies expansion, which allows players to buy peashooters to defend their home against the zombie invasion.

The article September Game Releases for 2012 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

This year at Anime Boston the Dealer’s Room was packed with booths covering two large rooms. Almost anything you could think of, you could find there. QB plushies? Yup. Brightly colored Pokemon hats? In abundance. Strange Japanese-imported collectibles? You betcha. Here are some of the best deals we found this year in the Anime Boston Dealer’s Room.

Manga generally had the most dramatic deals. At Comicopia, if you bought two volumes you got 10% off, four volumes 15% off, and eight volumes 20% off (2-10%, 4-15%, 8-20%). However, New England Comics had a competitive ‘Buy two get 30% off’ deal going on, and Cheap Manga probably stole the show for manga deals. With them, a single manga was $5, five volumes were $20, and 30 volumes were $90 (that’s 1-$5, 5-$20, 30-$90).

Not too far off at the Anime Pavilion, eight volumes cost $60, 14 cost $100, and 45 cost $300 (8-$60, 14-$100, 45-$300). Not to mention Anime Pavilion’s selection consisted of less popular titles than Cheap Manga’s.

Other notable deals were to be found at New England Comics’ booth, where brand new Star Wars comic omnibuses were 60-80% off, making $25 volumes only $7. Each yaoi manga volume at NEC was $7, but if you bought five or more they were $5. Elsewhere you could find deals such as ‘Buy 1 get 2 free’, ‘All manga 20% off except new releases’, and ‘10% off yaoi’.

Also of note to those looking for manga, or looking to trade their manga away at the convention, is the swap meet. The swap meet took place in the evening on Friday and Saturday, and I was able to trade away three virtually valueless items I got in a grab bag for three volumes of manga. Overall the manga scene at the con felt a bit like a game of hot potato; pass that stuff on to the next person before you’re stuck with it for too long.

Figurines were also in abundance at the con, though only a few were on sale. World of Warcraft figurines were $40 each, but $70 if two were bought together. A set of four Walking Dead figures went for $75, and Ore no Imoto figurines were two for $65.

T-shirts could be found for $20 each, two for $36, and three for $48.

Funimation was also hocking their wares by the entrance gate, accompanied by a pair of Cat Planet Cuties mascots in eyecatching costumes, or the lack thereof… Most notable amongst the prices at their booth was a Blu-Ray collection of Evangelion for $20. The first season of Black Butler was $60, as was the new retelling of the Fullmetal Alchemist story Brotherhood. Hetalia films were $25 a pop, Excel Saga was there on Blu-Ray for $40, Baccano was available for $30, and Claymore would set you back $40.

Aftermarket retailers such as Anime Madness, Video Games New York, and Harrison’s Comics and Collectibles were nearby as well offering great deals on anime, music, and video games.

Video Games New York was selling a hacked Wii with emulators and homebrew apps for $150, alongside rare oldschool games (Final Fantasy Anthology for $25, Metal Gear Solid 1 complete with case and booklet for $40) and Japanese import and Japan-exclusive games for old and current consoles alike. New York Video Games was also selling unused Dreamcast consoles for $150, and their stock rotated daily as they brought new items up from their store in New York.

Harrison’s Comics and Collectibles from Salem, MA had a back wall all to themselves, with a huge, nerdgasm-worthy collection of old school N64, Genesis, Atari, Sega CD, NES, and SNES games. Starfox 64, Ridge Racer, Ninja Gaiden, Duck Hunt, you name it, they had it, many for single-digit prices. They also carried Japanese-imported music, anime, comics, and figurines.

Overall, the Dealer’s Room was a great place to get cheap manga, games, CCG cards, plushies, figurines, clothing, model kits, anime, hug pillows, collectible items, and some surprises. Many of the items on sale were direct-from-Japan imports. The best part of buying imported goods at the con is not only do you get to see and touch the item yourself before you buy it, but you also save a lot on shipping costs.

If you’re considering importing something online, you might want to hold off until your next local con to see if you can find it there and make sure it’s what you want. You may also want to wait to buy your manga at a convention, judging by the burning-down-the-house prices exhibited at many of the vendors’ stalls.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.animeboston.com

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Diablo fans around the world can finally rejoice! Blizzard Entertainment announced on March 15 that Diablo III will hit stores exactly two months later on May 15.

“After many years of hard work by our development team and months of beta testing by hundreds of thousands of dedicated players around the world, we’re now in the homestretch,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment, in a statement uploaded to the company’s website. “We look forward to putting the final polish on Diablo III over the next two months and delivering the ultimate action-RPG experience to gamers worldwide starting on May 15.”

Diablo III will be released for both Windows PCs and Macs. The standard edition will cost $59.99, while the collector’s edition will be $99.99. The collector’s edition includes a range of goodies, including the game’s soundtrack, an art book, a behind-the-scenes DVD/Blu-Ray two-disk set, and 4 GB flashdrive in the form of an in-game artifact called a soulstone. It will also feature bonus content for other Blizzard games, such as World of Warcraft and Starcraft II.

Diablo III’s development cycle has been unusually protracted, even by Blizzard’s notoriously slow standards. Although it was first revealed to the public at the Blizzard World Wide Invitational in Paris on June 28, 2008, most observers believe that the game had already been in development for eight years by that point.

Blizzard North, the division that produced the first two Diablo games, is said to have started on Diablo III shortly after the completion of Diablo II in 2000. But in May 2003, Blizzard North was rocked by the departure of four of its top executives, which set in train a chain of events that ultimately led to the division’s closure in 2005. Blizzard Irvine ultimately decided to scrap all of the previous work on Diablo III and start from scratch. For the next few years, there were occasional rumors about the game’s development. While Blizzard maintained that the Diablo franchise was not dead, it was not until 2008 that the game’s existence was publicly confirmed.

Back when the game was announced, few people expected that it would take four more years before it would hit store shelves. Almost from the get-go, the game was controversial. Everything from the art style to the in-game chat functions have been criticized by fans. Of course the seemingly glacial pace of the development process did not do much to calm fan anger, either. Through it all, Blizzard clung tenaciously to their vision for the game, promising fans that the finished product would be phenomenal. In two months, we shall see whether they are right.

Image Courtesy of  Blizzard

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Hosted by the star of NBC’s “Chuck” and avid gamer Zachary Levi, executive produced by Emmy Award winner Mark Burnett, and featuring cutting edge in-show augmented reality and world premiere footage from hotly anticipated releases, Spike TV’s ninth annual “Video Game Awards” proved to be a night to remember.

Industry giants gathered as the network celebrated the outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the world of gaming over the past year. Internationally, the ”VGAs” were seen in over 100 countries and territories around the world.

A host of the most influential members of the gaming industry, as well as stars from the worlds of sports, television, music, and movies gathered at the biggest night in video games and watched Bethesda Studios release “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” receive the highest honor a game can receive when it took home the coveted Vector Monkey after being named Game of the Year.

“The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” also won Best RPG and garnered Studio of the Year honors for Bethesda Game Studios. Other multiple award winners included “Portal 2,” which won in five prominent categories, including Best PC Game and Best Multiplayer, and “Batman: Arkham City,” which won four Vector Monkeys, including awards for Character of the Year for the Joker, Best Xbox 360 Game, and Best Action Adventure Game.

“The Legend of Zelda” creator Shigeru Miyamoto made a surprise appearance to accept the first ever Video Game Hall of Fame Award on the groundbreaking franchise’s behalf. “We always push ourselves,” said Miyamoto, “and we’re grateful you notice.”

Additional honors included the second ever Gamer God Award, which was bestowed upon Blizzard Entertainment, the creators of the “World of Warcraft,” “Starcraft,” and “Diablo” series.  Original founders Michael Morhaime, Allen Adham, and Frank Pearce were all on hand to accept the prestigious award.

The “VGAs” debuted never-before-seen world premieres of the most anticipated games of 2012 and beyond, including Naughty Dog’s “The Last of Us,” the surprise reveals of “Command & Conquer: Generals 2,” “Alan Wake American Nightmare,” Epic Games’ “Fortnite,” “Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance,” “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Patriots,” “Transformers: Fall of Cybertron,” “BioShock Infinite,” and the winner for Most Anticipated Game “Mass Effect 3.”

This year’s show included presenters and appearances by major stars from all over the entertainment world, including Charlie Sheen, Brooklyn Decker, Seth Green, Felicia Day, LL Cool J, Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Tony Hawk, will.i.am, Anders Holm, game designers Cliff Bleszinski of Epic Games, and Hideo Kojima of Konami.

The show also featured a performance by Grammy Award winning rock duo, The Black Keys, and Grammy Award nominated dance music innovator deadmau5, who helped transform the show with his visual representation of sound into a real life video game experience.

Additionally, NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice was on hand to announce the results of the vote for Digital Cover Athlete of the forthcoming “NFL Blitz” from EA Sports, with Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens selected by fans who cast their ballot at vga.spike.com during the show.

A full list of winners is included below:

GAME OF THE YEAR
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

STUDIO OF THE YEAR
Bethesda Game Studios

CHARACTER OF THE YEAR
The Joker – Batman:  Arkham City

VIDEO GAME HALL OF FAME AWARD
“The Legend of Zelda”

GAMER GOD AWARD
Blizzard Entertainment

BEST XBOX 360 GAME
Batman: Arkham City

BEST PS3 GAME
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

BEST Wii GAME
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

BEST PC GAME
Portal 2

BEST HANDHELD/MOBILE GAME
Super Mario 3D Land

BEST SHOOTER
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

BEST ACTION ADVENTURE GAME
Batman: Arkham City

BEST RPG
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

BEST MULTI-PLAYER
Portal 2

BEST INDIVIDUAL SPORTS GAME
Fight Night Champion

BEST TEAM SPORTS GAME
NBA 2K12

BEST DRIVING GAME
Forza Motorsport 4

BEST FIGHTING GAME
Mortal Kombat

BEST MOTION GAME
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

BEST INDEPENDENT GAME
Minecraft

BEST ADAPTED VIDEO GAME
Batman: Arkham City

BEST SONG IN A GAME
“Build that Wall (Zia’s Theme)” by Darren Korb – Bastion

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Bastion

BEST GRAPHICS
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN MALE
Stephen Merchant as Wheatley – Portal 2

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN FEMALE
Ellen McLain as GLaDOS – Portal 2

BEST DOWNLOADABLE GAME
Bastion

BEST DLC
Portal 2 Peer Review

MOST ANTICIPATED GAME
Mass Effect 3

GAMETRAILERS.COM TRAILER OF THE YEAR
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations – E3 2011 Trailer

EA SPORTS NFL BLITZ DIGITAL COVER ATHLETE
Ray Rice

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