A shift away from the usual Izumiko-Miyuki dynamic makes for one of the best episodes of RDG Red Data Girl yet.

Probably the most interesting news piece to come out of this morning’s Nintendo Direct is that Nintendo will be partnering with Best Buy to provide gamers with the opportunity to try out some of their unreleased Wii U games at over 100 locations in the United States and Canada.

It isn’t yet clear what stores will be supporting the promotion, but it’s an interesting tactic to allow gamers that never get to attend E3 to try out new games well in advance of their release dates.

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The first significant piece of DLC Nintendo has ever created will be coming very soon. Nintendo said during their Nintendo Direct broadcast that New Super Luigi U, downloadable content for New Super Mario Bros. U that adds 82 new stages and removes Mario as a hero, will be available on the Wii U eShop beginning on June 20 for $19.99 and in boxed standalone version on August 25th for $29.99.

More after the break.

At their Nintendo Direct today, Nintendo announced that the upcoming companion games The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons would be discounted from $5.99 to $4.99 from its re-release on May 30 until June 20. The games will be available on the 3DS’ eShop.

Nintendo also announced several new Game Gear titles that will be released in the upcoming months.

More after the break.

If gamers can remember back to the 90s when Sega and Nintendo were in a blood feud for a hold on console sales, that appears to be nothing but ancient history now.

Announced at this morning’s Nintendo Direct, Sega and Nintendo have teamed up for a “worldwide partnership” that will bring gamers the upcoming Sonic: Lost World exclusively for the Wii U and 3DS.

There is very little information about the game, aside from the screenshot above, so expect to see more info just before June’s E3.

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During this morning’s Nintendo Direct broadcast, Nintendo announced that Pikmin 3 has 3 usable characters to use. These characters, named Charlie, Alph, and Brittany, are each controlled individually, but can be used in conjunction with one another to allow players to help unlock different portions of the map then continue exploring the map without interruption.

More after the break.

Recap of Pop GO posts published on May 16, 2013.

Opening

• The Oblongs

News

• “Batman: Arkham Origins” Teaser Trailer Puts Batman Back In The Fight
• “Pacific Rim” (2013) Trailer #3 (Main Trailer)
• Xbox 360 Disc Changer Is Built From Lego

Reviews

• Anime Review: Arata: The Legend - 6
• Anime Review: Hayate the Combat Butler! Cuties - 6
• Film Review: Star Trek Into Darkness

Segment

• Top 5: Kyoto Animation Anime

“Enough with the metaphors… That’s an order.”

In 2009, Paramount handed the reigns to one of its most successful franchises, Star Trek, to their in-house wunderkind, J.J. Abrams. The film that Abrams delivered was a fun throwback to the Trek of old, with plenty of action thrown in to hold the attention of viewers not used to the more leisurely pace of Gene Roddenberry’s creation. The film was a surprise hit that summer, and expectations could not be higher for the follow-up, Star Trek Into Darkness.

So could the film live up to those expectations? Read on to find out…

With the announcement of Free, Kyoto Animation is lining up a special list of high quality productions. You can almost see it in their characters’ eyes, how they sparkle, dazzle and lure you in with KyoAni’s trademark moeblob presentation. It’s thanks to this studio that moe has become a major sensation among diehard otaku.

Cuteness aside, KyoAni infamously took on a number of Key’s visual novels, light novels and four-panel manga, and adapted them quite thoroughly. Animations are fluid and audio always top-notch — some voice talents got their big breakthrough in a KyoAni work. It’s easy to see what made, and still makes, people gravitate towards this studio. Whether you like it or not, a Kyoto Animation series will always get an immense amount of hype and sell well to its fanbase. 

This Top 5 is to pick my personal favorites, and you already got a preview of what to expect from the cover image above.. 

Three cuties? More like three idiots. Or one big idiot. 

So…. Does anyone else think that there should be like a club that these spineless protagonists should have to attend? Like AA or something?