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Two weeks went by so fast! Its time again for the Dark Diamond Podcast to once again theaten to polute your aural space. On this, our fourth episode, myself along with Vekter and Ben ‘FBINinja’ Schmidt talk about the most important stuff that happened in the last two weeks. You know, in case you were lost in a deserted island for 14 days. Hit the jump for the show outline!

 

 Dark Diamond Podcast Ep 4 [64:13m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

So, on Saturday night I got a chance to check out Rock Band 2 a bit early at a local game store that held a midnight pre-release/tournament. Basically, it’s as good as the first, if not better. It has a huge selection of songs, and the difficulty, or lack thereof, has been fixed completely. Sadly, I didn’t get a chance to check out the drums, as the owner didn’t have any at the store at the time.

My first impressions after the jump.

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As a new feature, each Wednesday or so for a while I’m going to start doing some Top 5 lists, starting with the top 5 anime opening themes.

Well over a thousand anime series have been released over the years, each one with a different theme song, and some with more than one over the years. However, most are mediocre at best, so I took it upon myself to compose a list of what I consider the best 5 anime opening themes of all time. This list was hard to do; I ended up having to cut a few songs I loved that just weren’t as good as some of the others, including The Cruel Angel’s Thesis, Cutey Honey, and a few others. So, without further ado, here’s my list of the top 5 anime opening themes.

In 5th place on my list is "Obsession" by See Saw, the theme to .hack//SIGN. Obsession just barely got on the list, with the Evangelion theme The Cruel Angel’s Thesis coming up 6th. The only reason Obsession inched out Cruel Angel’s Thesis is because Obsession truly matched the overall feel of .hack//SIGN. The overall feel of the song seemed to go well with the feel of the anime, which at times can feel pretty trippy, technological yet very human. Plus, I just think it sounds great.

The other 4 after the jump.

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When things go awry in the video game world and everyone has an opinion,  “Meet the VG Press” tries to make sense of the whole mess and keep it real.

As you’ve probably already heard of by now, there has been quite the furor recently over this charming little game, right on the heels of Resident Evil 5’s racism controversy. The issue this time around is that the whole concept of upcoming PSN game Fat Princess is supposedly anti-feminist and promotes negative stereotypes about obesity. People have voiced this complaint because the goal of said game is fatten up the princess so that it makes it harder for the opposing team to steal her away to their home base, from yours. And in a humorous touch, you fatten up the princess with pieces of cake. I’ve seen a range of responses to both the game and to the feminists who wrote about it, and have come away disappointed from the whole thing.

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Last Saturday 15th of March Video Games Live gave its first performance in Mexico as well as its first performance with a student orchestra. Our very own Velcor being a music student fought for a spot on the show, read on to find out how it is to be on the inside of the beast as well as my account of the event as just another fan.

Velcor’s Account:

It all started in Ensenada, Baja California, a small city 4 hours away from the city where the concert was to be held, and also the place most of the members from the orchestra and choir were from. It was about 3 weeks ago that I heard from one of my classmates that Video Games Live was recruiting members for the orchestra. Inquisitive as I am, I asked him if there was room for one more voice at the choir (I’ve been a bass voice on various performances before so I was confident I’d do a well job); Yes, he replied, so as soon as class ended, I dashed to talk to the school’s administration and asked them about being a part of the show.

After some mean stares and threats to their physical integrity sweet-talking they didn’t seem to have any objections (smart choice). And so I was in and on my way to being part of this video game music phenomenon.

Read more!

The week in review is a feature here on Dark Diamond where we writers and readers share what we did this past week, what anime did you see, what game did you play and even what fictional character did you fantasize about at night.

J’s week in review

A few nights ago I purchased my second Virtual console game: Sin and
punishment. This was the N64’s swan song which was not released outside of
Japan. But as part of Nintendo’s Wii shop ‘Hanabi festival’, it finally
gets to enjoy a European, Austrailian and North American release for the
first time. Streets of rage 2 reminded me of how addictive old skool games
were, so I decided to take the plunge with another and I’m glad I did. The
game is bloody awesome and because it’s on the Wii there is no N64 style graphic fuzziness!! (Awww yeah!!) I actually haven’t had the chance to sit down and play it extensively. But first impressions are good and I can’t wait to sit down and give it a good playing. The mark up price of an additional 200 Wii points over the other N64 games is a bitch - but it’s expected from Nintendo really. They don’t wanna let go of their shit for  cheap and they’re all for sucking money out of gamers. Though with that
said, being a Wii gamer is cheaper on the  finances than being a PS3 gamer.   On the J-drama front, I’m still sticking it out with “First kiss”. I’m not sure why I’m bothering because I know how the damn story is going to end up. But I’m already 2 thirds of the way through it, so I guess I should see it through until the predictable end. I just want it over and done with so I can free some hard drive space. Despite my praise last week of how the drama picked up, it’s gotten shitty again. I doubt I’ll even burn it to DVD as I usually do. I think I’ll just introduce it to the recycle bin instead.

Tskiller’s week in review

Well, this week was another pretty slow week for gaming. Project Gotham Racing 4 came out, but I was unimpressed, and  will not be taking time out of Forza Motorsport 2, which I still enjoy immensely.  However, Beautiful Katamari will be hitting the shelves soon, as will Orange Box, so hopefully I will have plenty of creamy gaming goodness (with nougat center, no less) in the upcoming days. As for anime, well, there is much more going on. Shows from the new season finally began showing up en masse, which makes me a happy camper.  Clannad 1 was a great episode, and hopefully it will only get better from there. The first episode of Shana season two was a little disappointing, but I have hope that things will turn around for our favorite flaming haired girl as soon as this initial arc finishes. Neuro is a pretty interesting mix of fantasy and mystery solving. The obvious episodic formula isn’t my favorite style of plot, but hopefully it will keep things interesting enough with all the puzzle eating. Dragonaut had a morbid opening. To be honest, I was hoping for a hardcore sci fi series, but it seems that its going to end up being a fantasy drama.  Oh well, I’ll give it a few more eps before I decide to drop it. I’m still eagerly awaiting Genshiken 2 and subs for EF a Tale of Memories, so expect a blurb on them in a week or so. What new shows have you guys been picking up?

Nahu’s week in review

This week was crammed with exams and work so I didnt have much time for…
well, anything else. I managed to do some practice on Pangya Season 3 and
watch a couple of episodes of Gurren-Lagann, the series continues to amaze. So, the
same as the last few weeks. Sweet Eris! I need more free time. I’ll try
harder next week, just for you guys.

So what have you guys been up to? What shows are you starting to follow this season? What game has been getting your thumbs twitching? Let everyone know in the comments!

The week in review is a feature here on Dark Diamond where we writers and readers share what we did this past week, what anime did you see, what game did you play and even what fictional character did you fantasize about at night.

J’s week in review:

Whilst many Xbox 360 gamers worldwide have been having spastic orgasms over Halo 3, I’ve been in  full on coach potato mode catching up on Japanese dramas. I’m a sucker for ‘em and I’ve got a huge back log of about five that I need to finish watching. I decided to start off with First kiss. A couple of months ago it debuted, occupying the Monday evening golden hour slot. This was hotly tipped to be the hottest drama and be all kinds of amazing. I decided to check it out because I liked the cast. Inoue Mao was great in Hana Yori Dango and I love any role Gekidan Hitori or Abe Sadao play. 2 episodes in and I thought it was a pile of shit. Boring, silly, with being able to see plot devices coming a mile off. I decided not to bother with it. But recently I had this small, teeny weeny urge to actually give it a chance, so I watched episodes 3 to 6 and surprisingly it is getting a bit better. Tolerable at least. In all honesty a lot of these J-dramas are exactly the same. The same plots, the same setup, with 2 cast members starring in one drama and then appearing again in lots of others. But what can I say. I’m a sucker for ‘em! Hopefully next week I’ll actually have some new games to play.

Jon’s week in review:
Finished the fight a few days ago on “Normal”. Both difficulties, Heroic and Legendary, were a little too insane for my taste. Snipers which headshot you every time you’re out in the open? More reasons to fear the dude with the hammer? I definitely need more practice on this (on multiplayer, that is). For the rest of my rambling on Halo 3, click on away! Managed to sneak in a few plays of Wild Arms 5.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing new happening on the anime side: just a bit of Robot Chicken and Family Guy. If any one of you get a chance, go get Superman Doomsday. Great retelling of the famous Death & Return arc back in the early 90s, with “sonic-boom-esque” fight scenes and a chilling take on everybody’s favorite evil businessman. No, not Geese Howard, Lex Luthor.

tskiller’s week in review:
Another slow week due to the wonders of college, but i did get some time with the wonderful half life 2 mod, fortress forever. Good stuff. Grenades going everywhere, people flying all over the screen, spies killing you when you least expect it, (which results in the team opening fire on their own people, quite entertaining) and flags being capped. As far as anime, again a skimpy week, but i did get to see the end of Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann. Quite the ride. I’ll be looking forward to Shakugan No Shana 2, Genshiken 2, and Clannad this fall.

Nahu’s week in review:
Oh man last week killed me, so many exams, so little time. This week is looking no different, sadly. However, I managed to get in a few more coop games of Mechwarrior 4, played the Pangya S3 beta which is looking pretty sweet  but I still suck just as hard. Loligolf is certainly the perfect casual MMO.

I didn’t manage to see any anime or tv but I did find time to browse over 160 pages of clothing online, yay for priorities! Also, no pictures for those writers who didn’t send in one this week, that’s how I roll.

So tell us, how was your week? We’d love to know, cya in the comments!

The week in review is a feature here on Dark Diamond where we writers and readers share what we did this past week, what anime did you see, what game did you play and even what fictional character did you fantasize about at night.

Jon Leo’s week in review:

I’ve definitely been busy with Atlus’ gem of the year: Persona 3. High school drama, dating the spectacled cutie from the Student Council, killing demons left and right in a psychedelic jumble of a tower: all in a day’s work of a student. Also got started with Wild Arms 5, which retained its Cyber-Western motif after the last installment’s shake-up. Still loving that country-esque town music.
In honor of the anime version of Top Cow’s most exploited franchise (the Witchblade series), I pay tribute to a recent addition to an elite group known as “MILFs of Anime”:

Screw the Witchblade henshin and the actual show, Masane can mother me any way she wants.

J’s week in review:

Pretty boring on the J front. Not much gaming going on at my end, which is probably down to living in the UK and having to wait 6 months for good games after they release in North America. Thankfully my gaming needs have been satisfied by Streets of rage 2. I was adamant that I would not spend a single penny on Virtual console games because they’re too overpriced. But I had to give up and see sense that some games are worth every penny and Streets of rage 2 is one of those games. It’s as addictive and as fun as ever and also cements the fact that Blaze was the finest female character Sega ever created. Way hotter than that brain dead Sarah bitch from Virtua Fighter. I’ve also been listening to a fair bit of J-Pop. I bought Hikaru Utada’s fourth studio album “Ultra blue” last year, but never really listened to it properly and thought it was pretty boring aside from 3 tracks. I had this sudden urge to listen to it over the weekend and found myself falling in love with it. Why did it take me a whole year to realize this album was actually really good?! The lesson to be learned here? Old stuff rocks. *shrugs* Or something like that.

tskiller’s week in review:

Well, unfortunately I did not get to much of my gaming/anime this week due to my western music history exam. What I DID get to was a bit of halo 3 and Eternal Sonata. Eternal sonata looks beautiful, but the beginning is a bit….slow for my taste so I didn’t play as much as i would have liked. I did get manage to beat halo 3, and it was a solid gaming experience. Not the end all be all game that every major review site seems to claim it is, but I’m glad I was able to play it. Thank goodness for broken street dates! As for anime, im currently finishing up Diebuster, and enjoying every minute, every second of Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann. I can’t remember a show I have had as much fun watching as this one. Everyone must drop what they are doing and watch it, it is that good.

Nahu’s week in review:

I finally got around to watching Gurren Lagann and I must agree with tskiller, this is one of the most manly and awesome series in a long time. Sure its a shonen series, predictable and whatnot but its still a series that will fan the ol’ flame in the heart. Besides that I finally managed to play Mechwarrior 4 with tskiller, managed to block many of his shots and generally make co-op lousy for him, fun times.

There are plans to start playing loligolf (pangya season 3, Albatross 18 s3) with my old guild. Pangya is always a fun game even when you suck. Also have been working on some behind-the-scenes stuff for you guys which I sincerely hope you will enjoy once its done.

So tell us, how was your week? We’d love to know, cya in the comments!

Welcome to the second edition of tuesday-tans where we feature a different -tan character each week. Last week we had a look at console tans by featuring Wii-tan. This week we will enter the world of OS-tans, the characters that started it all and as you have probably deducted by the picture, this week’s character is none other than XP-tan.

Actually there are three XP-tans based on different editions of Windows XP. There’s XP Pro-tan wich is the standard and the one featured here XP Home Edition and also Media Center Edition. XP-tan, being quite the bloated OS and a memory hog by excellence, is very well endowed. Actually breast size often represents the memory usage of the OS. She’s often wearing a blue schoolgirl uniform, but quite frankly, I much prefer this ‘little black dress’ edition up there. Now on to some pictures, including a special Xmas outfit!

Come back next week for another dose of Tuesday-Tans. Have something to say? Want a special character featured? Let us know in the comments!

Tuesday has come and that means its time for the debut of our new weekly feature Tuesday-Tans. This time starting with one of the newest Console-tans, Wii-tan.

Wii-tan is most commonly depicted as a small child, she’s supposed to be of a very happy-go-Lucky attitude, often seen with a Wiimote and nunchuk in her head and other times hanging out with Wiimote-tan and Nunchuk-tan. PS3-tan is constantly teasing her for her supposed immaturity while 360-tan helps her out every once in a while. The Internet has yet to settle on a definitive design for Wii-tan.

Here we go again with another Otaku music bit (sheesh, this needs a better name). This weekend we have for you the opening song from Death Note. Here you go, The World performed by Nightmare. They are dark, a little goth, a little visual rock and a whole lot of cliche.

I do not dig that makeup, I do not dig it at all.