Dark Diamond

Fire Hose Powered Toilet? I Don’t Think So, Tim

Ivan 'Nahu' Lozano — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:07:16 +0000

What happens when you mix one part Mythbusters, one part Home Improvement and two parts Japanese love for toilets? You get something like this. A typical Japanese toilet with a bidet wash system gets ‘enhanced’ with the power of a fire truck’s water hose. The ridiculously awesome contraption manages to get a fully weighted mannequin flying nearly 14 meters. More importantly though, the mannequin was as clean and refreshed as he’ll ever feel.

[Japan Probe]

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Ex-Salarywoman Turns Street Cheerleader

Ivan 'Nahu' Lozano — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:08:13 +0000

They say those who can’t, teach. Well apparently in Japan those who can’t… cheer. Japan Probe brings us this video of a woman who stands outside of Shinjuku station in Tokyo and cheers salarymen as they pass by. She’s even got the Cheerleader outfit and choreography and even a boom box. Apparently she once was in the ranks of corporate Japan but had to quit her job. So out of the outmost respect for those who can still run the rat race she sheers them on.

Really makes you think why did she had to quit her job.Also, what the hell? How does she get away with doing this? Does Japan have some sort of amazing unemployment benefits program or something?

[Japan Probe]

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Baby Chocobo Sings Its Own Theme

Ivan 'Nahu' Lozano — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 11:54:48 +0000

This is a couple of years old but still quite good. Fan made music videos usually feature the fans themselves playing the music, this time, it’s different. Here’s a cockatiel named Kame-chan who can sing a couple of videogame tunes. Up above is its rendition of the Chocobo theme and there’s also the Final Fantasy Fanfare and Saria’s theme from Ocarina of Time. It’s no time shifting bird, but it is quite something.

[Boing Boing]

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Portal 2 Officially Announced, Cake Still A Lie

Ivan 'Nahu' Lozano — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:03:50 +0000

It seems Valve has decided to make 2010 their year. Being one of the slowest moving developers out there they have in the very same month announced Steam for Macs and… as you might have heard today: Valve finally officially announced Portal 2 today. They ran a whole ARG this past week with updates to the game featuring hidden radio transmissions, encoded images and Morse code. Then they went ahead and updated the ending sequence of the game (which you can see after the jump).

Basically it all hints at Chell, the protagonist from the first game, being retrieved by Aperture Science and apparently the old rumors of the sequel having Aperture Science’s dead founder as the devious AI are true. What we do know is that all through this month a lot more information about the game will be released, that it will feature two campaigns, one for single player and one for co-op, that it will feature natural areas besides sterile labs and that the game will most likely be released this October.

That’s right boys, only 7 more months until we’re thinking with portals, once again. That’s already two big announcements for Valve and one must wonder if they’ll be going for the hat-trick… Yes, I’m talking about Episode 3 Valve, not going to be subtle this time. Where is my Episode 3, Gabe Newell?!

(...)
Read the rest of Portal 2 Officially Announced, Cake Still A Lie (3 words)

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New Fist of the North Star Gameplay Trailer Will Beat You Senseless

David 'KidKobun' Bruno — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:03:25 +0000

KOEI, widely known for their free-roaming, button mashing, hack n’ slash titles has just released a new trailer for the upcoming Fist of the North Star title slated to hit Asian markets on both the PS3 and Xbox 360 later this year. Similar to what you would find in games like Dynasty Warriors or Kingdom Under Fire, KOEI’s Fist of the North Star is all about mowing down wave after wave of baddies in an unrelenting and brutal manner.

While any plans to release the title in North America has yet to be determined, one thing is for certain: this one is sure to melt the face buttons off of your controller.

[KOEI Youtube Channel]

© KidKobun for Dark Diamond, 2010. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: button mahsing , Fist of the North Star , hack-n-slash , KOEI , PS3 , Xbox-360

button mahsing, Fist of the North Star, hack-n-slash, KOEI, PS3, Xbox-360

Steam For Mac All But Confirmed

Ivan 'Nahu' Lozano — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:41:57 +0000

Holy mother of game-changing industry news, Batman! Today Valve released a group of images all over the web depicting Valve characters in unmistakable Apple style. From trendy turrets to L4D’s Francis hating different. There’s even a mock of Apple’s iconic 1984 super bowl ad. If Steam comes to the Mac it’s a given not every title in it’s current library will be ported but even if only Valve’s games make it to the Mac, it will forever change the outlook of the OS-wars. For many years gamers have pretty much stayed away from Macs precisely because of the lack of games.

And well, with the iPhone’s growing popularity as a mobile gaming platform, it’s no wonder Valve wanted to go ahead and get in on the neglected Mac gamer market. What do you say guys? Would more games on the Mac convince you to switch over? Let us know!

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And Now For Something Completly Unrelated…Part Two

Ivan 'Nahu' Lozano — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:13:37 +0000

I’m so sick staring at the monitor light hurts my eyes like a thousand suns. So enjoy creepy russian singing man!

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Teaser Trailer For Ghibli’s New Film: The Borrowers

Ivan 'Nahu' Lozano — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 06:40:03 +0000

So, Disney will be doing a bit of butchering with this just like with any of the other Ghilbli films but that’s ok. It’s not like you were going to watch it in theaters, where you? This is The Borrowers, Ghibli’s upcoming story about little people who live under the floorboards of a house. If this sounds familiar it’s because it’s based on a 50’s novel and since then its elements have been used in many other stories. The film is scheduled for this summer and even at 53 seconds long the teaser already promises the amazing animation and art that we’ve come to expect from Ghibli. Oh, did I mention Miyazaki isn’t directing this? Woah!

[Japan Probe]

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In Case You Missed It: The Month In Review – February

Sol — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:59:57 +0000

February can be a mixed bag for lovers and haters alike. This month gave us the annual visit of St. Valentine, the 2010 Winter Olympics (go Team America!), retro gaming on a multitude of devices, and new developments of our favorite anime film projects.

It also gave us a chance to try out some tweaks to DarkDiamond. Nahu’s been working hard getting our DDN Radio live. Check out our library as it’s growing daily. Send recommendations through our contact form, our Facebook fan page or right here in the comments. We also plan on bringing back DDN movie night, so get your recommendations in for a group vote.

And without further ado we bring you the most talked about posts of February 2010:

Akihabara Majokko Princess Music Video Finally Out
As good otaku as we are, we tried to pick out each game, area, and cultural meme we knew. Sadly we still have a ways to go Julia Heckrotte corrects us: Excuse me sir that is not idolm@ster -3-

Open Post: Tell Us Your Naughty Weekend Secrets
Thinking we’d get juicy details of a night of debauchery, we left it open for you to regale us with your weekend secrets. Kuroneko recalls: got sick.. and formatted my pc… installing software… made some awesome hot dogs for myself…had a beer… still sick…. I think we all have a way to go to make things exciting.

It’s The Goomba Stoppin’ Mushroom Poppin’ Super Mario Land Rap
Giving us a bout of nostalgia, fanmade Super Mario Land Rap had us searching for this classic ROM. Desfunk says: It’s like Mario 2… another Mario game that just didn’t feel like a Mario game.

Oddly enough, that video ROCKED! And i don’t think i ever beat that game as a kid. So i had NO CLUE they [*SPOILER*] in the end :p

In The Wild: Mega Man Wants To Sell You A Cell Phone
We’ve seen our share of co-branded electronics paired with videogames, but how about a blatant ripoff of a well established icon? X-Pipes shouts: 60 minutes for calls and 5 text messages??? What kind of bullshit plan is that…

Battle Angel Alita Postponed After Next Avatar Movie Or Hell Freezes Over, Whichever Comes First
Our hopes have been dashed again. After news Cameron was looking into making Battle Angel Alita in to a big screen production we squealed with excitement, then news came it might be made after Avatar 2. Jashugan laments: soooooooooooooo disappointing… T_____T

Monthly-Review, Wrap-up

Sound test Saturday: Final Fantasy XIII – Light (Lightning’s theme)

Random J — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 01:52:38 +0000

With Masashi Hamauzu having departed from Square Enix, it’s a bloody good thing he left a good swan song in the form of Final Fantasy XIII’s soundtrack. Sure, it’s not as memorable as Final Fantasy VI or VII’s soundtrack. But it’s solid. Contary to popular belief; Uematsu is no the only man on planet Earth who can deliver a solid Final Fantasy soundtrack, and Masashi has done a pretty good job from what I’ve heard of XIII’s so far. But my favourite piece (aside from the awesome battle theme) is one of the character themes.

As is customary for Final Fantasy, each of the main characters has their own theme song. And whilst Final Fantasy XIII doesn’t have a collection of themes as memorable and as iconic as those from Final Fantasy VII. XIII’s leading lady has a pretty damn good one. It’s great from the word go. The piano, the strings, the mood, everything. But once the melody from the battle theme kicks in, it’s just plain awesome.

It’s not the kind of theme you would expect a character like Lightning to have, going on early impressions of her doing nothing but laying smack downs and shooting people in the face. But from what we now know of her character, it sums her up really well.

Listen: Light (Lightning’s theme)

Composed by Masashi Hamauzu
Final Fantasy XIII
© 2008, 2009 Square Enix

© Random J for Dark Diamond, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: BGM , Final-Fantasy , Final-Fantasy-XIII , Music , RPG , Square-Enix , VGM , Video-Games

BGM, Final-Fantasy, Final-Fantasy-XIII, Music, RPG, Square-Enix, VGM, Video-Games

DSi Cameras Finally Find Purpose… Inside A Minigame

Ivan 'Nahu' Lozano — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 07:39:59 +0000

So many months after the DSi was released and her it is, finally! This is what the extra camera on the DS is for! It’s a very basic principle, and one we saw with that hacked Wiimote video back in 2006, but still, watching 3D respond to your movements is very realistic to our brains. The not so good news? This is only for a small minigame, inside a rather obscure game only to be released on Japan.

[Boing Boing]

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Man Throwing Sushi Amazes Japan, Kills Journalism

Ivan 'Nahu' Lozano — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:14:51 +0000

While I cannot understand why this is supposed to be so amazing apparently throwing sushi 4 meters into the air is some sort of impressive feat in Japan and deserves a full 4 minute TV segment. It’s weird though, because as inane as I find this… I cant stop watching and I cant stop rooting for that old man and his flying rice.

At least it’s better than the dog and the bird, right?

[Japan Probe]

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Hello, is This Thing On? DDN Radio Is Live!

Ivan 'Nahu' Lozano — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:42:27 +0000

Very well, a few of you noticed it yesterday but now it’s official. DDN Radio is live! Head to the sidebar and you’ll see it there. You can listen in through our flash player or through your media player of choice. We’re just starting but you can already tune in and listen to an eclectic mix of anime and videogame music. The library is growing daily so feel free to send recommendations through our contact form, our Facebook fan page or right here in the comments.

We’ve already got a few DJ’s lined up to do live shows every now and then, if you have a love for good otaku music and would like to spin some tracks on the station feel free to contact us as well. This also marks the comeback of the Movie Nights, which you should be on the lookout for very soon! Go listen to some tunes and let us know what you think… before the record industry sues us to oblivion!

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Glorious Return: Vampire Hunter D Gets Live Action Movie, New Series

Ivan 'Nahu' Lozano — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:43:35 +0000

And yet another Live Action anime adaptation is on the way… but hold on! For once, this isn’t from Hollywood! We’re going back to Japan where the cheesy live action reigns supreme! Hideyuki Kikuichi, the man behind Vampire Hunter D, is planning to bring the most badass vampire hunter ever to the big screen. And not only that, he’s planning on a new Vampire Hunter D anime series.

If you’ve watched Vampire Hunter D before, then I really don’t need to say anymore; you’re already giggling like a schoolgirl. If you haven’t seen it then you owe it to yourself to witness the most intense and fearless man ever to appear in anime. Hellsing’s Alucard is partly inspired by D’s personality and that awful Van Helsing movie from a few years ago was visual a near rip-off of Vampire Hunter D. Now we get the real thing, D. We could be seeing D on the big screen as soon as next year. So yeah, that’s why I’m giggling like a schoolgirl. What do you say? The skirt I’m wearing? Oh… I… I can’t explain that.

P.S.: There’s a new toy on the site, let’s see if you can find it before we announce it

[ANN]

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Too Rich For Our Blood: D&D On The Microsoft Surface

Ivan 'Nahu' Lozano — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:43:55 +0000

File this under oh, that’s cool, I’ll drive my flying car to your house and we can play because you wont be seeing anything this advanced in real life for a good 3 years (…which is when we’ll have flying cars). Give a group of Carnegie Mellon University students access to a Microsoft Surface display and after a few months you’ll get this, a half-playable concept for a multi-touch table version of Dungeons and Dragons. It even recognizes figurines as characters and the user interface is pretty polished for a concept. Give these guys a small budget and a few more months and you’ll have an awesome D&D platform… that will be too expensive for most of us and we’ll never get to use.

[Crunch Gear]

© Nahu for Dark Diamond, 2010. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: D&D , Tabletop Games , Videogames

D&D, Tabletop Games, Videogames