Click images for full-size.

The game will be released on October 1st along with the regular edition and will feature an accessory set that consists of a cellphone strap with a chainlink and an assortment of stamped tags with an image of each character.

The rest of the set contains a guidebook limited to pre-orders, soundtrack CD, short manga/artbook and custom sleeve.

The game is now available for pre-order from Play-Asia for $95 and can be purchased below. All PS3 games released on Blu-Ray are region free.

Pre-Order the Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Premium Box from Play-Asia

The following titles will be released during the Summer/Fall:

Code Geass R2 Part 1 in August in a regular and special edition with volume 4 of the concurrently available manga.

Gundam 00 Season 1 part 1 is due out July 21st and the special edition features the first manga volume and Gundam 00-F, neither of which will be released separately until a later date.

Lucky Star OVA (sub-only) is due out the first week of August at an MSRP of $14.98 with a few extras such as the Washinomiya Lucky Star Event and Lucky Channel interstitial series.

Hayate no Gotoku (sub-only) episodes 1-7 on July 21st for $39.98.

.hack//G.U. Trilogy (sub-only) is due out in August for an MSRP of $19.98. Extras include a “parody mode.”

True Tears is due this month as an Anime Legends collection.

sola is due in August in an Anime Legends complete collection.

FREEDOM DVD and the Eureka Seven Anime Legends set are both due out this month.

Following up, Bandai Visual subsidiary Lantis has announced an agreement with Bandai Namco to jointly distribute licensed music from its artist roster on the US and Canadian iTunes store. The first wave of artists include JAM Project, Aya Hirano, Minori Chihara, CooRie, Yozuca and Minami Kurabayaki with more to be added.

The releases will consist of a limited theatrical run for select locations in the US and Canada first announced in June, a screening during Anime Expo today which will premiere the English-language version, and the DVD release of the revised Eva 1.01 version of the film released in Japan last year slated for later this Fall.

Following the release of Eva 1.01, Funimation will release the next revision of Eva 1.0 in Eva 1.11 which is the first version released on Blu-Ray and the second DVD release of the film next Spring, which mirrors the Japanese release pattern.

Click read more for the dubbed trailer and the cast list below it.

Main Cast:

MISATO: Allison Keith-Shipp

SHINJI: Spike Spencer

RITSUKO: Colleen Clinkenbeard

IBUKI: Caitlin Glass

GENDO: John Swasey

REI: Brina Palencia

HYUUGA: Mike McFarland

FUYUTSUKI: Kent Williams

KENSUKE: Greg Ayres

TOJI: Justin Cook

AOBA: Phil Parsons

KIEL: Bill Jenkins

HIKARI: Leah Clark

KAWORU: Jerry Jewell

YUI: Stephanie Young

EVA: Mike McFarland

Incidental Voices:

Scott Freeman, Maeghan Albach, Charles Baker, Trina Nishimura, Wendy Powell, Carli Mosier, Bill Flynn, Duncan Brannan, John Burgmeier, Brian Mathis, Joel McDonald, Eric Vale, Chuck Huber, Scott Hinze, Juli Erickson, Kate Oxley, Alexis Tipton, Andy Mullins, Bob Carter, Johnny Bruce Lewis, Chris Burnett, Clarine Harp, Cynthia Cranz, Dana Schultes, Jasper Dutt, Jeff Johnson, Jonathan Osborne, Kristi Bingham, Kyle Hebert, Laura Bailey, Lydia Mackay, Mark Stoddard, Monica Rial, R Bruce Elliott, Sonny Strait

The forthcoming launch of the site will be Funimation’s second attempt to enter the niche social networking space after its aborted animeOnline social networking portal was first launched and shuttered in 2006, with the bespoke holding company citing staff reductions and issues with the then untested software platform.

Atlus Online members will be able to access selected anime programming for free from Crunchyroll, which currently includes the following series:

• Naruto Shippuden
• Gintama
• Eyeshield 21
• Dear Boys
• Shugo Chara
• Skip Beat
• Glass Mask
• Natsume Yujincho
• Saki
• Neo Angelique Abyss

More series are to be added on a regular basis.

Joost is going down the drain, and AnimeNews.biz is reporting what is going to happen with the technology…

Over on CentralGadget.com, we’re urging you to nab those Windows 7 early-upgrade discounts… as they’re running out.

Our deal site, CheapenGadget.com, has found Apple continuing their fire sale of MacBook Air refurbs. The newest entry in way-too-low-pricing for the ultracompact notebook is the GeForce 9400M-powered variety… for $1199.

And, on PhoneNews.com, LG finally gets on the iPhone-style updating train.

This development will lead to the video platform being made commercially available to media companies around the world at the expense of staff reductions and office closures, with the video portal continuing to operate for the time being.

Joost currently features licensed content from Funimation, Geneon, Dentsu, Viz Media, Gong, The Anime Network, and Anime News Network.

Director Atsushi Otsuki will direct the animators at Xebec on the new project with further information to be confirmed on the launch of the issue.

Kanokon was a surprise hit of the Spring 2008 season, with the romantic comedy known for its raunchy situational humor almost overshadowing the plot line about a young first-year high school student who moves from the country to the city and thus transfers to a new high school where two girls who are revealed to be personifications of a fox and wolf spirit vie for his romantic affection.

After reading both synopses, this will be the only time I can recommend the spoiler-filled version if only to fire up the imagination and imagine the action during some of the key events of the film.

Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance was released in Japan on Saturday, June 27th with a special EVA-Extra magazine promo in select theaters.

Attempts to access content from Fox, NBC, Funimation, and other content providers have been met with the “This video/content is not available on your platform” messages when attempting to stream programming from the site, with as yet no official explanation from Hulu.

Speculation has run high that the streaming service is actively looking to enforce the strict separation between TV and internet programming ever since the protracted cat and mouse game began with social streaming media platform boxee being blocked from direct Hulu access earlier this year.

Another salvo was fired when Hulu released a dedicated desktop client that was meant to drive away other third-party plugins that used workarounds for Hulu access.

While Hulu access on the PS3 left something to be desired in terms of reliability and usability, it was still the easiest plug and play method to enjoy Hulu without having to resort to the purchase of additional hardware or the need to install additional software as is the case with many other alternative access methods.

Story developing with followups as necessary