Anime and Video Games

While not all gamers watch anime, these two entertainment mediums often collide; classic animes like Naruto have popular video games made around their stories, and some games become popular enough to spawn their own anime. This week, fans of both meduims were given a lot to look forward to in the coming year. The first episodes of two popular video game franchises, Final Fantasy and Ace attorney, both aired this last week, and to top it all off, beta testers of the Pokémon Go game released exclusive pictures and comments regarding the game, spawning more rumors and excitement. 

Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV

Final Fantasy XV (FFXV) is a long awaited game from the Final Fantasy franchise. It has been almost ten years since the developers began making FF XV, and the game still isn't set to release until September 30, 2016. To keep their fanbase interested, Square Enix has teamed up with A-1 pictures to create a five episode series titled Brotherhood:Final Fantasy XV. 

According the The Verge, these episodes are meant to create backstory for the game's demo (another pre-release hype builder), explaining some of the characters' history and relationships. The first episode aired March 30 on YouTube where people can watch it for free, regardless of if they have prepurchased the game or any of the pre-release content. The remaining episodes will also be released on YouTube for free public viewing. While I cannot say much about the story (I am not all that familiar with the Final Fantasy narrative), the anime is visually stunning and worth taking a look at if you are a fan of the franchise. 

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

Image source: https://goo.gl/e7FPCv

Another video game inspired anime, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, aired yesterday on Crunchyroll. This franchise, though maybe not as popular as Final Fantasy, is big within it's genre. Ace Attorney is a visual novel video game in which one role plays as defense attorney, working their way through various cases. This game has a devoted fan base, sparking parodies, music videos, memes, and all other sorts of Internet content. Even other popular anime shows such as RWBY and No Game No Life pay homage to the ace attorney himself, Phoenix Wright. 

According to an announcement from Capcom, the developers behind Ace Attorney say the show will revisit some of the early cases from the game series, following the same main characters that fans have grown to love. Unfortunately, if viewers want to see the show they must have a Crunchyroll membership. But since the site is one of the largest legitimate anime streaming sites, the membership is well worth it. The show will air at 4 p.m. every Saturday and be available for streaming after. 

Pokemon Go

Image source: https://goo.gl/2d6jNR

Last but not least, the mobile game Pokémon Go, part of the franchise that has created both successful games and an anime series, entered into the testing stage in Japan at the end of March. Pokémon is a name well know by gamers and anime watchers alike, and both mediums can stand on their own when it comes to popularity. However, Pokémon Go deviates from the standard game design of its predecessors and brings Pokémon out into the real world on a new platform. With their mobile phones, players must step outside to find and capture Pokémon assigned to specific geographical locations. Aside from trading, the only way to gain Pokémon is to actually go out and find them. According to Niantic, the game's developer, the location of the Pokémon will also be specific to the Pokémon type, adding another dimension to an already intriguing game concept. 

While there is still no official release date, some of the testers the March tests have leaked information on the game. Those who have delved into the game's files suggest that there will be 151 Pokémon in the game, all part of the first generation of Pokémon. They also claim that there will be 232 combat moves in total for players to choose from and build a strategy. Aside from the Pokémon being specific to different locations, they might also only appear at specific times during the day. As for the character of the player, he/she will be level based, with level 50 being the current reported cap. Of course, all of this leaked information remains speculation until the release, but these leaks and more have been summarized on IGN and collected in more depth on Reddit for those interested in getting a potential head start.