Adam Bruno

So, last weekend, I attended Anime LA over at the LAX Marriott. I got to see the AniMaid Cafe again (check them out, they’re awesome, and I interviewed them last year), as well as look at a bunch of big-eyed anime girls. What? Don’t judge me!

Anyway, as with nearly all anime conventions, they had some video games as well, though the biggest draw in that arena was Rock Band. Being the video game music junkie that I am, however, my favorite part of the convention was seeing The Spoony Bards live.

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Adam Bruno

Ah, good old Anime Expo. If you get what the above pic references, you probably hate me right about now, but that’s what I’m here for! Anyway, here’s the next batch of pics. If I can find enough for a third wave, I’ll make another post, for now, enjoy these.

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Nayan R.

The absolutely ludicrous title aside, I have a really hard time hating Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. Part of me wants to, not because of some nonsensical vendetta against FFIV’s canon, but more as a purveyor of value and of art, and an enemy of recycled, half-assed cash-ins. Alas, I am absolutely powerless against the scourge that is FFIV: The After Years. It’s simply awesome.

Set 17 years after the end of the events of Final Fantasy IV, the most interesting part of The After Years is its own development history. Developed by FFIII DS and FFIV DS veterans Matrix Software, the game was first developed for Japanese cell phones. The game was broken up into chapters, with the first being a free download, followed by subsequent chapters that were available for players to download after signing up for a subscription. For the benefit of the American audience, Matrix and Square-Enix decided to move the game, in all its parts, to the Nintendo Wii in the form of Wiiware downloads.

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