Pojo's Friday News Page
September 16th - 2005

Convention season's not over yet for Fullmetal Alchemist TCG

The summer may be over, but the convention season is still heating up, as JoyRide Entertainment brings its smash hit, Fullmetal Alchemist(tm) TCG, to Anime Weekend Atlanta and Wizard World Boston in October and Wizard World Texas in November! A full slate of tournament events for FMA TCG is planned at both Wizard World shows, including the hugely popular Alchemist Testing Grounds tournament! In an Alchemist Testing Grounds event, a player can win an exclusive FMA TCG letterman's jacket and earn immortality as an Official Alchemist. Regular constructed events and entry-level sealed deck events are also planned for both Wizard World shows.

For the non-tournament player, there's still plenty to do at each show! Come learn to play the Fullmetal Alchemist TCG at the FUNimation booth; everyone who learns to play FMA TCG will get a free booster pack. Want more free stuff? Just stop by the tournament area or the FUNimation booth and get a copy of the exclusive Edward Elric, The Fullmetal Alchemist promo card. Want to take on one of the game's creators? Trevor "Maes Hughes" McGregor will be at both Wizard World shows and Jason "Alphonse Elric" Winter will be at Anime Weekend Atlanta, taking on all comers in "gunslinging" matches. Beat Trevor or Jason to win a copy of the hard-to-get Gunslinging card. And even if you don't feel up to the challenge (or don't want to embarrass them), you can get Trevor's or Jason's exclusive staff card, just by asking!

Here is the tournament schedule:

Wizard World Boston
September 30-October 2
Bayside Expo Center
Boston, Mass.
Special Guest: Trevor "Maes Hughes" McGregor

Friday, September 30
2:00 p.m.: Sealed Deck Tournament - $10.00
All players get a random starter and three booster packs

Saturday, October 1
12:00 p.m.: Alchemist Testing Grounds Tournament - Free
Players must bring a constructed deck

3:00 p.m. Sealed Deck Tournament - $10.00
All players get a random starter and three booster packs

Sunday, October 2
11:00 a.m.: Constructed Deck tournament - Free
Players must bring a constructed deck

12:00 p.m.: Sealed Deck Tournament - $10.00
All players get a random starter and three booster packs

Wizard World Texas
November 4-6
Arlington Convention Center
Arlington, Texas
Special Guest: Trevor "Maes Hughes" McGregor

Friday, November 4
2:00 p.m.: Sealed Deck Tournament - $10.00
All players get a random starter and three booster packs

Saturday, November 5
12:00 p.m.: Alchemist Testing Grounds Tournament - Free
Players must bring a constructed deck

3:00 p.m.: Sealed Deck Tournament - $10.00
All players get a random starter and three booster packs

Sunday, November 6
11:00 a.m.: Constructed Deck tournament - Free
Players must bring a constructed deck

12:00 p.m.: Sealed Deck Tournament - $10.00
All players get a random starter and three booster packs

And don't miss out on the fun at:

Anime Weekend Atlanta
Sept. 23-25
Renaissance Waverly Hotel and Cobb Galleria Center
Atlanta, Ga.
Special Guest: Jason "Alphonse Elric" Winter

It'll be a blast!

Based on the top-rated anime series on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, the Fullmetal Alchemist TCG released in August with a 240-card Premier Edition base set. The first expansion set, Blood & Water, releases Nov. 9 and adds 110 cards to the game. It includes a full parallel foil set and a subset of chase cards printed on clear plastic. The game is supported with tournaments, a web site, and a dedicated volunteer corps. For more information, visit http://www.fma-tcg.com or contact jlwinter@rc2corp.com.

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance for Xbox

"We are excited to bring the thrilling gaming experience of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance to Xbox gamers," stated Feargus Urquhart, president of Black Isle Studios. "We've taken full advantage of the graphical realism the Xbox provides, and believe Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance will be a unique asset to the system."

Faithful adaptation of the new 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons rules set, customizable player and character development allow for a gameplay experience new to the Xbox audience. FullStory

Duel Masters on the Playstation 2 explained

Duel Masters is an exciting game of deep strategy and intense action! The game is based on the extremely popular collectable card game (CCG) from Wizards of the Coast, the creators of Magic: The Gathering. Duel Masters marks the first time that gamers can experience Kaijudo dueling on the Playstation 2. With 139 amazing creatures and spells from the CCG, Duel Masters sets itself apart with amazing 3D creature combat, the unprecedented Extreme Mode, and more!

Now IGN Guides will show you how to get started in the world of Duel Masters and become a true Kaijudo Masters. We have also included basic tips and rules, character bios, a full walkthrough of Story Mode, a complete list of all 139 cards in the game, and more. Good luck! FullStory

DIPLOMACY for the PC platform

"When we set out to make DIPLOMACY, our ambition was to create a PC game that kept the look and spirit of the original board game, and we have certainly achieved that," says Fredrik Lindgren, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Paradox Interactive. "The game has entertainment value for newcomers and veterans alike and we are very eager to introduce DIPLOMACY to a wider audience." FullStory

Review: Shaman King: Master of Spirits

Taking the exact engine from the Game Boy Advance entries of the Castlevania series, Shaman King: Master of Spirits brings with it fantastic platform gameplay and then ruins it all with a ridiculous stage progressions system. The great feel of the action, intriguing magic system, and beautiful graphics almost make it for it. They're enough to keep you going in the start, but not enough to keep moving to the end. FullStory

RECALL: Sony will replace PS2 part free

If your PlayStation 2 was among the nearly 1 million units whose power cords were recalled this week because of a chance they could catch fire, you can get a replacement for free. Sony estimates about 960,000 power adapters in the United States and Canada are included in the replacement program.

According to Sony and the Consumer Products Safety Commission, there have been 38 reports of overheating adapters, including four that included minor property damage, two reports of minor burns and one report of a static shock. FullStory

Global multiplayer gaming a reality as Sony partners with IGN

Developers creating games for Sony's PSP handheld will now be able to use IGN Entertainment's Gamespy technology to create sophisticated online multiplayer features.

Already implemented in hundreds of PC and PS2 titles, Gamespy tools will enable developers to enhance the online capabilities of the PSP within their games. Utilising Wi-Fi connectivity, players will be able to find and compete with gamers around the world, engage in multiplayer tournaments and attain rankings on global leader boards in a similar fashion to connected PC and games consoles. FullStory

World Series of Poker pairs with retail

Activision joins virtual poker market with budget-priced game for Xbox and PS2; GameCube, PSP, and PC ante up later this month.

When amateur card player Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 World Series of Poker, which was covered extensively by ESPN, every Joe Blow and Jane Doe had dollar signs in his or her eyes. The poker explosion made its biggest leap online, where some college freshmen raked in six figures rather than write papers for their Psychology 101 classes. FullStory

Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks goes gold

The new PS2 and Xbox spin-off of Midway's long-running series knocks down the factory door.
Since 1992, the Mortal Kombat franchise has treated console owners and arcade-goers to countless hours of bone-crunching, spine-ripping action. But despite its age, the series is showing no signs of pulling any punches. FullStory

Game Boy Micro due on Sept. 19

Game Boy Micro out now? Didn't we need this about 2 years ago? I guess for the casual gamer it's easy to carry around.

Nintendo Co.'s new mobile
phone-sized game console,
Game Boy Micro, attracted
better-than-expected orders
on its debut on Tuesday,
though less than Game
Boy Advance SP had done,
retailers said. FullStory

Pokemon The First Movie

In typical Jurassic Park fashion, a group of scientists have successfully brought back an extinct Pokemon (Mew) by engineering it from DNA. However, not willing to leave well enough alone, they also made it super-intelligent and ultra-strong. Angered at being merely a test subject, Mew-two (creative!) breaks out and engineers his own ultra-powerful Pokemon... And when Ash and company are invited to a tournament, they try to stop him from taking over the world. FullStory

Fads, fame lose their cool in fragmenting sub-teen market

Kids are no longer swarming to one trend, toy or celebrity, but are fragmenting into different groups with diverging interests, according to new research.

The study also found that children, in particular boys, aged eight to 12, are "obsessed" with money and entrepreneurship.

Nicole Sheffield, publisher of youth titles at Pacific Publications, such as Girlfriend and K-Zone, said it was getting harder for publishers and advertisers to home in on one thing that would attract kids of that age. FullStory

Pokemon Ruby Complete List of Secret Bases. Source

There’s a new force in town. A modern spinning top called Beyblade

Ludhiana, India: Move over Pokemon, Beyblades are here. ‘‘Everyone has one at school and we even bring our Beyblades to class and play with them quietly,’’ says nine-year- old Arshan Maloo about his favourite new toy—a spinning top with embedded beasts such as dragons, bears and monkeys in the bits or ridges.

‘‘It’s like Pokemon, except you fight with Beyblades instead of Pokemon,’’ explains 10-year-old Anosh Paghadiwala. Beyblades are spinning fighter tops, where the player knocks out his opponents’ blade. It is composed of several different parts that are fitted together and either spun like tops or launched from shooters. FullStory

The fourth instalment of the Final Fantasy series is making its way to the GBA.

Nintendo has announced that the fourth game in the massively popular Final Fantasy series will be released for the GBA on December 12th in North America. The game will be published by Nintendo themselves and will feature over 30 hours of gameplay. Final Fantasy IV features 18 towns and castles, dozens of magic spells and hundreds of monsters. FullStory

Nights Of War Songs

KyrcStudios a new born team from veterans in the handheld industry, based in Palermo, Italy, has been working during 2005 on Nintendo DS technology and new game concepts development.

They are focusing especially on the development of a game that wants to exploit all the innovative features of this exciting new console, and spending a lot of efforts on a proprietary concept, named Nights of War Songs. FullStory

Mario Superstar Baseball

This week's Critical Reception, a regular column that looks at how the gaming press has received a particularly notable recently released game, focuses on the new release of the Namco co-developed and Nintendo-published GameCube arcade sports title Mario Superstar Baseball. FullStory

Super Monkey Ball for Nintendo DS.

The game will feature 100 levels of Monkey-balancing glory and five completely new minigames, all designed specifically for the DS. As well as a combat-Pong game, in which players draw a fresh bat for each return, you have blowing races and, erm, some other stuff we’ve not quite uncovered. FullStory

Nintendo DS version of Animal Crossing will now be known as Animal Crossing: Wild World.

Wild World in the sequel to the 2003 GameCube outing of Animal Crossing, where you were simply an animal who interacted with neighbours and went about your everyday life. We're not sure why the DS version has been given the title 'Wild World', but Nintendo must have its reasons. Animal Crossing: Wild World will be one of the first DS titles to support wireless internet play for multiplayer action, or should that be multiplayer living? FullStory

DragonBall GT: Final Bout

Vintage Dragon Ball Action! First released in limited quantities in 1997, Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout, is back to honor the enormous popularity of the Dragon Ball animated series. FullStory

Comics serious stuff

Getting kids away from TV, video games and computer screens and into the library is not an easy job.

But librarians have a secret weapon: Comics.

Around the nation and throughout the Phoenix Public Library system, branches are luring in teens with workshops on anime and manga, a popular style of animation and comics that originated in Japan. FullStory