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Review: Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces photo

When I first heard about Innocent Aces, I scratched my head. It seemed like a bit of a strange title to turn into a flight sim, especially after hearing one of my writers over at Japanator discuss how the story is more about the characters and relationships than all the fighting. Still, when X-SEED put the game in my hands, I wasn't going to say no to tackling it.

After all, I tend to pick the really bad games to review.

But, I was sorely disappointed. Sky Crawlers turned out to be a rather skillfully put together title, especially for a flight sim on the Wii. I found myself so entranced by the game that I ended up running through it twice. So why not join me after the jump and check out what's probably the best flight sim on the Wii.

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  17 comments   latest by RenagadePanda:
"I picked up the movie on BD, I like it a lot. Once I heard the game was based on it, it became an instant purchase, which happened today. I'm on the 6th mission I think, liking it so far. The ..."...
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Best of the Network this week photo

Thanksgiving is over, and it's time to look back on the week in which we stuffed ourselves. Don't worry, I feel guilty too. In order to distract everyone from the eventual weight loss they're going to have to pursue, why not take a look at some of the best of this week's news from around the network?

At Destructoid, it's pretty obvious what the big stories and cool features have been this week -- the Assassin's Creed 2 review. Over at Japanator, we've kicked off our holiday shopping guide, with plenty of manga recommendations to help out your gift-giving endeavors. You should also be watching our video review of Evangelion 1.01. Tomopop has some nice goodies this week, but be sure to check out the ever-cute What Toys Are Up To column.

Destructoid

Japanator

Tomopop

Speaking of all this holiday gift guide stuff, if someone bought me this Tsugumi figure, I would love you forever. I want it so bad, but feel slightly dirty buying it myself.

 


  18 comments   latest by xdarkxwarriorx:
"@sapato how was that a gay analogy? whats gay about rpgs? are motorcycles gay? im pretty sure one of the village people wore a lot of leather, as do motorcycle riders. so i guess you have a poin..."...
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[Editor's note: We're not just a (rad) news site -- we also publish opinions/editorials from our community & employees like this one, though be aware it may not jive with the opinions of Destructoid as a whole, or how our moms raised us. Want to post your own article in response? Publish it now on our community blogs.]

We told you about the anime Princess Robot Bubblegum in GTA IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony, and Conrad was kind enough to record the entire thing so that we could take a moment to enjoy and discuss the piece. Clocking in at around 11 minutes, the show does what GTA has been known for in its more recent iterations: lampooning culture.

Except, in the case of Princess Robot Bubblegum, it's about fifteen years late. I really shouldn't mind, and it's not like this bothers me on the scale of Modern Warfare 2, but it's still ticked me off just a bit. Follow me after the jump so I can rant a bit.

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  151 comments   latest by TYFIGHTER:
"Oh please... are you really whining about a parody of anime, in GTA? Give me a break. I agree with Derek, you must really not know what GTA is about."...
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Seriously: Hideo Kojima judging a Twilight fanart contest photo

[Hot otaku news ripped straight from the headlines of Japanator]

You read that right. Hideo Kojima, the man behind Metal Gear Solid, along with Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, the character designer and manga creator for Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Ryuji Gotsubo, the illustrator for the Twilight novels in Japan, are judging what amounts to a fanart contest for Twilight.

In conjunction with the Japanese website pixiv -- essentially a Japanese deviantart -- users will submit their fanart for Twilight: New Moon, whereupon Kojima will give one winner an autographed copy of Metal Gear Solid 4, Sadamoto will give an art kit, and Gotsubo will give them an autographed copy of the first three Twilight books in Japan (it adds up to the first book in the US edition.)

If you're interested in checking out some of the submissions, here's a link to the search for "New Moon" as a tag on the website. The question that's floating around in my head is: why, Kojima? Do you just have this much free time, or are you really that big of a Twilight fan? And will this have an impact on your future games? I'm afraid you're going to rename Raiden "Edward."

[Image via pixiv user kakeru]


  51 comments   latest by The Amazing Shenazin:
"DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDJUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKE IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!!?????"...
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Why I can't support Modern Warfare 2 photo

[Editor's note: We're not just a (rad) news site -- we also publish opinions/editorials from our community & employees like this one, though be aware it may not jive with the opinions of Destructoid as a whole, or how our moms raised us. Want to post your own article in response? Publish it now on our community blogs.]

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has been in the headlines quite a bit recently, mainly concerning the leaked footage of the airport level. We've had varying levels of reactions go around here amongst the watercooler at Destructoid, and I've noticed a wide range of opinions in the comments as well.

The thing is, I just can't stand by Infinity Ward's decision on the scene.

Honestly, I get a horrible, unsettling feeling in my stomach when I think about the scene. I sat and watched it a few times over, and despite what explanations I've heard about the scene and Activision's statement on it, it just doesn't come across as something that "evoke the atrocities of terrorism," at least not in a way that it should.

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  371 comments   latest by Toby Davey:
"You have the option to skip the mission. You were given the option twice. If you're so sensitive to what you see in video games then you should have skipped. The mission was fine, it told part of..."...
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:: This week's Destructoid Contests (OMG!) ::
Win Dante's Inferno prizes by indulging in a sin!! Click here >>

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dTunes Editor's Week, day 4: Brad Rice photo

[dTunes is a community organized blog showcasing the musical tastes of Destructoid's users. For two weeks, the editorial team is commandeering the series because, hey, we like music too. To further expand your horizons, make sure to check out the dTunes blog.]

You've heard the musical tastes of Conrad, Topher and Rey, and now it's my turn to shine here on the editor's dTunes week! What, you're guessing it's going to be nothing but weeaboo music after the jump? You'd be surprised. Sure, I spend a lot of time writing about Japan, watching Japanese programming, and reading things in Japanese, but I have to take a break from all of that at times!

Ironically, the biggest expansion of my Western musical horizons came when I was in Japan. A bunch of my friends passed around an external harddrive, and we copied all our music onto it to pass around. It was a real blessing at times, because it helped to mitigate those feelings of homesickness that inevitably welled up late at night or after a hard day.

My musical tastes actually float in the range of rock and punk, having grown up on KROQ and WRAT radio stations in the New Jersey area. But, I decided to pass on posting about the likes of Streetlight Manifesto, Meat Loaf and Bon Jovi in order to highlight some things that I hope you haven't heard.

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  27 comments   latest by Occams electric toothbrush:
"The Pipettes....oh my that's lovely."...
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Preview: MX vs ATV Reflex photo

Recently THQ invited me out to sit down and play the final build of MX vs. ATV Reflex (Samit played an earlier build this year,) and while I was at it take a shot at helming both an MX bike and an ATV. I had a classmate back in high school who would do MX biking out on his farm because it was a nice, open area to build a whole course.

But then I got the location. Lot 16 of the Meadowlands Stadium.

A parking lot? Alright, I'll bite, I suppose. When I got there, I saw the track -- a ring of dirt piled up for a few hills with a couple of turns put into it. My first thought? Hamza nearly died getting that interview for Ride to Hell, while I'm actually going to die for this preview.

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  5 comments   latest by pbzn:
"Man... I would like to suggest the Developers to TRACK DOWN how many seconds a game demo keeps on someone console's HD... This REFLEX game, is a SHAME. Sorry to say. It's not acceptable to have a..."...
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Review: Cursed Mountain photo

Survival horror is quickly running out of places to go. The genre feels as though it has matured to the point where not a lot of innovation is going on. At least, until we heard about Cursed Mountain. Last month, I previewed it and was pretty excited: the premise behind it, moving survival horror controls to the Wii to make for a more intimate experience, sounded good.

Needless to say, I was pumped to rip into this one. Rescuing my brother from the undead in the Himalayas? Grab the climbing gear and magical pickaxe, and I'm more than ready to go. Set in the 1980s, a lot of the modern conveniences like cellphones and GPS devices aren't around, so it's all up to climbing instinct.

Cursed Mountain is taking a stab in a very different direction, so there's a lot of new ground to tread. Do they climb up to the top of the pile in the genre, or do they lose their footing along the way and fall short? There's only one way to find out: check out the full review after the jump!

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  33 comments   latest by Timmeh:
"@Jonathan Holmes I'm sorry, I just have serious trouble understanding why it is that there can be such massive discrepencies between initial impressions and the finished product. In the case I ..."...
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Daily Hotness: Can't stop these pirates photo

Turning off twitter is the only thing I can do to avoid hearing everyone talk about the great time they've been having at PAX. Well, watching through the entirety of the first season of Black Lagoon in one sitting helped too. See? I managed to work in the weeaboo stuff easily!

One of our top stories today was clearly Ready to Friday BioWare talking about how they deal with piracy. I'd have to agree, incentives like limited editions are probably one of the best ways to get people to buy their stuff. Atlus has been pushing that route hard with Demon's Soul, and I think it'll work well for them. Won't stop the Lagoon Trading Company, but it's not like much can.

The big story, though, is that the Japanese Prime Minister's wife is batshit insane. She eats the sun for nourishment. And she was abducted by aliens. You need to read it to believe it.

Destructoid Originals:
READY TO FRIDAY
Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin: Viva Pinata

Community:
The draw of exploration: Antarctica to Oblivion, Shackleton to Shadow Complex

Previews:
Dragon Age: Origins
The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition

Reviews:
Section 8

PAX 09:
PAX 09: Deathspank gameplay trailer has skeletons in it
PAX 09: Mass Effect 2 screens show characters, explosion
PAX 09: The Maw developer announces Comic Jumper

News:
The ESRB says Tomena Sanner is headed to the states
Magical Drop III headed for Wii with Data East collection
Kojima's studio 'doing a lot of experiments for Rising'
Captain Obvious: God of War: Collection is region-free
Gamer plans to smash GTA IV Guinness Record
Capcom backing off classic fighters for a bit
Bayonetta has a tender mouth
Cryptic Studios taking Star Trek Online beta applications
Gears 2 XP bonus weekend kicks off today
Study: Violent videogame ads the most memorable
Once-Splatterhouse developer Bottlerocket closes
BioShock 2 multiplayer video wants to Shock your Bios
Capcom announces Ghost Trick from Ace Attorney creator
Sony: PS3 will significantly outpace PS2
Contra ReBirth comes stateside to WiiWare on Monday
Lost Planet 2 demo beat RE5 demo in 24 hours
Square Enix announces Modern Warfare 2 in Japan
PS3 Modern Warfare 2 Presitge Edition sold out on Amazon
SexBox: new console for playing AO-rated games
Capcom cuts prices on iPhone games this weekend
BioWare won't justify Dragon Age Collector's Edition
Blur gets Twitter support
Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep official site launches
Electronic Arts sued over Fight Night Round 4
BioWare: Piracy is always a problem
LOTRO grows, 'Siege of Mirkwood' expansion announced
Street Fighter IV 50% off this weekend on Steam

Media:
New PAX-flavored RE:DC videos go for the Oscar
Okamiden gets small screenshots, tiny video
Left 4 Dead 2: Meet the Jockey
This week in Rock Band DLC: PAX music and stuff
The Secret World looks bloody amazing
90-second live-action ODST ad spot hits, is beautiful


  13 comments   latest by Torzelan:
"Booyah! Black Lagoon is :)"...
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Capcom announces Ghost Trick from Ace Attorney creator photo

With the Ace Attorney series largely behind us, where can we turn for quirky DS mystery titles? Well, why not stick with Takumi Shuu, the director of the series, for his new title Ghost Trick. Just announced by Capcom in the latest issue of Famitsu, the title is slated for a 2010 release, according to Canned Dogs.

The main character, Sissel, is dead. Somebody shot him. Yet his spirit has come back from the dead to try and solve the case! Equipped with special powers, the only problem is that he doesn't quite remember everything that happened before he died. He's only got a few hours to live, and so he's got to solve the case quickly and keep the detective alive who's working on his case.

I'm sure we'll get more details as the game draws closer to its release date -- and Capcom will likely have some more information when we hit the show floor at Tokyo Game Show. We just have to liquor them up a bit. You can check out the scans from Famitsu down in the gallery to get an idea of what the art will look like.


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  19 comments   latest by atastysammich:
"@nekobun Always, bet on porn. Y'know Phantasy Star Portable 2?..."...
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Daily Hotness: Gundams are better than videogames! photo

Why hello there! I'm sure you were expecting to see Hamza here, but he's busy PAXing up Seattle. So you know what that means, right? We talk about tentacles, of course!

Actually, my favorite bit of news today was Mr. Tomino decrying games as evil. I'll try and push him on his comments when he appears at New York Anime Fest. Want to challenge him yourself? We've got a couple of tickets to give away!

And now, onto your daily dose of Destructoid delectables!

Destructoid Originals:
The Memory Card .66: Taloon the merchant

Community:
Improving game communites: Enough with the negativity
Improving game communites: Gaming together

Reviews:
Flower, Sun and Rain
NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits

PAX 09:
PAX 09: Ride a mechanical horse of doom at PAX
PAX 09: Destructoid community meetup plans!
PAX 09: The Behemoth lanyards are so totally baller

News:
Bit.Trip.Void announced, detailed, and trailered
Grue renewed: Fallout 3's Reign of Grelock is playable
Guitar Hero 5 DLC plans laid out for September
Kojima: Peace Walker and Rising teams 'not good friends'
Testers, bugs and more to blame for Trine PSN delay
Xbox 360 games no longer have to be in HD
An OnLive public beta is happening
Sony's new philosophy is 'make.believe'
Valve plans to punish Team Fortress 2 cheaters
3D Dot Game Heroes screenshots: Not the bees!
God of War III demo not hitting with GoW Collection
Gundam creator: 'Videogames are EVIL!'
Champions Online 'Blood Moon' update teased
F.E.A.R. 2 Reborn DLC ends before it really begins
Onechanbara meets Monster Hunter to create Exorsister
Sony giving MAG beta codes away on Twitter
DSi's free DSiWare points offer expires October 5
Final Fantasy XIII going multiplatform changed nothing
Microsoft: Xbox 360 is 1 million units ahead of PS3
Sony: We were late with PS3's online support
Ubisoft officially announces Turtles: Arcade Attack
Pre-order new Silent Hill, get creepy soundtrack for free
Pokemon Rumble coming to WiiWare
PSP download games will cost the same as retail games
Samurai Warriors 3 getting its own Classic Controller
World of Warcraft Faction Change service kicks off
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 features SIXAXIS-controlled breasts
Taito busts a move with Puzzle Bobble Live! for XBLA
Telltale Games to unveil new, possibly serious, stuff
Rock Band Bar Nights: The future of music gaming?
Sega planning to announce Natal/Sony Wiimote stuff soon
Bioware and Gabe and Tycho team up for Origins comic
Capcom offers up discounted bundles on PSN

Media:
Art from the canceled 2003 Earthworm Jim game re-surface
Rockstar's Battle animal wallpapers are pretty awesome
God of War: Collection box art, no PAL release in 2009
See this beautiful Assassin's Creed 2 trailer, hear the inappropriate music
Okamiden trailer get! Check out Capcom's TGS wares
Here, have some Raystorm HD screens
Sony announces PSN reality show, 'The Tester'
Fishies and lasers in these Darius Burst screenshots
Check out this bloodthirsty Fairytale Fights trailer
Fate/Unlimited Codes combo video, move lists and more
First video of Spelunker HD for PSN
The bouyant breasts of Muramasa's onsen scenes
Working it in 8 bit: No More Heroes 2 goes low def


  11 comments   latest by Batthink:
"@ Usedtabe; That's what I was thinking too. He's probably commencing a purge or something. O_o"...
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Boot Camp: EA Sports Active 30-Day Challenge (Week 4) photo

Follow me as I spend a month trying to better myself by using EA Sports Active to exercise and follow its diet tips.

Well, I've finally come to the end of my month-long training with EA Sports Active. It's been an interesting month, coming into this whole thing not really knowing what would happen to me. I had hopes that I'd undergo some sort of magical transformation, but knew in the back of mind that changes would be minimal.

Still, I was surprised at how things went this past month. All I can say at this point is to follow me after the jump as I give you my full breakdown of Active after the jump. I think you'll be interested to hear how it all turned out.

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  8 comments   latest by kitae:
"Booo I was hoping it would be awesome. I bought it but haven't tried it yet :("...
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Preview: Risen photo

After seeing Cursed Mountain at Deep Silver's press event, I also got a chance to spend some time with Risen, a PC/360 fantasy RPG that's apparently banned in Australia. Before going into this, I knew about as much as we had posted already, which is to say not that much. Thankfully, all the other journalists in the room were in the same boat, so we got a nice full walkthrough on the title.

Like many in the fantasy genre, this RPG has you rise as a nameless hero from the rubble of a shipwreck to become a man of legend. Yes, I realize it sounds like Fable or any number of other stories, but when it comes to the fantasty genre, it's all about execution.

Want to know how the game is? There's only one way to find out.

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  25 comments   latest by hakan:
"I want to like this game more but there's got to be some hook to differentiate it from the other great RPGs to be released this fall like Dragon Age: Origins, Alpha Protocol, and Brutal Legend. L..."...
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Preview: Cursed Mountain photo

We've previously spoken with Cursed Mountain developer Deep Silver on the title, and even got some time with it at E3. But the spectacle of lights and blaring noises doesn't make for a very condusive to playing a horror title in. So, with the lights dimmed a bit more and most of the thumping bass beats gone, Deep Silver invited me to check out their title at a New York City hotel.

Set in the 1980s, this survival horror title has you facing the elements, the undead, and the less-than-friendly recluses of the Himalayas. It's a time without GPS devices and cellphones, yet is familiar enough to most people that they can relate with the character.

How does the title hold up against the legions of other survival horror titles that are out there? Especially considering that not many have really bothered to try the genre out on the Wii? Well, you can find out your answers to this and so much more after the jump.

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  15 comments   latest by hakan:
"This sounds pretty promising, but I won't be picking it up. I'm too much of a chicken to play survival horror games. "...
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