According to a post by Jeremy Parish, 1up Editor, on a LiveJournal blog, Mega Man ZX will not feature any voice acting whatsoever. The original Japanese game had voice-acted anime cutscenes. The English game features subtitles and the voices have actually been taken out. There are no English voices to replace them. This seems like a very weird move by Capcom. We can understand adding new things, but taking them out? At least the option for Japanese voices should be left in so we can hear something. The game still has a bit of time before it's finalized, so hopefully they'll change their minds. Parish's version is an early copy sent by Capcom after all.

Coming straight from the Games Convention, we have a bunch of new assets for Spectrobes, Buena Vista Games' new...shall we say Pokemon clone? Let's call it a "monster collecting game" for now. You have the preliminary packshot to the left, a trailer is downloadable below and last but not least, a new fact sheet with some new info, translated from German.

The Story
Spectrobes is Buena Vista Games' newest, exciting franchise, a futuristic sci-fi story wrapped into addicting and fascinating gameplay. The protagonists of the game are two young officers of the Interplanetary Patrol, Rallen and Jeena.

Upon discovering the mysterious, prehistoric species Spectrobes, they find out that these creatures are the key to fighting a mischievous and cruel force that attempts to destroy the galaxy, called the Krawl. Our heroes embark on a mission, to save the galaxy by excavating, reanimating and training as many Spectrobes as they can find. Only the Spectrobes can defeat the Krawl.

Developed in Japan, Spectrobes is a dynamic, Anime-inspired Action RPG with an unique blend of remarkable characters, exciting story and innovative gameplay. It's suitable to players of every game and takes advantage of every interactive feature of the Nintendo DS.

Important Features

• Real-Time Combat: Rallen and two allied Spectrobes fight together in exhilarating battles against the Krawl. Each Spectrobe possesses unique skills, which can be combined with the power of another Spectrobe.
• Excavation: The players need to discover and collect new Spectrobes and elements by finding fossils. As soon as a fossil is found, the DS stylus is used to dig out the Spectrobe. Dust is swept away by blowing into the microphone.
• Training and customization: The player reawakens the Spectrobe with his voice. Different virtual environments will be available to train the newly excavated Spectrobes, and the choice of the environment influences the creature's skill development.
• Wireless community and multiplayer modes: Players can exchange Spectrobes and elements via WiFi, and battles can be fought via Ad Hoc. Additional downloadable collectibles are planned as well.
  

Download: [Spectrobes Trailer]

If you were lucky enough to watch anime shows featuring giant robots back in the 80s, you'd probably enjoy playing Chousoujuu Mecha MG (a.k.a. Super Control Robot MG) on the Nintendo DS. And why not? Anything that puts you behind the controls of a 30-meter tall robot is bound to give you that grand mech experience.

The DS game being developed by Sandlot will feature a buttload of mechs to choose from. The controls will depend on which type of mech you choose. That alone is enough to make you want to check out the game. Unfortunately, these mechs are only Japan-bound come September 2. But that wouldn't stop you from checking out the game's website, which is now up and running. If you head on to the site, you'd get a glimpse of what the game has to offer, but it's in Japanese and Babelfish can only do so much.

The mechs are introduced in the site, as well as the main characters of the game. It also has a brief explanation of gameplay system and the storyline. There are also some screenshots that'll make you wish the game is headed to American shores.

Gnosis Games has recently released the trailer for the NDS, PSP, and Wii of their upcoming game - Broken Saints. This is a third-person adventure/action title and builds on exploration and communication-oriented gameplay found in classic adventure games while introducing chilling mature themes and action found in such groundbreaking titles as Resident Evil and Eternal Darkness.

You may know Broken Saints as that flash-animated film series which tackled the plight of four strangers on a haunting quest into the layers of a global technological conspiracy and the very depths of their own tortured souls to reveal the shocking truth that binds them together.

In the game version of this one, Players will control the four protagonists from the original online story, a Buddhist priest, a Muslim mercenary, a Catholic programmer, and a mysterious Fijian orphan, as they use their special gifts to explore lush landscapes, terrifying dreamscapes, and the chilling web of techno-spiritual intrigue that could change the fate of the entire world. Here are some of the game's features:

• Harness the profound and mystical abilities of the cult heroes of Broken Saints: stealth and hacking, empathic projection, hyper-awareness, and psychic combat!
• Experience an anime-inspired universe in stunning depth and scope with intriguing new characters, incredibly detailed settings, and over 20 HOURS of mind-altering mature gameplay!
• Overcome increasingly difficult challenges and obstacles with surreal action interfaces and character-based skill dynamics!
• Acquire hundreds of items and key phrases to interact with intelligent characters and trigger rewards and storyline advancements!
• Original music, story, and design support by the award-winning series creators!
  

Download: [Broken Saints Trailer]

I remember, other than Ranma, Sailormoon, and Slam Dunk, the other epic of an anime that I truly enjoyed was Yuu Yuu Hakusho, or in the US more commonly known as The Poltergeist Report. Now, with the anime still one of Japan's favorites of all time, they cannot help but bring back the series to life by giving its fans a DS game to enjoy.

The DS game is a 2D adventure which follows the beginning of the series, the time when Yuusuke officially has become a ghost, and the arc of the anime concerned with the martial arts competition in the Underworld. It is here that the boys - Yuusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, and Kurama - fight to the ends to make their team win to gain the title of being the strongest men in the underworld.

However, the series would not entirely follow arcade versus fight for this game (like the other Yuu Yuu Hakusho games released in older consoles), but rather it will follow an RPG wherein you go around the underworld killing monsters. You have the four members of your team to choose from, and you can go around the underworld, training yourself until you reach the desired level to participate in the competition. In competition, your special techniques will be animated and its success will determine whether you win the match or not.

Fans of the series will definitely enjoy going back through how the boys first met as well as the hardships they went through just to get through the rounds. The game is set to be released some time September.

I guess, the idea of seeing your favorite female anime character cosplaying is not a fandom frenzy only for Mai-hiME fans but for Negima fans as well! This famous harem anime is now causing a ruckus in the DS with their new game, still softly entitled "NEGIMA!?". For this game, you will see the girls grab their lethal spring onions and whack some monsters down in a tough battle of cuteness and raging pubescent hormones. Of course, this is merely the physical aspect of the game, however, in terms of the story, the fans might be more familiar with this loli of a situation.

As Negima-sensei, you will help your 10 yr. old students in trying to solve the hidden mystery in your Osaka campus. By giving the opportunity to use the magic that you have taught them, you and the girls take some monsters down with your magic and some tough ass kicking. But all your happy Negima fantasies doesn't end there. As you go through battles, you win clothes and prizes from monsters. If you win clothes, you have the chance to dress up one of Negima's students! Other than seeing the girls in their school uniform, you can dress them up in pantsuits, and perhaps some other wicked costume that the game has to offer.
 
So far, no big details yet on exactly how the game play will go other than it looking like an arcade battle, but with the idea of having to play with these cute girls on your DS, wouldn't you want to get more of Negima!?

Nothing in this world is free. This is the lesson that you learn once you begin your Gintama adventure! Based on a highly popular series from Shounen Jump, you will begin your game as a part of Yorozuya, the freelance agency of Gintama's hero, Gintoki. The story of Gintama involves the debt-ridden Gintoki who takes odd jobs in order to pay his lodgings. In due time, he managed to find other debt-ridden fellows, and together they try to make some cash. The theme of the anime and comic is very humorous, in a slapstick and silly way. It is one of the notoriously funny titles that is running in Shounen Jump, however it is still untapped by the foreign fans as most of them prefer titles like Bleach and Naruto.

In the game, you can choose either one of the characters of Gintama and you can head out into town looking for things that you can do to make a living. As you walk around town, you can ask people on what you can do for them, and in turn they could or could not give you some odd jobs. And when the game says odd jobs, they mean odd. Your job can go as far as capturing someone's cat, or weeding your neighbor's garden. In the game, make sure you don't run in with the law, else the Shinsengumi will run after you! This is a game packed with mini-games with the main objective of getting you out of your debt-ridden life. The game is fun and brainless and consists of nothing but fun little mini-games and stories much like the anime and the comic. The game will be sold in Japan sometime summer.

According to Bessatsu Young Magazine in Japan, Gyakuten Saiban (or what we know as Phoenix Wright) will be made into a manga! Mangas are what the Japanese call their comic books. The man in charge of the script will be Kenji Kuroda while Kazuo Maekawa will be in charge of the art. Remember that mangas are often the first step towards Anime. I would love to see a Phoenix Wright animated series! Speaking of which, Tales of Symphonia is getting an anime mini-series. It's not related to Phoenix Wright, but I figure many of you are ToS fans and we don't have a GameCube blog, so the news may please you!

The third game in the Naruto RPG series is going to be hitting Japan on July 13th. What's new in this edition of the series? Not much. However, there is one major change and that is the use of the Nintendo WiFi Connection. According to Jeux-France, you will be able to have three-on-three battles online. Whether or not that's three humans against three humans is unclear. I would say that's probably past the DS' WiFi capabilities so it's probably one human controlling three characters against another human controlling three characters. Hopefully, the game doesn't stink as much as the filler episodes that have been airing since the spring of 2005!