Gallifrey One, the Los Angeles based Doctor Who convention, was a busy time for all, especially for their guests from across the pond. With live commentaries, Q&A panels, photo and autograph sessions, a wedding, plus the Masquerade, not to mention the aptly named and newly christened LobbyCon, there was always something going on during the 3-day weekend. After participating in Gallifrey One’s second wedding in three years (entitled Wedding: The Sequel), Tommy Knight took a few minutes out of his busy schedule, and after asking his mum for permission, to sit down and talk with The Last Doctor about the upcoming fourth season of The Sarah Jane Adventures and about his future as well. Could he be the next doctor?

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Your Inner Demons Are Out, and They Brought Their Boomsticks

Game Title: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES

Developer: ATLUS

Genre: turn-based roleplaying, simulation

Age Appropriate: 17+ (Rated M by the ESRB)

Bloody Mess Meter: 6/10 (What does this mean?)

What can I say about Persona 3?

How about: OMG FRAK U I HAD THAT SH*T GODDAMNED SHADOWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In all seriousness, I fell in love with this game pretty quickly, and I admit to having a thing for Shin Megami Tensei in general.  The anime cutscenes and almost cute way the characters are presented is just one facade to lure you into a false sense of security.  For all it’s funny, scratch that, hilarious, and sweet moments, at its core, Persona 3 has a deep, gritty storyline with twists and turns you’ll want to follow all the way to the end.  And then some, for those of you who pick of the FES version of the game, like me, will receive not only a bit of extra content in the main game- like extra personae- but an entire separate chunk, a mini-sequel of sorts, packaged with “The Journey” called “The Answer”.  I can’t go into too much detail, due to how spoilerific that would get, but I’ll put it to you this way: Beating the game is one of the most satisfying exploits I’ve completed in a long time, it wrapped up, things fell into place, but nonetheless I was left with a feeling of, “What? Wait–!”  And so, “The Answer” is there to answer (harhar) the call of players who want to know more, who aren’t satisfied with not knowing what happens next.

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He’s worked with some of the best actors the UK has to offer, from Doctor Who’s David Tennant and John Simm to Gerard Butler, and some Americans as well, but does this perpetual baddie get any love? Well, maybe not looking like his character in 300. Is he just misunderstood? Taking a look back at his most well-known work (were those 300 abs CGI?) and the friends he made (or didn’t make) as well as looking to the future with his directorial debut in Break Clause, Andrew Tiernan took some time to answer awe-inspiring (well, maybe not) questions from The Last Doctor. Perhaps he can be the last Dalek? Or at least the Malcolm McDowell for the new generation.

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

Before I begin the story, let me give you a little preface…

In the days of old Japan, there was a popular tradition in the heat of summer called Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai (百物語怪談会) or, A Gathering of 100 Ghostly Tales.  As the sun set, 100 candles would be placed in a circle, and each person would share a story, from the ghoulish and famous to the more personal encounters.  With the end of each tale, the speaker would douse a candle, bringing the darkness of night closer and closer upon the group, tension rising.  A sort of ritual of evocation, the game was said to call out to the spirits of the dead to join the players.  When the final light vanished, something or someone terrible would be waiting in the dark for them.

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Most of us are very familiar with the computerized music of the video game industry, quirky and repetitious and the kind of stuff that gets stuck in your head for months on end, especially if you play the game night and day for weeks straight. But what happens when you start incorporating the best elements of Japanese pop into the background music and theme songs of video games? V-pop! Well, video game pop anyway. In our first Behind the Scenes feature, The Last Doctor asks Swinging Popsicle bassist Hironobu Hirata about his work with video games and how he plans to bring a brand new sound to gamers around the world.

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