Convention Schedule Previous Reports Personality of the Week About this Site Search this Site Racing and More E-Mail the Author

Gen Con Game Fair Thursday Walkaround 2005 Page 2 of 5 Previous Page Next Page Nintendo was partying like it was 1999, the year of Pokemon's ascendance as the hottest game and animation combination in the world. The size of the booth shows that Pokemon still packs a commercial punch. For many cable TV viewers, "anime" is something they watch on the Cartoon Network and its Adult Swim spinoff. So Bandai was promoting a Teen Titans game based on the Cartoon Network version of that series (which has shoved aside the previous versions). Here's the first attempt to capitalize on the Gash Bell...okay, Zatch Bell cablecasts with a game display at Gen Con. One year earlier, the series was all but unknown in the U.S., but the cable TV showings made a difference. Another beneficiary of Cartoon Network exposure is Fullmetal Alchemist. Like Zatch Bell, it had been cablecast for less than a year before it had its first gaming push at Gen Con. Yep, this is a Gen Con dealer and not an Otakon display. We found several Japanese animation retailers at the Indianapolis event, and this one had a Lina Inverse plush doll not often seen at anime cons. Around the corner on Thursday we found the Anime Pavilion booth. We were told this was the company's small setup, and they had even more merchandise and employees setting up their display in Baltimore for Otakon. Page 2 of 5 Previous Page Next Page August Main Page