Mike West was the very first voice of Nintendo’s famous canine, Fox McCloud in the hit video games series, STAR FOX!
Originally released in 1995, Star Fox quickly gain attraction as spaceship shooter game. In 1997, it was rebooted for the Nintendo 64 with higher graphics and titled Star Fox 64, which was the very first Nintendo game to have included support for the Rumble Pak, enhancing the gaming experience.
Star Fox 64 was the first Star Fox game to feature actual vocal lines, as oppose to its previous gibberish ‘vocal‘ sounds. It is here that voice actor, Mike West began his career with Nintendo and even took a 14 year ‘break‘ before coming back to voice Fox McCloud in Nintendo’s 2011 remastered game, Star Fox 64 3D for the Nintendo 3DS system. Watch our interview with Mike West below:
-GIVEAWAY-
Answer the question mentioned at the end of the interview for your chance to win an autographed print of Fox McCloud signed by Mike West!
Based in Seattle Washington, Jim Walker has been producing music since 1986. Having had his music featured in the soundtrack for the 1987 film Three O’Clock High, Jim has produced over 32 Full-Length Albums, making Jim no stranger to the recording booth.
In 2004, Jim decided to try something different and with the help of his agent, Jim went to on to audition for the voice of one of Nintendo’s most popular character, Fox McCloud in Star Fox Assault. Star Fox Assault was released in 2005 and was the second Star Fox game to feature both shoot’em up and run ‘n’ gun shooter genres, different game modes of its original games, Star Fox and Star Fox 64.
Though the game met with mixed reception, it went on to become a childhood favorite among Star Fox fans of today, many praising the game’s soundtrack and Fox’s English performance.
We had the honor of interviewing Jim Walker the voice of Fox McCloud in said game. Join Jim and I as we take a ride down memory lane with this exclusive interview. Listen as we take you behind the scenes as Jim explains how he got the role, his primary musical career, experiences voicing the character and other behind the scenes exclusives!
Watch til the end for a giveaway opportunity and special announcement!
Can’t get enough of Jim? Check his music by visiting his website at JVAMusic.com
We had the honor of interviewing another very talented Jak II cast member, Cutter Garcia who voiced Underground commander, TORN.
Garcia has made appearances in television series such as Monk, Weeds, Pretty Little Liars, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Mom. He is known for voicing Torn in the Jak and Daxter video game series. For the first time ever actor, Cutter Garica speaks about voicing Torn and working inside the recording studio with Dan Arey and much more!
GIVEAWAY
Subscribe AND answer the following question on YouTube in the comment section to have an opportunity to win an AUTOGRAPHED print signed by Cutter Garcia!
Who is your favorite Jak and Daxter character & why?
You’ll have until August 15th 2020 to enter, good luck freedom fighter!
Earlier this year we interviewed with former Jak II voice actress, Dr.Britton Arey. Dr. Britton had left the entertainment world in order to pursuit a career in psychiatry, but in 2003 she voiced Daxter’s girlfriend, Tess in Jak II. Watch our exclusive interview below:
The following MAY contains spoilers from the Jak and Daxter video games series
We’ve all been there before, we’ve all at some point had a crush on a video game character, whether it was Lara Croft or Chung Li. Maybe some of us still have virtual waifus and/or husbandos. The Jak and Daxter series is one such game of the early 2000s, in which some of us discovered our very first video game crush. Many fans of the series were automatically hooked on the game’s expansive fantasy world, its plot and the game’s impressionable femme fatale characters.
Who doesn’t love girls and guns? | Kiara, Ashlien & Tess
One such character was Tess. Tess is a character that was featured in Jak II and Jak 3, Initially introduced as a supporting character, she would gradually play an essential role in the storyline, helping Jak and Daxter through their journey. Tess also served as a love interest for Daxter.
Jak II rated T for Teens: Suggestive Themes
During the events in Jak II, Tess was a rebellion spy (or Underground agent in the game) working at a local bar, gathering intel from the enemy. By Jak 3 she becomes a weapons expert, developing high-grade weapons. Although many who have played the game, know of Tess’s background story, not many are aware of the person behind the voice of the hyper-active, cheery character.
‘Its a hobby’
Tess is Portrayed by Dr.Britton A. Arey MD, now working as a psychiatrist in Orange County in California, Britton once pursued a career in acting and in the years prior to Jak II, Britton had auditioned for a role in the hit movie Hook which features the late Robbin Williams and veteran voice actor, Dante Basco.
Credited as Britton A. Hill in Jak II, later to Britton A. Arey in Jak 3 after her marriage to then Jak and Daxter writer, Daniel Arey.
Join us in this exclusive voice actor interview! For the very first time, Dr.Britton Arey speaks out about her involvement in Jak II/Jak 3 revealing behind the scenes stories during the production of the game and much more!
Stick to the end of the interview for details on how to win an autographed print signed by Britton Arey (voice of Tess) and her husband Daniel Arey, Former creative director and writer of the Jak and Daxter series!
Scan of actual autographed print
Winner will be chosen and announced on April 1st, 2020, visit our website for our giveaway terms and conditions, https://thekitsunetwork.net/giveaways/!
Japan’s biggest anime convention of the year, AnimeJapan was canceled four days before the event was set to take place. Prior to that, the city of Osaka canceled its annual anime festival, Nipppombashi Street Festar which draws over 200K+ people to city’s Denden Town neighborhood. All this in fear of spreading the COVID-19 virus.
Notice on cancellation of Anime Japan 2020
Notice on cancellation of the 16th Nihonbashi Street Festa
Taking the seriousness of the situation into consideration, Olympic 2020 travelers have been wondering if the 2020 Olyimics will suffer the same fate. On March 3rd, an International Olympic Committee spokesperson stated, that there are no plans to postpone or move the Olympics, adding “We made a decision and the decision is the Games go ahead”. The 2020 Olympics is set to take place from July 24th to August 9th 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.
In the U.S., the first confirmed case of the COVID-19 coronavirus disease was announced on January 21st, Since then there have been over 230 cases reported and growing. Due to fear of infection, popular industry expo, Game Developers Conference was postponed to the Summer of 2020. GDC was supposed to take place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA.
California’s biggest anime convention Anime Expo is scheduled to still take place in July of this year. The SPJA (Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation) released the following statement regarding Anime Expo status:
With the community taking its precautions, are guest cancellations are unavoidable? For now, we’ll have to wait and see.
We encourage our viewers/readers to take precautions and help reduce the spreading of the COVID-19 virus by washing your hands and keeping general germ reduction in mind when going out in public. The following are prevention guidelines by the CDC:
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
Follow CDC’s recommendations for using a facemask.
Voice actor Mike Pollock has been in Radio, eBooks, and commercials, but you might recognize him in animation. He’s the Narrator of Pokemon and the notorious Doctor Eggman in the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise. He’s also done numerous other characters in anime such, Meat from Ultimate Muscle, Deus Prometh in GKid’s Promare, and most recently, Yasui in Weathering with You.Â
This interview will be recorded live during Ronin Expo’s Otaku Market Gathering at the source OC. For event information Click here.
Interview with voice actress, Dorothy Fhan voice of Naru Narusegawa in Love Hina, Meryl Stryfe in Trigun, Chihiro Fujisaki in Danganronpa and much more!
Furthermore, we’ll be interview a VERY special guest at the end of this month, her voice was featured in only two games, Jak II and Jak 3 as Tess!
We’re pleased to announce, former voice actress, Britton Arey will be on our upcoming interview list, if you have any questions for her, please submit them by commenting below or by contacting us using any of these platforms!
Those who watched Saturday morning cartoons (aka SatAM) in the ’90s may remember Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Underground. Garry Chalk was one of many voice actors from these shows, voicing Grounder in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr.Robotnik in Sonic Underground, a dystopian version of the Sonic the Hedgehog TV universe.
Garry can be seen among the government officials sitting down during a meeting discussing the ‘anomaly‘ detected. It is unclear if Garry Chalk’s character in the film is more than just a minor cameo, or if there’s more than meets the eye.
Hill Top Zone
A road sign with ‘Hill Top Zone‘ can be seen seconds into the trailer. Hill Top Zone is the fifth Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The level is most notable for its geographical location, amidst the high peaks of West Side Island, which makes one wonder of its location within the film.
Green Hill Zone
This one’s pretty in your face. Right at the beginning of the trailer, Green Hill Zone can be seen right before Sonic travels into our world. It is unclear if the film will explore more of this zone (or any other) as a setting.
Sonic The Hedgehog Title Screen Emblem
The title screen emblem from Sonic The Hedgehog can be seen on Sonic’s headband. The game was originally released in 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive (Japan) and quickly became one of the most recognizable logos among hardcore Sonic fans.
Warp Rings
Many who played Sonic The Hedgehog may remember the giant ring that would appear at the end of a level and teleport the player to special stages. The film drew inspiration from this, having sonic apparently teleport from one part of the world to another. Variations of this ability have been shown throughout the games and TV series.
Misa Amane (Death Note) and Fabiola Iglesias (Black Lagoon)
Among voice actor cameos is Shannon Chan-Kent, a Canadian based voice actress, who has voiced numerous notable characters such as Misa Amane from the hit anime series, Death Note and Fabiola Iglesias from Black Lagoon: Roberta’s Blood Trail.
She is also the singing voice of Pinkie pie, Sonata Dusk and speaking voice of Silver Spoon in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
Jeff Fowler’s Gopher Broke cameo
This film will feature the theatrical, directorial debut of Jeff Fowler, who previously worked on Gopher Broke, a 2004 short, animated film written and directed by Jeff Fowler.
The short film follows a hungry gopher who hatches a clever plan to get a quick snack but discovers that even the best-laid plans can go udderly awry. The opening title can be seen during Sonic’s exploration of the motel room.
Egg-O-Matic
A more modern and more ‘realistic‘ version of the Egg-O-Matic can be seen through half of the trailer. Although it has not been confirmed that this is, in fact, a representation of the Egg-O-Matic, it does share some similarities.
Blur Studio
Blur Studio, although its name is not a direct reference to Sonic’s nickname “The Blue Blur“, the studio has had ties to the Sonic The Hedgehog games before the film. Blur Studios produced several CGI animated cutscenes for Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic The Hedgehog 2006.
According to an interview, by Di-O-Matic, Inc, with then Animation supervisor Leo Santos, “One particular challenge we had on the Sonic opening cinematic (and the Shadow the Hedgehog cinematics) is the fact that Sonic’s mouth is sometimes on the side, sometimes on the middle.” With Blur Studio’s experience with animating Sonic in the past, why was there a need to redesign?
Doctor Ovi Kintobor or Dr. Ivo Kintobor
This one is probably a long stretch but, Jim Carrey’s portrayal of a ‘thin‘ Robotnik is similar in appearance (somewhat) to that of Doctor Ovi Kintobor, a character that appears in the Sonic the Comic series published by Fleetway Editions in the UK. The character served as a background origin story to the present day Eggman. In other comic series published by Archie Comics, Carrey’s portrayal is similar to that of, alternate universe Robotnik, Dr. Ivo Kintobor, who is kind, generous and friendly.
Needless to say, there will probably be more hidden gems within the movie. Be on the lookout and mark your calendars for February 14th, 2020! Watch the newly released trailer here:
Earlier this month we mentioned, Domino’s Pizza newest menu item, the TSUDERE PIZZA. Now KFC is giving the anime, and the video game community alike, the opportunity to calm your cravings with the very first, officially licensed dating video game, I Love You, Colonel Sanders! A Finger Lickin’ Good Dating Simulator!
From the same people who brought you the bucket of chicken, comes the world’s first Colonel Sanders dating simulator.
You now have the chance to impress Sanders-senpai, by cooking your way to his heart! Developed by indie game developer, Psyop and published by KFC, the game is set to be released on Steam on Sep 24, 2019. Watch the trailer:
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Featuring cute characters and delicious food!
Just look at that! Finger Lickin good!
According to a press release provided to us by KFC via email, the soon-to-be-released and free dating simulator game follows your journey as a promising young student through the University of Cooking School: Academy for Learning as you navigate relationships and manage social challenges that the fast-paced life in the kitchen can bring.
I Love You, Colonel Sanders! A Finger Lickin’ Good Dating Simulator, or ILYCS for short, goes through three acts in which gamers are given options that affect the outcome of the game. Gamers will have the chance to date the one and only, Colonel Sanders, who also joins the culinary school to embark on his journey of becoming the world’s greatest fried chicken salesman, adding to your list of challenges.
The game will be available on Steam starting Tuesday, September 24 at 8am ET, but you can add the game to your wishlist to be notified when it goes live.
The game will include:
– 9 lovable characters
– Multiple hours of play-through
– Dateable Colonel Sanders
– A secret ending! Shh!
– Secret recipes! Double Shh!
– Cooking battles
– Battle battles
– Earn a degree from a fictional culinary school
– 11 Herbs and Spices
– Cute miniature food
– Officially created by KFC. No, really
UPDATE #1:Â Article was updated to reflect new or improved information directly from KFC’s press release provided to us. The article was updated to include some of the game’s credits and update the cover picture.
We had the honor of interviewing actor Reuben Langdon and famed anime director, Hiroshi Nagahama during Ronin Expo 2019 in Little Tokyo, California. Ronin Expo is an annual anime festival located in the heart of the Los Angeles Japanese community, Little Tokyo!
Nagahama sketching for fans
Reuben Langdon signs a slice of pizza for a fan
Hiroshi Nagahama, began his career at Madhouse Studio as a mechanical designer for ‘The Cockpit’, after leaving Madhouse, he became a freelancer. He later went on to direct the highly acclaimed anime series, Mushishi. In recent news, Nagahama was working alongside writer Stan Lee to co-create, The Reflection an anime series surrounding individuals who have superpowers after coming in contact with a mysterious light. More on this in our interview with Hiroshi Nagahama below:
Reuben Langdon is known for voicing Dante (Devil May Cry series), Ken Masters beginning with Street Fighter IV various others. Aside from voicing characters, he’s also a well-known motion capture actor, doing motion capture for Chris Redfield in Resident Evil Code Veronica, 5 & 6. In addition, Langdon is also a stuntman, filmmaker and on-camera actor, working on well-known film titles such as,  The Medallion, Spider-Man 2, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Night at the Museum 2, Ant-Man, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Avatar. In recent news, Langdon was involved in a life-threating armed assault, earlier this year, while filming a documentary in Guatemala, Mexico. This and more in our interview:
We would like to thank Ronin Expo staff for providing the services we needed to execute these interviews. Special thanks to Lisle Wilkerson for interpreting our interview with Nagahama.
Anime Pasadena returned for its 2nd run, Anime Pasadena 2019, held on April 20th at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, CA!
During the convention, we had the pleasure of interviewing voice actors, Nick Apostolides & Jolene Anderson the voices of Leon S. Kennedy and Ada Wong in the Resident Evil II Remake.
Watch as Nick and Jolene tell their stories from their time filming and recording their lines for the game!
The Kitsune Network would like to thank YouTube user, Story Mode for providing the in-game footage and game cut scenes for this interview.
GIVEAWAY
We are giving away an (1)Â AUTOGRAPHEDResident Evil II Remake print signed by Nick Apostolides (Leon S. Kennedy) & Jolene Anderson (Ada Wong)!
ACTUAL PRIZE PRINT (Print size Approx.: 11×8.5’in)
