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Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series’ First Episode Arrives on April 18

Travis Bruno
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Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series’ First Episode Arrives on April 18

Telltale Games has announced that they are planning on releasing the first episode of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series, titled Tangled up in Blue, on April 18th where it will be available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Mac, iOS, and Android where it will be priced at $4.99. The company also announced that they will be releasing the Season Pass Disc for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on May 2nd for $29.99 with the disc containing the first episode and will grant access to the four following episodes as online updates.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series tells a new story featuring Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot where in the wake of an epic battle the Guardians discover an artifact of unspeakable power. Each of them has a reason to desire this relic, as does a ruthless enemy who is the last of her kind, and who will stop at nothing to tear it from their hands.

https://youtu.be/bqZ0ELBF31w

Ninja Slayer From Animation Review

K. Roberts
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Ninja Slayer From Animation Review

Ninja Slayer From Animation

Studio: Trigger
Publisher: Madman Entertainment
Platforms: DVD (reviewed)
Release Date: March 8, 2017
Price: $59.95 – Available Here

Overview

After Kenji Fujikido’s wife and daughter are killed by Darkninja of the Soukai Syndicate, he vows to get revenge on Darkninja and the Soukaiya. He meets a mysterious ninja soul called Naraku Ninja in his mind, one of many ninja souls in this world. Naraku Ninja wants to kill all of the evil ninja, and attempts to take over his body to fulfill this desire. As their minds merge, Kenji becomes Ninja Slayer. Soon afterwards, he meets a ‘journalist’ named Nancy Lee who wants to uncover the truth about what exactly is going on in Neo-Saitama. She has the ability to enter the digital world with her mind, using her brain as a virtual reality conduit so that she can hack into computer mainframes. In the meantime, a young girl named Koki Yamato merges with the Shi Ninja soul moments before she would have been brutally murdered by gangsters, and begins to lead a whole new life. Holding a ninja soul in one’s mind is no easy task, however, and it proves challenging for all.

Story

Ninja Slayer initially comes across as a parody of American interpretations of Asian action films, right down to the excessive use and over-emphasised pronunciation of the word ‘ninja’. This seems to be intentional, based on the story’s fictional back-story. The first half of the series, as well as the short story collection in episode 25, provides so much nonsensical action and violence that it would be easy to assume that the entire series is meant to be considered an excessive albeit repetitive parody. There is a plot deeper than something as simple as ‘honourable man seeks revenge on yakuza ninja’, though, and it comes to the forefront of the action as the series progresses. Some of the things occurring in the background include: yakuza ninja being cloned in an underground factory, the leader of the Soukai Syndicate running for public office despite his lack of political credentials and a young girl trying to stay alive after she has to give her old life up. These subplots are all tied together, and they provide a necessary element of engagement in a series that might otherwise have been better off as a 90-minute comedy film.

Ninja Slayer is not original, but that does not matter because of the way each of its story elements are used and combined. Introducing a cyberpunk element into a plot about yakuza ninja allows the writers to have Ninja Slayer fight high-ranking Soukaiya members while Nancy tries to steal data from them, and they are depicted working as a members of a team that need each other’s help. This helps a parody of twentieth century violent action-oriented OVAs enter a futuristic technological era. It would be hard to enjoy this series as much if it were entirely serious, but considered as a parody, it can be very entertaining.

Your individual ability to find Ninja Slayer engaging depends on what genre(s) of film and television you most enjoy watching. If crazy action caused by a desire to enact revenge on a bad guy is enough for you, then this may be one of the best anime adaptations you will ever see. If this kind of Protagonist vs. Yakuza plot does not interest you, then you may alternatively enjoy this as a throwback to the violent anime series you might have discovered in the 1990s. If neither crazy action nor parody are enough for you, then you may fall completely outside of the assumed target demographic of this series and may find Naruto a better alternative as a more serious series about ninjas. Even though the story comes to the forefront in the second half of the series, the action in the first half comes across as a repetitive, and the second half also does to a slightly lesser extent. A bad guy shows up and Ninja Slayer defeats him. It can seem a little aimless at times, and although several subplots are introduced, some of them do not seem to have much of a reason to be there. Few of these subplots are resolved by the end of these 26 episodes, giving the impression that the other characters are meant to face an ongoing battle. This lack of resolution outside of Ninja Slayer’s quest for vengeance is a little disappointing, even if it is because this is an anime adaptation and not the source material. If you ignore some of the subplots, you may enjoy spending six hours over a week or two to be an entertaining use of time.

Visuals

This is where things get a little unusual for those who are unfamiliar with Trigger’s other ONA (original net animation) series. Aside from being produced in the 4:3 aspect ratio until the final episode, the animation alternates between being smooth and being intentionally limited. Many scenes essentially feature shiny cardboard cutout characters moving across the screen. When they bow, their entire body moves. When they bleed, a giant stream of cheap-looking CG blood comes rushing out until the enemy explodes several times. Characters spin as if they were really in a Chinese action film, or perhaps even more unrealistically than that. It actually adds to the entertaining quality of this adaptation, even if it seems a little cheap. It might best be described with the phrase “it’s so bad it’s good.” Unfortunately, there is some over-the-top ‘fan-service’ present. Nancy Lee is often relegated to the role of damsel-in-distress, and is often shown being restrained by a monster or something else. This is unfortunately treated as some kind of joke, as shots of her screaming are repeatedly shown while something else is happening. Cutting away from the action is itself a terrible idea, but to see it done for such a despicable purpose is disappointing. Half of the female characters are rarely taken seriously by the production team, and are frequently seen from unflattering camera angles. All of that detracts from the otherwise entertaining nonsense.

Audio

Techno music and rock music are the two styles used, and the background music sounds really cool as a result. ‘Cool’ is not the most descriptive word that could have been used, but it does accurately represent the feeling that this adaptation gives off as an apparent parody of ‘80s and ‘90s OVAs. The opening and ending theme songs are great too; the opening theme song is catchy but has confusing ‘English’ lyrics. There is a new song with each new end-credits sequence, and most of them are rather catchy, although they are unfortunately not subtitled. The English dub is also one of FUNimation’s better dubs; Japanese words used in the dub are either slightly mispronounced or clearly wrong, but the voice actors put in a lot of effort into making the dub as fun as it could possibly be. It seems as if the producers of this adaptation and the English dub team wanted the words ‘cool’ and ‘awesome’ to be the best words to describe Ninja Slayer, and their efforts show.

Overall

Ninja Slayer seems like a one-trick pony at first, but it does not entirely fail to be entertaining. The frequent insane action and nonsense, combined with an over-the-top fun English dub, make this a great series to watch. It is best enjoyed one episode at a time, however, until stories start being stretched out across multiple episodes. One can hope that the style of animation does not catch on with the rest of the animation industry, but aside from the problems with female sexualisation, this anime adaptation sometimes stands out in a good way. Even before Trigger’s name is shown in the credits, it is easy to tell that this comes from the company responsible for the insane anime series Kill la Kill.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Introduces Four New Ultimates

Travis Bruno
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Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Introduces Four New Ultimates

As you may have heard, Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony features a new school and sixteen brand new ultimate students trapped inside of it. As such NIS America has begun what will probably be a series of character introduction sets and to kick things off they are introducing four of the characters. This includes the Ultimate Pianist Kaede, Ultimate Inventor Miu, Ultimate Supreme Leader Kokichi, and Ultimate ??? Rantaro. Check them all out below.

Ultimate Pianist: Kaede Akamatsu

Kaede has been playing the piano ever since she was a child, earning her the not-so-flattering nickname, “Piano Freak.” After winning numerous trophies at piano competitions, she soon received the far more prestigious title of Ultimate Pianist. Kaede has a positive personality and puts all her effort toward achieving her goals. She feels a deep resentment toward Monokuma for forcing everyone to participate in his absurd killing game.

Ultimate ???: Rantaro Amami

Though Rantaro can’t remember what his Ultimate talent is, he doesn’t let that get him down. In fact, he’s quite excited at the prospect of learning what his Ultimate talent actually is. Though he comes across as glib and laidback, Rantaro is the only one to remain calm and press Monokuma for information while the others panic. At times, his attitude suggests that he knows more about what’s happening than his classmates, which only heightens the air of mystery surrounding him.

Ultimate Inventor: Miu Iruma

An inventor who is responsible for creating a wide variety of commercial products, starting with her famous “Eyedrop Contact Lenses.” However, Miu believes that coasting through life is the best way to live it. As such, she considers her eyedrop invention a failure because she actually had to work to create them. Her arrogance is matched only by her penchant of vulgarity. Every time she opens her mouth, a stream of dirty jokes and innuendo comes rushing out. Strangely enough, she becomes submissive and docile whenever anyone gives her any pushback.

Ultimate Supreme Leader: Kokichi Oma

A boy whose Ultimate talent is being the supreme leader of an evil secret organization that boasts a membership of over 10,000 people. However, there is no proof that such an organization actually exists. Even Shuichi, the Ultimate Detective, is unfamiliar with the identity of Kokichi’s organization. As a self-professed liar, Kokichi revels in blurring the lines that separate fact from fiction. He has a tendency to say whatever pops into his head, and is prone to theatrical outburst of crocodile tears. But don’t let this innocent smile fool you – as a supreme leader of evil, Kokichi feels no remorse over tormenting his classmates.

Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony is currently set to be released on the PlayStation 4, PS Vita, and PC on September 26th in North America and September 29th in Europe.

Injustice 2’s Super Villains Step Into the Spotlight in Latest Trailer

Travis Bruno
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Injustice 2’s Super Villains Step Into the Spotlight in Latest Trailer

For the most part Warner Bros. and NetherRealm Studio’s trailers for Injustice 2 have focused on hero characters that are fighting against one another with the occasional villain thrown in but this time the super villains are ready for the spotlight. We’ve seen a bit of Gorilla Grodd before but now Bane, Captain Cold, and Scarecrow, who is sporting a creepy new design, are ready to show off their stuff as they take on the heroes in the “It’s Good to be Bad” trailer found below.

Currently Injustice 2 is set to be released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on May 16th.

Destiny 2 Announced for September 8 Release

Travis Bruno
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Destiny 2 Announced for September 8 Release

Activision and Bungie have announced that they are planning on releasing Destiny 2 on September 8th and not only will it be available for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One but also for the PC this time as well. The company has stated that they will show off more gameplay footage on May 18th but they did decide to release a new cinematic trailer (where some attempts at humor are made) to give us a sample of what to expect in the game’s story.

Humanity’s last safe city has fallen to an overwhelming invasion force, led by Ghaul, the imposing commander of the brutal Red Legion. He has stripped the city’s Guardians of their power, and forced the survivors to flee. Players will venture throughout the unexplored worlds of the solar system to discover an arsenal of weapons and devastating new combat abilities to defeat the Red Legion and confront Ghaul.

Outcast: Second Contact Remaking Classic Open-World Pioneer

Jamie Laike Tsui
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Outcast: Second Contact Remaking Classic Open-World Pioneer

Outcast was one of the earliest open world titles in video gaming history when it was launched in 1999. The game is now being brought back to life with a modern day remake by Bigben Interactive (2Dark) and Appeal. Titled Outcast: Second Contact, the game stars Cutter Slade, a former Navy SEAL who has landed on the planet of Adelpha and is now heralded as a messiah of ancient prophecy by the locals. He soon discovers that the fate of Earth and Adelpha are tied together. Now, Slade must stop an energy cataclysm before it destroys everything.

Outcast: Second Contact is set to launch on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows later this autumn.

https://youtu.be/-Cn7rLhqqck

PGS Announces PGS Hardcore Beta Test for Q2 2017, PGS Vault

Jamie Laike Tsui
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PGS Announces PGS Hardcore Beta Test for Q2 2017, PGS Vault

PGS Lab announced the new PGS Portal program for fans that will give people access to exclusive updates and downloadable content about the upcoming PGS Hardcore smartphone/mini-PC hybrid device. Additionally, portal members will get early access to all news updates. PGS Lab hopes the new program will encourage portal members to spread the word about the device.

Active participants in the PGS Portal will be rewarded with beta testing slots. PGS Lab has announced that beta testing will begin in Q2 2017. The tester pool will consist of a mix of community members, journalists, bloggers, and YouTubers.

Finally, PGS Lab has added Japanese language support on their website and blog in response to the strong interest in the PGS Hardcore coming out of Japan.

DESTINY 2 ANNOUNCED: BLOCKBUSTER SEQUEL TO THE BIGGEST NEW CONSOLE VIDEO GAME FRANCHISE LAUNCH OF ALL-TIME SET FOR SEPTEMBER 8

Philip Federico
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DESTINY 2 ANNOUNCED: BLOCKBUSTER SEQUEL TO THE BIGGEST NEW CONSOLE VIDEO GAME FRANCHISE LAUNCH OF ALL-TIME SET FOR SEPTEMBER 8

Gameplay World Premiere Set for May 18

Pre-Order for Early Access to Upcoming Destiny 2 Beta†

First-Person Action Game Welcomes PC Players to the Destiny Universe

Destiny 2 will be released with full English voice over and subtitles

March 31, 2017 – Bungie and Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), announced Destiny 2, the sequel to the internationally acclaimed Destiny, a first-person action game that takes the player on an epic journey to defend humanity from annihilation. The official Destiny 2 reveal trailer, “Rally the Troops,” debuted a character-driven glimpse at Destiny 2’s story today. Additionally, the first hands-on gameplay reveal livestream will be broadcast around the world on May 18.  The broadcast will showcase a variety of fun, action-oriented activities within Destiny 2, and will highlight the brand-new, epic adventure waiting for players. With a fresh start for all players right from the opening cinematic, Destiny 2 will expand across the globe with a worldwide release on September 8.  Destiny 2 will be available on PlayStation®4 systems with additional timed exclusive content*, Xbox One (PlayStation®Plus or Xbox Live Gold subscription, respectively, required for significant features), and for the first time in Destiny’s history, a new platform to enjoy this universe will be offered.  Destiny 2 is coming to PC!

“Destiny was the biggest launch of a new console video game franchise ever, and Destiny 2 will welcome a new generation into this action-packed universe,” said Activision CEO, Eric Hirshberg.  “Along with our incredibly talented partners at Bungie, we are focusing on making Destiny 2 appealing to more fans than ever – with state of the art first person action, an awesome new story, great characters, and innovations that make the game more accessible than ever. We’re also bringing a dedicated version of Destiny to the PC platform for the first time.  Destiny 2 will make an already great game franchise bigger and better than ever.”

Bungie CEO, Pete Parsons, said, “The past three years have been incredibly inspiring and rewarding for Bungie. To know that millions of players around the world have forged lasting Destiny memories and even made it their hobby is truly humbling and we can’t wait to continue the journey.”  He added, “We are looking forward to sharing a fresh, inviting story, and with the upcoming Destiny 2 Beta slated for this winter, we are eager to get feedback from millions of players around the world who will get a glimpse of the new adventures that will unfold for all of us.  Together, with our partners at Activision, we are thrilled to get Destiny 2 in the hands of players in September.”

In Destiny 2, the last safe city on Earth has fallen and lay in ruins, occupied by a powerful new enemy and his elite army, the Red Legion. Every player creates their own character called a “Guardian,” humanity’s chosen protectors.  As a Guardian in Destiny 2, players must master new abilities and weapons to reunite the city’s forces, stand together and fight back to reclaim their home. The official Destiny 2 reveal trailer, “Rally the Troops,” shows two of the Vanguard, leaders of the Guardians, inspiring the people of the last city in an impassioned (and occasionally sarcastic) call to arms.  In Destiny 2 players will answer this call, embarking on a fresh story filled with new destinations around our solar system to explore, and an expansive amount of activities to discover.  There is something for almost every type of gamer in Destiny 2, including gameplay for solo, cooperative and competitive players set within a vast, evolving and exciting universe.

Destiny 2 is categorised as CTC by the Australian Classification Board. The product line-up will also feature the Destiny 2 – Game + Expansion Pass Bundle at $139.95 AUD RRP, the Destiny 2 – Digital Deluxe Edition featuring premium digital content at $149.95 AUD RRP, the Limited Edition at $149.95 AUD RRP and the Collector’s Edition, featuring a fully-wearable Destiny 2 – Frontier Bag, Expansion Pass, premium digital content and a Cabal-themed Collector’s Box for $349.95 AUD RRP.

For more game information, visit www.DestinyTheGame.com and follow the official Destiny social channels at www.facebook.com/DestinyTheGame and @DestinyTheGame on Instagram and Twitter. The community can interact directly with the developers at www.Bungie.net, www.facebook.com/Bungie, @Bungie on Twitter, and www.Twitch.tv/Bungie on Twitch.

About Bungie

Bungie is an independent, employee-owned game development studio dedicated to creating hopeful worlds that inspire passionate player communities. For more than two-and-a-half decades that purpose has led to the creation of some of the industry’s most celebrated gaming franchises, including Marathon, Myth, Halo, and Destiny. Today, Bungie is focused on developing the next highly-anticipated release in the Destiny universe, Destiny 2.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading global producer and publisher of interactive entertainment. Activision maintains operations throughout the world and is a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), an S&P 500 company.  More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com or by following @Activision.

Heavy Metal Machines Releases New Trailers for Two Character Revamps

Philip Federico
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Heavy Metal Machines Releases New Trailers for Two Character Revamps  

Enhancements to Leaderboards and New Language Localization Announced

Florianópolis BRAZIL, March 30, 2017 – Hoplon, the developers of Heavy Metal Machines, are pleased to announce that a new update is due to hit the game’s open beta today, bringing with it new vehicle skins, updates to the leaderboard system, and localization support for three new languages.

New Car Designs

Two of Heavy Metal Machine’s most notorious competitors will be receiving a visual revamp in this update through the introduction of new 3D models and paintjobs for their vehicles. The first is the Clunker brothers, the Redneck duo that needs both brains to compete in their tricked out tow truck. The “good ol’ boys” have improved their country engineering to revamp their classic pickup truck is now a tougher and more robust adversary in the arena.

The other recipient of some sweet new ride variations is the Ayatollah of Rock n’ Roll himself, the New Messiah, the Metal Herald. He has a whole new set of vehicle skins to don as he relentlessly runs down infidels while blaring his holy fury through specialized loudspeakers that, as they say, rock. Check out the new trailers for these new car designs here and here.

Leaderboards

This update will also see the unveiling of the game’s leaderboard system. Under this new design, players will have stats tracked over four week time periods known as seasons, which will be broken up into shorter phases of a single week. Players will have their performance tracked in three different categories: Damage Per Minute, Repair Per Minute, and Bombs Delivered. Overall scores per time period will be determined through a transparent calculation system described in more detail on the Heavy Metal Machines website. At the end of seasons, Champions will collect their awards and enter the Hall of Fame.

Additional Languages Supported

Heavy Metal Machines is now available in French, German, and Spanish.

About Hoplon

Founded in 2000, Hoplon is comprised of a one-hundred-person team specializing in video game development, publishing and support services with titles like APB: Reloaded to their credit. Already a fan-favorite in their native Brazil, in mid-2017 Hoplon plans to delight North American audiences with their most ambitious title to-date, Heavy Metal Machines. For more information about Hoplon, please visit www.hoplon.com . To learn more about Heavy Metal Machines, please visit www.heavymetalmachines.com or follow us on Facebook at FB.com/HeavyMetalMachinesEN and on Twitter @HMM_Hoplon_EN.

The Festival Begins – Miniature Garden Now Out!

Philip Federico
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The Festival Begins – Miniature Garden Now Out!

March 30, 2017 – The mystery visual novel Miniature Garden is now available on Steam! Developed by Muzintou, Miniature Garden tells the story of five students trapped at school on the night of a festival. Korie Riko from Lump of Sugar is behind Miniature Garden’s art, and the game boasts a great lineup or famous voice actors.

Synopsis
In the woods not far from the city lies a school called the ‘Miniature Garden.’ In keeping with the school’s name, an original ‘Miniature Festival’ is held there every three years. There’s a rumor that an unnatural death will befall someone on the night of the festival. This year, as the sun sets, Yasunari and four other students find themselves trapped alone in the school on the night of the festival. Is it just a mistake, or could the rumors be true?

Features:

  • A mystery story with multiple endings.
  • Characters fully voiced by leading voice actors.
  • HD Widescreen resolution.

Character Voices

  • Tokui Sora (Love Live, Tantei Opera Milky Holmes) as Shibaya Sumika.
  • Hidaka Rina (Ro-Kyu-Bu!, Kantai Collection) as Komiya Rio.
  • Numakura Manami (Aikatsu, the IDOLM@STER) as Sakura Ayana.
  • Kakihara Tetsuya (Fairy Tail, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann) as Orimoto Itsuki.

English version of the opening song, “Miniature Garden”, performed by Kanade Nakoto (Lump of Sugar), can be seen on the Fruitbat Factory YouTube channel.

Screenshots are available on the game’s Steam page and homepage.

Miniature Garden is available on Steam for $14.99 during the first week (regular price $19.99).

For more information, business enquiries and to be included in the press release and review mailing lists, contact Fruitbat Factory at [email protected].

Fruitbat Factory, Ltd
English version developer (Homepage, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ & YouTube)
Fruitbat Factory is an independent localisation house focusing on bringing interesting Japanese games to English-speaking audiences.

Muzintou
Developer of original Japanese version ( Homepage , Twitter )
Muzintou was founded as a collaboration between industry veterans, and Miniature Garden is their first production.
SOURCE: Fruitbat Factory

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