The last time that we heard of the Platinum Games developed action RPG Scalebound was during their 2016 E3 presentation when they talked about how multiplayer was being added into the game and now today it turns out that was the last that we’ll ever see of the game. Microsoft has officially announced that they have ended development of Scalebound and that it will no longer be releasing on the Xbox One or PC this year after having the title in development for many years.
Microsoft provided the following statement to explain their cancellation of Scalebound:
“After careful deliberation, Microsoft Studios has come to the decision to end production for Scalebound. We’re working hard to deliver an amazing lineup of games to our fans this year, including Halo Wars 2, Crackdown 3, State of Decay 2, Sea of Thieves and other great experiences.”
Rising Star Games (Conga Master) and Stormcloud Games announced their rogue-lite dungeon crawler Brut@l will launch on PCs on February 9th. The action game is inspired by old school ASCII graphics, but re-imagined in 3D. There are 26 procedurally generated floors in each dungeon, with the Guardian of the Dungeon awaiting any adventurer skilled enough to survive that long. Players can choose from the Ranger, Mage, Warrior, and Amazon classes, each with their own skill tree and unique abilities. Helping them along their journey are weapon crafting and potion brewing systems.
Brut@l supports two player local co-op. Those looking for a crafted experience can check out the included Dungeon Creator tool, where players can create their very own dungeon and share it with the world. If you can’t wait, Brut@l is available now on PlayStation 4. The Steam page for Brut@lis live, but pre-orders are not available just yet.
KICK SOME ASCII WITH THE PC RELEASE OF BRUT@L ON FEBRUARY 9
Uniquely Stylized Dungeon Crawler From Stormcloud Games Set for Global PC Release Via Digital Retailers Los Angeles, CA – January 9, 2017 – Video game publisher Rising Star Games confirmed today the global release date for the visually striking and critically-acclaimed action game Brut@l. On February 9, PC gamers across the globe can enjoy this re-imagining of the classic ASCII dungeon crawler. A procedurally-generated co-operative and single-player dungeoneering thrill ride, Brut@l fuses old-school gaming with a stunning 3D visual style, creating an experience that is inspired by the earliest of videogame adventures, yet feels uniquely fresh and exciting.
Playing solo or with a fellow adventurer in local two-player co-op, choose your Brut@l hero – Ranger, Mage, Warrior or Amazon – then descend into a procedurally-generated world constructed entirely of ASCII. Your goal? Reach the 26th floor and vanquish the fearsome Guardian of the Dungeon awaiting there.
Battle fearsome creatures as you explore deeper, gain strength and experience, craft and enchant weapons, brew and drink strange potions, risk their effects and level up your hero based on the play style that suits you. Survive for as long as you can and tactically decide when – or if! – to revive your co-op buddy should they fall in battle.
As well as offering extensive single and co-op adventuring with a near infinite number of dungeon layouts and enemy encounters, Brut@l grants wannabe arcane architects the power to get creative with its Dungeon Creator. This intuitive editing tool lets you build, share, play and of course die in your very own dungeon.
“We are delighted to be working with Rising Star Games to bring Brut@l, our humble homage to old-school ASCII dungeon crawlers, back to its spiritual home on PC”, said Frank Arnot, Managing Director at Stormcloud Games.
“Brut@l is an exciting and unique proposition and we are thrilled to partner with Stormcloud Games to be able to bring the game to PC gamers after a successful run on console”, said Martin Defries, Managing Director of Rising Star Games. “It’s a blood-splattered kick off for Rising Star Games’ killer 2017 line-up”.
Developed by Stormcloud Games and published by Rising Star Games, Brut@l will release on February 9 on PC via digital retailers. To find out more, visit brutal-game.com, follow Rising Star Games on Twitter and check out the official Rising Star Games website.
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ABOUT STORMCLOUD GAMES
Stormcloud Games is an independent games developer based in Scotland and founded in 2012. The studio recently launched Brut@l, an ASCII inspired dungeon crawler and roguelike for PlayStation 4, with a PC release coming soon.
ABOUT RISING STAR GAMES
Rising Star Games is a privately held video games publisher with a global reach. With operating offices in Europe and USA the company publishes video game entertainment across all gaming platforms from Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and via Steam. With decades of combined experience and a genuine passion for interactive entertainment, Rising Star Games is proud of its ever-expanding and enormously diverse catalogue of over 120 titles. www.risingstargames.com
This coming Tuesday, the 9th of January, 2017, will see Sentai Filmworks releasing Beautiful Bones -Sakurako’s Investigation- on DVD and Blu-ray in North America. Troyca’s anime adaptation originally aired on Japanese television between October and December 2015.
The release presents all 12 episodes with Japanese audio and English subtitles. The on-disc extras include the textless opening animation and the textless ending animation. The DVD edition has a suggested retail price of $49.98, but can currently be purchased for $31.99 from Sentai Filmworks’ online store. The Blu-ray edition has a suggested retail price of $59.98, but can currently be purchased for $37.99.
All prices listed above are in USD. According to Sentai Filmworks’ release schedule, they will not be releasing anything next week. However, they have two anime titles coming out on the 24th of January, 2017.
NetherRealm Studios creative director Ed Boon announced through a simple picture, shown above, that Injustice 2 will launch on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on May 16, 2017. This news will likely come as something of a surprise for many fans of the DC Universe as so far the fighting game has a fairly thin roster as the developer has so far only revealed Batman, Harley Quinn, Superman, Supergirl, Gorilla Grodd, Deadshot, Aquaman, Blue Beetle, and Atrocitus as playable fighters.
We will likely be seeing quite a few characters to be revealed for the roster in the coming months, though it is worth noting that the last characters revealed were Harley Quinn and Deadshot last August.
Ubisoft released a brand new live action trailer today for their upcoming open world shooter Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands. The trailer is a humorous take on the inaccurate, but ever popular sniper’s red laser dot trope. The trailer is set in a compound where a white cat spots a red dot and makes chase, right onto the cards table of gangsters. The heavily tattooed gangsters seem none too pleased about the cat’s interruption, but realize their error seconds too late as the Ghosts’ sniper takes his shots.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands is set in Bolivia where the Ghosts have been sent to take down the Santa Blanca drug cartel by any means necessary. The game is set to launch on March 7 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows.
There are certain series that helped lay the groundwork for certain genres and similar titles to grow from and Rumiko Takahashi created many of these series throughout the many classic manga titles she created in the past. One such title, Maison Ikkoku, has seen fewer notable titles that build upon the same concept as many end up being too simplistic to be worthwhile and now Sentai Filmworks has released the Blu-ray version of one of these few titles. With the lengthy name of The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior is this romantic comedy worth sticking around for?
Story
After his parents move away due to work, Kazunari Usa finds some freedom as he is able to live alone for the first time in his life. The problem is, the first year high school student has been placed at the Kawai Complex dormitory and while rent is cheap, the problems that come with the building are far more than a normal person might be able to handle. Usa finds himself paired up with a roommate that is as masochistic as they come, often enjoying even the most minor putdowns, and a completely unabashed pervert, sharing the building with a lovelorn woman who mends her broken heart with booze only to regularly fall for another dishonest man, and a woman who enjoys twisting those around her into knots using their insecurities and for leading people on into misunderstandings.
If that isn’t enough, the entire building is managed by an old lady who is more than happy to oblige these odd residents to a certain point and even goes so far as to provide the women with a vast array of weaponry to defend their separate wing of the building. One thing that gets Usa through these difficult times is the fact that the girl he fell in love with at first sight during school, Ritsu Kawai, is not only a resident at this building but she is also the granddaughter of its founder. Even though Ritsu may spend most of her time with her nose in a book, Usa is determined to follow through with his love and decides to stay at the Kawai Complex despite how complex the residents tend to be.
The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior establishes a fairly familiar baseline right off the bat by introducing the viewers to the various quirks of the side-characters but unfortunately does little to nothing in regards to the actual main couple. Usa comes across as an incredibly simplistic nice guy who often lets himself get pushed around a bit too much by the rest of the cast while playing the “straight man” to their comedic antics and constantly pursues Ritsu in an effort to draw her out of her books and spend more time in reality. On the other side of things, Ritsu rarely reacts to what is happening around her other than to liken something to a story she has read though when she does react to something it is usually quite delightful to see a glimpse past her stoic exterior, especially in the few instances she does decide to let loose and open up.
Because of this main pair being so bland, with Usa not having any hobbies besides focusing on Ritsu despite never saying why he actually likes her and there being little in the way of actual romantic development throughout the course of the series other than the two beginning to talk and Usa beginning to read along with Ritsu to try and grow closer to her, it falls on the side-characters to help bring life into The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior and thankfully they do a great job here.
The masochistic roommate Shirosaki may appear to be a one note character but we see him as one of the most observant residents of the household as he is the first to recognize Usa’s feelings and although his perverted nature is almost always at the forefront by begging people to torment him or placing himself in compromising possibly illegal situations, we see that he cares about the rest of the cast. Mayumi, the oft drunk girl with love problems, and her foil Ayaka who loves to twist people around and manipulate them, also play key roles in messing with Usa once they learn about his feelings, with Mayumi often making him the target of her sorrow when she sees how happy he is and Ayaka taunting him or giving him poor advice.
The mayhem and slapstick humor that these side characters provide, along with the manager Sumiko, give what may otherwise have been a bland series some much needed life. While the over-the-top nature of some scenes may be a bit much and they do tend to cause Usa’s relationship attempts to stall more often than they help, the amount of laughs these partially damaged people bring to the table and the eventual affects they have on giving Usa something of a personality bring this show to life.
Visuals
Those who are familiar with the animation studio Brain’s Base know that the company can be a bit hit or miss at times when it comes to producing anime and thankfully The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior happens to be something of a homerun for the company. There are some diminished moments in the middle of the release where the quality takes a bit of a dive but for the majority of this release viewers will be able to watch a gorgeous anime with a vivid color palette and some great character designs.
These designs are nicely detailed, with extra attention being paid to their faces, and vary enough with a few of the cast changing outfits regularly to keep things feeling fresh. Visual gags tend to be used quite often and it is worth noting that a lot of sound effects/text floating text is used to portray certain gags so be prepared to read the provided signs to understand what is being shown.
Audio
The Western release of this series comes with only the original Japanese voice track. The voice work is handled quite well as the various character archetypes come across well though they don’t really stand out too much except for Ritsu’s voice actress Kana Hanazawa giving the shy introverted girl a fitting voice that really shines whenever she steps out of her shell through embarrassment or laughter and Rina Satou’s handling of the lovelorn Mayumi coming across great with the various moodswings the character goes through at the drop of a hat.
The background music is fairly standard for a series such as this with soft tones used during basic scenes and very little really standing out even during the few important moments. The opening theme “Itsuka no, Iku Tsuka no Kimi to no Sekai” is performed by Fhána while the ending theme “My Sweet Shelter” is sung by the Japanese voice actresses for the three main female characters and stands out as the better song of the two.
Extras
With the Blu-ray release of The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior Sentai Filmworks has included clean versions of the opening and ending animations, commercial bumpers from the original Japanese airing, and trailer for other releases from the company. Alongside these standard bonuses the company also has included a bonus full-length OVA that appears to take place sometime after the last official episode and gives viewers an extra treat with the characters taking part in a school festival.
Overall
There are some shows that can get by with the personalities of the main characters alone but when a romantic comedy, or what eventually simply becomes a slice-of-life comedy with hints of romance, features a main pair as simple in nature as The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior then you have a problem. The side characters provide plenty of silly and outrageous moments for Usa to deal with and eventually he develops something of a personality along the way but in the end this series is one that looks gorgeous and is fairly funny while you watch it but is something that does little to stand out in any memorable way.
Nippon Ichi Software has launched a brand new teaser website that is likely to reveal a brand new game sometime in the future. For the moment we know very little about what to expect from the mysterious new title but the teaser website does feature a large number of human silhouettes that appear together before blood begins to splatter around the screen, only to clear up and there be fewer silhouettes and one of them holding a blade in their shadow.
Whether the game is for the PS Vita or PlayStation 4, or possibly a mobile title, has yet to be seen but we will likely know more either later this week or in the coming weeks.
Most of what we have been hearing about the Shenmue series lately comes from the various updates involving the development of Shenmue III that needed to be crowdfunded to exist. This time around though it is something a bit different as it appears that Sega Europe has registered for a couple of domain names that are pointing towards a possible HD release of the original games.
Though all of the domains that are registered are simply blank pages, TSSZ News and other fans have now found that ShenmueHD.com and ShenmueRemastered.com are both currently being registered by the company. Whether or not this is a hint of things to come or simply holding various names with the third title coming out is something we will have to wait and see.
Aniplex USA announced on Friday night that the upcoming “Yuki Kajiura Live featuring Sword Art Online” concert has been cancelled due to “visa issues”. The concert was scheduled for this coming Saturday, January 14, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre. The exact nature of the visa issues has not been revealed, nor has it been stated whether or not the concert will be rescheduled for a later date.
All purchased tickets will be refunded. The cost will be automatically refunded to the bank account of each customer within 10 business days. The collectible event pamphlet and exclusive Sword Art Online: -Ordinal Scale- pouch will be given to all ticket holders. Instructions on how to receive the items will be announced at some point in the future.
In other news, ticket sales have begun for the March 9, 2017, theatrical screening of the aforementioned movie, -Ordinal Scale-. Tickets are exclusive to www.sao-movie.net/us.
If that isn’t enough, the entire building is managed by an old lady who is more than happy to oblige these odd residents to a certain point and even goes so far as to provide the women with a vast array of weaponry to defend their separate wing of the building. One thing that gets Usa through these difficult times is the fact that the girl he fell in love with at first sight during school, Ritsu Kawai, is not only a resident at this building but she is also the granddaughter of its founder. Even though Ritsu may spend most of her time with her nose in a book, Usa is determined to follow through with his love and decides to stay at the Kawai Complex despite how complex the residents tend to be.
Because of this main pair being so bland, with Usa not having any hobbies besides focusing on Ritsu despite never saying why he actually likes her and there being little in the way of actual romantic development throughout the course of the series other than the two beginning to talk and Usa beginning to read along with Ritsu to try and grow closer to her, it falls on the side-characters to help bring life into The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior and thankfully they do a great job here.
The mayhem and slapstick humor that these side characters provide, along with the manager Sumiko, give what may otherwise have been a bland series some much needed life. While the over-the-top nature of some scenes may be a bit much and they do tend to cause Usa’s relationship attempts to stall more often than they help, the amount of laughs these partially damaged people bring to the table and the eventual affects they have on giving Usa something of a personality bring this show to life.
These designs are nicely detailed, with extra attention being paid to their faces, and vary enough with a few of the cast changing outfits regularly to keep things feeling fresh. Visual gags tend to be used quite often and it is worth noting that a lot of sound effects/text floating text is used to portray certain gags so be prepared to read the provided signs to understand what is being shown.
The background music is fairly standard for a series such as this with soft tones used during basic scenes and very little really standing out even during the few important moments. The opening theme “Itsuka no, Iku Tsuka no Kimi to no Sekai” is performed by Fhána while the ending theme “My Sweet Shelter” is sung by the Japanese voice actresses for the three main female characters and stands out as the better song of the two.
