A new video for Final Fantasy XV has been released by Square Enix and this time around the focus is a little bit different. Rather than showing off various gameplay elements or introducing new characters, this six minute trailer is focused on introducing the English voice actors who will be handling the voices for the characters we have already been introduced to.
A short list of the characters can be found below and as for the game itself, Final Fantasy XV is set to be released on November 29th for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Voice Cast:
Ray Chase – Noctis
Adam Croasdell – Ignis
Robbie Daymond – Prompto
Chris Parson – Gladio
Jim Pirri – King Regis
Amy Shiels – Lunafreya
Darin De Paul – Ardyn
Kari Wahlgren – Aranea
After being rescued by Strange Juice Yuta just so happens to see her panties as well and passes out completely. Upon passing out a strange beam of light forces Yuta from his body and transforms him into a wandering spirit that, with the spirit of a cat named Chiranosuke as his guide, can only regain his physical form with the help of a book that is somewhere in the Korai House where Yuta and the girls stay.
If Punch Line’s premise sounds ridiculous to you, believe me it is. The concept of following a disembodied spirit who must try to retake his body back from something else that has occupied it while also doing his best to avoid catching glimpses of his neighbors’ underwear or risk destroying the world is something that this series focuses heavily on for the first half of the series and thanks to this it is also one that viewers likely will tune out of if they don’t like the wacky style of humor the show embraces during these episodes.
In fact, after the sixth and seventh episode reveal major events and plot points, Punch Line takes on an entirely different tone. While still featuring plenty of ridiculous comedy, the focus of Punch Line shifts to one that explores why these things are happening, Yuta’s past, and let’s just say that bit of time travel comes into play as well. Even elements such as Yuta’s panty apocalypse are explained and, given the way things are developed in the world, fairly believable.
This means that while plenty of details are left up in the air, especially when certain previous plot elements that are described as essential are then played fast and loose or ignored entirely thanks to the loose nature that the time travel in the series is, Punch Line surprisingly manages to deliver an interesting story that you never would have guessed from the initial introduction and the repeated phrase of “Don’t think too hard about it.”
It is worth noting that although Punch Line pushes itself as a series about seeing a girl’s underwear, that there are surprisingly very few focused fan service scenes since, most of the time, they are shown in a way to advance the story. That being said, it is clear that the animators knew that these underwear shots had to be highly detailed and varied to fit the personalities of the girls wearing them and also made sure that almost any time there is some sort of movement the viewer is given at least a glimpse of their panties rather than putting them front and center for the aforementioned story scenes.
The soundtrack for the series if your standard fair for an anime such as this one though there are a number of scenes that are set to some very fitting and emotional sounding tracks. The opening theme is comedic in nature and plays on the way Punch Line sounds like “Pantsu” in Japanese and is simply called “Punch Line!” by Shokotan Denpa Gumi while the ending theme “Honey Honey Honey” by Ayumikurikamaki is a more emotional closer.
No longer employed as a security officer, Adam Jenson is now enlisted as a member of a special Interpol unit tasked with taking down terrorists as well as investigating various international events. It is clear from the moment players step outside the stating mission into the hub city of Prague that things have drastically changed in this world. While futuristic devices are still readily used by the public and technologically advanced buildings and ads are mixed in with the classic architecture of the old city, the tensions and feelings in the city live up to the game’s title.
The side-quests in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided have a very organic feel to them as players will need to actively seek them out by speaking to characters or investigating something with no notification actually pointing out the start of such a quest, as opposed to simply littering the area with quest markers. This means that players are often rewarded for keeping an eye out on the world and noticing what changes as the game progresses.
While initially limited by the fact that Jensen no longer has access to his wide array of augmentations, which is given a legitimate explanation, players will eventually be able to unlock his potential once more and by doing so they will be able to hack through secure doors and laptops using a more refined version of the hacking mini-game, lift and throw heavy objects such as vending machines, punch holes in weakened walls, carry additional items with an expanded inventory, jump to unreachable ledges and even climb up now thanks to the added grabbing mechanic, and much more as a number of new “experimental” augs have also been added to Jensen’s repertoire this time.
In fact, playing as a pacifist who talks his way out of conflict or avoids it altogether has been expanded greatly as numerous side quests, main quests, and even boss fights can be resolved without conflict or with one button press through the use of dialogue or clever navigation through a level. Even augmentations such as the previously deadly Typhoon now can be altered to only eject stunning gas rather than explosive rounds. These little additions and tweaks to the core gameplay of combat and stealth added in with the numerous routes that every stage has to explore means that players can easily play through this game more than a few time and see something new every time by altering their style.
While many additions to this game have made it a far better offering than the first game from the developer, not everything that has been added in is great. A number of the new augments that players can unlock do help spice up the gameplay but others are just fancier versions of things that players already have access to. Using the Titan armor to survive explosions and reduce all incoming damage to practically zero or launching multiple stunning barbs with the Tesla upgrade is a huge plus but things such as being able to launch a nanoblade or blasting an enemy with a very noisy P.E.P.S. to stun them adds little to the experience.
Outside of the main story mode players will also find that a new mode called Breach has been added in with this game. Breach takes place in a virtual reality setting where players must navigate through increasingly difficult stages to retrieve data and complete objectives in the fastest time. As you progress players will earn points depending on enemies taken down, speed of completion, and data downloaded and while this isn’t a huge offering, it is substantiated enough that those willing to challenge others on the leaderboards will enjoy the mode.
The voice work is fairly impressive with Jensen’s voice actor standing out at as the best of the bunch while the soundtrack is a wonderful treat that fits perfectly with the game’s aesthetics.