NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja Blazing Available Now on the App Store and Google Play in U.S., Canada, Brazil and Mexico

Press Releases

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August 26, 2016

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja Blazing Available Now on the App Store and Google Play in U.S., Canada, Brazil and Mexico

The First Ultimate Ninja Series Game for Mobile Platforms is Now Available in the U.S., Canada, Brazil and Mexico

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc. is proud to announce that the first Ultimate Ninja series game for mobile platforms, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja Blazing is now available in the U.S., Canada, Brazil and Mexico. The game will be released in many other countries throughout the summer.

In NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja Blazing, players will complete missions through epic turn-based battles, choosing from a huge cast of everyone’s favorite characters from the NARUTO universe, each with their own unique attacks and skills.

The story mode is faithful to the original anime series, and can be played in single or multiplayer mode. With a monthly Phantom Castle leaderboard event, skilled ninjas can test their might against the best players around, and compete for higher rankings.

As a “thank you” to all the fans who pre-registered for the game, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc. is giving away 15 Ninja Pearls, as well as a playable Naruto Uzumaki, the “Boy Who Aims to be Hokage,” to everyone who downloads and plays! This gift will be rewarded to all players after the tutorial at the beginning of the game!

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Blazing is available now for free on the App Store and Google Play store.

To view the trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R289m2cCLe0

Fans can get the latest information on NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja Blazing at the game’s official Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/narutoblazing and official web site http://naruto-blazing.net/en/.

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SHONEN JUMP, NARUTO and NARUTO SHIPPUDEN are trademarks of Shueisha, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. This product is manufactured, distributed and sold in North, South and Central American territories under license from VIZ Media, LLC.

Game software ©GREE, Inc. ©BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.

Gorgeous environments, classic characters, Mysterious mirages and more showcased in new WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY screenshots

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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August 26, 2016

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Gorgeous environments, classic characters, Mysterious mirages and more showcased in new WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY screenshots

LONDON (25^th August 2016) – Square Enix Ltd., today unveiled a selection of new screenshots for WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY®, showcasing some of the gorgeous environments, labyrinthine dungeons, legendary characters and various Mirages (monsters) players can expect to encounter in the world of Grymoire.

The new images depict heroes Reynn and Lann, as they encounter the Quacho Queen that dwells in the wondrous Sunken Temple, and Ultros, the popular octopus-like mirage first featured in FINAL FANTASY VI. New Mirages including quacho, sharquai, mega sharquai, mindflayer and kraken roam these stunning new environments. Classic characters including Boko, Terra, Bartz, and Gilgamesh – return in adorable chibi-style art. The Mega Mirage Bahamut can also be seen using his powerful Megaflare to annihilate everything in sight, while the ultra-rare Bismarck, known as the “shining demon,” lurks in the deep seas.

WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY will be available for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and PlayStation®Vita system on 28^th October 2016. To pre-order now visit; https://store.eu.square-enix.com/emea_uk/games/ps4/WORLD-OF-FINAL-FANTASY.php#. Those who purchase the day-one edition of the game will also receive a selection of extra digital bonus content, including Sephiroth summon, white chocobo, glow moogle and red bonnetberry, as well as Japanese voice-over.

Related Links:
Official Facebook® Page: www.facebook.com/FinalFantasy
Official Twitter®: www.twitter.com/FinalFantasy

About WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY
WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY, a brand-new title in the FINAL FANTASY franchise, combines classic RPG gameplay mechanics with fresh and imaginative toy-like visuals to welcome both fans and newcomers to the series. Players will lead a pair of twins through varied FINAL FANTASY worlds and capture and raise such adorably familiar beasts as cactuar, chocobo and behemoth to discover alternate forms and learn new abilities.

About Square Enix Ltd.
Square Enix Ltd. develops, publishes, distributes and licenses SQUARE ENIX®, EIDOS® and TAITO® branded entertainment content in Europe and other PAL territories as part of the Square Enix group of companies. Square Enix Ltd. also has a global network of leading development studios such as IO Interactive™, Crystal Dynamics®, and Eidos Montréal. The Square Enix group of companies boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property including: FINAL FANTASY®, which has sold over 115 million units worldwide; DRAGON QUEST®, which has sold over 68 million units worldwide; TOMB RAIDER®, which has sold over 46 million units worldwide; and the legendary SPACE INVADERS®. Square Enix Ltd. is a London-based, wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
More information on Square Enix Ltd. can be found at http://eu.square-enix.com/en

WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY, the WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY logo, FINAL FANTASY, CHOCOBO, SQUARE ENIX, and the SQUARE ENIX logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Square Enix group of companies. “PlayStation” is a registered trademark. “PS4” and “PS Vita” are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Final Fantasy XV Trailer Fouses on the English Voice Actors

Travis Bruno

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August 26, 2016

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Final Fantasy XV Trailer Fouses on the English Voice Actors

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

MASSIVE DINO DINI’S KICK OFF REVIVAL UPDATE

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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August 26, 2016

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MASSIVE DINO DINI’S KICK OFF REVIVAL UPDATE

New patch celebrated with 40% discount

Paris, August 25^th 2016 – In order to celebrate the release of the new patch of Dino Dini’s Kick Off Revival, developer Dino Dini and The Digital Lounge has announced a special two-weeks price promotion as part of the PlayStation Store’s Digital Discounts.

Dino Dini’s Kick Off Revival is now available on the PlayStation®Store with a 40% discount from 24/8/2016 02:00 am to 8/9/2016 12:59 am.

The Dino Dini’s Kick Off Revival update includes the following features:

– General refinements and fixes
– Tutorial
– Audio Options
– AI Difficulty Option (offline)
– Keeper Difficulty Option (offline)
– Improved SFX including crowd
– Goal keeper improvements
– Control of goalkeeper
– AI improvements
– Tutorial
– Localisation French, Italian, German ,Spanish ,Portuguese ,Dutch
– Set kick practice
– Tactics change on right stick at any time
– Wall deflections
– Wall animations
– Referee plays advantage
– Yellow / Red cards
– Offside mitigation: Players try to stay on side
– Penalty shootout mode
– Action replay of last goal
– New practice exercises
– Display of network lag in netplay
– Request friendly match option in netplay
– Silver trophy for winning the euro cup
– Fix to team formations and player assignments
– Referee names from the community

Dino Dini will now be focusing on the Vita version and the launch of the game in the US on PS4 and Vita at the same time. And of course, as promised, regular updates with new content will be added in the future. Further down the line more advanced game modes such as 2 v 2 matches, online and offline league and cup competitions, player customisations are planned.

To keep track of the development of the game, check out Dino Dini’s Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/dndn1011

Join the Kick Off community at https://www.facebook.com/KickOffRevival/

Keep up to date by following Dino Dini on Twitter @dndn1011

About the Kick Off series:
The Kick Off franchise is a series of football simulation computer games, first released in 1989. Kick Off, the first game of the series, was designed and programmed by Dino Dini and released by Anco for the Amiga and the Atari ST in 1989. The game reached the top of the charts and won several awards.
Player Manager was a spinoff of Kick Off developed by Dini and released in 1990. The game was the first game to combine a management environment (including tactics, league play, transfers, and detailed player attributes) with a football game engine (based on Kick Off). Dini went on to develop Kick Off 2 which was released for the 1990 world cup and introduced a number of new features including the innovative ‘aftertouch’ which allowed the player to swerve the ball during normal play.
Dino Dini left Anco and signed with Virgin Games in 1992. GOAL! was released in 1993 as Dini’s sequel to Kick Off 2. GOAL! was also released on the Sega Megadrive/Genesis as “Dino Dini’s Soccer”. While Anco retained the Kick Off and Player Manager names and released several further editions, these had no connection with Dini.
Annually the Kick Off 2 world championships, based on the Dini’s original Amiga game, take place where dedicated players from all over the world compete for the world title, with the most recent taking place in Dublin on the 7^th/8^th November 2015.

About Dino Dini:
Starting out with an Acorn System 1 in 1979, Dini taught himself programming and began making computer games. He has developed games ever since for many different platforms. His first published games were through a small company called Timedata, starting with the “Acorn Atom Magic Book” in 1980. He started work on Kick Off in 1988. After the release of Dino Dini’s Soccer he worked in the US for various companies before returning to the UK in 2001. During the next 5 years he worked with Trecision in Italy and DC Studios in Canada on two separate football game projects, which failed to reach market before the supporting companies ran into financial difficulties during a turbulent period in the industry. From 2007 to 2015 he worked as a teacher at a vocational university in the Netherlands teaching video game programming. Now he works full time on Dino Dini’s Kick Off Revival with the support of Sony.

About The Digital Lounge:
The Digital Lounge is the sole publisher of Another World – 20th Anniversary Edition. “Publisher 3.0”: we build a strong relationship with the game creators to support them with marketing, communication and sales operations worldwide; it is in our DNA. We believe inspiration, business and fun go hand in hand. Our passion for games has no limit, and we make it our mission to connect creators and players. To learn more, please visit: http://thedigitalounge.com/

“PlayStation” is a registered trademark or a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.. “PS4” and “PS Vita” is a trademark of the same company. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Dark Souls III: Ashes of Ariandel DLC Announced for October

Travis Bruno

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August 26, 2016

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Dark Souls III: Ashes of Ariandel DLC Announced for October

As the company hinted last week, Bandai Namco has officially announced that the first of two downloadable expansion packs for Dark Souls III will be released this October. Titled “Ashes of Ariandel” the DLC will be released on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on October 25th for $14.99 or will be included in the season pass that will include the second expansion which will be released in early 2017.

To go along with this announcement the company has provided an overview of what fans can expect as well as a trailer and screenshots that you can check out below:

Return to the world of Dark Souls III and uncover a terrible secret that lies within the frozen land of Ariandel. Players will find themselves steeped in a brand new environment filled with terrifying new enemies, challenges, and exciting lore to expand the overarching Dark Souls III storyline.

Players are tasked to enter the land of Ariandel and defeat the evil within to uncover the mystery of what has caused the land to become defiled. In addition to adding a new environment to Dark Souls III, the Dark Souls III: Ashes of Ariandel expansion will also include new weapons, armor sets, and magic for players to discover and experiment with, as well as new features for the game’s wildly popular competitive multiplayer mode

Madman to Screen the New ‘Death Note’ Film in Cinemas Later This Year

K. Roberts

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August 26, 2016

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Madman to Screen the New ‘Death Note’ Film in Cinemas Later This Year

Madman Entertainment has announced that they have acquired the theatrical rights to the new live-action Death Note sequel film Death Note: Light up the NEW world. They are planning to screen it in cinemas later this year.

The film is directed by Shinsuke Sato, who directed the live-action Gantz films. It is based on Tsugumi Ohba’s manga series Death Note. It is set ten years after the events of the manga in a world where cyber-terrorism is plaguing society. Six Death Notes have fallen to the human world, and two people have somehow inherited the DNA of Light Yagami and L. The main cast members are (character/actor):

Masahiro Higashide – Tsukuru Mishima
Sosuke Ikematsu – Ryuuzaki
Masaki Suda – Yuugi Shion
Erika Toda – Misa Amane
Rina Kawaei – Sakura Aoi
Mina Fujii – Shou Nanase
Shidou Nakamura II – Ryuk (voice)
Sota Aoyama – Touta Matsuda
Eiichiro Funakoshi – Kenichi Mikuriya

Erika Toda, Shidou Nakamura II and Sota Aoyama are reprising their roles from the first two live-action Death Note films. The props used in this film will be featured at the Madman Anime Festival later this year. Film locations and dates will be announced soon.

Red Vs. Blue: The Chorus Trilogy SteelBook Review

K. Roberts

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August 26, 2016

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Red Vs Blue: The Chorus Trilogy SteelBook

Studio: Rooster Teeth
Publisher: Hanabee Entertainment
Platforms: Blu-ray (reviewed)
Release Date: July 14, 2016
Price: $59.99 AUD – Available Here (Region Free)

Overview

The Red Team, Blue Team and Agent Washington have crash landed in a canyon in the middle of nowhere. They are eventually reunited with Donut and Doc, but realise that no-one is coming to rescue them. They think they are alone, but they are in fact stranded on an inhabited planet known as Chorus. Following an attack by two mercenaries, they are separately captured by the two opposing sides of the planet’s civil war. Staying alive, finding their friends and defeating the enemy are now the main goals for each group of soldiers to achieve.

Story

The Reds and Blues still do not trust each other. Few of them care about Agent Washington regardless of which team they are on, but the conflict between everyone is ultimately insignificant and meaningless. Much of the first part of season 11 is spent depicting the Reds doing stupid things, Tucker getting annoyed at Agent Washington and Caboose lamenting the loss of the previous leader of the Blue Team, Church. Caboose somehow manages to end up with a giant robot for a pet, so Sarge inevitably retaliates by getting the Reds to build a new robot. No plot progression occurs for some time, and that is great despite how that may seem on paper. What these random events feature is a return to the style of comedy that long-time fans will remember from the Blood Gulch Chronicles. Some of it is crude and some of it is clever, but it is almost all funny. Comedy is fundamental to Rooster Teeth’s productions, and the passion that consistently goes into making RvB is evident throughout.

As the story progresses, the Reds, Blues and Agent Washington become involved in the civil war on Chorus. They are split up amongst the two sides of the war and each become attached to the cause of their respective sides. The leaders of each side remain convinced that the other side is the enemy and must therefore be eliminated at all costs. However, things are not that straightforward; there are plenty of twists and surprises throughout the remainder of the trilogy. Some characters are not telling the truth and are fighting for an entirely different cause. It is recommended that anyone who purchases this release goes back and watches the previous five seasons to remember the story, as earlier events in this series are brought up. Most of the events that occur in this trilogy will make sense either way, but there are almost no flashbacks to earlier events whatsoever. This is good in one way; flashbacks might have ruined the otherwise effective pacing. Things happen neither too quickly nor too slowly; it is easy to become wrapped up in the story of yet another civil war in this crazy universe.

Visuals

The majority of the series is comprised of machinima footage, however there are some scenes that utilise in-house animation. There is less of a reliance on new animation than in the previous season, but it is still present. The quality of the animation increases significantly during the scenes produced by Rooster Teeth’s animators. The new animation is more fluid and more detailed, and its inclusion allows for some shots that could never have been recorded in Halo. Unfortunately, it is somewhat jarring when the two visual styles are featured on-screen at the same time. It is not a major issue, and the difference may not be obvious to everyone, but it does stand out in both a good way and a bad way. What is more seamless is the layering of static 2D images on top of the footage, which is believable and contributes to the humour of the series. The action scenes are fantastic, which comes as no surprise given how much effort Rooster Teeth puts into Red vs Blue.

Audio

The RvB soundtrack has always been enhanced the atmosphere of the series, and more specifically, to the sense of isolation. The music used in these three seasons is no exception. Music is often used minimally in RvB, which is quite effective, but it does stand out when used. The voice acting is also as good as always. Unsurprisingly, Joel Heyman gives an impeccable performance as Michael J. Caboose. He manages to capture Caboose’s apparent stupidity perfectly and completely owns the role when he has to give a motivational speech. Most of the other voice actors are able to more-or-less use their normal voices, making it easy to identify which Rooster Teeth employee is voicing a minor or recurring character. Part of the fun is hearing Rooster Teeth’s prominent personalities voicing various characters from the crazy universe of Red vs Blue. The audio quality of the voices is not perfect; it sounds as if it has been run through a filter. This may simply be to simulate what it would sound like if the voice actors were inside one of the suits of armour, but it does mean that the volume has to be turned up in order to be able to make out what is being said.

Extras

These discs include an enormous amount of extras. Commentaries, outtakes, PSAs, deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes features are included. The deleted scenes are interesting but not as entertaining as the main features. The outtakes are absolutely hilarious. In particular, an outtakes reel featuring Joel Heyman very passionately arguing about something completely asinine is one of the best extras included. The behind-the-scenes videos are insightful and show just how much effort goes into making sure that everything is as good as possible. For some, the main attraction of this release may be the SteelBook. It is not indestructible, but it is a fairly sturdy case that features some cool artwork. If you have yet to purchase seasons 11, 12 and 13 but want to, this SteelBook is the way to go.

Overall

The Chorus Trilogy is an excellent continuation of Rooster Teeth’s flagship series. It simultaneously features a return to the comedy present in the Blood Gulch Chronicles and a thoroughly engaging plot with twists and revelations. It is stupid, but it is also hilarious and engaging.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Curve Digital Confirms the Launch Date for Dear Esther: Landmark Edition

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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August 25, 2016

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Curve Digital Confirms the Launch Date for Dear Esther: Landmark Edition

Award-winning Masterpiece from Heralded Developer, The Chinese Room, Heads to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 20 with Graphical and Gameplay Updates Alongside a Brand New Developers’ Commentary

LONDON – August 25, 2016 – Established indie game publisher Curve Digital and developer The Chinese Room today announced that the critically-acclaimed, first-person narrative experience, Dear Esther, will arrive on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as Dear Esther: Landmark Edition on September 20 for $9.99. Heading to consoles with graphical and gameplay updates in addition to a brand new Directors’ Commentary from the original development team, Dear Esther: Landmark Edition aims to follow up on the original release’s success by refining the acclaimed indie hit for players both new and returning.

The Directors’ Commentary of Dear Esther: Landmark Edition unites Jessica Curry, Dan Pinchbeck and Rob Briscoe for the first time years as they reacquaint themselves with the game which made The Chinese Room a globally known development studio. The commentary offers first-hand insight on never-before-heard details, and provides a fresh perspective on the game’s development and legacy. The Landmark Edition also features graphical and gameplay tweaks which finesse the experience on console, making this the most complete version of Dear Esther to date.

Dear Esther is a narrative-focused first-person adventure that takes place on an uninhabited Hebridean island, upon which a lone man must piece together the chain of events that led to his wife’s death. Eschewing traditional gameplay to present a truly story-driven experience, the game composes a beautifully detailed world and an emotional tale that has inspired an entire genre of games. Dear Esther was originally developed as an experimental visual and aural experience using the Source game engine, and earned multiple awards alongside critical acclaim following its original release on Windows PC in 2012.

The console release of Dear Esther will mark the start of a month-long celebration of its legacy, during which The Guardian and The Barbican will hold events in the UK to allow members of the public to get closer to the seminal narrative than ever before.

The Guardian Event on September 30 is billed as a “Directors’ Commentary Directors’ Commentary” which will see Dan Pinchbeck and Jessica Curry discuss their journey from Half-Life mod to full console release. Tickets cost £10 direct from The Guardian’s website here: https://membership.theguardian.com/event/gaming-series-dear-esther-26635208626

On October 14, The Barbican will host a unique live performance of the game’s soundtrack led by composer Jessica Curry, accompanied by an on-stage playthrough of Dear Esther complete with live narration. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the major components of the game brought to life in what promises to be a highly emotional evening. Limited tickets remain here: https://www.barbican.org.uk/music/event-detail.asp?ID=20030

Developed by The Chinese Room and published on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One by Curve Digital, Dear Esther: Landmark Edition will arrive on September 20 for $9.99 / €9.99 / £7.99. This title has been rated “T for Teen” by the ESRB.

About Curve Digital

Curve Digital is the largest publisher of independent video games on console formats in the world. Working with high profile developers such as Mike Bithell (Thomas Was Alone), Dan Marshall (The Swindle) and Olli Harjola (The Swapper), Curve helps individuals and small teams bring their games to a larger audience. Curve actively publishes on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Wii U and 3DS.

Website: curve-digital.com
Twitter: @CurveDigital
Facebook: Curve Digital

CRYENGINE’s Million-Dollar Indie Development Fund Open for Applications

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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August 25, 2016

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CRYENGINE’s Million-Dollar Indie Development Fund Open for Applications

Indie devs working with CRYENGINE can apply for support to kick-start their projects

Frankfurt am Main (Germany) August 25, 2016 – Independent developers everywhere have until September 9th to apply for a grant from CRYENGINE’s Indie Development Fund, which launched earlier this year with $1 million committed to supporting stand-out indie projects created with CRYENGINE.

Applicants hoping to claim a slice of the grant money on offer for the first funding cycle can now lobby more effectively than ever thanks to a new showcase gallery at cryengine.com/developer-fund. The new format makes it simpler for the CRYENGINE community to vote on which indie ideas they’d like to see funded and might inspire fellow developers for their own projects.

To be eligible for a grant, applicants should have a project currently in progress and no publishing or development deal in place. The first grant recipients will be announced at the end of September, with future funding rounds taking place every three months.

Additional contributions to the Indie Development Fund can also be made by developers at any time under the new CRYENGINE V Pay What You Want business model, with an option available to allocate up to 70% of any contribution to the fund.

George Scotto, Business Development Director for CRYENGINE, said: “The Indie Development Fund is our way of supporting developers who have the creativity and talent, but perhaps not that little bit of financial backing that can make all the difference. Every day we see our community do awesome and unexpected things with CRYENGINE, and with this fund we will support the most innovative and inspiring work. We’re very excited by the applications we’ve already received, and we can’t wait to help developers achieve their vision, whether on established platforms or the new generation of VR HMDs.”

CRYENGINE hopes the Indie Development Fund will help to nurture success stories similar to those showcased in their “Indie Dev Stories” video feature, which can be viewed onlinehere.

Grant recipients will be chosen by CRYENGINE in conjunction with the community’s input. Projects deemed to be viable, exciting, and technically and artistically promising are most likely to be chosen.

To apply for the Indie Development Fund today or find out more about the program, visitwww.cryengine.com/developer-fund .

PRESS ONLY
YouTube Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD7N4acT3j8

About Crytek
Crytek is an independent videogame developer, publisher, and technology provider dedicated to pushing the boundaries of gaming with its cutting-edge 3D game development solution CRYENGINE. With headquarters in Frankfurt am Main (Germany) and studios in Kiev (Ukraine), Budapest (Hungary), Sofia (Bulgaria), Seoul (South Korea), Shanghai (China), and Istanbul (Turkey), Crytek has created multiple award-winning titles, including the original Far Cry, the Crysis series, Ryse: Son of Rome, Warface, and The Climb. Crytek delivers fun and innovative gaming experiences for PC, consoles, and VR and continues to grow its reach in the games-as-a-service market. Every Crytek game is created with CRYENGINE, which can be used by anyone to create games on a Pay What You Want business model.
For more information visit www.crytek.com and www.cryengine.com .

Punch Line Complete Collection Review

Travis Bruno

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August 25, 2016

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Punch Line Complete Collection

Studio: MAPPA
Publisher: Sentai Filmworks
Format: DVD, Blu-ray (Reviewed)
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $59.98 USD – Available Here

Overview

When it comes to anime series, even the most absurd sounding idea can turn into something amazing if handled correctly. In fact, some of the strangest anime tend to be highly regarded thanks to their unique premises and art styles. The anime original series Punch Line attempts to embrace that type of crazy premise but now that it has been released in North America, is it one that is actually worth sticking around for?

Story

Despite living in a boarding house with four beautiful women, Yuta Iridatsu’s life is about to go from something quite pleasant to something rather terrible. While riding on a bus in late December with his neighbor Rabura, the bus is hijacked by strange men with guns. Although a super heroine by the name of Strange Juice comes busting in through the back of the bus, things begin to turn sour as the leader of the group has her at his mercy. That changes when Yuta catches a glimpse of Rabura’s panties and enters into a glowing transformation allowing him to tackle the assailant leader out of the bus and into the river.

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.

Problem is, if Yuta ends up catching a glimpse of any of the girls’ panties or bras more twice in a row then it is game over as he not only powers up once more but produces a geyser of blood and causes a meteor to strike the Earth and kill everyone on it. With the ability to travel back in time thanks to being a ghost, Yuta must try to learn his powers as a ghost while also learning about the various secrets that the members of the household have kept hidden.

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.

I say this because boy do things become strange and almost no questions are answered while more are raised as we learn about the idol member Mikatan who also happens to be Strange Juice, the hikikomori Ito who keeps a bear cub as a pet, the failed exorcist and man hungry Rabura, and the landlady Meika who likes to take on various personas but quickly reveals she has a number of skills of her own. While I won’t delve deeper into what each of these characters end up revealing, as it would spoil too much of the series, I will say that things begin to actually make sense as the series goes along.

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.

The fact that the absurd nature of the numerous twists and explanations that are provided to the viewer actually begin to coalesce into a solid storyline is rather surprising. Although there are a number of various plot elements and unanswered questions left by the end of the series, as well as one that forces things to go in a fairly unexpected direction at the last minute either to wrap the series for good or simply to throw viewers off one last time.

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.”

Visuals

Punch Line features a rather unique art style featuring plenty of color and attention to detail in both the designs of the various characters’ rooms as well as their actual outfits. The style tends to shift to fit more humorous scenes in an effort to push the humor as being even crazier than it seems while the action scenes, of which there are quite a few near the end of the show, are fluidly animated and appear to have been given a lot of time as the details here are nicely handled.

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.

Audio

Sentai Filmworks has chosen to release Punch Line with only the original Japanese voice track as an option. This may disappoint some but the ridiculous nature of most of the humor as well as certain segments only work well thanks to the Japanese language and considering the voice cast features the likes of Rie Kugimiya, Mirina Inoue, and Sora Amamiya, viewers will be in for quite a treat. It is worth noting that there are a number of moments that English dialogue is spoken by Japanese voice actors and, as one would expect, it sounds pretty terrible, but only during these 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.

Extras

The bonus features included in Sentai Filmworks’ release of this series include clean versions of the opening and closing animations as well as trailers for other products from the company.

Overall

Punch Line manages to reveal its true colors halfway through the show but getting there does take some patience as the comedy is incredibly hit and miss and comes off as ridiculous as the premise of the story initially is presented as. Once Punch Line’s absurdity begins to come together viewers will be surprised at the solid storyline that develops from the insanity, especially once the focus and tone shift towards more serious developments.