HYPERX AND ALIENWARE PARTNER TO SUPERCHARGE GAMING
Alienware Aurora Desktop PC Configured and Optimized with HyperX FURY DDR4 XMP Memory for Maximum Performance
100-Percent Tested and Guaranteed Compatibility
Fountain Valley, CA – June 16, 2016 – HyperX®, a division of Kingston® Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced a partnership with the ultimate gaming system provider Alienware. HyperX will be the exclusive memory upgrade partner for their newly launched Alienware Aurora mid-tower desktop PCs. Designed to deliver maximum performance, Alienware Aurora offers gamers an ultra-wide variety of upgrade options including a stylish DRAM upgrade to HyperX FURY DDR4 XMP memory for higher performance and great looks.
HyperX FURY DDR4 memory features Intel® XMP-ready profiles optimized for Alienware Aurora and is 100-percent tested and guaranteed compatible. Users who upgrade to FURY memory will be able to choose between two XMP profiles with speeds up to 2400MHz for faster speeds and lower latencies. This provides a great option for gamers to increase their system performance from the factory default when equipped with a 6th Generation Intel® Core™ unlocked processor.
HyperX system memory powers over 30 professional eSports teams and is utilized in large scale global tournaments such as IEM, ESL One, DreamHack, among others. It is the memory of choice among enthusiasts, gamers and eSports professionals. This trust is due, in part, to HyperX memory, such as FURY DDR4 XMP, being backed by legendary support and reliability. This collective experience and pedigree of over a decade of designing memory for enthusiasts has made HyperX uniquely positioned to join together with Alienware to now unleash the ultimate gaming PC’s power.
“Everything we do at Alienware is tailored around making each gamer’s experience with our systems the best it can be. That means we need to prioritize performance to ensure gameplay and everyday-use runs as intended by our partners. Our partnership with HyperX is all about delivering powerful and reliable memory maximize gaming and everyday performance,” said Joe Olmsted, director of product management, Alienware.
“As the world’s largest gaming hardware brand, the collaboration of technologies between HyperX and Alienware into ultimate gaming machines means we can push the envelope together and further define enthusiast gaming,” said Lawrence Yang, global business manager, HyperX.
HyperX is the high-performance product division of Kingston Technology encompassing high-speed DDR4 and DDR3 memory, SSDs, USB Flash drives, headsets and mouse pads. Targeted at gamers, overclockers and enthusiasts, HyperX is known throughout the world for quality, performance and innovation. HyperX is committed to eSports as it sponsors over 30 teams globally and is the main sponsor of Intel Extreme Masters. HyperX can be found at many shows including Brasil Game Show, China Joy, DreamHack, ESL One and PAX.
Steven Universe is half-human and half-gem. He lives with the Crystal Gems, a trio of humanoid Gems that now live on Earth permanently following a war between the Gems’ home planet and Earth. The trio is comprised of Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl. Garnet prefers solitude and possesses the ability to predict the best course of action to take in every situation. She is often the most supportive of Steven and his ideas. Amethyst is characterised as a free spirit, and in some ways is similar to Steven’s father, Greg. She can be patronising towards Steven, but occasionally struggles to deal with her past and the way in which others perceive her and treat her. Pearl possesses the most common sense out of the Gems, but often believes that Steven is too young to join them on their missions. Together, the four of them complete dangerous missions with strength, wisdom and the use of household items.
Story
Steven Universe has a fun feel to it. Steven’s energy and characterisation contribute to this, but there are so many elements that make this series what it is. Many episodes follow the same formula, but nothing ever gets old in this series. Said formula can be summarised as follows: Steven goes out on a mission with the Crystal Gems, Pearl worries about him, he gets into trouble, the Gems save him and he may or may not contribute to the success of the mission. As has been demonstrated by many anime series, it is not about the formula a series follows but rather how it is used. This is where the members of the creative team show off their skills.Many episodes are, possibly intentionally, reminiscent of adventure video games such as The Legend of Zelda. Steven is made to think outside of the box to solve a puzzle on multiple occasions, much like a video game player would. The solutions may seem obvious once they have been revealed, but it is always fun watching Steven trying to figure out the solution while simultaneously trying to work it out with him.
The plot of each episode tends to be predictable at first, especially with any plot point involving Steven, but the plots become progressively complex and surprising as the series progresses. All characters are created for a reason, even the bizarre and annoying Onion, but the characterisation of Connie in particular adds an extraordinary level of depth to the series. Although she is introduced in the opening animation sequence of the first episode, Connie does not appear until several episodes later. She and Steven become friends by the end of her introductory episode, and it is in every episode that she appears that the plot is truly special, meaningful and unpredictable. She is used to explore the themes of loneliness and social anxiety to great effect. Steven Universe is one of the best series to happen to the world of western animation; Connie is one of the best characters to happen to western fiction.
Humour is a fundamental part of most Cartoon Network shows, but aside from Adventure Time, rarely do they contain such clever humour as this one does. There are jokes for people of all ages, something that used to be rare in CN’s productions. Garnet in particular gets some of the most hilarious dialogue; her characterisation and Estelle’s delivery of her lines make the series that much funnier. The other aspects of the writing also demonstrate the accessibility of this series to wider audiences. There are references to forum debates about anime, unpopular blogs and, more importantly, to one of the major problems with the rock music industry. Western series tend to focus on male protagonists, but all female characters are given active roles in this series. Traditional gender roles and attitudes are not portrayed here, and Steven’s father Greg Universe, who used to travel and perform at rock concerts, illustrates this simply but powerfully when he tells his manager that “women are people”. This series does not marginalise any group of people, and it even, albeit subtly, promotes LGBTI themes through the fusion of the gems.
Visuals
The animation is above average for a Cartoon Network series. It has the same feel that other CN series do in terms of the animation style, but shots are often more detailed than in other CN series. The character designs are unique and pleasant to look at, showing that a lot of effort has been put into the visual aspects of this series. It is clear throughout the season that the production team are fans of Japanese media, and this can be seen through depictions of figurines of iconic characters from Japanese series, such as Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII.
Audio
There are several vocal songs throughout this season. Many of them are random songs that Steven sings or others sung by his father, but the Gems have a few vocal songs of their own. Perhaps the most noteworthy song of the entire season is Garnet’s “Stronger Than You”. Not only is the instrumental track fantastic, but the lyrics and vocals all come together to create one of the most powerful moments in the series so far. The background music also stands out, something that is rare for music in a western animated television series to achieve. The composers Aivi and Surasshu take their inspiration from video game music, and it seems that they have been inspired by some of the best music that Japanese video games have to offer. It contributes significantly to the atmosphere of the scenes it accompanies, giving some scenes a mystical feel while giving others a real sense of wonder.
Extras
The pilot episode is included on the first disc. There are some minor differences between the pilot and the 52 episodes of the first season, but many of the series’ key concepts were already established before it got the green light to enter full production. Steven alone sings the series’ theme song in this episode, for a different purpose than in the rest of the series.
Overall
Steven Universe is sweet and thoughtful, which is not something that can often be said about animated productions to come out of North America. Adventure Time has something special about it that allows it to be continually entertaining, but this series is perpetually entertaining and meaningful. It is a joy to watch right from the first episode, and the brilliant writing and characterisation result in a beautiful and often touching series that never fails to amaze. The music is constantly impressive and worth listening to over and over again, which is possible thanks to the composers sharing their music online. The only disappointing thing about the first season of Steven Universe is that it ends.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
NIS America has released a new English trailer for Grand Kingdom and this one focuses on introducing a new batch of classes that will be in the game when it is released on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita later this month. The trailer, found below, introduces the Shaman, Lancer, Rogue, and Gunner classes in Grand Kingdom.
This title is set in a land where after the fall of the once-prosperous Uldein Empire over one hundred years ago, the Four Great Nations now wage war to claim dominion over the Resonail continent. As the leader of a mercenary squad, players will assemble a team to lead across a battle-scarred continent to complete contracts for each nation. Players may also hop online to form an exclusive contract with one of the Four Great Nations, and participate in war with other players for the future of Resonail.
Last week XSEED Games announced that they are planning on releasing the latest game in the Bokujou Monogatari series under the name Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns for the Nintendo 3DS.
Currently the company has only stated that they are aiming to get the title released sometime in 2017 but since it is E3 they have also released a forty second long trailer giving us a brief look at some of the animals and activities that players will be able to partake in when the game is released.
XSEED has provided the below description for the title:
Settled on a homestead in the middle of three distinct and uniquely themed locales, players can explore a diverse landscape as they search for new ways to grow their farms and friendships. Extensive customization and gameplay options are on offer in Trio of Towns, with each village offering its own variety of regional crops, lads and ladies to romance, animals, festivals, furniture, decorations and more. More ways to play sprout up as players connect to one another locally or via the internet to chat, trade, and enhance items on a mysterious multiplayer island.
After it was revealed that the North American release of Persona 5 will not include dual audio at launch the community made enough noise that Atlus USA‘s public relations manager took to Twitter to address fans.
So, once again: All we are confirming at P5 launch is English dub. I'm looking into the possibility of JPN vo as DLC, but no news there.
— John Hardin – Type E Account (@JohnLHardin) June 15, 2016
In his statement, shown above, Josh Hardin states that the company will be looking into bringing the Japanese voice track for the game over as DLC but also has stated that it is a very uphill request as the Japanese voice acting industry is a bit of a mess.
For now, you can check out the recently released E3 trailer for the game here and keep an eye out for the game itself when it is released in North America on February 14, 2017 for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3.
With The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II set to be released for the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita this fall, XSEED Games has released a new trailer and a set of English screenshots just in time for E3.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II picks up one month after the events of The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel‘s “decisive collision” so if you have yet to complete the first game in the series, you may want to steer clear of the video and story summary below, though nothing specific is actually spoiled.
Peace is but a memory.
In the wake of the Noble Faction’s occupation of Heimdallr, civil war has broken out across Erebonia. The provincial armies, loyal to the aristocracy and the Four Great Houses, have claimed many of the nation’s great cities in the name of the Noble Alliance. The Imperial Army, called back from the four corners of the Empire, has only just begun sweeping its counterattack.
After Rean managed to escape Trista with Celine and Valimar, he awakens in the mountains near his hometown uncertain what fate befell his friends, who bravely threw themselves in harm’s way to buy him time to flee.
Though the road will not be an easy one, Rean decides to take up his sword again, journeying across Erebonia with his Divine Knight, Valimar, in search of his friends from Class VII and a way to end the conflict before its price becomes far too dear…
As you may have heard, XSEED Games is also getting in on the localization of Touhou games and their first one happens to be an action RPG called >Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity. While they may have announced the title just last week, they already have a trailer and some new screenshots ready for E3.
Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity stars Remilia Scarlet and her maid Sakuya as they begin a journey in search for a mysterious monster in an effort to help relieve Remilia of her boredom. YOu can check out the video and new screenshots below alongside a rundown of the game from XSEED.
Immortality is boring. While one would imagine an all-powerful vampire has a lot to do, such is not the case for Remilia Scarlet. After 500 years, the Scarlet Devil is desperately searching for something new to grab her interest. One day, she finds exactly that when she stumbles upon a newspaper article about a powerful, mysterious monster wreaking havoc across the countryside. Her curiosity piqued, she runs out to investigate this disturbance, letting the tabloids guide her to just where it might be.
After an unsuccessful first investigation, she returns to find her mansion in ruins. It seems the monster has brought the fight to her! Vowing revenge, Remilia sets out with a renewed sense of determination: she will find this monster, and she will make it pay! …And, at least for a time, she might not be quite so bored.
Acclaimed Indie Title Makes Jump to Console – Originally released as a fan-made indie title for PC, Scarlet Curiosity instantly gained a following for its beautiful soundtrack, impressive art direction, and high-speed action, and the leap to PS4 further refines the game with 1080p visuals running at a smooth 60 frames per second.
Two Characters for Twice the Adventure – Players can choose to play as the titular vampire, Remilia Scarlet, who relies on her magic and vampiric abilities to defeat enemies at her own pace, or her devoted maid, Sakuya Izayoi, who prefers close combat as she tears things up with her time control powers and infinite supply of knives.
Familiar Friends and Fearsome Foes – Fans of the Touhou series will find themselves right at home as the game is packed to the gills with fan-favorite characters, some of whom will challenge Remilia and Sakuya to intense boss battles that fill the screen with projectiles in a manner worthy of the renowned Touhou ‘king of bullet hell’ name.
Action and RPG in Equal Measure – While containing all of the combat, platforming, and boss fights of an action game, experience and equipment systems allow players to level up, toughen up, and unlock various special abilities and magic spells to customize their gameplay experience.
Last week XSEED Games was quick to announce that they are planning on releasing Marvelous’ Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star action title and now the company has released some of the first English screenshots for the game as well as some new details about the high-speed title.
Currently Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star is set to be released in North America sometime this Winter for the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita and will feature a number of fan-favorite characters. You can check out the screenshots, some off screen gameplay footage recorded from the E3 floor below as well as a summary for the game from XSEED Games.
The Moon Cell Automaton is a spiritron computer, which exists on the moon and has the power to grant any wish. All across the spiritron-constructed virtual world, SE.RA.PH., Servants and the Masters who control them fight for the right to be the Moon Cell Automaton’s one owner in a ceremonial conflict known as the Holy Grail War.
Now, the Servant Nero Claudius and her Master have won the Holy Grail War and have obtained the universal wishing mechanism, the Holy Grail.
They also obtained the Regalia, a ring that proves their kingship. With it, they rule over their once-enemy Servants and start a new beginning on the moon’s new world.
But a new enemy has appeared before them. And this enemy has something that shouldn’t exist: another Regalia.
A Variety of Fate Universes Collide – Not just Fate/Extra Servants, but characters from Fate/stay night, Fate/Apocrypha, Fate/Grand Order and other Fate continuities make their appearances here. Players can enjoy the action with the original Japanese voice-overs and English subtitles.
A Brand-New Story from Acclaimed Series Author, Nasu Kinoko – As the original creator of Fate/stay night and the scenario writer of Fate/Extra, Nasu Kinoko has created a completely new scenario for Fate/Extella, evolving his highly celebrated universe and characters.
A Large Story Told from Different Perspectives – The story is told from the independent perspectives of three heroine Servants, augmented by various side stories that help supplement the main storyline.
A New Way to Battle – As the first action game in the Fate series, players will finally be able to control a Servant and perform various moves, including a powerful form change ability to transform Servants. Engage in intense battles on the ground or in mid-air to annihilate the enemy forces!
While SNK Playmore and Atlus have been releasing trailers showing off the various teams that make up the fifty total fighters, of which nineteen are brand new to the series, that are playable in The King of Fighters XIV, they have decided to simply focus on the action when it comes to their E3 trailer for the game. In the video, found below, many of the characters are shown fighting and a few small cinematics are also shown off.
The King of Fighters XIV is currently set to be released in North America on August 23rd as a PlayStation 4 exclusive.
With E3 in full swing Sega has released a new two minute trailer for Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X which is set to be released in North America on August 30th for the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita.
You can check out the video below and as for the game itself, Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X is the first game in the series to have a narrative that centers on Miku and her friends undertaking various requests as they explore the five Clouds that make up their world while also offering thirty different songs and nearly 300 costumes (modules) that can be obtained.
