Page 3064 – Capsule Computers

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April 23, 2016

ARK: SURVIVAL EVOLVED LAUNCHES OFFICIAL MOD PROGRAM AND DOUBLES GAME CONTENT

Studio Wildcard Celebrates More Than 1 Million Xbox One Copies Sold

Seattle, WA — April 22, 2016 — Studio Wildcard, the studio that never sleeps, announced today an official mod program for ARK: Survival Evolved that will see the best community mods and maps considered to become official content and added to the main game on Xbox One and PC. Next month will see the first new map, The Center, arrive in-game which will more than double the content within the dinosaur survival adventure, The popular Primitive Plus mod was also chosen for inclusion later this summer. While ARK players on Steam may already have played these popular community mods, this is a first for Xbox One gamers.

Check out the trailer on Youtube HERE: youtu.be/gpf0j_NVO3Y

In combination with the Official Mods Program and the increased content, Studio Wildcard announced today that ARK: Survival Evolved has now sold more than 1 million copies since its December 2015 launch on Xbox One and nearly 4 million copies on Windows PC. ARK is scheduled for a full release in holiday 2016 for all platforms (Windows PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4).

“ARK’s success has increased our content goals and Early Access players have helped us raise our ambitions with their invaluable feedback,” said Jesse Rapczak, co-founder, co-creative director, Studio Wildcard. “When we first announced, we said 70 dinos, now we’ll have over 100. We never anticipated adding modding, local multiplayer, split screen, or numerous other upcoming features. The game at launch will be far more robust than originally conceived, but it takes a little extra time to wrap it all up.”

Designed by community member Ben Burkart, The Center adds an over-the-top, fantasy-themed map that doubles the size of the current game and is more varied than the original ARK map, with tons of new biomes, dungeons, floating islands, end-of-the-world waterfalls, massive ancient ruins, along with other wonders to explore and secrets to find. Drawn completely by hand without any auto-generated content, The Center is a massive increase in the game’s official playable content and is free to both PC and Xbox One players.

In the case of Primitive Plus, players are challenged to use only wood and stone without the benefit of advanced metals to create weapons such as guns. A whole new set of items and detailed new mechanics focus the player on ‘primitive’ survival, which fits snugly in the world of ARK. Primitive Plus will be playable as a functionality mod on all official ARK maps.

Feel like riding a dinosaur? Join the ARK community forums HERE: steamcommunity.com/app/346110/discussions/

ARK: Survival Evolved will see its full launch this holiday season on Xbox One via the ID@Xbox program, PlayStation^®4, and Steam PC. The game is currently playable in Microsoft’s Game Preview on Xbox One and Steam’s Early Access program, which includes Oculus Rift VR support and an integration of Steam community features such as Steam Economy and Steam Workshop for custom maps and mods. Players can host private/LAN servers and have access to a custom-built version of the Unreal Engine 4 Editor for creating mods. The world of ARK is designed to be modder-friendly and ever-expanding!

To join in the battle, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube, visit the website at www.playark.com and watch us tame and train leviathan dinosaurs on Twitch.TV.

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ABOUT STUDIO WILDCARD

Studio Wildcard was co-founded in 2014 by Jesse Rapczak, former Technical Art Director at Microsoft Game Studios, with the mission of bringing AAA quality to ambitious indie productions that are designed for core gamers. With 12 years of industry experience across multiple independent and studio-backed titles, Jesse has teamed up with other veteran developers for a Seattle, WA-based development studio that also includes distributed team members across multiple continents. Wherever talented, driven developers may reside, Studio Wildcard intends to seek out and work with them!

ABOUT INSTINCT GAMES

Instinct Games is Egypt’s leading game development studio. Started in 2011 by former Timeline Interactive co-founders, the Instinct Games team develops and produces video games on all major platforms utilizing its competent technical team. Its mission is to collaborate with world class partners to foster Egypt’s video game development ecosystem and set a precedent of high quality, low cost, entertaining indie games with worldwide appeal.

Champions of Anteria Announced by Blue Byte and Ubisoft

Jamie Laike Tsui

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April 23, 2016

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Champions of Anteria Announced by Blue Byte and Ubisoft

Blue Byte (Anno 2205) and Ubisoft has announced their new game Champions of Anteria. It is a tactical RTS starring five unique heroes representing water, fire, metal, nature, and lightning. Players will create a team of three to tackle missions, choosing heroes that will have the upper hand based on their elements. While the combat is real time, players can pause the game at will, giving them time to examine the situation and plan out their next move.

Champions of Anteria is set in Anteria, a land under attack by monsters. Players will gather their heroes and defend the kingdom from horrifying monsters. The game launches on Windows on August 30th.

I Am Setsuna Arrives in the West on July 19th

Travis Bruno

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April 23, 2016

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Square Enix has announced that they are planning on releasing Tokyo RPG Factory’s I Am Setsuna in North America and Europe on July 19th where it will be available on both the PlayStation 4 and PC on the same day, through the PlayStation Store and Steam.

To go along with this announcement the company provided new screenshots, a trailer, and something of an overview for I Am Setsuna explaining that it tells the sorrowful story of Setsuna, a young woman of incredible inner strength, and the sacrifice she must undertake to the save the people of her land. Players will be immersed in an emotional and unforgettable story of true bravery as Setsuna leaves her hometown with her bodyguards on a journey to the farthest land.

Thirty One Minutes of ClaDun Sengoku Gameplay Footage Released

Travis Bruno

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April 23, 2016

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Nippon Ichi Software has released thirty one minutes of gameplay footage for their upcoming PS Vita RPG ClaDun Sengoku. Similar to past games in the series, players will need to carefully navigate dungeons filled with traps and dangerous monsters while playing as some of the new classes and using weaponry based around the Sengoku period in order to find clues to the “regrets” that plague fallen military commanders.

The gameplay footage can be found below and a demo for ClaDun Sengoku is currently set to be released on April 28th while the game itself will be released in Japan on May 26th.

I AM SETSUNA TO ARRIVE IN EUROPE ON 19TH JULY

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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April 22, 2016

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I AM SETSUNA TO ARRIVE IN EUROPE ON 19TH JULY

New Character Art and Trailer Revealed for Tokyo RPG Factory’s Debut Title

LONDON (22^nd April 2016) – During the PAX East Convention in Boston, Square Enix Ltd.,today announced that the debut title from its all-new studio Tokyo RPG Factory, I AM SETSUNA, will arrive in the west on 19^th July 2016 on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Steam®.

I AM SETSUNA tells the sorrowful story of Setsuna; a young woman of incredible inner strength and the sacrifice she must undertake to the save the people of her land. As Setsuna leaves with her two safeguards for the farthest land, players will be immersed in an emotional and unforgettable story of true bravery. Two new pieces of artwork were also released, which reveal the heroine Setsuna in more detail, as well as Endir, another of the title’s main playable characters. Endir is a skilled mercenary, whose destiny is changed upon meeting Setsuna. Endir embarks with Setsuna as one of her safeguards on her dangerous journey to the farthest land.

I AM SETSUNA offers beautiful art and game design that harks back to JRPG classics of yesteryear, and includes various features inspired by legendary titles from the golden era of JRPGs, such as CHRONO TRIGGER®’s memorable battle system. To watch the I AM SETSUNA trailer now, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_o6PsJJp-k

I AM SETSUNA will be available digitally only in Europe and PAL territories from 19^th July 2016 on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Steam®.

*Includes EN text only.

Related Links
Official Website: www.iamsetsuna.com
Tokyo RPG Factory Homepage: http://www.tokyorpgfactory.com

About Tokyo RPG Factory
Established in August 2014, Tokyo RPG Factory is a new studio within Square Enix specializing in Japanese RPGs. The studio revisits the ethos and practices used to develop for the 16-bit era and aims to re-introduce the classic JRPG style to current hardware, mixing the spirit of the past with technologies of today.

Taking inspiration from the golden era of JRPGs and their story telling, innovation and depth – the first title from the studio, I AM SETSUNA, will arrive in Europe and North America in 2016.

About Square Enix Ltd.
Square Enix Ltd., a part of the Square Enix Europe business unit, 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. 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 boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property including: FINAL FANTASY, which has sold over 110 million units worldwide, DRAGON QUEST® which has sold over 66 million units worldwide and TOMB RAIDER® which has sold over 45 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://www.square-enix.com/eu/en/ .

DRAGON QUEST, EIDOS, FINAL FANTASY, SPACE INVADERS, SQUARE ENIX, the SQUARE ENIX logo, TAITO, TOKYO RPG FACTORY, the TOKYO RPG FACTORY logo, and TOMB RAIDER are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Square Enix group of companies. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

MOVE OR DIE TO LAUNCH “VIEWERS VS STREAMERS” FREE CONTENT UPDATE ON APRIL 29

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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April 22, 2016

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MOVE OR DIE TO LAUNCH “VIEWERS VS STREAMERS” FREE CONTENT UPDATE ON APRIL 29

Update to Include Twitch Mode, Added Game Modes and Mutators, and New Characters Including Shovel Knight

Bucharest, Romania – April 22, 2016 – Millions of gamers have watched the hilarious friendship-ruining drama of Move or Die unfold from their favorite streaming personalities. Now from the mad genius minds of Those Awesome Guys, viewers will be able to directly interact with their livestreamers playing Move or Die in the upcoming “Viewers vs Streamers” content update launching April 29. This free update will also feature the debut of the “Heavy Bullets” game mode, “Teleporter” Mutator option, and adds new playable characters including the greatest garden-tool wielding hero of them all – Shovel Knight!

The new “Viewers vs Streamers” content update will be revealed at PAX East in the Move or Die booth #4165 – attendees are encouraged to come by to experience this new content update and win tiny, fabulous prizes. Also, Twitch Mode will be shown for the first time and livestreamed at the Twitch PJ Saltan tournament during PAX East on Friday, April 22 between 1:00PM through 3:00PM EST!

Viewers can choose which laser to fire in Twitch Mode against livestreamers. LASERS!

“Since forever, viewers could just watch their favorite streamers play games without being able to influence the experience in any way,” states Nicolae Berbece, founder and lead developer of Those Awesome Guys. “Games are interactive and watching them is not, so it’s time to fix that with the new Viewers Vs Streamers free content update. We allowed the viewers to take over the game through the chat and piss their favorite streamers off – it’s beautiful!”

The “Viewers vs Streamers” free content update features Twitch Mode enabling livestream viewers to pick the Move or Die game modes, and Mutator options they want to see livestreaming personalities play. In addition, four mini-games available only in Twitch Mode gives direct power to the viewers to throw bombs, fire lasers, and cause general mayhem and consternation to livestreaming players. Added game modes and options, zany playable characters, and new announcers round off one of the most exciting content updates for Move or Die.

The “Viewers vs Streamers” free content update will be available on April 29. Move or Die is available now on Steam for $14.99. To learn more about Move or Die, please visit www.moveordiegame.com, ‘Like’ it on Facebook, and follow its development on Twitter @moveordiegame for all the latest developer updates and news.

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ABOUT THOSE AWESOME GUYS

Founded in 2012 by Nicolae Berbece, Those Awesome Guys is a one-man independent video game developer based in Romania that teams up with developers from around the world to create really awesome games. After releasing Concerned Joe, a 2D puzzle platformer Flash game that generated a small, but dedicated following, Nick decided to give the title a proper remake. And so was born Move or Die, an absurdly fast-paced multiplayer party game coming out in January on Steam. For more information, visit thoseawesomeguys.com

ZOMBIE VIKINGS RAGNARÖK EDITION OUT NOW ON PLAYSTATION®4 PUBLISHED BY RISING STAR GAMES

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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April 22, 2016

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ZOMBIE VIKINGS RAGNARÖK EDITION OUT NOW ON PLAYSTATION®4 PUBLISHED BY RISING STAR GAMES

Enhanced Physical Boxed Edition of Zoink Games’ Dead Funny Co-Op Hack ‘N’ Slash Brawler is Available at Retailers Now

Los Angeles, CA– April 22, 2016 – Rising Star Games announced today an onslaught of putrid pugilism on PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, with the launch of the physical boxed release of Zombie Vikings Ragnarök Edition, for $19.99. From acclaimed Swedish developer Zoink Games, Zombie Vikings Ragnarök Edition features five exclusive arenas, two additional player characters and a deluxe digital art book.

The comedy co-op adventure plunges up to four players into the Nordic cosmos, tasking the putrid posse with a heroic mission to retrieve Odin’s magic right eye and make peace with their rotten pasts along the way. The gloriously grotesque adventure sees players brawling, bashing, biting and buddying up to execute undead special moves across the most epic of worlds, including boiling gingerbread swamps and the oozing intestines of the giant Midgaard Serpent.

Watch the new trailer for Zombie Vikings Ragnarök Edition HERE: youtu.be/yzFrITKSTs4

“We are excited to finally release the physical boxed version of Zombie Vikings into the hands of players”, said Martin Defries, Managing Director of Rising Star Games. “The additional exclusive content in Zombie Vikings Ragnarök Edition makes for a compelling and definitive version of this comedic and barbaric brawler”.

“We poured our heart and soul into Zombie Vikings and made this crazy adventure, which we think the players will really enjoy,” said Klaus Lyngeled, CEO of Zoink Games.

Zombie Vikings Key Features:

1 to 4-player brawler featuring online or couch co-op gameplay
Hilarious story written by Zach Weinersmith (Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal)
Exclusive to the physical box version of Zombie Vikings Ragnarök Edition:
- 5 bonus Versus Arenas
- 2 additional playable characters; Frostbjörn and Raybjörn
- Deluxe digital art book

For more information on Zombie Vikings Ragnarök Edition, please visit the official site: www.zombie-vikings.com.
For more information on Rising Star Games, follow us on Twitter and visit the official Rising Star Games website.

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ABOUT ZOINK GAMES

Zoink is an award winning developer in Sweden who loves to innovate and create. Zoink’s last game Stick It to The Man was released on a multitude of consoles and gained critical acclaim. Besides working on their own titles, Zoink also creates for companies such as Disney, Cartoon Network, and Google.

www.zoinkgames.com

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

Adventure Time: Stakes! Review

K. Roberts

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April 22, 2016

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Adventure Time: Stakes!
Studio: Frederator Studios
Publisher: Madman Entertainment
Format: DVD (reviewed)
Release Date: April 6, 2016
Price: $14.95 AUD (Available Here)

Overview

After living as a vampire for 1,000 years, Marceline has decided that it is time for her to become a normal human again. Princess Bubblegum has been working on a cure for vampirism, and while it has yet to be tested, Marceline decides to undergo the experimental procedure. Marceline is later accused of biting and sucking the blood out of the animals in a nearby farm village, but is unable to defend herself against the accusations. Meanwhile, new enemies appear in the form of reborn vampires.

Story

Episodes of Adventure Time featuring Marceline have always been more memorable than others. Her history with Simon, now known as the Ice King, is being gradually revealed, and her issues with her father have also been the subject of multiple episodes. It is only natural that she should now be the star of several consecutive episodes. There are some things going on in the background involving Princess Bubblegum and the Candy Kingdom, and the Flame Princess and Cinnamon Bun are briefly shown together for just a few seconds, but Stakes! is primarily about Marceline. It is not particularly common for this series to delve into philosophical territory, but Marceline’s wish to become mortal is explored carefully and sensitively. Burning people alive was common centuries ago, and the writers make a good point about the pointlessness of violence based on fear and ignorance when a group of villagers raise their pitchforks and try to burn Marceline alive. Finn’s devotion to his friends really shines through during this unusually dark turn of events, and Jake becomes more relatable through his fear of the true perpetrator of the crimes against the farm animals. It is exceedingly rare to see Jake sitting a fight out, but in these episodes, he is not one of the stars of the show. This is Marceline’s adventure, both physically and emotionally.

Until now, flashbacks to Marceline’s past have mostly featured Simon. The second episode of this miniseries reveals a great deal more about her youth. A scene featuring her mother is by far one of the most touching scenes in Stakes!, and it is quite powerful seeing how the humans she encountered over the years have reacted to her. They see her as a threat even when she helps them, although some do eventually come to see her as a genuinely caring person. The only significant problem with Stakes! is that “Everything Stays” is the only episode focusing on flashbacks to Marceline’s past. Each individual flashback could have easily been the focus of a whole episode, yet they are all condensed to only be just long enough to be meaningful. Another problem, albeit a less important one, is that the events of “The Empress Eyes” make it as difficult as it has been in the past to feel any kind of sympathy for the Ice King. The earlier flashback to Marceline’s time with Simon does at least give more emotional insight into the kind of person he used to be, but the writers did not choose to have the Ice King grow, or rather regain his old identity, during this miniseries. Adventure Time has always been about taking one step at a time instead of giving all of the answers and ideal conclusions at once, so if the writers do have plans for the Ice King in the future, they may very well be worth the wait.

The villains in Adventure Time are usually too bizarre to ever be truly annoying. The Lemon Grabs have been a source of great entertainment for fans despite being disturbing, and many of the other bad guys have turned out to be less evil than they first appeared. Marceline’s enemies, the vampires and especially the Vampire King, are created according to this trend. We get to see old-fashioned vampires, hypnotising vampires and more, but the Vampire King is one of the best ‘villains’ ever featured in this series. He might have been evil once, but these episodes show that bad people can become good if they are given a chance. Such people may not always seem to deserve a chance, but in this case, the Vampire King’s dramatic shift in character pushes Marceline to really develop as a character.

Visuals

For the most part, the animation featured in Stakes! is exactly the same as it is throughout the majority of Adventure Time. However, the animation noticeably increases in quality during the climax. It seems as if the animation team got some ideas from Japanese animation, and the end result is amazing. A special opening animation sequence was created for these episodes too. This sequence helps add to the dark atmosphere of this story. The character designs remain the same, but a lot of effort has gone into creating a wide range of unique characters and enemies just for this miniseries. With a bit of editing, this could just as easily be a feature film. One can only hope that the production team creates another miniseries within Adventure Time again, or better yet, a direct-to-TV film.

Audio

The quality of the music is mixed; much of it is the same type of synthesised music present in the rest of the series, but there are a few pieces of music that help add to the emotional atmosphere. There are a few fantastic vocal songs, and the lyrics are as powerful as in Marceline’s previous songs. The voice acting maintains the same quality as before, and Olivia Olson continues to do a perfect job of voicing and singing as Marceline.

Extras

This set features animatics, song demos and an art gallery. The song demos feature basic demonstrations of the songs with Olivia Olson’s vocal tracks, and the art gallery is a short video featuring character designs for all of the characters seen in these eight episodes. These extras present a great way to spend a few minutes after watching the final episode.

Overall

Cartoon Network’s animated series tend to be all about action, but Adventure Time has differed on many occasions. It evokes emotions through the exploration of important themes such as parenthood and romance, and episodes featuring Marceline in particular are always powerful and moving. With so much creative potential, it is no wonder at all that Marceline became the focus of an eight-part story in Stakes!. These episodes depict her character and her past as sensitively as ever. If not for the crude humour present in scenes featuring Finn and Jake, this miniseries might have been one of even more profound. Even with the usual toilet humour, it raises philosophical questions about existence and asks questions about the meaning of good and evil, and then discusses them as best it can. This is Adventure Time at its most powerful and engaging level so far.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Persona 5 Website Updated With May 5th Countdown

Travis Bruno

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April 22, 2016

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Atlus is preparing to play with the hearts of Persona fans once again as they have updated the official Japanese website for Persona 5 with a massive countdown timer that is currently counting down to something that will be occurring on May 5th, a date that is of course 05/05.

For now the company has given no clues as to what to expect from the countdown other than a “Take Your Heart” phrase above the count down but considering we already know that the game is supposed to be coming out in Japan sometime this summer and sometime this year in the West, perhaps it might be an official release date announcement? Only time will tell.

Right Stuf Opens Pre-Orders for the ‘Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt’ Limited Edition Blu-ray

K. Roberts

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April 22, 2016

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Right Stuf Opens Pre-Orders for the ‘Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt’ Limited Edition Blu-ray

Right Stuf has opened pre-orders for their imported limited edition Blu-ray release of the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt. Right Stuf provided an in-depth synopsis of the story:

Their war has not yet ended…
It is Universal Century 0079, at the end of the One Year War between the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon. The space colonies of Side 4, or Moore, were previously destroyed by a Zeon attack, and many colonists lost their lives. Side 4 became a shoal zone filled with the wreckage of destroyed colonies and warships, lit by constant flashes of lightning due to collisions between electrified debris. It soon came to be known as the “Thunderbolt Sector.”
The Moore Brotherhood, an Earth Federation Forces unit made up of surviving citizens from Moore, set out to exterminate the Zeon forces in the Thunderbolt Sector in order to reclaim their homeland. To halt the Federation advance, the Zeon forces deployed their own Living Dead Division, which was established to collect combat data on soldiers with prosthetic limbs.
Io Fleming, though part of the Moore Brotherhood, hates being tied down by his homeland and family history. Daryl Lorenz, having lost his legs in earlier battles, is now an ace sniper of the Living Dead Division. When they confront each other on the battlefield, they will reach a mutual realization. These two are destined to kill each other.

This release contains a storage box featuring artwork illustrated by Hajime Katoki. Inside of the box is a 108-page “Animation Works” booklet featuring line art illustrations and staff interviews, a sleeve case illustrated by Yasuo Ohtagaki, a specially created jacket illustration and a special 16-page booklet. On-disc extras include a bonus disc containing “Documentary of Thunderbolt”, storyboards from episodes 1-4, staff and cast audio commentary, promotional videos and TV commercials. None of the extras are in English; they are only in Japanese. All four episodes are presented with Japanese and English audio tracks and English, Japanese, French, Korean and Chinese subtitles.

There will only be limited quantities available. Pre-orders can be made here for $89.99 USD (U.S. Dollars) ahead of its release on July 2, 2016. The cover art is featured below.