As you may remember, NIS America announced a few months ago that they were planning on releasing the first season of Love Live! School Idol Project with an English dub and that release just so happens to be next week. As the release date grew closer fans were wondering just who would be providing the English voice work for the normal talking sections of the anime, as the songs will remain untouched and performed in Japanese.
That changed recently when NIS America revealed their English cast for the main characters of Love Live! School Idol Project and you can find out who will be voicing which characters below:
Overview There has been a pleasantly surprising uptick in the amount of fighting games being released in the West, especially in regards to anime styled fighting games. This doesn’t come as too much of a surprise however as many of the characters that tend to duke it out in these titles are well known even among the most common consumer of Japanese media. Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel is quite a bit different in that regard but does the title offer an experience worth sinking your teeth into?
Story As mentioned before, many anime based titles feature characters from light novels or anime that fans have seen in the past but Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel is something of an outlier in this regard however and that is because the title pulls solely from titles that Nitroplus has worked on in the past or produced themselves, meaning that this roster is quite unique in the way that even longtime fans of Japanese products may not know who half the roster is.
That being said, players don’t necessarily require previous knowledge of who these characters are before entering the story mode but there are certain tidbits here and there that fans will get a kick out of. The twelve (fourteen with temporarily free launch DLC adding Aino Heart and Homura) playable fighters have been pulled into an unknown area where all but the selected fighter seem to be controlled by an unknown force and battle against one another.
As you progress throughout the story there will be simple cut-ins informing the player about the advancement of the final boss’ plans but a number of encounters throughout the eight battle story mode will feature short story segments that are unique to each character as they interact with their opponent.
Once you complete the arcade story mode, the “Another Story” offers a more in-depth visual novel storyline that fleshes out a few details about the world, though this mode does require players to follow the storyline from specific character’s points of view and fight with only specific partners that are accompanying them in said story. This extra mode does serve as a nice inclusion to help pad out the extremely thin core storyline but unfortunately due to the limited familiarity (with myself admittedly only knowing about two-thirds of the cast) with some of these characters, enjoyment will vary.
Gameplay Although Nitroplus may not have delved into the fighting game scene before this title, the developer of the Arcana Heart titles, Examu, is who they brought in to help create Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel. As such those who are familiar with Arcana Heart series, or most 2D fighters such as this, will find themselves easily managing to learn the basics of the game’s combat system. This means there are your standard weak, medium, and heavy attacks as well as “Heavy Action” attacks that can send your opponent flying away from you or quickly sweeping their feet out from under them.
This gives the title a very easy barrier of entry for newcomers that can learn some of the game’s more complicated maneuvers while trying to figure out which of the initial twelve launch characters best fits their play style since these characters all play quite differently from one another. As for those slightly more complicated feats, the title offers something of an “auto-combo” called Variable Rush that drains two segments of the player’s power gauge but allows for a fairly damaging combo to be unleashed with ease. Other such features include Infinite Blast, a once a round move that serves as knockback/cancel attack that temporarily refills the user’s health and power gauge, counter raids to guard and attack your opponent at the same time while sacrificing a segment of your power, and even more complicated escape guards meant to avoid certain styles of attack.
This may sound complicated but it is surprisingly simple to grasp as you make your way through the story modes and train against AI opponents. The use of predictable input special moves, super moves, and “Lethal Blaze” finishing moves that, at the cost of a full gauge, unleashes an anime cut-away attack that can turn the tide of a losing battle or bury a nearly defeated opponent by dealing massive amounts of damage make the title’s core gameplay simple to learn and therefore the aforementioned complicated features will begin to come along naturally.
As for the partner characters, players are provided with an extra twenty characters that serve as partners that can be called into combat after their individual meters fill up. The unique thing about this game is that while players can bring two partners into a fight with them, the purposes they serve during combat varies wildly depending on who is chosen. For example, Sonico, when called in as a partner, can release buffs and de-buffs indiscriminately throughout the stage while Yuki will summon a swarm of zombies across the bottom of the screen to deal damage to the opponent. The game does recommend certain partners to fit a character’s fighting style but it is ultimately up to the player to decide as these partners can even provide refills to both fighters’ power gauges, which can ruin your fight if used incorrectly.
The actual fighters are a mixed bunch that come with a variety of play styles. This offers plenty of variety for those looking for something new to try out, especially since characters like Saya can be tricky to learn while Muramasa’s ability to zip around the screen with strings makes for a real treat when used properly and Sonico’s use of her band mates and cats in her special moves makes her a humorous but dangerous opponent. That being said, this variety does mean that the game does feel quite unbalanced at times so it will take quite a bit of testing, especially with the large amount of customization thanks to the partner summoning, to find out just where certain characters land in this game.
As for the gameplay modes, Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel is unfortunately rather lacking. The title offers the aforementioned “Story Mode” which is basically the arcade mode, the visual novel feeling “Another Story,” accompanied by training mode, simple versus against AI or count opponents, and then online mode. Unfortunately there are no special unlockables for fans of these series such as artwork from the original material or even voice samples.
The online mechanics serve the title well as players will find that there is very little lag, even when playing against a clearly Japanese opponent. This is essential due to the amount of action happening at times and attempting to find a match is incredibly easy at the moment and it is possible to create rooms of up to six players to fight and spectate together with very little ease, especially since there is even a special mode set aside specifically for fighting against people on your friends list.
Visuals & Audio Considering the origins of the cast for Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise when I say that this the title is handled superbly when it comes to character designs and animation. The cast very colorful and their designs match what fans will know of them perfectly, such as Saber’s glimmering invisible blade and Saya’s grotesque flesh move-set. The title never sees any type of slowdown no matter how many special moves are occurring on the screen at one time, which can be a lot considering you can combine a zombie rushing partner assist and another partner raining laser beams from the sky with a usually screen filling “Lethal Blaze” to create some incredibly hectic action.
The character portraits are nicely handled during visual novel sequences and there are a few new pieces of CG here and there for fans, though as mentioned before don’t expect any special unlockables. The soundtrack for the game is rather fitting while the characters (that I know at least) are all voiced by their original Japanese voice actors and although I would have appreciated some extra subtitles being included as both fighters prepare for battle, the core story is translated well.
Overall Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel may not feature a cast that many fans will be able to easily pick out at a glance but thankfully some addictive and easy to learn and fun to master gameplay mechanics make it a highly enjoyable fighting game. That being said, the slim offering of gameplay modes and basic storyline will be disappointing to those looking for a deeper experience, but thankfully the online mode is still there for those who want to take their favorite characters and battle against others in this entertaining crossover fighter. Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Newest PvP Map Addition Coming in Update 0.13 on February 11
Amsterdam, The Netherlands – February 8, 2016 – Developer Obsidian Entertainment and publisher My.com unveil new information about the upcoming update 0.13 coming to Armored Warfare on February 11. Coastal Threat is a brand-new map for PvP and brings great possibilities for all classes of vehicles that capitalize on their strategic use in the thick of battle.
Throughout history, the Black Sea region has been a strategic location many parties sought to control due to its importance in trade, as well as its tactical value. In the universe of Armored Warfare, set in the late 2020’s, the relations in the region have significantly deteriorated. The entire area became a battleground for various interests, often backed by the power of one of the newly established Private Military Companies.
An otherwise peaceful town on the coastline has just seen the first glimmers of global conflict; destruction and devastation is left in the wake of armored combatants launching a siege on the area in order to take hold of its natural resources. This 1200×1200 meter map consists of several regions that offer plenty of space to flank your opponents – the southern bay area and the north offer wide arcs of fire, while the city can be used by heavier and slower vehicles to advance under cover.
Other features introduced with update 0.13:
Third Arms Dealer – Originating from China, a rising new arms dealer by the name of Zhang Feng and his roster of dangerous vehicles, will soon become available for all tank Commanders.
PvE Reward System Rework – Changes will be made so rewards in PvE function similar to PvP in order for the systems to be equitable and beneficial.
Matchmaker 2.0 – Updates to the matchmaking system will provide an overall better experience and more balanced matches.
Armored Warfare is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online tactical military game that puts the player into the world of modern warfare. In Armored Warfare, players get a chance to try the most powerful tools of destruction invented by mankind – from modern main battle tanks to scouts and wheeled vehicles. Using modern defense systems like anti-missile protection and smoke grenades, as well as various types of armor and ammunition, players can jump into fast paced battles both in PvP mode and a vast amount of PvE missions.
Download Armored Warfare for free today, visit: https://aw.my.com. To learn more about Armored Warfare, please visit https://aw.my.com, ‘Like’ it on Facebook, and follow its development on Twitter @ArmoredWar for all the latest developer updates and news.
BY NIGHT STUDIOS SUCCESSFULLY FUNDS NEW EDITION OF WEREWOLF: THE APOCOLYPSE ON KICKSTARTER New Orleans, LA – Feb. 8, 2016 –By Night Studios has successfully achieved its Kickstarter funding goal for its new edition of Mind’s Eye Theatre: Werewolf: The Apocalypse, an immersive live-action roleplaying game set in White Wolf’s legendary World of Darkness.
Since its debut in 1991, White Wolf’s World of Darkness game franchise has spawned top-selling video games, comic books, novels, a network TV show, trading card games, tabletop roleplaying games and a family of LIVE ACTION ROLEPLAYING products popular worldwide. By Night Studios is the official licensed publisher of Mind’s Eye Theatre products for White Wolf Publishing, and its interactive entertainment games are currently played monthly by over 400 groups of enthusiastic gamers in over 20 countries.
Marking twenty-two years sinceWerewolf’s original release in the LIVE ACTION medium, By Night Studios will bring a new edition of Mind’s Eye Theatre: Werewolf: The Apocalypse to the worldwide audience. Using Kickstarter, the popular crowd-funding site, they have raised over $70,000 to date. There are still 30 days left to go in the project and a number of ambitious stretch goals left to achieve, including a series of never-before-created tribe pins for the Werewolf community.
Following the successful Mind’s Eye Theatre: Vampire The Masquerade release, Mind’s Eye Theatre: Werewolf: The Apocalypse also takes two decades worth of learnings about the iconic World of Darkness game setting and creates a perfect companion product designed specifically for the LARP audience. The book will be a 400+ full-color pages with an updated and modern story, balanced rules, and stunning artwork that will appeal to all werewolf fans. Created to be played effortlessly alongside the previously released Mind’s Eye Theatre: Vampire The Masquerade, it is currently available from the By Night Studios Kickstarter page.
By Night Studios is a New Orleans-based company with a singular mission: to usher in a renaissance for the World of Darkness Mind’s Eye Theatre experience. Its founders and staff are all long-time fans of the World of Darkness and enthusiastic advocates of Live Action games. They include game industry professionals who, for almost two decades, have been involved in the creation and promotion of World of Darkness products and Mind’s Eye Theatre events.
Happy Chinese New Year! Celebrate the Year of the Monkey with six indie games for only $1.99 in the first 24 hours of the sale. Indie Gala’sEvery Monday Bundle #97 contains:
Wishmaster – One part visual novel, one part match-3 puzzle, Wishmaster follows a magical creature who has the power to grant wishes, for better or for worse.
Battlepillars – A real-time tug of war strategy game from the developers of Draw a Stickman.
Vanguard Princess – An anime style 2D fighter with an all female cast. The game comes with the “Hilda Rize’ and “Lilith” DLCs.
Revolt – A twin stick shooter set in a future where humans are struggling for survival after a devastating virus and a robot revolution.
Zombie Wars: Invasion – A classic cartoon style tower defense featuring six towers and a hero system.
Lord of the Dark Castle – A retro styled turn based dungeon crawling rogue-like with plenty of randomized levels, skills, and spells.
For the first 24 hours of the sale, the bundle is only $1.99. Be sure to grab your copy atIndie Gala before the price goes up.
Introducing ‘HITMAN: Beta Launch’ trailer – Beta live Friday 12th of February on PS4, Feb. 19th on PC
Experience Agent 47’s recruitment into the ICA
Io-Interactive invites players to join Agent 47 on his very first assignment for the International Contract Agency in the upcoming HITMAN Beta.
Labeled “The Prologue”, the Beta takes place twenty years before the Paris Showstopper mission. Set in a secret ICA training facility, the Prologue features a pivotal moment in Agent 47’s life – his introduction to the ICA and very first meeting with his future handler Diana Burnwood. The Prologue features two free-form training hits, which will introduce players to the features and mechanics of the upcoming HITMAN game. The Prologue will also be available as part of the first episode of HITMAN releasing March 11th, 2016.
The only way to guarantee your access to the HITMAN Beta is to pre-order the game digitally on PlayStation 4 via PSN or PC via Steam. Alternatively, you can pre-order the Collector’s Edition.
Access to the HITMAN Beta is available for the pre-orders of the Full Experience, Intro Pack and Collector’s Edition.
The PS4 Beta is scheduled to start at 11:00 CET on February 12th 2016 and ends on February 15th at 11:00 CET. In the US, the PS4 Beta is scheduled to start at 08:00 PST on February 12thand ends on February 15th at 08:00 PST. Finally, the PC Beta is scheduled to start at 11:00 CET on February 19th 2016 and ends on February 22nd at 11:00 CET worldwide.
HITMAN will launch on March 11th for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Windows PC. The HITMAN beta starts on February 12th through February 14th on PlayStation 4 and February 19th through February 21st on PC. Players can guarantee access to the beta by pre-ordering the Full Experience or the new Intro Pack.
All pre-orders will also include the ‘classic’ REQUIEM pack which includes exclusive in-game digital items inspired by Hitman: Blood Money including the Requiem Legacy white suit, Blood Money shirt, tie and gloves, silenced ICA-19 chrome and white rubber duck explosive.
PlayStation users exclusively will also gain access to The Sarajevo Six. 6 Bonus Contracts, one of which will be released with each location and sees Agent 47 travel the world in pursuit of six former members of a paramilitary unit called CICADA in this self-contained side-story exclusive for PlayStation 4 users.
Well as if the brand new TMNT trailer isn’t enough, Paramount Pictures had one more trick up their sleeves during today’s Super Bowl 50. The upcoming horror-film, 10 Cloverfield Land also got a brand new trailer.
The film, which is meant to be a “blood relative” to 2008’s found-footage Cloverfield is being made by J.J. Abrams and his production company Bad Robot and after being in secret development all last year, is set for release this March 10. We have put the trailer below for you to enjoy, so make sure you check it out and let us know in the comments whether or not you will be taking a trip down to 10 Cloverfield Lane.
The beloved games may only be 20 years old this year, but Pokémon Red and Blue are celebrating by going retro… real retro… vinyl retro to be exact.
A limited edition pressing has been announced containing the original soundtrack from the game, which was composed by Junichi Masuda. Keeping with the Pokémon theme, the record is colored red and white to resemble the iconic Pokeball, only 500 of these things will be made available through the Turntable Lab website and will only cost around 50 US dollars.
Not only are the nostalgic tunes being put on an older medium of music recording, but what really gives this record a retro feel is the design they put on the cover. The artwork and style has been made to resemble The Beetles album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, right down to the costumes of the four Pokémon and the flowers spelling out the name.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary the Pokémon Company International have announced they will be releasing special nendoroids, trading cards, 3DS and 2DS bundles throughout the year.
Cowabunga dude! So, today was the incredible Super Bowl 50, and while Lady Gaga was wowing the world with her rendition of the United State’s National Anthem, and the Broncos defeated the Panthers, my attention was squarely turned towards the plethora of commercials and trailers that aired during the breaks in play. One of the most exciting had to be the short trailer for Paramount Pictures’ upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.
While I wasn’t the biggest fan of the original film, this new trailer (which we have attached below for your enjoyment) shows off some really cool fan-service that will be present in the film. I don’t want to talk too much about it and instead want to let the video do the talking. So check out the trailer below and let us know in the comments whether or not you will be giving TMNT a second chance.
BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT EUROPE SEEKING DETECTIVES TO SOLVE A DIGI-MYSTERY IN DIGIMON STORY CYBER SLEUTH
Digimon Fans and Gamers in Europe Get Ready to Scan, Raise, Train and Battle with Over 200 Digimon in a New JRPG
Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe today announces that Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth has launched in Europe, Middle-East, Africa and Australasia for PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®Vita!
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth delivers classic turn-based JRPG gameplay set within a brand-new Digimon adventure. Mysterious events have caused the digital world to merge with the real word, opening portals for dangerous Digimon to enter our reality intent on destroying it. Players will become cyber detectives as they cross-over between the two realities in a race to solve this diabolical digi-mystery. Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth enables players to interact with over 200 Digimon including fans favorites such as Agumon, Patamon, Gaomon. Players will scan, raise, train, and digivolve their all-star Digimon team to take on their digital adversaries as well as battle other digi-destined players online.
“Digimon fans in Europe have grown up with the franchise and we are sure that they will enjoy the deeper, more mature storyline. We also invite new Digimon fans to put on their detective gear to solve the mystery in Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth!” Hervé Hoerdt, Vice-President of Marketing and Digital at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe.
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth is now available on PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®Vita in Europe, Middle-East, Africa and Australasia.
