Page 3195 – Capsule Computers

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December 8, 2015

XSEED GAMES ANNOUNCES LIMITED EDITION VERSION OF SENRAN KAGURA ESTIVAL VERSUS

First Home Console Release in SENRAN KAGURA Series to Receive Bountiful “Endless Summer” Edition Containing Art Book, Collectible Character Cards, and 2-Disc Soundtrack

Torrance, Calif. – December 7, 2015 – XSEED Games, the independent-minded console publishing brand of Marvelous USA, Inc., today announced that the latest iteration and first home console release in its busty brawler series, SENRAN KAGURA ESTIVAL VERSUS, will launch on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system with a limited “Endless Summer” retail release containing an art book packed full of artwork from the SENRAN KAGURA series, a randomly chosen set of 2.5” by 3.5” collectible “pin-up cards” featuring a selection of buxom beauties from one of ESTIVAL VERSUS’ playable factions, and a 2-disc soundtrack.

In SENRAN KAGURA ESTIVAL VERSUS, a mystical phenomenon transports the buxom beauties of the titular series to a parallel dimension to face off against their rivals in a new kind of battle. In this strange world – which resembles a sunny, sandy island paradise – the girls are thrown for another loop as they encounter departed loved ones and ultimately have to decide if they can bear to part from them a second time.

With over two dozen characters, making this the biggest roster in the series’ history, SENRAN KAGURA ESTIVAL VERSUS boasts more moves, more story, more attitude, and more destruction online with matches that can support up to 10 players (PS4™ system version only; “PSVita” system supports up to 4 players). All the previous shinobi girls return with a host of upgraded moves to master, and new playable characters offer more challenges to conquer, along with a story that’s equal parts sexy and shocking, serious and scandalous, busty and bouncy.

XSEED Games is also sharing a loaded package of assets to time with this announcement, including brand new screenshots.

Developed by Marvelous Inc. and Tamsoft, and published in North America by XSEED Games, SENRAN KAGURA ESTIVAL VERSUS is coming Q1 2016 to PS4™ and “PSVita” systems. The limited Endless Summer physical release has a suggested retail price of $59.99 for PS4™ system and $49.99 for “PSVita” system, while the digital release of the game on the PlayStation®Store will be available for $49.99 on PS4™ system and $39.99 on “PSVita” system. This title has yet to be rated by the ESRB.

For more information on XSEED Games products, please visit www.xseedgames.com. Fans can also follow XSEED Games on Facebook at www.facebook.com/XSEEDGames and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/XSEEDGames.

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Indie Gala Every Monday Bundle #89 Now Available

Jamie Laike Tsui

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December 8, 2015

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Indie Gala Every Monday Bundle #89 Now Available

It’s the first Indie Gala Every Monday Bundle of December! Indie Gala is kicking things off with a bang by packing seven indie titles for only $1.89.

AXYOS – A FPS/MOBA hybrid title that is currently in Steam Early Access.

Epic Showdown – An arena based co-op shooter pitting gamers against waves of enemies in a bloody reality show.

Star Horizon – A fast paced on-rails shooter about John and his possibly insane ship AI Ellie.

Incitement 3 – A sci-fi RPG set in the dystopia of Sophoria. Be sure to check out Incitement 1 and 2, which are both available for free.

A Bastard’s Tale – A retro styled action game featuring 15 different enemies with very different attack patterns that need to be mastered.

Chronoclysm – A fast paced battle arena title designed for couch-based multiplayer.

Osteya – A 2D pixel art platformer about a land stuck in time between worlds.

For the first 24 hours of the sale, the bundle is only $1.89, so grab your copy at Indie Gala today.

DiRT RALLY™LAUNCHES TODAY, ARRIVING ON CONSOLES APRIL 5, 2016

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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December 8, 2015

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DiRT RALLY™LAUNCHES TODAY, ARRIVING ON CONSOLES APRIL 5, 2016

WINTER WONDERLAND PACK MARKS FULL GAME LAUNCH ON STEAM, CONFIRMED FOR CONSOLE RELEASE

UK – December 7, 2015 – Codemasters & Koch Media today announced that the full version of the acclaimed DiRT Rally™ has launched on Steam and will be skidding onto PlayStation® 4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and Windows PC(DVD) on April 5, 2016.

Following a highly successful Steam Early Access program and unprecedented community demand, Codemasters is bringing DiRT Rally’s enticing blend of authentic, uncompromising realism and edge-of-control thrills to console players in April.

“The launch on Steam early access has been a resounding success. We want to thank the community for their valuable feedback and support which has guided our development for the past eight months, resulting in a 92% positive user score. We are now ready to launch the final version of the game on PC,” said Frank Sagnier, CEO Codemasters. “Following this success on PC and a vocal demand from consumers, we are delighted to announce that DiRT Rally will be available on consoles on April 5, 2016.”

Today’s Steam launch brings with it the Winter Wonderland update, which delivers a new rally set in the snow and ice of the Varmland region of Sweden to the game. These snow-filled stages are known for their snow banks and Codemasters has pioneered new soft edge tech that simulates the density of snow. As a result, players can now lean on the snow banks when pushing for those stage records. The Winter Wonderland update is free to all DiRT Rally Early Access players.

The update also brings two new cars to the game, the Hyundai Rally and the Volkswagen Polo Rally. These cars are the most recent additions to the pinnacle of the sport and they are the perfect way to round off this Early Access program.

To see these new cars in action and to get a look at the new Sweden content, head over to www.dirtgame.com and watch the brand new gameplay trailer.

As part of Codemasters’ continued commitment to improving the features in DiRT Rally the Winter Wonderland update also sees the introduction of Steam Workshop support that allows players to share Car Setup & Force Feedback settings. Winter Wonderland also sees improvements and refinements made to Global Leaderboards and League support.

During its Steam Early Access program, DiRT Rally’s dedicated players clocked up over 90 million kilometers, raced 3 million clean stages and performed nearly 2.4 million barrel rolls in their quest to join the world’s elite DiRT Rally players at the top of the leaderboards.

More details will be released on the upcoming console versions soon.

For all DiRT Rally assets, be sure to sign up to the Codemasters press extranet.

# ENDS #

ABOUT DiRT RALLY

Built by Codemasters and road tested over 60 million miles by the DiRT community, DiRT Rally is the ultimate rally experience. It captures the essence of what makes rally unique like no other game – that sense of trying to remain in control of your emotions, as you hurtle along dangerous, undulating roads at breakneck speed, aiming to squeeze everything out of your car whilst knowing that one crash could irreparably harm your stage time.

Every stage tests you differently, as you race on the edge of control across varying surfaces in a range of environments such as snow, ice, tarmac and dirt and as you tackle a variety of weather types. As the car suffers attrition, you need to account for mechanical damage whilst your dedicated rally team tries to keep you competitive with time-limited repairs. Stages string together and each rally becomes a marathon-like test of concentration and skill as you trust in your co-driver, chasing that ever-elusive perfect run.

DiRT Rally also includes officially licensed World Rallycross content, allowing you to experience the breathless, high-speed thrills of some of the world’s fastest off-road cars as you trade paint with other drivers at some of the series best-loved circuits, in both singleplayer and high-intensity multiplayer races.

Join the DiRT team for the continuing road ahead and follow updates from the studio on Facebook and Twitter.

Title	DiRT Rally
Format:	Windows PC (Steam), Windows PC(DVD), PS4, Xbox One
Publisher:	Codemasters
Developer	Codemasters
Genre	Racing
Releasing:	Steam – Available Now; Windows PC(DVD), PS4, Xbox One – April 5^th 2016

ABOUT CODEMASTERS

Codemasters, the award winning video game developer and publisher, has a 25-year heritage. With titles distributed globally, Codemasters is a leading developer and publisher of driving and racing entertainment games including DiRT, GRID and the official BAFTA award-winning FORMULA 1 series of videogames. Since March 2010, Reliance Big Entertainment Ltd. (RBEL), a part of India’s Reliance ADA group, has been the principal shareholder (60%), alongside existing investor, Balderton Capital, the leading European venture capital firm. For more information on Codemasters’ product portfolio, please visit www.codemasters.com. Join in the conversation with @codemasters on Twitter or Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/codemasters.

ABOUT KOCH MEDIA

Koch Media is a leading producer and distributor of digital entertainment products (software, games and films). The company’s own publishing activities, marketing and distribution extend throughout Europe and the USA. The Koch Media group has more than 20 years of experience in the digital media business, and has risen to become the number one distributor in Europe. It has also formed strategic alliances with numerous games and software publishers: Bethesda, Capcom, Kaspersky Labs, NC SOFT, Sega, Square Enix and Tecmo-Koei, etc. in various European countries. With Headquarters in Planegg near Munich/Germany, Koch Media owns branches in Germany, England, France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, the Nordic regions, Benelux and the United States. www.kochmedia.com

© 2015 The Codemasters Software Company Limited (“Codemasters”). All rights reserved. “Codemasters”®, “Ego”®, the Codemasters logo and “DiRT”® are registered trademarks owned by Codemasters. “DiRT Rally”™ and “RaceNet”™ are trademarks of Codemasters. All rights reserved. All other copyrights or trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are being used under license. Developed by Codemasters. Published by Koch Media GmbH, Gewerbegebiet 1, 6604 Höfen, Austria.

“PlayStation”, “PLAYSTATION” and “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Release Date & Collectors Editions Announced for Dark Souls III

Andrew Day

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December 7, 2015

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Release Date & Collectors Editions Announced for Dark Souls III

Exciting news folks, Namco Bandai have confirmed the official Australian release date for Dark Souls III, the latest installment in the impossibly hard, action/RPG series from FromSoftware. You will be able to step into the world of Dark Souls once again from April 12th, 2016! That means it is barely a little over 4 months away!!

In addition to solidifying the date in which all sanity goes out the window and we try our hardest not to break out controllers, Namco have also given us a look at the three new special editions of the game that you will be able to pick up. Take a look:

Dark Souls III – Apocalypse Edition

Game
Metal case
Official Soundtrack (CD)

Dark Souls III – Collector’s Edition

Game
Red Knight figurine
A4 hardcover artbook
Metal case
Official Soundtrack (CD)
3x iron-on patches
Cloth game-map
Exclusive box

Dark Souls III – Prestige Edition

Game
A numbered 40cm premium Lord of Cinder hand-painted polystone resin figurine
Red Knight figurine
A4 hardcover artbook
Metal case
Official Soundtrack (CD)
3x iron-on patches
Cloth game-map
Exclusive display box
Only 2000 units worldwide

So which one will you be getting? Let us know in the comments below and make sure you stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the exciting Dark Souls news as it becomes available, and while you wait – check out our Network Test Impressions to see what we think of the game so far.

As if that wasn’t enough, we also have a brand new trailer titled “Embrace the Darkness” for you to check out below.

Family Guy Season 15 Review

Andrew Day

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December 7, 2015

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Family Guy Season 15
Developer: 20th Century Fox
Publisher: 20th Century Fox
Platforms: DVD
Release Date: AU 02 Dec, 2015 | US 08 Dec, 2015
Price: AU$34.98 – Available Here | US$39.98 – Available Here

Overview

For fifteen years, Family Guy has been entertaining, and disgusting people all over the world. Some call it the worst thing to ever happen to television, while others proclaim it is funnier than the Simpsons ever was. Wherever people stand on the issue one thing is for certain; we all seen at least some Family Guy in our lifetime. Well as television goes, another year passes by and we get another season, but is Season 15 and its highly anticipated crossover with The Simpsons bring new life to the franchise, or is it starting to show its age…

Story

A brief summary for those who might not know – Family Guy centers around the Griffin Family of Quahog, Rhode Island. Patriarch Peter is the real star of the show and his crazy antics fuel many of the plots and storylines throughout. Brian Griffin is the intellectual (or so he thinks) dog of the family and is often partnered up with Stewie – the youngest of the lot who’s intelligence and drive make him one of the most dangerous people on the planet (or at least they did, now he usually just plays with his toys and cracks wise). Meg is the unwanted, unliked teenage girl of the family while Chris is the sexually charged teenage boy. They are all reigned in by their mother Lois who tries to keep some sembelance of sanity in her world.

After fifteen years of storylines, Family Guy is in what I like to refer to as its “caricature” stage, where many of the characters now have personalities that are way inflated from where they began, and have become caricatures of themselves, with many of the jokes now revolving around these over inflated personalities instead of the situations that they are in. Family Guy isn’t the only show guilty of this (The Simpsons has been doing it for quite a few years now) but something about Season 15 has really ramped it up to the point where it is obnoxiously noticeable.

At the same time, the focus on the outlandish personalities has also meant a bit of a deviation away from actual plot-driven stories. Don’t get me wrong, there are still a main and sub-plot for each episode but they seem to be getting thinner and thinner, with Season 15 being the worst for it.

Like most TV shows, Family Guy isn’t afraid to have its stand-out episode(s) each season. Last year’s massive arc was the Death of Brian story, and this year to go one step further, the Griffin family met the often imitated but never copied; The Simpsons. This episode was met with a huge amount of fanfare when it was shown in America on television and it is easy to see why – a crossover between two of the biggest animated series of our lifetime is a huge thing and one we should get excited about. Sadly, the episode didn’t really reach the lofty heights that we all wanted it to be.

In terms of this series of Family Guy being very “meta,” this is as meta as it gets. Each of the Simpsons and the Griffins were sprouting off their one-liners and reciting their classic bits in the ultimate game of one-upsmanship. References were made to how the two families were rivals, and the whole episode is capped off with a court scene that compares memebers of the Springfield populace to their Quahog counterparts. It is a fun little mixing of worlds, but it is a little ham-fisted and over the top at times. Not only that but like other episodes in the series, many of the jokes fell flat and elicited a laugh more from the awe factor of seeing these two families together than the actual comedy itself.

I watched the episode twice before I noticed the strangest thing about the crossover – while the Simpsons using tired old comedy bits and referencing stuff that happened more than a decade ago felt tired and cliche, it to me also felt more Simpsony than even their own show had been in quite a while. For a brief moment, the characters that I grew up watching and loving were back and they felt real and authentic and more like The Simpsons than they had since their movie in 2007. While some of the jokes didn’t quite hit, I still admit that I had a huge nostalgia moment hearing things like “Eat my Shorts,” or seeing Bart prank call Moe’s Tavern.

Visuals & Audio

Family Guy has never been the most… shall we say detailed of animated series. The world of Family Guy and its quirky cast of characters are all drawn in an overly simplistic manner that utilises only a few different colours and some shading per section. Don’t get me wrong though, just because it is simplistic, that doesn’t mean that Family Guy looks like a budget anime, in fact quite the opposite and that has become all the more apparent every season since the show switched to HD.

When comparing Season 15 to Seasons 1 and 2, you can really see an absolutely incredible amount of development. While the original series had characters and locales that were drawn awkwardly and some colouring issues from time to time, Season 15 looks absolutely seamless in comparison. Even going back to seasons 12, 13 or 14 you can see how the show’s animators are really hitting their stride and have made Family Guy one of the most visually distinct and impressive looking “prime time animated show.”

The main issue I have with the visuals (and this is something I have brought up regarding previous series) is that the fact that the collection is DVD exclusive and not available on Blu Ray means that a lot of that crisp imagery that would otherwise look incredible is somewhat washed down. I would love it is Blu Ray collections of the series would be released so that my TV can finally show off this program in all its glory.

Much like the video, the Family Guy cast have definitely found their groove when recording character dialogue. Each of the main characters has their own unique sound and voice that makes them immediately identifiable even when not even watching the screen. I will say though that after fifteen years of watching the show, it is becoming ever easy to hear Seth McFarlane’s voice in all of the minor background characters.

While the Family Guy cast have this down to a sport at this time, the same cannot be said for the Simpsons Crew in their guest episode. While all of the main Simpsons cast were present, and filled their roles as well as they could, something just sounded off about them – I’m not sure if it was an intentional move by the crew to show that The Simpsons didn’t really belong in Family Guy, or if it was something else, but it really took me out of the episode a few times.

Extras

You know once upon a time I never really cared about the extras on a DVD. Sure I might have checked out one or two deleted scenes but that was about it. Nowadays, I find it hard to justify the purchase of a DVD or BluRay that doesn’t have a whole slog of additional content that I can sit through. To that end, I am thankful that the guys at Fox have layered up the Family Guy Season 15 DVD with plenty of little extras.

There are the typical deleted scenes which are a mixed bag that ranges from hilarious through to “Yeah I can see why they cut this.” In addition to that there are some commentary tracks and even storyboard animations for a few episode. There is plenty to watch after you’ve finished binge watching the season but something about it just fills devoid of substance. Where are the cast outtakes, behind the scenes interviews with the cast of The Simpsons etc. I’m being a bit picky, but with such a milestone for television to be included on-disc, not having the fanfare behind it is a little disappointing.

Overall

I’ll admit that I love Family Guy, but I cannot deny that it is beginning to show its age. Visually, the show has never looked better than it does in Season 15 but everywhere else it definitely feels like a decline from the past few seasons. Even the hugely hyped team-up with The Simpsons was little more than a meta, cliche battle between the two franchises. That isn’t to say that there aren’t laughs to be had with this newest season of Family Guy, because I honestly did enjoy it, but it is definitely losing its magic.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies Western Release Announced

Travis Bruno

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December 7, 2015

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It looks like we finally have a solid name to assign to Blanc + Neptune Vs. Zombie Army, something we’ve previously simplified, as it has now been announced for Western release by Idea Factory International. MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies as it will be called in the West, will be released at retail and digitally in spring 2016 for the PlayStation Vita with PS TV support.

MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies is set in Gamicademi, Gamindustri’s academy for CPUs and CPU candidates. When Blanc and her friends, including the brand new Tamsoft and Uzume Tennouboshi, try to film a movie to save the school, they accidentally trigger an undead uprising.

Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force Heads West in Spring 2016

Travis Bruno

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December 7, 2015

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We’ve been hearing quite a bit about Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force over in Japan and now Idea Factory International has confirmed that they are indeed planning on bringing the enhanced PlayStation 4 release of the game over to North America and Europe.

They are planning on releasing Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force at retail and digitally in spring 2016 and this version of the game now sees players fighting against enemies in combat with six party members at a time as well as being able to continue their adventures down three new story paths, the Goddess story, the Vile God story, and the Evil God story with each path leading to a different outcome.

Monster Monpiece, Hyperdevotion Noire, and Hyperdimension Neptunia U Announced for PC

Travis Bruno

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December 7, 2015

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Idea Factory International has announced that they will be continuing their support for PC gamers by bringing three of their older titles to Steam in 2016. These titles include Monster Monpiece, Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed, and Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart, all of which have previously been released for the PlayStation Vita.

Each of these games will be updated with higher graphic resolutions for the PC but in an interesting turn of events, Monster Monpiece‘s PC release will be completely uncensored, meaning that the removed card artwork from the original Japanese release will be added back into the game, though it does come at the loss of multiplayer support.

Trillion: God of Destruction’s Characters and Story Introduced in New Trailer

Travis Bruno

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December 7, 2015

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Back in October Idea Factory International announced that they were going to be bringing Trillion: God of Destruction over to the West in Spring 2016 for the PS Vita and now they have chosen to release the first English subtitled gameplay trailer that focuses on introducing the various characters as well as the basic storyline for the game while also showing off a little bit of gameplay.

In Trillion: God of Destruction players will play as Zeabolos, the Great Overlord, as he attempts to vanquish Trillion, a demon god of destruction with one trillion HP. In Zeabolos’s first battle with Trillion, he is mortally injured, yet is saved form the brink of death by a young necromancer named Faust. Given another chance, Zeabolos must train and forge strong bonds with the six Overlord candidates at his disposal in hopes of bringing an end to Trillion’s reign.

Highschool Possession Visual Novel Set for December 9th

Travis Bruno

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December 7, 2015

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AJTilley has announced that they have a new visual novel set to be released on PC on December 9th. This one happens to be called Highschool Possession and follows a boy named Hikaru who lives a fairly simple life. That all changes when a strange force causes him to switch bodies with his classmates. Of course, rather than switching randomly, he happens to leap into the bodies of both of his crushes, the two school idols Akiko and Kasumi.

While this might seem like a great twist of fate, it soon takes a darker turn as Hikaru realizes that the two girls he previously saw as perfect have secrets of their very own and to make matters worse he has no idea how to get back to his own body or what caused the switching in the first place. When released Highschool Possession will be available in All-Ages through Steam or featuring Adult Content on MangaGamer where the title can currently be pre-ordered for $10.95.