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Mighty No. 9’s New Release Date Announced as February 9

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After missing its initial release date of September 18th, Comcept announced that Mighty No. 9 would be released in Q1 2016 and now Deep Silver has announced that the game will be released on February 9, 2016 in North America and on February 12th for everyone else.

Mighty No. 9‘s release will feature a retail and digital version for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Wii U versions of the game while the title will be available digitally on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, Linux, and Mac. The previously announced PS Vita and 3DS releases will be coming at a yet to be determined date as digital exclusives.

The Familiar of Zero: F Complete Collection Review

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The Familiar of Zero: F Complete Collection
Studio: J.C. Staff
Publisher: Sentai Filmworks
Format: DVD, Blu-ray (Reviewed)
Release Date: July 14, 2015
Price: $59.98 – Available Here

Overview
After rescuing the license, Sentai Filmworks has done a great job bringing The Familiar of Zero to anime fans in the West and now here we are. Going into the final season brings with it a sense of completion but also sadness due to the fact that this is indeed the end of the story due to the passing of the series’ creator, Noboru Yamaguchi. With a set end in sight, does The Familiar of Zero: F manage to find itself a satisfying conclusion?

Story
After surviving many hardships and putting a temporary end to the threat in Gallia and rescuing Tabitha at the end of Rondo of Princesses, Saito and Louise seem to have found a temporary respite from all of the dangers that seem to always surround them. Or at least they would hope so but unfortunately this time of peace is interrupted as Louise, Saito, and Tiffania are invited to the nation of Romalia by order of Queen Henrietta.

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Upon arriving, they learn that not only is the leader of Romalia a Void mage just like Louise, but that Tiffania and their past enemy, the king of Gallia and Tabitha’s uncle Joseph is also gifted with the special power. He states that the reason for their summoning is that all Void mages must assemble in order to save the world. However with the antagonistic Joseph seeing this as an opportunity, it isn’t long before Louise finds herself targeted, though this issue ends up wrapping up rather early in the series.

That is far from Louise’s only reason to be concerned however as Saito’s actions over the last season as well as an early situation with Tiffania that may mark Saito as her familiar as well means that most of the core female cast has started to grow romantically attached to him. With Siesta assigned as Saito’s personal maid after becoming a chevalier, Tabitha seeking to protect him and showing happiness in small gestures, Tiffania who sees him as a love interest after he becomes her familiar as well, and even Henrietta beginning to make advances, the harem antics reach an all-time high near the middle of the final season.

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I must say, despite the amount of humor that is still spread throughout the season and the plentiful fan-service, the various harem antics do show just how much the cast has managed to grow as individuals over the course of four seasons. Previously Tabitha was merely a background character but over viewers have seen her status jump immensely to the point of rivaling Henrietta, while Henrietta herself, who may have only seen Saito as a passing fancy and always followed her advisers, commits fully to making her own choices and tries to begin a relationship with him.

It also speaks volumes to the strength of the bond between Saito and Louise, since no matter how many times their relationship appears to be tested in The Familiar of Zero: F, they always manage to make up despite Louise almost always being the one to overreact, although Saito does have some dalliances thanks to a mini-arc involving Tiffania and a race of desert elves. This bond creates a number of shining moments throughout this final season, with the battle between Saito’s group and Joseph serving as a proper closing to those who would target the Void users and Saito’s determination to protect Louise.

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However nowhere is the romantic element driven home the most than near the end of The Familiar of Zero: F. The line of having to save the world wasn’t fluff, as an ancient dragon awakens with the potential to destroy everything in the world. In many ways, this development does feel a bit forced. It does a proper job of forcing any potential arguments amongst nations to an end as they all begin to work together to try and put a stop to this creature but the nature of the has never been mentioned prior to its awakening.

As such, the rise of such a dangerous creature is not only incredibly awkward feeling, but also rather obviously placed in a way to force the series to a conclusion in as much of a rush as possible, as necessary as it had to be due to the author’s passing. That being said, due to the ancient dragon’s incredible power, only Void mages have any chance of slowing down the creature and potentially destroy it. The problem is… doing so would also place Saito in incredible danger and many lives do end up being lost in the battle against the creature.

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This creates a final few episodes that bring out the best in Saito and Louise’s relationship, though the way it is handled does feel a bit wonky from Saito’s side of things. While there always have been ups and downs, the sacrifices that each attempts to make for the other shows just how much they care for one another at the end, even if it means never seeing each other again. Thankfully, The Familiar of Zero: F manages to deliver something that is incredibly rare in anime nowadays, especially in series that have run on for four seasons such as this, it wraps up with a strong satisfying ending for the couple.

Visuals
While Rondo of Princesses managed to look better than its counterparts with an extra year of evolving animation techniques, The Familiar of Zero: F came out a solid four years after the third season. As such it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise when I say that this season has held up incredibly well in its transition to Blu-ray. The colorful world is as vibrant as ever while the characters appear far more detailed than before.

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The world itself also has been given a breath of fresh air as numerous new environments are visited with fresh, impressively detailed looking, background art ranging from an interesting looking desert oasis to flaming towns and lava fields. Animation remains fairly impressive as well, though there are some dips in quality and shortcuts used to make some of the less important battles look incredibly bad. As far as the fan-service element is concerned, the series is still filled with an abundance of it though once again it never really pushes past the classic feeling the series gives off.

Audio
The voice track for The Familiar of Zero: F retains the original Japanese voice cast, as one would expect given the series’ consistency for four seasons. The voice actors and actresses have all managed to fit their characters roles perfectly despite the down time between seasons though a few of the newer side characters do sound rather basic.

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As for this season’s soundtrack, it is sadly forgettable with almost every piece of background music feeling substandard or barely adding to the actual footage, even during combat sequences. Thankfully the opening theme “I’ll Be There for You” by Ichiko is perhaps one of the best the series has had so far while the final ending theme “Kiss Shite Agenai” by Rie Kugimiya is incredibly cute sounding and paired with fitting animation.

Extras
This release of The Familiar of Zero: F on Blu-ray is rather bare-bones as far as bonus content is concerned as the release only comes with a clean version of the opening and ending theme as well as trailers for other Sentai Filmworks releases.

Overall
Due to the nature that The Familiar of Zero: F’s ending had to come about, it could easily have fallen apart in many ways or failed to deliver on an ending that would satisfy fans. Though the road towards the finale does come with more than a few rushed storylines and convenient apocalyptic monsters fans will find that the series knows how to end itself in a big way and that the conclusion of the series is as satisfying as one can find for the loving couple.

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Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Legendary Characters and Monsters Showcased in New WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY Screenshots

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Legendary Characters and Monsters Showcased in New WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY Screenshots

LONDON (25th September, 2015) –   Square Enix Ltd., today released new WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY™ screenshots featuring the heroes Reynn and Lann, as a mysterious woman named Enna Kros guides them into the world of Grymoire. Along the way, the siblings encounter notable characters, locations and monsters that will be familiar to FINAL FANTASY® fans, including the legendary Lightning from FINAL FANTASY XIII and the town of Cornelia from the original FINAL FANTASY.

The new images showcase Mirages, powerful creatures that can turn the tide of any battle to aid Reynn and Lann. Players can take advantage of the game’s unique stacking mechanic to increase attack power and HP, and unlock special abilities. Among the iconic Mirages are Shiva, Ramuh, Ifrit and Cerberus, ready to wipe out all enemies that oppose the duo. WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY also introduces train travel with the Cactuar Conductor for Reynn and Lann to journey across Grymoire.

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

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

WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY will be available in 2016 for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment systems.

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 42 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/ .

WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY © SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD.  All rights reserved. CHARACTER DESIGN: TETSUYA NOMURA / YASUHISA IZUMISAWA
WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY, the WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY logo, FINAL FANTASY, CHOCOBO, SQUARE ENIX, the SQUARE ENIX logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Square Enix group of companies. “PlayStation” is a registered trademark. “PS4” and “PS Vita” are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Deep Silver and Comcept Confirm Mighty No. 9 Release Date

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Deep Silver and Comcept Confirm Mighty No. 9 Release Date

Mighty No. 9 Will be Available Physically and Digitally on February 9, 2016

Larkspur, Calif., September 25, 2015 – Deep Silver and Comcept today announced that the highly anticipated, challenging side-scrolling action game created by Keiji Inafune, Mighty No. 9, has a confirmed street date. It will launch across the Americas on February 9, 2016 and in the rest of the world on February 12, 2016.

The game will be available as a digital download as well as a physical retail version for Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system by Microsoft, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Wii U(TM) from Nintendo as well as digital only on Xbox 360 games and entertainment system by Microsoft and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, PC, Linux and Mac. Portable versions for PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system and Nintendo 3DS(TM) system will be released digitally at a later date.

Get ready to prove your might!

About Mighty No. 9
Created by Keiji Inafune and an all-star team of veteran devs, Mighty No. 9 is a challenging side-scrolling action game that transforms the feel of 8 and 16-bit classics, as players remember them, into a fresh modern-day classic.

In the year 20XX, breakthroughs in robotic technology have ushered in a new era of peace & prosperity. Violence is confined to the Battle Coliseum, where robot combatants face off in spectacular duels. Dr. White created 9 robot siblings known as the “Mighty Numbers”, who were the most popular and powerful team of robots in the Battle Coliseum and always in the top ranks. But, during one competition there was a cyber-attack, infecting them with a computer virus causing them to become crazed and rampant. You play as Beck, the 9th in a line of powerful robots, and the only one not infected by the mysterious computer virus that caused mechanized creatures the world over to go berserk.

Run, jump, blast and transform your way through 9 initial stages (plus 3 later stages) which you can tackle in any order you choose, using weapons and abilities stolen from your enemies, in order to take down your fellow Mighty Number robots and to confront the final evil that threatens the planet!

About Comcept
Comcept handles design and development of consumer titles with major game publishers such as Sony Computer Entertainment and Koei Tecmo Games. We create large-scale titles such as Soul Sacrifice, Soul Sacrifice Delta, and YAIBA: Ninja Gaiden Z. In September of 2013 we successfully Kickstarted $4 million for project Mighty No. 9, becoming the first consumer game title to be launched by our company.

In addition, we have been ambitiously pursuing in-house design and development of mobile titles. Our title Boiling OSSAN Eggs! released in April 2012 has been met with steady success–exceeding two million downloads primarily in Japan and Asia–and we continue cultivating that position alongside our core business of consumer game development. Outside of games, we handle such content development as publications and comics, and have a deep relationship with the promotion of e-Sports in Japan.

comcept’s business outlook is the mass production of original content concentrating the creative power of the internationally-respected Keiji Inafune and the group of veteran creators supporting him. This content is developed for a range of entertainment fields– of which video games is but one–and we have taken on a multitude of foreign staff under the basic concept of transmitting such content globally.

With a mere three years since its founding, comcept succeeds in providing various works to a global audience. There are few cases of well-known creators splitting off from large game companies and achieving such results on their own. Rest assured that the future holds many Inafune titles for consumers around the world.

For more information, please visit
http://comcept.co.jp

About Inti Creates
Inti Creates is based in Chiba Prefecture, Japan and was founded in 1996 by a group of game industry veterans with a knack for creating superb 2D action games. In 2008, Inti Creates opened a development studio in Nagoya, Japan, thus boosting their ability to develop games and increasing their base of creators to 90 employees (as of April 2015). Over the years, Inti Creates has worked very hard to become one of Japan’s biggest and most suc-cessful independent developers, having developed dozens of games for major video game publishing companies such as Capcom, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Sega, and Sony Computer Entertainment. In August of 2014 Inti Creates reached a new milestone with the release of their first completely self-developed/self-published games Azure Striker Gunvolt and Mighty Gunvolt in Japan and North America, with a European release that followed in April of 2015. For more information, please visit http://www.inticreates.com.

About Deep Silver
Deep Silver develops and publishes interactive games for all platforms, seeking to deliver top-quality products that provide immersive game experiences driven by the desires of the gaming community. The company has published more than 200 games worldwide since 2003, including the best-selling zombie action Dead Island(TM) franchise, the critically-acclaimed Metro(TM): Last Light and the smash hit action adventure Saints Row IV(TM). Deep Silver is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Koch Media, GmbH, and also owns the development studios Deep Silver Fishlabs in Hamburg, Germany, Deep Silver Volition based in Champaign, IL, USA, and Deep Silver Dambuster Studios in Nottingham, UK. For more information please visit www.deepsilver.com.

All product titles, publisher names, trademarks, artwork and associated imagery are trademarks, registered trademarks and/or copyright material of the respective owners. All rights reserved.

© Deep Silver, a division of Koch Media GmbH, Austria

Activision Releases Behind-the-Scenes Video for ‘TRANSFORMERS: Devastation’

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Activision Publishing, Inc. has released a new behind-the-scenes video for its highly anticipated, intense action-brawler, TRANSFORMERS: Devastation, featuring exclusive insights from developer PlatinumGames.

In this latest video, PlatinumGames producer Atsushi Kurooka, director Kenji Saito and Activision producer Robert Conkey explore how TRANSFORMERS: Devastation combines the exhilarating world of the TRANSFORMERS Generations story universe with the one-of-a-kind style of PlatinumGames. Capturing the Nlook and feel of the iconic robots in disguise meant recreating little details, like their signature metallic sheen. But it also required nailing the lifelike speed and explosive force of their every move, which fit perfectly with PlatinumGames’ flair for big gameplay and visuals.

TRANSFORMERS: Devastation features five unique playable heroes – OPTIMUS PRIME, BUMBLEBEE, SIDESWIPE, WHEELJACK and GRIMLOCK – each of whom can dish out huge, free-flowing combos in gorgeous, cel-shaded 3D. The complete adventure includes a gripping story campaign pitting the AUTOBOTS against the DECEPTICONS to decide the fate of Earth, as well as five fine-tuned difficulty levels and a hardcore challenge mode with 50 bonus missions.

TRANSFORMERS: Devastation is expected to launch on Oct. 6 on the PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment systems, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Windows PC via Steam. It is rated T (Teen) by the ESRB. For more information, please visit www.TransformersGame.com and www.facebook.com/TransformersGame.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading global producer and publisher of interactive entertainment. Activision maintains operations throughout the world. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com, or by following @Activision.

About PlatinumGames Inc.

PlatinumGames Inc. is an independent entertainment developer based in Osaka, Japan, dedicated to making high-quality, next-generation games for a variety of hardware platforms. Under the slogan “Taking on the World as the Representative of Japan,” PlatinumGames works hard to deliver fresh surprises and new experiences to gamers all over the world. Official website: www.platinumgames.com.

About Hasbro

Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) is a global company committed to Creating the World’s Best Play Experiences, by leveraging its beloved brands, including LITTLEST PET SHOP, MAGIC: THE GATHERING, MONOPOLY, MY LITTLE PONY, NERF, PLAY-DOH and TRANSFORMERS, and premier partner brands. From toys and games, television programming, motion pictures, digital gaming and lifestyle licensing, Hasbro fulfills the fundamental need for play and connection with children and families around the world. The Company’s Hasbro Studios and its film label, ALLSPARK PICTURES, create entertainment brand-driven storytelling across mediums, including television, film, digital and more. Through the company’s commitment to corporate social responsibility, including philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to build a safe and sustainable world and to positively impact the lives of millions of children and families. Learn more at www.hasbro.com, and follow us on Twitter (@Hasbro & @HasbroNews) and Instagram (@Hasbro).

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Publishing’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about TRANSFORMERS: Devastation, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Activision Publishing’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Activision Publishing or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

TRANSFORMERS and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro and are used with permission. © 2015 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. ©2015 Activision Publishing, Inc.  All rights reserved. “PlayStation” and “PS3” are registered trademarks. “PS4” is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Dish Out Carnage of Hellish Proportions in Gunnheim, The Top-Down Shooter Where Vikings Have Guns

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Dish Out Carnage of Hellish Proportions in Gunnheim, The Top-Down Shooter Where Vikings Have Guns

MONTREAL, October 16, 2015—Publisher, Meridian4, and developer, SIEIDI, today announced the Steam release of Gunnheim, a top-down shooter where the equation is simple: vikings + guns = mayhem.

The Lord of Death hits the bottle hard on the Ragnarok of all benders and hell breaks loose- literally. Enter the unholy children of Gunnheim: gun-toting, skull-crushing Viking warriors born and bred for battle, summoned to restore the balance. Gunnheim is a 1-4 player top down shooter inspired by Viking mythology and the golden era of couch co-op gaming.

In Gunnheim, you’re bringing the term berserker to a whole new level, saving the day by dishing out carnage of hellish proportions. Armed to the teeth with all manner of modern weaponry, fight your way through hordes of hellspawn with your brothers and sisters at your side, survive epic boss fights against the biggest and baddest of the devil’s children, and watch with maniacal glee as your enemies are turned to bloody piles of pulp, fangs and horns. Put your goggles on, it’s about to get really, really messy.

With a cutting sense of humor, Gunnheim brings fast paced action, superior low-poly graphics, and more gore than you can imagine to this classic genre.

“We grew up playing couch co-op games and hotseat multiplayer titles,” said Petri Pekkarinen, CEO of SIEIDI, “Gunnheim is our PC debut, and from the very first prototype we wanted it to feel and look original. We love that the gameplay works for both casual Friday night gamers as well as hardcore achievement hunters.”

“It’s clear from the positive response we’ve seen in Early Access, that Gunnheim is a game that the Steam community wants,” said Andy Sher, CEO of Meridian4. “We’re thrilled to help bring this game to full release.”

Gunnheim is available now in Early Access on Steam for $9.99. The full release will be available on October 16th and will be 35% off through October 30th. For the latest Gunnheim news, follow the game on Facebook and Twitter.

About Meridian4

Meridian4 is a game publisher based out of Montreal, Canada thats management team is made up of interactive software professionals with over 30 years of combined experience. The company has knowledgeable and qualified people in all areas of publishing including sales, distribution, manufacturing, production, marketing and promotion. Meridian4 has been publishing for over six years and has flourished by adapting to the ever-changing landscape of the games industry and growing by continuing its strategy of forming strong relationships with independent developers and bringing some of the best interactive software to North American and worldwide markets. Visit Meridian4 at meridian4.com.

About SIEIDI

SIEIDI is an independent Finnish game development startup founded in 2014. The SIEIDI team is made up of 5 gaming enthusiasts who use their combined design, tech and business skills to create a unique and meaningful gaming experience. Gunnheim, a top-down shooter inspired by Viking mythology, is the company’s first original title and releases in fall 2015. The name SIEIDI roughly translates to “a sacred place” in Sami, the language of the indigenous people of Scandinavia. This description is the cornerstone of SIEIDI’s philosophy: respect the gamers, value the makers. Learn more at sieidi.com

FUNimation Reveals the ‘Riddle Story of Devil’ English Dub Cast

Over the last three days, FUNimation Entertainment has been gradually announcing the English dub cast of their upcoming DVD release of Riddle Story of Devil. The English dub cast list is as follows: (character/actor)

  • Tokaku Azuma – Morgan Berry
  • Haru Ichinose – Alexis Tipton
  • Shiena Kenmochi – Anastasia Munoz
  • Otoya Takechi – Colleen Clinkenbeard
  • Haruki Sagae – Carli Mosier
  • Isuke Inukai – Jamie Marchi
  • Kouko Kaminaga – Clarine Harp
  • Suzu Shuto – Michelle Rojas
  • Chitaru Namatame – Monica Rial
  • Hitsugi Kirigaya – Natalie Hoover
  • Mahiru / Shinya Banba – Mikaela Krantz
  • Sumireko Hanabusa – Bryn Apprill
  • Nio Hashiri – Lauren Landa

The standard and limited edition releases of the series can be pre-ordered from FUNimation’s official online store here. Both editions will feature episodes 1-12 and the OVA episode with Japanese audio, English audio and English subtitles. On-disc extras will include episode commentaries, the textless opening and ending animations, the U.S. trailer and trailers. The standard edition has a suggested retail price of $59.98 USD while the limited edition release has a suggested retail price of $64.98. It is currently unknown how the limited edition release differs from the standard edition release.

BlazBlue: Alter Memory Complete Series Review

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BlazBlue: Alter Memory Complete Series
Studios:teamKG, Hoods Entertainment
Publisher: FUNimation
Format: Blu-ray/DVD Combo
Release Date: July 21, 2015
Price: $64.98 – Available Here

Overview
Adapting a video game into any other type of format has long been an issue. Live-action movies have almost always suffered in some form unless they simply use the base material and go their own way and even anime adaptations are usually hit and miss. In fact, quite a few video game anime adaptations have been released over the course of the year so far and now we have BlazBlue: Alter Memory. While an anime adaptation of a fighting game may be the easiest challenge to overcome, the BlazBlue series is quite a bit different from your standard fighting game so does the anime adaptation manage to do it justice?

Story
Let’s just say here at the start that unless you’ve actually played through Blazblue: Calamity Trigger and Continuum Shift, you’re going to be in for a bit of a bad time. If nothing else, this anime has a very steep learning curve that will likely require at least some reading into prior to starting unless you want to be completely lost.

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Nearly every event that transpires in the series is given practically zero explanation as to why things are happening as they, what certain character abilities are, nor are the majority of the characters that do appear given much in the way of development or explanation as to why they may be targeting a specific character or willing to help out another outside of the roughly five or six characters that actually do spend time in the limelight.

Anyways, BlazBlue: Alter Memory begins with Ragna the Bloodedge facing off against Nu-13 (whose name is only said once) only to be killed when she runs both of them through with a large blade. This process has occurred ad nauseam as a twisted god-like being has forced the world to continue to reset until certain events transpire. The majority of the world is unaware of the endless loop that they are living in outside of a couple of special beings who have also grown tired of watching the same events transpire over and over again without being able to directly interfere.

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After the most recent loop however, something has changed as a young girl named Noel Vermillion has started to remember something regarding Ragna and despite it being against her orders to track down her captain that deserted after hearing word of Ragna’s whereabouts. By pursuing Ragna, she is able to interfere in the combat between Ragna and the Nu-13 resulting in Ragna surviving the encounter kickstarting the stopped gears of the world and moving it along a new path for the first time in ages.

Despite this seeming like something positive, with the flow of time restored it also means that those who have hidden away are now free to take action as one of the ancient forces quickly shows itself in the form of Terumi. Although he makes quick work of the wounded Ragna and Noel, Terumi opts to leave the pair be after the appearance of Rachel and from here the show begins to fall apart due to the fact that it simply tries to do too much and so very little at the same time.

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The storyline of the BlazBlue series has always been a complicated one and with the anime trying to cram as much possible into a twelve episode season things are going to fall by the wayside, especially since nearly every single character introduced at the point of Continuum Shift is given something in the way of screentime. This means that we’ll have characters such as Platinum the Trinity appear and take up a few minutes of Ragna’s time only to never play a part again, Carl Clover serve as a one-time combatant, and even Arakune appearing for a limited time.

Between the various fights that occur, Ragna spending the better part of the first half of the series trying to recover from his wounds while meandering around with Taokaka and Noel, and time spent revealing Ragna and Jin Kisaragi’s past through flashbacks delivered through bits and pieces means that there is just so much going on and very little detail put into anything meaning that all of the technobabble and poorly focused on characters that constantly appear will only serve to confuse newcomers and annoy fans of the series hoping for more. At least in some ways there are still some elements of the game’s comedy manages to transition well enough and the few character interactions that do have time to shine are rather well done.

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The story does manage to find itself progressing at a decent pace near the end of the series, with various developments that I cannot mention falling into place in an enjoyable enough manner for fans, especially since the series opts for following the True Ending path of Continuum Shift, though at this point there are also numerous subplots and ancient beings who have also appeared in some form only to be left hanging as an advertisement of sorts for viewers to go into the games to learn more.

Visuals
Debuting back in 2013, BlazBlue: Alter Memory marked the first time that many of the characters made an animated debut outside of a handful of in-game scenes and unfortunately the series manages to be hit and miss regarding these characters. The designs are still quite flashy looking and are just as colorful as they were originally, however the quality of the designs fluctuates badly throughout the season, with characters looking downright terrible at times during the calmer moments.

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The action sequences are at least a small highlight as many characters will freely use their special attacks with quite a bit of flair transitioning nicely into animated format and there is a decent sense to the combat choreography here but don’t expect too many intense moments as the clashes between characters are often handled in a manner that doesn’t give off much in the way of suspense.

Audio
I will give FUNimation quite a bit of credit here as they managed to bring back all of the original voice actors to reprise their roles here in BlazBlue: Alter Memory. This is essential to English fans of the games as the titles have always been extremely word-heavy and there would have been quite a bit of disconnect if new voice actors were brought in instead. Thanks to this, the characters sound superb and there are plenty of nice moments during combat where characters will loudly shout their special attack names in a manner fitting the source material.

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As far as the soundtrack is concerned, the background music during combat sequences are enjoyable and fit the action properly though the standard tracks that play normally tend to be forgettable. The opening theme song “Blue Blaze” by Faylan fits the action packed nature of the series and is accompanied by some superb animation sequences while the main ending theme “Reincarnation Blue” by Aira Yuuki feels generic.

Extras
FUNimation’s release of BlazBlue: Alter Memory only contains clean versions of the opening theme and ending theme accompanied by the US trailer for the series and trailers for other releases from the company.

Overall
BlazBlue: Alter Memory is the type of series that fans will likely still find some enjoyment in, though only if they happen to be die-hard fans that want to see how their favorite characters will look in an anime format. In many ways, the series feels strange, even for an anime created from a video game series as it fails to even offer much incentive for fans to watch, let alone newcomers. By giving viewers very few reasons to care about certain characters or focus on developing the world it leaves newcomers scratching their heads while fans of the series will only find themselves disappointed with a poor adaptation that tries to do far too much with too few episodes.

4-5-capsules-out-of-10
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Go! Go! Nippon! 2015 Pre-Orders Opened at a Discount

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In case you missed it, Go! Go! Nippon!, the title originally served as something of a “guidebook” in game format, will soon be getting an expansion that is simply being called Go! Go! Nippon! 2015. This expansion expands and improves upon the original game by nearly doubling the storyline, offering widescreen HD graphics, and e-mote animation for the character sprites.

MangaGamer announced earlier today that they have now placed Go! Go! Nippon! 2015 up for pre-order on the company’s official website where they offer either the expansion for $7.85, currently available at the discounted price of $5.96, or a bundle of the original game plus the expansion for $14.95, currently discounted to $11.21. Both versions will be released on PC, Mac, and Linux, either through MangaGamer or Steam, on October 16th.

Battleborn’s Main Villain Revealed

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2K Games has decided to reveal some new info regarding Battleborn. First off the company decided to give us a look at the big bad guy that players will need to be worried about when the title is released on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on February 9, 2016. He happens to be named Lord Commander Lothar Rendain and you can check out his reveal trailer below.

The company also stated that those who pre-order Battleborn before the game’s release date will be given the “Firstborn” pre-order pack that gives a golden skin, shown above, to Thorn, Reyna, Montana, Marquis and Rath.