Madman Entertainment has just revealed the premiere date for their screening of Boruto: Naruto the Movie in Australian cinemas. The film, featuring a story by series creator Masashi Kishimoto, will be shown in cinemas across Australia and New Zealand from October 15 to October 22, 2015. There will also be a special screening on October 10 in Melbourne at Hoyts Melbourne Central (tickets are available here) and in Sydney at Event George Street (tickets are available here) to celebrate Naruto’s birthday. A party will be held in Melbourne for the special screening. Details about this party have not yet been finalised. The film will be shown in all of the following cinemas:
Kobojo Reveals Art Collaboration for Highly-Anticipated Premium JRPG Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey
TOKYO andPARIS – Sept. 18, 2015 – Kobojo today revealed new information about the team behind the art for Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey, as well as an all new website as the company prepares for the game’s upcoming release. Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey is currently on display at Tokyo Game Show 2015, taking place at Makuhari Messe from Sept. 17 – 20, 2015.
Today, Kobojo revealed that CyDesignation, Inc., the Japanese game design and production company led by renowned artist Hideo Minaba, is doing the art direction for Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey. The CyDesignation team joins other esteemed Japanese developers who have contributed to Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey, including Kazushige Nojima (writer, Final Fantasy VII) as scenario writer and Hitoshi Sakimoto (composer, Final Fantasy Tactics) as composer.
Kobojo also revealed a new official web site for Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey at http://zodiac.kobojo.com/, that includes an all-new trailer, deep game details and story information for the Japanese-style role-playing game (RPG). Every week on the website, Kobojo will release a video for new Zodiac characters, starting with Kadyn, a warrior of the winged fawlkon race.
Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey will be available as a premium app for iOS in the US and Europe next month, with a release in Japan and on Sony platforms planned for early 2016.
In the booth at Tokyo Game Show 2015 (at Hall 6), there are iOS versions of playable demo, and visitors can get an original clear file folder for playing the game or an IC card sticker if they take photo with the statue of “Flyon” in the booth.
To see the new trailer and for more information about Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey, please visit: http://zodiac.kobojo.com/
About Kobojo
Kobojo develops engaging, online RPG titles that are designed for touch devices. The company is passionate about developing high-quality multiplayer game mechanics and is known for its extraordinary hand-drawn 2D graphics. It has created and is currently managing the highly successful mobile RPG Mutants: Genetic Gladiators. Kobojo is a private company, founded in 2008, with headquarters in Paris, France and a new development studio in Dundee, Scotland.
September 18, 2015 — Wargaming is proud to announce that World of Warships is now live. This latest, highly-anticipated instalment in Wargaming’s free-to-play combat series lets players seize the helm of history’s most iconic vessels and take part in giant battles.
“World of Warships is our biggest release this year,” said Victor Kislyi, Wargaming CEO. “Everyone involved has put their heart and soul into creating a truly outstanding title, and we are extremely proud to share it with gamers across the world. We hope that players will love this game as much as we do.”
In World of Warships, aspiring commanders have four distinct classes of ship at their command, and a myriad of upgrades and strategically designed environments, ensuring the action never ends. Cruisers are incredibly versatile vessels, ready to take on any other ship in the game and pick off scuttled opponents. Destroyers are quick and manoeuvrable, able to dodge enemy fire and deliver a well-executed torpedo strike. Battleships are heavy-hitting powerhouses, perfect for dealing massive damage. Finally, tactical Aircraft Carriers bring a real-time strategy dynamic, with scout planes to enemy vessels and torpedo bombers dropping their devastating payload.
PvP and PvE game modes play out across 10 unique maps. PvP combat lets teams of 12v12 take to the seas and clash for supremacy. PvE mode pits players against computer AI in a series of skirmishes to sharpen their wits for PvP and practice their teamwork.
With the game’s release, naval enthusiasts who have been busy storming the seas in World of Warships and have achieved a level 9 Service Record will be able to truly put their skills to the test with the first season of Ranked Battles. Experienced commanders can dive in to 7v7 Domination matches against those of equivalent skill.
World of Warships’ deep customisation system lets players discover and shape their playstyle with Commanders, as well as dozens of Modernisations and Skills. Consumables like vessel camouflage and Signal Flags add another tactical element to gameplay, where captains can tailor various boosts to get ahead of the fleet.
In World of Warships, strategic, tactical gameplay and intense naval combat await all those who are ready for the high seas.
For the latest information, visit the official World of Warships website:
World of Warships is a free, historical, online combat game from Wargaming. Command a massive naval fleet featuring some of history’s most iconic war vessels, level up important tech modules and prepare to dominate the oceans in World of Warships.
With four classes of ships, myriad upgrades, and strategically designed environments, the action never ends and every match is a unique experience.
World of Warships brings players endless hours of strategy, tactical gameplay and pulse pounding combat!
Wargaming is an award-winning online game developer and publisher and one of the leaders in the free-to-play MMO market. Founded as a privately held company in 1998, Wargaming has shipped more than 15 titles. Currently, Wargaming is focused on its team-based MMO war series dedicated to the mid-20th century warfare that will include the armored World of Tanks, the flight combat World of Warplanes, and the naval World of Warships. The three intertwined titles will form a common gaming universe integrated within the portal www.wargaming.net.
As part of its multiplatform line-up, the company has introduced World of Tanks on Xbox and World of Tanks Blitz on mobile and tablet. Launched in 2014 and 2015, World of Tanks on Xbox introduced epic tank-on-tank battles to console gamers and offers the first cross-platform gaming experience between Xbox 360 and Xbox One. The mobile MMO game World of Tanks Blitz has opened up Wargaming’s trademark team-based military IP to smartphone and tablet users worldwide.
Right Stuf revealed this week that FUNimation Entertainment has delayed their release of Free! -Eternal Summer-. The second season was due to be released on September 29, 2015. A new release date has not yet announced.
Discotek Media released the first season of Free, subtitled Iwatobi Swim Club, on English-subtitled DVD earlier this year. FUNimation’s release of season two will include an English dub. According to the product details that were previously available, it will be released in standard, limited and premium edition DVD and Blu-ray combo packs. The limited edition release will come in a chipboard box and the premium edition will come with a variety of physical bonuses, including: an exclusive full colour art book, seven art cards, a full colour sports towel and Iwatobi and Samezuka decals.
Sentai Filmworks has just revealed another anime license acquisition. They now have the North American home video distribution rights to the anime adaptation of HaNaYaMaTa.
The series is adapted from Sou Hamayumiba’s manga series of the same.name. Atsuko Ishuzuka directed the series, series composition and scripts were provided by Reiko Yoshida, MONACA composed the music and character designs were adapted by Atsuko Watanabe. Madhouse handled the animation production for the series. Madhouse is known to many fans for their work on works such as the Vampire Hunter D film series and the animated Death Note TV series and subsequent redux films. This series…
…introduces us to Naru Sekiya, a normal girl living an ordinary life. A chance encounter with an American girl dancing in traditional Japanese dress under a starlit night, however, changes her life forever. Naru is entranced with this ethereal, fairy-like figure. She had been waiting for that special someone who would one day take her from her everyday life, and now — led by this girl from another country — she takes her first steps into the extraordinary world that is yosakoi, a form of Japanese dance.
The series was also licensed by Madman Entertainment for Australia release earlier this year.
A message from Shigeru Miyamoto was released just three hours ago regarding the upcoming Wii U game Star Fox Zero. In the message, he reveals that the release of the game has been delayed until next year.
The goal was to have the game ready for release this year, but Nintendo believes that a little more time is necessary to complete it. They want to work more on the use of two screens, polish the level designs and perfect the tone of the cutscenes. He goes on to say that they could technically release the game in the end-of-year holiday season, but they want players to more smoothly grasp the new style of gameplay that will be featured in the game. The aim now is to release the game in the first quarter of 2016.
With just under a week before launch, it is no surprise that Warner Bros. have put up a brand new trailer to hype the release of their upcoming toys to life game; Lego Dimensions. The trailer, aptly dubbed “Endless Awesome,” showcases some of the wild and wonderful things you will be doing with the game. In fact, why don’t we all just check out the trailer right now:
In addition to the launch trailer, Warner Bros. have also announced that if you head over to their YouTube page, you will be able to learn all about the game through a brand new weekly webseries. This show will cover gameplay elements, tips, tricks, unboxings and more so make sure you check it out and make sure you stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the awesome Lego news as we get closer and closer to the game’s official release date.
Well, it finally looks like the game about a terrifying clown with a golden heart is out with a full release. I previously covered the game in a premature evaluation here. In my assessment I noted that Dropsy was a game which had a lot of heart and offered one of the most optimistic video game protagonists I have ever played. If you want to see if this holds in the full release of the game, read on…
Story
The game follows the eponymous protagonist, Dropsy, as they go about their life. Many years previously, Dropsy’s mother died in a circus fire which many people believe Dropsy himself had started. Most characters react to Dropsy with either fear or revulsion, as he smiles his terrifying yet innocent smile. Although Dropsy always presents this veneer of happiness to the outside world, his subconscious still terrifies him with nightmares of the circus fires so many years ago… and that is where the game starts.
This game oscillates between very dark and very sweet scenes. As I mentioned in my preview, this game balances out the inherently positivistic nature of its protagonist by having him confront some pretty heavy themes. Whether it’s helping a grieving widower, reuniting estranged family members, or confronting the scene of a mass grave; Dropsy will do it all with a smile. It’s a good way from preventing the game from feeling too wholesome but also to highlight the positive interactions of Dropsy. It is certainly a rollercoaster with highs and lows and I can’t recommend this aspect of the game enough.
The third act is a jaw-dropper. It comes out of nowhere and just does not stop throwing curveballs. I’m writing this within an hour of finishing the game and I still haven’t processed exactly how it unfolded. Don’t read any spoilers. Just play or watch the game and experience the ending for yourself in all its mercurial glory. It only takes about 5 hours to get through the whole game (which includes getting stuck on various puzzles) so it’s also perfect ‘youtube fodder’ if that’s your interest. Short and bittersweet.
The entire story is also told without the use of any dialogue or legible written word throughout. It’s an interesting design choice for an adventure game especially, as in most such games dialogue is used to give the player hints about puzzles that they might be stuck on. Instead all information is conveyed through pictures which represent various concepts and items, which you’ll learn to recognise fairly quickly. It’s a testament to the developers that I didn’t feel that communicating to the player in this was limiting to the story.
Gameplay
The gameplay itself largely revolves around solving various puzzles to either obtain new items, move the plot forward, or make someone happy (and then hug them). It’s typical old school adventure game design which has you travel to various parts of the game world and try to figure out what puzzles. Your reward for solving these puzzles sometimes includes a new item or interaction which generally helps you solve another puzzle. Another reward, which is little less tangible, for making people happy is that Dropsy will draw a crayon picture of the individual in question and put it up on their wall. I found this to be one of the most adorable methods of keeping track of progress within a game. It is details like this which give Dropsy its charm.
Most of the time, I could suss out exactly what was needed to get from point A to point B, but there were a number of instances where I got stuck. At a number of points, I felt that my (largely) logical solutions to the puzzle were being quashed in an unfair manner. Having to consult with a guide, however, I came to realise that these few roadblocks were largely the result of incorrectly interacting with an object or person and that my original solution was actually correct. There was one instance where I couldn’t quite see the true, multi-purpose nature of an object and literally guessed the correct outcome through brute forcing a solution. To help combat these problems, the developer is diligent in doling out hints upon the steam forums and if you have any problems then I’d recommend having a look there.
Dropsy’s leisurely pace around the map can be infuriating in the first act if, like me, you got stuck on one of the earlier puzzles and then scour the world trying to find a solution. Luckily, a method of fast travel becomes unlocked fairly early in the game but it’s still a little annoying to get Dropsy moving from one side of the screen to the other. I feel it would have been in the game’s favour to have a method of speeding up this traversal, but I feel that this might diminish the impact of some of the later scenes in the game.
Visuals
The game follows the trend of having a retro-pixelated aesthetic in the vein of classic adventure games. The world itself is varied from decrepit urban environments, to alien forests, dank mines, and churches dedicated to a vampire-slaying Thor. The visual design of Dropsy also has invoked a certain revulsion in me the first time I played the game do his character design reminding me strongly of ‘Pennywise’. Like me, however, you’ll probably learn to look past that aspect and see the good within.
Largely, the visual design is quite pleasant and charming. There was one instance where, due to lack of visual fidelity, I couldn’t quite see the true nature of an object properly as it was difficult to make out through the pixels. I’m not sure if others will have this same problem but it was annoying when it happened to me.
Audio
The soundtrack throughout is vibrant and eclectic. There’s everything here from hard rock to classical music on hand with a pixel-tune twist. The catch is that you receive these tracks in-game by finding cassettes hidden around the environment. Furthermore, they are only diegeticaly played when you play them on a cassette player in-character. This is a shame, as I quite enjoyed listening to this tracks.
The dreamscape scenes also feature some interesting melodies and soundscapes. Everything you hear is distorted and helps to reinforce the otherworldly feel of these sequences. The dreamworld version of the Dropsy theme from the trailers is also sufficiently unsettling in its reinforcement of this uncanny space. It’s creepy, but pretty beautiful… just like the rest of the game.
Overall
Overall, I am quite pleased with my experience with playing Dropsy. The story is overwhelmingly touching with a rollercoaster ending that comes out of left-field (but doesn’t spoil the overall experience). The puzzles are largely intuitive and can generally be solved if you’re stuck by simply interacting with your (likely) solution in a different manner. The visuals are quaint but sometimes problematic and the audio is pretty darn swell. I have no problem with recommending Dropsy to pretty much anyone who thinks they might like it (and to some who don’t). I honestly didn’t think I would like it as much as I did, but I guess the terrifying clown worked his magic on me with his “warm, greasy hugs”…
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
THE EPIC SPACE JOURNEY BEGINS AS EDGE OF SPACE IS AVAILABLE NOW ON STEAM
ArkCo Operatives Venture Forth To Discover, Explore, and Fight for Survival on a Bizarre Living Planet, Now at 27% Launch Discount
Twain Harte, CA – September 17, 2015 – Hazardous adventures await the bold and well-equipped! Indie game developer Handyman Studios and Reverb Triple XP today launched the 2D sandbox, never-ending, sci-fi survival game Edge of Space on Steam. Deployed to the outer regions of the universe, Ark Corporation Operatives crash-land their shuttle onto a desolate planet that must be terraformed to survive. The adventure begins as players encounter a wild menagerie of creatures like Laser Space Sharks, creating bases with friends, and battling the elements to survive.
During its 27 months in Steam’s Early Access platform, the development team gathered and incorporated an enormous amount of feedback from the community that has helped shape the game and, to celebrate its their enduring support, Edge of Space is 27% off for a limited time launch price ($10.94).
“Throughout our development journey we’ve listened to all feedback good and bad, argued on different directions, made changes to changes, and done our best to push the ultimate space exploration experience,” said Jacob Crane, lead designer and co-founder of Handyman Studios. ”We utilized Steam Early Access the way it was intended and now you can expect a massive roadmap of content to continue expanding the Edge of Space universe including some pretty rad Terraria cross-content.” The Nautilus Sword is powerful. You can also hear the sea if you put it to your ear. Edge of Space game features include:
Open-World: Explore an open and dynamically-generated world through multiple biomes to find valuable resources that will aid players in the ultimate goal of terraforming the planet and take control of the world
Wild Creatures: Encounter a cavalcade of truly insane creatures (Artillabears, Jetpack Space Penguins, Laser Space Sharks, Headcrabs, and much more) that will do everything to stop you, including learning from your gameplay style and exploiting your weaknesses
Online Co-op Multiplayer: Designed with online multiplayer in mind, tackle perilous enemies together with friends and use team-based tactics to contend with unexpected world occurrences including monster nests, objective-based events, and more
Operations Base: Create a base from the ground up customized with command centers, shield generators, defensive turrets, hangers repair drones, powered work benches, and much more
Terraria Content: Includes cross-content from the hit indie game Terraria including the Omegatron boss, Molten Armor and Eater of the World’s pet, with continual support post-launch updates
Craft: Devise your own personal arsenal of weaponry, ranging from guided rocket launchers, laser beam cannons, blazing swords, and axes while discovering native technology and advanced weaponry to add to your creations
Fabricate your own armor, ranging from stat-boosting battle gear to quirky vanity costumes; pick and choose and craft the best sets to survive the changing environmental conditions and threatening mutated monsters
Pets: Create and collect your very own pets – from the bright Fire Fox, the item-finding Gopher, and even a floating Brain – that will assist you in a variety ways on your epic exploration of space by granting defensive, offensive, or exploration perks
Vehicles: A wide array of transportation to pilot and fight from, including the Juggernaut (multi-person transport with automated guns), the Overlord (deploys drones), the Prospector (mines for goodies while you travel), the powerful Battle Mech (pew, pew, pew!) and even rideable laser sharks
For news on the massive variety of content upcoming to Edge of Space, please visit the game’s official Website, playedgeofspace.com/ and follow the development team at Twitter, “Like” it on Facebook, and watch development video streams on Twitch.
# # # ABOUT HANDYMAN STUDIOS
Founded in 2011, Handyman Studios is an independent game company founded on the dreams and skills of two game development veterans who are also best friends who have worked together for four years in various capacities. Starting out as a work-for-hire company, Handyman used its skills to help others and learn how to operate effectively and efficiently. With a successful Kickstarter, Handyman Studios is able to transition into its real purpose – becoming a game studio dedicated to creating the best gameplay experience possible without fear to evolve or innovate in small and large ways. Handyman’s unique strength resonates from the foundation. A handyman must be dedicated to their tasks and have a constant desire to learn and improve their trade.
ABOUT REVERB TRIPLE XP
Reverb Triple XP provides a spectrum of services customized to focus on the needs of indie game developers. Triple XP titles stand out with excellent gameplay, creative design, and that elusive fun factor. Once identified, Reverb’s team of game industry veterans partner with the indie dev team, fully understand the game by actually playing it and provide world class marketing, PR, social, production and distribution services that are fitting for games of the highest quality. A cornerstone of the programs is that the developer retains creative control and ownership of its intellectual property as well as receiving a custom solution tailored to their exact needs. Each year, only a handful of titles are chosen to be in Reverb Triple XP, prioritizing quality over quantity.
ACTIVISION PUBLISHING, INC. LAUNCHES DOWNTON ABBEY™: MYSTERIES OF THE MANOR MOBILE GAME
SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Sept. 17, 2015 – Activision Publishing, Inc. is opening the gates of the Crawley family estate with Downton Abbey: Mysteries of the Manor, a free-to-play hidden object game for select Apple, Android, and Kindle Fire smartphones and tablets. This is the first interactive gaming experience set in the world of Downton Abbey, an Emmy® Award-winning television program that follows the nobles and servants of an aristocratic household throughout the early 1900s.
Downton Abbey: Mysteries of the Manor is an adventure of exploration and discovery, featuring characters and locations from the series. When an unknown intruder ransacks the mansion, putting the Crawley family’s fortune in jeopardy, players must discreetly search every room to find the missing treasures and unravel the mystery behind the break-in. But in a place where everyone has something to hide, no one is above suspicion.
Throughout the journey, players can find and return missing items to their rightful owners, earning the trust of the estate’s residents and unlocking new areas to advance the story. They can also compete with friends on social leaderboards to see who can restore more of the Abbey’s most prized possessions to their former glory.
Downton Abbey: Mysteries of the Manor is now available to download for free on the iTunes App Store, Google Play Store, and Amazon Appstore.
Downton Abbey will debut its sixth and final season on PBS’ Masterpiece in January, and the series will make its UK debut on ITV on Sept. 20.
About Downton Abbey
Downton Abbey is a Primetime Emmy™ and Golden Globe™ award-winning British television series produced by Carnival Films, part of NBCUniversal International Studios. The popular period drama is screened in the U.K on ITV, in the U.S. on PBS/MASTERPIECE and is transmitted to more than 250 other territories around the world. Downton Abbey continues to be an enormous hit for PBS. Season 6, set to be the final season, will air on ITV on Sunday 20 September 2015 and PBS in 2016.
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.
