Despite being released originally for the Xbox 360 and then given a “Director’s Cut” version in 2013 for the PlayStation 3, Deadly Premonition never was given anything fancy despite the title becoming a cult classic. Well NIS America is going to be changing that as they have announced that they will be releasing a collector’s edition for Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut for the PlayStation 3 on November 24th. This version of the game will be priced at $49.99 and can be pre-ordered at NIS America’s online store.
As for what is contained in the Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Classified Edition as it is called, you can check out the list below:
Earlier this week Cliff Bleszinski began teasing that he would reveal more details about Boss Key Productions’ Project BlueStreak sometime this week and now that announcement has come. Today Bleszinski revealed the Project BlueStreak is now a futuristic first-person arena shooter that will be titled LawBreakers.
On Friday he plans on revealing gameplay for LawBreakers but for now they have released a live-action trailer to help establish the backstory of the game where mankind is trying to recover from a cataclysmic event that altered gravity and has divided into two factions that have gone to war with one another and you can check that out below.
Overview There are many different aspects for a romantic comedy to base itself around though so many base themselves around harem antics that they barely fall into that category anymore. Then there are series that try to use established formulas such as opposites attracting to try and craft an entertaining series, with one such series being My Little Monster. With NIS America bringing the My Little Monster anime adaptations over to North America, is the show worth your time?
Story Shizuku Mizutani has had one dream that she has strived for since she was a little girl… being able to land a job that earns over a hundred thousand dollars a year. Due to this she has focused entirely on studying, going so far as to ask for study guides as birthday presents instead of toys as a child. Thanks to her solid focus on studying and ignoring everything around her, Shizuku was given the nickname “Dry Ice” to match her cold personality towards others.
Despite being something of a model student who only focuses on work, Shizuku is asked by her teacher to bring worksheets to Haru, the student who should be sitting next to her if he hadn’t been suspended for fighting during the first day of school only to never return to class. When she arrives at where Haru is living the boy immediately misunderstands the situation and believes that what Shizuku is doing is similar to what friends would do for someone missing class.
After quickly confessing that he loves her after she steps in to prove his current group of friends are untrustworthy people, Haru begins to return to school.The only problem is, Haru sticks to Shizuku like glue and while the girl never thought of anything but studying before, the outgoing boy who has suddenly found his way into her life has left her rattled. To make matters worse, while Shizuku usually places first in the school test rankings she realizes that Haru is the only person in the school who is smarter than she is despite how he acts.
With the pairing of the cold Shizuku unwilling to show her emotions and attempting to put everything she has into studying and Haru who wears his emotions on his sleeves and can’t read social queues or act relatively normally most of the time but puts all of his energy into spending time with Shizuku, we find ourselves with two stark opposites and My Little Monster follows the pair’s relationship through highs and lows.
My Little Monster is a bit of a classic example of how opposites can attract. While it may be difficult to become invested in some romantic leads, thanks to both Haru and Shizuku being flawed characters that end up compensating for one another’s flaws creates a great combination at times. That being said, there are plenty of rough spots in their relationship due to the friction caused by their personalities. While Haru can be caring and seen as a good guy, he initially comes off as a brutish teenager with a child-like personality of easily giving into his emotions while Shizuku is level-headed but lives up to her cold nature by burying herself under heaps of books even when she does start to make a few friends.
Of course thanks to these two working well together, we see Haru constantly being rebuked by Shizuku whenever he takes things a step to far or becomes too violent with others while Haru manages to bring Shizuku out of her shell and brings new feelings into her previously single focused life with the focus being on learning to deal with others and understanding your feelings. That being said, despite both characters proclaiming that they like one another very early in the series there is very little actual progression made throughout the series as both characters regress often enough to be problematic, especially since this anime adaptation was created before the original manga ended.
There is something that can be said about the series’ brand of humor however as it is as quirky as they come. Thanks to Haru’s personality he often ends up doing random things, with a running joke being a rooster that he ended up taking in and building a coop to shelter it on school grounds. On the other hand, thanks to three of the four members of the main group having very few friends or interactions with others we see plenty of sharp quips and retorts anytime the group gets together which makes for some rather humorous scenes where they hold little back. While a quick joke is made during an episode how Shizuku told Haru to wait for her to think about how she felt only for a month to pass with her forgetting entirely about it, it becomes something of a theme in the series that doesn’t feature much of a payoff since barely any of the characters are given much in the way of development.
Sure we do learn some details about Shizuku and Haru’s lives and the addition of a number of side characters, including a beauty named Natsume who dislikes most boys because they make other girls not like her, and the friendly baseball player Sasahara help flesh out the group and contribute to the humor but in the end viewers will likely feel unsatisfied with how the show plays out. That being said, although My Little Monster doesn’t really try anything fresh it still feels rather heartwarming due to Shizuku and Haru’s interactions and how their relationship, albeit slow paced and oft backpedaling, develops over the course of the series.
Visuals For the first time in quite a while NIS America has released a series that comes in both DVD and Blu-ray formats, which is a nice touch for those who still haven’t upgraded to the format but obviously the choice you want to go with here is the Blu-ray discs. My Little Monster features some rather standard character designs but the background art is highly detailed at times thanks to a number of events held at the school.
It is worth noting that there are some moments of choppy looking animation in the series but when the series slows down and focuses on a silent moment between characters it really shines, especially when it comes to the way facial expressions are handled. While most of their expressions can be simply used for laughs, these simpler moments express quite a bit of emotion between a pair of characters, especially whenever Haru and Shizuku have a touching moment where they aren’t arguing with each other.
Audio NIS America has released My Little Monster with only the original Japanese voice track accompanied by English subtitles. The Japanese cast features quite a number of veteran voice actors who handle the characters well, especially in regards to Mizutani as her usual dead-pan retorts work exceptionally well thanks to Haruka Tomatsu’s handling of her character.
The soundtrack for the series is fairly predictable for a romantic comedy by not really offering anything exceptional but simply comes across as adequate. The same can be said about the opening and ending themes of the series, with the opening “Q&A Recital!” sung by Mizutani’s voice actress is fitting for the series but is largely forgettable while the ending theme “White Wishes” by 9nine is similar to the opening theme’s tone and works well as a closer for most episodes.
Extras My Little Monster has been given the premium edition treatment by NIS America with their now standard DVD height chipboard art boxes replacing the oversized containers that many people seemed to have found awkward. The actual on-disc bonuses are rather slim as they only feature a clean version of the opening and ending theme, trailers for other series, and a clean version of the first episode’s ending. It is worth noting that the OVA episode released a year after the anime ended in Japan is not included in this release.
As for the packaging, the chipboard art box feels a bit less impressive than some of NIS America’s past offerings but still features some nice looking artwork while containing the series in two DVD sized cases accompanied by a hardcover art book titled that is presented as Mizutani’s official study guide. In the art book there are the usual episode summaries, character details, a look at some of the background art, and some official artwork promoting the anime.
Overall My Little Monster is a romantic comedy that feels like it doesn’t know where to go at times. The combination of Mizutani and Haru is an enjoyable one as we see the pair struggling to mesh together despite their personality flaws and slowly growing closer with each other however far too often any development is dismissed in order to extend the series. Thankfully with some rather enjoyable looking moments between characters and plenty of good humor to go along with the drama, My Little Monster still manages to be a heartwarming anime once you start to see past the main couple’s flaws.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
PIXLBIT STUDIOS REVEALS PIXLCROSS, A NONOGRAM-STYLE PUZZLE GAME FOR WII U, PC, MAC and LINUX
HUSBAND AND WIFE INDIE DEVS, NICK AND FRANCESCA DIMOLA OF PIXLBIT STUDIOS ANNOUNCE PIXLCROSS FOR WII U, PC, MAC, AND LINUX
Albany, NY (August 26, 2015) Earlier today, PixlBit Studios announced their upcoming inaugural title, PixlCross, for the Wii U, PC, Mac, and Linux. Developed over the course of a year, husband and wife indie devs, Nick and Francesca DiMola, are finally ready to reveal their creation to the gaming world. The game will be available soon as it has just been submitted to Nintendo’s certification process, Lotcheck, and is now available for voting on Steam Greenlight.
PixlCross is a nonogram-style puzzle game (i.e. Picross) where you use hints to fill in a grid and reveal a hidden picture. Containing more than 150 puzzles across four levels of difficulty, players will start by solving puzzles on simple 5×5 grids, eventually taking on the challenging final puzzles on massive 35×35 grids! Each puzzle, no matter how large, can be solved without guessing – a common frustration for fans of the pen-and-paper puzzles.
Though the game’s puzzles may be large, players needn’t worry; they won’t have to solve them all in one go. After each move, PixlCross’ auto-save feature records every move, letting players start as many puzzles as they’d like! Players can jump back in whenever they’re ready. The built in hint system is also available to help players overcome any impediment, making the game as easy or hard as the player wants.
Whether using the GamePad on the Wii U or the mouse on the PC, it’s spectacularly simple and intuitive to interact with PixlCross. Simply slide along the grid to fill in or cross out grid boxes. Boxes count as you fill, pop-out hints eliminate unnecessary scrolling, and the auto-scroll feature makes it even easier to tackle even the toughest challenges!
Whenever players want a break from solving puzzles, they can hop over to the Puzzle Editor and begin creating puzzles of their own! The robust editing tool is the same that was used to make the game, allowing players to create puzzles of the same caliber as the ones available from PixlBit Studios. Furthermore, players can leverage the solver to see if their puzzle can be completed without guessing. Players can connect with the PixlCross community by sharing their creations or downloading puzzles from other creators for a never-ending PixlCross experience.
Players who choose to purchase the game on the Wii U will have access to its unique features, specifically Off-TV Play and tight Miiverse integration.
Telltale Games announced that they will be holding a live crowd play of Tales from the Borderlands “Escape Plan Bravo” at PAX Prime this weekend. Attendees will join the dev team, voice actress Laura Bailey (Fiona), and voice actor Mikey Neumann (Scooter) at the Wyvern Theater on Saturday August 29th at 8:30PM. The decisions will be in the hands of the loudest people in the crowd, so be sure to rest your voice if you plan on attending.
Additionally, the first playable demo of Minecraft: Story Modewill be available to the public at Booth 3117. The devs will be giving away free t-shirts with different designs on each day of the show, with some reserved for people sporting the previous day’s t-shirts. There’s a limited number available, so make sure the booth is your first stop.
August 26th, 2015 – Wroclaw, Poland/ Techland announced today that a free demo of its critically-acclaimed zombie game Dying Light is now globally available to download on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the PC. The demo lets players explore most of the Slums area and offers 3 hours of unique content, including one story quest chain and a number of side quests, challenges, and random encounters. It also features all the core gameplay mechanics of Dying Light, such as the day&night cycle, parkour-based Natural Movement system, creative brutality and crafting. Additionally, the demo supports onlineco-op mode for up to 4 players.
You can download the demo from the PlayStation Store, the Xbox One Store or Steam today.
“With the demand for Dying Light still high after more than half a year on the market, we wondered what else we could do to help players decide which game to buy – says producer Tymon Smektała. – Then we thought: demoes were pretty much a standard in the previous generation, but suddenly they’ve become few and far between. So we decided to use some of our resources to release a demo now and let everyone experience our game first-hand.”
A video showcasing a collection of creative user reviews can also be viewed here or download it from the official FTP
Primarily Techland is currently working on a story-based expansion titled Dying Light: The Following, which will introduce drivable dirt buggies, a new massive map, and a new progression system to the game. Yesterday the company released 15+ minutes of uncut gameplay from the expansion, which can be watched here. Dying Light: The Following will be priced at $ 14.99, while all Season Pass holders will receive the expansion completely free.
About Techland
Founded in 1991, Techland is a renowned independent game developer, distributor, and publisher. The Polish-based company is best known for the original Dead Island games, the Call of Juarez series, and Dying Light. Thanks to its proprietary game engine technology, Techland develops top-tier entertainment content for Windows PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Linux, Mac OS X, Android, and iOS. Comprised of four offices in Warsaw, Wrocław, Ostrów Wielkopolski, and Vancouver, Canada, the company is committed to delivering unforgettable experiences and using latest technology for innovative entertainment. For more information about the company, visit the official website at: http://techland.pl/
ACTIVISION GOES BEHIND THE SCENES OF TONY HAWK’S® PRO SKATER™ 5 WITH TODAY’S TOP SKATEBOARDING PROS
SANTA MONICA, Calif. – August 26, 2015 – Today Activision Publishing, Inc. shared a new behind-the-scenes trailer for Tony Hawk’s® Pro Skater™ 5 that chronicles each of the skateboarding professionals in the game. There are riders from different eras of skateboarding sharing their perspectives on gaming history and how the classic THPS games intersected with the ever-progressing skateboarding scene, as well as what it’s been like to participate in THPS5.
Tony Hawk himself oversaw the inclusion of the following pros in THPS5: Nyjah Huston, Riley Hawk, Aaron “Jaws” Homoki, Ishod Wair, Leticia Bufoni, Chris Cole, David Gonzalez, Andrew Reynolds, and Lizzie Armanto.
“I wanted a mix of pros that represent the diversity of skating today. Ishod Wair, David Gonzalez, and my son Riley were obvious choices because of their versatility and relevancy to modern skaters. The girls are represented well with two of the best: Leticia Bufoni on street and Lizzie Armanto on transition. Andrew Reynolds (aka The Boss) is still considered one of the best, so he is back representing the OG THPS skaters. Chris Cole and Nyjah Huston are contest dominators and phenomenal talents,” said Tony Hawk. “And Aaron ‘Jaws’ Homoki, is a modern-day stuntman on a skateboard, dropping off the biggest stuff he can find. He was a perfect fit for the over-the-top action of THPS5.”
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 rekindles the signature style of classic Pro Skater games in a brand-new set of levels with the same renowned focus on daring objectives, fine-tuned controls – including manuals and reverts – for endless shredding and high-score tricks. On PlayStation®4 and Xbox One, players will enjoy seamless online multiplayer, letting them drop in and out of online skate sessions with up to 20 challengers at one time. Complete missions, unlock new content and level up online or offline, or go head-to-head on the fly against all takers in competitive matches. Players can also build their own skateparks to share with the community.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 is scheduled to launch in North America on Sept. 29, 2015 for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One for $59.99. The game is also planned for release without online play on Xbox 360 and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system on Nov. 10 for $39.99.
Join the community on Facebook at facebook.com/TonyHawkGames and on Twitter and Instagram at @tonyhawkgames.
About Robomodo
Robomodo is a game development studio specializing in AAA games for all console and mobile platforms. Experienced in designing original IP and innovating on established franchises, Robomodo combines solid game design with distinctive artistic styles.
About Disruptive Games
Based in Berkeley, CA, Disruptive Games is an independent studio with a mission to create innovative and exceptional games. Disruptive specializes in connected experiences for all types of games, even genres that have historically been offline. Additional information about Disruptive Games can be found online at www.disruptivegames.net.
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, http://www.activision.com or by following @Activision.
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 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5, 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.
Blockbuster Mobile Action RPG, MARVEL Future Fight, Reveals Secret Wars in Brand New Update
SEOUL, Korea (August 26, 2015) – MARVEL Future Fight, the blockbuster Mobile Action RPG from leading Korean gaming company, Netmarble Games, has released the newest update featuring content pertaining to Marvel Secret Wars. The Marvel Secret Wars comic book storyline combines multiple Worlds and iconic characters onto a single planet, Battleworld, where an epic adventure will determine the course of the Marvel Universe’s future! The brand new MARVEL Future FightSecret Wars update follows the heels of the previous high profile update featuring Ant-Man and his swarm of comrades, and Guardians of the Galaxy’s band of galactic Super Heroes.
With new character uniforms pertaining to the highly anticipated Marvel Secret Wars storyline, beloved characters such as Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Widow will all receive new variants. In addition to new uniforms, today’s update will also introduce players to three new characters from the Secret Wars universe. Players can now take control of the Secret Wars: A-Force team, which includes powerful sorceress Sister Grimm, the cosmic-powered hero Singularity and the team’s leader She-Hulk.
“With the Marvel Secret Wars storyline currently being unveiled, we wanted to provide our players with the latest content aligned with the comic book releases”, said Seungwon Lee, the President of Overseas, Netmarble Games. “As the Marvel Universe continues to expand, we aim to keep MARVEL Future Fight up to date in hopes of keeping our fans continually entertained.”
Additional exciting gameplay features in this brand new Secret Wars update include:
New Characters: Three brand new characters from Secret Wars: A-Force will be introduced – Sister Grimm, Singularity, and She-Hulk
New Uniforms: Brand new uniforms inspired by popular Marvel Secret Wars comics
New Event “Battleworld”: Event PvP mode that determines the best of the best – with up to 5 different heroes on a roster, Battleworld features a fierce 2 vs 2 relay tag battle
Comic Cover Collection: Collect and complete Marvel Secret Wars comic cover pieces. Players who collect and compete a full cover will receive hero skill level increases
New Villain Siege Mode Features: Five brand new stages for Villain Siege, rebalancing level design, new Villain Siege rewards
Various Improvement and Bug Fixes
Famed Marvel Comics writer Peter David took part in the creation of MARVEL Future Fight, which features over 53 playable characters including Ant-Man, Iron Man, Thor, Spider-Man, Daredevil and heroes from Guardians of the Galaxy. Players can build their own team of heroes to face off against villains such as Doctor Octopus or Ultron, all while enjoying gorgeous graphics and innovative controls. MARVEL Future Fight also features co-op for added support and action packed entertainment.
First released worldwide in April across 148 countries, MARVEL Future Fight has hit the Top 10 charts in 118 countries including Korea, Taiwan, the United States and the UK, while recording 20 million downloads in its first 2 months.MARVEL Future Fighthas held its place at the top of both the App Store℠ and Google Play™ Store worldwide charts, landing overall at #6 for May 2015*. MARVEL Future Fight dominated the iPhone® games ranks, reaching #1 in daily downloads in over 40 countries including the United States, South Korea, and France.
Netmarble Games Corp. strives to enrich people’s lives by providing great games to global audiences. Based in Seoul, Korea, Netmarble Games Corp. has produced some of the most successful mobile games such as Marvel Future Fight, Raven, Seven Knights, Everyone’s Marble, and Monster Taming. The company has more than 2,500 employees worldwide, numerous studios and consistently ranks as a top developer and publisher in Asia and globally. Netmarble Games Corp. has a strategic partnership with CJ E&M Corporation, Asia’s largest entertainment company, Tencent Holdings, Asia’s largest internet company, and NCsoft, a prominent MMO company, as company shareholders. The company is the largest shareholder to SGN, a leading casual game developer. More information can be found at www.netmarble.com.
Warner Brothers’ upcoming Toys to Life game; Lego Dimensions is a few weeks away from hitting store shelves and already people are impressed with its colossal line-up of available franchises. With the likes of Doctor Who, Scooby-Doo and Portal joining longtime Lego sets like Lord of the Rings and DC Super Heores, it is hard to not be excited. however one important question still remains; just how many levels will be in the game?
well thankfully that question has finally been answered; 14. Starting in the merry old land of Oz, players will get to take Batman, Gandalf, Marty McFly, Homer Simpson and more into 13 other distinct worlds. Each world will have a new and distinct mission to play through, with additional Level Packs offering more missions in that world.
Lego Dimensions is set to launch on September 28th, so there is likely to be a few more announcements before then. To ensure that you don’t miss all the news as it becomes available, you had better stay tuned to Capsule Computers.
Stand Out from the Fleet with World of Warships Exclusive Items
Unique ship consumables and bundles available with select ASUS gaming gear
August 26, 2015 — Wargaming today announced a new stage in their partnership with ASUS, makers of high-end consumer electronics. This collaboration brings exclusive World of Warships camouflaged vessels, free in-game Premium currency (Doubloons), and Premium Account time for those who purchase qualifying ASUS gaming gear.
This uniquely designed camouflage for Marblehead and Diana cruisers, and the Tachibana destroyer, can’t be found anywhere else, and will only be available when purchasing from a variety of select ASUS gaming desktops and gaming laptops. Players can also qualify for 1,000 Doubloons, 30-days of Premium Account status, and even more bundles ready to enhance their World of Warships experience.
These deals are also available across many quality ASUS gaming products like motherboards, graphics cards, headsets, mice, keyboard, and other items. To claim rewards on qualifying ASUS and ASUS ROG gaming gear, players must use a redemption code. The redemption period commences today and continues until January 20, 2017. It is available worldwide (except China).
“Wargaming and ASUS share the passion for delivering state-of-the-art gaming experiences,” said Konstantin Kamenev,Business Development Director at Wargaming. “By working with ASUS to set up exclusive offers, we will provide naval combat enthusiasts with the combination of AAA gaming and AAA hardware, ensuring they can take World of Warships to the next level.”
“Epic ROG gaming gear is the perfect match for World of Warships,” said Jolene Lee, Global Marketing Director at ASUS. “This partnership combines great in-game content, slick gaming hardware, and the opportunity to participate in something exclusive.”
For full details of this partnership, qualifying purchases, redemption process and validity period, visit:
The highly anticipated World of Warships is the latest free, historical online combat game to be added to the Wargaming’s catalog. Command a massive naval fleet featuring 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, strategically designed environments the action never ends and every match is a unique experience.
Endless hours of strategy, tactical gameplay and pulse pounding combat await all who take the helm in World of Warships!
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.
ASUS is a worldwide top-three consumer notebook vendor and maker of the world’s best-selling, most award-winning motherboards. A leading enterprise in the new digital era, ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today’s digital home and office, with a broad portfolio that includes motherboards, graphics cards, optical drives, displays, desktop and all-in-one PCs, notebooks, netbooks, servers, multimedia devices, wireless solutions, networking devices, tablets, smartphones and wearables. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS won 4,326 awards in 2014 and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with its Eee PC™. ASUS has more than 16,000 employees around the globe with a world-class R&D team of 5,200 engineers. Company revenue for 2014 was approximately US$14.5 billion.
