Viz Media has announced that they are teaming up with Eleven Arts in order to bring Boruto: Naruto the Movie to as many theaters across the United States starting on October 10th.
With Naruto as the Seventh Hokage, the Hidden Leaf Village plans to host the Chunin Exams to train new shinobi from the village and from their allied villages. Among the entrants are Sasuke’s daughter, Sarada, Mitsuki, an exceptionally talented yet mysterious shinobi… and Boruto, Naruto’s talented but impetuous son.
Meanwhile, Sasuke who’s been on a mission in another dimension appears before Naruto to warn of a strange impending danger. Shrouded with an evil aura, Momoshiki and Kinshiki appear and attempt to assassinate Naruto. Petrified, Boruto is shielded by Naruto, only to disappear in front of Boruto’s own eyes!
A new trailer for Boruto: Naruto the Movie can be found below with English subtitles paired with the original Japanese dialogue. So far the company has announced that the movie will be making its big-screen debut in over 80 cities nationwide and you can check out the entire list of movie theater locations below:
About a year and a half ago NIS America picked up the license to release the anime series Kanojo ga Flag o Oraretara, which is now called If Her Flag Breaks, in North America and now the company has announced when fans can expect the series to be released. The premium edition release of If Her Flag Breaks will be available for purchase on November 3rd and the company has opened up pre-orders for the title on their online store.
If Her Flag Breaks Complete Premium Edition will come with the entire series on two Blu-ray discs, an in-depth 64 page hardcover art book and a collectible chipboard case. To go along with this announcement the company has also released a trailer for the series and you can check that out below.
Recently during Otakon 2015 Viz Media announced a number of couple of new manga licenses as well as an art book acquisition for release in North America. Perhaps the most interesting one of these licenses happens to be Inio Asano’s Goodnight Punpun, a “dark and edgy” manga series following the story of a kid named Punpun Punyama who wants to win a Nobel Prize and save the world as well as find true love and plenty of porn, but his average life is about to unravel.
The company also announced the licensing of The Heiress and the Chauffeur, a shojo series that takes place at an all-girls school during the Taisho Era of Japan. Rumors have been swirling around that heiress Sayaka Yoshimura is having a forbidden love affair with her chauffeur, Shinobu Narutaki but despite how hard she denies these rumors, could love actually be blossoming?
Finally the art book licensed by Viz happens to be called Blanc et Noir: Takeshi Obata Illustrations which features a limited edition release of only 10,000 copies collecting the best works from the artist known for Death Note and Bakuman. Currently all three of these releases are set to debut in spring 2016 .
Overview After vanishing for a few years back in 2010, the Etrian Odyssey series has been on a roll since Etrian Odyssey IV was released in 2013. In the two years since that title’s release not only have two spin-off games been released but a complete remake of the first title in the series also was released. Now with Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight, a remake of the second game in the series, hitting Western shores, does this title deserve the same praise previous games in the series have earned?
Story Just like the release of Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl, Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight offers both the classic game mode where characters create a party of their own and venture out on a journey supported by a basic arc lacking any substantial theme and a new story mode where they take on the role of the main character, The Fafnir Knight, who is named by the player and never actually speaks as he is instead surrounded by a colorful cast of pre-set characters.
In Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight, The Fafnir Knight and his friend Flavio are assigned a mission to explore the Yggdrasil Labyrinth in order assist the Princess of Caledonia, Arianna in a test run through the first level of the dungeon. You see, Arianna is on a mission of her own to carry out a specific ritual that must take place every century in the mysterious ruin called Ginnungagap and the trio quickly learns that their paths are intertwined and it isn’t long before they are joined by a mercenary protector named Bertrand and the deadpan sorcerer Chloe.
To go too much further into detail about the exact specifics of what will be happening in the title’s storyline would be providing spoilers that are best left experienced by the player, though don’t expect anything too spectacular. That being said, those who happened to enjoy the first game in the series for what it was, or had issues with the way it was told, will be happy to hear that Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight does an even better job than the first game by giving all of your party members fairly standard personalities to begin with only to develop over time into characters you’ll actually care about in some form.
The writing also benefits from great localization work that creates great chemistry between the team anytime they happen to talk with one another, which is quite often since plenty of dialogue sequences occur in the main hub and even more take place while exploring the dungeon, serving as a great way to break up some of the longer dungeon crawling sequences with entertaining moments between the party.
Gameplay Anyone that has attempted to play an Etrian Odyssey game knows that the game is known for two prominent features. Exploring dungeons while fighting against enemies in turn-based combat from a first person perspective and drawing out maps (now easier than ever in The Fafnir Knight due to there being far more icons than before) to navigate the labyrinths that make up the various floors in the game. Everything here still rings true in Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight but just like in The Millennium Girl, things can be as easy or difficult as you wish.
When you begin playing the game it is possible to select different difficulty levels, with Standard providing the expected level of difficulty and Picnic allowing for not only easier combat against enemies but also unlimited revives against enemies in a dungeon without going to a game over screen. Of course if you want to be as difficult as possible, you can try and tackle the Expert difficulty which will give players a run for their money. The mapping feature is also handled in a similar manner as players can either opt to have the extremely basic details of a floor auto-mapped, such as the basic path, no auto-mapping whatsoever, or have the game fill in the exact layout of the floor minus special locations as you traverse through it.
This includes the returning “Floor Jump” feature which is unlocked by fully completing a map for a level, which helps speed up certain missions that require a bit of backtracking. By offering a mode hardcore fans will be delighted to experience as well as an option for players who simply want to enjoy the game or may be picking up an Etrian Odyssey game for the first time Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight opens itself up to newcomers while still offering plenty of challenge for hardened veterans to conquer with as little assistance as possible.
Encountering monsters remains the same as before, for the most part, as players will randomly encounter monsters within the mazes with an icon appearing in the bottom right of the screen showing how close the player is to entering combat. The extremely dangerous FOEs also roam their set patterns throughout various dungeons and anyone who has played the game before knows that FOEs are massive monsters that are visible threats that will likely annihilate your party when encountering them for the first time. This means that unless you choose to level up and return to conquer these dangerous beasts for great rewards, it is best to avoid FOEs by predicting their travel patterns with the use of your map. One nice inclusion in this title are dungeon traps that players can lead FOEs into in order to either cause damage to them, allowing for a potentially easier fight, or halt their movement for easy escape.
Once you do find yourself in combat, which will be rather often, players will find themselves facing off against enemies in turn based combat where their party must make use of standard attacks and skills that not only cause extra damage but can also buff allies and debuff opponents. While initial battles may seem like a breeze, you will have to quickly learn to play smart with your party’s skills since many of them complement one another when used properly to target a foe’s weakness.
Since the story mode assigns players a set group of party characters, that can be adjusted slightly or even completely changed if you wish, of course the classic mode offers players a long list of classes to experiment with right off the bat and there is plenty of great variety to be had here for those looking for something a little different, especially since Beast classes, such as wolves or tigers, are capable of being added to the party.
Grimoire Stones, which are items imbued with a certain skill that can be used by a character when worn, also play a large role in designing your character build as they continue to provide players with plenty of little tweaks to mess around with as they try and build the best party possible to explore the dangerous world of Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight. Of course, with a new cooking mini-game capable of providing players with a wide-range of buffs there are plenty of ways to micromanage your group. Players are given a share of Lagaard’s new restaurant and once players discover recipes they can cook the aforementioned food to provide buffs until a new food item is created.
In fact, the idea of cooking food is only the beginning of an extra management system where players can advertise their restaurant and potentially grow the popularity of the town, allowing more people to show up and open up a new revenue train. The large amount of mechanics at play in Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight may seem like a huge hurtle to newcomers at first but thankfully the story mode slowly introduces these mechanics in a manner that makes them easy to understand.
It is worth noting that one of the original complaints in the first Untold game was the fact that despite offering both the brand new story mode and the classic mode, the title only sported one save slot. Thankfully that is no longer an issue as Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight offers multiple save slots allowing for players to create a party of their own and brave the labyrinths and not be concerned that they will lose their story progress by doing so.
Visuals & Audio While many dungeon crawlers may recycle the same environments multiple times over the course of the game, Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight features a wide range of beautiful looking scenery to travel through which makes the drawn out explorations more enjoyable than they usually would be in such a case. This type of presentation does wonders for the amount of time one can spend exploring and mapping out a floor and it doesn’t stop with just the environment as the character portraits and monsters are nicely detailed as well.
It is worth noting that the voice work in Atlus USA’s release of Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight is only presented with the new English dub and that the Japanese voice track is not included. The English cast does a great job with their cast, something that was a necessity considering how chatty your party is outside of battle and especially in combat. The soundtrack features a number of great pieces of orchestral music that fit perfectly with the scenes they are accompanying, as soothing tones will play when returning home and battles against dangerous bosses are laden with guitar tracks to raise the tension.
Overall Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight is an incredibly impressive title that not only offers a more enjoyable storyline than The Millennium Girl but also a number of new mechanics for players to sink their time into. With plenty of customization options available, satisfyingly enjoyable combat, and mechanics that can either make the game enjoyable for newcomers or incredibly difficult for hardcore fans, Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight is the type of title that you can easily sink countless hours to and still find more to enjoy.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Hanabee Entertainment’s official online store has revealed the release date for their releases of Captain Earth Part 2 and Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse Part 2. Both titles are currently scheduled for release on September 10, 2015. The DVD and Blu-ray sets will cost $59.99 AUD.
Captain Earth Part 2 will feature episodes 13-26 of the series in Japanese with English subtitles. It can be pre-ordered here. Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse Part 2 will feature episodes 13-24 of the series with dual audio and English subtitles. It can be pre-ordered here.
Additionally, updated release dates have been revealed for some of Hanabee’s previously announced releases. Due to production delays, Hakkenden Season 2 and the Revolutionary Girl Utena TV series box set will now be released on August 13, 2015.
Sentai Filmworks is releasing several anime titles in North America this month. The following is a full list of their August 2015 releases.
August 4, 2015:
Space Brothers Collection 4 – Episodes 39-51 on DVD and Blu-ray.
Sakura Trick Complete Collection – Episodes 1-12 on DVD.
August 11, 2015:
Captain Earth Collection 2 – Episodes 14-25 on DVD and Blu-ray.
Haikyuu!! Collection 2 – Episodes 14-25 on DVD and Blu-ray.
The Kawai Guide to Manors & Hostel Behaviour Complete Collection – Episodes 1-12 and the OVA on DVD. The commercial bumpers will be featured as on-disc extras.
August 18, 2015:
Hayate the Combat Butler Season 1 – Episodes 1-52 on DVD and Blu-ray.
August 25, 2015:
Kamigami no Asobi Complete Collection – Episodes 1-12 on DVD and Blu-ray.
Vampire Hunter D – The OVA with dual audio on DVD and Blu-ray. The Japanese trailer will be featured as an on-disc extra.
All releases listed will feature their respective textless opening and ending animations as on-disc extras, except for the Vampire Hunter D OVA releases. Except for the Vampire Hunter D OVA and Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions Season 2 releases, all releases will feature their respective episodes with Japanese audio and English subtitles only.
FUNimation Entertainment has four anime collections scheduled for release later this month. The following is a list containing the price and format details for each of those releases.
August 11:
Basilisk Complete Series (episodes 1-24) DVD and Blu-ray combo-pack – SRP $44.98. On-disc extras will include audio commentary, the textless opening and ending animations and trailers.
August 18:
The Future Diary Complete Series (episodes 1-26) Blu-ray – SRP $69.98. On-disc extras will include commentary for episodes 5, 13, 20 and 23, Omake #5 and #10, the textless opening and ending animations, TV spots, promotional videos, trailers and the U.S. trailer.
August 25:
Fairy Tail Part 16 (episodes 176-187) DVD and Blu-ray combo-pack – SRP $54.98. On-disc extras will include “Guild Pride: Sabertooth”, commentary for episodes 177 and 184, the textless opening and ending animations, trailers and the U.S. trailer.
X (TV) Complete Series (episodes 1-24) DVD – SRP $29.98.
Have you heard of The Future Diary anf want to find out more about it? If so, you may like to read the review of the first half of the series here and the review of the second half of the series here. A review of Fairy Tail Part 1 can be found here.
All of the releases listed above contain Japanese audio, English audio and English subtitles. All prices listed are in USD.
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 was scheduled to be available on PC, Xbox One and PS4 in September 2015 but unfortunately those plans seem to have changed. Reputable Japanese magazine Jump has revealed a new scan showing the Japanese release date to now be the 4th of February, 2016.
While the delay is not confirmed for Western territories it is very unlikely this game would not first release in Japan. You can check out the latest trailer for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 by following the link. Storm 4 is bringing many new and returning features such as improved graphics, an in battle team leader change mechanic, environmental effects and the returning ability to wall run.
UPDATE: Delay is confirmed internationally as well. Countries outside Japan will also see the game on the 4th of February.
Shards of War: Win Big with Bigpoint at Gamescom 2015
Hamburg, Germany, 31 July 2015 | Bigpoint, one of the world’s leading developers and publishers of online games, has unveiled the Gamescom program for Shards of War, their action-packed MOBA-shooter hybrid. Members of the press will have access to hourly game presentations in the business center (Hall 2.1 B041/C040) while gamers can look forward to a whole slew of events in the entertainment area (Hall 8.1 B020).
Eight teams from around the world have qualified to take part in the live Battle of the Shards tournament in Cologne. Bigpoint is flying in squads from France, the Czech Republic, Russia, Italy, the USA and other countries to compete before a live audience in a double-elimination tournament with more than €10,000 in prize money at stake! The matches will be broadcast live via Twitch so fans everywhere can follow the action. Additionally, famous YouTube personalities and Let’s Play stars from different countries will be making appearances. Meet them at Bigpoint’s booth in the entertainment area!
Of course, visitors will have a chance to play a match or two as well. It’s worth stopping by, as Bigpoint will be running giveaways around the clock, with high-quality gaming hardware and in-game goodies (like skins for Sentinels) on the menu.
Visitors to the Shards of War booth are in for a special surprise—they’ll be able to meet living, breathing Sentinels played by professional cosplayers. Fans who can’t make it to Cologne will be able to catch all the highlights on the game’s social media channels. Videos und pictures from the fair, live matches, exclusive interviews and team profiles will be available on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Shards of War: Current Status and Future Developments
Shards of War is currently in open beta with an official release planned for the coming months. This unique MOBA-shooter hybrid is one of the most ambitious and sophisticated titles in Bigpoint’s games portfolio. Shards of War gets right down to business without a tedious lane phase—there are confrontations seconds after each match kicks off. The intuitive WASD shooter controls encourage quick firefights and action-packed battles. Each round lasts about 20 minutes.
The developers are constantly working on new content to introduce even more variety to the game and increase the tactical possibilities. Recent updates include an alliance feature, a completely revamped item crafting system and a new map.
And that’s not all: Bigpoint regularly adds new Sentinels to give players more team-building options. There are currently 20 different Sentinels to choose from. The latest is Nemesis, a tank who uses energy shields and weapons to protect allies and inflict massive damage on foes. Many other new features are planned for the coming weeks and months, with the implementation of ranked games at the top of the list. Bigpoint has introduced Shards of War to the ESL and runs weekly community tournaments. The game is already enjoying international acclaim, especially in Russia, Poland, France and Spain.
Overview of Features:
Fast-paced 5 vs. 5, PvP and MOBA gameplay, combined with shooter action
Unique science fiction setting
Intuitive shooter controls (WASD)
20 unique playable characters, each with their own powerful abilities
Exciting, action-packed 20-minute matches
Upgrades and item crafting
Loadout system (players choose from a range of items before each match)
Bigpoint is a leading global online game developer and publisher. Headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, Bigpoint designs high-quality games for all gamer segments for browser, client and mobile. They are published on bigpoint.com, as well as by more than 2,000 international distribution partners and media companies.
Employees from 35 countries use state-of-the-art technology to transform the industry with innovative gaming concepts, while setting international standards to fulfill the expectations of more than 350 million gamers in over 200 countries.
Every one of the 30+ online games in Bigpoint´s portfolio is free-to-play and includes a customized micropayment system for each game to allow users to make micropayments to speed up their game progression.
Many of the titles have won various international prizes and audience awards, such as the German Developer Award 2014 and the Game Connection Award 2015 for Shards of War.
In addition to its headquarters in Hamburg, Bigpoint holds a development hub in Berlin, a mobile game studio in Lyon and maintains presences throughout Europe, the USA and Asia for distribution purposes.
For more information and press material, please visit the press area at www.bigpoint.net.
WARFRAME UPDATE — ECHOES OF THE SENTIENT — AVAILABLE NOW
New Movement, Warframe, Quest, Customizations and More Await PC Players
LONDON, On. (July 31, 2015) — Digital Extremes’ Warframe® proves once again that there’s never been a better time to be a space ninja.
Expanding the ever-evolving Warframe Solar System once again, the new Update — Echoes of the Sentient –offers PC players a wealth of new gameplay, environments and customizations. Players can move through the Solar System in an entirely new way with a completely overhauled Parkour system, visit an underwater world with new Archwing Submersible levels, go on a Quest for the new Equinox Warframe and so much more!
Primary highlights of Echoes of the Sentient include:
NEW WARFRAME — Split between day and night, Equinox manifests aggressive and defensive forms at will.
PLAYER MOVEMENT OVERHAUL — Experience a complete overhaul to movement in the game. Changes include the addition of Double Jump, Bullet Jump, Wall Latch, Wall Dash and Aim Gliding.
ARCHWING SUBMERSIBLE — Explore new depths in the oceans of Uranus, smoothly transitioning from on-foot to submersible Archwing mode! Encounter new and deadly Grineer enemies in unique environments and enjoy various game modes including Defense, Survival, Capture, Rescue, Mobile Defense, Exterminate, and Sabotage!
NEW BOSS BATTLE — Tyl Regor is back and is stronger than ever. Assassinate this skilled threat amidst the oceans of Titania, Uranus!
NEW QUEST — Is the strange drone scanning Tenno just an upgraded piece of Corpus technology or are there more sinister things stirring in the Origin System?
NEW TILESET — Delve into the depths of the Grineer Ocean with a new underwater Tileset.
NEW CONCLAVE ADDITIONS
Daily Challenges: Earn additional Standing with Teshin’s Conclave by completing Daily Challenges.
New Conclave Maps: Apex (Annihilation/Team Annihilation), The Spire (Capture the Cephalon) and The Pit (Annihilation/Team Annihilation) are now available!
Conclave Mods: Purchase 19 new Conclave Mods through Standing from Teshin.
NEW WEAPONS: Ack and Brunt: Tyl Regor’s custom axe and shield are how he likes to eliminate ‘frustrations’.
Grattler: Shatter your targets with explosive shells from this devastating Archwing canon.
Harpak: Spike enemies to the wall or reel them in with this automatic harpoon gun.
Kulstar: Rain hell on the enemy with this handheld cluster-rocket launcher.
Twin Grakatas: When one Grakata isn’t enough, bring another for extra firepower.
NEW KUBROW ITEMS
Kubrow Armor: Outfit your Kubrow with new Rostam and Valinn Decorative Armor.
Chesa Kubrow: Trained to retrieve valuable resources for its master.
NEW CUSTOMIZATIONS — Give your Warframe a new look with four new Capes, now available in the Market!
Izvara: The exclusive garment of Tenno chosen to protect the Orokin Council of Executors.
Nelumbo: Worn to honor the Lotus.
Udyat: A flowing ribbon of silken fabric, crowned with a star.
Vanquished Banner: Add insult to injury by mocking the Grineer with their own banner.
NEW UTILITY MOD SLOT — Prepping your Mod Build just got easier! The new Exilus Utility Slot frees up space by offering a place for a Utility Mod.
PC players can download Echoes of the Sentient today! PlayStation®4 and Xbox One players will receive this Update in coming weeks. To learn more about Warframe, download the game and join the community, please visit the official website at: www.warframe.com
ABOUT DIGITAL EXTREMES
Founded in 1993 by James Schmalz, Digital Extremes ranks as one of the world’s top independent development studios in the interactive entertainment industry. The Canadian-based developer has a rich history in developing some of the industry’s top first-person shooter and action games. Originating with the co-creation of Epic Games’ multi-million unit selling Unreal® franchise including Unreal, Unreal Tournament – and all its iterations — and continuing with such hits as Dark Sector®, BioShock® for the PlayStation®3 and the multi-player campaign of BioShock 2. More recently, Digital Extremes earned critical acclaim for the development of first-person shooter, The Darkness® II, based on the comic book series of the same name and the use of its proprietary technology, the Evolution Engine™. The studio is currently developing and publishing the Free-To-Play action game, Warframe® available now on PC, PS4™ and Xbox One. For more information about Digital Extremes, visit the company website at www.digitalextremes.com. To sign up for Warframe, visit www.warframe.com.
Recently during Otakon 2015
While many dungeon crawlers may recycle the same environments multiple times over the course of the game, Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight features a wide range of beautiful looking scenery to travel through which makes the drawn out explorations more enjoyable than they usually would be in such a case. This type of presentation does wonders for the amount of time one can spend exploring and mapping out a floor and it doesn’t stop with just the environment as the character portraits and monsters are nicely detailed as well.
