Madman Entertainment’s anime releases of August 2015 will be available in stores across Australia later this week. The following is a complete list of all of their anime titles coming out this month with format details.
Haikyuu!! Part 1 (English-subtitled edition) – DVD
Hyperdimension Neptunia Series Collection – DVD
Ping Pong the Animation – DVD and Blu-ray
Sword Art Online II Part 1 – DVD and Blu-ray
Wanna Be the Strongest in the World Series Collection – DVD
World Conquest Zvezda Plot Series Collection (English-subtitled edition) – DVD
Sword Art Online has become very popular among anime fans, some of whom may have tried to convince you to watch it as well. If you want to find out more about the series, you may like to read a review of the first volume of the first season here.
The official blog for Four Leaf Studio’s Katawa Shoujo has just revealed that the artist weee, who was one of the main artists for the visual novel, will be releasing a new Katawa Shoujo art book called Dangerous. The book will feature her full colour illustrations and guest artwork by Doomfest, Emi-tan, Ricegnat and VCR. It will receive a very limited print run at Comiket 88. It may also be released at other events, but currently, Comiket 88 will be the only place to get this new art book.
If you will be in or can get to Tokyo on Sunday, August 16, consider going to Tokyo Big Sight and checking out the Katawa Shoujo table in east hall 2, space T-30a. Hard copies of the game will also be available there. A preview for the cover-art of the art book can be found here.
With the release of : Ultra Despair Girls a little under a month away in North America NIS America has released a new batch of screenshots for the title showing off a handful of the different Monokumas that you will be facing off against and what type of Truth Bullets can be used against them.
By switching between bullets such as Break, Burn, Dance, Detect, Knockback, Link, Move, and Paralyze, the player can control Komaru and utilize these in order to traverse Towa City. Currently Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls is set to be released in North America on September 1st and in Europe on September 4th for the PlayStation Vita.
Koei Tecmo and Omega Force are no strangers when it comes to bringing anime video game adaptations to the West as there have been many Warriors titles released in the past but many thought that, due to the relative fresh attention that the series has been given in the West despite originally being created in the 1980s, that Arslan: The Warriors of Legend would be passed over.
Based off of the novel, manga, and anime adaptation of The Heroic Legend of Arslan Koei Tecmo surprised many when they announced that they are indeed bringing the title to North America and Europe in early 2016 for not only the PlayStation 4 but also the Xbox One where the title will be available both at retail and digitally and digitally for the PlayStation 3.
Arslan: The Warriors of Legendwill feature cel-shaded graphics with character designs based off of the current anime adaptation and you can check out a large number of screenshots that primarily focus on introducing Arslan, Daryun, Narsus, and Elam as well as a promotional trailer for the title below.
With Amnesia: Memories set to be released in a little over three weeks on the PlayStation Vita and on PC through Steam Idea Factory International has released a new batch of screenshots for the title and this time around they are introducing the potential love interest Toma.
Toma is another childhood friend who has protected the heroine since she was young and served as her “knight in shining armor.” He is incredibly responsible and kind and will stop at nothing to keep the protagonist safe, but when things go wrong can you manage to defend your love?
Amnesia: Memories will be released on August 25th in North America for the PS Vita and worldwide on PC while European gamers can download the title starting on August 26th.
Nintendo’s Wii U console had an interesting launch selection, with ZombiU being one of the more promising titles out of the lot for that time. Sure, the game critically didn’t mesh – but I certainly enjoyed it. Well, Ubisoft see dollar signs with the game, and are porting it over to the Xbox One, Playstation 4, and PC, which is funny – as a digital port still costs money and if I remember right this was the same company that has a “finished Wii U” title that is ready – but not going to see light until they see a profit.
I just think ZombiU had its moment and doesn’t need to live off the Wii U – and for Ubi to act like the once failure suddenly has worth- well, that is something. Either way though, this is an IP I could see evolving – and multiplatform is a good way to make that happen. Ubisoft just needs to remember to show some love to the Wii U with other releases as successful or not, there are people who are brand loyal watching carefully.
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.
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.