Home Blog Page 3410

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

K. Roberts
-
0
FUNimation Reveals the ‘Riddle Story of Devil’ English Dub Cast

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

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

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

BlazBlue: Alter Memory Complete Series Review

Travis Bruno
-
0
BlazBlue: Alter Memory Complete Series Review

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

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

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

blazblue-alter-memory-screenshot- (1)

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

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

blazblue-alter-memory-screenshot- (3)

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

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

blazblue-alter-memory-screenshot- (5)

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

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

blazblue-alter-memory-screenshot- (7)

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

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

blazblue-alter-memory-screenshot- (2)

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

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

blazblue-alter-memory-screenshot- (6)

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

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

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

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

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

Travis Bruno
-
0
Go! Go! Nippon! 2015 Pre-Orders Opened at a Discount

go-go-nippon-2015-screenshot- (10)

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

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

Battleborn’s Main Villain Revealed

Travis Bruno
-
0
Battleborn’s Main Villain Revealed

battleborn-pre-order-bonus-001

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

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

Nintendo Announces Playable Games and More for EB Expo

Nathan Farrugia
-
0
Nintendo Announces Playable Games and More for EB Expo

EB-Games-Expo-2015-logo

Nintendo are planning some cool stuff for the upcoming EB Expo in Sydney Australia including competitions, a Super Mario Bros. themed selfie area and of course a heap of playable games including recent releases and some games that won’t be hitting store shelves for a while.

For the 3DS, The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer and Skylanders SuperChargers Racing (with guest stars Bowser and Donkey Kong) will all be playable, with Tri Force Heroes still a month from release. Also playable will be Yo-kai Watch which is huge in Japan and is now coming to the west. Not only will the 3DS game be playable, but Nintendo will be hosting a premiere screening of the anime comedy series before its TV debut. The premiere screenings will be held at 4:30pm on Friday, and 8:30am on Saturday and Sunday before the show floor opens, with attendees able to take seats from 30 minutes prior to the screening.

yo-kai-watch-artwork- (4)

For Wii U fans, attendees will get to taste Star Fox Wii U (which has unfortunately been pushed back into 2016) alongside Xenoblade Chronicles X (releasing on December 5th) and Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water – the chilling new adventure creeping into town October 31. Fan favorites such as Smash Bros, Super Mario Maker and Splatoon will be playable as well.

As for activities, attendees can bring along thier own Amiibo and compete in Amiibo partner battles against other teams. On Wii U, massive 8-player battles featuring 4 teams of player and amiibo will take place, with 2 on 2 battles for the Nintendo 3DS. To to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Super Mario Bros. series, players can get their souvenir photo from the Super Mario Bros. selfie corner!

Eb-Expo-Amiibo-01
Amiibo weren’t even out last year!

The EB Games Expo is running from October 2-4 and if it’s anything like last year will surely be a huge blast to attend. Honestly the line up does look a fair bit weaker than last year where we got to play some huge hits like Smash Bros. and Splatoon, but I’m sure Nintendo will still make their area incredibly fun to be in. Check back with Capsule during the expo for some anticipated game previews, photos and event coverage!

Xbox Newsbeat: September 25, 2015

Andrew Day
-
0

halo-5-guardians-screenshot-028

Hey hey everybody! I know what you’re all thinking “Newsbeat, on a Friday!? This is madness!” Well we thought we would get in early so y’all can get your dose of all the hot Microsoft news before the weekend begins! This week we have three little pieces for your enjoyment, so sit back, relax and enjoy!

Come Join Xbox at EB Expo 2015

Next weekend sees Sydney play host to the annual EB Games Expo and as you would expect, Microsoft is going to be making a big showing. Attendees will be able to try their hand at Halo 5: Guardians, Rise of the Tomb Raider and Quntum Break.

The EB Expo runs from October 2nd – 4th so make sure you check it out!

See the Amazing ‘Descent Into Legend’ Trailer for Rise of the Tomb Raider

Not much to say about this one folks. The anticipated Rise of the Tomb Raider by Square Enix is only a couple of months away, so let’s check out the newly released trailer:

HUNT the TRUTH Season 2 Available Now

Are you eagerly awaiting Halo 5: Guardians? Well if you are a Halo fanatic then you will likely know about The popular Hunt the TRUTH podcast. Well the second season of the in-universe audio drama begins shortly after the events of Season 1, as journalist Benjamin Giraud’s exposé of a massive military cover up and conspiracy seemingly came to an inauspicious end. Keegan Michael Key reprises his role as the now-discredited journalist, but the focus of Season 2 turns to FERO (voiced by Janina Gavankar), the rebel leader who helped Giraud unravel his hunt.

Head over to huntthetruth.tumblr.com to check it out!

 

So that’s it folks. Make sure you enjoy your weekend and get geared up for the EB Games Expo next week! As always, make sure you stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the awesome Microsoft news as it becomes available.

SAINT SEIYA: SOLDIERS’ SOUL AVAILABLE NOW!

Philip Federico
-
0

SAINT SEIYA: SOLDIERS’ SOUL AVAILABLE NOW!

Sydney – September 25, 2015 – The legendary license created by Masami Kuramada is back, as powerful as ever with a brand new game available for PlayStation®3 and PlayStation®4 from now on! STEAM® version will be available soon.

Saint Seiya: Soldiers’ Soul is featuring characters from the all-new animated series broadcasted worldwide in the “Legend of Cosmo” and “Battle of Gold” modes. In this brand new anime and game, the legendary Gold Saints are back from the dead with their new God Cloths! The fabled fight against Hades was not the end of everything for Athena’s heroes: blessed by heavenly powers, Seiya and his friends still have to accomplish something bigger.

Last but not least, Saint Seiya fans can rejoice, as the “Asgard” Arc will be making its grand premiere!

Click here to watch the latest trailer’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WBKf6u8Md0

SAINT SEIYA fans will be able to awaken their 7th sense with Saint Seiya: Soldiers’ Soul on PlayStation®3 and PlayStation®4 from now on. STEAM® coming soon!!

BURN YOUR COSMOS ON:

Dawn of Steel: flaregames’ Ambitious Mobile RTS Is Available Now in the AppStore

Philip Federico
-
0

Dawn of Steel: flaregames’ Ambitious Mobile RTS Is Available Now in the AppStore

Long awaited first game of Superweapon, a new outfit comprised of EA and Zynga veterans, has been released worldwide for iPhones and iPads

Karlsruhe / San Francisco – September 25th, 2015 | flaregames, a leading international developer and publisher of F2P mobile games, announced today that Dawn of Steel has been published to App Stores worldwide. The game is free to play and available localized in 17 languages. Dawn of Steel is a modern mobile RTS built around direct intuitive controls enabling a wide array of tactical options and favoring player skill. This applies both to controlling squads of giant mechanized walkers and to creating clever base layouts to thwart enemy assaults.

The game is developed by LA-based Superweapon, a small team of game devs whose collective experience includes work on the Command & Conquer, Company of Heroes, The Lord of the Rings, Crysis, and Empires & Allies franchises. For Dawn of Steel the studio partnered with flaregames, a German developer and publisher best known for the Royal Revolt series.

“We have put great efforts in finding and choosing the best studios in the industry to partner with,” said Klaas Kersting, CEO and founder of flaregames. “Now we’re seeing our quality-based approach come to fruition: Superweapon’s Dawn of Steel has all we are looking for in a game: stunning visuals, intuitive controls, a fresh setting and compelling gameplay.”

###

About Superweapon

Headquartered in Southern California, Superweapon is a small team of game devs whose collective experience includes work on the Command & Conquer, Company of Heroes, The Lord of the Rings, Crysis, and Empires & Allies franchises. The studio has been working on Dawn of Steel since its founding in 2013.

About flaregames

flaregames is a fast-growing mobile game publisher and developer focused on creating fun, high-quality, free-to-play games for smartphones and tablets. The company has a pipeline of games in development internally, and is working with some of the world’s most talented mobile game developers to bring their games to mobile gamers.

The company was founded in 2011 by a group of industry veterans, including Klaas Kersting, the former CEO and founder of online games category leader Gameforge. flaregames is venture-backed, having raised $23 million from international VCs like Accel Partners and T-Ventures. Funds are used to employ industry-leading talent, build world-class games and ensure the company fulfills its destiny of becoming a major publisher reaching and entertaining the massive global audience of mobile gamers. flaregames is based in Karlsruhe, Germany.

More information: www.flaregames.com

A FISTFUL OF GUN COMES OUT GUNS BLAZING ON PC

Philip Federico
-
0

A FISTFUL OF GUN COMES OUT GUNS BLAZING ON PC

–  Rustle Up Some Friends for Nine-Player Co-Op  –

New Zealand – Outlaw developer Farmergnome and cow-tipping publisher Devolver Digital have released the nine-player co-op western opus A Fistful of Gun on PC via Steam, GOG, and Humble [fistfulofgun.com]. Players quick on the draw can grab A Fistful of Gun for 15% off the $12.99 price during the launch week or while supplies last – you never know.

Hopeful vigilantes can select from eleven unique playable gunslingers and seek their revenge on evil railroad baron Clayton Boon as a lone wolf or with up to eight other bandits in local and online co-op. Master the specialized controls of each character, collect gold from fallen foes to purchase upgrades, and imbibe a bit of liquid courage and unleash a tornado of lead across the dusty plains.

“It has nine-player co-op so you nerds better make about eight more friends than you have now,” said Devolver Digital CFO Fork Parker. “That’s what the kids call a sick burn.”

A Fistful of Gun launches with the most frantic, untamed content this side of the Mississippi. Noble gunslingers and yellow-bellied cowards can join together to battle through the epic story mode, a frantic arcade mode, and the white-knuckle versus modes. Heck, with some luck you and your mangy gang of misfits might even unlock one of the secret modes…

For more information about A Fistful of Gun and developer Farmergnome please visit fistfulofgun.com and follow @Farmergnome on Twitter. Just ask for Pete.

ACTIVISION’S CALL OF DUTY® WORLD LEAGUE MARKS NEW ERA FOR ESPORTS

Philip Federico
-
0

ACTIVISION’S CALL OF DUTY® WORLD LEAGUE MARKS NEW ERA FOR ESPORTS 

New Global eSports League Triples its Prize Pool to $3 million, Expands Competitive Opportunities for Pros and Amateurs Alike 

Call of Duty Championship Moved to Fall 2016 in Support of All-New Seasonal Structure The Arrival of Call of Duty: Black Ops III Will Mark the Deepest eSports In-Game Integration in Franchise History 

Sydney, Australia – September 25, 2015 – With the upcoming release of Call of Duty®: Black Ops III, the sequel to the best-selling series in Call of Duty® history, eSports is poised to expand to new audiences, while introducing new ways for fans of all skill levels to join the eSports movement. Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard (Nasdaq: ATVI),  and Call of Duty announced today the creation of the Call of Duty® World League, a worldwide eSports league by Activision in support of the #1 console eSports franchise, Call of Duty.  The new league marks an unprecedented commitment by Call of Duty and its dedicated eSports team to directly support the growing community of eSports fans. The program will provide a deeper level of engagement with the elite circuit of professional gamers, while also encouraging casual fans and aspiring competitors of Call of Duty to enjoy the thrill of competition across different skill levels.

“Call of Duty has always been about community, camaraderie and competition, which drives incredible engagement with the game all year long.  eSports allows us to deliver these moments to our fans whether they are playing the game themselves or cheering on those who are,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc.  “Three years ago, we held the first Call of Duty Championship to showcase the dedication and skill of Call of Duty players around the world. Since then, eSports has become a global phenomenon with more than 120 million people watching online competitive gaming each year and Call of Duty continues to lead as the top console eSports franchise in the world.”

Call of Duty World League

The Call of Duty World League will be comprised of two Divisions – The Pro Division and The Challenge Division – each of which will feed into the grand finale of the competitive Call of Duty season, and the biggest event in console eSports, the Call of Duty Championship. Professional Call of Duty teams in North America, Europe, and Australia & New Zealand will battle throughout the year in regional competition during The Pro Division regular season to earn their ticket to the Call of Duty Championship, and will compete for the largest seasonal cash prizes in Call of Duty to date.  The Call of Duty World League Pro Division kicks off competition in January 2016 in North America, Europe, and Australia & New Zealand.

The Challenge Division will provide a path for amateur and other aspiring pro players to compete with each other and enhance their competitive skills as well.  The winning teams in The Challenge Division will also earn a spot in the Call of Duty Championship by competing in a series of official LAN events.

“Treyarch’s passion for competitive gaming precedes Call of Duty: Black Ops II, a heritage that inspired us to introduce dedicated eSports features into the franchise and one that compelled us to push the boundaries of Call of Duty: Black Ops III’s offerings beyond anything we’ve delivered before,” said Mark Lamia, Treyarch studio head. “While our global fan base of players range from casual to professional, they all share a desire to compete – some at the highest levels. With Call of Duty: Black Ops III, we are introducing a series of new features, like Arena mode that not only accommodate that diversity of play styles, but also let players see how they stack up against one another. Treyarch is giving the community of Call of Duty players new ways to compete and enjoy the thrill of competition.”

Call of Duty Championship

For the first time in its history, the Call of Duty Championship will move from spring to fall, taking place in fall of 2016 to give players an extended amount of time to hone their competitive skills in Call of Duty: Black Ops III through competing in the Call of Duty World League regular season.

With the Pro and Challenge Divisions of the Call of Duty World League there is an unmatched level of series and tournament combined prizing available. There’s more than $3 million on the line between series payouts, LAN events, and the Call of Duty Championship, making it is the biggest total prize pool for Call of Duty eSports, and more than triple the previous prizing.

Activision has formed a team dedicated to launching and coordinating the Call of Duty World League, which will start with the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops III.  Further details including broadcast, personnel and partnerships will be released at a later date.  For more information on the Call of Duty World League, announcements about the Call of Duty Championship 2016 and other Call of Duty eSports news go to https://www.callofduty.com/esports.  Fans can also follow @eSportsCOD on Twitter. 

More information on Call of Duty: Black Ops III can be found at http://www.callofduty.com/blackops3, on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/Callofduty or on Twitter @Treyarch.

 

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 and is a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), an S&P 500 company. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website 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 the Call of Duty® World League and its Divisions, 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.

# # #

 

ACTIVISION, CALL OF DUTY, CALL OF DUTY BLACK OPS, and stylized roman numeral III are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc.  All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.

eSports features not supported on all platforms

1...3,4093,4103,411...6,888Page 3,410 of 6,888