Today during New York Comic Con Crunchyroll revealed that they will be streaming an uncensored version of Terraformars in the future. When exactly is unknown, as it was stated that the streaming would begin “at a later date TBA” but this is great news for fans of the series as it has been nearlyimpossible to actually enjoy thanks to the censorship that has plagued the first three episodes of the anime.
Announced at our Terra Formars screening: CR will stream the uncensored version of Terra Formars at a later date TBA! http://t.co/EZvR5kbBzB
Animated by Liden Films, the anime picks up the series from the second volume of the source material, which we reviewed here, where humanity travels to Mars in order to eliminate incredibly strong and violent humanoid cockroaches in order to obtain samples to cure a disease sweeping the Earth.
Overview There have been a number of television series that have begun airing fewer and fewer episodes every season. For basic television series, these usually happen when they are popular enough to coast by or are brand new and haven’t been picked up for more than that. However lately, anime series have begun to air at ten episodes and while a few in the past have managed to deliver within this limitation, many have not. With Blood Lad being given that same treatment, but with an OVA added onto it, is the series worth picking up now that Viz Media has released it in English?
Story Vampires are creatures of legend and even in the Demon World they are ranked incredibly high as far as power goes. Staz happens to be one such vampire and has even managed to claim a large section of Demon World as his territory. The problem is, Staz is a complete slacker who would rather stay in his room reading old manga and playing old video games from the Human World than deal with interlopers.
However when a human girl named Fuyumi ends up lost in his territory, all that changes. You see, over the years humanity’s fear of demons has become non-existent and due to the strength of human technology, demons remain in their realm, giving Staz his first ever encounter with a human. To add to Staz’s love of humanity, Fuyumi is an adorable looking girl that gives him feelings he has never felt before.
Unfortunately, due to his lack of attention when dealing with an opponent, Fuyumi is killed by a man eating plant in his room. Despite this early death, it seems that Fuyumi isn’t about to disappear quite yet as humans who are killed within the Demon World become ghosts. Now that Fuyumi is a ghost she quickly learns that she cannot simply return to life as normal and because of this, Spaz swears that he will do anything to bring her back to life.
On this mission he encounters not only his old rival Wolf, a werewolf with issues of his own, a dimension hopping treasure hunter named Bell, but even members of his own family who he has quite a history with. Despite having a fairly standard sounding premise, Blood Lad avoids mediocrity by giving us a comedic action series that rarely takes itself seriously and is also populated by a wonderful cast of characters with only one real dud.
With Staz being the main lead, and a vampire at that, it would be easy to see him as an overpowered monster but thanks to the actions of his brother and his slacker attitude he rarely takes anything the way your standard protagonist would. He chooses either to instantly take out opponents who are simply too weak and are on his bad side, refuses to go all out against friends who he knows cannot take it, and even realizes when he shouldn’t waste energy in a pointless fight.
Add this to his otaku nature and love of Japanese anime and manga and his personality is a major highlight in a series full of great characters. Bell’s dimensional abilities and attitude towards Staz makes for some very funny scenes even when she is hiding her own feelings while Liz, Staz’s younger sister, ranges from a horror movie style murderer to a cute little girl who just needs someone to actually care about her.
Unfortunately, amongst the aforementioned characters and many colorful characters that appear in the series, Fuyumi’s personality is just as invisible as most ghosts are. Despite the fact that the story revolves around resurrecting her, she rarely grows in any major way outside of a few special revelations that occur near the end of the season. Even then these are just revelations about the people around her and not Fuyumi herself, who mostly serves as a fan service delivery tool that is also a decent source of comedy.
Blood Lad tells an interesting storyline full of wacky events laced with action packed showdowns. There are a number of developments that occur throughout the limited ten episode run as we learn more about Fuyumi and Bell’s connection and what Staz’s scheming older brother is up to. However thanks to the fact that the series is only ten episodes long, there are so many loose threads hanging by the time the credits roll that barely anything is even wrapped up. If anything, this can give the viewer the feeling that the limited run was merely a tool to promote the manga series, which is quite unfortunate.
Visuals Blood Lad makes stylistic use of a bright color palette that makes the most out of the environment and character designs. The environments have a unique feeling to them, even though many of them tend to be stylistic takes on an urban environment while the characters all have unique looking features, including all of the Vampires looking sleep deprived.
It is worth noting that although Fuyumi and Bell are used for fan-service throughout the series, it is actually limited to cosplay outfits or a few very basic scenes that are a nice treat for those who enjoy it and shouldn’t bother those who don’t. The action sequences tend to be rather short affairs but feature a nice amount of flair and it is interesting to note that the series’ manga influences tend to transition into the series quite a bit as text will often appear on the screen, either containing extra dialogue or sound effects.
Audio With this release of Blood Lad Viz Media has provided both the original Japanese voice track as well as the newly recorded English dub. Considering the mood of the series and the amount of comedy it contains, the English voice actors fir their characters quite nicely, though it is the female cast that actually works the best. Bel’s voice actress Kira Buckland really helps bring out her personality while Fuyumi’s voice actress Xanthe Huynh fits her helpless sounding nature.
The background music used throughout the series is rather solid sounding with a nice mixture of appropriate sounding tracks. The opening theme “Vivid” by May’n is a real treat for the ears, making it difficult to skip the opening sequence especially since it is paired nicely with the visuals while the ending theme “Bloody Holic” by Yuuka Nanri, the Japanese voice actress for Liz, is softer but is a nice fit for the series.
Extras It is worth noting that since review is for the DVD version of the release, it comes with only a couple of bonus features. This includes a nice slipcover for the DVD set, as well as a Japanese trailer for the series and the OVA episode “I’m Not a Cat.” The OVA takes place immediately after episode 10 and does serve to advance the story just a little bit, but it mostly serves as a way to give viewers just a bit more comedy and action against new opponents.
Overall Blood Lad is an exceptional series that is held back by a few faults, the biggest of which happens to be its limited run time. The basic premise might sound simple but most of the characters that populate it are unique and colorful enough to make up for that. Add to that the amount of humor and a great overall look and we have an enjoyable series that is a delight to watch, even if things feel unfinished when everything is said and done.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Indie Gala and Capsule Computers have teamed up with Artifex Mundi to put together a very special Friday bundle. Indie Gala Friday Special Bundle #5 contains seven hidden object adventure games from Artifex Mundi.
9 Clues: The Secret of Serpent Creek – Helen Hunter is in deep trouble in Serpent Creek! Help crack the mystery of Serpent Creek in this gritty 50’s style noir detective thriller.
Grim Legends: The Forsaken Bride – Our heroine is returning to Ravenbrook for her twin sister’s wedding, unaware of the dangers that await her in the forest.
Time Mysteries 2: The Ancient Spectres– Ester returns to London to claim her inheritance, an old haunted mansion that holds the secrets to her family history.
Enigmatis 2: The Mists of Ravenwood – A demonic preacher is lurking in the forest of Ravenwood Park! Travel deep into the mysterious forest and unravel the forest’s secrets.
Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart – Your daughter has been kidnapped by undead pirates. Now you must travel to the bottom of the Carribean and lift the curse to rescue her.
Nightmares from the Deep: The Siren’s Call – After being robbed, Sarah Black finds herself in Kingsmouth, a town cursed by Davy Jones and the mayor. Sarah must reverse the curse so she can return home.
Abyss: The Wraiths of Eden – An Eden under the sea is haunted by supernatural forces. Dive down and solve the mystery in this Art Deco-styled title.
For the first 48 hours, the bundle is priced at $1.99. Afterwards, the price goes up, so be sure to grab your bundle at Indie Gala.
Overview
Since 1999, Nintendo have brought together a great number of franchises in one package with Super Smash Bros.. We have seen two sequels since, and with a new generation in full bloom – the fourth installments have hit the world running. For the first time on a portable, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS brings together a large roster of combatants with several returning faces and features. Sure, it may be on the go and retain the same name, but does this entry warrant a purchase, or is this a handheld debut to ultimately pass on? Let’s find out.
Gameplay
Its really odd having to describe the gameplay of Smash Bros. to a newcomer. Its kind of like describing walking, talking, or running. I have always had a great fondness for the series, as sure – its a fighting game, but it is also so much more. The 3DS version has a lot of weight to live up to however. Not only did it have to capture the console experience, but it also has to bring enough new to the table to satisfy the flocks of fans who have drooled over every screenshot during the past two years. Thankfully, we have gotten exactly what we asked for.
Super Smash Bros. has very fluid controls, and while, yes – the 3DS button scheme is limited, the game still seems to fit with the system’s interface just fine. Players can move their selected mascot with the slide pad, taunt with the d-pad, and perform smash attacks and special techniques utilizing the face buttons. The L and R shoulder buttons work well for throws and guards as well, and never once did it feel out of place while executing a nice timed block with a quick tap. As odd as it sounds, these controls feel familiar even though its new territory for the franchise. That being said, the slide pad does take some getting used to and isn’t nearly as flexible as the stick that a Gamecube or Nintendo 64 controller presented, but in just a little time and with some practice, veterans will be able to go in and clean house with no problem whatsoever.
No matter what match type you may be playing, the object is and will always be to launch your opponents off the screen. To do this, players have a great deal of items at their disposal. Bob-ombs, explosive crates, and mystery capsules have made their return with a great deal of other returning stock, and items such as the blue shell, fire bar, and beehive are just a few of the new toys Nintendo have provided this time around. You can pick your choice of weapons during standard smash matches, or go in with the full monty – where chaos is the name of the game. I have to say that this batch in the 3DS version are actually a blast to use (literally and figuratively), even though pick-ups such as the Gust Bellows seem a bit cheap as they force players off of platforms with a gust of unblockable air. I would love to go over each item, one by one to describe how they work, but this review would be a book. I will say instead though that providing players with a new master ball that contains legendary Pokemon and seeing the alien bugs from Galaga on screen together is a spectacle, making each match you play unique and special.
Characters are also far more balanced this time around. With the needed removal of tripping, Sakurai has built quite the moveset for each competitor. While the originals such as Pikachu, Mario, Luigi, and so on mostly feel the same aside from a few tweaks, Zero Suit Samus and Sheik have now been separated from their once combined counterpart, and feel completely distinct this time around. There are also fewer clones as well, as characters like Wolf have gotten the boot (wish it were Falco), and while I still would have loved to seen the return of Ice Climbers (and Dedede’s Waddle Dees and Doos, which also got cut), it honestly makes sense to see them go. There are plenty of newcomers to fill the shoes of the few removed, and everytime you see that “CHALLENGER APPROACHING” screen, your heart rate is sure to increase as the potential for a new unlock reveals itself. Going into this review, I was going to say how I was still partial to the Melee roster, but honestly, I can’t imagine life without Animal Crossing’s Villager, or even the fun and acrobatic Wii Fit trainer. When it comes to competitive play, you can either master the unique or the quick, and with nearly every character possessing a different feel, it can take a great deal of time, patience, and practice to discover the ins and outs of every famous face listed.
As far as modes go, classic Smash acts as the centerpiece, with up to four players going head to head. Local play for this mode isn’t too shabby either. Yeah, there were moments of input lag, but that is to be expected. Nine out of every ten of my matches near friends played smoothly for the most part though, no matter how insane the battles on screen seemed to get. Players who want to go solo can enjoy the classic mode and go through a long line-up of foes, where you are rewarded with trophies, parts (we’ll cover that in a moment), and cash for the little trophy shop that updates frequently. Those gold coins are even more important for re-playability, as playing a harder level requires more cash, so players will have to risk their own coins to earn their rewards of victory. All-Star mode is also a nice touch for either single or multiplayer, allowing players to go through the entire roster with no continues and a few handicaps. The Stadium also is a nice inclusion that I honestly didn’t expect to see in the handheld version, bringing with it the always enjoyable Home-Run Contest, Multi-Man Smash, and Target Blast- a new mini-game that works a bit like Home-Run Contest meets Angry Birds. Sure, you won’t spend a lot of time here, but these games are definitely wonderful ways to break from the main formula for a bit.
Smash Run is the equivalent of a story like mode without the story. Players pick a character and must compete against three others as enemies flock to classic locales. Here you will get to see a good amount of familiar enemies from a large variety of Nintendo titles, where the concept is to gain boosts from these said foes that will eventually become your stats for one grand battle, race, or other activity. I’ll admit, the climbing to the top as a finale was a little lame, but the attraction is fun to explore, albeit not nearly as charming as the standard, classic fare. As far as online goes, its a bit hit and miss. The collection of Smash, one on one, spectator, and non-competitive games are fine, but I noticed if one player has a lag problem, it can lead to a some unwanted frustration for everyone involved. I also had a bit of a time inviting some people into games, while other friends could match-up just fine. That said, this seems to happen with Mario Kart 7 and Animal Crossing a good bit as well, I just thought Nintendo might have patched the error by now.
Visuals
Super Smash Bros. is the best looking game on the 3DS. Sure, some may outdo it technically, but with stunning recreations of environments, highly detailed and equally as endearing character models, and all of the extra flare glazed on, its easy to make such a bold statement. Every animation is fluid and precise, no matter how intense the action is, and the 3D, while still a throwaway feature, makes the experience pop even more. Back in older versions, I noticed a lot of clipping when it came to items and interaction with other characters. This has also been addressed it seems as while it may occur now and then, it is a lot more rare to see that large pink dress of Peach’s cut through Donkey Kong’s thick fur. Nintendo even gave the option to add or take away outlines for characters. Since it is the default option, I never bothered too much with turning off this feature, as it makes this version stand out. It is a nice option to have however, and one of the many little perks that this game has to offer.
Audio
Sometimes, you have to give credit where credit is due. I can’t tell you how excited I was to hear Kapp’n’s lovely melody all over again, or for the Super Mario 3D Land beats to bare down upon my eardrums yet again. All of the music that has made these franchises, and mostly portable entries at that are assembled into one melodic package here, as just selecting a stage and hearing the menu tune is enough to make one light up with a bit of nostalgia. The characters for the game are almost all voiced as well, with Pikachu, Mario, Shulk, Ike, Robim, and so on all featuring their famous voices. Little easter eggs also run a muck in the sound department as well, but I won’t spoil that surprise. Just make sure you do some one on one battles.
Overall
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, or whatever you want to call the fourth entry in the franchise is simply magnificent. Never before has a handheld fighter offered so much by simply sticking to the roots of its ancestors than this title, while still bringing plenty of new features and faces to the table that is already loaded with content. There is something extremely special about the Super Smash Bros. franchise as a whole, and Sakurai has captured that element all over again. This game is a celebration of greatness, where you as the player are the guest of honor. Memories are made. Intense battles are had. Its not about winning in Smash Bros., its about having fun, and representing the characters that have already brought us so much entertainment over the years. Super Smash Bros. made quite the jump from consoles, landing into what should be the centerpiece for every 3DS owner’s collection.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Tears to Tiara II: Heir of the Overlord is set to be released in North America next week and now that Atlus USA has got a few copies in their office, they have decided to take a few pictures of what the final product, with the 31 page art book and 37 page manual, will look like.
To go along with these product images, the company has also released some new English screenshots as well as a thirty minute long battle video featuring commentary from the staff that worked on the game. Mike, Sam, and Elwood from Atlus USA all spend some time talking about the various aspects of the game’s combat system and other elements and you can check out that video below.
DICETINY is a mash-up between a co-op board game and a CCG. Four players, both human and AI, will team up to work their way through the board as they encounter randomly generated quests and events. Along the way, they will gain new cards to help build their decks in preparation to go toe to toe with the boss. Players can choose one of four races and four classes for their characters, allowing for quite a variety of party builds.
If DICETINY’s Kickstarter page is any indication of the complete game, it will be full of some hilarious parodies that will leave no game, movie, book, and trope unscathed. Pop culture nuts can already spot references to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lord of the Rings, and Iron Man. The indie game will be hit Steam Early Access this winter and a beta in early 2015.
Fakedice is looking to raise $30,000 CAD (roughly $26,000 USD) on Kickstarter to help pay for programming, art, sound, and development. Be sure to support them at their Kickstarter page.
Back at the start of July Sekai Project announced that they would be bringing Grisaia no Kajitsu out in English and they teased another announcement later in the year. Well now that announcement has been made and it turns out that it is quite an ambitious one. Sekai Project has announced that they are going to try and bring the whole Grisaia Trilogy over to the West. This means that they are planning on bringing the fandisc/prequel Grisaia no Meikyuu (The Labyrinth of Grisaia) and the sequel to Grisaia no Kajitsu, Grisaia no Rakuen (The Eden of Grisaia).
How are they going to do this you ask? Well the company will be launching a Kickstarter project sometime in November to secure funding for the licenses as well as secure the rights to the original voice cast. For those interested, the company is planning on releasing a Mature and Uncut version of each game on their own platform as well as an all-ages version through Steam, if possible.
Now at the moment the kickstarter has not been launched at the moment, however the initial goal will be $40,000 for Grisaia no Kajitsu (The Fruit of Grisaia), followed by stretch goals of $80,000 to get Grisaia no Meikyuu (The Labyrinth of Grisaia) and $120,000 to get Grisaia no Rakuen (The Eden of Grisaia).
Finally a proposed but not yet finalized stretch goal includes $150,000 to get Idol Mahou Shoujo Chiruchiru ☆ Michiru and if they manage to raise $250,000 a potential Vita/Mobile port could be in the works.
While the initial tiers for the Kickstarter project have not been finalized, the full listing as well as add-ons and additional details can be found here.
Following the pre-order and Day One announcements for the PAL release of Tales of Hearts R, Bandai Namco has now revealed what fans of the series in North America can expect if they pre-order the title. Those who pre-order the game at either GameStop or EB Games will be given six costumes from previous games in the Tales series, as seen above.
It is worth noting that these costumes can also be obtained by purchasing the digital limited edition that will be available when the game is released on November 11th in North America until the end of November, whereas the European release will occur on November 14th.
Today Koei Tecmo Europe revealed via Twitter that they are planning on bringing Atelier Ayesha Plus to Europe in January 2015 and in subsequent replies they also confirmed that the title would be released in North America as well. The release of the game will include dual audio though it will be available as a digital download only.
Atelier Ayesha Plus is an enhanced version of Atelier Ayesha: Alchemist of Dusk for the PS Vita and features all of the extra DLC from the first game, new costumes, boss enemies from Escha & Logy, and a hard mode.
Now let us hope that an announcement concerning the most recent game in the Atelier series, Atelier Shallie, will be the next piece of news to come out concerning the franchise.
Sentai Filmworks is continuing to pick up a number of anime licenses this season as they have just announced that they have acquired the streaming and home video release rights to the supernatural comedy anime Gugure! Kokkuri-san.
Gugure! Kokkuri-san began as a 4-koma manga and the anime adaptation began airing in Japan back on October 5th and is being animated by TMS Entertainment. To go along with this licensing announcement the company also provided the below plot synopsis:
Enter Ichimatsu Kohina— an unusual young girl with an even more unusual diet. Living off of nothing but cup ramen, the emotionally-detached Kohina spends her spare time attempting to summon ghosts in her giant home. But when Kohina actually does manage to summon a spirit, she finds herself face-to-face with a handsome young fox ghost named Kokkuri. Although Kohina wants nothing to do with this white-haired weirdo, this determined ghost refuses to take “no” for an answer.
And when Kokkuri witnesses Kohina’s deplorable dietary decisions, he has no choice but to go from haunting her to taking care of her! But where there’s one ghost more are sure to follow, and soon Kohina goes from living alone to living with an assortment of handsome supernatural entities. Underestimating his powers and undermining his authority as her new caretaker, a new life is about to begin for a strange girl and a fox ghost in Gugure! Kokkuri-san!!!
