Nippon Ichi Software has launched a new teaser site that is currently having a countdown that started a couple of days ago. The first image shown featured a Japanese courtesan with the text saying “7 days until the next tryst.” Since then the images have continued to change and yesterday the above image revealed that the game is for the PlayStation Vita.
The text remains the same and now that there are five days left, the image has once again changed and the teaser website can be found here. Currently none of these clues really give us any idea as to what the game might be, though signs point towards it being a new IP, and it might even be for more platforms than the Vita once the countdown ends.
As you might have heard, Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory II will feature a story that will be spread across three different dimensions, Zero Dimension Game Neptune Z, Heart Dimension Game Neptune H, and Hyperdimension Neptunia G and now Compile Heart has released a trailer focusing on Neptunia G which can be found below.
Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory II is the first game from the series to be released on the PlayStation 4 and a few weeks ago details were revealed concerning ‘Next Forms’ for each of the CPU goddesses in the game. Currently Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory II does not have a release window for Japan nor have plans been announced to bring the game to the West.
Remember how Koei Tecmo and Nintendo were supposed to reveal a new Fatal Frame yesterday? Well they did and we now have an official name for the game as well as some screenshots and gameplay footage. The title is called Fatal Frame: The Black Haired Shrine Maiden and is set to be released in Japan on September 27th this year for the Wii U.
Fatal Frame: The Black Haired Shrine Maiden takes place in a mountainous area with a big lake and graves where players will encounter numerous damp areas and scary figures that will be based off of traditional Japanese style horror. The main character is named Yuri Kozukata and players will use the Wii U gamepad as a camera that will show things that cannot be seen on the screen and also as a weapon.
If you’ve already pre-ordered Armored Warrior Iris then you will be happy to hear that the game is now available for download. If you haven’t heard of the game before, MangaGamer has just made Lilith’s Armored Warrior Iris available for purchase on the PC.
Armored Warrior Iris is an Adult Only title that is priced at $24.95 and is available for purchase here. (18+ Only) The story of Armored Warrior Iris is set in a far off future where mankind is now living in space and most of space is held by the Space Federation that is run by many different species including humanity.
Iris and her partner Mei Li are the ace pilots of the Soviet Security Force and are members of the feared Special Armored Company #101. Unfortunately despite being an Armored Warrior, Iris and Mei Li soon find themselves sold into slavery after losing on the battlefield and forced into performing depraved acts with any customers who purchase time with them.
Has another week gone by already? It feels like just a couple days ago I was getting ready to introduce you all to last week’s Xbox Newsbeat. Well, here are are again, ready to gently sip our latte’s and calmly discuss the best and brightest news out of Microsoft HQ. Aww heck, what am I talking about!? Time to add a shot of rum and get this party started! We have three headlines for you to drink to this week; all of them related to Xbox One (don’t get greedy Windows Phone, you had your time) so since you are all here, and the news is waiting; lets get to it!
Xbox One Special Edition Armed Forces Wireless Controller and Stereo Headset
Do you love army paraphernalia? How about cool Xbox gadgets and gizmos? Well guess what! That’s right, Microsoft have just announced a brand new Armed Forces-inspired wireless controller and headset for Xbox One (I just assumed you read the headline and guessed correctly).
As you can see from the below picture, the controller and headset both feature a stylish camouflage pattern. What you probably CAN’T see from the picture above is the fact that these accessories will be on store shelves globally from October and will retail for 84.95 (Xbox One Wireless Controller) and $104.95 (Xbox One Stereo Headset). No idea how many of these will be made, but to make sure you grab one, you had better pre-order now!
Gatorade Sports Performance Now Available Exclusively On ‘Xbox Fitness’
Aww man, there are already enough exercise routines available through Xbox Fitness to have me shredding kilos like nobodies business (no kidding though, it is actually pretty good for weight loss, and cardio workouts). Well now, Gatorade want in on the action with their Sports Performance Training Camps.
The “Training Camps” will be centered around different sports and will feature pro athletes from those specific sports. First cab off the rank is NFL star JJ Watt who from today will be running players through various drills and exercises that he himself uses, and will focus on you boost your stamina, agility, strength and ability to recover. Later on in the year, another Training Camp will begin, this time featuring NBA star Paul George.
Two New ‘Dragon Age: Inquisition’ Videos Get Bloody Exciting
So we have had news about accessories, and about fitness, so lets get onto the games! Not sure if you had heard, but this little-known developer by the name of Bioware are releasing a game called Dragon Age: Inquisition in a few months. Past Dragon Age games been massive critical and commercial successes and garnered a huge fanbase, so the expectations are pretty high for this one.
Well, since E3 happened, there have been two videos that were narrated by members of the Bioware staff! Haven’t seen then? Well you are in luck because we have those bad boys right here. Not much else to say other than to check out these suckers because the game is shaping up awesomely. Also, don’t forget that the game hits stores on October 9th.
So thus ends a week here at Xbox Newsbeat that was filled with army gear, fitness and a little bit of medieval dragon slaying! Did any of this week’s headlines stand out to you? Let us know in the comments below and remember to stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the hottest gaming news as it becomes available.
Get ready Planeswalkers! Garruk, the Apex Predator has fallen to Liliana’s Veil Curse and is hunting down Planeswalkers… and that includes you! After Magic 2015: Duels of the Planeswalkers launched last week, Magic: The Gathering’s latest set; Magic 2015 is available now!
Magic 2015 is the perfect jumping-on point for new players, and its wide selection of cards that showcase the past and present of the world’s largest strategy TCG means that veterans have lots to look forward to as well. Returning cards like Chord of Calling and Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth are matched with a bunch of new, powerful cards and the result is a Core Set unlike any in Magic’s history.
Like most sets, you can purchase Magic 2015 in; booster packs, at packs, intro packs, and for the first time ever two-player Clash Packs. Magic 2015 is available now through your local games shop, as well as select retailers like EB Games, Target and Big W so make sure you grab some packs and get ready to sling spells, because this set looks awesome!
Blizzard’s online card game:Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft is getting a new single player adventure for players to try out called ‘Curse of Naxxramas‘. It will let players test out their ability in skill, strategy, and deck building as they take on a number of undead opponents.
The adventure is based around a raid dungeon in World of Warcraft which is called ‘Naxxramas’ (Naxx). The dungeon was the floating necropolis of the Archlich Kel’Thuzad and had five wings which players could raid for xp and loot. Each area had its own unique bosses with individual abilities.
Drawing on that, the adventure will similarly have five different wings with different bosses and rewards. Each week, a new wing will be unlocked and open for the players. Each boss defeated will award the player with new cards, with a total of 30 cards upon completing the adventure. These cards can be used in normal player decks and also be upgraded. One of the new ways that these cards can be acquired is through undertaking new “class challenges” where in the player is given a specific pre-made deck to duel with. If they are victorious, the player earns a new Naxx themed card for that specific class. The cards from the adventure will be added to the arena as well, even for players who have not completed the adventure.
The Arachnid Quarter, the first wing of Naxx will arrive on the 23nd of this month and be free for a limited time. Those who wish to continue their incursion into the crypts of Naxxramas will need to purchase access with in-game gold or real money.
For those of you who are eager to play the Destiny beta, we have some good news for you. The beta for those who pre-ordered the game on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 is now live while those who pre-ordered the title for the Xbox One or Xbox 360 will have to wait until next week on July 24th to access the beta.
Alongside the launch of this beta, Activision and Bungie have also revealed a Destiny Companion app that can be used either on a mobile device or through your computer to help track your progress to becoming a legend. This companion app is available for both iOS and Android phones and you can see some examples of what the companion app has to offer in the screenshots above and below.
Overview Whenever a company says that they are going to re-release a classic series in an updated format, fans of that series are generally wary of the results. For good reason too, since there have been occasions where trying to make an old series look HD it actually damaged the original product. Viz proved that they knew how to do it properly back when they released Ranma ½ Set 1 and while we were able to check out the series on DVD last time, how does Ranma ½ Set 2 look on Blu-ray?
Story As one would expect jumping into a series at Set 2, there are some potential spoilers for the first set but not quite as many as one would think considering the long running nature of Ranma ½. For those who may be unfamiliar with how the series began, Ranma ½ revolves around Ranma, a practitioner of the Anything Goes Style of martial arts, who has been promised to marry Akane, the daughter of his father’s best friend.
There are a few problems with this however, as not only are Akane and Ranma unwilling to follow through with this plan, but both Ranma and his father Genma have been cursed thanks to falling into springs in the Chinese training ground of Junsenkyo. Now whenever cold water is splashed on them, Ranma changes into a girl while Genma becomes a panda and the only way to turn the back is with hot water.
Not only did Ranma come back from China with a curse, he also brought with him an amazon girl named Shampoo who wanted to kill his girl half and marry his male half. When Set 1 finished Ranma had received a strange package from China with a cat inside of it and this second set continues on with that story as it is revealed that Shampoo has fallen victim to the curse of Jusenkyo as well and now she has brought her Grandmother, the leader of the Amazons, with to help bring Ranma back as her bride.
This begins a chain reaction of events that develop over the course of ten episodes roughly as Ranma has to deal with Shampoo’s Great-Grandmother who strikes him with a technique that makes him unable to touch hot water, Shampoo’s own plans to make Ranma her husband, and a martial artist named Mousse who is in love with Shampoo seeking revenge against Ranma.
That is only the start of things and is barely scratching the surface of what is offered in Ranma ½ Set 2. The fun that was had in the first set is dialed up a notch in this second half by introducing a number of great new characters, some of which are cursed, and enjoyable story arcs that help keep things fresh. Even when the series takes a pause to mess around with some random nonsense it is that nonsense that makes the series so enjoyable and it is really taken to the next level here. Whether it is the constant threat of water, the various misunderstandings, or all of the ridiculous battles that occur, the series really takes a step up in set 2.
There is one small issue however as far as the new characters go and it has to do with Happosai, the master who trained Genma and Soun. While many of the characters in the series have simplistic motives for what they do, the perverted Happosai who is supposed to feel like a nuisance, tends to drag an episode down far too often whenever he appears. That being said, the rest of the introduced characters, including another one of Ranma’s fiancées, do wonders for the series and provide more than enough laughs to keep viewers loving Ranma ½ throughout this second set and looking forward to the next one.
Visuals One must really take the time to appreciate how amazing looking Ranma ½ looks now that it has been fully remastered and released on Blu-ray like this. The series is presented in its original 4:3 format and looks absolutely wonderful with no details lost in translation, making every episode look stunning. There are a few little specks and granules here and there that appear to have been from the original work and these aren’t much of an issue.
The art style also remains consistant for what was presented back then and it is what it is in those regards, providing a nostalgic feeling for those familiar with the time. It is also interesting to note that the amount of nudity takes a jump in the second half, but is still mostly in the form of Ranma’ female-form being used for comedy. That being said, there are a few issues here and there when it comes to consistency of the coloration. Many times throughout Set 2 Shampoo’s hair color will noticeably change shades of purplish blue between scenes and there are also times that Ranma’s hair color will swap from black to red when he is meant to be a male or from red to black when he is a female.
Audio With the release of Ranma ½ Set 2 viewers will have the option to choose between the original English voice track as well as the original Japanese voice track. All of the voice actors remain consistent between Set 1 and Set 2 and the newly introduced characters are all properly voiced and fit in well with the series.
The same style of background music is also used to decent effect throughout this second set with a few new tracks added into the standard set. As far as the opening theme goes, a majority of these episodes are not actually shown with an opening theme, though when it is used it is “Little Date” by Ribbon with the last few episodes switching to “Omoide ga Ippai” by CoCo. The ending theme is always presented and is “Don’t Mind lay-lay Boy” by Etsuko Nishio for the most part while the last couple of episodes switch to “Lambada Ranma,” which is my personal favorite.
Extras The extras included in Ranma ½ Set 2 Special Edition come in the form of both physical and on-disc bonuses. The physical bonuses include a chipboard box for the release that contains a “card” featuring artwork of female Ranma holding P-Chan, the case for the discs, and a booklet containing a brief summary of what has happened so far followed by a brief rundown of every episode in this release, which is a bit disappointing as the booklet could have included more than that.
The on-disc bonuses come in the form of ‘Next Episode Previews’ that are seven minutes long and show the original previews for some of the episodes, clean versions of the opening and ending themes, trailers for other Viz Media releases, and ‘We Love Ranma, Part 2: Favorite Scenes.’ This last one is just over ten minutes long and features various voice actors and other members of the industry, cosplayers, and ‘SuperFans’ talking about their favorite scenes in the series, some of which haven’t been released as of yet.
Overall Long running series such as this can be difficult to keep interesting, especially for a series with such age, but it really goes to show how much longevity Ranma ½ has that this second set actually takes a step up from the first release both in action and comedy, even if one of the new characters is a bit of a drag. This remastered version of the series is easily the best way to watch the series and is a must have for any anime longtime anime fan who enjoys the classics.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Chilean developers ACE Team moved into a new IP territory with their latest game, Abyss Odyssey. The team mixes fighting game combos with rogue-lite mechanics to create an Art Nouveau styled platformer. Abyss Odyssey is inspired heavily by Chilean folklore and is set in 19th century Santiago, ACE Team’s hometown.
Story
A warlock’s nightmare has twisted the world and the contents of his dreams are pouring into the streets of 19th century Santiago. The soldiers are mostly helpless against the fantastical creatures that are pouring out from the holes in the street. Luckily, not all of the Warlock’s dreams are evil. Katrien, Ghost Monk, and Pincoya have been created to fight back against the nightmares.
Abyss Odyssey’s story and its writing are decent. Players can learn more about the plot by collecting journal pages dropped by slain enemies. The real star of the show is how ACE Team has woven in their home country of Chile into the game. As a long time gamer, I have become a little jaded with the now overused material taken from European mythology. There is a distinct South American flavour in Abyss Odyssey that is absolutely refreshing.
Gameplay
What is old, is new again. The rogue-like genre has seen a big resurgence in the past couple years, thanks to the exploding indie scene in game development. One of the spins on the death is permanent gameplay mechanic is affectionately known as “rogue-lite.” Like many other rogue-lite titles, Abyss Odyssey punishes players for dying, but not to the same degree as true rogue-like titles. The level is randomly generated again upon death and the player loses their inventory. However, players will get extra chances to salvage a failed run and return to a checkpoint with a second life. When the hero dies, a brave soldier will take their place. The soldier is not as agile as the hero and cannot make use of magic. If the player can get the soldier to an altar, then the hero will be resurrected with what ever equipment the soldier brought back. Failing that, camp tokens are available for purchase with the in-game currency. Players can set up camp and purchase a limited amount of NPC support and respawns at the altars.
Though the player will lose their inventory between attempts, the experience gained will be maintained. Each level will improve their stats and provide skill points that can be spent towards extra bonuses that will help give less skilled players a leg up. The bonuses are attached to the special abilities players eventually unlock. Three abilities can be equipped at any time and each ability can be buffed with a skill point three times. Skill points can be reset, so players are free to experiment with a build that works for them.
Abyss Odyssey’s rogue-lite system is probably one of the best implementations I have come across so far. It sets the game at a very accessible difficulty level and has a really neat way of giving players a few extra chances, while providing a chance for the hardcore a chance to make their game more difficult. Those brave or insane enough can easily make their run more challenging by simply not purchasing camp tokens.
Magical items can be purchased from vendors or found in the abyss below. Players are able to equip one weapon and three pieces of armour. The biggest irritation is that each hero is locked to one weapon type. Though the vendor will always sell weapons that can be equipped, the dungeon loot can drop anything, including incompatible weapons. Personally, I would have rather have the loot system drop less loot but only drop equippable items. It is quite heartbreaking to slog my way through a difficult room and only be rewarded with a weapon I cannot even use.
Abyss Odyssey integrates the fighting genre by implementing a combo system and allowing players to hold onto the soul of one enemy. This soul allows the player to play as the enemy, using all their attack patterns and weapons. Although playing as the enemy does provide a little more variety, the three heroes’ repertoire of abilities feel a little sparse compared to the fighting genre ACE Team is trying to implement.
For fellow co-op fanatics, Abyss Odyssey supports drop-in/drop-out co-op and a bonus four player multiplayer mode that behaves a little more like a traditional fighting game. The co-op mode supports any unlocked hero, while the multiplayer brawl allows players to use any unlocked character. For those looking to acquaint themselves with the different attacks of each playable character, a training mode is available.
For all the things Abyss Odyssey does right, the game is deeply crippled by its controls. Rogue-like games, platformers, and fighting games all live and die by their controls. Abyss Odyssey attempts to mix all three genres, but fails to implement the tight and responsive controls required. Players can use either the mouse and keyboard or a controller. Unfortunately the responsiveness of the controls are just not up to par. The wall skidding ability tends to interfere with the already mushy movement system and makes taller double jumps nearly impossible to complete. The controller still has some kinks that need to be worked out. The game only supports the analog stick, which will probably have many fighting fans scratching their heads. The analog stick worsens the responsiveness with the controls, leading to some strange behaviours like two special attacks being launched at the same time.
Visuals
Abyss Odyssey mixes the Art Nouveau style made popular in the late 19th and early 20th century with a Chilean flair. The creatures that inhabit the game are fantastical and visually distinct. The character portraits are beautiful, especially the characters depicting figures inspired by Chilean folklore and mythology.
Technically, the game runs well. I did not experience any difficulties with the game’s graphics. The game has rather low system requirements, so older computers should have no problem with Abyss Odyssey. However, the visual controls are strictly an on or off affair, so there is little fine control of the game’s graphic quality.
Audio
The sound effects and music are pretty average in Abyss Odyssey. For the most part, the music tends to be a bit on the generic side. The voice acting is decent, though some lines are a little on the wooden side.
Overall
Abyss Odyssey has some things going for it. The game is a neat twist on the growing rogue-lite genre and has some great ideas. The setting is a breath of fresh air and the game’s artistic direction is beautiful. In theory, the gameplay is solid. However, the mushy controls severely hamstring the experience.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
If you’ve 
