Remember how yesterday Ar no Surge Plus was announced for the PlayStation Vita in Japan and Tecmo Koei Europe was engaging their fans about it? Well they had good reason to do so because today Tecmo Koei Europe has announced that they will be bringing the original version of the game over to Europe on September 26th under the name Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star. The game will be available for both physical and digital purchase and will contain both an English and Japanese voice track. It is worth noting that Tecmo Koei does not know whether they will be bringing Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star to North America yet… so it is a good thing that the PS3 is region free.
It is worth noting that past games in this franchise were localized in the West by NIS America, but that was prior to Gust being purchased by Tecmo Koei. Anyways, for those who don’t know Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star is the first game in the Surge Concerto series, since Ciel no Surge , the first game in the series, hasn’t been localized, where players will be following the story of Delta and Casty in a world where music and song are used to create magic and is set during a time where civilization has lost its planet and has been roaming space for two millennium looking for a new home.
Gaming giant Ubisoft and the Electronic Sports World Cup today announced a partnership to turn Just Dance into an official ESWC sport, making it the first casual game to enter the competitive contests ranks. The Electronic Sports World Cup is a worldwide competition that starts locally with national qualifying rounds and culminates in a World Final designed as a live show. With Just Dance being the top selling game of its genre, it’s no surprise it is getting this kind of treament.
“For the 11th edition of the ESWC, we are very proud to widen the definition of eSport with Ubisoft. Competitive gaming has to welcome all kind of players, has to be developed in partnership with the games publishers, and has to showcase the most advanced technologies which link the body to the game. Just Dance is for ESWC the perfect medium to reach those goals”, said Matthieu Dallon, founder of the ESWC.
Qualifiers for the Just Dance World Cup will take place between June 24th and September 21st online and around the world at gaming events. The competition is open to anyone and there are three ways to qualify including:
On World Dance Floor, the online multiplayer mode in Just Dance 2014 which allows players to compete against each other’s performances. Qualifying sessions are scheduled for July 13th, July 20th, July 27th, August 3rd, August 31st, September 7th, September 14th and September 21st.
Through Just Dance TV, players can submit their best dance recording through the in-game Autodance feature.
In-person at specific ESWC qualifier events and Ubisoft events to be communicated at a later date.
The top twenty Just Dance players will be flown to Paris Games Week to compete in the Grand Final of the Just Dance World Cup from October 30th to November 1st, 2014. During the Final, performances will be appraised on score and style of the dance by a jury and submitted to online voting. Details about the jury members and the rewards for the winners will be announced soon. At E3 2014 Ubisoft announced its plans for the future of Just Dance with Just Dance 2015 and Just Dance Now, an all new mobile game that allows players to play Just Dance tracks with their smartphones and any Internet-connected screen. For the latest information on the Just Dance World Cup by ESWC, please visit www.justdanceworldcup.com. You can view the announcement trailer below.
EA Mobile brought out two updates this week. Plants vs Zombies 2introduced the first part of the Dark Ages expansion. The update marks the return of some old mushroom plants and the introduction of the Sun Bean. Additionally, new zombies have been added to this medieval themed update. Plants vs Zombies 2 is available for free on iTunes App Store and Google Play.
Bejeweled Blitzalso received some love from EA this week. The mobile version of the game has been updated to add the Rock-It Blast that was previously a web exclusive. The power up replaces all blue gems with a rocket that increases multiplier effects and turns the board into rows of red, white, and blue. Bejeweled Blitz can be downloaded for free on iTunes App Store and Google Play.
The fans have voted and Montreal Canadiens fans will have one more thing to grieve. Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron beat Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban by ten million votes, earning Bergeron the cover of the upcoming game NHL 15.
“Being featured on the cover of NHL 15 is a dream come true,” said Bruins center Patrice Bergeron. “The fact that the cover is selected entirely by fans is an incredible feeling. The passion and support from hockey fans, especially fans of the Boston Bruins, is unlike any other sport and I’m so grateful to everyone who voted for me.”
NHL 15 introduces new collision physics, improved player modelling, new AI, and dynamically modeled fans in the arena. EA’s hockey game will launch on September 11, 2014 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Ubisoft Montpellier’s WW1-based adventure/puzzle title Valiant Hearts: The Great War is now available as a digital download for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and PC.
For those unfamiliar, Valiant Hearts: The Great War is “the story of crossed destinies and a broken love in a world torn apart. It gives players the chance to live a touching yet comical adventure which focuses on the journey of four people as they brave the battles and difficulties of the Great War following their faithful canine companion. All of the main characters are inextricably drawn together, and friendship, love, sacrifice and tragedy befall each as they help each other to retain their humanity against the horrors of war.” Had to quote Ubisoft there as there is no possible way I could’ve described it better….
The game is clearly beautiful in its hand-drawn, comic book-esque visuals, made possible with the utilisation of the UbiArt Framework, the engine responsible for Rayman Origins and RaymanLegends, as well as the fantastic Child of Light. We got a hands-on taste of the above in an earlier preview session, and should have a review for you soon. For now, check out the launch trailer embedded below.
Detective Conan is a legendary anime series and for good reason. It challenged preconceptions of the shonen genre by serializing mysteries in a genre that seems more concerned with epic clashes and explosions. It features intelligent plotting that takes more twists and turns than an M. Night Shyamalan film and it truly challenges its audience.
Now while I could talk for days about how Case Closed was a major game changer in anime, I don’t think I’d be doing the series justice without exploring its deeper themes and the message that it carries at its heart. Case Closed is a coming of age tale, a story about growing up against all odds and surviving through trials and tribulations all in hopes of finding our own sense of truth of the world. This is a story about growing up and for our protagonist it took becoming a kid again to realize that there is one truth that prevails, but it is not always the one you think it may be.
Story
In this second part of Case Closed, we follow Detective Conan and friends as they tackle a plethora of cases, ranging from theft to gruesome murder. We see Conan confronted with the absolute darkest side of humanity, the ugliest portion of the world. It is through Conan that the series exhibits the theme of loss of innocence. The truths he is faced with force him to mature, and while he appear as a child, inside is a man’s mind and what he has witnessed has scarred him and changed him.
While Conan has undoubtedly been affected by the series of horrific cases he has taken on over the course of the series, there is a sense of strength that underlines it all. As we all grow up we all must face the harsh realities of the world and Conan has done that several times over and has come out all the more stronger because of it.
His mind works seemingly always two steps ahead of everyone else and you get the feeling that he has seen so much before that very little can surprise the great detective anymore. So when something does genuinely shock and baffle him, it carries so much more gravitas than you would expect. Conan is built up as infallible but when even he struggles, it is really quite the shellshock for viewers.
The fact that after 52 episodes the series can still manage to be highly engaging and surprising all the same is an impressive feat to say the very least. It highlights just how brilliant the concept and subsequent writing for it are. This is far from your standard shonen series and it proves to be far more thought-provoking than you’d expect from an anime like this. Case Closed is really just a brilliant exploration of the concept of truth and the role it plays in our coming of age. For Conan he is always seeking out the truth, almost madly so. But that truth holds purpose to him, it is the logic to all the chaos in his universe. It is the shout into the void surrounding him that makes sense of it all. Without the truth, there is nothing and this is why Conan chases it so desperately. But what exactly is his own truth? That is something he must figure out for himself.
Visuals and Audio
Aesthetically Case Closed’s second part continues strongly on from its first. There isn’t any great shift in visuals between the two parts and there is a nostalgic charm to the traditional artwork that has become by and large a thing of the past in this day and age where everything is put through a computer. The line work is fascinatingly detailed and the style is decidedly old school. The series definitely harkens back memories of anime of its time through its animation.
The soundtrack likewise remains strong in this second half. The theme music is catchy and very memorable and the incidental tracks are well composed and heighten the atmosphere quite nicely. The English dub is available alongside the original Japanese audio on this release from Hanabee and both audio dubs are rather good. There are some ups and downs with the English dub but overall it is pretty impressive.
Extras
As far as bonus content goes with Case Closed Part 2, there isn’t exactly anything in terms of extras. It is a straightforward release that stands well enough on its own towering in with 26 episodes in total. This is a mammoth release in terms of how much episodes is crammed onto it. But if you are the type of anime fan looking for some special features to sink your teeth into there is nothing of the sort unfortunately this time around from Hanabee.
Overall
Throughout Case Closed Part 2 there is a common theme at play. No matter how dark things may get, the light will always shine again. Detective Conan tackles some tough topics and with murder being a recurring subject in the series it is kind of expected to be a dark series in many ways. The darker things get however, the more Conan fights to bring back the light. He may be a kid but he once was on the verge of adulthood and his maturity shows through. He is wise beyond his years and the brutal world he finds himself in rarely allows him a moments respite.
At its core Case Closed is about truth, particularly the truths that lie within all our hearts. For Conan he searches desperately case after case for truth, but no matter how many times he uncovers a truth, it is rarely enough to satisfy him. The truth he wants lies within his own heart and much like his cases, when one story ends another always begins and I know there are still many more stories left to be told. That is the truth that prevails, it the whole truth, from the heart.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Cowabunga dudes! Michael Bay’s adaptation of the heroes in a half shell, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is less than 3 months away from hitting the silver screen, and we have some brand new posters and footage from the film to show you courtesy of the dudes over at Paramount Pictures. We get a good look all all four of the radical brothers in the following character posters:
As if that wasn’t badass enough, we also have a new trailer for you to check out. The new trailer, titled “Payoff” shows off some of the turtle’s awesome movies, as well as some new footage as Megan Fox’s April O’Neil. Check out the trailer and let us know your thoughts on how the movie is shaping up in the comments below. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be eating pizza and stopping the Foot Clan from terrorising the streets of New York City from September 11th, so make sure you stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the TMNT news as it becomes available.
If Bandai Namco hasn’t stuck yet, prepared to be a bit more confused by another brand change. Starting July 1st, Tecmo Koei, famous for Dynasty Warriors and several other franchises, will be changing their name to Koei Tecmo. This change will only be effective in Europe on that date and at this moment it is unclear if the rest of the west will receive the same treatment.
As you know, Koei and Tecmo merged in 2009, so while this move is surprising, it isn’t too shocking. I personally will still use Tecmo Koei until everything is official, but those boxarts will be reflecting the new brand at the start of the month for Europe. If the company keeps it up with assisting in the development with titles like Hyrule Warriors and so on, I honestly can say the fruits are all that is relevant at this moment.
The beginning of a new, as-of-yet unconfirmed, trilogy, Transformers: Age of Extinction marks the return of director Michael Bay after a brief, yet committed absence from the franchise for all of six months. Although he intended to cease association after Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Bay signed back on after studio heads heeded his opinion that the franchise would suffer from viewer fatigue and disinterest with the same old characters, and granted his wishes for a fresh cast and take on the storyline moving forward. You may not like him, but you’ve got to respect the man; he knows how to make money and do business. Now, the question is, did the changes he championed make for a good film?…
“Calling all Autobots!”
Story
Transformers: Age of Extinction takes place four years after the events of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, when the city of Chicago was devastated by the conflict with Sentinel, Megatron and his Decepticon forces. Introduced at the outset are the main human protagonists in Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), an engineer who fancies himself a genius inventor of what are actually crude robotics, his daughter Tessa (Nicola Peltz), who regards herself the mature one of the two, and T.J. Miller as Lucas, an employee of Cade’s workshop who considers himself virtually a member of the family, and at one point proclaims to Tessa “I’m practically your uncle”. As you may tell by that line, he is the comic relief of the picture, at least for the first hour. Cade is the classic overprotective dad, and though Tessa plays damsel in distress for a portion of the movie, she doesn’t represent that aggravating trope on a whole, getting into the action in a pivotal moment in the final act and also, expressing some wise-for-her-age opinions. At the same time, she is a 17 year old teenager whose “shorts are getting shorter by the second” and looks forward to getting drunk with her girlfriends.
Cade is responsible for the duo’s lack of steady income with his hobby-like work and constant spending on junk just so that he can fix it. One day, he stumbles upon a Marmon 97′ semi truck hidden away in the front of an old theatre, the owner of which is selling some items when not making tongue-in-cheek, self-aware jokes about lazy sequels and digital vs film. Pressuring Lucas to give him $250 to pay for it, Cade tows it home to his barn; a decision that changes their lives forever. Discovering it to actually be an injured Optimus Prime, Cade removes a missile lodged in the engine and is clued in by the Autobot leader about a hunt for all his remaining compadres. Hoping for a cash payment, Lucas had taken it upon himself to call the government number posted on ads all over town, requesting civilians give up the location of any known “Transformers”. Soon, agent Savoy (Titus Welliver) and an all-black autocade of personnel arrive, attempting to intimidate Cade into divulging the whereabouts of Optimus, before physically handling and threatening his daughter. Optimus busts out, allowing the three to escape down the property where a racer named Shane (Jack Raynor) launches into the fray; the getaway driver who happens to be Tessa’s boyfriend…a revelation that Cade is furious about, naturally.
The Terminator-esque bad-ass that is Lockdown
Yes, there are numerous cliche interactions between the afore-detailed archetypes, but overall, these human characters are not nearly as annoying as they should, by all rights, be – it helps when you cast someone with actual charisma and acting chops like Mark Wahlberg. Nicola Peltz does a great job herself, coming off of a major role in TV series Bates Motel. On the villains’ side, Welliver is reliable as ever (evil suits him perfectly) and Kelsey Grammer, who pulls the strings on the operation to dismantle all living Cybertronians on Earth as Harold Attinger, is a welcome, credible addition. The U.S. government isn’t all bad though, and this antagonistic section were not actually the hunter Optimus referred to; that would be Lockdown (Mark Ryan), a intergalactic bounty hunter who has commandeered a Cybertronian “Nightship”. Optimus rallies what is remaining of the Autobots in samurai Drift (Ken Watanabe), Hound (John Goodman), Crosshairs (John DiMaggio) and of course, Bumblebee. Crosshairs is the attitude-filled rebel of the bunch, with Drift deserving significantly more screen time than he gets, while Hound is very vocal and spotlighted in a long shootout displaying his expertise with many types of artillery.
Cade aiding the Autobots with an alien rifle
As if there weren’t enough enemies for the good guys, Stanley Tucci’s Joshua Joyce, CEO of tech corporation KSI, has discovered a newly recognised Earth metal he names “transformium” – “it’s what they’re made of” – and has begun creating Transformers of his own. His motives are all related to making money, and doing business with the government is the best way to do so. The film is darker in tone, with a human death and a jaded, pissed off Prime, but there are funny scenes throughout too, one of which sees Bumblebee chucking a hissy fit after being insulted by the creation of his apparently superior counterpart at KSI. The narrative moves to China, ostensibly a plot point that was written in to appeal to the Chinese market, garnering their official support (the first Western film to have it) and negotiating investment that stipulated the incorporation of local actors and product placement. BingBing Li’s casting is a perfect example of this pandering. It’s extremely obvious but, all things considered, well integrated into the script. At the end of the day, this is another Transformers movie, so you know what you’re getting to a large degree…maybe the quality is simply higher this go around. The most intriguing outcome is the concept of Cybertronians’ “creators” as Lockdown calls them (used in a TV spot)…could they be the Quintessons?
Visuals & Audio
The expert, special effects wizards at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) have been considered, alongside Weta Digital, the kings of motion picture CGI. With their mastery on display in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and Iron Man(2008), it was Transformers (2009) that blew people’s minds. It takes countless hours to generate and render even one frame of on-screen CGI goodness, but what’s truly remarkable is the fact that these artists are animating and creating robots consisting of thousands of parts; Optimus alone contains over 10,000 parts. Fun fact: if only one machine were used to render Transformers: Dark of the Moon, it would have taken 22.8 years to complete! The ‘Driller’ from that third entry was an immense undertaking, made up of 70,051 parts and taking 288 hours per frame to render, so for fans to expect something larger and more ambitious is almost entirely unfair, but inevitable all the same – ILM employees seem to be quite the sado-masochists. Though those numbers weren’t surpassed in Transformers: Age of Extinction, it doesn’t mean the film was devoid of visually stunning and impressive sequences and elements that we haven’t witnessed before.
Oh, I forgot about Galvatron! His set-up is important for future releases…mega-important, you could say.
On a smaller note, the Dinobots’ initial transformations from Primary Mode (humanoid) to Alternate Mode (dinosaur) are glorious, partly by virtue of their sheer scale, but mainly because they are unique; their tails form as their abdomens and heads spin forward, and, putting it colloquially…it just looks cool! Speaking of transformations, the method by which KSI’s prototypes do so is the other neat visual element, as they dematerialise into the amorphous “transformium” that comprises them, and then rematerialise into their desired form, maintaining their momentum in forward movement, but also able to weave around objects and travel further in the process. Appreciated is the controlled, supplementary use of 3D and cleaner, well-choreographed and framed fight scenes between the robots, which has been an issue in the past…although the pace of many battles is just as fast, if not more than those in previous installments. Viewers shouldn’t have concerns about the voice acting with series veterans Peter Cullen and Frank Welker – Optimus and Galvatron respectively – along with the rest of the V.O. cast delivering. The only notably ill-fitting implementation of music of any kind is the rare, intermittent and forced use of Imagine Dragons’ original track ‘Battle Cry’.
Yes, Grimlock breathes fire…he doesn’t talk, but he breathes fire!
Overall
Transformers: Age of Extinction might very well be the best entry yet, although how much weight that statement holds when looking at its predecessors is dubious. Personally, it held my attention much more successfully than the last two films, which is surprising considering it has the longest run-time of them all. That being said, it could have done with a slight trim of about 10-15 minutes as there were some human filler moments, which is to be expected. Fortunately, Wahlberg and co. do a more admirable and palatable job than the prior trilogy’s principal cast, and the humour that he and Tucci delivers actually works, probably due to their further-honed improvisational savvy. The action is just as bombastic, and though the Dinobots’ inclusion comes late, fans will certainly get a kick out of their involvement. The events of the film also takes the franchise in a new direction with the origin story twist that foreshadows a continuation likely based on the original G1 narrative. Either way, none of the other Transformers movies have produced this amount of speculation and anticipation for where we are headed next…I’m actually excited for a Transformers movie!
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
If there’s anything that people love about the shonen genre, it’s the heroes daily lives. You know, the relatable grind that takes place between the battles for the world’s safety…ok, so maybe it’s not everybody’s favourite part. So when a series arises that combines both daily life and over the top action into one solid experience, you couldn’t be blamed for expecting the worst. But the question still lingers, is your assumption correct?
Story
Medaka Kurokami is amazing. Not just at one thing either, you name it, she can do it. Combined with her immensely charismatic personality and undying love for all of humanity, Medaka managed to become Student Council President with a whopping 98% of the vote. Pretty good for a first-year. As her first act as Student Council President, she implements a suggestion box designed to collect the wishes and complaints of all students of Sandbox Academy, so that Medaka may help her fellow students. Isn’t she sweet?
In line with its shonen style, the series takes a “problem of the week format” wherein Medaka and her ever growing band of accomplices do the damndest to assist those in need. Whether rescuing a Borzoi (Russian Wolf-Hound) or holding an inter-club aquatic event, no task is too grand or too ridiculous for the Student Council. This sporadic sequencing of event allows the series to remain interesting despite its limited scope of environment. In the event that the audience may become complacent in regards to scenery, the school itself will adopt an over the top atmosphere to liven things up, such as the inconceivably complex multi-purpose pool that was forgotten about until part way into the anime. How convenient a rediscovery. Though this aquatic realm did allow some rather interesting moments to occur. Damn swim team…
Somewhat contrasting the action of the series, which is often presented for the sake of awesomeness alone, characters inner turmoil is surprisingly realistic. Take Hitoyoshi for example. Though he complains about everything Medaka does, he is fully aware that he has fallen under her spell and would do anything to help her without question. Even Medaka herself is revealed to have some major depth, a fact often concealed by her over zealous attitude towards everything. It would seem that even those who outwardly appear to be in full control of their life suffer from internal doubt. A powerful message from any medium, let alone an anime that features a School Disciplinary Committee armed to the teeth. It’s like nobody knows what the word excessive means.
The series also does a remarkable job at turning what originally appear to be asinine actions, into revelatory moments for the most unsuspecting characters. For example, Medaka’s “Pretentious Appeal to Innate Goodness” is so ridiculously shonen that it loops back around to actually being effective. Think about that for a minute. Medaka is so ridiculous, even by the standards of this series, that others cannot help but be taken aback. Even her best friend doesn’t understand why everybody loves Medaka when, by all accounts, they should hate her overbearing personality. However, this fact itself is later twisted into a truly sad moment when, due to her accepted superhuman abilites, every student assumes certain events are completely normal…they’re not. It’s honestly rather meta how, much like the students of Sandbox Academy, the audience too cannot help but like this unbelievable character.
Visuals
Medaka Box is everything you expect from a shonen series. Ridiculously bright hair colours, impossibly fit high school students and facial features that could cut diamond…did I mention they were in high school? The fact that the series featured such a diverse range of character models, whilst probably not accurate to school life, created a cast that was never a chore to watch. Characters could shift from cute to intimidating in the blink of an eye and they’re completely ridiculous degree of dexterity and power provided some interestingly action packed mundanity. Seriously, confiscating cigarettes has never looked so cool.
One negative that should be noted in regards to the series visuals pertain solely to the English dub. Though by no means a common occurrence, there were times when voices were not completely in sync with a characters mouth. Not a tremendous deal, but if your paying attention, you will notice it at points.
Audio
The English dub of Medaka Box is pretty solid. Though it may take a few minutes to adjust to each characters voice, Hitoyoshi for example sounded a lot deeper than I anticipated, you will soon come to accept and enjoy their dialogue. Shelleey Calene-Black for example, does an excellent job in conveying the accidental pretentiousness that arises from her innate ability to do everything well. At the same time, certain vocal moments will also remind you to never piss off Medaka…seriously, it won’t end well for you.
Extras
This release is pretty standard when it comes to included extras. You’ve got your typical textless opening and ending and a number of trailers, teasers, promos and video spots for the series. Though still fitting into this category, there is also a very brief glimpse at the characters of Season Two, which is cool. Though in all honesty you get a better look at them in the final moments of Episode 12.
Overall
Medaka Box is one of those anime series that does not exactly sync up with what you read on the back of the box. Rather than being a simple story of a Student Council that has to face some mildly quirky problems, this is a series that forces all of the intensity and ludicrousness of a shonen epic into the walls of a high school. As such, episodes periodically explode with bursts of uncontrollable action and a cast of characters who truly stand out from the world in which they were cast. Not to be outdone by itself, the series also features moments of surprising emotional weight, wherein characters are given more than a simple defining personality quirk…most characters at least. All in all, Medaka Box is an over the top series, full of over the top characters, who do over the top things, in an over the top world. Though from the glimpse caught of the characters who will appear next season, Medaka Box may get crazier still…
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
