After embarking on an Expedition, the pilots and their titans have reached the Frontier’s Edge. Titanfall‘s second DLC has been officially announced by Respawn Entertainment and EA, with a release date soon-to-be confirmed.
The map pack will take players to the borders of the Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation’s control, with the isolated mining outpost that is Dig Site, a mining hub built into the side of a mountain in Export and the exclusive beach-side resort of Haven (probably continuing the sci-fi trope of destroyed paradise). Titanfall: Frontier’s Edge will be available on Xbox for $9.99 soon. If the release pattern for the first of the three planned DLC pack is any indication, we’ll most likely be battling it out amongst these environments in mid-August. Also, don’t forget that the Titanfall season pass will net you some savings with all three DLC packs for the single price of $24.99.
Overview
Anime or manga centered around a singular girl with magical powers is a fairly standard set up, of course there is always some twist or facet that makes the story stand out on its own, hopefully at least. Red Data Girl finds its unique facet known through its name, deriving from the Red Data Book listing of endangered species, thusly implying the main character, and their magical nature, an endangered element of nature. This is an interesting way to look at the rarity of someone with such magical powers, but how well does it turn out in the end? Let’s see what the series has to offer.
Story
Right off the bat Red Data Girl clues in the viewer as to the namesake of the series, unfortunately it is through a wall of text title card, but it is pretty important so it will have to slide. From the start, the show makes an effort to show off just how regular the Izumiko Suzuhara wants to be with cutting her bangs to try and fit in better at school, since she already has to deal with her hair having been braided for much of her life. What she fails to realize though is just how important something as simple a trim can mean as she ends up finding out that she is destined to become the Himegami.
The show very quickly sets how important the Himegami must be, but avoids giving any real detail as to what or who that is. This tendency to quickly cover information, but only after dragging it out over the course of an entire episode or longer. It ends up giving the series a feeling of being either the fastest slow paced show I’ve ever seen or the slowest fast paced show I’ve ever seen. From this dragging fast paced nature, Red Data Girl is able to introduce all the major characters by the fourth episode during which time the series has transitioned between two schools/school years.
Despite this somewhat wonky fast paced nature the show for the most part never really seems to be moving at a slow pace, it seems to be going at a reasonable one as new ideas are introduced then suddenly they are being handled with lightning quick speed. More often than not being solved with a lot of Deus Ex Machina. Being consistent or handling these issues may have helped Red Data Girl not feel so strange, but in the end this doesn’t really hurt the show at all, what ends up hurting it is that the show doesn’t really go anywhere.
Constantly giving hints as to the true nature of what the Himegami could be just ends in nothing major really being resolved. The major conflict seems completely unrelated to the Himegami aspect of the show altogether, only being resolved by the fact that the main character is in fact the Himegami. There are so many more aspects that could really use some more exploration, but unfortunately never get their due justice as it is just a single 12 episode series. Looking at what the show does have though leaves a lot to be desired.
Visuals
The visual look of Red Data Girl is very standard and unfortunately doesn’t offer much in terms of unique visual aspects, but does do some interesting stuff with some of the spirits that end up being dealt with. The ghost effects for a dragon and a winged man are probably some of the highlights, but there is also some nice detail put into the historical ghosts that the characters end up facing off against that also look very well done. Though in the end with nothing too standout-ish the visuals just do a fine job reaching the expected quality of a modern anime.
Audio
The voice acting in Red Data Girl is much like the visuals in that it doesn’t really go beyond to stand out. The voice acting is still deal adequately, the voices all fit the parts for both the original Japanese and the English dub, but it more or less toes the line without going above expectations. The only real highlight that can be found in the voice acting is the accent work done by the English cast for the foreign exchange students, which really says something when looking to that for a highlight.
The music for the series matches up with the other elements, but again have nothing that stands out in ones mind during or after. Though they do tend to fit the scenes and themes just fine, so there are no complaints. Both the opening and ending themes share the common theme of love, but while the opening theme “Small WorlDrop” by Annabel highlights Red Data Girl‘s theme of being trapped within ones own destiny through a more upbeat style pop song, the ending them “Yokan” by Masumi Ito is a more somber tune also focuses on the theme of fitting in.
Extras
The extras offered in this DVD release is the usual for a FUNimation release, including commentaries by the English cast, textless opening and closing themes, and trailers for both Red Data Girl and other releases. This is somewhat to be expected however as a one season series there probably isn’t much in the way of additional features. In which case this offers at least a decent amount for what the series is able to provide.
Overall
With an alright visual style, voice acting, and music Red Data Girl doesn’t stray too far to try and go beyond its means. The series does have a few interesting elements, but the problems are visible from the opening title explaining exactly from where the title derives. Plus the somewhat peculiar fluctuation between extremely fast and slow pace, that while never actually hurting the narrative makes the story seem like an awkward whirlwind that keeps the viewer guessing at what is going to happen next. While Red Data Girl only has a few stumbles the lack of anything done absolutely well makes the series only really fair as a whole, but not all that bad.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Last week at Anime Expo NIS America announced that they would be bringing Criminal Girls: Invite Only to the West. This surprised many gamers as the title was always seen as a game that was a bit on the risqué side, but these gamers were then outraged to hear that the game was being censored.
In the eventual fallout from the censorship which has plagued a few of the more lewder titles brought over from Japan, such as NIS America’s own Mugen Souls and Idea Factory Interational’s Monster Monpiece, many fans demanded answers as to how the game would be censored, since the actual “punishment” aspect that seemingly was removed actually is a main gameplay feature that not only affects stats but also various other story elements.
As such, NIS America has responded to these complaints on their official forumssaying that these punishment games have not been removed and instead are only minorly censored. There will be a few tweaks to the minigame however, as all audio, including gasps and dialogue, in these scenes has been removed and some scenes that had little steam have had extra steam added in, though this is said to be “kept to a minimum.”
They went on to say that no other scenes have been removed from the game and they are going to do their best to stay true tot the tone of the game without taking things too far and they do understand that some may still avoid the game because of this.
While I am not a fan of censorship in games, especially niche titles that have fan service as a main element, it is also true that there is a good chance that we might never have seen this game in the West if this decision was not made. It is strange to see that the various moans etc have been removed while Monster Monpiece kept them in place, but overall this seems minimal at best compared to removing the entire aspect like NIS America has previously done with the Mugen Souls series.
Today 2K Games and Gearbox revealed that they are working on a brand new game that is coming out for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC sometime in the future and that game is called Battleborn. To go along with this announcement they also released a CGI trailer which can be found below.
Battleborn is a game that will be combining first person shooting with co-op combat that appears to play very similar to MOBA style games. The title is set in the distant future where the last hope for a dying star is a new breed of warriors who must fight alongside one another to put a stop to an evil menace.
PS4 exclusive Driveclub has been constantly delayed since it was originally planned to be a launch title for Sony’s next gen console. It seems those delays may have been worth it, as a lot of work has gone into developing the graphics to make this one of the most realistic looking racers ever created. The new gameplay released today showcases driving through rain and wet environments, and the amount of detail from the droplets on the hood of the car to the shimmer on the track just looks incredible. Weather will be fully dynamic in this game and will include light drizzle all the way to snowstorm like blizzards with next to zero visibility. Players will be able to fully customise the weather and make unique challenges for their friends to participate in. Unfortunately this dynamic weather system won’t be implemented into the game until post launch, meaning you will have to download a free patch for it down the track.
Game Director Alex Perkins had this to say:
“You can expect it to change dynamically and unpredictably while you race — because we’ve designed it to be just like real weather systems,” said Perkins. “Lots of things play into this, like elevation, wind speed and temperature.”
You can check out our hands on with Driveclub by following the link. The game is set for an October 7th release pending another delay. Let us know in the comments below what you think about this new video.
Last year at this time NIS America announced that they had acquired the license to release Hanasaku Iroha: Home Sweet Home in North America and now a year later they have announced the movie’s release date at Anime Expo. The company is planning on releasing Hanasaku Iroha: Home Sweet Home on Blu-ray only on October 14th.
Like the first two sets of the series, Hanasaku Iroha: Home Sweet Home will be given the premium edition treatment which will cost $49.99 and come with a collectible slipcase, a hardcover art book that contains scene-by-scene director commentary, interviews, sketches and more, as well as some basic on-disc extras.
It looks like the first season of Haiyore! Nyaruko-san must have been successful enough for NIS America to look into picking up the series’ second season as this weekend during Anime Expo the company revealed that Haiyore! Nyaruko-san W will be released in North America under the simpler name Nyaruko: Crawling With Love! Second Season in November.
Similar to the first season, which we reviewed here, Nyaruko: Crawling With Love! Second Season will be given the premium edition treatment when it is released on November 4th where it will come with a collectible slipcase, a hardcover art book, and clean versions of the opening and ending themes, which is a treat since this series had some of the best ending themes of last year. The series will be presented on Blu-ray only with English subtitles and will be priced at $64.99.
Hitsugi no Chaika was a major surprise for me during the last anime season so it also came as quite a surprise when I realized that it had not been picked up for release in the West. Well that issue has been rectified this weekend at Anime Expo as Sentai Filmworks revealed that not only have they picked up the license for Hitsugi no Chaika in the West, but also seven different anime titles that are going to be airing this anime season.
The titles that have been licensed by Sentai Filmworks, include the brutal anime Akame ga Kill!, Ao Haru Ride, Shirogane no Ishi Argevollen, Glasslip, Invaders of the Rokujyoma!?, Rail Wars!, and Sabagebu! -Survival Game Club!-. Many of these anime series have already started airing this season while some will be starting within a few days. For more details about each of these summer series, Sentai Filmworks has provided a summary for each show that can be found below:
Akame ga Kill!
Tatsumi, an eager young fighter who dreams of glory, arrives in the Imperial Capital in hopes of earning money for his impoverished village. His dreams are soon squashed when his attempts at recruitment are turned down, and his money is stolen by a curvaceous con woman. While stranded in the streets, Tatsumi attracts the attention of a wealthy family that offers to take him in. Just when it seems like things are back on track, Tatsumi’s would-be benefactors are attacked by a group of ruthless killers known as Night Raid. But the brutal assault reveals a darker truth that stretches all the way to the top, for beneath the thin veneer of the Capital lies a teeming hive of corruption that engulfs the whole city. With nowhere else to turn, Tatsumi joins the Night Raid to help put a stop to the wicked ways of the Capital once and for all.
Shirogane no Ishi Argevollen
It is said that war does not determine who is right – only who is left. The countries of Arandas and Ingelmia have been long embroiled in battle, with countless soldiers on each side falling in the line of duty. The sounds of bombs and gunfire have become background noise to day-to-day life, and it seems as if peace will never come. Adding to the terror are monstrous machines piloted by ruthless, battle-hardened soldiers. Destruction and devastation seem to be inevitable, unless, of course, Susumu Tokimune, the justice-seeking pilot of the ARGEVOLLEN, has anything to say about it. After Susumu and his comrades in arms save a girl named Jamie Hazaford from an enemy attack, they find themselves more determined than ever to turn the tides. But will determination and teamwork be enough? And even with the troops coming together to fight for a common goal, is hope still lost?
Ao Haru Ride
Meek middle school student Yoshioka Futaba has always had a complicated relationship with boys. Considering them loud and violent, Futaba avoids them at all costs. But when the gentle Tanaka catches her eye, Futaba finds herself quickly falling in love. However, a misunderstanding causes Futaba’s first love to be quickly crushed. Before Futaba can clear the air, Tanaka disappears from school, and it seems that Futaba’s chance has slipped through her fingers for good. Now in her first year of high school, Futaba is looking to start off with a clean slate by undergoing a major personality makeover. Once cute and timid, Futaba now actively makes herself as unattractive as possible in an effort to avoid being ostracized by her female peers once again. But a run-in with a familiar face brings up old memories and the chance to right past wrongs. Second chances don’t come often, but will Futaba be able to get her feelings across once and for all?
Glasslip
Senior year is a tumultuous time in every student’s life, filled with tearful ends, and fresh beginnings. With their final year of high school underway, small-town girl Toko Fukami and her friends are about to be thrown into the real world. Where most graduates are ready to leave their lives behind and blaze their own trails, Toko has always had just one dream: to take over her family-run glassmaking business. But the arrival of unusual transfer student Kakeru Okikura shatters Toko’s formerly rose-colored life, when he begins to claim that he can hear a voice that predicts the future. And this voice has led him to none other than Toko! Kakeru’s arrival will not only change Toko’s life, but the lives of her friends as well, and something once broken, can never be perfect again.
Invaders of the Rokujyoma!?
When high schooler Koutaro Satomi stumbles upon a suspiciously cheap apartment, he thinks he’s found quite the sweet deal. Although it’s a little small, the great location and low rent more than make up for it. But Koutaro’s bargain soon turns out to be more than he’s bargained for when he discovers that his apartment is haunted by an adorable girl ghost! This sweet-faced specter wants him out, and a battle of the wills quickly ensues. But just when Koutaro thinks he’s gained the upper hand, he’s interrupted by the arrival of even more unwanted houseguests who turn his home into a battlefield. Will Koutaro be able to take back control of his apartment, or will these strange new females stage a hostile takeover? What’s certain is Koutaro’s life is about to give a brand new meaning to the phrase “if it’s too good to be true, then it DEFINITELY is!”
Rail Wars!
In a world parallel to our own, Japan’s national train system is united under the illustrious Japanese National Railways. High schooler Naoto Takayama is one of many who dreams of someday becoming a driver at the JNR. When Naoto manages to snag a job as a trainee for the Railways Security Force, he thinks he’s finally on the fast-track to success. However, Naoto’s expectations are quickly derailed when he finds that he has trouble telling who’s crazier- his coworkers or the criminals he’s supposed to catch! But when RJ, a shadowy group with sinister motives, appears to seize control of the JNR, it’s up to Naoto and his motley crew to get things back on track. Will Naoto and the rest of the Railways Security Force be able to pull the brakes on RJ’s scheme, or will it be the end of the line not only for their team, but the entire JNR as well?
Sagebu! -Survival Game Club-
Life can be hard… especially when it’s your first day at a new school. Will people like you? What do you wear? It’s all up in the air and expectations are high to make the right choices. Above all, you certainly don’t want it to be boring and monotonous. And that’s exactly where we find transfer student, Momoka Sonokawa. To make matters worse, she gets harassed on the train on her way to school. So, imagine Momoka’s delight when a dashing senior from Aogiri High unexpectedly saves her from the throes of a creepy old man. Her hero has brains, brawn and a Beretta! This, at least, makes the sting of being forced to join the school’s Survival Game Club all the more easy when her hero fatefully turns out to be Miou Ootori, its President! What might sound senseless, impractical, and a little insane compared to the “normal clubs” also sounds like an exhilarating romp as these babes with bullets learn rappelling and paramilitary training in what could be called Survival of the Misses! Prep yourselves as Momoka Sonokawa must learn the beauty of battle from a bevy of beauties as action and shoujo collide as the girls of Aogiri High School come out with guns blazing in Sabagebu! – Survival Game Club -!
Overview It is a rare thing when an eroge visual novel is given a continuation of sorts, and it is an even rarer thing when these continuations are translated into English for fans of the game. Such a game to be given this treatment is Navel’s Shuffle!, a title that was quite successful and even spawned an anime adaptation in Japan. Since Shuffle!’s English release, the Nerine continuation Tick! Tack! has already been released and now MangaGamer has brought us Really? Really!, a continuation of Kaede’s story. The question is, while Tick! Tack! had its unique features to accompany the extended story, does Really? Really! offer a worthwhile enough story for fans to pick up?
Story It is worth noting before we continue that since this is a continuation of Shuffle! that there will possibly be spoilers for that title in the following review and it is also worth mentioning that since Really? Really! was developed after Tick! Tack! that there are even a few pieces of content that might be spoiled since some characters do make the transition into Really? Really!.
That being said, Really? Really! follows the continuation of Kaede’s route from the main title Shuffle!, where as you likely know, involves the human world being connected to that of Gods and Devils and living beside them. While players had a number of characters to pick from in the game, one girl who had been alongside the main character Rin since childhood was one of the options and it is actually their past that it is the focus of Really? Really! instead of their future.
The story begins with Primula continuing to live with Kaede and Rin and since she has slowly begun to slow emotions, the King of the Gods and King of the Devils wish to perform an experiment to test Primula’s magical abilities, since their once latent potential has started to manifest. Unfortunately during the experiment, Primula’s power goes beyond the two Kings’ ability to restrain it and the power lashes out. While Rin is only knocked out, Kaede has suffered extreme mental damage that has caused her memories to fall apart.
Because of this, Kaede has fallen into a deep sleep and only Rin and his friends have any chance of saving her. They must do this by entering her sleeping mind through the power of the Kings in an effort to fix Kaede’s memories of the past and try to restore things to their proper order, even if it means exposing some of the darker memories these two share to the rest of their friends.
You see, unlike Tick! Tack!, which primarily focuses on Nerine, her family, as well as the constant friends, Mayumi and Itsuki, Really? Really! sees most of the characters from the main story as well as a new childhood friend of Kaede and Rin’s named Sakura enter Kaede’s mind and since they are entering some of her memories, they must each play their role properly or be forced out of her mind.
This causes quite a few awkward moments mostly due to the fact that Kaede’s memories are all over the place and not only are there obvious faults with her memory, such as Itsuki being a girl, but also elements that see Rin dating and having sex with other members of the cast, including Asa, Primula, the newly introduced Sakura, their teacher, and finally for the first time, Mayumi. Since all of these characters have to play their roles properly, and this is a story where Rin stayed true to Kaede, there are many interesting moments outside of the memories where the girls then react to what they had to do with Rin within the memory.
Along those lines, it is worth noting that although there are many girls that are slept with in Really? Really!, the game does not feature a branching storyline in any way nor are there different routes to choose from. Instead players must work to correct Kaede’s memories which will adjust her overall memory, such as the fact that Nerine is the shy blue-haired girl and not her energeting and outgoing red-headed self or how the group has not met Sage at any point in the main story, as well as how Rin never dated or had sexual encounters with certain girls.
As players continue to progress through the story and resolve some of Kaede’s memories, they will notice that the time periods of these memories range all the way from when Kaede and Rin first met all the way until their confession of love. This makes the inclusion of Sakura in the title an important one since she is the only one of the group to have any idea of how Kaede used to treat Rin. Playing through the moments involving the darker sides to their past are some of the better moments in the game as not only are they enlightening but also contain a lot of heartfelt emotion that will make fans of Kaede really feel something for the two.
That being said, not everything is dark and gloomy as there are numerous comedic moments laced in with the rest of the story, with Mayumi and Itsuki being the butt of many jokes, though these are the ones that generally take place in the Verbena Academy era, since pre-Verbena Academy generally involves the two’s darker past and overcoming it and alongside those we have just as many heartwarming scenes as well. I must say that despite Kaede not being one of my favorite characters from the main title however, she really does shine as a main heroine thanks to her endearing personality and the way she reacts to anything Rin does or says.
It is worth mentioning however that it is unfortunate that, although the other pairings only occur within the memories, the few interactions that do occur outside of Kaede’s mind are never explored or delved into any further than surface level. While some of these side elements are wrapped up at the end and even though this story is meant to focus on Kaede, there feels like a few segments left hanging that could have been explored further.
Gameplay As players enter Kaede’s mind, they will find that a certain helpful “person” has been left to guide them through the process of restoring her memories. Players must make use of special keywords to correct Kaede’s memories, and while some of these are as simple as saying that Itsuki is not a girl but a guy, many of them can be a bit stranger. You see, these keywords are acquired by viewing Kaede’s memories but there are many times that you may not have the proper keyword to correct a situation.
Correcting her memory is handled in a way similar to Ace Attorney. Occasionally within a memory Kaede will say something that will trigger a moment where the player can correct a memory. They must do this by selecting a specific phrase and using a specific keyword to change it. As mentioned before these keywords are not always easy to find however and you can potentially fail if you get it incorrect too many times, receiving the game’s only other ending, a bad end. Instead the player can choose to back out of the scene and even the entire memory and enter another memory to try and complete that one instead, potentially unlocking a new keyword in the process.
At other times, players can also be limited in how they will progress by having certain elements of Kaede’s memory locked away, meaning that despite having a keyword, you might need to enter a different memory first to advance the other memory.
One interesting element of the game is the fact that once players completely restore a memory and end the day, these memories can then be viewed from Kaede’s perspective by every one of her friends, not just those playing a role. These memories from Kaede’s perspective give us some extra insight on her character as well as how she is feeling during the darker moments of the story and it is a bit interesting to see how she is seeing things instead of the standard Rin perspective.
As with many games of this type, once the player finishes a certain amount of the game the player can then access memories, a CG gallery, a scene replay, and eventually a music mode from the main menu. As mentioned earlier, Really? Really! does not feature alternate routes so unlocking all of the CGs and scenes is a very simple endeavor, as there are only a couple CGs that need an alternate choice. That isn’t too much of an issue however as Really? Really! makes up for its limited replayability by offering a lengthy and enjoyable single story route.
Visuals & Audio
Since this is a continuation of Shuffle! the character art and many of the background scenes will look the same as before and even the new characters fit in well to the game’s style. The character portraits are nicely detailed and have enough variation in expressions to fit nicely with the game’s dialogue and considering how there are a number of age ranged shown for Rin, Kaede, and Sakura, it is nice to see consistency here.
It is also nice to say that although there are twenty different sex scenes in Really? Really!, CGs are not limited to these scenes and instead they are scattered throughout the story to help drive home important moments or for the sake of some comedy. On to the actual sex scenes themselves, each scene is presented with a handful of CG to show various moments of progression and each of these scenes are all “vanilla” with a bit of cosplay here and there, though one character might be a bit on the younger looking side for some.
The Japanese voice actors and actresses from the original Shuffle! reprise their roles in Really? Really! and handle the characters very nicely and the new characters added this time around fit in perfectly. Also those moments where you see things through Kaede’s eyes? A nice touch is added here to give Rin voice work for these segments where previously he never had any voice work.
The soundtrack is fairly standard for a game like this one, but it is worth mentioning that there are elements of music used from both the original game and new pieces of background music specifically for Really? Really! in the title. There is one notable moment where an insert song is used during one of the game’s most emotional moments.
Overall Really? Really! is an interesting take on following up a story. Unlike Tick! Tack! where it explored further into Rin and Nerine’s future, Really? Really! focuses on exploring Rin and Kaede’s past and the highs and lows that their relationship has had ever since they met as children. Thanks to the false memories this is also a game that gives players many humorous moments as well as scenes involving characters that have never been explored before, and quite a few for fans of Asa , giving the game some extra appeal for those who may not be fans of Kaede. As such, although it is disappointing that the title only has one real route, the story told along this route, and the memory fixing gameplay mechanic, has a little something for everyone, but is a definite hit for fans of Shuffle! and especially fans of Kaede.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Bungie released some new footage of the highly anticipated FPS, Destiny. The video shows off both cinematics and gameplay footage. It is unknown if the gameplay footage is taken from the beta build. The beta kicks off for PlayStation users on July 17th and for Xbox gamers on July 23rd. Those who pre-order the game will be able to get a code that can be redeemed for beta access.
Destiny is a social RPG/FPS that will be released on August 9th, 2014 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. The game mixes some MMO elements with classic FPS gameplay. Destiny is Bungie’s first major project since the Halo franchise.
