You may remember a certain shojo series called Millennium Snow as it started being released in North America back in 2007. Unfortunately at that time only the first two volumes were released in North America because the author, Bisco Hatori, had stopped working on the series for a decade before picking it back up and producing the final two volumes for the series. The story of Millennium Snow follows the romance between an ailing teenage girl and a handsome young vampire.
As such now that those two volumes have been released in Japan Viz Media is working on bringing those volumes over to English and the third volume of Millennium Snow will be released in a couple of weeks on June 3rd. This third volume is going to be printed under the Shojo Beat label and will be priced at $9.99. Also since such a long time has passed since the first two volumes were released and they are likely out of print and difficult to find, Viz is also releasing a 2-in-1 omnibus version of the first two volumes on June 3rd. This release will be priced at $14.99 and is also being handled by the Shojo Beat label.
Overview For quite some time now a certain series of novels have been used to create various adaptations which is fitting considering the Nansō Satomi Hakkenden series spanned over a hundred novels back when it was released in the 1800s. Featuring eight samurai warriors that were part human and part dog, the series is rather unique and the latest variation of the material, Fusé: Memoirs of a Huntress, takes and spins the story in its own way. However does that make this movie worth purchasing?
Story The young Hamaji Ooyama has spent her fourteen year life growing up in the mountains with her grandfather. Because of this lifestyle she has grown to be a skilled huntress capable of wielding a special multi-shot rifle with deadly accuracy. Unfortunately for Hamaji her life has grown lonely and empty since her grandfather passed away a year prior and now even when she kills an animal for food, she cannot share her prize with anyone.
When a letter arrives from her brother Dousetsu who moved to Edo to try and become a samurai, she travels to Edo to begin living with him. When she arrives she finds that Edo is in a state of unrest due to eight human-dog hybrids called Fusé that appeared in the city and began killing people left and right. Because of this the shogun of Edo has issued an edict that all Fusé be eliminated and that anyone who is capable of slaying one of these creatures be rewarded with a small fortune and great standing.
Initially disgusted at the way the already six slain Fusé are displayed out in the open, Hamaji agrees to help her brother in the Fusé hunt because despite him spending years in Edo and making some close friends, he is far from his goal of becoming a honored samurai and lives in a small shack. This is problematic however as Hamaji already ran into one of the two remaining Fusé when she arrived in Edo. While this Fusé made use of her weapon to avoid his attackers, Shino as he is called, treated her fairly and even helped her out when she was lost.
Despite his generosity towards Hamaji, which includes a few small meetings between the two that can be described as touching, it is clear to see why the people wish to kill Shino as he is regularly slaying anyone who dares come across him and eats their souls. This isn’t a simple story of who is right and wrong however as Shino’s race is nearing extinction the Shogun’s own order is clouded by fear and isolation.
Over the course of this roughly two hour movie we see Hamaji go from a huntress in the wilderness to meeting her first love who also ends up becoming her prey, even if that infatuation seems to spring from nowhere. Along the way we are introduced to colorful cast of side-characters, an interesting play involving the history of how the Fusé might have come about, and even the author of the Hakkenden series is used in the movie sparingly.
With a number of action pieces set throughout the movie and a decent story with a few touching moments, Fusé: Memoirs of a Huntress wraps things up nicely by the end, especially in regards to Dousetsu as we get to see just how his life has changed since Hamaji arrived in Edo. That being said, there are a number of oddities that appear throughout the movie that never are explained such as the Fusé’s need for souls as well as the events that take place in the shogun’s castle as these are simply glossed over as being part of the shows fantasy theme.
Visuals & Audio
Fusé: Memoirs of a Huntress is a gorgeous looking film thanks to the beautiful use of colors and wonderful looking backgrounds used throughout the movie that really shine thanks to the Blu-ray release. There are a number of areas visited in Edo that could easily have been passed off as simplistic given the era the movie is set, however many buildings are highly detailed with unique designs which give the movie an appealing look.
This is necessary considering the design of the characters ranges all the way from impressive to terrible looking. The main cast of Hamaji and Shino, including Shino’s transformations, are handled nicely with a decent level of detail however a few of the action sequences drop in quality about halfway through which is disappointing and the side-characters are designed with strange facial structures, bland clothing, and drab coloration.
I must note that Fusé: Memoirs of a Huntress is a sub-only release but this isn’t an issue as there are a surprising number of veteran Japanese voice actors providing the voice work for many of the characters in the series. It will be hard for a viewer not to pick up on Dousetsu’s voice actor since he has been in numerous series over the years while Shino’s and Hamaji’s voice actors are equally skilled.
Extras With the release of Fusé: Memoirs of a Huntress we have the premium edition style treatment the company is known for. While the on disc extras are only TV spots for the movie as well as trailers for other NIS America anime the release also comes with an oversized chipboard slipcase that features artwork on both sides, one featuring art similar to the anime and another featuring a darker more stylistic piece of art.
The release also comes with an art book that contains character information as well as sketches and designs for each of the main characters in the movie, numerous pages showing off artwork, both storyboard and fully colored, of the various areas and backdrops found throughout the movie. This is then followed by an interview with the director Masayuki Miyaji, additional character art, and finally a few pages featuring full color artwork.
Overall Fusé: Memoirs of a Huntress tells a story that many of us probably have seen in some form before but puts a bit of a swing on things by having it take place in such a setting based loosely on the Hakkenden series. There are issues with the movie in regards to the character art as well as Hamaji’s bond with Shino, but it is still a fairly enjoyable film with a number of standout segments, especially near the end, though it isn’t something that will stick with you for long after the credits play.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Overview Making a game too simplistic to play through can be regarded as boring while making too many complex systems will either leave gamers avoiding most of these systems or stuck in confusion as they muddle through the title. Mugen Souls was a game that had a number of systems that could confuse gamers and although it took some time to grasp these mechanics fully, even then they seemed to be problematic at times. As such when Mugen Souls Z was announced, it was a bit of a surprise that NIS America jumped on this sequel for release in the West. Well… now that Mugen Souls Z has been released has it improved over its predecessor?
Story For those who are unfamiliar with the first game, the “Undisputed Goddess of the Universe” Chou-Chou had set out to conquer seven worlds and make them and everyone on them her peons. As one would imagine, she manages to do so and now after her victory over those seven worlds, she is now looking at twelve new worlds to conquer. Unfortunately for Chou-Chou, her confidence ends up leading to her downfall.
After spreading out her allies from the first game, who are collected later as part of the game’s story, Chou-Chou arrives on the first planet only to stumble upon a hero named Nao who has just woken up the Ultimate God Syrma from a strange coffin. After dealing with the situation, Chou-Chou looks at this coffin only to stumble into it and get locked inside. Once she is stuck in the coffin, pink goo fills it and saps away all of her powers and although she manages to escape, she Chou-Chou is now practically powerless and to make matters worse she is now a chibi version of her already small self.
Lacking her powers, Chou-Chou joins with Syrma in an effort to continue her goal as Syrma’s abilities are tied to the same goals that Chou-Chou has and if Syrma manages to get her powers back, then maybe Chou-Chou’s will return as well. As such the pair venture off on a journey to conquer a new set of worlds in what is an incredibly strange storyline with an infectious set of humor.
The basic story of Mugen Souls Z is really basic seeming at times and takes a while to really get going but this is made up for by the cast of characters players gather over the course of the game. Fans who liked the characters from the first game will be delighted to hear that they will be returning with the same personalities as before and the new characters are also quite a treat, especially Nao as she regularly plays the straight man, or woman I suppose, to the groups outlandish and strange behavior making her a nice sounding board for the player’s thoughts at times.
Gameplay In many ways, Mugen Souls Z is nearly the exact same as what gamers found in the original Mugen Souls. Players are tasked with traveling between planets and trying to conquer them by triggering events and finding specific points on each planet and meeting a certain goal that can be anything from gathering items or defeating enemies to making them become your peon by using the game’s Captivate system. To do this players will be spending a large amount of time in combat which is still a bit confusing for newcomers, but better explained this time through so it may not be as intimidating to potential players.
Combat is a turn based affair and is triggered when the player encounters an enemy on the field either by running into them or attacking them to gain the advantage at the start of the battle. The combat in the game has been refined but mostly in regards to the side bits as the basics are still the same. The player’s four character party can move around the field and attack enemies with various attacks and skills that can be linked up to create over the top attacks that only a game like Mugen Souls Z could pull off.
Blasting enemies around the field returns and is beneficial at times, albeit still a bit complex Players can create outrageously high damage outputs thanks to the damage carnival mechanic and earn an increased reward from combat, and the Captivate System also plays a big role. Returning players will recognize that this system has been refined the most as it is now easier to actually tell what an enemy may like or dislike and matching these fetishes is easier as players can change Syrma’s personality type during her turn without a penalty.
As such performing the various moé poses and phrases is easier than before as players can see how an enemy will react before performing a set of poses and nicer looking as well. Successfully captivating an enemy will make them your Peon which increases the power of your castle as well as Syrma’s special Ultimate Soul attack.
Outside of combat players will also have to deal with the G-Castle fights that have also been modified compared to the prior game to be a bit more complex which is for the best in this regard as they were way too easy in the first game. These fights can still be rather easily handled if the player predicts how the enemy ship will react and choose their action accordingly but it is actually a bit challenging this time around.
Grinding for experience points in the Mugen Field, enhancing equipment, and creating new peons from scratch also return and are pretty much the same as before though the Mugen Field has been tweaked a bit to allow players to use checkpoints to leave and return. That being said, a large amount of the game still requires quite a bit of grinding which fans of the genre have probably come to expect at this point as Mugen Souls Z can be played for quite a long period of time as the player explores everything the title has to offer.
Visuals Mugen Souls Z remains similar to its predecessor as far as art style is concerned but it has been given a few enhancements here and there as the field exploration with Syrma is a bit more detailed than what was presented previously. In fact most of the character models have a bit more shading to them this time around which is for the best as it adds a little extra detail to their chibi style forms.
That being said everything else is still as colorful and over the top as ever with linked attack animations ranging from hilarious to ridiculous. The game sports some nice looking character portraits that fit well with the game’s anime aesthetics and have a number of varied poses to react to the story’s oft ridiculous situations.
Audio As with the first game in the series, Mugen Souls Z comes with both the English voice track provided by NIS America as well as the Japanese voice track. The English voice actors and actresses have reprised their roles in the game and the new characters are voiced suitably enough as Syrma’s various personalities are also given the same treatment Chou-Chou’s were in the first, with the character’s tone changing to match her personality type.
The game’s background music is fitting considering the type of game that Mugen Souls Z is as it is full of upbeat sounding pop music as well as enjoyable some rather enjoyable combat music, which is a plus considering how much time the player will spend fighting enemies.
Overall
Mugen Souls Z is pretty much everything a fan of the first game would expect as it continues Chou-Chou’s ridiculous and oft hilarious journey to try and conquer the universe while also introducing a new set of likable characters. The combat system has been refined a bit to be more approachable to newcomers and change things up a bit for players returning for to continue the series in this improved sequel.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
After the amount of futuristic titles and modern day titles killing some Nazis feels almost refreshing and if you happen to feel that way too then now you can scratch that itch. Today Bethesda‘s Wolfenstein: The New Order has been released worldwide for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC.
Wolfenstein: The New Order takes place in an alternate version of the 1960s where the Nazis were able to win World War II with mysterious advanced technology and now B.J. Blazkowicz and the rest of the small resistance group must travel across Europe to try and bring down the Nazi war machine once and for all. A launch trailer for the game was released last week and can be found here.
Today Drakengard 3 was released in North America and as such Square Enix has released a third interview with a member of the game’s development team and this time it is with the man himself, director Taro Yoko. Well, at least his voice does because he speaks using a puppet as he very rarely shows his face in front of the cameras.
Anyways, the interview is over eight minutes long and in it Taro Yoko discusses the limitations of games and how even though he started the series ten years ago, people are still always trying to one up one another or come out ahead of someone else and how many titles relish in the thought of killing hundreds of people. Check out the full interview below.
It looks like gamers in Europe will have to wait a little bit longer to download Monster Monpiece. Today Idea Factory International announced that the release date for Europe, which was previously set for May 28th has now been pushed back to June 4th.
The reason for the delay is so that the game can be released in Germany, Russia, and Switzerland alongside the other European countries as the game was not going to be released in these countries originally. It is worth noting that this delay is not affecting the US release of the title which is still set for release next week on May 27th for the Vita.
Today Telltale Games released some of the first screenshots for the fourth episode of The Wolf Among Us: In Sheep’s Clothing. After the events of the last episode Bigby has been left beaten and bloody and now he must deal with the realization that the society he lives in, which has been built on secret, is ripe for exploitation.
To make matters worse, the people of Fabletown might not even see his prey as the cause of their problems but actually the solution to their problems. Stuck between doing the right thing and ‘the rules’ Bigby must walk a path laden with danger in the penultimate episode of The Wolf Among Us. As for those screenshots, they can be found both above and below while the episode itself does not yet have a release date.
MAX: THE CURSE OF BROTHERHOOD NOW AVAILABLE FOR XBOX 360 AND PC
Copenhagen, Denmark – May 21, 2014 – Danish development studio Press Play is proud to announce that its cinematic puzzle-platformer, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood, is now available on Xbox 360 and PC via Steam. Originally released on Xbox One at the end of last year, Max’s critically acclaimed visual style and clever gameplay mechanics provide a unique experience that gamers of all ages can enjoy.
“We put a lot of love and hard work into bringing Max to Xbox 360 and PC ,” said Mikkel Thorsted, Creative Director. “The most important thing for us was to bring over the quality and atmosphere from the Xbox One version to these platforms and I am really proud of what we have accomplished.”
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is a story-driven adventure filled with action-packed platforming and creative puzzle-solving. Armed with only a Magic Marker, Max must confront evil at every turn in a hostile and fantastical world in order to save his kid brother, Felix. With five magical powers and twenty levels in seven unique worlds, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is an adventure for players of all ages.
Rated E (Everyone) by the ESRB and 12 by PEGI, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is now available on Xbox 360 and in the Steam Store (PC) for $14.99 / €14.99 / £11.99. For more information, please visit http://pressplay.dk/ and follow along on Twitter and Facebook.
About Press Play
Press Play is a multi-award winning game development studio located in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Founded in 2006 by Rune Dittmer, Ole Teglbjærg, and Mikkel Thorsted, Press Play has created numerous games but is best known for its original IP: Tentacles, Max and the Magic Marker, and Max: The Curse of Brotherhood. The Studio currently has several unannounced original IP in development.
In 2012, Press Play joined Microsoft Studios in a light-touch acquisition, allowing Press Play to retain full creative control of its projects. As always, Press Play creates original mechanics-driven game experiences for geeks, moms, and other extraordinary people.
Dungeons & Dragons Launches a Pivotal Year with Tyranny of Dragons
All New Entertainment Offerings Announced
Sydney, Australia – May 21, 2014 – Today, Wizards of the Coast kicked off a pivotal year for Dungeons & Dragons, unveiling new serialised entertainment offerings that will bring the upcoming Tyranny of Dragons storyline to life as well as announcing the D&D Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual and Dungeon Master’s Guide for the highly-anticipated new rules set for the D&D tabletop roleplaying game. Together, these new offerings will command the attention of digital and tabletop RPG players alike, setting the foundation for the future of the brand and powering incredible, action-packed play experiences for fans.
First out of the gates for Tyranny of Dragons digital offerings will be a new module for the highly-acclaimed Dungeons & Dragons MMO, Neverwinter, from Cryptic Studios and PerfectWorld Entertainment. The new module, aptly titled Tyranny of Dragons, will be the premier digital Dungeons & Dragons experience for players and will launch on August 14, 2014.
“We’ve had an incredible time being a key part of the Dungeons & Dragons experience,” said Jack Emmert, CEO and Co-Founder of Cryptic Studios. “Building Neverwinter has been an outstanding journey for our companies. With the new Tyranny of Dragons module, both Neverwinter and the larger Dungeons & Dragons franchise will continue to be the most compelling fantasy adventure for players new and old.”
For players eager to sink their teeth into the Tyranny of Dragons storyline around the gaming table, two new tabletop adventures will also release this year. Hoard of the Dragon Queen (August 19) and The Rise of Tiamat (October 21) will take players into the depths of the dragon’s lair, pitting them against Tiamat, the most fearsome dragon in D&D’s history.
In addition, Wizards has partnered with WizKids to produce a new line of D&D miniatures that fans can use in conjunction with their Tyranny of Dragons adventures, as well as complement their tabletop RPG experience brought forth by the new rules set. With these new minis, players can expect high-quality, pre-painted plastic miniatures featuring iconic heroes and villains straight from the Forgotten Realms.
“This is the biggest and most exciting year for Dungeons & Dragons yet,” said Nathan Stewart, Dungeons & Dragons Brand Director. “We’re excited to see the last two years of intense collaboration with our trusted partners and dedicated fans finally come to fruition.”
For the full Tyranny of Dragons story overview and product line-up, including PC and mobile games, tabletop roleplaying adventures, digital tools, collectible miniatures, comics, apparel and more visit DungeonsandDragons.com and stay tuned for more Tyranny of Dragons offerings and release dates to be announced in the coming months. Also, be sure to follow D&D on Facebook and Twitter.
About Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast LLC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS), is the leader in entertaining the lifestyle gamer. Wizards’ players and fans are members of a global community bound together by their love of both digital gaming and in-person play. The company brings to market a range of gaming experiences under powerful brand names such as MAGIC: THE GATHERING, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, and KAIJUDO. Wizards is also a publisher of fantasy series fiction with numerous New York Times best-sellers. For more information about our world renowned brands, visit the Wizards of the Coast Web site at www.wizards.com
Hagens Berman Announces Class-action Lawsuit against Google for Allegedly Denying Payments to Google AdSense Users
SEATTLE – Hagens Berman, a consumer rights law firm, today filed a national class-action lawsuit against Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), claiming the company unlawfully denies payments to thousands of website owners and operators who place ads on their sites sold through Google AdWords.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges that Google abruptly cancels website owners’ AdSense accounts often without explanation shortly before payments are due, and refuses to pay for the ads that ran prior to the cancelation.
“This wrongful practice has sparked numerous bitter complaints from website owners across the Web, with some reporting losses reaching thousands of dollars a pop,” said Steve Berman, attorney representing consumers and founding partner of Hagens Berman. “What we believe to be true from our research is that Google’s practice is likely hurting thousands of website owners and operators who feel they have no way to fight giant company like Google.”
According to the suit, Google’s popular AdSense program translates annually to billions of dollars payable to website operators that host its ads via AdSense. Google’s AdSense advertising program induces website operators to host space for ads on their websites. Each time a visitor to the website interacts with the ad, the ad publisher who hosts the ad earns payment.
The complaint claims that the contracts and terms of service Google requires web publishers to sign are unconscionably one-sided, giving Google free reign to embark on what the suit claims are actions devoid of good faith or fair dealing.
“We have heard from Web publishers who tell us the same thing: Google cuts them off right before a payment is due, and stonewalls them when they object,” Berman said. “Google’s company motto is ‘Don’t be evil.’ Knowing what we know, I think they have a lot of work to do to be true to that goal.”
The complaint states, “Given Google’s contractual terms purportedly permitting it to withhold payment to publishers with disabled accounts, and in light of the experience of the plaintiff in seeing this policy actually effected, the total of earned funds that Google has refused to pay its AdSense publishers could be enormous.”
The lawsuit claims Google is in violation of contracts with users and in violation of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, unjust enrichment, and violation of the California Unfair Competition Law.
The named plaintiff, Free Range Content, Inc., is a California corporation that owns and operates Repost.us. Free Range Content first noticed a spike in AdSense earnings in Feb. 2014. At the end of Feb. 2014, Google issued a report stating that the plaintiff’s estimated earnings for the covered period were over $40,000 – a number that seemed far too high. Then on March 4, 2014—two days before a scheduled March 6, 2014 call with an AdSense representative was slated to occur—the plaintiff received word from the AdSense program that Google had disabled its account.
The lawsuit seeks damages for all U.S. Google AdSense publishers whose AdSense account was disabled or terminated, and whose last AdSense program payment was withheld permanently by Google.
Concerned consumers are encouraged to contact a Hagens Berman attorney by emailing [email protected] or calling (206) 623-7292.
You may remember a certain shojo series called Millennium Snow as it started being released in North America back in 2007. Unfortunately at that time only the first two volumes were released in North America because the author, Bisco Hatori, had stopped working on the series for a decade before picking it back up and producing the final two volumes for the series. The story of Millennium Snow follows the romance between an ailing teenage girl and a handsome young vampire.
