Page 3802 – Capsule Computers

Kevin Durant is MVP and NBA 2K15’s Cover Athlete

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May 8, 2014

Oklahoma City Thunder’s star player Kevin Durant was announced earlier today as the NBA MVP for 2014 and on top of that he has now been confirmed by 2K Games as the cover athlete for the hotly anticipated upcoming game NBA 2K15.

Kevin Durant will follow in the footsteps of legendary players such as Lebron James and Kobe Bryant by featuring on the cover of the prestigious NBA 2K video-game series.

Durant himself commented on the selection saying, “I’m honored to be selected for the cover of NBA 2K, I’ve been an avid fan and player of NBA 2K since I was a kid, and being selected as the sole cover athlete of NBA 2K15 is an amazing accomplishment at this point of my life. I feel like my time has come.”

2K Games revealed what looks to be the cover artwork which of course can be seen in the image above. You can join in on the conversation on twitter with #YourTimeHasCome. Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Krosmaster Arena coming to mobile devices and web browsers

Luke Halliday

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May 8, 2014

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Ankama Games who are known for their games such as Wakfu and Dofus have just announced that Krosmaster Arena will be launching on mobile devices and web browsers very soon. The fully vibrant 3D game experience will light it up on mobile devices and web browsers bringing the iconic Krosmaster Arena gameplay to new platforms.

Krosmaster Arena is of course based upon the popular board game of the same name and was even listed as one of the top 10 table top games by Game Informer. While no solid date has been set for Krosmaster Arena on mobile devices and web browsers a vague date of early 2015 has been confirmed.

Stay tuned for further information on Krosmaster Arena as it comes to light in the lead up to its release.

2K Announces 2014 NBA MVP Kevin Durant as NBA® 2K15 Cover Athlete

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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May 8, 2014

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2K Announces 2014 NBA MVP Kevin Durant as NBA® 2K15 Cover Athlete

NBA 2K’s collaboration with the NBA’s best players continues in the next iteration of the legendary franchise

Join the conversation on Twitter using the hash tag #YourTimeHasCome

Sydney, Australia – May 8, 2014 – 2K today announced that Oklahoma City Thunder superstar, four-time NBA scoring champion, and recently crowned 2014 NBA Most Valuable Player, Kevin Durant, will make his solo debut as video game cover athlete on NBA® 2K15, the next installment of the top-selling and top-rated NBA video game simulation franchise*. With the selection, Durant completes a banner year in which he garnered the NBA’s top award for the first time in his career and fulfilled his lifelong dream of being the feature athlete on an NBA 2K cover, all while cementing his legacy as one of the greatest players of this generation.

“I’m honored to be selected for the cover of NBA 2K,” said Durant, who is currently leading the Oklahoma City Thunder against Los Angeles Clippers during this year’s NBA Playoffs. “I’ve been an avid fan and player of NBA 2K since I was a kid, and being selected as the sole cover athlete of NBA 2K15 is an amazing accomplishment at this point of my life. I feel like my time has come.”

“We’re continually challenging ourselves to align the NBA 2K franchise with the best of this generation, and Kevin Durant brings one of the NBA’s greatest into our stable of kings,” said Alfie Brody, Vice President of Marketing for 2K. “Our goal is to consistently bring an unmatched experience for the millions of fans that play the NBA 2K series, while paralleling the NBA’s evolution and growth year-over-year.”

In addition to his accomplishments as four-time NBA scoring champion, and winning the 2014 NBA MVP award, Durant’s impressive basketball resume includes four All-NBA team selections, five NBA All-Star selections, and the 2007-2008 NBA Rookie of the Year award, solidifying him as the perfect choice to bring NBA 2K basketball to fans across the globe

Developed by Visual Concepts, a 2K studio, NBA 2K15is not yet rated in Australia or New Zealand. NBA 2K15 is scheduled for release on PS4™, PS3™, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC on 7^th October, 2014 in North America and 9^th October, 2014 in Australia and New Zealand.

*According to 2008 – 2014 Metacritic.com and The NPD Group estimates of U.S. retail video game sales through March 2014.

2K is a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).

About Take-Two Interactive Software

Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a leading developer, marketer and publisher of interactive entertainment for consumers around the globe. The Company develops and publishes products through its two wholly-owned labels Rockstar Games and 2K. Our products are designed for console systems, handheld gaming systems and personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, and are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming services. The Company’s common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO. For more corporate and product information please visit our website at http://www.take2games.com.

About 2K

Founded in 2005, 2K develops and publishes interactive entertainment globally for console systems, handheld gaming systems and personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, which are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming services. 2K publishes titles in today’s most popular gaming genres, including shooters, action, role-playing, strategy, sports, casual, and family entertainment. The 2K label has some of the most talented development studios in the world today, including Firaxis Games, Visual Concepts, 2K Marin, 2K Czech, 2K Australia, Cat Daddy Games and 2K China. 2K’s stable of high quality titles includes the critically acclaimed BioShock®, Borderlands™ and XCOM® franchises, the beloved Sid Meier’s Civilization series, the popular WWE 2K franchise and NBA 2K, the #1 rated and #1 selling basketball franchise**. 2K is headquartered in Novato, California and is a wholly owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO). For more information, please visit www.2K.com.

**According to 2008 – 2014 Metacritic.com and The NPD Group estimates of U.S. retail video game sales through March 2014.

All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the property of their respective holders.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

The statements contained herein which are not historical facts are considered forward-looking statements under federal securities laws and may be identified by words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “projects,” “seeks,” “will,” or words of similar meaning and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the outlook for the Company’s future business and financial performance. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs of our management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to them, which are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and results may vary materially from these forward-looking statements based on a variety of risks and uncertainties including: our dependence on key management and product development personnel, our dependence on our Grand Theft Auto products and our ability to develop other hit titles for current and next-generation platforms, the timely release and significant market acceptance of our games, the ability to maintain acceptable pricing levels on our games, our ability to raise capital if needed and risks associated with international operations. Other important factors and information are contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013, in the section entitled “Risk Factors,” the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2013, and the Company’s other periodic filings with the SEC, which can be accessed at www.take2games.com. All forward-looking statements are qualified by these cautionary statements and apply only as of the date they are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

A1-Pictures Animator Suicide Caused by Overwork

Luke Halliday

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May 8, 2014

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The Japanese Government have ruled the 2010 suicide of an A-1 Pictures animator was caused by poor working conditions linked heavily with overwork. The man aged 28 was reported to be working 600 hours a month at the time of his death.

He had worked at A-1 Pictures from 2006 to 2009. Following the verdict regarding the cause of his suicide, the lawyer working the case on behalf of the family commented that the working conditions at the studio and in the anime industry in general are terrible to say the very least. The lawyer even went so far as to compare the conditions to that of a sweatshop.

A-1 Pictures did elect to respond to these claims, stating that this is not a problem with their studio but a problem with the industry in general and they should not be held accountable for the way the industry works. A-1 Pictures are of course the anime studio responsible for series such as Fairy Tail and Sword Art Online. It is truly shocking to see that such working conditions are where these beloved anime series are made.

The animator’s family will receive workers compensation for their loss. Be sure to sound off in the comments section below with your thoughts on this very controversial topic.

Source: Yaoran!

STOIC WINS MOST PROMISING START-UP AT THE GAMESINDUSTRY.BIZ INNOVATION AWARDS

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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May 8, 2014

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STOIC WINS MOST PROMISING START-UP AT THE GAMESINDUSTRY.BIZ INNOVATION AWARDS

Developer Behind The Banner Saga Wins Big at the Inaugural Innovation Awards

AUSTIN, TX – May 8th, 2014 – Stoic, an independent game development company, today announced that at they won the Most Promising Start-up award at the Gamesindustry.biz Innovation Awards held at Game Horizon in Newcastle, United Kingdom on May 8th. Stoic is the developer behind The Banner Saga, one of the earlier funding successes on Kickstarter, which launched in partnership with independent publisher Versus Evil in January of this year for PC and Mac to global critical acclaim.

“We are so happy with how well our flagship title, The Banner Saga, has been received by the gaming community and feel very honored to be recognized as the Most Promising Start-Up at the Gamesindustry.biz Innovation Awards”, said Alex Thomas from Stoic. “We are working on the next chapter of The Banner Saga now and know that our fans will love the continuation that we have planned. Thank you to to the readers of Gamesindustry.biz and all of our fans for helping us achieve this award”.

The Banner Sagais an epic role-playing Viking saga with turn-based tactical combat where the player’s choice in travel, conversation and combat determines the outcome of their own personal story as well as the survival of an entire civilization. The game features stunning 2D animation and art, a unique tactical combat system and a cast of unforgettable characters that drive the story forward. The journey is enhanced by a beautiful and haunting original score by Grammy nominated, and two-time BAFTA winner, composer Austin Wintory conducting The Dallas Winds orchestra, as well as a powerhouse trio of acclaimed YouTube sensations: Peter Hollens, Malukah and Taylor Davis.

The Banner Sagais available now for $24.99/€22.99/£18.99 through Steam, UPlay, GameFly, GameStop, GOG and Gamers Gate for PC and Mac. A digital Deluxe Edition is also available through select retailers for $29.99/€27.99/£22.99 and includes the game and complete soundtrack.

To learn more about The Banner Sagavisit: http://stoicstudio.com/

To learn more about Versus Evil visit: http://www.vsevil.net

About Stoic

http://www.stoicstudio.com

Stoic is an independent game developer based out of Austin, Texas, formed in early 2012 by three veteran game developers. Each is dedicated to making great games that are artful, independent and unique. The studio is comprised of Alex Thomas, Arnie Jorgensen, and John Watson – all industry vets who are now dedicated to continuing as independent game developers. The Banner Saga? and The Banner Saga: Factions? content is used by permission. © Stoic LLC. 2012-2013 All rights reserved.

About Versus Evil

Versus Evil is an independent video game publisher focused on working with talented independent game developers for all platforms. The company’s philosophy centers on building relationships by giving development teams the level of support they need so they can focus on making the games they want to make. For more information visit: http://vsevil.net/ © Versus Evil LLC. 2013-2014. All rights reserved.

BABYMETAL Goes Global In July

Sanjay Parbhu

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May 8, 2014

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2014 has been a pretty good year for this Jpop/metal idol group; so far their first album has hit number one in the US metal charts (February), they became the youngest group to perform at “Nippon Budokan” in March and now they are planning a world tour for July.

Well not so much a “world” tour as it is “Japan and three other countries,” but the idols will be doing one night performances in the United Kingdom, France and Germany. The 2014 tour will begin on the 1st of July in Paris followed by a Cologne concert on the 3rd; The UK will be getting two concerts on the 5th (Knebworth) and the 7th (London) and the final concert will be held in the Chiba Prefecture on the 14th of September. At the time of writing, no info about ticket purchasing has been given, but keep following Capsule Computers for further details about the tour.

As if reaching number one in overseas metal charts wasn’t bizarre enough, the group’s performance on the 5th will be a part of Soniphere 2014; a rock/metal music festival which will also feature the bands “Iron Maiden”, “Metallica” and “The Prodigy” and much more. Click the video down below to check out their popular hit song Gimme “Chocolate”.

Let us know what you think about BABYMETAL’S world tour by leaving a comment down below.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Review

Dustin Spencer

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May 8, 2014

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The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Developer: Beenox
Publisher: Activision
Platform: Xbox 360 (Reviewed), Xbox One, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Wii U, PC
Release Date: April 29, 2014
Price: $69.95 Buy Here

Overview
Seeing Spider-Man in the video game world is kind of like seeing that friend that you enjoy to be around – but only in doses. For years we have seen entry after entry – with mixed to great results. Beenox has now established themselves as a developer who knows what they are doing with Spidey, but like the others, have shown their shortcomings with certain aspects of the games. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 however seemed to be jam-packed – and even if it was just going to be an “ok” game, the large portion of fan service would have definitely brought it up a peg, right? How does this new installment fare in a world cluttered by the so-so licensed game? Let’s find out.

Story
To say that the plot in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is crowded is putting it lightly. While we do get to see a lot of recreated scenes from the cinematic interpretation, the video game version goes a little further by adding plenty of sub-plots with other villains. By other, I mean a lot. You have Peter Parker, who is conflicted in his identity and consequence, who has to face his past and present as villain after villain gets chucked into the story just for the sake of it. We also have other appearances from The Black Cat, which furthers the narrative a bit, but doesn’t do enough to stomp out the overwhelming filler that runs wild for nearly the entire experience.

Even with a sub-par story, a new dialogue choice option was added in to make it feel like the decisions you make in conversations would have an effect on the overall plot. Sadly, this is just an illusion as all this does is randomize interrogations and lead to the same result every single time. Sure, there were times the plot gripped me and I was genuinely interested, but this title loses those moments of strength and substance quickly by taking you back to the same streets of Manhattan to do the same kind of crime fighting you were doing just minutes before, as you “fight the inner demons” – which by the way is just another invisible arrow telling you to do more of the tedious rescue missions.

Another element of the narrative that is equally frustrating is the character of Peter Parker. You see, Peter loses Uncle Ben (that really isn’t a spoiler at all), and is rather shaken up. In fact, a good part of the first quarter of the game is consumed with his quest for vengeance. This would have been fine, but the game breaks the player’s emotional attachment to the situation constantly by allowing Peter to talk while swinging around the city. One moment, you will see a heartbroken Peter with his dear aunt, talking about the death, and not even a minute later, Peter is screaming out puns like an idiot as he explores the city. Its unfitting and a clear sign of a missing piece that was never formed by Beenox.

Gameplay
While the plot is a bit of a mess, the gameplay is much more together for the most part. The most important element in my eyes, which is swinging – has been completely retooled and feels more natural than ever before. By utilizing the left and right triggers, Spidey can now shoot web out of the corresponding limb. It sounds like a ho-hum addition, but in action the player now has much more control over their direction while in the air. The webbing itself also received an upgrade of sorts, no longer sticking to buildings and structures that are not there. This means that the player must stay low and get a better feel for the city, which definitely is an upgrade to to aimless floating feeling that The Amazing Spider-Man could never shake. The only downside to this is that the web still has issues with not sticking and sticking to nothing, but honestly – if you have momentum going and are just looking to glide and have fun, it really won’t make much of a difference.

The combat comes off however as sloppy. Flipping around, dodging, and hitting some quick melees make you feel like the hero you are, but while in closed spaces, the camera has issues and makes it far more of a chore than it should be. I know Arkham Asylum was great, but so was Spider-Man 2 (and even 3) in terms of combat. We get a watered down, more acrobatic move-list that feels like it was tuned to resemble Arkham, and in turn lose out on a lot of older techniques, now being forced to rely on web pulls and other frustrating maneuvers due to the low move pool. There are upgrades to these attacks – along with the web mechanics, but they do little to fix the overall problem. The combat is just too jerky and unstable to enjoy.

As I mentioned earlier, there are a ton of villains, which means a lot of boss battles are available for you to partake in. These fights are actually not that bad even though some border on being a quick-time event rather than an actual fight, but still come off as one of the game’s shining moments due to the quality shown compared to the lesser battles. Foes within the game are just not fun to do battle with. I’m talking the grunts that appear in the many, many missions located on the map, and even though the difficulty is not steep on these encounters, the AI is awful and I spent a lot of time chasing down men who were spinning in place and shooting at some random spot in the map. There is a heavy emphasis on participating in heroic acts during The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but with shaky camera angles and and a little too much recycling and padding, it can feel like your stuck in Groundhog Day, waiting for the next boss battle to come along just so you can get an escape.

Peter Parker’s other profession is a photographer – and we finally get to see that expanded upon within the game itself this time around. During the build-up for a big encounter, the player will have to walk around powerless and snap photos. Its not very exciting, and there isn’t enough reward to warrant doing so – leading to yet another boring task that could have been more fulfilling with a little extra attention. That is the biggest flaw overall with The Amazing Spider-Man 2, really. No matter how hard it tries, the game never delivers a pay-off. Swinging is a blast and some missions are fun, but you can only swing for so long before you have to come down and re-enter the monotonous world build for us to play in.

Visuals
For a game that feels rather rushed, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 does deliver in the visual department for the most part. The scenery and lighting paint a beautiful picture of an active city. The models are a bit bland and expressionless, but the textures and animations of the cars down below make up for a lot of the shortcomings. The animations of the NPCs however are awkward and stiff, and being on the ground is a lesser experience because of it. We do get some nice suits and little offerings in visual nostalgia from time to time though, so those who are hardcore fans of the comics will probably find a lot of life in the game by just exploring and picking up items.

Audio
I remember some of the soundtrack for this game somewhat fondly as it isn’t terrible, it just tends to fade away into the background. This is mainly due to the dialogue of Peter Parker, which takes center stage while you’re out solo roaming the skies. The voice cast as a whole, Peter included, just come off as a bit bored, and dull. Its like they were handed scripts and told to finish reading in a day, and because of that, a good portion of the emotion and personality that we seen in past installments drifts away like a web in the wind. It is cool to hear people react to Spider-Man as he walks around, or to hear cars honk if you get to close, but those are minor additions that should not have come before something as major as the big picture itself.

Overall
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is in no way a bad game. The gameplay is fun, and while the combat is clunky – it still gets the job done. It is however a very uninspired adventure, confused on if it wants to be a more arcade experience or tell us an unforgettable tale. You will always see critics reference Spider-Man 2: The Game in reviews for this franchise as it set the mark. It was an arcade adventure that was deep, rewarding, and still let you do what you want, when you wanted. There was a sense of freedom. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 fails at hitting that mark, as it feels rushed, even though you can see the foundation for a similar experience buried underneath the cobwebs. Spider-Man fans, you’ll still enjoy this game – as it still has some worthwhile elements that are fully function-able. Those looking for one of those cult classic, licensed titles however are going to have to wait and see the next project Beenox has in store, when more time can simply be offered to the development cycle.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Always Sometimes Monsters Preview

Chris Chu

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May 8, 2014

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Always Sometimes Monsters
Developer: Vagabond Dog
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Platform: PC (Reviewed)
Release Date: Spring 2014
Price: $9.99 – Pre-purchase available here

Always Sometimes Monsters surprised me. I don’t usually ponder about things like the reality of our situations or how humane or inhumane things in life are. This title developed by Vagabond Dog and published by Devolver Digital, who were the publishers of Broforce, went above and beyond in creating an experience that was not only interesting, but enlightening. It’s so weird to say that about video games, but Vagabond Dog’s first title was an eye opening experience, to say the least.

Throughout the gameplay, I constantly questioned myself on what my next choices were. I decided to run through the game three times, once as a goodie two-shoe, the next as an evil person, and the last as myself. All three of those scenarios played out differently for me, and that just goes to show how much thought was put into the storyline’s progression.

In the game, you’re allowed to play as any gender, race, age, and orientation. There are no limits as to what character you choose to play, and that adds a new depth to the game and allows players to replay it continuously. The game also really pushes the different kinds of responses you get based on what kind of character you play. The way the NPCs in the game respond to your character is dependent on what characteristics he or she shows. Everything in Always Sometimes Monsters is circumstantial, and in a way, it makes the gameplay very exciting.

While this isn’t the typical sort of game that I would pick up and play through, I’ll admit that I was intrigued for hours on what I could possibly do within the games’ universe. The beginning scene in the game follows a woman who hired a hitman to kill someone for her, but she immediately regrets it. As the female chases him, they encounter a mysterious man who pulls out a gun and goes into a long story of why he and the hitman are destined to meet and kill each other. From there, you are given options. You can either choose to ignore him and walk away, listen to his story, or shoot him on the spot. Each option provides a different scene.

The beginning of the story starts off with a writer who is about to get evicted from his/her house, depending on who you choose to start off with. My first go around, I chose to play as a blonde female, and I ended up choosing her another female partner. This certain situation creates a lot of difficulties for me as I progress through the gameplay. If I played a straight white female, things would have definitely been different in most of my situations throughout the game’s progression. In my situation as a homosexual female, the NPCs around me shifted to respond to my inquiries and questions differently. One of the things I noticed was that sometimes, people can be monsters.

Relationships in Always Sometimes Monsters is a huge aspect of the game that is focused on. Players can explore freely all of the options at your disposal. NPCs react differently towards your character if you’re straight or homosexual. Race and gender are also hugely different factors that really influence the way NPCs respond to you. Male characters typically seem to have an easier time achieving goals than the female characters, and while this is really unfair, it’s realistic. This is Vagabond Dog’s aim for Always Sometimes Monsters, and it really reminds you of the very real issues that exist in society.

The name itself is a shot at how people nowadays aren’t as transparent as they seem. Regardless of how you play, hints of the monster in you may appear as you deal with the other characters in the game. Whether you lie or do something that puts you ahead of the other characters, the selfishness that defines society today is reflected in the choices we make in this game. As stated earlier, every choice you make creates a distinctly different situation. In the scene where I was face to face with another man who had a gun and the lady that hired me, if you chose to walk away from him, he would threaten to kill the girl. The first time I played, I chose to do that because I didn’t think it was that important. The game screen blacked out and thanked me for playing in an almost mocking way. The game capitalizes on when you create an immoral choice, and you can tell when you’ve done something bad. After a while of playing through the game, it was difficult to make choices that may reflect poorly on myself. It made me really self-conscious about what I was doing, and that’s really weird considering it’s just a game.

The graphics aren’t anything special, but it provides an atmosphere that a 3D game really wouldn’t have been able to. The soundtrack was also very haunting, and it personally made me feel very weird inside. The whole game questions your motives and highlights the selfishness seen in people. As much as this game surprised me, I’d easily recommend this title to anyone that’s willing to purchase it.

New Live-Action “Power Rangers” Movie Announced

Frank Inglese

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May 8, 2014

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It was today announced that “Lionsgate” and “Saban Brands” will be coming together to begin production for a brand-new “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” live-action film based on the series from the 1990s. Yes this is absolutely true. It has been said that the upcoming film will feature the same characters that were present in the original series and hopes are that this new movie will rejuvenate the majorities’ love for “super sentai-style” cinema.

“Lionsgate is the perfect home for elevating our Power Rangers brand to the next level…They have the vision, marketing prowess and incredible track record in launching breakthrough hits from The Hunger Games to Twilight and Divergent. In partnership with the Lionsgate team, we’re confident that we will capture the world of the Power Rangers and translate it into a unique and memorable motion picture phenomenon with a legacy all its own.” – Haim Saban

“Power Rangers” have been present in children’s lives for many years and I feel as though, much like Mr. Saban and the good people at “Lionsgate”, it should definitely make a return in some huge way. Hopefully production for this movie will go as smoothly as possible so that we won’t be waiting too long to get our hands on some incredible next-generation “Power Rangers” action.

Naruto Shippuden Movie 5: Blood Prison Review

Frank Inglese

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May 8, 2014

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Naruto Shippuden Movie 5: Blood Prison Review

Naruto Shippuden Movie 5: Blood Prison
Studio: Studio Pierrot
Publisher: Madman Entertainment
Format: DVD, Blu-Ray (Reviewed)
Release Date: 16th April 2014
Price: $29.94 – Available Here

Overview

Not only does every Shonen series in circulation have an almost uncountable number of episodes under their belt, with more set to come, but they also have a handful of story-branching movies to go along with it, Naruto is one of those series’ and considering it’s been going for many years I can’t say any of us are really surprised by this. Year after year we’re given movie after movie, some of them are actually pretty good, others seem more like extended episodes rather than full movies. I have to give it to the show-runners of these series’ because every time they branch off the storyline into something that is meant to fit into a movie they try their very best to make it different, unique or even slightly interesting, it doesn’t always land but when it does…it does it well.

Story

One dark night, the Raikage and his small team are attacked by a mysterious and deadly ninja who reveals himself to be none other than our hero Naruto Uzumaki. Back at the Hidden Leaf village, Tsunade (the Hokage) calls a meating with Naruto and Team 7 wherein which she explains the situation to Naruto. Shocked because he obviously didn’t do it, Naruto has a bit of a freak out, especially when he’s told he’s being sent to one of the highest security prisons in the known “Naruto” universe; “Hozuki Castle”. The warden there, a man they call Mui, has an interesting an highly-convenient power that can “seal” a shinobi’s power stopping him/her from being able to use his/her chakra.

It also prevents the victim from escaping from the island; not only is it surrounded by deep, dark water but getting too far away from Mui will actually set a sealed ninja on fire, killing them in the most painful way possible. Naruto is sent to this prison for crimes he didn’t even know he committed but what makes it worse is that he finds himself caught up in some sort of clan “conspiracy” that revolves around a magical box that can grant wishes. Naruto, alongside his new prison friends, must figure out just what is going on and just how to stop Mui from opening up this supernatural box and unleashing his devious plans on the world. Basically this movie is one massive filler episode. It’s chock full of brand-new characters, some with abilities so specific that they can only really be relevant in this particular film. One character has a “life transference” power which, as you may have already figured out, comes into play later on in the film for one “cop out” of a final scene.

This story was basically a “Naruto” version of “Shawshank Redemption” but with the addition of a powerful ninja box that could grant wishes. Unfortunately this movie had the same course of action as every single other “Naruto” movie and it pretty much ended up the same way; it wasn’t a bad film but it wasn’t a good one, it was just a “Naruto” film. Every “Naruto” film has, essentially, the same story layout: Naruto goes about life as normal as he can, something bad happens to some other ninja, Naruto gets thrown into mix because of some generic reason, something bad happens, the world is in trouble and Naruto is the only person in the land of ninjas that can save the day. I do have to say; the story does get good near the end but there are certain plot holes that should NOT be present in the movie.

Visuals

The film was developed by the same studio and staff that have been working on the series since it was first released all the way back in 2002 so, as you can imagine, it looks quite similar to the way the “Naruto Shippuden” series looks now. The film is set outside of the Hidden Leaf village and in a place that we’ve never seen before so it was quite exciting especially because I don’t believe we’ve ever been shown a prison in the show. The way it was designed was actually very nice looking and fit the odd and conflicting style of “Naruto”. The prison cells were designed almost like wooden crates in a very traditional Japanese style but the buildings within the walls of the castle almost resembled modern sky scrapers creating a nice comparison between ancient and contemporary architectural styles.

The animation, for the most part, was standard; it wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t fantastic though, during certain scenes, the animation quality does get a huge bump up making for some absolutely brilliant scenes of action and intensity. The escalation of the film’s events really allow for the animators to run wild. In some cases the characters didn’t even look like that of “Naruto” ones, they looked strange but ultimately great. Some of my favorite scenes were the ones where Mui (the warden) was shown to have a twisted visage; eyes widened, mouth agape and a look of pure intimidation plastered on his face, these scenes worked as true testaments to the high animation level that was achieved by the end of this film…though, there were some areas throughout that were plain boring or looked as though they weren’t entirely well-animated but they were few and far between so it wasn’t necessarily an issue.

Audio

“Blood Prison” sticks to the same musical format that the series has always followed: The soundtrack is mostly made up by songs composed with traditional Japanese instruments to give that “authentic” ninja feel…if there’s such a thing. Occasionally they’ll throw in a bit of guitar shredding to put emphasis on a scene but, for the most part, they stick with the typical use of the “Koto” and other instruments like it. Fact is; that musical style fits the “Naruto” series perfectly so it’s obvious that the development team would make the decision to use similar tracks for the movie. Even in saying that, I can’t honestly say the soundtrack was that memorable. Despite the fact that it fits, it’s still a constant in the “Naruto” film and TV series so it feels almost like a “copy and paste” even though that may not necessarily be the case.

The voice acting in the film was held up entirely by characters only introduced for the film. Naruto was by far the most lackluster sounding character in the movie but luckily it was populated by a bunch of new characters who had some great voice actors and actresses…if only the dialogue allowed for them to truly shine as masters of their art but unfortunately that wasn’t entirely the case. The cast were good enough at their job to make the characters sound good despite the silly writing but I could only imagine how good they would have sounded had the script been at a higher caliber. By the end of the film you definitely got to see the cast shine but they were quickly brought back down to Earth by another long-winded speech by Naruto regarding love, friendship and all the themes that are present in every single piece of “Naruto” media.

Extras

I was actually quite surprised to see that the “Naruto Shippuden Movie 5: Blood Prison” release came with some pretty quirky and cool extras. The movie came with most of the regular extras like movie trailers, other anime trailers and an art gallery which just showed the character of the movie but it also came with a couple extra features, one of which is actually a mini-movie. Fans of the Japanese voice cast will be excited to know that the release comes with an interview with the voice Naruto Junko Takeuchi. It also comes with a message from the creator of the series himself Masashi Kishimoto and, as mentioned above, a mini-movie titled “Chunin Exam on Fire! Naruto Vs Konohamaru!”.

Overall

If you’re a fan of the “Naruto” series than you’ll absolutely love this movie. If you’re a fan of anime that enjoys a well-rounded story with some interesting character types than maybe this movie isn’t entirely for you. Having a deep connection to the character of Naruto is definitely a prerequisite for enjoying any “Naruto” movie, without that it just seems like a strange and badly-written anime movie that almost falls flat but luckily is held up by a nice aesthetical style and copious amounts of ninja-style action. If you’ve enjoyed every other “Naruto” movie in the film series than I can’t imagine you disliking this one, it actually isn’t too bad but there are deffinitely little things here and there (especially throughout the story) that help you to remember this is just another “Shonen Jumps” anime movie. Still, at the end of the day, it’s a nice little movie that you can throw on and watch while doing something else and still fully understand it so I say just give it a try. You most likely wont regret it.

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