Page 3821 – Capsule Computers

Demon Gaze now available for purchase in North America

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April 23, 2014

Today fans of dungeon crawlers will be happy to hear that NIS America‘s Demon Gaze is now available for purchase in North America both at retailers and from the PlayStation Store. Those looking forward to the game in Europe have a few more days to wait as the title is set to be released there on April 25th.

It is worth noting that for the first month after the game’s release, gamers can download some free Disgaea DLC that offers players character portraits of Etna, Flonne, Cicily, Asagi, and a Prinny. For those who haven’t been following the game, Demon Gaze follows the story of Oz, the nameable protagonist, who suddenly wakes up with no memories of his past in a land overrun with demons. Without knowing what to do or who he is, Oz starts hunting down demons and assisting around the Inn that he is staying at by using his powers as a Demon Gazer.

Girls und Panzer OVA Series Review

Sergei Lazarev

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April 23, 2014

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Girls und Panzer OVA Series
Studio: Actas
Publisher: Hanabee
Format: Blu-Ray (reviewed), DVD
Release Date: April 2, 2014
Price: $34.99 – Available Here

Overview
Girls und Panzer was an amusing mix of history, military authenticity and cute anime characters tailored for those of us who know our tanks as much as our anime. Believe it or not the military otaku fanbase is formidable in Japan with even the Japanese Self Defence Force using anime mascots in its recruitment drive. The anime even caught on in the West where players in the popular online game World of Tanks saw the series trademark phrase “Panzer vor!” being typed across their screens.

While the TV show (reviewed HERE) delivered a clever and original spin on the sports competition genre, the OVA collection promises to be more of a companion disc rather than an expansion of the series. Should fans roll out once again for the OVAs or treat this as a mere blank?

Story
As expected, there is no real story or plot here in case you were wondering. Just six short episodes are on offer which run from anywhere between four minutes to sixteen minutes. Fans of Girls und Panzer will enjoy more educational military references and more fun and games with the girls while some episodes manage to be pretty clever in their delivery.

Such as a reconnaissance mission which sees two members of the team take a hike through the snow while they point out curious army facts, sing marching songs, infiltrate Pravda School’s base and eventually come full circle back to HQ. Once again we’re left to ponder how these girls wear short skirts in subzero temperatures all while being informed on how to keep one’s feet warm.

Although we’re given obligatory fan service with a swimsuit episode, where they still manage to fit in tank camouflage references, other episodes give you more practical info on the world behind Girls und Panzer. Such as facts about the gigantic aircraft carriers that hold entire cities while one episode is dedicated to just the bizarre yet fan-favourite Angler fish dance.

A lot of the humour injected in these silly episodes can be missed unless you’re on the ball especially with the sixth and final episode where members of the team star in a talent show. Conversations and rebuttals are fast, often played out like a Japanese variety show, and demand that you know the context which can be found either from the TV series or something military buffs are aware of. If you haven’t seen the TV series, leave this well enough alone.

Visuals & Audio
Studio Actas has managed to maintain the quality of the original TV series, giving viewers above average animation for a simple slice of life anime. Since there isn’t any action there is also hardly any CG used this time around although the tanks you do see are still highly detailed and the environments are crisp as always. To make up for the lack of activity you do get a saucy swimsuit episode though, I suppose.

Most of the girls make a return along with their voice actors, both English and Japanese. The banter being thrown back and forth here is definitely an impressive feat with some of the script resembling complicated tongue twisters.

Since there’s no real team battles or story development in these OVA episodes, sound variety is a little scarce. Did you enjoy the crazy Angler fish song? They’ve dedicated an entire episode to it so dance along until your heart’s content. On the other hand, it’s also a little disappointing to hear the same opening and ending songs as the TV anime release.

Extras
Expecting fancy extras were we? Here’s a clean opening and ending song of the original anime for your troubles. At this price point and for the content given you would be surprised to find anything extra here.

Overall
If you haven’t seen Girls und Panzer, ignore this and head straight for the TV series instead. For fans of the series this OVA collection is a compendium of bits and pieces of additional info behind the Girls und Panzer universe along with some fan-favourite references. No doubt you will come away from this with some new, random info about the military. But the fact is, there’s very little to see in this disjointed OVA collection which clocks in at 73 minutes. In the original Japanese release, these short episodes were included with the (admittedly expensive) Blu-Ray volumes.

While it’s nice to have these localised and available on our shelves, I can’t help but feel that making a separate release wasn’t such a good idea. Diehard fans will have fun for a short while, but I can think of a number of ways that $35, or $30 for the DVD version, is better spent.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Blizzard announces Blizzcon 2014

Luke Halliday

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April 23, 2014

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Blizzard Entertainment, the masterminds behind the colossal MMORPG World of Warcraft and many other titles, have announced that their Blizzard Entertainment centric convention ‘Blizzcon‘ will be returning in 2014.

This will mark the eighth annual Blizzcon event and will bring fans of games such as World of Warcraft, Diablo and the unforgettable Starcraft series together for a two day extravaganza. Tickets for the event go on sale in two batches, May 8th and May 11th.

Blizzcon 2014 will be held at the Anaheim Convention Centre in Southern California on November 7th and 8th, 2014. Be sure to check out the Blizzcon website here for more details on the event.

Might and Magic Duel of Champions Cast “Road to Paris” 2014

Vicky Martin

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April 23, 2014

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Might and Magic Duel of Champions Cast “Road to Paris” 2014

Ubisoft have announced the second edition of the eSports “Road to Paris” tournament series for its popular trading-card game, Might & Magic Duel of Champions, currently available for PC and iPad.

The Producer of Might & Magic Duel of Champions, Samuel Jobin declared, “Last year more than 1,500 players participated in epic battles through three online qualifying events and five live events across the world to become the Grand Champion. The eight finalists from 2013 were from all over the world: Sweden, Australia, France, Germany, Poland, Denmark and the USA. We hope that the second Road to Paris competition will bring even more players as we continue to expand the game and grow our community.”

Players can register and participate for the “Road to Paris” online qualifiers starting May 1 on the official site here.

Don’t miss out on the chance to become one of the eight finalists competing for the worldwide Grand Champion title of Might & Magic Duel of Champions!

Croixleur Sigma to launch on Steam on April 30th

Travis Bruno

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April 23, 2014

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Croixleur Sigma to launch on Steam on April 30th

It has been a long time coming but Croixleur finally has a release date for Steam and it is coming to Steam in its revamped form Croixleur Sigma which will cost $7.99 when it is released on April 30th. Croixleur Sigma features a number of new additions that include a new playable character in the form of Francesca Storaro, two player co-op, new gameplay modes, improved graphics, and new music.

If you have already purchased the game do not fret, as anyone who has bought Croixleur prior to the Steam release will be given a Steam code for Croixleur Sigma. For those who don’t know, Croixleur Sigma is a high-speed hack and slash action game that was developed by souvenir circ., one of Japan’s lead indie developers. In this new release players have the option to take on the game’s story mode and see two seperate stories with multiple endings for each character. New screenshots of the game as well as a trailer that highlights the additions to this release can be found below.

Call of Duty: Ghosts New Customisation Items Now Available

Vicky Martin

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April 23, 2014

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Call of Duty: Ghosts New Customisation Items Now Available

Call of Duty: Ghosts is packing in the heat with six new personalisation packs and a wide range of customisation items now available for players to take advantage of on Xbox Live.

Infinity Ward and Activision have released the third Customisation Items trailer for Call of Duty: Ghosts (featured below), showing the six personalisation packs, with customised camo, reticle, patch playercard and background for only $1.99 each. Choices include:

Blunt Force: chronic lethality
1987: retrograde makeover
Hex: authentic and high-tech look
Heartlands: protective patterns
Eyeballs: death stares
Molten: lava-hot themes

In addition, players can purchase The Soap Legend Pack with the iconic field commander of Task Force 141 with Captain John “Soap” MacTavish for $3.99, the Classic Ghost Pack for $1.99, the Squad Pack: Extinction for alien smashing soldiers at $3.99 and Voice Packs with Snoop Dogg and the Drill Instructor for only $2.99.

Rise of Incarnates, a fighting game for PC, announced by Namco

Travis Bruno

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April 23, 2014

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Rise of Incarnates, a fighting game for PC, announced by Namco

Bandai Namco has announced that they are working on a free to play battle arena game where players will fight 2 vs 2 and it is being developed by the team that worked on Tekken and Soulcalibur. In Rise of Incarnates players will fight in a ruined world amongst real life cities that have been decimated by earthquakes and terrible weather.

Players will be able to control ‘Incarnates’ which are people who can control demonic powers that allow them to transform, fly, and use special abilities. There will be four playable characters at launch, Ares, Grim Reaper, Lilith, and Mephistopheles. Rise of Incarnates is set to be released sometime in Q2 2014 on Steam.

Ubisoft AND Might & Magic Duel of Champions KICK-OFF “Road to Paris” 2014

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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April 23, 2014

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Ubisoft AND Might & Magic Duel of Champions KICK-OFF “Road to Paris” 2014

Worldwide eSports competition starts May 1

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – April 23rd, 2014 – Ubisoft^® has announced the second edition of the eSports “Road to Paris” tournament series for its popular collectible card game, Might & Magic Duel of Champions, available for PC and iPad.

The second edition of the “Road to Paris” tournament serieswill take place over the course of this year through online qualifying tournament events, culminating in the World Championship finals taking place in January 2015. Players can register and participate for the online qualifiers starting May 1. Eight finalists from qualifying events worldwide will be invited to compete for the title of Might & Magic Duel of Champions – Grand Champion.

“Last year more than 1,500 players participated in epic battles through three online qualifying events and five live events across the world to become the Grand Champion. The eight finalists from 2013 were from all over the world: Sweden, Australia, France, Germany, Poland, Denmark and the USA. We hope that the second Road to Paris competition will bring even more players as we continue to expand the game and grow our community,” said Samuel Jobin, Producer of Might & Magic Duel of Champions. “Beyond the players that competed, the tournament entertained a much wider community that streamed Duel of Champions, watched game replays, and followed the tournament’s results.”

To register and for more information about the Might & Magic Duel of Champions“Road to Paris” Tournament Series, please visit http://www.road2paris.com/

To play Might & Magic Duel of Champions, please visit the official website http://www.duelofchampions.com.

BLIZZCON® 2014 DETECTED

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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April 23, 2014

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BLIZZCON^® 2014 DETECTED

Get ready for Blizzard Entertainment’s eighth BlizzCon^® gaming convention and community celebration, taking place November 7–8

Tickets on sale May 8 and May 11

SYDNEY, Australia. – April 23, 2014 – Alert your guilds, clans, houses, and fellowships—Blizzard Entertainment today announced plans for its eighth BlizzCon^® gaming convention, taking place Friday, November 7 and Saturday, November 8at the Anaheim Convention Centre in Southern California. Terrans, nephalem, Alliance, and Horde from across the multiverse are invited to join Blizzard for a two-day celebration at the nexus of all things Warcraft^®, StarCraft^®, and Diablo^®.

Tickets to BlizzCon will go on sale in two batches, one on May 8 (AEST) and the other on May 11 (AEST). In addition, a limited number of tickets to an exclusive pre-BlizzCon dinner to benefit Children’s Hospital of Orange County will go on sale May 15 (AEST).

“BlizzCon is always the biggest highlight of the year for us,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment.“With Hearthstone^™ and Reaper of Souls^™ recently launched and Heroes of the Storm^™ and Warlords of Draenor^™ gearing up for beta, 2014 is already shaping up to be an epic year for Blizzard gamers. We can’t wait to celebrate and share what we’ve been working on with everyone this November.”

In addition to serving as the gravitational gathering point for Blizzard Entertainment’s gaming communities, BlizzCon will offer attendees a chance to enjoy:

Hands-on play time with the latest versions of Blizzard Entertainment games
Global finals for Blizzard eSports, including the StarCraft^® II World Championship Series Global Finals
In-depth discussion panels with Blizzard game developers and artists
Competitive and casual tournaments for players to showcase their talents
Community contests with great prizes
Commemorative merchandise based on Blizzard Entertainment’s game universes
More activities and attractions to be announced

Tickets to attend the convention will be priced at $199 USD (plus applicable taxes and fees) each and will be available for purchase from the online event ticketing service Eventbrite via their website (www.blizzcon2014.eventbrite.com) in two separate batches. The first batch goes on sale at 12 p.m. (AEST) on Thursday, May 8, and the second batch goes on sale at 3 a.m. (AEST) on Sunday, May 11.

Tickets to the BlizzCon Benefit Dinner, which include admission to BlizzCon, will be priced at $750 USD (plus applicable taxes and fees) each, with proceeds going to Children’s Hospital of Orange County (http://www.choc.org) to support their Feeding Therapy Program. Taking place the evening of November 6, this exclusive event offers guests an opportunity to /eat, /drink, and geek out with developers, artists, and other folks from Blizzard before the show—all for a great cause. Approximately 200 tickets to the benefit dinner will be available for purchase beginning 12 p.m. (AEST) on Thursday, May 15 through www.blizzcon2014.eventbrite.com.

Gamers from the far reaches of Azeroth, the Koprulu sector, and Sanctuary looking to enjoy BlizzCon from the comfort of their own home will once again have the option to order a BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, offering comprehensive live coverage of the event via a multichannel Internet stream. Further details on the Virtual Ticket, including pricing, availability, and programming information, will be announced at a later date.

For further details about BlizzCon 2014, including ticket availability and pricing, visit the official BlizzCon website (www.blizzcon.com). Those interested in attending the show in person can make advance hotel reservations now and receive special BlizzCon rates by booking through the BlizzCon hotel website.

Blizzard Entertainment is currently hiring for numerous open positions. More information on available career opportunities can be found at www.blizzard.com/jobs.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft^® and the Warcraft^®, StarCraft^®, and Diablo^® franchises, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes sixteen #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s online-gaming service, Battle.net^®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about the dates and event plans for BlizzCon 2014, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

GRID Autosport Hitting Consoles with Speed; New Trailer Pulls In

Dustin Spencer

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April 23, 2014

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GRID Autosport Hitting Consoles with Speed; New Trailer Pulls In

How about some more GRID, racing fans? After seeing the release of Grid 2 not too long ago (review here), Bandai Namco and Codemasters have announced GRID Autosport – which will be hitting the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC. Yes, no next gen love, but there is still plenty of reason to give this racer a look as it features some fine tuned professional racing, where the key goal is to satisfy team sponsors and beat rivals.

GRID Autosport will also feature 100 routes across 22 locations, meaning this little spin-off should be packed full of content. Check out the trailer down below and look for GRID Autosport coming to shelves in the coming year.