FLAT EARTH GAMES BUILDS TOWNCRAFT FOR iPHONE AND MAC
With an Extraordinary Level of New Content, Gamers Can Now Craft, Build, Explore and More This Spring
Sydney, Australia – April 7, 2014 – Flat Earth Games, the Australian development studio that launched the successful crafting-building-exploration game TownCraft last fall on iPad, has unveiled its newest construction –TownCraft will arrive on iPhone and Mac this spring and will update the current iPad version. The new game adds a whole new level of depth and challenge and an impressive volume of new content, including four new levels, 30 new resources, new building types and structures, 44 new quests, and much more.
“We are excited and delighted to bring the TownCraft experience to the iPhone and Mac players,” said Leigh Harris, Lead Designer. “Players around the world have provided superb feedback, letting us know they genuinely appreciate the Zen-like approach to game design, huge amount of content we’ve been adding and the lack of in-app purchases. We believe players will love the expansive world and the depth of gameplay in our new version of TownCraft.”
TownCraft is an addictive, relaxing, and non-violent crafting and city-building game, set in medieval times; players are alone in the wilderness and must start a new town to be the toast of the kingdoms. Gamers begin by crafting the most basic of tools, tying a sharpened stone to a small piece of wood as a hatchet, but before long the town will be teeming and with travellers from all across the land. They’ll buy wares at the local shops, come to check out the sights, have some food and drink at the tavern players build. They’ll come looking to trade, work, fish, farm, forage, hire, fire, and explore the bizarre and distinctive world of TownCraft.
Key Features in TownCraft
Play a new world every time – no two worlds will ever be the same thanks to procedurally generated maps!
Players will test their skills at crafting, with hundreds of different objects to create.
Gamers can build bridges, jetties, workshops and windmills in the effort to create a fully functioning and self-sufficient town.
Players will order around muck-ridden peasants, who will manage their gold mines, stone quarries, crop fields, lakes, shops and taverns.
Users will play in a world with a real-time day and night cycle – workers will wake up, go to work, hit the tavern to meet some passing travellers later at night, and then get some shut-eye again.
Gamers can explore each new world and unearth countless resources, from cotton to canary eggs, gold to grapes, wheat to wax and stone to silver.
Players will follow an off-beat story as kingdoms vie for control.
TownCraft is produced with the support of Screen Australia, and is currently available on iPad on the APP Store for $4.99 (with no in-app purchases); it will be out on iPhone and the Mac this spring. For more information, keep in touch with Flat Earth Games on their Website www.flatearthgames.com.au, ‘like’ them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter @fegames.
Anime distribution site Daisuki has announced that, in partnership with Aniplex of America, it is adding a few new series to its simulcast line up. The Irregular at Magic High School and Mekakucity Actors are set to premiere on April 6th and 13th respectively, with Nanana’s Buried Treasure and Mushi-shi set to release a month after their initial Japanese broadcast.
Magic–A century has passed since this concept has been recognized as a formal technology instead of the product of the occult or folklore. The season is spring and it is time for a brand new school year. At the National Magic University First Affiliate High School, A.K.A Magic High School, students are divided into two distinct groups according to their academic performances. The “Bloom,” who demonstrate the highest grades and are enrolled in the “First Course,” and the “Weed,” who have poor academic records and are enrolled in the “Second Course.”
This spring, a very peculiar brother and sister enroll as new students. The brother is an underachiever with some deficiencies and enrolls as a “Weed,” while his younger sister is an honor student, who enrolls as a “Bloom.” The brother, with a somewhat philosophical expression, and the younger sister who holds feelings a little stronger than sibling love for him… Ever since these two have entered through the gates of this prestigious school, the calm campus was beginning to change…
The incidents which occurred on August 14th and 15th bring a group of young boys and girls together… They are members of a group they call themselves the “Mekakushi Dan” (Blindfold Organization) and each member possesses a strange power involving their eyes. Will the members of this peculiar organization be able to solve the mysteries behind these incidents and see the truth?
“I’m going to build a place where young people can challenge to reach any of their dreams!”
The 7 genius students, known as the GREAT 7, launched a project to construct an artificial island called Nanae Island to realize their leader, Nanana Ryugajo’s peculiar idea. 12 years later, with a total population of 100,000 people with as much as 80% of those inhabitants being students, Nanae Island has successfully become prosperous as a special student zone. One of the island’s newest residents was Jugo Yama–a high school student who had just transferred to the island after being disowned by his father. One day, Jugo finds in his own apartment the earth-bound spirit of the late Nanana Ryugajo, who was murdered by someone 10 years ago! Jugo’s plan of living alone was suddenly thwarted by this strange roommate.
The original novel “Nanana’s Buried Treasure” won the Grand Prize of the 13th Entertainment Awards, which was the first Grand Prize in eight years. This anime series features the adventures and challenges of Jugo Yama as he searches through the historic ruins of Nanae Island for the great treasures, A.K.A “Nanana’s Collection,” along with the extraordinary characters he meets along the way. The mysterious puzzles of the ruins! The excitement of the treasure hunt! The strategic maneuvers and battles of thought and reason between the characters! Nanana’s Buried Treasure is an adventure you won’t want to miss!
They existed long before anyone can remember. They are simple and strange in nature, not resembling any other plant or animal in this world. In ancient times, people revered these bizarre creatures and called them “Mushi.” People once again began to believe in the existence of these “Mushi” when they began affecting their lives in inexplicable ways. The one who connects the world of “Mushi” to the world of humans—they were called the “Mushi-shi.” All life exists not to hinder others in this world. They are simply there to live as they were meant to.
All four titles will be available for free and with English subtitles in the US, Canada, Central America, South America and South Africa. So sit back and enjoy these rather eclectic additions to the Daisuki line up. Anime comes in all shapes and sizes. Isn’t it awesome?
Madman has announced that the highly anticipated sci-fi epic, Knights of Sidonia has been added to their ever expanding list of acquisitions and is set to premiere exclusively in the Screening Room. Based on the manga written by Nihei Tsutomu, Knights of Sidonia takes place 1000 years after an alien race known as the Gauna have decimated the solar system. Despite the unbelievable damage, a small portion of the human race has managed to survive thanks to an enormous spaceship called Sidonia. Ever since, this final facet of resistance has worked tirelessly to maintain and defend the remnants of humanity.
Featuring stellar animation by multi-award winning studio Polygon Pictures (Transformers Prime, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Tron: Uprising), Knights of Sidonia opts for CGI visuals, rather than the more traditional 2D animation. Rather suiting for a science fiction anime set far in the future.
Tanikaze Nagate is a young boy who has recently been accepted into a school for Guardian pilot trainees, where he also makes his first interactions with people other than his grandfather. During their first assignment, Nagate and his friends encounter a Gauna for the first time in a hundred years. This is where the battle for humanity’s survival starts.
So jump into the Screening Room on April 11th and watch the first stream of this sci-fi epic. Presented in it’s original Japanese format with English subtitles, the series is also set to receive and English dub in July. Guess that means you’ll just have to watch it twice.
*UPDATE*
To all who received our media announcement yesterday, or at Supanova Gold Coast over the weekend regarding KNIGHTS OF SIDONIA – Madman are disappointed to advise that the previously announced simulcast for this series has been cancelled.
We sincerely apologise to fans for any inconvenience this may cause.
Not content with resting on their laurels after the recent successes of their games, The Pokémon Company International joined in on the MIPTV festivities by announcing its newest feature-length animated film: Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction.
Once again finding themselves wrapped up in an epic quest, Ash and Co. must help the Legendary Pokemon Diancie as it embarks on a journey to unlock its true potential. Seeking the Legendary Xerneas for help, the situation becomes a little more complicated when Team Rocket, a thief and a ninja all attempt to interfere. If that wasn’t enough, a parent and child stumble upon a cocoon where the one said to have once eradicated all life in the Kalos region is said to slumber. The Destruction Pokemon: Yveltal.
In addition to the 16th film, Pokémon is also expanding its Video On Demand offerings. Fans in all Netflix territories have enjoyed classic Pokémon anime seasons and movies since content launched in March, Hulu watchers joined the fun in February (in the US at least). In addition to the Pokemon TV app released for iOS, you won’t be hard pressed to find some of your favourite episodes. Fans in Russia will also be able to enjoy a slew of new Pokemon content, as free-to-air broadcaster 2X2 is set to add Pokemon the Series: XY to its roster this September. But fear not Pokefans of the world, as this is merely the tip of the Avalugg. CITV (UK), Gulli (France), K2 (Italy), YEP! (Germany), Clan TV (Spain), TV4 (Sweden), TV2 (Norway), VT4 and Club RTL (Belgium), Disney XD (Europe), Cartoon Network (US,/Australia/New Zealand/Latin America), Eleven (Australia), etv (South Africa and YTV (Canada) all broadcast the episodes as well. Whew.
So no matter where on this big planet you call home, you can be darn sure that you can watch Pokemon in one form or another. The world of Pokemon is vast and ever expanding…isn’t that awesome?
Overview Deadman Wonderland was first introduced to the majority of its Western audience thanks to an anime adaptation that began airing in English back in 2012. However this was only a sample of the story and one that readers who have already looked picked up the first volume of the Deadman Wonderland will know is missing numerous characters. Now after the events of the last volume, how will the story of Deadman Wonderland continue in volume 2?
Story As with any review of a following volume, it is worth noting that there will be spoilers for the first volume to follow. Anyways, to recap a bit Ganta Igarashi has been sentenced to death and placed in the bizarre prison named Deadman Wonderland for the crime of murdering all of his classmates. However he has been framed by this crime by the ‘Red Man,’ a being capable of mass destruction and after the events of the first volume we learn that Ganta was given a special power called a ‘Branch of Sin’ after his run in with this mysterious enemy.
After coming face to face with the Red Man once more and displaying his power, Ganta awakens in the hospital after passing out and suffering from anemia. With Shiro by his side, he is temporarily able to rest, but this does not last for long as the head of the prison’s security Makina saw Ganta use his powers and unleashes a powerful robot named Necro Macro to either retrieve him or kill him.
Before Ganta must run for his life, he hears rumors about Cell Block G where the Red Man is supposed to be housed and as such that is his goal. In part because of the uncaring machine chasing them down, Ganta, Shiro, and Yo manage to come across a large door labeled G. Once the machine catches up to them the true nature of Deadman Wonderland as well as a few hints Ganta’s abilities are revealed.
With the nature of Deadman Wonderland revealed and Ganta now placed in Block G, he must face off against other “Deadmen” like himself who are capable of using their blood as weapons in duels where the prize for the victor is a large amount of prison currency and a lifesaving piece of candy but the price of losing is extremely high.
Now while the first volume revealed how sinister life in Deadman Wonderland is by setting the tone and detailing the rules of the prison, this second volume takes advantage of that build up and begins to move at a very fast pace. Very little time is spent sitting around as each chapter follows Ganta and the rest as they are either running for their lives or in later chapters Ganta battling against a fellow Branch of Sin user.
There are some new details about the prison revealed in every chapter when things slow down as we learn the name the prison has given to the Red Man as well as some details concerning the power structure in the prison, with a decrepit Governor having complete control but letting the Warden Tamaki do as he wishes by orchestrating matches between Deadmen and continuing his research of their conditions and simply murdering people for his own amusement.
By the end of Deadman Wonderland Volume 2 a whole new layer of story has been revealed to readers and a major cliffhanger and more questions are raised in the last few pages of this action heavy volume. As for the whole ‘missed content’ of the anime, there are a number of characters, including new Deadmen, introduced and additional plot elements added into the manga to make it somewhat familiar to those who may have seen the anime but definitely worth picking up for the definitive story.
Artwork Kazuma Kondou’s art throughout this volume is very impressive despite the limitations that a series set in a prison provides. The character designs for the new characters introduced in this volume are impressive looking and memorable and all of the returning characters are nicely drawn as well. The standout examples of the artwork in this volume are Shiro’s expressions as well as how impressive the Branch of Sin battles appear on the pages.
It is worth noting however that although some pieces see quite a lot of detail and there are a few two page spreads featuring impressive artwork, a large number of panels feature either completely white or black backgrounds which is an unfortunate limitation of the setting. Also this is not a series for those who are afraid of gore as there are a few pages with detailed drawings of evisceration and torture. A quick mention also goes for Viz’s translation of this volume, which for the most part is superb and doesn’t damage the art in any way, but does feature an odd sounding translation of Senji’s Branch of Sin being called “Crow Crow” which could be a misprint or simply a strange translation.
Extra Content With this release of Deadman Wonderland Volume 2 readers are greeted with a color page right off the bat involving Ganta having a nightmare which is then followed by a two page color spread showing Shiro, Ganta, Makina, Yo, and Tamaki behind bars. Outside of this the end of the volume features two pages showing off the blueprints of the Necro Macro in a comedic fashion which is then followed by four one page comedy shorts that help lighten the tone a bit.
Overall Deadman Wonderland Volume 2 takes advantage of the world building from the first volume and dives headfirst into the numerous secrets that lay within the depths of the prison. However with every question that is answered two more appear in its place and to top that off, the amount of action spikes heavily in this release making volume 2 quite a page turner as readers will not want to put it down until they see what happens next. With a final scene only raising more questions and a large number of new characters just introduced, it will be interesting to see where the story will go from here.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Haruka and Shizuku are both excited when they look outside the window and find the school grounds covered in snow, despite the other three girls being disinterested (Ikeno having a school council meeting during lunchtime) they both decide to eat their lunch in the cold white powder.
It’s not long before they both realize the error of their ways, yet their stubbornness keeps them from retreating back into the warm indoors. We then get a scene regarding Shizuku and Kotones’ situation, which I will talk about later, followed by Kotone herself braving the cold to give Shizuku a sweet kiss. Both Yuu and Iizuka eventually come outside, with Iizuka being dragged out by Haruka, and all five of them begin to have a snowball fight. This half finishes with Ikeno leaving the council meeting and approaching Mituski in the hallway; she then asks her if she was okay with Yuu and Haruka dating… after a brief silence form Mitsuki it’s end story for this half.
This story did have a cheerful theme to it with the snowball fight at the end providing two lovely entertaining moments; Yuu slow motion reaction when getting hit by Iizuka and Shizukus’ failed attempts at throwing snow when she got hit.
There was still one thing that bothered me about this one and I can’t seem to let it go; whilst the two are alone, Haruka looks over at Shizuku and reminds the audience about Kotones’ engagement and how she and Shizuku won’t be together for much longer. It’s because of this I kept asking myself why the show didn’t focus more on Shizuku and Kotone. This is a stronger premise then Haruka and Yuus’ because something is actually at stake; the struggle to be together makes each moment with them more intense and I would’ve loved to see more emphasis on that throughout the anime. Despite this thought I did enjoy this story and the conversation Ikeno had with Mitsuki will be covered more in the second half…
10-B: Usual Shenanigans in the Gym Storage Room.
Carrying on from the previous half and episode 9, Ikenos’ suspicions about Haruka and Yuu are further developed as well as a not so interesting observation about Mitsuki.
All six girls are in gym class and are split up in order to do a jump rope competition; naturally Ikeno and Iizuka are on the best team leaving the rest to fall into last place thanks to Harukas’ inability to jump. The losing team has to clean up and Haruka decides to tackle this job by herself, leading to her being locked inside the storage room. After the gym teacher comments on how quickly the girls cleaned up they realize that Haruka is trapped; Shizuku alerts their teacher, Kotone tries to get inside the gym and the rest try to get Haruka out through the window at the back. Yuu manages to climb on a ladder and reach for Haruka, the girls then share a kiss before Yuu loses her balance and falls into the storage room.
Once both of them are out Ikenos’ suspicions of the two being a couple are confirmed, despite the denial from Mitsuki in the hallway. Ikeno then recalls back to the conversation and noticed Mitsuki focusing more on Haruka then her own sister, also confirming that the last two eps will focus on this unnecessary love interest… oh joy…
We also get a short extra called Smile Rina-Chan, which shows vice president Rina Sakai always responding the same way, by smiling to everyone. After Iizuka briefly asks why she never says a word, she turns around to see Rina giving a creepy smile towards her. Not a bad set up for an extra and the end was quite funny; overall this was a quick and enjoyable laugh.
I did enjoy the first half of this episode more than the second, but overall both stories were good; they flowed nicely together with the happy tones of the main stories mixed in with Ikenos’ detective thinking at the end. The short with Rina was funny, but I do think that she only got mentioned so the audience can remember another name when the anime finishes. In case you were wondering yes she does make an appearance in the last two episodes, as well as the new president, but that will have to be saved for the next impression post.
Sakura Trick is animated by Studio Deen and is currently being streamed, by Crunchyroll. Don’t forget to check out our Anime Impressions page to see what shows the other Capsule Computers anime crew is watching this season.
Overview Anyone who has been watching anime for even a year and has explored beyond the standard shōnen type anime, has probably seen a work from Rumiko Takahashi. Whether it is the older Urusei Yatsura or the newer InuYasha, her works have had a large influence on anime as a whole and one of these works happens to be Ranma ½. Viz Media originally released Ranma ½ in the States many years ago, and they have just begun releasing the series again this time remastered for DVD and Blu-ray release. The question is, has Ranma ½ held up with age and does this DVD release warrant picking up the series again?
Story The world of martial arts is a difficult one and in Ranma ½ it is also an incredibly strange one. With many schools of martial arts, the Anything Goes style of martial arts is certainly appealing and Soun Tendo has been keeping the fighting style alive while living in a household with his three daughters. He is hopeful however as his old friend and fellow fighter Genma has already agreed to give his son, Ranma Saotome, to the family and marry one of his daughters.
The only problem is, when Genma and Ranma arrive, Genma is a panda and Ranma is a girl. This causes a lot of confusion and frustration in the household before it is revealed that while these two were traveling through China and training, they came across a dangerous training ground called Jusenkyo. This training ground is full of springs but while this wouldn’t normally be an issue, each of these springs has a different curse and those who fall into the water are afflicted with this curse.
With Ranma falling into the spring of drowned girl and Genma landing in the spring of drowned panda, whenever they are doused in cool water they transform into their cursed form and the only way to bring them back to normal is to soak them with warm water. While this is already a problem in and of itself, Ranma and his fiancée Akane begin fighting with one another and arguing within a few hours of meeting one another with Akane always attacking Ranma due to his comments on her appearance or situation.
What may seem like an already strange romantic comedy keeps getting stranger as more characters are added into the mix. With Akane already being a popular girl at school, Ranma’s arrival on the scene brings the ire of many guys, including a kendo master who wishes to defeat Ranma any chance he gets, the only problem is he also falls in love with the female version of Ranma, making him want to kill one and kiss the other.
Add in gymnastically skilled sister with the exact opposite feelings, a rival from Ranma’s past with a curse of his own, and a powerful amazon chasing after Ranma for his head and then his heart, building up a harem of both women and men who are unaware of his curse. This is only the beginning of the strange and wondrous world that Takahashi has created and built upon in the first 23 episodes of Ranma ½.
Ranma ½ is built upon how silly everything can be in this anime. The whole idea of the cursed springs is a giant running joke throughout the start of the series since water is literally everywhere in this anime. Characters dump water out of windows, water their lawns, splash puddles, carry buckets around that are perfect for accidents and there always seems to be a pot of hot water somewhere just when the situation calls for it. This results in numerous unlucky transformations for Ranma and the other cursed characters as they are often forced to hide or deal with hilarious situations because of their new forms.
This is one of many running gags that never gets old throughout this set and will likely continue to be strong in future releases. The same can be said for a world where martial arts are everywhere. This being a martial arts romantic comedy and all, everything has fighting techniques built into it. There are rhythmic gymnastic fights with modified tools, ramen delivery battles, Cat-Fu that involves acting and fighting like a cat and this is only the beginning.
The best part of Ranma ½ is how light hearted and comedic everything throughout this first release is. There are a few mellow moments, and one unfortunate episode that is almost entirely recapping, but viewers will rarely find themselves not enjoying a single episode on this release. With the personalities of the characters working so well together and the numerous running gags set up throughout this release, Ranma ½ Set 1 does a great job introducing viewers to the world that has been built up and leaves them wanting more once it has finished.
Visuals As you can see in the screenshots in this review, Viz Media is releasing Ranma ½ with the original 4:3 aspect ratio that the original series featured which means that there are no cropped scenes and nothing is stretched to look strange. Despite this only being the DVD release there is an impressive jump in quality of the overall look of the show with great looking colors and detail.
The art style of the series is obviously old but that does nothing to diminish how great this series still looks to this day, though a few scenes do look a bit rough at times. It is worth noting that there is some mild nudity here and there with girl-type Ranma’s breasts being exposed a few times, but it is nothing explicit and is generally played for laughs.
Audio This release of Ranma ½ Set 1 does not feature any redubbed voice work which means that those who have seen the series in the past should know what to expect. This also means that the voice of the female form of Ranma changes a few episodes into the release. While such a change would normally be concerning, it is actually for the better as the original voice actress for female Ranma was rough and atrocious sounding and her replacement is better suited for the task , setting up the rest of the release with a solid English dub. Of course for those that prefer it, the Japanese voice track is also included in this release.
Now the background music in Ranma ½ Set 1 is used sparingly but to great effect since it is almost always used for comedic scenes or whenever Shampoo appears. As for the opening theme, this release actually shifts around a bit with the iconic opening sequence used for most of the episodes, though the last two episodes on the release feature only a narrated opening and a few in the middle of the release feature a different song. The ending themes are also changed around a few times in this set, but none of them are noteworthy in any way.
Extra It is worth noting that this is the basic DVD release of Ranma ½ Set 1. This means that the release is very basic as far as on-disc bonus features are concerned, though it does come with a nice looking slipcover. The aforementioned on-disc extras are a three minute clip of NYCC highlights and trailers for the InuYasha movie collection and InuYasha: The Final Act.
Overall Rumiko Takahashi’s work has proven that despite nearly twenty five years passing since the first episode was released, her work still can thrive in today’s market and Viz has done a wonderful job with this release of Ranma ½ Set 1. While this DVD release may be a bit thin on extras and not the best upgrade compared to the Blu-ray version, it is still an impressive jump in visual quality and one of the best ways to start, or revisit, a classic series with an incredible start that will not disappoint.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
As any fan of idol anime series probably knows already, the second Love Live! anime season is debuting soon and it looks like Crunchyroll will be handling the streaming of the series. It is worth noting that unlike the first season, no licensing announcement from NIS America has accompanied this announcement so it is currently unknown if NIS America will be pursuing this second season.
Since Crunchyroll has picked up the series it will be debuting tomorrow on April 7th and each subsequent episode will take be released on Mondays at 11:00 AM PDT. The exact plot of this second season is currently unknown as the girls have already brought together their idol group μ and successfully performed in front of an audience but fans of the first season, such as myself, will probably stick around no matter what happens.
Compatibility: Requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
Description
The new generation of the genre is here!
Flapptastic is the game that is easy to play, but hard to master.
Addictive gameplay that you love with whole new set of features never seen before.
Features:
-A lot of characters! Play as the humming bird or a duck. Maybe you want to play as a ninja duck? What about a zombie bird? Or our favorite, flyin’ wolf! 12 characters in total, each with unique appearance that you will instantly like!
-The boosts! Use different boosts to get a better record or collect more coins!
-The gadgets! Equip various gadgets to change the way the game is played! You can have less pipes, if you want or you can activate the fog, to make the game much more difficult! Play the game you love with a new twist turning on the reversed gravity! 7 gadgets in total!
-Beautiful art and amazing soundtrack! You have never seen or heard something like this before!
-Game Center leaderboards and achievements! Try to get the number one spot to show everyone who is the best player of Flapptastic in the world!
-Earn all 30 achievements to become the true master of the game!
-iPhone and iPad support.
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Want more characters, boosts and gadgets in the next update? Be so kind to leave a 5 star review. This really motivates us to work even harder!
Last year FUNimation gave a surprise announcement by revealing that they had picked up the streaming rights to Puchimas! -Petit Idolm@ster- and now they are following suit with the series’ second season. They will be calling this second season Puchim@s 2 and since the series has already started airing in Japan on NicoNico FUNimation has already started streaming it out to their paid subscribers with free streaming beginning this week.
This season will be similar to the first in the way that there will be five episodes every week and each will be presented as a two and a half minute short with an ending theme. For those unfamiliar with the series, the Puchimas spinoff series follows the idols of 765 productions as they encounter and befriend chibi versions of themselves that have humorous special abilities.
Last year