STORY: You awaken from a blackout to a strange, unfamiliar voice. You find yourself on a long path that connects two worlds. You have your trusty pistol in one hand and what the voice calls “the SYPHOR” in the other. The SYPHOR is an enemy weapon sent to deplete and transfer life from your world to theirs. It will consume life with every step and its power will grow until it is returned to its origin and destroyed. You must continue the quest. Return the SYPHOR, and destroy it.
SLOT QUEST is a solitaire, dice-based RPG with a slot machine interface. It’s a game of chance, strategy and resource management.
GAMEPLAY: Spin the wheels and embark on the quest of your LIFE! The objects you land on are used to trigger an action. Multipliers are determined by landing on matching objects. If there are NO matches the first object on the left will be used by default.
FEATURES:
GOLD payouts for Jackpots (matching 3 of a kind)
Random events ensure a unique experience each time
Turn-based battle system
Enemies scale as you progress
Permanent Perk Upgrades
Easy pick up and play for quick fixes
Replay ability
No In-app purchases EVER!
It would behoove you to check out the FIELD GUIDE
STATS
HP: Health Points- The SYPHOR will consume HP each spin. The amount will increase the closer the SYPHOR gets to its origin. If HP = 0, you die.
MP: Magic Points- MP fuels your Magic Shot. Each Magic Shot uses 10MP.
Health Potions: 1 Potion = 10 HP. Health Potions can be converted to Magic Potions.
Magic Potions: 1 Potion = 10 MP. Magic Potions can be converted to Health Potions.
ATK: Attack Points- This number is added to each attack you make.
DEF: Defense Points- This number is subtracted from any attacks directed toward you.
SKELETON KEY: Used to escape a trap of any difficulty.
GOLD: GOLD is used to upgrade your stats at the store. Enter the store by pressing the Shopping Kart icon.
STEPS: This number represents your score. 1 Spin = 1 STEP. STEPS are converted to PERK POINTS after each game and can be spent in the PERK STORE to permanently upgrade stats.
PERK POINTS- The total of your unspent STEPS from previous games. PERK POINTS are spent like GOLD in the PERK STORE to permanently upgrade stats. Enter the PERK STORE by pressing the Shopping Kart icon from the Title Screen
For those of you who are unaware of the massive popularity Attack on Titan has, then this should give you a vague idea. The 13th volume of the manga is due to be released on the 9th of April in Japan and first print run numbers are already at 2.75 million. Not only is this eye popping amount impressive, but it also beats the first print run numbers of the previous volume, which got an amazing 2.2 million.
Written and illustrated by mangaka Hajime Isayama, the series began back in 2009 and is currently being published by Kodansha. As well as each volume being published by Kodansha USA, western fans can also look forward to the Omnibus editions of the manga in the near future. This is a perfect time to be a fan of the sires as the Funimation English dub of the anime was premièred a few weeks ago at the Anime Boston Convention, click here to find out who will be voicing Eren Jaeger.
Let us know what you think about Attack on Titan by leaving a comment down below.
Galactic Civilizations III is the long awaited continuation to the Galactic Civilizations series of 4X games. The title is among the first games to support only 64-bit systems. Stardock feels this will result in larger games with greater details. The game recently entered Steam’s Early Access program with a pricy $99.99 Founders Pack. It is currently in an extremely early alpha state, so the price is set high to provide serious fans of the series a chance to provide meaningful feedback that will shape the future of the game.
For those new to the genre, 4X is short for “eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate.” These games are turn based strategy titles that provide players with multiple paths to victory. Games can be won by having an empire spread its power culturally, diplomatically, militarily, and so forth. It is not necessary to win through brute force alone, like most strategy titles. Galactic Civilizations started in 2003 as a remake, and quickly rose in popularity. Almost eleven years later, Galactic Civilizations III will be the first game in the series to support multiplayer battles while continuing the single player storyline.
Currently, Galactic Civilizations III is an extremely early alpha. Many of the game’s features are currently missing. At this point, the only way to win a game is to exterminate the enemy. The Tiny/Small randomly generated maps and four races are currently available to get players acquainted with the new engine. An ideology system will help provide some bonuses based on the decisions of the player during certain events.
At the beginning of the game, players can only create the most basic of ships to scout around the map, colonize new planets, and build starbases. Exploration will net many mysterious events around the map that will give players a variety of things like bonuses to research, income, and extra ships. Those who can make use of these discoveries will gain an early advantage against their opponents.
The branching research system is the main form of progress throughout the game. Research that does not contribute to growing a large economy to fund an advanced fleet designed to crush the enemy is a bit pointless at the moment, but the many options that will be important for more peaceful enterprises are there. Research topics will improve economies, provide new ship options, and create thriving starbase system that will help improve the productivity of nearby planets in fields like mining and military. Choosing what to research will be the tricky part, as there are limited resources and time to spend on learning new technologies.
Tthe research system is designed to reinforce a rock, paper, scissors-like combat system. There are three types of weapons: beam, kinetic, and missiles. Each weapon has a corresponding defense system that will protect against the weapon system. Beam weapons are nullified by shields, armour protects against kinetic weapons, and flak defends against missiles. Currently, pre-built ships are the only option, but a build your own ship feature is in the works. Conquering planets is a little trickier than ship to ship battles. It will require the player to send some of their own citizens onto an enemy planet. It seems a little weird to me that random citizens with technically no military training are loaded onto a transport and expected to duke it out some regular people on a different planet to take over.
Ships and fleets can be ordered around to specific places or set to a few general orders. These general orders helps cut down on the need for micromanaging individual ships every turn. Scout ships can be sent to explore every edge of the galaxy, survey ships will wander the galaxy retrieving the ever important early discoveries, and combat ships can either patrol or guard specific areas of your territory. I found these orders helped speed up the pace of game and let me focus pressing matters than where is the next piece of space debris I should be scavenging.
Currently, the enemy AI is only partially implemented. It is not particularly bright. Stardock has stated that they do not have any plans on making any real meaningful changes to the AI until all of the features are added to the game, as making adjustments while features are incomplete will result the constant need to seriously overhaul the AI every time a new feature is added. Those looking for more of a challenge will have to stick with multiplayer games against human opponents.
Galactic Civilizations III looks like a great game so far. Space is expansive, planets are detailed, and ships designs look interesting. Like the rest of the game, the visuals are a work in progress. Most notably, the ship combat is currently missing. The UI is easy enough to navigate that someone new to the series like me was able to play like a pro in a matter of a few minutes of experimentation.
Galactic Civilizations III is in a playable state right now, though only the most passionate Galactic Civilizations fans will get much out of the game right now. The $99.99 price tag does include the game, all future DLCs, and expansion packs along with the opportunity to help steer the game into its final state. The game has all the right parts of a great 4X title in the making that will be an excellent starting point to those new to the genre while maintaining a huge amount of depth for veterans.
While Captain America: The First Avenger (2010)was a World War II period piece action film, its sequel Captain America: The Winter Soldier is set in present day and errs into the political thriller sub-genre, whilst presenting even more of an emphasis on super-heroics. Testing extremely well in early screenings, Captain America: The Winter Soldier came with a lot of hype, which was somewhat of an initial surprise considering “Cap”‘s reputation for being one of the more vanilla superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and having possibly the least popular outing among them so far with the first movie… other than The Incredible Hulk (which isn’t much of a consolation). But thankfully the hype – for the most part – is definitely warranted. (WARNING: Minor Spoilers Ahead – nothing you wouldn’t learn from the Official Soundtrack listing).
Story
It’s been two years since the events of The Avengers, and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is still struggling to find his place in contemporary society, though it’s no longer a shock to his system. The film opens with Rogers taking his daily run out amongst his new home of Washington, D.C. Blazing past every other jogger at an extreme speed, he calls out “to your left” as he passes each. Eventually we see him approaching Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), who playfully and competitively warns him “don’t you dare say it!” before hopelessly attempting to catch up. Later, Rogers walks up to Wilson who is breathing heavily, recuperating under the shade of a tree. This is the first meeting between the two, who comic book fans will recognise as long time buddies. Anthony Mackie, as usual, brings a genuine likeability and levity to the role, joking with Rogers that maybe he should take another lap as self-punishment posting a “slow” time, then quipping immediately after without skipping a second “wait, did you just take it?”. The two become properly acquainted as Wilson tells Rogers of his duty as a Pararescue war veteran and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) counsellor and recommends adding Marvin Gaye’s ‘Troubleman’ album to his list of things to experience since 1945 (for Australian audiences, the list showed Tim Tams, AC/DC, Steve Irwin and Skippy The Kangaroo).
It’s only minutes later that Rogers is called back to base with the Black Widow, Natasha Romanov (Scarlett Johansson) speeding into frame in a Chevrolet Corvette Stingray as his pick-up. The current mission requires Cap, along with Black Widow and S.H.I.E.L.D.’s elite counter-terrorism unit S.T.R.I.K.E. (Special Tactical Reserve for International Key Emergencies) board and clear a captured S.H.I.E.L.D. vessel called Lumerian Star, hijacked by Algerian pirates headed by Georges Batroc (Georges St. Pierre). As with Wilson, another relationship that gets fleshed out here is that of Rogers and Romanov’s. There’s a continued gag that plays out across multiple scenes in the film where Romanov is pushing Rogers to ask different co-workers, as well as his neighbour, on dates. However, it’s clear that Romanov has some feelings for Rogers that she is trying to suppress for one reason or another. Regardless, Rogers’ throwaway excuse for not entertaining the idea of a relationship is he’s “too busy”. The ensuing sequence is a personal favourite from the entire film, as Cap jumps out a carrier aircraft without a parachute, plunging into the water, proceeding to sprint through the vessel taking out half the baddies present in quick fashion before any support even lands, and then battles Batroc in a great fight sequence.
Batroc challenges Cap with a frequent fan criticism: “I thought you were more than a shield”. GSP – as MMA fans know him – legitimised what was a campy, overly colourful character from the comics in Batroc the Leaper and, using his real-life savate and karate background, made him a serious, believable hand-to-hand threat. GSP could be another Jean-Claude Van Damme post-MMA (if he does indeed return). It’s from this early stage that Cap’s trust issues begin, as he catches Romanov extracting data from the ship’s computers, something he was not briefed on. Arriving back at the Triskelion – S.H.I.E.L.D.’s headquarters – Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) reveals ‘Project Insight’ to Cap, a plan to build three Helicarriers that are linked to spy satellites and designed to triangulate position, pre-emptively identifying and eliminating all threats. The directors of the film have stated the inspiration of President Obama’s supposed “Kill List” for the concept, and so the moral conflict between giving people complete freedom and enacting security-breaching, broad surveillance for the good of the people is represented via Cap and Fury’s opposing beliefs and stances. Soon enough Cap’s past comes back to haunt him, as the assassin codenamed ‘The Winter Soldier’ (Sebastian Stan) makes his presence felt by executing a major character.
Remember the promo shot pre-release that showed Black Widow crying, looking down at a covered up cadaver? In the film, the body is uncovered from the shoulders up. This plot point, along with the re-appearance of a certain villain (think less Red Skull and more Transcendence) are direct nods to story beats found in the comic books. Cap has a few memorable encounters with the former Bucky Barnes, who’s struggling to remember exactly who he is when spurred by Cap’s recognition of his supposedly deceased best friend. Robert Redford’s Alexander Pierce, a senior authority within S.H.I.E.L.D. and Head of the World Security Council, is another integral figure; ambiguous from the start, his integrity is automatically disputed by the audience. It’s fantastic to see such an iconic actor in a universe we never imagined him in and fitting in perfectly. Performance wise, it was a thrill to see Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury getting his hands dirty in a pivotal action set-piece, but the real treat was seeing the Falcon re-imagined outside of his ridiculous, signature spandex suit and embodied by a genuinely funny and welcome addition to the team in Anthony Mackie. Overall, Captain America: The Winter Soldierhas it all: the drama, the action, conspiracy, twists and turns and fan service, and is the best Marvel Studios film after The Avengers.
Visuals & Audio
The directing duo of brothers Joe and Anthony Russo – heretofore known predominantly for their work in comedy shows including Arrested Development, Community, Happy Endings andUp All Night – prove excellent directorial instinct when it comes to framing action and maintaining a dynamic composition. The 3D is used very subtly throughout, which is both a relief for cinema purists, but also a con for those who expect a more pronounced implementation for their increased ticket prices. The score composed by Henry Jackman is a mish-mash of influences, from the sampling of Alan Silvestri’s work from Captain America: The First Avenger, appropriately used in the reflective, nostalgic “Smithsonian” scene, to the Hans Zimmer-esque “Lemurian Star” track, calling on memories of The Dark Knight. The highlights of this generally fast-paced and adrenaline-pumping score come whenever Jackman utilises a brooding, pulsating synth such as found in Hydra’s theme and in combination with an unnerving, synthesised scream in The Winter Soldier’s.
Overall
After a merely adequate introduction of the character in Captain America: The First Avenger, good ol’ Cap is made to look absolutely bad-ass this go around with his power, speed and martial arts expertise put on display like never before. Although there may have been one too many a swerve, especially in the final act, the espionage heavy feature effectively explores the overriding thematic question of “who can you trust?”. Ultimately, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is an extremely important entry – if not the most important – in the quickly expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. It sets up so much of what will define the future of the brand on-screen, mostly in the post-credits scenes (plural). As an example of how wide-reaching the effects of the film’s developments will be moving forward, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s very identity and even existence is up in the air, meaning that the Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series will also be affected greatly. The implications of what is revealed throughout the course of the picture mean a turbulent and uncertain period to come for The Avengers as a group, and humanity in general.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Overview
Yoshi’s Island has always been that one game in Nintendo’s library that was like a precious, untouched gem. Sure, it had a follow-up of sorts on the Nintendo DS, but most either enjoyed it or ignored it – retaining their memories of that magical art style and childlike atmosphere that the first brought long ago. When you throw the word “New” in the middle of a title however, you set expectations immediately. Something more polished, modern, and welcoming was indeed what most expected with Yoshi’s New Island for that very reason. Does it set a new bar, or ride along safely to keep every crowd content? Let’s find out.
Story
The story of Yoshi’s New Island isn’t too much of a stretch from the first by any means. Taking place right after the original tale, this title sees a stork delivering a young Baby Luigi and Baby Mario before being ambushed by Kamek and setting the scene for Baby Mario to fall into the hands of a group of Yoshi. Of course Mario is loyal to his brother, and with the help of his dinosaur friends is out to save the day yet again.
Before you think any thoughts of doubt over the plain story involved, let me say that its not that stale. In fact, there are a good amount of charming moments that will be sure to put a smile on the face of even the coldest of players. There is however an overwhelming feeling of familiar elements that make the entire narrative feel like deja vu. If this was a remake, that would be fine. A reboot? Sure, I’ll take that too. Being nearly a direct sequel and sporting that “New” word however makes the game feel like more of a disappointment in terms of a story, as even though the setting is the same, a lot could have been done to make it at least feel like a brand new adventure.
Gameplay
Much like the story, a lot to the gameplay with Yoshi’s New Island is familiar. Being a pure platformer at heart, the main concept is too traverse each level within the six worlds while keeping Baby Mario safe and make it to the goal. Along the way, there are red coins, flowers, and stars to collect that give great reason to go back in for more if you happen to be one of those who have to 100% everything. Players are of course equipped with the power to turn enemies into eggs, and then proceed to shoot them at other enemies or objects, occasionally solving a puzzle along the way. Yoshi comes with smooth handling on the 3DS, and as you would hope – not a lot has went downhill in terms of this egg staying solid.
While the gameplay is indeed good, we never really asked for the same game from twenty years ago to be re-released in another form, and Nintendo knew this when they added a few tweaks to the formula. The major addition within are the large enemies that can be gobbled up, leaving a huge egg rolling behind Yoshi until fired. Once launched, warp pipes, foes, and everything in-between is destroyed with a nice satisfying steam rolling effect taking place. Usually, this unique power is utilized to open up a path or to gain access to a flower (or similar collectible), but its a fresh idea that works in this multicolored world. Some stages also make use of the gyro sensor within the 3DS, giving the player a small break from the norm while Yoshi transforms into a vehicle for transport. These little portions are short, but come in well to add a bit of a new flavor overall.
Jumping on enemies, firing eggs, and rolling over foes is enough to make a decent platformer, but its the stages that truly do all the work here. While some stages are rather flat, stretched out, and end without much celebration, others can make up for that with some rather intense encounters, such as a chain-chomp that can chase the player through a level. Boss battles are another highlight of the experience, making some of the bland worlds end on a high note with brilliant usage of Yoshi’s abilities and style – which is the very reason most should be playing this title to start with – as Yoshi’s Island was meant to be a change of pace from the standard Mario game years ago and with the slew of “New Super Mario Bros” titles over the years, this little Yoshi adventure does well to deliver a nice change of pace.
I did however use the word bland a moment ago, and I feel I should elaborate. There were no moments I ever felt bored within Yoshi’s New Island, as it is a clever title that deserves praise. Sans the boss battles and a few other spots that make use of the new features, I couldn’t help but feel like I had done this all before. Its kind of like when you watch a great movie, and smiled thoroughly for the entire experience. Afterwards, you watched it again and again, but that same wave of freshness was never there again to give you that spark from the first time. That is how Yoshi’s New Island is to those of us who played Yoshi’s Island over and over, be it on the Super Nintendo or Game Boy Advance. When you have a game that doesn’t shake enough of the foundation to prove itself as a sequel, you end up with a serviceable, yet unexciting game that doesn’t bring enough into the experience to keep the player completely immersed (Bioshock 2 critics, you know what I’m speaking about here).
Visuals
Perhaps the most important element within Yoshi’s New Island that some were concerned about was in fact just how these graphics would come together. Worlds are now made with a unique watercolor design, with scribble of crayon and outline making the bold colors pop just a bit to create that innocent atmosphere one would expect to see within Yoshi’s New Island. While some may not like it compared to the completely 2D stylings, I love the art style and find it to be an improvement. Sure, Yoshi’s model is a bit unfitting in this world, but that is a quickly forgettable offense as there is enough nostalgia flowing within these walls to still lighten the load of any visible flaws.
Audio
The soundtrack is going to be a love it or hate it scenario. Nintendo decided Kazoos were the way to go to create that lovely island of Yoshi essence, and they definitely make for a unique tune to play too. Now, other than kazoos we also have cute little melodies that are not as memorable and the general fare that fade into the background, coming together with everything to create an impressive, if not slightly less inspiring package as a whole. Oh yeah, Yoshi still makes that lovable grunt and cry when jumping – for those curious if he still sounded the same.
Overall
Yoshi’s New Island is a lot of things. A great game that is fulfilling from beginning to end. A title with a light heart and a lot of charms. What it is also however is a sign of the times. This is a title that utilizes nostalgia and old tricks to perform a solid end result, and while it was successful, I can’t help but feel that the creativity that went into it dried up quickly in development. Its hard not to feel like this title could have been something more as it commits the sin that so many of the “New” titles have in the past with Nintendo. Sure, we get a great game, but not one that will be “New” forever, as Yoshi’s eggs were served before in another basket and this time around, the creativity and imagination missing leaves not enough magic on the plate we were given.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
With the second last episode of the series we’re now approaching the end. After the incredibly well-done previous episode I feel like this one was a bit disappointing. Loose ends are being wrapped up but in a fairly anti-climactic way, at least compared with the awesome Kaname and Sayu interaction. Nevertheless Nagi no Asukara is still an emotional roller coaster that’s just entered its end game phase.
Strangely enough we aren’t given the opening theme this episode as the show devotes every second to the story. As the friends prepare the Wooden Maiden for the Boatdrift Ceremony, Akira drops Manaka’s pendant into the sea. Miuna dives in after the pendant when it starts evoking Manaka’s feelings for Hikari. To be honest I don’t think I’ll ever understand how the ocean transmits emotions in this series, but it makes for a romantic plot.
Tsumugu then appears out of nowhere and reveals to Miuna what Manaka told him one night when they were all still young. It turns out she revealed to Tsumugu that she liked Hikari but didn’t want him telling anyone as Chisaki liked Hikari as well. This guy knew all along, hence why he was against Hikari’s plan to get Manaka to like Tsumugu. Hikari had the wrong idea.
The ridiculously complicated love triangle is revealed for what it is in this episode. Chisaki and Tsumugu are brought together in a touching but almost funny scene, thanks to Tsumugu being weird. Chisaki, who has been resembling a mourning widow of late, doesn’t deny Tsumugu’s love and we discover she’s been rejecting his advances because of her love for her friends. She feels that she has no right to feel happy and loved while Manaka is still emotionally disabled, per se.
While those two embrace, we move on to Miuna and Hikari. Poor Miuna forces Hikari to admit his love for Manaka, for his sake, bruising her own heart in the process. I guess this is pretty much it for Miuna’s unrequited love. I think she’s finally given up in one last, painful outburst. The next morning, right before the Boatdrift Ceremony begins, Kaname has a stern word with Chisaki in case she has plans to become a real sacrifice.
Uroko and Hikari have an interesting conversation where we learn more of Uroko’s past and his connection to the Sea God. It certainly helps in further humanising his character. As preparations are completed (including Uroko arriving by car) and the ceremony kicks off, we get a strange sense of deja vu.
We’ve seen this before and we almost expect trouble a second time. Sure enough, like a slow train wreck, it happens all over again. The waters start boiling before the whirpools form and start battering the boats. A huge wave knocks Manaka into the sea while Sayu almost falls as well. Miuna dives in after Manaka, who has no ena to protect herself with. Hikari, Tsumugu and Chisaki jump down as well in time to see Manaka regain her ena after being embraced by Miuna.
Unfortunately, while Manaka is saved, Miuna is taken instead. She goes crashing down into the depths before laying to rest in the same spot where Manaka was held as a sacrifice. Hikari tries to break through to her but is thrown back by a force field, no doubt the Sea God’s doing. As she lies there she reaffirms her love for Hikari, making my assumption about her giving up pretty much void. There’s no stopping this girl, is there?
I’m incredibly bummed about Miuna, out of all people, getting the short end of the stick on the eve of the final episode. Fingers crossed she gets some semblance of a happy ending in the series finale.
The latest trailer for the upcoming indie title Caffeinehas just been released by Incandescent Imaging, a one-man indie company based in Australia.
Caffeine is a Sci-fi/Horror title that employs a strong focus on adventure and narrative, with some puzzle elements mixed in. The game doesn’t utilize weapons to defeat any monsters, but you can use the environment around you to progress through the levels. The psychological horror elements of the game is mixed with a deep and intriguing lore, one that the developer hopes players will recognize so that they can delve deeper into the story line. The game is based on the new Unreal Engine 4, making it quite a visually appealing title. The game is inspired by Doom 3, FEAR 2, and Condemned.
As of right now, the game is only being developed for Windows PC, but Mac and Linux versions have a high possibility of being developed. The game is currently still looking for funds through IndieGoGo. If you’d like to support this developer, check out the IndieGoGo page of his here. There are different rewards for how much you donated. As of right now, his target goal is to raise $80,000 AUD to commit to the game full-time. Make sure to check it out if you’re interested and watch the trailer below to see just what’s in store for the players!
It’s been 364 days since we last saw a full episode of the new “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” anime…364 days too long if you ask me. Season 1 of the anime – which covered the events of both the “Phantom Blood” and “Battle Tendency” storylines – ended last year on the 5th of April and now, a year later on the 4th of April 2014, we’re gifted with the first episode of by far my favorite “JJBA” storyline; “Stardust Crusaders”.
Set three generations after “Phantom Blood”, “Stardust Crusaders” follows the story of a young man named Jotaro Kujo as he joins up with his estranged grandfather (Joseph Joestar) and a band of rambunctious oddballs to take down an ancient evil, one that brought adversity and death to his ancestor many, many years ago…Dio.
You don’t have to worry about the whole story right now though because, seeing as you’re reading this, you’ve chosen to follow it alongside me as I recount and give my thoughts on every episode week by week. Let’s go on an adventure of our own, we may not be the Joestars but we sure can live vicariously through them!
– A Man Possessed –
A Man Possessed.
“Your son is quite the oddball.”, possibly one of the most understated sentences of all time. Holly – mother to Jotaro and daughter to Joseph – is met with some terrible news, news no mother wants to hear; “Your son has been taken into custody”. Another day, another brawl and, like always, Jotaro Kujo is at the very center of it but this time things turned out a little different. After taking on a group of weapon-wielding thugs and sending each and every one of them to the hospital, Jotaro gets locked up for the night. Don’t worry though, it was in self defense…maybe.
The strange thing about this instance is that, once he was allowed to leave the station…he straight up refused to saying something along the lines of “I can’t leave. I’ve been possessed by an evil spirit”, one he thinks will hurt other much like they hurt those thugs which doesn’t entirely make sense to me…if I was a “Bancho” with the power to “crush balls” and “break ribs” (as the professional police officers put it) I’d embrace it body and soul but I’m not Jotaro Kujo, I’m just a simple dreamer. Jotaro, still refusing to leave the jail cell, proves to the police officers and his mother that he is truly a man possessed.
Taking a handgun from one of the officers (using his “evil spirit” powers) he attempts to commit suicide by firing off a round into his own head but it doesn’t “take”, the spirit catches the bullet before it can make contact and Jotaro continues to live. Not only was this scene entirely too bad-ass for someone as excitable as me to handle but it was also extremely well-animated and gave off perfect vibes of both confidence and terror. David Production have done a great job at making the series look dark and gritty, the way this scene was animated was nothing but perfect and I cannot imagine it being done any better. Holly, seeing her son and his “outer demon”, reaches out to the only person she can think of that could possibly do something to help the poor young man; Joseph Joestar, her father and the former savior of the known world.
– An Old Dog With New Tricks –
An Old Dog With New Tricks.
Coming to you live from New York, it’s Joseph Joestar! He’s not going to win the “grandfather of the year” award but he gets points for jumping on the first flight to Japan after he heard the news of his grandson’s new “powers”. Not seeing each other for quite a long time, Holly and Joseph hug it out before heading straight to the local police station to sort out this troubled team. A click of the fingers and they’re off…alongside a mysterious companion of Mr. Joestar.
Finally, after all these years, grandfather and grandson come face to face, unfortunately it is under these circumstances and there’s not enough time for a proper introduction. There were a lot of great shots in this scene, with the best ones having Joseph and Jotaro “fronting” on each other to show just how “bold” they are. Certain visual imagery, like that within the image above, worked extremely well to compare the two, showing both the difference between them and the overall similarities of Joestar men. I also think, Jotaro being Jotaro and Joseph being Joseph, getting up in each others faces was to also show a sign of respect even though all they did was badmouth each other.
We definitely see Jotaro’s sense of honour and respect later on in the episode where a certain character turns away from him and Jotaro refuses to fight a man with his back turned but we’ll talk about that a little later on in the article. Joseph realizes he cannot get through to his own grandson, the boy refuses to budge so he calls in a little help from his enigmatic, Arabic friend; Mr Muhammad Avdul.
– My Friend And Confidant; Muhammad Avdul –
My Friend and Confidant; Avdul.
Having no choice left but to use that of extreme force, Joseph calls upon his mystic friend to not only “help” Jotaro out of the prison cell but to also show him just how devastatingly powerful a honed Stand ability can be. Avdul being the gentleman he is, looks to Joseph for permission to use said extreme force, Joseph permits and the event that will inevitably lead Jotaro to come to terms with his new powers begins. Summoning his Stand, “Magician Red”, Avdul strikes Jotaro with blazing hot whips of flame, pinning him against the wall and sending the young man into a panic! The cell begins to heat up and so does Jotaro, now comes the chance for pure instinct to kick in. Fight or die, Jotaro. This scene, in my opinion, came out of nowhere. Not that you couldn’t see it coming, that you could see from a mile away, I believe it was simply the way it all went down.
The scene went from being slightly tense to being life-threatening in a mater of seconds and I truly hope the rest of the series follows this way of scene transition, there’s nothing worse than an action sequence that takes twelve minutes to start up. We were shown that “Stardust Crusaders” doesn’t entirely like the “chit-chat”, they just wanted to get down to business and, boy…business was booming. I would like to say something like “the animation quality jumped” but, to be entirely honest, the entire episode hosted some of the best animation I’ve seen of late, even the non-action scenes. What it did do is raise the intensity, that paired with the already brilliant animation just made for one hell of a condensed action scene. Jotaro starts to hit “boiling point”, quite literally, and has to do something to break free from this fiery grip.
The “evil spirit” goes from being Jotaro’s curse to his greatest asset in a matter of seconds as it materializes between him and “Magician Red”, breaking the grip and beginning some “return fire”, so to speak. The tussle goes on for a little bit more but ends with Jotaro seemingly getting the best of Avdul. Breaking the cell bars and using them almost like short spears, Jotaro lunges at Avdul who quickly (and literally) turns is back on the young man. Jotaro stops in his tracks…he won’t fight a man with his back turned, which is the kind of honour and respect within Jotaro I was speaking of earlier. People get the wrong idea about Japanese gongs, be it the “Yakuza” or just juvenile delinquents, there is a level of respect within them that is actually quite paramount to their overall personality. The holding cell is hot, broken, flooded, everything you could think of but Jotaro’s out of his cell. Avdul got him out like he said he would, now comes the true adventure.
– A True Joestar, You’ve Become –
A True Joestar, You’ve Become.
Jotaro has finally been freed, both from the misconception of his new abilities and from the physical cell he refused to step foot out of, now..well, now it’s time to grab some coffee and have a nice little talk about just what the hell is going on. Grandpa decides to take the family to a local cafe where they’re going to have a talk about past evils, the fate of the Joestar family and what Jotaro’s destiny entails which…is actually killing that “past evil”. Fans of the series get a nice recap of the events of the past season in this final scene of the episode. I didn’t entirely mind it even though I watched the last season and know about the story. It gave me joy knowing that someone, somewhere out there can pick up the series from this point in time and not feel entirely lost.
They series did the recap well I though, it threw in a small at the very beginning of the episode that explained something called “Dio” may or may not have killed an entire fishing boat’s men and escaped into modern society but now, at the very end of the episode they went into a little more detail just so audiences know exactly what’s going on and, really, a good sense of what to expect. Joseph explains to the small group that Dio is a monster of a man that needs to be eliminated and he believe that, with Jotaro’s help, they may actually be able to get rid of him once and for all. I think this episode was perfect as one that serves to set up the rest of the series. We were introduced to the main cast – obviously there’s more to come but I honestly don’t believe they’re as important as Jotaro, Joseph and Avdul – and we were introduced to the overarching plotline which is; get strong, kill “Dio”. Throughout the twenty minutes we had with these characters, we also gained a lot of insight into the type of characters they are, think about it deeply and you’ll already know the character types of the three without them outwardly defining it to us.
I’ve been excited for this series since last year and it seems as though, judging from the very first episode alone that my trust in the series has been well-placed. With brilliant animation and a truly adventurous story that will takes audiences around the world as these men fight off evil in all its forms, how could you say no to it? I’m already in high anticipation for episode two where, if you watched the preview, you’d know we will be introduced to what looks like a “one-time enemy, forever friend” character named Kakyoin who attacks Jotaro while under the evil influence of the mighty Dio. Lock yourselves in for that one.
Check out the “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders” anime on Crunchyroll and check out more episode impressions HERE.
Sports anime fans, your wildest dreams have come true. Crunchyroll have confirmed earlier today that they will be simulcasting the two hottest sports anime of Spring 2014, Haikyu!! and Baby Steps. Both series are set to begin streaming on the 4th of April.
Haikyu!! is a volleyball anime focusing on the fierce competition that embodies high school volleyball, two rivals must become unlikely team-mates. Can they work together as a team or will their dreams of being volleyball champions fade away?
Baby Steps is a tennis anime that revolves around a book worm dissatisfied with life who makes a decision to join the tennis team despite having no experience, strength or any inherent athletic talent whatsoever. He takes a strategic approach to tennis, using his intelligence to note his opponents habits and behaviour all in the hope of taking them all down with his smarts. But to become tennis champion he is going to have to take baby steps.
Let us know what you think of this announcement from Crunchyroll in the comments section.
Hanabee have just officially announced at Supanova Gold Coast that they have acquired the rights to distribute and release Beyond the Boundary and the upcoming Toradora English dub. On top of those title acquisitions they also revealed that they will be running a ‘Beyond the Boundary‘ Maid Cafe in Melbourne Supanova.
Unfortunately at this time Hanabee has yet to confirm release details for the two titles. However they do promise to unveil those very details at Melbourne Supanova next week. Regarding the Maid Cafe, Zi Xie, Content and Promotions Manager at Hanabee had the following to say, “When we got Beyond the Boundary I knew we had to do something big with this title. We’ve learnt a lot from running the Maid Café the past two years and we’re so thrilled to bring the Maid Café experience to the Supanova Crowd!”
Be sure to sound off in the comments section below with your thoughts. Stay tuned for further information as it comes to light.
The latest trailer for the upcoming indie title 
