Today NIS America has announced the release date for Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection, a game that many thought would never be released in the West and perhaps the first idol managing game to ever be released in English since Namco’s attempt with Idolm@ster was mostly met with scorn due to how it was released and was basically a rhythm game with no actual management while this game involves the players managing and interacting with the four CPUs from the Neptunia series.
Back on topic, Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection will be released both physically and digitally on June 3rd in North America and June 6th in Europe. Currently a limited edition version of the game that comes with the game itself, a collector’s box, a micro fiber cloth, and Neptunia earbuds, can be pre-ordered here for a price of $51.99.
A couple of months ago it was announced by Viz Media that they would be changing the way their Neon Alley service would be handled. Set for the rather unfortunate day of April 1st, the previous subscription based service has now become a free on-demand anime streaming service.
This means that anyone in the United States can now access any shows that they want from Neon Alley’s website, which now directs to Viz’s streaming site, or through Hulu Plus which is available on numerous video game consoles and other devices. This change means that many consumers can now catch dubbed episodes of many popular Viz series such as Naruto, Bleach, and more recently Ranma 1/2 free of charge.
This week on the North American eShop, we have been treated to those long awaited Game Boy Advance titles that have now arrived on the Wii U. Yes folks, this means that Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga, Metroid Fusion, and Advance Wars have kicked things off with a nice, loud bang. On the flipside for the 3DS, we also have other titles this week, such as Super Monkey Ball 3D making its digital debut in a re-release, along with Mystery Case Files Dire Grove and Mystery Case Files Ravenhearst, with the latter two costing just $5.99.
Rusty’s Real Deal Baseball is also on the 3DS, and is a sports-themed mini-game romp with a story about a dog addicted to donuts, troubled by marital woes. The kicker? To unlock the games, you haggle with Rusty. Yes, it is an oddball game, but a nice addition – nevertheless. Finally, we have Evofish on the Wii U for $4.99, which reminds me of a lot of the old “eat and grow” titles I played on the PC years and years ago. For the price and multiplayer perk, it definitely seems like a good choice. You can check out the trailer for Rusty’s Real Deal Baseball down below, and snag up your eShop finds with the update today.
Well at long last we finally arrive at the breaking point. After last episode’s dangerous conclusion which left us hanging with Yato on the brink of death due to Yukine’s misbehavior blighting him. The former god of war finds himself at war with his own regalia and the other local gods must make a tough decision in order to save Yato’s life, they must punish Yukine with a process called ablution. The risk with ablution is high and it is highly probable that Yukine will not survive, not only that but there is also a chance that the god’s performing the ablution will not survive either. It is a dangerous situation and this may very well be the Noragamianime’s best episode yet because of it.
Ever since his introduction into the series we have come to see Yukine’s struggle take shape as he has had to come to grips with the fact that he is dead and will never ever be alive again. Its a harsh truth for a child to face and the strain it has put on Yukine is highly evident. In this episode we see this struggle come full circle, Yukine has no choice but to confront the darkness that resides within him, he must confess his sins (literally) or die with them.
Before we get to the ablution ceremony, Hiyori and Daikoku must enlist other regalia to perform the process on Yukine. Given the fact that Yato is far from loved in the god community, it wasn’t exactly an easy task. Ultimately Daikoku, Yato’s previous Regalia Tomo and surprise volunteer Kazuma. We still don’t know fully what debt Kazuma owes to Yato but it is evident that it is of great importance as we see him willing to sacrifice his life to say the stray god.
Once the ablution is applied, Yukine becomes trapped in a triangle of borderlines. It is a heartbreaking scene to say the least as his darkness slowly overcomes him and he begins to get blighted, drifting between phantom and regalia. The internal struggle that Yukine has been afflicted with is pretty simple really, he has no identity, he has no purpose, he is lost.
That struggle comes into play in the final moments of the episode, at the brink of destruction Yukine hears two familiar voices, Yato and Hiyori are calling out to him. He appears to respond, but the catalyst that saves him is when Yato tells him, that it doesn’t matter if he is alive or dead because he is still a person and Yato gave him the name Yukine to prove that. Yukine begins to unload a pile of misdeeds, revealing his darkest secrets, even the fact that he perved on Hiyori. The ablution is ultimately a success and Yukine comes back from the brink, with a new sense of self and a cleansed soul and heart.
Yukine’s soul is saved, he isn’t alone, he has friends and he is alive even though he is dead. It’s a satisfying conclusion to the Yukine story arc and with only a few episodes left to go on the series it is anyone’s guess where things will be heading from here. One thing that the Yukine arc has shown us though is that Hiyori is the most honest and pure character in this show. She is the moral core of the show and she has more times than not wound up being the one who saves Yato.
She has a kind heart and it has become increasingly evident that she is the one who keeps these crazy gods and regalia grounded, there is just something about Hiyori. I wonder if there is more to her than meets the eye, if the series’ prologue back in episode 1 is anything to go by, the answer is yes. But for now all we can do is wait and see where Noragami heads from here now that its wrapped its major story arc. Could it be time for mister bandanna face to make his entrance? I think so.
“Night is drawing a dark cloak over the Sunken Forest. You shiver with anticipation; with the darkness will come danger…”. The Kai Lord ‘s adventure continues in Act 2 of Joe Dever’s Lone Wolf: Forest Hunt, available now from Bulkypixon iOS and Android for $4.99.
In this second chapter of the Lone Wolf’s epic saga, players will explore the frontier between the Kingdom of Sommerlund and the dreaded Darklands, face off against new and more powerful enemies including the fearsome Gourgaz, and uncover the truth behind the attack on the village of Rockstarn from Act 1 of Joe Dever’s Lone Wolf: Blood on the Snow, which, in celebration of Act 2’s release, is free on iOS until midnight of April 10. The Android version will be priced at $0.99 until that date, and the Season Pass is also on sale for the same period of time at $9.99.
Keep an eye on Capsule Computers as we look to review Joe Dever’s Lone Wolf: Forest Hunt.
Get your guns ready! Post-apocalyptic FPS Nether received a major content update this week with the long awaited territorial conflicts. Phosphor Games has added a new section to the map, doubling it in size, while breaking areas down into smaller territories that can be controlled by capturing a special building. Controlling territory will bring the player’s tribe extra resources.
Territorial conflict is not the only addition in Nether’s April update. Female character skins are now available for play, the loot system has been expanded, golden chests have now been spread around the city, riot shields have been introduced, custom taunts are available for use, and the underwear uniform can now be equipped. Some gameplay mechanics have also been tweaked to improve the player experience. An optional tutorial will help smooth the learning curve for new players. On death, players can now opt to spawn in a random Safe Zone, or stick to the old random spawn system. Finally, HUD waypoints have been added to the game.
Nether is available for $14.99 on Steam. The game is currently in Early Access and runs only on 64-bit Windows.
Don’t call me a “Jackass” if I’m wrong, I can’t be right about everything, I’m not some sort of all-knowing “Monk”. I actually feel terrible for stringing together that sentence…anyway, moving on!
Apparently there have been some casting changes for the upcoming “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movie, “Jackass” star Johnny Knoxville and Tony Shalhoub who you may know from the series “Monk” have both been cast as the voices of Leonardo and Master Splinter respectively for the new movie.
Originally the voices of Leo and Splinter were supposed to be provided by Pete Ploszek (Leo) and Danny Woodburn (Splinter) but changes like this get made all the time during the production stage.
The good thing is that you wont notice the difference seeing as the trailer really only had one turtle saying any fully audible lines and that was Michelangelo, with Donatello and Leonardo only speaking three words between the two, not necessarily enough to fully pin down and get used to a voice actor.
I’m personally very excited for the movie but I’ve heard whispers of TMNT fans not necessarily onboard. Hopefully the film turns out great and hopefully some more information regarding the cast gets released soon. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” is set for a release on the 8th of August this year.
Reign Of Bullets, the upcoming title from indie developers Critical Bit, is planned for a PC release soon, with the Mac and Linux versions being under development.
Fight your way through the hordes of drones as you pilot through the different levels, gaining epic loots to alter and modify your ride. The more you play and progress, the better your ship becomes. The weapon choices in this game are large, and with that allows a lot of customization for each unique player. Do you want heat seeking missiles? Targeting lasers? High single-shot damage or large bullet spreads? This 2D shoot-em-up title features a Campaign mode and an Endless mode, where you’ll be taking in non-stop action.
The game will be available for the PC first, and the Mac and Linux versions are in development. The title is currently on the Steam Greenlight program. For more information, check out their Steam page here and their official site here. Also, check out their trailer for Reign Of Bullets.
Jaco the Galactic Patrolman is the latest manga by Akira Toriyama, the mastermind behind Dragon Ball and the following Z franchise. His newest manga features a few special links between the two worlds and with the full collection being released, Dragon Ball Minus has been included as a bonus manga. What’s special about Dragon Ball Minus is that it predates anything seen in the Dragon Ball universe thus far including the Bardock TV special, revealing Goku’s mother’s origins (pictured above next to Bardock and below) and a bit about the families life on Planet Vegeta before it was destroyed by Frieza and Goku was sent away.
From what we know so far, Gine (whose name translates to Spring Onion in English, a common theme in the DBZ universe) is the mother of Goku and Raditz both born to Bardock. She was not much of a fighter but was part of Bardock’s crew for a while where he saved her many times and the two developed feelings for one another, which is rare for the Saiyans. As Gine wasn’t a great fighter, she became a meat distribution worker on Planet Vegeta. It is said she was killed in the explosion of Planet Vegeta caused by Frieza.
The manga is out today in Japan but will be available in English from April 7th as seen in the above image. Interestingly Goku is shown in Saiyan Armour inside his space pod and appears to be slightly older than a baby. He has previously always been depicted as being found by Grandpa Goku naked in his saiyan space pod as an infant. Perhaps the manga will bring some changes to the official series canon ? You can watch a trailer for Dragon Ball Minus below.
Bang & Olufsen is introducing a new black BeoPlay A9 sound system to provide a more masculine look to contrast the white BeoPlay A9 released over a year ago. The black BeoPlay a9 features black side coating and a black anodized aluminum speaker ring while maintaining the same elegant A9 design that was well received by critics and buyers alike. Additionally, the A9 wooden legs are being changed to keep up with changes in interior design trends. The teak and beech wood legs will now be replaced by walnut and maple, respectively.
The BeoPlay A9 is a sound system designed by Danish designer Øivind Alexander Slaatto. It plays music from AirPlay, DLNA ready devices, and 3.5mm analog cables. The system features five speakers and a controlled bass port powered by a 480 watt Class D amplifier. The BeoPlay A9 can be mounted on wooden legs or the wall. Users can control the volume by swiping the A9 from side to side. The BeoPlay A9 Black Edition is available at Bang & Olufsen stores and selected design and department stores for AUD $2690 or NZ $3650. More information can be found on the official BeoPlay A9 product page.
Don’t call me a “Jackass” if I’m wrong, I can’t be right about everything, I’m not some sort of all-knowing “Monk”. I actually feel terrible for stringing together that sentence…anyway, moving on!
