Earlier this month MangaGamer made Cho Dengei Styker available for pre-order and if you happened to pre-order the title, or simply want to download it to your PC right this second at a price tag of $44.95, you can now do so as the game is now available for download here. (Rated 18+)
For those who don’t know, Cho Dengei Styker is an expansion to the original Dengeki Stryker which adds entirely redone battle scenes that feature all new sprites, all new cut-ins and brand new special effects. On top of this there have also been three brand new story arcs added to the game, called the Love Chapter, Steel Chapter, and Light Chapter and a new character named Clie has also been added to the game.
Titan Comics have today announced that they are bringing the British cult comic-strip Psycho Gran to the digital platform. David Leach’s Psycho Gran tells the surrealist slap-stick story of a five-foot high, mauve-haired, bespectacled psychotic granny with a pan-dimensional, sentient handbag called Percy, a flying dog called Archie and a pathological loathing of rudeness.
Not only that but expect to see your fair share of Kaiju, bag snatchers, death-row inmates, explosive diarrhea, those annoying SOBs who will insist on using their bloody mobile phones in cinemas and innocent people just minding their own business!
What more can be said really? You just simply have to check this one out! You can grab the 28-page exclusive book through ComiXology here. So sit back, hit download and enjoy some classic British dark humor. Also remember that if you are looking for something a little less out-there, Titan Comics are also the guys printing the new Doctor Who comic book series. Make sure you always stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the Titan Comics news as it becomes available.
The commemorative logo that will be plastered on all Batman products this year
It’s crazy to think that Batman‘s first appearance was in Detective Comics #27, released on March 30, 1939. 75 years on and ‘the Caped Crusader’ is still one of the most popular and iconic characters , practically across all mediums. In fact, Batman is the most successful super hero film and video game franchise, and remains the measuring stick for comic book sales. To celebrate the milestone of Batman’s 75th anniversary, DC Comics, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Entertainment are holding a number of events and releases. Kevin Tsujihara, Chief Executive Officer, Warner Bros. Entertainment and Diane Nelson, President of DC Entertainment and President & Chief Content Officer, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, said;
Batman is an incredibly important property with multi-generational appeal across all of the Studio’s businesses, and we’re proud to celebrate this milestone anniversary. From billion-dollar blockbuster films to TV, home entertainment, video games and consumer products, The Dark Knight continues to resonate with audiences worldwide and rightfully deserves his place as a global pop culture icon for the ages. – Tsujihara
Batman is one of the greatest characters ever created, in comics or elsewhere, and even after 75 years he continues to wildly fascinate fans. He is an integral part of pop culture and has successfully captured the imagination of the entire world. The origin of Batman, Bruce Wayne and the famous citizens of Gotham are legendary and likely a story you know inside out, even if you’ve never picked up a comic book in your life, and that speaks volumes to the character’s immense popularity and the constructs of the original mythology. – Nelson
A newly dedicated section of the DC Comics website has also been launched today at www.Batman75.com and features a huge Batman 75 Sweepstakes, which is (unfortunately) only open to U.S. residents. The aforementioned key activities planned for the Batman 75th anniversary celebration include:
DC Entertainment – DC Entertainment has an action-packed year filled with new Batman titles, commemorative issues and variant covers, including the recently released special edition of Detective Comics #27 commemorating Batman’s first appearance in the book in 1939, the new weekly series Batman Eternal launching April 9, and upcoming exclusive Batman variant covers planned for San Diego Comic-Con International in July.
Batman Day – DC Entertainment is also partnering with thousands of comic retailers, book stores and libraries for “Batman Day” on Wednesday, July 23. Each location will host a Batman 75th anniversary celebration and offer fans a free, special edition Batman comic.
Interactive Entertainment – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has invited celebrated fashion designer Asher Levine to create a cape and cowl based on the Batsuit of the recently announced Batman: Arkham Knight video game developed by Rocksteady Studios. Favourite contemporary artists will have the opportunity to use the replicas as a blank canvas to produce their own, original interpretations of Batman’s iconic attire for an all new “Cape/Cowl/Create” art exhibit that will be showcased at San Diego Comic-Con International in July.
Home Entertainment – Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will bring fans an array of new Batman titles throughout the year, including the highly anticipated release of the Batman ’66 TV series for the first time ever. Other new releases include animated films Son of Batman (May 7) and Assault on Arkham (Winter 2014). Additionally, a 25th Anniversary Edition of Tim Burton’s Batman feature film will be released in 2014.
Son of Batman introduced Damian Wayne to a new audience
Animation – Warner Bros. Animation has created two all-new Batman animated shorts set for debut in April, with fan-favourite producers Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series) and Darwyn Cooke (Batman Beyond) each presenting a unique and familiar take on the Batman animated universe. In addition, Timm will participate in a Batman 75th all-star panel at WonderCon in Anaheim on Saturday, April 19, which will also feature an exclusive premiere of Cooke’s animated short based upon Batman Beyond.
Television –Warner Bros. Television is in production on the pilot episode of the highly anticipated Gotham, a new one-hour drama for FOX which explores the origin stories of eventual police commissioner James Gordon and the villains that made Gotham City famous. In Gotham, Detective Gordon (Ben McKenzie – Southland) will encounter a familiar cast of characters – including a young Bruce Wayne – as he fights to keep the city safe. Executive producer Bruce Heller (The Mentalist, Rome) wrote the pilot, which is being directed by executive producer Danny Cannon (CSI series, Nikita)
Pictures – As Batman’s 75th anniversary is celebrated in 2014, Warner Bros. Pictures will begin production of Zack Snyder’s untitled Superman/Batman film starring Henry Cavill, who reprises his role as Superman/Clark Kent, and Ben Affleck as Batman/Bruce Wayne. The film, slated for release summer 2016, will bring the two most iconic Super Heroes of all time together for the first time on the big screen.
Consumer Products – Warner Bros. Consumer Products has partnered with an array of licensees to celebrate Batman’s 75th Anniversary through special edition and limited-release products. From the classic 1960s TV series to modern day comics, Batman’s presence will be larger than ever in celebration of his legacy through everything from toys to t-shirts.
I hear your heart beat to the Newsbeat of the drums! It is that time of the week again where we gather all the latest, the greatest and he most exciting news from Microsoft HQ in the Xbox Newsbeat. Like always we have a handful of killer articles about the Xbox 360, the Xbox One and FINALLY we have one small snippet of news for Windows Phone! (I told you Windows Phone, that you would eventually get your time in the sun). So lets not waste any more time and get straight into this week’s Xbox newsbeat.
Kinect Sports Rivals Kicks Off a World Championship
After announcing last week that David Tennant would be the voice of god for the upcoming Kinect Sports Rivals, I didn’t think I could give any more exciting news… But I was wrong… Well sort of, it isn’t about Tennant but it is still pretty exciting. The developers over at Rare have announced the first ever global motion-sports tournament; The Kinect Sports Rivals Championship!
The “Kinect Sports Rivals World Championship” will challenge players from around the world who have honed their “Kinect Sports Rivals” gameplay skills and award the grand prize winner with $10,000 in cash and a trip of a lifetime for two to one of four amazing destinations. The grand prize winner will choose one (1) trip, from one of the following vacation packages: a water sports adventure in Bora Bora, walking the Great Wall of China, trekking to Machu Picchu, or skiing the Swiss Alps.
Additional prizes include:
2nd Place: USD $5,000
3rd Place: USD $2,500
4th Place: USD $1,000
5th – 11th Place: USD $500 each
Linkin Park Partners with Team Dakota to Launch Interactive Music Video
So Project Spark is currently in its open beta stage and players all over the world are creating their own video games from scratch and sharing them online (I personally am working on a third person adventure based on The CW’s hit TV show – Arrow). One such group of gamers that you may have heard of have combined music with the mechanics of the game to create an impressive and playable interactive video clip. Built by “Project Spark” developers Team Dakota in collaboration with Linkin Park, the game level “Guilty all the Same” features the new hit single and provide everyone with a remixable gameplay experience and audio remix station enabling them to build whatever they want.
Leveling Up Your Reputation: Notifications Coming Soon
When the Xbox One was announced, we were told hat there would come a time where you were matched with other players online based not only on your skill level, but also how good or bad your reputation is. Well now that time is finally on us, as Microsoft have given us the newly revamped reputation system. The system is now broken into three categories:
Here’s what the reputation levels mean for you:
“Good Players” – The majority of gamers will fall into this level. As we’ve said before, we have plans to introduce rewards for good behaviour and look forward to sharing more in the future!
Warnings for “Needs Work” – Beginning this month, some players will start receiving reputation warnings as their reputations drop due to feedback from the community. The purpose of these communications is to remind players about their effect on the community and encourage them to have more positive interactions. These warnings are based on community feedback collected since Xbox One launched.
Penalties for “Avoid Me” – If players do not heed warnings and continue to have a negative impact on other players and the Xbox Live community, they will begin to experience penalties. For example, people with an “Avoid Me” rating will have reduced matchmaking pairings and may be unable to use certain privileges such as Twitch broadcasting.
New Apps Added to Xbox: MLG and MLB
In the wake of the 2014 MLB series kicking off in Sydney Australia last week, Microsoft have also announced that the MLB app is now available worldwide on Xbox 360. You wont miss a moment of the exciting pitching, swinging, running and catching action after you’ve downloaded this sucker onto your console.
If baseball isn’t your thing, then how about professional video gaming? MLG has also joined in on the fun and will be streaming content straight to consoles from today. Kicking off the app is the Call of Duty Championship which will be taking place from the 28th-30th.
“Warface Xbox 360 Edition” Continues the Battle in Open Beta
Rejoice! Crytek and Microsoft have finally brought the popular Warface to the Xbox 360 platform. Well in faitness, the game has been on the platform for a little bit now but only as a closed beta. Starting fromt his week that all changes as Warface moves into open beta! This is available as F2P for anybody with an Xbox Live Gold subscription and has you pitting your soldiers against others for online superiority. It is also important to note that any Experience points, currency, rewards or unlocks earned while in the open beta will be transferred into the final game.
Halo: Spartan Assault”: Steam Launch and Windows 8/Windows Phone 8 Price Update
One last small Windows Phone update to round off this week’s news; from April 3rd-9th, players with Windows Phone or Windows 8 can grab Halo: Spartan Assault for $2.65. After this, the standard price for the game will become $6.65.
So that’s it for another installment of Xbox Newsbeat. Make sure you drop us a line in the comments below about your highest score in Linkin Park’s new game/song hybrid and to stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the Microsoft news as it becomes available
Publisher R2Games welcomes players to preview its brand-new browser MMORPG inspired by the Chinese epic Journey to the West
Hong Kong – March 28, 2014 – Global game publisher Reality Squared Games (R2Games) announced today that the four-week Alpha test for their upcoming MMORPG, Monkey King Online, will begin on Friday, March 28 at 7:00 AM PDT. R2Games invites players from across the world to get an early look at this unique, action-packed browser title.
The Monkey King Online Alpha will last just over four weeks, and is scheduled to conclude on April 14. Players will be able to preview a wide variety of quests, events and PvP challenges during the Alpha, though all character data will be wiped.
Monkey King Online is a free-to-play browser MMORPG inspired by the Chinese epic Journey to the West. Players choose one of four ancient heroes, including the rebellious Monkey King himself, and embark on a quest to bring peace to a broken world. Real-time combat is enhanced by the Immortals, giving players the ability to change shape during battle. Monkey King Online can be enjoyed solo, but features a host of robust multiplayer modes, including team dungeons, PvP combat, competitive Arena play, and territorial Guild versus Guild battles.
Key Features:
Live the Legend: discover a vibrant MMORPG world inspired by Chinese mythology… in your browser!
Choose your Champion: become one of four heroes from Journey to the West, including the Monkey King himself
Fight for Justice: bring peace to the heavens with hard-hitting real-time combat
Invoke the Immortals: transform into powerful deities during battle, with new Immortals added every month
Enhance your Equipment: master the art of crafting to create the ultimate arsenal
Claim a Kingdom: conquer territories with a Guild in open-world PvP
About R2Games
R2Games is a global online game publisher specializing in microtransaction-based, free-to-play browser and mobile games. The company primarily works with development teams whose games appeal to wide audiences. R2Games’ growing portfolio includes hits like Wartune, League of Angels, Blade Hunter, and Dragon Pals. The company manages all marketing and PR, locates distribution channels, and carries out day-to-day operations including customer support, community management and event design/implementation.
Overview Most series manage to balance two themes at the same time and many are capable of many running themes, but then there are also series that fall flat by trying to do too much with too little time. At the end of Robotics;Notes Part Oneviewers had just witnessed a chilling revelation that tied a few points together but left many questions up in the air. The question is, does Robotics;Notes Part Two manage to bring everything to a satisfying conclusion?
Story Now before we go any further, it is worth noting that readers who have not seen the first half of the series will be subject to some spoilers below. Anyways, Robotics;Notes Part Two picks up shortly after the unfinished last episode of Gunvarrel was leaked online and Kaito was warned not to investigate Ko Kimijiima any further.
Despite these warnings, Kaito continues to investigate the Kimijima Reports, spurred on by the fact that the apocalyptic details described in these reports matches the storyboard for the leaked Gunvarrel episode. While he does this the rest of the Robot Research Club continues to work on building Gunbuild-2 with the help of JAXA and a couple of new willing participants.
While the club comes across various issues while working together and building the robot, Kaito and Frau continue to learn more about the Kimijima Reports and the leaked episode of Gunvarrel. As these two continue to dig deeper, more information is revealed including the fact that Frau’s mother became aware of the Committee of 300’s usage of the Gunvarrel anime to brainwash the public and because of this, she had to take drastic measures.
Although these two seem to be getting closer to the truth, solar flares have begun causing massive panics throughout Japan and the rest of the world. Robots have begun attacking humans in Tokyo and more instances of people being brainwashed come to light. With solar flares becoming more prevalent and every piece of information pointing towards the end of the world as they know it, Kaito and the rest of the club must try to find out the real truth before the committee’s dark machinations reach their final stages.
Now at the beginning of this I mentioned that there are some series that can balance two different themes at once and there are those that cannot. Well, while Robotics;Notes manages to do an okay job with this, it often makes the series feel like it is hitting roadblocks in its latter half by spending too much time on club antics when something clearly serious is happening, leaving viewers wondering exactly what a character is thinking when they just have learned a major secret only to go back to putzing around.
The character developments made throughout the first half do pay off in the second half, with the neglected Junna given first priority. Most of these pay offs work well since the majority of them are interwoven with the main storyline, such as Frau’s and Akiho’s storylines and even a believable love story worked in to compliment everything. There is also one scene, I won’t say which one, that viewers will feel haunted by for quite some time after it happens.
In the end Robotics;Notes Part Two manages to tie everything up with a rather satisfactory ending. Along the way viewers will probably take issue with way that the story is treated at times, but near the end of this release numerous pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place and one major plot twist later the series races towards its finale, that, while a bit cheesy at times, is definitely worth watching.
Visuals Similar to the first half of the series the basic animation style in Robotics;Notes continues to be impressive throughout the second half. The characters are all nicely designed with a fair amount of detail provided to each, though there are a handful of drops in quality during group scenes which is a shame as this did not occur in the first release.
Now considering things take a turn for the worst in the second half of the series, there are a number of moments where robots run rampant or advanced pieces of technology are used and the designs of these pieces of equipment and the monoples are handled nicely.
Audio As with Part One, Robotics;Notes Part Two has been released with an English and Japanese voice track. Now while I found that only Frau’s voice actress was the only standout performance in the first half of the series, I must say that a few of the more dramatic and emotional scenes in Part Two brought out the best in these voice actors, as the dub seemed to improve quite a bit in this second half, though a few of the main side-characters still felt sub-par.
The series’ background music continues to remain basic and forgettable throughout this second half, though the whole Kagome, Kagome theme is definitely chilling to hear. As for the opening theme, we have “Houkou no Meshia” by HARUKI and the ending theme “Topology” by Kanako Ito.
Extras The extra features for Robotics;Notes Part Two are very similar to those found in Part One, with there being a clean version of the opening song and closing song, the US trailer for the anime, trailers for other FUNimation anime, two commentary tracks and a video interview.
The video interview is “Science Adventure Series Interview Part 2” and continues on the interview found in the first release while the commentary tracks are for episode 15 featuring Apphia Yu, the voice of Airi/Gezi and Clifford Chapin who voices Kaito and episode 22’s commentary features Joel McDonald, the director and Eric Vale who voices Ko Kimijima.
Overall Robotics;Notes Part Two manages to successfully continue the story that viewers were left with in Part One and although it does lose its focus a bit too often, viewers will be in for quite a ride once the plot begins to advance at a rapid pace that manages to tie everything together in a satisfying end that results in an enjoyable payoff for those who decide to stick it out till end.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
You might not have heard, but Australia is getting its first ever, desperately-needed Japan-centric music festival this year. While Japanese musicians have performed in the country before, it’s never been this coordinated.
The event will host alternative Japanese bands including: Jill, lead by singer Eri and blending pop with rock for both original and anime songs, 101A which crosses grunge and industrial genres with melodic female vocals, Kaimokujisho; an intense rock band with a wild vocal range and solo guitarist Sparky Quano who plays haunting and flowing rhythms akin to old space music sounds.
101A – Forbidden Sky
Japan Music Festival 2014 starts next Thursday on April 3 in Melbourne’s Esplanade Hotel from 8:45p.m. Sydney is next on Friday at Erskinville’s Roller Den on April 4 from 7:30p.m. Brisbane is last on April 5, Saturday, at Ric’s Bar in Fortitude Valley.
For more info visit the official Facebook page as well as the events pages for Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. The best part is that all entries are free and walk-in, except for Sydney where goers will have to pay a measly $18.90 to hear a slice of J-rock live.
Jill – Hello Blue
Sydney tickets can be bought HERE. The festival is planned to become an annual event and who knows, maybe even Yoshiki will come and play for us one day.
Wargaming has announced the upcoming release of its first Girls und Panzer character voice pack for its free to play MMO World of Tanks. See a video below showing off the cross-promotion in action.
Starting off with Vol.1 of the voice packs, players can have Miho Nishizumi, the main character of the tank-centric anime, call out orders and report on situational events as you roll across the battlefield and blast foes with your cutesy anime voice.
Unfortunately it seems like the voice pack will be available to Asian players only who can grab the content on the Girls und Panzer official site on March 28. More info on how to install the DLC is available on the game’s website. Here’s hoping us Western fans can get in on the action sometime soon.
Check out our recent reviews of the anime HERE and the game’s Xbox 360 version HERE.
Tom Clancy’s EndWar Online is preparing for the closed beta with a small 48 hour Open Server event. Players will be able to get a taste of the game with a level cap of 25. The increase in level cap over the previous test event will result in an extra single player chapter and more hero commanders available for testing. Starting on the first day, players will get unlimited opportunities to participate in PvE matches. On the second day, the Theater of War will unlock, which will allow gamers to participate in PvP.
To encourage a full stress test of the servers, Ubisoft will be running a Happy Hour giveaway. Up for grabs are closed beta keys, EndWar Online branded prizes, and more. Players can register for the Open Server event and the closed beta at the official EndWar Online site.
EA Mobile and Popcap are celebrating over 150 million Plants vs. Zombies 2 downloads with a major content update. Far Future World adds 24 new space themed levels to the game. Ten new zombies will be invading player’s gardens, including some armed with jetpacks. To battle back against the new zombies, Popcap is providing gamers with eight new plants such as the Laser Bean, Infi-nut, and Star-Fruit.
The update also introduces power tiles to the game that will allow players to power up large groups of plants by dropping plant food on the power-up tile. Finally, Zen Garden has been added to Plants vs. Zombies 2. Originally a mode in the first Plants vs. Zombies game, Zen Garden will give players a chance to enjoy their plants in a peaceful garden. As a bonus, the plants will slowly gain strength in the garden and can be used in battle for great effect.
Plants vs. Zombies 2 is the sequel to the massive casual hit Plants vs Zombies. The game is available for free on iTunes and Google Play.
Titan Comics have today announced that they are bringing the British cult comic-strip Psycho Gran to the digital platform. David Leach’s
