If you’re a continuous reader of this site, you’d know that us here at Capsule Computers have been reporting on news regarding the new “One Piece” game “Unlimited World Red” for quite some time and with every news piece comes some form of hope or prayer that this title one day reaches our shores…well, I think now is the time to start celebrating. Namco Bandai games today announced that their action/adventure title “One Piece: Unlimited World Red” WILL be heading to the West sometime this year (though no specific date was revealed). The game will be getting a release for the “Nintendo 3DS” alongside the “Wii U”, “PlayStation 3” and “PlayStation Vita”, though the “Wii U” and “Vita” versions will only be through digital download rather than physical copies.
Players will fill the shoes of their favourite “Straw Hat Pirates” as they travel through the “One Piece” universe, playing through the original story and even discovering a new adventure created specifically for this game. With the promise of a gripping adventure, some fantastic-looking graphics and the chance to play four player co-op with some of your other pirate-loving friends there’s no reason for any fans of “One Piece” to skip this game! Below you’ll find some newly-released art assets alongside an awesome game trailer from Namco Bandai themselves so head down there to check them out and start getting pumped for “One Piece: Unlimited World Red“!
Compatibility: Requires iOS 5.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
Description
Incredibly colorful and fun educational puzzles based on the children’s 3D animated series “Robiki” will surely delight Your baby! Bright and nice pictures, perfectly designed interface specifically for children between 0-4 years, multiple levels of difficulty!
Your kids will be able to play on their own easily without Your participation, they just need to touch the screen and drag the puzzle piece to the right place. When a puzzle is completed there will appear a cheerful winning noise.
Features:
– 3 difficulty levels: easy, medium and hard.
– 45 fun images in full HD quality from the cartoon.
– Help button for the little ones.
– Excellent combination of incredibly fun game and useful exercises to improve logical thinking skills, memory, attention, imagination and fine motor skills of the child.
– Easy to use and control: the interface is carefully defined and excellently designed to suit the youngest children.
– The brightest moments from the cartoon “Robiki”.
– Fun background music from the animated series.
– High-quality graphics and pleasant colors.
– Does not contain ads.
Before the release of each new episode of the cartoon “Robiki” the most interesting images from it will appear in the app!
NAMCO BANDAI GAMES AMERICA ANNOUNCES ONE PIECE UNLIMITED WORLD RED TO ARRIVE IN THE AMERICAS
The Grand Adventure Awaits as the Straw Hat Pirates Embark on Their Next Adventure
SAN JOSE, Calif., (March 12, 2014) – NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. announced today that ONE PIECE® Unlimited World Red will be setting course for retailers in the Americas in 2014 for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Nintendo 3DS™ hand-held system. The game is also slated for a digital-only release for the PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system and the Wii U™ system. ONE PIECE Unlimited World Red is an action adventure RPG game developed by Ganbarion Co., Ltd. and takes place in the widely popular and praised ONE PIECE manga and anime universe created by the famed manga artist Eiichiro Oda.
Prepare to set sail on a gripping adventure in the New World with the beloved Straw Hat Crew in ONE PIECE Unlimited World Red, and dive into a wayfaring journey with fun-filled escapades, action-packed battles and powerful comrades in a whole new never-before-seen scenario. ONE PIECE fans will be able to play as all of their favorite Straw Hat crew members and progress through the episodic storyline where they will be challenged by famous boss battles such as Rob Lucci, Caesar Clown, and more. Players must master a large variation of button combos to execute numerous flashy combos and test their reflexes by pressing the right button at the right time to counter, dodge or otherwise interact with their enemies.
When the going gets tough and foes become more fearsome, players will be able to enlist help from a friend in exciting co-op gameplay* to beat down opposing marines and pirates, or simply enjoy mini games together such as fishing, catching bugs, and more! Fans will also enjoy endless playability as they explore the central town and take on quests at the tavern to assist the townsfolk and gain more rewards and items.
“NAMCO BANDAI Games has been a proud publisher of ONE PIECE games for many years, and with the astonishing global popularity of the manga series and support of the devoted fans, we are thrilled to be localizing ONE PIECE Unlimited World Red for the Americas,” said Chris Gilbert, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.
ONE PIECE Unlimited World Red is scheduled for a physical and digital release for the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo 3DS, and a digital-only release for the PlayStation Vita and Wii U in 2014. For more information on NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. game titles and products, please visit http://namcobandaigames.com/home. Follow the ONE PIECE Unlimited World Red conversation on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NamcoBandai
*Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita will feature local multiplayer gameplay for up to four players. Wii U and PlayStation 3 will feature split screen multiplayer gameplay for up to two players.
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About NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., part of NAMCO BANDAI Holdings Inc., is a leading global publisher and developer of interactive content — including all major video game consoles, iOS, mobile and online. The company is known for creating and publishing many of the industry’s top video game franchises, including PAC-MAN®, TEKKEN®, SOULCALIBUR®, NARUTO™, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN™, Dragon Ball®, GALAGA®, RIDGE RACER® and ACE COMBAT®. More information about the company and its products can be found at www.namcobandaigames.com or www.facebook.com/namco
The exciting digital card game has emerged out of its beta phase for the PC and Mac platforms. Ipad support for the game is coming soon, with Android, iPhone, and Windows tablet versions also in development in the near future. The game is set in the Warcraft universe, and allows players to utilize different decks of cards that represent a different class in the game: Warrior, Rogue, Hunter, Druid, Paladin, Priest, Mage, Warlock, and Shaman. The Death Knight and Monk classes have not been added yet for players, though they will be available later on as they are in development.
Check out the official site for Hearthstonehere, and make sure to pick up this strategy card game.
“Get to the chopper!” Such an iconic line from such an iconic film. The 1980s was filled with its fair share of action flicks that would go on to be mainstays of society and have a huge cultural impact. One of these was a little movie by the name of Predator. First debuting in 1987, Predator has quickly risen to the forefront of people’s minds when they think of “Action movies.” Now with Predator 3d, we get to relive that experience all over again, and in eye-popping 3d. Remastered and restored for a new audience, this is definitely the best looking version of the Governator’s tale about a man in the jungle against the universe’s most dangerous hunter. Lack of special features really holds back this otherwise great re-release of a great film.
Story
The movie is 27 years old, so excuse me if I accidentally dip into a little bit of spoiler territory. The film’s plot revolves around two individuals – a military commander; Dutch (Schwarzenegger) and a powerful space alien called the Predator. The Predator is bred for only one thing – to hunt, and what better prey than a team of soldiers on a rescue mission in the middle of a Central American jungle. One by one our mysterious hunter picks off the team until it is just down to the Dutch.
This movie shows a lot of hunting, with each side trying to outwit the other until the last one is left standing. Eventually, Dutch manages to overcome adversity and put down the Predator, only to have it blow itself up and take half the forest with it. The plot isn’t too strong, but that is why movies like this have become cult classics – because you can sit down and watch it time and time again and not have to worry about thinking too much while it is on.
One thing to note, and this is just a bit of an observation on my end, but if you skip the first few minutes of the movie (that show the Predator leaving its escape pod etc) and just start when Arnie and his team arrive in the jungle, you get a movie that has a completely different tone. Not having seen the elusive Predator in the beginning, all you see is this specter that hunts down his prey with lethal efficiency. So, if by some magic you have managed to never see this movie before, and don’t know what a Predator looks like then definitely give this a go – it will put a whole different spin on things.
Visuals & Audio
For a movie that was originally released back in 1987, Predator holds up quite nicely and this particular copy is likely the nicest one you will have ever seen. Remastered and restored to pristine condition and shown in a beautiful 1080P HD means that everything from the lush jungle foliage to Arnie’s intimidating physic all come alive on the screen.
Although it came out 27 years ago, you have got to admire Predator’s use of special effects. At the time, the heat vision that the Predator used was unseen and the slight shimmer while cloaked was amazing. Surprisingly enough, these all manage to stand the test of time and look great even by today’s standards. Sure there are films that can do this kind of stuff better, but for what its worth, what we got 27 years ago is still pretty damn impressive.
I was a little hesitant when I saw that Predator had been re-released in 3D, considering you know… It was a 2D film all those years ago. Luckily my fears were quickly whisked away once the movie started and I was treated to some of the best 3D post-conversion that I have ever seen. Seeing the leaves of the trees move and shake as the lonely soldiers are picked off one by one, and having them pop out of my screen at me really adds a whole other layer of depth to this movie. The image quality between both the 2D and 3D versions is almost identical too, so even if you can’t play 3D Blu Rays, there is still plenty to like here.
Extras
Instead of jumping straight into the extras that are actually ON the disc, I want to mention something even cooler. The case that houses this timeless classic is fitted with a lenticular hologram. When looking directly at the case, you get a nice close up of Arnie’s familiar mug, but turning the case even slightly on its side changes the image and suddenly we are looking at the governator through the eyes of the Predator himself – that’s right, Predator heat vision, baby! It isn’t a selling point, but if you are a fan of the film (and the franchise) then it is just a cool little thing – like the cherry on top.
Sadly though, that is as far as this release goes for extra features. No commentary, no deleted scenes and nothing else to pad the disc. Although, considering you get both the 3D and 2D versions of the film in one, it is hard to complain too much, it just would have been nice to get a little extra bang for your buck.
Overall
Here is a bit of trivia for you all; back when it was released, Predator was a critical failure. It was almost unanimously hated by the media for its “thin plot,” and “unintelligent.” The funny thing is that today it is why we praise films like Predator and any number of the pantheon of 1980s action flicks. Even though the Predator name has gone through the wash a bit recently with a number of sub-par films and video games, it is good to see the original in all of its glory, never having looked better and in eye-popping 3d. If it is let down by anything, it is that there are no special features to be found on the disc. Regardless of this little shortcoming however it still has me wanting to get to the chopper!
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Those with keen ears would have no doubt picked up on the impressive music heard so far in the Final Fantasy XV trailers, and keener ears still would recognise the score by composer Yoko Shimomura of Kingdom Hearts fame.
It’s been revealed on the official website that her upcoming 25th anniversary album, titled memoria!, will include the track Omnis Lacrima from Final Fantasy XV as part of a set of bonus tracks. Omnis Lacrima is also said to be music that we’ve already heard from the trailers.
Releasing on March 26 for 3,000 yen, the album will contain music from titles such as Kingdom Hearts, Legend of Mana, Front Mission and Super Mario RPG. Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XV, on the otherhand, currently has no release date.
Car-culture has enjoyed a resurgence in the film industry thanks solely to the Fast & The Furious franchise. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for another racer. Enter Need for Speed, based on the best-selling racing game franchise of all time, with more than 140 million units sold in total to date. Starring Aaron Paul of Breaking Bad fame, Dominic Cooper (An Education, My Week with Marilyn) and Imogen Poots (Fright Night, Jane Eyre), Need for Speed weaves a tale of revenge and dangerous, live-action stunt-work together to create a film that aims to bring an intensity and level of authenticity to the genre, much like its forefathers of the 60’s and 70’s did.
Story
Tobey Marshall (Paul) is a blue-collar mechanic who runs his own struggling automotive workshop with his friends Joe (Ramón Rodríguez), Pete (Harrison Gilbertson), Benny (Scott Mescudi) and Finn (Rami Malek). Not only are these men his good pals, but they also act as his street crew – his eyes and ears during the illegal races he joins in order to make a little extra cash on the side, to invest back in the business. Coming up is a big one at Mt. Kisco, with a winner’s purse of five grand. At the spot, the viewer is introduced to Dino Brewster (Cooper), an ex-NASCAR driver who is back in town for mysterious reasons. With him is Tobey’s old flame, and sister of Pete, Anita (Dakota Johnson). Young Pete joins the race, which begins at the horn of a passing train. As they flow into the streets, Benny navigates the night skies in a helicopter, alerting the duo to any upcoming obstacles. Tobey manages to pull out the victory, but the team’s celebrations back at the garage are spoiled by Dino’s arrival. Dino has an offer to extend, even whilst exuding pure arrogance. He needs the crew to complete a build, and in return they receive 25% of the profits once the auto-mobile in question is sold. Oh, but it’s not just any old car we’re talking about here…
We’re talking about the Mustang that Ford and Shelby were in the midst of building when the latter died. While at the disapproval of his buddies, Tobey accepts, revealing the true financial debt the shop is in. We flash forward to the successful reveal, where Julia (Poots), an exotic car dealer, shows an interest in connecting the group with a wealthy business man willing to purchase the car. Although Dino’s $3 million price tag proves too steep, Tobey impresses the client at the tracks (without permission from Dino), and sells the masterpiece for a cool $2.7 million. Fuelled by jealousy, Dino challenges Tobey and Pete to a race in his three Koenigssegg Ageras. Tragically, what was heavily foreshadowed – even during the introductory race of the film – occurs and whilst approaching a bridge at almost top speeds, Dino succumbs to his frustration at losing to both men, clipping the rear bumper of Pete’s Agera, and causing him to crash in spectacular and fiery fashion. Driving off without a care as Tobey is devastated, Dino soon reports the two “missing” Ageras stolen from his estate, pinning Pete’s murder on Tobey in the process.
Our protagonist does the 2 year sentence, immediately looking to avenge Pete’s death upon release by making a name for himself in hopes of entering the De Leon – the “Super Bowl of underground racing” run by the reclusive Monarch (Michael Keaton) – shaming Dino and clearing his name. It may seem like a corny storyline to most, and in many ways it is, but its execution is commendable. With a runtime of 2 hours and 10 minutes, the film (surprisingly) rarely drags, keeping its viewership entertained with intermittently breathtaking practical stunts. The question of the third Agera that has conveniently vanished, the dramatic irony of Anita’s ignorance as to the truth behind her brother’s passing and the budding relationship between Tobey and Julia – who ensures Tobey doesn’t take off with the Mustang after borrowing it for entry in the De Leon – add layers to the story that keep the viewer invested beyond what they normally would be in a film of the same genre, even though the film is also guilty of being considerably predictable. And while Keaton may be the biggest name cast, he thankfully also has the least screen-time, yet it’s still too much if you ask me. He constantly aggravates, interfering with the flow of the film as he is cut to and fro, most grievously during the climax of the picture.
Visuals & Audio
Need for Speed has a very sharp, and often striking façade; its visually rich presentation accepts a boost of colour from the various supercars featured in the film, which are given the star treatment, each being meticulously rebuilt for production… so that they could be destroyed in what is truly a case of beautiful destruction for auto-enthusiasts. The director Scott Waugh frames the car-chases and races with skill, even utilising a video game trademark first-person camera angle effectively (awful flashbacks of Doom are not warranted here). He also lets the cars sing – most of the time – by allowing the roar of engines and screeching of tires to fill the soundscape. Sadly, when the inevitable score does kick-in, you will immediately wish it didn’t. The composer Nathan Furst scores this high-octane cinematic experience with overly-dramatic, triumphant horns that you would expect in some epic Disney hero’s journey. It is inappropriate for the context of the film and took me out of any state of immersion rather quickly.
Overall
Need for Speed is not a franchise people have exactly been clamouring for a film adaptation of, and that’s putting it nicely. Sceptics wrote it off before they even saw any footage, but I’m pleased to say that the film is better than it supposedly has any right to be. The performances are solid all around, although there’s something I just can’t quite put my finger on when it comes to Aaron Paul. I think he may suffer from the audience viewing him as Jesse from Breaking Bad no matter what role he takes for some time to come. That is, unless he takes on a character who is radically different and unique, which isn’t the case here. The humour of the film – the responsibility of which is largely given to Mescudi’s Benny – is very hit and miss, but is appreciated, when it works, for bringing some levity to proceedings and preventing the film from taking itself too seriously. Scott Waugh proves himself a competent director, capturing the high velocity racing well and turning what could have been a cheesy addition in the first-person view into an effective camera technique.
The car chases and stunts are thrilling, especially because of knowing the fact that there was no CGI involved, as opposed to a Fast & The Furious movie which is outlandish for going too far into the realm of CGI-supported, make-believe “stunt-work”. There is also a lot of reverence for the source material, with the presence of cops who use various, familiar methods in stopping the racers, and a healthy focus on the cars themselves. Unfortunately, what the movie is really held back by is a sorely misplaced “Disney-esque” score and an extremely annoying and, quite frankly, almost entirely pointless character in Monarch, who would much rather interrupt the film with inane platitudes than add any substance. I would love to watch a cut of the film with possibly only 3-4 scenes featuring the character on screen, excising his interruptions of the final race completely. The latter two elements hurt the film greatly in my opinion, and turned Need for Speed from a potentially great racer flick into a merely solid one.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Unity Games (publishers of the upcoming Space Noir) and independent developer Mimimi Productions, have announced that their award-winning platformer title The Last Tinker: City of Colors, will debut in Summer 2014. The game will see a release in console form, as well as on PC, Linux and Mac via Steam.
In a world where creativity has given way to conflict, a young street kid living in the slums of Colortown seeks to restore the spark of imagination to his hometown. As Koru, you must harness the power of color to defeat the Bleakness and make Colortown vibrant once again. A charming blend of modern platforming and multicolored style, The Last Tinker is a one-of-a-kind adventure.
The game itself possesses numerous features that create a unique world, jam packed with vibrant colourful environments. The game even features a mode for players with red-green colour blindness, allowing them to enjoy the majesty of this colour heavy land. Playing somewhere around 8 hours, the game depicts a story that deals with issues on culture and the unfortunate problem of racism that plagues the world. So allow these strange hand drawn characters to take you on a ride that may just leave you richer for the experience.
Such a cheerful little fellow
On a more technical side, the PC/Linux release for the game will come with full Xbox 360 controller support, the Mac version supporting DualShock 3. Being connected with Steam, trading cards, badges, emoticons and profile backgrounds will also factor in to your gaming experience. All of which can be enjoyed in Big Picture mode, so you don’t miss out on any of the visual fun. Also don’t forget to utilise Cloud Saving, wouldn’t want that progress to be lost.
Johannes Roth (CEO of Mimimi Productions said, “Early feedback from our players, press and YouTubers honored us with numerous references to the all time such as Jak and Daxter and Banjo Kazooie. We aim to pass on the legacy of these classics because we believe gamers of all ages will enjoy the unique blend of visual styles and the accessible modern gameplay of The Last Tinker: City of Colors.”
Oren Tversky (VP of Unity Games) also admitted that he and his team, “have been blown away by how a small indie team can create such an ambitious 3D platform adventure. The Last Tinker: City of Colors, heralds everything we look for in a Unity Games release – solid gameplay, intuitive controls and most of all – originality.”
Visit the official site and Facebook page to stay in the know on all things Tinker. But while you’re her, check out the screenshots and trailer below and enjoy the beautiful of the world…also the gameplay stuff is cool.
Ever since NIS America stepped into the anime business back in 2011 by licensing Toradora! for release in North America, they have been one of only two companies that would always provide subtitle only releases. Well now it seems they might be starting to buck that trend and they are going back to the title that started it all to do it. Today NIS America has announced that they will be releasing Toradora! once again but this time it will be given an English dub and it will be available on both Blu-ray and DVD.
This is the company’s first time handling an English dub and fans can choose to jump in to the “premium edition” of Toradora! that will include four Blu-rays and four DVDs containing the entire series, an OVA and a hardcover art book at a price tag of $129.99 or they can go for the more standard option which will be released in two separate sets that cost $59.99 each.
Both releases are slated to drop on July 1st and the company has also revealed who will be voicing the members of the core cast with Cassandra Lee Morris taking on the role of Taiga Aisaka, Erik Scott Kimerer handling Ryuji Takasu, Christine Marie Cabanos as Minori Kushieda, Johnny Yong Bosch as Yusaku Kitamaru, and Erika Harlacher as Ami Kawashima.
As you may already know, NIS America is offering a nice little bonus for everyone who picks up Demon Gaze when it is released in April. They will be offering free launch day DLC which will allow players to bring the Disgaea characters Etna, Flonne, Asagi, Sicily, and Prinny, into the game and use them as characters in their party.
At the time of the announcement the company did not have any images to show off but today they have released a number of new screenshots that show the characters being used in the game to fight against some enemies. Expect to see Demon Gaze out in North America on April 22nd and on April 25th for Europe.
