The hybrid turn-based fantasy MMORPG/strategy game by Reality Squared Games (R2Games), League of Angels, is celebrating the launch of its 100th server. The game was released on January 10th of this year and has experienced a large influx of players. Over 1 million registers were recorded before the end of the first month. To celebrate with its players, R2Games has decided to hold special in-game events to reward players who join the new server. Alongside these events, new features are also being released this week. These features include: “Mount Bless, Hero Bless, Guild Boss, and Raiders”. What exactly any of that actually entails is yet to be seen with the new add-ons to be implemented as quick as possible; starting with servers 1 and 2.
I, for one, hope that R2Games celebrates this milestone by further engaging the services of celebrity cosplayers in creating promotional material. They’ve done it before and I believe that such an initiative is a good way to engage with the gaming community. We have also previously covered the launch of the game here and its good to see R2Games meet with success in their new title. The game itself can be accessed here.
Nexon Europe welcomes acclaimed animation series with exclusive events
Luxemburg – 5th March, 2014: Nexon Europe is thrilled to announce the arrival of MapleStory Anime, a fantastical tale from the acclaimed Mad House Studio, adapted from the world of the popular MMORPG.
Set over 26 episodes, MapleStory Anime follows the exploits of the beloved MapleStory characters and the dangerous world they inhabit during the battles on Victory Island, taking on the deadly Zekta Monsters to prevent the destruction of the World Tree.
“We’re really excited to expand the MapleStory universe and bring our community more of the high quality entertainment they deserve,” said Anna Kwon, Lead product manager at Nexon Europe. “The producers of MapleStory Anime, Mad House Studio, are responsible for some of the finest anime out there, so they were the perfect people to take on the ambitious project of creating a fresh story for Nexon’s beloved characters. It has proven a huge success so far and we know our European players will love it.”
To celebrate the arrival of the show, Nexon Europe has prepared several in-game MapleStory events where players have a chance to win specially designed items and characters from the animation. For more information and to get involved, visit the MapleStory website at http://maplestory.nexoneu.com and the official Facebook page athttps://www.facebook.com/maplestoryeurope.
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About MapleStory
MapleStory is a free2play 2D Fantasy MMORPG first launched in South Korea in April 2003, allowing players to delve deep into an exciting online adventure to fight monsters, solve quests and join fellow gamers. Since then, MapleStory was able to delight nearly 100 million players worldwide by now; establishing Nexon’s fantastic journey through Maple World as one of the most successful online games. More than 2 million European players are contributing to this huge community since May 2007, when the European service started in English, German, Spanish, French and Dutch.
About Nexon Europe
Established in March 2007, Nexon Europe is one of the leading publishers of free-to-play MMOs in Europe. The company has brought the worldwide hit casual MMORPG MapleStory to Europe in May 2007, and the successful FPS Combat Arms in January 2009. With the launch of the 3D action MMORPG Vindictus in 2011, Nexon Europe has strengthened its position as a promising publisher in Europe. Next to these in-house franchises, Nexon Europe was also able to acquire and fully operate Atlantica Online, an innovative, tactical MMORPG; Dekaron, an authentic action MMORPG set in a grim fantasy universe; and the action-packed FPS War Rock. The newest additions to its growing portfolio are Navy Field 2 alongside the legendary FPS game Counter-Strike Online in Turkey. For 2014, the company’s first browser-based full-scale MMORPG Arcane Chronicles and fun-packed, action fighting game Lost Saga will join as new line-ups. For more information on Nexon Europe and its games, please visit the official website at www.nexoneu.com.
Pop Cap Games and EA have announced that Peggle 2 will be hitting the Xbox Live Arcade Marketplace for the Xbox 360 on May 8th, 2014.
The game is set to feature the lovable Peggle Masters which players have grown to love, gotten to know and work with through their Peggle journeys. On top of that, Peggle 2 brings even more excitement to the table with the inclusion of a brand new Duel Mode that will have players competing in both online and offline multplayer duels.
Be sure to pick up Peggle 2 upon release for the Xbox 360. Let us know what you think in the comments section.
Compatibility: Requires iOS 5.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
Description
From award winning composer Shirley Choi comes The Rainforest Musical Kakamega, an exciting 90 minutes adventure application for iOS. Children ages 5-12 will enjoy this colorful, fun app’s nine chapters featuring twelve original songs.
Children will enjoy learning fun facts about the rainforest, meeting new animal friends, and playing along with Kakamega’s rich musical score!
Kakamega follows the story of Kaka and Yano, young twins who live in the lush, diverse — but endangered — rainforest. When Henry, a sick boy from the city, runs away into the forest, Kaka and Yano decide to help him by finding a mythical, magical, healing flower.
Joined by singing animals and talking trees, the children make their way through the rainforest. On their journey they discover the dangers of the logging industry, and make it their mission to convince the loggers or the importance of preserving their forest home.
Children ages 5-12 will enjoy this colorful, fun app’s nine chapters featuring twelve original songs.
Children will enjoy learning fun facts about the rainforest, meeting new animal friends, and playing along with Kakamega’s rich musical score!
It feels like we only just stopped talking about Paramount Pictures‘ Transformers: Age of ExtinctionSuper Bowl spot, and now we have another trailer!
Of note, this new teaser trailer – which can be viewed embedded at the bottom of this article – gives us a look at just how Optimus Prime is reintroduced in the film, along with a sneak peek at a big-time battle between the leader of the Autobots and… Grimlock?!
Yes, it seems that our favorite mack truck and the Dinobot general are not exactly seeing eye to eye, just like in the cartoons. Although they eventually band together, there was always a struggle for leadership, mostly due to the ego and pride of Grimlock. Seems Optimus has to smack some sense into him… before convincing Grimlock to allow him to ride him like a horse!
No wonder they have issues. Anyway, check it out below, and also note the new character posters for Tessa (Nicola Peltz) on the right (click to enlarge) and Optimus Prime below. Transformers: Age of Extinction comes out nationwide on June 26.
Overview Legends aren’t born, they are made. This particular legend was one that was made upon the back of something unique, something unlike anything else, something that captured the world’s imagination. It is the legend of Cowboy Bebop, arguably one of the greatest anime series of all time, perhaps even one of the greatest television series in general.
The unforgettable journey of a ragtag gang of misfit bounty hunters concludes in this final remastered collection from Madman Entertainment. It concludes in a way that still has anime fans talking to this very day, all of 15 years later. That is the power of Cowboy Bebop, that is it’s legend – the anime legacy that Cowboy Bebop left behind – going out with a bang.
Story There is an unspoken beauty to Cowboy Bebop that speaks to people of all ages, all races, all creeds and walks of life. It is the beauty of flawed humanity, something that every human being on the planet knows all too well. The cast of Cowboy Bebop are a incredibly flawed bunch of people. But regardless of their flaws, they still ride on. I think there is a part of all of us that wishes that we could overcome our flaws, or that they would become a source of endearment.
Not all of us are capable of overcoming our base flaws and with the Bebop crew it is no different. In this final collection we see these character’s flaws laid out in plain sight for all to see. They never truly overcome their inherent flaws, rather they embrace them. Because whether they are flawed or not, it is who they are and that’s okay. It is a beautiful sentiment that overlooks the darker undertones of this final stretch of episodes and one that makes Cowboy Bebop resonate so strongly with viewers. It just understands what it means to be human.
While the first part of the series featured primarily unconnected tales, this part begins to gain some serialized plotting with a continued arc to round out the series. The story of Spike and Vicious is a tragic one through and through and it seemingly couldn’t come to an end in any other way. Spike is a man obsessed with the past, he can’t stop looking back because he has lost so much. The pains of the past torment him, but that obsession is something he ultimately embraces. He has spent so long living in the past that he no longer has a future and ultimately he is okay with that. He accepts it. Vicious much like Spike is an obsessive, he wants to bring back the good old times, he is a man blinded by nostalgia, so much so that he loses all sight of what is right in front of him.
Ultimately Cowboy Bebop comes to an end. It is the ending that has sparked conversation for the past 15 years. The final moments that resonated with viewers for over a decade now. We will never know for sure what happens next, but ending with a bang has never looked so damn good. It is a powerful moment that has made this anime the stuff of legend and it is one that you’ll never forget.
On top of that finale to remember is a slew of memorable episodes taking the Bebop crew to places you’d never have imagined. Tackling topics such as existentialism and religion with a deft touch to delicately explore these themes in a sincere and decisive way. It is the kind of stuff you just wouldn’t find in any other anime series, none but Cowboy Bebop.
At it’s core, Cowboy Bebop is an exploration of the human condition, what it means to live, what it means to die, what is means to love and what it means to hurt. We all are flawed, some more than others, but it is the acceptance of ourselves that makes us human. That is the weight that we all have to carry.
Visuals and Audio Digitally remastered for Blu-Ray release, Cowboy Bebop has never looked so good. The stunning visuals are images etched in the history of anime, a reminder of a time gone by. An age that has passed but one that will never be forgotten. It is the late 90s style of Cowboy Bebop that gives it such flair and the fluid animation is truly astonishing stuff given the time.
What more can be said about Yoko Kanno’s soundtrack for Cowboy Bebop that hasn’t already been said a million times over? It is obvious that Kanno had a very special vision in mind for Cowboy Bebop and it is the unforgettable aural experience that helped to build to that aforementioned legend of Cowboy Bebop. Soundtracks just aren’t made the same anymore, this is something special right here.
Extras In terms of bonus content, Madman Entertainment have given Cowboy Bebop fans everything they could ask for and more. Packaged with the release are 4 gorgeously detailed postcards featuring the cast of the series and a special artbook featuring the vehicles from Cowboy Bebop. The artbook is richly detailed and includes a plethora of original concept designs that give some real insight into the creation of this series. This is simply an unprecedented amount of content for a release of this quality. It is 100% worth the asking price whether you are a Bebop fan or not.
Overall Some legends never die and such has proven to be true for the legend of Cowboy Bebop. It is a series that by all rights shouldn’t have been the hit it was. It was too different to what audiences were used to, there was no way such a bizarre series could ever catch on. But somehow, someway, Cowboy Bebop became a global success, touching the hearts of anime fans worldwide.
So how was this legend made? Quite simple really. Cowboy Bebop understood the pains of being human. We are all flawed and sometimes the hardest thing in life is accepting who you are. That is Cowboy Bebop’s heart and soul in moving pictures. It is love, life, death, pain, sorrow, happiness, heartbreak and loss, all rolled up into one little package.
You’ll never forget Cowboy Bebop, it won’t let you out of its grasp, even after 15 years, here I am still writing about this series. We’re all human and no other anime has ever spoken to that part of our being more than Cowboy Bebop. That is its legend, that is going out with a bang, one that echoes throughout space and time. So for now and always – You’re gonna carry that weight.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Get ready for something special folks, the guys over at Titan Comics have announced their next upcoming project; Scarlett Couture! From the mind of the master of the pin-up art, Des Taylor comes Scarlett Couture, a billionaire fashion heiress turned spy after being kidnapped and held for ransom as a teenager. Scarlett trained in hand-to-hand combat and intelligence skills under her rescuer, Lt. Spencer Kelly, to ensure she’d never be held captive again. After learning that her mother was a former spy for the C.I.A., Scarlett now uses her mother’s global fashion company as a cover to bring the world’s greatest criminals to justice!
The book sounds like it is Black Widow meets Nikita, and that sounds absolutely awesome! For a little bit more of a look at the upcoming series, we have a cover-image below. If that isn’t enough, we also have a short trailer to give us a better look at what we can expect from the book when it launches on October 15th. For all the Scarlett Couture news as it becomes available, make sure you stay tuned to Capsule Computers.
Overview In a time where anime and manga series tend to feature titles that are so long that simply spelling out the full title would be longer then this sentence, there are still simplistic sounding shows such as K. In fact, with such a simplistic name the title was mostly presented as K-Project so that anime fans would remember what GoHands and the rest of the advertising team was talking about. Anyways, now that Viz has released K in North America is this one letter anime worth picking up?
Story Yashiro Isana is a bit eccentric as he always carries around an umbrella and lives a care-free teenage life as he enjoys attending high school with his friends. His partially normal life is shattered when he is suddenly assaulted by men wielding red fire who seem to be out for his head. He manages to escape them with the help of another strange man named Kuroh.
Unfortunately for Yashiro, Kuroh’s assistance was only meant to be a delaying tactic as he too is after Yashiro’s head. The reason for this is that Yashiro is a dead ringer for a man who murdered one of the red group’s clansmen in cold blood and because of this, they are after his head. You see, in the somewhat futuristic setting that is K, there are certain people who have been given special abilities and are deemed Kings.
These Kings wield different powers and often form a gang that consists of their fellow clansmen. Kuroh is the servant of the previous Colorless King who has been tasked with judging the worthiness of the next king. After witnessing a video showing a person looking exactly like Yashiro murdering a red clansman and declaring himself the new Colorless King, Kuroh has deemed Yashiro to be an evil king and wishes to take his head.
Only through the manipulations of Yashiro’s friend Neko, that happens to be a cat turned human with special powers, he manages to escape from this predicament only to be found once again by Kuroh. Claiming that he is innocent, Yashiro must prove to Kuroh that he is not the man in the video and save his life. While this is occurring, there is a war brewing between the outraged Red King’s Homra clan and the Blue King’s Scepter 4 clan, one trying to track down the killer of their fellow clan mate and the other seeking justice and attempting to keep some semblance of peace.
K is a series that presents viewers with an interesting premise and places all of its cards on the table within the first two episodes. With the Red Clan hunting for Yashiro’s head, the Blue Clan fighting against them and also searching for Yashiro while trying to keep the Red Clan’s King prisoner, and Yashiro attempting to prove his innocence to Kuroh, there seems to be a lot happening in K and things only become more complicated later on as the story begins to introduce a handful of plot twists and new Kings appear.
Unfortunately while this is true and K’s story is interesting in its own right, the end result is a series that, despite being thirteen episodes in length, feels rushed and is riddled with plot holes. This problem lies in the fact that despite introducing the interesting concept of the Kings and their clansmen, the series leaves too many things unexplained. The source of the King’s powers are given a once over but is left vague whereas the numerous characters that are introduced and are given quite a bit of screentime mostly feel like filler members.
Sure we are presented with how close the Red Clansmen were to their murdered friend and what he meant to them, but nothing else is touched upon despite there being hints dropped everywhere and drama involving these groups that is meant to drive the viewer’s feelings, but if we have only briefly been given a reason to care about the Blue Clan, why should we care?
That isn’t to say that K is a bad show by any means, as it still offers an intriguing storyline with a likable cast of central characters in Yashiro, Kuroh, and Neko, as well as the bonds between the clansmen but in the end it feels like the story was rushed towards the ending with too many things trying to be tied up all at once and leaving too many threads dangling.
Visuals All one needs to do is take one look at K to see that the series is absolutely gorgeous looking. GoHands has done an incredible job with the series as everything from the characters to the environments that they move through are stunning looking and detailed with something always happening. The use of color in K makes for a nice mixture of styles that will keep you glued to the screen. Now a quick note about Neko, while her character seems to be a fan-service magnet, the series never presents any major nudity and she plays a pivotal role in the story.
It is also nice to note that with all of the battle scenes in the show, which mostly occur between Kuroh and the Red Clan or the Red Clan battling against the Blue Clan, is incredibly fluid without any noticeable drop in quality. The fights are impressive looking and although most of the battles take place using the special abilities given to the Clansmen, a certain character’s fighting style with his skateboard is something that has to be seen.
Audio As with most of Viz’s releases, K is presented with its full English dub as well as the original Japanese voice track. The English cast handles their characters rather well and whenever a certain body jumping character appears the voice actors handle the personality shifts well. Sam Riegel makes for a believable sounding Yashiro and Stephanie Sheh’s Neko actually sounds more impressive than her Japanese counterpart.
As for the soundtrack in K, it is my pleasure to say that while there are a few forgettable pieces of background music in the series, the majority of the musical pieces are delightful and fit the scenes perfectly. It also helps that there are a number of vocal insert songs scattered throughout the episodes, though it is unfortunate that they are not subtitled. The opening theme for K is “Kings” by Angela which is a nice fitting theme while three different ending themes are used throughout the series. “Tsumetai Heya, Hitori” by Mikako Komatsu (the Japanese voice actress for Neko, is the main ending theme which is soft in tone and a suitable closing theme but “Circle of Friends” by Yuki Kaji and “To be with U!” by Angela are also used as one-shot ending themes.
Extras As this is the DVD version of K, the release only comes with a few on-disc extras. These bonuses consist of the clean opening theme, a clean version of all three ending themes, trailers for K and other Viz anime and finally the “K Events – US Convention Highlights” which is about three minutes long.
Overall K is a series that has its flaws, but it also has some of the best animation and style that you will find from Viz’s library of recent releases. By presenting the audience with an intriguing storyline with a bit of a supernatural sense and plenty of action, K kicks things off with a bang only to sputter around near the end before giving viewers a satisfying ending, albeit one that is poised to be continued later this year.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
After announcing earlier today that they had picked up two shojo style manga, Viz Media has come forth with three new licenses, one of which many fans have been hoping for for quite some time. The company has announced that they have picked up the license for Assassination Classroom, the Resident Evil manga, and Jaco the Galactic Patrolman.
Assassination Classroom has been running in Japan for quite some time now and the first volume is set to be released by Viz sometime in December. The manga tells the story of a classroom of students attempting to kill their new teacher who just happens to be an alien-like octopus with unimaginable powers. If they fail to kill him by the end of the year, he will destroy the world and to demonstrate his power he has already shattered the moon.
The Resident Evil manga will begin shipping in November and is a five volume series that serves as a prequel to Resident Evil 6. The manga will tell the story of how the C-virus outbreak began and follows Professor Doug Wright and his nephew Ricky as they are called to try and find out what has happened at the elite Marhawa High School in Singapore. When things quickly begin to go south, Chris Redfield and his other team members begin to appear.
Finally Jaco the Galactic Patrolman is by Akira Toriyama and is set to be released on January 2015. The story follows the retired scientist Omori lives alone on a deserted island while continuing his research into time-travel. His quiet life is interrupted when galactic patrolman Jaco crash-lands and decided to move in with him. As we have previously heard, this volume will contain a special Dragon Ball chapter that features details about Goku’s parents.
About a month after they revealed that they would be bringing Murdered: Soul Suspect to next-gen consoles, Square Enix has announced when they plan on releasing the game to stores in North America and Europe.
Murdered: Soul Suspect will be released on June 3rd in North America and three days later on June 6th in Europe. There will be some pricing differences depending on what version you pick up though, as the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions will cost $59.99 while the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC versions will cost $49.99 instead.
Gamers in the United States that pre-order the title will be given a digital strategy map that will make finding secrets and collectibles easier and can be viewed on either a computer or a tablet.
