Page 3974 – Capsule Computers

Hunter x Hunter’s Netero replacement voice actor announced

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February 18, 2014

Following the tragic news of the passing of legendary voice actor Ichiro Nagai, Hunter x Hunter anime fans were left with a question: who will replace him as the eccentric Chairman Netero?

Well it has been officially confirmed that veteran voice actor Banjo Ginga will be stepping into the role as Netero. Ginga is known for voicing roles such as Heihachi Mishima in the Tekken video-game franchise, Souther in Fist of the North Star and more recently as the furious evil overlord Commodore Perry in Space Dandy.

Ichiro Nagai’s final performance on Hunter x Hunter was in episode 114. His final moments as the character featured Netero’s farewell to Gon Freecss, a symbolic ending indeed. Be sure to let us know what you think of this in the comments section below.

Harmonix Working On Music-Driven Shooter

Joe Morgan

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February 18, 2014

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Harmonix, the studio so well known for the musical Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and Dance Central franchises, announced their newest project today. A first-person shooter driven by music, Chroma will infuse fast-paced PC shooting with music-driven gameplay.

Players will take on the role of a Fader, a musical icon of the future. They’ll battle for an all-encompassing cultural feed known as The Signal, unleashing streams of sound and music to bring the musical landscape to life. The game will feature multiple classes, each with their own unique gameplay mechanics.

For more information, you can check out Chroma‘s official website here. Be sure to check out the trailer for the game below this article as well.

Space Dandy Episode 7 Impressions

James Mapley

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February 18, 2014

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**Disney started getting lazy around the year 3000.**

Space☆Dandy
A Race in Space is Dangerous, Baby

At the end of last week, I said that this episode looked like a great opportunity for Bones to make a homage to a certain awesome 2010 racing movie that may well be my favourite anime movie of all time. Undoubtedly, there was always a bit of the bloodpumping magic that is Redline hidden somewhere between Dandy’s brilliant, bouffant quiff and the Aloha Oe’s chassis that is held together with duct tape and chewing gum. Up to this point though, there has been little opportunity to see what is really under the hood of the battered, old ship – mainly due to it either being hurtled through time and space or ploughed, nose first, into one remote planet or another. So, this week we are off to the races. I hope you’re ready, because I know I am!

Buddandyism, Judandyism, Christidandyty? Which is the real path? — **Buddandyism, Judandyism, Christidandyty? Which is the real path to enlightenment?**

This week, Dandy finally returned to Boobies, but, to his envy, Honey and the rest of the girls were too busy swooning over Prince the ‘Sonic Speed Stud’ to even notice Dandy. Seeking to steal back his ladies, Dandy entered the Grand Prix and swore to defeat his new found rival which he actually nearly managed by making use of his many ‘last resort’ tactics. Dandy must have learned a valuable lesson after he surfed that explosion last episode because he spent most of the race catapulting the Aloha Oe through space on the shockwave of friendly and enemy missles alike and somehow ended up fighting for first place with Prince. On the final stretch, it looked like Dandy might just take the victory when Prince became flustered and fell in love with Dandy, but Prince’s team-mate Mickey… I mean, ‘Squeak’… decided it was time to play dirty and detonated a bomb he had planted on Dandy’s ship during the pit stop. Far from destroying the ship though, the bomb reacted with the steamed dumpling that Meow had thrown into Dandy’s fuel tank in his haste and, once again, the Aloha Oe was sent tearing through space and time. 5.67 billion years later and Dandy found himself alone, staring up at a magnificent statue… Of himself… Well done Space Dandy. You actually managed to out ‘what-the-hell-just-happened’ Redline’s ending. I doff my hat to thee.

One turned to beer and racing, the other to boobies and cats... Well, each to their own. — **One turned to beer and racing, the other to boobies and cats… Well, each to their own.**

One of the things that sets Space Dandy apart from every other anime of the moment is that it isn’t afraid to tackle new subject matter every episode. Some might say this makes the story lack continuity and I wouldn’t disagree with that statement. Certainly, Space Dandy does suffer from a lack of cohesive storytelling, but if you consider it an out of this world slice of life like I have called it before, it goes above and beyond the call of its competitors. Space Dandy doesn’t rely on moe girls doing moe things every week to draw in viewers and in this day and age that is something to be thankful for. Much like how episode 4 was an ode to zombie movies, this week we got to take a look at the much loved, but rarely explored racing genre of anime – a strange genre that has roots in the very early shows of the late 70’s and since then has pitter pattered along rarely producing anything of note. Aside from Initial D and a couple of other exceptions, Redline for example, most racing anime don’t focus on actual cars or spaceships, but are frequently sports manga for things like cycling, or rollerblading so it was nice to see Space Dandy stay true to the classics with style akin to its cool main character.

Woah, keep me out of frame! I don't want to be a part of this lawsuit! — **Woah, keep me out of frame! I don’t want to be a part of this lawsuit!**

I guess the real question of whether this episode was good or not comes down to how well it pulled off the genre and for a 20 minute spectacle I must admit it did a pretty damn good job. Wasting no time on formalities, we were plunged straight into the action within just a few minutes and from then on it was nothing but excitement. The way that they didn’t forget that the Aloha Oe was a heap of junk and forced Dandy into some Dick Dastardly level tricks to literally throw himself into first position was a wonderful touch that I don’t think a lot of anime would have thought of. There was no underdog story here, just an idiot with a lot of firepower bending every rule in the book and risking his life to win back the girls at Boobies. Well, his life isn’t really worth living without them right?

Hey nerd! Uta no Prince-Sama called. They want their hair back. — **Hey nerd! Uta no Prince-Sama called. They want their everything back.**

Interlaced with the beautifully executed race scenes was a vast selection of some of the best jokes that Space Dandy has come up with so far. I swear, I was nearly crying at the end when Dandy’s ship warped through time and Prince was left completely naked for absolutely no reason other than to make the female audience swoon. Apparently it wasn’t enough for him to ooze bishōnen from the moment he was introduced and fall in love with Dandy to spark a million fanfictions and tumblr gifs, they had to strip the clothes right off his back . At least Bones know their fanbase! That aside, the mech battles and the racing itself looked sublime and I can’t wait to get my hands on the blu-ray later this year to see just how gorgeous they can make the explosions and the Tron-esque final stretch. It was exciting, hilarious, and confusing to the point where I ended the episode laughing my way through inane mutterings of, “What the hell? What the hell just happened!” I loved it.

Thus, as QT floats aimlessly through space and Dandy admires the huge statue of his fabulous self, standing proudly on an extinct planet several billion years in the future, we are left to wait another week for episode 8. From the preview it appears to be an episode set on a dog planet so I can only imagine it will be another week revolving around Meow. Where is my QT episode?! Stop killing him repeatedly and give him an episode! The public demand moe robots doing moe things! Until then, stay tuned.

**In space, no one can hear the fan girls scream.**

Space Dandy is simulcasting in both subbed and dubbed formats and can be found airing on Adult Swim’s Toonami block or streaming on FUNimation in the US. UK viewers can catch it streaming on Wakanim and Australian viewers can catch it streaming on Madman with new episodes – both subbed and dubbed – up on the Madman Screening Room each Monday, at 1am AEDT.

For more impressions of winter’s best and worst, head over to our Anime Impressions page.

Check out more Space Dandy Impressions HERE.

Dragon Ball Z Kai Returning With the Buu Saga

Nathan Farrugia

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February 18, 2014

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It was heavily suspected that Dragon Ball Z Kai would be continuing after abruptly ending at the end of the Cell Saga a few years back, and now those suspicions have been confirmed. The Buu Saga brought us the golden haired Super Saiyan 3 transformation, Gohan’s potential being unlocked and also introduced powerful fusion characters such as Gotenks and Vegito. The saga was also host to some memorable villians such as Dabura, Majin Vegeta and of course, Majin Buu. Originally the Kai version of the Buu Saga was thought to only be for overseas markets, however it now seems that it will be making it’s way to Japan after all.

Dragon Ball Z Kai is the remastered, filler free re-cut of one of the most popular anime in existence, Dragon Ball Z, which also features redone voice work and a new soundtrack. The redone Buu Saga will be no exception, however this time the score will not be completed by composer Kenji Yamamoto (who originally conducted the Kai score as well as the soundtrack for many Dragon Ball games) as he was fired for possibly infringing on copyrighted material.

inFAMOUS 2 vs inFAMOUS: Second Son Video Comparison

Kane Bugeja

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February 18, 2014

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infamous2-artwork — **So who’s it gonna be?**

A new video that showcases the differences, and similarities, between Sucker Punch‘s inFAMOUS 2 and inFAMOUS: Second Son titles. The video contains side by side footage of environments, gameplay and character models that clearly presents the visual divide that comes from a generational gap. Though the video is fairly short, it provides some insight into the improvements that Second Son makes to the franchise. That being said, inFAMOUS 2 still holds up fairly well. Not exactly PS4 graphics, but by no means outdated.

It’s Electricity vs Smoke vs Ice vs Neon vs Napalm in a clash between heroes old and new. Do you think Delsin will change the series for the better? Is Cole the only true inFAMOUS hero? Which power is cooler? Check out the video below and decide for yourself. Remember, there are no wrong answers.

First Teaser Trailer Released for A Story About My Uncle

Jamie Laike Tsui

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February 18, 2014

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Gone North Games and Coffee Stain Studios have released the first teaser trailer for A Story About My Uncle. The game has been well received since the demo was released in 2012, netting Gone North Games a Game of the Year nomination for the Swedish Game Awards 2012. However, the games was only a university project at the time. Fortunately, the game was recently picked up by Coffee Stain Studios and will now be completed for the summer of 2014.

A Story About My Uncle is a non-violent first person platformer about a boy seeking his lost uncle. Players will explore a fantastic world full of mysterious caves with their trusty grappling hook. A Story About My Uncle will be released in the summer of 2014 for PC. No word yet on which operating systems will be supported.

Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark Revealed

Kane Bugeja

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February 18, 2014

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For every force in the Universe, there is an equal and an opposite

Activision and Hasbro have announced that a new title will be released to support the upcoming Transformers: Age of Extinction film. The game itself will be a third-person action adventure that unites the universe of Michael Bay with the Cybertron universe and is to be known as Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark.

Serving as a follow-up to both the upcoming film and Activision’s previous War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron titles, the game jumps worlds and factions as it tells the tale of the hunt for an ancient relic as powerful as the Matrix of Leadership: the Dark Spark. Players will be able to switch between the Autobots and Decepticons throughout the single-player campaign, numbering somewhere close to 40 playable characters. Gameplay features nimble, fast-paced running-and-gunning combat paired with traversal and vehicle action across open battlefields for large-scale, dynamic conflicts.

Players will also see the return of the multiplayer mode Escalation, which delivers wave-based, survival-style gameplay for up to four players online cooperatively. It features new, upgradeable defense systems, recognizable adversaries from the lore, and an expanded roster of playable characters from past and present. Additionally, a new levelling system transforms single-player and multiplayer into one unified, persistent character development path. Experience earned in any part of the game unlocks awards and tactical loadout choices. This includes new characters, stronger weapons, special abilities and consumable bonuses for use throughout the entire game.

Transformers-Rise-of-the-Dark-Spark-Screenshot-01 — **One shall stand…**

Mark Blecher (SVP Digital Gaming & Corporate Development at Hasbro) said:

“Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark is an arc between the Cybertron and Earth based worlds of this popular franchise. This year marks 30 incredible years of Transformers. This game tells another chapter in the Transformers story that all fans will love.”

Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark is slated for release on PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U, 3DS and PC. No information as to when the game will see its release has been made yet, but it’s safe to assume that it will be linked to Age of Extinction. I send this message to any news taking refuge among the Activision offices. We are here. We are waiting.

ACTIVISION AND HASBRO REVEAL TRANSFORMERS™: RISE OF THE DARK SPARK™ VIDEO GAME FOR NEXT GEN AND CURRENT GEN CONSOLES

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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February 17, 2014

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ACTIVISION AND HASBRO REVEAL TRANSFORMERS™: RISE OF THE DARK SPARK™ VIDEO GAME FOR NEXT GEN AND CURRENT GEN CONSOLES

Minneapolis, MN – February 17, 2014 – Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), and Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) today announced TRANSFORMERS™: RISE OF THE DARK SPARK™, a video game complement to Paramount Pictures’ upcoming film, TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION, set to release this June. This third-person action adventure video game goes beyond the movie by uniting the universe of director Michael Bay’s TRANSFORMERS movies with the ever-popular Cybertron universe. Players will choose from over 40 playable characters from the two different universes as they battle to secure the Dark Spark. TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE DARK SPARK will be releasing on Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, Sony’s PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Nintendo’s Wii U™ system and the Nintendo 3DS™ handheld system and Windows PC.

“TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE DARK SPARK is an arc between the Cybertron and Earth based worlds of this popular franchise,” remarked Mark Blecher, SVP Digital Gaming & Corporate Development at Hasbro, Inc. “This year marks 30 incredible years of TRANSFORMERS. This game tells another chapter in the TRANSFORMERS story that all fans will love.”

Serving as a follow-up to both the upcoming TRANSFORMERS live-action film and Activision’s TRANSFORMERS: WAR FOR CYBERTRON and TRANSFORMERS: FALL OF CYBERTRON titles, TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE DARK SPARK jumps worlds and factions as it weaves the tale of the hunt for an ancient relic as powerful as the Matrix of Leadership – the Dark Spark. Players will be able to switch between the heroes of the noble AUTOBOTS and the nefarious DECEPTICONS throughout the single-player campaign. Similar to High Moon Studios’ CYBERTRON entries in the highly regarded series, gameplay features nimble, fast-paced running-and-gunning combat paired with traversal and vehicle action across open battlefields for large-scale, dynamic conflicts.

Players will also see the return of the fan-favorite multiplayer mode, Escalation, which delivers wave-based, survival-style gameplay for up to four players online cooperatively. It features new, upgradeable defense systems, recognizable adversaries from the lore, and an expanded roster of playable characters from past and present. Additionally, an exciting new leveling system transforms single-player and multiplayer into one unified, persistent character development path. Experience earned in any part of the game unlocks potent awards and tactical loadout choices – including new characters, stronger weapons, special abilities and consumable bonuses – for use throughout the entire game.

TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE DARK SPARK is currently rated “RP” (Rating Pending) by the ESRB. Be sure to check out the latest information on the game at www.transformersgame.com.

About Hasbro, Inc.

Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) is a branded play company dedicated to fulfilling the fundamental need for play for children and families through the creative expression of the Company’s world class brand portfolio, including TRANSFORMERS, MONOPOLY, PLAY-DOH, MY LITTLE PONY, MAGIC: THE GATHERING, NERF and LITTLEST PET SHOP.

From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, digital gaming and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its global customers with innovative play and entertainment experiences, in a variety of forms and formats, anytime and anywhere. The Company’s Hasbro Studios develops and produces television programming for more than 180 markets around the world, and for the U.S. on Hub Network, part of a multi-platform joint venture between Hasbro and Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK).

Through the Company’s deep commitment to corporate social responsibility, including philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to build a safe and sustainable world for future generations and to positively impact the lives of millions of children and families every year. It has been recognized for its efforts by being named one of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies” and is ranked as one of Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s “100 Best Corporate Citizens.” Learn more at www.hasbro.com. © 2014 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

# # #

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Publishing’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about the expected release date are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Activision Publishing’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Activision Publishing or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.
TRANSFORMERS and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro and are used with permission. ©2014 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. ©2014 Paramount Pictures Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Licensed by Hasbro. Game © 2014 Activision Publishing, Inc. ACTIVISION is a registered trademark of Activision Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Opening the game box and using the software constitutes acceptance of the Software License Agreement available at support.activision.com/license. ESRB rating icons are registered trademarks of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and may not be used without permission of the ESA. “PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Nintendo trademarks and copyrights are properties of Nintendo. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.

17 Minutes of Unedited Thief Gameplay

Zac Elawar

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February 17, 2014

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Just last month, we went hands-on with the first three hours of Thief. Now, you can watch 17 minutes from the first mission set straight after the tutorial, called Lockdown.

Square Enix and Eidos Montreal chose to share unedited footage from this particular mission because it “allows us to demonstrate many of the strengths of the game in a short condensed mission without spoiling any of the plot”. You can watch the gameplay video embedded at the bottom of this article. There is also an accompanying interview with Marketing Coordinator Jean-Philippe Chicoine over on the Thief Community blog here.

Thief sneaks into stores on February 28, in all PAL territories for Windows PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Nagi no Asukara Episode 18 Impressions

Sergei Lazarev

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February 17, 2014

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Nagi no Asukara
Episode 18 – Shioshishio

There is something oddly peaceful about turning on Nagi no Asukara every week. In comparison with every other anime currently airing, it’s incredibly quiet and thoughtful. But also beautiful and sad at the same time as you have this constant feeling of not knowing where this is all heading.

True to this formula, this episode has Hikari, Kaname and Miuna explore the desolate Sea Village of Shioshishio following their decision to find out what happened after the cataclysm and to track down the mysterious creaking sound Miuna heard. It’s almost poignant down there in the village during the hibernation and definitely not the romantic vision Miuna had learned of since she was a child. The frozen people creepily resemble bodies while the streets are dead silent. Hikari snaps at Miuna because even he’s unsure of whether they’re alive or not. He manages to visit his father at his old home, lying frozen, and says a few words detailing how life has changed on the surface, even if those words can’t be heard.

The second half of the anime has been told more or less through the eyes of Miuna and it’s no different here as we learn what she feels for this frozen village which was once the home of her friends. A place where the people she loves grew up yet she herself has never seen. After wandering into the abandoned middle school she has a vision of what the place was like when Hikari and his friends attended it. Outside, she has an encounter with the enigmatic Lord Uroko, the mere “scale” of the Sea God who we haven’t seen since last season. This hibernation is his doing and we still don’t know whether he’s hiding something from his people.

He asks her why she came to the village and she replies by saying she’s looking for Manaka. To this question, he cannot reply for Manaka was a living “wooden maiden” and the sacrifice to the Sea God. He leaves just as Hikari and Kaname arrive to find Miuna.

Miuna feels that the crackling sound she has been hearing is Manaka calling out to her, and she follows the sparkling lights and sound to a mountain. Inside are thousands of Wooden Maidens from every boat ceremony over the years. And in the middle is an elaborate pedestal shaped into a hand, covered in a translucent cloth and with Manaka lying inside. So Manaka has finally been found, but they all know that forcefully waking someone up may have unknown consequences.

Lord Uroko appears next to Miuna, who is waiting at the opening of the cave, and says a few fateful words. “When something appears, something else is lost.” No doubt this will have huge meaning in the episodes to come, as Manaka is freed by Hikari once they notice her ena is falling apart, putting her at risk of drowning. In a desperate escape that is sure to invoke the Sea God’s wrath, the three friends grab Manaka and swim back towards the surface. I found the scene when Miuna looks back to Lord Uroko who remained displeased, surrounded by the shaking earth, as if she wanted to talk more.

Funnily enough not much actually happened throughout episode 18, which shouldn’t be surprising if you’ve seen the show up to this point. It was more of an eerie, drawn out experience but with sudden action at the end which drove the plot onward. First Hikari, then Kaname and now Manaka has finally been found. What does this mean for the village now that they have forcefully taken a sleeping resident away? Not to mention Manaka has apparently lost her ability to live underwater. It seems like this show continues to raise new questions every episode.

Check out more Nagi no Asukara impressions HERE.