The latest retail figures are granting the Xbox One victory in the Australian sales battle of 2013. NDP Group data for 2012-2013 showed that Microsoft‘s latest machine sold more units than any other next generation console that year.
“Xbox One saw higher unit sales of consoles, games and accessories than any other next generation console in Australia last year and topped all prior console launches in the country’s history.”
Jeremy Hinton, Microsoft Australia Business Group Lead for Interactive Entertainment.
Hinton also acknowledged that supplies of the Xbox One were still limited, adding that Microsoft are “doing [their] best” to ensure that supply meets demand in time for the release of Titanfall, a major exclusive for the Xbox One that hits stores on March 13.
The industry as a whole saw traditional sales figures of over a billion dollars in Australia for 2013, with digital sales adding a further $899 million, according to figures from the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association.
This week’s issue of Jump magazine has revealed a new character that will be appearing in Tales of Zestiria. The character is named Mikurio, voiced by Osaka Ryota and designed by Mutsumi Inomata, and he is Slay’s, the main character, rival and childhood friend. He has a calm attitude and fights in combat using a rod and is from the Family of Heaven.
Members of The Family of Heaven are pure beings that can manipulate the sounds of heaven and are pure begins and because of this, normal people cannot see him but Slay can. Currently Namco Bandai has not announced a release window for Tales of Zestiria but it is set to be released worldwide for the PlayStation 3 sometime in the future.
The very popular novel series Legend of the Galactic Heroes is set for another anime adaptation; this is the second time the series has been adapted with the first one being made 20 years ago.
The announcement was made a few days ago at the end of a live stage performance of the series and was later confirmed by his secretarythough the means of twitter.
Within the tweets it was stated that not only was the anime green lit, but it will be a completely new adaptation and not a remake of the 1988 version. The first adaptation was made by Animation Studio Artland and was directed by Noboru Ishiguro, who passed away in March two years ago. The new adaptation will focus more on the content from the 10 main volumes of the series, which was written by Yoshiki Takana, and will have a brand new staff behind it.
The series is set in the distant future and mainly follows the battles between the Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance; the two main characters are Imperial Admiral Reinhard von Lohengramm of the Galactic Empire and the FPAs’ leader Yang Wen-Li. The Novels have been known for their highly detailed story plot and its vast amount of characters, which get their own side stories that are connected to the main plot of the series.
The novels ran from 1982 -1989 and have sold over 15 million copies; Artland also adapted the series into theatrical releases and video games. Let us know what you think about this new adaptation by leaving a comment down below.
Fans of Dead Rising 3 will be delighted to hear that the second piece of DLC for Dead Rising 3’s “Untold Stories of Los Perdidos” has been released in the form of Fallen Angel. The content is currently available for download for $9.99 on the Xbox One Marketplace and is included in the game’s $29.99 season pass.
Fallen Angel follows a new character in the form of Angel as she and her group of survivors attempt to survive the zombie outbreak. There will be five new weapons, a new vehicle, and a new outfit that all carry over into the main game. To go along with the DLC’s release the company has released screenshots and a trailer, both of which can be found below.
Today Namco Bandai Games released four brand-new gameplay videos for their upcoming action/brawler game “J-Stars Victory Vs.” which is a game that, if you’re constant readers of the site, you’ll know we are absolutely head-over-heels excited for. Each of the 4 videos go for just over 2 minutes and they’re all focused on a singular character which is great because it gives fans the chance to see a couple of their favourite characters in action. Naruto (Naruto), Kenshiro (Fist Of The North Star), Yusuke (Yu Yu Hakusho) and Ryotsu (Kochira Katsushika-ku) are the four characters to get the spotlight this time around. Finally we’ll be able to see more of these characters’ movesets now that they each have a dedicated video. I can only imagine that Namco Bandai will be rolling out plenty of videos in the lead up to the games release so expect to see more within the coming weeks. Each of the videos can be seen just below this paragraph so head down there now check check them all out.
Famitsu has revealed that Marvelous AQL is having the Rune Factory development team working on a brand new strategy RPG for the 3DS called Forbidden Magna. Rune Factory’s director Masahide Miyata and Ototsugu Konoe, the series’ character designer, is also working on the project.
Some new characters have been introduced already, including our main protagonist Lux. Lux lives on a remote island and runs an inn that, despite being around for a long time, sees few customers. However when he travels to the crystal minds and finds a strange bracelet, his life begins to change as spirits begin to surround him.
Charlotte is the first spirit in the game, with pink twin-tail hair and long ears, Beatrice, the second spirit is silver haired and calm compared to the energetic Charlotte. Diana is the third spirit, this time with purple hair, loves to carry her weapon around but also has a soft side.
The game will feature two main parts, an inn section where players will manage an inn with the help of the spirits to attract more customers, and a battle system, called Connect Lead Time, which will be similar to the Valkyria Chronicles combat system, where both enemies and allies will have individual turns without the use of grids.
Death Sentence is a comic that, as of right now, hasn’t had too long of a run yet it has boomed in popularity and has quickly become a short series that comic book enthusiasts from around the world have been holding in very high regard, and it is very well-deserved. It is an odd story written and illustrated by a team of two men (Monty Nero and Mike Dowling) that looks into supernatural beings with a short time left to live and how they spend their final months. “Death Sentence” has a unique story paired with a very different view of the world we currently live in, it has heart, it has soul and this is why I believe it has become so well-received in such a short amount of time. This review will be covering issues one to four of the comic with issues five and six not yet being released.
Story
“Death Sentence” Issue 5 leads directly off of where Issue 4 ends and if you havn’t any idea of what the story was like in Issue 4 than I suggest you head over here and check out my review of the first 4 issues. The story is coming to a close and, although this isn’t the final issue for the short comic book series, it is quite epic and ends with one heck of an intimidating cliffhanger. By this point in the story both Verity and Weasel have been taken in by a government group that dedicates themselves to monitoring the G-Virus as well as harnessing its powers and searching for some sort of cure either permanent or temporary.
The search for a cure gets thrown into overdrive when news comes across that Monty, who is now one of the biggest enemies to the known world, has continued to have unprotected sex with his followers which is allowing the virus to spread rapidly, this means there are hordes of people around London with superhuman abilities and none of them would have a clue on how to use them properly. With a mass calamity threatening the world, the government decides to send Vertiy and Weasel onto the battlefield to confront Monty with the idea that they are powerful enough to combat his mind control abilities.
I wont explain anything past this because then it just leads into spoilers but you can imagine that one hell of a confrontation is about to take place between three of the countries most powerful citizens and it isn’t going to go down nicely. I’m really enjoying this storyline, out of all the comics I’ve reviewed as of late this one would have to be my favourite simply because of the oddly unique storyline. Clearly this comic has no fear, one of its characters kills the Queen of England and takes over the Royal Palace killings thousands daily, it is not a story that has been restrained in any way and that’s why I absolutely love it.
I’m a big fan of normal humans that gain superhuman abilities but usually the depth of their character development is actually quite…well, shallow. Thank God that a comic book like “Death Sentence” has come around because it shows us what is going on in these characters’ heads, it gives us a glimpse at the mental strain having these powers and being so close to death puts on a human. They’re powerful beings with nothing to loose that just want to leave their marks on the world before their inevitable death but it seems like some marks are far too big for this earth.
Artwork
Look not much has actually changed between this issue and the last issues but that doesn’t mean it is bad in any way because the artwork throughout the entire series has been absolutely brilliant. It’s gritty yet beautiful and the addition of colours really brings it off the page. There are so many panels or full pages that have inspired me to illustrate or create art simple because of how good it looks. Pages seem to have a certain gravity around them that draws you in and keeps you looking long after you’ve finished reading what is on the page.
Mike Dowling, who illustrates the comic, has done an absolutely brilliant job with the artwork of this series and I can’t help but look up to the man simply because of how talented he is. I was brought to a smile by the final page of this issue, though I can’t get into too much detail I will say that the use of warm colours and the position of characters and environments really made for an intimidating image that had me looking at it for longer than necessary. THAT’S what makes a good comic book! One that keeps you on the page and I think that “Death Sentence” has that kind of thing down to a fine…art.
Overall
The best thing “Death Sentence” could have done now that it is in its fifth issue is to maintain the fantastic quality that the other four issues gave to audiences and it absolutely did that. It was easy to digest but also just in-depth enough to keep me interested and I can only assume this is what the general comic book-reading masses think too.
It has its own style and marches to the beat of its own drum, it’s not afraid to take daring leaps, it’s not worried about national backlash, it just wants to tell a story and it tells it damn well! There’s a reason this comic book constantly sells out in stores and that’s because it is down right brilliant. If you’re looking for an intelligent action series that has you thinking just as much as it has you grinning than I believe “Death Sentence” is the one for you. Bring on Issue 6!
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Hozuki No Reitetsu Episode 6 – Hell Idol: Peach Maki/The Right Arm Blues
Another week, another episode and I’m so glad because I cannot get enough of Hozuki No Reitetsu. Welcome back to another installment of Hozuki No Reitetsu Anime Impressions, I hope you’ve all been as excited about this new episode as I have! This week marks the release of Hozuki No Reitetsu episode six: An episode where we’re introduced to the super cute hell idol “Peach Maki”, a journalistic cat that would do anything for a front-page story and a reptilian-esque man who just so happens to be the aid to the king of European hell. This episode shows the audience more of what the afterlife is like, we’re now aware that it has journalists and crappy gossip magazines and it makes one think that…well, maybe hell isn’t so different from THIS plane of existence.
Hell Idol: Peach Maki:
Here I was thinking that the afterlife would be drastically different from the life of the living but it turns out, according to the world of Hozuki No Reitetsu, it’s pretty much exactly the same. Down there they have magazines, newspapers, taxis, trains, police, journalists, they have everything we have but goofier! The audience is introduced to a cute young girl who referred to as “Peach Maki” and she just so happens to be the titular character of this particular story. She’s introduced first as a feature in a smug magazine that is explained later to be for “the male audience” though it is essentially filled with cute girls, cuter animals and a whole bunch of gossip. Though she’s the titular character, she doesn’t actually get introduced “in person” until about half way through the story. Hozuki spends most of the half-episode being bothered by a silly journalist/cat that has been snooping around for a story though Hozuki is a work-minded man and cares not for what this damn cat wants.
The characters all eventually meet up, including Momotaro’s three animal pals who just so happen to be my favourite characters, for what turns out to be a crazy cluster of…well…craziness! Once again, Hozuki No Reitetsu blends both Eastern and Western humour quite well with characters making references to the former super couple “Brangelina” while also being entirely Japanese about the whole thing. I had more interest in the little recurring storylines when it came to this episode; things like Cookie having her babies and Hozuki maybe taking a trip to the real world to see a cat cafe, the things that make Hozuki No Reitetsu what it is. This episode felt real in a way that is entirely unreal. Hell is hell but it is also still somewhat normal; they do certain things in hell that we also do up here on Earth and I truly believe the intention of this episode was to put forth that idea, the idea that screams; “we’re weird but we’re all still like you!”. Though not as funny as some episode, it was still very much Hozuki No Reitetsu.
The Right Arm Blues:
Now before you all get the wrong idea about this episode and its vague title; it is about a government position and not…you know…THAT! A few episodes ago we were all introduced to the king of European Hell, an entity named Satan that wasn’t as tough as he made himself out to be. Well much like King Enma it seems as though Satan also has a right-hand man that helps oversee everything that goes on in hell, this man’s name is “Beelzebub” the king of the flys! Which…doesn’t sound TOO scary but believe me it is! Beelzebub makes a trip over to Japanese Hell to check out the place that made Satan so damn wimpy and he could barely get past customs without some sort of unnecessary trouble that of which could only come about somewhere in the wacky Japanese Hell of Hozuki No Reitetsu. Luckily for Beelzebub, Hozuki just so happened to be around when he turned up so he swiftly got him through customs and the two men introduced themselves. I’m starting to think Hozuki isn’t the most likable fellow even though he happens to be one of my favourite characters and I generally find him hilarious. Beelzebub, much like every other character Hozuki randomly meets, isn’t too big of a fan and quickly jumps to dislike for him.
The man from hell kind of goes through the exact same things that every Japanese Hell tourist goes through and is thoroughly shocked…as usual. Eventually Hozuki must head to European Hell to sign some sort of contract between the two hells, there he once again comes into contact with Beelzebub and, after talking for a bit, both men realise they’re not that different and would each not be too unhappy to be in each others presences again. Does this mean…Hozuki made a friend from European Hell?! No, probably not, I’m sure more shenanigans will quickly dissolve that friendship in a later episode. It was nice to see another inhabitant of European Hell and what this episode put forth to me was that there are a whole bunch of different Hells out there; Japanese Hell, European Hell, Chinese Hell. One can only imagine the other types of hell that exist within this anime series and I’m actually more excited to see the Japanese take on them rather than the Japanese take on their own hell. From what I’ve seen in the past six episodes of Hozuki No Reitetsu; nothing is sacred and everything is a target. Brilliant.
Check out more Hozuki No Reitetsu impressions HERE.
Those that played through Of Orcs and Men should remember the goblin at the side of the main character as Styx. Well, now that Styx is getting his own game it looks like that makes a much bigger spotlight on him. Styx: Master of Shadows will put players in the shoes of Styx, as he tries to infiltrate the Tower of Akenash.
Being a much smaller character and as indicated by the title, Master of Shadows will be a more stealth based game than Of Orcs and Men, though it will still keep some of the RPG elements, such as 6 talent trees for players to upgrade Styx’s weapons and moves. With so much to consider it seems reasonable for players to want to see Styx in action, so Cyanide Studio and Focus Home Interactive have released the first official video showing Styx off in-game.
Those wanting to see what they will be able to expect from Styx for themselves can watch the trailer embedded below, but unfortunately that is all players will have to tide themselves over for right now as Styx: Master of Shadow has yet to announce a release date.
With Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare just around the corner, EA have decided to pull out all the stop and present a brand new, live action trailer for the game. No, that isn’t a typo – the latest trailer for the Plants vs Zombies third person shooter is indeed live action. Don’t believe me? Then check it out below:
Dolphin shotguns? I guess the tagline of “Shooters just got weird,” is very appropriate here. Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare is set to release on February 27th for both Xbox One and Xbox 360 so for all the Plants vs Zombies news as it becomes available, be sure you stay tuned to Capsule Computers.
