UNLEASH YOUR INNER WARRIOR ON PLAYSTATION 4, PLAYSTATION 3 AND PLAYSTATION VITA THIS SPRING
Upcoming Installments in Dynasty Warriors Franchise Set for North American Release on March 25, 2014
BURLINGAME, Calif.(February 7, 2014) – TECMO KOEI America today announced the release date for DYNASTY WARRIORS 8: XTREME LEGENDS COMPLETE EDITION for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and PlayStation®Vita handheld system, in addition to the fan-anticipated release of DYNASTY WARRIORS 8: XTREME LEGENDS for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. Both titles will be released simultaneously across North America on March 25, 2014, bringing the Dynasty Warriors franchise dynamically to the new generation of consoles.
DYNASTY WARRIORS 8: XTREME LEGENDS (DW8XL) for PlayStation®3, is a stand-alone expansion of the highly successful Dynasty Warriors 8, which was released in July 2013 to critical acclaim. It will include new episodes that add to the story of the three kingdoms the game revolves around, focusing on the exploits of the mightiest of warriors, Lu Bu. Additionally, DW8XL will see the introduction of five new characters, giving players the option to choose between 82 warriors in total. DW8XL will also feature multiple hypothetical scenarios that alter the plotlines of various episodes throughout the ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms’ story, an expanded Ambition Mode and the popular Challenge Mode. The Free Mode has also been significantly enhanced, featuring among other things, the Xtreme Legends ‘Ultimate’ difficulty level.
DYNASTY WARRIORS 8: XTREME LEGENDS COMPLETE EDITION for the PlayStation®4 system and PlayStation®Vita, is a treat for Dynasty Warriors fans that have migrated to the new generation of consoles. The Complete Edition includes all of the content from both DYNASTY WARRIORS 8 and DYNASTY WARRIORS 8: XTREME LEGENDS, thus giving new fans the opportunity to play through both titles. As an added bonus, PlayStation®3 system Dynasty Warriors 8 save data is transferable across all platforms.
DYNASTY WARRIORS 8: XTREME LEGENDS COMPLETE EDITION and DYNASTY WARRIORS 8: XTREME LEGENDS have been rated T for Teen by the ESRB.
Summary
DYNASTY WARRIORS 8 is a historical tactical action game that follows the stories of the kingdoms of Wei, Wu, Shu and Jin through the actions of historical military and political figures of the time as they fight to gain control over the Three Kingdoms of China. It features more than 40 completely new stages: verdant plains, desolate wastelands, sharp ravines, huge castles, and other breath-taking sites, giving stronger emphasis in the stage of these epic battles and inspired by ancient landscapes.
TECMO KOEI AMERICA CORP. is a publisher of interactive entertainment software for current generation consoles, handhelds and digital download content based in Burlingame, California. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of TECMO KOEI HOLDINGS CO., LTD., headquartered in Yokohama, Japan. TECMO is best known for the Dead or Alive®, Ninja Gaiden®, Tecmo Bowl®, and Fatal Frame® series. KOEI is best known for its Dynasty Warriors® and Samurai Warriors® franchises. On April 1, 2009, TECMO KOEI HOLDINGS CO., LTD was established as a result of the TECMO, LTD. and KOEI Co., Ltd. merger.
“PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
GAMEVIL launches CBT for quirky action shooter, Pocket Gunfighters
LOS ANGELES, CA- February 7, 2014- GAMEVIL and FREE RANGE GAMES is proud to announce the Closed Beta Test for anticipated title, Pocket Gunfighters. The free-to-play game is a quirky action shooter which pays homage to classic Hollywood themes.
GAMEVIL invites both casual and hardcore gamers to take part in the CBT. By traveling through time and space, players will discover over 50 gunfighters from classic Hollywood themes such as Western, Pirate, Yakuza, Jarhead, Spy, and much more. Players will need to assemble the ultimate team of 3 to dodge attacks, line up huge combos, and save the world from destruction.
Free Range Games is a leading developer of console quality mobile and browser games. Headquartered in Sausalito, California, the company is comprised of industry veterans who share a common goal of making great games they are proud of, out in the open and in collaboration with the gaming community. More information about Free Range Games can be found at www.freerangegames.com.
About GAMEVIL
GAMEVIL®, with over 330 million game downloads and experience publishing hundreds of games on multiple platforms, is one of the most active and innovative mobile game companies in the world. Established in 2000 and with offices in Los Angeles, Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul, GAMEVIL is an experienced global mobile game publisher working with more than 70 top studios around the world.
With deep industry and regional knowledge, GAMEVIL has been able to craft numerous award winners through a diverse portfolio of games. Backed by unparalleled expertise in mobile, GAMEVIL continues to lead the sector with a commitment in establishing mobile gaming as a way of life.
GAMEVIL is currently listed on the KOSDAQ Market (Ticker: 063080, Bloomberg: 063080:KS, Reuters: 063080.KQ)
Compatibility: Requires iOS 4.3 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
Description
Team USA hockey star Patrick Kane invites you to take a shot at glory in the greatest hockey event of the year – PATRICK KANE’S WINTER GAMES!
Dominate the ice across three net-busting game-modes; instant action FACE-OFF, exhilarating WINTER GAMES and the challenging RIVALS SERIES. Take on all of the internationally acclaimed national teams from around the World, with Patrick himself skating for Team USA. Perform faultless face-offs, slamming slap-shots and perfect poke-checks to bring down even the toughest of nations. Built with the innovative Phoenix™ technology, Patrick Kane’s Winter Games features incredibly fluid controls and the highly detailed 3D visuals provide an electrifying backdrop to the most entertaining hockey simulation on iOS.
LIGHT THE LAMPS IN FACE-OFF
Take to the ice right away with the ‘no fuss’ FACE-OFF mode. Pick your team and opposition from 18 top national teams, set your strategy and hit that puck between the opposition’s pipes.
THE WINTER GAMES EXPERIENCE
Hockey giant Russia is hosting the majestic WINTER GAMES, where 12 teams battle through group and knockout stages with only ONE nation crowned as the winner in the gold medal ceremony – will it be your team?
CLASSIC GAMES WITH RIVALS SERIES
Your chance to change history, recreating some of the hockey world’s greatest moments and rivalries, that are set to challenge your skills with the puck.
STRATEGIZE FOR OPTIMAL RESULTS
Strategize your game and change your strategy on the fly for the optimal team play on the ice. Deliver your shots with the ultimate precision and keep away from the penalty box to annihilate your opposition.
PHOENIX™ TECHNOLOGY-POWERED GRAPHICS, CONTROLS AND GAMEPLAY
Phoenix™ engine delivers high-poly 3D player models, motion-captured skating animations and instinctive controls for the most complete hockey gaming ever seen on iOS. Eye-popping particle effects and cheering crowds lift the atmosphere to new heights for the ultimate hockey experience.
GET SOCIAL!
Rack up the Game Center-powered ACHIEVEMENTS and challenge fellow puckheads to beat your score with Game Center, Facebook or Twitter.
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McDonald’s, the Golden Arches logo and I’m lovin’ it are trademarks of McDonald’s Corporation and its affiliates, used with permission.
Overview Over the past few months Sentai Filmworks has begun re-releasing a number of older anime licenses with new English dubs overtaking the previous sub only releases. The latest title to receive this treatment happens to be Maria Holic. With the style that the animation studio Shaft tends to take with many of their series and how off the wall the main character, Kanako, can be at times, does this new English dub work with the latest release of Maria Holic?
Story Kanako Miyamae has transferred into the private all-girls Christian school named Amenokisaki for her second year of high school. While the school usually doesn’t accept transfer students for her grade, they have given Kanako an exception since both her mother and father were previously at the school. Considering the school is only for women, Kanako’s father was a teacher who fell in love with her mother and they quickly married upon graduation.
She has transferred to this school to follow her late mother’s footsteps in finding her true love at Amenokisaki, but love comes in all forms and this girl isn’t looking at any of the male teachers on the staff, but instead at the bustling student body of healthy girls. You see, Kanako bats for the other team and is a rather extreme lesbian that suffers from explosive nosebleeds and often fantasizes about the girls she meets.
With so many girls she could potentially meet, the very first girl she comes across just so happens to be one of the most popular ones in the entire school, Mariya. The only problem is, as charming as Mariya is initially, all of that charm flies right out the window when Kanako discovers that she is a he and he is a rather cruel and manipulative person willing to threaten Kanako into secrecy by blackmailing her with her lesbian tendencies and going so far as to move into her dorm room to keep an eye on her.
While this would be an issue for anyone, it is especially troubling for Kanako as she has such an outrageous fear of men that she starts to break out in hives whenever one touches her. As such, with the manipulative and often cruel Mariya now residing in her room, Kanako will try to live out her lily colored dreams at school the best she can, at least as long as she can keep some blood in her body at least.
There really is no overarching storyline in Maria Holic to speak of, as we simply follow the life of Kanako with no real hint of a plot outside of perhaps ten seconds total involving rosaries, though the reason for Mariya’s cross-dressing is revealed. Instead Maria Holic is all about the laughs and focusing on Kanako as she tries to make friends and ends up being on the receiving end of all kinds of misunderstandings, odd bullying, and more. You see, while Kanako tries to make friends she immediately attracts attention of not only Mariya, but another popular girl at school that has a jealous fan club bullying her with aquatic based foodstuffs.
If that didn’t sound odd enough then you really have nothing to worry about as the entire cast of Maria Holic is an oddball in their own right. The dorm manager is a little girl with twitching cat ears that insists on being called God and sings morbid melodies in her free time, the friends Kanako manages to make range from cheerful to so stoic that she never seemed to have friends before, and there are numerous oddities that pop up from time to time and never really are explained outside of the fact that they are there to be creepy or be used for humor.
What really makes Maria Holic a rather enjoyable show is how Kanako acts as she often switches from complete shock into lewd thoughts or something else as she reacts to everything happening to her. While we have all seen perverted male leads fantasize about women or have fountaining nosebleeds, Kanako is so incredibly perverted that she often finds herself passing out thanks to all of the blood she has lost from nosebleeds when she fantasizes about other girls, eavesdrops on girls talking about their underwear, or falling for Mariya’s numerous cosplay outfits.
It goes without saying that a lot of the humor in Maria Holic is played off of Kanako and her lesbian antics. She is the butt of almost every joke, usually played on her by Mariya as he teases her with his cute looks and outfits despite being a boy, or his maid Matsurika bluntly inserting insults both towards her master and Kanako. While often funny, not every joke in Maria Holic hits home and a few of the running gags become tedious and overused halfway through the series which is a shame since Maria Holic is the best when it’s making you laugh.
Visuals Now those familiar with the studio Shaft probably know what to expect from the company thanks to their signature art style and that style is very obvious in Maria Holic. The art style will often switch rapidly between the normal style that the series uses; from extreme simplification, to ridiculously exaggerated shojo art, to simple text, or even stained glass representations of events. With Shaft the viewer is always in for a treat as they never really know what will be coming next.
There is some bad to go with this good as the company has clearly taken a number of shortcuts throughout the series as there are some really terrible looking drops in quality in normal scenes and other times that still images are overused or way too plain. That being said, this Blu-ray upgrade is a nice upgrade for fans of the series as the many bubbly shojo style backgrounds used throughout the series look amazing on Blu-ray while the characters themselves look even better than before. It is also worth noting that, considering the amount of text that Shaft likes to insert into their anime, Sentai has done a great job with their subtitle work and typesetting almost all of the signs that appear in the series.
Audio Unless they didn’t bite the first time around, a lot of anime fans are probably looking at Maria Holic this time around thanks to Sentai Filmworks giving the series an English dub to go along with the Japanese dub. There is good news to report on this front as the main cast, Jessica Calvello as Kanako and Monica Rial as Mariya, deliver exceptional performances with these characters. Calvellos does a great job with Kanako’s numerous reactions and Monica Rial’s range works well with Mariya as he switches between his masculine and feminine voice.
As far as the soundtrack goes, there are some rather enjoyable pieces of background music that play often throughout the series and stand out compared to your standard run of the mill tracks. The closing theme “Kimi ni, Mune Kyun,” by the three Japnese female leads is rather enjoyable and worth watching as the ending animation changes per episode and the opening theme “Hanaji” is an addictive number that will be hard to skip past.
Extras There are a number of on-disc bonus features included in this release, though it is worth noting that none of it is extra anime footage. There are your standard inclusions such as Japanese commercials, promo videos, and a clean version of every ending animation, which is actually quite a treat. This is followed by trailers for other Sentai Filmworks releases and disc credits.
As for the meatier content, there is the Club AT-X Interview which is a twenty minute Japanese interview with the three female voice actresses that handle the primary cast, and the Special X’Mas Night ~ Amenokisaki Holy Night Festival which is twenty two minutes in length and features a Japanese event held in a church when the first episode was shown to attendees with appearances from the staff cosplaying as their characters wearing the uniforms of Amenokisaki.
Overall Maria Holic: Complete Collection finally feels complete thanks to the new English dub handled by some great voice actresses. The show gives us a fresh look at the standard perverted main character by having it be a female lesbian in the form of Kanako. Her delusions and the fact that she is an idiot at the same time make her the ultimate gag magnet.
Unfortunately while most of the humor in the series is great and can easily be enjoyed more than once, a number of jokes fall flat and running gags begin to become predictable, halfway through the series. That being said, by being humorous and outlandish more often than not, let us hope that Maria Holic’s sequel will also be given the same English dub treatment as fans will easily want to see more of what the series has to offer by the time the last episode ends.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Last July at Anime Expo not only did Viz Media license the Deadman Wonderland manga for English release, they also licensed the tense crime thriller Gangsta. for release as well and now the company is bringing the first volume of this darker manga to shelves later this month on February 18th.
Since this manga is a bit more violent than your standard Viz release, this one is being published under the Viz Signature label and is rated M. The price for the first volume is $12.99 U.S. / $14.99 CAN and it has also been revealed that every print volume will include a two-sided full color frontispiece, which is the a fancy way of saying color insert at the beginning of the manga.
The story of Kohske’s Gangsta. takes place in the city of Ergastulum, a shady down filled with thieves, whores, dirty cops, and mobsters. But there are jobs that even these people wouldn’t be willing to touch and for these jobs, the “Handymen” Nic and Worick are the men to call. When the Handymen are forced to take a job request from a cop to take down a new gang, they find themselves in for a lot more than they bargained for.
Nexon Europe invites public to put online brawler to the test
Luxembourg, 07 February 2014: Nexon Europe is excited to announce that beta key registration is now available to the public for the epic online multiplayer brawler Lost Saga.
Lost Saga has opened its virtual doors to the community as Nexon Europe welcome yearning players to sign up for a beta key, which will allow access to the closed beta test from 27th February. Over 3000 people had previously joined the Lost Saga community and can now once again get their eager hands on a precious beta key, as online multiplayer battles await.
Along with sign up for a beta key, pre client download will open on 25th February and the participants can start to play the game right away when Closed Beta starts.
Developed by I.O. Entertainment and licensed by WeMade Entertainment, Lost Saga is an online multiplayer brawler game like no other, incorporating over 100 well-loved characters from across time and space, 20 maps and a wide variety of game modes. Having enjoyed considerable success so far, the community is well populated and is waiting for more users to join its ranks and shape the destiny of the game.
The official site recently launched, which can be found at lostsaga.nexoneu.com.
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.
About WeMade Entertainment Co., Ltd.
Established in 2000, WeMade Entertainment Co., Ltd., (KOSDAQ: 112040) is an international game developer and publisher with some of the most popular mobile games in Asia. WeMade has grown from a handful of passionate game pioneers to more than 1,000 game enthusiasts including one of the most robust mobile games development teams in the world. WeMade’s first hit title “Legend of Mir 2” drew more than 200 million online PC gamers into its world. Since debuting in the mobile games space in April of 2012, WeMade has released 27 high-quality mobile games including “WIND RUNNER”, which became the most popular mobile game in Korea and Japan with over 30 million downloads combined.
Remember The Princess and the Pilot? The anime movie that NIS America released last May, that we reviewed here? Well there is currently an anime series airing in Japan called The Pilot’s Love Song and it just so happens to take place in the same storyline universe as the aforementioned movie.
Why is this relevant you ask? Well today NIS America has announced that they have acquired the rights for the anime and are currently offering the anime for streaming on Crunchyroll and will be releasing a physical version of the anime in North America sometime in the future.
The company is describing the story as thus: “In order to uncover the “end of the sky,” as spoken of in ancient mythology, Kal-el Albus is sent to Isla, an island in the sky. There he attends Cadoques High’s Aerial Division, where he enjoys a carefree life with his schoolmates. That is…until a surprise attack by the air tribe drags Isla into a bloody war.”
Before the OP begins we are treated to an after school scene where Haruka is sleeping on her desk, much to Yuu’s surprise as it is normally the other way around. Yuu then decides to give Haruka a few kisses on her head, hand, arm and leg only to discover she was actually pretending the whole time. This brief moment ends with Haruka asking about all the kisses and Yuu replying “Because I couldn’t reach your mouth.” No sugar for me thanks, this is already sweet enough.
4-A: A Sour Plan?
Mitsuki is still strung up about what she saw in Yuu’s bedroom from Episode 3, whilst Yuu explained she merely tripped over and fell on Haruka her older sister doesn’t buy this cover up. Determined to find out more about what the two girls have been getting up to, she asks Ikeno and Iizuka (who she mistakes as Lemon-san, much to the enjoyment of Ikeno) to secretly observe her little sister and her “close friend” and create a report about any weird interactions between the two. Now you would think that they could write an entire novel about how close Yuu and Haruka are, but because they are so used to how the two girls behave they don’t even register what could be considered unusual, there’s even a scene where Ikeno states that she wouldn’t bat an eyelid if she saw Haruka kissing Yuu’s cheek.
The fun continues when Ikeno and Lemo- I mean Iizuka secretly follow Haruka into a convenient store and the only thing they find out is that she knows what type of ice-cream Yuu likes, again this comes as no surprise to them however it would send Mitsuki into an over extrapolation of thoughts. We do get a typical spying moment when Haruka is about to run into Ikeno and Iizuka and the two have to cover their faces, they do this by picking up some random magazines and pretending to read them, my first thought from watching this was “wouldn’t it be funny if they picked up some adult themed magazines by mistake,” turns out I was right.
Back to school now where we see Yuu sitting on Kotone’s lap (as you do) and Haruka trying to tempt her over with the ice-cream she just bought, instead of reporting on this Ikeno and Iizuka join in as sports commentators and end up writing down how easily Haruka trips over. The story ends as per usual with Haruka and Yuu sharing a special yuri moment and Mitsuki finding out nothing about the two, but don’t worry because she gets her chance to do the tailing over in the second half of this episode.
4-B: Could This Be a Test of Courage?
With so many events taking place in school, it’s nice to see a story where they aren’t hanging out in their uniforms. In this night-time setting Yuu and Haruka are meeting up with the rest of the girls for a fireworks night, however Kotone left two hours before everyone with what appeared to be a head of hair and Ikeno is nowhere to be found. No need to panic guys, I’m sure Ikeno is fine; she even left a note for them on the street floor…
Well it looks like they have a mystery on their hands and what better way to find both missing girls then to split into two and walk along the dark forest path. Maybe it’s just me but I was reminded of Scooby Doo when Shizuku suggested pairing up and it doesn’t help that it’s set in an almost spooky location too, but the girls do decide to split as they think this is actually a test of courage. By pulling out different pieces of paper that had the coloured tips concealed, Yuu is paired with Shizuku and Haruka is with Iizuka which came as nice surprise to me as I was interested in seeing how the two would react when they weren’t always with each other. Sadly they decide to partner swap so the yuri couple will be walking together, this was to be expected but I did feel sorry for poor little lemon; the light hearted humour towards her is funny but you could tell she was genuinely upset when Haruka wanted to swap, I hope she gets a sweet moment in future eps.
Anyway whilst Haruka and Yuu are walking down the forest path they begin to suspect they might not be alone, and right they are because Mitsuki is following every step they take thanks to the glow in the dark paint she applied to Yuu’s hair clips. This clever little tracking tip backfires however when we find out she applied the paint to her own hair pieces as well and when concealed in the shadows, she looks like a horrible glowing eyed monster called out Yuu’s name. The two girls run off in fear, Haruka gives a kiss to Yuu in order to calm her down and ends up getting her tongue bitten when Mitsuki emerges from the bushes. Once all three of them are together (and Yuu having to lie about what her older sister saw again), they walk towards the end of the path and find the fireworks display along with the rest of the girls.
This story overall was quite enjoyable; it was a shame they didn’t split up Haruka and Yuu since the events that followed up were exactly what Haruka was hoping for, well maybe not the part when Mitsuki walks in. There is a short scene where Ikeno and Iizuka give Mitsuki the evils and we even see Mitsuki smiling at the end when she sees Haruka with Yuu, stating that “Haruka-san really is a nice girl.”
With each new episode, Sakura Trick gets more intense with both the kisses and actions of the characters, there is always a new element added that progresses each story and adds more drama whilst still maintaining a sense of light heartedness. Mitsuki is starting to accept Haruka and I am looking forward to what happens when she finds out the truth. Now if only there were more stories focused around the other girls too… well one in particular, don’t worry lemon I’ll pair with you any time.
Sakura Trick is animated by Studio Deen and is currentlybeing streamed by Crunchyroll. Don’t forget to check out our Anime Impressions page to see what shows the other Capsule Computers anime crew is watching this season.
Think of a romcom anime and try to find one that doesn’t have a best friend character trying to help out the lead in some way. Sure there are a number of them but more often than not the lead has a best friend and in Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars, your best friend happens to be a guy named Chlotz and this time around Atlus has released a number of new screenshots focusing and details on him.
Chlotz is a blunt but well-meaning guy that happens to be the younger brother of the genius heroine Chloe. He often plays the third wheel with the main character and acts like an idiot most of the time, but he is rather skilled at what he does and he is willing to sacrifice anything to help his friends or keep them in line.
Last July at Anime Expo not only did 
Remember The Princess and the Pilot? The anime movie that 
