Today Sentai Filmworks announced their current April 2014 release line-up where we have a number of new titles as well as an old favorite that a lot of people have been looking forward to. First we have the ecchi comedy anime Ebiten: Complete Collection which is getting a Blu-ray and DVD Japanese only release with English subtitles on April 1st.
The Familiar of Zero Season 1 is also getting a DVD and Blu-ray release on April 8th and it will contain the original English dub as well as the Japanese voice track. The week after that we have the first half of From the New World on Blu-ray and DVD which is then followed by the Japanese dub only release of Hidamari Sketch X 365 on Blu-ray only.
On the same week as Hidamari, we have Little Busters! Collection 2 hitting stores on April 22nd, where our review of the first half of the series can be found here. Finally the month is closed out by a Japanese dub only release of Cuticle Detective Inaba on April 29th.
Hyper Race Developer:KR Works Publisher: KR Works Platforms: iPhone (reviewed), iPad Release Date: December 21, 2013 Price: $0.99 – Available Here
Overview
KR Works are relatively unknown in the mobile gaming marketplace, but that is something that is about to change. With the release of Hyper Race, KR Works have proven themselves to be one of the best new developers in mobile gaming. Taking inspiration from the classic F-Zeroracing game, Hyper Race is addictive fun that really must be played to be believed. Get hyped for Hyper Race!
Gameplay
What makes Hyper Race so addictive is its adrenaline pumping sense of speed that really sets it apart from all other racing games on the mobile platform. You will no doubt be remind of F-Zero, but that is of course a huge complement to Hyper Race, an ode to the space racers of old, all the while etching out a new path with slick gameplay and addictive mobile gaming formula.
The game features a few gameplay modes that you can sink your teeth into. There is ‘Single Race’ mode which is your standard free play mode. This is where you will likely spend most of your time, it is a great casual experience that can also become a hardcore experience depending upon your style of play. In ‘Single Race’ mode you select your car and your track and simply get down to business, hyper racing style.
Not only that but there is ‘Tournament’ mode. In this mode you engage in a tournament and progress race by race. This is a more hardcore mode that is best suited for longer periods of play. It is the perfect alternative to ‘Single Race’ mode, giving players a real challenge with a varying amount of difficulty available.
Capping that mode off is the ‘Hyper Trial’ mode. This is quite similar to ‘Time Trial’ modes in other racing games and focuses on getting a quick lap time. There is a superb amount of variety in this gameplay experience.
Control-wise, Hyper Race is quite well polished. It utilizes a refined tilt and touch control mechanic that makes racing feel smooth and natural. It is this core gameplay that makes or breaks the experience in a game such as this and in terms of the racing mechanics, KR Works absolute hit it out of the park. The controls work incredibly well and have a great learning curve. It bridges the gap between hardcore gamers and casual gamers in a way that few mobile games do.
The only part of Hyper Race that disappoints is the ‘Multiplayer’ mode. Unfortunately the ‘Multiplayer’ mode is locked solely to Bluetooth play, with no Online play present whatsoever. In this day and age, with the world linked online, it has become an expected part of multiplayer experiences and it was the only sore spot in an otherwise excellent game.
Visuals and Audio
Aesthetically Hyper Race is crisp and visually exciting. While the art style doesn’t exactly innovate, it does a great job at presenting the futuristic space racer visual aesthetic, capturing the sense of speed and wonder that can only be seen in a race in space.
Perhaps the real highlight of Hyper Race is its awesome soundtrack. Featuring some chilled electronic beats, Hyper Race’s soundtrack is infectious. It gets stuck in your head and makes for a truly memorable audio experience.
Overall
The mobile gaming medium has a new benchmark for racing games and its name is Hyper Race. With its mix of speed, adrenaline and unbridled fun, Hyper Race is a real gem of mobile gaming. This is a must-play mobile game in all regards. If you’re looking for a racing game for your mobile, Hyper Race has your hook up and its ready to blow your mind.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
While FUNimation has been revealing their stream licenses one at a time over the past week, the company has decided to drop a few announcements all at once. FUNimation has announced that Buddy Complex, No-Rin (previously Nourin), and Nobunagun will all be streamed by the company. The first stream has already happened in the first episode of Buddy Complex and Nobunagun, while No-Rin will be released sometime later on.
Buddy Complex is a new series from Sunrise that follows the story of Aoba Watase, who encounters another boy named Jyunyou Dio Weinberg and this meeting will change the fate of the world. Following that we have Nobunagun, the latest anime to take Oda Nobunaga and throw some spice into the mix. This one involves a high school girl named Shio Ogura visiting Taiwan where she is attacked by monsters. Here it is revealed that people called E-Gene Holders can summon historical figures to fight these creatures, and it just so happens that Shio’s spirit is Oda Nobunaga with a big machine gun.
Finally we have one that has a bit of a different taste to it, as No-Rin tells the story of a boy who attends an agricultural school who is depressed that his favorite idol has left the business. However when that idol appears at his school it gives him a chance to get closer to him. Interestingly enough, this one is the only title of the three that I was even interested in checking out in the first place.
Madman Entertainment have quite a line-up of releases scheduled for the month of February 2014. With a vast array of hotly anticipated titles, be they anime or live-action film.
On the film front, Madman will be releasing the latest Michel Gondry work, The We and the I, a critically acclaimed look at the social dynamics of teens at the brink of adulthood. They also have films such as Fly Me To The Moon, Stories We Tell, Stranger By The Lake and White Elephant set to release on February 26th. Not only that but Madman will be releasing REAL, a Japanese drama which recently premiered at the Japanese Film Festival last year. Check out the full film line-up here.
For anime, the line-up is equally impressive next month. Headlined by visionary director Makoto Shinkai’s latest work Garden of Words, Madman’s February line-up is filled with blockbuster anime titles. Releases of One Piece: Strong World, Fate/Zero, Patlabor and Bakuman are all scheduled to release on February 19th. Check out the full anime line-up here.
Be sure to let us know what you think of Madman’s February 2014 line-up in the comments section below.
P.I.S.D Ltd are excited to announce the release of their boxing simulation, Title Bout Championship Boxing 2013, which is now available on iPad and Android.
P.I.S.D. co-founder, Paul Norman stated, “Now boxing fans can take their favourite simulation anywhere. TBCB 2013 for iPad and Android is perfect for getting in a few quick fights while waiting somewhere or traveling. You could even attend a boxing match and run a few sims of the fight before the action starts!”
Title Bout Championship Boxing 2013 welcomes ultimate fans of boxing to enter the ring with thousands of real boxers. Become a part of the sporting dimension in this boxing simulation; with realistic crowd noises, radio-style fight commentary, pseudo-animated fighters, trainers, referees and the ability to create outlandish matches, such as Mike Tyson vs. Muhammad Ali. The game also features revised and multiple ranking systems, complete statistics, top ten lists, and the power to forecast upcoming fights following P.I.S.D’s weekly predictions from Talkin’ Boxing With Billy C Challenge.
TBCB 2013 is currently available to download for only AUD $2.28 (USD $1.99) at the App Store here for iPad (iOS7) and Google Play here for Android (OS 3.0+).
Alienware has earned their reputation as pioneers in the high-performance PC market, and is now looking to impact the industry once again in a partnership with Valve. At CES 2014, the two companies revealed the product of a four-year collaboration – the Alienware Steam Machine.
Its aesthetic is in keeping with the signature Alienware design-base, maintaining the build quality (since Dell became its parent company) the brand is known for. It features a custom-built chassis which provides optimal thermal and acoustic management and leaves an astonishingly small footprint. Frank Azor, Co-Founder and General Manager of Alienware, had the following to say about the future of gaming in the living room;
With the introduction of the X51 system nearly two years ago, Alienware kicked off an evolution of small form factor PC gaming systems designed for every living area. When Valve and Alienware began collaborating on our vision for a PC gaming console several years ago we could clearly see we were on to revolutionizing PC Gaming forever.
Gabe Newell, Founder of Valve, added;
We have been working with Alienware since we began defining our vision of the Steam Machine. Alienware’s historic commitment to gaming, their design and engineering capabilities and their global reach made them an ideal partner for us on our Steam Machine project. The result of our collaboration is the Alienware Steam Machine, a console that encapsulates the full potential of what a Steam Machine should be.
In addition to the Alienware Steam Machine PC gaming console, the Alienware X51 desktop will be available as a Steam Machine in 2014. What this means for players is that they will simply have options in form factor.
This one goes out to all you Death Sentence fans out there! Titan Comics are excited to announce that the fourth issue of the extremely popular comic, Death Sentence, is set for a release on the 8th of this month, which for us over here in Australia is only a day away!
Yes! The story within the comic is intensifying slowly but surely and I have it on good authority that this particular issue is a real nail-biter. The is gearing up to combat the impending threat of conquer by one of the main characters, Monty. As for the other two…well they’ve finally met and, let’s just say, both sparks and bottles of booze fly!
Death Sentence Issue 4 goes on sale on the 8th of January 2014 for $3.99 and will be available at all good comic book retailers. Luckily for all of you reading this, Titan Comics have gifted us with a few preview pages that everybody interested can enjoy so head down below to check them out.
The RoboCop reboot blasts into theatres in February, but later this week the official mobile game will be released for iOS and Android devices. Developed by Glu Mobile in conjunction with MGM and Columbia Pictures, RoboCop the Official Game is a 3rd-person shooter that pits players against all manner of OmniCorp enemies across numerous training simulations as the ultimate law enforcement officer readies himself for the mean streets of Detroit.
Features include:
Shoot your way through console-quality training simulations
Use drone strikes to take out large groups of enemies
Save human hostages and capture informants
Battle aggressive robot enemies from the film, like the EM-208, and the ED-209
Upgrade your weapons and robotic suit to the latest technology that OmniCorp has to offer
Scan your targets with body heat vision to find their location and target their weak points
Check out the following gallery of screens and the reveal trailer below that.
2K Sports, the folks behind the lauded NBA 2K14, have announced that they will no longer be in the pennant race after last year’s MLB 2K13 was critically panned (with a sub-50 Metacritic score).
Confirmation for the closure of the series came as the company was removing all traces of the brand from its websites. Given that the MLB 2K franchise was the only baseball franchise to appear outside of Sony’s own MLB: The Show, this news obviously calls in to question whether hardball fans will be able to get their fix on non-Sony hardware. 2K Sports has said the team will continue contributing to other titles, such as their flagship sports franchise, NBA 2K.
Today Microsoft announced that since the console launched in thirteen countries on November 22nd they have sold over three million consoles. This is a “record-setting pace” for the Xbox brand and with games such as “Titanfall,” “Watch Dogs,” “Project Spark,” “Sunset Overdrive,” “Tom Clancy’s The Division,” “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt,” “Destiny,” “Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare,” and “The Elder Scrolls Online” on the way, the company is looking to make an even larger splash now that 2014 has rolled around.
They went on to say that they are pleased to see that everyone is enjoying the game’s current launch titles and that many people have embraced the “all-in-one” feature of the Xbox One by watching millions of hours of entertainment through the console.
