In what can be seen as a new move for Viz Media, they have announced that not only will the anime K be released on February 25, 2014 but it will also be available as a standard edition as well as a Limited Edition. The Limited Edition version of the show will feature a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack that comes with a chipboard case that contains a full color 80 page premium art booklet that will contain episode synopses, character profiles, poster art, translated song lyrics and an exclusive KANAME☆ K cosplay photo gallery.
The Limited Edition will cost $69.99 while the basic DVD version will only cost $44.88 but will be lacking all of the physical bonuses for the series and even some on-disc bonuses such as an interview with KANAME☆ during his first ever guest appearance in the United States as well as highlights from Anime Expo 2013 that will be on the Blu-ray version as well as other on-disc bonuses.
While it has been showing on Neon Alley, those of you who have been waiting to see when Accel World would be making its English home video release in North America only have to wait one more week as today Viz Media has announced that they are planning on releasing Accel World Set 1 on November 26th on Blu-ray and DVD. The Blu-ray version costs $59.97 while the DVD version costs $44.82.
As an added bonus, if you happen to pick up the game through a number of select online retailers, includingRight Stuf, Anime Pavilion, and Robert’s Anime Corner Storethen you will also receive a special 48 page premium art booklet which features art from the anime as well as character profiles from the series. These art books are limited so pre-orders are already available for the series.
If you’ve been waiting for AquaPazza to be released in North America then we have some good news for you as the game is now available for $29.99 both at stores and as a digital download from the PlayStation Network. To commemorate the game’s launch Atlus USA has released a new trailer for the game which can be found below.
AquaPazza contains a roster of numerous characters from anime and visual novels in a easy to access but still complicated gameplay experience that offers a number of offline modes as well as competitive online multiplayer. Our full review of AquaPazza can be found here.
If you happen to be a fan of the old-school Soulcalibur games then we have some good news for you because Namco Bandai has released Soulcalibur II HD Online onto the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 today for a kinda hefty price of $19.99.
To commemorate the launch of the game, which includes the guest characters Spawn and Heihachi Mishima but not Link and features various modes such as online gameplay, an arcade and survival mode, time attack, vs battles, team battle, and weapon master, the company has released a launch trailer for the game which can be found below.
Following their victory over Costa Rica, some of the Socceroos decided to unwind and take a look at Sony‘s new Playstation 4. Lucas Neill, Mark Milligan, Ivan Franjic and Matt McKay took an hour out of their day and tested their skills in FIFA 14, EA Sports latest venture into the world of football/soccer.
Not yet available in Australia, the football stars’ skills were tested when they went head to head on EA Sports FIFA 14 on PS4 – and things got a bit heated! Tim Cahill may have scored the winning goal for the national team on Tuesday night but it was Mark Milligan who stole the show and was leading goal scorer for the morning!
I wonder who’s winning…
Mark, Matt and Ivan were also keen to join the Declaration of Play – a celebration of all Players; from the Rookies to the Veterans; the fans of jaw-dropping graphics to the Trophy Collectors; the Dedicated Strikers to the 3AM Fathers.
With only one week until its launches in Australia, the PS4 has already sold a hefty 1 million units across North America. So keep an eye on the time and wait just a little while longer. Friday 29th November 12:01am. Remember it. In the meantime, visit the official site and check out the Declaration of Play. What kind of player are you?
GT Racing 2: The Real Car Experience Developer:Gameloft Publisher: Gameloft Platforms: iPhone (Reviewed), iPad, Android Release Date: Out Now Price: FREE – Available on iTunes and Google Play
Overview
Gameloft have a knack for capturing the heart and soul of popular gaming genres and bottling it down to a mobile experience, without sacrificing any of what makes those genres great. GT Racing 2: The Real Car Experience furthers this tradition, but capturing the heart, soul, look and sound of popular console racing sims, and creates an experience so robust that I can say it is easily the most fun I have had with a mobile racer.
Gameplay
Despite it’s platform and hardware limitations, GT Racing 2 can stand alongside console giants of the racing genre. It wears its inspiration on its sleeve, and offers a surprisingly robust handheld, or on-the-go driving sim experience.
As is the norm for any racing game, you are given a billionaire’s dream garage full of cars to choose from. Everything from road-standard Renault Clio’s through to ultra high end cards like the Ferrari 599XX are all available. In total, there are 67 licensed cars, from 30 different manufacturers, all at your fingertips… kind of. Some of the cars are rather difficult to unlock and require you earning enough points in either the game’s campaign or platinum series events in order for them to become available in your garage.
The game’s campaign puts you in a series of different racing events. There are over 1400 events total in the game’s campaign, including classic races, overtake challenges, qualification time trials and more. They start at a relatively easy difficulty, and steadily increase as you improve and upgrade your car. However, the Platinum Series events are not for the faint of heart, and the difficulty is amped up substantially. However, the harder difficulty leads itself to better rewards, like more of the game’s currency, and even high-end cars to race with. GT Racing 2 also features an awesome multiplayer mode that allows you to race against your friends to see who is the best.
At the beginning of each race you are also given the option of applying various boosts to your car. You can select a number of different enhancements like a modifier to your top speed or your acceleration. Each of these costs a small amount of the game’s currency, but can really make the difference – especially in harder race levels.
The controls for GT Racing 2 are really easy and intuitive. You simply tilt your device’s screen to steer in that direction, and tap on the screen to stop. However, hitting the break is hardly necessary, as the game will automatically slow down for you as you hit the tighter corners.
The game is free to play, and as you might expect there are a few in-app purchases. You earn two types of currency, and each is used to purchase more vehicles, cars and upgrades. You can opt to put in a few real-world dollars to pad your account and unlock that sports car a little quicker, but I never actually felt it was necessary to put any of my own money into the game to enjoy it.
Visuals
Visually, the game is amazing. Although it is no nex-gen console racer, it really pushes the mobile hardware to its limits. Car models and lighting are all fantastic, and aside from a few jagged edges here or there while racing, they look unbelievable. Light reflects off the paint the same way it would off a brand new showroom model car. The backgrounds are similarly well done, especially the way the light passes through the trees and buildings in the backdrop. The soft golden glows of an impending sunset really add a sense of life and beauty to the game.
The game ran smoothly no matter how many cars were on screen at once, including the time when there were literally 11 cars all squeezing past one another for pole position. I’m not sure how well older phones would handle the game, but I was playing on my iPhone 5s and suffered no input lag or frame rate drops.
Audio
The Audio for GT Racing 2 is outstanding. Gameloft have managed to capture the feel of being behind the wheel of a million dollar racing machine, and a lot of that is due to the near perfect capture of the engine’s rumbling. The hum and the roar as you accelerate really get you sucked into the game and it adds all that much more to the enjoyment.
One problem I typically have with racing sim games is that the only sounds you ever hear are those of the engine and the wheels on the road. GT Racing 2 does one better, and has music playing in the background while you race. It is a little addition but can really break up the monotony of only one or two sounds playing over and over again. The fact that the music is licensed and something you can sing along to while racing also adds a little bit more fun to the experience.
Overall
GT Racing 2: The Real Car Experience manages to bottle the essence of the big-name console racers and put it into the palm of your hand. With almost 70 cars, and 1400 different events to play through across the three game modes, GT Racing 2 offers a tonne of content for anyone who loves four-wheeled racing machines. Not only that, but its beautiful car models, combined with awesome audio really make this easily the best racer I have played on mobile.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
AquaPazza Developer: Examu Publisher: Atlus USA Platform: PlayStation 3 Release Date: November 19, 2013 Price: $29.99 – Available Here
Overview Usually whenever a crossover game is announced for release in Japan, fans in the West usually hang their heads or prepare to import the title because the chance of a localization is usually nil for such titles. However in recent memory a number of very niche titles have begun to grace Western shores thanks to localization teams such as Atlus USA. AquaPazza: AquaPlus Dream Match was originally released on home consoles in Japan back in 2012 and a little over a year later, it is now available in North America. The question is, did the title deserve such a localization?
Story In AquaPazza there are two story modes, one which is immediately available for every fighting character on the roster and a second which is unlocked on a character by character basis as they clear the first story mode. These stories don’t really serve as much more than a reason to place numerous anime/visual novel worlds together and have their characters fight it out in your standard arcade style gameplay.
The first story involves Ma-ryan accidentally creating Aquapazza liquid while she is trying to brew a love potion, forcing the worlds to start colliding and various members of each world blindly obey her will. The second involves a mission to track down a mystical mirror with the power to grant the owner’s wish. Each story remains more or less the same regardless of who the player picks to use, though there are different dialogues between specific fighters as they come across friends and allies and must fight them.
It is also worth noting that there are also two different ending scenes for each character thanks to these modes, giving fans of a series an extra look at some of their favorite fighters. Speaking of that, while I like to think that I am well versed with anime and visual novels, the only characters recognizable to me are from Utawarerumono, Tears to Tiara, and Comic Party.
This means that any interaction between the fighters from the first two series as well as their ending scenes were a nice highlight thanks to my familiarity with their sources. The fact that the game also contains a number of fighters and partners from the To Heart series and numerous other titles means that there is something for everyone here, especially those who already know the story of specific characters. Of course for those who go in without knowing any of the characters, the story and interactions are pretty basic but the character relations are briefly explained but the sheer fun and absurdity of some of these characters will quickly grow on players.
Gameplay
On its surface, AquaPazza appears to be a simple fighting game that obeys the familiar rules of your average game with a few small tweaks. Players will enter into combat against another fighter who must be defeated via basic attacks, combos, special attacks, ‘Splash Arts’, and more as they tear through a fighters’ health bar. It is also worth mentioning that each fighter is given two health bars, which means rounds last a bit longer as players must deal more than your standard amount of damage to drop an opponent and this can also lead to a few upsets as fighters grow overconfident in a bout.
There are a number of ways to do this; though again on its surface AquaPazza appears rather simplistic in this regard. Players are given four attack buttons, which correlate to weak, medium, and strong attacks and a button which will call their partner into the fight to perform an assisting attack or take a blow for you. While picking your favorite fighter may be a difficult task, picking the best partner to match your playstyle can be even more difficult since the game features a number of partners that have their own special attacks that can best be used with specific characters’ fighting styles.
One thing that AquaPazza has an issue with, and perhaps why it appears a bit simplistic on its surface, is that it does a rather poor job of explaining the various fighting techniques that players can pull off as the tutorial is completely lacking in this regard. This is a shame as this leaves the player on their own as they try to figure out the numerous details that are in the game, such as move canceling that can be chained into larger attacks, guard impacts or more.
There is also something called the Active Emotion System in the game which encourages players to stay on the attack and discourages turtling or cowardly gameplay. If a fighter is constantly pushing the fight and laying into their opponent with a number of attacks, special moves and simply moving forward, they can enter a ‘High’ emotional state where they will be outlined in red and can deal more damage to opponents. If a fighter is guarding too much, dodging around without fighting, or missing entirely they can enter a blue ‘Low’ state where attacks can deal more damage and it is easier for your guard to break and become stunned.
That being said, AquaPazza isn’t a game with an incredibly high barrier of entry. Thanks to the balancing of the characters the fighter tends to lend itself to shorter combo strings that are easier to pull off than your average fighter and even special moves can be easy to learn given enough practice. That being said, it is still difficult to pull of Splash Arts but this is for a good reason.
All special moves require one full bar of stored supers, which can be used to deal out a fair bit of damage but a Splash Art requires three stored bars. These Splash Arts can be difficult to pull off but they deal massive damage to an opponent, so much in fact that the game displays a mini-cinematic any time one lands. Of course there is also the option to switch the control scheme to ‘Simple’ which allows the player to use longer combos, special moves through shoulder button presses, and even unleash a Splash Art if they store enough energy. There is a drawback here however as it limits the character’s attack versatility and players are only able to store three bars of energy instead of five.
While on the topic of move-sets, the thirteen playable fighters may seem like a small number but in the case of AquaPazza it is clear that the developers were looking for quality over quantity. Each fighter in the game has a unique move set and while there are a few standard characters that players of other fighting games will be familiar with, many others have unique styles that separate them from your standard fighting cast. The style diversity of the cast means that mastering a character can take quite a bit of dedication but it feels very rewarding when you take your knowledge online.
As with most fighting games, AquaPazza features an online mode where players can choose to fight in either ranked or player matches, but sadly that is all. There is the option to save a replay of a fight, set titles for yourself, and check your status on global rankings but it would have been nice to see some additional variety online. That being said, every fight that I participated online was very fluid with only one instance of noticeable lag but even that disappeared before the battle was over.
Visuals It is clear from the beginning that a lot of care has been put into making all of the characters in AquaPazza look the exact same as they did in their original stories. Each character is incredibly detailed looking with high quality anime sprite designs and character portraits that appear during the dialogue sections. It is also interesting to see how the portraits spring to life on the character select screen, though oddly enough this did cause slowdown occasionally which made it difficult to choose a character.
As for the battles themselves, they are quite a treat for the eyes in every way imaginable The backgrounds are highly detailed, including one that has a full concert playing in the background, anime cinematic and all. Combine this with the game’s flashy style of fighting where each character has special attacks and a move-set to match their personality and you have a visually splendid title.
Audio It is worth noting that Atlus USA has not provided a dub with AquaPazza but this is alright as the original Japanese voice work is nicely handled by the cast. Also, if memory serves the voice actors for characters from their respective series have been retained to voice the characters in the game. As for the game’s soundtrack, it features an enjoyable array of fighting music that does a nice job accompanying the action on-screen.
Overall Seeing a game like AquaPazza in the West may have been something gamers never thought would happen but here it is. With fluid online gameplay only limited by its few modes, an enjoyable amount of single player content that contains a diverse roster of fighters, some of which anime fans will likely know, and amazing visuals and a discount price to top it off, AquaPazza is an enjoyable fighting game that can be easy to access but incredibly challenging at the same time.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
There’s nothing like music and art to “disturb the heart” and so it was banned in this dystopian society controlled by the anti-music DES. The year is 0048 and one group of brave young women are out to rebel against this law by resurrecting a long forgotten J-Pop band called AKB48.
The newly dubbed AKB0048 are out to bring music back in the world and they’ll do everything in their power to make it happen. Armed with not only their voice and dance moves but also weapons and battle gear, these girls are a force to be reckoned with.
So watch out, as these girls will lay their lives on the line to defend their rights and share music with the world.
Why are those three little words so hard to say?
At 16 years old, Mei Tachibana is no damsel in distress. She has no need for friends or boyfriends, they’ll all just betray her in the end and she’s already learned that lesson once. But in the biggest cliché ever, she suddenly starts getting attention from Yamamto Kurosawa, the most popular guy in school.
Yamato is handsome, charming but also irritatingly persistent and Mei has no idea how to handle this. Especially when he gives her his number. What is she suppose to do with it? Call him? Surely not? Except she does, and now they’ve kissed and her whole philosophy is being turned upside down.
But it’s never official until she can say those three little words. But she won’t…or will she?
AKB0048 will be released in two parts, totalling 26 episodes, at $59.99 per volume. Say I Love You is coming out as one release with 13 episodes at the same price of $59.99. Both shows are due out February 8, 2014 on DVD and will feature both English and Japanese dub tracks.
Overview
Ever imagined what would happen if you crossed Super Mario Galaxy with Jetpack Joyride? Well you don’t need to wonder anymore because Crescent Moon Games have gone ahead and made it a reality with the delightful mobile game romp Space Chicks.
Space Chicks blends the gravity based platforming elements of Super Mario Galaxy with the endless running casual fun of Jetpack Joyride to incredible results. The game is a lot of fun and with its wildly addictive gameplay you’ll be hooked. If you’re looking for the next big thing in mobile gaming, this is it. This is Space Chicks!
Gameplay
When it comes to casual accessible fun, Space Chicks has it down to a tee. It proves to both be heavily engaging while simultaneously perfect for casual play of a couple minutes on the go. It captures the perfect balance that makes it the perfect game for all occasions, be it intense gameplay sessions or a chilled out play through.
The game places you in outer space with the goal of saving the titular chicks in space from a variety of different enemies. You jump between gravity pulls of asteroids and planets with a simple one touch control scheme. When on a planet or asteroid your character runs around it full 360 until you jump off. You must pick up chicks along the way and drop them off on space ships for safety.
When travelling between stages you are placed in a space ship of your own where you engage in Jetpack Joyride style play which involves you holding down on the screen to fly your ship higher and release your touch to lower it.
As you progress further through the game and complete more and more stages you will encounter more difficult enemies that prove to be very intelligent and quite a challenge as well.
Not only does the game provide an amazing single player experience it is also fun for two players in its multiplayer mode. The multiplayer mode has two players using one device with either side of the screen controlling each character. It is an effective mode that works quite well despite becoming a little cluttered at times.
While it is a lot of fun, the cluttered gameplay that comes with multiplayer can be problematic. It is advised that players stick to the superb single player experience on offer in Space Chicks. That’s not the say that the multiplayer mode isn’t a fair bit of fun in its own right, it just becomes somewhat frustrating after a while due to difficulty with screen visibility and control becoming a fight in and of itself. It can be fun though for a little while, but the real fun is definitely in the single player.
There is also a fair amount of customization that can be unlocked the more coins you earn in game. Such unlockables include different costume and power-ups (not unlike that seen in Jetpack Joyride). There is also the standard leaderboards to which you can compete against other players around the world to see who is the best at Space Chicks. It is also great to track your own progress and development as you play through this awesome game.
All in all the majority of the game is essentially an endless runner but with an unique gameplay element hook that makes it feel fresh among the crowded mobile games platform.
Visuals and Audio Space Chicks’ graphics are colourful and fun adding to the entertainment value of the game itself. The aesthetics are memorable and well suited to this style of game, there is a certain flair to Space Chicks that is simply undeniable. It is a special artistic creation that harkens back the spirit of old 2D Nintendo games and the charm that comes with it.
The soundtrack for Space Chicks is an excellent composition with memorable tunes that will stick in your head long after playing. The musical composition here adds a great deal of atmosphere to the game giving it a playful vibe that fits just right. Crescent Moon Games have done a great job here to make a soundtrack that is truly memorable. It is the right backing music for Space Chicks and it really adds a lot to the game.
Overall
What Space Chicks brings to the table is innovative gameplay that changes what the platforming genre can be on the mobile platform. This is the next big thing in mobile gaming. Space Chicks is as addictive as mobile gaming gets and it is a must-play for fans of the endless runner genre. What more can I say? Space Chicks is out of this world!
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Today is the day that the latest Adventure Time game, “Explore The Dungeon Because I DON’T KNOW!“, is released which means that Adventure Time fans all around Australia and New Zealand will be partaking in the extremely quirky, incredibly crazy, multi-play fun!
This action, adventure, dungeon crawler hosts an entirely new storyline written by series creator Pendleton Ward in collaboration with game developers WayForward who you may know from Mighty Switch Force One and Two as well as Regular Show: Mordecai and Rigby In 8-bit Land (You can see the review here). Your adventure begins, like a great deal of adventures, in the Land of Ooo, players must help Bubblegum Princess save the Candy Kingdom and the only way to do so is to uncover the many mysteries of the Secret Royal Dungeon.
Hit up the dungeons alone or with three of your friends in this intricate and goofy game which just so happens to feature voices from the, just as goofy, series. Finn, Jake, Marceline, Ice King and a lot of other fan favourites from Adventure Time will have their voices in-game which, along with a great deal of other aspects of the game, makes this release a must have for fans of both adventure time and old-school dungeon crawling. RPG elements like upgrades and levelling are also present in the game so get all your friends together, choose your favourite character, level them up and make them the best dungeon crawler who ever lived.
The game from D3Publisher, Namco Bandai Games Europe and Cartoon Network is now available throughout Australia and New Zealand on the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 but will be released on the Wii U and the 3DS on the 19th of December 2013. If I’m yet to convince you maybe you should check out the trailer for the game below, it may just open you up to a world of adventure!
