Hey there comic book fans! If one lot of awesome Titan Comics graphic novels isn’t enough to satisfy your hunger this week,then you are in luck! Titan Comics have released the first volume of the awesome The First Kingdom. The First Kingdom from the industry legend Jack Katz, is the story of the rise and fall of humanity over the thousand years since the end of the world. The world has become a play thing for new gods, and the mortals are just along for the ride.
This is the first time that The First Kingdom has been collected together, and mars the first of 6 volumes that will tell the complete tale. The book has been carefully and artfully collected, taking high resolution scans of the original art pages, and feature all redone lettering to really make it pop.
You can check our our First Kingdom preview galleries below. They contain their fair share of nudity, so we have included the censored versions of the pages. Let us know in the comments below what you think, and will you be picking up The First Kingdom Vol 1; the first installment in the 6-part epic. Always remember that for all the Titan Comics news as it becomes available, stay tuned to Capsule Computers.
Trouserheart is a delightful little action/adventure game where you play as King Trouserheart after his prized leather trousers have been stolen. As the king you travel from stage to stage in an almost dungeon-crawler style, defeating enemies and collecting gold to better upgrade your equipment. The game is fun, colourful and often times frantic. The game suffers from some incredible lag issues and sometimes repetitive level design. This, combined with its $3 price tag may be enough to turn away some gamers, but for those who do pick it up, there is definitely a lot of enjoyment to be gotten out of this game – even if it is just the fact that you are playing as a burly, bearded barbarian type with no pants on.
Gameplay
Trouserheart is a hack and slash adventure game for the iOS. The player is placed in the role of King Trouserheart, who one day has his most treasured possession stolen; his the majestic leather trousers. The game is broken up into small stages, and each of these stages is broken down to even smaller rooms.
The stages in Trouserheart are very linear, and each contain a handful of enemies for you to hack and slash your way through. Since the levels are completely linear, it feels a lot like a simple dungeon crawler as you progress through. In the middle of longer levels are campfire checkpoints that allow you to restore your health before progressing on and fighting the boss. Killing enemies grants you more gold, which can be redeemed back at your home for upgrades like better swords, shields and armor (but alas, no pants).
The game is controlled using an on-screen joystick and button. I know this is a massive no-no for a lot of gamers, but Trouserheart pulls it off surprisingly well; the game is very liberal with where you can keep your thumb, and as long as it is near the button/stick you will be fine.
The game isn’t overly difficult, and you will be able to blast through the entire first few worlds without running into any trouble. However, if you are looking for a bit more of a challenge, there is also a Hardcore Mode implemented into the game that has permanent death, forcing players to be a little more cautious as they play, or face the game over from its entirety.
While the game is fun, enjoyable and has an intuitive control scheme, it does suffer from a noticeable lag issue. Entering a new room, or having too many enemies on the screen at once will often cause the game to lock up for a few seconds, or at very least slow down to a crawl. The game is optimized for iPhone 5, but I was playing on a 4S so I can’t say for certain if this is just a case of it not being suited for the earlier devices or not. Regardless it was more than a little bit frustrating.
Visuals & Audio
The visuals for Trouserheart are actually really enjoyable. King Trouserheart, all of the enemies and the game’s stages are all really bright and vibrant, and the ‘chunky’ art style makes everyone look like they were papercrafted cutouts that were folded together.
The level design is minimalistic; the stages themselves are short, and the rooms in each stage only allow you a few steps movement in any one direction before you have reached the end. This is good however, as it adds a sense of frantic-ness to the gameplay. If there is a real downside however is that there just isn’t much variety between the rooms or the stages, so you will find yourself walking past the same backdrops multiple times.
Sadly I kind of felt let down by the audio in Trouserheart. Not because it is inherently bad or anything like that, but there is simply not much there. Each character has their own unique sound effects, and the sound of a sword hitting an object is nice, but all in all it doesn’t really add anything to the experience.
Overall
Trouserheart is a game that for all intents and purposes is incredibly fun. It is very casual in nature which allows players of any age or skill level to pick it up and have a go. There isn’t a whole lot of difficulty here, but with hardcore mode and the option on what skills to level up, you can make the game as hard as you want it to be.
The game will also offer iOS 7 Controller support in the coming weeks, so it will be interesting to see how it fares having the buttons mapped to an actual controller. At the moment though, as fun as the game is, it is let down by repetitive backdrops, and a serious lag issues.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Games based on movies are generally bad, movies based on games (even ones that have good stories) are generally bad, so a movie based on a racing game series that for the most part doesn’t have a large story focus, well they somehow made a movie based on Battleship didn’t they ?
The first trailer for Need for Speed has been released and is very typical of any other action movie trailer out there with a brooding voiceover, explosions, an attractive girl and car chases. Former Breaking Bad actor Aaron Paul has taken the lead role behind the wheel for this Fast and Furious imitation and while I don’t doubt Mr Paul’s acting ability, it seems like the role would of been suited to a younger actor. He will be starring alongside super model Imogen Poots, rapper Kid Cudi, and Michael Keaton who was Batman before Christian Bale.
Personally I’m not being very optimistic about how this is going to turn out but who knows, we might be watching Need for Speed 6 in ten years time. The movie comes out in theatres on March 14th of next year.
Parrot‘s wireless Zik headphones are getting even more stylish with the new Gold Collection. Three new colour combinations will join the classic matte black look. Starting in November 2013, the following gold themed headphones will be available:
Yellow Gold: matte white with yellow gold framing
Rose Gold: matte white with copper arches
Black Gold: matte and shiny black
The new Gold Collection Zik headphones will feature the same great technology as the classic Zik headphones, including Bluetooth connectivity, touch sensitive controls, active noise cancellation, and special sensors that improve the user’s voice during phone calls. Features can be tweaked with the free Parrot Audio suite on iOS and Android.
The Yellow Gold, Rose Gold, and Black Gold Ziks’ will be available in November 2013 for $449 AUD.
Namco Bandai Games America Inc. has announced the digital release of Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ in North and South America. Continuing a legacy of classic arcade action, DX+ comes as an upgrade to the 2010 game Pac-Man Championship Edition DX. The game will feature improved leaderboard functionality, in-game achievements and medals, as well as additional DLC packs including mazes, music and graphics such as classic Dig-Dug and Rally-X sprites.
The high intensity race to gobble up every pac dot in sight features an added element of danger as multitudes of easily angered sleeping ghosts lie scattered around the bright neon mazes. As Pac-Man runs past these ghosts, they will awake from their slumber and make chase, creating a long chain of angry ghosts trailing behind Pac-Man as he darts around in a chaotic search for a Power Pellet. Exciting modes such as Score Attack, collecting as many points as possible, and Time Trials, clearing out a set number of laps around each maze as fast as possible, will be sure to keep both old and new Pac-Man fans coming back for more.
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ will be available as a free title update for players with Pac-Man Championship Edition DX while other players will be able to download the game as is for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Steam. Check out the screenshots below and get ready for some classic arcade action. Waka waka waka.
Overview It’s been 49 years since 009 Cyborg was first released. Wow. With a manga, a game, two anime films and two anime series already to its name, comes one more film. Redesigned and brought into a new age, 009 Re: Cyborg  continues the story of the 00s and the world they fought to protect.
Violence, in all its slow motion glory
Story “In the beginning was the Voice, and the word was Him; and all obeyed His word in great awe. But those who dwelt upon the land, through vanity, cunning and greed, attempted to build a multitude of towers whose tops reached unto heaven, and accumulated great wealth on earth. Scattering across the land and laying it to waste, man turned a deaf ear to His Voice. So He gave unto man an opportunity to atone for his misdeeds; and flame and smoke and the roar of a lion descended upon earth; and shattered the many towers to dust….”
Decades after the rebellion of the Cyborgs and their battles for justice and world peace, the 00s have retreated to more regular lifestyles. Unable to age, they do their best to fit in to the society they saved so many times before. Joe Shimamura, formerly known as 009, lives the life of a normal highschooler. Life is fairly simple. Unfortunately for the Cyborgs, and the rest of the world, justice and evil are ever changing and ever present.
In a show of force in their own ideal of justice, people across the globe are systematically bombing skyscrapers. Claiming to be led by “His Voice”, people suddenly decide to initiate these attacks, regardless of previous affiliations or beliefs. With no sign of slowing down, the world needed new defenders. The world needed the Cyborgs back.
“She’s right behind me isn’t she?”
Living his normal life, with no memory of his past, Joe is forced back into his previous life by his once comrades in arms. Brought together once more, the film deals with the characters own development since their separation, along with how their personalities mesh after reuniting. Over the course of the film, the 00 Cyborgs investigate the source of the attacks and the reasoning behind them.
Once the film delves into the concept of “His Voice”, it takes a sharp, theological turn. In one particular scene of dialogue, characters explain a variety of concepts far beyond fighting bad guys. One notion is that the Voice that people hear is that of God himself, willing them to enforce a twisted form of justice onto the world. Another is that the sheer concept of God itself is nothing more than humanity’s invention, being the only species capable of higher thinking, and possessing elements which are useless on the evolutionary scale, such as imagination. In their own desperate struggle to comprehend the unfathomable majesty of existence, humanity invented God within the brain, the source of all thought. Seriously heavy stuff.
However, with all that being said, the film does base itself on the  fact that the audience has seen prior iterations of 009 Cyborg. The film plays out very much as an addition to the original, rather than a stand alone piece. Characters are not explained in any sort of intricate detail, simply appearing and slotting into the plot. The story itself isn’t bad, it just doesn’t feel complete in itself.
Able to leap speeding missiles in a single bound
Visuals The visuals are without a doubt the strongest element of 009 Re: Cyborg. Fully rendered in 3DCG, the film presents a beautiful representation of the 009 Cyborg world. The landscapes themselves are large and picturesque. From sprawling cities, with unfortunately numerous skyscrapers, to locations such as Venice, the world looks amazing.
One of the most notable elements of the film is the appearance of the cyborgs themselves. Deviating  from the original designs, Re: Cyborg presents a much more realistic interpretation of each character. This immediately presents the film as a new take on the series, fitting of the passing of time. One of the most notable redesigns is Cyborg 002: Jet Link. Originally possessing a beak-like nose and long spiked back orange hair, his redesign features a face of regular proportions and simple slicked back blonde hair. This, combined with the CG styling, allows characters to be taken much more seriously.
Luckily his name was already Jet
Another noticeable upgrade is given to the Cyborg’s abilities, with each receiving far more visual detail than previously possible. This leads to some cool combat sequences, showcasing the variety of the Cyborgs powers and how they use them to fight, whether it be fire breath or a knee mounted cannon. In the case of Joe’s Accelerator, the film makes use of slow motion. While this clearly expresses the unsurpassed speed allowed by the enhancement, it also amplifies the visual environment. Raindrops are seen almost hovering in place, explosions are shown slowly engulfing those unfortunate enough to be in the area, already stunning scenes made even more awesome.
One of the most visually nostalgic moments of the film lies towards the end, where the 00 Cyborgs don their uniforms once more and fight together for the sake of the world. It clearly expresses the evolution of the visual style and how times have changed…and it’s awesome.
And it shall be known as “The Handgun”
Audio The soundtrack of 009 Re: Cyborg is very well suited to the visuals. During the more action packed scenes, guitar can be heard along with a combination of trumpets and vocalisation. This gives of a very dramatic feel whilst still keeping a situation tense. Other action scenes take the opposite approach and lacks a backing track entirely, making use of only muffled sound effects. This is generally employed when 009 is using the Accelerator. This, combined with the visuals, clearly depicts the speed at which he is moving, far beyond the rest of the world.
The film also employs numerous sound effects to complete the world. Being Cyborgs, the 00s produce a number of minute, mechanical sound effects when utilising their abilities. Though it may not sound like a major component, the small sounds, like the lens of their eyes adjusting or the pulse of 009’s Accelerator, really add to the film. The voice acting in the film was also done very well. As it stands, the film only has the original Japanese audio. The characters are emotive and
Score one for the arachaeologists
Overall 009 Re: Cyborg presents an interesting story. Take an already serious threat, like attacks on cities, then throw in theological concepts and cyborgs. You’ll end up with chaos. The plot itself is interesting, though it is somewhat confusing as a stand alone title. Certain important aspects of the story were left underexplained and rather vague, leaving what seems to be an intricate plot somewhat confusing. It also bases itself off the premise that the audience has seen 009 Cyborg media before and knows the characters. Once again, while not terrible, it mitigates the enjoyment of newcomers. Not that there’s anything wrong with appealing to stalwart fans, it just feels as if the film is incomplete to a degree. That being said, 009 Re: Cyborg is a beautiful film that discusses some complex issues and will give you something to think about. Also it has Cyborgs with powers. Awesome.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Garden of Words Studio: Comix Wave Publisher: Madman Format: Cinema Release Date: 26th September 2013
Overview The name ‘Makoto Shinkai‘ has become so thoroughly ingrained in the anime culture lexicon that it is almost impossible to separate the name from the work. The Garden of Words is a film that rather than being uplifted by the name of Shinkai is burdened with the expectations the name brings.
The Garden of Words is an interesting film for a number of reasons but the most intriguing thing of all is just how unlike Shinkai this film feels. This is a very different beast, one that is majestic, moving and thoughtful but all the while it is missing the magic Shinkai feeling that ties all of it together. Regardless of that it is still a great film albeit one that doesn’t exactly live up to its pedigree.
Story Unlike his previous feature film Children Who Chase Lost Voices, The Garden of Words is a smaller story in every sense. The film runs at a mere 46 minutes in length (it is being billed as a double feature with Ghost in the Shell: ARISE at the REEL Anime Festival) and isn’t as ambitious a tale as previous Shinkai works. It is a relatively simple tale free of much incident. This sets it apart from the rest of Shinkai’s impressive resume of work, with the exception of his classic short film Voices of a Distant Star. Both this film and Distant Star draw a somewhat thin plot and attempt to explore the issues and feelings that spring from it.
While Voices of a Distant Star was admittedly a far better effort at this type of story-telling, The Garden of Words hits the nail on the head with its featured relationship. Â In focus is a relationship between an older woman and a teenage boy. The teen named Takao happens to meet her on a rainy day in his favourite park. She bids him farewell with a mysterious poem, the words of which leave him utterly enchanted. Slowly but surely they return to that spot each and every rainy day and form a bond, all the while never truly discovering all that much about each other, not even a name. Eventually the rain clears up and the distance between them grows, without the rain they cannot find each other again.
It is a lovely story and Shinkai tells its with delicate care, but it is in its second half that it begins to lose focus. It ventures a little too much into the melodramatic side of the spectrum, but Shinkai knows better than to linger too long and brings things through to the sunnier side of the garden ending on a hopeful note.
Over the course of the 46 minute length of the film we come to understand the relationship between these two strangers. The connection between the characters feels very genuine and develops naturally. The setting is unique and the titular ‘garden’ is a well realised locale that takes on a life of its own by film’s end. The film hits all the right notes emotionally, but still struggles to bring it all together thematically. In the past Shinkai has used a through line for his story-telling, an over-arching theme that comes full circle, no such through line was evident in The Garden of Words.
This is far from Shinkai’s best story-telling effort but it is a solid film all around that amounts to yet another feather in his cap that is already covered in them.
Visuals and Audio The most Shinkai-esque part of The Garden of Words is its unmistakable aesthetics. It is a visual feast for the eyes and one of Shinkai’s best work in terms of animation. The attention to detail is absolutely remarkable, with hundreds of leaves moving in unison each one highly detailed, the reflection off the puddles pooling up with rain beating down upon gravel. Shinkai captures the world in beautiful vibrant colour bursting with life. While it may not be as big and sprawling as his other artistic attempts, it is a lovely effort in aesthetics.
Much like its visuals, The Garden of Words features a stirring soundtrack that is every bit as beautiful as it is awe-inspiring. With sweeping tracks giving the sense of soaring through the rain and the quiet emotional instrumentals that hit right to the heart, this is an incredible composition from Daisuke Kashiwa. Also featured is the theme song of the film, ‘Rain’ by Motohiro Hata, a majestic ballad that captures the spirit of the film superbly. It caps off the film in stunning fashion, serving as the closing track as we see our two lead characters moving forward through life through the rain and all.
The film stars some pretty big names in the anime world. Miyu Irino voicing Takao and Kana Hanazawa voicing Yukari was a real masterstroke. Both had electric chemistry and bounced incredibly well off of each other. It was a showcase of voice acting talent at its best.
Overall Sometimes a name can be a curse. The Garden of Words had the burden of baring the Shinkai name. It was far from his most ambitious film and it may come as a disappointment to those that watch Makoto Shinkai films with a certain expectation. This isn’t a bad film in any regard, but we have seen that Shinkai and Comix Wave Studios are capable of excellence and The Garden of Words is a film that is great but falls short of Shinkai’s usual standard.
The Garden of Words is a lovely enough film if you can disconnect it from the Shinkai name. This is no Children Who Chase Lost Voices or 5 Centimetres Per Second, but it is The Garden of Words and it is special in its very own way. It may not be the best film in Comix Wave’s history but it is a remarkable film that is well worth watching, even if only on a rainy day.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
The Official Pokemon Site, as well as through their Facebook page, has released the latest addition to the Pokemon X and Y family, it’s an evolution of the sword-looking Pokemon Honedge. This death machine is called “Doublade” and, let’s be honest, the only thing that is better than one sword is two swords working in tandem. It will stay as a Ghost and Steel type combination, like it’s pre-evolution. It will also retain it’s ability “No Guard”. It’s confirmed techniques so far are: Sword Dance, Shadow Sneak and Aerial Ace. “It is capable of carrying out intricate attacks by telepathically coordinating its two blades to deliver twice the slice in battle”.
The Official “Doublade” Image Release
Now some people have already started to get upset over this Pokemon and it’s design and I just want to remind people of a Generation 1 Pokemon called Magneton, it too was multiple Pokemon stuck together and it was still considered an awesome evolution. If you don’t like Doublade now, just give it a couple days and you’ll grow to like it. Remember Pokemon X and Y is set for release on the 12th of October, on the 3DS, which isn’t too far away so if you havn’t pre-ordered your copy now I suggest you get onto that right away.
Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Border:1 Studio:Production I.G. Publisher: Madman Format: Cinema Release Date: September 26, 2013
Overview Ghost in the Shell is recognised as one of anime’s greatest science fiction hits, born from the gritty era of the mid 90s. Practically fundamental on the list of many veteran anime fans, it’s understandable that when Production I.G. announced a brand-new prequel series people were skeptical. Surely GitS was done and dusted, that such a gem could hardly be replicated in today’s world. “Oh it can,” said Production I.G., “you’re getting a prequel and you’re going to like it.” It certainly didn’t help that once we saw the new animation and character design, fans began to worry and almost rightly so. The new designs are a huge departure from the original look and feel of Ghost in the Shell. But are they any more than aesthetic changes?
For the uninitiated, here’s the rundown. Bear with me. First published as a manga in 1989, it received a film by Production I.G. in 1995 (later remastered as 2.0) followed by an alternate TV series known as Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and its second season, 2nd Gig. Both seasons received feature-length OVAs before Solid State Society, a TV-film sequel to Stand Alone Complex, was released. Confused? Good, because this is yet another entry to the franchise. So how does the first of the new four-part OVA series fare? Find out below.
Story
Although Ghost in the Shell: Arise is set two years before the original film, it should be considered more of a reboot. Now this is perfectly fine as GitS has been rebooted before and was hardly cause for complaints. Arise aims to tell Major Mokoto Kusanagi’s back story of how she joined Public Security Section 9 and met her future colleagues. While it is the “beginning” of sorts, it still manages to throw the viewer right in the middle of an event we have little clue about. Kusanagi’s senior officer and mentor has been murdered, and the full-body cyborg must go on a trail of clues to find out exactly who did it.
Long-time fans will be glad to know there is nothing to fear in the narrative of Arise. This is pure Ghost in the Shell material complete with a twisting storyline, confused cyborgs and intense action scenes that will make you all fuzzy again. By chance, the Major bumps into familiar faces all trailing the same murder case as she agrees to cooperate with Section 9. Not everyone will be satisfied with the changes in Arise. Those that loved the surreal direction and decrepit atmosphere of the original will have to get used to the more orthodox and sterile nature of Arise. The deep, philosophical themes have been toned down in favour of a more practical approach that suits the modern pace of anime these days. The moral questions surrounding cyborg brains and prosthetic bodies are raised in the process of things happening, rather than drawn out introspection that would be awkwardly out of place here.
The first episode of this OVA series introduces the intrigue of the political and military sphere Ghost of the Shell, along with the corruption and dirty arms deals that naturally go with these elements. I probably say this often with gritty action anime like Ghost in the Shell, but it’s always refreshing when we get a show that takes itself and the world it depicts seriously.
Visuals Ok, so while most of us expected a solid, fleshed out story (we dared Production I.G. to do otherwise), the biggest concern was the animation. It’s certainly different. Compare the screen shots here with our review of the original Ghost in the Shell 2.0 movie. This is pretty much a reboot in all sense of the word, scrapping Mokoto’s original looks in favour of a smaller, more lithe character. She’s still the iron-tough tomboy that we’ve grown to love, though. Aside from the modern designs that lack the shading of classic handrawn anime, Arise is still incredibly detailed. As it should be, being an hour-long episode with a high budget. CGI looks great and is used cleverly, a far cry from its awkward implementation in previous entries of GitS.
It’s not just the character design that has been overhauled. The iconic Newport City is drastically different. No longer the dreary, cyber punk dystopia marred by pollution and an orange tint. Newport is now a fairly clean, typical near-future city with blue skies. This new art direction is not just a sign of the times as it’s clear that the atmosphere has taken a backseat to everything else. Which isn’t a problem for most viewers including myself, because Arise needs an intriguing, purposeful plot and succinct but powerful action scenes for it to succeed in its OVA form without the depressingly arty exposition which was a lauded hallmark of the original film.
Audio
Being a feature length OVA episode, you can expect almost-theatrical production standards in its sound design. That’s almost the case here with a subtle sound track that knows when to stay out of the way and when to jump into a fight scene and pick up the pace. Plenty of attention has been given to sound effects, with guns, kicks and little nuances all helping lift Arise above a standard, episodic series. Stellar Japanese voice-acting rounds the package off and we can only hope an English dubbed version is released in the future with a great cast.
Overall Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Ghost Pain has the unfortunate role of being episode one, mainly tasked with setting up the story for the imminent follow up episodes which will hopefully raise the bar further. It manages this with ease by including a complete story, the murder case, from start to finish while developing Mokoto as a young, still mentally inexperienced Major. It’s hard to find real criticism of Arise. The first episode is exactly as it should be. It isn’t the death of GitS as some detractors proclaimed, quite the contrary, but on its own it isn’t a remarkably stellar sci-fi hit either. Not yet, anyway. It’s true potential could possibly lie in the coming episodes.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Namco Bandai has begun streaming yet another trailer for the upcoming game One Piece Unlimited World Red. This trailer is the longest by far and, basically, shows extended footage of the stuff we have already seen from past videos. That doesn’t mean it isn’t good though! It shows all the characters in action, the incredible graphics and some fantastic-looking gameplay as well as a bunch of the characters you can use and/or fight within the game’s storyline. It also shows a bit more of the original characters that have been created specifically for this game, mostly Red and Pat are shown. Like the trailer that came before this one, it ends by showing us Red who is about to eat a Devil Fruit but cutting the footage off with a “To be Continued Stamp”. Head down below to check out the new video for One Piece Unlimited World Red and let us know what you think about it in our comments section just below that!
