Lightning Returns may still be a few months away, but Square Enix keeps on giving more and more for the fans to gnaw on as the wait continues. This time around they have quite a big offering in the form of a video that gives plenty of information and even more questions for fans to think about as the days continue.
The newest video isn’t a trailer, but instead the opening movie to the game itself. What does it have to say about the world that Lightning will be returning to? Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII certainly has a diversity to offer, with each region treating the end of the world very differently, the opening itself set in a region where they’ve opted to party until its over. But, why aren’t you scrolling down to watch it for yourself?
Check out the opening to Lightning Returns embedded below to see just what is happening in Nova Chrysalia, or alternatively wait until it releases February 14th, 2014 for Xbox 360 and PS3. Though since it’s the end of the world, why wait?
While falling just a little short of its original release schedule, the next episode of the Runaway series is about to kick off next week. Coming from publisher Bulkypix, Numeric Pipeline, and Pendulo Studios, Runaway: The Dream of the Turtle picks up a few years after the previous adventure of Brian and Gina.
After suffering a plane crash on their way to Hawaii, Brian and Gina find themselves on an all new adventure in Runaway: The Dream of the Turtle with 30 NPCs to interact with across the 100 sets of the game. Featuring a newly redesigned interface to better suit the iPhone and iPad, players from around the world will be able to experience the story in English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian.
With the first part set to release October 3rd, 2013 players can prep themselves for this new adventure for Brian and Gina by checking out the screenshots in the gallery below, as well as watching the trailer embedded below that.
Another week and another bunch of awesome Titan Comics goodness for you comic book aficionados out there. This week sees the launch of two great books; Tomorrowland #3 and Thrud the Barbarian.
Tomorrowland #3, written by Paul Jenkins with artwork by Alti Firmansyah, and Beny Maulana of Stellar Labs is the latest installment of the music based, supernatural story about two DJs of the Tomorrowland Festival. The duo have been chosen as the Keepers of Creativity, and are responsible for coming up with a music festival that will recharge the batteries of the whole universe.
Thrud the Barbarian, is the Eagle-Award winning barbarian parody series by the talented Carl Critchlow. This is the first time that Critchlow’s Thrud stories have been released as a single volume. Some of Thrud’s adventures in this book have him facing down a necromancer, protecting his beer from fierce frost giants, assuming the the role of a king he accidentally killed and many more.
So which of these books, if any will you be picking up? I am partial to Thrud myself, but both are definitely worth the time to read. If you are still unsure about either series, then check out some preview pages from each book below. Let us know your thoughts on these books in the comment section, and if you need more examples of the kinds of work that Titan Comics publishes, then check out our review of Razorjack and Lost Planet: First Colony.
Always remember to stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the Titan Comics news as it becomes available.
Coming only 10 days after my article in which I used this visual novel as a prime example of why we need more translators working on visual novels as a whole, Higurashi: When They Cry has been green-lit for Steam! As one of the first visual novels I ever read, I loved it from the second I picked it up, finding it deeply thought-provoking and chilling to the bone. It has its flaws, mostly in the form of it’s hideously ugly character sprites which I would hope would be updated before releasing what is essentially a PS2 game on the modern PC platform, but the brilliant soundtrack and story mean that they can be overlooked.
“The protagonist of the story is Keiichi Maebara, who has just moved to a small village with his parents. At first everything seems fine. He makes friends, they have fun, everything seems like an average anime storyline. Maybe he’ll fall in love, there will be some romance, and everything will be sunshine and rainbows… Wrong. Suddenly something starts to feel a bit off. Keiichi starts finding things out. Things about the village, its people, its past. All at once it seems the world has collapsed around him and through a subtle series of hints you are left as the reader to try and work out what is happening in this dark and mysterious village.”
I strongly recommend that everyone plays this when it is released because it will make every tacky Hollywood horror you have ever seen pale by comparison. It’s deep complexity combined with an underlying sense of unease that bleeds through the character and into the reader makes it a must-play. Keep up to date with details of Higurashi’s release over in our Anime News section.
Over the weekend Sentai Filmworks announced the English voice cast for Queen’s Blade Rebellion. After being delayed earlier this year, the anime is now set to be released this week on Blu-ray and DVD. The first dubbed episode of the series can be viewed for free here and the main cast list and their voice actors can be found below:
Annalotte
Vibe Jones
Shigi
Rebecca Kim
Huit
Zoe Martin
Vante
Jessica Paquet
Mirim
Brittany Lauda
Luna Luna
Evelyn Lantto
Liliana
Marta Vital
Branwen
DD Montgomery
Ymir
Kate Vincent
Elina
Melissa Hope
Taira
Tony A. Campbell
Dogura
Mike Pollock
Elder
Mike Pollock
Additional voices will be provided by Veronica Meunch, Hilary Thomas, Marc Diraison, Chris Jai Alex, Juicey Flannigan, Lauren Landa, and Siri Svay. The story of Queen’s Blade Rebellion takes place four years after the events from the first Queen’s Blade anime series as Annalotte attempts to build an army to try and dethrone the new queen.
Monty Nero is the co-creator (alongside Mike Dowling) of a brand-new comic book series called “Death Sentence” which follows the shortened lives of three teenagers who are carriers of a strange yet special STD that gives them only six months to live yet also grants them odd powers. Death Sentence is published by Titan Comics and thanks to them we here at Capsule Computers were able to have an interview with Monty Nero himself who writes the series. If you’re a fan of comics I don’t doubt that you would have heard of “Death Sentence” over the past few months and I can be sure that we won’t stop hearing about it for a very long time, in the good way of course. Mr. Nero and I spoke about the comic itself as well as his all around work, read on for the full interview.
CC: Let’s start from the very beginning: Have you always been into comic books both as a fan and as a creator?
Nero: Yeah, from very young. I used to love Asterix as kid, copying the drawings and reading it with my Dad. I was always drawing comics growing up.
CC: How did you initially breakthrough into the comic book industry, what was your big defining moment?
N: As a writer deciding to self publish Death Sentence was the key moment. Everything sprang from there: Mike coming on board, then Titan on the publishing side.
CC: How hard (or easy) is it collaborating with another person? Do you and Mike Dowling constantly clash creatively or are you mostly on the same page when it comes to story structure and design?
N: It’s as easy collaborating with Mike as it gets. We have creative disagreements sometimes but it’s never life or death. As long as you remember the good intentions of the other party you can’t go wrong.
CC: How did you and Mike Dowling first come into contact? What sparked what would be the start of an incredible comic book series?
N: I met him at a comic con, and was fantastically impressed with his work. Then we got chatting and one thing naturally led to another. I was very lucky he chose to draw this instead of something more traditional.
CC: Now I’ve read enough interviews with you to know that the idea of “Death Sentence” spawned from your wife’s pregnancy and how people explained it to you. What I want to ask you is: What were some things that inspired the characters in “Death Sentence”?
N: Good question. Verity is largely me struggling to be an artist. A lot of Weasel is based on the time I spent on the distant fringes of the music business in Camden. And Monty is based on my observations of crazy showbiz behaviour and celebrity culture, which seeps insidiously into all our lives like John Carpenter’s Fog.
CC: Can you take us through a little bit of what your writing/creating process is like? Do you allow your mind to wander until a great idea or piece of dialogue comes along or do you focus until you reach that same outcome?
N: I’m very organic. At the start I just riff round an idea and throw moments together in a very relaxed way. Then I go through it and pick out the golden nuggets. I only work the best ideas up, and if they impress me sufficiently I start to plan out a proper plot. Then it gets very precise, planning scenes out on cards and shuffling them around until the story really motors. Each card has a short description of every scene, and the writing process is simply taking those cards, imagining how it happens, and writing it down. It would drive some people nuts, but it works for me.
CC: In “Death Sentence” is there any particular reason you chose these semi-normal teenagers to be the main characters? Does it have anything to do with the fact that you chose for the disease to be an STD?
N: That was the idea from the start, to write about life as we know it. I wanted something everyone could relate to, albeit in an extraordinary situation. It feels fresh and exciting.
CC: I love the premise of “Death Sentence”, it’s so different and unique and I have t ask you: If you had superpowers and only 6 months to live, what would you be doing?
N: I’d use my super speed to churn out graphic novels of staggering profundity and sophistication, and then get drunk with my wife.
CC: As an aspiring comic book writer myself, what would you have to say to people like me who want to get into the industry?
N: Create your own comics. Don’t copy anyone else. Find the emotional truth within yourself and write about that. Listen and learn from feedback and stay humble.
CC: So what is next for Monty Nero? Have you got any other ideas you plan to put into motion (or have already done so).
N: Doing the covers, and the scripts, and the bonus material for Death Sentence been taking up my time. There’s a 5 part series in the back of every copy of Death Sentence, a Guide to Making Your Own Comics. It’s full of practical advice and its about 3500 words each issue. I’ve got two more of those to write and a couple more special features to make, and then I’m all done. The floppy comics are full of stuff you won’t be able to get anywhere else. And there’s five different covers for issue 1 to choose from too. But yeah, I’m working on a few other projects too. Watch this space!
I would like to give a special thanks to both Monty Nero and Titan Comics for organising and allowing us the time to have this interview. It was a pleasure to be able to speak to Mr. Nero and we’re all very excited to see more of his work in the near future. Thank you!
JRPGs seem to be attracted to the Vita in such a fashion that the Vita has become something of a portable JRPG machine more than anything else. With the release of Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 1, a remade version of the first game with numerous improvements, imminent in Japan, it has been revealed that Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2, originally released in the West by NIS America, will also be getting a revamped release.
The revamp will, as one would expect, be called Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2 and will be made for the PlayStation Vita. Dengekialso reports that the Noire spin-off game for the Vita is going to be given more details in the November issue of their magazine.
It has been revealed that Sega is going to be working on a new fighting game that many anime fans will likely want to pay close attention to. The game is called Degenki Bunko Fighting Climax and it will feature characters from popular light novels published by Dengeki Bunko and some Sega characters.
The game is something of a 20th anniversary celebration for the publishing company and at the moment only two characters and supports have been announced, with Sword Art Online’s Asuna partnering with Leafa as she faces off against Shakugan no Shana’s Shana who is partnered with Wilhelmina. Currently no platform or release information has been announced but more details are set to be revealed on October 6th. Localization chances would be very slim for a game like this, but with titles like Aquapazza heading West, there is always a chance.
Some of you may remember that a short, less than five minute long, anime was aired earlier this year and it happened to focus on the Puchimas! spin-off manga of the Idolm@ster franchise. Today it has been discovered that a second season has been announcedand it will now be called Puchimas!! -Petit Idolm@ster- with the second ! separating it from the first.
The series followed the random lives of 765Pro’s idols as they find small creatures who are similar to themselves in appearance and temper. The first season was licensed for streaming by FUNimation though the company has done nothing with the series since it ended earlier this year.
Card Hunter, is a free to play collectible card game meets table-top strategy, playable in your browser. We scored an interview with their creator, Blue Manchu, a group of industry vets trying something new and different. Card Hunter has been met with a large critical acclaim and we at Capsule Computers haven’t been able to stop talking about it; so without further adieu, here’s the interview.
Your team has a lot of experience in the industry; including Richard Garfield, the creator ofMagic: the Gathering. How’d all this talent get together? What was the energy while working on Card Hunter? What led to the development of Card Hunter?
After selling Irrational Games to Take Two, Jon retired. He got bored very quickly and so he decided to work on something he really wanted to make. He was a big Magic: The Gathering fan and he decided to experiment with merging a CCG with a more traditional dungeon crawler, to make something new. We decided to get Richard Garfield involved because there’s a yawning abyss between playing a game and making one. We’d never made a CCG in our lives. So we asked Richard to help us out. Plus, we wanted to work with Richard Garfield.
How long of a process was it to refine the art-style in Card Hunter? Did you always have a certain look in mind?
It took a long time. We went through lots of different iterations. At one stage we experimented with using real lead figures. These things always take a lot of iteration to get right.
How big of a part did mechanics play while designing Card Hunter? Did you always have an idea on how the system would work? Or did you go through a few revisions?
It was the entire focus of development. We went through many different versions before getting it right. The toughest challenge was to create a deep battle system that was accessible and quick. This is a very tough balance to strike.
Why’d you choose to make Card Hunters browser based? How long into the process were you before you decided that? has it worked out how you intended?
We decided to go with a browser because we felt it was the easiest way to get the game to the widest audience. We made this decision early on. It’s been both good and bad. It’s been good in that people use browsers everyday. It’s been tough in that there’s a lot of stigma around browser-based games.
Are you planning on adding more classes? Or are you sticking with the holly trinity; warrior, priest, and wizard?
Yes that’s something we’d love to do. Obviously we want to make sure that what we have is working well before adding any new content.
I’ve noticed a queue forming here and there to get onto the Card Hunter server, were you expecting this large of a turn out? have plans to expand your server?
We were surprised by how popular the game is. We’re working right now on increasing server capacity and adding more servers. It’s a problem, but it’s a good problem.
Micro-transactions are all over Card Hunters; how do you balance the game so that it’s both fair and fun for those who participate in micro-transactions and those who don’t?
By not trying to squeeze money out of people at every turn. Really, the monetization in Card Hunter relies on people giving us money because they love the game and want to support what we’re doing. Most of the game is free. The pay-walls are minimal. And you can’t really buy an advantage over other people in multiplayer. It has to be like this because the basic requirement is a fun and balanced game.
Obviously table-top games of yore have been a large influence on Card Hunter, will we be seeing more of the table-top tropes sneaking in? Any specific table-top and card games you took inspiration from? What are some of your other influences?
Obviously first edition D&D was a huge inspiration for us. But really it draws upon all the first generation of pen and paper RPGs, like Tunnel and Trolls and Runequest.
After developing Card Hunters for so long, do you still play for enjoyment? What are some of your favorite tactics? Any tips you can give us noobs?
Yes, absolutely, which is surprising, given how much we’ve played it at this point. The most important tip is to rebuild your deck for every battle. Unlike a traditional RPG, that has a linear power progression, Card Hunter is about building your deck to face every challenge.
Now that Card Hunter is out, what’s next for Blue Manchu? Anything in the works or are you just planning to support Card Hunter, for now?
We’re really focused on bug fixing and then adding new stuff to Card Hunter. It’s a 24 hour, seven day a week operation at the moment!
What advice would you give to those looking to get into the industry or make games of their own?
My advice would be start making! There are lots of games out there you can mod. And middleware engines like Unity are relatively easy to pick up and start using.
We’d like to give our thanks to Blue Manchu for giving us their time for this interview. What are you waiting for? Now that you’ve got the inside scoop, go check out Card Hunter here.
