Hackers everywhere; Ubisoft have released a free Watch_Dogs tie-in application on the Apple App and Google Play stores called H_ide, which allows you to encrypt text messages, modulate your voice and more.
H_ide gives you the following methods of communicating with your friends and ‘vanishing from the network’:
Anonymous voice messages
Encrypted text messages
Encrypt pictures
Record a message (up to 20 seconds)
Choose a filter to modulate your voice
Send it to your friend
Your friend will receive a link to listen to your message
Share content on social networks or send directly as SMS
There is also a new HackerHunt_ activity that utilises the WeAreData website for those of you who reside in London, England. You can download H_ide for your iDevice here, or for your Android device here. Take a look at the gallery directly below, which holds screen captures of elements of the app listed above, or watch the announcement trailer embedded at the bottom of this article (features a QR code you can scan to download the app that way).
Iron Man 3 – the fifth highest grossing film of all time (man, do the Chinese love the Armored Avenger!) – will be blasting into your living rooms on Blu-Ray and DVD starting August 28th.
Thanks to Marvel and Disney, we were able to attend a preview screening where we were shown three special features from the release – Iron Man 3: Unmasked, Behind the Scenes Look at ‘Thor: The Dark World‘ and Marvel One Shot: Agent Carter – before being treated to a Gold Class screening of the film itself (that’s right, living in luxury like Stark himself). Iron Man 3: Unmasked is an almost 10-minute long featurette on the production of the movie, with never-before-seen on and off-set footage. The Behind the Scenes Look at ‘Thor: The Dark World’ is brief, but definitely gets us excited for the film.
Now, Marvel One Shot: Agent Carter is the real gem of this set. We got to watch the 15-minute short in full, which showcases ‘Cap’ Steve Rogers’ lost love Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) as she struggles to overcome a sexist, misogynistic boss in Agent Flynn (Bradley Whitford) and get back on the field as an operative. Being stuck behind a desk isn’t her thing because – carrying on directly after the events of Captain America: The First Avenger– it leads to a wandering mind, continuously reviving her grief over losing Steve. But Carter is a tough cookie, which is what is so refreshing about the character – she kicks ass, and you just want to see more.
These One Shots do a great job of expanding the Marvel Universe, spotlighting the more minor characters introduced in prior feature films. Based on the reaction to Atwell’s amazing performance from advanced screenings, like ours and the one at Comic-Con this year, fans have expressed their interest in a full-length theatrical vehicle for the sophisticated femme-fatale. If you’d like to see Agent Carter tackle the mission of finding the ‘Zodiac Key’ for yourself, it is exclusive to the Blu-Ray editions of Iron Man 3. Speaking of, here is a bonus features list for the aforementioned home media releases:
2-Disc 3D Blu-Ray Pack (Blu-Ray 3D + Blu-Ray 2D + Digital Copy) – Priced at $54.95 RRP
Blu-Ray Pack (Blu-Ray + Digital Copy) – Priced at $49.95 RRP
Marvel One Shot: Agent Carter
Exclusive Behind the Scenes Look at ‘Thor: The Dark World’
Marvel’s Iron Man 3: Unmasked
Deconstructing the Scene: Attack on Air Force One
Gag Reel
Deleted/Extended Scenes
Audio Commentary with Drew Pearce and Shane Black
1-Disc DVD – Priced at $39.95 RRP
Exclusive Behind the Scenes Look at ‘Thor: The Dark World’
The MOGA Mobile Gaming System has been released in Australia for gamers on-the-go that need a little more control in their Android smartphone and tablet games. We received word that these nifty devices were coming earlier last month.
The highlight product here is the MOGA Pocket, a discreet and very sleek controller with dual analogue sticks, shoulder triggers, four action buttons and Bluetooth connectivity. MOGAanywhere is promising that clumsy, slippery mobile gaming is a thing of the past.
“After much anticipation, we’re excited to be introducing the MOGA Pocket to the Australian market and paving the way for quality mobile gaming controllers,” said Eric Bensussen, President of PowerA, the makers of MOGA. “We genuinely believe the MOGA Pocket represents a game changer in the sector, providing consumers with a portable gaming experience which is currently lacking in the market place.”
The MOGA Pocket is compatible with a growing library of over 125 games that can be accessed via the MOGA Pivot app from Google Play. Titles include GTA: Vice City, Real Soccer 2013, Pacman and more.
Here at Capsule Computers we were lucky enough to get the chance to interview acclaimed seiyuu Masakazu Morita before the rush of SMASH! 2013 kicked off. Morita is well known for having voiced characters such as Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach), Barnaby Brooks Jr. (Tiger and Bunny) and Tidus (Final Fantasy X), just to name a few. I asked Morita about the voice acting world and his experiences as a famous voice actor.
Question 1: You’re probably most well known for playing Ichigo in Bleach, it’s such a huge franchise the world over, not just in Japan. How does it feel to be a part of such a large franchise, such a crucial part, playing the lead character?
Morita: Not just Bleach, but also in Final Fantasy X and Tiger and Bunny, the characters that I’ve played seem to be really well accepted worldwide and I’m happy for that. But at the same time it’s kind of a strange feeling. We have something called an ‘extremely full train’ in Tokyo. The fact that I will ride this extremely full train, be shaken by the velocity of the train, go to a small studio, stand in front of a mic and that it’s actually watched and heard worldwide, that is an extremely strange kind of feeling to me. However, having said that, to be involved in these worldwide popular series, it’s a happy thing, I’m honoured and I actually feel quite lucky. So I feel like I need to continue participating, to continue introducing these popular series and to make a great series.
The many faces of Barnaby Brooks Jr.
Question 2: You’ve voiced so many different characters in different series and each of them has their own unique personality and their own vocal style. Is there a particular character you enjoy voicing more than the others?
Morita: To me in particular Final Fantasy X Tidus is very special to me and there is no doubt that he is the most outstanding, most special character to me. However, because he’s so special, if we remove him who I found fun is, I’m not quite sure if he’s popular out here in the Western society, but there was a series called Bakuman and I really enjoyed playing Hirumaru Kazuya in that particular series. He’s kind of a strange person, a very strange person, and he’s very hard to take a grasp of every single time I do his roles. He sometimes has a high voice, sometimes has a low voice, sometimes he’s really depressed, pretty much like an unemployed person. As an actor, to me he’s a very entertaining person to enact.
Question 3: With Tidus being a character from a video game, was it a different experience to record lines for him as opposed to dubbing over an anime?
Morita: Yeah, in game voicing, not so much in the case of Final Fantasy X but more so when we create games now. We have a method called nukitori, which means that instead of everyone doing the voices all together, we pull one character out and we continue recording for that one character first. So what that means is that you’ll be in the studio pretty much by yourself for about six to seven hours recording and speaking. So in that sense, it’s a pretty stressing kind of work. When you’re recording, you don’t actually have someone that you’re talking to, so you have to continue imagining what they’re feeling, what they’re saying. So, not only is it physically demanding, but it’s also kind of mentally and emotionally demanding. However, on the other hand, when with anime voice acting, if you are a regular, you do voice acting once a week. For example if your doing one season, that’s thirteen episodes, two seasons, that’s twenty six episodes. It’s a long period. So, in order to keep your character the same for that whole entire period, for sometimes one or two years, or in the case of Bleach seven and a half years, it’s extremely difficult in that sense. To keep them the same.
The carefree wanderer
Question 4: Being there different styles to voice recording over the different genres, is there anything that you in particular do to get into character?
Morita: So I think what you’re talking about here is in terms of creating the character. However, I’m not a shinigami, nor am I a bushi (samurai), nor am I a fighter, I’m just a normal person. So in terms of becoming that character I don’t think there’s really something I do. For example if we do talk about Ichigo, we have Ichigo and we have Morita, they are not the same thing. However, if you look at Ichigo as a person, there has to be something, some similarity between me and that character and I look for that similarity and then that’s how I make the character. For example, if it was between me and Ichigo, I believe his feelings, his strong feelings towards his mother and his family are very similar to me. So I used that as the catalyst to making the character Ichigo Kurosaki.
The Substitute Shinigami
Question 5: Out of all the different characters that you’ve done, talking about connecting and sensing their own motivations, was there a character that you found comfortable with, easier to connect with?
Morita: Yeah so, if we’re talking about now, probably the voice that I’m most used to creating, the character I’m most used to creating is Ichigo. Pretty much every week I would play the role of Ichigo as a regular and that continued on for seven and a half years. So in terms of that it’s that Ichigo is probably the character that is part of me now.
Question 6: Out of every show you’ve done, every game, is there a particular experience or moent that has stood out for you above the rest?
Morita: So this is a story from back in Final Fantasy X days and pretty much Final Fantasy X was the very first voice acting role I’ve ever received. So when I stood in front of the mic, I actually didn’t know what the voice acting world was like or the rules or etiquettes of voice acting. So if the mic is here [in front of me], I would have the paper out here [to the side] with all my lines and that is how I am recording. Behind me would be all the other staff, like the mixers of the voices and the staff. One day the staff said, “Morita-san, your paper,” and I actually thought what that meant was “do you actually have your lines on you?” So I swung my paper around and said, “Yeah, I’ve got it here.” However, what “paper” meant was actually jargon in the voice acting world for the noise the paper makes on the mic. So pretty much at that moment when I swung my paper around and said, “I’ve got it here,” the whole staff burst into laughter. To me that’s probably the most memorable moment, or accident, or embarrassing moment in my career.
The beginning…
I would like to thank Masakazu Morita for taking the time to answer my questions. Especially for allowing the interview to continue for one extra question and revealing one of his most memorable moments. For more on Morita, check out his SMASH! panel.
Anuman Interactive have announced that their biggest project, Garfield Kart, will be released this October, under the Microïds Games for All label on iOS, Android, PC and Mac.
Eric Nguyen, Marketing Director at Anuman Interactive says “Garfield Kart is one of the most important projects developed by Anuman Interactive. All the components are gathered to guarantee fun and laughter for players of any age and profile. We are also very proud to be able to have users of PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone and Android play together online or locally.”
Garfield -the impressionable and famous comic-strip cat will lead players into a new cross-country racing game, featuring:
Multiplayer cross-platform: play online or locally against 5 opponents owning any version of the title (iPad vs. PC)
Unlockable items to customize Garfield’s looks, skills, as well as his friends – Jon, Odie, Nermal and more.
More than 8 opponents can race on 16 tracks in varied environments with alternative paths.
Don’t miss out on Gamescom 2013 from August 21-25, and check out the Anuman Interactive booth (A023E Hall 4.2) for more information on Garfield Kart!
Amongst the news revealed at the Playstation Gamescom 2013, came the announcement of a PS4 exclusive reimaging of Shadow of the Beast. The game will be developed by Heavy Spectrum who promises a game that “captures the essence” of the original, released nearly 25 years ago on the Commodore Amiga.
Matt Birch (Heavy Spectrum CEO and Founder) said:
For us, and for me specifically, playing it conjured a world of mysteries, something that went beyond what was shown on the screen, a world where my imagination had cause to soar! Even when not playing, I couldn’t help but wonder about the strange creatures and places I had seen, and ponder what further details would reveal themselves the next time I would play.
Time makes fools of us all…
Now it’s our turn to build this game, we are excited to use the power of PlayStation 4 to create a Shadow of the Beast that can bring gamers that rare type of evocative experience that we enjoyed as a kids playing the original game. We want to create a magical combination of unique combat and gameplay to enthral you as a player, with a mystical world that can engage you as a person. Our vision of Karamoon is filled with beauty, brutality and mystery, whilst allowing you as the player an opportunity to try and piece together what happened to make it and its denizens the way they are. We think it’s going to be really exciting to see the new experiences Sony’s support of indie development will bring, and we are humbled to be bringing our innovation to this game.
No information has been revealed regarding how soon after PS4 launch Shadow of the Beast will be released. Keep your eyes on the site, and the official site, as more information is revealed. Check out the trailer below and see the difference 25 years can make. It’s a lot.
At their Gamescom press conference some new gameplay footage was shown off for the game as you can see in the video below. Not only that, but they have also released a brand new live-action promotional trailer called ‘DEFY’, likely because assassins defy the law and kill as they please.
You can check out both videos below for your viewing pleasure. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is slated for release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii U on October 31st, 2013.
Fans of the long running Gran Turismo series won’t have to wait too much longer to try out the 6th major installment in the series. Gran Turismo 6 is set for a worldwise release on the PlayStation 3 on December 6th, 2013.
To celebrate 15 years of Gran Turismo, Polyphony Digital Inc has announced they want to do something special. An initiative called Vision Gran Turismo embodies a unique partnership with a number of leading automotive manufacturers, design houses and other leading global brands to showcase the future of the autmotive sector. Design teams from monsters of industry such as Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and even non car brands such as Nike will create concept model cars which will then be recreated as working in game cars for Gran Turismo 6.
Confirmed cars for Vision Gran Turismo so far include the BMW Vision Gran Turismo, the Golf GTI Vision Gran Turismo, the Alfa Romeo 6C Biposto Vision Gran Turismo and the Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo. Nike will also be creating a Vision Gran Turismo car following on from their initial creation which debuted in Gran Turismo 4, the Nike ONE. These cars will be given to players as free DLC from 2013 to 2014.
Kazunori Yamauchi, creator of the Gran Turismo series and President of Polyphony Digital was very excited to announce the initiative.
“This is a very exciting project…ever since we released the first Gran Turismo game 15 years ago, GT has resonated with the automotive world and we have enjoyed many different and fascinating collaborations. But Vision Gran Turismo is probably our most ambitious to date. It promises to provide a window into the future of automotive design that we can bring to life in Gran Turismo 6. We are extremely grateful to all of our design partners in this project for their amazing birthday present to Gran Turismo to celebrate the franchise’s 15 year anniversary, and are so excited to share this gift with our fans. Working closely with the leading lights of automotive design, as well as some design teams from outside of the industry, has been a rare privilege and we look forward to sharing their creations with fans of Gran Turismo from this year through to 2014.”
When Gran Turismo 6 releases worldwide fittingly on December 6th, players will be able to choose between either the GT6 Anniversary Edition for an Australian RRP of $114.95, or the Standard Edition which retails at $99.95. Check out the newest trailer below straight from Gamescom which features some of the new concept cars previously mentioned.
It was announced at Gamescom today, during the Sony Computer Entertainment press conference, that Ubisoft’s film and television division, Ubisoft motion Pictures, intends to collaborate with Sony Pictures Entertainment alongside New Regency to develop and produce a feature film based off of the upcoming open-world and action-packed title Watch_Dogs. The game has been shown off at E3 for the last two years and it has fast become a crowd favourite when it comes to Next-Gen game launches. With it’s fast-paced action and “new world” setting it makes a great deal of sense for this game to be turned into a movie, it would bring the fans in and hopefully it would impress on all fronts. The audience can see how great it looks, game-wise, from already released trailers and gameplay videos so why not allow that greatness to transfer onto the big screen? Jean-Julien Baronnet, the cheif executive officer at Ubisoft motion pictures had this to say:
“Since both Sony and Ubisoft have movie and video game branches, this deal creates exceptional opportunities for us to merge the realms of the story-based cinematic experience with the interaction of the video game…In addition, Sony Pictures and New Regency have deep production expertise and are letting us maintain a strong creative voice in the film’s development. Together, we’re confident we can deliver a movie that builds upon the excitement that the game is already generating.”
So far it seems like the people who are going to develop the movie feel the same way as us fans do about the movie being made, it’s fantastic to see these groups come together and agree on fundamental ideas and ideals because it shows that there will be a lot put into this movie which is fantastic for its already extensive fan base. Hannah Minghella who is the president of production for Columbia Pictures commented on the game-to-movie announcement by saying:
“The themes and open gameplay of ‘Watch Dogs’ lends itself perfectly to the big screen. The game has intense action and adventure, but the story focuses on information and the control of information, which we think will lead to an exciting thriller. It has tremendous potential as a motion picture and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to work closely with Ubisoft’s internal creative team on the development of the project.”
Watch_Dogs the game will be set for release on November the 21st down under on the Playstation 3, Wii U, Xbox 360 and on PC. It will also be a launch title for the PlayStation 4 with the Xbox one not yet having a set release date. So far the movie has not even started in the bulk of it’s development so obviously there is no release date planned as of yet but that doesn’t mean we all can’t start getting excited! Tell us what you think about this news in the comments section below, also don’t forget to keep your eyes on the site for any and all new information and news to be released.
Overview From Up On Poppy Hill is the latest Studio Ghibli film and with the prestige that comes with the studio it’s only natural to have some pretty high hopes for it. What is perhaps most interesting about From Up On Poppy Hill is that it is a Goro Miyazaki film.
For those who do not know, Goro Miyazaki is the eldest son of Studio Ghibli legend Hayao Miyazaki and the man behind the Ghibli flick Tales from Earthsea, which is often regarded as one of the weakest films in the long and impressive history of Studio Ghibli.
What makes From Up On Poppy Hill different from his previous endeavors is restraint. In Tales from Earthsea, Goro was getting his first taste of film-making and as such had a lot of things he wanted to do. In Earthsea, Goro dreamed big – In Poppy Hill, Goro holds back. The end result is a film that doesn’t throw many punches, it is a pleasant film in fact, but it is one film that Goro plays way too safe.
Story The basic plot of From Up On Poppy Hill is one that we have seen countless times from Studio Ghibli. In a seaside town, a young girl faces several challenges and struggles all in the name of growing up. It is far from a fresh tale for Ghibli, but it is one that is tried and true and works a charm here in Poppy Hill.
The seaside Port of Yokohama makes for a lovely backdrop to the proceedings, the characters are well defined with their emotions and motivations developed naturally over the course of the film, but it is hard to not feel as though we have seen this all before. The tale is decent in it’s own right, but it just feels far too familiar. If you have seen any of Ghibli’s coming of age films, the story of Umi and Poppy Hill will offer few surprises, but is still an enjoyable ride none the less.
At it’s core Poppy Hill plays out like an imitation of Hayao Miyazaki’s work, rather than Goro Miyazaki making his own mark on Ghibli history. It is hard to say whether it is Hayao’s involvement in the film that has overshadowed Goro’s hand in things, but it undoubtedly feels like a Hayao film or at least an attempt at one more than anything else.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, Hayao’s work is legendary, but it is disappointing to see Goro’s own visions put aside for what is ultimately a tempered and safe film, that doesn’t try to do anything new or especially interesting. It plods along without much incident and concludes with just as much.
The emotion is there, the story is there and the characters are there too. This is undoubtedly a Ghibli film tried and true, but it just isn’t anything we haven’t seen before. The film moves along at a careful pace, always mindful not to step outside of the norm. The result is a solid film, albeit one that is far too afraid of breaking new ground. In spite of it all though Poppy Hill still has the crucial ingredient that makes Ghibli films so special. Underneath everything, it has soul.
Visuals and Audio The art style on show in From Up On Poppy Hill is tried and true Studio Ghibli. It is mostly simple by design, but frequently beautiful. It isn’t the most impressive visual showing that Ghibli has ever produced, but it is an exquisite slice of animation regardless. The character designs are far from memorable, being rather pedestrian by Ghibli standards but the seaside Port of Yokohama serves as an astonishing landscape to place them in.
As far as audio goes, the film implements an excellent soundtrack as composed by Satoshi Takebe. Uplifting, effervescent and tranquil, Takebe’s soundtrack adds to the on screen action in a way that few do. The film also happens to feature an impressive English dub from GKIDS with a spectacular cast, each of whom do a fine job of it. The real star however is Takebe’s brilliant compositions, which truthfully give From Up On Poppy Hill it’s life.
Extras This particular blu-ray release for From Up On Poppy Hill from Madman Entertainment comes bundled with an absolute megaton of special features. There is so much content on this blu-ray that at first it is a lot to take in. Included is the usual trailers and TV spots, a making of featurette, an interview with Goro Miyazaki, a featurette on Yokohama, a press conference for the theme song, Hayao Miyazaki’s speech about the film, storyboards and much much more. Also included inside of the box is some booklets detailing the Ghibli collection and in particular From Up On Poppy Hill. This is an incredible release to say the very least and one that Madman should honestly be commended for.
Overall From Up On Poppy Hill is a mixed bag as far as Studio Ghibli films go. It doesn’t bare the same potential that Goro had shown in his previous work Tales from Earthsea, but it does have it’s own soul. Whether or not that soul comes from Goro or Hayao however is anyone’s guess.
This is about as Ghibli as Ghibli gets. This is the same old Ghibli that has endeared itself into the heart of anime fans across the globe, but is the same old Ghibli good enough anymore? Can Ghibli really continue to rinse and repeat or will they eventually have to explore uncharted waters? With Tales from Earthsea, Goro Miyazaki sailed out into those uncharted waters much to the chagrin of his father Hayao. With From Up On Poppy Hill, he does his best at the tried and true formula that Hayao perfected and what we got is neither great nor bad, instead sitting firmly in the middle-ground of being simply good.
Ultimately From Up On Poppy Hill is proof that Ghibli can’t rest on their laurels forever. It’s time for Ghibli to explore those uncharted waters once more, because as long as they are watching on from the safety of Poppy Hill, all we can hope for is the same old Ghibli.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
