Activision, the publisher behind first-person shooter giant Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and the rest of the franchise, released a new trailer today. Named “Origins”, the trailer gives a little bit of a teaser for things to come.
The trailer, which you can watch in the video player below this article, is fairly minimal, but we can deduce a few things from it. First of all, it appears to be showing off upcoming DLC content. It seems like a fair assumption given the Black Ops 2 name tied with it. It also shows four characters, one of which looks pretty similar to Reznov. Second, we get a quick sneak peak at a giant, massive robot. Is it driven by man or an artificial intelligence? Time will tell.
Could this be a twist on the ever-popular Zombie mode? Only time will tell, but one thing is for certain – Call of Duty has some interesting things yet to come.
The supernatural and ancient Japan seem to go hand in hand and lately the world has seen a lot of what this combination can do within Anime, some get it right and some fall through the cracks, Mononoke is one of those ones that is neither, Mononoke seems to make it’s own rules. This horror-filled, supernatural, detective story is an odd one both visually and aesthetically. It seems to hit you in a way that not a lot of other titles can.
Story
Mononoke is the “spiritual sequel” of a series called Bakeneko but the good thing is that the stories don’t entirely link up, basically the only thing the two titles have in common is the main character and an encounter he has from his past in one of the many small story arcs that make up the series. Which brings me to my first point: The set-up, storywise, for Mononoke is very much in the “Monster of the week” category. The story of the series is made up of little, individual and unique stories. The main protagonist, only called “The Medicine Vendor”, travels around this skewed vision of Edo in search of ghostly aparations or Mononoke which is the way they refer to these happenings, each time he finds one he does a bit of detective work and kills it. It’s actually that simple. While the stories within the big story aren’t so “simple”, that’s the best way to describe it all. The mythology behind every event was great and , considering I’m a big fan of the supernatural, I really enjoyed it. Even when it got that little bit too weird at some points you tend not to mind because you’re already under the impression of a twisted reality.
While I enjoyed watching this man roam around Edo killing supernatural beasts and while I also enjoyed the small stories and their mythological tales I did find the pacing to be quite elongated and, to be honest, fairly boring. I understand that because the stories were detailed it needed to be spread over two or even three episodes but I found that by the last episode I no longer cared at all about what was happening. Repetition does not help this series at all, it seems as the the Medicine Vendor says the same lines over and over again to all these different characters and while they don’t know what’s happening and need explanation, the audience doesn’t and that’s where it ruins it for me. One thing I did enjoy was the way episodes were introduced, it was set out like a traditional Japanese play with opening acts, closing acts, plenty of theatrics and extremely over the top characters. They really brought that to life.
Visuals
This series blew my mind when it came to aesthetics. To put it bluntly; watching Mononoke was like running through the Edo period of Japan high on acid. Everything was askew, the colours were incredible, it was as if they threw a woodblock carving into the 70s. At pints within the series it was hard to tell what was an illusion and what was reality which is fantastic because you felt the same way the clueless characters would’ve felt. The great thing that the visuals to to the viewer is that they force them into the position of meaningless characters instead of the know-it-all, hero of the day, main character. It was set out like a a traditional Japanese play, characters had plenty of makeup and the over all style seemed like it was intentionally meant to look like an Ukiyo-e play. Characters were designed in a way that made them look like rough paintings on wooden blocks and I thought that fit in perfectly with the entirety of the series.
Audio
More than anything, the music in Mononoke was excellent. It was traditional, it was haunting at times and it helped me circle in on the events that were transpiring. The voice acting was good but the characters were quite boring, not every character was but the ones that counted were. The big thing that got to me was the repetition of dialogue, it was the same thing every two or three episodes and I got sick of hearing the dull, monotone voice explain the same thing over and over again. Unfortunately it’s just one of those bad things that seems to stick out. There is no English audio which isn’t a bad thing because I believe if a series is meant to be strictly Japanese there should be no English voice acting.
Extras
The extras are fairly standard in this release. Clean opening, clean closing and trailers which is the usual set up for Animer releases. One thing that was great though was a small “documentary” labelled “Making Bakeneko” which is exactly how it sounds. It’s just nice to have that little extra in a release and I guarantee it would’ve made fans of the first series happy. There was also a reverse side to the cover which had a picture though unfortunately is was just a larger version of what can be seen on the front cover.
Overall
Mononoke is great for people that love Edo Japan, supernatural tales and detective stories because that’s exactly what it is in a nutshell. It’s a great short series but unfortunately it’s set back by a few things that I just couldn’t overlook. I wouldn’t suggest you overlook this one though because aesthetically it’s beautiful and the sounds of Edo Japan will be ringing in your ears for days on end. It’s one of those Anime series’ that forces you to think about it when you are away from it which I think is fairly rare. Look what it lacks isn’t style, nor is it lacking it’s intense moments, it actually doesn’t lack anything, there’s just far too much repetition and I feel like it’s a bit stretched out but that doesn’t mean it should be overlooked as a series, it’s still fantastic and it still does what it intends to do; it gets you confused and forces you to question what is real. Don’t pass this one by.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
CyberConnect2’s new JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure game, All-Star Battle, is set for a release in Japan later this month which means people around the world are getting ready to start the incredible, supernatural and action-packed brawl that is JJBA: All-Star Battle. Well the people over at the All-Star Battle game HQ have added more fuel to the burning fire in our hearts by releasing a brand new Promotional Video of the game.It spreads over 5 miutes and it is just oozing with action and flare in a way only JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure knows how. They show off every series within JJBA and they also give us a glimpse at the two newly announced characters, one of them being Funny Valentine. They also show what seems to be a customisation option within the game. Head down just below this post to check out the full video and don’t forget that JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle hits Japan on the PlayStation 3 on August the 29th.
Yes, some awesome One Piece-related news has been announced today that’ll make fans of the series go crazy. First up is the announcement of two different One Piece-themed 3DS XL systems that are planned for release alongside the One Piece Unlimited World Red game. Namco Bandai Games will be releasing two different styles: One is the “Luffy Red” system and the other is the “Chopper Pink” system which you can see just below. Both the One Piece Unlimited World Red game and the newly-designed consoles will be available for pre-order this Thursday and are set for shipping on the 21st of November.
Namco Bandai Games have also released a second promotional video for the new One Piece Unlimited World Red game. The video shows a couple different elements of the game but mostly expands on what we saw in the very first trailer. They show off each of the playable Straw Hat Crew characters and once again they show the action, 4-player co-op style of gameplay. Once again; pre-orders will open up on Thursday so do your best to get your hands on that bit of treasure.
Zen Studios are best known for their pinball titles, but have been stepping into other genres as of late with their most recent title CastleStorm. There all new game KickBeat, which has been in development for over 3 years for the PS Vita will now be releasing on both the Vita and PS3 on September 3rd. To add to the excitement, the game will be available as part of the cross buy promotion, meaning if you buy it for either console you can play it on both! KickBeat is a merging of the rhythm and fighting game genre and the result of a question asked by Neil Sorens, the Creative Director of Zen Studios:
“What would happen if we took a beat matching game, replaced the abstract cues like bars, arrows, and button icons with kung fu fight scenes, and set it all to incredibly intense music?”
To tie in with the announcement, a factsheet has been released detailing all the cool features KickBeat has to offer players.
Key Features
KickBeat offers players several innovative ways to interact with music!
Beat matching mechanics with a Zen Studios original take on an acrobatic style of martial arts, turning every song into a raucous battle.
KickBeat features a music analyzer that allows players to create new tracks from their own music libraries.
A hard hitting soundtrack featuring licensed tracks from a diverse lineup of artists from well known bands such as Pendulum and Marilyn Manson, to indie pioneers Celldweller and Blue Stahli, to hidden talents like electronic music producer Voicians and Taiwanese rapper Shen Yi.
The first music game with fully 3D interactive characters!
Beautiful art style with animated cut scenes and an immersive story!
Online multiplayer! Battle against other players in toe to toe fighting action. Collect orbs to power up and unleash powerful attacks against your opponent!
Compete with friends and post your scores to worldwide leaderboards!
Story Overview and Main Characters
Because we’ve put all this effort into making characters a central focus of the game, we needed to give these characters a human touch. Otherwise, they’re just animated props. Our story revolves around a love struck and unlikely hero drawn into a battle for control of the world’s music. It’s light hearted fare, but we’ve done a bunch of hand drawn and fully voiced sequences that really bring the characters to life.
Lee (male) and Mei (female) are the story protagonists.
Master Fu is the leader of an ancient, secretive sect of monks called the Order of the Melodic Fist, who have been the guardians of Sphere of Music for centuries.
Lee is the unlikeliest of hero’s, but he is chosen to fight to reclaim the music that has been stolen by Radio Earth, led by Mr. Halisi, owner of Entertainment Earth and leader of those who would use music for power and control.
Zen Studios recently played KickBeat live on their Twitch channel, so head there if your hungry to see more of the game and the embedded trailer below hasn’t quenced your thirst for rhythm kung fu action.
At the end of this month Rayman Legends will be releasing onto consoles, which is probably why Ubisoft deems it a good time to post their latest video for the game focused on the Wii U version of the game. The Wii U version will have multiple gameplay features exclusive to the system thanks to its unique GamePad and Nintendo itself.
The major feature of Rayman Legends being toted by the screenshot above is the Mario & Luigi costumes for Rayman and Globax respectively, which players will be able to unlock in the game in as few as 20 minutes. But, even more than that the game will feature up to 5 players, as the fifth player will be playing as Murfy who can protect and aid the other players using the GamePad.
For a full look at all the Wii U’s exclusive features be sure to watch the video embedded below. Rayman Legends is set to release on August 30th, 2013 for Wii U, Xbox 360, PS3, PS Vita, and recently announcedPC.
Earlier today during Nintendo’s latest Nintendo Direct, it was revealed that The Game Bakers were working on a new game called Squids Odyssey for the Wii U and 3DS. Now a few hours after the presentation, the company has released a handful of screenshots as well as some details for their game.
Squids Odyssey is set to be released on the eShop this Fall and it will be a “tactic RPG” where players will use slingshots to throw squids across the battlefield at enemies. There will be four different classes of squid to choose from, a shooter, a scout, a trooper, and a healer as well as a solid story line and plenty of use of each consoles’ special feature.
Today Atlus USA has released the opening movie for Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl which was produced by the anime studio Madhouse, known for anime such as Black Lagoon, Death Note and more. The video can be seen below while the game itself is set to be released on October 1st in North America.
Currently no release information for Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl has been announced for Europe. For those who don’t know, Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl features the first set storyline in the franchise’s history, though it can be played like a classic Etrian Odyssey title if gamers so choose.
During the latest Nintendo Direct, viewers were able to see some more gameplay of upcoming Sonic Lost World with a bit of explanation of some of the new features for Sonic‘s latest jaunt. With an all new “mind-bending” world layout, players will have much more freedom as they jump, wall run, and destroy obstacles that stand in the path to saving the world once again.
Those that happened to miss the Nintendo Direct are in luck though as the gameplay from the Wii U version of Sonic Lost World that was shown during the presentation can be found in the video embedded below. Players wanting a bit more information can also check out our own Sonic Lost World Hands-On Preview. Sonic Lost World is set to release on October 22th, 2013 for both Wii U and Nintendo 3DS.
Back when Murdered: Soul Suspect was first announced by Square Enix, the company was expecting the title to arrive early in 2014. However it seems that is no longer the case as the company has confirmed that the game is now going to be released sometime past March 2014.
After the game wasn’t included in their release list for the fiscal year, the publisher admitted that it wasn’t going to be making its initial release window. For those who don’t know, Murdered: Soul Suspect places players in the dead shoes of Ronan O’Connor who is tasked with tracking down his own killer.
