It’s happening, the My Little Pony fandom has begun to make it’s mark on the world outside of forums and browser games. It started with the release of the iOS My Little Pony Friendship is Magic game, where players have to re-build Ponyville and bring back all the residents who fled from Nightmare Moon’s eternal darkness, and is now continuing on with Microsoft’s latest avatar accessory release for Xbox Live avatars.
Microsoft has revealed My Little Pony hoodies for both men and women, backpacks and even a Rainbow Dash pet available for purchase. Microsoft hasn’t stopped there. There is also a My Little Pony theme to customize your Dashboard with. This won’t be the end of it. As the fandom’s reputation precedes itself, we should expect to see pets available for at least the rest of the Mane Six (Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Apple Jack and Twilight Sparkle). It’s not like the Brony fandom to let one pony have the spotlight. There will be great debates and long threads, with Bronies arguing why they should have their favorite pony as a pet on Xbox.
The hoodies are modeled off actual hoodies, and I myself own one of the Rainbow Dash ones. The prices range from 160 MP to 320 MP and can be found here.
Indie game developer Black Forest Games, the studio behind Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams, currently Kickstarting a game called “Ravensdale,” announced today that they’ve filled the role of the Voice of Ravensdale. Mark Meer has been cast to voice act several roles for the upcoming title.
Meer is an actor, writer, and improviser based out of Edmonton, Canada, but most of the gaming community will know him best for his voice acting role as Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect franchise.
Meer will be voicing the role of the “Captain,” the game’s protagonist, but he will also be heard in the camps of both the goblins and orcs. The game will be an action-packed run-n-gun game that encourages cooperative gameplay.
Black Forest Games has released a full interview with Mark Meer. You can check that out in the video player below this article. For more information, you can also check out the Project Ravensdale Dev Blog on their official website.
Today EA has revealed that the next Sims 3 expansion pack will be called Into the Future and will be released sometime this Fall. The Sims 3 Into the Future Expansion Pack will allow players to travel between the present and future. Sims will be able to transport themselves hundreds of years forwards where they can meet their descendents and buy fancy futuristic items, but be careful of the actions you take since actions in the past can affect the future as well.
Also announced today was The Sims 3 Movie Stuff pack which allows players to create all new stories inspired by movie genres including Westerns, Creepy Features and Comic Book Blockbusters. Check out the gameplay trailer for Into the Future below as well as footage of the Movie Stuff pack.
GRID 2, the high-speed racing game from Codemasters, announced the launch of their newest DLC, the “Peak Performance Pack,” today. The new downloadable content is available on Xbox 360 for 400 Microsoft Points and for PlayStation 3 and PC for £3.19 / $4.99 / €3.99.
The Peak Performance Pack comes with maxed-out versions of six cars:
Dodge Charger RT – Stiffer suspension, wider wheels and aggressive camber improve traction whilst additional power under the bonnet, an extra gear and stripped out weight improve top speed and acceleration
Ford Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special – Improved aerodynamics reduce drag, bigger brakes reducing braking distances and engine improvements increase acceleration and top speed
Chevrolet Camaro Z28 RS SS 1970 – A re-mapped engine adds more horsepower and torque, reduced mass and inertias give the car more responsive steering and a lower centre of mass and stiffer suspension improves traction and reduces body roll
VW Golf R – An engine upgrade boosts acceleration and top speed, a lower roll centre and lower centre of gravity improves traction and its revised differential setup minimises understeer
BMW E30 M3 – Comes equipped with a racing clutch to reduce shift times whilst it’s re-mapped engine and stripped out weight improves top speed and acceleration
BMW 1 Series M Coupe – With a huge 150kg stripped out, this BMW’s stiffer suspension and increased camber improves traction and longer gear ratios increase top speed
To coincide with the new DLC, Codemasters has also released a new trailer showcasing the new cars. Be sure to check it out in the video player below this article. You can also check out their official Grid 2 website here.
While we’ve seen a handful of gameplay videos from Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, none of them have focused on the open-world aspect of the game outside of some ship combat. However that changed today when Ubisoft released an almost fourteen minute long gameplay video featuring the game’s open world exploration of the Caribbean.
In the video, which can be seen below, we are presented with what may be the largest map to ever be offered in an Assassin’s Creed game as well as some commentary from the game’s director Ashraf Ismail. You can check out our recent interview with Senior Producer Hugues Ricour here. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is currently set to be released on both current-gen and next-gen consoles later this year.
This week on CC Unplugged, we are fresh off the heels of PAX Australia and Comic-Con- and with that comes some new events and opinions that Dustin Spencer, Luke Halliday, and Andrew Day have come together to speak about. We also touch up on the normal gaming relating jargon, Power Rangers being our closet fandom, and talk about some upcoming titles and how life is treating us in the world of Animal Crossing. It is a pretty interesting gathering, so make sure you give this show a listen.
So grab a power coin, tell Your Friends, and prepare to get UNPLUGGED!
Be sure to listen to our past CC Unplugged episodes here.
SPONSOR PLUG
Special Mention to our partners over at Razer, us here at Capsule Computers are geared by gamers, for gamers. Check them out on Twitter and Official Website.
It was recently announced that the 2013J-Pop Summit Festival will be receiving a number of new performances thanks to Toyota and Studio4˚C teaming up to present Peace Eco Smile (PES) during the event. PES take place in a large tent stationed in the center of the festival where a number of events will be held, including live appearances by special guests of honor, music video screenings and more.
Some of the artists that will be performing at the PES tent include girls band LoVendoЯ, which features Reina Tanaka and Marina Okada on vocals and Yuki Uozumi and Marin Miyazawa on guitar. The band will be making their debut in the US on Saturday July 27th. Performance and meeting times with LoVendoЯ can be found below:
LoVendoЯ Talk & Music Video Screening
TOYOTA x STUDIO4ºCMeets ANA Tent Saturday, July 27; 11:00am – 11:30am
LoVendoЯ & Sweety LIVE Performance Pagoda Stage Peace Plaza Saturday, July 27; 5:00pm – 6:00pm
LoVendoЯ LIVE Performance Union Square Sunday, July 28; 2:30pm – 3:00pm
LoVendoЯ Merchandise Sales & Autograph Session
TOYOTA x STUDIO4ºCMeets ANA Tent Saturday, July 27; 11:30am – 12:00pm
Sunday, July 28; 5:00pm – 6:00pm
※Autograph session limited to the first 50 customers who purchase a LoVendoЯ CD.
Also performing at the PES tent will be the band Sweety which features Yurika Takagi, Yui Hasegawa and Sayaka Takenouchi. These three made their debut with the ending theme to Sengoku Collection, “Unlucky Girl.” The three also work as voice actresses in the anime industry. Performance and meeting times with Sweety can be found below:
Sweety LIVE, Talk & Music Video Screening
TOYOTA x STUDIO4ºCMeets ANA TENT Saturday, July 27; 2:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Sweety Talk & Music Video Screening
TOYOTA x STUDIO4ºCMeets ANA TENT Sunday, July 28; 12:00pm – 12:30pm
Sweety Photography, Merchandise Sales & Autograph Session
TOYOTA x STUDIO4ºCMeets ANA Tent Saturday, July 27; 3:10pm – 3:30pm
Sunday, July 28; 12:30pm – 1:00pm and 4:30pm – 5:00pm
Besides these performances, there will also be panel discussions about the Peace Eco Smile Project: Next Generation “Cross Collaboration.” The event, sponsored by Toyota Motor Sales & Marketing, will allow people to speak with numerous directors from Studio4˚C as well as learn more about this new anime series that is focused around the “joy of driving and the importance of safety.” Times for the screenings and events can be found below:
Director Hidekazu Ohara Talk Event: PES Next Generation
TOYOTA x STUDIO4ºCMeets ANA Tent Saturday, July 27; 1:30pm – 2:30pm (w/ Sweety)
Director Hidekazu Ohara Autograph Session
TOYOTA x STUDIO4ºC Meets ANA Tent Sunday, July 28; 1:00pm – 1:30pm
PES Collaboration Music Video Screenings Visitors are invited to sample dynamic music videos by a range of top J-Pop artists including LoVendoЯ, Sweety, Una, Akaiko-en, and Petit Milady.
Sweety PES Season 1 Screening
TOYOTA x STUDIO STUDIO4ºCMeets ANA Tent Saturday, July 27; 1:00pm – 1:30pm
5 PES Music Videos Loop Screening
TOYOTA x STUDIO STUDIO4ºCMeets ANA Tent Saturday, July 27; 12:30pm-1:00pm; 3:30pm-4:00pm; 4:30pm-6:00pm
Sunday, July 28; 11:00－12:00; 1:30pm-3:00pm; 4:00pm-4:30pm
As you may have heard, the first ever Japan Expo will be occurring in Santa Clara this August. While we’ve heard a bit about what type of Japanese performance groups will be attending the event hand holding events, Japan Expo hasn’t revealed what type of businesses will be attending the event.
That was until today when the company revealed that not only will big names such as FUNimation and Viz Media be attending the event, but also Kinokuniya Books, which is one of the largest Japanese bookstores in the US, the Japanese External Trade Organization, a non-profit Japanese government organization that promotes investments between the US and Japan and Deleter, the premier supplier of manga art materials will also be attending the event. These companies will all be at the event and will likely be holding special events at their booths throughout the event which runs from August 23rd to the 25th.
Also attending the event are a number of vendors who will be selling numerous anime goods including hats, bags, PVC figures, clothing, doujinshi and more. The full list of current vendors attending the event can be found below:
The Making Of video series for Beyond: Two Souls, the latest from Quantic Dream, has just released the second video today. While last time it it focused on The Origins of the story and game, this time it is all about the gameplay, which anyone that has played a David Cage game will know how different and important that is.
While many games today prompt many a quick-time event for players to react to, including Quantic Dream’s previous Heavy Rain, the video shows off what Beyond: Two Souls is looking to do different. Without listing the prompt, the game is designed to make players react without the need to tell players to do so. The idea being to make the controls intuitive to the player without the need to blatantly display them.
Those wanting to check out the Making Of video for themselves can watch it embedded below. Beyond: Two Souls is set to release October 2013 exclusively for the PlayStation 3.
The people at Team NINJA have been hard at work making sure that Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate will not only prove better than the original Dead or Alive 5, but Dead or Alive 5 Plus as well, which is no easy task. The key of course is to ensure that everyone playing is able to do so exactly the way they want. So, Team NINJA, with publisher Tecmo Koei, have given the details on some of the new features fans will be able to find in Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate.
Players that aren’t so interested in online play will be happy to hear that Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate will be getting new offline game modes. Team Fight mode will task players will building a whole team of fighters to face off against another player or the computer, as can be seen in the image above teams can have upwards of 7 fighters. With this in mind players will have to plan accordingly as opposed to sticking to only a few favored characters.
To help players out to get started Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate will also see new and advanced Tutorial mode to ensure players are being as resourceful and possible. Combo Challenge mode can prove to be an excellent test for what players have learned as they try to streak together all the moves they can like tag combos. Ultimate also sees the return of items for the Survival mode, meaning that defeated enemies can drop one of nine special items like the watermelon for refilling life to the fullest.
Customization will also be a fairly large part of the game, as players will be able to choose fighter’s costumes, hairstyle, and animation. While the new “Pop Idol” sets have already been announced as pre-orders there are plenty more options as costumes can be transferred. Players will also have more to try and achieve for customization in the form of Titles, with almost 1000 titles and plenty for each character. This additional customization will be even easier to see and experience with Movies, allowing players to re-watch entrances, victories, and scenes with the characters in the new customizations.
Players looking forward to all these new features will be able to check them out for themselves when Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate releases at the beginning of September for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
As you may have heard, the first ever 
