Video has surfaced online of concept footage for the recently confirmedGran Turismo 6. It showcases new cars and tracks and can be viewed embedded at the bottom of this article.
The Gran Turismo series is known for including an astounding number of vehicles, naturally increasingly with each iteration. Here in the 3-minute clip, the Tesla Model S and Audi Quattro can be seen amongst others, all part of the promised 1200+ roster of automobiles in GT6. The famous UK Silverstone Circuit – as well as some more scenic, European-looking locales – also feature heavily as the playground for these awesome metal wonders.
Gran Turismo 6 is planned for release this holiday season for the Sony PlayStation 3.
TAITO Corporation has announced today that they are holding a ‘Special Celebratory Campaign’ in honor of the 700,000th download of Groove Coaster Zero, published by Square Enix. The acclaimed soundtrack drivenGroove Coaster was released for the Mac OS on November 20th of 2012, and exactly five months later, the number of players is close to a million.
The campaign, which will comprise of ‘discounts, presents and other surprises’ begins today and will last for seven days. Almost every day will see the emergence of a new event, be that a freebie, discount or random special offer.
The event breakdown looks a bit like this:
Event 1: The campaign launches with a special in-app purchase discount (Sale Price: $2.99 – down from $4.99) for the popular niconico Music Pack 1, which features four additional playable game levels set to the music of hit VOCALOID producers KurousaP, wowaka, hachi, and minato. But get your skates on, the sale price for this sought after track pack is limited to the first 10,000 downloads.
Event 2: Tomorrow’s event only lasts for 24 hours, so be sure to login to Groove Coaster Zero from 7:59AM PST to earn 10 free ‘Follow’ items, which will be gifted to each player. Players have to claim the items from the in-app shop.
Event 3: Currently a secret; it will be announced via Facebook and Twitter soon.
Event 4: This daily deal is again, for 24 hours only. ‘Free Flick Change’ items gifted to all players, again claimable through the in-app store.
Event 5: Another secret to be announced via Facebook and Twitter soon.
Event 6: The last 24 hour only deal, free ‘Visible’ items gifted to all players, redeemable through the in-app store.
Azumanga Daioh Studio: J.C. Staff Publisher: Madman Entertainment Format: DVD Release Date: April 17th, 2013 Price:$49.95 – Available Here
Overview Anime fans of today may not know of Azumanga Daioh, a legendary slice of life comedy that redefined the genre in the early-2000s, paving the way for future series such as Nichijou – My Ordinary Life. It was a comedy that came completely out of nowhere and deconstructed the preconceptions of anime comedy and the slice of life concept in ways never before seen. This collection of Azumanga Daioh is a great reminder of just how monumental this series was, even a decade on since the series’ debut, it doesn’t feel like it has aged a day. The comedy is still as tight as it ever was and the affect it had on the genre is paramount. Azumanga Daioh is an underappreciated gem by all counts.
Story While its spiritual successor Nichijou – My Ordinary Life finds the bizarre in the ordinary, Azumanga Daioh finds the funny in it. It peels back the layers on the most banal parts of every day life and finds the inherent silliness in it all.
Life in and of itself has a level of silliness and Azumanga Daioh dives deep into that well and draws laughs from it like it is going out of fashion. It hits hard and fast, with a 4koma type of storytelling, that allows a lot of variation within any given episode as well as many laughs to be had.
The 4koma style makes Azumanga Daioh feel like a literal slice of life (several slices technically), with each slice having a different flavour all the while being just as tasty as the slice that came before it. There is a certain amount of respect that must be given to J.C. Staff for the production of this series, it is no easy feat to create such consistent content when that very content varies often on a minute by minute basis, changing direction at the drop of a hat. This of course comes from the fact that the series originally aired in short bursts 5 times a week, only to be compiled into a full 25 minute episode at the end of every week. It was an odd structure but an effective one no doubt.
Part of what makes Azumanga Daioh so very good is the fact that it features one of the most memorable comedy casts in anime history. The variation among the cast allows for a great deal of comedic combinations, keeping things fresh throughout the series entire 26 episode run. Each character is well developed in their own right, with very distinctive personalities that have gone on the be mimicked by copycat series. Chiyo-chan is of course the star of the show and the child prodigy often steals each and every scene she is in with her intelligence often supplemented by her cute nature.
If you have never seen Azumanga Daioh you are surely in for a treat. Weighing in at 26 episodes, it is difficult to find a more well rounded comedy series than this. It has the perfect mix of sentiment and madcap comedy, knowing how to tow that line with deft precision and impeccable timing.
When it comes to Azumanga Daioh it goes without saying that you will laugh, long and hard until you cannot laugh anymore. It is a comedy of the highest order, a revolutionary slice of life series the influence of which is evident in slice of life anime of today.
Visuals and Audio Time has served Azumanga Daioh well. In 10 years time, the series shows no signs of age, still as aesthetically gorgeous as it was all those years ago. The cute character designs that feature in the series do well to complement the comedy of the series with all manner of expression on display. Each character is uniquely designed, particular of note is that of Chiyo-chan, who has the look of a mascot character. The animation on show in Azumanga Daioh still remains some of J.C. Staff’s best work, holding water to some of their currently airing anime series.
Azumanga Daioh’s soundtrack is a brilliant mix of poppy tunes with silly beats that accentuate the comedic aspects superbly. The opening and ending themes are suitably cute and incredibly catchy, especially the opening theme which has an addictive quality that is hard to shake.
This release features the excellent English dub of Azumanga Daioh which is a pure delight, of course the original Japanese audio is also there if you so fancy watching with subtitles.
Extras Madman Entertainment have done an astonishing job with this release. For the price point you are getting more than you could ever ask for. Not only do you get the entire series compiled neatly across 6 discs, you also get a plethora of bonus content to go with it. There are production sketches, clean opening and ending themes, a character art study and even the Azumanga Daioh mini-movie. That is a great deal of content, all of which comes together to make this the definitive collection of Azumanga Daioh.
Overall What we have here is a very special anime release. 10 years on from the original premiere of Azumanga Daioh we get a brilliant re-release of this classic comedy anime. This is honestly the greatest release the series has ever had. Whether you have seen this series hundreds of times or never at all, this is the collection to own. Azumanga Daioh is a must have for any anime fan.
While the humour may not strike the same chord with everyone, it is impossible not to see the fun in Azumanga Daioh. This is one series that is as enjoyable as it is funny. Very few series can be called influential but Azumanga Daioh can. It paved the way for many of the comedy series of today and like a fine wine, it is better with age. Looking back on Azumanga Daioh, you come to realize just how very important this anime series was. If you haven’t hung out with Chiyo-chan and friends, or it has simply been too long since you last did, now is the time to do just that. Azumanga Daioh is Azumazing!
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
2 Broke Girls has always been one of those stock standard half-hour sitcoms. They jam in as many sex jokes, racist jokes, size jokes, sexuality jokes, and whatever other kind of one liners they can into the half hour, while sort of following a plot.
The second season ended recently, and to be fair a lot more happened in terms of overall plot than in the first, although somewhat less happened character wise. While the first season had a lot of Max (Kat Dennings) and Caroline (Beth Behrs) warming up to each other, Caroline constantly pushing the business idea on her, and Max pretending not to care, during the second season they hit somewhat more of a lull.
The second season saw them finally acquire a cupcake store, and then that business failed. Now, don’t get me wrong, it made sense that they failed on the first go, because who really thought they’d be able to pull that one off?
Regardless of the logic of the matter, their failure resulted in a stagnation of the tail end of season 2. Caroline, the character that was normally so gung ho, lost all of her drive – which is quite understandable.
And after all this time, Max and Caroline ended up right back where they started. It feels sort of defeatist that they have to restart, considering it took a season and a half for them to get there.
The last episode of the second season points towards them opening up their cupcake business in a secret back room of the diner. Gosh isn’t that convenient? Well, as much of a plot device as it seems, at least it means it won’t take another season and a half for them to get to the shop point again.
2 Broke Girls is a routine show, something where you know exactly what to expect. Now, that doesn’t mean it has to change, but hopefully the show shifts out of the somewhat stagnant area that it found itself in during the last part of the season.
For more news and reviews of current and upcoming TV shows make sure to check out CC Screen.
One of the biggest teases of a show, How I Met Your Mother wrapped up its eighth season recently. Now, eight seasons is no small feat, and it’s to be expected that after eight years a show starts to run out of steam. Most people were surprised by the announcement that the show would get another season, as it already seemed to be dragging out long enough, and the show seemed to have to end once the Mother was met.
Well, in the finale, we got to meet the Mother. Unfortunately for the romantically angsty Ted, he didn’t.
I was always a fan of the show continuing after Ted met the Mother, simply because I had spent so many years loving these characters and I wanted to learn more about the woman who Ted finally captured. All foreplay and no pay off? Didn’t seem like the best result for me.
And now, after this eighth season, I feel even stronger about this. Ted has spent most of the season wandering back towards Robin while Barney and Robin seem to have finally hit their groove and enter an adult-enough relationship. So, what kind of woman is good enough to completely snatch away Ted’s attention and convince him that it’s not worth running away to Chicago?
I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in this either. For those of us who have been watching this show for almost a decade (or even those who started later on), these are characters that we have grown to love. And you want to see the characters you love get their happy ending.
The fact that the Mother was revealed well before the series finale is a good sign, and hopefully it points towards us getting to know and love the Mother as much as the rest of the characters, but we’ll just have to see how it plays out.
For more information about current and upcoming TV shows make sure to check out CC Screen.
Aussie cricket comedy Save Your Legs distributed by Madman Films is finally coming to the small screen. Managing to muster together Brendan Cowell, Stephen Curry and Damon Gameau, Save Your Legs follows a few mates to India on an amateur cricket tour.
Conflict arises when Teddy gets frustrated that his friends seem to enjoy hanging out in India rather than playing cricket. Trying to hold everyone together in the name of cricket becomes a bit too much for old Teddy as the tour continues, forcing him to redress his attitude.
A story about the tension ageing, growing up and mateship bring to people’s lives, this is a quintessentially Australian film. As of July 17 you’ll be able to add it to your collection on DVD ($29.95), Blu-Ray ($34.95) or Digital Download.
The ninth season of Grey’s Anatomy has had a constant dark cloud following it around due to the plane crash of last season – and rightly so. The plane crash, while it affected a smaller amount of people than previous Grey’s Anatomy tragedies, did so in a far more real way.
Not only was there a plane crash, but it also lead to them being stranded for days in the woods. Not exactly the most bright and cheery thing. So the beginning of the season had us saying goodbye to Mark Sloan, Lexie, and Arizona’s leg.
Arizona, the previously upbeat and loving character, took a far darker turn as she became angsty and angry at everything, which is no surprise. If I had lost my leg I would also by pretty grumpy. Over the season she started to regain herself back a bit, much to the relief of Callie, who was getting pretty hammered throughout. However, the finale showed that this progress was for Arizona as a person, not for their relationship.
While the finale did have a big disaster in the storm, the disaster didn’t directly affect our favourite characters the way that past disasters have. Instead, it felt like more of an aftershock.
The last season finale left such a mark, and the final twist of the knife in Callie and Arizona’s relationship felt like the end of the plane crash aftershocks.
The finale was a mix of happiness and sadness, some relationships just starting, some building, while others crumbled. It certainly wasn’t a non-emotional episode, but it didn’t have the punch that you’d usually get from a Grey’s Anatomy finale. Still, that’s a good thing, with the last one still feeling so fresh for the characters and the viewers.
Grey’s Anatomy is a rare show indeed, to be wrapping up its ninth season and still managing to deal with a large cast, changing story lines and character progression. It feels like a different show from how it started, but that’s because the characters have matured, as have the viewers, which is always going to happen when a show is about to hit a decade-long run.
It truly is impressive that it has managed to keep its characters realistic, stay away from turning them into caricatures of themselves, and created them into the family community that they are.
I don’t know about you guys, but this season finale and the new storylines that are going to be coming (whether they’re the new ground of an expanding MerDer family, or the rehashing of April and Jackson) are something I am definitely interested in keeping tuned into.
For more news and reviews of current and upcoming TV shows make sure to check out CC Screen.
Miner Wars 2081 – the new 6DOF (Six degrees of freedom) action/survival/space based flight-sim from indie development outfit Keen Software Housewas recently approved for PC release on Steam by Greenlight Community, and is now available in the Steam Store.
The game places players in an advanced mining ship and offers access to a fully destructible open world environment. Players will also find themselves immersed in an epic storyline that comprises of single player and co-op options, as well as a death-match and multiplayer aspect. What’s more, the story mode seems far from linear. Mission types vary greatly and range from basic to complex:
‘Rescue, exploration, revenge, base defense, theft, transportation, stealth, search and destroy, pure harvesting, racing, or just flying around and destroying everything you see.’
Nichijou: My Ordinary Life Collection 2 Studio: Kyoto Animation Publisher: Madman Entertainment Format: DVD Release Date: April 17th, 2013 Price:$59.95 – Available Here
Overview Nichijou – My Ordinary Lifeis anything but ordinary. After reviewing the first part of Nichijou – My Ordinary Life, I was left wondering, where does it go from here? Well if the first part was anything to judge by, it can only get more crazy.
This is one of the most bizarre anime in recent history and the oddysey of oddity continues in Nichijou’s hilarious second half. This is far from your ordinary slice of life anime, this is an extraordinary slice of life and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Story It goes without saying that Nichijou – My Ordinary Life is a bizarre creation. It features an expansive cast of unique characters in situations that defy even imagination. How do you think of stuff like this? It’s obvious that Keiichi Arawai, the creator of the manga which this series is based upon, is a special kind of genius.
For all of its oddity, Nichijou – My Ordinary Life is every bit as funny. It draws humour from its inherent weirdness, finding drama in the most curious of places and then putting mass emphasis on it resulting in mass hilarity.
Nichijou – My Ordinary Life plays out like 4koma animated. There is a series of random yet sometimes interconnected events that comprises each episode. The abstract nature of this structure feels very similar to legendary slice of life comedies such as Azumanga Daioh and Lucky Star. That is of course a good thing as those two series are often hailed as some of the greatest slice of life comedies in anime history. For Nichijou to be in the same regard as those series, is simply remarkable.
The cast of characters on display in Nichijou – My Ordinary Life is simply phenomenal. Despite the often limited time each character is given each episode, they are incredibly well developed over the course of the series. By this second half, each character is well and truly going through the motions like nobody’s business. Their comedic timing is perfect and the characterization is on point. There is a feeling however that by around episode 20 much of the cast has reached their comedic potential, with everything else that comes after being little more than extra innings.
While it does feel like it goes on longer than it really needed to, Nichijou – My Ordinary Life never missed a beat, remaining fresh throughout. You do get the feeling though that this series would be best served as a 1 cour anime, but the second half does give the characters more room to breath and more Nichijou fun is never a bad thing. This second half is of course just as hilarious as the first and just as much fun. Isn’t that what matter most in the end? That it makes you laugh all the while you have some fun?
As far as comedy goes, Nichijou – My Ordinary Life is in a realm of its own. Very few anime are ever truly funny from start to finish, Nichijou is one of those fine few series. It is a must watch for comedy fans. This is a special kind of comedy.
Visuals and Audio Aesthetically Nichijou – My Ordinary Life is every bit as bizarre as the rest of its content. There is an abundance of abstract art that supplements the more ordinary subdued moments. The series seems to slip between a variety of styles at the drop of a hat. There is little bit of everything on show in Nichijou which ultimately makes it a visual delight.
The series also happens to feature an absolutely incredible soundtrack. Its opening and ending themes are addictive as can be, with hooks that will get stuck in your head with ease. The rest of the incidental music is a mish mash of extremely energetic tracks and subtle slow burning dramatized tunes. All in all its a perfect fit for this mixed bag of an anime series.
I must mention though that this release does not feature an English dub track, it does however of course feature the original Japanese audio which is absolute fantastic. Sadly though this was one series that would have been incredible with a dub. These types of series are often served well in English dubs. Unfortunately issues with Bandai prevented that from being possible. Despite that, the series is good enough in its own right that a purchase is still warranted even without a dub.
Extras This particular collection from Madman Entertainment comes packaged with a fair few special features that will give fans of the series something to take a gander at. There is alternate episode previews (which are obviously hilarious), textless songs and the standard trailers. This isn’t exactly a significant amount of bonus content and it in no way makes up for the lack of a dub, but it is a nice little batch of extras to complement the series itself.
Overall Nichijou – My Ordinary Life is absolutely insane but underneath all of that utter madness is a sense of unbridled fun that elevates this series into greatness. It is no stretch to say that Nichijou – My Ordinary Life is one of the finest comedy anime ever produced. It may not be Kyoto Animation’s usual brand of comedy but it is a special breed unto itself.
If you enjoy bizarre comedy with an abstract sensibility, you will likely garner a great deal of pleasure from Nichijou – My Ordinary Life. This is a wildly fun anime series in all regards. This particular collection concludes the series on a high note and makes for what is must watch comedy anime.
This is far from ordinary, this is the kind of series that comes along once in a blue moon. If you haven’t yet experienced the brand of ordinary life that Nichijou is selling then you are simply missing out on something extraordinary – an unimaginable slice of life.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
The Legend is built on Crytek’s Cryengine 3 technology, and sees players exploring several atmospheric and chilling narratives in an attempt to decipher truth whilst avoiding the several ‘legends’ that inhabit each story. The developers have recently stated that although the game is likely to be released for free, if they do opt to charge it will only be a small cost, and not that of a feature title.
Players are also reminded that although the enigmatic Slenderman character has been rumored to appear in this title, the game is a new project built from the ground up and can therefore no longer be called a part of the Slenderman series. It features multiple campaigns, different character abilities, a free-roam survival mode, and more. For more on this amazing project, be sure to check out the Elder Productions FAQ Page.
Check out the latest (March) teaser trailer, below.
