The developers opted to set a goal of $800,000 soon after their servers crashed from an overwhelming initial response from fans. In the first few hours of the campaign, private crowd funding efforts generated total of $118,000 dollars. The crowd funding initiative came with the decision to reward pre-ordering fans with various tier structured rewards, as well as to source community feedback before moving the project to Kickstarter.
One of the most anticipated and talked about features of this title amongst the fanbase is the inclusion of next-generation destructible environments. Developer Mektek is hard at work integrating fully destructible with various play strategies, forever changing the way players view their virtual environment. as Vince McMullin, President of MekTek Studios, explains:
“Heavy Gear Assault will set a new standard for destructible environments, using the cutting-edge Unreal Engine 4…As jaw-dropping as this trailer is, you‘re only seeing the tip of what’s possible. MekTek knows mecha fans—and mecha fans want destruction. With Heavy Gear Assault, they’ll get it in bullet-ridden spades.”
To herald the Kickstarter launch, the developers have released a teaser trailer featuring some in-game footage (see below.)
It seems like Sam Fisher wont be facing the odds alone all the time in the upcoming Splinter Cell: Blacklist. While publisher Ubisoft has previously shown off the multiplayer side of the game in their Spies vs Mercs trailer, the new trailer released today is all about the co-op action.
With 4 different mission types for players to work through together across 14 maps, the co-op features Sam Fisher and Isaac Briggs, a CIA Operative. From the trailer, Briggs seems a little green behind the ears in addition to the green over his eyes, as he takes out an enemy not quite as quiet as stealth veteran Sam Fisher would prefer, but that’s probably to be expected.
Players wanting to know what they can expect can watch the co-op trailer for themselves embedded below and then try to find a friend willing to play Briggs before Splinter Cell: Blacklist releases August 20th, 2013 in North America (August 22nd for Australia / August 23rd in Europe).
Sony have just released a teaser trailer for the PlayStation 4‘s full reveal at their E3 Press Conference at 6:00PM PDT, on June 10th. The video can be viewed embedded at the bottom of this article.
The near 40 second long clip showcases split-second, extreme close-ups of what appears to be the physical console. Move over DualShock 4 controller, we’ve seen enough of you! Each shot is of a different part of the console, and it looks like the body will have more angular, sharp lines. There even seem to be multiple finishes used in its construction/aesthetic with matte portions being visible. See for yourself to get a better idea, of course.
I guess with the Next Generation Xbox event scheduled in less than 24 hours from now, Sony would like to remind us that there’s more to see here.
The newest game coming from popular pinball developer Zen Studios isn’t a pinball game at all, but CastleStorm. While last we heard were a bit more details on the games multiplayer, now it seems players looking to have at it between their castles have a date to look forward to, with May 29th being the day.
Anyone who can remember building up castles and towers just to bring them crashing down, or even those that liked stomping on everyone else’s creations should get a kick out of CastleStorm as it’s the exact same principle in game form. With knights and vikings facing off to bring their opponents’ castle crashing down around them, players will have 12 single player campaign levels and endless multiplayer as the game includes a castle editor to make their own creations.
Players wanting to get in on the knight vs vikings action can purchase CastleStorm for 800 MS Points ($10 USA) when it releases May 29th to the XBLA. Those wanting a little more can check out the release date announcement trailer embedded below to see a tiny bit of the knight and viking action.
Is this the poster for the E3 2013 reveal of Resident Evil 7? That what a user on Resident Evil News is suggesting with this images and a few others, along with a message that would appear to be between the creator of the image and some named Henry. The original post is titled “CONFIRMED“, but we are far less convinced as the facts seem a little hard to swallow.
First off is the posts user claiming to be Adam Wilde by name, along with the images being placed on photobucket under the user adamwilde_fireme. While this would certainly be a bold move, the idea of someone in the industry blatantly asking to be fired by releasing information that is meant to be under wraps until E3 seems too unlikely. Not to mention that this was posted a few weeks back on May 8th.
While this could turn around to be true, the fact that the news hasn’t exploded all over the internet nor been attempted to be removed by Capcom seems to point to this artwork just being another fan looking to show off their skills. It would be interesting to see Resident Evil make an appearance at E3 this year, but we’ll probably just be waiting until then. Those that want to dream about what could be though can certainly check out the other images attributed to this adamwilde_fireme by viewing the screenshots in the gallery below or leave your own thought in the comments below.
The Arkham franchise set a new standard for video game adaptations. Christopher Nolan struggled to explore Batman’s relationships with other people with as much clarity as the previous two games did. Even the voice actor who plays Batman has a following. Today Warner Bros Interactive and DC have given us another reason to get excited about this universe again.
The trailer shows us a new villain in Deathstroke. He’s got a similar physicality to Bruce in this clip and some crazy skull mask dudes backing him up, so he’s definitely brutal. If you pre-order the game you’ll even be able to play as him in the challenge modes before any one else can. Isn’t that neat?
They’ve also posted more pictures from the game online which we’ve put below for your viewing pleasure. You can also watch the new trailer marginally lower.
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.
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