A live-action adaptation of the original 1985 novel series, Kiki’s Delivery Service, by Eiko Kadono has been confirmed to be green-lit. Scheduled for Spring 2014 in Japan and directed by Takashi Shimizu (Ju-on), the film will begin shooting on an island of the Seto Inland Sea late next month.
The star of the movie is to be 16-year old Fuka Koshiba who is playing the 13-year old protagonist, Kiki. The auditions included 500 applicants of which Fuka was chosen for her debut as an actress.
The novel series was adapted into an animated children’s film by Studio Ghibli in 1989. The story follows Kiki, a young witch who has to use her magic to earn a living in a town by herself.
The latest issue of Kodansha’s Monthly Dessert Magazine has revealed that Rubico’s My Little Monster manga series will be concluding in its August 2013 issue set for release on July 24th.
This means that there is only two chapters left until My Little Monter reaches its conclusion. The 12th and final volume of My Little Monster will be shipping this Summer along with a special OVA anime episode.
The series which is also known as Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun began serialization in 2008 which brings the series to a total of 5 years having been serialized in Dessert Magazine. The manga was previously adapted into an anime series last year which was simulcast on Crunchyroll.
CandyMeleon is a casual based skill game featuring bright kid-friendly graphics. Players take control of our reptilian hero as he attempts to eat as many candies as possible.
Story
CandyMeleon has no story. There are no explanations on why a creature that normally feasts on insects has suddenly grown a taste for sugary treats or why coins are falling out of him. You will have to fill in the blanks yourself.
Gameplay
The game uses either the accelerometer or the touch screen controls to move our candy addicted chameleon back and forth to catch candies being fired in an arc from the left side of the screen. Players can either catch candies as they fall or fire out their tongue to snag the candy in mid-air. The snap decision on how to catch the candy becomes an important mechanic in handling the obstacles thrown at the player during game play.
The early levels start with simple obstacles like piranhas that will injure the player and progressively more challenging like spiders that will capture the chameleon’s tongue and any nearby by candies, leaving the player vulnerable to damage. Players can withstand three hits before the game is over. Every single candy dropped onto the ground will penalize the player two points from their final score. On the other hand, there are an assortment of special candies and outfits for the hero to help rack up high scores. Variety is the spice of life they say and it is exactly what makes CandyMeleon so interesting.
CandyMeleon is a dead simple game that nails the perfect balance on many levels. The game is simple to pick up but gets progressively more challenging. It also does an excellent job balancing the free to play aspects with encouraging purchases in a positive manner. The player can play five attempts, with attempts being refilled every eight minutes or five more attempts purchased for five diamonds. Diamonds can be earned for free in multiple ways. They are awarded on levelling up, provided after a certain period of time elapses, and given in exchange for watching a short advertisement. Unlimited attempts can be purchased for $4.99 USD. Playing casually, I never needed more than the allotted hearts. However, those want to play uninterrupted can simply hand over the five dollars and be done with it. The ads are unobtrusive, the odd advertisement for other BulkyPix titles appear as a small banner on the top of the screen or as an occasional pop-up.
Visuals
CandyMeleon is very bright, leaning heavily on a vibrant palette of colours to catch the eye. The graphics are extremely kid friendly without being unappealing to more mature tastes. The game runs smoothly with no frame drops or slowdowns. The graphics on the iPad Retina display are sharp. The UI is excellent and manages to work itself into the gameplay. The only quibble I have with the UI is the fact I would have preferred the piranha warnings on the bottom of the screen to be larger and more noticeable on the iPad as the eyes tend to be directed to the top half of the scree on the larger iPads.
Audio
CandyMeleon has catch music and sound effects that are excellent to listen to for short bursts. Due to the lack of musical variety, things may get a little tiring during long marathons. This game does not rely on audio cues and can be played with or without sound.
Overall
CandyMeleon has all the right attributes for an instantly addictive game that is family friendly. Simple pick up and play mechanics will keep the little ones interested while still being complicated to addict older players. The in app purchase scheme is an excellent example of how free games should be done. The excellent audio and visual experience mixed with solid gameplay make for a fantastic game.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
We might not have much information to go on for the upcoming action-platformer, Dusty Revenge, but those wanting to assist these humble indie developers can do so by donating to fund the official art book. Each tier comes with different offers, but keep in mind that shipping is extra if you want the big yet beautiful book by itself (or with extras).
Hopefully, we will have more information on the game’s release, so stay tuned for that. You can check out this Kickstarter page here if you feel like supporting what seems to be an interesting and ambitious title, feel free to donate to the cause.
Killer is Dead is meant to be released sometime this Summer in the West according to XSEED Games, the North American publisher of the title, and Deep Silver, European publisher. However we may have a more solid release date now thanks to Famitsu magazine revealing the game’s release date in Japan.
The latest issue of Famitsu says that Killer is Dead will be released in Japan in August which would still fall in the Summer release window stated by Western publishers. Could we possibly be seeing a simultaneous release worldwide? This is currently unknown but highly likely at this point.
It has been a long time coming but fans of Black Rock Shooter finally have a chance to play the PSP game based on the franchise. Today NIS America released Black Rock Shooter: The Game onto the PlayStation Network in North America and tomorrow European gamers will have a chance to play it. It is worth noting though that due to various licensing issues, the game will not be available in Canada, Mexico and some unspecified European countries.
The title costs $19.99 and while it is a PSP game, Vita owners will find that the title is already compatible with the Vita. To go along with the game’s release NIS America also released a number of screenshots which you can check out below.
A fantastic idea has been revealed today by Global Gaming Initiative as they plan to deliver “change in your pocket”, an initiative to utilise mobile gaming to connect millions of users to current worldwide causes. CEO and Founder of Global Gaming Initiative, Elizabeth Sarquis ultimate goal is to give some kind of incentive to an entire generation who have so readily adopted the technology to give something back thus transforming the relationship that exists between social oriented technology and societal issues.
“The concept is simple. This initiative is about teaching a generation about the value of giving in a medium they understand – the smartphone game,” said Sarquis. “At our core, we are a game publisher that creates compelling, fun mobile games that better our world.” Global Gaming Initiatives first project is an innovative down hill racer called Sidekick Cycle that illustrates perfectly what they are trying to achieve as a company, with 50% of proceeds of sales and in-APP purchases going to World Bicycle Relief. The money is used by World Bicycle Relief to build sturdy high quality bikes for distribution amongst people in developing worlds with every 387 downloads of the game buying a new bike.
CGI plans to develop and extend this concept of games that bring about social change to many other charitable organisations via mobile games that are custom themed to that cause. Sidekick Cycle will be available in June for iOS and will cost £0.69. For more information about Global Gaming Initiative please visit globalgaminginitiative.com
Fans of the original Dragon’s Dogma now have a chance to enter the game once again and explore brand new areas in the newly released Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen. Dark Arisen is now available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and you can either pick up the physical version of the game or download it from the XBLM or PSN.
To commemorate the expansion’s launch, Capcom has also released a launch trailer which can be seen below. It is worth noting that anyone who has the original game will receive unlimited Ferrystones, 100,000 Rift Crystals and the Gransys Armor Pack which provides six new outfits.
EB EXPO have revealed that they have broken their first day sales records for EB EXPO 2013 when tickets went on sale yesterday. The highest ticket option, the Ultimate Gamer Pass, has sold out in its entirety within a mere 3 hours of being on sale. A number of ticket types are expected to be sold out by the end of this weekend. Express tickets sold an incredible 84% within the first day alone.
The National Brand, Events, and Engagement Manager Debra McGrath had the following to say in regards to the record-setting first day of sales, “The day one ticket sales blew away all our expectations. This is a fantastic achievement that bodes extremely well for the overall success of the event. People obviously had a great time last year and are wanting to get in early to make sure they don’t miss out on this year’s event. We strongly encourage customers that want to buy the special experience tickets such as Express passes, get in quick as these will begin to sell out very soon. With continued support from the entire Australian publisher community we believe that the EB EXPO is going to solidify its place in Australia as the biggest and best gaming event in the country.”
EB EXPO 2013 will run from October 4th to 6th at the Sydney Showground at Olympic Park. It is advised that if you plan on attending the event that you purchase your tickets as soon as possible so that you do not miss out on all the fun of EB EXPO 2013. You can find more information on tickets and the EB EXPO event on the official website here. Tickets can also be purchased at EB Games stores as well as Ticketek.
Did you know Ratchet and Clank are getting their very own cinematic adaptation? Well, your eyes are not deceiving you. Ratchet and his little robotic sidekick are getting the film treatment, and from the looks of it, Insomniac are making sure this will be one for the fans.
Insomniac are working with hands-on with the film’s production, screenplay, character development, and animation consulting. Furthermore, Ratchet & Clank writer, T.J. Fixman, who has written all of the recent Ratchet & Clank games, is also writing the script for the film.
“We’ve always thought Ratchet and Clank would be a fantastic all-ages movie and are thrilled our intergalactic heroes will finally get their chance to shine on the big screen,” said Ted Price, founder and CEO of Insomniac Games. “Insomniac is especially honoured to play a hands-on role with the film’s production, including the screenplay, consulting on character development and animation, and adding support to the film’s marketing.”
I have to say I am a bit excited, and the charming teaser released today shows one flick that will be worth the price of admission. Ratchet and Clank comes to theaters in 2015. Check out the clip down below.
The latest issue of Kodansha’s Monthly Dessert Magazine has revealed that Rubico’s My Little Monster manga series will be concluding in its August 2013 issue set for release on July 24th.
