Today it was revealed by Tecmo Koei that Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge would be given a demo prior to the game’s launch on April 2nd in North America and April 5th in Europe. An exact date for this demo was not revealed, but it was said that the demo will be available for both the PS3 and 360 versions for the game and will feature playable stages for both Ryu and Ayane.
Also revealed is the fact that the game will sell for only $40 on these consoles, likely due to the fact that it was previously released for the Wii U and is an upgraded version of the original Ninja Gaiden 3. To go along with these announcements the company revealed new screens and also a few images showing off the previously reported“SmartGlass” functionality the game will support.
Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk has had a rather quiet Western journey over the past few months since it was revealed the title would indeed be released in North America, Europe and other PAL regions earlier this year. However the game is now available in stores today for North American fans while European gamers need only wait until Friday to pick the title up from stores.
Until then, Tecmo Koei has chosen to release an extended trailer for the title which gives viewers a glimpse at the game’s story which involves Ayesha Altugle setting out on a journey for her missing sister Nio. It is worth noting that unlike past Atelier titles, Ayesha features only an English audio track but despite being released by Tecmo Koei, NIS America still handled the title’s localization. Anyways, check out the extended launch trailer which is a minute and a half longer than the one we mentioned earlier today.
Eden of the East Complete Collection Studio: Production I.G. Publisher: Madman Entertainment Release Date: December 5, 2012 Price:$69.95 – Available Here
Overview: ‘Who am I?’ It is isn’t such a difficult question for most of us. We have a sense of identity, a sense of what kind of person we are, a sense of who we are. But what if we didn’t? Waking up without an identity is more than a little frightening. Our identity is how we define ourselves after all. If you lost that sense of identity, would you become someone else?
These are the questions asked by Eden of the East, a compelling exploration into the nature of identity and what it means to a person. Eden of the East is a series propelled by a focused vision, layered with intrigue and utterly enthralling from start to finish.
Story: Due to the nature of this particular release, this review will cover more than just the anime series. This release by Madman Entertainment compiles essentially the entire Eden of the East franchise into one tidy package by including the entire series and the 3 Eden of the East films.
Taking cues from The Bourne Identity, Eden of the East revolves around a protagonist without an identity and his quest to discover who he really is. Eden of the East’s resident Jason Bourne is Akira Takizawa or at least that’s who he thinks he is. He wakes up stark naked outside of the White House with nothing but a gun in one hand and a phone in the other. From this moment on, Eden of the East explores the very nature of what it means to have an identity and accepting who you are.
We discover alongside Akira that he is in fact part of a survival game of sorts crafted by the enigmatic Mr. Outside with the apparent goal to save Japan. From this begins a series of events that unravel the truth of the game and who exactly Akira Takizawa was and who he is now.
Part of what makes Eden of the East so compelling is the way we see Akira grow as a person. He begins as essentially a blank slate having lost all his memories but develops into his own person. The more that is revealed the more we come to see that the Akira we come to know is not the same man he was before. He is a new man, the circumstances and people that surround him form a new sense of identity for him. We all grow to be the people we are based upon our situations and the people around us, and so Eden of the East sets out to create a microcosm of this concept through the character of Akira Takizawa, it is enthralling to say the very least.
With an atmosphere dripping with intrigue, there is many mysteries behind the world of Eden of the East and a pretty deep mythology behind it all. One could make a claim that Eden of the East has more mysteries than it has time to solve and such is the case even with 11 episodes and movie follow-ups. That is the only fallacy of Eden of the East, there is never a time when questions don’t outweigh answers. It may just be the style of Eden of the East, the idea that we can never know everything, it may just be Eden of the East’s identity – untamed mystery.
Despite its unanswered questions, it is hard not to be swept up in Eden of the East’s hook. There is a lot to like about this series, it just gets more intriguing with every passing episode and its finale is one to savor. Conveying a memorable cast of characters, a tale about identity and its importance, Eden of the East is as thrilling as it is fun.
Visuals and Audio: Production I.G. have a history for being relatively hit and miss in terms of their animation quality, thankfully for Eden of the East this is one of their hits. There is a very distinct and fluid artistic vision behind Eden of the East that holds steady and true throughout the series entire run. This is quality art and animation in its purest form.
Much like its animation and art, Eden of the East’s soundtrack is superb. Unfortunately however due to a dispute with Oasis, the original and admittedly brilliant opening theme song ‘Falling Down’ only appears on the first episode of the series. Despite this hiccup, the second opening theme is a good replacement and fits with the overall feel of the rest of the soundtrack. The voice acting on this series is also rather extraordinary, with a cast that really owns their roles. Jason Leibrecht and Leah Clark deserve all the praise they can get for their performances as Akira and Saki respectively.
Extras: If you are a fan of this series or are simply looking for an entry point, there is no release of the series better than this. Madman Entertainment have compiled the most definitive release of Eden of the East available. For a small price of $69.95 you can get the entire TV series as well as all 3 movies (Air Communication, King of Eden and Paradise Lost) as well as a plethora of other special features including TV spots, commentary tracks, interviews with creators of Eden of the East, trailers and much more. There is no doubt that this is the most complete and comprehensive release of Eden of the East on the market and it is honestly worth every cent.
Overall: Eden of the East is a series that is not without its flaws, but succeeds resoundingly so in spite of them. This is one of Production I.G’s best series to date and deserves a place in any anime fans collection. If there was any release of this series to own it is definitely Eden of the East: Complete Collection from Madman Entertainment. This is one mystery that isn’t too hard to solve, you should be watching Eden of the East.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Bundle Stars is back with their fourth bundle called Fire and Ice. They are changing things up this time with a pay what you want system. For a minimum of $1.25 USD, buyers will get Tiny Troopers and Airport Control Simulator. Pay at least $4.69 USD and buyers will also get Darkness Within, Adams Venture, Adams Venture 2, Darkness Within 2, Armada 2526, Firefighter, and two mystery games that have not been announced. Four of the titles are redeemable on Steam and the rest are all redeemed on Desura. Only Tiny Troopers is Mac compatible and Linux users are left out on the dust.
5% of the profits are donated to SpecialEffect, a British charity that helps disabled people play video games. Buy your bundle here.
Humble Bundle is out with their latest bundle today, Humble Bundle with Android 5. The bundle is not just for Android owners, its for PC gamers too, no matter what operating system you run! All buyers receive Beat Hazard Ultra, Dynamite Jack, Solar 2, and Night Sky HD. Those who pay more than the average will receive Super Hexagon and Dungeon Defenders with all of its’ multitudes of DLC. As a bonus, all buyers will receive the soundtracks in both FLAC and MP3 format for the games they purchase.
A part of the proceeds of Humble Bundle with Android 5 go to support Child’s Play Charity and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Buy your bundle here.
eFusion MMOG is celebrating the European launch of their free to play action RPG Dragon Nest. The game was previously in closed beta with over 8000 users online. All accounts participating in the closed beta have not had their accounts reset. There are currently over 800,000 players worldwide.
To celebrate the launch, eFusion MMOG is starting a contest for a MINI Cooper Roadster. To qualify, players will need to collect 50 MINI Cooper Keys in game and invite five friends to the game. The winner will be randomly selected in May. In addition to the contest, players can get a special in game pet and earn extra rewards by participating in guilds.
Firemonkey’s free to play game Real Racing 3 was awarded iTunes App Store’s Editors’ Choice award around the world this week. The game has been downloaded millions of time since its world wide release.
The game features 46 licensed vehicles, real race tracks from around the world, eight different race types, over 900 possible events, and multiplayer. The game features the time shifted multiplayer allowing people to race their friends, even while offline. Gear heads will love to know that cars are upgradable and customizable.
Real Racing 3 is available on the iTunes App Store here, Google Play here, and Amazon Appstore here. Check out our review of Real Racing 3 here.
Iron Man Armored Adventures – The Armor Wars: Termination Studio: Marvel Animation/Method Animation Publisher:Beyond Home Entertainment Format:DVD Release Date:Out Now Price:$12.98 (Available Here)
Overview
‘The Armor Wars: Termination’ is Season 2, Volume 2 of the animated series ‘Iron Man Armored Adventures’. Originally airing in the first half of 2012, Termination came to DVD boasting 7 episodes. With the litany of Iron Man-based anime’s out there, you Marvel fans may be asking yourself if Armored Adventures may be worth your time. Read on to find out.
Story
The Armor Wars: Termination covers episodes 7-13 of Iron Man Armored Adventures’ second season. Like most long-form animated series, most episodes have their own self-contained story, although certain themes and characters re-appear to thread together a main plot. The first half of Season 2 – which is concluded with this DVD – revolves around the Armor Wars whilst the last batch of 13 episodes focuses on the Stane International storyline.
The Armor Wars involve many entities who have either stolen, or are attempting to steal Stark tech for their own evil purposes/plans. Many of those plans include the destruction of Iron Man. The first episode on this DVD, “Titanium vs Iron”, has Justin Hammer – a 21 year old multi-billionaire and competitor to Tony Stark – presenting his newest creation, Titanium Man, to prospective buyers in the military field. Infiltrated by Iron Man, the presentation is a bust and the first confrontation between these men of metal ensues.
“The Might of Doom” introduces Fantastic Four super villain Dr. Doom into the mix as he makes a somewhat shaky deal with Obadiah Stane – recently appointed, acting CEO and Chairman of Stark Industries – to help his floundering project in exchange for the Iron Man suit specs. I particularly liked Doom’s treatment here as a major force in the Marvel Universe. I also appreciated how, what seemed like a flaw in continuity when Iron Man’s attack actually floored Doom, was later addressed and tied into Doom’s reasoning for wanting Stark’s tech.
“The Hawk and the Spider” sees the familiar pairing of Hawkeye and Black Widow appear on the scene. The duo steal Stark Industries’ U.I. Chip (just another job for them), but don’t keep possession of it for very long as Justin Hammer ends up getting his weasily hands on it. This is little more than a throwaway episode used just as an introduction for Black Widow. “Enter: Iron Monger”, however, is important in introducing the Iron Monger suit that Obadiah Stane is famous for using in the comics. Here, he builds it under the guise of simple construction-demolition equipment, but Iron Man knows better.
“Fugitive of S.H.I.E.L.D.” features the return of Black Widow as she plays thief, yet again, only this team S.H.I.E.L.D. is the victim. Taking a Vibranium/Adamantium mix alloy and data drive, Romanov tags Iron Man in passing, resulting in S.H.I.E.L.D. pursuing Stark for the crime. Stark discovers that S.H.I.E.L.D. has built a troop of “Mandroids” (terrible name) integrating unauthorised Stark tech. After an encounter with them, Stark sets his sights on the stolen goods, entering a four way battle with Romanov, Stane and (returning from episode 4) Ghost.
This next episode really took me off guard, as it basically turns into an absurd Saw film. Tony Stark’s classmates, twins Rhona and Andy Irwin, gas the classroom and proceed to test Stark in a series of stages where he must correctly answer a question for each of his captured friends. There was always tension between the two parties, but this episode felt like such a jarring thematic departure. And what is their motivation? Rhona is upset that Stark has taken over as the No. 1 student…is that truly reason enough to threaten his friend with a descending saw?!
Finally, we have “Heavy Mettle”. Stane has improved the Iron Monger after developing the Vibranium/Adamantium alloy and is showing it off to interested Military parties. The board at Stark Industries is poised to make Stane permanent CEO when Stark crashes the party with some incriminating footage of Stane’s dealings with Ghost. However, Stark makes the mistake of repeating a line to Stane both in and out of the suit, leading him to be discovered by him. Furious, Stane then goes on a rampage before his daughter Whitney convinces him to stop.
Soon enough though, Justin Hammer interferes, having the Iron Monger remotely controlled by an ally as he tries to make the save and put on a show for the news cameras, effectively painting Titanium Man as the hero and superior combat suit. This mega-brawl requires Tony to don the Hulkbuster suit, and things really pick up. This episode is a great bookend to this half of the season, leading into the Stane International story arc. The show really shines during the action sequences, and this episode is one of those instances.
Visuals & Audio
Iron Man Armored Adventures follows the trend of Western animation where the visual style is much more three dimensional and less hand-drawn. Characters look like 3D models in a video game, but with much less detail. I prefer the 2D, illustrated style implemented in Japanese anime as it feels more organic and artistic and not as technical. Though, when the characters are in motion, Iron Man Armored Adventures looks very good.
When things are at a stand-still is when you begin to notice how flat and non-descript the environments are especially. Unfortunately, this style also doesn’t leave a lot of room for subtlety in facial expressions either. The voice acting, thankfully, does not exaggerate too much in compensating for that fact. Overall, there are some of the usual cheesy jokes and delivery of lines, but the voice acting is more than serviceable.
The sound effects do their job and the music is your standard fare of classic action/super-hero, dramatised pieces. In terms of issues in the presentation, the video/audio transfer itself is good, except for a slightly noticeable transparent vertical line on the very edge of the right hand side of the image. Also, there are no menu options or a set-up sub-menu to speak of, so English better be your first language!
Overall
This Iron Man Armored Adventures – The Armor Wars: Termination DVD is bare bones with no special features, but with animated TV series like these, that’s not uncommon. And for the price of only $12.98, you get what you pay for. I was disappointed, however, to see a complete lack of set-up/settings; I expected, at the very least, some subtitle options.
The show itself is definitely more suited for pre-teens/teens (especially because Tony Stark et al are in their teens here themselves), but for a Marvel fan of any age, it is watchable. The visual style was a bit hit-and-miss for me, and the story is very cookie-cutter, but the action is well choreographed. If you have kids who are getting into comics, you should take a look at buying this DVD.
Chillingo and CGMatic are releasing Snoopy Coaster on iOS. The companies have been licensed by Peanuts Worldwide to create an original game for Apple Devices. The classic comic strip character will be the star of an endless runner on a roller coaster. “There’s something in Peanuts that everyone can relate to, and we are always looking for new ways to share the characters with future generations,” explains Leigh Anne Brodsky, Managing Director of Peanuts Worldwide. “… Snoopy Coaster delivers a fantastic, fun experience for players who want the thrill ride of their lives.”
Snoopy Coaster will be released some time in March. Find out more here.
We all probably appreciate how good playing iOS games are for blowing off stream after a stressful day of work. Apparently whoever is in control of the twitter account for the Brazilian Ministry of Defence does too. It must be a tough gig, being the social media nerd surrounded by guys who blow away rebels in the jungle on a daily basis. Hilarity has ensued throughout Brazil.
It is now one of the top five apps in the Brazilian App Store. FDG Entertainment, the creators of ‘Banana Kong,’ congratulated the department on getting such a good score, but did say they would give them tips to help them improve.
The game is quickly becoming a national past time, because there’s nothing better than being able to say you beat the entire Ministry of Defence at something.
eFusion MMOG is celebrating the European launch of their free to play action RPG Dragon Nest. The game was previously in closed beta with over 8000 users online. All accounts participating in the closed beta have not had their accounts reset. There are currently over 800,000 players worldwide.
