Humble Indie Bundle 7 added three new games to the bundle. These games are available to all those who have already beaten the average price and all future buyers who also beat the average. The three games are flash game bundle collection The Basement Collection, classic side scroller Cave Story +, and action puzzle platformer Offspring Fling. All three games also include their respective soundtracks in MP3 and FLAC format.
Humble Indie Bundle 7 is in support of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non profit group that supports digital rights, and Child’s Play Charity, a charity organization that outfits play rooms in children’s hospitals around the world to improve the quality of life for sick children. Get the Humble Indie Bundle 7 here.
Today it was revealed that Retro City Rampage would finally be making its way to the Xbox 360. Originally released on October 9th for the PlayStation 3 and PC, the game will be available for download on the Xbox 360 starting on January 2nd, though currently no price has been revealed for this version of the title.
Brian Provinciano, the creator of the title, has mentioned that the extra month of development and polish has made the XBLA version of the game the exact same as the patched PC and PS3 versions so anyone who picks up the 360 version will immediately have the latest version of the game.
According to the Japanese website, Famitsu, the PlayStation 2 has stopped shipping in Japan today. The most successful game console so far has finally laid down to rest, let us all take our hats off to it and run to the store to buy a backup for spare repair parts.
The PlayStation 2 has the largest game library of any other console with over 10,000 games, and has sold 150 million console units world wide. Originally released in 2000 as the second console of the 6th generation of game platforms. It was the first game console to be able to play DVDs ,which gave it a step up from the only other 6th generation console out at the time the Sega DreamCast. By the time the other two consoles had come to the market, GameCube and Xbox, the Dreamcast was already dying and the PlayStation 2 was dominating sales.
The Ragnarok Online 2 open beta for English users was meant to launch yesterday on December 27th however it seems that Asiasoft Online didn’t quite anticipate the amount of people who were anxious to try out the title. Thanks to overwhelming player response the servers suffered “severe congestion” and this caused many players to not even be able to log-in while those who were able to suffered from a number of issues.
Because of this, Asiasoft has announced on their Facebook that the Ragnarok Online 2 open beta would be delayed until January 3rd and any characters already created would be wiped before January 3rd’s open beta begins again.
Sherman Tan, Chariman of Asiasoft Online also left a message for fans stating the following:
“We know that this decision will anger and upset many of our treasured players, and while we earnestly wish to cater to every single player’s wants and needs, our top priority remains in stabilising the game servers so that all Asgardians can enjoy it, and being as fair as possible to the majority of our players who were not at all able to access Open Beta on 27th December 2012. We seek your rational understanding of our very difficult decision and hope that you will accept our gravest apologies.”
The game’s official website can be viewed hereand players can still pre-download the game and register their account early.
Today the founder of Ouya, Julie Uhrman, revealed that around 1,200 Ouya developer consoles have been shipped out to those who purchased them. The whole package contains the Ouya itself, which is transparent, a welcome letter, transparent controllers, batteries, HDMI cable, micro-USB cable and a power adapter which are all contained inside of a black box that says “Thanks for Believing.”
To go along with this announcement, Uhrman released an unboxing video which can be seen below. As for the console itself, Uhrman urges that the system is still a “work in progress” and that the “d-pad and triggers on the controller still need work.” Apparently the dev consoles also show an “early early early” version of the final user interface which the image above “may” portray. That is a whole lot of ifs, but we’ll see when this thing launches in March.
Yesterday it was rumoredthat Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider would feature multiplayer in some way. Well today it has been officially confirmed thanks to the Official Xbox Magazine. The #145 issue of OXM which is set to be released tomorrow to subscribers has all of the information about Tomb Raider’s multiplayer, but for now we have learned that the multiplayer is being handled by Eidos Montreal, not Crystal Dynamics.
Crystal Dynamics stated on the game’s official blog that they were “Inspired by the overwhelmingly positive response to co-op play in Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, we’ll have many more details about Tomb Raider’s multiplayer offering come CES in early January.” Little is known about what Tomb Raider’s multiplayer will entail, but we will learn more tomorrow.
If you haven’t picked up Telltale’s The Walking Dead yet, but own an Xbox 360 you practically have no excuse not to now. Thanks to Xbox Live’s Countdown to 2013 string of deals, Episodes 2 through 5 of The Walking Dead have been discounted to only 200MSP each, meaning they are simply $2.50 a piece. As for the first episode? They are currently giving that away free of charge.
Meaning that gamer’s can now experience the most emotional and well-written journey of 2012 for only 800 MSP ($10). While this is a great deal for gamers, this discount is rather surprising considering the fact that Telltale released a physical version of the game only a few weeks ago for $30.
After releasing a teaser trailer back in October and plenty of screenshots since then, Nippon Ichi has finally decided to release the debut trailer for Disgaea D2 (Disgaea Dimension 2). In case you didn’t know, Disgaea D2 is a direct sequel to the first Disgaea title and will follow the story of Laharl, Etna and Flonne as they encounter a young girl named Sicily who claims to be Laharl’s sister.
In this debut trailer we see various character introductions for the three main characters and Sicily herself, however this is the first time that we have see the two characters shown after Sicily. The two are apparently named Barbara and Xenoris but what it is currently unknown what role they will play in Disgaea D2’s story. Currently Disgaea D2 will be released in Japan on March 20th exclusively for the PlayStation 3.
Level E Studio: Studio Pierrot Publisher: FUNimation Release Date: December 11th, 2012 Price: $64.98 – Available Here
Overview:
With all the emphasis on dark and supernatural it’s nice to see any change of pace sometimes and going in the complete opposite direction would be Level E. Based off of the manga of the same name, Level E can be described in two words with aliens and absurdist, which is about as opposite as can get from that. To make the show even more fun, the main character is voiced by Vic Mignogna and given clearly a lot of free reign on how to play the part. It comes down to though whether or not all this can match up well enough to provide a quality experience for the viewer.
Story: Level E as a whole has no central story, instead it has themes which resonant throughout the different arcs across the 13 episode run of the series. Themes of the show range from having to hide the aliens that come and go from planet Earth, the differences and intergalactic politics that the different species carry with them, and the cruel sadistic nature of Prince Baka as he makes everyone run around as sheep. Prince Baka being of course the long, blonde haired male voiced by Vic Mignogna, who while being the pseudo-star of the show ranges from hero, anti-hero, and villain throughout the arcs.
Speaking of the Prince, now is probably the best time to explore him as a character, as being the biggest unifying tie between arcs he pretty much makes the series. Prince Baka, despite a name meaning stupid, is a brilliant, but bored individual who satisfies both his desire for knowledge and boredom by torturing those around him, though a majority of this is targeted at his head of security Craft. His personality then will leave some on either side of the fence about him, though hopefully however anyone feels about him, they should be able to enjoy just how ridiculous he is, especially over how much fun Vic seemed to have playing him.
The cast of characters alongside Prince Baka is variable from arc to arc, while all existing at the same time some never interact directly, instead only happening to be connected through the Prince and his three “crew”. One side cast includes a promising baseball star and female classmate, both of whom are okay likable characters with what seem to be interesting aspects to explore that unfortunately don’t. The other side cast being the Primary Color Warriors/Color Rangers, who, well I think we can all see where they were going with that. In truth, the Color Rangers are some of the more fun episodes, not simply because they are a straight up parody, but because they are also the easiest characters to relate to.
The story arcs themselves range from 1 to 3 episodes, with variable involvement from Prince Baka. On some occasions he is the lead with everything revolving around him, on other occasions he is simply a plot device to further the story, and still others he only having a brief cameo or being completely absent. While the quality of the stories are consistently high the series suffers from the fact that the arcs are almost completely unrelated, but the way the minor characters cross paths with the different side characters leads to some hope that the end may have some unifying adventure. This is however in vain as it maintains the same minor cameos instead of something bigger. What the show does offer however is a variety of short stories that should be enjoyed by fans of absurd humor, though with the drastic change in style and main characters between arcs chances are everyone will have one personal favorite.
Visuals:
While the series as a whole features some great animation, there are a tiny few aspects of it that look and feel out of place in the world they live in, such as the Prince’s hand puppets that only appear once in the series. This wouldn’t be too big of a problem except that these things show up very early and somewhat subtract from the otherwise beautiful aesthetics of the show. Besides these small issues the animation and design is phenomenal, even having a drastically different style from human and alien elements, so that they appear strikingly different and truly alien to each other.
From 8-bit to standard animation, how the show looks varies a lot, though not nearly as much as Prince Baka’s personality. With such a wealth of styles it is great to see just how well they all fit together, as well as the situations they are used in. Additionally, the show also makes sure to visually separate flashbacks and memories in a unique way not only from the standard white-out edges, but depending on what species of alien is having them. Giving the show a look that any other show would be hard tasked at trying to match.
Audio:
As astute readers may have noticed by his constant mention, Vic Mignogna’s performance as the Prince plays a pretty big role in the series itself, which actually makes the English the preferred language to watch it in. Though understandably some might worry about losing a bit of the narrative due to dubbing, but there isn’t any reason to in the case of this show. With the weird humor there isn’t much to lose, in fact Vic is able to better bring in more Western space and pop reference into the show, such as mimicking Captain James T. Kirk amongst others, that is absent from the Japanese.
In terms of music, the show again runs a vast gamete as it changes throughout the arcs, so really all that can be said is how well it does all seem to fit each respective situation, from the classic mysterious UFO music, to the theme for the Color Rangers. The Color Rangers Theme itself is a funny song and different between the English and Japanese, as Vic apparently got to write the English version himself making it of course more over the top. The opening theme, “Cold Finger Girl” by Chiaki Kuriyama fits well with its rock style, but also with its somewhat all over the place lyrics. The ending theme, “Yume – Mugen no Kanata” by ViViD however only really fits to the shows theme of outer space.
Extras:
With the series as absurd and weird as it is, it is a little bit of a let down to see the selection of extras to mainly include only one unique video along with the usual commentaries, textless opening and closing songs, and trailers. The commentaries themselves for the 7th and 13th episodes are somewhat interesting as the 7th features all the voice actors for the Color Rangers, 4 female and 1 male, as they talk about auditioning and working together, while the 13th features the voice actors for the Prince and the human baseball player as they talk about how Vic approached the Prince’s voice and a little about getting into voice acting.
While there isn’t too much to be said about the textless songs and trailers, the one unique video does have some good moments as Vic Mignogna plays both himself and the interviewer and does an interesting take on what would be seen as a terrible interview, especially the “who would win in a fight” and the interviewer not caring about the show at all, instead only wanting to talk to/about Vic. It’s a little hard to tell what the video is pointing at, as it could be taken two ways. Either as a self parody of how the entire show makes a big deal about Prince Baka, and subsequently Vic who plays him, while the other characters are in fact more likable and more interesting; or just being a funny video and missing the irony, which viewers can take it however they want.
Overall: Level E isn’t a show that is going to be loved by everyone, though at the very least anyone should find something that they really enjoy across the 13 episodes and different story arcs. While the Prince is fun and interesting as a character, the inconsistency of his presence subtracts from how much viewers can appreciate his humor, leaving other characters to be more enjoyable in the long run. With great quality in design and sound, the show is a good one to watch, though it feels like it is better after watching it a few times to understand just how the structure of the very different arcs works together, as the first time through it easy to be distracted by wanting to see more of the previous arc’s characters.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Shakugan no Shana: Season 2 Part 2 Studio: J.C. Staff Publisher:FUNimation Format:Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Release Date:December 18, 2012 Price: $64.98 – Available Here
Overview: Every good story deserves some sort of build up as thrusting a plot at viewers with little reason to care about the characters involved in the story. However when that build-up is poorly paced it can do the exact opposite as viewers grow tired of the same humdrum events with plot points only dangled in-front of their eyes before being taken away for more of the same.
Such was the case with Shakugan no Shana Season 2’s Part 1 release, the review of which can be found here. With fans desperate for actual story development, does Shakugan no Shana Season 2’s second half deliver on the poorly paced build-up of the first half?
Story: Shakugan no Shana Season 2 Part 2, as one may expect, picks up immediately where the last episode of Part 1 ended. During the slice-of-life/love triangle focus of the first half of the series we learned a a surprising truth about the Midnight Lost Child that manages to keep Yuji alive every day and this truth not only forces him to train hard to understand his new powers, but also to face off against new and old enemies which seek to retrieve the treasure kept within him.
As such, Part 2 kicks things off with the reveal of the first longer-running villain hinted at over the first half of the season as Pheles appears as one of the biggest threats to Yuji and the group. Pheles will stop at nothing to try and recover her beloved which has been trapped within the Midnight Lost Child, even if it means ending Yuji’s life to bring him back. However when her appearance simply triggers a very obvious plot twist, Yuji finds old enemies rearing their ugly heads as they seek not only the Midnight Lost Child, but the new found Silver flame that he possesses. Can Shana and Yuji manage to overcome these old foes once more and save not only their own lives, but the lives of everyone else they hold dear?
In a rather clear-contrast from the first half of the series which focused almost entirely on love-triangle development and tsundere situations with Shana with only a bit of plot development and backstory expanding here and there, the second half of the series sees a number of clear cut revelations about Yuji and a number of new enemies and fights for the group to work through. In fact, it almost seems like the writer initially forgot about the fact that the story needed to actually follow a standard plot and had to cram everything together in the last twelve episodes.
That writing mistake is the viewer’s gain however as Part 2 of Shakugan no Shana’s second season not only sees some of the most intense battles the series has ever had, many side-characters actually receive quite a bit of development in this second half. Not only does Wilhelmina face off against her old friend, but also one of her worst enemies as she confronts parts of her past while still trying to protect Shana and those around her.
Along those same lines, Margery Daw’s character is expanded further outside of the flashback she was given during part one as we learn more about the woman who seemed like nothing more than a powerful drunkard who cared little for those around her. But when her actions and thirst for vengeance hurt one of the few people who care about her, we see Margery grow a bit as a character as she risks her life for Yuji and Shana.
That being said, Shana’s tsundere personality and affections for Yuji and Yuji’s own growing sense of responsibility and power still take the center stage for the second half of season two, but thanks to the fact that this is written alongside powerful enemies and heartfelt drama, it doesn’t carry the same heavy-handed feeling of the first half of the series.
In fact, while it may partially be thanks to the way everything was so drawn out in Part 1 to create character depth, Part 2 actually manages to capitalize on the emotions viewers may be carrying over from all of those slice-of-life moments. With the story finally kicking into high gear, true enemies revealed and Yuji and Shana’s relationship finally starting to open up, fans are left waiting for the third and final season to see what could possibly happen next.
Visuals: As with the first half of the series, viewers should roughly know what they are getting into with Shakugan no Shana Season 2 Part 2 thanks to the fact that the show was originally animated five years ago in 2007. Because of this the Blu-ray improvement to the series is minimal at best, though thankfully the focus on more impressive action sequences has seen JC Staff up their game as far as overall animation quality is concerned.
Throughout Part 2 a few new characters and enemies are introduced and their character designs match well with the rest of the cast and the theme of the show, but where the animation really shines is whenever the cast enters battle and in Part 2 of this season, that is very often. JC Staff has devoted a lot of effort into making sure their battle sequences and even their backgrounds during normal slice of life events are well-detailed and they avoid the many drops in quality found in Part 1 of this season.
Audio: As one would expect, the voice actors for the second half of Shakugan no Shana Season 2 are the same as the first half and the release does contain the original Japanese dub as well as the newly recorded English voice track. Now if you’ve read my review of the first half of the season, you’ll see how all of the voice actors and actresses in Shakugan no Shana have been changed for FUNimation’s release. Thankfully, perhaps due to the extended viewing time of a second half, many of the new voice actors/actresses manage to slip into their roles during Part 2 of Shakugan no Shana Season 2.
Cherami Leigh continues to impress throughout by matching the pace of Kugimiya Rie and the personality of Shana and even the new voice of Alastor manages to sound adequate at times. Unfortunately Josh Grelle’s voice work for Yuji does not improve throughout the second season and continues to feel out of place for the character despite twenty-four episodes to fit into the role As for the newly introduced characters in this second half, their voice work is performed well enough though special mention should go out to Monica Rial’s portrayal of Pheles as her work with the character is rather impressive.
The background music for Shakugan no Shana Part 2 is rather impressive and fits the series perfectly now that the series focuses heavily on the action side of things with suitable amount of drama and a nice dash of relationship building along the way. As far as opening songs go, viewers will find “Joint” by Kawada used for part of this second half before the theme shifts to “Blaze” by Kotoko. There are also three different ending songs performed throughout Part 2 in the form of the continuing “triangle” by Kawada, “Sociometry” by Kotoko and finally “sense” by Kawada once again. Each of these songs are rather suitable for the animation they are paired up with and actually mange to fit the series well.
Extras: Bonus features for the second half of Shakugan no Shana Season 2 follow the likes of what was offered in Part 1 and are actually quite abundant. There are of course trailers for other FUNimation shows, but alongside these there is one episode commentary, textless opening songs for both “Joint” and “Blaze” as well as textless versions of the three closing songs, “triangle”, “Sociometry” and “sense”.
There are also a number of Japanese dubbed extras in the form of four Naze Nani Shani II segments which describe some of the aspects or people in the show which may have been confusing to viewers as well as a final Shana-tan segment with Shakugan no Shana-tan Revenge. This segment continues to be pretty funny as the mini-chibi version of Shana is put in a number of hilarious situations and there are event crossovers from other works featuring Rie Kugimiya such as Hayate the Combat Butler’s Nagi, the Toradora tiger and even an Index crossover from A Certain Magical Index although this one is not played by Rie.
As for the episode commentary, episode 21 sees Christopher Bevins, the ADR Director, Justin Cook who voices the book Marchosias and Kent Williams who is the voice of Alastor. This commentary is unfortunately not as enjoyable as most of the commentaries recorded by FUNimation though there are still some interesting segments throughout, viewers will not be missing out on much if they choose to pass over this commentary track.
Overall: Despite enjoying the first season of Shakugan no Shana, Shakugan no Shana Season 2 Part 1 made so many missteps with pacing and story development it seemed the series would remain stuck in a rut forever. However with the completion of Part 2 of this season, it is easy to say that my faith with the series has been restored as not only has all that poorly paced character development and love-triangle drama managed to pay off, but it has done so in spades.
Sure, while Yuji’s new voice actor never manages to click, the continued excellence of Cherami’s Shana has managed to counter-balance the new cast as far as quality is concerned and while the series may still show it’s age, it still feature some top notch animation which is exemplified in the second half of the series with plenty of action sequences and well-placed drama. Ultimately Shakugan no Shana Season 2 Part 2 salvages what could have been a poor second season to an impressive show and manages to keep fans eager to follow Yuji and the lovable tsundere Shana on the next step in their journey.
