If you happened to be a fan of Biscotti, Galette or Pastillage or any of the various characters in these nations then you will be happy to hear that Dog Days is returning for a third season. The illustrator for the Dog Days manga, Fujima Takuya tweeted during the FlonyaFestival 2012 Dog Days event in Tokyo that this cheerful anime will be getting a third season.
スーパーサプライズ！ DOG DAYS第3期 制作決定です☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆ またみんなに会える！ #dogdays
Currently no extra information has been released about the third season so it is currently unknown when the series will be airing nor how long the season will last. However it is worth noting that Dog Days’ first two seasons aired during the Summer so it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to assume that Dog Days 3 may air in Summer 2013.
Do you live in Sydney? Do enjoy Laser Skirmish battles? Well with the upcoming release of Ubisoft’s Far Cry 3 on PC, PS3 and XBOX 360, Ubisoft will be hosting free day of Laser Skirmish on Wednesday Nov 28.
Is anyone invited? YES! Everyone is invited to join in the fun at the M9 Laser Skirmish in Darling Harbour. Located on Level 3, Harbourside Shopping Centre. I’ve personally been there and it’s the the perfect environment to hone those shooting skills in preparation for Far Cry 3.
Entry is completely free for anyone who turns up on the day and the M9 Laser Skirmish will be open from 10.30am – 10.30pm.
*NOTE* There is a limit to how many people can take part in each game so turning up early is recommended.
Prizes will be on offer for the most skilled players and there will also be the opportunity to play Far Cry 3 before release.
Far Cry 3 is released this Thursday, Nov 29, and drops you onto a lawless island ruled by violence. Struggling to survive, your only hope of escape is through the muzzle of a gun. Discover the island’s dark secrets and take the fight to the enemy; improvise and use your environment to your advantage; and outwit its cast of ruthless, deranged inhabitants. Beware the beauty and mystery of this island of insanity… You’ll need more than luck to escape alive.
For more information on Far Cry 3, please visit the official web site at www.farcry3.com
Hanabee are releasing the cool looking Arakawa Under The Bridge this year on the 5th of December. There will be a second season to follow later on in early 2013.
This release will see only a subtitled release with Japanese Audio. However, the series looks insanely fun so it should be something you’ll pick up. Here’s a quote from the Press Release –
Just how far will you go to pay off a debt?
For one, Ko Ichinomiya, born and raised to never be in debt to anyone, upholds this idea very seriously. So when a girl named Nino inexplicably rescues him, a self pro-claimed ‘Venusian’, he is left with the greatest debt of all.
From the looks of things, this will be a DVD only release. Be sure to keep an eye out for it come December 5.
The awesome people at Hanabee have forwarded us a Press Release for their upcoming series: Ef ~A tale of Memories and Ef ~A tale of Melodies, which details some awesome things about the series’. The release also gives us some important details, such as release dates and release formats.
Ef is based on a series of popular visual novels and features similar stories from them. To quote the Release on the story:
On the night of Christmas Eve, Hiro Hirono meets Miyako Miyamura as she chases her purse-snatcher. From there blossoms an unlikely friendship between the two as circumstances bring them closer together. However it gets a little more complex when Hiro’s childhood friend, Kei Shindou, decides to make her feelings known.
Ef ~ A tale of Memories will be releasing on both DvD and Blu-Ray Disc in January 2013.
Once Upon a Time Season 1 Studio: ABC Studios, Kitsis/Horowitz Publisher: Disney Format: DVD Release Date: October 17, 2012 Price: $66.99 – Available Here
Overview
There are plenty of books, movies and TV shows out there that are about reinventing the fairy tales that we all know as children. However, not all of them have landed that well. In fact, a lot of them haven’t done so well and have come across either forced, or silly, or just not interesting beyond the fact that they’re reimagined fairy tales. Still, Once Upon a Time takes it to a level that it has never been taken to before. Not only are they reimagining one fairy tale, but countless.
The series is like a trip down memory lane, to simpler times of Disney movies and fairy tale books. So, how does it measure up, does it take on these bevy of fairy tales well? Or does it struggle to juggle them all?
Story
The story revolves around Emma Swan, a cynical, strong woman who has been brought to Storybrooke by the son she gave up for adoption. Her son, Henry, insists that all the members of Storybrooke are fairy tale characters trapped in the real world, which she doubts very much. The first season is spent with Henry trying to convince her of this, her doubting him, and the audience being introduced to the various Storybrooke members and their fairytales.
Quite a few different fairy tales get explored in the first season, with the main story being that of Snow White and Prince Charming. Instead of having their story being quite two-dimensional and easy, with their love happening instantly and over nothing, there is actually a whole lot of story and character development and by the time they actually make it to each other it feels like you’ve completed a marathon.
The parallel of the Fairy Tale Land and Storybrooke works brilliantly, with both sides of the characters being handled with great skill by the actors and writers. They are completely different from each other, in terms of most of the characters who have adopted a new persona in Storybrooke.
Even Regina the ‘Evil Queen’ has more dimensions to her than you’d expect from a standard fairy tale character. It brings a whole new degree of interest and intrigue into the show, and leaves you desperate for more at the end of each episode.
Each episode is themed with a different character or story, and while at first these are pretty singular, it becomes more of an arc over time. To be honest, the singular episodes weren’t something that I minded as a start off point, because it let us be introduced to more characters and gave us more of a feel for Fairy Tale Land. Of course, giving one episode to a character isn’t going to allow for much depth, but as the show gained more of an arc that was provided.
It was always interesting to see where the show would go with the reimagining of the characters, because quite a few of the stories were reinvented and moulded to suit the environment of the TV show. Even in the singular episodes there would be something tying together the stories in Fairy Tale Land in some way.
The characters are dynamic and wonderful, even though sometimes you want to cuss them out for something they’ve done. Once Upon a Time is a truly addictive show, one that you will fly through because after each episode you’re left desperate to discover more about the characters and what’s going to happen next.
In terms of Fairy Tale Land a lot of it is based around Snow White and Prince Charming, while Storybrooke is more Emma, Henry and Regina. This balance works fairly well, even though Snow White and Prince Charming’s alter egos in Storybrooke might cause a lot of grief and wringing of the hands. But again, that’s a sign of a truly addictive show.
Overall, it’s all brilliantly woven together and certainly takes on the challenge of reimagining fairytales and succeeds in its endeavour.
Visual
The sets of Once Upon a Time are well designed, with a real rich visual feel. Instead of focusing on a few different sets, Storybrooke is explored and you get a real feel for the town and its layout. It really embodies the middle-of-nowhere small town with a small city centre. It is entirely self sufficient and large, but with a claustrophobic feel at the same time (since the members of Storybrooke cannot leave).
In contrast, Fairy Tale Land is huge. There is no skimping on the sense of grandeur and the vastness that adds to the whole fairy tale wonder aspect of it. The difference between the two worlds is palpable, but the link between them is also there. The show can do both small, ordinary sets and huge fantasy ones at the drop of a hat.
Audio
The soundtrack of Once Upon a Time does sound like a fairy tale and make you feel like you’re in one. In particular, Snow White and Prince Charming’s theme, which gets played in the more emotionally wrought scenes that will make your heartstrings get pulled every time it starts to play in the background. Like the look of Fairy Tale Land, the sound track sends you back to those times when you’d watch Disney movies for hours on end.
Plus, the fact that Disney published Once Upon a time means that you will actually get a few Disney tunes here and there without the show worrying about exorbitant fees. It’s a nice throwback, and a reminder of childhood and the tales that the characters originate from.
Extra Features
The Once Upon a Time Season 1 DVD contains a few different special features to enjoy. There are some behind the scenes featurettes that go into the characters, bringing fairy tales into the modern world, and the story which are interesting to watch and give more of an insight into the show. Plus, the always entertaining bloopers, deleted scenes, and commentary.
Overall
Once Upon a Time could have been a flop quite easily, fairy tale remakes often fail or don’t find that right groove. They get support because everyone loves to revisit their childhood, but the result often doesn’t carry that love through. Thankfully, Once Upon a Time dodges this bullet and delivers an interesting, complex, and fascinating story and characters.
The cynical Emma Swan introduces us to the story line with the similar doubt that a lot of people would have, allowing watchers to relate to her as they do come around to the idea of Storybrooke. It was a smart decision, and one that is continued with the way that the story and characters are approached.
Definitely worth a watch, particularly if you love your fairy tale characters, and like seeing them being a bit more badass than usual.
Epic Mickey 2: The Power Of Two Developers: Blitz Games Studios (Mac, PC, PS3, Xbox 360), Junction Point Studios (Wii), Heavy Iron Studios (Wii U) Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC, Mac, WiiU Release Dates: 18/11/2012 (NA, All Platforms), 23/11/2012 (EU, All Platforms except WiiU), 30/11/2012 (EU, WiiU) Price: USD$58.10 (Available Here)
Overview
Mickey Mouse and Oswald The Lucky Rabbit return to the video game scene with Epic Mickey 2, the sequel of 2010’s Epic Mickey. Instead of being a Wii exclusive, Mickey and Oswald make an appearance on all major consoles. Wasteland is once again in strife and it is up to the team of Mickey Mouse and Oswald The Lucky Rabbit to stop the disturbance. Despite the great story, visuals and sound design, there are more than a few gameplay flaws that makes Epic Mickey 2 look like a silly symphony of poor game design.
Story
The story of Epic Mickey 2 immediately follows the events of Epic Mickey. In Epic Mickey 2, a character known as the Mad Doctor returns to Wasteland. After singing that he is a changed man and will be a good guy from now on, he warns of a new threat, one that is causing earthquakes throughout Wasteland. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, also from Epic Mickey, helps the Mad Doctor despite being his foe at one stage. Gus, Oswald’s friend, and Ortensia, Oswald’s love interest, do not trust the Mad Doctor, so they call upon Mickey’s help. Mickey returns to Wasteland and teams up with Oswald to fight a new evil that plagues Wasteland. The story is quite good. They play with the themes of trust through Mickey and Oswald’s partnership as well as with the Mad Doctor in his quest to turn over a new leaf. It is told with colourful and spectacular visuals and some catchy musical numbers.
Gameplay
In any platforming game, it is imperative that the elements are executed with perfection or, at least, close to perfection. Sadly, Epic Mickey 2 can not be put in either category. The most important element, jumping, is quite a clumsy mess. Unfortunately, this comes down to a few elements. At times, the player would not know what surfaces are safe to jump on or what ones will slide you down. Take one of the earlier sections involving rubble. Looking at said rubble, it does look climbable. Believing that the rubble to be used, I decide to actually climb it, only to find out it is unclimbable. There is no distinction for the player to see what is climbable and what is not. The camera is also a big issue, but that will be discussed later.
Throughout the game, players will need to complete objectives and solve puzzles using Mickey’s paintbrush and Oswald’s remote control. Unfortunately, the creative team behind the design seemed to have run out of ideas on what challenges the player must go through as the game will get very tedious and very repetitive. The same type of challenges will continuously pop up; bringing more frustration on top of the game’s other issues. Compiling to the problem are the objectives themselves. At times, they are not quite clear. Puzzles can also be confusing for the player as well and these problems pop up right from the start. There is a somewhat redeeming factor and that is some decisions will affect the game down the track. It is not as deep as other games with decision making as part of their game design but it also means that no two playthroughs are the same, if one does play through this game a second time.
Combat is also an issue. Using the magic paintbrush, Mickey can either thin out his enemies or paint them so that they join Team Mickey while Oswald uses a remote control. This is a good idea to allow the choice for the player to choose how they will deal their enemy, but the execution of it is quite bad. Collusion detection is the main problem. The hit detection area given to enemies is quite small compared to the greatly bigger hit detection area for Mickey. For the enemies, they are forgiven for missing an attack. The player could avoid it only to be hit afterwards. On the other side of the spectrum, it is all about perfection for the player. They would have to be spot on with their attacks, whether it is from a paintbrush or a spin attack. This is an unforgiving challenge upon the player.
Speaking of Oswald, he is now Mickey’s partner in crime. With that said, he is far from a lucky rabbit. If the player is someone who prefers a single player experience, prepare to be disappointed with Oswald’s AI. While he will follow Mickey around, at times, Oswald would just do his own thing. Players use the O button (PS3 version) to call him in order to progress through a level. There will be times where Oswald would just disobey the player or do something completely different. Combat is no exception to bad AI as he will get in the way of Mickey’s attack. A fix to this would be to allow the player to take control of Oswald when required, like the LEGO video games. Yet, such an option is not present, leaving single players fuming with frustration. This would be a good time to grab a friend and play through the game with them. They can not be more incompetent than the AI.
From the commentary concerning the first Epic Mickey, the camera was an issue which plagued the platforming elements. While I can not compare the camera in Epic Mickey 2 from its predecessor as I have not played the first game, I will still say that the camera is bad for a platforming game. This affects the jumping mechanic immensely. Gaps can be distorted to give off the illusion that the gap is shorter than it really is, often resulting in an unnecessary death. The default position is too low, even if the player manipulates the camera’s position. This is where the Playstation Move is handy, even recommended. The Move controls the camera as well as aiming with the paintbrush, knocking two birds with one stone. It is quite a blast with the Playstation Move.
Visuals & Audio
While the gameplay mechanics is not exactly great, the visuals are at the opposite spectrum. The cartoon world is colourful and full of life. The cutscenes, both the cartoon and game engine cutscenes, are stunning and add to the story. Environments give the game the charm that a Disney cartoon gives to its audience. More often than not, I would paint the world so that I could reveal the beautiful cartoonish world that the art designers created. I would suggest to the player to do the same thing.
The audio is also done right. In fact, music happens to be one of the core mechanics of Epic Mickey. Throughout the story, there will be the odd musical number, with the first one appearing at the beginning of the game. Disney only brings high quality musical scores to the table and Epic Mickey 2 does not disappoint. They are fun and catchy with some good lyrics. The orchestrated score is excellent. It will change with every decision made in the course of the game, which is an interesting idea executed right. Voice acting is present for most characters and it is enjoyable.
Overall
Epic Mickey 2 had the potential to be an excellent game. It has a great story, interesting characters, colourful visuals and a score that is heavenly upon one’s ears. Sadly, it receives the score it does because it fails on the gameplay front. Camera issues, jumping issues, a shoddy AI partner, repetitive objectives and confusing level design and puzzles add to the growing frustrations that the player develops as they play this game. Mickey Mouse does deserve better than this.
Hi Everyone! Benjamin “LinkageAX” here and welcome to our new and improved gaming podcast! You’ll notice that we’ve shaken the core concept up a bit and that we’ve shaven a few minutes off the total running time. This means that you get a more streamlined podcast based around things that are relevant and current.
Please enjoy our first show of this format.
Cast: Luke Halliday, Travis Bruno and Dustin Spencer; hosted by: Benjamin Webb.
Music for this podcast is from: Metroid Prime
Thanks for listening and let us know what you think!
Thanks for listening. Copyright Capsule Computers Pty Ltd – All Rights Reserved. All Other Samples Are Copyright And Property Of Their Official Copyright Holders.
Anuman Interactive has just announced its latest title in “Game Connection Europe” week, with the reveal of a supernatural based game, Dracula: The Shadow of the Dragon. Not much is currently known about the title other than the player will venture to the four corners of the globe and back in a “totally original storyline”.
Anuman Interactive’s General Manager Stéphane Longeard explains:
“We’re very pleased that ‘Dracula: the Shadow of the Dragon’ is to take its place in the Microïds catalogue and we have every confidence in the talent and ability of the Koalabs teams to complete the project.”
Anuman seeks to become a real force to be reckoned with in adventure game titles, starting with the release of Dracula: The Shadow of the Dragon. With Stéphane Marty, who co-founded Koalabs, adding:
“We’re convinced that working with Anuman Interactive will be good not just for Koalabs but for all adventure game enthusiasts, too.”
Dracula: The Shadow of the Dragon is set for release in the second quarter of 2013.
The Kirishima Thing Studio:Showgate Publisher: Japan Foundation Format: Cinema (Japanese Film Festival) Release Date: Sydney – November 23, 2012, Melbourne – December 1, 2012 Price:$17 – (Buy Here)
Overview: I seen many films of the 16th annual Japanese Film Festival this year, but none quite like The Kirishima Thing, a wildly inventive and thought-provoking film brimming with purpose.
It’s a film about unraveling the structure of the layered ecosystem that we call society and how the very nature of human existence necessitates such a hierarchy, one that ultimately wrings the life out of us all. Bleak? Perhaps. Honest? Absolutely.
The Kirishima Thing may not be the best film on the card for the 16th Japanese Film Festival, but it is undoubtedly the most interesting.
Story:
Based upon Ryo Asai’s novel ‘Kirishima, Quit the Club’ and directed by Daichahi Yoshida, The Kirishima Thing follows a few days in the life of a group of high-school students after the sudden disappearance of the popular guy Kirishima. Throughout the film we begin to see the structure that Kirishima sat atop of slowly unravel and ultimately crumble and in the end become born anew.
Interestingly enough the eponymous Kirishima never appears in the film, instead we follow a multitude of characters from all walks of life and witness how the disappearance of Kirishima effects them in a variety of different ways and throws the entire school’s ecosystem out of whack. All of this plays out through non-linear story-telling with the story jumping back to show things from another character’s perspective.
With Kirishima gone there is an undoubted void left in his wake, his disappearance unexplained, he will not return anyone’s calls, not even from his own girlfriend. He leaves his position on the volleyball team completely empty after he quits, leaving a usually benched player to try fill his boots. His best friend Hiroki suddenly rises in popularity throughout the school. All the while inner conflict breaks out throughout the schools social groups. All of these people relied on Kirishima in some way, whether it be directly or indirectly. When he up and leaves without any explanation things are thrown into disarray. What do they do now that they don’t have Kirishima to depend upon?
We see the way things change throughout the film and the way these characters connect with one another. But perhaps the two most interesting characters are Hiroki and Maeda, both at the opposite end of the social spectrum. Hiroki struggles to deal with the growing expectations placed upon him by the rest of the school, with it all mounting upon him until it all comes out in the films final and best moments. Maeda on the other hand struggles to find freedom of expression in a society that damns him for it. He spends the entire film trying to make a zombie movie for the school film club despite his teacher telling him that he needs to make something more relatable to students such as himself. It’s ironic that in the end Maeda’s existence and school life in general much like a zombie flick is dictated by a survival of the fittest mentality. At the end of the day, they’re all just eating each other alive – That is society.
Everything culminates in glorious fashion on the school’s rooftop where all sides of the school societal structure are brought together. Here we see the boiling point of the simmering pot the movie had been up until the point, all the emotions begin to overflow and release. After all is said and done, everyone moves on. Kirishima is a thing of the past, life goes on and the cycle repeats. Decidedly the hierarchy is needed because without it, all that exists is chaos. But what real difference does it make if you control the chaos? It’s still chaos no matter how you paint it.
In the film’s final moments we get the most poignant scene of The Kirishima Thing. Hiroki, now the new Kirishima of the school’s social structure asks Maeda whom is still in his place at the bottom about his camera and his dreams. “Are you gonna be a famous director? Marry a pretty actress? Become rich?” He asks. Maeda simply and with maturity far beyond his years responds, “No.”
Of all the people in the school, Maeda understands the way of the world best and he isn’t deluded enough to think that the boy running around with an old 8mm film camera has much chance of doing those things. He is smart enough to know that however grand the moments that fill his school life may be, it will one day be over and unlike his favourite horror films, there will be no sequel. But that doesn’t mean he won’t live life his own way. He rejects society just as much as it rejects him, he won’t make it to the big time, but he will continue his passions on his own terms. After seeing Maeda’s freedom from the system, Hiroki realises just how trapped he is by it and almost in denial he desperately tries to call Kirishima one last time, but there is no answer all that remains is the sound of silence.
The film concludes quietly, as if nothing had ever changed. The titular thing with Kirishima soon to be forgotten and in it’s place the next big thing. This endless miserable cycle starts anew. It’s a harsh reality, but that’s the world at it’s most sincere – harsh.
Visuals and Audio:
The Kirishima Thing is not only a complex and deeply thoughtful film but it’s also a very beautiful one aesthetically. There are a lot of great set-pieces used in the film, the best of which is undoubtedly the rooftop, which by the end of the film has almost taken on a life of it’s own. Most high-school dramas portray the school akin to a prison or in a way that makes it feel as though the students are trapped there. The Kirishima Thing on the other hand uses the school in a number of different ways, when things are going well for the students or things are at the very least calm, the school appears cozy and inviting. Conversely when things are spiraling downwards there is a cold and chilling look to the school and when things finally reach boiling point the heat feels heavily apparent. The school itself is a representation of their society and as it changes so does how the school is presented. Yoshida definitely has a keen eye for angles, utilizing many creative and interesting shots to capture both the cast and the school in which they are inhabiting. All in all it makes for a splendid visual experience along-side an inventive story-telling experience.
In terms of audio, the film’s soundtrack is phenomenal. Each track is precisely timed and never obtrudes into scenes instead only adding to them. I must commend Yu Takahashi for his theme song “The Sun Also Rises” which he contributed to the film, it’s a haunting tune that carries the weight of emotion exhibited within the film with ease.
Overall:
For all it’s brilliance, The Kirishima Thing is still a difficult film to recommend. It is not at all a film you can just switch your mind off for 2 hours and enjoy, instead it’s a film that demands your attention and pokes around in your mind long after you have finished watching it. It will make you think and it may even confuse you due to it’s non-linear story-telling. If that’s not up your alley then this probably isn’t the film for you, but if you enjoy something meaningful and at times even profound then by all means go see The Kirishima Thing.
It is a quite simply a masterpiece social commentary that will enter through your mind and tinker with your soul. It’s like smooth jazz on a winter’s night, The Kirishima Thing is humanity in its most rawest form and is essential viewing for all those who love film at its most thoughtful.
If you are one of the 1 million+ players, who have been tapping away at the Curiosity cube, then you would have been surprised with a Kickstarter campaign reveal on a recent layer for a project called Godus.
Godus is a God-Sim that the Peter Molyneux headed 22Cans hope will be their first true game since forming their new studio…however, they’re going to need £450,000 to make it. Peter Molyneux is known as the God of God games (I was going to say King, but…), inventing the genre with the 1989 hit Populous. He revisited his niche with the Black & White franchise, and now he hopes to tackle the genre once again, putting together all the nuggets of knowledge he has acquired over the years to create the perfect God game.
22Cans offer a great summation of what they are aiming for with Godus on the Kickstarter page, saying, “Populous was created over 22 years ago, and we believe that to date, nothing has come close to emulating its powerfully godlike experience. It’s this experience we aim to reimagine. GODUS blends the power, growth and scope of Populous with the detailed construction and multiplayer excitement of Dungeon Keeper and the intuitive interface and technical innovation of Black & White.”
With 27 days to go until the December 21st funding cut off, and almost 4 days in, Project Godus has accumulated over a quarter of their requested funds with £125,666. Although signs are good, it will be interesting to see if 22Cans can keep the momentum rolling and reach their funding goal. You can help make Godus a reality by visiting the Project Godus Kickstarter Page. Any contribution is welcome, although there are some cool rewards at multiple tiers of pledges.
