Viz Media revealed yesterday that they would be launching a new anime streaming service called Neon Alley on a currently unannounced videogame console sometime in the future. Today the company revealed during their Anime Expo panel that one of the shows which will be debuting on the network is the English dub for Aniplex’s Blue Exorcist (Ao no Exorcist).
This is very interesting considering Aniplex of America originally just released Blue Exorcist in North America with English subtitles only. Besides Aniplex, Viz hopes to host a number of shows from multiple studios on Neon Alley in the future, though what those shows may be is currently still a mystery.
Many Halo fans will remember the various snow covered stages that they killed many other players in over the years. Well it seems that tradition isn’t going to end because Halo 4 has a snowy level of its very own, called Longbow. The map itself is located in the northern polar region of the planet Concord and it is designed to showcase one of Halo 4’s new game modes, though what that mode is hasn’t been revealed yet.
On Halo Waypoint they described the map a bit stating: “Each side is a very similar plan and path, but distinct enough to get a peripheral sense of being in a distinct ‘zone’ in the map.” Longbow will feature infantry battles but also be large enough for large vehicle battles as well.
Today Sentai Filmworks revealed that they have acquired the localization license for The Legend of Heroes: Trails in The Sky (also known as Eiyū Densetsu: Sora no Kiseki) anime. Now if The Legend of Heroes: Trails in The Sky sounds familiar, it is due to the fact that XSEED Games originally released the PSP title last year in North America.
The anime itself was well received in Japan though it has been said that knowledge about the game is almost a requirement to understand the events of the show. In a way, this is a boon for XSEED as it will perhaps raise more interest in their release.
If you happen to be a fan of Hayate the Combat Butler! (Hayate no Gotoku) then you may have heard in the past that the long running manga has received a third anime season. Since that announcement there has been no information about the show however, despite a full length movie, Hayate the Combat Butler! Heaven Is a Place on Earth being released.
Now it has been revealed on MangaNewsJapon’s twitter that the third season is set to be aired during the Fall anime season this year. Currently it is unknown in what chronological order the third season will follow, since the movie followed the most recent events of the manga while the event’s of the second season are currently a few years old.
Gamers around the world were pleasantly surprised when it was revealed that Namco Bandai would be bringing Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch to North America and Europe in January 2013 and today Namco Bandai in Europe has revealed a special collector’s edition which they are calling the “Wizard’s Edition.”
As you can see above, the Wizard’s Edition will come with the game itself, a Drippy plush doll, a Golden Drongo and Golden Mite DLC familiar voucher as well as a massive 300+ page hardcover book titled “The Wizard’s Companion.” This makes for quite an impressive offering and we have reached out to Namco Bandai in North America to see if they have a statement concerning the release of such an edition for this region as well.
Update: North America will be receiving this same package as well when the game is released on January 22nd.
During a shareholder meeting at Nintendo, company CEO Satoru Iwata was asked about how they would be handling the online pricing for the company’s upcoming Wii U. Thankfully Iwata responded by saying that charging any kind of subscription fee would be inappropriate and that while he believes online fees aren’t bad on their own, he wants fans to be able to access Miiverse for free so that it becomes popular that way.
Besides this bright piece of information a number of other questions were asked and Andriasang has collected and translated most of the pertinent questions and their answers here.
The indie developer E-One Studio announced that their first point and click adventure game, Hoodwink, has released on Origin for download. Set in on Global-01, a dystopian planet, with an emphasis on “dys” as the entire place is as dysfunctional as any planet could be. Playing as Michael Bezzle, players have to try and win the girl of Michael’s dreams, as he deals with a wide range of ridiculous situations from bureaucracy, to cyborgs, to killer plants.
Featuring a cel-shaded style over top the gritty backdrop of Global-01, the game is made from E-One Studio’s own E1 game engine. The game’s text has also been translated for worldwide release into the following languages; German, French, Simplified Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. Players check out the trailer below and can find Hoodwink available for download on Origin HERE.
Focus Home Interactive has released another slew of screenshots for Of Orcs and Men, this time focused on the title orcs taking up arms. Showing off the orcs in several different combat situations, as well as a human court probably looking to respond to the orc aggression. The screenshots continue to show off just how well the game look graphically and new locations that players will get to encounter in the game.
Of Orcs and Men is a RPG set to releases for the PC, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360 where players will actually take on the role of the leader of the orcs in the game. While releasing this year, there is still no definite release date, but with all the high level screenshots they keep releasing hopefully it’s soon. To see the rest of the screenshots released today check out the gallery below.
Voltron Force: Powers Unlocked Studio: World Events Productions Publisher: Beyond Home Entertainment Release Date:27/06/2012 Price:$19.95Available Here
Overview:
Traditional Voltron fans can complain all they want, but it looks like the new series, Voltron Force, is here to stay. A new studio, a new direction, and a new story, Voltron Force received quite the mixed reaction from fans of the iconic franchise. Regardless of how they felt (and strongly) Voltron Force ended up being quite the success this year. For the current generation, this is their Voltron, and they support it.
When I reviewed the first DVD volume of the Voltron Force series, I spent much of the review comparing it to the still excellent original anime series, which at the time was the right thing to do because obviously comparisons need to be made considering how endearing and renowned the Voltron franchise is. My experience with the first DVD release of Voltron Force, titled the New Defenders Trilogy, was far from being enjoyable. Not only did the show clearly pale in comparison to the original series in just about every single aspect, but even on its own it just wasn’t a very good. The animation quality was lazy, the new characters were unlikeable, and the storytelling was weak and generic. It wasn’t the best start to the series.
Voltron Force continued beyond that rocky start, and the second DVD volume has just been released by Beyond Home Entertainment, titled as Voltron Force: Powers Unlocked, containing 7 episodes that follow right after Voltron Force: The New Defenders Trilogy. For this review, I feel that there’s no point or need to make comparisons to the original Voltron anime, no point crying for spilled milk as the saying goes. Instead I will review it for what it is and how it holds up compared to the previous release.
You’ll be surprised and pleased to know that Voltron Force: Powers Unlocked is actually…not bad. Don’t get too excited, it’s far from being a classic or a really good show, but it is a significant improvement over the episodes featured in Voltron Force: The New Defenders Trilogy. It becomes clear that the show is actually improving.
Story:
Voltron Force: The New Defenders Trilogy set the scene for the series, what it did was introduce the new ‘cadets’, and focused on not just the revival of the original Voltron Force team, but also introduced new foes as well as familiar ones. Voltron Force: Powers Unlocked, moves it along further, and as the subtitle suggests, focuses on the three new cadets, namely Vince, Daniel, and Larima. The seven episodes focus on their development for the most part, in terms of not just their characterisation, but also their powers and abilities. In particular it focuses on Vince, both in terms of his character and his unique powers. This is good because in the previous volume, Vince took a backseat to everyone else and so it’s nice that the second volume spends substantial amount of time in developing his character.
What’s good about Voltron Force: Powers Unlocked is that the episodes in it are actually far more interesting than what we previously saw. For one thing, the subject matter delves away from the typical ‘good always overcomes evil’ scenarios. In some episodes, you see the heroes face absolute near defeat, and even witness situations where they engage in rather questionable actions. The adversaries they face are a lot more intimidating, and they really have to fight their way out of difficult situations. The characters are a lot more interesting this time around, mainly because these episodes spend time developing their relationships and this creates some interesting dynamics and situations.
The storytelling certainly has improved a lot, and is mixed well with the action. It’s surprising to see the quality improve considerably well since the first volume, and I hope the trend continues on. The characters are not as bad or unappealing as they were in the first set of episodes, and the plot is far more layered and diverse than it was initially. The Voltron Force goes up against two major adversaries in this series, and that alone adds a bit of variety to the ‘good vs. evil’ dynamic.
While the improvements are admirable, it’s still far from being a classic. The execution stills feels a bit awkward and cheesy at times, it certainly lacks emotion and richness. While the story and character development has gotten better, the delivery still lacks passion and emotion, and ultimately it just isn’t as compelling as it tries to be.
Visuals and Audio:
The visuals of Voltron Force are now better since the last time I complained about them. That said, you eventually do get used to it. The character designs and animations are nothing special, even by Western animation standards, and the set pieces are still as dull and boring. The 3D animations still feel awkward, and never meld well with the subpar 2D animation. Musically there isn’t much to say about the show.
Extras:
Apart from the episodes, there isn’t anything else on this collection. Perhaps it would be better to get all the volumes in one collection at some stage.
Overall:
For what it’s worth, Voltron Force: Powers Unlocked is a marked improvement over Voltron Force: The New Defenders Trilogy. I hope the trend continues and the show is able to shape up into something decent. That said, it still suffers from too many shortcomings in its execution, but at least the story and characters are getting more interesting.
The creators of SHADOWGUN released their latest game today. DEAD TRIGGER blasts its way onto the App Store, boasting a console quality FPS experience for the iOS. The graphics offer rag doll physics, hi-poly weapons, motion captured animation, advanced lighting, and post processing effects. DEAD TRIGGER provides plenty of options for killing zombies, whether you prefer methodical head shots with your favourite rifle or blasting the zombies into small pieces with explosives. Players will also have access to powerful gadgets such as laser amputators, baits, radars, and more. The game can be played in two modes, either Story mode or unlimited random missions.
DEAD TRIGGER is available on the app store for $0.99 here.
