During their panel at Anime Expo 2012, Funimation Entertainment announced the acquisition of multiple new anime licenses, both for digital and physical releases as well as some simulcasting and broadcasting licenses. The following series were announced to have been licensed by Funimation:
Blood-C – (broadcast, physical release, digital release, mobile release confirmed)
Blood-C: The Last Dark – (physical release confirmed)
Ikki Tousen: Great Guardians – (physical release confirmed)
Ikki Tousen: Xtreme Xecutor – (physical release confirmed)
Michiko and Hatchin – (physical release confirmed)
Appleseed XIII – (physical release confirmed)
Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero – (digital simulcast confirmed)
Binbogami ga! – (digital simulcast confirmed)
Aria the Scarlet Ammo – (broadcast, physical release, digital release, mobile release confirmed)
Jormungand – (broadcast, physical release, digital release, mobile release confirmed)
Eureka Seven AO – (broadcast, physical release, digital release, mobile release confirmed)
This is simply an incredible line-up of new titles acquired by Funimation Entertainment. Let us know what you think in the comments section below of Funimation new licensed titles.
With a few months until the release the highly anticipated Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Activision has announced that fan favourite Call of Duty: Black Ops map Nuketown will be returning to Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 in the form of Nuketown 2025.
Nuketown 2025 will be a ‘futurist’ remake of the extremely popular Black Ops map Nuketown which was originally set in a U.S. nuclear-testing site made to look like the average American suburb, complete with fake dummies as well.
Nuketown 2025 will only be available to players that pre-order the game, which is a pretty good pre-order incentive. However on the other hand, this pretty much sucks for anyone that’s looking to rent or buy the game second hand as they’re going be missing out on arguably one of the best Call of Duty maps ever made.
It’s July 1st as of today. This of course means we are over the half-year hump, knee deep into summer, and also that it’s time for some new Club Nintendo Rewards. This month, the pickings are a bit lighter for members when it comes to the digital rewards, but they are still quite sweet for anyone that has yet to pick up either.
Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64 was the first in the franchise, giving Waluigi life, and letting us see Peach in Tennis shorts for the first time (if you were into that, of course). You can now own this Virtual Console title for nothing if you have the points this month, as it has been delivered to Club Nintendo members that own a Wii for 100 coins.
Next up is more of an application than a game, but still interesting to say the least. Electroplankton Rec-Rec is of course from the cult favorite Electroplankton series, and lets players record sounds and add them to colorful fish. Yeah, this one will be more of a personal preference for most, but it’s nice to see some of the more offbeat DSi titles highlighted for once. At 100 coins, it’s not much of a risk, either.
Mario Tennis is the obvious choice here, and while the quantity of rewards have slipped, it’s nice to know that both platforms are still involved. Hopefully, we will be enlightened on the mysterious Platinum Reward soon, so stay tuned as that should be coming forth within the next few hours.
Thanks to Remedy Games the Death Rally series is returning to it’s PC roots when it is released in August this year. That’s right, the top-down racing classic from the mid nineties is returning to the PC platform after such a long hiatus on the platform.
On bringing the series back to the PC, Matias Myllyrinne, CEO at Remedy had this to say –
“Our PC fans have been clamoring for Death Rally and it’s time we finally bring it there. It’s been fantastic getting the game back to PC with the help of our development partners, Mountain Sheep and Cornfox & Bros.; Death Rally has come full circle now.”
The game has also appeared on mobile devices where it has reached 11million downloads and 110million game sessions. The PC version of the game will recieve a new track “Sevo” and the classic character “Shadow Man” will be returning to the race.
Death Rally will be hitting the Steam Marketplace for $9.99US on August 3rd.
The Sims 3 Lucky Palms is now available to download exclusively at The Sims 3 Store. Lucky Palms is a brand new world for your Sims to explore. Set in a desert oasis, The Sims 3 Lucky Palms introduces new Sims and storylines along with new clothing, décor items, venues, objects and furniture to fully customise player’s games.
The Sims 3 Lucky Palms also introduces the all new Wishing Well. Sims can now wish for love, wealth, power, fame and anything in between, thanks to this new item.
The Sims 3 Lucky Palms is available to download now, exclusively from The Sims 3 Store.
Golgo 13 Part 1 Studio:The Answer Studio Publisher:Siren Visual Format: DVD Release Date: May 24, 2012 Price: $49.95 – Available Here
Overview:
What is it about murderers that we find so interesting? Is it that subconscious wish-fulfilment? Do we all have a form of darkness inside of us that is attracted to murderous characters such as Duke Togo? Perhaps we do. Golgo 13 is an anime series that toys with that wish-fulfilment, placing viewers behind the scope of Duke Togo’s sniper rifle and front row and centre for his assassinations. But does it ever let us into the mind of the man known as Golgo 13?
Story: Golgo 13 followers the titular assassin Duke ‘Golgo 13’ Togo through various different assassinations. The series plays out similar to a mystery series with each a lot of standalone style episodes focusing on a ‘kill of the week’ while others lace in some of what appears to be an overarching storyline. It has all the makings of what could be a brilliant series, but it lacks one pivotal thing – humanity.
Unfortunately I found Golgo 13 to be a very difficult show to connect with and at times watching it was rather tedious. This is due mostly to the emotionless protagonist. Togo is essentially an empty shell of a man with very little qualms with his actions. He is a monstrous killer and the show doesn’t spend much time pondering the morality of this man. Instead it spends far to much time glorifying his actions with out so much as a look into the man behind the gun.
There is no real connective tissue between Golgo 13 and the audience. It keeps viewers at a distance and only allows them to observe, not to feel involved with the world of Golgo 13. This is a major misstep as there is really a noticeable disconnect between the series and the audience watching it. You can not relate to Togo because we don’t really know anything about the man, he is simply a cold killer with little to no humanity. Perhaps this was the intention with his character but it results in a great level of difficulty on the viewers part in actually caring about the goings on in this series.
This is still the first of what appears to be several parts of Golgo 13, so there is still some hope that things will change and there will be some evolution in the plot and characters (with over 50 episodes, you’d want to hope so!). Sadly though this first part of the series was utterly droll and colourless, there is nothing to connect to and the only thing remotely interesting is the manly bravado of it all. If manly bravado is the only thing a series has going for it, what more can you get from the series other than shallow fleeting gratification? The answer is, nothing.
Visuals and Audio:
The Answer Studio don’t get a lot of work and for good reason. This series is just so unappealing both visually and aurally. It repulses even when it’s not focused on violence, due largely to it’s ugly animation and character designs which are more American than Japanese in structure. The entire experience as a whole is a repellent. It is both bland and muted, with no imagery worth batting an eyelash at and music just as substandard.
There is no creativity here, with washed out visuals lacking the slightest hint of a flare and a soundtrack that is so pedestrian it would make you want to take one of Togo’s bullets to the head. The entire production is severely lacking with an apparent lack of interest from The Answer Studio. There is truly nothing worth seeing here, unless you’re into meandering in a dank swamp for fun.
Extras:
Golgo 13 Part 1 does not feature any bonus content to speak of. However in the past Siren Visual has packaged special features in the last volume of a series so that is always a possibility for Golgo 13. Unfortunately though this first part of the series really could’ve used some extras to compensate for the middling effort of the show itself.
Overall:
It’s a shame that such a well respected franchise as Golgo 13 made for such a mediocre anime series. There is very little in Golgo 13 that is redeeming and it really is a perfect example of potential gone to waste. Perhaps in the hands of another studio this could’ve turned out better, but alas that was not the case.
But it’s not all bad, this is the first of what appears to be several collections of this series, so there is still hope that things will pick up with the next few collections. Well, you know what they say, first impressions matter most. It may be too little too late if it does pick up in quality for Golgo 13 and by all rights it shouldn’t have to take so many episodes to ‘get good’ any ways.
All in all, Golgo 13 Part 1 is a disappointment. It just fails on the most basic levels and doesn’t bother to be fun or meaningful, instead resolving to simply exist as some kind of ill-conceived showcase of violence and manly bravado. It may get better with the collections to come, the keyword being ‘may’. As sad as it is to say, anime fans need to watch Golgo 13 as much as they need a bullet in the head. Golgo 13 never allows viewers into Duke Togo’s world. It only allows you to watch from afar with slack-jawed disinterest, because it doesn’t care to strive for anything more. This series treats it’s audience like Togo’s victims and that is it’s greatest mistake.
Earlier this week Capcom announced the Collector’s Edition for Resident Evil 6 for Australia and New Zealand, but never gave a price for it. Capcom has now revealed that the Collector’s Edition will cost 160.79AU. The same Collector’s Edition will also be available in Europe for €129.99 or £104.77.
Capcom has yet to say whether or not North America will be getting this Collector’s Edition or something similar. North America can however look forward to Resident Evil 5 Anthology on the PlayStation 3 and Resident Evil 6 Archives on Xbox 360 which will cost $89.99 each. Currently only GAME has the collector’s edition for pre-order, EB games Australia and JB Hi-FI should have online pre-orders available shortly. What do you think is the Resident Evil 6 Collector’s edition a good price?
Hetalia: World Series Part 2 Studio:Studio Deen Publisher:FUNimation Release Date:July 3, 2012 Price:$34.98 – Available Here
Overview: It is very rare to find an anime that has become popular all over the world. It is even rarer to find such an anime that isn’t of the shōnen genre. However there has been one series which has not only performed spectacularly well in Japan but has accrued a massive fan base in a number of other countries. This series has spawned three full anime seasons as well as a full-length movie so far, and now FUNimation has brought the fourth season to English fans.
The series I’m speaking of is Hetalia: Axis Powers, a series that puts a bit of a different twist on the entire world. Now that FUNimation has brought the fourth season of Hetalia, titled Hetalia: World Series Part 2 (the fourth overall season to Hetalia) to stores; is it just as great as the rest of the series has been so far?
Story: One of the most interesting aspects of Hetalia is the fact that rather than creating original characters out of thin air, every character that is shown on screen is the anthropomorphism of a country. Originally the series began with a heavy emphasis on the events based around World War I and World War II and involved only the countries which were involved in those conflicts, with the Axis Powers: Italy, Germany and Japan interacting with one another while the Allies: America, Britain, France, China and Russia working against them and arguing between one another.
While this setup is great in its own right, every character also sports their most prominent stereotypes and history with one another. Each of these stereotypes contributes to that character’s personality which often leads to a number of hilarious interchanges and interactions. Now after the series moved into the World Series part of the show, a large amount of new characters were introduced to viewers, such as Norway, Iceland, Finland and the Netherlands. It is unfortunate however that due to the massive overload of characters, a number of fan favorites will have fewer actual storylines, such as Chibitalia which almost has zero presence in World Series Part 2 outside of the Extras disc.
Anyone who hasn’t watched Hetalia should know that the series as a whole doesn’t have a standard storyline or any overarching plotline. Instead the series tells a number of short stories involving various countries, more often than not parodying real historic events which will be a boon for history buffs. Outside of these historic events, most of the stories follow the character’s interactions with one another, such as Germany being concerned for Japan’s health, Britain always being captured by Italy and America trying to learn more about Japan.
Now Hetalia World Series Part 2 features a number of reoccurring jokes and also introduces a new twist on the Hetalia world, Nekotalia. Nekotalia is similar to the Hetalia world, except the entire world has been turned into cats, though this is changed slightly when say, Russicat’s owner Russia appears. The combination of the standard stereotypes on the new feline countries is a sight to behold and also combines two things people love, cats and humor… especially Hetalia brand humor.
It is worth noting that there are plenty of laughs derived from a few countries’ standard stereotypes, so those who may be offended easily may not be laughing the entire time. That being said, World Series Part 2 is quite tame as far as offensive references go unless of course you happen to be French. As it stands, Hetalia may be quite vulgar at times and poke fun at plenty of different countries, but it never crosses the line into offending territory all while presenting comedic gold to the viewer.
Visuals: Now that the Hetalia series has been running for a few seasons, the visuals of the show have improved. As with past seasons, World Series Part 2 features a very soft color palette and often morphs the cast into chibi-like forms in an effort to either show that they are talking about the past or for comedic effect during hectic scenes. These shortcuts in animation aren’t used as often during this season however, though seeing nearly all the nations as cats is something that just has to be seen.
The characters themselves are well varied, though with the abundance of characters which are shown in World Series it is easy to get a little bit lost on who is who thanks to a few characters sharing relatively similar appearances. On the other hand, country stereotypes transfer well to the each characters’ visual style, with their faces and hairstyles usually matching each country well enough.
Audio: As one would probably expect for a series such as this, FUNimation has retained all of the same voice actors to continue on with their roles in World Series Part 2. This is positively wonderful thanks to the fact that a large part of what makes Hetalia so enjoyable and comical is the way that the characters are voiced. Now while some may choose to listen to the Japanese voice track which is included in the release, the English dub far surpasses that version thanks to the accents that the American cast is able to pull off.
As far as background music goes, the soundtrack for Hetalia: World Series Part 2 is quite simplistic and not very noticeable, though it would probably detract from the scenes if it was. Now it is unfortunate but unlike past releases, World Series Part 2 features only two different ending songs, which is the basic ending song for most episodes sung by the Japanese voice actor for Italy and the ending every half hour featuring the English voice actor for Italy singing about being in Germany.
Extras: The release of Hetalia: World Series Part 2 comes with a number of bonus features, as the second disc is made up entirely of extra features. Now the first disc features audio commentaries for episodes 26, 32, 36, 41 and 45 from the English cast at FUNimation. These commentaries are very light hearted and enjoyable to listen to with various members of the cast chiming in per episode.
As for the second disc, there are a plethora of extras including the Hidden History of Hetalia which will go over various historical events which are parodied during the episodes as well as six minutes worth of outtakes which are amusing. Rounding out the English bonus features we have an interview with four of the English voice actors as well as two segments from past seasons, the Chibitalia segment has been included in its entirety as an extra as well as America’s storage cleaning.
Besides these English bonus features there are also a number of Japanese bonus features which only offer a Japanese voice track with subtitles. These are only slightly worth viewing, though perhaps die-hard Hetalia fans would get the biggest kick out of seeing the original cast and the creator of the show as they are interviewed and perform stage events.
Overall: Hetalia: World Series Part 2 continues to impress with consistently entertaining jokes and a presentation that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else. Though things do tend to get a bit bogged down with the large amount of characters now running around and interacting with one another, it helps keep things from becoming stale as viewers will never know what event or country is going to be parodied next.
While it is disappointing that this may be the last Hetalia release for quite some time, as no other animation has been revealed for Japan at the moment, it is worth noting that the original creator is still working on original source material which may eventually be adapted. Until then however, fans will not be disappointed in what Hetalia: World Series Part 2 has to offer.
Desura and Indie Royale is celebrating the start of summer the only way they know how! Creating a massive bundle containing 9 different games and a chiptune album. Indie Royale has a moving minimum price that rises and falls based on the amount people pay for the bundle. The Summer Bundle features RTS/Tower Defence game Harvest: Massive Encounter co created by Minecraft Lead Coder Jens Bergensten, point and click adventure game The Journey Down: Chapter One, twitch FPS Serious Sam II, Japanese shoot’em’ups Gundemonium Recollection, GundeadliGne, and Hitogata Happa, arena shoot’em’up Acceleration of Suguri-X Edition, indie classic Dino Run SE, and a beta key for F2P action-FTS AirMech with a bonus Fleur de Lis pet for your AirMech. Those who pay more than $8.00 also receive the chiptune album Pixeljams Volume 1.
Katy Perry Part Of Me Studio: Imagine Entertainment/ Perry/ DMG Publisher:Paramount / Insurge Pictures Format: Cinema Release Date: July 2nd, 2012
Overview
Have you got what it takes to aim for the top and to reach your dreams? What are the obstacles that lay before you? Are you willing to put everything on the line to make it to the top and to reach the heights in which your dream lay?
If you answered yes to absolutely all of those questions, then you may very well be Katy Perry, one of the worlds largest and most influential pop idols. Not only is she an amazing singer and an amazing performer, she is also an inspiration to all. How do we know this? Katy’s documentary, Katy Perry Part Of Me, proves this to us by showcasing her triumph from a girl with high ambitions, to a girl achieving those ambitions whilst not sacrificing that which got her there – her friends and fans.
Be sure to read on for our review of what is, I believe, one of the most inspiring and influential films of our generation.
Story
Katy Perry Part Of Me is a documentary that focuses on the life of Katy Perry before and during her tenure as a popular idol. The movie is centered around her world tour which was held in 2011 and highlights the many highs and lows of her tour, love life and career during that period. How well the movie does this is something that I hope to have discussed within this section.
So this movie is, ultimately, a message from Katy to her fans to show them her appreciation for helping her achieve her great success at reaching her dream of performing ‘…in a sparkly dress…’ up on stage in front of the world. What I really thought emphasised this was how much of the films footage was dedicated to fan reactions, Katy’s treatment of her fanbase and more. The fact that so many portions of the film was fan-related was amazing and it really helped to build the connection between herself and those that enjoy her music.
From a story-telling perspective I really enjoyed how the film would showcase a particular live show based around a particular part of the documentary. One scene that really stands out on this is where Katy and Russel Brands separation is emphasised in the film and one of Katy’s slower and more emotive tracks comes into play. It really emphasises what’s happening to her, it’s as though she’s singing to herself about her own problems and it gives the audience a much more raw and emotion-filled experience that really enhances the entire film.
What I absolutely loved about the film though, was that it portrayed the more human side of Katy. I mean, as someone observing her life from the outside, one can easily make large and incorrect assumptions about someone who’s famous. You know things like they’ve lost touch with reality, they’re above everyone else, lost their humanity, etc, etc. However, this film really shows how greatful Katy really is to have finally achieved her dream and how she absolutely loves sharing that dream with all of her friends, family and fans. I think that this is an important aspect to stardom that people don’t really appreciate, the celebrities are still people and they still have these human emotions.
Katy Perry Part Of Me is a tale of conquest over adversity, a tale of love and a story of giving back to those that helped you achieve your dreams. I sincerely hope that people come out of this film feeling inspired to do great things and then go out and do them. If we are to learn anything from this story, it is that you can make it on your own, but it is a lot easier if you make it with friends and you absolutely do not give up on your dreams. Because baby you’re a firework/ c’mon show ’em what you’re worth/ make ’em all go, oh, oh, oh/ as you shoot across the sky.
Visuals
A lot of 3D movies have this tacked on 3D that really feels out of place with the film. Now Katy Perry Part Of Me is not one of those films. To be honest, I really liked the way the 3D in this film was utilised. For instance, the 3D was mostly used in scenes showcasing either an effect of some kind, or when a stage-show was being shown.
I mean with the on stage stuff, it’s quite amazing having, not only the perspective similar to that of somebody actually there, but also having various lasers and lights seemingly being pointed right at you as though you were actually in the audience. I feel that these kinds of effects are a brilliant use of 3D and in this particular movie, it really enhanced the entire experience.
One of the best things about this film visually is the colours utilised throughout it. Katy Perry Part Of Me is one of the most colourful films I’ve seen in a while. This is also really strange considering it is a documentary type of film, rather than a blockbuster film. Regardless, watching this film was a treat visually and I don’t think anyone will suggest that it could do all that much better.
As an aside, I just want to say that seeing Katy as an eighteen year old was something quite strange. Her features weren’t vastly different, but she somehow seems a lot different now to how she did back then. But then again, don’t we all?
Audio
There is a reason that Katy Perry is one of my most favourite artists of this generation and that is because she consistently puts out catchy and fun tunes that can be played again and again and still remain fun. Fortunately for all of us fans, Katy Perry Part Of Me consists mostly of Katy Perry’s own tunes, with the exception of the few that were showcased for the purpose of exposition.
As I stated in my story section, the film uses the musical performances to emphasise a particular point of the film. As you would have gathered after reading the above section, I felt that this worked incredibly well because it was a much more personal affair that was not just Katy telling us how she felt, it was like she was showing and telling us what was happening. Singing is what she does, and by singing the scene to us, it is as though she is including us in that scene.
The Audio is easily one of best parts of this film. Any fan of Katy Perry’s will absolutely love how the audio was utilised throughout.
Overall
I have to admit that going into the movie; I didn’t know all that much about Katy Perry’s career other than she made a few songs that I liked and that she was a sexy woman. However, after walking out of the film, I was filled with a much deeper understanding and respect for Katy as a person. She had a dream, a dream that some people might deem a little ego-centric or selfish, and not only did she achieve it with her own merits, she also achieved it and achieved it for other people.
I think this is what I absolutely loved about Katy’s experience, although it was her dream, she was sharing that dream and experience with the world which changed that preconceived selfishness to one of selflessness. Katy is a great woman and this film exemplifies that fact. Now I am not only a fan, but I feel connected to the woman through her connection to herself and her fandom. Katy Perry is an inspiration to me and after seeing this film, you will see why she has become an inspiration to you as well.
