Fans of the Warriors Orochi series were happy enough to hear word that they would be seeing Warriors Orochi 3 sometime in the future but now it appears Christmas has come for fans as Warriors Orochi 3 has not only been given a confirmation for release, but it isn’t even that far off.
Tecmo Koei Europe revealed this morning that they will be giving the title a release date of March 30th on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in Europe and March 20th in North America, however there are a few issues with this fast release. While most releases from Tecmo Koei have an English voice track, this release will only have the Japanese voice track with English subtitles. Some fans actually prefer this option so this doesn’t pose too much of a problem, but it may be a deal breaker for some.
For those who don’t know, the story of Warriors Orochi 3 will take place several years after the last Orochi title and a giant eight headed serpent has arose to destroy the world. A mysterious woman appears and claims that humans do not possess the ability to defeat them on their own and grants them the ability to travel back in time and change the past, where they can rescue allies and form friendships with past enemies to take on the deadly hydra.
If you’e looking for some classic platforming action then head on over to your personal favourite of Nintendo’s digital download lands – Prince of Persia has just arrived on the Wii Virtual Console and the 3Ds Nintendo eShop.
This is the original game, dating all the way back to 1989, and is the very first time the Prince had come up against the devilishly bearded Vizier (see boxart for accompanying curly mustache). The game is often credited with defining the way we play 2D side scrolling platformers, so if you’re a fan of the genre and weren’t around at any significant age in 1989 (or for the XBLA/iOS re-releases), then this is your chance to catch up on a bit of genre history.
The title is out now, priced at $7.50 in the 3Ds eShop and 800 points from the Virtual Console.
Two more characters have been revealed for Prototype 2. This time, we are introduced to Doctor Koenig, a Gentek scientist, and Colonel Rooks, the elite Blackwatch officer in charge of the NYZ operation. Both of these characters are involved with both Alex Mercer and Sgt. James Heller’s lives.
First up, here is a bit more on Dr Koeing:
Doctor Koenig is the chief virologist at Gentek. He oversees every single major Gentek project and is privy to the darkest of secrets within all of Gentek’s operations.
Koenig is also a tottering, whiney old fool with a dose of mad scientist thrown in for good measure.
When Heller is discovered to have been infected by Mercer, Koenig’s role in the grand scheme of Heller’s epic journey begins to unfold.
Here is the bio for our second character for this week, Colonel Rooks:
Col. Rooks is the elite Blackwatch officer in charge of the NYZ operation. He is Heller’s main Blackwatch adversary, though he is not in charge of Blackwatch/Gentek.
Rooks is tough and serious, but also quick-minded and enthusiastic. He occasionally seems thrilled about the positive developments in his operations and enraged about the negative ones. This has a way of making him appear younger and more impulsive than General Randall. His “weakness” — his family — makes him seem more human and “real” than every other Blackwatch ever encountered. That said, he is still thoroughly committed to Blackwatch’s cause; in fact, his commitment to the concept of family is merely his interpretation of Blackwatch’s mission.
Like all loyal Blackwatch soldiers, Rooks believes that Blackwatch is the only line of defense against a biological attack on the United States. Because of his unwavering loyalty and commitment to Blackwatch’s mission, Rooks was assigned to protect NYZ’s three quarantine zones and to facilitate various Blackwatch and Gentek initiatives that took advantage of the quarantine. In this role, he oversaw various projects that attempted to weaponize the viral monsters known to terrorize the human populace.
Expect both Dr Koenig and Col. Rooks to be involved in the Heller and Mercer battle when Prototype 2 is released on April 24 for the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. As with these bios, check out some character shots below. You can also check out bios for Sgt. James Heller and Alex Mercer, as well as Father Guerra and Dana Mercer, allies of our main characters.
As with every portable system out there, an abundance of accessories will be available for the Playstation Vita. Over in Japan, two new accessories have been revealed, one of them makes the Vita look like one of your Dualshock controllers. Pictured above, the “Assist Grip” accessory, by Datel Japan, gives you that extra grip or if you just want your Vita to look and feel like a Dual Shock controller. The price of this accessory is ¥1,380, which is roughly US$17.91/AU$17.07.
The second accessory is somewhat more useful. Since many have complained about the low battery life, Sony is presenting the USB Portable Power Set. It’s purpose is to recharge the Vita battery if it goes dead while on the road. The output, however, is at 2,000 mAh, which is less than the 2,210 mAh of the Vita’s battery. Despite being a Sony product, it is usable with other devices, such as Nintendo’s 3DS. It will be priced at ¥2,980, which is US$38.68/AU$36.87. Sony will be releasing a Vita specific portable charger later this year. Below is what the Portable Charger looks like.
Fairy Tail: Part 3 Studios: A-1 Pictures, Satelight Publisher: FUNimation Format: Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Release Date: January 31, 2012 Price: $54.98 – Available Here
Overview:
Continuing with their current monthly run of releases for Fairy Tail, FUNimation has brought us Fairy Tail Part 3. For those unfamiliar with the series, it is originally a Japanese manga that began in 2006 and is still being published today in Weekly Shōnen Magazine. Over the past few months FUNimation has been bringing the anime adaptation to this magic filled shōnen series to North American shores with Part 1’s review here and Part 2’s here. While some people may see a shōnen series and see repetition, Fairy Tail has broken past those limitations by having a unique setting and a multitude of likable characters. Does Fairy Tail Part 3 have provide the same magical action we’ve grown to know and love?
Story:
When we last left Fairy Tail, the Fairy Tail guild was in serious trouble due to the actions of the Phantom Lord guild. Not only has their guild master Makarov been taken out of commission but now their entire guild is about to be destroyed by a giant Abyss Break spell being cast by the Phantom Lord guildhall. As the battle heats up and everyone’s lives hang in the balance Natsu, Gray, Elfman and Erza must stop the spell from finishing the only way they can, by defeating the powerful Element 4. With the enemy wizards closing in on Lucy can the Fairy Tail guild rise from the ashes to win?
Fairy Tail Part 3 picks up right in the middle of the Phantom Lord arc and continues the heavy action we were treated to during the end of Part 2. With Totomaru of the Element 4 already defeated only three are left standing and the battles rage on as Gray faces the water woman Juvia and Erza returns to battle Aria the Air element user. These battles are some of the most intense we’ve seen so far, though do tend to be a bit short as most are finished within a single episode. On the other hand, the battle between two dragon slayers brings us one of the first battles that pushes Natsu to the limit as he battles against someone possessing the same abilities as himself.
One thing viewers will notice in Part 3 is that the comedy usually present in Fairy Tail takes a back seat to the action and drama as most of the comedy only takes place during one between-arc episode, simple long running gags or sight gags. As far as the drama goes, the minor arc between the two larger Arcs in Part 3 focuses heavily on a character we’ve seen little of as of yet, Loke. Loke’s fear of Celestial Wizards is something that had only been faintly touched upon and his past was left a complete mystery which makes this mini-arc a great one for fans of the playboy wizard of Fairy Tail.
While the focus is obviously on battles, numerous characters see development in Part 3 and more information is revealed about Natsu’s quest to find more about Igneel’s disappearance. Until now Lucy has mostly been around as a comedic foil to the strange actions taken by the rest of Team Natsu but during this arc not only do we see her take a stand for herself and remove any connections she has with her past but also hints that she contains a greater, yet untapped, power within herself.
The character development even takes place for the villains of Fairy Tail as we see a running gag develop into full character redemption for an old enemy, but the highlight of development lies in what we have been left waiting for. Erza, the stoic and powerful Fairy Tail wizard’s torturous past has come back to bring her to the Tower of Heaven where her fate may already be sealed. We are treated to a number of flashbacks about Erza’s past that reveal who she is today and even why she became a wizard in the first place.
As such, to create what is likely one of the worst cliffhanger we have seen yet, Fairy Tail Part 3 ends in the middle of the Tower of Heaven arc and tantalizes fans who will be eager to pick up Part 4 so they can see the conclusion to this sinister arc. Now while Fairy Tail Part 3 may be light on the humor, it is certainly the heaviest on action thus far, meaning that those eager to see plenty of battles will find this the best part yet, however those interested in a great story will not be left wanting as the character development we are treated to in this segment will make picking your favorite characters all the more difficult.
Visuals:
While there aren’t that many new characters introduced in Part 3 we are still treated to the same diverse character designs as ever. While other shōnen shows revolve around a basic style for their characters you never know what the next new character in Fairy Tail may look like. The main cast of characters continues to look as great as ever and the amount of requip varieties Erza has are interesting to see, though she usually defaults to her standard armor. The newly introduced characters are again different from anything we’ve seen so far, even including a guy with a completely block-like body.
While the animation quality for Part 2 may have suffered due to some of the areas with heavier action, Fairy Tail Part 3 contains a large amount of one on one battles featuring very fluid and impressive artwork and quality. Only rarely does the quality drop and this is usually only during long distance shots or areas where multiple background characters are fighting one another. Everywhere else however viewers will be eagerly watching the battles as they unfold, especially the final fights with Phantom Lord’s Element 4.
The visual effects of the magic are also quite enjoyable to watch as usual; though a number of attacks are re-used from past releases so don’t expect to see the standard cast pull out too many new abilities. Also worth noting is that Fairy Tail contains some of the best backgrounds you will see in a shōnen series. While the beginning arc focuses entirely on the Phantom Lord base, all of the following arcs occur in various other areas such as a hot spring resort, a gambling town or the Tower of Heaven itself with the characters traveling to unique areas all the time.
Audio:
The English dub for Fairy Tail from FUNimation has always been seen as high quality and Part 3 is no exception to that rule. The cast of characters providing the voices for the returning characters is the exact same as before, though there does seem to be a lot more yelling this time around than in any past releases. Since only a few new characters are introduced this time around we don’t see much in the way of new voice work being done, though the enemies found in the Tower of Heaven and from Loke’s past all see quality voice acting and Chris Canson’s mafia-type dialogue for Wally is worth a few laughs as well as the voice effects used for Loke during his mini-arc deserve extra praise.
Unfortunately the same cannot be said about the background music during the action scenes. While it does help fit the bill by being set to a rock theme, it really doesn’t help add much to the mood at all and many people will be more interested in the action happening on screen than listening to the music. Now Fairy Tail Part 3’s main opening song is called “FT.” by Funkist which is very upbeat and fits the anime perfectly while the main ending song is “I’m Sorry” by Shiho Nanba which follows the same picture book type art style and is very similar to past ending songs, though more focused on Erza this time around. Also included in the last episode in Part 3 is the opening song “R.P.G. ~Rockin’ Playing Game” by SuG and ending song “Kimi Ga Iru Kara” by Mikuni Shimokawa. “R.P.G.” is set to a very action packed animation and is set to a more rock and roll beat than past songs, while “Kimi Ga Iru Kara” is similar to past ending songs but also set with various pictures from past and current episodes.
Extras:
With FUNimation’s release of Fairy Tail Part 3 come a number of extra features. This includes your standard inclusions of trailers for past and upcoming FUNimation releases as well as the clean textless opening and ending songs. Clean versions are provided for both openings and endings which is a nice inclusion considering the second songs are only used for one episode, plus each of the animations for the songs are worth a look at when there is no text blocking your view.
Besides that we also have two episode commentaries. Episode 26 is provided commentary by the ADR director Tyler Walker and Andrew Tipps, a mix engineer who has been with the company for eight years. The commentary is a little funny but also extremely technical with the two talking mostly about equipment used among other things that can get to be boring very fast.
Episode 32 is much better however, as we have Tyler Walker once again and Cherami Leigh the voice of Lucy and Eric Vale the voice of Loke providing us with commentary this time around. The commentary is a little informative but thankfully is also very funny with plenty of jokes while also focusing on the episode being shown at the time.
Also it is worth mentioning that the package does come with a picture frame styled slipcase as seen above and features a reversible cover that allows the owner to either have the box art above shown or Lucy sitting with her legs crossed and provides a nice touch for those who are fans of Lucy.
Overall:
Fairy Tail continues with its excellence in Part 3 but this time it does so by letting the humor take more of a backseat to the character developments, action and drama. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t any comedy at all, but it is more easily mixed in with everything else and less focused on outside of quick sight gags and jokes made by the characters. Fairy Tail Part 3 also ends on a brutal cliffhanger that will leave fans waiting for Part 4 and eager to see what will happen next in the Tower of Heaven arc. In the end Fairy Tail continues to breathe fresh life into a genre that has gone stale over the years.
A new trailer for the soon to be released Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning has been uploaded by EA, this time showing off the ins and out of the artistic progress that went into making the world of Amalur as awe-inspiring as it is.
You can check out the new inside look trailer below. It features various interviews with the staff working on the design of game as they detail in depth the art of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.
Watch the inside look at Reckoning’s art below and let us know what you think in the shoutbox and comments section. Reckoning is set to hit shelves across Australia on the 9th of February for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
Digital Frame Studio has released a number one Mac App Store hit, Steamscope, onto the iPad and iPhone. Steamscope is a highly addictive tunnel game, set in an awesome Steampunk world, and is designed to challenge your reaction ability and how fast you can make your way through a tunnel system while avoiding various obstacles and activating gates.
With a range of levels and different environments, Steamscope is sure to be a great tunnel game to get on your iOS device that’ll really help pass that extra time.
So if you already have the Mac app and are looking for something a little more mobile, or haven’t tried out this app yet, then make sure to grab one and have some fun making your way through some hectic tunnels!
Steamscope is available NOW for iPad, iPhone and on Mac. For the launch of the iPad and iPhone apps there are one a special launch price.
The iPhone app is $0.99 – get it HERE
The HD iPad app is $2.99 – get it HERE
The Mac app is $0.99 – get it HERE
EA Sports have released a new producer trailer which gives us some greater insights into the game, particularly in relation to Career mode and online gameplay.
Nate McDonald, one of the game’s producers, gives a brief outline of what Career mode is going to be like. It will run for ten years as you take your player through the ranks as you fight to become the world number one. EA Sports’ Game Face has also been included for GST 2, giving you the option to upload a photo of yourself to the website and create a player that will look just like you.
Online this time round will include the standard head-to-head matches as well as the all new Grand Slam Corner, where you can go compete at any of the Grand Slams for worldwide supremacy. All your wins will also count towards the Battle of the Nations leaderboards, so you’ll be playing both for yourself and for national pride.
Mamoru Hosoda’s newest creation has had its first trailer released today. ‘Ookami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki’ ( The Wolf Children Rain and Snow) is his newest project and if is anything like his previous master pieces ‘The Girl Who Leapt Through Time’/ ‘Summer Wars’, then this movie will be brilliant.
Summer Wars (2009) won several awards as well as the Japan 2010 Academy Prize for Animation of the Year. ‘The Girl Who Leapt Through Time’ (2006) won numerous awards including Japan 2007 Academy Prize for Animation of the Year. Thus I already expect at least a nomination for this movie for the Japan 2012 Academy Prize for Animation of the Year.
‘The Wolf Children Rain and Snow’s’ premiere is due at Japanese theatres on July 21, 2012, don’t miss out, or you will most likely regret it.
Puzzle fans, get excited, as Konami have graced us with some new screenshots and North American release dates for the awesome looking and exceptionally innovative “Puddle”, coming to XBox Live Arcade on 25th January and shortly after on the 31st for Playstation users. The new screenshots give a small glimpse of the enormous variance in environments as well as some of the cool looking obstacles, such as electricity and ray beams players will have to navigate the various forms of liquid through. Think Mercury but on a much grander scale with varying liquids all with different physical limiations and reactivity levels to the environment. From following a blob of radioactive fuel thorugh a rockets blueprints to teaming up with water as it makes its way through the human digestive system, theres truly something for everyone.
Puddle was originally conceived as part of a student project, winning a showcase prize at Independent gaming festival as part of the Gaming conference of 2010. The aim of Puddle is to guide a variety of different liquids through a variety of environments including the human body, gardens and many many more. Rather than just simply controlling the fluid, players must manipulate the environment, tilting it in favour of the particular liquid and its particular properties, balancing gravity, friction and of course the pesky obstacles thrown in the way. The levels are also partially hidden from players, making the task much more difficult, not knowing what is coming around each corner.
