If you are already thinking about Christmas 2012 (people do), then I have the prefect gift for you. A report on Bloomberg Japan notes that we will see Nintendo’s next console during the 2012 holiday season. In which regions, though? All of them. That means that Japan, North America, Europe and Australia will be receiving it in the same time period. This came out of Iwata’s mouth.
In addition to the Wii U news, Iwata remains supportive of the portable arena in the form of the 3DS, citing that there will be major titles heading to the portable. This is good news on the back of some bad news, as shipments of the 3DS have been lowered on the back of a slash in forecast profits for the fiscal year, which ends on March 31, 2012. Back in October 2011, Nintendo forecast net sales of 790,000 million yen. Now, Nintendo forecasts net sales of 660,000 million yen. A huge loss, but not fatal, considering the treasure trove that the Wii brought in.
Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings Season One Studio: Production I.G. Publisher: FUNimation Format: Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Release Date: February 7, 2012 Price: $49.98 – Available Here
Overview:
Now while most western movies that are created by using a video game as a source they usually end up turning out very bad and fans will tear the movie apart to anyone that they see. However there is an entirely different story to be told when it comes to anime created from video games. There have been various adaptations released in the past and now FUNimation has brought us one from a Capcom series.
Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings Season One may have already been released in North America but now FUNimation is releasing the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack of season one just in time for the second season to be released to anime fans everywhere. However before one can jump to a second season, one must first know where the story begins. Does this action packed series take samurai fighting to the next level?
Story:
Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings Season One takes place during the Sengoku Era of Japanese history which is also known as the Warring States period where various generals and lords battle for power and control over the land around them in an effort to control as much land as possible and defeat anyone who stands in their way.
Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings Season One drops us right in the middle of the Sengoku Era where the battles between generals rage constantly and some of the strongest fighters in the land look to take each other’s heads as a testament to their might and honor. At the start of the series we see our two main protagonists of the series, Date Masamune also known as the One Eyed Dragon and Sanada Yukimura who is unmatchable in his loyalty to Shingen Takada.
What starts out as a battle between these two men with Masamune looking to rule the land himself and Yukimura wishing to claim land for Takada we see a new force arise that threatens not only these two men and their forces but every single general in Japan. His name is Oda Nobunaga, the Devil King… a man who will stop at nothing to destroy everything around him and set the world aflame even if it means sacrificing his own generals and alliances just to see the world burn.
Once the threat of Nobunaga is realized, alliances quickly begin to form amongst the once warring generals and lords as they choose the best way to defeat such a devastating foe. However with weapons from the West at his disposal, various Lords who have sworn to obey Nobunaga without question and Nobunaga himself, whose heart is as black and empty as a black hole, can the these Samurai Kings stand up to such a horrific opponent?
For those who have never played the game before or have studied about the Sengoku Era a number of facts and characters will simply go over your heads, though in the end this isn’t too much of an issue as this is far from a historical documentary and various warriors will deal out devastating blows and wield superhuman-like abilities countless times in the same fight.
One issue that does arise however is that there are a lot of characters to follow once the story picks up and introduces everyone. The viewer will need to focus on keeping track of various characters and also understanding their various situations as the battles begin to heat up and alliances are formed and torn apart within the same episode. There are multiple plot-twists that are thrown the viewer’s way as well, some of which even require a minor explanation from a narrator to clear up any confusion.
Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings Season One offers plenty of story for those interested but also offers so much action that there will be multiple fights between multiple characters nearly every single episode. These fights are barely ever realistic by any means, in fact at times it seems like the action is a combination between Dragon Ball Z and Samurai Champloo as various warriors fight each other with either exaggerated weapons, such as Masamune wielding six swords at once, or normal weapons able to perform amazing abilities. As it stands however most battles are one on one affairs or at most three opponents battling at once and most action amongst normal soldiers involving them being blown away by special attacks, much like they would be in the video game.
The thirteen episode package of Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings Season One contains non-stop action as well as plenty of drama as betrayals and death are commonplace on any battlefield and will be seen much throughout this series. It is worth taking note however that the final episode, Episode 13 is a side-story OVA that actually takes place between Episode 11 and 12 meaning that the show itself is best seen as finished by episode 12. With a truly evil and manipulative villain and main characters providing an impressive show there is an impressive action anime here with a decent enough storyline to keep viewers interested between all the fighting.
Visuals:
The studio behind the production of Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings is Production I.G. and they have really outdone themselves as far as animation quality goes. There are plenty of details that are simply stunning with this show whether it is the consistency of the animation during the battles or the amazing backdrops we are treated too often whenever there is a break from the action. Not only are the backgrounds highly detailed but the main characters are as well, also there are plenty of nice little touches added into the battle scenes as well including sparks off of sword clashes and more.
The only complaint I have concerning the artistic quality of the series is that the background soldier characters suffer from repetitious designs, with multiple soldiers who look the exact same often on the screen at any given time. However this again is outweighed by the variety found in the main characters and even the little touches on them as well, such as Masamune’s forces appearing to be like a biking gang. His horse even has handlebars and what appear to be exhaust pipes…
Audio:
As far as the background music goes, the quality shifts from good to bad often. There are multiple times where the action is set to basic action music and is easily forgettable however there are a number of inserted tracks with Japanese vocals that really help accentuate the action occurring on screen at the time. The opening song for the series is “JAP” and was performed by the Abingdon Boys School and fits the theme of the show perfectly while the ending song is called “Break & Peace” by Dustz and is suitable enough.
As per usual with FUNimation, the release contains both the Japanese voice track as well as the English voice track. When it comes down to voice actor performance it is satisfactory at best and a bit disappointing at times with some of the minor characters and even a few of the main characters as well. This may be a release some viewers may prefer to listen to in Japanese and read the English subtitles, however the option is still there for those who enjoy the English dub as well.
Extras:
It is worth noting that this release takes advantage of FUNimation’s new box style which, for Blu-ray/DVD combo packs will feature a full DVD sized sleeve although the case itself will be that of a Blu-ray. The size difference between case and sleeve is adjusted by an empty inch at the bottom of the case being supported by two strips for support. This however causes the soft spot at the bottom of the case to be extremely vulnerable to bending and holding the case at the bottom is not a wise choice for those who prefer to keep their anime cases looking the best.
Now on to the actual extras on the discs, Sengoku Basara Samurai Kings: Season One contains your standard inclusion of extras including a clean opening and ending as well as trailers for past and upcoming FUNimation releases. Besides the standard inclusions are 7 special mini episodes that feature Chosokabe-kun and Mori-kun, two generals given very little screen time in the main story. The extras are not given full animation and are animated with chibi style art. They are worth a few laughs but some may simply pass on watching these. It is also worth noting that those with DVD players only will not be able to watch all seven episodes as only the first 3 episodes are available to those without a Blu-ray player.
Overall:
If you’ve ever wanted a series that takes a look back at historical Japan and set it for a spin with over the top action and plenty of strange additions such as a giant, mecha type fighter than Sengoku Basara Samurai Kings Season One is right up your ally. There are a few things holding the series back from being exceptional however, such as less than stellar English dub and a story that those who know little about the Sengoku Era or the games may confuse. Still those negatives cannot hold back the level of action found in this series.
The wait is nearly over. On February 7th, Chris and Jill will make their long awaited debut on the 3DS in Resident Evil Revelations. While we have had plenty on news on the gameplay and story thus far though, we have seen very little revealed about any form of Streetpass functionality.
Thankfully, Nintendo World Report have gotten the scoop on what this feature will offer, and it looks like Capcom are indeed wanting offer even more reasons to continue taking your 3DS everywhere with you. The first function of Streetpass will allow players to pass items to eachother, which then can be used in Campaign Mode. In the co-op mode (also known as RAID mode), new enemies and even missions will be added to the main game.
Not too shabby at all, I must say. Even with the higher price-tag, it is looking like Revelations is destined for greatness and with all of these extra goods, there should be no issues with replay value whatsoever.
It was previously announced that Heaven’s Lost Property would be getting a third season. A trailer for said third season has now decided to flap it’s wings and plant it’s feet on the virtual ground known as the internet.
The new trailer for the third season can be seen below. Heaven’s Lost Property has previously had 2 seasons and a movie. The third season follows the events of the movie and as such the trailer does contain spoilers for the movie. Keep that in mind while watching the trailer.
Be sure to let us know what you think Heaven’s Lost Property’s third season trailer? Let us know in the shoutbox and comments section.
Any fan of the Assassins Creed franchise will be pleased to know that Ubisoft have debuted a new “Mediterranean Travellers Pack” for Assassins Creed Revelations, available now through the XBox Live Marketplace and PSN, as well as Steam for all you PC users. The new pack further enhances an already majestic experience mainly through the addition of new map packs. Included are new multiplayer environments to journey through featuring Jerusalem, Constantinople and Dyers as well as iconic Renaissance environments from Brotherhood, including Florence, San Donato and Siena. Additionally there are also brand new trophies and achievments to unlock to add to your already full arsenal of Assassins Creed goodies.
Those wanting to trial the new pack before they purchase it can do so through the XBox Live Marketplace and Playstation store, with the demo being expired 3 days after first playing it. The Mediterranean Pack is available for download now for 800 Microsoft points or $11.99AUD for PS3 and PC users. Check out the trailer below and let us know what you think of the new features and maps to this already critically acclaimed addition to the franchise, and keep an eye out for more Assassins Creed information as we get it.
The English version of Shadows on the Vatican – Act 1: Greedis now available for pre-purchase for $7.49USD on Zodiac, a new digital delivery platform primarily on adventure and casual games.
The first of four acts, Act 1: Greed introduces players to the protagonist, James Murphy, an American ex-priest who goes back to Rome after his best friend Cristoforo asks for help. As James digs deeper to what at first was just a missing briefcase containing compromising documents, he gets himself into something more shady and sinister especially with the Vatican’s apparent involvement. With James’ favorite Roman barman aiding them and the sudden appearance of a beautiful but dangerous woman, what awaits James and Cristoforo in the Eternal City?
Act 1: Greed is a point and click thriller featuring well integrated puzzles and several hours of gameplay. Shadows on the Vatican – Act 1: Greed will be available for download on the 6th of February.
Closed Beta registration has now begun for Spirit Tales, an anime fantasy MMORPG developed by X-Legend, which will be available in North America and Europe.
In the light and dark realms of the earth-like fantasy setting, players will be able to choose from three tribes (The Gold Kirin Tribe, The Maned Dragon Tribe, and The Lunar Fox Tribe) and six classes (Archer, Sorcerer, Fighter, Warrior, Shaman and Assassin). Other features include an in-depth Skill Tree, Crafting and Pet-Capture systems, 5vs 5 PvP Arena Battles and the Sweetheart System which gives buffs and special abilities.
Closed Beta for Spirit Tales is anticipated to begin in the late first quarter of 2012 so register now for your chance to receive an exclusive closed beta key on the Spirit Tales Closed Beta Registration page .
Today Sega has released a new video for Binary Domain and rather than focusing on action or gameplay, we are treated to a five and a half minute cutscene pertaining to the assassination attempt on Mr. Bergen. Not only do we see how someone who believed they were completely human killed outright as soon as it was revealed he was a robot, but we also learn more about the Hollow Children.
In the video you can see below we learn that the man who tried to assassinate Mr. Bergen has been around for at least thirty years before its destruction and that Hollow Children believe that they are 100% human. Though this would be a bit odd, because metal detectors would just be going nuts anytime a Hollow Child went near them… Still, we’ll know much more next month on February 24th in Europe and February 28th in North America when the game is released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
It seems that the children’s video game market isn’t as profitable as it once was because THQ has revealed that they plan to drop all licensed kid games entirely and will instead focus their efforts on their core selection of video games such as Saints Row: The Third which has sold 3.8 million copies so far.
This news comes from an investors meeting held by THQ where CEO Brian Farrell had this to say “THQ will be a more streamlined organization focused only on our strongest franchises. The success of Saints Row: The Third is an example of what our revised strategy and focus can achieve. We have now shipped 3.8 million units globally and are currently expecting to ship between five and six million units lifetime on this title.” He also went on to say that the DLC for Saints Row is their most profitable ever.
While Activision is still keeping the exact details about their Modern Warfare 3 DLC for Elite Members on the down low, they have revealed a rough release window for what subscribers can expect to receive each month up until September. Note that this doesn’t include the two maps that were just released yesterday for Elite members.
The schedule offers only one map next month while July and April both have two maps each while all the other months include a combination of either maps, missions and modes. The exact schedule of release windows can be seen below. So do you think your Elite subscription is paying for itself yet?
