Continuing their licensing spree, Sentai Filmworks have now scooped up the licenses for UN-GO and A Channel.
UN-GO is currently being simulcast by Siren Visual and Crunchyroll, both of whom hold licenses to stream the series. Siren Visual however unlike Crunchyroll has the license to release the series on DVD and will most likely be using the dub that Sentai will produce.
As for A Channel, it previously aired earlier this year and has now had an OVA announced. Sentai is currently the only company to have acquired any license for the series.
What do you think of these acquisitions? Is there any titles you’d like Sentai Filmworks to license? Let us know in the shoutbox and comments section.
At their Supanova Brisbane panel, Siren Visual made some announements. The first of which was the long awaited confirmation of the DVD release date of the previously simulcast Usagi Drop, which is set for release in February 2012.
Not only that but Siren Visual have acquired the license for Heaven’s Memo Pad. They have confirmed the series for a release sometime in 2012 with a soundtrack included in the package.
These are some rather substantial announcements from Siren Visual. What are your thoughts? Is there any titles that you’d like Siren Visual to license in the future? If so let us know in the shoutbox and comments section.
Dennou Coil Part 1 Studio: Madhouse Publisher: Siren Visual Language: Japanese (English Subtitles) Release Date: September 23rd, 2011 Price:Â $49.95-Â Available Here
Overview:
Technology has become an ever present part of life, so much so that we have built up a reliance on it. Looking back a mere decade would show how very far we have come with technological advances. Most people thought flat-screen TV’s and touch-interfaced devices were things you’d only see in science fiction. Now they are a reality.
Dennou Coil proposes a hypothetical future, in which the internet is projected in a form of augmented reality. With so much strides being made in 3D stereoscopic technology and of course augmented reality technology, it wouldn’t be too far an assumption to say that one day perhaps what we see in Dennou Coil, could perhaps also become a reality.
The questions raised by Dennou Coil are not only profound but filled with urgency. Are we losing touch with the real world?
Story: Dennou Coil is a science fiction series that not only poses a significant message to viewers, but it also manages to convey a deep story full of intruge and mystery. There is a lot of food-for-thought to be seen in Dennou Coil, and for the sake of writing a spoiler-free review, I will mostly be diving into the themes covered and the way it tells it’s story.
If there is an undeniable trait of Dennou Coil it is its warning of the dangers of technology and the affect it can have on a person. If you engross yourself so deeply in technology could you lose yourself in it? Could you become one with it?
The line between reality and the internet is undoubtedly a blurry one, with the virtual world being projected on top of the real world, it could be easy to lose yourself in the virtual world, which seems much more extravagent and void of the hardships of real life. The internet can be seen as an escape, not only for the characters of Dennou Coil but also for all of us. Afterall who doesn’t enjoy sitting down after a long day and jumping online for a bit, only to find that you’ve been sitting online for hours? It is easy to escape into and even easier to lose yourself in.
That is what Dennou Coil is warning us from, and through this tightly paced tale we slowly piece by piece see the depths of which one can lose themselves to technology. It has a hold over the human race. We rely on it for our information, for our entertainment and other facets of our lives. Some people have withdrawals without it, they have grown to accustomed to the power of the internet, the allure of it. It has a tight grasp on us as a race and Dennou Coil warns us to not let it take control of us.
The use of glasses as a means of seeing the virtual world is an interesting choice, as glasses are normally used to help you see clearly. In Dennou Coil they instead blur the line between what is real and what is not. They convince you that you are seeing clearly but in reality you are becoming deeper and deeper absorbed into what is in the end, fiction, a facade, an escape.
It can become an escape from many things, work, troubles of daily life and ultimately an escape from people. Technology can isolate you and push you away from those you love. Living in a fantasy world may be more fun than the real world, but it can be the most lonely a person can ever be. It is tenets of the story such as that which really make Dennou Coil really drive home it’s message. Because a lot of the people who would be watching this series are most likely the people it is trying to talk to.
My only qualm I have with the story of this first part of the series is that I did not want to stop, I wanted to continue watching until it reached it’s end, but I guess that will have to wait until part 2. All in all, there is a lot of interesting social commentary here, that you can not help but be swept up in it’s message. It will certainly make you reconsider how often you utilise your internet.
Visuals and Audio:
Aesthetically, Dennou Coil looks unlike any other. I have yet to see an anime series that looks remotely like this one. With such a unique visual style you are not going to forget this one. The art style perfectly compliments the series voice and heart whilst holding onto it’s unique quality that could only truly be pulled off by Madhouse.
Madhouse just have such a strong history of providing sheer visual experiences and Dennou Coil is no exception. Not only is this an appealing series, but it also has such wonderful atmosphere surrounding it. The animation quality is top notch and features a great deal of sakuga animation, showing that Madhouse put a lot of money behind this series to make it of the upmost quality.
When it comes to the soundtrack, no expense was spared with Dennou Coil. It features a beautifully composed selection of songs, with the opening theme song “Prism” being the standout. It is an inspiring rhapsody that is rarely seen in modern anime. I personally was moved upon first hearing it, coupled with the video that accompanies it. I just knew that whatever came after that would have to be good. I was not wrong.
Extras:
For Dennou Coil Part 1, Siren Visual have used their usual slip-cover which is quite nice and glossy. Other than that there are unfortunately no notable extras. Which is a little bit of a let down but it ultimately does not take away from this series replayability.
Overall:
Conveying a strong message with an honest voice is a tough balance to achieve. Often the voice comes across to heavy and distorts the meaning, or it comes across too weak and flies completely under the radar. Dennou Coil Part 1 captures that balance with ease and provides an undeniably defiant voice, begging the question: “Is technology costing us our perception of reality?” That’s something that we must all ask ourselves.
Daytona USA Developer: Sega Publisher: Sega Platforms: XBLA (Reviewed), PSN Release Date: October 26th, 2011 Price:Â 800 pts-Â Available Here
Overview:
Gentlemen start your engines. Daytona USA is back and races onto the Xbox Live Arcade at approximately 300 kilometres per hour. You can hear the roar of engines, that unforgettable chorus of “Let’s Go Away” and even some new additions tearing up some new ground. There is enough Daytona goodness to appease even the most wayward of fans, but is there enough to warrant a purchase?
Gameplay: Daytona USA on the Xbox Live Arcade, is essentially a dolled up port of the original Daytona USA. That can be taken as a double edged sword in the case of this series. There is a definite feeling of confliction when playing Daytona USA. That confliction being that there really isn’t much different here.
Beside a few new added features such as Challenges, Karaoke Mode and Online Multiplayer, there is little else in the way of new things to do. If you have road these three tracks before, there is probably little more fun to be had then to get a good old nostalgia kick for fans of the series.
Don’t get me wrong, the game plays great. But what is the point of rereleasing a game, so many people have already played without adding any substantially new content? The game is fun enough, but if you have played any of the other Daytona titles, this is going to be nothing new to you.
The online multiplayer community is a small one at that and even then there isn’t enough variety in the gameplay to make the online play feel any different than playing against computer players. I personally couldn’t notice any significant difference between them. It is a rather trite experience that is probably only for the truly “hardcore” Daytona USA fans.
Thankfully the saving grace of the title is the challenge mode, which at least adds some strong replayability to the title. That is until you complete all 30 challenges. After that you are most likely going to try and collect all the achievements, which all but 1 are easily gained.
The biggest problem with Daytona USA is that Sega essentially did a straight up port of the original with a few things added on. Unfortunately those few things added on do not prove to be big enough additions to push the title to anything more than a nice breezy summer’s road trip down memory lane.
Visuals:
On an aesthetic level, Daytona USA does look a lot more crisper and visually appealing than it originally did. It is only a slight visual upgrade however. The title looks practically the exact same as it did back when it was originally release, only with better frame-rates and more shapely polygons. Environments are largely unchanged with like-wise only slight modifications to make it look good enough for this generation of gamers.
Graphically Daytona USA is a reflection of it’s gameplay, not much has really changed since it’s hey day in the arcades. For an Xbox Live Arcade title though, it looks good enough to get a passing grade.
Audio:
As you’d expect from Daytona USA, the soundtrack is absolutely stunning. So stunning in fact Sega saw it fit to introduce an ultimately unecessary Karaoke mode. The songs are all great but their really isn’t a great deal of lyrics to them to sing along to. “Let’s Go Away” for example, is largely the words “Daytona” and “Let’s Go Away” said repeatedly. It’s not particularly Karaoke material, but to each their own I suppose.
Each track is superb and is sure to stick with you for days after playing. Even as I am writing this right now I’m humming along the tune of “Let’s Go Away.” I do not believe anyone can really discredit Sega when it comes to music as they are 90% of the time on the money with game tunes and Daytona USA is no exception.
Overall:
In conclusion, Daytona USA, is a game that will most likely only manage to get the “hardcore” Daytona fans really hooked. There is a few hours of fun to be had here for those that aren’t part of the “hardcore” Daytona crowd, and really for a game that is a bare-essentials port, that’s all that can really be expected.
So if you are looking for a few hours of fun and perhaps the occasional pick up and play or if you are a fan of the series, Daytona USA would make a well spent 800 points, just don’t expect it to be anything more than a straight up port of the original with a few extras thrown in for good measure.
Next week there will be a playable demo of Rayman Origins on the Xbox Live Marketplace and Playstation Network. In Europe, the demo hits on Novemeber 9th with the North American demo release date somewhere around there as well. It includes “3 maps from the Jungle, Food and Ocean worlds. By collecting 9 Electoons, demo players will unlock a new costume. The demo also features a custom map to navigate through the worlds.”
Rayman Origins will be released in the UK on November 25th on the Xbox 360, PS3, 3DS, Vita and Wii. Rayman Origins comes the US on November 15 and the 24 in Australia.
If you pick up Super Mario Land for your 3DS, then you will also be getting a firmware update. This update adds some security to the system, as well as a “Join Game” option. Both the Japanese and USA copies of the game have been confirmed to have the update, although other copies of the game probably do too. Later this month, there will be another update to the firmware of the 3DS that will include video recording features, updated StreetPass games, DLC functionality, and other eShop improvements. It will be interesting to see if the online update will include the updates found in the Mario game.
Fatshark has anounnced that they will be releasing a top-down RPG game that focuses on crafting, exploration and consequence. “Consequence brings not only the ability for the characters to level up and improve themselves, but also permanent injuries and death.
Krater will be set in a post apocalyptic world. A weapon has left a crater (or rather, a KRATER) in the Earth and the KRATER is an oasis of fresh water in an otherwise terrible world. Single player and multiplayer will be included when Krater launches on Steam in 2012. Check out the video below for more details.
The Back to Karkand DLC is coming in Decemebr. EA has prepared the trailer below to wet your appetite for the destruction, mayhem and awesomeness that will follow when it is released. The expansion will include the Strike at Karkand, Sharqi Peninsula, Gulf of Oman, and Wake Island maps. In addition, it also includes “new weapons, vehicles, persistence, and the return of the classic Conquest Assault.” If you pre-ordered the game, it will be free as long as you enter your code. Otherwise, it will cost $14.99 or 1200 Microsoft Points. Check out the trailer below for the latest footage of the maps that will be coming soon.
So you have pre-ordered Skyrim, taken a “sick day” on November 11 and you even arranged for pizza delivery at 1am in the morn on November 12. However, those preparations may be worthless if you are into racing games. At least, if you are one of the students who developed Nitronic Rush, you are hoping that people will feel that way.
Nitronic Rush is coming to the PC on November 11 and was developed by students at the Digipen Institute of Technology. Check out the trailer below and let us know what your thoughts are on the game! Will you be canceling your Skyrim order?
Who says print media is dead?! The people behind Electronic Gaming Monthly have published one of the longest running gaming magazines ever and now EGM Media has decided to start a new magazine in addition to their other offering,. This Walmart exclusive magazine will feature “news, previews, interviews and other exclusive stories about gaming culture and the most important game releases.” The magazine won’t only be available in print though. You will also be able to read it on “personal computers, iPad and Facebook with EGM’s proprietary ScreenPaper publishing platform.” Will you be checking it out, or are you sticking with whatever you are reading now?
Continuing their licensing spree, Sentai Filmworks have now scooped up the licenses for UN-GO and A Channel.
