Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today has announced the release date for Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection: August 31! Available for download worldwide next week on PlayStation Network, Xbox LIVE Arcade and Windows PC, this will be the first time that all three of the original Mortal Kombat arcade trilogy titles have been brought together in a single collection. Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2 and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 we be playable in the Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection, and will be on sale for £6.29 on PSN and PC, and 800 Microsoft Points for XBLA.
Developed by Other Ocean in conjunction with NetherRealm studios, Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection will also offer a range of new features as well, including online play, leader boards, achievements and trophies. However for the more vintage gamers, fans will also have the chance to choose their destiny by playing the games in their original arcade state as well.
Today SEGA announced that in true fighting game fashion, Virtua Fighter 5 will receive an update/expansion as a standalone title for both Xbox LIVE Arcade the PlayStation Network, titled Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown. Final Showdown will include an entire overhaul of Virtua Fighter 5’s mechanics, balance and animations, as well as the inclusion of all new game modes and fighting arenas, and a gigantic collection of customisable character items. The main attraction however, will be two all-new characters added to the roster: Taka-Arashi from Virtua Fighter 3 and new-commer Jean Kujo. Check out these all new features announced in SEGA’s Press Release below!
Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown contains the definitive version of VF5, refined over the years since its original arcade debut. The new release also adds an extensive list of features never before seen on consoles. VF5FS will include:
The Perfect Fighting Experience: Virtua Fighter 5’s signature style of hand-to-hand combat, with revised mechanics, balance, timing and more, along with simplified controls for new players while retaining the depth that veterans demand
Dynamic and Interactive Arenas: Fighting areas in new shapes and sizes, including arenas with fences and walls that are different for every round – take unexpected advantage of fighters’ new wall-based moves, or break through the fences with special attacks
A Mode for Every Fight: Dominate the leaderboards with Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown’s extremely responsive one-on-one online battle system, widely praised for having little latency, or take on an army of opponents yourself in a new single-player mode
Customized Combatants: Enter the ring with one of 19 playable characters, including fan favorite Taka-Arashi from Virtua Fighter 3 and an all-new character, Jean Kujo, and customize them with unique costume and character items
Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown is expected to be available in Summer 2012.
Codemasters has released a gameplay trailer based around the new safety car in F1 2011 and additionally highlighting some great characteristics of the upcoming game including improved graphics, cut scenes and racer animations. A lot of detail has gone in to the new game, right down the winning pointing fingers of Vettel.
The game, which will be released on September 22nd, will allow players to race in various modes including the ability to team up online with a friend in the co-op Championship mode and also race up to 16 players. F1 2011 prides itself on realism, with 20 tracks to choose from and an array of international F1 champions, with the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso being obvious inclusions.
After winning a BAFTA for last year’s edition, it will be interesting to see how 2011 not only competes but takes the game to an even greater level.
K-ON! Volume 1 Tag Line: Welcome to the light music club! Produced by: Bandai Entertainment Run time: 100 minutes in 4 episodes Language: English, Japanese Genre: Slice-Of-Life, Comedy, Music Release Date: 20/07/2011 Available for purchase at Madman Online Store ($49.95)
Overview:
Music is a magical thing. It can bring people together and it can also tear them apart. K-ON! leans more towards the former. It tells to story of a small group of girls being brought together by music. It’s a common story, but a good one and K-ON! takes the concept for a joy ride. With cutesy characters and a story told with pure glee, K-ON! makes for simple fun with a warm gooey heart at it’s core.
Story:
As previously stated K-ON! tells the story of a group of girls brought together by music. The key point however is that it’s not simply of a love of music, it’s of the fact that they want something to belong to. School has just begun and everyone is sectioning off into their individual clubs, leaving our lovely cast of girls desperately searching for a place to call their own. Over the course of the first episode the girls haphazardly form the Light Music Club, never taking into account that one of their members can’t play an instrument and that the others aren’t even very good.
None of this matters to them though, they are looking for somewhere to belong. They do not want to be alone and that is the gooey centre of K-ON! The fact that these girls want to be part of something resonates with the viewer. Every human being, deep inside, has that sense of belonging and that is where K-ON! connects with the viewer. Although it doesn’t wear that message too clearly, it’s visible enough to sink into the minds of those watching.
With this being only the first 4 episodes of the series there is a lot of room for the series to grow into something greater. It certainly has the potential to become something huge and that possibility of growth is resoundingly clear. Only time will tell as Madman releases future volumes.
Characters:
K-ON! boasts a well rounded and cleverly concieved cast of characters. All of whom are cute and memorable by all counts. With the series having such a huge fandom, the images of these characters has made it’s way into anime fans psyches over the past few years and that is a testament to the characters iconic status.
It’s clear to see where that status came from when watching this volume as each character is surprisingly original and unique when compared to the plethora of cute anime girl characters that have flooded the market. These characters all bounce off one another so perfectly it is almost a magic feeling at how well developed they are.
Artwork:
The series artwork is put simply brilliant. It achieves everything it sets out to do without fail. The character designs are expertly crafted, with each character looking so cute it is hard to note feel warm inside when looking at these plush-like girls.
The backgrounds are likewise well made and incredibly well defined and detailed for a series of this genre. Let’s not forget the instruments, which as simply astonishing to look at. So much fine detail was placed into them in an attempt to recreate real life music kits. I found myself oggling these music makers with delight, they look that good.
Another great part of this series was it’s fluid animation which brought the girls to life. For a series with little action, there was a lot of motion when it came to these girls movements. Whether it be Yui falling over something due to her usual clumsy behaviour or watching the girls bop about whilst belting out some tunes, the animation was rock solid.
Audio:
For an anime series about music, this section can mean life or death. Thankfully K-ON! lives on with an amazing soundtrack with tracks that will reverberate throughout your entire body making their way up into your head and make themselves at home for the next few days. It is catchy music at it’s best, without a doubt.
The opening and ending tracks are also extremely well done and suit the series to a tee. Both of which are also catchy ear candy that you will certainly find yourself humming long after putting away your DVD. I know I did.
Let’s not forget the voice work which is brilliant on both audio tracks. But for this review I will be commenting on the English track. Which was a great job, with stand out performances from Stephanie Sheh, known for her role as similarly daft girl Orihime Inoue from Bleach. She perfectly encapsulated Yui Hirasawa’s clumsy personality without fail. Overall it was a brilliant job by the audio department.
Special Features:
Madman has done a really good job here. We have on disc a great interview with the voice of Yui Hirasawa, Stephanie Sheh who I previously mentioned as doing a good job with her character. However other than this interview there is little else besides trailers for upcoming releases. But for a 4 episode volume release, there is no reason to complain when you get an interview with the voice of the protagonist.
There is also a very nice reversible cover of the girls standing istruments in hand over a nice blue background. So overall it is a great job from Madman as usual.
Conclusion:
In closing, K-ON! volume 1, is an amazing piece of anime, with a deeper message than most slice-of-life series could ever hope for. The series has already gained such a huge fandom and I believe it is largely due to the message and heart of this series. That message is, if you don’t belong, there are others out there in the same boat, looking for somewhere to call home. You are not alone. That is what is at the heart of K-ON! and that is why K-ON! will be remembered. Not because it’s cute, not because it’s fun, because it has heart.
Althi Inc’s recent iPhone title Utakata -the ephemeral sky- which has been released in both Japanese and English has made it’s way to the top of the Paid iPhone game charts in Japan.
The game is currently ranked number #1 in all of Japan. This is huge news for Althi Inc. also known for their iPhone hit, Little Dreamer which have reviewed here. This is the current rankings for Japanese Paid iPhone games:
No.1 Utakata -the ephemeral sky-
No.2 MONSTER HUNTER Dynamic Hunting
No.3 Where’s Wally? in Hollywood
No.4 Bar Oasis
No.5 Mega Mall Story
You can purchase Utakata -the ephemeral sky- (or うたかたのそら for the japanese readers) at the following link.
It was previously announced that a video game adaptation of the classic Saint Seiya anime was in production. A trailer for the game titled Saint Seiya Senki has been released detailing the game play which is reminiscent of the recently release Bleach: Soul Resurrecion game also exclusive to the Playstation 3.
A trailer was also previously released for European audiences to which they will know this game as Saint Seiya: Sanctuary Battle. You can check out our previous reports on the Saint Seiya game here and here. Also be sure to check out the new trailer below whilst letting out a blood curtling battle cry of “SAINT SEIYA!” as a roaring guitar riff plays and lightning crashes behind you. Or you could just watch it, whichever works for you.
Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi is set to launch in October on the PS3 and Xbox 360, but those who pre-order the game in Japan are set to receive a very special gift upon doing so. According to Silconera, a retail leak has shown that an actual four-starred Dragon Ball will be given to anyone who puts a payment down on the game early. As of now, no retailers have announced a pre-order incentive for Ultimate Tenkaichi in Europe or North America, so just maybe Namco Bandai will pull this gem (or ball for that matter) out of their sleeve for some extra hype down the road.
When it comes to any Dragon Ball game though, the Tenkaichi titles are in my opinion the definitive out of what we have seen released, so this upcoming successor should sell well on name alone. I will say however if one of you happen to import the Japanese version from Japan, you can use your Dragon Ball to wish for the same treatment to happen in the west.
The day is now among us. No more delays, no more waiting. Deus Ex: Human Revolution has finally arrived in North America. To celebrate this monumental release, Square Enix have brought out a shiny new launch trailer, which catches us up on the game’s narrative a bit and shows off the stunning presentation within.
A bit of gameplay footage is also shown off, displaying the many forms of stealth Denton can use to sneak past foes. As I am sure many of you are aware, the early critical praise for Deus Ex: Human Revolution has been extremely high and this release is sure to be one of the biggest in 2011. Check out the new trailer in all it’s glory below, and stay tuned as we will have our own review for the game up soon. Deus Ex: Human Revolution is now available for the Xbox 360, PC, and Playstation 3.
The previously announced K-ON! Movie also previously got it’s plot and setting details confirmed and now it has a trailer revealed at Comic “Comiket” Market 80. An event held in Japan which brings together all kinds of Otaku to check out upcoming games, anime, manga, dojinshi etc.
The movie will take the K-ON! girls to England on a graduation trip following the events of the series. As you’d imagine there will be many famous British musicians referenced or alluded to in the film which is set to hit Japanese cinemas on the 3rd of December, 2011. You can check out the trailer below from Comiket to give you a hint of whats to come.
Bastion made waves when it made it’s release on the Xbox Live Marketplace and with it’s recent release on Steam for the PC, it has been revealed that Bastion will now make portals. As part of a hidden exclusive gem for the Steam version, there will be the ability to unlock the infamous sentry turrets from Valve’s Portal.
A trailer for the reveal has made it’s way to the web. It details how to unlock the sentry turrets and gives a glimpse at the potential uses of the appeture science developed machines, such as having your back in a platonic way and grouping together in a metal orgy of gasfella destruction. Leave a comment letting us know what you think of this. Also we swear that this is not a lie!
