It’s been one hell of a past few months for Gundam fans. Ever since the reveal of Gundam AGE, the fandom has been privy to huge announcement after another huge announcement and you guessed it, here is another huge announcement. The cast for the upcoming Gundam AGE anime have been revealed.
Furitto Asuno played by Toshiyuki Toyonaga known for Ryuugamine in Durarara!!
Emily Amondo played by Aya Endo known for Cruz in Needless.
Dike Ganheiru played by Kouki Miyata known for Chojuro in Naruto Shippuden.
Guruudekku Einoa played by Hiroki Touchi known for Lasse Aeon in Gundam 00.
Wolf Eniakuru played by Daisuke Ono known for Sebastion in Black Butler.
Narration by Kazuhiko Inoue known for Kakashi in Naruto.
With such an amazing cast compiled for Gundam AGE, the series is shaping up to be potentially the best Gundam series yet. Only time will tell once October 9th rolls around. Leave a comment below letting us know what you think of this cast.
It’s been a huge past couple of months for the Hunter x Hunter series. Not only has the manga returned to it’s rightful place in Weekly Jump after hiatus (this time supposedly returning for good), but a new reboot anime series was announced with a premiere date of October 2nd, 2011 on NTV.
Today several new details have been revealed surrounding the upcoming adaptation of Yoshihiro Togashi’s epic manga. It has been confirmed that the series has so far been slated for 45+ episodes, however NTV says that is tentative. Which clearly means that the series will be long-running but it’s nearly impossible to place an exact episode count to the entire series run. So thus far 45 episodes is a given, which should bring the series to the end of the Heavens Arena arc.
Along-side that news, it has been confirmed that Toshio Furukawa, known for his roles as Piccolo on Dragonball Z and Portgas D. Ace on One Piece, will voice Hunter examiner Satotz (who guides the examinees in the Hunter Exam arc through the first phase). It seems the cast will be comprised of both veterans such as Furukawa and new talent such as Ban (who is voicing Gon Freeccs).
But wait that is not all, details of the structure of the adaptation have also been announced. In particular it has been revealed that Kite, the Hunter who inspires Gon to become a Hunter in chapter 1 of the Manga shall not appear until later on in the anime, in order to lessen the gap between his first appearance and reappearance during the Chimera Ants arc.
This wouldn’t be the first time a backstory character such as this has been revealed later on in an anime in comparison to the manga. Take One Piece for example, it took several episodes before the original chapter of the manga was adapted as an episode revealing Red-Haired Shanks as having inspired Luffy much like Gon is inspired by Kite.
Another change is that the level of gore seen in the manga will be lessened. Gore will still be present, but will be lightened, to accomodate to the child demographic of the air-time on sunday mornings. Also the character of Hisoka shall have his perverted side lessened, making his excitement more regarding the thrill of fighting then a sexual desire as is sometimes referenced in the manga.
Other than that, the series is set to follow the manga to a tee. For the first episode I personally predict that they will show Gon leaving Whale Island and meeting allies Kurapika and Leorio on the boat to the exam island. However that is still unknown as of this point.
What do you think of this news? Leave a comment below letting us know!
Personally if I was a young boy and a fairy turned me into a knight I wouldn’t be too fussed with transforming back, I mean the knights get all the girls right? Anyway, in a magical land far, far away, a boy does just that. He manages to scatter all a fairy godmother’s magical muffins throughout the land and she gets a little annoyed (but not a lot) so she sends him out to retrieve them all. The game has a distinct feel and sound of childhood fairytale but with a Shrek-like twist on all the characters making it a great comedic romp for all ages.
Gameplay
The gameplay is easy to pick up in a few seconds, a bit harder to manage to pull off well. You’re on a small level, avoiding creatures and trying to gather as many muffins as possible. With each muffin you turn into another character with another attack mode, although the order is random and some of them you may dislike while others are awesome and you won’t want to lose.
The controls for Muffin Knight are fairly simple, even for me, given that I tend to see the word ‘platformer’ and get nervous. Platformers’ grasp on physics has left me scarred in the past. Will my little avatar jump too short or too far? Oh no I double-jumped and over-compensated and now I’m watching him/her burn alive. Damn it! Now I have to do the whole thing again. Muffin Knight didn’t have this problem, primarily because the platforms themselves are quite simple; the game is less based on the platforms and more on your tactics and how you get to know the character’s special powers.
The powers range from shooting in front of you, to swiping at people around you, to laying little rainbow traps (unicorn poos), and finally nuking the whole damn map. It seems that you are granted characters at inopportune times sometimes, like getting a damn ‘Z’ piece for Tetris. Then it just becomes a giant race to the next transition. That said, the goal is to collect as many muffins as possible, not about killing the small furry things that run at you, although that earns you XP, it isn’t worth nearly as much as a muffin.
I know that my favourite was the unicorn, because I basically just set up a whole bunch of mines (poos) around the map and then went about my business without too much concern. In my opinion it was so much better and easier than spamming arrows or lightning bolts and basically gave me a whole bunch of breathing room. That said, the fact that you can’t choose your character was good because it made me try different characters and made me learn how to use them. And if I had been left to my own devices I would have used the unicorn constantly and where would the fun be in that?
I did have an issue with lag in the beginning of the game, and usually just in the menu screen. Although I’m not sure if it was just my phone deciding that life was too hard. However, since it didn’t affect the gameplay once I got into it, it wasn’t that much of a problem.
There are currently six levels but more are promised soon. The amount of levels don’t impact the game too much though, you can play pretty much any level you want to collect all the muffins and XP you can, they just get more platforms and a higher XP multiplier the higher you go.
You can also upgrade your lives, which costs ten points, which means you either save up a crapload of muffins or you buy points in game. I tend to not buy anything in game with real money, but for those of you out there who don’t have the patience or time to save up this would be a good option.
Visual
Visually Muffin Knight makes me long for simpler times when the television was my God and food was something that magically appeared in front of me. It’s all cartoony and cute but also mature (but not too mature, cos that would be gross) and the developers have obviously spent time and effort on the levels and backgrounds to make it a really great looking game.
Audio
The soundtrack matches the visuals, its what you’d expect from a kids show but then the sound effects remind you that this is no usual kids game. Every time you transition the fairy godmother says what creature you’ve turned into in her little old lady voice. Plus the sound of a unicorn pooing is enough to remind you that this ain’t no land of Oz.
Conclusion
This is a really enjoyable game, the controls are simple enough to grasp but require talent and practice to really get going on which comes with time and patience that is quite easy to have with this game. It’s cute as, and very addictive.
Get geared up for the release of Gears of War 3. Recently, a new transmission from has been released calling for all surviving COG forces. Colonel Victor S. Hoffman reports there are codes placed amongst the world that hold valuable COG gear. It has become our duty as the last remnant to find these pieces and attain the valuable material contained within to prepare for the final fight.
Acquire the codes by your everyday communication devices. Look on your Xbox email, Xbox LIVE, and Xbox social networks. Find the codes and reap the rewards.
I put my faith in you comrades. Find the codes and share them with your friends. Trust me when I say, “You cannot be Geared enough!”
Remember that odd little game that went on for infinity? The one where you press a key to move your helicopter up, let go to float it down, dodging procedurally-generated walls, and getting bored in five minutes? Well, apparently it was such a hit and a classic that those mechanics have followed us through the years; never letting us rest; always looking over our shoulders for fear of seeing a helicopter bobbing up and down, haunting us to our grave…
Well, Halfbrick Studios decided to take on the challenge of using exactly the same one-button mechanic, exactly the same core gameplay and making it awesome. And make it awesome they did.
Hot off the heels of their hit Fruit Ninja (and numerous follow-ons), the studio has released their latest title— Jetpack Joyride. The main thurst of the plot is “you’re riding a freaking Machine Gun Jetpack!!!” And the gameplay does the storyline justice.
You can tap and hold to fire the giant twin machine guns strapped to “Barry’s” back, lifting him up in the air, and wiping out any headless-chicken-flailing-arms-type scientists below in the process. There are coins liberally applied about the place, in the shape of smiley faces, (not so) secret messages, and the classic “wall of coins”.
The AI puts electricity fields in your way, flies in laser arrays, and launches missiles at you, which you have to dodge, dodge, and well, dodge. But you never get bored, thanks to the stuff around the core gameplay they have added. Allow me to demonstrate…
Within the main gameplay, there are cool things to pick up. The first of these are the vehicles; 5 in total (and yes, these are their real names).
The Crazy Freaking Teleporter puts you in a glass chamber and teleports you to a place on the screen when you tap.
The Wild Hog gives you the chance to cruise on a beefy easy-rider. That springs into the air on it’s own. It’s custom.
Lil Stomper lets you… ya know… stomp. It also bulks you up which allows you to pick up more coins, and has little booster packs you can use to slow your descent when you go for a high jump.
Profit Bird, inspired by Tiny Wings, flaps itself higher with each tap, and greets coins with a gaping beak, all the while pooping out dollar bills.
The Gravity Suit changes gravity when you tap, allowing you to walk on the ceiling, hover in midair, or… like… walk on the ground, I guess.
Oh— and did I mention you can’t die in a vehicle? That’s right. When you slam into a field of electricity, fry in a laser beam or faceplant into a missile, you just revert back to the Machine Gun Jetpack none-the-wiser, keeping the pace frantic, and fun-levels high.
The main incentive to keep playing for hours at a time before being pried from your iPhone by a loved one concerned for you health… is the Missions. They start off easy, to build your confidence — things like “Survive to 200m”, “Get 100 coins in one game”, or “High-five 10 scientists”. These then earn you stars which go towards levelling up. I’m not entirely sure if this actually helps you in any way other than massaging your ego, but this is welcome nonetheless. Of course, the difficulty of these missions, and how many stars are required to level up increase quickly, but Halfbrick have done a great job of balancing the Missions to your skill level; making them within reach, but not without some considerable effort. You know what they say… “all carrot and no stick makes jack addicted to video games”.
There are also Spin Tokens that appear ever now and then, floating around the screen daring you to catch them. If you manage to pick some up, then at the end of the level you can spin a slot machine in the hopes of winning more coins, a Head Start or even an explosive of some kind, ranging from “Quick Blast” to a full-blown Nuke, pushing you a few hundred meters along.
And then there’s The Stash itself; a place you can go to spend some of your hard-floated-into coins.
You can buy stuff from the Clothing section… stuff ranging from a Grass Skirt to a Zombie Head, to customize your dude.
There’s an array of alternative Jetpacks to play with.
You can upgrade your vehicles in the aptly named Vehicle Upgrades screen, where you can buy shiny gold versions of each of the vehicles, or increase the likelihood of picking up your favourite one.
There’s also a Utilities screen where you can buy “items”, for use in the game itself. There are a few tier-one items available in the Slot Machine, as well as unlocks for the current missions, in case you get stuck, o just can’t be bothered to complete that one that’s giving you grief.
You can also see your stats, achievements, and in-game purchase some coinage to make your life that much easier… or nice-looking.
So whilst the core gameplay may be insanely simple and easy to pick up, Halfbrick have succeeded in making this one game that’s nigh impossible to put down. And why would you want to? The crisp, cartoony graphics, pumping soundtrack, and ridiculously simple controls makes this one an easy recommend to hardcore and casual gamers alike.
Shock Troopers Developer:Saurus Publisher:SNK Playmore Platforms:Playstation Portable (PSN, reviewed), Playstation 3 (PSN) Release Date:Out Now Price:$8.99 (PS3)/$6.99 (PSP)
The Neo Geo was both an arcade board and a console released in 1990 in Japan, with a subsequence release in the United States. Although it was lost in the video game jungle, thanks to the rise of Nintendo and Sega, it still had its own library of games that were quite decent. A game that originated on the Neo Geo was Shock Trooper, a top down run and gun game where you have control of a squad of troops and try to defeat the evil organisation behind the fighting. It is now available as part of the Playstation’s Neo Geo Station emulation, alongside World Heroes. So, is the game worth replaying or worth playing for the first time?
Story
You take control of the Shock Troopers, a group of eight warriors sent to defeat the Bloody Scorpions, a ruthless organisation who has kidnapped a scientist and his daughter. In order to breach the headquarters of the Bloody Scorpions, you must travel through one of three routes: Mountain, Jungle and Valley. After five stages in one of these routes, you will reach the headquarters of the Bloody Scorpions, where you will face the commander. The characters come from eight different countries, including an Australian with an exploding boomerang. That’s right, an Australian.
Gameplay
The game is your standard run and gun game from a top-down perspective. You control your character with the directional buttons and use the face buttons to shoot, dodge and swap out characters. Each character has a gun but will have either a single shot or double shot, which is unlimited. Each character also has a special attack, called a “bomb”. It is an explosive ranged weapon which deals heavy damage. Ammo is limited but you can find refills all over the stage. There are other weapons the troops can use, such as a Heavy machine gun and a flamethrower. Enemies include regular troops, ninjas, heavy troops and tanks.
There are two modes of gameplay: Lonely Wolf and Team Battle. Lonely Wolf means you can only choose one troop and go through the stages as that character. You are given 20 lots of special ammo but will lose the versatility that Team Battle offers. Team Battle allows you to form a squad of three. You can change the characters on the fly, useful if one character is greatly hurt. Instead of 20, you are given 10 lots of special ammo, however, you can take advantage of the variety that you are offered. I chose Team Battle often because of that variety I am offered as a player. For one, with Team Battle, you can have a high defence character taking down big hoards then switching to a high speed character for the smaller hoards.
This is quite basic gameplay, but it does keep you on your feet. The action is fast paced and you have to be alert in all directions. With that said, it can be very difficult, even on easy. Just like World Heroes, there are four difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, Hard and MVS (arcade difficulty, between Normal and Hard). Instead of balancing issues, the problem is too much stuff on the screen. There could be bullets everywhere, which can mean that you can dodge into a stray bullet, taking damage. Nonetheless, the gameplay is fun.
Visuals
Just like World Heroes, the sprites are wonderfully detailed and well designed. Each character flaunts their own look quite well. Even the muscles on the male characters are quite detailed. The environments are bright and colourful. They are also incredibly detailed. For example, the mountains in the mountain stage are well detailed, right down to the last boulder. However, I do have to raise something. I make reference to another Neo Geo game, World Heroes. That game was made in 1992. Shock Trooper was made in 1997, five years after World Heroes. Although I think the visuals are good to look at, they are outdated. I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt considering it was developed for a 16-bit console, but, considering it was re-released, maybe they could have added a touch or two before release. Still, they are good to look at. Animations are smooth, with each character having their own end stage victory animation, which actually looks good.
Music
The music is good to listen to, being in its 16-bit glory. Each peice of music fits the moment. For example, the mountain stage offers a great piece of music that gives the player a sense of danger. The music gets more intense as you progress through the game. The opening sounds great as well. There is a sound player outside of the game as part of the emulation, allowing you to listen to your favourite tunes from the game.
Overall
Shock Troopers is a good game to play on the go. The action keeps you on your toes and there are enough characters for some variation. The visuals are well detailed and the music reflects the situation quite well. However, with that said, the game looks outdated, you will see too many things flying around with all difficulty levels and. Despite these minor inconveniences, this is a game that, alongside World Heroes, will be a great companion on your Playstation Portable.
Before the Tokyo Game Show officially kicks off in a couple of weeks, Nintendo wants to have themselves a Pre-TGS event. Rumours have been circulating that this event will focus on a revised edition of the 3DS. The two names being thrown around are 3DS Lite and 3DS XL, two names that were used for revised DS hardware.
Another rumour that has been circulating is the a second analogue attachment. However, this seems unlikely due to the fact that it will be optional and will alienate early adopters. A revised 3DS seems to be the more logical choice.
With stiff competition from the smartphone market, as well as the upcoming Playstation Vita, Nintendo needs to do something in order to avoid playing catch up, something Nintendo is not familiar with in the handheld market.
Capsule Computers are in Tokyo for the Tokyo Game Show. Check here for all of the latest news from the Land of The Rising Sun as we countdown to the big show between September 15-18.
At Call of Duty: XP, the inevitable “Hardened Edition” of Modern Warfare 3 was announced, giving those anticipating the game’s release a reason to run to their local retailer and upgrade. Most limited editions for Call of Duty titles are usually priced at $79.99, but Activision have listed this one at $99.99. Now, before you grab you pitchforks and torches and prepare to riot on Bobby Kotick’s doorstep though, you should take a look at just what is inside this box as in my opinion this might be the best value for any Call of Duty fan awaiting the game.
So whats inside? Here is the full list of contents:
Special Founder Status: Includes an exclusive in game emblem, playercard, weapon camouflage, clan XP boost, and “more exclusive benefits”.
Collectable Steelbook Case
Unique Disc Art
Exclusive Playstation Network Animated Timeline Theme *PS3 Only*
Exlclusive Special Ops Juggernaut Xbox Live Outfit *360 Only*
100-page field journal with military sketches and written entries detailing the Modern Warfare saga.
One Year of Call of Duty Elite Services
Now considering the hefty price of COD map packs (and the fact that Elite will cost $49.99 to start with), this pack seems to be a pretty nice ensemble for those who plan to go all out and save a bit of cash in the process. Of course you can now pre-order this Hardened Edition for Modern Warfare 3 now, and then be forced to wait patiently as the timer slowly winds down to November 8th.
Other Ocean’s upcoming platformer The War of the Worlds for the Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network has some new screenshots and a trailer fresh out of PAX 2011.
The War of the Worlds is as you’d imagine by it’s title based upon the classic H.G. Wells novel about an alien invasion, that we were far from ready for. However in this game, you play as Arthur Clarke a man fighting for survival against the Alien invaders.
You can check out the new screenshots and trailer for The War of the Worlds below. Be sure to leave us a comment letting us know what you think of this interesting looking title.
Earlier this year, Thor: God of Thunder released on the Xbox 360, PS3, and DS. As we stated in our reviews, the DS version was miles above it’s console kin for a number of reasons, but now a new portable version for the 3DS has finally been dated and will hit shelves alongside the release of the DVD and Blue Ray for the movie on September 13th.
As far as story and even gameplay goes, I want to say that this version of the game looks closer to it’s console brethren, but being a on a handheld the visuals are certainly looking polished and sharp at the moment. To prep for this release, Sega released a few screenshots which show are hero in action and also confirm real-time event boss battles. The 360 version had these same style, but I am hoping Thor for the 3DS takes a simpler route as we know how that turned out for the thunder god. You can check out the new screenshots below and let us know what you think about this title in the comments below.
It’s been one hell of a past few months for Gundam fans. Ever since the reveal of Gundam AGE, the fandom has been privy to huge announcement after another huge announcement and you guessed it, here is another huge announcement. The cast for the upcoming Gundam AGE anime have been revealed.
