Crunchyroll is finally coming to Nintendo Switch
The Crunchyroll app's availability will help bolster the Switch's incredibly thin streaming lineup.
Belle review – anime that makes for an intriguing big-screen spectacle
This weird postmodern drama sees a lonely teenager join a virtual world where she becomes a hugely successful singer
There’s some amazing big-screen spectacle in this weird postmodern emo photo-love drama from Japanese anime director Mamoru Hosoda, whose previous film Mirai elevated him to auteur status. Suzu, voiced by Kaho Nakamura, is a deeply unhappy and lonely teenager at high school, who lives with her dad. Her mum died some years ago, attempting (successfully) to save a child from drowning and Suzu can’t come to terms with the zero-sum pointlessness of this calamity: a total stranger was saved but her mother died. Or not zero in fact: while her loss increased the sum-total of unhappiness, the most popular boy in school – a friend since they were little – is tender and protective towards Suzu.
Her life is complicated further when she is persuaded to join a virtual reality meta-universe called U, a glittering unearthly city like a next-level Manhattan or Shibuya. (Presumably entry into this fantasy world needs a VR headset, although oddly this is not made plain.) Participants have their biometrics read and get an enhanced avatar of themselves and Suzu finds that she is now “Belle”, an ethereally beautiful young woman with quirky freckles and a wonderful singing voice. To her astonishment, Suzu finds that Belle is becoming a colossally famous singer – but at the very high point of this meta-success she comes across the Beast, who disrupts one of her concerts: a brutish, aggressive outcast figure loathed by the self-appointed vigilante guardians of U.
Continue reading...RUNNER Is An Anime-Inspired Motorcycle Action VR Game Coming To Quest, PC VR, And PSVR 2
RUNNER is a newly announced 80s anime-inspired motorcycle action game with first-person VR driving gameplay from Truant Pixel, the developers behind 2MD VR Football, it’s slated to release on PSVR 2 for PS5, PC VR, and Quest.
RUNNER VR
The visual aesthetic, especially in that reveal trailer embedded above, is very clearly and heavily influenced by 1980s era anime like Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Macross, and even classic films like Blade Runner. The city shown in the footage is dark and dystopian in a anime-Cyberpunk sort of way that was extremely popular in that era of Japanese animation. It also features a synthwave soundtrack that sounds especially excellent based on the music in the teaser—I am 100% down for the image they’re trying to sell right now.
Obviously the in-game visuals don’t look exactly like an 80s-anime, though. The art style is still very cel-shaded and evocative, but it seems noticeably brighter. It looks like the game takes place while you ride down long stretches of highway on your motorcycle while fighting off bad guys. I want to once again stress the clear Akira influences here, all the way down to the notably red motorcycle, accented by big, round Tron-style wheels.
Here’s the description according to the developer:
“RUNNER is an arcade-inspired VR driving action game. Players take on the role of Mina, a rogue mod-courier at the center of a massive city-wide pursuit. Beginning in the heart of Presidium, the neon-drenched capitol of the mining colony moon N-351, Mina’s only means of escape is the “Thoroughfare,” a massive highspeed expressway that snakes through the entirety sprawling colony complex.
Pursued by the forces of the Caldera corporation, Mina must race through 7 sectors while fighting off relentless waves of autonomous corporate combat drones. Using only their wits, their cybernetics, and a unique array of special abilities, the player will become the runner in this fast-paced, kinetic VR experience.”
Keep an eye on Truant Pixel over on Twitter and the game’s official Twitter for more details. RUNNER should be coming to PSVR 2 on PS5, PC VR, and “mobile VR” which we assume means Quest.
Giveaway: Enter For A Chance To Win An Oculus Quest 2 With Little Witch Academia VR
You can enter for a chance to win a BRAND NEW standalone Oculus Quest 2 VR headset (256GB version) right here on behalf of UNIVRS along with a copy of Little Witch Academia: VR Broom Racing! Read on for more details.
UNIVRS is the studio behind the upcoming VR game based on the popular anime series. In Little Witch Academia: VR Broom Racing you do just what it sounds like in the title and race around various course on a broom, virtually, using the Oculus Quest 2 headset and Touch motion controllers.
You can enter via various methods in the form below or embedded on this site here:
GIVEAWAY: Win An Oculus Quest 2 (256GB) With Little Witch Academia VR!
Giveaway Conditions
Only residents from USA and Canada are eligible to win in this giveaway. Simply fill out the form and complete as many entry methods as you’d like on the Gleam page to submit. You’ll be contacted by email immediately once the giveaway is over if you’re selected as the winner. If we do not get a response from the winner within 48 hours, we will draw a new winner for the giveaway and contact them instead.
Little Witch Academia: VR Broom Racing is due out on October 13th, 2020, the same day the new Oculus Quest 2 headset releases. And for more details on the Oculus Quest 2, check out our review for the new device and our list of the best Quest games and best accessories.
Let us know if you enter down in the comments below! Good luck!
The best anime video games
These anime-inspired video games may share a similar art style, but each title has gameplay all its own.
Hatsune Miku Is Getting Her Very Own VR ‘Amusement Park’ This Summer
Hatsune Miku is a vocaloid software voicebank, or in other words an entirely digital vocal performing artist, with a massive fan following in Japan. This summer, she is getting her very own VR ‘Amusement Park’ dubbed Miku Land Gate that you can visit for free using VirtualCast.
Even if you’ve never seen or heard a performance, chances are if you’ve spent any length of time on the internet over the past decade then you’re probably aware of Hatsune Miku. The character is represented by a teenaged girl avatar with turquoise twintail hair. Her name was created by combining the Japanese words for “first,” “sound,” and “future.”
To reiterate: she is not an avatar controlled by someone singing into a microphone, she is actually entirely digital. As a result, her voice is actually created using Yamaha vocaloid synthesizing technology.
From the sounds of it Miku Land Gate will be like a digital music festival you can visit inside VR. In addition to performances you’ll be able to watch alongside others while wearing VR headsets, there will be areas to explore and even merchandise to purchase.
Unsurprisingly, Hatsune Miku has already appeared across a wide range of VR games and apps such as this music rhythm game on Steam and on PSVR that’s appropriately titled Hatsune Miku VR.
Miku Land Gate will run from August 8th – August 10th 2020 inside VirtualCast. It’s a free event and you can learn more by visiting the official website here.
h/t: VRFocus
The post Hatsune Miku Is Getting Her Very Own VR ‘Amusement Park’ This Summer appeared first on UploadVR.
Little Witch Academia: VR Broom Racing Coming To Quest In Late 2020, PC VR And PSVR 2021
Little Witch Academia VR: Broom Racing is an upcoming VR racing game coming later this year for Oculus Quest that transports you into the colorful world of the titular anime. It will eventually come to PSVR and PC VR headsets afterward in 2021.
The Little Witch Academia VR game is developed by UNIVRS, Inc. and is directly based on the anime created by Studio TRIGGER — it’s available to stream on Netflix if you’re interested. The studio raised over $76,000 on Kickstarter previously to fund the game’s development.
Notably, the director of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening’s opening and ending movies, Junichi Yamamoto, is leading the game’s story development.
Rather than retreading old ground, as-is common for anime video games, this will tell an all-new story about the students at Luna Nova Witch Academy. That’s big news for fans of the show. Little Witch Academia VR will feature exciting broom races across more than 10 tracks, ghost purification, and exploration around the school’s grounds complete with online multiplayer.
In the meantime, if you want to try something in VR that resembles Quidditch, but swaps the brooms for zero-G environments instead, then Echo Arena is a great option. It’s out now on PC VR and is in Open Beta on Quest.
Little Witch Academia: VR Broom Racing will release on Oculus Quest in late 2020 and then on PSVR and PC VR headsets in 2021. Let us know what you think of Little Witch Academia VR down in the comments below! And don’t forget to check the official website for more details.
The post Little Witch Academia: VR Broom Racing Coming To Quest In Late 2020, PC VR And PSVR 2021 appeared first on UploadVR.
‘Bigscreen’ Expands International Availability of On-Demand Anime Films
Bigscreen, the social VR viewing platform, launched on-demand 2D and 3D video late last month. Shortly afterwards, the studio announced it had partnered with Sony Picture’s anime distribution company Funimation to bring some of the biggest names in anime to its rapidly expanding on-demand service. Now those films can be viewed in some regions outside of the US.
Update (May 15th, 2020): BIgscreen says that, in partnership with Funimation, it’s expanding the international availability of its 30+ anime films, which in addition to the US now includes Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.
The original article announcing the 30+ anime films and live showings follows below:
Original Article (April 29th, 2020): Bigscreen founder and CEO Darshan Shankar tells Road to VR that with Friday’s release of on-demand video, that the platform successfully broke its all-time revenue record.
“This was a massive change to how Bigscreen works,” Shankar says. “People that attended our inaugural movie events over the weekend were able to experience many packed cinema rooms. I was shocked to see that most people stayed all the way until the credits.”
Now with Funimation involved, Bigscreen is able to show 30+ anime films to Bigscreen, including popular hits Akira, My Hero Academia: Two Heroes, and Attack on Titan. Check out the full list below.
Bigscreen now boasts a catalog of dozens of 2D and 3D films available for on-demand viewing, which includes the ability to control playback like you would any streaming service. The new on-demand system gives you 48 hours to finish your selected movie once you’ve started it, and will be available in up to 10 countries starting from $4 per film. Check out Bigscreen’s catalog of movies here for more.
And to inaugurate the new glut of on-demand anime offerings, the platform is holding live film screenings that begin on May 1st, which will be broadcast live on a pay-per-view basis at 6PM PT (local time here) at the cost of $4 per ticket.
As opposed to on-demand content, these live screening events are conducted like physical movie theaters, with specific starting and ending times. Theater space is technically unlimited though, with infinite screens hosting up to eight users for each theater, making it easy to pop in for a showing without having to queue.
Anime Movie Event Screenings
- May 1: Your Name
- May 8: My Hero Academia: Two Heroes
- May 15: Akira
- May 21: The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya
- May 29: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
- June 5: Sword of the Stranger
- June 12: I Am A Hero
Anime Movies On-Demand in Bigscreen
- Your Name
- Planetarian: Storyteller of the Stars
- The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya Movie
- The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
- Steins Gate Movie
- Strike Witches Movie
- Fairy Tail Dragon Cry Movie
- Fairy Tail the Movie: Phoenix Priestess
- Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie
- Akira
- Attack on Titan Part 1
- Attack on Titan Part 2
- Shin Godzilla
- I Am A Hero
- Parasyte Part 1
- Parasyte Part 2
- My Hero Academia: Two Heroes
- Boy and the Beast
- Triguns Badland Rumble
- Death Note: Light Up the New World
- Death Note
- Death Note: The Last Name
- Psycho-Pass: The Movie
- Eden of the East: Air Communication
- Eden of the East: King of Eden
- Eden of the East: Paradise Lost
- Assassination Classroom The Movie: 365 Days’ Time
- Garo: Divine Flame
- Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic
- Sword of the Stranger
- The School Idol Movie: Over the Rainbow
The post ‘Bigscreen’ Expands International Availability of On-Demand Anime Films appeared first on Road to VR.
Bigscreen’s Funimation Partnership Brings Akira And Anime Films To VR
Bigscreen is partnering with Sony Pictures division Funimation to bring a library of anime movies to its VR-based movie rental service.
That means Akira, Your Name, and My Hero Academia: Two Heroes will be available for rent on a pay-per-view basis in VR as more than 30 films are added to Bigscreen’s library.
In December, Bigscreen launched a movie service with Paramount Pictures with regular showings just like a real movie theater. This week, however, the company revamped the offering to move toward more on-demand rentals at any time, and the occasional one-time special event like for the premiere of a new film.
The Funimation partnership kicks off starting May 1 with a screening of Your Name at 6 pm Pacific for about $4 per admission. On May 8 My Hero Academia: Two Heroes will be screened followed by Akira on May 15, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya on May 21, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time on May 29, Sword of the Stranger on June 5, and I Am A Hero on June 12. Movies will be added to the on-demand rental library within a week after the screening event.
You can watch the movies alone or invite up to seven friends to join them in a theater, according to Bigscreen, but each person pays for their own admission. Bigscreen is a free download on Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, Oculus Go, HTC Vive, Valve Index, and Microsoft Windows Mixed Reality headsets.
You can find the Bigscreen download links for the various stores here and purchase tickets for upcoming films here.
The post Bigscreen’s Funimation Partnership Brings Akira And Anime Films To VR appeared first on UploadVR.
Sword Reverie Is A JRPG-Inspired VR Action Game Coming This Year For PC VR
Sword Reverie is an upcoming JRPG-inspired action VR game from Isekai Entertainment with a hand-drawn anime visual style. Other inspirations include The Legend of Zelda and Ni No Kuni.
In the outreach email we received from Isekai Entertainment, combat mechanics were described as being similar to Gorn in an attempt to make you feel like Cloud from Final Fantasy VII or Kirito from Sword Art Online.
Visually, the inspiration from Sword Art Online is clear. However, as far as we can tell, this is a single-player offline VR action game, not an online RPG like Nostos or MMO like OrbusVR. It is an open world game with various biomes, dungeons, and areas to explore.
To get a look at what playing Sword Reverie is like, you can watch this (admittedly rough) gameplay video from November 2019. It’s narrated with details on the game’s structure and flow and featured three minutes of gameplay footage featuring lots of exploration and a bit of combat.
On the main website, the game’s story is described as follows:
After a thousand years of peace, the boiling tensions between the “kingdom of man” and the elemental lords continue to escalate. Seeing that the threat of a catastrophic war is imminent, the Guardian Magnus uses his powers to summon you the “Hero” to his realm, to become his new apprentice.The Guardian explains to you, that he believes the Elemental lords have grown too powerful and as legend goes, only a “true hero” from a faraway land, can bring balance, peace, and prosperity to all the realms.
Visually you might be remembered of Nostos, which is an online VR survival RPG that promised a lot in its cinematic debut trailer then mostly under-delivered. While Sword Reverie has a similar quality bar for its concept art, the in-game art assets look to be noticeably less sharp. That being said, from what we’ve seen this does appear to be made for VR headsets only, which should mean a better attention to detail in its gameplay design.
For more details check out the official Sword Reverie website and visit the dev blog for a behind the scenes look at the game. And, keep an eye on UploadVR next week for more on the upcoming game.
Sword Reverie is due out this year for PC VR headsets.
The post Sword Reverie Is A JRPG-Inspired VR Action Game Coming This Year For PC VR appeared first on UploadVR.