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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Out of the Shadows Movie Review
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Studio: Platinum Dunes, Nickelodeon Movies
Publisher: Paramount Pictures
Format: Cinema
Release Date: June 9th, 2016 – Tickets Available Here
Overview
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been a staple of the childhood of many childhoods with both the cartoon and the live action films being loved by many. The 2014 live action adaption, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, met with a significant negative response critically alongside a mixed response from fans. I myself did not enjoy the original film, but I agreed to give the sequel a chance to win me over and transcend my opinion of its predecessor. I walked into the cinema with an open mind and with the hope I’d have a “shell” of a time.
Story
The film follows the eponymous ninja turtles; the strategic Leonard (Pete Ploszek), the bellicose Raphael (Alan Ritchson), the nerdy Donatello (Jeremy Howard), and the silly Michelangelo (Noel Fisher) as they work with reporter April O’Neil (Megan Fox) to protect New York City from Shredder (Brian Tee). Continuing on from the previous movie, Shredder is incarcerated and Vern Fenwick (Will Arnett) takes credit for his capture as part of a deal with the turtles so they could remain anonymous. After failing to stop Shredder from escaping, the Turtles need to come together as a new enemy begins to make himself known.
The first thing I noticed about this new film is that the writing is significantly improved from the previous film. There’s still a lot of blatant exposition here and there with characters explaining key plot points. At best, this dialogue is just heavy-handed but there are points where you ask how the heck a character knows a particular detail that I don’t feel they should have. So although things have certainly gotten better this time around, I would by no means call the script ‘good’.
That being said, there are certainly some actually funny lines interspersed throughout the script. Michelangelo in particular actually has some jokes with punchlines that work and got a laugh out of me. The new henchmen, Bebop (Gary Anthony Williams) and Rocksteady (Stephen ‘Sheamus’ Farrelly), also had some funny moments when they were human. Unfortunately, they lose a lot of their flamboyant charm when they become mutated into animal hybrids by Shredder. I believe this might be because they aren’t as good at voice acting as they are at the regular kind, but unfortunately a lot of their jokes fall flat to me as soon as they became CGI.
Further more; the Shredder and new entry, Casey Jones (Stephen Amell), come across as decidedly 2D in what is ostensibly marketed as a 3D feature. I understand that this movie franchise is based off a cartoon and that Shredder was never quite given a significant amount of depth but at least he had some sense of menace. Unfortunately, the way he is presented in this film has acting in a way that is so utterly devoid of any intelligence that you don’t feel that he is a credible villain… which isn’t helped by the way he’s ultimately defeated in the movie either. Casey Jones largely follows the same plot beats that April did in the first film without really adding in anything new as the mystery of the turtles was already solved last film and we, as the audience, do not need a rehash. He’s meant to be a love interest to April, but we never actually see them connect in any meaningful way during the film.
Overall, most of the performances were incredibly wooden across the cast. Almost no-one played a believable character as they spent their screen time largely moving the plot along. I do not blame the actors for this, however, as I feel that the writing was largely to blame for these empty personas that they did their best to try and inhabit. That being said, there was some actual character development for two of the turtles which the film would have done well to explore more. There is a sub-plot with Raphael and Michelangelo which could have been so much more interesting if the film had given it more weight, but instead we get a largely unsatisfying main plot.
Visuals
The direction and visuals of some of the action scenes are absolutely amazing for some sequences such as when the turtles make a plane transfer mid-flight or when they’re floating down the rapids of a river. For me, they stand head and shoulders above anything from the first movie as Green’s direction makes for much cleaner montage work. The camerawork in these sequences is steady and gives you a good sense of space so understand where everyone is during a fight. The movement of the camera is also smooth and avoids the jerky handheld effect of Jonathan Libesman’s original, which I was thankful for. Most of all, they’re actually fun and exciting to watch, which makes it one of the few things I definitely enjoyed in this film.
A big drawback for the original film, for me, was the animation and design of the turtles themselves which landed them right in the middle of the uncanny valley. The combination of human and non-human features for the turtles, especially the prominence of their human teeth, made them look super creepy. In this film, I didn’t get as much of an uncanny valley revulsion to the turtles as I believe they’ve changed enough of their design to avoid that same reaction. I’m not exactly sure whether it’s because they’ve added more imperfections to them or played down some of their more human features (like the teeth!) but it’s a significant improvement over the original film.
Audio
The film’s soundtrack was quite solid throughout with a good combination of both orchestral and more pop tracks. The soundtrack largely works to support the emotional points of each scene but largely doesn’t stand out too often. There are times when a song is used quite cleverly such as when Edwin Starr’s War is used to introduce Bebop and Rocksteady driving through the jungle in a tank. The film also makes use of interesting non-diegetic sound in certain sequences. During one scene, Michelangelo introduces all of the turtles in the manner of a game show host to great comical effect with the soundscape imitating the sounds from a tv gameshow.
Overall
Unfortunately, I was very much unimpressed with the overall experience of this film. The writing is better than the first movie, but it still lacks a lot of substance which harms the rest of the film significantly. The visuals during the action sequences are actually quite awesome and I quite enjoyed them, even though they were few and far between. The film’s score and soundscape are largely solid but don’t leave too much of an impression beyond a couple of specific moments here and there. Although there are moments which stand out from the mediocrity, this film is largely held back by its sub-par writing. If you’re a fan of the original movie then go see this one, otherwise this film isn’t gonna turn you into a TMNT fan…
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Overwatch Review
Overwatch
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows
Release Date: 24 May, 2016
Price: $39.99 USD (Windows Only) / $59.99 USD (Origins Edition) – Available Here
Video Review
Overview
Overwatch is Blizzard’s first foray into the FPS genre and their first released shooter, as Starcraft Ghost met its untimely end in development hell. Salvaged from Titan, another one of Blizzard’s cancelled projects, Overwatch pits two teams of six heroes in team-based, objective-oriented matches. Don’t let Overwatch’s origins fool you. This game is good.
Story
Overwatch is packed with a surprising amount of lore for a team-based shooter, a genre not exactly associated with plotlines. Too bad there is no easy way to access it all from the game. The story behind the game is fleshed out in a series of comics and videos released by Blizzard leading up to the game’s release that lays down the setting and gives each hero a decent backstory. It makes for an interesting read/watch, even if it doesn’t really explain why two groups of six random heroes are trying to kill each other over an objective point. I would love to see a link to a repository of all this lore either in-game or in the launcher.
Gameplay
Overwatch ships with 21 heroes and 12 maps across four modes. The 21 heroes are broken down into four general classes based on their role: offense, defense, tank, and support. Although heroes may share a class, each hero has their own playstyle and take on the class thanks their unique abilities. The tank class is a great example. Although all five are close range brawlers with huge pools of hit points, they all have niches where they shine. For example, Roadhog lacks the shields of the other four tanks which makes it difficult to charge forward and soak damage. Instead, he is able to pull enemies towards him, dragging them into the line of fire and then jumping around a corner to heal himself. Reinhardt serves as Roadhog’s polar opposite, marching into enemy fire with a giant shield that protects his team from damage.
Though the game shipped with four different game modes, there is technically only three. The main modes are an attack/defend Assault mode, a best out of three king of the hill style mode called Control, and Escort mode which has teams moving a vehicle into the enemy base. The final mode is a hybrid of Assault and Escort, with the first half of the map being an assault objective and the final half being an escort. All of these are standard FPS fare. Each of the four modes have three unique maps. The map design for the most part is excellent, with lots of flanking opportunities for agile heroes and main paths that serve as flashpoints for combat. There are a few funnel areas that lack proper side routes in the game, which can be a bit of a challenge to push through.
Currently, players can jump into games via the quick match system or organize private matches with custom rules. Each week brings a new arcade mode with its own set of rules. I am rather surprised at the lack of a ranked mode on launch. Blizzard assures it is coming and that it was delayed due to balancing issues, but a game like Overwatch feels a bit weird without ranked play. The matchmaking was decent for the most part, though there were several occasions where teams were extremely lopsided or a sixth player could not be found for an entire match.
The overall balance is pretty good, though there are definitely some fine tuning that can be done here or there. There is a good balance in the skill requirement for heroes, from easy to play characters like Soldier 76 to Genji, the melee ninja which requires players with monstrously high skill to play well. There are a few heroes that are way overused for their sheer killing potential, such as Pharah and Reaper; however, I found it was very rare to feel completely helpless in Overwatch, as there was almost always a counter to every problem.
Overwatch is a newbie friendly game. Not only are there a handful of simple to learn characters to help ease players into the genre, the entire game is built as a system of positive reinforcement and team play. Individual players are not ranked among their team based on kills or points. Instead, players can only see who is “on fire” during the match. As players deal damage that contributes to an enemy death, complete objects, and support teammates, they earn heat points. Once a certain threshold is reached, they are considered to be “on fire.” Though it doesn’t have direct influence on gameplay, it serves as a nice bit of positive reinforcement for players. Blizzard is continuing the trend of positive reinforcement even when it comes to losing. At the end of the match, the AI decides what was the biggest turning point of the match and serves it up as the game ending replay. The play can be made by a losing player, which definitely takes the sting out of failure. After the replay, all the relevant stats for the player is shown. Four players from either team who performed particularly well are put up for an MVP-type vote as an extra pat on the back as a job well done. There is a constant feel of progression without affecting the gameplay to boot. Cosmetics like voice packs and skins are constantly unlocked as players level up and earn loot boxes.
At the same time, Overwatch isn’t a game designed only for casual players. The game strongly emphasizes teamwork and coordination as the road to success. A few well timed ultimate abilities synchronized correctly can completely destroy the opposition, giving players valuable seconds to complete objectives. To add icing on the cake, many heroes have deadly skill combinations in the game that can be mastered for powerful effect and not all of them are founds on high skill/high reward heroes either. For example, the easy to pick up Roadhog actually has a combination of skills and attacks that can kill most heroes almost instantly, but is tough to pull off.
Visuals
Overwatch is gorgeous. The world is a colourful vision of a near future mixed with a slightly cartoony style that Warcraft fans are familiar with. The design of the heroes mixes a futuristic look with pop culture stereotypes and references to previous Blizzard titles. I have to applaud Blizzard for the sheer diversity of the game. The heroes are a fair mix of different gender, ethnicity, and size; yet it doesn’t really feel forced at all thanks to the game’s lore. Most importantly, the silhouettes of each hero is clear enough that it is possible to identify them in the heat of a frantic battle.
On the technical side for PC, Overwatch is very well optimized. There are tons of settings to adjust to fit every computer set up. The game runs extremely well on older rigs and the minimum system requirements are generous. For consoles, the game is reported to be running at or close to 60FPS at 1080p, an absolute must for any competitive shooter.
Audio
Overwatch has a great audio experience. The soundtrack is enjoyable and the sound effects are fantastic. The voice acting is absolutely top notch, with a great performance by the actors and excellent lines. Extra credit is due, as Blizzard has implemented a good VOIP system and Dolby Atmos virtual surround sound technology for headphone users into the game.
Overall
The bar is high for Blizzard on their first foray into FPS games because of its long held “delay it until it’s done right, cancel it if it’s bad” policy. Overwatch meets the challenge and clears the bar with ease. Not only is it the perfect gateway drug to competitive FPS games, it still holds countless hours of fun for grizzled old veterans of the genre. While there is still room for improvement, the game is very well balanced coming out of the starting blocks. While I wish there was easy access to the lore content in game, the graphic and audio design are absolutely flawless and the game is technically sound. If you plan on buying only a single game in 2016, make it Overwatch.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Further Adventures in Finance and Felony Out for GTA Online June 7
White collar crime, meet violent crime. Rockstar is releasing what could possibly be GTA Online’s most interesting update. “Further Adventures in Finance and Felony” will launch on June 7.
The update builds on the “Executives and Other Criminals” pack that added the VIP status to the game. “Further Adventures in Finance and Felony” will allow VIPs to start their own companies and commit crime on an industrial scale. The CEO will fill company portfolios with real estate purchases and dispatch operatives to complete missions. Companies will compete with each other to become the most profitable illegal enterprise in the city, all while keeping the police off their backs.
As with every GTA Online update, “Further Adventures in Finance and Felony” will be introducing some new missions, vehicles, and clothing accessories. The Pegassi Reaper sports car is the crown jewel of the update, with its sleek styling and blazing speeds.
Indie Gala Every Monday Bundle #113 Now Available
Whether you are enjoying the Memorial Day long weekend or back to work, the Indie Gala Every Monday Bundle is bringing some great indie games together for a low price. This week’s bundle packs seven great titles for only $1.89 in the first 24 hours.
Envy the Dead – A zombie survival rogue-rogue that mixes node-based exploration and tower defense mechanics.
Heaven Island Life – An adventure inspired by the book Origins of Architectural Pleasure that uses HTC Vive VR headsets.
Abandoned Knight – A top down action game set in an abandoned building full of monsters.
Experience – A platformer/shooter featuring 20 levels across four locations.
Caravanserail – Load up your caravan and attempt to make the most profit in this arcade-sim inspired by Pirates.
Alien Blitz – A top down 3D shooter featuring 41 maps, 3 difficulty settings, and 14 upgradable weapons.
Archon Classic – This game is the original battle chess title that first arrived on the scene in 1983.
For the first 24 hours of the sale, the entire bundle is only $1.89, so grab your copy at Indie Gala today.
F1™ 2016 TO FEATURE IMMERSIVE TEN YEAR CAREER MODE
F1™ 2016 TO FEATURE IMMERSIVE TEN YEAR CAREER MODE
SAFETY CAR, VIRTUAL SAFETY CAR AND NEW BAKU CIRCUIT ALSO ANNOUNCED
SYDNEY, 30TH May 2016 – Codemasters® have announced that F1™ 2016, the official videogame of the 2016 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™, will include the most immersive career mode ever featured in the franchise. F1 2016 will release onto PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and Windows PC (via Steam) this winter.
F1 2016’s new career mode will take gamers deeper into the world’s most glamorous, exciting and prestigious motorsport, both on and off the track. The life-like recreation of the sport will be further enhanced by the addition of the sport’s iconic Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car, as well as the introduction of the challenging new street circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan for the 2016 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE.
“F1 2016 is a massive step forward for the franchise”, said Lee Mather, Principal Games Designer at Codemasters. “The new career mode sits at the heart of the game and allows gamers to create their own legend over a career that can span for up to a massive ten seasons. Beyond improving upon the fastest and most thrilling on-track racing experience in gaming, F1 2016 uniquely offers the drama and vehicle development that goes on behind the scenes. A rich car upgrade system is fully integrated into a new and deep practice development programme which mirrors the tests carried out by the teams in real life.”
Mather continued: “The career mode, together with the re-introduction of the Safety Car, the first inclusion of the Virtual Safety Car and a number of other unannounced improvements means that F1 2016 will have more new features than any other year of the franchise.”
In the new career mode players select an avatar to represent them within the game world as well as choosing a number to take with them through their career. They are then free to choose from any of the FORMULA ONE teams, all with different goals and expectations. It may be more challenging to start further down the grid, but it will also be easier to exceed team expectations. Players can earn contracts and move from team to team, or choose to develop their favourite team into a championship contender.
To complement the on-track experience, and to expand the realism of the Career mode, F1 2016 includes stunning hospitality areas for each team that act as the player’s game hub. In this area they will work with their Research and Development Engineer and Player Agent to develop their progress both on and off the track. To further enhance the immersion, players will also be able to spot other key figures from the paddock within the hospitality areas.
In what is already a very exciting season, the 2016 season sees Azerbaijan become the latest addition to the FORMULA ONE calendar, with capital city Baku playing host to what could very well be the fastest street circuit of the season. Early screenshots show off the new time of day editor which allows players to dramatically customise the visuals of the race experience. The brand-new Haas F1 Team makes their debut in the 2016 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, and in the process become the first all-American-led F1 team in three decades.
Follow Codemasters F1 games blog and social channels on Twitter and Facebook for future updates. Further details will be released on the upcoming game soon.
Melsoft and Wargaming Team Up to Launch a Coffee Empire
Melsoft and Wargaming Team Up to Launch a Coffee Empire
My Café: Recipes & Stories is now live globally, inviting players to blend coffee with gossip
May 30, 2016 — Melsoft is happy to announce the global release of its new title: the free-to-play restaurant simulator My Café: Recipes & Stories. Published in cooperation with Melsoft’s strategic mobile partner Wargaming, the game amassed over 700,000 installs with a 30-day retention of 32%, and is now available globally on iOS and Android.
“My Café: Recipes & Stories entered soft launch in 2015 at quite an early stage,” said Andrey Yarantsau, Business Development Director at Melsoft. “We have still been enhancing the game off player feedback for around a year, and we’re truly grateful to all of them for the ideas they brought to the table. Together we’ve created a fun and engaging mobile game that can keep you entertained.”
The latest installment in Melsoft’s portfolio brings a nice twist to the popular business simulation genre, adding a shot of storytelling to immerse players in the exciting lives of café clientele. The game isn’t only about customizing your store with tons of equipment and furniture to get it just right. In My Café: Recipes & Stories, the cappuccinos may be hot but the drama is set to boil over.
As you level up, you’ll discover the interesting and sometimes secretive lives of dozens of diverse characters who frequent your café. Combined with a rich blend of customization options and quirky customers are competitive social features to keep track of your friends’ progress.
Don’t de-lait, download today:
- App Store:
- Google Play:
About Melsoft
Melsoft is a leading casual game company with millions of players from over 60 countries around the world. For the last 9 years Melsoft collected portfolio with over 30 great projects, developed for various platforms: mobile, PC and console.
A team of creative and passionate professionals, Melsoft easily adopt new emerging technologies across gaming platforms. And now they spread their ideas about fun mobile games through the entire gaming world.
Official website:
Dragon Ball Fusions New Trailer and Gameplay Details
Dragon Ball Fusions for the Nintendo 3DS has received its second full length trailer and a new scan which finally reveals some information on how the battle system will work.
The battle system works like a turn based RPG with the goal to push your enemies out of the battle arena. Fights seem to be a team affair with a 5 on 5 battle being shown on the scans which also mention allies that you can recruit can also appear in these battles. The top screen will display the battle while the bottom screen displays a radar with your enemies position and your teams as well as which position you will be blown back in. Your attacks seem to have a focus on flashy visuals and long distance moves and will be different for each character.
The trailer gives us a look at all the worlds we can visit, a few story scenes, some more crazy fusions and maxi fusion, which is a fusion made from your entire party. It seems there will be a few different maxi fusion characters based on your team composition and they look and probably are as overpowered as you can imagine a fusion made of five people would be. We also get a look at the games expansive roster which even includes people like Gine, Goku’s mother who has only appeared in a few manga panels.
Dragon Ball Fusions releases for the Nintendo 3DS on August 4th, 2016, with an international release still yet to be announced.
Sekai Project Reveals Sena-chan as Company Mascot
While many game companies tend to focus on simply having a company logo, a few go as far as having their own company mascot. This is especially true in Japan and while a certain other visual novel publisher has their own mascot, Sekai Project has only been known through a simple logo and for their signature PC titles.
Well that has changed recently as Sekai Project has announced that they now have a company mascot of their very own. Initially shown off through as un-explained promotional material, the company has revealed that the girl, shown above, is now the company’s mascot going forward. Sena Aozora, or simply Sena-chan, has been created by zpolice and Chris Ling, the co-founder and head of licensing at Sekai Project, had the following to say about their mascot and why she was created:
Before the plans to make a mascot character were under way, there had been a lot of internal discussion about what Sekai Project would do to celebrate the company’s third anniversary. There was a strong interest in doing more to promote our brand and what better way than to create a company mascot.
I wanted something that really represented Sekai Project and the idea of a tour guide seemed to click. In my many travels through Japan I would see uniformed tour guides, with a little flag in their hand, taking groups of tourists around, and the idea of someone guiding fans into the world of games, visual novels, and beyond just took off.
As Sekai Project continues to grow, it is hoped that Sena-chan will help guide fans to the wonderful titles and products we release, and at the same time we hope that her warm, friendly smile will become widely popular with everyone. We already have plans in place to utilize her more in upcoming promotional materials, so definitely look forward to seeing more of Sena Aozora very soon.”
First English Gameplay Trailer Released for I Am Setsuna
Square Enix has released their first English gameplay video for the upcoming Tokyo RPG Factory developed RPG I Am Setsuna. The focus of the video is to show off a little of everything that the game has to offer, including its battle system, game design, and the gorgeous looking art design of the world.
The story of I Am Setsuna follows a young woman named Setsuna who has “an incredible inner strength” and the sacrifice she must undergo to save the people of the land. I Am Setsuna is currently set to be released on the PlayStation 4 as a digital download and on PC on July 19th for $39.99.