For anyone out there that has no clue what a ColecoVision is let’s start off with a bit of a history lesson. The original ColecoVision by Coleco Industries was a 2nd generation home video game console release in August of 1982, and personally speaking was my first ever video game console I ever owed. The Colecovision console at the time offered amazing arcade quality graphics and gameplay and at launch had 12 ultra-cool launch titles like Mousetrap which came bundled with the console at the time. The Colecovision console sold in excess of 2 million units and published a total of 145 titles from 1982 to 1984, but ultimately withdrew from the video game market in October 1995.
And now after 30 years Coleco is throwing their hat back into the video game ring as it re-enters the market, partnering up with Retro Video Game Systems, Inc. with the introduction of a new video game console called the COLECO Chameleon.
The COLECO Chameleon will accurately play all the favourite past ColecoVision titles along with having the ability to play new games in 8-, 16-, and 32-bit styles, which recently have been quite a popular genre with gamers.
Chris Cardillo, a partner in COLECO said, “Mark [Thomann] and I are excited to work hand-in-hand with Retro Video Game Systems, Inc. in the launch of the COLECO Chameleon. It’s ironic that a new ‘retro’ video-game system would actually revolutionize and revitalize the COLECO brand.”
The COLECO Chameleon have decided not to follow the digital distribution age bandwagon and go back to it’s old school roots with all brand new games being made on long-lasting durable cartridges housed in plastic clamshell cases with illustrated instruction manuals. For all you old school gamers out there, we can once again hold in our hands and relive the joy of slamming that cartridge down into the console and then flipping the ON switch and waiting for the game to load up in seconds, with the added extra option that IF the game stops working when you plug it, you can take it back out and blow the connectors in the hope that it can magically start again.
Retro Video Game Systems, Inc. President Mike Kennedy adds, “The COLECO Chameleon is a love-letter to all the classic cartridge based gaming systems that came before it and we love the fact it will succeed COLECO’s successful Telstar and Colecovision product lines. It will take gamers and their families back to a simpler time where games were all about great gameplay and fun factor.”
The COLECO Chameleon will launch in 2016 and will also be demonstrated at Toy Fair New York 2016, February 13-16.
I guess every big game has a nice little app to go with it, and now Super Mario Maker is the latest to get that treatment. Instead of an app however, Super Mario Maker Bookmark will launch as a web portal, showing players who are not at their console further content.
That will launch December 22nd, but even more interesting is that the game will getting new features in the form of an update.
Here are the details:
Players will be able to access Super Mario Maker Bookmark from their computer, tablet or smart phone to see recommended courses, as well as find their ideal challenge by filtering all available courses by difficulty, game theme, course style and more. Players can also search using a selection of tags, making it easier to find courses that fall into a specific category such as automatic, puzzle, music and more. Any eye-catching levels can then be added as Bookmarks for instant access in-game*. These comprehensive options are also accessible on Wii U via the Course World in Super Mario Maker, allowing players to find a course and hit the Play Now button to jump straight into the action*. A link to Super Mario Maker Bookmark will be added to the Super Mario Maker gamesite after the web portal launches on December 22.
Also on December 22, a software update will be released that adds even more features to the game, including several items never before seen in the Super Mario series. These new features include:
Fire Koopa Clown Car: Perfect for creating shoot ‘em up-style courses, this volcanic vessel is capable of shooting fireballs as well as a powerful charged shot that can even destroy Blocks.
P Warp Doors: Unlike regular Warp Doors, these are only visible while a P Switch is active – ideal for creating truly devious Ghost House courses.
Bumper: This bouncy donut-shaped object sends Mario bounding away when touched.
Other additions: Super Mario Maker Bookmark will be accessible from Course World, while the course information page will now show the fastest clear time, as well as the first player to clear that particular course.
Sounds great, so check out that on December 22nd and take a better look at a handy infographic released down below.
You may remember that Falcom announced a new Ys game for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita a few days before 2014’s Tokyo Game Show for release sometime in 2015. Well after going quiet on the project the company has now announced that they will be bringing Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana as it is now called out in Japan in summer 2016.
The game is still set to take place in the “Goethe Sea” on “Sirens Island” where players will find themselves facing off against a large variety of enemies while also developing a base called the “Drifting Village” that is built by recruiting various castaways scattered across the island. You can check out some early screenshots for Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana below.
Those who have fond memories of the classic Final Fantasy VI and have lost their original copies of the game may be interested to hear that Square Enix has decided to release their mobile port of the game onto PC via Steam. Those who purchase Final Fantasy VI within the next few days can do so at a 10% discount, making the title only cost $14.39 instead of the standard $15.99.
Since this is the mobile port of the game, the title will feature the unfortunate looking graphic update as well as modified controls, an optimized active-time battle system, Steam achievements and Trading Cards exclusive to the PC release.
Koei Tecmo has released their first full trailer as well as a new batch of screenshots for Dead or Alive Xtreme 3. In the trailer we are given a look at how the game’s Soft Engine 2.0 will allow for noticeably improved skin physics as well as a number of the various activities that the girl’s will be able to take part in. This includes the standard beach volley ball, pool hopping, tug-of-war, beach flag, and the new mini-game rock climbing.
Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 is currently set to be released on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita on February 25th in Japan and those who wish to pick up the game can do so through Play-Asiaas the company will be selling an English subtitled version of the game.
When a friend of mine told me that Die Hard, directed by John McTiernan, was their favourite Christmas movie I was dumbfounded. Having never seen the film before, I wondered how the 80s action movie could possibly qualify as a Christmas movie. Luckily, the folks at In The House came to the rescue and screened the film as their final entry in their third season of film screenings. For the last time this year, I moseyed on down to George St cinemas to see what all the fuss was about.
With more than their regular share of fanfare, as the Umbilical brothers hosted the start of the show. With their frenetic antics, they warmed up the audience and helped with the traditional competitions and impromptu quizzes. Jason ‘Jabba’ Davis and David ‘Quinny’ Quinn then followed through with some interesting bits about the film such as the fact that Frank Sinatra had originally been offered the role of McClane (due to a contractual obligation). With those frivolities aside, the screening began.
Story
The narrative follows a number of characters with the first one being John McClane (Bruce Willis), a New York police cop, as he travels to Los Angeles to spend the Christmas holidays with his estranged family and wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia). His wife herself is an executive officer for a Japanese corporation and is attending the office Christmas party at her workplace. McClane is brought over to her office and we soon learn that things are not going well between the two as they both pursue their own careers, at the expense of their relationship.
All hell breaks loose when terrorists, led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), break into the building and take all of the revellers hostage with McClane escaping capture. He then engages in a tense game of cat and mouse with these terrorists as he attempts to find a way to avoid capture and rescue the hostages. All the while, Hans engages in a deadly game of chess with law enforcement when they finally arrive. McClane soon learns that all is not as it seems and that, unless he acts, Gruber will be able to pull through with his nefarious plan.
The narrative execution is interesting as, on paper, it appears to be the perfect set up for a thriller type action with plenty of tension and claustrophobic direction. A traditional approach to this script would keep close to the perspective of McClane with a lot of suspense and fear of the unknown. Instead of going for this approach, the film chooses to keep the audience informed throughout with multiple perspectives of both the heroes and villains so we always know who is doing what and where (in general). It makes the film much more dynamic and emotionally accessible than if a more traditional direction was taken. You can enjoy the action without too much tension as the audience is kept in the know even when the characters are not.
John McClane as a character is also particularly interesting for how he bucks conventional casting of action movies. Instead of following on with other 80s action films which generally had some muscled up beefcake playing the hero (such as in Predator), the original Die Hard instead featured Bruce Willis. Instead of watching an Olympian god going about dispatching the villains, we have an ‘everyman’ hero trying his best to overcome the odds and survive. His casting was a stroke of genius and he plays the role to perfection as a snarky, smart, and reasonably fit guy who you believe can get through the problems he faces but isn’t going to have an easy time of it. Every fight and encounter takes its toll and Willis portrays this so well that by the end you’re amazed that McClane hasn’t collapsed into a heap. It makes for much more compelling viewing and also means that the character of McClane can get much more characterisation than if Schwarzenegger was given the role.
Gruber is similarly interesting in characterisation by Rickman who performs the role superbly. Rickman’s voice and accent is perfectly suited to that of a movie villain as his proper diction and annunciation reinforce Gruber’s menacing intelligence as he goes about being nefarious. Considering that this was his Hollywood film debut, he set the benchmark for himself here and possibly typecast himself as the brooding villain for the rest of his career. Regardless, you’ll love to hate Rickman in this film.
One aspect which I felt was very lacking was the character of Holly (McClane’s wife) who doesn’t get much of anything in the story. Besides being the motivation for McClane to come out to Los Angeles, which isolates him from his friends and contacts in his native New York, and to ultimately be the final prize for McClane to rescue. The film very much sidelines the female characters, in favour of focusing upon the male protagonists as they match wits and lock horns. Besides her corporate work, we get no sense that Holly has any agency as a character within the film at all. It would have been nice for her to have something more to do with her character, but I guess I can’t really fault the film for being a victim of its time and not having a kickass female character… nonetheless, consider this a point which the film fails on for a modern audience.
Visuals
McTiernan’s directorial style makes use of a lot of interesting cuts and shots. Generally speaking, he would make copious use of multi-layer shots with the action happening in the fore and back of the frame with pans, trackings shots, and zooms. It gives you a real sense of the space that all the action is unfolding in as everything is happening in front of your eyes rather than being lost to quick cuts here and there. The final scene of Gruber also gives us one of the most visually beautiful villain deaths I’ve ever seen in a film. This is an action film which works to give us a clear of where the action is taking place in every scene.
Audio
The soundtrack throughout the film is absolutely amazing. With the score running behind every scene, the impact of each moment intensified as we enjoy a mixture of Christmas classics and orchestral pieces. The former is used to create a sense of irony through juxtaposition with the narrative action while the latter is used to reinforce and finally release the suspense. The film’s well known finale with Gruber boasts one of the most intense sequences largely due to the audio compliment crescendo and full climax of the horns section of the of the film’s orchestra. In that crescendo, you’ll also notice the faint sound of bells reinforcing that this IS a Christmas movie even as the villain dies horribly/awesomely.
Overall
Overall, I enjoyed this film very much as the fun action romp it was. The story provides a simple setup but has plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. Willis and Rickman are amazing in their respective roles and it is easy to see how this film kicked off their careers. The direction throughout gives the audience a good sense of space as well as keeping us in the know for each narrative beat. The soundtrack goes all out with a mixture of orchestral and Christmas (sounding) pieces which give the film a unique tone. I would highly recommend Die Hard to anyone who is a fan of action films, and if nothing else; I’ll certainly be adding Die Hard to my rotation of movies to watch over the holidays.
Congratulations to In The House for an awesome third season! I loved reviewing the films they screened and I look forward to their next season, which you can find here.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
European fans of The Legend of Heroes series won’t have to wait too much longer than their North American counterparts as it has been announced that The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel will be released on the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita in Europe on January 29, 2016.
The title will be available both at retail and as a digital download on both platforms. As for the North American release, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel will be released by XSEED Games in only a few more days as the title is set to be released on December 22nd.
Gamers in North America have known for quite a bit now that they will be able to pick up Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel sometime in early 2016 courtesy of XSEED Games and recently Marvelous has announced that they will also be bringing the anime fighting game to the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 in Europe in that same time frame.
Those who are looking to pick up the game will have the option of picking upeither a standard or “Lethal Blaze” edition for the game though it is worth noting that these physical releases are only available for the PlayStation 4 version of Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel.
It was previously announced that when Resident Evil 0 Remastered is released it will feature a brand new “Wesker Mode” that places players before the events that led up to the mansion outbreak and into the boots of Albert Wesker with a variety of special powers and a probably mind controlled Rebecca Chambers in an outfit similar to Jill’s from Resident Evil 5.
Recently a six minute video showing off the “Wesker Mode” was released and you can check it out below. Those looking to pick up Capcom‘s Resident Evil 0 Remaster can either do so digitally on the PlayStation 4, Xbox one, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on January 19th or pick up a retail bundle with Resident Evil Remaster for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
The most recent issue of Famitsu has revealed some new details about Koei Tecmo’s upcoming Attack on Titan game, that is likely just being called Attack on Titan at this point, though those who haven’t seen the series at this point should be prepared for spoilers.
The issue has revealed that the Female Titan as well as Eren Yeager’s titan forms will be in the game and that there will be combat featuring these forms. Koei Tecmo‘s Attack on Titan will be released on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PS Vita in Japan on February 18th with a Western release planned for sometime in 2016.
