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November 9, 2015

POKÉMON ANIMATION STUDIO NOW OPEN AT KIDZANIA LONDON!

Budding young directors and producers can now head to KidZania London to hone their skills at Europe’s first Pokémon stop-motion animation studio

London, UK—9 November, 2015. The Pokémon Company International, in partnership with global entertainment phenomenon KidZania, is happy to announce that the Pokémon Animation Studio at KidZania London is now open at Westfield London.

The Pokémon Animation Studio is the first of its kind in Europe. The creative activity has been designed especially for kids and will last around 20 minutes. Visitors will be asked to complete a short film using stop-motion animation techniques.

The young animators will be split up into pairs, one director and one producer, who will be assigned their own studio booth. Each booth is equipped with the latest stop-motion animation software, and children will have the remainder of the session to create the ending of the short film using the TOMY Pokémon figures and props provided. At the end of the session, their masterpieces will be displayed on a screen outside the establishment for parents to see their work—and of course, every child will be rewarded with kidZos, the KidZania currency, for completing the task!

An experience like no other, KidZania London is the UK’s first educational entertainment experience. It’s a real-life introduction to the world of work, representing experiential learning at its very best. Children begin to understand and learn for themselves the diversity and function of businesses, the nature of work, and its overall contribution to well-being and prosperity in our world today.

KidZania, which has welcomed over 42 million visitors worldwide, is a global phenomenon and one of the world’s fastest-growing educational entertainment brands, with 20 locations across five continents including places such as Mexico, Dubai, Tokyo, and Istanbul.

-ENDS-

About Pokémon
The Pokémon Company International, a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company in Japan, manages the property outside of Asia and is responsible for brand management, licensing, marketing, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the animated TV series, home entertainment, and the official Pokémon website. Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 and today is one of the most popular children’s entertainment properties in the world. For more information, visit Pokemon.co.uk.
@KidZaniaLondon
https://www.facebook.com/KidZaniaLondon
www.kidzania.co.uk

About TOMY
TOMY (www.tomy.com ) is a leading global designer, producer, and marketer of innovative, high-quality toys sold to children and adults under the TOMY® brands as well as products for parents, infants, and toddlers under The First Years®, Lamaze, Aquadoodle, JJ Cole® Collections, and Boon® brands. TOMY also markets its products under popular and classic licensed properties such as Aquadoodle, Boon, Britains, Chuggington, Pokémon, Dinosaur Train, Lamaze, John Deere, J.J Cole, Disney’s Winnie the Pooh, TOMY Infant and Toddler, and other well-known properties. TOMY’s mission is to make the world smile. TOMY reaches its target consumers through multiple channels of distribution, supporting more than 25,000 retail outlets throughout North and South America, Europe, and Australia. TOMY International is a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan-based TOMY Company, Ltd. (Tokyo Stock Exchange Code No. 7867). © TOMY

CODE.ORG, DISNEY AND STAR WARS LAUNCH HOUR OF CODE “BUILD-YOUR-OWN-GAME” TUTORIAL TO BROADEN COMPUTER SCIENCE PARTICIPATION

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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November 9, 2015

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CODE.ORG, DISNEY AND STAR WARS LAUNCH HOUR OF CODE “BUILD-YOUR-OWN-GAME” TUTORIAL TO BROADEN COMPUTER SCIENCE PARTICIPATION

Lesson Features Leia and Rey from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as well as R2-D2, C-3PO and BB-8

SEATTLE, WA. and GLENDALE, CA. (Nov. 9, 2015) – Today, Code.org unveiled a Star Wars-themed computer science tutorial featuring Princess Leia, C-3PO and R2-D2 as well as Rey and BB-8 from the upcoming film Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The online lesson kicks off the third-annual global Hour of Code campaign, in honour of Computer Science Education Week, December 7-13, 2015.

Thanks to Disney and Star Wars, students will learn to write code that allows them to create fun challenges and games using Star Wars characters. Participants will join forces with Rey to guide BB-8 through a space mission, then team up with Princess Leia to build their own game featuring R2-D2 or C-3PO. Students will also be able to play their completed games on smartphones, and share them with friends and family through a unique link.

“For generations, Star Wars has sparked kids’ curiosity and imagination, and we hope the appeal of characters like Princess Leia and Rey will help fuel greater participation in science and math, especially among girls, around the world,” said Kathleen Kennedy, President, Lucasfilm, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. “Computer science has helped shape our legacy and changed the way movies are made, which is why programs like the Hour of Code are so important to us.”

This is the second year Disney has worked with Code.org on a coding tutorial featuring Disney characters. Last year’s tutorial — which US President Barack Obama participated in at the White House for the Hour of Code last December — has been completed more than 13 million times and tapped Anna and Elsa from Walt Disney Animation Studio’s blockbuster film “Frozen.” More than 100 million students across 180 countries have tried an Hour of Code tutorial, including one in three students in US schools, according to Code.org estimates.

Code.org’s new “Star Wars: Building a Galaxy with Code” lesson for the Hour of Code 2015 aims to nurture creativity and teach logic and problem solving through basic computer programming. There are two versions of the introductory tutorial: one introduces users to the coding language JavaScript for the first time in a Code.org lesson, and lets them create a game in their Internet browser using Code.org’s unique blocks-to-text programming environment. For beginner and younger students, a tablet-friendly drag-and-drop version will be available in the next few weeks. The tutorial will also be translated into more than 40 languages. The tutorial is supported by Star Wars: Force for Change, a philanthropic initiative that harnesses the strength of Star Wars and its global fandom to empower people to come together to make a positive impact on the world around them.

In addition to the lesson, role models and technologists, including Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, Rachel Rose, a Senior R&D engineer working on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Charita Carter, Senior Creative Producer at Walt Disney Imagineering, have provided short video lectures to help students through the one-hour activity.

“Millions of us have been transported to a galaxy far, far away thanks to the creativity of the team behind Star Wars. Every one of us, especially young boys and girls, should also have the chance to learn how to power our own creativity with computer science,” said Hadi Partovi, co-founder and CEO of Code.org. “Code.org is honored to have the support of Disney and Star Wars on the Hour of Code, making it possible for students everywhere to experience firsthand how this foundational field opens new doors, and can be a lot of fun too.”

“Disney is driven by storytelling and technology—and we know that kids introduced to computer science today will become the innovators and storytellers of tomorrow,” said Jimmy Pitaro, Co-Chairman, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media. “We are honored to be working with Code.org again this year to introduce millions of students to coding, which is becoming one of the most important languages of their generation.”

In addition to partnering with Code.org to make the “Star Wars: Building a Galaxy with Code” tutorial available for free in more than 180 countries, The Walt Disney Company is donating US $100,000 to support Code.org’s efforts to bring computer science education to afterschool programs throughout the United States. One lucky classroom will win the grand prize – a trip to San Francisco, Calif. for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes “Making of Star Wars” experience with the visual effects team who worked on Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The grand prize is courtesy of ILMxLAB, a new laboratory for immersive entertainment, combining the talents of Lucasfilm, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound. Sphero, a company that participated in the 2014 Disney Accelerator, will also be gifting programmable BB-8^TM droids to 100 participating classrooms. HP Inc has also donated Star Wars^TM Special Edition Notebook devices to 10 participating teachers. And during Computer Science Education Week in December, Disney will host an Hour of Code event for local students at their Los Angeles office, and Disney VoluntEARS will support Hour of Code events around the world.

In Australia and New Zealand, there are currently a total of 971 Hour of Code events scheduled: 761 in Australia and 210 in New Zealand.

The “Star Wars: Building a Galaxy with Code” tutorial is the newest addition to Code.org’s online learning platform, Code Studio, which offers a suite of self-guided computer science activities and courses for students to learn the fundamentals of computer science, starting as early as kindergarten.

At a time when the majority of Kindergarten to Year 12 schools don’t offer computer science, more than 5 million students have enrolled on Code Studio since its 2014 launch. Additionally, 43 percent of Code Studio students are girls, and 37 percent are black or Hispanic.

This reach is substantial, considering in the US women hold only 23% of computing jobs, just 18% of bachelor’s degrees in computer science are awarded to women, and only 22% of high school AP Computer Science exam takers are girls. In Australia, women represent only 19% of IT university course enrolments and only 21% of IT course completions, uCube (DET Australian Government).

Beyond the Hour of Code, Code.org has partnered with Disney on “Infinity Play Lab,” an environment where students code stories or games starring Disney Infinity versions of Anna and Elsa from “Frozen,” Hiro and Baymax from “Big Hero 6” and Rapunzel of “Tangled.” Code.org has also released Hour of Code tutorials with artwork from Rovio’s Angry Birds, PopCap Games’ Plants vs. Zombies and the acorn-crazed squirrel Scrat from the Twentieth Century Fox animated series “Ice Age.”

Try the tutorial now on Code Studio (http://Code.org/starwars). The experience will also be available on Disney.com soon.

And sign up to participate in this year’s Hour of Code event: http://HourOfCode.com

About Code.org

Code.org is a 501c3 public non-profit dedicated to expanding access to computer science and increasing participation by women and underrepresented students of color. Its vision is that every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn computer science. After launching in 2013, Code.org organized the Hour of Code campaign – which has introduced over 100 million students to computer science to date – and partnered with 70 public school districts nationwide to expand computer science programs. Code.org is supported by philanthropic donations from corporations, foundations and generous individuals, including Ballmer Family Giving, Google, Infosys Foundation USA, Microsoft, Omidyar Network and others.

About Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media

Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media (DCPI) is the business segment of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) that brings our Company’s stories and characters to life through innovative and engaging physical products and digital experiences across more than 100 categories, from toys and t-shirts, to apps, books and console games. DCPI comprises two main lines of business: Disney Consumer Products (DCP), and Disney Interactive (DI). The combined segment is home to world class teams of app and game developers, licensing and retail experts, a leading retail business (Disney Store), artists and storytellers, and technologists who inspire imaginations around the world.

About Lucasfilm

Lucasfilm Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is a global leader in film, television and digital entertainment production. In addition to its motion-picture and television production, the company’s activities include visual effects and audio post-production, cutting-edge digital animation and the management of the global merchandising activities for its entertainment properties including the legendary STAR WARS and INDIANA JONES franchises. Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in northern California.

Lucasfilm, the Lucasfilm logo, STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM & © 2015 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

Rise of the Tomb Raider Review

Travis Bruno

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November 9, 2015

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Rise of the Tomb Raider
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Publisher: Microsoft, Square Enix
Platforms: Xbox One (Reviewed), Xbox 360
Release Date: November 10, 2015
Price: $59.99 US – Available Here $99.95 AUS – Available Here

Overview
The name Lara Croft has long been iconic in the game industry ever since the first Tomb Raider debuted back in 1996. After struggling to find its place in the late 2010s, Tomb Raider was rebooted in 2013 to resounding success. Now with Lara surviving her initial encounter with the dangers in the world and the various puzzles that fans are all too familiar with, what happens now that she is a bit more prepared for the world and is ready to set out on her own in Rise of the Tomb Raider? Let’s find out.

Story
Roughly a year has passed since Lara and a few of her friends managed to survive being stranded on the island of Yamatai. Despite losing a number of people she cared about, Lara managed to overcome even the supernatural elements that were brought forth by the islands cult inhabitants. Thanks to witnessing these impossible acts in person, Lara is persevering despite many doubting the events that took place on Yamatai and is continuing the work of her father, Lord Croft, who was denounced by the rest of the historians and called insane due to his obsession with the Divine Source which is said to grant eternal life.

In an effort to prove that her father’s obsession that drove him into the grave wasn’t for naught, Lara begins searching for the Divine Source but she is far from the only one. A secret organization that has existed in shadows named Trinity has begun to track Lara and through her actions find the rough location of the Divine Source, causing the heavily equipped force to invade the rural mountain regions of Siberia in order to obtain the power for themselves.

Rise of the Tomb Raider marks the first time that Lara isn’t simply trying to survive a situation that she has been thrown into or rescuing a friend, instead she is there for her own goals and this shows with how she acts throughout the storyline. She is far more confident than before when interacting with the natives and talking with the main antagonists whenever they come face to face. Thanks to her experience it also appears that she is more than willing to reference past failures as well as not panicking in the face of extreme danger which really helps make her character shine this time around as she struggles under the ghosts left behind by her father.

As for the enemies, they are left far less vague than in the first title as these antagonists really do have an evil air about them and are willing to do whatever it takes to reach their goal, even if to them it seems like their goal may be the best thing despite having to murder whoever gets in their way. Of course to go into the leaders of Trinity would reveal some interesting twists and spoil various developments but let’s just say that they are handled far better than in the previous title. The story as a whole benefits from these enemies since, once again, the story really does play itself off as rather simplistic for the majority of the game as players will need to rely on gathering various documents, deciphering monuments, and finding other artifacts to help fill in the storyline since far more detail is provided through these collectibles than what Is generally presented to the player.

Gameplay
Many of Rise of the Tomb Raider‘s elements will feel very familiar to those who played the reboot back in 2013 as Crystal Dynamics hasn’t altered the core mechanics too much but they have provided plenty of new options and expanded upon previous elements. Lara is given a number of new tools to navigate the beautiful but highly dangerous world that she finds herself in and even familiar tools have been given a bit of an upgrade. As players progress they will find a spool of wire for Lara’s climbing hooks, allowing her to swing and throw the hook towards a ledge to reach further heights, as well as the ability to launch arrows into certain walls and use them as temporary platforms.

Of course the various mechanics such as the rope arrows return and in fact these ropes are used far more than ever before when it comes to puzzles. While they have previously been used primarily for creating zip lines or to drag something, they are now implemented into puzzles in a refreshing way that often requires the use of a knife to properly complete. Another element that has been expanded are the way tombs are handled. While there are a number of puzzles that are scattered throughout the core storyline, those who really want to challenge themselves will find a number of “challenge tombs” available in Rise of the Tomb Raider that range from a bit simple to those that require a bit of outside the box thinking to actually complete.

Just like before Rise of the Tomb Raider places certain collectibles, including a few tombs, behind obstacles that can only be cleared later on, such as when Lara obtains a shotgun or a rebreather, to encourage players to revisit areas that they have cleared already but this time around it is used in a less annoying way than before by offering such a large number of collectibles scattered throughout each area of the game, and various items to find that will reveal the locations of certain collectibles, that missing a few here and there won’t bother the player too much, especially since returning a bit later is a great way to show off how Lara has improved since that spot.

These various navigation mechanics and the way that new tools come into play create some exhilarating action packed sequences that rely on the player’s sense of timing to accurately complete as Lara often finds herself about to die from collapsing buildings, avalanches, explosions, and far more that lead into some of the most satisfying sequences I’ve seen in a title like this in quite some time.

Navigating the world and delving into the depths of some highly varied tombs is only half of what Lara is known for however and the other half, combat, has also been kept to the same formula with a few touch ups here and there. Lara still obtains experience points for the various actions she performs, such as killing enemies, hunting animals, completing story missions and side-missions, and of course gathering collectibles, and by leveling up players will be able to expand Lara’s skill set to become incredibly deadly to the point that playing on the normal difficulty will feel like a breeze which means that playing on something above normal would be recommended.

Gathering items and crafting have been emphasized more in Rise of the Tomb Raider than before as players now will find themselves picking up numerous items from the environment , hunted animals, and fallen soldiers in order to not only craft various improvements to Lara’s weapons, which are now presented in a tiered format that requires certain items to unlock, but also to heal herself quickly in combat, craft new arrows, and even craft various special ammunition on the fly. You see, Lara is now capable of taking items such as poisonous mushrooms, some cloth, and an arrow to create a poisonous arrow capable of silently taking out a group of foes and can do so anytime she has the ingredients on hand. This allows for a fast and varied playstyle that Lara a number of ways to tackle her foes, especially since cans can be made into makeshift explosives, bottles that previously were only useful for a distraction can now be made into molotovs, and other deadly items can be created during combat.

This does mean that the enjoyable stealth mechanics can take a bit of a backseat since players are given a plethora of options when it comes to taking down opponents, though it is worth noting that stealth is a highly valuable option on harder difficulties. Outside of a few specific areas players will find that the environment has been designed to give Lara a strategic advantage over her enemies since they will not know her location until she is either spotted or gives herself away by using non-silent lethal attacks. By climbing up tree branches or hiding in bushes players can avoid being detected while drawing enemies to their location for stealth takedowns that provide more experience than simply slaughtering everyone and offers a unique feel, especially with water takedowns now being a brutal new way to eliminate enemies.

While they aren’t the brightest of enemies, since they will investigate noises made by an arrow hitting a wall or a tossed object, they aren’t stupid. Enemies will quickly seek out cover if they are under attack or spread out and search for Lara if they find a body and once she is discovered they will hunt for her and make liberal use of explosives to try and flush her out of cover. Take some nice enemy tenaciousness and combine it with not only the tight gunplay that players are familiar but also a number of new weapons at their disposal and you have plenty of intense combat sequences awaiting Lara whenever she isn’t exploring ancient ruins.

As mentioned, players will find plenty of side activities to take up their time as they gather collectibles and hunt down animals in what is a surprisingly large semi-open environment that allows players to hunt a decent variety of enemies down, complete certain challenges in each area, and take on missions from the natives that often provide worthy rewards. Even the tombs provide far better rewards than before as players will now automatically unlock a new specific skill when they clear a challenge tomb rather than simply obtain a weapon part which are now spread around in sensible locations.

Outside of the core story, which lasts about thirty hours if you wish to gather nearly every collectible and solve every tomb, Rise of the Tomb Raider has dropped the lackluster multiplayer mode. Instead players will now find Expedition Mode. This mode allows players to play through certain areas in the game again but this time either spiced up with various modifiers to increase difficulty to compete against your friends to see who will score the best. The Expedition Mode offers various card packs that can be used to make things easier in these challenges, a bit funnier as some do provide humorous alterations to the way things work in the game, or even boosting the amount of items gained.

These can be bought with credits earned in the game or with real money though I wouldn’t really recommend that option since this mode is more of a side-activity that does nothing to detract from the great experience of the core game.

Visuals & Audio
Outside of the first brief location spent in a flashback players will be spending all of their time in Syria and while most of it may be a frozen tundra thanks to it being up in the mountains, there are some gorgeous valleys to see here as well. Every area that players explore has been lovingly detailed with little secret designs hidden everywhere. Tombs feel like the real thing as ancient carvings and long-deceased bodies are prominently displayed.

The character models themselves are also very impressive looking as Lara’s own model features a high level of detail as well as a number of different outfits available, with a few offering some special bonuses. It is worth noting that the only time that I experienced noticeable slowdown with the game occurred whenever I was by, or in the middle of, some of the massive waterfalls that are located in certain environments.

The voice work for Rise of the Tomb Raider remains as impressive as fans will remember as Lara’s voice actress does an amazing job with her character here, making her sound far more experienced with certain elements than she used to and really pulling off the emotional appeal when needed. The rest of the voice acting is also rather fitting, though only the primary antagonists really stand out among the rest of the rest of them.

Overall
Rise of the Tomb Raider manages to take every element that fans loved in the first title and make it even better. Every time that Lara manages to escape from an incredibly close call it always feels like she is doing so by just a hair’s breadth, firefights are intense moments that can be tackled any number of ways, and exploring the beautifully detailed lands of the Syrian mountains while also delving into the widely varied tombs that contain interesting puzzles this time around offers practically everything a fan could want. Put that together with a storyline that does a great job pulling things together and you have Lara Croft making a new mark for herself in Rise of the Tomb Raider, making it very interesting to see what exactly is next in line for her.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Post-Launch Plans Revealed

Jamie Laike Tsui

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November 9, 2015

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Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Post-Launch Plans Revealed

The DLC plans for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege has been a bit vague so far. Today, Ubisoft Montreal has released a new Behind the Wall dev diary explaining their post-launch plans for the game along with a handy infographic summing everything up.

First off, Ubisoft Montreal will be releasing all future maps and modes to all players for free. All operators and Tier 1-3 weapon skins released post launch will also be free, if players are willing to invest the time to earn Renown points to unlock everything them. Tier 4-5 weapon skins will only be unlockable with premium R6 Credits. New operators will be priced at 25,000 Renown each (which should take the average player about 25 hours to acquire) or for 600 R6 credits. R6 Credits will be priced starting at $4.99 USD for 600 R6 Credits. Renown boosters will also be available for purchase.

Tentatively, the plan plan is to release a season of content every three months for an entire year. Each season will introduce two new operators from a new Counter Terrorist Unit, new weapons, new modes, and skins. Full details can be found at the official blog.

SKYLANDERS® SUPERCHARGERS DELIVERS REAL-TIME ONLINE MULTIPLAYER BETWEEN COMPATIBLE iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Apple TV

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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November 9, 2015

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SKYLANDERS® SUPERCHARGERS DELIVERS REAL-TIME ONLINE MULTIPLAYER BETWEEN COMPATIBLE iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Apple TV

New iCloud Save Game Feature Lets Portal Masters Seamlessly Transition Gameplay Between Devices Wherever They Want, Whenever They Want

“Last year, fans loved how they could play the same incredible game on iPad as on other platforms. This year we are giving Portal Masters even more ways to play their favourite game as we expand Skylanders SuperChargers to Apple TV, iPhone and iPod touch,” said Josh Taub, senior vice president of product management for Skylanders at Activision. “Fans are able to play Skylanders SuperChargers on the compatible Apple platform of their choice, whenever and wherever they want.”

The Skylanders SuperChargers Starter Pack for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Apple TV includes everything necessary for fans to play Skylanders SuperChargers out of the box, complete with exciting racetracks and captivating environments that push the technological and visual boundaries of gaming. The Starter Pack comes with the AAA game, the Portal of Power® with embedded Bluetooth® controller, a built-in stand, two Skylanders SuperChargers characters and a Skylanders SuperChargers vehicle.

Additionally, fans can play digitally without the Starter Pack contents. When playing digitally, they get for free two SuperCharger characters, Instant Spit Fire and Instant Hot Streak, upon download of the app, while in-app purchases unlock digital versions of unique characters and vehicles from Skylanders SuperChargers. Portal owners can download the app for free, play the first level and purchase the full game digitally.

“Skylanders took the toys-to-life industry one step further when they brought their game to iPad last year,” says Laurie Schacht, co-publisher of The Toy Insider. “By bringing this year’s game to Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, Activision is enabling fans to play Skylanders SuperChargers in a truly compelling way on the platforms they’re on. This is the kind of magic we’ve seen consistently from the franchise since Skylanders created a brand new way for kids to play with their toys.”

Skylanders SuperChargers can be played in a variety of ways:

o Skylanders Game Controller — Fans can play the game just like the console version using the Bluetooth® portal and toys with the custom Bluetooth® Skylanders game controller included in the Skylanders SuperChargers Starter Pack.

o MFi Extended Game Controller — An MFi Extended Game controller can be used for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Apple TV – a great option for multiplayer.

o Apple TV Siri Remote — For the Apple TV, when players purchase the Starter Pack, Player 1 can use the Skylanders Game Controller and Player 2 can join in using the Siri Remote for great co-op action. The Apple TV Siri Remote also can be used by players who download the game and experience the first level for free, or by players who buy the full digital version of the game through the In-App Purchase.

o Touch Controls — For iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, players have the option to use just on-screen touch controls.

Skylanders SuperChargers expands upon the franchise’s signature gameplay to introduce vehicles-to-life, an entirely new way for fans to experience the magic of Skylands. The trailblazing innovation of Skylanders SuperChargers is realized when gamers take the helm of powerful, tricked-out land, sea and sky vehicles that are playable in both the physical and digital worlds in a high octane action-adventure videogame.

Skylanders SuperChargers offers a rich story-driven gameplay experience filled with vehicle-based and on-foot adventures, combat, puzzles, mini games, activities and platforming, set within a variety of all-new compelling environments. The game features a brand-new class of heroes that is distinct with fresh moves, powerful attacks and all-new weapons. Additionally, Skylanders SuperChargers for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Apple TV is forward compatible with more than 300 toys from all previous games.

The Skylanders SuperChargers game experience is playable on Apple TV, iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 4, iPad Pro, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus and iPod touch 6. Fans with iPhone 5/5C, iPad 4, iPad 3 and iPad mini can enjoy the full game, excluding online functionality. Voice chat and split screen is not supported on Apple devices.

For more information please visit https://www.skylanders.com/ or follow us on Instagram @SkylanderstheGame, Twitter @SkylandersGame and Facebook.com/SkylandersGame. Assets for Skylanders SuperChargers are available at http://press.activision.com.

About the Skylanders^® Franchise

The award-winning, $3 billion Skylanders franchise has sold through more than 250 million toys¹ since pioneering the toys-to-life category in 2011 with the debut of Skylanders® Spyro’s Adventure. The game originated a play pattern that seamlessly bridged physical and virtual worlds across multiple platforms. In 2012, Skylanders® Giants further evolved the genre and added LightCore^® characters to the collection of interaction figures. Skylanders® SWAP Force^™, which launched in 2013, introduced an all new play pattern – swapability. In 2014, Skylanders^®Trap Team reversed the magic of bringing toys to life by allowing players to pull characters out of the digital world into the physical world and became the number 1 kids’ console game globally². Skylanders SuperChargers launched on September 20, 2015 and expands upon the franchise’s signature gameplay to introduce vehicles-to-life for the first time.

About Activision Publishing

Headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif., Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading global producer and publisher of interactive entertainment. Activision maintains operations throughout the world and is a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), an S&P 500 company. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com or by following @Activision.

The List of Madman’s Manga Releases of November 10, 2015

K. Roberts

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November 9, 2015

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The List of Madman’s Manga Releases of November 10, 2015

Madman Entertainment is releasing many individual manga volumes and box sets in Australia on November 10, 2015. The following is a list of all of the manga releases that will be available in stores tomorrow.

Assassination Classroom Volume 6
Claymore Volume 27
Food Wars! Volume 8
Library Wars Volume 14
Naoki Urasawa’s 21st Century Boys Volumes 1 and 2
Naruto Volume 72
Pokémon Adventures: Black & White Volume 9
Pokémon Adventures: FireRed & LeafGreen and Emerald Box Set
Pokémon Black and White Box Set 3
Pokémon XY Volumes 3 and 4
Terra Formars Volume 8
The Demon Prince of Momochi House Volumes 1 and 2
Toriko Volume 30
Twin Star Exorcists Volume 2
Vagabond Vizbig Edition Volume 10
World Trigger Volume 7
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds Volume 8

This month sees the release of the final volume of the Claymore manga. Madman will be releasing a box set containing all 27 volumes of Claymore in Australia on December 10, 2015. The two volumes of Naoki Urasawa’s 21st Century Boys are the continuation of his 20th Century Boys manga series. Volume 72 of Naruto is the final volume in the long-running series. The third box set of the Pokémon Black and White manga, which comes with a collectible poster, concludes the 20 volume story arc. The box set of FireRed & LeafGreen and Emerald also comes with a collectible poster and concludes the FireRed & LeafGreen and Emerald story arcs.

Disney’s Descendants Cause Mischief on Mobile Devices

Andrew Day

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November 8, 2015

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Disney’s Descendants Cause Mischief on Mobile Devices

I stumbled upon the Disney Channel original movie; Descendants a little while ago and while I clearly wasn’t the target audience, I got a few laughs out of it. The story of the children of super villains trying to step out of the shadows of their parents was an interesting take on the Disney villain mythos, and the version of “Be Our Guest.” Was surprisingly kick-ass.

Even though the film was such a hit, I was super surprised to discover that Disney are releasing a brand new mobile tie-in game simple titled Descendants. Unlike the usual match-three puzzle games, Descendants has you creating your own avatar from over 450 different clothing options, and then playing through the game and doing things like;

Style showcase: Players can create their own unique character and stand out from the crowd with millions of fashionable combinations, from stylish Auradon preppy to edgy Isle style.
Exciting missions: As they progress through the game, players can organise school parties with Mal, tailor costumes with Evie for a play, and unveil more exciting quests with the help of the coolest students at Auradon Prep.
Be legendary: Players can collect special rewards along the way to raise school spirit and grow their ‘Legendary’ status.
Explore Auradon: Ride on Ben’s scooter to travel between locations and uncover iconic areas such as the Tourney Field, Gallery of Villains, Carnival Grounds and many more.

Descendants is available now as a free download through iTunes and Google Play, so download it today and live life as a villain!

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes Review

Andrew Day

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November 8, 2015

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The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes Review

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms: 3DS
Release Date: Out Now
Price: AU$59.95 – Available Here | US$39.99 – Available Here

Overview

Multiplayer Zelda games are not exactly the mainstay of the series, but when the occasional Four Swords pops up it is usually a barrel of laughs to play with a few friends. Tri Force Heroes is the spiritual successor to those Four Swords games and puts players once again in the shoes of Link as he battles monsters, solves puzzles and collects loot with two other players. Sadly, the game lacks the charm and excitement that you want from a Zelda title and suffers from gameplay issues that make it a challenging and tiring multilayer experience.

Story

Tri Force Heroes is set after the events of Link Between Worlds and has our hero, Link travel to the land of Hytopia, a kingdom whose inhabitants are absolutely obsessed with Bing fashionable and wearing the best clothes. Once he arrives our hero discovers that an evil witch known as “The Lady,” has cursed the princess Styla into being unable to ever wear nice clothes…

The problem with the story is that it just doesn’t feel like a Zelda game. There are only a handful of characters in the game and they are all really over the top caricatures with puns for names. Even the stages that the player goes through are known as the Drablands, which just really hammers whole the whole “fashion,” theme this game is going for. In the end the wacky, zany, ham-fisted setting and story feels like it is more akin to something from a Paper Mario game than a Zelda one and what’s worse is the story just seems to serve as a tenuous link to the game’s 39-something stages instead of a real, living world.

Gameplay

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes is a bit of a departure from the series’ norms and instead of the single-player dungeon crawling exploits, goes for quick bursts of multiplayer puzzle solving. This is a game that has been designed from the ground-up for three people to play together and they aren’t shy about expressing it. Whether you are playing online with strangers, with friends, or via local Co-Op you will always need EXACTLY two other players to enjoy the game. It is a bit of an odd limitation that works thematically but not so well mechanically.

You are also able to play through the game on your own, switching between three playable Links at any given time. It is funny that they included the ability to switch between Links during single play, but not so during online sessions (an issue I will touch on shortly). However, single-player is a bit of a drag and really just makes you wish you were playing with other people.

The game’s strength is definitely in its local co-op. Tri Force Heroes offers download play, meaning that you only need one copy of the game to play wi your friends. This is probably some of the best use of Download Play that I have seen outside of Mario Kart games and gives players access to just about every aspect of the game aside from making their own costumes.

Those of you who are familiar with the Four Swords Zelda games will immediately recognise the formula that Tri Force a Heroes uses. You select your stage based on a few different locations and then once in that stage you will have to use the combination of your swordplay skills, provided weapons and your partners in order to solve the puzzles and progress through. Depending on the difficulty of the puzzle, the ability of you and your partners to work together, and how far into the game it is, it can take anywhere from 3-8 minutes for each puzzle, so anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour for any complete stage. Beating all the stages in an area will unlock some new challenges that you can accomplish, but sadly these don’t offer much more to the gameplay experience and often just have you racing through again with a limited time or less hearts than you would otherwise normally have.

As you progress through the game’s stages, you will collect new items that can be crafted into costumes for you to wear. Aside from the obvious aesthetic changes, these costumes also offer some unique bonuses; the Kokiri Costume allows you to shoot three arrows at a time while the Big Bomb costume makes your bomb’s blast radius even wider. It is a really cool concept but sadly doesn’t feel fleshed out enough for a full game. None of the costumes provide any real new ways to tackle the puzzles. Which is something I would have really liked to see.

One of the biggest issues I have with Tri Force Heroes multiplayer is that the online network for the game is absolute atrocious. Every time I played with others online I either experienced lag so terrible that it made the game nearly unplayable, or I was stuck waiting around for a game. Often times these waits were up to 45 minutes. The wait times are partially due to the game needing three players, and this combined with the lag just resulted in a broken, horrible online experience for me. Even the local co-op suffers from lag, although it was much less frequent and a lot more bearable when it did occur.

The final gripe I have with Tri Force Heroes is that is suffers from really bad options for communication. When playing online, your only means of talking to your fellow players are with a series of eight buttons that when pressed will flash up a logo on the screen with some text that say something like “Over Here!” Or “Noooo.” Now, being a multiplayer puzzle game, limiting the ways in which players can communicate really creates a tonne of problems that just shouldn’t be there. This is of course not the case when playing local co-op because you can actually talk to one another and work as a unified team.

Visuals & Audio

I have to admit that I am a huge fan of Tri Force Heroes visuals. The game is built on the same engine that Link Between Worlds was, so things look almost identical here as they did there, which creates a nice sense of visual cohesion between the two games, plus the art style was pretty on-point in LBW so it is nice to see it revisited here.

Audio is again similar to LBW, with Link, his items, the enemies and the world items making largely the same sounds as they did them. This again creates some cohesion between the game’s with is really nice and keeps it feeling like a part of the same world. The music that plays when you are in a stage is usually pretty frantic and high energy, encouraging the players to rush around with a sense of urgency, and it also adds a bit of excitement to the overall product.

Overall

I’ll be frank; I didn’t really enjoy my time with Tri Force Heroes. From its ham-fisted tone and setting, to its incredible limits on gameplay; and online connectivity and communication issues that are unforgivable in a game that is designed around online play, I just felt that Tri Force Heroes is flawed in almost every fundamental aspect. The sad part is that there are some cool concepts here; the costume abilities and co-op gameplay are really interesting and could really do with more fleshing out, and if you have two other friends then the local co-op can be an absolute barrel of laughs. It is hard to recommend this game at full retail price because it really does feel like a small downloadable title that you can just muck about with and waste a little time on

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition Review

Dustin Spencer

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November 8, 2015

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Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition Review

Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition
Developer: Larian Studios
Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Platforms: Playstation 4 (Reviewed),Xbox One
Release Date: October 27, 2015
Price: $59.99 USD – Available Here $89.95 AUD – Available Here

Overview
I am not much of a PC gamer. I do remember hearing all the buzz when Divinity: Original Sin first released as it seemed like a nice enough title, but alas I stuck to my console gaming ways for all of 2014. Luckily, a lot of big-named releases usually find their way to other platforms, and Original Sin is no different. This RPG originated as a dream from a little studio and has now hit the big time, with a sequel in the works as well as a fanbase that are extremely loyal to this one title. Divinity doesn’t just have a heart, it has a brain – and that is an absolute rarity. With that said, can this gem bring all of its worth to consoles? Let’s find out.

Gameplay
For the most part, Original Sin Enchanced Edition is an isometric RPG set it the world of Rivellon. As the player, your objective is to band together with a friend (via up to flour player co-op) or with an AI preset to rid the world of an evil, prohibited magic by the name of “Sourcery”. To be honest the overall plot comes secondary, as the world you are within is the most magical part of the entire experience. Every single character usually has something of value to say, and every action you perform – wherever you are usually has some sort of consequence for later. Sure, I enjoyed the story, but the interaction between the characters within Divinity truly makes the universe its set in come alive – and luckily that spreads over to the gameplay.

The combat within this title is fantastic when it is working at top gear. Players utilize a turn-based mechanic, ditching the usual grid system to allow for more freedom of movement. Once the player has gone through their AP (attack points), their turn can end – with the enemy and your team each stepping up to the plate to perform an attack or a method of defense. Its a lot like chess to be honest, as Original Sin allows pure strategy with its combat, and benefits ten fold for how well the environment can play into one battle. For instance, if you are fighting an enemy that is protected by an oil fire, you can cast a rain spell to put the fire out – or even throw something toxic into the fire and hope for an explosion that would hurt the foe. There are a lot of little ins and outs for combat, and it would take multiple playthroughs to be able to run out of options entirely for how to decimate a field of foes in a quick fashion. I will say however it is extremely easy to be unintentional suicidal in this game, or even homicidal for that matter. The first time I saw a barrel blocking my path I thought “HA! I will blow it up”. It worked, but my partner also died. The area of effect for techniques has a weird way of taking your partner out it seems, so a lot of practice and place shuffling is needed in order to avoid a bit of frustration.

While I guess combat is important, I truly feel that Divinity is a game of exploration and discovery. This is a large title with great variety of locales to explore, and the game rewards exploration with items that you will need on your journey ahead. Items such as scrolls, potions, and so on only come to those who check that extra crate or that go out of their way to constantly search the area, and while it sounds so minor – this actually adds a very rich layer of depth to the overall scheme as having a potion handed to you is one thing – but having to search for not only healing items but quest related trinkets definitely keeps the player on their toes and wanting to do more poking and prodding as they traverse through the game. Divinity also features a bit of a curve with this as if you are going to be lazy and skip through cutscenes, expecting for everything to fall in your lap – you will quickly learn you are in the wrong place. This title will not hold your hand and while it is more forgiving than the “I exist because I’m hard” fare like Dark Souls, it still has a nice set of teeth.

Aside from visuals and a working and fluid control scheme on a Playstation 4 or Xbox One controller, there really isn’t many gameplay additions for this re-release – sans a few quest bits. If this title had seen life on the platform before, I might have had an issue but personally I welcome even half of the party Original Sin brings as it truly pushes the limit with content and dialogue option, making every moment matter. There are so many isometric RPGs that I just sigh at as ever since Diablo, we have seen a lot of other clones trying to do the same thing (TAP A THE GAME), but Divinity is just so different that it deserves to be on the newer platforms, and hopefully it will be more appreciated due to the quality inside.

Visuals
Divinity is full of rich color and detail. Not a lot has changed from the PC front on the graphical front, but I honestly enjoyed being able to zoom in and get even more acquainted with my surroundings – and the popping textures and well made models made it a pleasure to do so. Animations are also smooth, running at a fluid 60 fps, rather than the usual 30 frames that other titles have pushed out before. Its a great sight to see something as small as a candle flicker from a distance and not only getting to view it, but also interact with it, and that is why the scope is so large here as you don’t just get to look at the visual candy – you also get to feast.

Audio
The soundtrack is also exceptional. It is kind of hard in any open-ended title to throw together a set of tunes that capture the battles and environments around the player, but the nice arrangement here do the job and then some. The voice acting is also something new to this version of Original Sin. No – we had some voice acting in the PC release, but now we get nearly every NPC fully voiced, making the world feel more alive as not only is there a lot of personalities – each actor also did a great job filling even the smallest of parts.

Overall
Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition is a superb released with a thick coat of polish on its mass amount of detail. There is just so much to take in in this world, with lively characters, interactive objects, and a battle system that is refreshing and fun throughout. Sure – there are a couple of small things that keep this release from being perfect, but they are minor and can be avoided with a little more training and finesse. Those who have yet to travel to Rivellon, now you have no excuse as this console release brings its wonders to a whole new audience.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Nine Years of Waiting is Over, First Warcraft Trailer Released at Blizzcon

Jamie Laike Tsui

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November 8, 2015

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Nine Years of Waiting is Over, First Warcraft Trailer Released at Blizzcon

After nine years of waiting, it is finally here. Blizzard and Legendary Pictures released the first trailer of the upcoming Warcraft movie. The two minute trailer premiered during the opening ceremonies at BlizzCon 2015. The trailer features plot teasers for both the Alliance and the Horde and some epic battle scenes. Popular heroes like Garona Halforcen, Durotan, Sir Anduin Lothar, and even a baby Thrall get plenty of screen time in the new trailer.

Warcraft covers the opening of the Great Portal between Draenor and Azeroth. The film stars Travis Fimmel as Sir Lothar, Ben Foster as Medivh, Toby Kebbell Durotan, and Robert Kazinsky as Orgrim Doomhammer.