Page 3323 – Capsule Computers

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August 25, 2015

Play FIFA 16, Homefront: The Revolution, Battleborn and Rock band 4 first at Insomnia55

The best games first, the biggest Youtubers and the UK’s biggest line-up of eSports tournaments; final line-up announced for Insomnia55, 28th-31st August

London, United Kingdom – June 25, 2015 – Multiplay, organiser of the UK’s largest and rapidly growing gaming festival Insomnia, is delighted to unveil the final line-up for Insomnia55. Featuring the UK’s biggest line-up of eSports tournaments, live shows from Youtube’s biggest stars and the most anticipated games of 2015, Insomnia55 will be the biggest and best Insomnia festival to date at the Ricoh Arena from August 28th-31st.

Insomnia55 brings attendees closer to the action than ever before, with Microsoft’s stunning Gears of War: Ultimate Edition introducing the original Gears to a whole new audience, while longstanding fans of the 3^rd person shooter will relish this remastered classic. Microsoft’s presence doesn’t end there; with Forza Motorsport 6 showcasing the racing enthusiast’s dream of high-octane thrills in some of the world’s most sought after cars.

Nintendo makes its Insomnia Gaming Festivals debut, where Fans of Splatoon can hone their skills in preparation for tournaments taking place throughout the weekend. Gamers with a creative streak can realise their vision with Super Mario Maker and fans excited to take control of Fox McCloud once again will be delighted with the addition of Star Fox Zero to Insomnia55’s exhibition floor.

Complementing Insomnia’s biggest ever games line-up which includes first plays of FIFA 16, HomeFront: The Revolution, Battleborn and Rock Band 4, Insomia55 also features some of the most loved Youtubers. From Yogscast, Lewis, Sjin, Duncan, Sips, Hannah, Martyn, Hat Films and Turps will be sharing some of their unique insight into gaming culture, while stars such as Syndicate and The Diamond Minecraft return after attending previous Insomnia festivals.

First-person shooter enthusiast Ali-A attends for the first time this year and The Sidemen return, featuring KSI, W2S, Vikkstar123, Behzinga, Zerkaa, Miniminter and TBJZL; bringing their unique sense of gaming-focused humour to the event. With Kwebbelkop, Slogoman, The Gaming Lemon and Jelly also attending, Insomnia55 will be the best place to see your favourite stars.

“We’re delighted to bring an amazing line-up of publishers and incredible games, playable for the first time to Insomnia55,” said Craig Fletcher, Founder and CEO of Multiplay. He continued, “With our already announced special guests, including the biggest stars of YouTube, and the UK’s biggest line-up of eSports tournaments, Insomnia55 has more content than ever before, offers more choice to our community, and invites new fans to experience the Insomnia Gaming Festivals for the first time.”

Insomnia55, powered by GAME, features more live ‘Lets Play’s’, more exhibition booth gaming, and more interactive gaming content than any Insomnia event to-date. Other regular returning features include the 24hr BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer / Console) LAN areas, the Minecraft zone, Panel Talks, the Indie Zone, the Retro Zone, the Tabletop Gaming Zone, and the burgeoning Retail zone.

The impressive growth of the Insomnia series sees Insomnia55 expand with four external Marquees raised to provide an additional 8000sqm space for the UK’s biggest and fastest growing gaming festival.

Insomnia55 takes place at the Ricoh Arena over Summer Bank Holiday weekend, Friday, August 28th to Monday, August 31st 2015. Tickets are currently on-sale and are available via http://insomniagamingfestival.com/tickets/.

For more information, please visit the Insomnia Gaming Festival websitehttp://insomniagamingfestival.com or contact [email protected]

About Multiplay

Founded in 1997, Multiplay is a gaming services company specialising in online hosting, events management, esports and more. Multiplay’s unique service and Clanforge® platform enables individuals and businesses to host video game backend services with the very best performance at all times. With support from a dedicated 24x7x365 technical infrastructure team and over 26 locations available worldwide, Multiplay provides an unparalleled online hosting experience for gamers across the globe.

Following its acquisition in March 2015, Multiplay is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of GAME Digital plc, the UK’s leading video games specialist.

For more information, visit http://www.multiplay.com .

FIFA 16
Fans of the world’s biggest selling sports franchise can play EA Sports’ FIFA 16 for the first time in the UK at Insomnia55, and with innovations such as 12 national women’s teams, new training games in Manager mode, and a host of improvements to the ever popular Ultimate Team, there’s no better place for a FIFA fan before release.

Homefront: The Revolution
Homefront: The Revolution is a first person shooter, developed by Deep Silver Dambuster Studios and published by Deep Silver. Set four years after the original Homefront, gamers take on the role of Ethan Brady as he begins a resistance movement against the unforgiving Korean army as it moves on the U.S city of Philadelphia. With the multiplayer beta launching later in 2015, Insomnia55 is the first chance for fans of the series to get hands-on with the game in the UK.

Battleborn
Set in the distant future, Battleborn is a first-person shooter featuring 25 unique playable heroes who form an unlikely alliance to save the last star in the universe from a mysterious enemy hell-bent on its destruction. Battleborn’s narrative-driven story mode can be played alone or co-operatively by up to five friends – split screen and online. The game’s three different competitive multiplayer modes can be played by up to 10 players online in action-packed 5v5 matches.

Rock Band 4
Rock Band 4 from Harmonix is the ultimate band experience. Be the guitarist, bass player, drummer, or the singer as you play your way to stardom and light up the stage. With the most comprehensive track list available at launch, and with over 2000 tracks available after launch from previous Rock Band titles, Rock Band 4 is the definitive music fantasy, and is playable to the public in the UK for the first time at Insomnia55.

Dying Light: The Following – 15 Minutes of Uncut Gameplay

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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August 25, 2015

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Dying Light: The Following – 15 Minutes of Uncut Gameplay

August 15th, 2015 – Wroclaw, Poland/ After the release of the heart-pumping reveal trailer for Dying Light: The Following, Techland is giving fans the chance to take a closer look at the upcoming story-based expansion. A video has been released with over 15 minutes of uncut gameplay coupled with commentary from some of the Dying Light team – all recorded during last week’s Twitch stream. In the playthrough, fans are taken down the ‘The Trust Is Out There’ quest chain, which showcases some of the core new features of Dying Light: The Following, including a massive new map, drivable and upgradeable dirt buggies, and new types of ranged weapons.

The video can be viewed here

Dying Light: The Following will take players to a hazardous outback ruled by mysterious and fanatical cultists, whose beliefs have unnerving connections with the Harran zombie outbreak. The expansion will be priced at $14.99, while all Season Pass holders will receive it completely free.

Moreover, the 2nd edition of ‘Beyond Dying Light’ Dev Tools contest for innovative fan made maps is in its final week with submissions closing off on August 31st. Fans are competing for the chance to win an Alienware Alpha i7 and a Dying Light-branded backpack filled with various branded swag. More information and the submission form can be found at DyingLightGame.com/Devtools-Contest. To ease new users into the world of user generated content, Techland is keeping an ongoing series of video tutorials explaining ins and outs of the tools.

The complete ‘Dying Light Developer Tools Guide’ playlist can be found on the game’s official YouTube channel here.

About Techland

Founded in 1991, Techland is a renowned independent game developer, distributor, and publisher. The Polish-based company is best known for the original Dead Island games, the Call of Juarez series, and Dying Light. Thanks to its proprietary game engine technology, Techland develops top-tier entertainment content for Windows PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Linux, Mac OS X, Android, and iOS. Comprised of four offices in Warsaw, Wrocław, Ostrów Wielkopolski, and Vancouver, Canada, the company is committed to delivering unforgettable experiences and using latest technology for innovative entertainment. For more information about the company, visit the official website at: http://techland.pl/

Evoland 2: A Slight Case of Space Time Contiuum Disorder Now Available for Windows

Jamie Laike Tsui

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August 25, 2015

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French indie developers Shiro Games‘ continuation to their 2013 game Evoland launches today on Steam, GOG.com and Humble Store. Evoland 2: A Slight Case of Space Time Contiuum Disorder is a standalone adventure RPG that traces a path through video game history, recreating the mechanics and the aesthetics of some of the most popular genres in history. With an expanded budget thanks to the success of the first game, Evoland 2 is a much larger game compared to its predecessor.

Evoland 2 stars Kuro, a young man with amnesia who is tossed into a wild time traveling adventure after encountering the mysterious Magiliths. The game is out now for Windows PC for $19.99 USD. Mac and Linux releases will follow in the coming months.

English Naoto Character Trailer Released for Persona 4: Dancing All Night

Travis Bruno

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August 25, 2015

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English Naoto Character Trailer Released for Persona 4: Dancing All Night

With Persona 4: Dancing All Night set to be released in North America for the PS Vita on September 29th and on November 6th in Europe both at retail and at digital, Atlus USA is continuing to release English character trailers for the game and this time around they are focusing on introducing Naoto Shirogane, Persona 4‘s “Detective Prince.”

Even if it means hitting the dance floor and stepping out of what she is used to, especially since she is usually bad at expressing herself, Naoto rejoins the Investigation Team in order to rescue members of Kanamin Kitchen from the Midnight Stage.

Nintendo Detail 2015 Release Schedule

Nathan Farrugia

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August 25, 2015

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Nintendo have detailed the rest of their release schedule for 2015 and it includes some much anticipated titles, hardware bundles, controls, New 3DS face plates and Amiibo including a brand new announcement for a Mega Yarn Yoshi Amiibo that is over three times as big as a standard Yarn Yoshi Amiibo and has a different pose.

Other big announcements not known prior to today include release dates for Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash and Star Fox Zero, both releasing on November 21st and Xenoblade Chronicles X receiving a December 5th release date. The full Australian release schedule is below. Any games with a radically different release date in other territories will be noted.

August 29th

Devil’s Third (December 11th in NA, Wii U)

September 3rd

Disney Infinity 3.0: Play Without Limits (Number of new Disney Infinity figures also releasing, Wii U)

September 5th

Little Battlers eXperience (3DS)

September 12th

Super Mario Maker Wii U Premium Pack (WiiU Premium pack + Super Mario Maker + Hardcover Artbook + Mario (Classic Colours) amiibo, Wii U)

Super Mario Maker Limited Edition Pack (Super Mario Maker + Hardcover Artbook + Mario (Classic Colours) amiibo

Super Mario Maker Standard Edition Pack (Super Mario Maker + Hardcover Artbook)

Classic Colours 8 Bit Mario amiibo (Available separately)

September 24th

Skylanders SuperChargers Starter Pack (Includes Special Edition Donkey Kong and Bowser Skylanders/amiibo hybrids plus Dark variants.)

Skylanders SuperChargers Racing (Wii U, 3DS)

September 26th

Super Smash Bros. Collection amiibo –

Mii Brawler
Mii Sword Fighter
Mii Gunner
Duck Hunt Duo
R.O.B.
Mr. Game & Watch

September 28th

LEGO Dimensions Starter Pack (Wii U)

October 3rd

Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer + NFC Reader/Writer Pack (Game + special amiibo card + Nintendo NFC Reader/Writer accessory, 3DS)

Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer (incl. one special amiibo card, September 25th in NA)

Series 1 Animal Crossing amiibo Cards Pack (each pack contains 1 special amiibo card and 2 regular amiibo cards)

October 20th

Guitar Hero Live (Wii U)

October 22nd

Just Dance 2016 (Wii, Wii U)

October 24th

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes (3DS)

Mewtwo Super Smash Bros. amiibo

Modern Colours 8 Bit Mario amiibo (Available separately)

October 31st

Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water (Trial version will be released on Nintendo eShop, Limited Edition physical edition also available in Europe/Oceania and includes a double-sided poster, an art book, four Spirit Photographs, and a SteelBook cover, Wii U, October 22nd in NA, eShop only)

November 7th

Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash + Chibi-Robo amiibo pack (3DS)

Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash (3DS)

November 21st

Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash (Wii U)

Star Fox Zero (Wii U)

Nintendo presents: New Style Boutique 2 – Fashion Forward (3DS)

Falco Super Smash Bros. amiibo

Wii Remote Plus Bowser

Wii Remote Plus Toad

November 28th

Green Mega Yarn Yoshi amiibo

New Nintendo 3DS Cover Plates – Yoshi

New Nintendo 3DS Cover Plates – Hello Kitty

December 5th

Xenoblade Chronicles X Wii U Premium Pack (Incl Black Wii U console + game + Artbook + Map)

Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U)

Q4 2015

Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival (Incl 2 x amiibo figures – Isabelle, Digby, + 3 x amiibo cards, Wii U)

Animal Crossing amiibo

Isabelle
Digby
Tom Nook
Mabel
Lottie
Reese
Cyrus
K.K. Slider

wii-pro-controls-promo-01 — Toad’s arms sure have gotten longer! New remote designs dropping November 21st.

There’s still a lot left to come from Nintendo before 2015 is out but Nintendo are also planning even further ahead with some big releases in 2016 including Fire Emblem Fates, Pokken Tournament and hopefully, The Legend of Zelda Wii U.

Tell us in the comments below which release day you’re most looking forward. We’d love yo hear from you.

‘MARK OF ODIN’ A SUCCESSFUL TRANSMEDIA BOOK THAT TRIES TO GLOBALIZE ON KICKSTARTER

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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August 25, 2015

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‘MARK OF ODIN’ A SUCCESSFUL TRANSMEDIA BOOK THAT TRIES TO GLOBALIZE ON KICKSTARTER

Author Xavier Marce releases a crowdfunding campaign to internationalize his transmedia saga Mark of Odin

Seville, August 26th 2015 – Mark of Odin is a transmedia book, a new narrative, visual and digital experience that author Xavier Marcé has made famous in Spain. Book readers will finally have the chance of enjoying the reading experience in a way they have never done thanks to the innovative transmedia epic saga of Mark of Odin that is now available on Kickstarter to get funds for its internationalization. Its surprising story mixes the Norse Mythology with Science Fiction and Modern Warfare in a way no one has ever done before, using an audiovisual narrative and being supported with a whole universe of transmedia content once the reader finishes the last page of the first book.

“Kickstarter it’s the natural choice for crowdfunding when you want to reach the wider public possible, especially for the United States of America,” said author & creator Xavier Marcé. “Our innovative way to understand the reading experience, creating synergies between the physical and the digital worlds, will not only deliver an entertainment that doesn’t end with the last book page but encourages people to read and support us, because the more paid readers, the more content and extras they will receive.”

With Mark of Odin: The Awakening, the first issue of this saga, starts a new literary model that merges the reading experience with the infinite possibilities of an interactive transmedia universe of extended content available in an online platform with gamification features, where readers can enjoy a progression experience and a great degree of interaction with the author and the evolution of the saga.

The extended content includes bonus chapters, short stories, extended descriptions, geo-localized maps, all supported by videos, music, illustrations, 3d renders and more. Mark of Odin counts with the support of international artists like the famous American illustrator Michael Komark, the awarded with a Hollywood Music in Media Awards, Knut Avenstroup Haugen, the visual effects supervisor Manuel Rico, involved in movies like Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Trek Into Darkness or Oblivion, or the Art Director and Sculptor Manu Nieto, among others.

Check now the Kickstarter presentation video at:

http://kck.st/1IeDg59

About Mark of Odin

Created by Spanish Author Xavier Marce, Mark of Odin: The Awakening it’s the first issue of a fantastic fiction book saga where Norse mythology meets SciFi and modern warfare in a way that you have never seen before. Spanish readers claim how successful is the formula used to mix influences so important but different as J.R.R. Tolkien, George R.R. Martin, Isaac Asimov, Tomc Clancy, Phillip K. Dick, Japanese Anime, TV shows like 24, Battlestart Galactica, Stargate, movies like Star Wars or many video games like Mass Effect and Battlefield series.

For more information please visit www.markofodin.com or contact directly with

Nintendo Considering Going Back to the Movies

Dustin Spencer

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August 25, 2015

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Nintendo Considering Going Back to the Movies

Nintendo seem to be on an interesting path these days. They have listened to the fans countless times to bring titles over to the U.S. that we might not have gotten otherwise. We have also seen an influx of demanded titles, such as Majora’s Mask on the 3DS. Now, expect to see another demand met with more cinematic adaptations.

In a recent interview, Shigeru Miyamoto explained that Nintendo is finally ready to open up the idea of having more mascots in film, and it seems Pixels was the first attempt that worked just enough to get Ninty off the ground. Right now there are no announcements, just confirmation that this will eventually happen. It is fun to think about a Pikmin or Splatoon movie though, isn’t it? Or even dare I say it – a Super Mario Bros. sequel?

Mega Man Legacy Collection Review

Dustin Spencer

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August 25, 2015

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Mega Man Legacy Collection
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Platforms: Playstation 4, Xbox One (Reviewed), PC, Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: August 25, 2015
Price: $14.99 USD – Available Here

Overview
Mega Man has earned his status as a legend in the industry more so than a lot of the mascots who are still around today. While the franchise is known for its great difficulty, the fans have stuck by his side through the worst – with two cancellations of new titles occurring back to back during the past few years. Well, Capcom are ready to celebrate Mega Man on new consoles with Mega Man Legacy Collection – placing a collection on current generation systems that feature the first six titles in the main series. With some nice special features and fan service, is this collection enough to appease its audience? Let’s find out.

Gameplay
I guess I should start by telling you that the six ports of the original Mega Man titles play wonderfully, but you would expect that considering the age of the selection and power of the consoles playing it. That being said, there really is something special about each one of these titles, as while the difficulty does change a bit, these games hold their rewards in the form of progress for those who can piece together each platform and enemy in order to get through to the next area. Yes, this is where Dark Souls gets its gimmick folks, as Mega Man was doing this before many of today’s gamers were born. As for little annoyances that have risen in ports of Mega Man games, you should also know that there is no input lag or any grievances on that front either (or none that I found), meaning the emulation is rather flawless from Capcom – who are getting good at this port thing.

To those who have never played Mega Man, the games pretty much all work the same. The player starts at the front of the level and must work their way through the stage, eventually getting to a themed boss, where their weapon can be obtained and used for the next stage. As I am writing this, I can definitely see how influential the franchise has been on the industry as so many developers use these mechanics for current titles, but I don’t think they have nearly as much finesse or originality as most of the collection here.

Legacy Collection offers remixes of stages as well that come connected through portals. Once you clear one area, a portal takes you to the next. Its not at easy as clearing one little segment though, as think of this as the best of the best of Capcom’s design choices for the franchises, utilizing all of the six titles’ best segments to not only test the player, but to treat them to an ingenious walk-through of history. There is also a ton of fan service to be found as extras within this package, such as art and images of every enemy you encounter, a full jukebox featuring the game’s music, concept art, and so on. Unlike Rare Replay (which is an outstanding collection in and of itself), you really don’t have to play the games right off the bat to unlock all of this as I think Capcom realize that fans don’t need to prove their worth in Mega Man in order to get rewarded.

There are a lot of memories on this disc that those who are around 25 or older are certainly going to enjoy. Getting to fight Metal Man all over again (which in my opinion is the best boss within 2), seeing Rush for the first time in Mega Man 3, and so many other moments are able to be revisited all over again. Sure, these titles are generally similar in story, but each have a very different approach in terms of gameplay and you can definitely tell that 5 and 6 were fighting a newer market of mascots and platformers as the additions and design seemed to take more risks with new additions to the series. That doesn’t mean that they are lesser titles, its just something I found interesting when going through and testing each title all over again.

Visual
Expect 8-bit. There isn’t a lot to say about these games that haven’t been said regarding the graphical look. This is as raw as old-school visuals look, and thanks to a lot of color and some brilliant character design, its an absolute treat to see so much variation over six titles. I will admit that the menus are bland for Legacy Collection, but it seems they are trying to capture the more simple stylings that these titles are known for. I mean, I think the Legends series were the flashiest out of the Mega Man lot, so yes – its understandable to see some simplicity. You can also customize the look of the games by stretching to widescreen, or playing at the original format with some black or themed borders.

Audio
As for the audio, wow. I am so happy they included an option to listen to the music from the start, as I feel I could live in Mega Man 3’s soundtrack. Each title has a superb set of tunes, and it should also be said that this audio is what has inspired so many artists to pick up instruments. We have seen a ton of Mega Man cover bands out there, and these tunes are why so many feel the need to celebrate such a rich and storied franchise endlessly.

Overall
Its not an easy thing to review six titles that separate mean so much to so many gamers. Everyone has a favorite boss, a favorite game, and Mega Man Legacy Collection does a great job of showing fans why we love Capcom to this day. I wasn’t even much of a Mega Man kid compared to most, but I still smiled going through my favorite (Mega Man 3) as soon as I was on Gemini Man’s stage I was put back into a different time and place with that one title. This package is jammed full of nostalgia, with enough special features to keep fans busy for a while. Capcom have yet again crafted a collection to celebrate, but I do hope they know that the more newer generations revisit these titles – the more they are going to demand new installments to keep such a legend alive.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Project BlueStreak Countdown Website Launched and Teases Updates

Travis Bruno

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August 25, 2015

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Project BlueStreak Countdown Website Launched and Teases Updates

Cliff Bleszinski has been working on a free-to-play game that has so far only been known as Project BlueStreak but it seems that we will be learning more about the title and perhaps see an official announcement for the game sometime this week.

https://twitter.com/therealcliffyb/status/635485713937600512

Bleszinski has launched a countdown teaser website that has so far only a teaser image and promises more updates over the next few days. At the moment all we know is that Project BlueStreak will be a sci-fi arena shooter that takes place in Los Angeles. You can check out the teaser website here where more information will be revealed at 12PM Eastern Standard Time for the next couple of days.

Tales from the Borderlands: Escape Plan Bravo Review

Travis Bruno

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August 25, 2015

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Tales from the Borderlands: Escape Plan Bravo Review

Tales from the Borderlands: Escape Plan Bravo
Developer: Telltale Games
Publisher: Telltale Games
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One (Reviewed)
Release Date: August 19, 2015
Price: $4.99 – Available Here

Overview
Telltale Games has had their work cut out for them throughout most of 2015 as they’ve had to juggle fans of both Game of Thrones and Borderlands expecting to see a new episode released for their respective series. While they may have stumbled at the start, the company has found a solid pace and now that the penultimate episode of Tales from the Borderlands has been released, does Escape Plan Bravo continue to be as enjoyable as the last three have been?

Story
It is worth noting that since this review is for the fourth episode of Tales from the Borderlands, that there will be story elements from the third episode of the series discussed in this review so if you haven’t managed to complete Catch a Ride yet then you should do so before progressing.

Anyways, at the end of the last episode Rhys and Fiona were in a bad way. With Athena defeated and dragged away by Mordecai and Brick, the pair as well as Sasha (and potentially Vaughn depending on how you handled certain situations in the past) have been captured by Vallory and her men. With the only other choice being death, Fiona agrees to help Vallory find the Vault of the Traveler but in order to do so they must find the last missing upgrade for Gortys.

As we previously found out, this upgrade isn’t simply sitting in some isolated location on Pandora, it is on Hyperion’s Helios base. With August and Vallory’s two main men joining to make sure that the pair don’t try to alter the deal, Rhys and Fiona must find a way to go to space and through the help of Scooter and another familiar character to build a rocket ship to take them there. Of course it wouldn’t be Borderlands if something like a rocket launch was taken seriously and one of the best moments in the episode involving plenty of slow motion moments with well-timed facial expressions set to a dramatic song makes this intro sequence the best yet.

It is easy to make a player laugh with some well-written jokes but using facial expressions like in the aforementioned sequence is just great. Of course that is far from the only funny moment in this episode as there are plenty of great jokes scattered throughout the episode such as Fiona’s sarcastic nature leading to many great quips, the adorably naïve Gortys, and of course plenty of jokes coming from everyone’s favorite holographic psychopath Handsome Jack. There is even a ridiculously nerdy air gun fight that has to be seen to be believed as it is practically impossible to explain other than being chock full of visual gags.

It isn’t all fun, games, and references to past events however, as there are still plenty of story developments that take place over the course of Escape Plan Bravo including a major decision at the end that will likely play a large role in how things unfold in the next episode. Of course Rhys and Fiona’s mysterious masked captor still remains an unknown meaning that he/she will likely be revealed in the next episode but there is more than just that.

So far Tales from the Borderlands has appeared to be nothing more than a side-story that may bridge the gap between the second and possibly third game in the series. That changes in Escape Plan Bravo as it solidifies itself as part of the cannon by delivering a heartbreaking loss right in the player’s lap with there being nothing the player can do. Swinging from comedic highs to emotional loss and then trying to bring players back to laughing is a difficult task but Tales from the Borderlands manages to pull it off here in a splendid way.

Gameplay
It is worth noting that players will be spending only a small amount of time actually exploring anything in Escape Plan Bravo as most of their time will be spent simply selecting dialogue responses as well as taking part in some quick time events. That being said, this episode does move at a much slower pace than past episodes as there is only one major action sequence and even then it is played entirely for laughs.

This slow pace doesn’t really damage the title too much but don’t expect much customization either. Players can choose once again to use money to alter Fiona and Sasha’s appearances, though this time it is required. Rhys’ enhanced Echo Eye continues to be a delight as all of the updated descriptions of environmental objects and people from Handsome Jack are littered with great jokes and references, especially since one moment does signify how this AI was created before certain events in Borderlands 2.

Visuals & Audio
As with past episodes Escape Plan Bravo continues to look great thanks to the Borderlands aesthetic blending in well with what Telltale is used to. A number of different customization options in the past will show up once again here depending on what you selected which means that there may be a few cosmetic differences here and there. Some great facial expression animations really help make the aforementioned slow-motion sequence stand out which could have fallen flat otherwise and these expressive faces continue to delight throughout the episode.

The voice actors perform their roles well and really help serve up some great jokes in this episode thanks to proper delivery while the soundtrack is fairly standard fair for a Borderlands title minus of course the exceptionally well-fitting song performed during the intro slow-mo sequence.

Overall
Attempting to create something new and entertaining within an ongoing storyline that the company usually has no control over has given some of Telltale’s past titles noteworthy limitations. However with Tales from the Borderlands taking place in an area where the company isn’t’ shackled by another work such as a television show, the company has so far managed to expand on Borderlands’ lore a bit and now that Tales from the Borderlands: Escape Plan Bravo they have likely made a change that will play a significant role if a third game is ever made. While the story may slow down a bit this time around, it takes players on an emotional roller-coaster and has left me excited to see how everything will wrap up in the end.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.