Page 3362 – Capsule Computers

The Terminator will be Playable in WWE 2K16; Announcement Trailer Revealed

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July 28, 2015

The Terminator will be Playable in WWE 2K16; Announcement Trailer Revealed

Well that is news. Today WWE Games and 2k announced the latest addition for WWE 2K16, which will be none other than The Terminator. Yes, the Arnold Terminator. That is correct.

A new trailer was revealed today showing the big surprise, with several superstars in a bar before Schwarzenegger comes in and approaches Ambrose, who puts his cigar out on The Terminator’s chest. Of course Arnie doesn’t flinch – showing his true cyborg self. Its a neat trailer I suppose, but I am not impressed at all with this announcement. For a game that took away its creative aspects in lieu of DLC, seeing a character I could have easily made enter the fray is just disheartening knowing we couldn’t even make a Diva last time around. We shall see. Ignore my cynicism and watch the clip below as for many, this is kind of a big deal.

Tembo the Badass Elephant Review

Dustin Spencer

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July 28, 2015

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Tembo the Badass Elephant
Developer: Game Freak
Publisher: Sega
Platforms: Playstation 4 (Reviewed), Xbox One, PC
Release Date: July 21, 2015
Price: $14.99 USD – Available Here

Overview
Game Freak rarely work outside of the Pokemon franchise, but when they do, it usually is something truly special that acts as a refreshing gift to gamers. HarmoKnight displayed a lot of charm when it debuted on the 3DS – but that was Game Freak working on a portable Nintendo platform. Tembo the Badass Elephant is a first in a lot of ways, as it marks Game Freak’s trek outside of the big N featuring a boastful new mascot who is all brawn. A platformer first and foremost, this title is here to take us back and bring us forward in the genre at the same time. How does this peanut chomping hero live up to Game Freak’s storied legacy? Let’s find out.

Gameplay
The first thing to talk about in Tembo the Badass Elephant is your objective. Players must take control of their brave little elephant and take him through a great number of stages, stampeding enemies as he works to stop an invasion on Shell City. Think of Tembo as Rambo in elephant form, dressed in tough yet appealing gear with a massive love of peanuts. Its your job as the player to save citizens, destroy tanks, and defeat bosses across the 18 levels within – and let me say that as someone who grew up on platformers, this title scratches that itch and provides an experience close to Donkey Kong Country and Sonic. Wait a minute before you take that comparison in though, as its unfair to compare a title like Tembo to those two on gameplay alone, as it mainly consists of the same structure with its own medley of features to stand completely apart.

While yes – you will be doing a ton of platforming in Tembo, you also will be solving puzzles and simply destroying both the environment and enemies to progress forward. Momentum comes into play with Tembo’s charge attack. While he is stout and husky, this badass elephant can barrel through nearly anything as long as nothing attacks him first. For instance, if a tank is blocking your path, a nice ram will sort it out quickly. Most large foes don’t go down with one hit either, so the player must use their platforming with this bit of momentum to ram, and quickly think on their feet as they jump up and get a bit more distance to ram again. I have seen a lot of titles that try to do this and miss a beat as the protagonist is either too slow or overly fast- making for some clunky gameplay that slows down the action in order for the player to get an idea of what the obstacle is in front of them. Tembo however is far more organic, allowing the player to learn about their surroundings through experimentation, meaning you can haul ass through a stage and have a blast – with the stops and hurdles throughout only complimenting the clever design.

Tembo has plenty of other attacks as he can use his trunk to uppercut, decimate targets with a ground pound, and even squirt water from his trunk to stun. The water goes a long way as well, as several environmental puzzles require the player to use water on other corresponding elements in order to progress through. By this, I mean if a fire is in your way – put it out with your trunk. There are several uses for this little tactic that blend well with the fast-paced gameplay- but do know that this is not really a puzzle-platformer by any means. Tembo’s greatest strength is having to balance on high platforms and launch up to one small, moving pillar as quick as possible, and not giving our long-nosed pal the full credit for refining the genre would definitely be a crime in and of itself. It would also be a crime to not mention the boss battles that make each area end on a spectacular note. There are several creative bosses where you will be tasked to use several mechanics that you learn over time in a creative way, but nothing beats the fantastic finale that pulls everything together to let this elephant go out with a massive punch. If I had any gripe about Tembo, it would be that it could get a bit too busy in some small areas, making it a tad confusing on which path to take. Now this will come down to preference, but the lack of natural direction did show up a couple of times to cause a bit of minor frustration from time to time.

Visuals
Tembo the Badass Elephant gets a lot of its appeal from its art design. The game is wonderfully animated from beginning to end, and almost appears as if you were watching a live cartoon due to how fluid both Tembo and the environment interact with each other. Little touches go a long way creating a one-of-a-kind atmosphere as well, such as the word BADASS following Tembo as he gains momentum in a comic-like font, as well as citizens who bounce on your back after being saved as if they were riding a wild coaster. You can definitely tell Game Freak took their time to pour love in Tembo, and its awesome presentation is all the proof one needs to see that these developers can do so much more than Pokemon.

Audio
The audio is also great on many levels. Some tunes trigger intensity and capture the very momentum that is behind our elephant as he stampedes onward, while others just simply reflect his no-nonsense personality or offer a bit of an uneasy feeling to make you stop and take a look around. I also took notice of the sound effects as hearing the smashing and bashing of the stage that you are causing is a very satisfying experience.

Overall
Tembo the Badass Elephant is the platformer that us who grew up years ago have been waiting for. Filled with heart, action, and plenty of over-the-top gimmickry, this title delivers in every way possible, taking the player on a ride with a mascot that very well could have a bright future ahead of him. I know we get a lot of platformers from the indie crowd, but Tembo isn’t about introducing art or some oddball mechanic in order to enthrall the player. Instead, he takes his trunk and moves forward, offering unstoppable fun until those credits roll.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Indie Gala Every Monday Bundle #70 Now Available

Jamie Laike Tsui

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July 27, 2015

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Indie Gala and Capsule Computers are capping off July with six great indie games. The Every Monday Bundle #70 is available for only $1.89!

Incognito – John has been given a second chance at life in Sector 42. Here, he will save the alien HEIDI in this indie game that mixes FPS, RTS, and tank combat mechanics.

Data Hacker: Reboot – The next chapter in the Data Hacker series sees time, space, and the parallel universe collapse into one.

Armed with Wings: Rearmed – A beautiful silhouetted platformer that pits the player against the Tyrant King Vandheer.

Instinct – How long can you survive in the hunter-gatherer societies of the Mesolithic period?

Tap Heroes – A clicker RPG set in a pixelated puppet show.

Cloud Knights – A physics based action game with simple controls and a beautiful clouded world.

For the first 24 hours of the sale, the bundle is only $1.89. So pick up your copy at Indie Gala today!

“I’m Back” – 2K Announces Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator in WWE® 2K16 Pre-Order Exclusive

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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July 27, 2015

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“I’m Back” – 2K Announces Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator in WWE® 2K16 Pre-Order Exclusive

Blockbuster action film star, 38^th Governor of California, former professional bodybuilder and WWE Hall of Famer featured as two playable characters in flagship WWE video game franchise
New York, NY – July 27, 2015 – 2K today announced the debut of 2015 WWE Hall of Fame inductee and global action film icon Arnold Schwarzenegger in WWE® 2K16, the forthcoming release in the flagship WWE franchise. Best known for his acting, bodybuilding and political endeavors, Schwarzenegger, a longtime WWE fan and WWE Hall of Famer, will expand his relationship with WWE through WWE 2K16 with two playable characters – T-800 from The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day films. The playable characters will be available for those who pre-order the game at participating retailers for the PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment systems, as well as Xbox One and Xbox 360. WWE 2K16 is scheduled for release on October 27, 2015 in North America and October 30, 2015 internationally.
“I’ve achieved many things in my life, but I’ve always said success means staying hungry and pushing the limits,” said Schwarzenegger. “I was honored to join the WWE Hall of Fame earlier this year, and now I’ll continue my WWE legacy with one of my biggest film roles immortalized in WWE 2K16. Match the Terminator against Stone Cold Steve Austin®, Seth Rollins® or Daniel Bryan®, and there’s only one possible outcome: Hasta la vista, baby!”

From early childhood in his native Austria to today, Schwarzenegger represents the ultimate Renaissance man, taking risks and defying odds through career accomplishments in bodybuilding, acting, politics and more. He won his first of four Mr. Universe titles at the age of 20, earned seven Mr. Olympia titles and since 1989 has hosted worldwide fitness expositions through the Arnold Sports Festival. Schwarzenegger is a fixture in numerous blockbuster action films, including Conan the Barbarian, The Terminator, Predator, Total Recall, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Expendables franchise and his most recent release, Terminator Genisys, as well as for his roles in pop-culture favorites Kindergarten Cop and Twins. In addition, Schwarzenegger transcended from Hollywood to the state capitol, serving two consecutive terms as the 38^th Governor of California from 2003 to 2010.
“Arnold Schwarzenegger is a living legend with universal appeal, a perseverance for greatness and a strong relationship with WWE, including his recent Hall of Fame induction, all of which make him an incredible fit for WWE 2K16,” said Chris Snyder, Vice President of Marketing at 2K. “He’s a force to be reckoned with and defines what it means to raise some hell. Through his WWE 2K16 pre-order inclusion, fans simply can’t beat the opportunity to play as the Terminator in a WWE ring.”

To see the WWE 2K16 pre-order promotional campaign featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZTSahJxT0Q.
Developed collaboratively by Yuke’s and Visual Concepts, a 2K studio, WWE 2K16 is not yet rated by the ESRB. WWE 2K16 is currently scheduled for release on PS4™, PS3™, Xbox One and Xbox 360 on October 27, 2015 in North America and October 29, 2015 in Australia and New Zealand.

For more information on WWE 2K16 and 2K, visit wwe.2k.com, become a fan on Facebook, follow the game on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtags #WWE2K16 and #RaiseSomeHell or subscribe on YouTube.

2K is a wholly owned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).

T1, THE TERMINATOR, T2, TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY, ENDOSKELETON, and any depiction of Endoskeleton are trademarks of Studiocanal S.A. All Rights Reserved. ©2015 Studiocanal S.A.®
About WWE

WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming reaches more than 650 million homes worldwide in 35 languages. WWE Network, the first-ever 24/7 over-the-top premium network that includes all 12 live pay-per-views, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library, is currently available in more than 170 countries. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, Munich and Tokyo.

Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.

Trademarks: All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.

Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks relating to: WWE Network; major distribution agreements; our need to continue to develop creative and entertaining programs and events; a decline in the popularity of our brand of sports entertainment; the continued importance of key performers and the services of Vincent K. McMahon; possible adverse changes in the regulatory atmosphere and related private sector initiatives; the highly competitive, rapidly changing and increasingly fragmented nature of the markets in which we operate and greater financial resources or marketplace presence of many of our competitors; uncertainties associated with international markets; our difficulty or inability to promote and conduct our live events and/or other businesses if we do not comply with applicable regulations; our dependence on our intellectual property rights, our need to protect those rights, and the risks of our infringement of others’ intellectual property rights; the complexity of our rights agreements across distribution mechanisms and geographical areas; potential substantial liability in the event of accidents or injuries occurring during our physically demanding events including, without limitation, claims relating to CTE; large public events as well as travel to and from such events; our feature film business; our expansion into new or complementary businesses and/or strategic investments; our computer systems and online operations; a possible decline in general economic conditions and disruption in financial markets; our accounts receivable; our revolving credit facility; litigation; our potential failure to meet market expectations for our financial performance, which could adversely affect our stock; Vincent K. McMahon exercising control over our affairs, and his interests may conflict with the holders of our Class A common stock; a substantial number of shares which are eligible for sale by the McMahons and the sale, or the perception of possible sales, of those shares could lower our stock price; and the relatively small public “float” of our Class A common stock. In addition, our dividend is dependent on a number of factors, including, among other things, our liquidity and cash flow, strategic plan (including alternative uses of capital), our financial results and condition, contractual and legal restrictions on the payment of dividends (including under our revolving credit facility), general economic and competitive conditions and such other factors as our Board of Directors may consider relevant. Forward-looking statements made by the Company speak only as of the date made, are subject to change without any obligation on the part of the Company to update or revise them, and undue reliance should not be placed on these statements.

About Take-Two Interactive Software

Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a leading developer, publisher and marketer of interactive entertainment for consumers around the globe. The Company develops and publishes products through its two wholly-owned labels Rockstar Games and 2K. Our products are designed for console systems and personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, and are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming services. The Company’s common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO. For more corporate and product information please visit our website at http://www.take2games.com.

About 2K
Founded in 2005, 2K develops and publishes interactive entertainment globally for console systems, handheld gaming systems and personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, which are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming services. 2K publishes titles in today’s most popular gaming genres, including shooters, action, role-playing, strategy, sports, casual, and family entertainment. The 2K label has some of the most talented development studios in the world today, including Firaxis Games, Visual Concepts, Hangar 13, Cat Daddy Games and 2K China. 2K’s stable of high quality titles includes the critically acclaimed BioShock®, Borderlands™, and XCOM® franchises, the beloved Sid Meier’s Civilization series, the innovative Evolve™, the popular WWE 2K franchise and NBA 2K, the #1 rated and #1 selling basketball franchise*. 2K is headquartered in Novato, California and is a wholly owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO). For more information, please visit www.2k.com.
*According to 2008 – 2015 Metacritic.com and The NPD Group estimates of U.S. retail video game sales through June 2015.

“PlayStation” and “PS3” are registered trademarks. “PS4” is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the property of their respective holders.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

The statements contained herein which are not historical facts are considered forward-looking statements under federal securities laws and may be identified by words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “projects,” “seeks,” “will,” or words of similar meaning and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the outlook for the Company’s future business and financial performance. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs of our management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to them, which are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and results may vary materially from these forward-looking statements based on a variety of risks and uncertainties including: our dependence on key management and product development personnel, our dependence on our Grand Theft Auto products and our ability to develop other hit titles, the timely release and significant market acceptance of our games, the ability to maintain acceptable pricing levels on our games, our ability to raise capital if needed and risks associated with international operations. Other important factors and information are contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, including the risks summarized in the section entitled “Risk Factors,” and the Company’s other periodic filings with the SEC, which can be accessed at www.take2games.com. All forward-looking statements are qualified by these cautionary statements and apply only as of the date they are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SINGAPORE’S TOP UNIVERSITIES JOIN GROWING LIST OF COLLABORATORS FOR OSVR ACADEMIA PROGRAM

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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July 27, 2015

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SINGAPORE’S TOP UNIVERSITIES JOIN GROWING LIST OF COLLABORATORS FOR OSVR ACADEMIA PROGRAM

JCU, NTU and NUS become the latest partners in OSVR’s Academia Program to contribute to research portal aimed at aiding in industry development

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Organizers of Open Source Virtual Reality (OSVR), a platform designed to set an open standard for virtual reality devices, today announced the launch of a research portal on the OSVR Website. Led by OSVR’s academic partners, the research can be accessed by developers, enthusiasts and anyone with an interest in virtual reality.

Among the academia partners blazing the way forward are Singapore institutions, James Cook University, National University of Singapore’s Keio-NUS CUTE (Connective Ubiquitous Technology for Embodiments) Centre and Nanyang Technological University’s Multi-Platform Game Innovation Centre (MAGIC).

As part of the OSVR Academia Program, the three universities will be provided with hardware development kits (HDKs) and related support for use in their research labs.

“Creating an open platform to exchange knowledge and learnings of both commercial and academic partners will drive the entire industry forward with an open knowledge base through which the exchange of crucial learnings can be done,” says Christopher Mitchell, senior product marketing manager at Razer. “We are still in somewhat unchartered territory with virtual reality, and it is through collaboration that we can solve problems and push the envelope of virtual reality technology to make it a mass market success.”

The resources available at the portal’s launch will cover the following categories with more anticipated:

Virtual Reality -General VR design principles and technology
Augmented Reality – Effective real world application of AR
Game Design – Observations and insights into effective game design for VR/AR
Peripheral Optimization –Guidelines and best practices when designing interaction and interfaces around industry peripherals
Algorithms – Optimizing the design and logic of VR/AR software technology.
VR in Education –Enhancing education with virtual reality

CONTRIBUTE RESEARCH

Anybody interested in contributing can submit his or her whitepaper for publishing on the VR research portal. If selected, you will have the opportunity to tap on the entire OSVR base of 155 partners covering aspects of the industry ranging from VR peripherals, content production, simulation engines, consultation, technology providing and academia to further your research.

To explore all currently available whitepapers or submit research, interested parties may visit: www.osvr.com/research

NEW ACADEMIA PARTNERS:

The 13 latest additions to the overall count of 49 academia supporters:

Arizona Laboratory for Immersive Visualization Environments, University of Arizona, has a 4-sided CAVE which utilizes the Unity game engine as their main display software in the immersive environment. They are exploring OSVR as a means to provide single users a way to collaborate and share the immersive CAVE experience from remote locations using their own head mounted displays.

COSMIAC (The Configurable Space Microsystems Innovations and Applications Center promotes STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and uses OSVR for educational purposes as it spans multiple engineering disciplines for both software and hardware modification.

JCU Singapore (registered as James Cook Australia Institute of Higher Learning in Singapore) is fully owned by James Cook University Australia and is ranked in the top 4% of universities in the world. JCU Singapore is also the host of the first permanent museum entirely dedicated to the history of video and computer games in South East Asia.

Keio-NUS CUTE (Connective Ubiquitous Technology for Embodiments) center is a joint collaboration between National University of Singapore (NUS) and Keio University, Japan. It is partially funded by a grant from the National Research Foundation (NRF) administrated through the Media Development Authority (MDA) of Singapore. Operations of the Center commenced on 1 April 2009. The main objective of setting up the center is to collaborate on fundamental research in the general area of Interactive Digital Media targeted at addressing the future of interactive, social and communication media. They use OSVR in their medical training and simulations and in their scientific studies on the role of physical movement and learning.

Multi-Platform Game Innovation Centre (MAGIC) in Nanyang Technological University (NTU) aims to champion games technology and related research to translate scientific ideas into technological products and services for the Studios of the Future in the media and entertainment industry.

Poznań Supercomputing and Networking Center focuses on providing computing power, networking services, research and development facilities for next generation computer networks, modern applications, portals, parallel and distributed computing as well as network and system security, integration and implementation of scientific research results via developing services for public administration, healthcare, education and other social areas.

SRH University Heidelberg is one of the oldest and largest private campus universities in Germany. For four decades, the SRH University Heidelberg has been among the most renowned German universities, with a close network of businesses and institutes of higher education worldwide. By establishing a unique study course focusing on virtual worlds and end-user application of “Virtual Realities” already in 2010, the SRH University Heidelberg anticipated current trends ahead of time.

Stefan cel Mare, University of Suceava develops new technologies that can be used worldwide by other universities or companies. They see the potential in virtual reality and like that OSVR is a big community and are pleased to be a part of it.

The Virtual Reality Laboratory of SeAMK – Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences – is a laboratory of the School of Technology, reserved for the research, project works and final theses of engineering students of Automation, Information Technology, Construction and Mechanical Engineering. The VR lab is equipped with state of the art technology in Virtual Reality. The aim of adaptation of OSVR is to enhance and broaden the technology research field of the lab. Future OSVR projects will be mainly targeted in architecture, construction, robotics, factory automation, 3D design and 3D gaming technologies

University of Bologna, Italy facilitated the development of GLOVR a hand interface specifically designed for VR applications. The idea behind it is to free players from the constraints imposed by traditional controllers. GLOVR features a dynamic gesture detection unit and a natural language interface to allow the user to communicate with an AI system. OSVR provides expanded compatibility allowing GLOVR to be tested with a wide range of software and accompanying peripherals.

University of Georgia is the oldest state-chartered university in the United States, and recently launch the youngest College of Engineering in the United States.

University of Kentucky is a land-grant institution with over 20,000 resident and commuter students on our main campus. The Department of Electrical Engineering has over 200 undergraduate and graduate students.

Virtual Neuroscience lab in the University of Tartu, Estonia aims to combine computational neuroscience and experimental psychology with virtual reality to enhance experiences. OSVR helps to contribute to their research by being open source allowing them to share their work.

ABOUT OSVR:

OSVR™ is a software platform designed to set an open standard for virtual reality input devices, games and output to provide the best possible VR game experience. Supported by industry leaders, the OSVR framework unites developers and gamers alike under a single platform. Plug in. Play Everything.

For the full list of OSVR supporters go to www.osvr.com.

Like OSVR on FB: https://www.facebook.com/OpenSourceVR.
Follow OSVR on Twitter: https://twitter.com/OpenSource_VR

Discotek Media Acquires ‘Wicked City’ and ‘Gaiking’

K. Roberts

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July 27, 2015

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Discotek Media Acquires ‘Wicked City’ and ‘Gaiking’

Discotek Media made a couple of announcements at their panel at Otakon 2015 on the weekend.

First up is their acquisition of Madhouse’s 1987 anime film Wicked City. The release will include Japanese audio with English subtitles and both English dubbed versions. Discotek’s work-in-progress preview of the cover art is featured directly below.

The other announcement is their acquisition of Toei Animation’s anime series Gaiking. The original series ran for 44 episodes on Fuji TV from 1976-1977. The complete series will be released in Japanese with English subtitles. Discotek’s work-in-progress preview of the cover art for this release is also featured below. The artwork for both covers is subject to change.

Hanabee Sets Release Date for ‘No Game, No Life’ Collection

K. Roberts

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July 27, 2015

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Hanabee Sets Release Date for ‘No Game, No Life’ Collection

Hanabee Entertainment has just revealed the release date for their upcoming Australian home-video release of Madhouse’s No Game, No Life anime series. It will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on September 18, 2015. Both sets will also come with three official soundtrack CDs, which will feature a combined total of 57 tracks.

The release will feature all 12 episodes with dual audio and English subtitles across two discs. No information about on-disc extras has been announced yet. Hanabee provided a synopsis of the series:

Just as their urban legend suggests the siblings Sora and Shiro are gods when it comes to the gaming. Blazing across the internet they are known as NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) gamers.
Until one day a boy calling himself “God” introduces them to a parallel fantasy world where everything is decided by games. In this world, all armed conflict and violence have been banned and the races must resolve their disagreements through gaming. Can the siblings find be as brilliant as their reputation to be the salvation of all humanity? The odds aren’t in their favour, but Shiro and Sora are going to duel till the end in No Game, No Life.

Both editions are available for pre-order for $59.99 AUD from Hanabee’s official online store here. Hanabee’s official trailer is featured below.

Godzilla Review

Dustin Spencer

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July 27, 2015

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Godzilla
Developer: Natsume Atari
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Platforms: Playstation 4 (Reviewed), Playstation 3
Release Date: July 14, 2015
Price: $59.99 USD – Available Here

Overview
There are very few franchises that have had the longevity and wealth of Godzilla. Just saying the name for some brings heavy nostalgia with it – with many fans torn over several of the ups and downs of the king of the monsters. There have been over twenty video game adaptations of Godzilla, but none have came with more promise than the self titled project from Natsume Atari. With plenty of references, history, and kaiju, this title certainly could have stood on its two legs tall – so what is the final result? Let’s find out.

Gameplay
There really is not a lot of story in Godzilla. I mean, sure – the main mode (Destruction Mode) has a story to hold it together of Godzilla coming in and wrecking generators – but honestly – that is about all we as they consumer get in terms of narrative. Godzilla is headed into land and has a ton of opposition in Destruction Mode, and the player must cause as much destruction as possible while eliminating all of the generators in a stage. Its as simple as that, aside from the battles with kaiju that liven up the experience and introduce a new objective from time to time. Before I dive deeper into this mode though, you should know just how Godzilla controls as that is truly going to be the make or break of anyone’s purchase.

Let me make this crystal clear. Godzilla is a simulation game. Not arcade, not fighting, not action – a simulation. You play as the beast himself and much like the cinematic films, Godzilla is slow and powerful. You also have a limited movepool as well, with a charge attack, a quick melee of sorts that translates into a tail attack combo, and the big tail slap. Godzilla can also grapple – but its a bit hard to execute because you have to be right up on the object in order to grab it, with the end result show the big monster pushing on the said target until it crumbles or he tires out. You also have fire breath, so once your meter is charged you can let out a quick burst of the projectile to hit foes from a distance. It doesn’t sound like a simulation in words, but once you are playing the game, this method of control actually makes sense. Players move Godzilla with the analog, and use the face buttons for attacks. Things get weird when you have to learn how to turn with the top two shoulder buttons. Let me tell you this is a big thing that will take time to get used to, but it does make players feel as large as the beast they are controlling and I seemed to adjust after a couple of hours worth of play, so just know that you are going into something that is not your average Godzilla fare.

Back to Destruction Mode, despite the lack of story and the whole generator thing, this little mode is actually rather interesting. As you destroy buildings and generators, you grow bigger. The bigger you are, the easier it is to knock things out of your way. At the start of each branching stage, a leader will make a quick statement of his battle plan against you, and its your job to simply avoid the arsenal and push through to each objective. As stages are beaten, leadership changes with pride of these leaders being destroyed along with all of those generators. Sure, its a small touch – but it does make it feel as if you are progressively being more destructive overall. Moving to another mode, King of the Monsters is as it is titled, and lets players battle through foes that build on difficulty. Evolution mode is interesting enough as you can actually learn new abilities – but don’t get too excited as most are simply just taunts. Diorama mode is mainly for the fans, and provides unlockable fauna to take screengrabs with. Finally, the Playstation 4 exclusive monster mode allows you to battle with others online (if you can find an opponent) using a good deal of kaiju.

With so many modes you would think one would be content – but honestly I felt like this was once a full experience broken down into parts to make it seem like there was more to offer. Destruction Mode is fun, but feels like a side mode. Thankfully the films are represented very well with a ton of touches that capture the raw essence of the Godzilla namesake, but in an age of access and action, I do wonder why this title wasn’t developed with a wider audience in mind. Sure, I get it, but 90% of gamers out there won’t understand that this isn’t RAMPAGE or some title where you just run wild with a monster and blow stuff up. Godzilla doesn’t have many problems in terms of how it is built, its just lackluster overall because it offers no mode to satisfy a bigger base and feels a bit like a budget title.

Visuals
This is hard as I played the Playstation 4 version and did not mind the visuals, but if you were to tell me I was playing the game on prior gen hardware, I would definitely find that to be more believable. The models look fine, the animations are a bit stiff – but so were those old films so I kind of can’t knock that as I didn’t notice framerate drops and such. Various filters can also be unlocked to add grain and other classic effects to the game. Again, a minor addition that goes far in terms of atmosphere. Godzilla’s only true visual flaw are the camera angles that will completely jar the immersion with your experience as the camera gets behind a building or simply doesn’t turn at the same rate as Godzilla.

Audio
The music is something I feel will go unnoticed but fans of the franchise will quickly hear the familiar soundtracks to nearly every single film within this game. The sound effects are also well done – with Godzilla’s shrieking roar sounding great. The voice actors in the English version seem forced, bored, and tired most of the time. Luckily, you can switch to Japanese audio – as even though the dialogue is usually uninteresting, it will make it seem more true to the original product we have all seen from the movies. There are also little audio files that give reactions to the public and police down below as you terrorize to fine, and those too do well to add another layer (though I wish they would just play and not require a game of hide and seek).

Overall
Godzilla is either going to be a great game or a terrible one depending on who you are and what you want from a title featuring Godzilla. Do you want action, explosions, destruction, and references to American culture? Well, look elsewhere. If you want to geek out in a playable and somewhat decent sim of Godzilla with plenty of lore to look through as well as kaiju to fight, this is your fan service from Namco and I personally think really hardcore fans will both understand and appreciate this game’s existence. That said, the game is a bit too expensive for what it has to offer at launch, so you might wait for it to go to a budget price before stomping a town as the most beloved monster in cinematic history.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven Review

Travis Bruno

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July 25, 2015

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Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven
Developer: Marvelous
Publisher: XSEED Games
Platform: Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: June 2, 2015
Price: $39.99 – Available Here

Overview
There was a time that Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven was in trouble of never being released in Japan due to the original developer, Neverland, going under shortly after the release of Rune Factory 4. Thankfully Marvelous opted to retain most of the key staff in order to finish the title and bring it out in Japan. Offering a bit of a unique twist from what Neverland was known for, is Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven worth picking up now that it has been released in the West?

Story
Players begin the game as Luchs Eduard, a young innkeeper managing the Famille Inn on a very xenophobic island. Both the protagonist and the name of the inn can be renamed by the player and due to the way people of the island treat outsiders, most of the townsfolk see Luchs as an oddity and often shun him as his inn encourages outsiders to stay in the area, leaving him with only two close friends, a perverted friend named Bart and a farming girl named Amelia.

Despite never having a guest stay at the facility, Luchs has continued to support his family’s inn despite being the last member of the family left alive. Thankfully Bart and Luchs are able to eke out a living by selling crystals, valuable materials often found in caves after earthquakes, to the townsfolk. After a particularly strong quake opens up a nearby cave, Luchs takes this opportunity to try and earn some more cash. Only problem is, once he arrives in the cave to find it filled to the brim with crystals he finds that one particular crystal contains a mysterious pink haired girl with a strange bracelet.

Shortly after finding this girl, fiends begin to surround Luchs and only after wishing to live does the girl inside the crystal awaken to slay every fiend in the area after the bracelet she was holding appears on his arm. After managing to return to the inn, Luchs discovers that this girl is named Charlotte and that she has almost no memory of who she is. By taking her in and treating her as family, Luchs vows to try and help her piece together her memory and the key to that appears to be finding the rest of her sisters that are still missing.

As players progress throughout the story from then on they will begin to learn the origins of these mysterious girls while also meeting a number of new ones along the way. It is worth noting that Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven can feature some rather long dialogue sequences but considering the character interaction is one of the game’s strongest aspects this is a good thing. At certain points in the game Luchs will have a moment of downtime where he can choose to spend a bit of extra time with one of the girls they have found so far.

These Heart Events as they are called allow players to not only learn more about a specific character while continuing down their possible story route, but also unlocks new abilities for that character while going on something similar to a date. While most of the girls may appear to feature fairly standard personalities for a title such as this one, by spending time with them over the course of Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven’s story that there is an enjoyable diverse cast of characters to keep things interesting and fresh.

Now it is worth noting that due to the layout of the game a number of the girls introduced in the latter half of the game are given a bit of a rough treatment compared to the likes of Charlotte and Beatrix who are introduced during the first hour. This isn’t too much of an issue however as each character is still given three heart events total, though players will need to be careful on whom they choose to pursue as it is entirely possible to lock yourself out of a certain route quite early. Of course, with the game designed for multiple playthroughs in order to see the multiple endings (which are tied to specific girls) this is intentional rather than a flaw and considering the enjoyable nature of the story players should feel right at home trying to go through at least an extra time or two if they can handle the combat system.

Gameplay
The player run inn serves as the home base for everything in the game, meaning players will be able to access the store to buy and sell items while also making use of a bath house that can provide boosts to players in the next fight if they have bath salts to use. However most of the time in Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven is spent out on the battlefield, either taking part in a side-mission that usually serves as a good way to level characters and obtain money and items or progressing the story.

Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven makes use of strategy RPG style combat with a bit of a twist as players are encouraged to take out as many enemies as possible using their attacks and triggering the game’s “bowling” mechanic. At the start of every turn the player can move their characters within a certain circle radius where they can then choose to either attack, use an item, activate a skill, or defend. Each character and skill has a unique attack range and size but it is worth noting that outside of simply moving and opting to do nothing, the character will use up 1 Action Point. At the start of each character’s turn they are given 1 AP with most skills requiring at least two to be useful, meaning that for the most part players are almost encouraged to play defensively at times in order to build up their points.

This can lead to some tediously long battles due to the way most battles unfold in Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven. You see, enemies appear in squads with each team having a squad leader with a standard level of health and numerous grunts that are eliminated in one hit. No matter how many of their grunts are killed the leader can continue to summon more grunts onto the field and it is up to the player to try and eliminate the leaders and grunts as quickly as possible to avoid the constant respawn.

One of the best ways to do this is to take advantage of the aforementioned bowling strategy. Whenever an enemy is defeated by an attack, they will be sent flying in the opposite direction of the attack and if they happen to hit another grunt, it can trigger a chain reaction of up to twenty enemies being defeated if they are grouped together tight enough. Once ten enemy kills are chained together in one move the attacking character will be given an extra AP and a chance to attack again in that round allowing for a flurry of properly placed attacks if planned right.

Unfortunately in the latter half of the game many enemies begin to absorb large amounts of damage while enemy generators spit out new leaders every few turns. This can lead to extremely repetitive battles of attrition that take far longer than they should, even if the player utilizes the elemental affinities of the various girls to target the weaknesses of the foes they are facing in that specific battle. It is worth noting that players can alter the level of battle difficulty in the options menu to alleviate some of this repetitiveness but it still remains an issue especially on a second run through.

Visuals & Audio
At first glance Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven may not appear to be overly detailed as far as 3DS titles go but seeing the game in motion is where everything comes to life. The chibi designs of the 3D character models still have some level of detail and are surprisingly well animated as they move around during dialogue sequences, tilt their heads, and make various other small motions in what one would expect to be a static backdrop to the actual conversations that are held in a visual novel style format with extremely detailed anime character portraits. Each character portrait features some form of animated movement and it adds an extra level of detail to important sequences or whenever Luchs begins bonding with one of the girls.

The soundtrack for Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven is fairly standard as far as fantasy RPGs such as this one go as there are very few tracks that actually stand out outside of the opening theme. It is interesting to note that this title offers only an original English voice track option and in a rather strange decision, the lines that are voiced vary wildly from time to time with important bits of dialogue often left silent or simply presented with a standard quip from the character while basic dialogue can be fully voiced, leading to a bit of disconnect between scenes.

Overall
Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven is a stylish looking strategy RPG that offers a fresh feeling combat and an adorable cast of characters that make it hard to choose which sister Luchs should pursue first. There are issues with the overall pace of the storytelling and while fresh, the combat can drag at times but despite these flaws this charming RPG had me pushing through the New Game+ mode (that allows the level progression of two characters, money and Heart Events, to be brought over) to see more of what the title had to offer.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

J-Stars Victory Vs+ Review

Travis Bruno

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July 25, 2015

0

J-Stars Victory Vs+
Developer: Spike Chunsoft
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Platforms: PlayStation 4 (Reviewed), PlayStation 3, PS Vita
Release Date: June 30, 2015
Price: $59.99 US – Available Here $99.95 AU – Available Here

Overview
J-Stars Victory VS+ appeared to be the dream game for many anime fans as Bandai Namco had managed to gather many of the most iconic characters of the shōnen genre and others into one game where they can create some of their dream battles. Despite appearing like an impossible licensing job in the West, Bandai Namco has brought J-Stars Victory VS+ out to Western fans. The question is, does this massive crossover title really deliver?

Story
If you were hoping for some sort of explanation as to why characters from numerous Shōnen Jump series are fighting one another then you are pretty much out of luck because the writers of J-Stars Victory VS+’s storyline opted out of any explanation whatsoever other than simply saying that every world is also part of Jump World.

In the game’s story mode, called “J-Adventure” players are given four different arcs they can choose to follow though the actual quests remain incredibly boring and are extremely similar with one another. Players can choose to follow Luffy, Naruto, Toriko, or Ichigo as their main character with that character then being joined by other characters soon after. These characters are placed on a boat that must navigate through the Jump World and defeat various other fighters, gather equipment to travel to new areas that the boat couldn’t go before and unfortunately that is all there is to it.

There is no real enjoyment here even for fans of these series since not only are players forced to accept the characters chosen for that specific arc but the actual interactions between these characters are as uninspired as can be, with only the most die-hard fans of some of these series possibly cracking a smile that someone like Toriko is talking to Goku or Ichigo interacting with Hiei in voiceless text. Such bland presentation means that once you actually power through one arc, it will be highly unlikely you’ll want to try any of the other three.

Gameplay
Thankfully J-Adventure is only one of the modes available to players as the rest of the options allow players to actually select whoever they wish to fight as, though they must be unlocked using in-game currency and over a period of time as money must be earned through fights and additional character slots are only unlocked after leveling the “friendship” aspect. Now, as mentioned players can partake in Victory Road fights with special themes, a standard Arcade Mode, Free Battle between either CPUs or a friend in some awfully handled split-screen combat, and online battles.

The battles in J-Stars Victory VS+ are fairly rudimentary as the rule of combat sees the player often selecting their own fighter, a partner to fight alongside, and a support character than can be called in periodically to perform a certain action (usually an attack or supporting boost) against two other opponents who usually come with an assist character with each battle lasting 300 seconds or until one side loses three lives.

Once you enter a fight each character has light and heavy attacks that can be chained into combos, blocking, and special moves. Each of the characters brought into the title’s roster brings with them a handful of their signature moves though it is worth noting that their actual movelist is disappointingly small. Despite most characters having a slew of techniques at their disposal at best only four of their techniques are even brought in to pad their shallow movesets. Ultimately in the case of J-Stars Victory VS+, it feels like the developers chose to go with quantity of characters over the actual quality of the chosen characters’ fighting styles since many characters are lacking even their most iconic moves and ultimate attacks.

The aforementioned ultimate attacks are earned by playing aggressively and advancing a meter near the middle of the screen toward the player’s meter. Once momentum fully swing’s in the player’s favor they are capable of unleashing two extremely powerful attacks capable of severely damaging opponents, though it is worth noting that some of these attacks can have drawbacks on the player as well depending on the character they use.

This is one thing that does help the combat stand out occasionally is that some characters have a unique way of fighting with special abilities that have their own benefits and drawbacks, meaning that players will often have to think on whom to bring with them into battle to best counter a particularly difficult opponent. Thankfully, due to the bare bones nature most of most of the character’s techniques, these challenges won’t arise too often as most characters specials are all presented in the same manner.

Outside of the standard computer battles, players can opt for either the aforementioned vs modes against a friend or online. While fighting against a friend the screen opts for a vertical split which severely limits the amount of screen space for both players to a ridiculous level that should have been handled in differently while actually fighting online works in a satisfying manner.

Visuals
It is worth noting that when J-Stars Victory VS+ was first released in Japan it was only for the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Vita and this limitation shows on the PlayStation 4 release. While everyone’s favorite characters still retain the same character models and aesthetic that fans will remember, there is a certain lack of polish and shading to really bring some of these characters to life and give them a real anime look that we have seen in many recent titles. Thankfully the game flows at a rather smooth pace even when characters are using ultimate techniques and destroying large amounts of the stage.

As mentioned, the stages are quite destructible which allows for some great looking moments where an opponent can be blasted through a building or dodging a particularly dangerous attack can leave crater where you once stood. This is a good thing since, despite matching the aesthetic from their original series, the amount of stages on offer is disappointing considering the number of series the roster draws from.

Audio
It is worth noting that since most of the series these characters have been taken from have either never been released in English or are licensed under different anime publishing and dubbing companies in the West that J-Stars Victory VS+ is being presented with only the original Japanese voice actors. This shouldn’t be too much of an issue for fans who should know how these characters originally sounded. The actual dialogue is enjoyable for what is offered since many characters have little interactions with one another if they are fighting against or teaming up with each other though the story dialogue is completely non-existent.

As for the soundtrack, fans will be happy to know that many of the all-time classic theme songs from memorable series have managed to make their way into J-Stars Victory VS+. Players often have the ability to choose what theme song will be played before entering into a battle which is a nice touch as selecting music to properly fit your team set-up creates potentially a great experience.

Overall
J-Stars Victory VS+ is the type of game that feels like it could have been so much better if the developer had actually put more effort into certain elements of the game. While the simplistic combat controls are easy to learn, the lack of character abilities and attempt to make most attacks feel different from one another leaves the combat feeling unsatisfying even though we have the largest roster of Shōnen Jump characters fighting against one another. J-Stars Victory VS+ is fuel for the fans of the series presented in the game but those fans shouldn’t expect a particularly great or deep game when picking this one up.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.