Outright I will say that I am a huge fan of both the Total War series and the Warhammer IP. For a long, fans like myself have dreamed of the two coming together in one glorious package. Earlier this year, such a dream was announced as becoming reality with Creative Assembly officially announcing that they were planning on releasing Total War: Warhammer. I was able to attend a hands-off demo at E3 and I spoke with one of the devs, which you can read about here, but for now we’ll focus on the demo…
The demo itself focused upon the battle of Blackfire Pass which itself is slated to be the culmination of a quest line for the Empire with a victory resulting in Karl Franz gaining access to Ghal Maraz (a powerful magic warhammer) as well as other “fat loots” as the developers described it. I imagine these questlines will run along a similar format to the mission system in Total War: Rome II but with a greater focus on narrative.
In this particular instance, the Empire were forming up against a horde of monstrous Greenskins led by Grimgor Ironhide. The camera panned across the pass and we were given close-ups (for a Total War game) of the units assembled. The Greenskin forces were an eclectic mix of orks, goblins, giant wolves, giant spiders, and giant… giants.
The Empire side was composed was composed of far more traditional (for a Total War game) units of human infantry, spearmen, and handgunners. Alongside artillery and a steamtank, these units came together to form a line against the horde.
In short order the Greenskin horde came crashing into the Imperial line with Orks and other beasties barreling into the human regiments to send men flying. Overhead, Karl Franz and his gryphon were in a deadly aerial ballet with an Ork warboss atop a wyvern.
It was at this point that the Empire pulled it trump card and flanked the Greenskin forces with outriders, knights, and demigryph knights. As these units broke cover and charged, a greenskin shaman cast a powerful spell called ‘Curse of the Bad Moon’ which effectively destroyed and routed the unit of outriders.
In the final stages of the demo, magic was let loose with spells flying left right and centre. A particular highlight for me in this magical exchange was a Greenskin shaman summoning Gork (or was it Mork?) to smash down on the Empire artillery and destroy the steamtank. The final closing spell was cast with a celestial wizard calling down a comet of Casandora onto the battlefield.
The demonstration was certainly interesting and it serves as a good proof of concept that Creative Assembly is adapting the world of Warhammer Fantasy to the Total War formula. The spells and aerial units are new and interesting to see. It was disappointing not to be able to see any of the campaign and I am skeptical of any ‘gameplay footage’ I see which is this carefully choreographed… but I am still eager to hear more. Until then, colour me ‘interested’ in Total War: Warhammer.
A COLLISION OF MANGA AND ANIME WORLDS DEBUTS IN THE WEST WITH BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT’S J-STARS VICTORY VS+
Celebrate 45 Years of Shonen Jump and 20 Years of V-Jump Magazine with an All-Star Blowout of Famous Manga and Anime Characters
Sydney, June 26th – Leading digital entertainment company BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe today announced that J-STARS Victory VS+ has launched in Europe, Middle-East, Africa and Australasia for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and the PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system. The game features an eclectic mix of manga and anime characters from over 30 different Shonen Jump franchises including ONE PIECE, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN, BLEACH, DRAGON BALL Z, Fist of the North Star, Assassination Classroom, etc.J-STARS Victory VS+ is one of the most ambitious manga and anime focused fighting games to ever reach Western videogame fans.
Developed by Japanese videogame studio Spike Chunsoft, J-STARS Victory VS+ delivers an incredibly robust roster of characters to stage epic battles through a variety of manga and anime worlds. Players can choose to begin their J-STARS Victory VS+ adventure from a multitude of game modes including; J-Adventure Story mode where players battle in different manga and anime environments to determine who is the strongest character, 2-vs- 2 Team Battle mode that allows up to four players to form teams to battle for bragging rights, and an exclusive Arcade mode for Western audiences that will deliver quick classic arcade style one-on-one matches.
“In the realm of anime and manga based videogames, J-STARS Victory VS+ is one of the most unique and ambitious undertakings ever. The fantasy of pitting so many anime characters from different worlds in one arena of battle has finally come true: the fates of the J-STARS Victory VS+ characters are now in the hands of Western anime and manga fans.” said Herve Hoerdt, Vice President of Marketing & Digital at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe
J-STARS Victory VS+ is available now in retail packaged form and digitally throughout Australia and New Zealand
LEGO Batman is making the jump to the small screen. LEGO Batman: Beyond Gotham is available now for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. The game needs iOS 8 and above and will need at least an iPhone 4S or an iPad 2 to run. An Android release will be out soon, though Warner Bros. has yet to provide a solid release date.
LEGO Batman: Beyond Gotham has 45 missions based on LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham. Popular characters from the DC Universe such as the Justice League and the Legion of Doom will be making appearances in the game. Extra characters can be earned in game or purchased as a separate in-app purchase.
TGIF! Indie Gala and Capsule Computers is ending June with a bang, bundling 12 indie games for one low price. Those who pay more than $1.00 will snag:
BloodNet– A classic adventure from 1993 updating the classic Gothic vampire genre with gritty cyberpunk.
Rex Nebular and the Cosmic Gender Bender – Another classic adventure from the early 90’s, Rex Nebular is a interstellar adventurer on a quest to return a vase to its owner.
The Defenders: The Second Wave – Bring up to three friends to survive against 50 waves of increasingly difficult enemies in this action platformer.
For a minimum purchase of $2.89, buyers will get:
Treeker: The Lost Glasses – A first person adventure about a pair of legendary glasses in a forgotten island full of secrets.
Siralim – A rogue-lite RPG chock full of randomly generated dungeons and quests.
Woolfe – The Red Hood Diaries – Red Riding Hood is about to dish a can of whoop-ass as she looks to avenge the death of her parents.
Hypt– You are a brand new form of anti-malware program that can go into a computer and turn the malware’s ability against itself.
Shadow Ops: Red Mercury – An FPS from 2004 that was one of the earliest implementations of the lean functionality.
Sirius Online – A space MMORPG currently in Early Access inspired by the likes of Freelancer.
Gunship! – A retro flight sim that puts you into the cockpit of some of the finest helicopters in the middle of a not so Cold War between Russia and NATO.
Slave Zero – Gear up in a giant mecha and get ready to shoot your way through a giant 7 mile high city.
Global Ops: Commando Libya – Chase deadly terrorists and arms smugglers across the world before they can detonate a nuclear weapon.
For the first 24 hours of the sale, the entire bundle can be purchased for $2.89. After that, the price goes up, so grab your copy at Indie Gala now!
While fans of Persona in North America have to wait until sometime this fall to access an English version of Persona 4: Dancing All Night, gamers in Japan can head out to their local store and pick up a copy starting today. As such it should come as no surprise that Atlus release the opening video for Persona 4: Dancing All Night to commemorate the game’s Japanese launch.
The opening video can be found below and while we have heard the opening music before as it was previewed in the past with no animation, this is the first time that the company has shown the full video featuring all of the members of the Investigation Team performing.
Since MangaGamer has worked with plenty of different eroge devs in the past and are currently working with more than ever, the company has just now released their first PC game from developer Noesis. The eroge is called Free Friends and follows the story of Yui Kurahashi, an innocent girl born into a rich family and generally ignorant about the ways of the world. After getting into a fight with her family and running away from home, she is stuck wandering the neighborhood with nowhere to go.
A friend tricks her into using a website called “Free Friends” in order to find someone to help her, only for the true purpose of that website to become clear as soon as her “savior” extends a helping hand. Those who wish to purchase this adult visual novel can do so on MangaGamer’s website (18+ Only) for $24.95.
NIS America has announced that Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance will be released on the PlayStation 4 in North America on October 6th and in Europe on October 9th.
The company also revealed that they will be selling a standard version of the game that is priced at $59.99 and will include a reversible cover, art book, collectible box, and OST at launch as well as a limited edition priced at $79.99 that comes with the game, a hardcover art book, the two-disc complete soundtrack, an Usalia figure, a tear resistant poster, and a collector’s box for everything. The limited edition is currently available for pre-order from NIS America’sonline store.
To go along with the release date announcement NIS America also released some new English screenshots for Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance as well as a trailer for the title that gives us a brief sample of how each of the main heroes will sound like in English.
Earlier today Idea Factory International announced that they are planning on releasing Amnesia: Memories in on the PlayStation Vita and PC in North America on August 25th while gamers in Europe will be able to download the title when it is released on the PlayStation Network on August 26th. When released, this digital title will be compatible with the PlayStation TV if you wish to go that route.
In Amnesia: Memoriesplayers take on the role of a heroine whose life depends on hiding her recent loss of memory while you navigate complex relationships with five men, a few of which we have been introduced to already.
We haven’t heard much about Yakuza 5 coming to the West after Sega and Sony announced that they were planning on bringing the title to North America and Europe sometime in 2015 but now seven months later Sega has appeared with a bit of promotional material for the title.
The company has released a video interview where Gio Corsio of the SCEA Third Party Production team speaks with the general director of the Yakuza series Toshihiro Nagoshi and Yakuza 5 producer Masayoshi Yokoyama to talk about the game’s theme and scope while also answering some questions from their Western fans. You can check out the video below and as for the game, currently Yakuza 5 is still scheduled for release sometime this year.
When Splatoon was announced, people’s heads turned and all eyes were fixated on the new cast of colourful half kid/half squid. It is rare for Nintendo to release a new IP and even more shockingly; it was a shooter! Well now that the Big N’s forway into the unknown has been released and its unique take on the multiplayer shooter genre is definitely a success. Sure it suffers from some teething issues and the method of distributing content is a little eyebrow raising, but all in all Splatoon shows that Nintendo still has the minds to innovate and create obscene amounts of fun.
Gameplay
At it’s core, Splatoon is a squad-based shooter where your goal is to fill the majority of the map with your team’s chosen colour of ink. To do this, you use a variety of weapons and skills to lay down some serious ink. If you took nothing more than a passing glance at Splatoon you would probably enjoy it for this factor alone but much like with Pokemon, Nintendo has created a game that looks simple on the outside but is jam packed with some serious hidden complexity and depth.
In Splatoon, you play as a Squidling, which is a squid that can transform into a kid (or a kid that can transform into a squid. I’m not particularly sure which one it is). As a kid, you run, jump and shoot your ink guns like normal and aim to cover the most floor space with your team’s colour. However, turning into a squid is what really shifts this game into a whole other gear. As a squid, you are able to sneakily and quickly dash through your own ink, adding a whole new level of manoeuvrability that you normally wouldn’t expect in a squad-based shooter. Squids can even dash up walls and get to higher vantage points by painting up a wall in kid mode.
One thing that really impressed me was the map design of the game. Levels are built around not only the manoeuvrability of the players, but the weapons themselves. Verticality is important and in many stages a Squidling can travel up a tall tower and take aim with a sniper-rifle to pick off opposing squids who get in their way, but at the same time a character with a roller (a paint roller that they push along the ground in front of them to cover massive areas with ink) can quickly get around the tight corners and ensure that their team’s colour is painted proudly across the field.
The rounds are short but incredibly chaotic. It is possible for one team to be absolutely dominating the map for 2:50 before the opposition mounts a serious counter attack and wins out of nowhere. The quick gameplay also keeps the intensity up and stops you from losing interest.
Since Splatoon is a multiplayer-focused title it is sad to see it not include any real couch co-op. Now to clarify, the game does let you play with two players on the one console, but only in a weapons test area and not in any of the actual online multiplayer modes. Personally, I was a little disappointed to find that out after reading that there was two-player support right on the back of the box. It is understandable that with the ink physics and nature of the game that two players on the one console might not be feasible with the current hardware, but tempting us with the promise of two player action and not fully delivering is a huge let down. I personally feel that the multiplayer aspect of weapons testing should have been excluded from the game all together.
There is also a single-player aspect to the game, where you take on the roll of your Squidling and run through various challenges designed to teach you on how to properly utilise the game’s mechanics. While it isn’t a massive aspect of the game, I for one learned a lot about squid movement and shooting tactics from running through the stages, and the boss fights were just icing on the cake. However I will note that the final boss encounter is a HUGE difficulty spike in comparison to the others, and it can feel downright frustrating at times.
One thing to definitely note is how stable the online connectivity is with this game. Nintendo is known for not putting up the best servers for their online games *cough cough Smash Bros. cough*, but during my many hours as a squid-kid, I never once got dropped out or had any discernable amount of lag. The whole game runs as buttery smooth as any other shooter out there, which is all the more impressive considering the chaotic and dynamic nature of the game.
Nintendo has also taken a bit of a unique tact when it comes to the content available in Splatoon. At any given time, players will only have access to four maps (two in ranked mode and two in free play), and these rotate every couple of hours. This is very much a double edged sword as it allows players to really get accustomed to a particular map, but at the same time also means that if a map you aren’t fond of pops up in the rotation, you are stick playing on it or just not playing for a couple of hours. I also feel like it is a method of artificially increasing the game’s lifespan, as everyone can’t get bored of the included maps too quickly. In a time where games like Destiny and Titanfall become barren wastelands quickly, I can see why they would want to try this out but I can see players getting agitated at its inclusion.
Splatoon also features Amiibo support, but only for the three Splatoon figures. When you scan one of the Inkling figures into the game, it unlocks a series of challenges for you to replay. These have you running through the levels of the single-player campaign once again but with different limitations placed on you, or by giving you different weapons. Playing through these unlocks some new wearable gear for your online avatar, and I have been rocking the seriously awesome Squidling armor since I first stepped foot into the online lobby.
Visuals & Audio
Splatoon might very well be Nintendo’s most visually impressive game to date, and a lot of that has to do with the ink itself. Water effects are always difficult to get right, no matter what the game is and when you add colour and physics to the mix, the whole thing becomes a recipe for disaster yet somehow they managed to pull it off without hitch.
Ink gets EVERYWHERE in this game, and the subtle animations as it splatters across the floor, or the parting motion as an enemy’s ink supplants it are really beautiful to behold.
The game itself is also vibrant and colourful (which at this point is a trademark for Nintendo and one that II’m sure most of us agrees continues). The various different colours of ink really help the game stand out;Deep blues and contrasting oranges, fluro pinks and royal purples. They all look amazing and there is never a time where you stop and go “wow, my team’s colour is ugly this round.”
Since Splatoon is such a chaotic game, it is only natural that it has an equally energetic soundtrack. The high intensity punk-rock styled tunes really help set the tone and pace for the matches and are a joy to listen to. Although I will admit that I wish there was a few more songs available because after a couple of hours of play you will likely have listened to them all several times.
Overall
Shooters are really a niche in gaming that Nintendo has largely left alone, so it is good to see that when they finally dip their toe into that pond, that they have created something totally out there and different. While it has its share of teething issues, Splatoon is still a blast to play. After selling over 1 million copies, I have no doubts that we will see more of the Squidling Kids in the future and I look forward to see how this game becomes the springboard to a truly awesome franchise.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
