Discotek Media recently took to their Facebook page to reveal their April 2015 release schedule and the details of their upcoming Collectors’ Edition Blu-ray release of Hayao Miyazaki’s 1979 theatrical film, Lupin the Third: Castle of Cagliostro.
All of the following titles are set for an April 28, 2015 release (all prices are in US dollars):
Lupin the Third: Castle of Cagliostro Blu-ray – RRP $29.95
Samurai Troopers TV Series Collection DVD – RRP $59.95
Samurai Pizza Cats Collection DVD (reissue) – RRP $49.95
Discotek revealed that the Castle of Cagliostro release will come in a slipcase, which will feature alternate artwork to the Blu-ray cover. It will feature a mini art poster inside. The Blu-ray will be coded for Region A only.
Sentai Filmworks has just announced its latest acquisition: the home video rights to the 2014Knights of Sidonia anime. It will be available on DVD and Blu-ray soon. Following this announcement, Sentai Filmworks held a Q&A session on Twitter. Here are the main statements they made:
There will be a collectors’ edition containing “exclusive content and other goodies”. The box set will also contain extra exclusive art.
The original U.S. English dub of the series will be included.
The release will feature a Japanese 5.1 audio track and an exclusive English 5.1 mix. A Spanish language track will be included, along with English, Spanish and French subtitles.
They acquired exclusive alternate angles, which can be considered as Director’s Cuts for each episode.
Other on-disc extras will include behind the scenes and footage from the creator’s Japanese Q&A panel and the Advanced Screening.
The release date for the DVD, Blu-ray and Collectors’ Edition DVD/Blu-ray combo-pack is June 9, 2015.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse was announced by Bandai Namco early last year who promised to bring Dragon Ball to next gen consoles and for the first time, the PC platform. They also promised an original story and often teased us with trailers and screenshots featuring a mystery fighter who would later be revealed to be a product of the first expansive character creator to feature in a mainstream Dragon Ball title. To raise the hype even further, Xenoverse also marked the return of Dimps, the studio behind the praised Budokai titles from the PS2 era. With all this pressure does Dragon Ball Xenoverse manage to live up to its expectations? Read on to find out.
Story
Warning there are slight spoilers ahead but nothing that hasn’t been covered in previous news. Sort of new villains Mira and Towa are upsetting the normal flow of time to gather energy for some unknown reason. The Supreme Kai of Time and Trunks from the Future have summoned your created character to be a Time Patrol Warrior and go back in time to make sure history plays out as it should. Because of these events main villains and even allies often come under an evil spell that increases their power and forces you to fight them. A more sinister evil is also lurking in the shadows.
Towa and Mira are looking to cause trouble in the past!
For the most part, Dragon Ball Z fans will get a kick out of the story. Sure it is fairly poorly written, power levels are fairly inconsistent with the show (particularly your created character) and I am sure someone could poke a lot of holes in the story (there is a sequence towards the end that will have you just saying ‘what the…’), but if you just take it for what it is the story is a fun ride and the references and few plot twists that occur are enjoyable as are some of the more light hearted moments. Needless to say, those who don’t know the show well are going to be very confused as to what exactly is going on as entire story arcs are skipped, characters come out of nowhere and there are often references to events you don’t see in the game.
While the story is different in parts, this is basically the original story with your own created character thrown into the battles especially in the games earlier stages. Don’t expect any branching paths to occur as this is an all linear story. That being said it is refreshing to have a change of pace and perspective from the regular Dragon Ball story mode we have seen in the past, especially for those who have been playing these games for a long time now. There are no difficulty options however the difficulty scales as you continue the story and if you complete a few parallel quest in between missions to level up or bring some items into battle you should be fine.
If Vegeta saved a pudding will Beerus get mad? Changes like this keep the player on their toes.
The in game cutscenes here, particularly the ones that show a preview of the changes in the saga are very well done. Sadly the same can’t be said about the anime like cutscenes which look very cheap and poorly drawn as is the intro. Some cutscene transitions that take place mid battle are also awkward, where say you might be fighting Nappa and then when he reaches a certain damage point a cutscene initiates and Nappa is suddenly in an entirely different outfit to what he was a second ago.
Apart from the main story, there are over 50 parallel quests that all contain their own mini story and are normally based upon what if scenarios such as Guldo taking the admission test for the Ginyu Force or the Saiyans revolting against Frieza. Many of these stories have you fighting alongside those who are normally enemies and you can pick any combination of teammates you wish. These add some great variety to the game and each mission includes bonus conditions you can complete for better drops. These Quests have a lot of dialogue occur during them which is often personalized according to who is on your team or who you are fighting, and characters will also comment on your created characters race which is a nice touch.
Over 50 Parallel Quests provide lots of dialogue between characters.
Gameplay
To be blunt, the fighting is good but a fair ways off being perfect. I would place the depth of the fighting engine at a little less than halfway between the Tenkaichi series and the old 2D Budokai fighters. We now have two attack buttons for light and heavy attacks which can be charged to gain guard break status. There are standard ki blast that can be rapid fired by holding down circle and can also be fired while moving. Throws are back (and look great) and there is also a strong knock away attack you can perform by holding both attack buttons. You can lock on to your enemy and switch between targets with a flick of the right stick. The lock on system works well although on some occasions your attacks won’t launch in the direction you intended.
Movement feels great as you fly about the arena and you can also ascend and descend at will. Defensively you can block, parry (which requires practice and timing), or teleport which requires a fair chunk of stamina if you are not guarding. Each character also has an escape move they can perform for a high stamina cost, although it seems the CPU in story mode isn’t limited by that restriction. The defensive and offensive options can lead to some pretty interesting back and forth during fights which makes up the core of the combat along with combos.
Combat is solid however there is room for improvement.
Stringing combos together is fun and players can teleport after a combo to ‘ping pong’ their opponent and catch them with another combo if they time it right and have enough stamina. The strings are easy to perform and can also lead into super attacks or ultimate’s pretty safely if you have enough ki. The system is very easy for beginner’s to get into as they can mash square all day and perform some cool looking attacks. For those that want to push the fighting system to its limits you will probably do so relatively quickly and unfortunately, you may not be satisfied with the level of depth offered here once you do.
While the fighting is good the character creation feature is hands down the games biggest draw. Players can create their own Human, Saiyan, Namek, Frieza Race or Majin Buu character (with applicable races having a female/male option) and change nearly everything from hair, facial features, height, body mass, tops, pants, shoes, accessories and even voice. The number of clothing options is stunning, with some clothes and accessories taken from pretty obscure characters such as Korin’s staff or Uub’s clothes from the end of Dragon Ball Z. The same can also be said for special attacks. There are definitely some weird exclusions such as the inability to change your aura or have a Saiyan with a tail or even change the colour of the clothes you unlock unless it is an original costume for the game, but these are minor complaints in the wake of a very well done character creation system.
Dress as serious… or silly as you like!
The RPG leveling system is simple yet solid, allowing you to increase 3 points in any of the 6 stats each level up allowing you to build a character that suits your play style may that be rush down, ki management, defensive etc. A great feature Dimps added is the ability for your own created character to have up to 8 alternate outfits which can easily be switched between so you can make different move sets and outfits that suit different missions or battle types and easily switch between them in Toki Toki City or at the character select screen.
Apart from fighting, players will be spending most of their time in the hub world of Toki Toki City, running between the three sectors, buying clothes, interacting with others, taking on missions and more. This is a great hub world and although a quick travel menu might have been appreciated, running through the city seeing everyone else’s Time Patrol warrior is pretty cool and lets you see accessories and costumes you haven’t unlocked yourself yet. You can also find mentors such as Vegeta or Piccolo (and 10 others) that give you unique missions and skills once you complete them as well some characters that will give you gifts. I imagine a lot of people will have heaps of fun goofing around doing one of the 40 poses you can do in the city.
Seeing the creativity in Toki Toki City is definitely an experience.
The game has a wealth of online options. You can complete any of the Parallel Quests alongside two others in online co-op (an offline mode is also available with A.I. partners) and there is also online vs. which allows up to 6 players to fight at once in two teams of three, as well as standard ranked one on one. There is a World Tournament Mode that also lets others spectate as well as player matches up to 3 vs. 3 and 1 on 1 ranked matches. Unfortunately many cheap strategies are being utilized already but Bandai Namco have shown willingness to patch such issues, already releasing a patch to help stop one popular exploit.
Visuals
The graphics in this game won’t blow anyone away but they are the best graphics seen in a Dragon Ball game to date. The character models are a highlight, being well detailed and on point to what the character’s look like in the show. Super attacks are another strong point, with ki attacks like the Kamehameha being fun to pull off and looking devastating. Some strike attacks are also visually impressive, particularly the Super God Fist which gives a great close up of your fist connecting with your opponents face and the impact looks flawless.
Xenoverse features the best character models in a DBZ game to date.
Stages are big and look pretty good but are a far cry from what they could like with the power of next gen consoles. The cel shading on the stages isn’t as good as it is on the main cast and water looks flat and barely makes a splash when characters come in and out of it, making me question why they bothered including water in stages at all. The 21 stage roster is probably the best we have had in a Dragon Ball game to date and accurately captures locales from the show.
Stage destruction is limited to smashing only through certain rocks and buildings and while seeing a myriad of small craters appear on a building after a barrage of ki blast is awesome, the damage unfortunately fades away after a second. I do give the developers props for finally incorporating dynamic damage into the maps though. Small ki blast give off a nice explosion when they connect while larger ki attacks such as the Spirit Bomb feel pretty empty and lifeless on impact with the opponent which makes me miss the cinematic ultimate attacks we have had in past games.
Dynamic damage looks cool but unfortunately it doesn’t stick around.
For the most part combat does look good although it does have a slightly ‘stiff’ feel to it and can sometimes look pretty clunky as characters tend to get stuck in their hit animations, particularly at the top of the stages, or get sent flying by a kick that clearly didn’t connect. That is not to say I ever felt cheated by a hit box, it’s just the way the combat looks at times. This is in no way caused by performance issues, as I have yet to experience a single frame drop in my entire time with the game which is impressive as the game runs at full 1080p. The game runs at 30FPS on PS4 (it will run at 60 on PC) however it is very smooth and I can’t imagine anyone having an issue with the performance.
Dodgy hit connections such as this one lessen the experience a little.
Another flaw with the visuals is that mouths don’t move at all a lot of the time while characters are talking or just hang open without any movement while a character is yelling either during a mid battle cutscene or transformation. This makes characters look ridiculous at times and takes away a bit from the fantastic models. On a similar note, your created characters hair will not spike up when they turn Super Saiyan which in my eyes is a blatant disregard of the source material. The number of hairstyles is fairly limited and the traits of a Super Saiyan are one of the most recognisable sights in anime history, so the issue definitely deserved the attention of the developers in my opinion.
Audio
Audio is definitely one of the biggest mixed bags in this title, with a host of volume and sound effect problems that bring down the voice acting, variety and soundtrack. Players will most likely find the background music for battles much too quiet among all the sound effects, but luckily Dimps has given us separate controls over the volume of music, sound effects and voices. I found having music at 80% and sound effects at 40% was a good fix.
Unfortunately the sound effects are on par with what Videl’s face is feeling right now.
While the volume issue is an easy fix, the games sound effects are easily it’s biggest let down. From being overused to just poor sounding or even missing, the sound effects fail to emulate the sound of the show as past titles have done. The ‘big hit’ sound that sounds similar to a home run bat smash in Smash Bros. is the biggest offender and accommodates way too many attacks. Some actions have no sound effect such as when you perform a recovery off the ground after being knocked down. A lot of big ki attacks sound identical and don’t replicate the sounds they made in the anime. A Supernova from Frieza sounds just like the Kamehameha for instance. There are also some strange audio errors such as Goku acting like he’s about to fight Yamcha when he comes up against Beerus for example.
As for the voice acting for the most part it is really good apart from a few nuances (Trunk’s practically yelling HEY! to you every time you speak with him for example). Funimation dub fans will be happy to see some original voice actors returning for certain roles such as Android 18, Perfect Cell and Jeice who have reverted to sounding like they did in Dragon Ball Z as opposed to the Kai dub. The entire cast give great performances apart from a few awkwardly or halfheartedly delivered lines here and there. The voices chosen for Towa, Mira and Demigra are both very well chosen and acted. Fans of the Japanese voice cast will be pleased to find the voice toggle option available from the menu right at the start.
Meredith McCoy is back as Android 18 and sounds as good as ever.
Another highlight is the soundtrack, which is definitely one of the stronger mixes for a Dragon Ball game we have seen in recent years. The music does a great job of conveying tone in the story mode and accommodating battles apart from a few strange choices where more relaxed songs are played during seemingly intense fights. While still composed mainly of electric guitar riffs there is a healthy mix of techno, violin and more epic sounding boss like music mixed in to add some variety.
Overall
Dragon Ball Xenoverse is one of the most inspired Dragon Ball titles in a long time however it is not without its flaw and mediocrities. The biggest draw card no doubt is the create a character option, which provides massive variety in how you customise your warrior. The story is refreshing for long time fans but does feel disjointed. The fighting system is fun and accessible but those looking for true depth will look elsewhere. The graphics shine in some areas and are just O.K. in others and while the music and voice acting is solid the sound effects really let down the entire audio package. Dragon Ball Z fans will no doubt love the game despite it’s inconsistencies and lack of polish but there may be just enough wrong with Xenoverse that makes it hard to recommend for those who are simply curious about the franchise.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Overview Trying to revive a series a few years after it previously ended can be a difficult task and one that is often not well received by fans of the original. Genshiken first began as a manga series that ran from 2002 to 2006 before receiving two anime adaptations, the last of which was in 2007. Now three years after the end of the original manga, the series was revived as Genshiken Second Generation and now an anime adaptation of that revival has made its way to North America. The question is, is Genshiken Second Generation a worthy revival for fans to jump back into after all these years?
Story Time has passed since the end of the last season and almost all of the past members of Genshiken have graduated and found jobs, leaving Chika Ogiue as the club’s new president. For those who are unaware, Genshiken is a college club where hardcore otaku have congregated for the past few seasons. Susanna Hopkins, also known as Sue, has managed to transfer into the college and is now a full time member of Genshiken alongside the simple-minded Kuchiki who is still in the club and previous president Kanoko Ohno who remains to help Ogiue out.
With the club lacking most of its members, Ogiue is eager to recruit some new freshmen to join up and with the three new characters that join, the core concept of Genshiken shifts from what previous fans have seen to a more fujoshi oriented one as the three new members are adamant fans of Boys Love comics, especially the beautiful looking girl Hato. To the group’s surprise, while all three new members are welcomed to the club, they realize that Hato is in fact a guy who cross-dresses as a woman and has become so skilled at it that he is able to sound exactly like a girl.
This becomes something of a core element throughout the series as Hato plays a central role in almost every storyline in Genshiken Second Generation. The fact that he is a cross-dressing male that happens to be a lover of boys love becomes something of a sticking point for one of the new members of the club who initially tries to stop Hato from following through with cross-dressing despite the fact that he appears to have a very good reason for doing so other than the thrill of it.
This concept is explored later on as we learn more about Hato’s past and the trauma he suffered while at his previous school. In fact, Hato’s gender is handled very maturely in Genshiken Second Generation. Instead of simply being a tool for fan-service or a poorly handled running joke, the interactions Hato has with his fellow clubmates and the friendship he forms with Madarame explores various facets of what it means to be friends even if they may be a bit different.
Speaking of Madarame, despite graduating and having a job, he still spends quite a bit of time hanging around the Genshiken club room and because of this he plays a large role in Genshiken Second Generation, though this time he is far more mature acting than in the past. What begins as a way for Hato to change into his girl outfit easy due to the closeness of Madarame’s house eventually becomes a significant focus that, as mentioned before, explores Hato and Madarame’s relationship as friends but also makes him one of the central characters to the story.
Those who are familiar with the original series will know that Madarame has always held onto feelings for Kasukabe and even into adulthood these feelings continue to hold sway over him and one of the best moments in this series is, thanks in part to Hato, he is able to find a way to come to terms with his feelings and make them known. This is especially true as it is clearly evident up to that point that more than a few of the girls in the series are keeping an eye on him.
Now while Hato and Madarame play central roles to the storyline, this means that the majority of the characters outside of Ogiue, who brings with her a few storylines of her own including her work as an artist that draws the group together, are given very little focus. Other than the initial issues with Hato, the relatively anti-social newcomer is barely given any actual focus while the third new club member is there simply to be comedic.
This unfortunately becomes something of a running issue throughout the series as very little time is spent developing or even giving much characterization to the cast members. While the new characters are generally relegated to the background the same can be said for returning characters as well who mostly spend their time either appearing for one or two events or simply attending an event such as Comiket unless they play a role in the development of Madarame.
Perhaps this lack of focus is something of a blessing since, despite the relatively poor introduction two of the newcomers are given, the drama and development that comes from Hato and Madarame is more than enough to keep Genshiken Second Generation interesting between all of the laughs that the series provides. As mentioned, the club is something of an otaku safe zone and the series is more than willing to provide a realistic look at the life of otaku who love to cosplay, draw fan art of their favorite series, and attend events with one another all while providing plenty of laughs.
The comedy of the series remains relatively high though this time around the majority of the humor comes from Boys Love/fujoshi and the various misunderstandings made as well as the humorous troubles that a cross-dresser might end up dealing with, such as having to use the bathroom in a public area. This works well enough as the cast’s general reactions and own tendencies tend to be provide plenty of other types of humor, such as Sue’s awkward nature and tendency to blurt out anime lines to help flesh things out.
Visuals It has been quite some time since the original few seasons of the Genshiken anime began airing and even then each iteration was handled by a different studio. This time around Production I.G. has stepped in to animate Genshiken Second Generation and they have done a surprisingly good job with the series. The designs of the characters are more realistic than average and there are plenty of humorous faces to go around due to Sue’s actions and it is nice to note that there are plenty of cosplay outfits to go around, so it is always interesting to see what the cast might dress up as next and how well you know your different anime.
The same can be said in regards to the backgrounds, various merchandise on sale, and the figures seen throughout the series as there are plenty of times that series such as Squid Girl, Maria Holic, Madoka Magica, Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere, and many more are referenced visually through posters, merchandise, and the outfits the cast wears.
Audio Now one thing returning fans of the original series should note is that almost all, if not all, of the characters in Genshiken Second Generation have been given a completely different voice actor than before. This shouldn’t be too much of an issue for many however as the new voice actors have stepped up to fit their roles nicely, in fact Madarame’s new voice actor sounds far more fitting than his previous one. It is also worth noting that the various English dialogue spoken by foreign characters, or translated, is handled fairly well for a series with Japanese speakers.
The soundtrack is unfortunately rather forgettable in this release as most of the background tracks are as standard as they come, though the Poni Puni song is rather catchy. The opening theme “Genshi, Joshi wa, Taiyou Datta,” by Sumire Uesaka is upbeat and set to an enjoyable animation while the ending “Aoku Yurete Iru” by the female voice cast serves as a suitable closing theme.
Extras With NIS America’s release of Genshiken Second Generation they have given the series their new trademark Premium Edition treatment. This means that the release comes with a chipboard art box that contains both full-size blu-ray cases as well as a hardcover art book. The actual discs come with the standard clean opening themes and multiple versions of the same ending theme, but they also come with sixteen minutes of “Genshiken Discussion Topics” bonus material featuring the cast talking about various topics that also namedrop plenty of other popular series such as History’s Strongest Disciple and more.
As for the physical bonuses, the chipboard art case is now sized to fit easily on a shelf while sporting some nice looking artwork on both the front and the back and a drawing of Hato in his female outfit on the spine. The first Blu-ray case comes with reversible cover art which is a nice touch while the art book is dubbed the “Ultimate Fan Book.” The art book is surprisingly detailed as it features more than the standard episode guide and character details, it also includes various fantasies that Hato has had about him being paired with the other male characters, a few English translated 4-koma strips, a message from the director of the series, an interview with the voice actors who handled Hato’s male and female forms, and an interview with the director.
Overall Genshiken Second Generation has it rather rough as old fans will want to compare it to the original while newcomers will miss out on the character interactions between returning characters and the character development Madrame makes in this release. Despite this limitation and the way most of the cast is relegated to comedic roles, the series turns out to be highly entertaining as it tackles some usually exploitable mature material in a mature way while also providing plenty of laughs as the characters interact with one another while giving both old and new fans something to enjoy in a series that handles the otaku lifestyle unlike any other.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
So you might not have noticed, but Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is already out and making a bit of an impact on the Wii U. The latest in the franchise mixes color with clay, and brings back the gameplay we loved in Canvas Curse for a whole new experience. Yes, we have a lot of Kirby games on the market, but with quality and simply enjoyable gameplay, there is always room for more.
Nintendo want to celebrate some of the critical acclaim that this title has already made for itself, and have released a sweet, new trailer, laced in happiness and praise. You can check out the clip below and add the next greatest gem to your Wii U collection as of today.
Point and click adventure games seem to have fallen by the wayside recently. Back in the 90s they were all the rage. Grim Fandango, Monkey Island and a million more used to be the bee’s knees. Well in a day that is filled with first person shooters, and more puzzle games than you can shake a stick at comes Fictorama Studios and their upcoming post-apocalyptic game; Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today.
I have played a little bit of the current Dead Synchronicity demo, and I will admit that I am excited about the prospect of the full game, but that being said there are some issues that really stood out. Luckily there is still a whiles away from the game’s release so a lot of these problems can be fixed up before then.
Like a lot of modern games, Dead Synchronicity is set in a fictional, post-apocalyptic world that has become desolate after The Great Wave – a chain of natural disasters that have absolutely decimated the population and environment. Many survivors are finding themselves stricken with an illness that turns people into delirious, yet telepathic mutants on their way to death. If you couldn’t piece it together, this game is seriously dark. The world is basically a police state and there is just a tonne of violence and gore throughout. I was really impressed with how powerful some of the imagery was in the sections of the game that I played through.
The game’s protagonist, Michael wakes up in this world with no recollection of his past. Yeah…. This is an amnesic character, which has basically become a cliche in recent years. It feels a little like a cop out to have such an interesting and dark world only to have its main character have no memories. It feels like lazy writing and definitely felt like a let down.
When it comes to point and click adventure games, there isn’t too much that can be said about the gameplay. You progress through the world by interacting with objects and people in order to solve puzzles and progress the story. You collect items which are kept in your inventory until their appropriate time and it is up to you to solve the complex puzzles with typically minimal clues. I will admit though that some of the puzzles and interactions weren’t as complicated as I have come to expect from the genre, but that might be because I was playing through an earlier section of the game.
Since the gameplay is relatively simple, I wanted to spend some time talking about the aesthetics of Synchronicity. In its own way, it is absolutely stunning. I’m not kidding when I say that the visuals look like something out of a cool little indie comic-book. The colour pallet is all drab and dull and really sets off the tone of the game perfectly, while the thin outlines really give Dead Synchronicity a really unique look.
While the visuals are stunning, there were a few quirks that really took me out of the moment. The biggest offender was the fact that when two characters were conversing with one another, the same animations and facial gestures would play on a loop. Not only that, but the animations were only a few frames long so the repetition became very noticeable. It is things like this that really take me out of the world that I would otherwise be hugely invested in.
I’m usually a bit skeptical of games that were funded through Kickstarter (or anything that’s been crowdfunded, to be honest) but Dead Synchronicity has me intrigued. While there are still a few hurdles for the developers to overcome before the full release date, there is definitely a solid, enjoyable and mature game here.
Australian game development is a small but growing industry and it is easy to see why. While there are already a few stallions, there is now another horse in the race. That horse’s name is Gamesoft and today they have announced their debut puzzle game; Clockwork.
Players take on the roll of Atto, who alongside his clockwork companion Milli is able to traverse the very fabric of time itself. Using the power to slip through time, Atto will make his way around any obstacle in his path. Not much else is known about ClockWork at this time, other than it has a really gorgeous art style and will be available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
More information about Clockwork will be available in the coming weeks, but for now check out the small teaser trailer for the game below and make sure you stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all of the hottest Australian gaming news as it becomes available.
Hero of Many – A visually stunning puzzle platformer across 26 levels.
Rex Rocket – A deliciously retro platformer paying tribute to 8-bit classics like Mario, Megaman, and Metroid.
Catmouth Island – A casual point and click adventure about Mya and her inveestigation of B3 Corporation.
eXperience 112 – Players must guide Lea Nichols through an abandoned boat, but they can only provide tips and advice from behind the boat’s surveillance cameras.
Crunch Time! – Live out the most awful part of video game development in this new card game.
Tiestru – Build your spellbook by building your base in this strategy game.
For the first 24 hours of the sale, Indie Gala’s Every Monday Bundle #48 is only $1.99 USD. Grab your copy at Indie Gala before the price rises in 24 hours.
Good evening ladies and gentlemen. It is a bit later than our usually scheduled broadcast time but here we are for this week’s installment of Xbox Newsbeat. If you are unaware of what we do around here, Newsbeat is your one stop shop for all the hottest Microsoft news straight off the presses. So sit back, get comfy and check out this week’s three headlines in all their glory.
Create, Ride and Destroy in the ScreamRide Demo
Last August, we here at Newsbeat shared news of an upcoming game that was part action, part builder: ScreamRide and at the time we knew very little about what it was. Well now Microsoft have released a demo for the game which has answered so many questions.
Looks like ScreamRide will have you building and running your own wild and insane roller coasters, kind of like Roller Coaster Tycoon but on crack! If building isn’t your thing, then jump into the cockpit and guide your cart through insane twists, and turns in countless labyrinths.
You can download the demo for both Xbox 360 and Xbox One, ahead of the game’s Match 5th launch date.
Xbox One March system update: Screenshots and suggested friends now available in preview
Finally! Finally players can take screen shots of their Xbox One games. While video recording has been a feature since the console launched, the ability to take high-def screenshots was out of reach. Well now, thanks to the latest content update, this is no longer the case.
In addition to screen shots, the Xbox One can now servce as a digital set-top box in Australia, as well as a slew of new features (as mentioned last week) being introduced
Xbox App on Windows 10 – February 2015 Feature Summary
The Windows 10 Xbox App is already an excellent companion to your favourite gaming console, but now there have been a few little updates, namely:
Top Navigation Bar. The smiley face J can be used to send feedback about the app to the product team, get access to forums for the Xbox app, and you can now rate the Xbox app.
The user experience for Friends has been updated so that you now see Suggested Friendsunder a Suggestions header at the top of the Friends list, with a See all button to browse the entire list of VIPs on Xbox and People you May Know. Additionally, you can now start typing in the Friends search box to instantly find specific friends.
Small fit and finish items were added to the Settings page.
So there we have it folks, another delightful issue of Xbox Newsbeat. So time to roll over, put your phones on charge and switch off your lamps. Rest easy knowing that you are up to date on all the latest Xbox News. As always, make sure you stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the Microsoft news as it becomes available.
Overview Since 2012 Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja have managed to produce three different versions of Dead or Alive 5 with their latest and supposedly version being a fully upgraded Dead or Alive 5: Last Round on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 and soon the PC. Makings its debut on current-gen consoles and bringing with it some improved visuals and a few new additions is this re-release worth picking up or has the well run dry?
Story Similar to their previous release, Dead or Alive 5: Last Round does not feature an updated story in any way. This means that if you happened to play any of the original release then this means you’ll be treated to the same exact story as before which offers at least some continuing narrative of the Dead or Alive series, DOATEC and leaves room for more to come, but it is worth noting that a number of the characters simply play minor roles and do not have stories of their own.
While this story mode has always been relatively short, it really begins to show weakness this time around. The reason is that we have now seen the introduction of two brand new characters in Dead or Alive 5: Last Round including a few that were previously only available as DLC and they are still not given any exposition.
Considering the fact that Raidou, a boss from the first game that players have long thought dead, makes his return with some metallic enhancements and we now have the introduction of Honoka, a schoolgirl who wields a power similar to Raidou’s and interacts with long standing characters but no extra exposition is provided for why these two are back and what their relationship might be, making the lack of any additional story being included all the more disappointing.
Gameplay Those who have experienced Dead or Alive 5 before should know what to expect with the game’s combat system as it remains the same as before, though it is worth noting that various adjustments have been made to some characters’ moves meaning that not all of your strategies may remain intact in this new iteration.
For those who haven’t tried it out before, the combat system follows a unique four button combat system where Y and B dish out punches and kicks while throws are performed with the A button and players can guard, or perform ‘hold’ counters when timed properly, with X. There is a certain strength and weakness to each of these moves, with strikes being countered by holds, holds being countered by throws and strikes overpowering throws, making the title easy to pick up and play but quite intricate at the same time as predictable fighters can easily be toppled by those with experience.
Once a fighter finds themselves damaged to a certain degree, they will also be able to pull off Power Blows and Power Launchers. Both of these charge moves can only be used to their full extent once per round with Power Blows being able to send opponents flying across the stage, potentially into stage hazards that will cause additional damage to their opponent or, in the case of a Power Launcher, send them flying high into the air to allow for a juggling attempt.
If all of this sounds a bit difficult to grasp don’t worry, as Dead or Alive 5: Last Round sports an extensive tutorial mode and a training suite for every character in the game. These tutorials will run over every aspect of the game’s combat system to help players get the hang of their favorite characters while those looking for more of a challenge may wish to try and complete their character’s highly difficult combo challenge line-up.
Of course those who simply wish to jump into the action will find plenty of ways to do so as Dead or Alive 5: Last Round sports not only Solo matches but Tag matches for every mode except for story. Arcade, Survival, Score Attack, and Online can all be played through in Tag and this system works as fine as before, with players being able to swap between fighters in combat while laying down extensive tag-combos or triggering special tag-grapples.
As for the two new characters exclusively available in Last Round, both Raidou and Honoka feature the same type of playstyle in the way that both characters take moves from other fighters in the roster. Raidou is the faster character of the two while Honoka received more power moves and appears to be the more enjoyable character to play thanks to the fighter’s she is copying instead of Raidou, though Raidou does feature some unique moves of his own. It is also worth noting that there are a couple of new stages included in this release and a whole ton of costume DLC that I will discuss later.
As for the online mode, players will be treated to the same line-up of modes as before, such as Ranked Matches and Lobbies that can be created and customized, or searched for, to fit your style. Of course players can also choose to open themselves up for “Throwdown” matches whenever they play a single player mode and when a fight is found they can choose to either accept an online match or deny it. That being said, at the present moment Dead or Alive 5: Last Round on the Xbox One is currently suffering from a number of bugs and issues concerning the game’s online mode forcing the game to freeze and crash while searching for a Ranked match or leaving Throwdowns on. Interestingly enough lobby matches still work just fine as long as you invite friends with the game to come into the lobby.
Visuals & Audio One of the things that Team Ninja talked about the most when it came to the release of Dead or Alive 5: Last Round was the “Soft Engine” that has been implemented into the current-gen release of the title. This engine is meant to create a more realistic looking skin texture and I must commend them for doing a great job here as the character models in this release have never looked better. The male characters have been given a nice improvement though it is worth noting that the most attention has been paid to the female roster receiving visual upgrades that end up being quite eye catching, especially when combined with the sweat and dirt systems that also seem to have been upgraded to make sure that most characters will have see through outfits by the time a match ends.
As mentioned, Dead or Alive 5: Last Round includes a ton of costumes that were previously only available as DLC for every character on the roster. A large chunk of these outfits are available right at the beginning of the game though there are still a number of outfits that need to be unlocked by playing through the various modes. These outfits range from ridiculous looking to titillating and for certain characters players can even change the type of underwear that they are wearing by changing the ‘detail’ option when selecting the character.
Unfortunately, despite the large amount of costumes available in the game at release, a large number are automatically held back as DLC at launch though players who have previously purchased outfits that aren’t automatically unlocked in the game can import them from the past versions by going through a small process.
The stages themselves look as wonderful as before and seem to have been given a nice touch up while the actual voice work (both English and Japanese) remains the same as before, though I must say that the new characters do a great job fitting. That being said, the Virtua Fighter guest characters still sound off due to the poor nature of their voice work compared to the rest of the cast.
Overall Dead or Alive 5: Last Round brings a lot of content to the table but unfortunately most of this content is something that fans have likely already seen before. If you have only played the original then you will find plenty of brand new characters, stages, and outfits to enjoy but those who have already played Ultimate will find less here than before.
The new characters help expand the roster and give this already bursting title some extra variety while visual upgrade is a nice improvement and a major plus for those who like their characters to show some skin in the new outfits. That being said, the lack of an updated storyline and mechanics that, while tried and true, remain the same as before mean that Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is simply something to tide fans over while they wait for a new iteration.
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