2k Games and Gearbox Software announced that next generation consoles are coming to Pandora. Borderlands: The Handsome Collection will bundle HD versions of Borderlands 2and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequelfor PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Borderlands: The Handsome Collection contains both base games and all DLC content.
The new collection is not just a re-bundle of the the previous two games with the PC version’s high resolution textures. For the first time in the series, four players can sit down in front of the same TV and play split screen. For obvious reasons, this feature is probably best enjoyed on larger TV screens.
Gamers who have saves from previous-gen consoles will be able to take their characters with them. Xbox 360 owners will be able to take their characters and their Badass Ranks to the Xbox One and PlayStation 3 owners will be able to do the same to the PlayStation 4.
Keeping in the tradition of Borderlands’ over the top collector’s editions, Borderlands: The Handsome Collection will feature the Claptrap-in-a-Box Collector’s Edition. Priced at a hefty $499.95 AUD, the box comes with a smartphone controlled Claptrap that talks, a collectible steel case, and 12 exclusive lithographs. Only 5000 units have been made for the entire world.
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection will launch in North America on March 24, 2015 and on March 25, 2015 in Australia and New Zealand.
Overview With the latest generation of consoles gamers have started to grow weary of certain games being re-released in HD, especially since many of these games were released under two years ago. What most gamers would like to see are games from over a decade ago make their return to consoles and that is what Capcom has done. Released first on the PlayStation back on 1996 and given a remake on the GameCube in 2002, Capcom has taken that GC release and have now released Resident Evil HD Remaster. Featuring crisper visuals, is this a title worth picking up for new and old fans alike?
Story Anyone who has played either the original release or the remake in 2002 should be familiar with the story of Resident Evil as nothing has been altered in this release but for those who may not be, the story begins in 1998. After a string of strange murders on the outskirts of Raccoon City, the elite police unit S.T.A.R.S is sent to investigate the woods surrounding the city.
When the first team that was sent to investigate does not return, Alpha Team consisting of Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, Barry Burton, Albert Wesker, Joseph Frost, and Brad Vickers are sent in to investigate. As things quickly go south, the surviving members of Alpha Team find themselves trapped in a mansion deep in the woods and here the story for survival begins.
Players will be able to choose between either Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield when they begin the game and although both storylines are the same at the core, each one has their own unique take on the story as only specific characters obtain certain cut scenes, slightly altered objectives from one another, and feature different skillsets. This makes the fairly lengthy (if you take your time of course) campaign even meatier as the replay value of this title is quite high thanks to these two characters.
As mentioned, nothing in the storyline has changed since the 2002 remake which means that all of the campy dialogue and classic elements of the story remain intact. This means that not only will fans of the classic be able to re-experience this title as they remember but newcomers will find plenty to enjoy here as well, even if they might struggle a bit trying to figure out every secret and obtain the best endings.
Gameplay Resident Evil HD Remaster is a title that shows that Capcom has understood what fans of the classic titles want as they have left the core experience untouched with only small changes and even then these changes are optional. Players will need to explore a maze-like mansion containing numerous mysteries and puzzles that slowly are revealed as they progress through the dangerous hallways.
Everything is in short supply in Resident Evil HD Remaster, unless you choose to play on the very easy difficulty, meaning that not only will players have to navigate without a map until they find one, they will also have to be conservative with their ammunition, healing items, and even ink ribbons as it is entirely possible that you may miss out on a chance to save your progress if you don’t plan accordingly.
One thing that has been added to Resident Evil HD Remaster is a modern control scheme. These modern movement controls will make the game more accessible to newcomers and give old players a chance to try something different but if you prefer the tank style controls then all you need to do is switch them on in the options menu. These classic controls do feel the most natural given the design of the environments.
They also work the best with the retained scene changing one-angle camera angles that help hide enemies and keep the tension high. While running using the updated control scheme there were a few instances that the scene change would cause my character to move oddly which always seemed to be avoided in the classic mode. That being said, the new controls still require players to stand still and shoot at enemies and the various hit boxes and clipping issues with weaponry continue to be an issue, especially in regards to explosive weapons that need to directly connect with enemies to kill them as there still is no splash damage.
Now as mentioned, this is the HD Remaster of the GameCube release which means enemies such as the Crimson Heads and new areas are included but as mentioned nothing else has really been added to the game. There is a new outfit for both Jill and Chris unlocked from the start and a handful of difficulty levels and new modes, such as an invisible enemy mode, to help spice things up a bit. Also available are a set of achievements that reward players for doing things that they likely did in the past, such as trying to complete the entire game without saving, doing a knife-only run, or speed-running the title for a special unlock.
Visuals & Audio Looking at Resident Evil HD Remaster it is impossible to believe that the title is nineteen years old at this point, or even thirteen if you want to go from the GC release date. Capcom has done an amazing job upgrading the graphics of this classic title to nearly meet modern standards. Both Jill and Chris’ character models are more detailed than ever, which is very evident thanks to the numerous close-up shots we get thanks to the camera and even the enemy models have been given a significant upgrade.
What really stands out here is the way that the company has made the various backgrounds stand out. The tension of the mansion’s maze of hallways and rooms look better than ever with subtle changes that provide a hauntingly atmospheric environment. That being said, not everything is great looking, since a number of the rooms in the mansion and other areas have been given a lot of love and care, certain rooms and environments that players may not spend much time in look rough around the edges and rather grainy.
It is worth noting that players can choose to witch between 16:9 and 4:3 formats if they wish, though this does nothing to actually change the game. This title also makes use of the classic voice work recorded in 2002 which means that players can still experience the same campy voice acting as before, including classic lines such as Jill Sandwich and more. The same can be said for the soundtrack of haunting atmospheric tunes that help make the mansion and other areas even creepier than before.
Overall Resident Evil HD Remaster should be everything that a fan of the original asked for. With a carefully handled HD upgrade that has mostly managed to make everything look as impressive as possible, Capcom has changed very little in this survival horror classic and I wouldn’t have it any other way. While it may have a few issues here and there, fans of the original will find everything they loved about the original here while newcomers will be able to experience a classic game like never before.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Heroes of the Storm is a Blizzard fan’s dream; combining some of the companies most popular characters into one big battle arena is just plain cool. Well now Blizzard have announced a Founder’s Pack for the game that is perfect for players just entering the Nexus and offers the following for just AU$49.95:
THREE SKINS: Commander Raynor, Lurkablo Diablo, and Blood Elf Tyrande
EPIC MOUNT: Golden Cyberwolf
A STASH OF GOLD: 2,500 in-game gold to help unlock additional heroes and other content
ACCESS TO THE NEXUS: Immediate access to play Heroes of the Storm
Not a bad lot of content for $50. Remember that Heroes of the Storm is only in closed beta at the moment, so you will need to get yourself a beta key or purchase the Founder’s Pack to get in. Will you be jumping in and battling side by side with some of Blizzard’s greatest heroes and villains? Let us know in the comments below.
The cast for the English dubbed version of the first episode of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, “Blue-Eyed Casval”, has been revealed. This will be the first of four OVAs. Many familiar names appear in the list, however some of the members of the dub cast are not as prolific.
Casval Rem Deikun: Karen Strassman
Artesia Som Deikun: Maggie O’Connor
Degwin Sodo Zabi: Marc Thompson
Gihren Zabi: Liam O’Brien
Sasro Zabi: Braeden Fox
Dozle Zabi: Bob Johnson
Kycilia Zabi: Wendee Lee
Ramba Ral: Kirk Thornton
Crowley Hamon: Amanda Shuckman
Zeon Zum Deikun: Marc Diraison
Astraia Tor Deikun: Veronica Taylor
Jimba Ral: Doug Stone
Char Aznable: Keith Silverstein
Both the English subtitles and English dubbed version will be produced by NYAV Post. Sunrise will be distributing the series through Right Stuf.
FUNimation Entertainment has revealed their release schedule for April 2015, which includes many releases from fan-favourite series.
Releases for April 7 include the complete series of .Hack//Legend of the Twilight on DVD, One Piece Season 6 Part 4 on DVD and an Anime Classics edition DVD/Blu-ray combo-pack of Black Butler season 1.
The complete series collection of Noir will be released on Blu-ray on April 14 as an Anime Classics release.
The releases for April 21 include One Piece Collection 12 on DVD and Freezing Vibration in a standard edition and limited edition DVD/Blu-ray combo-pack.
D-Frag will be released on April 28 in a DVD/Blu-ray combo-pack. This will be the final release for the month.
Wargaming has introduced a fourth class of ship to it’s anticipated historical ship-combat title, World of Warships. Adding to the previously announced destroyers, cruisers, and battleships, players will be able to select aircraft carriers for the action-MMO.
The new ship type will focus on more of a RTS type of gameplay, requiring more strategy and management of units. Carriers will be able to launch three types of plane squadrons, fighters, bombers, and dive bombers. Using these squadrons gives players the ability to safely scout enemy units and attack from anywhere on the map.
World of Warships will round out Wargaming’s trilogy of WWII action-MMO titles. While the tactical title does not have an announced release date yet, beta testing is well underway.
Paradox Interactive has announced that the Spanish Conquest will be coming to Europa Universalis IV. Paradox has titled this DLC as Europa Universalis IV: El Dorado and it brings a number of new features to the grand strategy game.
This expansion to Europa Universalis IVabring the politics and adventure from the European incursions into South America to life. The historical focus will explore the two sides of the conflict. As the Aztecs players much balance sacrifice and control over the Mexican plains in order to achieve victory. Europeans meanwhile will have to focus on expansion into the Amazon to find lost secrets, although they will be subject to the Pope’s commands.
Further features include the following:
– A deep Nation Designer gives you new starting options for your games, including national ideas and custom monarchs
– Experience the new Nahuatl, Inti and Mayan religions with blood sacrifices or Sun Worship
– Send your conquistadors to hunt for the Seven Cities of Gold, or your explorer on exploration missions around the world
– Gold Fleets can traffic New World wealth back to Europe, and be targeted by your privateer fleets
– Use your trade fleets to hunt dangerous pirates
– Maintain good relations with the Pope so you can get a corner of the world to call your own in the Treaty of Tordesillas
Europa Universalis IV: El Dorado will be available on Windows, Mac, and Linux next month. Check out the teaser trailer below.
Madman Entertainment has revealed the details of their first release of the Sailor Moon series on DVD in Australia. Part One of the first season will be released in under three months.
The first collection will contain 24 episodes and will be released on DVD on April 15, 2015. The episodes will be featured with Japanese audio and English subtitles and English audio. The brand new English dub has received high praise from fans, although the positive opinions about it are not universal.
The first print run of this set will include extras that will be confirmed at a later date. It is likely that these extras will include the textless opening and ending animations on one of the discs and a physical booklet based on Viz Media’s limited edition release of the first half of season one. Madman has decided to create their “release from scratch using high quality, remastered standard definition materials”. They believe that “no true HD materials are available”.
Sentai Filmworks has just announced their acquisition of The Familiar of Zero: Rondo of Princesses, the third season in the series. This is a direct sequel to the second season, Knight of the Twin Moons, which is set to be released on DVD and Blu-ray in North America on March 10, 2015. Rondo of Princesses, which “continues the adventures of Saito and Louise as they face a new dilemma that up to now has been an unknown”, will be available soon on home-video.
Based on the upcoming release of the second season, the release of this season will likely also be a subtitled-only release. Season three,produced by J.C. Staff, initially aired in Japan in 2008 and has remained unlicensed in the US until now.
Ubisofts‘ massive open world racer The Crew has received it’s first DLC pack and it comes with three new cars for those willing to shell out some cash as well as a great deal of free content for everyone. The three new paid cars are the smooth and extremely rare Aston Martin V12 Zagato, the ferocious 2013 SRT Viper GTS and the zippy Abarth 500. Anyone with a Season Pass would have had access to these car’s one week earlier.
Now for the stuff everyone gets! Four new faction race missions have been added, all with an ‘EXTREME’ theme (if anyone’s seen Harold and Kumar you know how I’m saying that). In “Vertigo,” players outrun their opponents in a high speed and high stakes race along the Colorado River. “Rollercoaster” tasks players to race to the top of a mountain and fly down it full speed. Fans of driving on ice and snow can push the pedal to the metal and on a treacherously icy route to secure the fastest time possible in “Slip and Slide” and lastly, “Hurricane” with have players jumping on a demanding stunt-filled course located in a construction site with plenty of tricky jumps to land. Check out the new cars and races in action in the trailer below.
Besides new missions, five previously available cars have acquired new specs. These are:
Dodge Ram – Dirt Chevy Silveradro – Street Hummer H1 – Dirt Mini Cooper – Circuit Ford Focus – Raid
Lastly new “animal” and “nature” stickers were added to the tuners decal options. There are over 50 new stickers players can purchase and put on nearly any car from there out. I logged in this morning and the new content is definitely there. The new vinyls for your car are amazing with some fierce looking dragon and big cat decals. Definitely check it out if you are still playing The Crew.
