Look out in the distance and you will see Shantae coming to shore on the Wii U. Thankfully, no binoculars are required for this release though, as WayForward have announced that Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse will be making its debut on the console on Christmas Day (December 25th for those who….well I think you all know).
Shantae is WayForward‘s most successful franchise, as it always is layered in both quality and charm, making for an incredible little game overall. This appetizer for Half Genie Hero will cost $19.99, so make sure you request an extra eShop card for Christmas, just in case.
If you did not snag the WWE 2K15 season pass, you might want to consider the DLC, which is now available. On top on the exclusive to the pass WWE Diva Paige (in other words one of the top performers in the company who was not put in the normal release for…reasons?) , there is a ton of content you can grab that was also left off the initial release – straight from 2K Games.
Details and AUD and NZ pricing can be found below:
WCW Pack
Playable WCW Superstars: Bam Bam Bigelow, Diamond Dallas Page, Fit Finlay, Lord Steven Regal and Lex Luger.
WCW Pack is available now for a suggested price of $10.65 AUD and $10.95 NZD.
Additional downloadable content for WWE 2K15 includes the following items:
Accelerator
Players gain instant access to all unlockable content available in the game (excluding downloadable content);
The Accelerator is available now for a suggested price of $2.65 AUD and $2.79 NZD.
2K Showcase: One More Match
Story focused on the rivalry between WWE Superstars Randy Orton® and Christian® in 2011;
Playable WWE Superstars (2011 versions): Christian, Randy Orton, Edge®, Mark Henry® and Sheamus®;
Playable arenas from 2011: SmackDown®, Extreme Rules®, Over the Limit® and Capitol Punishment®;
2K Showcase: One More Match will be available in early 2015 for a suggested price of $13.45 AUD and $14.95 NZD.
2K Showcase: Hall of Pain
Story focused on top matches for WWE Superstar Mark Henry;
Playable WWE Superstars (2011 versions): Mark Henry, Big Show®, Kane®, Jey Uso®, Jimmy Uso®, Sheamus, The Great Khali®, Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan® and Ryback®;
Playable arenas: SmackDown (2011), Vengeance® (2011) and WrestleMania® 29;
2K Showcase: Hall of Pain will be available in early 2015 for a suggested price of $13.45 AUD and $14.95 NZD.
2K Showcase: Path of the Warrior
Story focused on the career of WWE Hall of Famer Ultimate Warrior;
Playable WWE Hall of Famers: Ultimate Warrior (1989-1996), Hulk Hogan (1990), Andre the Giant (1988) and Sgt. Slaughter (1991);
Playable WWE Legends: Honky Tonk Man (1988), Rick Rude (1990), Macho King (1991) and Colonel Mustafa (1991);
Playable WWE Superstars: Undertaker® (1991) and Hunter Hearst Helmsley® (1996);
Access to WWE Hall of Fame ring announcer Howard Finkel and WWE managers Jimmy Hart, Bobby Heenan, Paul Bearer, Sherri, Sid Justice and General Adnan;
Playable arenas: WrestleMania VI, VII and XII; SummerSlam® (1988, 1990 and 1991); Saturday Night’s Main Event® XXIV and Madison Square Garden®;
2K Showcase: Path of the Warrior will be available in early 2015 for a suggested price of $13.45 AUD and $14.95 NZD.
NXT Arrival
Playable Former WWE Champion and Monday Night Raw® announcer: JBL®;
Playable NXT Superstars: Adam Rose™ and The Ascension™ (Konnor™ and Victor™);
Playable NXT Diva: Emma™;
NXT Arrival will be available in early 2015 for a suggested price of $9.35 AUD and
$9.45 NZD.
New Moves Pack
Moves Pack: More than 30 new moves, including an alternate version of Sister Abigail (performed from the ring corner and made popular by Bray Wyatt®) and Multiple Gut Wrenches (made popular by Cesaro®);
The New Moves Pack will be available in early 2015 for a suggested price of $5.35 AUD and $5.85 NZD.
About the WWE 2K15 Season Pass Program
In addition to the offerings above, players may purchase select WWE 2K15downloadable content at a reduced price point through the game’s Season Pass program. For a one-time cost of $33.45 AUD and $34.95 NZD, a savings of more than 20 percent versus individual content purchases, players will receive the following items as they become available:
Access to exclusive playable WWE Diva Paige™;
Access to the Accelerator;
Access to all three 2K Showcase stories (One More Match, Hall of Pain and Path of the Warrior).
* Xbox Live or PlayStation®Network account and Internet connection required. Copy of WWE 2K15 required to play.
You can check out our own review for WWE 2K15 here. I honestly recommend getting at least some of this DLC, as without a character creator that is actually up to par, this is the best option at the moment. Things make a bit more sense now thinking about that last statement however, bit its more of another reminder of how out of control DLC practices have become in this generation.
To be honest, I didn’t know that Metal Gear Solid 4 was not available digitally, but due to the large size of the game, it makes sense that it has not been provided in this format until now. Today, Sony and Konami have posted the 2008 classic to the Playstation Network, with open availability to all who want to get caught up before next year’s release of Metal Gear Solid V.
I have a nice little digital library myself, so this is not a bad thing. With all of the re-releases of this installment, I would personally expect another in the future, but those wanting some Guns of the Patriots now can log in and go download.
With the recent release of Grand Theft Auto V on the current-gen consoles and the newly announced Heists being added to the game, there are understandably a tonne of questions from gamers all over the world. Rockstar have found it best to answer a whole slew of these questions in one lump sum. So sit back, relax, and have (almost) all of your questions answered:
“Are you only doing first person games now? I have always loved Rockstar Games partly because they are third person games.” – Allen
Absolutely not! We are excited by the response to our first effort at a first person experience, but remain committed to third person games and may or may not use first person as a camera option in the future. We do like to, whenever possible, give people options so they can play a game the way they like.
“To the people at Rockstar Games, could you guys please bring First Person to PS3 / Xbox 360?” – Brandon
“Why just have First Person on next-generation, why not on the other consoles? Could [you] add it to PS3 and Xbox [360] please?” – @DawsonSunderlan
First Person Mode is a new feature that is only technically possible for us to add to the game with the expanded memory that the new generation platforms provide. There are thousands of new animations added to the game to facilitate First Person Mode, which would have been impossible to do on the previous generation of consoles without seriously compromising the game in some other capacity.
“What is the point of Shark Cards, apart from to make you greedy bastards lots of money?” – Tim
The reason we included optional in-game currency in Grand Theft Auto Online, rather than directly selling DLC, was because it was the only way that we could distribute DLC without dividing the player base each time we brought out a new content pack, which would destroy the online community very quickly by splitting players up. Thanks to Shark Cards, we have been able to give away every piece of DLC so far for free in order to keep the community whole and give people options as to whether they want to earn new content by playing the game, buy new content with Shark Cards or simply don’t get new content and still keep playing the game.
We aren’t ready to give an official release date yet, but we are confident they will be ready early in 2015. Heists were a much bigger challenge to create than we had originally anticipated. Early versions were simply not good enough and had to be scrapped more than once as we honed in on how we thought they should work. We’re happy to say that the pack we are now finalizing is something we are excited by and eager to release as soon as it is ready. We, as a company, have always been about trying to make something that is good rather than hitting a date. We apologize when this gets frustrating but firmly believe that rushing out second-rate content does not do anyone any favors. Hopefully you agree that yesterday’s new Trailer is a sign that Heists are shaping up nicely, but we still need some time to fine tune them. Because we need a little time to get Heists right, we are going to give you a very small Christmas gift to keep you amused until we are done with them.
“Are Heists only for Xbox One and PS4?” – dodger_blue_ant
As previously confirmed, GTA Online Heists will be available to play on all four consoles: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One – as well as for the PC.
“Now that you have GTAV out for next gen consoles, are you going to forget about the rest of us?” – @BlackWolf468
Hi BlackWolf, certainly not as players on PS3 and Xbox 360 can look forward to Online Heists and other updates that are in the works coming soon. We are incredibly thankful to our original generation of GTAV and GTA Online players on those systems and wish to continue providing content to them for as long as we can. Of course, at some point in the future, there may be a point where we reach the limits for the previous generation of consoles as there may be some updates that are only technically possible on the new hardware – but we do hope to continue delivering as many updates as we can for all four consoles for as long as possible.
“Will you add snow to #GTAV this winter again? I missed it last time. Would be awesome: P” – @zaetayo
“You guys gonna do an Xmas theme for GTAV again?” – @Ryan_Heda
We prefer to keep such things as a surprise, but without giving away any details (no peeking under the tree!), we can say that we do have a few seasonal treats in the works for players on all four systems to enjoy this coming holiday season in GTA Online. Look for details on that very soon.
“Hi, please would it be possible to add or patch the ability to leave your car engine running when leaving a vehicle into the game?” – Martin
“Why are there no animals in GTA Online?” – @joeny33
“Will the casino ever be available to us players to gamble our hard earned GTA dollars?” – @TheGamer4_G
“Grand Theft Auto next-gen is almost the perfect game in my humble opinion… However I do have one suggestion, I would LOVE to see a Texas hold ‘em and/or Blackjack mini-game… I would love to have the chance to gamble with my GTA dollars against AI and other players around the word. It would add yet another activity in the vast world that has already been created. Yours sincerely, a loyal fan.” – Scott
We know that there is a never-ending community wish list for new content to be added to Grand Theft Auto Online. Not only do we truly appreciate that, as we’ve always said that the evolving world of GTA Online is as much yours (the players and residents of Los Santos and Blaine County) as it is ours – but we also need it and rely on it. Please keep your most wanted new features, updates, changes and tweaks coming via email to our official inbox at [email protected]; we are constantly checking this feedback for ways that we can improve the game. To date, your feedback sent there has been invaluable in helping shape the game to what it is so far, and we look forward to the collaboration continuing strong in 2015 and beyond.
“Can PS4 players play GTA Online with PS3 players?” – evil_gamer505
We absolutely love being able to push the boundaries of what can be done in a dynamic online world like GTA Online, but certain things are not technically possible right now and this is one of them. Unfortunately, there is no technical way that we could enable players to play in the same lobby with one another across different types or generations of game consoles. It is also impossible to enable PC players to join console-based lobbies.
“After the #GTAV reboot, how about a #RDR reboot?” – @SlyFoxC
“#GTAV on #XboxOne is seriously the pinnacle of awesomeness mountain. Now can we please get a Red Dead sequel please @RockstarGames?” – @FRYMANATION
“So if you’re going to keep making GTA, why not keep making Red Dead Redemption?” – @Austin_Lawson32
It’s wonderful to see so much excitement and enthusiasm for the Red Dead series, and nearly 5 years after Red Dead Redemption’s release(!). As we’ve mentioned when asked in the past about new games in other series such as Red Dead Redemption, Bully and L.A. Noire, we don’t always rush to make sequels, but that does not mean we won’t get to them eventually. We have so many games we want to make and the issue is always one of bandwidth and timing. We thank longtime fans such as yourselves as always for your amazing support and please stay tuned in 2015 for announcements of what’s to come from Rockstar Games.
“I was wondering if I could also [transfer] my [GTA Online characters and progress] from Xbox 360 to PC? Because I had a lot of nice cars on my Xbox 360 but I want to play on my PC, not start over to get all my cars. Is that possible?” – Luuk
“Hello, wanted to ask about Online character progress transfer. I read on your Support site that it can be done only once. So my question is, I have a level 200 character on my PS3, I want to buy the PC version but think Santa might bring me the PS4 version. If I transfer my character to PS4, does that mean I am not allowed to transfer to PS3 character to the PC version when it ships next month?” – Tommy
Not to worry, you will be able to transfer your Online characters and progress from any of the four consoles (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 or Xbox One) to the PC platform. To be clear, if you transfer or have already transferred your progress from PS3 or Xbox 360 to either PS4 or Xbox One, then you will still be able to do another transfer again from PS4 or Xbox One to PC. We have updated the detailedtransfer information article at Rockstar Support to account for this.
“Dear friends at Rockstar, I would like to know what’s going on Grand Theft Auto V for PC…” – Alli
Hi Alli, we’re presently in the final stages of development on the PC version of Grand Theft Auto V and hope to have confirmed official system requirements to share soon here at the Newswire, please stay tuned for that to be announced in the coming week. Thank you and we’re very excited to bring GTAV to the PC gaming community!
So there we have it. Did you get your burning Grand Theft Auto V questions answered? If not, let us know what you really want to know in the comments below and as always make sure you stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the Grand Theft Auto news as it becomes available.
A few days ago we learned that Senran Kagura: Estival Versus would feature a ten player multiplayer mode on the PlayStation 4 and now Famitsuhas published an online preview of Senran Kagura: Estival Versus which focuses on the twin sisters Ryona and Ryobi. It is worth noting that Ryoki, the pair’s eldest sister who perished in the past, has been revived in Senran Kagura: Estival Versus.
Very few details were actually given in this preview, instead what was shown off was a whole slew of new screenshots showing off how the game will look in action and in dialogue sequences. Though one thing worth noting is that they did say that the “Dressing Room” that allows players to change the outfits and put various accessories in their characters, has been revamped. However the only hint we have at the moment as to how they have been modified is that it appears that all five girls will be visible at the same time.
Today NIS America released their second trailer for Criminal Girls: Invite Only and in this trailer not only do we get a glimpse of how the game will look with the English translation but also a look at how some of the scenes have been censored.
The trailer can be seen below and while it does feature some gameplay footage showing off how battles will take place and partially introduce us to the cast, most of the video focuses on the “Motivation Time” mini-game that has been censored. As previously mentioned, all dialogue and voice work has been removed from the mini-game and the amount of fog appears to have been increased drastically in many cases.
That being said, Criminal Girls: Invite Only is currently set to be released on the PS Vita in North America on February 3rd and in Europe on February 6th.
Today Square Enix released a new trailer for Final Fantasy Type-0 HD that is designed to be a news report that is meant to introduce us to the various members of Class Zero, the group of characters that players will be controlling in the game. In this trailer we not only are given a brief look at some of the characters and how they will control but also a small sample of their English voice work.
You can check the trailer out below and as for the game itself, Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is currently set to be released on March 17th in North America and March 20th in Europe. Those who pre-order the game will be able to obtain an exclusive demo for Final Fantasy XV.
When Gearbox and 2K announced a Season Pass for this year’s Borderlands: the Pre-Sequel, not only was nobody surprised but most of us knew that it wouldn’t be too long in between content packs. Earlier this year we got the Handsome Jack Doppelganger pack that let us play as the infamous villain of the series and now we get the Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack: The Holodome Onslaught. The latest pack is a doozy and gives us a level cap increase (raising the base level to 60, and giving players access to 10 additional skill points) and a new challenge area in the Holodrome Onslaught.
The Holodrome Onslaught serves a similar role to Mad Moxxie’s Underdome Riot from the original Borderlands game as an arena where players will fight wave after wave of new enemies while earning new awesome loot, including weapons, class mods, and heads and skins. It also adds all-new narrative content with appearances from veteran Vault Hunters Gaige and Axton. The Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack: The Holodome Onslaught is available now on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC for $13.95 on its own, or as part of the Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Season Pass.
The 18th Japanese Film Festival has finally ended in Australia and New Zealand with applause as the event celebrates a total attendance of over 33,000 cinema goers. Additionally, the 2014 Audience Choice Award has been given to the final film in the Rurouni Kenshin trilogy.
The JFF program stretched across 16 cities, including Auckland, New Zealand for the first time, with 67 Japanese movies screened over 312 sessions. An estimated 33,000 people attended the 93-day event, a 32% increase over the previous year.
“To our delight this year’s growth surpassed our expectations with the number of Brisbane attendees doubling compared to 2013. New cities Adelaide and Auckland also gave us warm welcomes, which is very encouraging…we look forward to returning with an even more exciting program in 2015.” – Festival Director Masafumi Konomi
Fan-favourite Rurouni Kenshin – The Legend Ends scored the Audience Choice Award, determined from 8,500 surveys in Sydney and Melbourne. Additionally, the Festival attracted seven high profile guests from Japan including Director Masayuki Suo and actress Mone Kamishiraishi. The JFF is set to return in October-December 2015 with an all-new program.
Overview
The original Mobile Suit Gundam started a franchise that’s still going to this day, spawning sequels, alternate timelines, OVAs and movies. The classic Universal Century timeline is considered to be the pure Gundam experience, with more grit and less pizazz than the Western-favourites like Gundam Wing. Madman has graciously released a whole bunch of Gundam box sets recently, namely the original series and its direct sequel Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam.
Story Zeta Gundam takes place in the year 0087, seven years after the conclusion of the original series and the One Year War. Director Yoshiyuki Tomino brilliantly turns the series on its head by holding a mirror up to the good guys. The dictatorial Principality of Zeon, who fought for the independence of the “spacenoids” from Earth, all but collapsed. With virtually no opposition left, the Earth Federation now rules with an iron fist and cracks down on Zeon remnants using the elite yet cruel counter-insurgency unit called the Titans.
Anti-Titan sentiment builds to form the core resistance, the Anti-Earth Union Group or AEUG. Paradoxically, this insurgent group are now the heroes of Zeta Gundam. The members? Among other familiar faces, former Earth Federation captain Bright Noa who now helms the AEUG’s Argama flagship and Char Aznable himself who goes by the alias Quattro Bajeena.
But Kamille Bidan is our star pilot this time, a troubled civilian on space colony Side 7 who hates the brutal Titans with a passion. Soon enough he ends up in the latest Gundam model, the Mk-II and later in the series he manages to get his hands on the titular Zeta Gundam itself. Legendary pilot Amuro Ray makes an appearance too in a more modest mobile suit and this is where Zeta Gundam becomes unique. We have two generations of pilots fighting, bonding and arguing together. Kamille is a fierce main character. I actually like him a lot more than the typical hero pilot like Amuro.
The usual cat and mouse game begins between the AEUG and the Titans, with the Argama ship led by Bright Noa fighting on Earth and in space. Already viewers will notice this series is so much tighter and darker than its predecessor. The whole tone is one of a proper space opera. No one is smiling, this is war after all. It becomes even more darker during the turning points of the 50 odd episodes.
The appearance of genius villain Paptimus Scirocco from the Jupiter Energy Fleet (that’s right, this guy comes from Jupiter) throws a fascinating spanner in the works that becomes even more sinister when Haman Karn, the leader of a resurgent power known as Axis Zeon, starts a three-way war. She plays a much larger role in the next installment which strangely hasn’t been released in Australia as of yet.
Although it is a little bit slow midway and at times depressing, the narrative of Zeta Gundam is a treat to follow especially towards the end when you have no idea who is going to win between the AEUG, Titans and Axis forces.
Visuals
The animation here is quite typical of an anime from the 1980s, a little dated and smeared when you’re viewing it on your brand new 50-inch HDTV. Although I found it was a huge improvement over the original series with its very crisp art. It’s clear that the budget increase helped make Zeta Gundam a huge success all those years ago, especially considering the original had its broadcast cancelled and the episode count limited to just 43. Zeta can be considered to be the first, properly made Gundam TV series that garnered critical success.
The colour palette is a lot darker this time around as a large portion of the show is set in space and the atmosphere is grim and, at times, depressing. That’s not to say we don’t get vibrant mobile suits and stark character designs, though. Zeta Gundam is still interesting to watch thanks to the art and character design.
Audio
By far one of my favourite aspects of this series was the classic, almost retro music and sound effects. The soundtrack oozes of atmosphere; orchestral melodies and synth tunes set to dark space opera mixed with glory and tragedy. A huge contrast to the pop-centric soundtracks these days. It’s all very typical of the 80s too which is a good thing.
Rather than using the original Japanese songs, the first opening theme is a grand instrumental piece with sound effects included. Surprisingly it works very well as the music is part of the sound track and fits show perfectly. The ending piece is a laid back instrumental tune which is a little boring. It is a shame we don’t get to hear the lovely songs from the original Japanese release but it must have something to do with licensing issues overseas.
Voice acting is spectacular from the Japanese dub while the English voice actors do their best to make a pretty good localisation, helping set the serious-business tone of Zeta.
Extras
The 50-episode series is packed onto 8 discs which are unfortunately without any extras. However, considering Madman previously offered this series (along with their other Gundam titles) in two halves priced at $59.95 each, these new complete collections are a welcome move and an absolute steal.
Overall Say what you will about the original 1979 Mobile Suit Gundam, but this is a rare case when the sequel excels on all fronts. Zeta Gundam is an intense voyage where the moral line separating good from bad is all but erased. Depicting the Earth Federation acting just as bad as Zeon did in the original series was a genius move by Tomino. This is how war should be depicted where, at the end of the day, everyone is seeking to gain power.
It’s a lot more intense, action-packed and emotional than the original Mobile Suit Gundam and, quite frankly, a superior product overall. However, you need to have an understanding of the original show and what happens during the One Year War and it suffers from dated animation by today’s standards. But there are hardly any decent anime space operas around these days and this just happens to be one of the better ones.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
