Yesterday Square Enix released a new trailer for Final Fantasy Type-0 HD called the “Orience News Special Report” and considering they are trying to follow the narrative of the story, they have released yet another trailer today but this one is a propaganda film coming from High Commander Marshal Cid Aulstyne who calls the members of Class Zero traitors.
You can check out the trailer below where we see a number of the characters arguing amongst themselves as well as some additional gameplay footage. As for the game itself, Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is currently set to be released on March 17 in North America and March 20 in Europe.
Telltale Games’ meteoric rise to adventure game making legends has officially reached new heights. Mojang and Telltale Games announced their partnership today, which will produce a Minecraft adventure game called Minecraft: Story Mode. The game will be completed with input from several members of the Minecraftcommunity.
“People really like the idea of stories about Minecraft, but forcing a narrative into our core game experience would restrict players’ freedom to view the world in their own unique ways. Instead, letting them explore an alternate interpretation via Minecraft: Story Mode, driven by the proven might of Telltale, seems like a no-brainer,” said Owen Hill, Chief Word Officer at Mojang. “We’re big fans of Telltale Games at Mojang, and we can’t wait to reveal more details on Story Mode soon.
Telltale Games will be creating a brand new story line for the game, while maintaining the original feel of the wildly successful indie game. Minecraft: Story Mode will be released some time in 2015. In the mean time, check out the web game Info Quest II for more information about Minecraft: Story Mode.
Audiophiles swear by the audio quality of vinyl records. Whether you’re an audiophile or just looking for a unique collector’s item, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number’sthree disk vinyl Collector’s Edition will fit the bill.
The set contains three 180 gram vinyls containing the 28 song soundtrack and a replica phone card with a redeemable key for a digital copy of the game. The vinyls features artwork from Nilas Akerblad and songs from artists like M|O|O|N, El Huervo and Perturbator.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is the follow up to the highly regarded indie top down shooter Hotline Miami. The Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number Collector’s Edition can be purchased from the official iam8bit store for $60 USD.
Gallipolli has an interesting relationship with the idea of an Australian identity. For many, it’s a battle which signifies the growth of Australia from a colony and cements our status as a nation. For others, it was simply another, bloody, instance in our history of Australia being another constituent of the British Empire. This topic is especially contentious with the centenary anniversary of the battle fast approaching and it is in this context that Russell Crowe makes his directorial debut with The Water Diviner, which provides a unique perspective on the battle of Gallipoli.
Story
The film starts off with its focus upon the Turkish troops facing the ANZACs (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) at the battle of Gallipoli. The troops charge across no-man’s land to find the opposing trench empty and booby-trapped. The ANZACs have evacuated and the Turks have won.
The focus then switches to follow our protagonist, Joshua Connor (Russell Crowe), as he lives a life of pastoral bliss in rural Victoria, Australia. Behind this idealised veneer however, Connor and his wife grieve for their sons who went missing during the battle of Gallipoli. After his wife dies, Joshua sets out to search for the remains of his sons and to bring them home so he can bury them alongside his wife’s remains. His journey takes him to the ancient city of Istanbul where he finds comfort in the attentions of Ayshe (Olga Kurylenko) and ends up embroiled in the volatile intrigue of the global powers carving up the remains of the Ottoman Empire.
This is a radical take on the battle of Gallipoli. Not because of its depiction of the battle, which has become ingrained in the consciousness of the Australian national identity, but because as an Australian production it specifically chooses to deny its audience that regular comfortable depiction of ‘Aussies vs Turks’. From this first scene, you can tell that this isn’t your standard nationalistic pastiche. Instead it focuses upon the aftermath of the battle and the effect it had on individuals, countries, and (to some extent) the world. The narrative specifically focuses upon the effect of the battle on those who endured it and those left behind by the individuals who did not.
The screenplay felt a little broken to me with the film jumping from one vignette to another as we go from one narrative point to the next. The film does not easily subscribe to an overarching plot, but Connor’s single-minded (and almost naïve) search for his sons does give a constant point throughout the film to which the audience can anchor. The focus moves at a rapid pace to create juxtaposition between the innocence of the Australian outback in contrast with the horror of Gallipoli and the intrigue of Turkish nationalism. This does mean that the story presents a number of themes which feel underdeveloped, but this eclectic style effectively makes sure that there is something present for all tastes and I certainly didn’t feel bored. Connor’s search for his son’s never felt like it overshadowed the greater political developments in the movie or vice versa, and for that the screenplay deserves kudos.
The film’s weakpoint, I felt, was certainly the character of Joshua and the depictions of his idyllic lifestyle in rural Australia. I felt that it was too simplistic and saccharine for my tastes, but I believe this was intentional to further highlight the death of innocence for Joshua and his sons as they deal with the horrors of war (especially in one shocking moment near the end of the film). I wish that the film gave more time to explore the Connor family as it does feel somewhat heavy-handed in its current form.
Kudos should be given to the film’s portrayal of Turkish characters with Kurylenko’s and Yilmaz Erdogan both being worthy of kudos. Kurylenko gives a wonderful depiction of someone who is caught between two cultures as she struggles to reconcile both Turkish and Western cultural influence within Ayshe. Erdogan gives an excellent turn as Major Hasan and presents us with a sympathetic depiction of a soldier who has been through hell, but is still willing to sacrifice for what he considers right. Similarly worthy of praise, the British officers in the film (Jai Courtney and Dan Wyllie) provide the film with (almost pantomime) villains, although they never develop much more than as caricatures of British aristocracy and imperial bureaucracy.
There are moments where you’ll cry and moments you’ll laugh, just as with any good melodrama. There are also moments where these emotional beats are missed due to the breakneck pace of the action, but they are few between in this story’s grand-yet-intimate scale.
Visuals & Audio
The Cinematography is wonderful in this film with many beautifully composed shots of Australia and Turkey. The natural beauty of the Australian Bush plays well into the film’s pastoral themes and the cityscape of Istanbul certainly provides an energetic counterbalance to natural tranquility. There are similarly interesting shots of the site of Gallipoli itself with post-production effects reproducing the hellish landscape of a 1st World War battlefield.
Crowe’s direction is solid but I felt that his camerawork and editing were amateurish in some isolated sections. An instance I noticed had some shots which were overdone with the camera zooming in to a close-up on a character speaking line which ultimately felt innocuous to the action. This is me nit-picking to a certain extent, but it did feel noticeable at the time.
The film’s score, composed by David Hirschfelder, provided a suitable soundscape to the action onscreen but ultimately did not particularly stand out for me. Honestly, there’s not much more to say in this regard…
Overall
The film provides us with an interesting example of an Australian production’s unique take on what is a well-examined aspect of the Australian national identity. The film felt like it was going for Spielbergian sentimentality and for the most part it hits my heart strings and funnybones where it should. The acting is great, the writing is engaging and the direction is largely solid. It is a heartfelt and, in my opinion, fitting tribute to the battle of Gallipoli so close to its centenary anniversary. It won’t change your life, but you’ll enjoy yourself nonetheless. I have no trouble in recommending this film to anyone who appreciates melodrama, Australian cinema, or to anyone who just feels like going out and enjoying a film on a weekend outing.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Every now and then you have a story that is just a bit bittersweet to write. Today, Tak Fujii tweeted that he would be parting ways with Konami after twenty years of service. From that memorable press conference for the Playstation 3 to his own wondrous creations such as Ninety-Nine Nights 2, Fujii has always been a much loved, and hilarious member of the industry.
It's been great 20 years of creation. Thanks for all who supported, loved my titles. Farewell and may the extreeeeemeness be with KONAMI.
I am honestly a bit sad to lose such a great voice like Tak, but he seems to be in good spirits and will be doing freelance work for the time being. Best of luck, Mr. Fujii and we can’t wait to see where you end up next!
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.
