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Ranma 1/2 Set 3 Review

October 25, 2014

Ranma ½ Set 3
Studio: Studio Deen
Publisher: Viz Media
Format: Blu-ray, DVD (Reviewed)
Release Date: September 19, 2014
Price: $44.82 – Available Here

Overview
Long running series tend to have issues generating interesting content at a steady pace. Usually these series either drag out a very long story arc or begin to use single story episodes to try and find something that fans will enjoy. Many of these series have a big enough fanbase that they can get away with this technique without too much of a problem as fans generally are more interested in the characters and their interactions at this point. With Ranma ½ Set 3 bringing episodes forty seven through sixty nine out in one collection, will the series continue going strong?

Story
At this point in the series Ranma ½ begins to feel like it has settled into a coasting pace with a focus centered on comedy and strange situations more than anything else. Whereas the last set saw not only the introduction of more cursed characters in Mousse and the reveal that Shampoo is also cursed by the Jusenkyo springs, it also introduced Shampoo’s grandmother Cologne who served as not only an opponent for Ranma to conquer but also as a teacher, a new girl in his life in the form of Ukyo, and the perverted master Happosai to constantly cause trouble.

Unlike Set 2, this set instead focuses more on simple one-off episodes that generally revolve around the Tendo Dojo and the various characters already introduced. While this change does give some reoccurring characters a bit more time in the spotlight, the characters that are highlighted are unfortunately the ones we’ve seen plenty of at this point.

Despite being the most recent character to be added into the series in this set of episodes, Ukyo is barely present in Set 3 and only one episode is actually focused on expanding her character. This is disappointing and is also something of a running trend in some of the episodes found in Set 3 as a number of recently introduced characters are side-lined for episodes at a time in an effort to introduce more random one-off characters.

On the other hand, the antics of Happosai begin to run rampant throughout Set 3 as not only are many episodes spent focused on Ranma and the group trying to put a stop to Happosai’s latest perverted schemes, nearly every episode includes his perverse nature in some form, whether it is stealing underwear, assaulting Ranma’s female form, or something similar. While many of the characters in Ranma ½ can be considered one-note, Happosai’s tendencies are more annoying than they are amusing.

Although Happosai tends to drag the series down more than he elevates it, there are still a number of great episodes found within Set 3 and even the introduction of at least one new character in the form of the Furinkan High School’s Principle. After returning from Hawaii, the Principle injects some extra life into the series by becoming a new enemy for Ranma and the rest of the school thanks to his draconian policies regarding student hair styles. It also helps that the final few episodes in this set include a three episode story-arc involving Ranma being weakened to the point that even opponents he’s brushed off in the past can overpower him and watching him try to overcome this limitation with the help of his friends is one of the best parts of the set.

Despite being all over the place, Ranma ½ Set 3 still manages to deliver a somewhat satisfying experience thanks to the constant flow of humor and strange situations that Ranma and the group find themselves in. Whether it involves the Jusenkyo security force pursuing them thanks to misuse of their transformation powers, love pills on a beach, Ranma embracing his feminine side, a battle over soap, and even time traveling mirrors, there is plenty to still enjoy here. Unfortunately thanks to the way things are handled, it just doesn’t blend together quite as well as the past sets.

Visuals
As I mentioned earlier, longer series tend to hit a certain groove with their story telling and the same can be said about the studio animating the series. Unfortunately thanks to this being a fair bit into the series at this point, it is clear that the animators started to fall into a rut of some sort as the drawing quality has noticeably dropped over the course of Set 3. While this isn’t an issue with Viz’s handling of the series, there are numerous shortcuts used to produce some of these episodes.

Everything from strange proportions to unintentionally odd shaped character faces that have long been established become issues as the episodes role by. There are even a few notable issues where even the main characters are drawn even worse than simple background characters. That being said, the quality does seem to fluctuate back to normal every so often and look spectacular at times, but this only seems to occur during episodes that focus on developing a character or advancing the story in some way.

Audio
In the first set of Ranma ½ the female Ranma saw a change of voice actress within the first few episodes and now in Set 3 we have a change in the male form Ranma’s voice actor. In episode 64 of the series male Ranma’s voice actor changes from Sarah Strange to Ian Cox, who performs the character almost exactly like he does Inuyasha. This change is very noticeable at first due to how different the two voice actors sound from one another, but viewers will likely get used to it. Though it is worth noting that thanks to the way that the original episodes were released, the episode 69 in this set actually reverts back to Sarah Strange as it originally was placed earlier in the series.

The background music throughout Ranma ½ remains strong as it makes use of various instrumental themes that have been used over the course of the series to satisfying effect. As for the opening and ending themes, this set features two different themes in the forms of “Omoide ga Ippai” by CoCo and “No Way! Part 2” by Yoshi Hayasaka as the opening themes while the ending themes “Lambada Ranma” and for the first time in the English dub, “Present” by Tokyo Shounen is used.

Extras
This DVD release of Ranma ½ Set 3 comes in a slipcase while the on-disc special features are very basic, offering only a clean version of both opening and both ending themes featured in these episodes as well as trailers for other Viz Media releases.

Overall
While Ramna ½ may start to struggle with some of the issues that plague longer series, it still manages to pull itself together to offer an enjoyable experience in Set 3. Although the art quality drops quite often and the one-off episodes can be off-putting, the humor and likability of most of the cast makes even the simplest episodes alright and many of them quite enjoyable. Despite stumbling a bit this time around, Ranma ½ Set 3 continues to successfully give fans of the series what they want, plenty of strange action and humor centered on Ranma and those close to him.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

PES 2015 Sydney Preview Event

Mateja Simovic

October 25, 2014

After the fiasco that was my first encounter with the Pro Evolution Soccer sports game series at EB Expo I felt eager to give the game a second chance. When the time came around and I was given the chance, I put my hand up eagerly to give the new Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 another go at its preview event in Sydney. I moseyed on down to Cheers bar over on George Street and saddled up to have my backside handed to me once more at the PES 2015 preview event. I was pleasantly surprised by the entire experience.

The first time I played the game, I had only 15 minutes and no tutorial or tutor to teach me how to play the game with any proficiency. This time however, I had some of the game’s die-hard fans to teach me, and contrary to the impression you might receive from the comments on my previous article; they’re actually quite pleasant people to be around. With the help of these awesome chaps, I was able to finally experience how PES 2015 should be played.

Firstly; my initial sentiments that this was a difficult game to master have been reinforced. Even with veterans of the series, I was still having trouble mastering the controls and the figuring out the gameplay. Another first time player of PES had similar difficulty learning the game and they were apparently an ardent player of the competing FIFA series… so I’m not just speaking from my own ineptitude. This game is one which requires time and effort to master… time and effort which I did not have. After I was given a crash course in the controls, I was paired up with a similarly newb-ish player and told to have at it.

I feel that this time I was able to hold my own in the game. There are few feelings which can compare to playing a game in which you and your opponent are evenly matched. We each played a game which focused on different styles. I was quite proficient at passing the ball up the pitch quickly (like a game of pinball) with the AI largely moving my team mates into position quite capably. My opponent preferred to avoid passing and dribble the ball up the line as quickly as possible. Numerous times we both came within striking distance. Numerous times our shots flew wide/got intercepted/were prevented by the liberal use of slide tackles. I generally felt that playing defence was not as fun as playing attack but that may have been because I haven’t quite gotten the hang of it. Ultimately the match ended up as a nail-biting draw as neither one of us could get the upper hand on the other.

Flushed with my glory from my non-defeat, I grabbed some booze and chatted to the fans about their thoughts on the game. All of them had played the demo and were excited to have a look at the full game. Talking to them, I got the impression that these guys were reveling in the highly detailed nature of the game. For them, the strength of the PES series came from the fact that the game incorporated details such as deep simulation of headering the ball and advanced motion capture being used to more accurately portray the movements of a goalie (I kid you not). For these players, the intense simulation which the game provides as opposed to a more accessible, arcade game experience is what gives them its appeal.

They regaled me with their opinions on what they thought on the new additions to the game with various features earning their adoration and their ire. They were unified however, by a shared a love of this game which is based upon the ‘Beautiful Game’. I can’t offer an opinion on whether these changes in this installment are any better or worse than the previous version, but I can say that Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 is a fun game and that it’s passionate fanbase is one of the most accommodating to newcomers (at least in Sydney, Australia).

The Evil Within Review

Andrew Day

October 24, 2014

The Evil Within
Developer: Tango Gameworks
Publisher: Bethesda
Platforms: Xbox 360, Xbox One (Reviewed), PS3, PS4, PC
Release Date: Out Now
Install Size: 32GB
Price: AU$99.95 – Available Here, US$59.96 – Available Here

Overview

Survival Horror is one of those genres that has started to fall by the wayside as of late, with games like Resident Evil abandoning the “Survival” aspect of the genre, or Silent Hill just being unable to reach the level of terror and storytelling of the past. So the horror gaming community let out a unanimous sigh of relief when it was announced that Shinji Mikami, the creator of Resident Evil was once again in the director’s chair for The Evil Within. Promises were made that The Evil Within would see the resurgence of true survival horror. Were these promises delivered? Well yes, and no.

Story

After a brutal murder at a mental hospital, Detective Sebastian Castellanos and his partners Joseph Oda and Julie Kidman are sent to investigate. There they see more than they ever expected and find themselves in a nightmarish world filled with monsters, aptly named The Haunted, and a mysterious figure; Ruvik who is hell-bent on seeing the trio suffer.

Fans of Resident Evil might remember the original trailer for Resident Evil 4 that features a gloomy castle, and a lot more supernatural themes than would ever fit in with the Resident Evil mythos. Well, The Evil Within feels like the fulfillment of that concept, with similar atmosphere and character design. Mikami finally got to make the game that he wanted to.

I can’t say too much more about the plot without getting into serious spoiler territory, but as you would expect from a horror game, the story is very present but it isn’t force-fed to the player. For the most part, we as players only know as much about the situation as Sebastian does (except for his personal back story, which is told through his journals). The story itself is quite convoluted and hard to keep track of, but this encourages replay in order to find those last few files and hopefully piece the narrative together. The game’s ambiguous (to say the least) ending is sure to leave people discussing it for years, or at least until we get to play through the two Kidman DLC chapters in a few months time.

Gameplay

The Evil Within feels like the true successor to 2005’s Resident Evil 4 and plays almost identical to the award-winning survival horror game. You control Sebastian Castellanos, and the game is played with a third-person, over the shoulder style. Having played Resident Evil 4 a LOT, I felt immediately comfortable with the control scheme and the way the game operated. Everything was fluid and responsive and I never felt like the controls were a hinderance to how I was playing.

One thing that Mikami and his team set out to do was to create a true-to-form survival horror game, and that means (like the older survival horror titles) that resources would be scarce and not every encounter would be winnable. To this end, a stealth mechanic was introduced to The Evil Within that let you sneak up on several of the creatures in the game (most notably the haunted) and perform instant kills on them from behind. On easier difficulties this is a lot easier to pull off, but on the game’s survival mode and above the task becomes quite difficult as enemy awareness is at an all-time high. The awareness that some enemies showed during my game made a few of the encounters cheap and a little tedious.

Cheap deaths are quite common in The Evil Within, and not just from the enemies you encounter. In fact many of the deaths that a player is likely to face come from the environment in the form of “don’t do everything 100% perfect and you WILL die.” These cheap insta-kill areas become more prominent in the later stages of the game and often you wont fully understand why you died until long after it has happened. Horror is hard to do right, and the occasional instant death area can create a lot of tension in the player, but The Evil Within kind of overdoes the mechanic to the point that it really sucked me out and reminded me that I was playing a video game.

The Evil Within is broken into fifteen chapters of various length, and the total game time runs at around about 15 hours (I’ve been told it is a little less if you play on an easier difficulty) so you get a good bang for your buck. Some of the longer stages have a double-edged sword effect where you are constantly waiting for the chapter to end because not only has it gone on for longer than expected, but that you really need to put the controller down and let your heart rate drop back down to a reasonable level.

The Evil Within gets the survival aspect of the genre nearly perfect by providing players with very limited resources and letting them find their own way through the game’s nefarious enemies and traps (seriously, after the first chapter there are no instructions on how to defeat enemies) leaving you to search the world around you for anything that looks like it might be helpful. As I was playing, I definitely felt like survival was a key component of development, and it came through amazingly. Some boss fights and enemy encounters are meant to be tackled a certain way and the game lets you discover the best method of approach through context alone.

Unfortunately, I don’t feel that The Evil Within nailed the “horror” part of survival horror. There are horror elements for sure, and many sections of the game have an air of tension among them, but many of these come down to the area being difficult as opposed to the game being scary. Horror is a very subjective concept however so what is frightening for me may not be the same for you.

The Evil Within has a lot of high notes to its gameplay, the area varieties are all great and keep the player engaged, while the resource-management side keeps things tense and grounded. Boss battles are a high point of the game for me, with a lot of differences between the types of bosses that you encounter and how you will defeat them. That is except for the final boss, which is a series of quick time events and a bombardment of bullets while your character is stationary, and honestly it put a really sour taste in my mouth at the end of the game.

Visuals

A lot of complaints have surfaced online regarding the way that The Evil Within is presented. If you haven’t played the game already, The Evil Within has two black bars that obscure a pretty big portion of the screen, much like your TV would have if you were watching a movie. Honestly, it took me until someone watching over my shoulder told me that there were black bars for me to even notice and even then it legitimately didn’t take me out of the game. Granted that could be partially because I have a rather large television and am used to watching movies on it so the black bars went almost unnoticed and I can see how someone playing on something smaller, like say, a computer screen might get a little annoyed at them being there.

While black bars and the fact that the game runs at 30fps didn’t bother me, what really took me out of the moment were the in-game visuals. They aren’t bad per-say but they look seriously out-dated. The blood effects look like they were lifted straight out of Resident Evil 4, and the textures and character models didn’t look too much better. Sebastian’s character model is probably the most detailed in the game, followed closely by Ruvik but after that everyone looks rather bland and inconsequential. One particular scene that I remember clearly is when we first see one of the haunted transform. The barbed wire that wraps around him is pretty bad and much like the rest of the game is best described as being more akin of late last-gen than current.

Audio

Audio is such an integral part of a horror game, and Mikami’s team have done a pretty good job of it. Each monster makes its own unique sound and it becomes an important part of the gameplay for you to recognise a creature by the sounds it makes way before you even see it (or it sees you). The grunts and snarls of the haunted are gut-wrenching at times and you can really feel the pain and torture they are under just from them.

Monsters aren’t the only ones with amazing sound design however, as the guns Sebastian uses all sound as unique as they handle. The handgun’s softer “pop” lets you know that it is a less than stellar weapon, while in contrast the deafening “boom” of your shotgun just feels completely different. I’m no gun aficionado, but I know a great sounding video game firearm when I hear it, and The Evil Within has it in spades.

Voice acting however is a little less stellar, although that has become a Mikami trademark. Ever since the first Resident Evil, Mikami’s characters have always had stilted, dry acting that sounds like they are from a 1960s B-grade horror movie, it is part of the charm of the games he makes and it is about as apparent here as it has ever been before. One notable exception is Ruvik, who is voiced by Jackie Earle Hayley (Watchmen’s Rorschach and Nightmare Before Christmas’ Freddy) and provides an incredible, chilling contrast to the dry, lifeless main cast members.

Overall

I originally wanted to write this review without harping on the fact that it was a Shinji Mikami game, but I simply cannot avoid it. From the gameplay mechanics, to the little easter eggs and nods at his previous games (Resident Evil fans will probably notice the fact that a Valve Handle and Crank are both included in the game) to the way the writing and voice-acting flowed, it is without a doubt a Shinji Mikami game. While I have close to no qualms with the gameplay of The Evil Within, I can honestly say that there were very few moments where I felt the “horror” aspect of Survival Horror – the creatures and the terrifying moments were there, but I think the cheap deaths and sub-optimal visuals used in the game really did detract from all that. Also the fact that as a player, I still don’t know the game’s complete narrative and wont know it until the already announced DLC launches frustrates me. However these aside, I really enjoyed The Evil Within and hope that this franchise continues to live on for a long time.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Super Smash Bros. Wii U Direct Information Blowout

Nathan Farrugia

October 24, 2014

Super Smash Bros. Wii U Direct Information Blowout

The Super Smash Bros. Wii U specific Nintendo Direct aired earlier today and Nintendo has literally dropped an atomic bomb of incredible information on every Smash Bros. and Nintendo fan out there. I will go into more detail below but quickly summing up all the best bits we have 8 players in one match at the same time, Smash Tour to replace Smash Run, Event matches are back, Custom Stage Creator is back, Bowser Jr. reveal trailer, more awesome stages, heaps more music and trophies than the 3DS version and did I mention Mewtwo will be making a playable appearance as a DLC character later down the track?

More information on what I’ve mentioned above and even more is available below but if you would rather see this in video form make sure to check out the embedded Nintendo Direct video below.

Eight-Player Mode: In a first for the series, a special mode lets eight players fight simultaneously in local multiplayer. This option appears only in the Wii U version, and lets players compete on special, larger stages to accommodate all the characters.
amiibo Figures: Once a player touches an amiibo figure to the NFC touchpoint on the Wii U GamePad, the character joins as a “Figure Player”. The amiibo figures can gain levels to become stronger as they gain experience through battling and are fed equipment by the player. Players can also have amiibo fight each other, and amiibo will bring you presents from the battles they fight in.

Online Multiplayer: This time it’s possible to team up locally with a friend to compete “With Anyone” online, amongst other options. In the future, players will be able to set up customised Tourneys and there will also be Official Tourneys. Voice Chat with Friends through the GamePad before and after battle, on the Fighter Selection and Results screens.
Custom Stage Creation: The touch screen of the Wii U GamePad makes it easier than ever for players to build their own stages and, after a future update, share them with friends and other players around the world. You can literally draw the platforms any shape you like!
Controls: The Wii U version features more controller options than any other game in the series, such as the Nintendo GameCube Controller through the GameCube Controller Adapter for Wii U, amongst others. In addition, players who own the Nintendo 3DS version of the game can use their Nintendo 3DS or 2DS systems to control the action on the TV screen in Smash Mode on the Wii U version. You can play off-screen on the Wii U version as the GamePad displays the same image as the TV but can also display character’s health percentages during a match instead.
Importing Fighters: Fans of the Nintendo 3DS version of the game can immediately benefit from the fruits of their smashing labors. Players can import custom Nintendo 3DS fighters (including Mii Fighters) to the Wii U game, along with their customised equipment, costumes and hats.
Special Soundtrack Offer: Everyone who registers both the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U versions of Super Smash Bros. on Club Nintendo during the promotional period will receive a two-disc soundtrack of music from the games.

Mewtwo: This veteran fighter will be made available as free downloadable content in Autumn 2015 (Australia) for anyone who registers both the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS versions of the game with Club Nintendo during the promotional period.
Modes: The Wii U version of the game offers many new modes and different ways to play that keep players coming back for more, including:

o Smash Tour: A fighting party game that looks like a board game and replaces Smash Run. Players use items, spin a wheel and advance around the map. Up to four players can compete at once as they navigate the board and gain fighters and power-ups they can use in a final battle.

o Special Orders: In Master Orders, the more difficult the order from Master Hand you undertake, the higher your reward – but you only get to try once. In Crazy Orders, you pay to enter and battles get harder the longer you survive. Will you know when to stop and reap your rewards?

o Special Smash Mode: Players can customise battles and play any way they like.

o Coin Battles: Players compete to collect coins from other players.

o Stamina Matches: Players fight until their hit points reach zero.

o Classic Mode: One or two players fight through a series of battles and advance as long as they survive. Many random events can shake things up, and players can adjust the intensity settings. The more difficult the game, the greater the rewards. This mode is pretty different to the classic mode we have seen in the past. You can play nearly all single player modes co-op with a friend to get two trophies instead of one! An additional giant boss in Master Fortress will appear at the end of this mode if you play on a high intensity level and make it to the end!

o All-Star Mode: Unlike in the Nintendo 3DS version, opponents appear in reverse chronological order, and two players can battle through this mode together. Beating this mode will give you an impressive looking Final Smash trophy for that character.

o Event Mode: One or two players take on set character and theme-based battles. Clearing stages helps players see the way forward. There is both a solo and co-op event mission tree.

Masterpieces: This menu gives players a peek into the past lives of some of the Super Smash Bros. characters. Players can play cut-down versions of selected characters’ greatest games.
Stages: The Wii U game offers more stages, with more variety, than any game in the series. There is now an expanded version of the original Battlefield stage named Big Battlefield. The Great Cave Offensive, based on the underground labyrinth found in Kirby Super Star, challenges players to avoid potentially lethal danger zones – or throw their opponents into them. The Jungle Hijinxs stage, based on Donkey Kong Country Returns, features dual-plane battles with a foreground and background, and blast barrels that shoot players from front to back and vice versa. After launch, a new Miiverse stage will feature players’ posts from Miiverse, where posts will appear in-game to cheer on the fighters.

My Music: The game includes hundreds of songs and jingles that players can listen to, as well as settings to customise what music plays during gameplay. Players add songs to their library by collecting CDs that appear while smashing or after completing challenges.
Movies: Like in the past, when players clear Classic or All-Star Mode, they’ll be treated to a brief movie featuring whichever fighter they used. Every fighter has a movie, so it’ll be a challenge to view them all. Additionally, HD versions of the new fighter introduction videos are available to watch.
Ridley: Fans have been clamouring for Ridley to appear in a Super Smash Bros. game for a while and now they’re getting their wish – but true to form, Ridley appears in an unexpected way. Players will find him in the Metroid series-inspired Pyrosphere stage, but he does more than just hassle players. If one player attacks Ridley enough, Ridley will join that fighter’s side and attack others. Players (including the one on Ridley’s side) can KO Ridley to earn the point for match results. If Ridley consumes the energy to the side of the ledges, he will become Meta Ridley – and all the more vicious!

Metal Face: Metal Face appears as a boss stage hazard at night on the Wii U Guar Plains stage.
Characters: The Wii U version offers players 40 characters plus Mii Fighters from the start. Each character’s moves match those found in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, so players who hone their skills in the portable game will have an edge over opponents in the console version of the game.
Palutena’s Guidance: Choosing Pit on Palutena’s Temple and using his down taunt will bring up dialogue between Pit, Palutena and other characters from Kid Icarus:Uprising talking about the character you are fighting. Special dialogue will also appear between the Star Fox characters on the Orbital Gate and Lylat Cruise stage.
Challenges: Like in Smash Bros. Brawl a challenge grid will be available to slowly complete the cells of it overtime. As you complete tasks, the ones next to it become visible. The grid looks pretty big and will take a while to complete.
Trophy Cases: The trophy collection will have small collections you can complete by gathering certain groups of trophies such as 8 X & Y Pokemon.

Photo Paint: Taking photos during gameplay is back but now you can even draw on your pics using the Wii U GamePad.
Bowser Jr: Bowser Jr. officially unveiled with the 7 Koopalings as alternate costumes.

I apologise if I’ve missed anything but you can see just how information Nintendo dropped on us here. If you want to make sure I haven’t missed anything, make sure you watch the video below and then feel free to let me have it in the comment section.

New WB Digital Studio Blue Ribbon Content Making Mortal Kombat Series

Zac Elawar

October 24, 2014

Warner Bros. has announced a new digital production unit, called Blue Ribbon Content, that will begin development on a slate of projects spanning multiple genres, one of which will be an original live-action Mortal Kombat series (separate from Mortal Kombat: Legacy).

The division will develop and produce an animated short-form series based on The Justice League, three live-action comedies and a live-action adaptation of Static Shock, among others. In particular, the Mortal Kombat series will coincide with the release of Mortal Kombat X on April 14, 2015, and will focus on fan-favourites whilst helping to further introduce the new generation of fighters, much like the recently announced comic book series.

For all future Mortal Kombat news, keep a (red, cybernetic) eye on Capsule Computers.

The Witcher 3 on Twitch at the Golden Joystick Awards 2014

Amelia Craigie

October 24, 2014

You can’t spell Twitch without Witch… er, but that is not why you can find The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on Twich tomorrow (Friday, October 24). It is being shown off at the Golden Joystick Awards 2014 channel where they will premiere the trailer.

The Golden Joystick Awards are the annual game awards that are now celebrating being three decades old, awarding everything gaming. It’s only fair that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is to be show off, as it won the ‘Most Wanted’ award category in last years Golden Joystick Awards.

Click here for the link to the stream which starts at 15.40 BST or 10:40am AEDT. And for those that forgot, the release for the third installment for this epic tale of Geralt comes out on February 24, 2015 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.

For interested fans, check out our exclusive interview with a Witcher 3: Wild Hunt senior writer.

Turtle Beach Announces Ear Force Stealth 500P for PS3 and 4, Ships 500X for Xbox One

Jamie Laike Tsui

October 24, 2014

Turtle Beach made two major announcements today regarding their Ear Force Stealth 500 series of headphones. First of all, the Ear Force 500p was introduced to the public. It is the first headset for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 using DTS Headphone:X 7.1 Surround Sound technology. It provides a greater level of control over the positioning of each sound.

Turtle Beach has tuned several profiles for the Ear Force 500 series of headphones for ideal performance with music, movies and games. Additionally, four EQ settings comes preloaded. The Ear Force Stealth 500P will be priced at $199.95 AUD and connects wirelessly to a small USB transmitter connected to the console through the optical port.

The Ear Force Stealth 500X for Xbox One shares the same features as the 500P, but is designed to be compatible with the Xbox One and its controller. The 500X is currently being shipped to retailers worldwide in time for a November 4th release date.

Watch Paris Come Alive with Side Quests in Assassin’s Creed Unity

Jamie Laike Tsui

October 24, 2014

Ubisoft’s Alexandre Amancio, Creative Director for Assassin’s Creed Unity, sat down to walk players through Paris in a new trailer. Amancio shows off the many districts of Paris and the varied side quests that will be available to players.

Ubisoft Montreal boasts about the extra attention paid to Assassin’s Creed Unity, highlighting the greater variety compared to previous titles. Instead of just assassination missions, players will be able to experience a running side plot and multiple approaches to these missions. Additionally, murder mysteries make their debut to the series, challenging Arno’s observation and critical thinking skills.

Assassin’s Creed Unity will be released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows on November 11th, 2014 in North America and November 13th in PAL regions.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse Release Date & Special Editions Announced

Nathan Farrugia

October 23, 2014

Dragon Ball Xenoverse now has an official release date for the Europe and Oceania regions. As we predicted the release date is not far behind the Japanese February 5th release date and will be available just over a week later on February the 13th. That is all versions except the PC Steam release which will be releasing on the 17th. An official U.S. release date has yet to be announced but we will imagine it will be similar once again.

That’s not all that was announced as we also got word on a collectors edition as well as some preorder bonuses. The “Trunks’ Travel Edition which is for consoles only will feature a very authentic looking Master Stars figure standing at 25 cm tall with exclusive colouring (although the colouring looks pretty normal to me). You can click on both images to get a closer look at their contents.

Finally, pre-order bonuses were announced and they are pretty sweet. Pre-ordering will get you:

• An amazing Shenron Black Metalcase
• Super Saiyan 4 Vegeta as a Playable Character
• 2 exclusive Freeza Soldier’s Battle Suites to customize your avatars.

The site says these are the only way to get these bonuses and that they will not be available later. A slightly extended trailer has been released by Bandai Namco to showcase these latest details. You can watch it below. Let us know in the comment’s if you have been swayed to get the collectors edition, pre-order or even both. I will probably be pre-ordering the Trunks edition if the price is right as that Trunks figure looks pretty sweet.

UPDATE: Some new screenshots have been released showcasing the new outfits and some other newly announced items like Super Saiyan 4 Goku. They also confirm Kid Trunks, Goten, Android 18 and Hercule/Mr. Satan as playable characters alongside world tournament mode. These screenshots are below for your viewing pleasure.

First Avengers: Age of Ultron Official Trailer Released

Nathan Farrugia

October 23, 2014

The first trailer for the second installment in the Avengers trilogy was supposed to be aired during an episode of Agent’s of S.H.I.E.L.D in the U.S. but the video has been leaked nearly a week early much to the delight of Marvel fans worldwide. The HD trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron (which you can watch below) showcases our favourite heroes in what looks to be a very dire situation as the evil Ultron (brilliantly voiced by James Spader) delivers a monologue about changing the world and being free from strings. We get a small glimpse of Ultron at the end and he looks to be one metallic bad ass.

Marvel was pretty lighthearted about the leak, taking to Twitter to express their frustration with a simple “Dammit Hydra!” While the original leaked video had decent footage quality, Marvel decided to release the official HD trailer below which leaves many questions unanswered such as how Ultron comes to be, why is their infighting among The Avengers again and how did Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch from The Winter Solider after credits scene break free of their prison? Let us know your theories and/or questions in the comments below.

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