Fans of Hanasaku Iroha will have a chance to revisit the Kissuisō Inn once again as Hanasaku Iroha the movie ~ Home Sweet Home ~ is now available for purchase in North America. The movie is available on Blu-ray only and has been given the classic NIS America premium edition treatment meaning that it comes with a hardcover art book and an over sized collectible chipboard slipcase.
NIS America has provided a synopsis of what fans can expect of the film below:
In the days before the Bonbori Festival, Ohana’s friend Yuina comes to Kissuisō for training. While cleaning up after her, Ohana discovers a logbook kept by Beans from when her mother, Satsuki, was still a youth at Kissuisō. Through the logbook, Ohana catches a glimpse of her mother’s struggles, and realizes that maybe the two of them aren’t so different after all. Meanwhile, the rest of the inn staff are caught up in dealing with a blackout.
Those interested in picking up the movie can do so through NIS America’s online store for $39.99 where you will also be given a bonus 3″ pocket mirror.
Fans of survival horror titles now have a new title to sink their time into and see if it is as good as their past favorites as Bethesda and Tango Gameworks’ The Evil Within is now available worldwide for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.
To honor the game’s launch the company has released a launch trailer highlighting some of the scarier moments and enemies from the title and you can check that out below. In this game, players control Detective Sebastian Castellanos who must try and survive in a world where hideous creatures wander amongst the dead after he is knocked unconscious while investigating a gruesome mass murder.
Ubisoft have been steadily releasing a stream of new trailers for their upcoming title The Crew. This time the newly released trailer focuses on car customisation, specifically the different specs your vehicle can take on. This includes the Raid, Circuit, Performance, Dirt and Street Spec. Judging from the trailer it appears that you can customise the visual appearance of each Spec for each vehicle you own but perhaps this is just a clever visual trick used in the trailer.
We recently caught up with one of the lead producers on The Crew who helped shine some light on the finer details of the game including the story, soundtrack and what is in stall for the future of the title. You can check out that interview here. You can register for the closed beta for The Crew on Xbox One and PS4 at this link. After multiple delays The Crew will finally be releasing for PS4, Xbox One, PC and Xbox 360 on December 2nd.
WWE 2K15 is almost ready to enter the ring and lay the smackdown on some candy a$$es! In the lead-up to the game’s release, WWE and 2K have released some information regarding the downloadable content and Season Pass that will be available for the game. As to be expected, there will be a slew of downloadable content available for the game post-release, including extra storylines, characters and more. Here is a brief rundown of what you can expect from the DLC:
Accelerator
Players will gain instant access to all unlockable content available in the game (excluding downloadable content);
The Accelerator will be available for a suggested price of $2.65
2K Showcase: One More Match
Story focused on the rivalry between WWE Superstars Randy Orton and Christian in 2011;
Playable WWE Superstars: 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 for a suggested price of $13.45.
2K Showcase: Hall of Pain
Story focused on top matches for WWE Superstar Mark Henry;
Playable WWE Superstars: 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 for a suggested price of $13.45.
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, Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant and Sgt. Slaughter;
Playable WWE Legends: Honky Tonk Man, Rick Rude, Macho King and Colonel Mustafa;
Playable WWE Superstars: Undertaker and Hunter Hearst Helmsley;
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 for a suggested price of $13.45.
WCW Pack
Playable WCW Superstars: Fit Finlay, Lord Steven Regal, Bam Bam Bigelow, Diamond Dallas Page and Lex Luger;
The WCW Pack will be available for a suggested price of $10.65.
NXT Arrival
Playable NXT Superstars: JBL, Adam Rose and The Ascension (Konnor and Victor);
Playable NXT Diva: Emma;
NXT Arrival will be available for a suggested price of $9.35.
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 for a suggested price of $5.35.
While players can purchase all of these DLC packs separately, the more convenient and cost-effective method is to grab the Season Pass. The Season Pass gives players access to all three “2K Showcases,” the Accelerator pack, as well as exclusive access to WWE Diva: Paige, all for a discounted price of $35.
So there you have it. Will you be picking up WWE 2K15, and if so will you also be grabbing the Season Pass? Let us know in the comments below, and for more awesome WWE 2K15 news check out the official soundtrack that will be available from next week and make sure you stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the hottest submission-maneuvering news as it becomes available.
Overview Kenichiro Takaki has never hid his intentions with the Senran Kagura series. With two more titles already in development and a spin-off rhythm game set to be released later this year in the West, Takaki’s love for Life and Hometown has proven to be rather successful. With Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus’ unabashed fan-service now available in the West, will this over-the-top title mange to impress?
Story A few months have passed since the events of Senran Kagura Burst and now the previous group of Hebijo shinobi have left the school and formed a renegade group called Homura’s Crimson Squad. However Hebijo is quick to replace their previous force with a new set of elite shinobi and after Hebijo’s loss, they are thirsty for revenge against Hanzo Academy as well as Homura’s team for failing the school.
To make matters worse, a new shinobi school called Gessen Academy has appeared and unlike the views of the Hanzo shinobi, they believe that there is no balance between good and evil as good should always dominate the world, regardless of the means. As such, with these three schools at each others throats, a Shinobi Battle Royale is declared as each school must defend itself from opposing forces or face being destroyed.
Once the player begins the game, they will have a choice of selecting Hanzo, Gessen, or Hebijo to begin the story, as Homura’s squad is unlocked later in the game, though it is worth noting that you can switch between stories at any time. While it may be tempting to begin the story with the Hanzo girls, those looking to learn more about their opposing forces may wish to try out the Gessen and Hebijo stories first.
That being said, the story remains as enjoyable as the first game, though this time around it isn’t quite as focused thanks to the new schools and ten new characters being added to the title. As such, character development takes place on a lesser scale compared to Burst but the new characters as well as the returning ones flourish as you play through all aspects of the story.
Hanzo’s returning cast is as lively and likable as ever with Katsuragi continuing to be a pervert as well as Yagyu’s obsession with the innocent Hibari, and so on while the new cast from Gessen and Hebijo reach into some strange territories that help flesh out the cast and a little something for everyone, making it really difficult to try and pick a favorite. Seriously, if you happen to have a certain character personality that you like, there is a good chance that one of the twenty characters in the game will match it.
Alongside the main missions that tell the storyline of the game, each girl comes with her own personal set of missions that usually revolves around some comedic plot line such as Katsuragi trying to find new girls to grope as Hanzo’s girls no longer react to her harassment. Despite being played mostly for comedy and a way to deliver some extra fan-service, these side missions help add some extra personality to each character, even adding new personality traits to some girls, and help make a story already loaded with humor and lewd events into an even better one.
Gameplay Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus’ combat is similar to that of Burst, however almost every other aspect has been changed since Shinovi Versus is now a 3D game designed similar to a Warriors title. Depending on the mission, players will enter an area with either the story specific character or their chosen girl and either fight against a number of grunt enemies before facing off against the enemy shinobi or directly fight the shinobi in a boss battle.
The change to the 3D battlefield has made each stage much shorter in length as your average battle will generally only last three or four minutes whereas the previous game featured stages that could take ten minutes to complete and with this shortened length comes a smaller scale as there are now fewer enemies to defeat in each stage and only rarely do larger opponents appear, though once they do they can be more formidable than the actual shinobi bosses. Despite the fact that the stages you play on are smaller, the title features longer load times then you would expect.
As I mentioned before, the combat system is still remarkably similar to the original game where players can unleash high-hitting combo strings using basic attacks as well as “Breach” attacks that cut a swathe through enemy forces. Players can string various basic combos into different Breach moves to pull off specific combo strings and Aerial Raves also make their return, allowing players to not only launch enemies into the air but pursue them and continue the onslaught.
Returning characters will play similar to how you may remember them, though a number of new techniques and Ninja Arts have been given to each fighter. As for the new fighters, they provide numerous new and enjoyable fighting styles ranging from quick to tricky, giving fans of the series plenty of new ways to fight and newcomers a wealth of options to experiment with. That being said, it is entirely possible that the straightforward nature of the combat system and the fact that it is possible to become overpowered quite easily will make the game feel repetitive after some time.
While fighting enemies your character will gain XP and level up, not only raising their stats and occasionally unlocking new attacks, but also providing full health in combat. Interestingly enough, the Yin, Yang, and the new Flash, modes also return and provide various boosts to your character strength. These three additional modes are affected by fighting either while transformed, frantic, or in the character’s school uniform respectively.
After dealing enough damage to fill a gauge below your character’s health meter, you will be able to either undergo a Shinobi Transformation or enter Frantic mode. Transformations not only restore your health, they also unlock each character’s additional combo strings and allow the use of powerful Ninja Arts. As for the Frantic Mode, players will strip off their character’s clothing (using the touch screen of course) to receive an extreme attack boost at the sacrifice of defense. Frantic Mode allows the use of Ninja Arts but does not provide the additional combo strings of Transformations.
Thanks to the 3D design, the combat flows at a smoother pace and can become quite hectic at times, especially when facing off against numerous bosses. Players can make use of the Vita’s touch screen to lock onto opponents, which helps alleviate the game’s issue with a camera that tends to become quite problematic in smaller spaces, but not entirely as locking on can also make the problem worse in certain areas.
For those who want to try something else out, Shinovi Versus also offers online multiplayer modes that help add some much needed competition to the game. These multiplayer matches include simple Deathmatches that are self-explanatory while “Strip Battle” is determined by who tears the most clothing off compared to their opponents. Finally a fun little mode called “Understorm” that involves panties falling from the sky and players racing around to gather the most, is a humorous addition that fits the series’ style perfectly.
Visuals Anyone familiar with the Senran Kagura series should know what to expect as far as fan service is concerned. Let me say now though that although this is a game that has clothes being torn amongst bouncing breasts and panty shots galore, there is no actual nudity shown in Shinovi Versus, though you can get quite close to it at times. Enemies clothing will tear depending on the attacks you use which is highlighted through mini cutaways that highlight the area. If you happen to finish them off with a ninja art, there is a chance that what little covering they have left will also be torn off though this is censored with either comedic chibi faces for their breasts or a beam of light for their lower half.
While Senran Kagura Burst was limited thanks to the 3DS’ capabilities, it is clear that Shinovi Versus has managed to take full advantage of everything that the PS Vita has to offer. The anime style character designs are pleasing to the eye and to say that they move fluidly in combat would be a bit of an understatement. The only downside to the game’s graphics on the combat side of things is that some of the environments you fight in are rather small and limited in detail.
Each girl’s ninja arts have a lot of flair and style to them while also emphasizing the characters assets and their theme. As for the characters themselves, each character has a unique base appearance, though it is worth noting that Mirai remains the only girl to remain flat chested in the game, although the new character Ryobi is also small breasted until her Shinobi Transformation.
It is also nice to note that there are an exhausting amount of character customization options that come in the forms of various school uniforms, transformed outfits, accessories to place on characters, and over a hundred different pieces of lingerie to obtain through the game’s “Lingerie Lottery”. While some of these outfits are rather scandalous and ridiculous looking, there are also some fairly standard looking offerings for those who don’t want to go crazy with character outfits.
Audio It is worth noting that Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus only features the Japanese voice cast. This is not an issue however as all returning characters’ voice actresses have reprised their roles and the new characters are voiced fittingly, giving the game excellent sounding voice work. It also helps that every aspect of the voice work has been subtitled, including various phrases said during combat when you pick up items, hit a certain combo number, activate skills or strip clothing from enemies.
The soundtrack for the title is full of Japanese styled tunes ranging from classic fitting tunes to rock themed battle music, giving the game plenty great music to go along with its visual splendor.
Overall There are still some flaws to the game, though none of them are in any way deal-breakers as It is clear that the developers spent a lot of time making sure that Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus could take advantage of everything that the Vita could offer. With gorgeous visuals, a great storyline made better by a number of colorful new characters, and excitingly fast paced combat there is much more to Shinovi Versus than eye-candy. Though of course, there is still plenty of that to be found in all different kinds of packaging.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Overview The Final Fantasy series has been widely regarded for its amazing soundtrack throughout the years and even when certain games might have rubbed fans the wrong way, at least the music remained superb. As such, when the original Theatrhythm Final Fantasy was released a couple of years ago, it was a Final Fantasy fan’s dream. Now with Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call offering nearly three times the amount of songs as the original and a number of other enhancements, is it worth picking up again?
Gameplay It is worth noting that although Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call does sport some semblance of a storyline, it is basically there as a premise to set the stage for the game where players must gather Rythmia in order to put an end to the Chaos that is about to send the world into darkness. To do this, players must take their party of four characters, chosen from a small pool to begin with, and play through songs from every type of Final Fantasy game imaginable.
The basic setup for Curtain Call remains the same as the past game, where there are three types of notes as well as three different song types. Notes come in flavors that are simple taps, swipes in a certain direction, and pressing and releasing at certain points in order to hit each note, occasionally combining a few of these tactics to give us a bit more variety. In addition, special critical notes have been added into the game that offer various bonuses when properly hit depending on the song type.
Players can make use of either the 3DS’ touch screen for these sequences or the face buttons and circle pad. Choosing between these two is really up to the player, though tapping the screen does provide the best feedback, even though the game continues to have issues detecting proper swiping motions, causing missed swipe notes far too often. It doesn’t help that even using the circle pad this problem continues to persist.
As for the song types, we have Battle Music Stages, Field Music Stages, and Event Music Stages, all offering us specific categories. As one would expect, the name of the stage represents the type of music one can expect from that game where the event music ranges from theme songs to opening numbers. Battle Stages see players taking to the field against some of the series’ iconic monsters where successfully tapped notes deal damage to enemies, while the Field Stages see your party leader traversing a straight path and running according to how successful you are with the music notes, with the added difficulty of having to trace the lines for held notes.
As for the Event Music, these always occur while there is a video from the original game playing in the background as you hit the notes appearing in a certain pattern. Although you may wish to watch the videos while playing the song, it can be a bit distracting so it is good that once you complete them the videos are viewable in the game’s museum.
While playing with your initial party of characters, you can unlock other characters from the Final Fantasy world to play in your party and level up. Characters in the game level up and gain various skills that sometimes help eliminate enemies faster, make you run quicker on the field, or heal lost health from missing notes. As you play through the game you will also obtain one use items to assist in stages and even collect cards that can raise character stats.
That being said, unless you are playing on the hardest song difficulty or the new Quest Medley mode, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call is an extremely easy title to play through and the chances of failure are incredibly low. This means that although these mini RPG elements are a nice inclusion, you don’t have to worry about devoting too much time to them if you do not wish to.
Outside of the standard single song mode, there is the new Quest Medley that allows the player to take part in lengthy quests that gives players a chance to choose various paths through an area, acquire new items, unlock characters, and face off against bosses at the end of each quest. Unfortunately despite the fact that it does provide a bit of structure to the songs you will be playing through, they ultimately remain the same and unlocking characters and songs is a very simple task.
Outside of these single player modes anew versus mode has been implemented that allows players to face off against other players either online or locally, as well as against AI opponents. This latter option is a blessing especially since not only does it give you an extra challenge, but makes the mode viable regardless of where you are. In Versus Mode players will try to outscore their opponent making use of mostly the same tactics as standard songs, except now EX bursts play a factor. You see, once you obtain a certain score it is possible to unleash a special attack that can have a devastating effect on your opponent by affecting the notes on their screen, adding a much needed competitive flair to the game.
Visuals & Audio Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call makes use of the same chibi looking character designs from the first game. The design style is inoffensive and is rather charming considering it puts characters from the first few games on the same design level of those in FFXIV. As for the videos that play during event stages, they have successfully been shrunk down to the 3DS’ screen level without damaging the look of the videos.
As for the music in the game, well you have some of the best songs from the series in the franchise. From unreleased titles like Final Fantasy Type-0, older themes from Final Fantasy V, and songs from movies and spin-off games, if you are a fan of the Final Fantasy series’ music then this is the best way to carry around nearly an entire compilation in your pocket.
Overall Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call expands on its single player offerings while adding a massive number of songs to its playlist, making it an easy recommendation for fans of the series’ music. On the other hand, many of the elements of the game are copied right from the first game and a few of the new additions seem superfluous at best. Offering 221 songs, this easy but expansive rhythm game is not without its faults, but it makes up with them by presenting fans of the series something that no fan of Final Fantasy should pass up.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Magic: The Gathering has become an important part of nerddom and pop culture, so it is no surprise that the world’s largest TCG and strategy game is making its way down under for PAX Aus 2014. This year, the guys at Wizards are bringing some awesome news, previews and events for everyone whether you are a two-decade veteran of the game, or you have only heard about the game and have been meaning to give it a try.
11am on Sunday November 2 – Aaron Forsythe (Director of R&D for Magic: The Gathering) showcases upcoming products, events and even a preview or two. Not only that but, if you’ve got any burning questions about Magic you’ve always wanted to ask, you’ll have an opportunity in what is sure to be a lively Q&A session!
2pm Sunday November 2, there will be a world-exclusive preview of Commander 2014. Hosted by Aaron Forsythe, this 5-player free-for-all multiplayer Commander 2014 event will allow some lucky fans to participate in this special preview!
Not only that, but fans are invited to earn a collectable Magic: The Gathering “Pinny Arcade” Pin by participating in any three on-stand activities. These activities include Magic 2015:Duels of the Planeswalkers on iPad, Learn to Play for those new to the game, Intro Pack Duelling, Spellslinging and a ‘Hunt Bigger Game’ photo booth.
So if you are a Magic: The Gathering Geek or looking to get into the game, make sure you check out this year’s PAX Aus, which is running in Melbourne from Friday 31st October – November 2nd.
I was so close to typing “Komic” in the title…just like with Injustice: Gods Among Us – the comic book series for which is now in “Year Three” – DC Entertainment has announced during New York Comic Con’s “DC DIGITAL: DOWNLOAD THIS!” panel that Mortal Kombat X will be receiving its own weekly comic book series, starting in January.
The series is being written by Shawn Kittelsen with interior art by Dexter Soy and covers by Ivan Reis. They will serve as a prequel to the game, and will feature characters from the entire Mortal Kombattimeline; little restrictions have been placed on the creators, meaning that the inclusion of Liu Kang and others who died at the end of Mortal Kombat (2011) isn’t necessarily being ruled out. That being said, a large part of the focus will certainly be placed on the new characters and establishing the story for Netherrealm‘s Mortal Kombat X.
Check out the first official artwork from the series below!
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is just two days away from international release for PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 3, PS Vita and Xbox 360, and, to celebrate, 2K have released the launch trailer for the highly anticipated title. Check it out embedded at the bottom of this article.
Discover the untold story set between the original Borderlandsand Borderlands 2 as you play as four new bad-ass character classes in your quest to defeat the evil Dahl forces stationed on Pandora’s moon Elpis, who are under the leadership of the either charmingly or arrogantly named (depending on your interpretation) Handsome Jack. Check out our impressions of the game from EB Expo 2014 earlier this month.
Using existing licenses is risky business. Most gamers can count on one hand how many successful video games are made using an existing IP. Almost all of those games probably include either children’s brick toys or a dark-caped super hero. So understandably, creating yet another game based on the venerable Lord of the Rings franchise is a risky proposition that has a high chance of disappointment. Enter Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, a game rightfully looking to fight for a place in that small club.
Story
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor takes the series in a new direction by spinning a new story. The game stars Talion, a ranger of Gondor who is posted at the Black Gate of Mordor. After the Black Gate is attacked, Talion, his wife, and son become the unwilling participants of a blood sacrifice. Unfortunately for Talion, death brings him no rest. Instead of joining his wife and son in death, Talion becomes banished from eternal rest and is bound to a wraith who is unaware of his own identity. Now Talion is blazing a path of vengeance in an attempt to free himself from the curse and discover the true identity of his ghostly companion.
Before I go any further, I must make a confession. I am not a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings series. I could not get through the books and never bothered to watch the films, so I approach Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor with just some vague knowledge of the series. Even as unfamiliar to the overall lore as I am, I enjoyed the plot. It is well fleshed out, with tons of information in the appendices to fill in gaps of knowledge. It will probably serve as a excellent introduction to the rest of the franchise for many people.
The writing is spectacular. The pacing is spot on and strikes the right balance of tense dialogue and comedic relief. It seems the writers have taken great care with the entire game, as even the idle conversations the Uruk have with each other are done well, which contribute to the feeling that the world is alive.
Gameplay
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is an open world third person action game with some stealth elements. It should not surprise you that the gameplay is strikingly similar to the Arkham series of Batman games, another one of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’ successful uses of an existing license. Talion’s combat abilities break down to melee, ranged, and stealth attacks, augmented by his wraith abilities. Players will have access two separate trees. The first is a skill tree that is further split between Talion’s combat skills and wraith abilities. As players progress through story missions and defeat officers of Sauron’s army, new tiers of abilities will be unlocked for purchase. The second tree is dedicated to Talion’s health, focus, and weapons. These are purchased with currency earned from side missions, bonus objectives, and collectibles littered across Mordor. The extensive set up gives players a good bit of control to build Talion to best suit they play style rather early on.
Combat is extremely smooth and responsive. The melee skill bar is pretty low, with buttons for attack, stun, dodge, and counters. However, the game rewards skilled players who can maintain long hit combos with special abilities. Furthermore, those who take the critical strike ability are able to dish extra damage by correctly damaging their strikes. The stealth gameplay is similar to the modern stealth genre, where the player is the demonic killer that strikes fear from the shadows versus the fragile assassin in the darkness. Mixed with the excellent freerunning mechanics, it is completely viable to play the game almost exclusively as a stealth title.
The real gem of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor’s open world is the Nemesis System. Sauron’s Uruk army is filled with powerful officers that Talion will target. As he knocks down officers, new ones will rise to fill their ranks over time. If Talion is killed by a regular Uruk, that Uruk will rise to join the officers, if the Uruk is already an officer, he will become more powerful from the encounter and possibly rise in rank if there is an open slot. These Uruk will become Talion’s nemesis, remembering their previous encounters and reacting accordingly. Some will go as far as hunting down Talion in search for revenge. Intelligence can be gathered on these officers that will reveal their name, location, strengths, and weaknesses. The Nemesis System makes dying fun, or at least it takes the sting out of it. Along with helping build a vibrant and living world that responds to player’s behaviour, the hunt to take down a nemesis that previously made you eat dirt is is possibly one of the most satisfying moments in the game.
The main missions are fun, with a good variety of goals and activities. The side missions however tend to be a little more repetitive. They boil down into skill based pursuits, rescuing slaves, and hunting down officers. The most repetitive tends to be the skill based and slave rescuing missions. It would have been nice to see another mission type or two to break things up.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor’s controls are nearly impeccable. They are responsive and simple to grasp. It struggles ever so slightly with freerunning at times, with Talion getting stuck on a corner or having trouble jumping to ledges behind him.
Visuals
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is an excellent looking game. The animations and textures are top notch. There is a great deal of variety in the environments of Mordor and enough variation between the officers to make them stand out from each other and their peers. The UI is simple and elegant, which lets players enjoy more of Mordor.
The PC performance scales well to a variety of computers. Monolith has provided a downloadable texture pack containing the uncompressed textures for those with cutting edge graphic cards with extensive memory. However, the general consensus seems to be the difference between the Ultra textures and uncompressed textures is minimal. Whether you want to chalk it up to poor optimization or simply taxing visual requirements, running the game on highest settings will require an extremely beefy computer. However, using the automatically selected recommended settings, I was able to get a solid 60 FPS, with quieter sections shooting up to 80-90 FPS.
Audio
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor features a solid audio experience. The voice acting is brilliant, with Troy Baker and Alastair Duncan providing a fantastic performance as Talion and Celebrimbor respectively. The sound effects are excellent, but the real gem is the music. Garry Schyman and Nathan Grigg have composed an epic soundtrack that hits all the right notes at all the right times. I really appreciated how they used such simple techniques like a plucked string instrument to build tension at the right time. The soundtrack is definitely worth a purchase for video game music fans.
Overall
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is easily in the running for 2014’s game of the year. Although it is up against stiff competition, it’s living world, excellent combat, varied gameplay strategies, strong plot, and fantastic audio makes it worth having in every gamer’s library. This is a step in the right direction for the Lord of the Rings video game franchise.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
