A brand new trailer has been released for Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire has been released ahead of the upcoming demo. The new trailer showcases two new Mega Evolutions for some fan favourites but two more were discovered in the demo that some people already have access to. The new Mega Evolutions are listed below alongside a little competitive insider info on just how strong these new Megas might turn out to be.
Mega Pidgeot – Gains a ‘great’ boost in special attack according to the official site and the No Guard ability. This is a double edged sword as while it can use the very powerful Hurricane attack without worrying about accuracy, those low accuracy rock moves like stone edge and rock slide will always hit you as well.
Mega Beedrill – Gains ‘extreme’ boost in attack and speed according to the official site and the Adaptability ability. This is sure to get Beedrill some more competitive use as it’s attack will be sky high however it should be noted Poison and Bug attacks don’t have very good coverage, only hitting fairy, grass, dark and psychic for super effective damage but having a lot of resistances. Steel types will still have no problem dealing with Mega Beedrill.
Mega Glalie – Receives a boost in speed and a ‘significant raise’ in both attack and special attack. Remains pure ice type and gains the Refrigerate ability, turning all normal type moves into ice type moves. This will really boost Glalie’s attacking options and I wouldn’t want to face an ice type Explosion from this thing. Glalie can also learn the one hit KO move sheer cold now, but unless you’re a gambler I don’t recommend using it with only 30% accuracy. This is the best OHKO move in the game though.
Mega Steelix – Similar to Mega Aggron, Mega Steelix receives a pretty good boost to its already huge defense stat along with a much needed boost to its special defense stat. It gains the Sand Force ability, increasing it’s rock, ground and steel type moves in a sandstorm by 33% which will make Steelix an offensive threat as well as a defensive threat with it’s mega attack boost. Steelix will be quite formidable in a sandstorm if given the right support.
Apart from the Mega Evolutions tons of other details were also divulged in the trailer. Pokemon Omega Ruby owners will be able to encounter Latios while Alpha Sapphire owners will find Latias. Both can Mega Evolve into Mega Latios and Mega Latias respectively, even though they look identical apart from eye colour. We have known about the mega forms of these Pokemon for a very long time now so it’s great to see finally become playable. It seems you won’t have to battle them but just talk to them to get you to join them.
One awesome new feature is the ability to fly on Mega Latios and Mega Latias. That’s right, you can literally fly over the Hoenn region. That’s not all, you will sometimes encounter Pokemon whilst in the clouds and will even come across ‘Mirage Spots’ that will contain some of the rarest legendaries from the previous games including Reshiram, Zekrom, Ho-oh, Lugia, Dialga and Palkia.
Trainers will be happy to know that all the great innovations from Pokemon X & Y will be returning here including Pokemon Amie, Super Training and the PSS that let you connect with friends, the GTS and wonder trade. These features are all being incorporated into the new Pokenav Plus which also contains a myriad of other functions. The Dexnav allows you to locate hidden Pokemon in the grass and learn more about them. The Areanav shows the map and the Buzznav brings special news report that seems to report on rare Pokemon sightings or possibly high horde encounter locations.
Unfortunately some negative news was also discovered today in some recent interviews. Trainer customisation will not be making a return from Pokemon X & Y and those games will also not be getting a patch to accommodate for all the new Mega Pokemon, meaning if you want to play as them you will have to pick up the newer titles. The two games are compatible however and you can trade most things between the two and presumably battle each other as long as you are not using any of the new Mega Evolutions.
Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire will be available on November 21st exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS. Demo codes for Australians and Europeans are apparently being sent out from now so check your emails if you are a Club Nintendo member and you might have a code waiting for you. Other regions will be able to receive codes from the big Game chains such as Gamestop in the near future. Don’t forget to check out the trailer below as well as some newly released screenshots for the game.
Astro Gaming announced two new headphones for Xbox One today. The Astro Gaming A50 Wireless System for Xbox One will bring the same features from the classic A50, such as 5.8GHz Wireless Technology and Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound, to Xbox One users in an officially licensed product. The headset comes in either black or white colour schemes with Xbox Green highlights. The new Astro A50 Wireless Gaming System for Xbox One is available at the Astro website for $300.
The Astro A40 + MixAmp M80 takes the classic Astro A40 headset and mates it with a MixAmp designed to work exclusively with the Xbox One controller. Here, players can control game-to-voice balancing,volume, mute, and EQ modes. The cable features a Media Controller cable that features an in-line microphone, mute switch, a toggle for in-line and boom mics, a volume control wheel, and a multi-use button. The Astro A40 + MixAmp M80 combo is available at the Astro website for $200.
Avery lucky person was able to go to Ubisoft Paris and film almost a half a days worth of Far Cry 4 gameplay footage on the PlayStation 4. The new videos highlight a whole range of gameplay, including the open world of Kyrat, campaign and side missions, the co-op gameplay, the arena, and the entire Shangri La mission featuring a magical pet tiger. The result is almost two hours of gameplay footage for your viewing pleasure on YouTube. (Editor’s Note: It appears that the hour long gameplay footage has been taken down)
Additionally, Ubisoft launched a new teaser trailer for the game. The teaser features many of the animals that will pose a threat to both Ajay Ghale and the NPCs that populate Kyrat. Far Cry 4 will launch on November 18th, 2014.
Far Cry 4 – Co-op Gameplay (PS4)
Far Cry 4 – Shangri La Full Mission Gameplay (Magical Tiger) (PS4)
New York Comic Con is known for releasing new information and sneak peaks at upcoming pop culture products. While Marvel was busy showing off the new Daredevil TV Series and The Avengers: Age of Ultron teasers, DC was taking the opportunity to talk about Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham.
After news of Adam West joining in the upcoming Brick-based Batman game, and then following news that the star of CW’s Arrow: Stephen Amell would also be joining in, now Warner Bros have confirmed a few new Hollywood big-shots joining in on the action. Legendary Bat-fan Kevin Smith and talk show host Conan O’Brien will be playing themselves in what will surely result in a bunch of meta and self-aware jokes.
Smith and O’Brien join a literal encyclopedia of Bat-characters old and new like the Music Meister, Deathstroke, Man-Bat and more. For a look behind the scenes at the casting and voice recording side of the game, check out the video below and remember to check out our hands-on preview of Lego Batman 3 from this year’s EB Games Expo. Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is set for release on November 26th, so make sure you stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the awesome Batman news as it becomes available.
WWE 2K15 is just around the corner, and publisher 2K have announced an awesome companion soundtrack that has been crafted and curated by none other than WWE Super Star; John Cena. Cena has helped personally select a few tracks from new and upcoming musical talents that really help the game come alove. In addition, Cena has once again jumped into the recording booth alongside R&B star Wiz Khalifa (who recently recorded the theme song for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film) for a few new tracks.
The WWE 2K15 companion soundtrack album is comprised of:
Wiz Khalifa & John Cena – “All Day”**
B.o.B – “Ready” (Feat. Future)
Rudimental – “Free” (Feat. Emeli Sandé & Nas)
Wiz Khalifa – “We Dem Boyz”
Flo Rida – “Wild Ones” (Feat. Sia) [WrestleMania 28 Version]
Knife Party – “Bonfire”
Big Smo – “Workin’” (Feat. Alexander King)
Mystery Skulls – “Ghost”
Royal Blood – “Come On Over”
Wiz Khalifa & John Cena – “Breaks”**
** Companion soundtrack exclusive
Additionally, the WWE 2K15 in-game soundtrack includes:
Avenged Sevenfold – “This Means War”
Dizzee Rascal – “Heart Of A Warrior” (Feat. Teddy Sky)
Florida Georgia Line – “This Is How We Roll” (Feat. Luke Bryan)
Rise Against – “Zero Visibility”
WWE 2K15 will be on store shelves from October 28th, but you will be able to grab the soundtrack through iTunes a full week earlier on October 21st. Will you be stepping into the ring with Khalifa and Cena in the coming weeks, or do the duo make you want to tap out before you even begin? Let us know in the comments below and check out our hands-on coverage of WWE 2K15 here. Also, be sure to stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the WWE news as it becomes available.
Overview There are games that are released in Japan that gamers in the West feel like we may never see and then there are those that seem quite obvious. When Ar Nosurge was released in Japan earlier this year, it was a title that seemed to have a very limited chance of being released in the West thanks to the fact that it continued a story that started from a game that never made its way West, Ciel Nosurge, and the fact that that title was the start of a new series of games called Surge Concerto. Still, less than eight months after the Japanese release of the title, Ar Nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star has been released in the West. Being the first game of its ilk to head West since Ar Tonelico Qoga, is Ar Nosurge worth picking up?
Story Ar Nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star is a bit of a strange title thanks to the way that it is placed in the Ar series’ timeline. You see, Ar Nosurge takes place prior to the events that occurred in past games from the Ar Tonelico series but also happens after the events of the Japanese exclusive Ciel Nosurge, meaning that not only will those unfamiliar with the franchise miss out on some noticeable references to past games, but it is recommended that, at least through summaries, you read up on the events that happened in Ciel Nosurge as events in that game revolve around a number of characters in Ar Nosurge.
That being said, Ar Nosurge is a massive game that harkens back to an era where JRPGs didn’t hesitate to spread their wings and create a world full of lore and a storyline spanning over fifty hours in length. When you begin the story, you are placed in the slightly amnesiac boots of Delta, an “ancient one” aboard a massive spaceship full of humans who left their dying planet centuries prior in order to find their new sanctuary.
Being an ancient one who slept for centuries, Delta is paired with his childhood friend Casty who is capable of wielding song magic. Cass is a member of Plasma, an organization created to protect humanity against the Sharl, a mysterious and hostile fairy-like life form, and those who have chosen to work with the Sharl. On the other hand, players also step into the story of a strange robot named Earthes as it escorts and takes care of Ion.
To explain the story further would not only leave you confused but also serve as a bit of a disservice to the game as the various revelations within the story are best left to be discovered by the player. It is also an issue however as, thanks to the aforementioned problem with Ciel Nosurge , that it can be rather complicated to stay on top of everything, even if the player reads into every explained element of the story and checks out the supplied definitions of various terms.
Those that can keep up with the story will find a meaningful and meaty story, something lacking in many RPGs nowadays, as the characters we are introduced to are given so many ways to interact with each other, including the return of Genometrics and Diving as well as new field dialogue that allows not only main characters to talk about random events but even companions to chime in. The Genometics system is not only a good source of humor, but also one of the best ways to learn about the psychology of a character. These systems involve “Diving” into a characters mind, usually Ion or Casty, though side characters can also be explored, allowing the player to not only learn more about their personalities but also their hidden secrets.
The scope and length of Ar Nosurge’s storyline creates an enthralling world that can ensnare the player to play for hours on end as they learn more about each character and their past and watch their relationships develop as the story progresses, especially once the pace quickens later into the title. It is worth noting that thanks to the length of the game and the massive amount of character interaction, one can expect a lot of dialogue and reading, however again this is something that fans of the JRPG genre have likely been missing for quite some time.
Gameplay Ar Nosurge is a far different RPG experience than many fans of the genre will likely have experienced thanks to its unique battle system. First and foremost, whenever you are exploring an area you can find various objects within the area and will be shown exactly how many enemies can be encountered as well as meter that will determine how likely you are to have a random encounter. Once you do enter battle however, you will only face off against however many enemies are in that area, and if you defeat all of them, you will not be forced to fight again and again until entering a new area and returning.
Once you do enter combat, the real twist occurs. Enemies you encounter will appear in waves as they approach you in lines. Delta or Earthes, depending on the pair at the time, will take to the front to battle against enemies while Casty or Ion will stay in the back to sing their battle magic. Players will take turns fighting against the enemies by moving up and down the lines, targeting them with various combo attacks, to eliminate them and earn various bonuses. This includes break bonuses and other systems that can extend your turn even further, allowing Delta/Earthes to eliminate numerous enemies before they can react.
When they do attack however, it is up to the player to protect the songstress as enemies will only target her. Defense comes in the way of timing shield deployments to lower incoming attack damage to keep their singer alive. After the songstress reaches a certain charge, players can unleash Song Magic that almost always wipes the field of standard enemies, mowing down waves of opponents with ease. Outside of the aforementioned combos and Song Magic, players can also use various items in combat and, once certain events with characters are triggered, “Friend Skills” can be used from supporting characters to add a little extra flair to the fights.
It is worth noting that although combat can be as mindless as simply smashing buttons and triggering the Song Magic when available, this can result in you failing later in the game on any difficulty besides the easiest. Instead it is best that you take the time to learn which combos are best, what enemies to target first, and so on to master the fast paced combat system. That being said, it does mean that combat can be a bit mindless at times, especially when it comes to lower leveled opponents, even on harder difficulties.
Other than combat, players will be spending most of their time either making use of the Genometric Dive System, Purification, or Synthesis. Synthesis in Ar Nosurge is a simple affair that involves gathering items, talking to a certain character to learn recipes, and creating an item which always results in an adorable dance number as the item is prepared.
As I mentioned earlier, Genometrics give players a look within the hearts of their companions and here they will make various choices, usually using “Dive Points” acquired from events and combat, to solve various issues within their hearts to not only unlock stronger Song Magic but also various crystals. These crystals provide additional boosts to your companion, however to do so you must undergo purification which takes place in a spa like area where players can insert crystals as well as explore the relationship of the characters a bit more in a fan-service laden setting.
Visuals Thanks to Gust taking a stylistic approach to their character designs, they remain quite delightful looking despite the fact that their animations are disappointing to witness as they are stilted while exploring the field and fighting in combat. The actual dialogue sections make use of these character models to better effect by providing a decent amount of expression as they react to situations. There are a number of issues that have slipped past the translation quality checker as well, since not only are there issues with grammar from time to time but various misspellings and even a misnamed character is found within the title.
The environmental designs range from mundane to fantastic depending on the area and though it is worth noting that palette swapped enemy designs do become an issue. Although I mentioned that there was fan-service earlier, it is fairly tame even in the various CG scenes that are shown throughout the game and can be unlocked in special Dive choices.
Audio Now Ar Nosurge comes with not only the original Japanese voice track but also a new English voice track. However after spending time with the English dub for quite a while, I swapped to the Japanese track and found that a large amount of dub work has been forgone in the English track, meaning that players who want to actually hear voice work more often than not should choose the original Japanese voice track instead.
As for the music… anyone familiar with Gust’s work with the Ar series should know what to expect but even that would be selling it lightly. Ar Nosurge’s soundtrack is stunning. Not only are there numerous vocal tracks of all types that are treats for the ears but even the various instrumental songs are very impressive, ranging from orchestral to rock themed ballads. There really is something for everyone in this game’s soundtrack, making it one of the best I’ve heard in quite a long time.
Overall Ar Nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star is a game that does have its faults thanks to stilted character models, simpler than average battles, and a subpar voice track, but these issues are far outweighed by everything else the title has to offer. Sporting one of the best soundtracks of the year and an amazing lengthy storyline populated by characters that you cannot help but fall in love with over the many hours you spend with them, Ar Nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star is a game worth your time, as long as you have plenty to sink into it.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Indie Gala and Capsule Computers are inching ever closer to the thirtieth Every Monday Bundle. The Indie Gala Every Monday Bundle #29 contains seven indie games for Steam this week.
Farm Machines Championships 2014– Jump behind the wheel of some crazy farm machines and prove your farming and driving skills in 40 different events.
Strata – A puzzle emphasizing simplicity and elegance in design with hundreds of colourful puzzles.
The Maker’s Eden – A mixture of animated comic and hypertext adventure, The Maker’s Eden will take players into a gritty science-fiction noir world.
Great Permutator – Build complex machines to send the boxes to the of the factory in the right order in this retro themed puzzler.
The Escapist– A fast paced platformer featuring a bankshot mechanic to help players bounce across 48 deadly levels.
World Truck Racing– Race and crash big rigs in a high octane arcade racer featuring 16 race tracks and 12 different trucks.
BlackSoul: Extended Edition – An unknown disease has turned 1972 England into a disaster zone that has turned ordinary people into psychotic murders. Now, Sean and Ava must survive the onslaught and discover the truth behind the infection.
For the first 24 hours of the sale, the bundle is only $1.99, after that, the price will rise. So buy your copy at Indie Gala.
Previously on Dragon Ball Z! Our review of Season 5 of the ongoing Dragon Ball Z Blu-ray release showed it’s massive power level to earn a terrifying score of 8.5 Capsules out of 10! After some massive twists and turns, the high quality of the Blu-ray media format prevailed to prove itself as one of the ultimate ways to view Dragon Ball Z yet! Will Season 6 continue this trend or will it end in defeat for this new challenger? Find out, in this review of Dragon Ball Z!
Story
Anyone that read that opening paragraph in the voice of the DBZ narrator, big props to you. Season 6 brings us the epic conclusion of the Cell Games Saga and some other resolutions along with it, most notably the ending to Trunk’s arc from the future and the aftermath of Cell. Whilst Season 5 had a lot of story to tell and focused on character development, the final two thirds of Season 6 is about the action as the Cell Games begins and the Z-Warriors take on Cell to save the Earth from being destroyed. The first third of Season 6 serves to conclude story arcs leftover from Season 5 and cover the setup of the Cell Games. Notable scenes include the conclusion of Goku and Gohan’s training, Cell announcing the Cell Games on TV and preparing the ring as well as the final 10 days before the tournament. These earlier episodes serve as build up to the Cell Games, increasing the tension surrounding it and making clear what will be lost if Cell is successful.
Now onto the fights! The fights here are some of the biggest and best in the series. There’s powering up, huge Kamehameha’s, energy blast volleys, instant transmission and more. This is what people remember Dragon Ball Z for. We have an awesome ‘even terms’ fight between Cell and Goku where both show an array of new techniques after an impressive warm up. Both fighters unleash the full extent of their power as neither holds back in this clash of titans. The fight to’s and throws so you never know who is in the lead at any given moment as you always feel the other will make a comeback. The ending to the match holds yet another surprising twist.
Then we have the moment Gohan enters the fray and steps it up to a whole new level. Gohan steals the show from Goku in an impressive showing of power, but power alone doesn’t always decide the outcome of battles as viewers will find out. All the less powerful characters get a brief chance to shine here and it’s great to see them still contributing to the action even though they have been long surpassed in power by the Saiyans. The fights aren’t all about fist flurry’s and transformations, containing many twists and turns that serve to both keep the narrative unpredictable and break up the action. Obviously I won’t go into any specifics here for spoilers sakes, but trust me you will be in shock by the end of the saga if this is your first viewing.
There are quite a number of full filler episodes present in Season 6 that you could skip over entirely and not miss anything of importance. These fillers aren’t necessarily bad and are generally fun and harmless, some even bringing back past characters like General Tao. The most irritating moments of filler revolves around Hercule and his sidekicks, who are good for some comedic relief but are on screen far too long and quickly become annoying as you wait for them to finish up so Goku can step up to take on Cell. Some of the filler is actually very good, such as everyone helping out Gohan in the final struggle whilst delivering some great developmental exposition.
One problem I have with some of the dub lines is that they often contradict past story elements. This obviously isn’t a fault of the Blu-ray release but the source material. One example is when Tien says that surpassing Goku had been his goal ever since he became a martial artist, however from Dragon Ball we know that is not the case as he had been studying martial arts long before he met Goku. When viewing with the Japanese translated English subtitles, Tien simply says he would not be where he was today without Goku, a much more fitting statement. Unless you are a hardcore Dragon Ball fan though you probably won’t notice these inconsistencies but its not surprising these mistakes come up as the same vocal track that has been used for many years is still being used here.
Visuals
There is no doubt the quality offered by this Blu-ray collection is margins above its old DVD counterparts. HD does wonders for the series, especially this late into the series where the art style became more consistent and detailed overall. Colours are vibrant and faithful, lines are bold and all the action is crystal clear. You can see a big step up in sharpness from the DVD sets to the Blu-rays and when I was going back to the DVD sets for a comparison it was a large step back. There are some rare moments when the Blu-ray version does seem blurry in parts which does detract from the overall visual quality, however these instances are seldom seen.
Dragon Ball Z has been around for a long time and the anime first broadcasted in the old 4:3 aspect ratio but has been converted to 16:9 widescreen for this release without the option to view it in its original form, resulting in about 20% of the original image being lost. This does look odd in some scenes with the top of character’s heads being cut off, but Funimation have done a fantastic job with Season 6 in cropping these scenes on a frame by frame basis so that important details are not lost.
A great example of this selective cropping is shown above with the DVD image on top and Blu-ray on the bottom, (I apologise for the off screen shots, getting Blu-ray screenshots is incredibly difficult) you see a scene of Tien talking to Yamcha with Trunks lying on the ground. The DVD version has Tien’s head near-completely cut off, where as the Blu-ray opts to show nearly all of it, sacrificing some of Trunk’s screen real estate instead. Obviously this was a hard scene to crop due to both the top and bottom sections being important but the Blu-ray cropping is much better, choosing to focus on the character speaking in the scene whilst still showing Trunks on the ground.
Grain has been nearly completely removed so the picture is much clearer. This has a much more positive effect in Season 6 than in past seasons where some scenes that mostly comprised of background or featured characters at a distance seemed simplified and less detailed due to the grain removal. Colour saturation, whilst a big problem in the Orange Brick DVD releases and, to a much lesser extent, in the former Blu-ray seasons has pretty much been eliminated. Colours now look much more natural and akin to the source material while retaining the correct brightness and contrast. The comparison screens above also serve as a good point of reference to see how much better the colours look in the Blu-ray version, particularly Yamcha’s outfit and Tien’s pants. Also Goku’s skin is no longer pink during the Cell Games Fight as it was in the DVD set!
The original box art (featured at the top of this review) is again awesome and links to up to the former box arts to complete the Cell Arc covers (however doesn’t look like it will link up to the Buu Saga). The only thing I’m not a fan of is the image of Cell on the back cover next to the synopsis. The art style looks strange, his face looks off and he appears to be doing the Can-Can. A much better image could have been used to fill that spot.
Audio
The audio options presented here by Funimation are top notch and should not leave anyone disappointed. The default audio is set to the Funimation English dub with the original Japanese Audio track and is presented in True HD Dolby 5.1 surround sound. I took the effort to move my PlayStation 3 and all the cables to the Lounge Room for the surround sound experience and I wasn’t dissapointed. The music, the ambient sound effects such as the wind and energy plus all the voice acting and sound effects came together loud and clear. You have to experience the episode ‘Save the World’ with this setup you will be blown away. The audio seems louder and even clearer than past releases and is miles above the DVD in terms of quality.
The other audio options are original U.S. broadcast which is presented in Dolby True HD 2.0 and finally the full Japanese audio with original music and voice which is presented in True HD Mono. The final option does sound rather old and muffled due to its age but has got a bit of an upgrade thanks to the improvements in Blu-ray sound quality. Bruce Falconer absolutely destroys Season 6 with his dub soundtrack here. Piccolo’s theme, Gohan’s Ascension Theme, when Gohan goes Super Saiyan 2, when we cut to the lookout, when we cut to the final beam clash, etc. All these songs fit the moment so perfectly and go down as classics in anime dub history.
As for the voice acting, you have the choice of the Funimation English dub or the original Japanese vocal track. The Funimation voice cast continues their great work here, Dameon Clarke as Cell gives a fantastic performance as the cocky, perfect Cell while Stephanie Nadolny steps up as Gohan becomes a central character, delivering bad ass lines as a bad ass and making us believe the self doubt Gohan feels through her acting. The Japanese dub is either hate it or love it at this point, and while I am a dub fan I don’t hate listening the original Japanese cast occasionally for a change of pace.
One final note on audio, the menu song has changed for this release and while it still has that same industrial feel to it this one is much more catchy and kind of fits with the action in the background which is a nice touch.
Extras
Season 5 packed in a decent amount of special features and Season 6 continues this trend. While the physical episode guide featured in the old orange remastered box sets are completely absent without any sort of replacement outside of an episode list of the inside of the cover, the extras here make up for that loss. Near 20 minute long interviews with Eric Vale (Future Trunks’ English voice actor) and Cynthia Cranz (Chi Chi’s English voice actor) offer great insight into how their roles were cast, inspiration for the voices they perform, how they handled the rapid growth of the show, crazy fan stories and more.
For the first time on the DVD or Blu-ray releases there is also some commentated Dragon Ball Z Trivia. These give you a question and 4 multiple choice answers before quickly playing play some video to explain the answer, so you get like 1 second to answer the question after seeing all the options which forces you to think fast or pause playback. It probably would have been better to let you select an answer first before continuing. The questions are all from the Saiyan Saga and are actually pretty challenging to get right, especially if its been a while since you watched the saga. I hope the trivia keeps up on the upcoming season as it was a fun inclusion.
Apart from the big extras, there is also a short U.S. trailer as well as text less opening and closing songs. The ‘next time on Dragon Ball Z’ segments are missing from this release, however the previous episode recaps are present.
Overall
Dragon Ball Z Season 6 on Blu-ray is the best of the Blu-ray sets released so far. Season 6 already had an advantage by featuring one of the most epic and action packed sagas in the Dragon Ball Z story, but the sky high visual and audio quality brings this release to another level. The cropping is much better than before, the colour saturation issues have been fixed and the sound is louder and clearer than ever. Throw in some great extras and you have a must buy for any DBZ fan. Unless you are a true 4:3 presentation purist (and even then I would still recommend giving this set a try), Dragon Ball Z Season 6 on Blu-ray is a true winner.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Ubisoft released a brand new trailer that follows Shay Patrick Cormac’s journey from a young Assassin to a member of the Templar Order. The trailer teases the failed mission and the atrocities Shay experiences that drives him away from the Assassin Brotherhood. Several breathtaking shots of the North Atlantic are featured in the video, with Shay doing battle with an unknown Assassin on the towering glaciers.
Assassin’s Creed Rogueis launching for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 11th, 2014 in North America and November 13th in PAL regions. Rumour has it PC gamers will have to wait for a Windows port to be released sometime in 2015.
I have never been one for physical coordination, but at this year’s EB expo I decided to throw caution to the wind and try my hand at the newest instalment of the Just Dance series. Coming up to the Ubisoft exhibit at the expo I was greeted a by a cavalcade of lights and sounds. The stall had dancers who were dressed in the neon pop/hip-hop styles of the dancing avatars in the game and danced on a stage behind the punters who had agreed to play the game. After watching for several minutes, I put my hand up to give the game a go.
Right off the bat, I can tell you that this game is fun. In and of itself, it is fun to dance (believe it or not) but this game builds on top of that by having a very slick visual design and scoring system to add a gamified element to the act of dancing. Dance cues scroll along the bottom of the screen to indicate what’s coming up in the song, which gives you a limited ability to anticipate what to do next. The music videos which give you the prompts and directions for the dance is largely just a highly post-produced plethora of colours. The music itself is largely contemporary pop songs with the playlist including Katy Perry, Ylvis, Rhianna, and 5 Seconds of Summer. Although I’m not much of a pop music fan, getting into the groove of things meant I didn’t particularly mind anyway. The game will launch with 41 songs on the disc, with the previous catalogues of songs available for purchase with as the track lists of previous Just Dance games.
The game allows for up to four players at a time, but I’m not sure how practical the space requirements of this is for the average gamer living room. The Wii controllers also had some difficulty with detecting movements occasionally, but they largely worked fine as far as I could tell. There is also a minor dissonance between the dance cues which scroll across the bottom and the actual dancer themselves. There are also some points during some of the videos where the action of the dancer is ridiculously hard to replicate with the players needing to hold handstands and other such acts agility (which yours truly could certainly not perform).
Each player has their own avatar which they attempt to mimic with their movements but there is a limited amount of interaction with players changing places and helping hold certain poses (alongside of course; smack talk). There appeared to be a number of different dance modes on offer which players could choose. Some modes have varying levels of difficulty with some players taking a more active role in the dance while others play as back-up dancers. One of the modes I tried was a ‘team dance-off’ with the players splitting into two teams performing the aforementioned dance-off, with each team trying to get as many points as possible.
After playing a couple of songs, I had one of the Ubisoft spokespeople come up and engage me in conversation. As well as trying to health benefits of playing dance games such as Just Dance 2015 (of which I cared very little), they explained to me that the game now had an app released which could use a portable device (i.e. a phone) as a controller for the game in conjunction with any device which has access to the internet and a screen. This eliminates any need to purchase a console, and the app is free to download. This makes the app a cheaper choice overall as a Just Dance game, but it only lets you access 5 free songs a day to play with the rest requiring a VIP pass to access.
Overall, this game definitely appears like something which would make a fun party game for people who have the space to play it. I enjoyed it and I am seriously considering buying a dance game for myself, although I will have to examine whether I’d have the space to play it at home or whether I should just stick to headbanging and moshing.
