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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Interview with Senior Writer Jakub Szamalek

October 7, 2014

The Witcher game series is a Fantasy RPG which bucks the tropes of Fantasy RPGs by painting a grim, dark setting with plenty of moral shades of grey. We’ve previously covered the game’s extended and beautiful trailer here, but at EB Expo I had the opportunity to ambush one of the writers of the series and question him about the story for the upcoming installment. Below is my interview with Jakub Szamalek as we discuss the interaction between narrative and an open world in the upcoming Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Firstly, can you give us an overview of what to expect in The Witcher 3 in terms of story?

Well firstly I’d like to say that even though this is an open world game, the story is just as rich as it was in the Witcher 2. So we didn’t compromise the depth or the richness of the story for the open world gameplay. I think you’ll see that these two elements work together quite nicely in the Witcher 3 and I think if anything there’s even more non-linearity as you can do many of the quests from the main storyline in the order that you want to. So the sequence that you do these quests can be different and that gives you a slightly different impression of the story and there is as much goodness as there was in the previous installments.

So in regards to non-linear storytelling; what challenges did it pose and how did you guys overcome them in terms of production?

Well for us, in the story team, the biggest challenge was making sure that we know what’s going on and that we think of all the variations and possibilities that come out of opening up the world. So just making sure that all these elements come together in the end and work was the biggest issue… but what we’ve devised is that the story in the Witcher is not a linear story or narrative. It’s more like crumbs and puzzles that have been sprinkled all across the world so you can pick them up at any point and they always combine together and you get the full story. So I think it’s a structure which works very well with the open world.

Cool. So the villains of this installment, The Wild Hunt, have been hinted at since the first game. How do you see them forming up as the main antagonists in this installment?

So they have appeared in the two previous games, they’re also pretty important within the books and they’re actually quite an unusual enemy and villain… unfortunately I can’t go into too much detail as I don’t want to spoil the surprise of uncovering the secrets for yourself.

Dang.

But there is more to them than might appear at first glance.

How delightfully cryptic… So you mentioned the Witcher book series; how closely are you sticking to the established Witcher lore and how much have you guys added in yourselves?

Well, where possible we’re trying to stick to the lore as far as we can. So we of course, we have to add a lot of stuff as games are a different medium which means they require a slightly different approach. So in the books, the city of Novigrad was described in just a few sentences and that’s enough for you to have an impression of what it looks like… while we actually had to create it and that takes a lot of work and creating things which weren’t in the book simply because they didn’t have to be. But where possibly we’re sticking to what’s there in the books since they’re really good and there’s no need to improve something which already works very well…

So we’ve previously seen there’s a very strong influence from Polish and Eastern European folklore upon the setting and monsters in the game. Since the you’re now implementing an open world setting, did you draw from other cultural myths in fleshing out the world?

Yeah of course, most of the team are from Poland and it’s an important part of our identity as a company and what we do. Having said that, we’re not trying to close off other influences and we consume the same media and films that people do in Western Europe or Australia. One of the regions in the game is heavily inspired by slavic myths and culture and traditions… but other parts of the game were inspired by entirely different media or cultures. For example there is an archipelago of islands which was inspired by Nordic sagas and myths so it has a very different feel. And then there’s Novigrad which was inspired by Medieval Amsterdam and by novels like the Count of Monte Cristo as there’s a lot of a ‘cloak and dagger’ mysteries going on there. So I’d say it’s a very diverse game.

That’s good. Lastly, is there anything else you’d like to add in terms of the story of The Witcher 3 and what people can expect?

Well, I just want to say that I’m really excited and that it’s definitely a game that I would want to play myself so I would encourage you to grab it when it comes out in February.

Sweet. Thank you very much, Jakub.

For the rest of our 2014 EB Games Expo coverage including hands-on impressions and interviews, click here.

Lords of the Fallen Hands-On Preview

Andrew Day

October 7, 2014

The Action RPG is an ever-growing genre, and Lords of the Fallen looks to take advantage of that. Lords of the Fallen is a brand new IP from the Deck13 Interactive & CI Games and published by Bandai Namco. It takes place in a fictional world where no sin is forgiven. After long-forgotten monsters and demons threaten to destroy the world, our protagonist Harkyn, recently released from prison, sets off to save humanity.

Even from the brief introduction the lore of Lords of the Fallen really managed to capture me, the idea that sin is unforgivable and that criminals are forever cursed to publicly bear their wrongdoings (in the form of runes tattooed across their face) really sets a dark, unapologetic tone. The fact that the citizens of the world rely on these criminals as the only possible means to throw the darkness in a kind of “you can only fight evil with evil” mentality just fuels this and immediately we understand that we are not playing as some valiant knight in shining armor, but as a seriously bad man.

Gameplay-wise, Lords of the Fallen is an action RPG that has you slaying demonic and conquering giant behemoths of bosses with use of various weapons and magical spells. Mechanically Lords of the Fallen plays a lot like a slower version of Dark Souls, but with monsters and the player character feeling heavier and slower than the famous game series. The slower, heavier characters make the combat feel more precise because it takes longer for your character to recover, leaving you more vulnerable to attack for longer periods of time. Players will need to learn the attack patterns of enemies and bosses in order to defeat them, lest they resort to reliving the same stage over and over again.

I only got to play the first boss battle of the game, but I really liked how the Deck13 have made it so that the boss fights happen in “stages.” After sustaining enough damage, the boss I was against discarded his armor, weakening himself but also allowing him to more faster and add additional moves to his flourishes. The different stages of the fight reminded me of all Super Nintendo games like Mega Man X, or DuckTales where bosses would change their attack patterns after they have taken a few hits, bringing an old mechanic and bringing it into a modern game to hopefully great effect.

I’m a big action/RPG gamer, and more specifically I am a big Dark Souls player, so it was hard for me to not see some similarities between the two games. However while Lords of the Fallen seems to take more than a little bit of inspiration from the Souls franchise, it still manages to stand out on its own. Firstly the game is still challenging but nowhere near as daunting as the Dark Souls. Bosses telegraph their attacks well enough for you to learn their patterns easily, but are still forces to be reckoned while enemies slowly get stronger as you progress through the game, gaining more attacks and different abilities.

Lords of the Fallen is one of the most visually appealing games that I saw during my entire time at this year’s EB Expo and that’s saying a lot. The dark, dank castle that makes up the first stage is incredibly detailed, although the game itself was incredibly dark. Some areas were completely obscured by shadow, making it hard to navigate and see enemies hiding in wait. I’m not sure if this is an intentional gameplay element or just the settings being too dark for the television it was presented on, but either way it made it a little difficult to play through some of the game’s corridors. Aside from this though everything looked great, the particle effects of certain items and the flames on the boss’ sword all looked amazing and really eye-catching. You can tell that this was a game built from the ground up to take advantage of the Xbox One and PS4’s hardware.

Have you ever heard people say that Japanese Horror games are just scarier than American ones (taking the old vs newer Silent Hill games as prime examples of this)? Well Lords of the Fallen is in kind of the same vein. The European take on the action RPG genre seems to have resulted in a game that is challenging while lacking the soul-crushing difficulty of its FROMSOFTWARE competitor. As someone who always loves a challenge, I felt like Lords of the Fallen was missing something.

I enjoyed my very brief time with Lords of the Fallen, but I am still not sure if it does enough to separate itself from the heavyweights of the genre. I guess we will find out when Lords of the Fallen becomes available on Xbox One, PS4 and PC on October 31^st.

For the rest of our 2014 EB Expo Coverage including hands-on previews and interviews, click here.

World Trigger Volume 1 Review

Travis Bruno

October 7, 2014

World Trigger Volume 1
Author: Daisuke Ashihara
Artist: Daisuke Ashihara
Publisher: Viz Media
Release Date: October 7, 2014
Price: $9.99 – Available Here

Overview
Attempting to kick off a new manga series is a difficult endeavor. Not only do authors need to introduce the world to the audience, they must also provide enough of a hook and likable enough characters to keep them coming back for every new chapter. Daisuke Ashihara has had previous success with his Super Dog Rilienthal manga that ran for a little under the year in Weekly Shōnen Jump but now he is back with World Trigger, also published by WSJ. With Volume 1 of World Trigger now available for purchase, can it manage to hook readers?

Story
Four years prior to the start of the manga, Mikado City came under attack from an unknown life-form that appeared from a portal. Conventional weaponry was useless against these creatures that became known as Neighbors and they laid waste to large swathes of the city. That is until a special group calling themselves “Border” appeared and managed to defeat the Neighbors using technology they derived from the unknown organisms.

Since then, Mikado City has become a hotbed full of Neighbor portals, but thanks to the efforts by Border and a machine that regulates where these portals appear, most of the population continues to live their lives normally, only fleeing when an alarm sounds. Osamu Mikumo witnessed the members of Border years prior and now he is a student at school who prefers to keep to himself while trying to uphold public morals and helping those in need all while working as a trainee in Border.

One day an odd boy named Yuma Kuga transfers into his classroom and thanks to his frank attitude and lack of a filter, he immediately ends up on the bad side of the class’ bad side. When Osamu comes to his aid, he learns that Yuma has a good reason for not understanding standard Japanese life, as he is a Neighbor. After being saved by Yuma, Osamu agrees to conceal his secret.

The biggest plus that World Trigger has going from it at the start are its two lead characters. Osamu is far from your standard lead character who, despite appearances, usually is the strongest person in the room at any given time. In fact Osamu’s weakness as a Border agent lends some credence to his steadfast nature to protect those around him, even if it costs him his life. On the other side of the coin, Yuma’s tendency to point out lies and childlike outlook on life which both contrasts and compliments Osamu’s personality.

Secrecy is something that appears to run rampant throughout World Trigger and thanks to Ashihara’s style of writing, it never becomes a drag. His pacing and ability to weave a story containing world building information and plot points without slowing down the action is necessary in shōnen series such as these. There is clearly more than meets the eye in this first volume alone as not only does Yuma’s existence and knowledge raise numerous questions, it is clear that there is much that Border is possibly hiding.

Osamu, who hides his status as a Border Trainee, knows next to nothing about the Neighbors, including the various types that appear throughout the volume. Not only that, but seemingly basic information about the Neighbors seems to have been withheld despite the fact that it could save his life. With the appearance of the A-Rank elite Border soldiers and yet another unknown Neighbor appearing to threaten the city, readers are left off with not only an enticing cliffhanger, but a great introduction to what appears to be an exciting and different storyline.

Artwork
World Trigger’s art style is interesting because any time the Neighbors aren’t around or there isn’t any action occurring, it can feel a bit generic looking. This is thanks to the childish looking faces used on Yuma and a number of other characters and the fact that the school uniforms they wear are incredibly mundane looking.

However once the action does pick up, the art style takes a nice upswing as the fight scenes against the Neighbors not only see the use of special weaponry but also an outfit swap as the characters transform slightly for battle. There is a nice amount of detail and variety put into the designs of the various Neighbor enemies as well, making every action scene a real highlight.

Extra Content
After every chapter in this volume Daisuke Ashihara either comments on the way that he draws some of the characters and also provides additional bits of information for them. Also some additional statistics concerning the A-Rank team members that make up the Arashiyama Squad that appears near the end of the volume. Finally the author ends with some additional comments on the characters, such as how much certain ones are a pain to draw, where he got their design inspiration from, or how his editor told him to increase a character’s bust size to try and make her a bit more likable.

Overall
World Trigger accomplishes quite a feat in this first volume by not only telling a great story with plenty of information woven into it, but also leaving plenty of hints that there is much more to come. With a smooth pace and an interesting premise, there is a lot of promise in this series start and it will certainly be interesting to see where things will go from here.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Tom Clancy’s The Division Hands-off Impressions

Zac Elawar

October 7, 2014

Game of Show. Without question. Those were my immediate thoughts after watching a live presentation of a brand-new Tom Clancy’s The Division demo at the EB Games Expo 2014. Other rumblings I overheard: “Does it so much better than Destiny“, “Bungie is in a lot of trouble” and “Destiny Shmestiny!”. Okay, that last one I made up. The Division doesn’t even have a set release date yet, only a vague 2015 release window. And why the comparisons? I mean, aren’t they entirely different titles that can co-exist with strong fan-bases for years to come? Absolutely, but they share MMO and RPG elements, and in this demonstration we got a much better look at them being fully-integrated and well-executed.

You have probably seen the most recent slice of the game Ubisoft shared online. It takes place just outside this giant museum in Midtown Manhattan, which would become a base of operations for the group of agents after clearing out some hostiles in the vicinity. Well, this new demo practically continues on from that point. Night has fallen, however, though the crew begins in the now familiar underground subway. The “Echo” mechanic is shown to us once again, although we received fresh information that the finished game will not actually feature cutscenes of any kind, with these ‘Echo’ reconstructions representing certain story beats and memories integral to the overall plot. Pulling up that awesome 3D map, the player draws out a line of way-points for the team to follow, and they soon emerge on the surface of Manhattan’s streets. Dark and foreboding, the domineering, yet awe-inspiring image of a long-deserted Madison Square Garden demands your sight. Before taking a look at the since-enhanced U.I., it should be noted that Charly, product manager over at Ivory Tower (the developers of The Crew) was aiding his extended Ubisoft family in demonstrating the companion app capabilities, which we will detail shortly.

So, taking a look at the map again, some important information is listed on the top right: Security, Contagion and Morale. Every zone you enter has a Security level, that can be improved by clearing out enemies and generally making the area safer (duh!), a Contagion level, which indicates the threat level therein, and Morale, which pertains more so to your team if I’m not mistaken. We have fewer details on how Morale can be improved in-game. Opening up the Inventory, we see multiple tabs holding carried Weapons, Armor, and – among others – Vanity. Vanity items are how The Division allows you to personalise and customise your character. Some may be purely cosmetic, while other may have stats attributed to them, much like your usual Gear in MMOs. In examining weaponry, it is clear that upgrading and modifying said weapons is a significant part of the experience as well. The same can be said for gadgets. Modifications are made across three tiers or categories (unofficial titles): ammo types, method of delivery and supplementary elements, such as noise suppressors. In using the automated turret as an example, you can swap out the ammo type to make it a flamethrower. And in terms of the method of delivery, a mine can become a seeker mine.

Gadgetry such as the automated turret and pulse seeker mine can be assigned to either bumpers on an Xbox controller (L1 and R1 for PlayStation) for quick deployment. Moving on to some action, the crew spot a trail of blood and decide to investigate. Eventually, they come across a high-contamination zone, requiring they put on gas masks before travelling further in. Warnings are issued to the player via the interface when they are approaching said zones, and if you don’t have a gas mask in your possession, you’re going to have to avoid it, turning back and exploring another route. In this case, the group delves into the area, discovering a gang of ‘Cleaners’ in front of a dilapidated supermarket. For those who are unaware, the Cleaners are the faction brandishing flamethrowers, who have no alliances and wish to rid the city of contamination. Admirable…unfortunately, they believe everything and everyone needs to be cleansed in order for the city to be truly “clean”. Even if you haven’t been exposed to the contagion, they give no quarter, working to dispatch you without hesitation. Better safe than sorry, I guess. In engaging the foes, we get our first clear vision of the companion app interface and abilities.

The agents proceed to eliminate the couple weaker members of the faction, all the while Charly is offering support in the form of shield deployment and healing the wounded. When it’s down to the big, burly brutes who wield the flamethrowers, teamwork is essential. Charly drops tear gas that disorients the foes, allowing our main protagonist to unleash an onslaught of semi-automatic Shotgun shells, dealing major damage. Charly also joined in with gunfire of his own. The interface for the companion app looks like a Heli-cam, with the corner lines framing the top down view. At the bottom of the screen are the four icons representing the afore-mentioned abilities of the mobile player. After each use, there is a cooldown meter in play, ensuring you can’t spam these powerful tools. I wonder if Ubisoft Massive will consider smartening up the A.I. to actually attack the drone, which is something I haven’t seen yet (although that would be a considerable hindrance for the mobile player, as they would have nary a defensive technique). Also of note, damage totals are now visualised above the heads of the enemy taking the hits. Soon enough, the flamers fall, the Security level of the district improves, exiting the orange and entering the green.

But what’s this? That flamer happened to drop a Legendary item. Sound familiar? After acquiring said weapon, a comrade enters the now secure Supermarket to turn on the CERA generator within, and return power to the district. This brings electricity back to light the streets and buildings, and potentially can aid in providing clean water for the crew. Doing so also unlocks extra side-missions that were not possible prior. Alas, this is when our time ends with Tom Clancy’s The Division. Hopefully, along with the interview we conducted with game director Ryan Barnard, we’ve provided a somewhat clearer idea of what The Division brings to the table. And it goes without saying that the Snowdrop engine enables absolutely stunning atmospheric effects and overall visuals. The tone is perfect for what Ubisoft Massive are trying to achieve, and I can’t wait to see more of The Division.

Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Swoops into NYCC

Andrew Day

October 7, 2014

The latest outing in the Lego Batman series: Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham will be landing on store shelves on November 26th but before it can do that, first the caped crusader and the rest of the Lego Justice League will be stopping in at New York for this year’s New York Comic Con in a star-studded panel, hands-on demos and new information about the game being released.

Here is a better look at what you can expect from the Lego Batman 3 NYCC appearance:

LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Panel – Taking place on Saturday, October 11 at 12 p.m. (local time), the animated panel discussion with actors Kevin Smith and Troy Baker (sadly, no Adam West), TT Games developers Arthur Parsons and Stephen Sharples, DC Entertainment’s Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns… plus, a special guest appearance by Stephen Amell, star of hit TV series Arrow. The panelists will go behind-the-scenes of this year’s ultimate Super Hero adventure for all ages and reveal new characters, show off exclusive gameplay demos and give away out-of-this-world prizes!
Hands-On Demos at DC Entertainment Booth – The game will be playable at the DC Entertainment booth, giving people the chance for hands-on time with one of TT Games developers.
Content Reveals – Throughout the show we’ll be revealing new characters and content from the game.

Stephen Amell must be Warner Bros. and DC’s golden boy at the moment because he is everywhere. If you will be in New York next week, be sure to hit up the NYCC, but if you can’t make it then keep your eyes glued to Capsule Computers for all the NYCC news as it becomes available.

Fight For Your Life in Latest “The Evil Within” Trailer

Andrew Day

October 7, 2014

The Evil Within is only a few days away from release, and Bethesda have been steadily giving us new trailers that give us a look into the horror that we will experience, and the gameplay mechanics that we will have to master if we hope to make it out alive. While last week’s video showcased the need to conserve ammunition, this week we get a closer look at some of the horrendous monsters that will be trying to eat you alive and the traps that you can use to save yourself.

In a game like The Evil Within, actions definitely speak louder than words, so check out the new trailer below. The Evil Within is set to launch next week on October 16th, so make sure you stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the frightening horror news as it becomes available.

Tom Clancy’s The Division Interview with Game Director Ryan Barnard

Zac Elawar

October 7, 2014

Tom Clancy’s The Division Interview with Game Director Ryan Barnard

Tom Clancy’s The Division is a game that impresses with every showing, teaching us a tad more about it every time. At this year’s EB Games Expo, I learnt more about the game than I expected to. Our hands-off preview, soon-to-be-published, will elucidate further, but our interview with game director Ryan Barnard clarified some common questions as well. Read on to find out exactly how the team at Ubisoft Massive defines the title, the inspiration behind the premise and setting, and most importantly details behind the MMO features and character progression.

So first off, I think after the most recent demo walkthrough that was shared online by Ubisoft, there was some confusion bred about the actual genre of The Division. There are so many elements to it, but also some non-traditional aspects that threw people off the MMO categorisation. How would you define the game?

That’s a great opener, because I do think we’re kind of – we have this mantra – “genreless”. We’re a Clancy game, we’re an online game, we have some MMO mechanics, we have an RPG flavour to everything, we’re a third-person shooter, we have a lot of guns, we have a lot of gear that you need, we have crafting in the game… so, I come from an MMO background and I definitely think that we’re making a new type of online RPG game, but I’m not sure that a straight genre really fits. So, I think that’s why you get that “I can’t really pin it down”, because it’s open-world, and it’s just a lot of things, so besides just being an online multiplayer action-RPG, then it’s however you want to define it, I guess.

In terms of the story, how did you guys come to this kind of contagion-ravaged future? Being an original IP that wasn’t based directly off of any previous Tom Clancy work, you must’ve had all this freedom to do whatever you wanted?

It was a few years back when we kind of had a mandate from – you know, we have this great license with Clancy – and they really wanted an RPG Clancy title; something different. We have a very robust suite of games; we have Ghost Recon, we have Splinter Cell, we have Rainbow, so we needed a new unit that fits in that spectrum but doesn’t step on anyone’s area, you know? So, that really was the genesis, and then basically our creative group, when you hunker down, asks “well, how is it going to be different?”. Well, the first thing that sparked it was, to be different, something has to have already happened; all of the Clancy games are about stopping this horrific thing from happening, so to really fit this new style of game we wanted to have the horrible thing happen, whatever it was at that point, and have the unit designed around responding to that sort of thing. And then, the idea of the fragility of society and the kind of dystopian world is very contemporary, and the more you research it the scarier and more real it is. It all just kinda fit and fed in, it’s like “okay, well then if we have a virus that actually hits a Western society and can spread really rapidly and is militarised…what would happen?” I can’t hunt for food, can you?! I would die immediately. So, it’s really scary when you start looking into this. I think it all just kind of filtered from there.

And specifically New York, what influenced your decision to place the events of the game in ‘the Big Apple’?

The reason why New York sort of stood out is that we wanted the game to be global. It doesn’t matter where you’re from in the world, you have an image of Times Square, you have an image of Madison Square Garden, so to be able to create this mid-crisis scenario – not post-apocalyptic – we need to be able to have this iconic locations look like “oh, something is wrong”. It’s not destroyed, but something is wrong. Besides, New York has a great cultural mix of people for enemy faction types and all types of stuff. It’s also one of, if not the most, busiest hubs of travel, which is key to our kind of scenario.

It seems like Ubisoft’s overriding M.O. as of late is to tell stories based around real-life dangers and epidemics. The Division, Watch_Dogs deals with the whole issue is privacy and security, and even Rainbow Six: Siege addresses terrorism…

I think those are very contemporary themes for cinema, for television shows; look at the movies that are out that are popular. It’s a very fascinating and entertaining kind of idea, and it’s scary basically, so there are some within Ubisoft, but I’d say it’s a kind of entertainment industry wide contemporary theme.

Okay, in terms of specifics relating to the game, clarifying for those who developed misconceptions or misunderstanding of the game and exactly what it is, can you tell us about just how you come across other players and factions, and also progression in regards to weapons, etc.?

To the first question, we actually have both types in the game, talking about the standard or, I would said, older MMOs, having a persistent world. So you can see a 4 v 4 running through your area while you’re trying to do your mission or whatever. We also have phased open-world, so when you’re out exploring New York or doing your own missions, that’s a private space for you and your group, which is what we’ve showcased in the demos. But then we have public areas which will be very clear when you come into those areas, where you can run across other players. And then in regards to progression, basically everything in the game is wrapped in it, so you start at level 1, you have experience progression, the skills that you possess have their own progression, the gear is level specific so you’ll often be replacing gear and salvaging gear. You can also craft stuff…so there’s lots of pieces there. If it works don’t fix it; in a lot of ways that’s our kind of philosophy for those kinds of mechanics. We want to create a system where players can play for a potentially limitless amount of time.

Lastly, if you wanted to play the game entirely by yourself, are you able to do that and, if so, how would the experience differ?

That’s a good question to answer, because we got those queries a lot. I mean, we always say “multiplayer, online” and that is our focus, because we know people get more engaged and you generally have more fun when you play with more people. But, you can absolutely play the game from beginning to end, never seeing another human and never grouping with anyone if you don’t want to. The game scales with the amount of players in a group too.

Awesome, I am very much looking forward to it. Thanks so much for your time.

Thanks a lot.

Thanks once again to Ryan Barnard for affording us a little bit of his time during an extremely busy day at the expo for him and the rest of the crew. As mentioned at the top, we also witnessed a brand-new demo of Tom Clancy’s The Division presented at the show, our impressions of which can be viewed here. Tom Clancy’s The Division is slated for a 2015 release.

Amiibo at EB Games Expo 2014

Nathan Farrugia

October 7, 2014

I was excited to get my hands on Nintendo’s answer to the popular Skylanders and Disney Infinity figures at this years EB Games Expo with one big question I wanted answered, what exactly will these figures do apart from look awesome on my shelf ? Unfortunately, Nintendo Australia know about as much as we do regarding the issue and were unable to give me any more information on how they work with any title apart from Smash Brothers, which we have previously covered the functionality of in a past article. I inquired about how the figures would work with Mario Kart 8 however the Nintendo rep was just as curious as I was on the issue.

The Nintendo rep expressed that they should know more in the near future and said that all things are pointing to a 2014 release for the figures. A large collection of them were on display at the Nintendo booth and they looked awesome and very faithful to their source material. They were a lot smaller than I had imagined them being based on the promotional images we have seen so far.

On a slightly unrelated note, the Nintendo rep confirmed the Wii U has been performing above sales expectations in Australia, in most part due to the Mario Kart 8 bundle which is a great sign that the Wii U might be able to recover from its slow start. Nintendo are optimistic this momentum will only grow larger as big hitters like Super Smash Bros. Wii U and Zelda release in the future alongside a number of other great titles. The 3DS has also been performing above expectations and is expecting more of a boost with Smash Bros 3DS and the release of the New 3DS systems.

A bunch of New 3DS customizable covers were also on display alongside the New 3DS and they looked fantastic, my favourite being the Mario Bros. cover with all the enemies and other series icons on it. Check out the gallery below for some pictures of the Amiibo‘s and the New 3DS. For all our other coverage of this years EB Games Expo please follow the link.

Bloodborne Hands-On Preview

Andrew Day

October 7, 2014

FROMSOFTWARE have become synonymous with creating difficult, trial-and-error style action RPG’s. From King’s Field to Demon’s Souls, then Dark Souls and Dark Souls II, they have proven to be masters of the genre. Now the team is stepping it up again for the PS4 exclusive Bloodborne. Firstly the elephant in the room: Bloodborne isn’t Dark Souls, but the two games share a lot of similarities.

Instead of the Souls series’ use of medieval and fantasy locations and monsters, Bloodborne goes for the more gothic horror route. Your character and the enemies that they come up against look like they are from a puritan witch-hunter’s nightmare and it looks awesome! Decaying dogs, hollowed townspeople, and monstrous, grounded crows are just a sampling of the types of enemies that players will get to face.

While Bloodborne handles similarly to Dark Souls, it is a very different experience. While Dark Souls focused on defensive combat, hiding behind your shield and waiting for the perfect time to strike down an enemy, Bloodborne goes a different route. None of the characters available in the demo had a shield, so playing defensively is immediately off the table. Instead, you have to take on a more aggressive strategy to slay your enemies. Enemies are also more densely placed than in the Souls games, so you will often be facing upwards of five monstrous beasts at one time.

The Victorian setting also allows for one other major departure from the Souls franchise in the form of firearms. All of the demo characters came equipped with a small rifle in their left hand. While the gun itself wasn’t too powerful, it can stagger an entire group of enemies at once, allowing for you to get up close and personal with your sword strikes. Players will pick up ammunition for their gun from defeated enemies or through pick-ups scattered through the world, though it does feel like the ammunition will be a semi-scarce resource so that players don’t just go all Rambo through the game.

One of the cool new gameplay mechanics that FROM have introduced is the ability for some weapons to transform. One character is equipped with a straight-sword for quick strikes, but with a simple flick of L1 he attaches it to the stone he is carrying on his back and it becomes a massive hammer that while slower, is capable of performing devastating blows. Another character was equipped with twin blades, but could alternate between single and double with the same press of L1. Switching to single gave them access to their gun, while double blades were faster and dealt a lot more damage. The ability to switch up your play style on the fly really feeds into the whole faster pace that Bloodborne is introducing, and if executed properly may very well be one of its strongest facets.

FROMSOFTWARE have always managed to make the most out of the hardware they are building for, and Bloodborne is no different. Even though I only played a small alpha build, the game looked stunning. Everything from the character models to the lighting and particle effects really showed what developers can do with the new hardware. One of the things tha I noticed immediately is that one of the playable characters was wearing a coat that looked like it was made of raven’s feathers. As I ran around as this character, I saw that each of the feathers was individually animated and was moving on their own as the character walked or attacked. The attention to detail is staggering and I can’t wait to see what else the developers have in store for us.

The Souls franchise has gained many followers all over the world, with multiple wiki’s created to help players through the game and a bustling online community. Even 2009’s Demon’s Souls still has a strong online community, that looks like it will never slow down. Bloodborne is a bit of a departure from the norms of the series, but it still feels like the next evolution in what those games are trying to achieve. As someone who has played the Souls games extensively, I felt right at home. The controls were familiar and almost identical to their predecessors, yet the entire package felt fresh and new. The new fast pace, aggressive gameplay style really suits this new world and I can say that after running through the demo twice, I am fairly certain that on February 6th, Bloodborne will be the game that finally convinces me to buy a PS4.

For all our 2014 EB Games Expo coverage including hands-on previews and interviews, click here.

Assassin’s Creed: Rogue Hands-On Preview

Andrew Day

October 7, 2014

With Ubisoft releasing two very different Assassin’s Creed titles this year and everybody’s focus being on the next-gen Assassin’s Creed: Unity, I thought I would break off from the crowd and check out Assassin’s Creed: Rogue, the game that might very well be the last we see of Assassin’s Creed on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

Rogue is set after the events of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flags between 1752 and 1761 during the Seven Years’ War and has player’s traversing the North American seas, including new arctic locations. Instead of your typical assassin we are introduced to Shay Cormac, who has left the order and joined the Templars as an Assassin killer. Rogue is reported to not only finish off the trilogy that Assassin’s Creed III and IV started, but also to tie into the events of Unity.

The demo build that was available only had a sea-based section of the game, so I unfortunately wasn’t able to jump into any of the stealth, land-based. Although, I was curious to see what new additions to the naval combat that Rogue had managed to create after the excellent Black Flag.

The first thing I noticed was that the Shay’s ship manages to handle even smoother than Kenway’s from ACIV. The sailing felt quicker and the turning was even sharper than the 2013 game. The second thing I noticed was that despite the better handling, the controls had remained almost identical from the last game, so I was immediately comfortable commanding my ship and its crew.

Your ship also has access to new weapons including an oil slick that can be ignited, and an arsenal of rapidly-firing guns that can pinpoint damage spots on enemy ships (like the previous-game’s spot cannon, but firing much faster). These new weapons feel like an extension of Black Flag’s combat and really fix the fact that some of its naval battles could be unnecessarily slow and grindy.

You can also still board opposing ships once you get in close enough, and take out their crew before commandeering the vessel for yourself. However, now YOU can be boarded mid-combat, forcing you to step back from your role as commander and jumping into the thick of the fight. The new boarding makes the combat feel a lot more dynamic, requiring you to stay on your toes or else be caught off guard and lose your entire crew.

The demo showed off one of the new arctic locations, where I had to pilot my ship through ice in order to reach my destination. The ice slowed down my ship, and large Icebergs could prove to be fatal if they weren’t taken care of through cannon fire. Shay can also jump off the side of his ship and go for a dip in the ocean like before, but now your health will steadily deplete due to the frigid conditions, effectively barring you from the ocean.

Since Rogue is built for last-gen consoles, it understandably less visually impressive than the next-gen Unity, but it nevertheless looks amazing. The detail is really impressive here, and the game really shows off what can be accomplished at the end of a console’s lifetime (seriously, go compare footage of Rogue to the original Assassin’s Creed and see how far they have come). Shay’s outfit is the most detailed Assassin’s robe I have ever seen, with buttons, buckles, shirts and popped collars all looking fantastic. The ocean is as beautiful as ever, and the new ice sheets and icebergs providing a new take on the landscape both visually and mechanically that we haven’t seen before.

Assassin’s Creed: Rogue is more fluid and responsive than Black Flags, but at the same time if you go into it expecting something different and new then you might be a little disappointed. While it provides some additions and enhancements from the previous games in the series, I didn’t see anything that was particularly new or refreshing. Although, this was only a short demo version of the game and I am still looking forward to playing the real thing on November 13th.

For all of our 2014 EB Games Expo Coverage including hands-on previews and interviews, click here.

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