Today Atlus USA has released a handful of new trailers for Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth and unlike previous sets, this one includes a story trailer alongside two character trailers. The story trailer focuses on Persona Q’s take on Persona 3’s storyline while the characters introduced this time are Junpei Iori and newcomer Zen.
Check out the videos below and keep an eye out for Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth when it is released in North America on November 25th for the Nintendo 3DS.
Overview
FIFA is no stranger to next gen, as last year – we seen a decent port hit the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Sure, it played well, but still felt like a port, trying to deliver something new on something old. Well, FIFA 15 is here to change that. With a good deal of upgrades and an improved Ultimate Team mode, this soccer (or football for you a bit further east) title is here to bring the genre all the way into the next gen. EA still have competition however with PES still on the market, and in order to stake their claim – they had to pull out all of the stops. Does FIFA 15 dribble by with a score, or is it just not ready for primetime? Let’s find out.
Gameplay
I want to jump in and say “Wow! This FIFA feels like a whole new game”. Well, that really cannot be said for the yearly franchise, as while there are quite a few stability tweaks, the on-field experience still feels and controls relatively the same. That said, this new installment does bring a very authentic flare with it, and may be the most realistic title to date. On top of the realism comes a bit more accessibility. I have never personally been the most in tuned with FIFA, even though I have played a good number of the now 21 installments. FIFA 15 however just feels as if it is far easier to pick up and play. The control scheme is simple, the variety of maneuvers for both offense and defense are solid, and it is now easier than ever to jump right into a match and gain control rather quickly with the right tactics. Its as if EA applied just a bit more polish this time around. Sure, the game didn’t need to much more considering not much has changed, but a bit smoother gameplay is never a bad thing.
As far as modes go, career mode leads the pack of the non-online fare, allowing players to manage teams and play their way to the top. Yet again, not much has changed here, but there are a few tweaks such as shorter retirement times that allow the player to stay in the game longer. Players can also participate in matches consecutively with Pro Seasons, which allows animation editing (its a bit less exciting than it actually sounds), as well as your typical sharing options that are a bit forced and probably will not appeal to those who are playing a system outside of the Xbox One and Playstation 4. Oddly enough, I spent a good portion of my time in Skill Games Mode. Think of this as a way to sharpen your passing, dribbling, and other skills, but with some fun, score attack style arcade games. As polished as the gameplay is, this little mode quickly becomes addictive as you slam balls into goals for fun, trying to rank up scores in a set amount of time.
FIFA Ultimate Team seems to be the crown jewel of every installment, and EA tout this fact for good reason. Players can make challenges, play in seasons, and buy up more players with their currency in this mode, where constant upgrades can lead to the perfect squad. Its quite rewarding to build up your deck and watch your spoils become victorious, and those who cannot afford to get ahead can now loan players out through a new system, where one can then be signed – while the other lot head back to the catalog. While this is mode is great, it still is a bit disheartening to see the other modes not receive near the same attention, as EA still needs to learn that there are other markets out there aside from those who want to shell out real and digital currency for a game that already has a full price-tag. Don’t get me wrong, the game is a blast and still worth it, but why not make every mode a spectacle, rather than just side orders?
Sometimes, its easier to notice the details. The AI has been significantly improved with players now displaying an “emotional intelligence”. This means more than changes of moods, as players can literally confront others on the field depending on how the game as played, and seem to react often to fouls- adding even more realism. Goalkeepers are also smarter, and now perform with a lot more flexibility and acrobatics. I did have a few hiccups with the game while competing against opponents, but this one gripe that could be echoed with the same sentiments for the experience as a whole. As fun as one game can be, you still have to ask yourself when upgrading if enough has been done to consider the next year’s version. Gameplay wise, that is a bit hard to do. If you have FIFA 14 and want more polish and a couple of nice, yet filler features, sure – this is a great choice to make. If you are buying FIFA 15 strictly for a glossy, new feeling and are just a casual fan, then you might want to hold off. I am speaking about gameplay in specific here, but those who care less about visuals and more about gameplay may want to contemplate before making the jump.
Visuals
Now, we can discuss those visuals. Yes, as you would expect – FIFA 15 looks fantastic. Animations are fluid, the field looks phenomenal, and the players look eerily realistic. FIFA has never been the series to stand out visually while the player has their eyes on the full field, but if you look for those details, you’re bound to find more than ever before. Replays recapture the action close up to perfection, while weather effects the very grass you step on, with the dew off the grass leaving an imprint upon every step. The animations of simple actions such as tripping and tackles look much better than the last installment as well, as it all happens in one fluid motion, rather than a clumsy plop. Faces have also been scanned in, and while I do think the hair is a bit less detailed in comparison to the actual features, these are the best looking models we have had to date in a modern sports title.
Audio
To be honest, the soundtrack is nothing to talk about. Its a good variety of tunes from semi-popular musicians, and nothing that truly stands out than anything more than background sounds for menus. The commentary is where it is at in FIFA 15. Martin Tyler and Alan Smith recite their lines with passion and accuracy, creating a feel that you’re watching the real product at home. The crowd also sings, chants, and rides on the momentum of your (or the opponent’s) team, and that extra boost can definitely assist in adding another layer of intensity during a close game.
Overall
FIFA 15 really doesn’t need to be special to be sold. EA promises an upgrade every year, and yet again delivers with another fantastic installment. There is always going to be a debate about staleness, as eventually – playing the same game for so many years (no matter how much the visuals have improved) will make a generation look elsewhere for their entertainment. With that said however, you can’t deny the quality the newest version has, as there is a lot to come back for this time around that will keep you busy until FIFA 16 rolls out the next fall. Those who are not soccer fans and looking for a fun game to test out those barren next-gen consoles should know that FIFA has a lot more to offer than kicks, and the die-hards will be pleased to know that FIFA 15 has everything they expect – which is a straight kick right in the net for the familiar yet still welcome franchise.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Thanks to a special social media promotion that Capcom has been running, it appears that there will be two new costumes available when Resident Evil Remaster is released. Capcom will be adding both Chris and Jill’s BSAA costumes into all versions of the game when it is released, and it appears that not only do these costumes change the outfit of the character, but also their physique.
To go along with this announcement the company released a short little clip showing off both BSAA costumes in action and you can check it out below. Currently Resident Evil Remaster is set to be released sometime in early 2015.
Today Seven Seas Entertainment kicked off what they are saying will be a week full of announcements by revealing that they have acquired the license for Atto’s Non Non Biyori manga series. Seven Seas is planning on releasing the first volume of Non Non Biyori in English in June 2015.
Non Non Biyori currently has seven volumes of manga published in Japan and not only has one anime season already been produced, which will be released in North America by Sentai Filmworks in January 2015, but also a second anime season is currently in the works.
With Omega Quintet now available for purchase in Japan, Compile Heart has released the final video in their latest series which has served to introduce each of the five idols to players. While Otoha, Kyouka, Kanadeko, and Nene have already been introduced, this last girl is the silent and difficult Aria. Because of her personality, or lack thereof, it is difficult to understand exactly what she is feeling at times and this can cause a number of issues.
You can check out the trailer below and while it is possible to import Omega Quintet, those with Japanese PSN accounts can also simply download the title on their PlayStation 4s if they wish to play it without having to deal with any shipping hassles.
Get a life. Change your life. Live your life. Those are the three main elements that make up Level 5 and Nintendo’s Fantasy Life for the Nintendo 3DS, which launches later this month (October 24th to be exact). Aside from the stunning art style, a new clip has been released that shows off all of the lives you can live in the game.
Classes, situations, and other properties are all in display in the clip, which you can check out down below. I know some may think the simulation market may be getting a bit crowded on the 3DS, but whether its Animal Crossing, Disney, Tomodachi, or Fantasy Life, it seems all bases are covered no matter what your preference is. That said, this title seems to be packed with features, so the verdict is still out of which one will hold the most weight.
Forensic science holds Sherlock Holmes in a special place in its heart, as he is considered one of the earliest forensic scientists in fiction. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was writing about Sherlock using his microscope to nail the guilty party decades before CSI: Crime Scene Investigation burst onto the scene on CBS. With a modern Sherlock Holmes starring in Elementary in the US and Sherlock in the UK, the time is ripe for a period-correct Sherlock game. Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishment is Frogware’s tenth game featuring the legendary detective. The game is powered by the Unreal Engine 3 and features six vexing cases to test player’s deduction skills.
Story
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments is comprised of six cases. Though several characters will make their appearance during multiple cases, each of the six are completely self-contained stories. There is an over-arching plot surrounding a terrorist group known as the Merry Men introduced part way through the game, but the plotline plays a surprisingly insignificant role in the game.
Without spoiling too much of the cases, Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments’ cases are well written and would feel right at home on most procedural TV shows. Cases have twists, turns, and plenty of possible suspects. Almost all of the suspects have many reasons to commit the heinous murder and many of the criminals are easy to empathise with, which will force Sherlock Holmes to make a moral decision. At the end of each case, Sherlock has the choice to either let the guilty party free with a stern tongue lashing or send them to prison and possibly to the gallows. For the most part, the actual story impact of these choices are next to nil, which make the process feel a little meaningless.
As a mystery game, Sherlock Holmes’ notebook holds all of the conversations, clues, and research picked up through the course of an investigation. There is plenty to read and all of it is well written. I am quite impressed with some of the topics the game manages to cover, from the Roman mystery religion of Mithras to deadly plants.
Gameplay
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments is a third person adventure game. Players will control Sherlock Holmes for the most part, as he wanders around crime scenes looking for clues. Objects in the environment that can be interacted with will pop up a nice easy to read graphic. The controls can be a little finicky in close quarters, with Holmes doing pirouettes in doorways or struggling to target specific hotspots are stacked in tight.
What strikes me about the game is how hard Frogwares pushes the whole experience of being Sherlock Holmes. The detective is legendary for his deductive reasoning and his observation skills. Players can occasionally trigger Holmes’ focus to seek out evidence that would be normally passed over or analyze his conversation partner’s physical appearances for leverage. A deduction menu will have players linking two clues deduce the next step in solving a crime or deciding who is the guilty party. When Holmes is hitting a dead end, players trigger his imagination to help organize events and figure out a solution to the mystery. Little things like these distinguish the game from any generic mystery title.
Like any good adventure game, there are a variety of mini-games to augment the mystery solving. The more mundane mini-games are ones associated with the forensic experiments. Those tend to be more concerned with mimicking the motions of the actual act than providing any sort of challenge. The rest are more traditional adventure game affair. The difficulty of these puzzles are extremely easy in the beginning, but do pick up to become more challenging by the end of the game. For those more interested in solving mysteries than solving puzzles, these can be skipped after a short period of time.
The overall difficulty in Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments is pretty low. The game will make for a great casual title as it is extremely forgiving. After choosing the criminal, players can discover if their accusations are correct and are given a choice to try making their accusation again. Additionally, there is no punishment for failing to present the correct evidence when interrupting a suspect.
The game does lack replayability, as there is little to do once the six cases are solved. It should take players about 8-15 hours to complete all six cases once. Completionists will have to double that number to get all possible achievements. Unfortunately, I feel almost a half hour could have probably shaved off with some of the design choices. Moving between areas will trigger a loading time, and players will have to revisit areas several times over a case. Although Holmes is able to make deductions and review his case notes during these load times, it does drag the game out a bit considering how small the maps are.
Visuals
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments is a great looking game for an adventure title, though it does not hold up nearly as well compared to the latest AAA blockbuster. Most of the animations and textures are well done, though there are a few animations that feel a little awkward.
Under the hood, the game is powered by the Unreal Engine 3. Unfortunately, it means texture popping is a bit of a problem with the game. For the most part, it has been minimized as much as possible with the smaller maps, but there will be times where a low resolution texture is initially displayed and suddenly a high resolution texture pops up in its place. However, the game ran smoothly, without any noticeable frame rate drops.
Audio
The sound effects and music in Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishment is solid. The entire game is voice acted, which puts a lot of pressure on the voice actor’s abilities. For the most part, the actors have provided an excellent performance, though there are a few misses. I find Inspector Lestrade is actually the weakest of the bunch.
Overall
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments is a solid adventure game for mystery nerds. Unfortunately, it is an extremely short title with absolutely no replayability, which may be a sore spot for next-gen console owners who have to fork out an extra ten dollars for their copy. However, the game’s writing is solid, the cases are interesting, and there is a great emphasis for making players feel like the great Sherlock Holmes which makes Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments worth a try for adventure lovers.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Yesterday we talked about the various events and panels that Viz Media will be holding during New York Comic-Con on October 9th through the 12th and today the company has announced what type of convention exclusive and collectable items will be sold at Viz’s media both, including some series that will be available for purchase before their street date.
The company will be selling numerous items, including some not listed, but the following items will be available for purchase while supplies last, at their booth which is located at #1944.
Celebrate Takeshi Obata’s New York Comic Con Appearance:
ALL YOU NEED IS KILL Manga Pre-Sale – Grab Takeshi Obata’s stunning manga rendition of the popular Japanese sci-fi novel ahead of its public street date. Price: $15.00
BAKUMAN。Vol. 1 – Do Moritaka and Akito have what it takes to make it in the manga-publishing world? Find out in this dramatic manga comedy! $10.00
DEATH NOTE: BLACK EDITION Vol.1 – A deluxe oversized edition of the bestselling supernatural crime thriller! Price: $15.00
HIKARU NO GO Vol. 1 – Follow Hikaru Shindo as he learns the ancient game of “Go” with the spirit of master player Sai in this classic manga! Price: $10.00
DEATH NOTE T-Shirt – Get this exclusive DEATH NOTE shirt based on the anime before it’s available anywhere else! Price: $20.00
Special VIZ Media Manga & Publishing Items:
PRINCESS MONONOKE: THE FIRST STORY (Pre-Street) – Get the inspiration for the award-winning animated film in this oversized, lavishly illustrated storybook featuring original watercolor art by legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki! Price: $35.00
KISS OF THE ROSE PRINCESS Vol. 1 (Pre-Street) – Check out this supernatural romance from the Shojo Beat imprint before its available anywhere else! Price: $10.00
RESIDENT EVIL Vol.1 (Pre-Street) – Join the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance in this action-packed manga prequel to the hit Resident Evil 6 game! Price: $13.00
Perfect Square Books & Manga:
VOLTRON DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE: FROM DAYS OF LONG AGO – Celebrate 30 years of awesome giant robots with this special edition collectable book! Price: $50.00
HELLO KITTY, HELLO 40 – Celebrate Hello Kitty’s 40th Anniversary with this hand-numbered, limited special edition collectable story and art book! Price: $50.00
BRAVEST WARRIORS: THE SEARCH FOR CATBUG – A one-of-a-kind art book presented in the style of a classic seek & find. Get the exclusive hand-numbered, limited special edition! Price: $30.00
BRAVEST WARRIORS: THIS WAY OR THAT – THE GREAT CORE CAPER – Be a part of the action and help decide just how the galaxy-traveling heroes and Catbug will save a planet in peril with this new release! Price: $8.00
Special Gift with Purchase!BRAVEST WARRIORS PRESENTS: CATBUG’S TREASURE BOOK – This look into Catbug’s musings comes with a poster featuring Catbug and the teen heroes! Price: $13.00
POKEMON ADVENTURES RED AND BLUE MANGA BOX SET – Capture the excitement of the POKEMON ADVENTURES manga series with volumes 1-7 along with a collectible poster. Price: $50.00
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA MANGA BOX SET – Action and adventure based on the bestselling Nintendo video game franchise. Set contains all 10 volumes of the manga series and a collectible poster! Price: $80.00
WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP Exclusives & Specials:
Masashi Kishimoto Reproduction NARUTO Artwork from Japan (Exclusive!) – hand numbered, full-color and limited quantity. Price: $15.00
Eiichiro Oda Reproduction ONE PIECE Artwork From Japan (Limited Edition!) – hand numbered, full-color and limited quantity. Price: $15.00
WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP’S JUMP PACK 3 – Newest Jump Pack Edition comes with a limited edition “Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Evening Twilight” Yu-Gi-Oh! Collector Card and 3 months free to the world’s bestselling weekly digital manga anthology. Special Convention Discounted Price: $8.00
WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP Annual Subscription – Purchase an annual subscription and receive the limited edition Yu-Gi-Oh! Card “Ebon Illusion Magician” Collectable Trading Card and a special gift with purchase Game Mat featuring your favorite WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP characters (While supplies last!) along with 52 weekly issues of the online anthology! Special Convention Discounted Price: $20.00
VIZ Media Anime:
GARGANTIA ON THE VERDUROUS PLANET Complete Series DVD/Blu-Ray Combo Pack (Limited Edition!) – A must-watch sci-fi anime series. Find out if Ledo can survive his surprise landing on a seemingly foreign planet! Special Convention Price: $50.00
RANMA ½ Limited Edition Blu-ray Sets 1, 2, & 3 – Rumiko Takahashi’s RANMA ½ anime series is re-mastered and presented on Blu-ray for the first time! Special convention-only price: Special Convention Price: $44.00 each
BLOOD LAD Complete Series DVD/Blu-Ray Combo Pack(Limited Edition!)– Score the complete series in this Blu-ray and DVD combo pack release. Follow the journey of Staz, an otaku vampire who will resurrect the girl of his dreams by any bloody means necessary. Special Convention Price: $50.00
Additional VIZ Media Exclusive Products & Collectables:
SAILOR MOON T-Shirt (Exclusive!) – This New York Comic Con exclusive is sure to go fast. Don’t miss out on fighting for Love & Justice, just like Usagi and her fellow Sailor Guardians! Price: $15.00
BLEACH Sword Umbrellas (Pre-Street) Stay dry with two designs to choose from, the sword hilt of Ichigo or Soul Reaper Rukia! Price: $30.00 each
DORAEMON T-Shirts (Exclusive!) – Available for the first time, choose between two exclusive designs! Price: $20.00 each
DORAEMON Limited Edition Coin Purse– Keep your money safe with this adorable coin purse! Price: $12.00
DORAEMON Limited Edition Figure – Get this figure of everyone’s favorite cat-type robot from the future that comes with plenty of fun gadgets! Price: $35.00
DORAEMON Belt – Need a handy accessory to keep your pants up? Doraemon has just the gadget for that! Get this belt buckle style belt in its debut. Price: $20.00
TIGER & BUNNY Cosplay Alpaca Plush – Choose between five different alpaca plush in TIGER & BUNNY cosplay or collect them all! Price: $25.00 each
TIGER & BUNNY Keychain and Cell Strap Set – Four different character options available! Special Convention-Only Price: $15.00
K Blind Box Mini Figures – Get a random mini-figure featuring the characters from the captivating anime series, K. Special Convention-Only Price: $8.00
K Clear File Set – Use these handy files at school, at work, or as posters! Set features 5 different clear file designs. Special Convention-Only Price: $20.00
K Poster Set – Set of 2 K posters featuring Fushimi and Yata. Special Convention-Only Price: $10.00
Halloween is coming up on October 31st but Pokemon X & Y players will get to celebrate it a little early as Nintendo is giving away a free Pokemon via the Internet Mystery Gift function. The holiday appropriate give away Pokemon is Pumpkaboo, a ghost/grass type who evolves into the very bulky Gourgeist, perfect for messing up your opponents team with leech seed, will-o-wisp or for switching to when you’re up against a strong fighting type.
The Pumpkaboo you receive will be at level 50, be holding the fairly rare item Rocky Helmet and have the special OT of Spooky2014. That’s not all that is special about this specific Pumpkaboo though. This Pumpkaboo is of the very rare Super Size variety which gives it increased HP in exchange for speed and can also have its hidden ability Insomnia, which has not been possible for Super Size Pumpkaboo before this event. You can download the event now on Pokemon X or Pokemon Y in all regions. The event is scheduled to end on October 31st.
The Dragon Ball Xenoverse Network Test is now live on the PlayStation 3 for those in Europe and Australia, an entire 3 days earlier than expected! Before you get to excited, to play the Network Test you must have been offered entrance by Bandai Namco. If you have been chosen to participate you should have an email saying so, simply follow the prompts, sign in to your PSN account and get your code. The Network Test will need just under 1 GB of space to download.
As this is a test there are obviously some issues with lag, performance and mechanics not working correctly (I was having a fair bit of issues with the lock on system not being accurate or not responding) but for the most part my experience has been excellent. There is a bit of a learning curve but after an hour or so I was using melee, jumping and stringing together combos ending with Kamehameha waves right into my opponents that were being launched away. The combat is full of variety with players able to select 4 super attacks, 2 ultimate attacks and an escape move which will get you out of a tough spot at the expense of your guard gauge.
Other attacking options include weak and strong melee, jump attacks and throws, all of which are able to be combined into a combo. Side steps, jumps, boost dash and ascend/descend make up your movement arsenal and there is teleporting, guarding, just-guarding (a sort of parry) and the aforementioned escape move for your defensive options.
Apart from the fights, the hub area known as Toki Toki City is alot of fun and allows you to run around, interact with others, go shopping and partake in missions which can branch out to different objectives if you meet certain conditions (for example, getting Gohan to show up in his Four Star Dragon Ball outfit to protect his dad). The Network Test is very limited in what you can buy (there are only about 5 outfits for each body section) however mixing and matching them is still fun. At the moment you can not edit existing character’s trademark items colours but we are hoping this changes with release. There is a great variety of super attacks available that you can equip to your characters slots, many with different properties and effects such as melee specials, beam attacks, explosive attacks, ki charging and transformations like the Kaioken.
Fans of create a character will be very pleased with the offerings here, with the Beta alone providing a lot of variety in all parts of the character including hair styles, eye type, nose type and even how big you want your pupils to be. The full game will allow you to customise much more including body size, build and even your voice. We’re also hoping for the ability to edit aura style and colour and basic attacks such as your throw. If you want to fight with the characters from the show, pretty much the whole gang from the Saiyan Saga is also available for you to fight with in any mode.
So if you were the lucky recipient of a code jump on your PlayStation now, customise your own character and get into the fray as the game currently has a great active community. Any readers who have played the Network Test, let us know you’re experience in the comments below. If you’re in the US, check out our previous article to see how you can get your chance to play the Network Test in the upcoming days.
