In just a few short weeks, Sydney will be playing host to the biggest domestic gaming event of the year – the EB Games Expo. Three days where gamers can get their hands on the latest and upcoming games. In the expo’s short life-span visiting game developers have always been part of the festivities and this year Microsoft are bringing out the big guns. Taking center stage and speaking directly to the crowd will be Marcus Smith, creative director of Sunset Overdrive, and Ben Penrose, art director for Forza Horizon 2.
Ben Penrose – Forza Horizon 2Marcus Smith – Sunset Overdrive
The two developers will be taking to the stage at various points in the expo, sharing stories and answering questions from the fans in attendance. Sunset Overdrive and Forza Horizon 2 are some of the biggest releases hitting Xbox One in the coming months, so these two developers being present really is a big deal. We will be covering all the action from the EB Expo from October 3rd – 5th so make sure you grab your ticket and join us for all the action right here at Capsule Computers.
We already know that Little Orbit is planning to make a video game based on Spielberg’s series Falling Skies. Falling Skies: The Game is an anticipated game of action, drama and survival, and now we have more details about the gameplay. It going to be made as a turn-based strategy game, set in a tense and gritty world. Engage in covert tactical operation to fight against alien invaders and for the survival of the human race.
This game is going to truly be a massive and immersive game, with engaging tactical combat and a deep story driven experience, Falling Skies: The Game will offer players a never-ending list of missions. There is also going to be a multitude of skills and equipment upgrades to unlock, and with dynamic enemy AI and map randomisation, this means that players can play their own way and even achieve game-changing objectives.
Little Orbit is also taking it a step further by making two gameplay modes: Resource Management and Tactical Combat modes. Resource management occurs between missions where players return to ‘base camp’ to customise units, obtain new recruits and purchase upgrades. Upon entering a tactical combat mission, the player takes control over each member of the squad, assigning actions, abilities and items.
A teaser trailer is already out for Falling Skies: The Game. Let’s hope that the game reflects the aspects of the show that makes in so great.
CBE Software are proud to re-introduce their indie adventure, J.U.L.I.A. Among The Stars to Steam, following their original sci-fi narrative game ‘J.U.L.I.A’ released in March 2012.
The promising title focuses on Rachel Manners, a 35 year-old astrobiologist, who finds herself orbiting an unknown planet with two unique companions – J.U.L.I.A. the space probe’s AI and Mobot, a huge reconnaissance robot. As a team, they must explore the mysteries of this solar system . . . the question is can they handle what they discover?
J.U.L.I.A. Among The Stars features a unique and engaging storyline, challenging and original puzzles, beautifully composed music, a new exploration mode, mission logs and more optional side-stories and quests.
The game is currently available on Steam and CBE’s DRM free store here for $19.99 USD ($22.12 AUD) for Windows PC. The Mac and Linux versions will be released later this month.
Those who are familiar with Innocent Grey’s adult PC visual novel Kara no Shoujo will be happy to hear that MangaGamer has just released a demo for the prequel to that game, Cartagra ~Affliction of the Soul~. While no release date for this $34.95 title has been set yet, potential buyers can download the demo here. (18+ Only)
Cartagra ~Affliction of the Soul~ is set four years prior to the events that occur in Kara no Shoujo and players will be following Takashiro Shugo as he looks into a serial killer who has been murdering prostitutes in the city of Ueno only for the case to devolve into an even more terrifying mystery the deeper he goes.
Overview Creating a direct sequel to any RPG can be a difficult endeavor. Not only will fans be upset if the storyline in the sequel damages their impressions of the first game, but they will also be disappointed if the game doesn’t offer anything new. Bandai Namco has experienced something like this in the past with Tales of Symphonia’s sequel, but they are trying again with Tales of Xillia 2. Being a direct sequel, is Tales of Xillia 2 worth your time or is it an RPG that should be left alone?
Story Tales of Xillia 2 takes place roughly a year after the ending of the first game and players take on the role of Ludger Kresnik, a generally silent protagonist who, through unfortunate circumstances, meets with a young girl named Elle who is seeking the Land of Canaan. After surviving a devastating attack with the help of a returning character from the first game, Ludger is saddled with a massive debt and learns that the world is suffering after the events from the first game.
Numerous alternate dimensions have begun appearing and are wreaking havoc on the dimension Ludger lives and the only way to seal these dimensions off is to destroy them. On this journey Ludger and Elle end up meeting with and recruiting the cast from the original game, making these two the odd couple as fans of the series should be very familiar with the rest of the cast at this point. Especially in the case of Ludger, whose silent nature is a far different approach to the standard Tales protagonist.
Despite this, Ludger manages to grow a little on the player, thanks to the fact that many times throughout the game players will be prompted to pick from two different dialogue or action options, allowing them to make Ludger act how they wish, even if it doesn’t really doesn’t make up for the fact that he comes off as a bland lead character. In fact, his few saving graces come from his interactions with Elle.
Instead the best part of Tales of Xillia 2’s storyline comes from the fact that the original cast returns and all of them have grown, both physically and mentally, over the past year and thanks to this, Xillia 2 feels like a proper continuation rather than any simple standalone game. Players will be able to learn more about their favorite returning characters and there have even been special character specific loyalty missions included in the game that helps develop each character and open up their relationship with Ludger.
Although Ludger may not be the most enthralling lead in a Tales game, his interactions with Elle and the return of the old Xillia cast make up for his faults as the group must travel through a notably darker storyline than the first game. Even though it might take a few hours to actually pick up the pace, there are some surprising plot twists and revelations occurring throughout Xillia 2’s story that not only leave the events of the first game untouched but properly expand the Xillia story, making it hard for players to pull away, even if a certain game mechanic will make it difficult to continue at times.
Gameplay A large portion of Tales of Xillia 2’s gameplay has remained unchanged and in the case of the game’s combat system, that is a good thing. The original Xillia contained an enjoyable battle system that managed to capitalize on all of the strengths that past Tales games’ fast paced mechanics while adding a unique flair. Players will still actively control the action as it unfolds on the battlefield with the player being able to directly attack and use special Artes (skills) and link up with other fighters to unleash powerful attacks while supporting one another allowing for fluid combat that is some of the best you can find in a JRPG.
It is worth noting that Ludger does bring a few new elements to the game’s combat system. He happens to be a man of many talents and this allows him to swap between weapons in the middle of combat. Ludger can wield dual blades, a sledgehammer, and pistols and each of these weapon styles comes with a unique set of statuses and Artes that can be used to exploit enemy weaknesses. He also can wield a special ability that, once a meter is filled in battle, allows him to deal large amounts of damage to enemies whenever he is transformed.
The way characters gain abilities has also been changed in the jump between games. Players will now be making use of the Allium Orb system. Allium Orbs contain a pre-set set of skills that grow stronger over time and provide the player with new skills as they advance through the game. While players still have a bit of control over how their characters will progress in level, the new system does not allow quite as much customization as many players would prefer, as you might miss out on certain Artes if you don’t pay attention, especially since the Lilium Orb system allowed for better player choice.
Now before I mention a certain issue, I will say that there are a ton of things to do within the world of Xillia 2. Not only are there numerous side-quests to complete, including the aforementioned character storyline ones, but there are plenty of optional areas to explore and the adorable “Kitty Dispatch” system to manage. You see, a hundred cats have been spread around the world and as you find them with the help of your own cat Rollo, you will be able to use them to search for items. The phrase “Your kitty has returned” will become a common prompt as the items that are brought back are useful for side quests and creating equipment.
Now earlier I mentioned that there was a problem with the way the game handles story progression and it all comes down to Ludger’s debt. While it might be understandable to have players grind for experience because their next opponent could be challenging, the debt system in Xillia 2 is terrible. Due to Ludger’s debt, there will be countless times throughout the game that you will be unable to progress any further in the story or explore an area because you have not paid off a certain amount of your debt.
By gating off the storyline, which is already a slow-starter to begin with, and forcing players to grind side-quests, rather than offer them as a distraction, the game quickly feels like it becomes a chore. Rarely will players ever have the cash on hand at the time and instead will need to travel off and grind for money. In fact this whole system punishes the well-equipped and well-stocked player, because every time you use money for items it puts you further away from paying off your debt and continuing with the story.
Visuals & Audio Being a sequel, Tales of Xillia 2 looks very similar to the first game on the surface as the basic art style has not changed between the titles but it does feature a unique areas to stand out and of course the entire game’s various event scenes are as gorgeous looking as the previous game, with the various anime cut-scenes appearing as phenomenal as before. This visual splendor really helps make the fluid combat system really stand out and alleviates some of the issues from the constant grinding players will need to do. It is also nice to note that many of the returning characters have changed slightly in appearance, while Ludger and Elle and other original characters fit in nicely with the series’ aesthetic.
As for the game’s voice work, the English dub is a bit sub-standard at times but it benefits from a great sense of humor and how charming the characters can be at times. Of course it is unfortunate that there are many scenes that do not feature any voice work whatsoever, but considering the quality of the dub, that may be for the best. On the other hand, the Xillia 2’s soundtrack is exemplary, whether it is simply background music while exploring or important combat music, each track fits the game and the series’ lineage nicely.
Overall
Being a direct sequel to a popular JRPG, Tales of Xillia 2 does plenty of things right but also has a few missteps along the way. With the same enjoyable battle system, Ludger and Elle fitting in nicely with the returning Xillia cast, and a deep storyline featuring a darker tone, fans of the last game will have plenty of new content to enjoy even if some of it may appear similar. Unfortunately, the questionable design choices that are the Allium Orbs and obstructing debt system that forces players to grind money simply to advance, will hamper that enjoyment.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Great news for all you yaoi fans out there, Taishi Zaou’s manga Love Stage!! has been added to the list of upcoming titles from Viz Medias’ SuBLime publishing company.
Viz made the announcement during yesterday’s Yaoi-Con held in San Francisco, other boys love titles announced included Isaku Natsume’s Ginger Honey and Tomoko Yamashitas’ The Night Beyond The Tricorner Window.
Love Stage!! is about an otaku college student called Izumi Sena who has been brought up in a family of high profile entertainers, his love interest in the series is an actor called Ryuma who is introduced to him when they are both hired to be in a commercial. The manga has been in publication since 2010 and has recently gotten an anime adaptation which got licenced by Crunchyroll in this currently airing season.
SuBLime will be publishing the manga both physically and digitally, however the first volume is set to release in May next year. Let us know what you think of the series by leaving a comment down below.
The third OVA for Hori-san to Miyamura-kun (shortened to Horimiya) is planned to be released in the winter season of 2015, this announcement was made recently on the Oozlaya online store.
Adapted from the four panel manga created by HERO, The series focuses on the connection between popular high school girl Kyouko Hori and the quiet, unsociable Izumi Miyamura. Although she appears pretentious, Kyouko is a kind hearted family girl and despite his appearance, Izumi has a large body tattoo and secretly wears piercings.
The previous OVAs were produced by Hoods Entertainment and directed by Shingo Natsume (co-director of Space Dandy), however this third installment will be produced by the independent studio Marone with Tetsuo Kirakawa behind the directing. Because of the studio change the character designs will be different to the other two episodes, it should be noted that all voice actors and actresses from the previous OVA’s will be back to play the same character roles in the third one. Let us know what you think about Hori-san to Miyamura-kun by leaving a comment down below.
Rumour has it, courtesy of Reuters, that Microsoft has purchased Minecraft developer Mojang for a cool $2.5 billion! The title has sold over 54 million copies across various platforms. since it first launched for the PC back in 2011.
It’s crazy to think a developer/publisher with pretty much one title under its belt – although two more, Cobalt and Scrolls, are in the works – could be worth that much moolah! Then again, the phenomenon that Minecraft has become is unlike any other. Last year, creator Markus Persson said that developers don’t bother creating games for Windows Phone because their market share is “insignificant”. You can see, then, how clear the picture is: Minecraft has been a consistently popular and top-selling iOS title, and with only 2.5% of the market share, Microsoft are hoping to bolster their efforts and increase that number significantly by purchasing Mojang and getting Minecraft on the Windows Phone platform.
Will Mojang’s $2.5 billion price tag pay off? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
According to an image of a Fred Meyer reservation card shared by Twitter user @GodDamnProtoman, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U will be releasing on November 21, 2014. They then went on to answer a fan’s hope that the date is indeed accurate, stating that “we got the date from Nintendo […]”. The tweet/image can be viewed directly below.
Though Nintendo has not confirmed the above publicly, the rumoured date is backed up by a previous story that a Gamestop manager told a customer Super Smash Bros. for Wii U would be releasing on November 21. Of course, things can change and nothing should be taken as gospel unless spoken by the source.
EA has launched their ‘Feel the Game’ ad campaign for EA SportsFIFA 15, with Lionel Messi front and center. In particular, a new short film created by Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam shows just how closely players will feel the emotion on the pitch.
You can check out the video embedded at the bottom of this article. It will run on various TV channels and networks globally from today. Specifically, the video depicts players taking on an in-game, first person perspective with just the television screen separating them from the action (manifests as an odd fishbowl-like camera effect). FIFA 15 launches on September 25 for virtually all platforms. The demo is available to play right now!
