In a move that may entice some peoples decision in which next gen console they will be picking up, EA and Microsoft have entered into an exclusive deal to bring you EA Access, a subscription based service promising a collection of EA’s biggest games on Xbox One ready for you to download and play. The Beta has been rolled out over the course of the day and is currently offering gamers unlimited access to four EA games including FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, Peggle 2 and Battlefield 4, with more titles being added soon. The subcription cost $6.99 (AUD) a month or $39.99 for a yearly subscription and provides access to those games whenever you want while you’re subscription is active. No release date for the service outside of Beta has been released yet, with EA only saying coming soon.
Besides the unlimited access games you have access to from what EA is calling the Vault, there are also a few other perks for subscribers including a 10% discount on all EA digital content purchased through the Xbox One digital store. This includes everything from full game downloads to DLC so the subscription could pay for itself if you are a frequent buyer of EA products. Subscribers also get early access to trials of new EA games up to five days before release date. Planned titles so include Madden NFL 15, NHL 15, FIFA 15, NBA LIVE 15, and Dragon Age: Inquisition, however many more are planned. In a great move from EA, if you decide to buy the full game upon release your progress will carry over from the trial version.
This seems like a great payment plan option especially for those who purchase the yearly sports games only for them to become redundant a year later or those that play a game for a month and then move on. There are a few hidden details here that we had to dig through the T&C’s to find out about. First up, an Xbox Live Gold account isn’t required to access the service but will be required if you want to play online. You will also need an active EA Origin Account to subscribe to EA access. If any games are to be removed from the service, EA will give 30 days notice before such action occurs.
Sony released a comment on the exclusivity of the service to Microsoft’s console basically saying the service won’t be coming to the PlayStation 4 anytime soon.
“We evaluated the EA Access subscription offering and decided that it does not bring the kind of value PlayStation customers have come to expect…PlayStation Plus memberships are up more than 200% since the launch of PlayStation 4, which shows that gamers are looking for memberships that offer a multitude of services, across various devices, for one low price. We don’t think asking our fans to pay an additional $5 a month for this EA-specific program represents good value to the PlayStation gamer.”
A strange move from Sony as it seems they are deciding for the user whether the service is good value or not rather than letting them decide. Either way we don’t really expect it to hurt Sony’s strong position in the next gen console war. Let us know in the comments below what you think of EA access and if you will be signing up to it on your Xbox One when it becomes available.
Puzzle games have never been my strong suit, nor have I ever been gifted with the particular knack required to beat puzzles easily. However, So Many Me has me hooked, with its cute artwork and addictive gameplay. The title was developed by Extend Studio and published by ORiGO GAMES, who also published Rain Blood Chronicles: Mirage. This amazingly charming puzzle platformer is an absolute delight to experience, especially as the game builds up through your progression. Players follow Filo and his band of clones as they attempt to save the world from an unspeakable evil, one that threatens to destroy all life on the planet. I’m quite surprised at how much fun I’ve had with this title.
Gameplay
The gameplay is quite simple, but it isn’t the movement that will get players confused. While the basic movement is just using the directional keys, there’s extra mechanics that are necessary to complete each level. One of the main things about this game is the ability to acquire clones of Filo, the main character blob that will be venturing across the globe to stop the evil. Each of his clones has an individual name, and while it might take a while to completely unlock each one of your clones, they all serve a purpose in your quest. As you unlock them, each of them will follow your every move. This becomes both a blessing and a curse. One of the unique features of these clones is that they unlock an ability that allows you to turn each one of these clones into a stone, giving you the ability to latch on to otherwise unreachable locations. The ability is keybinded by default to “D”, and turning the clone back to a clone is done by pressing the Down key.
When I say that the clones are a blessing and a curse, I mean by how easy it makes your life to have these clones to access difficult parts of a level, but also how worrisome it is to worry about this huge trail of clones behind you. While turning your clones into rocks has its benefits, it also makes you more susceptible to monster attacks and difficult obstacles. Let’s say you have a trail of 5 clones behind you, and you try to jump over a turret’s firing range to avoid it. Even if you think you passed the danger zone, your tailing clones might not be so lucky, and when one of you gets hit, you all die. The clones mechanics adds a whole new level of depth to the game, forcing you to become aware of everything going on around you. Of course, Extend Studio hasn’t left us in the blind with this. By holding the Shift key, you can overlook the whole level, allowing you to plot out your course to successfully acquire all three objectives in a level.
At first, it was difficult to get used to the movement because you had to account for each of your clones. When they stack up, it takes a while to get your bearings set. With more than one clone, you have to be able to micro-manage how many clones you have stuck in stone form and which ones are going to be pulled out of the form when you recall them. I’ve had multiple instances where I didn’t want to recall a certain clone who was holding down a button, but ended up doing so because I forgot which clone to use. It’s infuriating for me but it also forced me to really think about what I was doing before I set the pace. Trying to get to higher reaching places was also a challenge, as you had to time your jumps so that you recall a clone, and set the next one up as a stone. It’s small things like this that creates an even deeper challenge than the basic floor plan of the level.
They’ve also integrated little special transformational abilities that will assist you in beating certain levels, and by utilizing these abilities smartly, players will have a much easier time accomplishing all of their objectives. They also have boss battles in the game that players have to beat to progress. There’s a lot of different mechanics in the game that creates a very complex experience for players, but where’s the fun if I tell you guys everything there is to know.
Visuals & Audio
Visually, the game is really cute. I love the artwork and style of the game, and I find that with the overall storyline and feeling of the game that the artwork completely works. Filo and the rest of the cast are made to look like blobs, but you tend to not mind his comments or all of his clones, each with their own distinct personalities. It’s not very graphically intensive, but the scope of each level increases, making it harder and harder to finish all of you objectives. The soundtrack wasn’t too bad, and the sound effects are nice. They do complement the gameplay and for that I’m grateful. The audio track helps the game along and it keeps the gameplay light. It saves me from feeling like I should be ripping my hair out.
Overall
Honestly, I haven’t had this much fun with a puzzle platformer in a long time. So Many Me is a special game and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has an interest in beating puzzles or likes being dumbfounded for hours on end. The gameplay was well done and everything seems to be in working order. All the mechanics are pretty unique and you can definitely say that the game plays well. If you haven’t checked it out yet, I suggest you definitely check it out on Steam. While there might be some small kinks about the game that I wasn’t all too fond of, the game was still worth the play, and I can see myself going back to finish the game all over again.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Today, The Last of Us Remastered for the Sony PlayStation 4 hit stores nationwide. The next-gen remastered edition of Naughty Dog‘s opus includes the original game in 1080p and 60fps, and all of the Season Pass content, including the Ellie-centric DLC Left Behind.
In terms of new content, there is also a Photo Mode that has been integrated, made to take advantage of the PS4’s Share button. Players can freeze-frame the game at any point, move the camera around, change filters and add effects before sending their masterpiece out to the world. Check out the gallery of screenshots below, as well as the launch trailer further down. The Last of Us Remastered is rated R18+ and retails for$79.95 RRP.
Last week it was announced that XSEED Games was planning on releasing The Legend Of Heroes: Trails in the Sky for the PC this week and now that day has come. Starting today gamers can purchase The Legend Of Heroes: Trails in the Sky for the PC through Steam, GoG, and GamersGate where the game will be sold at a 15% discount this week before it goes back up to its original price of $19.99.
For those who haven’t been following the PC release of the game, this version comes with a number of exclusive features such as HD resolutions, customizable controls, and significantly faster load times. It also features enhanced features taken from the PSP release, including the New Game+ mode, English battle voices, and selectable difficulty levels once the game has been completed.
It has been revealed that Takeshi Obata, the artist behind popular manga series such as Death Note, Bakuman, and most recently All You Need Is Kill, will be attending New York Comic Con this year. At the event, which takes place on October 9- 12 at the Javits Center in New York City, Takeshi Obata will be participating in panels and autographing items on October 9th and 10th.
Lance Fensterman, the Global Senior Vice President of ReedPOP, the company hosting the event, had this to say about Takeshi Obata coming to the event:
“Our vision for New York Comic Con is to bring a wide range of pop culture content from all over the world to fans every year. Takeshi Obata is one of the leading manga artists in the world and one of the best creative forces in entertainment today. We couldn’t be more excited about his participation in New York Comic Con this year.”
Today Activision and Sledgehammer Games had quite a bit of news for Call of Duty fans as not only have they released a trailer revealing the story that will be told in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare but they also revealed that there will be a number of limited editions available for purchase once the game is released.
The story trailer can be found below and as for the Limited Editions, there will be two varieties with the second having a digital option. There is the own shown above, which is the Atlas Limited Edition, but there are also the Atlas Pro and Digital Pro editions. You can find the official details for each of the special editions below:
Atlas Limited Edition
Bonus multiplayer map Atlas Gorge – Re-envisions the fan-favorite Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare map, Pipeline, re-imagined for the new Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare exoskeleton abilities. The Atlas Corporation has commandeered the world’s largest power source, the Three Gorges Dam in central China, creating a gripping setting for a multiplayer battle. Combatants will navigate the shadows and control a map-based turret scorestreak that overlooks the dam and helps to keep enemies at bay, all while leveraging new abilities and tactics enabled by exoskeleton technology, such as vertical combat, new sightlines, and strategic vantage points.
Official soundtrack – Digital copy of the in-game score, featuring main title & themes by legendary composer, Harry Gregson-Williams as well as original music by Audiomachine.
Welcome to Atlas: Advanced Soldier Manual – The Atlas Corporation’s Advanced Soldier Manual ensures that all recruits are equipped with the necessary intel to become a tier-one Advanced Soldier with Atlas. The manual features original concept artwork from Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare developer, Sledgehammer Games, as well as historical and tactical information that will bolster every soldier’s potential for success in the field and prepare them to carry out Atlas’ global mission.
Atlas Digital Content Pack
Two (2) Weapons – The Bal-27 AE Assault Rifle and the Atlas 45 AE Pistol: Trick out your loadout with these two sleek weapons fitted with an Atlas Corporation theme to match your other custom content.
Atlas Exoskeleton – Strike fear into competition with your PMC-issued, white, red & black custom Atlas exoskeleton, and ensure opponents remember who took them out.
Atlas Helmet – A state-of-the-art custom Atlas helmet.
Atlas Player Card – Leave your mark on any killcam with an Atlas player card, featuring both a custom Atlas calling card and custom Atlas emblem.
Five (5) Bonus Supply Drops – Supply Drops are part of the revolutionary changes in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare that Sledgehammer Games is bringing to Call of Duty multiplayer. You’ll be well-prepared for battle as soon as you boot up with five bonus supply drops, which unlock a variety of game-changing, in-game content from player customization gear to weapons. More information on Supply Drops and the full suite of multiplayer options will be revealed on Aug. 11.
Single Player Exoskeleton Upgrade Token – Over the course of Campaign mode, players unlock exoskeleton perks and abilities that help tackle various obstacles and challenges. This token provides an extra upgrade for your exoskeleton, so you’re already at an advantage when jumping into the Campaign.
Atlas Pro Edition
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Atlas Pro Edition is the ultimate package, including:
Everything available in the Atlas Limited Edition version
Bonus multiplayer map Atlas Gorge
Collectible SteelBook
Official soundtrack
Welcome to Atlas: Advanced Soldier Manual
Atlas Digital Content Pack
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Season Pass – featuring four action-packed DLC Map Packs
Atlas Digital Pro Edition
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Atlas Digital Pro Edition is perfect for fans that prefer to access all of their content digitally. The Atlas Digital Pro Edition includes:
All of the same digital content as the Atlas Pro Edition
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Season Pass
Bonus multiplayer map Atlas Gorge
Atlas Digital Content Pack
Atlas Digital Edition Personalization Pack – more details to be revealed soon
Today Ubisoft has released a new CGI trailer, which can be found below, for Assassin’s Creed Unity which focuses on Arno racing against the clock as he tries to save a young noblewoman named Elise from being beheaded. He is doing this because Elise is going to be a character central to Assassin’s Creed Unity’s storyline, but it is odd because she is also a member of the Templars.
It seems that despite this conflict of interests, the two form an unlikely bond. Also revealed today is a new book from Oliver Bowden based on the game but this time told through Elise’s perspective.
Overview There are a number of franchises that are iconic to mecha anime fans and very few series have ever been as popular as those big names. Despite this there are still numerous mecha anime produced every year and each one tries to offer viewers something a little bit different. With Majestic Prince making its way to North America and featuring character designs reminiscent of some old school designs, does the series prove itself in Collection 1?
Story
Over a hundred years from now, humanity has mastered space travel and has expanded its reach to other planets, establishing colonies. While this was seen as a great success for humanity, everything changed when unknown lifeforms with advanced weaponry began assaulting human colonies. These aliens, called the Wulgaru, have been dominating the galactic battle and forcing the human fighters to retreat closer and closer to Earth.
As one would guess from the genre, children who have been genetically engineered with higher than normal abilities, are being trained to use large robots to battle against the enemy. Of these children, a group of five misfits have been put into Team Rabbits, also known as the Fail Five simply because they don’t work well with one another and have various personality quirks that make them unfit for most combat situations.
However when one of Earth’s bases in space coming under attack from the Wulgaru, the military calls upon Team Rabbits to make use of special mobile suits that have been outfitted with the JURIA system, a highly advanced system requiring the user’s DNA to sync with the mecha. With the use of the JURIA system, the pilot’s abilities are increased drastically as their survival instincts play a drastic role in the power of the suits and because of this they manage to drive back the Wulgaru, marking the first time that humanity has held back the alien force.
With this Team Rabbits becomes seen as the heroes of the military and despite still not working well as a team and messing up, they are placed to the forefront of the battle against the Wulgaru. Little do they know that there is more to this conflict than meets the eye and someone close to Team Rabbits’ leader’s past plays a role as well.
While Majestic Prince may sound like a fairly standard cookie-cutter mecha show, it sets itself apart decently with two things. The first being the fact that when the members of Team Rabbits were enlisted into the military, their memories were wiped clean leaving them with no past and no future other than potential death in combat. The second is that the main characters are mostly developed well and have personalities unique to the genre.
The team leader Izuru has a childlike obsession with heroes, comic books, and drawing, while second in command Toshikazu often suffers from stomach aches and ulcers due to how much pressure they are under, and Kei’s obsession with extremely sweet things and growing romantic interest all make these teenagers feel like fleshed out characters despite the fact that the other two members of the team, Tamaki and Ataru, serve as running jokes at this point. Add this to the fact that despite having issues co-operating with one another, the group still loves to do everything together creates a sense of family that these five no longer remember.
One thing that becomes an issue however is how inept the command structure is in the military. While it is true this is used to help show how strong the characters are despite a failure in command, it is really an issue that comes up far too often when idiotic commanders force the group into danger or put them in danger because they have no idea how to handle the situation and violently ignore any advice given to them, making one wonder how they even got into such a position in the first place.
Despite that and the issue that the series does feel a bit too unoriginal at times, Majestic Prince is an enjoyable viewing experience in this first half. With very effective humor that plays well off of the situations Team Rabbits is placed in and their own personalities, the various plot twists and revelations that occur throughout the first half, and plenty of action, Majestic Prince has a lot to offer in this first half.
Visuals Where the animation and artwork in Majestic Prince really shine are anytime that the crew enters into battle. Every space battle is amazingly animated and full of dazzling attacks and fluid combat with very detailed and somewhat unique looking mobile suits at use. It is worth noting that as the series goes on, the studio does recycle a few of the more impressive looking battle scenes of the pilots taking out random enemies.
The downside of the artwork in the series comes whenever the characters are simply going about their lives as the studio really takes shortcuts here in the form of basic or static looking animations and scenes with very little happening. While the retro style of the character designs is a nice touch, there isn’t a whole lot to set each character apart from one another and make them memorable outside of a few touches here and there, or in one case a certain female character’s gigantic chest changing size between scenes.
Audio With the release of Majestic Prince Collection 1 viewers will have the option of choosing between Sentai Filmworks’ English dub or the original Japanese voice work. The English cast for the series does an impressive job with fitting into their character archetype, especially in the case of Monica Rial as Tamaki and Houston Hayes’ portrayal of Izuru.
The sound effects in combat are impressively effective while the series’ background music works well though it does tend to be forgetful. That being said, there is a nice insert song used during an emotional moment in the middle of the release and the full opening theme is used to great effect in the first episode’s final minutes. The opening theme “Watashi wa Souzousuru” by Natsumi Kon serves as a nice opener and “Sayanara tte Iu” by Chiaki Ishikawa is a fitting ending theme.
Extras Unfortunately Majestic Prince: Collection 1 does not feature even the most basic of bonus content as the only on-disc offerings are trailers for other Sentai Filmworks releases and the disc credits.
Overall Majestic Prince Collection 1 does a good job in this first half trying to set itself apart from the rest of the mecha shows on the market by introducing a unique premise for its characters. Combine this with a properly paced story that has a few interesting revelations and secrets and pad it nicely with plenty of good humor and great looking action scenes and you have yourself a decent start to a series. Although the animation can leave something to be desired at times and the series does feel a bit too standard at times, Majestic Prince establishes itself decently enough in this first half and hopefully it will pay off in the second.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
To be honest, even though I have never tired all of the LEGO titles (there are a TON!), there is something rather special about the brand. Sure, we all love the creative aspects behind the name, but the characters – regardless of the franchise, all come off as equally charming and warm, no matter how cold their intentions may be.
LEGO Ninjago: Nindroids is now out for the 3DS, bring to life yet another installment of the much loved Ninjago series, with even more characters ages young and old can fill the shoes of. Due to the game’s release, a nice launch trailer has also blasted out via WB Games, showing players what to expect from the experience – which you should check out below. You can pick up LEGO Ninjago: Nindroids for the 3DS and Vita, so do so and get to smashing more blocks.
Legendary rock group X Japan has recently announced that tickets for its upcoming performance at New York’s Madison Square Garden will go on sale on August 1, 10:00am EDT. The date was previously thought to be July 25 but was changed according to band leader and drummer/pianist Yoshiki’s Twitter post.
The group has also released a trailer to coincide with the announcement which you can check out below.
Since the Yoshiki Classical Tour earlier this year it’s been known that X Japan are finally going to rock the world again this October 11. The last time the veteran visual kei band performed overseas was during their 2010 North American tour and again in 2011 across Europe, South America and Asia.
X Japan isn’t your ordinary Japanese rock band. They’re big. Really big. Since their formation in 1982, the glam metal rock stars have filled the 55,000 seat Tokyo Dome 18 times and sold over 30 million albums thanks to a unique blend of heavy, fast rock music and poignant ballads. Their crazy hair and make up is often mentioned as having pioneered Japan’s pop cultural scene.
After releasing five studio albums the band announced a shock hiatus in 1997 when vocalist Toshi announced his departure. A year later tragedy befell the group with the death of guitarist and cultural icon Hide. Although the band reunited a decade later with Sugizo from Luna Sea, their founding bassist Taiji also died in 2011.
Remarkably, X Japan has continued the dream of an overseas breakthrough and are currently working on a new, long-awaited album. Tickets for the Comic-Con sponsored concert at Madison Square Garden can be found on the Ticketmaster website. Are any of you going? Let us know!
