Japan Expo has revealed that this year during their second annual convention that takes place August 22nd through August 24th, manga author Izumi Matsumoto will be attending as a guest of honor and will hold a special conference and signing event, though the exact schedule has not been released at the moment.
Some of you may recognize Izumi Matsumoto’s name as and those that do will probably feel some nostalgia as they remember that while he has had a number of works published, he is famous for creating the Kimagure Orange Road manga back in 1984 and ran for three years and was given an anime adaptation and a handful of OVAs back in the 1980s.
Advanced tickets to the event, which is being held at the San Mateo County Event Center, can be purchased here.
Gameloft’s Modern Combat franchise has always set out to do the impossible; create a title on mobile that can match its console brethren like Call of Duty or Battlefield. While it has never quite gotten to those lofty heights, each of the instalments has remained a fun way to blast apart your enemies on the go. Now we have Modern Combat 5: Blackout, and while it may not be perfect, it brings the franchise closer than its ever been to competing with CoD, and also stands as a testament to how far mobile game development has come in such a short amount of time.
Story
Modern Combat 5 puts you in the roll of Caydan Phoenix, an ex-marine who was sent into Venice, Italy as a member of a special forces unit to combat an uprising in the area. Unfortunately the mission report was filed incorrectly and Phoenix was set-up to take a fall. After some investigation he learns that Gilman Security (the international secutiyu agency that sent his team into Venice in the first place) is operating as a front for a global terror consortium.
The story here is incredibly fleshed-out and has a lot of plot-twists, betrayal and in general just a lot more depth than we usually expect from a mobile title. Having such a fleshed out campaign in a mobile game is a rarity, and one that really helps Modern Combat 5 stand out from many other similar shooters on the App Store.
Gameplay
Modern Combat 5: Blackout is a first person shooter designed from the ground up for the mobile platform. It takes a lot of inspiration from AAA titles like Call of Duty and Battlefield, and wears this inspiration on its sleeve. In the game’s campaign you will make your way through various maps, hiding behind cover, and gunning down enemy forces.
You have access to four different character classes that you can level up and customise. The classes are; Recon (quick action, uses a lot of pistols and SMGs), Sniper (uses sharpshooting to fell enemies from a distance), Assault (uses assault rifles and excels in medium-range combat), Heavy (Shotguns, RPGs and a master of close-range combat). Each class is levelled up independently of one-another. However, classes share loadouts and experience between the single and multiplayer game modes, so you can take practice until your heart’s content in single player, and move into multiplayer with a character that you are already well-versed with.
Screenshot taken off an iPad 2
Unfortunately, Modern Combat 5 suffers from some control issues. As you would expect from a mobile game, it uses on-screen thumbsticks and buttons to move and shoot. The game has 3 built-in control options, and many of them have the left side of your screen allows you to walk forwards/backwards/left/right and the right for looking and turning around corners. Movement is pretty fluid and you can alter the sensitivity to your liking. However the buttons for shooting, zooming (when using a sniper rifle) and throwing a grenade are all mapped to the right side of the screen, so it is impossible to properly look around without firing wildly into a crowd. There are
There are some additional control settings like aim-assist and auto shoot that when enabled do fix up a fair amount of the issues make the process a little bit easier, but I still felt that the game’s controls were a little clunky. Some of that could be attributed to the large screen size of the iPad, and playing on a smaller device such as an iPhone or even an iPad air might help alleviate some of the issues I had when playing.
The game’s multiplayer is incredibly robust and covers all of the game modes that you would expect from the genre. Free-For-All, Squad Battle, Team Battle, Capture the Flag and V.I.P are all here. You can join up with your friends for Squad Battle, and your Squad will go into battle against opposing squadrons for supremacy (in contrast, Team Battle pairs you up with strangers, or a couple of friends in a party). Even with an average connection the game ran as smooth as silk for me and I was able to enjoy every heart-pounding minute.
Visuals & Audio
As far as mobile games go, Modern Combat looks incredible, presuming you are running the latest hardware. playing on an older generation iPad meant that I didn’t get to experience the highest quality visuals that the game can produce. However, that doesn’t mean that I was disappointed. Despite being older hardware, Modern Combat 5 still looked amazing. The game’s maps are littered with well-defined objects, and all of the character models look really detailed. Having seen the game in action on newer iPads however, there is a marked difference in visual fidelity.
Although visual fidelity is important, it isn’t the be-all and end all of gaming. The frame-rate for Modern Combat is really impressive. There were only a few times during the single player campaign where I suffered any frame-rate drops, and even so they were for a couple of seconds tops before the game returned to its smooth, buttery framerate. Multiplayer was equally as smooth, and I had no troubles playing against people all over the world, not once suffering any performance issues.
While the game’s visuals are impressive, the audio doesn’t quite reach the same lofty heights. Not to say that the audio is sub-par in anyway, but it really is just what you expect from an FPS game; the majority of the sound-effects (ie: the sound of the guns firing) sound about as good as they do on any console title, which really creates a sense of parity. Where the audio falters however is in the game’s voice acting. While it is nice to have a fully voice-acted game, in the midst of the action it can be rather difficult to figure out who is screaming at a given time, and the acting itself feels dry and lifeless.
Screenshot taken off an iPad 2
Overall
Modern Combat 5: Blackout is far from perfect, but it still manages to accomplish a lot of impressive feats. With its fleshed out campaign, rich multiplayer and amazing visuals, it stands to a testament to how far mobile gaming has come in such a short time. Not only that, but despite some wonky controls, it is by far the best FPS that I have played on the mobile platform. Since the experience for Modern Combat 5 can be different depending on what type of device you are playing on, we have two scores for the title. If you are playing on an iPad 2 (or other larger-screened device) then we rate the game a7.5/10, but if you are playing the game on a more recent device, or one with a smaller screen, then Modern Combat is an absolutely solid title that can’t be ignored.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Those who pre-ordered Destiny to check out the Beta will be happy to know thats not the end of the exclusive goodies they will be receiving. Activision have released a new trailer showcasing the Vanguard Armoury preorder bonus as well as some minor details.
Fans who pre-order (or who have pre-ordered) Destiny will get access to the Vanguard Armoury that includes early access to weapons, gear, and an exclusive player emblem so that fans can be ready to become legend on September 9. You can check out the new trailer below showcasing all the pre-order goodness and if you want to know our impressions of Destiny for the PS3 based on our Beta experience, check out our impressions article.
Destiny releases worldwide on September 9th for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. A PC version was recently announced, however PC gamers will have to wait until March 2015 to get their hands on the game through Steam.
Paramount Pictures are enlightening fans on the ‘Legend of the Yokai’, which is the folklore origin story of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The foursome are represented as ancient turtle warriors who emerge to protect a small village from the evil that is the demonic “Yokai”.
To do this, the studio commissioned artists from all around the world, including Aussies “Numskull”, Anthony Lister (whose work can be seen above) and “Rone”, who contributed to the artistic expression of four ideals that the “Kappa” live by: honour, courage, wisdom and brotherhood. You can view all of the artworks at www.LegendoftheYokai.com. Also, check out the motion-comic telling of the tale in the video embedded below, and click through to find out which Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle you would be. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles releases nation-wide on September 11, 2014.
A new video of the upcoming Appleseed: Alpha animated movie has emerged from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment which you can view below along with a set of screenshots.
In the 22nd Century, society is populated by both humans and “bioroids” following an apocalyptic World War 3 that had just devastated New York. The CGI film is set to be a reboot of the Appleseed manga which depicts the early days of Deunan and Briareos as they search for the fabled city of Olympus. The last iteration was the Appleseed XIII anime series which received mixed reception by fans.
The new film is directed by Shirow Masamune, the creator of Ghost in the Shell, and will feature electronic music artist Skrillex. Appleseed: Alpha is due to be released on Blu Ray, DVD and Digital from July 31 this year.
If you are missing the feeling of a Steam Summer Sale, then Indie Gala and Capsule Computers can help you rekindle that warm fuzzy feeling with the Every Monday Bundle #17. This week’s bundle features six indie games. For a single price, buyers will get:
The Tower– After accidentally leaving Early Access due to a small error by a new staff member, The Tower is back in Early Access. Players will explore a gritty tower as Elliot, who finds himself a prisoner.
Block Story– For the fans of the Android version, Block Story’s PC release brings optimized controls and the ability to transfer characters and saves between devices.
Dark Scavenger– A point and click RPG which challenges players to choose, save the world from some one else’s problem or just save yourself.
Paradigm Shift– After an explosion at a local lab unleashes a zombie virus upon the peaceful town of River Lake, the player must venture out of his apartment and into the dangerous world outside.
Sequence– Throw together Dance Dance Revolution, RPGs, and a soundtrack by Ronald Jenkees and Michael Wade Hamilton in a jar, shake thoroughly, and pour out Sequence, a brilliant mix of rhythm gaming and RPG battles.
Instant Dungeon!– A retro styled RPG that plays like a fast paced arcade game, Instant Dungeon! is currently onSteam Greenlight.
Indie Gala’s Every Monday Bundle #17 is only $1.49 for the first 24 hours of the sale. Afterwards, the price goes up for the entire bundle. Be sure to get your copy at Indie Gala, before the price rises!
Are you one of those Sims fans that wasn’t lucky enough to get into The Sims 4 Create A Sim demo? Are you the type who loves looking up all the latest and most exciting news and videos for your favourite simulation franchise? If you answered ‘Yes’ to the above questions then we have some exciting news for you: EA have released an official twenty minute gameplay trailer.
The video is raw, uncut gameplay footage that is narrated by The Sims 4 producers Ryan Vaughan and Graham Nardone, and runs players through a variety of different features that are in the game. Honestly though, there is no use me blabbering on about it, when you guys have a 20 minute video to watch! Check out the video below and let us know your thoughts on how the game is shaping up in the comments below.
The Sims 4 will be released here in Australia on September 4th so make sure you stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the awesome Sims news as it becomes available.
October is going to be a frightening month this year. Not just because The Evil Within is set to be released that month, but also because the sheer number of games set to be released on certain dates in October will not only slaughter your wallet, but also kill any free time you may have.
As such it came as no surprise this weekend during QuakeCon that Bethesda is moving the release date for The Evil Within up one week in order to net itself a less jam packed week. As announced on their Twitter the game will now be released in North America on October 14th instead of the previous release date of October 21st.
Today Koei Tecmo released a large number of new screenshots for Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate, most of which are for the PlayStation 3 but a few of them are for the PlayStation 4. The main highlight of these trailers is to focus on the new characters that will be joining the roster in Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate, two of which will be familiar with most gamers and three of whom are completely original.
Currently Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate is set to be released on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as a retail title and digitally on the PS3 and PS Vita on September 2nd in North America while gamers in Europe will get the title on September 5th.
Overview Japan has long held dominance over the visual novel market. For every twenty visual novels released in Japanese, English speaking audiences are lucky to receive even one official English release. As such when Sekai Project and MangaGamer released the English developed Sakura Spirit it came as quite a surprise that even caught Japanese fans of the genre off guard. The question is, now that Winged Cloud has released Sakura Spirit, was this surprise a pleasant one?
Story Gushiken Takahiro is a rising Judo star is nervous over his upcoming match and he has good reason to be, since this match in two weeks’ time could make him a star of the Japanese Judo team. Taking the advice of a few of his classmates, Takahiro chooses to visit a shrine deep in the woods to pray for good luck in the upcoming bout.
After coming across the extremely well kept shrine in the middle of nowhere, Takahiro enters only to hear a mysterious voice questioning why he is at the shrine and giving him a haunting warning before Takahiro falls unconscious. When he awakes he finds himself in the forest he had just walked through. Concerned about his situation, Takahiro only wants to return to his home.
Much to his surprise, he hears the sound of female voices within the woods as two fox girls, otherwise known as kitsune from mythology, run from two female warriors pursuing them for the theft of something rather precious to the girls. Takahiro soon realizes that he is in a world different from his own as not only has he been sent back to feudal Japan, but the land is also populated by Spirits.
After being arrested by the female guards for a misunderstanding and rescued by the fox girls, Takahiro learns that the two kitsune sisters are not trusted by the village and finds himself caught up in a dispute between spirits and humanity. With Takahiro surrounded by magic and weaponry, will he have any chance of finding a way back home?
The story of Sakura Spirit is a straight-forward affair that does very little to step outside of the box as it focuses primarily on the misconceptions the human village has of the kitsune sisters and trying to bridge the divide between the two while also giving the reader a bit of time with each of the four girls in the game.
Unfortunately despite having four different girls to offer, we learn very little about most of the cast and the world itself as the only characters to be given a minimal amount of backstory and development are Narumi and Machiko as they have history with one another but even this is not explored to its full potential.
The other two, Maeko and Miyu, are given just as much focus as the other two but readers learn very little about them other than their personality traits. Playing through the entirety of Sakura Spirit gave me the feeling that the writers have a lot that they might have wanted to expand upon but simply put it to the side in order to get the title released as not only are those two characters not explored any deeper than surface level, the cause of Narumi’s tragic past is never fully revealed nor does the issue with the Spirits appear fully resolved at the conclusion of the story.
That being said, Sakura Spirit is a fun, albeit short, visual novel that takes a well-used storyline and makes it more enjoyable by putting its own spin on things and presenting players with a likable cast of girls. With plenty of humor and some very extremely suggestive dialogue at times, Sakura Spirit does have its faults but those faults only put a mild damper over an entertaining visual novel.
Gameplay As standard with many visual novels, there really isn’t much to playing through Sakura Spirit as players will simply read through the title. Though unlike many other visual novels, there is only one actual choice to be made in Sakura Spirit and even then this choice does very little to actually impact the outcome of the title’s story, instead it only changes a few characters’ clothing and unlocks a few extra CG scenes.
As with other visual novels, all CGs can then be viewed in the gallery at the main menu, but this is also a title that does not offer any scene replays, meaning that if the player likes a specific moment of the game, they will need to make various saves in order to quickly access these scenes. Not that that is a problem of course, considering the amount of save slots available. It is also interesting to note that there is no text log in Sakura Spirit, instead players are given the option to rewind the story as they see fit.
There is one problem in Sakura Spirit that pops up far too often however and that problem comes in the form of grammatical errors and numerous spelling mistakes. There are of course intentional misspellings such as characters not understanding modern terminology, but those are not what I am talking about. Players will encounter the first few spelling issues only a few minutes into the game and see them often throughout the two hour long game. There are times that back to back sentences will suffer from improper word usage, making a sentence incredibly awkward to read and problematic in a title all about reading.
Visuals & Audio There is one thing that really stands out when it comes to Sakura Spirit and that is the artwork. Almost every character shown in the game is incredibly well drawn with a large attention to detail being spent to clothing and making the girls look as attractive as possible. In fact, the game really tries to push the All-Ages style when it comes to the CG scenes as there are plenty of lewd looking drawings mixed in with the standard CGs, not saying that is a bad thing of course.
Just like the characters the backgrounds are very nicely handled and have a decent amount of variety ranging from forested backgrounds to various housing interiors perfectly fitting the game’s theme and setting. I did mention earlier that “almost” every character is well drawn and later in the game readers will know what I mean as a certain Spirits design is incredibly lazy compared to what fans of monster girls are familiar with.
Now Sakura Spirit does not feature any voice work whatsoever but instead offers some fitting, albeit fairly standard sounding, background music that is varied enough to not grow old but none of the tracks stand out in any significant way.
Overall Sakura Spirit is a low priced visual novel that suffers from numerous grammar problems that clocks in at a little under two hours but in those two hours players will be treated to a rather enjoyable, albeit surface level, storyline that accompanied by some stellar artwork and CG. While Sakura Spirit does end with a somewhat satisfying conclusion, it is done so on an obvious cliffhanger and it is clearly presented that the developers of the game will wish to continue the story and hopefully they will do so, because despite its faults, the characters and setting make for an enjoyable story that I would like to see continue.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Japan Expo has revealed that this year during their second annual convention that takes place August 22nd through August 24th, manga author Izumi Matsumoto will be attending as a guest of honor and will hold a special conference and signing event, though the exact schedule has not been released at the moment.
