For those of you who are eager to play the Destiny beta, we have some good news for you. The beta for those who pre-ordered the game on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 is now live while those who pre-ordered the title for the Xbox One or Xbox 360 will have to wait until next week on July 24th to access the beta.
Alongside the launch of this beta, Activision and Bungie have also revealed a Destiny Companion app that can be used either on a mobile device or through your computer to help track your progress to becoming a legend. This companion app is available for both iOS and Android phones and you can see some examples of what the companion app has to offer in the screenshots above and below.
Overview Whenever a company says that they are going to re-release a classic series in an updated format, fans of that series are generally wary of the results. For good reason too, since there have been occasions where trying to make an old series look HD it actually damaged the original product. Viz proved that they knew how to do it properly back when they released Ranma ½ Set 1 and while we were able to check out the series on DVD last time, how does Ranma ½ Set 2 look on Blu-ray?
Story As one would expect jumping into a series at Set 2, there are some potential spoilers for the first set but not quite as many as one would think considering the long running nature of Ranma ½. For those who may be unfamiliar with how the series began, Ranma ½ revolves around Ranma, a practitioner of the Anything Goes Style of martial arts, who has been promised to marry Akane, the daughter of his father’s best friend.
There are a few problems with this however, as not only are Akane and Ranma unwilling to follow through with this plan, but both Ranma and his father Genma have been cursed thanks to falling into springs in the Chinese training ground of Junsenkyo. Now whenever cold water is splashed on them, Ranma changes into a girl while Genma becomes a panda and the only way to turn the back is with hot water.
Not only did Ranma come back from China with a curse, he also brought with him an amazon girl named Shampoo who wanted to kill his girl half and marry his male half. When Set 1 finished Ranma had received a strange package from China with a cat inside of it and this second set continues on with that story as it is revealed that Shampoo has fallen victim to the curse of Jusenkyo as well and now she has brought her Grandmother, the leader of the Amazons, with to help bring Ranma back as her bride.
This begins a chain reaction of events that develop over the course of ten episodes roughly as Ranma has to deal with Shampoo’s Great-Grandmother who strikes him with a technique that makes him unable to touch hot water, Shampoo’s own plans to make Ranma her husband, and a martial artist named Mousse who is in love with Shampoo seeking revenge against Ranma.
That is only the start of things and is barely scratching the surface of what is offered in Ranma ½ Set 2. The fun that was had in the first set is dialed up a notch in this second half by introducing a number of great new characters, some of which are cursed, and enjoyable story arcs that help keep things fresh. Even when the series takes a pause to mess around with some random nonsense it is that nonsense that makes the series so enjoyable and it is really taken to the next level here. Whether it is the constant threat of water, the various misunderstandings, or all of the ridiculous battles that occur, the series really takes a step up in set 2.
There is one small issue however as far as the new characters go and it has to do with Happosai, the master who trained Genma and Soun. While many of the characters in the series have simplistic motives for what they do, the perverted Happosai who is supposed to feel like a nuisance, tends to drag an episode down far too often whenever he appears. That being said, the rest of the introduced characters, including another one of Ranma’s fiancées, do wonders for the series and provide more than enough laughs to keep viewers loving Ranma ½ throughout this second set and looking forward to the next one.
Visuals One must really take the time to appreciate how amazing looking Ranma ½ looks now that it has been fully remastered and released on Blu-ray like this. The series is presented in its original 4:3 format and looks absolutely wonderful with no details lost in translation, making every episode look stunning. There are a few little specks and granules here and there that appear to have been from the original work and these aren’t much of an issue.
The art style also remains consistant for what was presented back then and it is what it is in those regards, providing a nostalgic feeling for those familiar with the time. It is also interesting to note that the amount of nudity takes a jump in the second half, but is still mostly in the form of Ranma’ female-form being used for comedy. That being said, there are a few issues here and there when it comes to consistency of the coloration. Many times throughout Set 2 Shampoo’s hair color will noticeably change shades of purplish blue between scenes and there are also times that Ranma’s hair color will swap from black to red when he is meant to be a male or from red to black when he is a female.
Audio With the release of Ranma ½ Set 2 viewers will have the option to choose between the original English voice track as well as the original Japanese voice track. All of the voice actors remain consistent between Set 1 and Set 2 and the newly introduced characters are all properly voiced and fit in well with the series.
The same style of background music is also used to decent effect throughout this second set with a few new tracks added into the standard set. As far as the opening theme goes, a majority of these episodes are not actually shown with an opening theme, though when it is used it is “Little Date” by Ribbon with the last few episodes switching to “Omoide ga Ippai” by CoCo. The ending theme is always presented and is “Don’t Mind lay-lay Boy” by Etsuko Nishio for the most part while the last couple of episodes switch to “Lambada Ranma,” which is my personal favorite.
Extras The extras included in Ranma ½ Set 2 Special Edition come in the form of both physical and on-disc bonuses. The physical bonuses include a chipboard box for the release that contains a “card” featuring artwork of female Ranma holding P-Chan, the case for the discs, and a booklet containing a brief summary of what has happened so far followed by a brief rundown of every episode in this release, which is a bit disappointing as the booklet could have included more than that.
The on-disc bonuses come in the form of ‘Next Episode Previews’ that are seven minutes long and show the original previews for some of the episodes, clean versions of the opening and ending themes, trailers for other Viz Media releases, and ‘We Love Ranma, Part 2: Favorite Scenes.’ This last one is just over ten minutes long and features various voice actors and other members of the industry, cosplayers, and ‘SuperFans’ talking about their favorite scenes in the series, some of which haven’t been released as of yet.
Overall Long running series such as this can be difficult to keep interesting, especially for a series with such age, but it really goes to show how much longevity Ranma ½ has that this second set actually takes a step up from the first release both in action and comedy, even if one of the new characters is a bit of a drag. This remastered version of the series is easily the best way to watch the series and is a must have for any anime longtime anime fan who enjoys the classics.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Chilean developers ACE Team moved into a new IP territory with their latest game, Abyss Odyssey. The team mixes fighting game combos with rogue-lite mechanics to create an Art Nouveau styled platformer. Abyss Odyssey is inspired heavily by Chilean folklore and is set in 19th century Santiago, ACE Team’s hometown.
Story
A warlock’s nightmare has twisted the world and the contents of his dreams are pouring into the streets of 19th century Santiago. The soldiers are mostly helpless against the fantastical creatures that are pouring out from the holes in the street. Luckily, not all of the Warlock’s dreams are evil. Katrien, Ghost Monk, and Pincoya have been created to fight back against the nightmares.
Abyss Odyssey’s story and its writing are decent. Players can learn more about the plot by collecting journal pages dropped by slain enemies. The real star of the show is how ACE Team has woven in their home country of Chile into the game. As a long time gamer, I have become a little jaded with the now overused material taken from European mythology. There is a distinct South American flavour in Abyss Odyssey that is absolutely refreshing.
Gameplay
What is old, is new again. The rogue-like genre has seen a big resurgence in the past couple years, thanks to the exploding indie scene in game development. One of the spins on the death is permanent gameplay mechanic is affectionately known as “rogue-lite.” Like many other rogue-lite titles, Abyss Odyssey punishes players for dying, but not to the same degree as true rogue-like titles. The level is randomly generated again upon death and the player loses their inventory. However, players will get extra chances to salvage a failed run and return to a checkpoint with a second life. When the hero dies, a brave soldier will take their place. The soldier is not as agile as the hero and cannot make use of magic. If the player can get the soldier to an altar, then the hero will be resurrected with what ever equipment the soldier brought back. Failing that, camp tokens are available for purchase with the in-game currency. Players can set up camp and purchase a limited amount of NPC support and respawns at the altars.
Though the player will lose their inventory between attempts, the experience gained will be maintained. Each level will improve their stats and provide skill points that can be spent towards extra bonuses that will help give less skilled players a leg up. The bonuses are attached to the special abilities players eventually unlock. Three abilities can be equipped at any time and each ability can be buffed with a skill point three times. Skill points can be reset, so players are free to experiment with a build that works for them.
Abyss Odyssey’s rogue-lite system is probably one of the best implementations I have come across so far. It sets the game at a very accessible difficulty level and has a really neat way of giving players a few extra chances, while providing a chance for the hardcore a chance to make their game more difficult. Those brave or insane enough can easily make their run more challenging by simply not purchasing camp tokens.
Magical items can be purchased from vendors or found in the abyss below. Players are able to equip one weapon and three pieces of armour. The biggest irritation is that each hero is locked to one weapon type. Though the vendor will always sell weapons that can be equipped, the dungeon loot can drop anything, including incompatible weapons. Personally, I would have rather have the loot system drop less loot but only drop equippable items. It is quite heartbreaking to slog my way through a difficult room and only be rewarded with a weapon I cannot even use.
Abyss Odyssey integrates the fighting genre by implementing a combo system and allowing players to hold onto the soul of one enemy. This soul allows the player to play as the enemy, using all their attack patterns and weapons. Although playing as the enemy does provide a little more variety, the three heroes’ repertoire of abilities feel a little sparse compared to the fighting genre ACE Team is trying to implement.
For fellow co-op fanatics, Abyss Odyssey supports drop-in/drop-out co-op and a bonus four player multiplayer mode that behaves a little more like a traditional fighting game. The co-op mode supports any unlocked hero, while the multiplayer brawl allows players to use any unlocked character. For those looking to acquaint themselves with the different attacks of each playable character, a training mode is available.
For all the things Abyss Odyssey does right, the game is deeply crippled by its controls. Rogue-like games, platformers, and fighting games all live and die by their controls. Abyss Odyssey attempts to mix all three genres, but fails to implement the tight and responsive controls required. Players can use either the mouse and keyboard or a controller. Unfortunately the responsiveness of the controls are just not up to par. The wall skidding ability tends to interfere with the already mushy movement system and makes taller double jumps nearly impossible to complete. The controller still has some kinks that need to be worked out. The game only supports the analog stick, which will probably have many fighting fans scratching their heads. The analog stick worsens the responsiveness with the controls, leading to some strange behaviours like two special attacks being launched at the same time.
Visuals
Abyss Odyssey mixes the Art Nouveau style made popular in the late 19th and early 20th century with a Chilean flair. The creatures that inhabit the game are fantastical and visually distinct. The character portraits are beautiful, especially the characters depicting figures inspired by Chilean folklore and mythology.
Technically, the game runs well. I did not experience any difficulties with the game’s graphics. The game has rather low system requirements, so older computers should have no problem with Abyss Odyssey. However, the visual controls are strictly an on or off affair, so there is little fine control of the game’s graphic quality.
Audio
The sound effects and music are pretty average in Abyss Odyssey. For the most part, the music tends to be a bit on the generic side. The voice acting is decent, though some lines are a little on the wooden side.
Overall
Abyss Odyssey has some things going for it. The game is a neat twist on the growing rogue-lite genre and has some great ideas. The setting is a breath of fresh air and the game’s artistic direction is beautiful. In theory, the gameplay is solid. However, the mushy controls severely hamstring the experience.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Ubisoft, GREE and PlayNext have entered into a partnership to bring Assassin’s Creed Memories, a free-to-play mobile entry in the franchise, to the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch later this winter. Few territories already have access to the game as part of a soft launch, able to experience the strategic card battle/RPG mash-up before its worldwide release. Jean Michel Detoc, Managing Director, Ubisoft Mobile Division, said of the announcement;
The card battle genre has been hugely popular around the world and GREE and PlayNext have demonstrated their know-how and expertise on such games. With such expertise, we really believe they’re bringing a great new way to enjoy the richness of the Assassin’s Creed universe to mobile players.
Players will be able to explore more than one time period with Assassin’s Creed Memories taking them back to Renaissance Italy and Colonial America, as well as to brand new eras for the series. The game will boast both a deep single-player mode and a multiplayer mode that revolves heavily around battles that could ramp up to 20 vs 20 player conflicts. Customisation and strategy play key roles in the gameplay experience, as players determine what kind of assassin they want to be, and who they want on their side. Eiji Araki, Vice President, Social Games at GREE, Inc., and JT Nguyen, Chief Operating Officer at PlayNext, Inc. added;
We’re thrilled to bring our expertise in mobile games to a renowned brand like Assassin’s Creed and to work with a company that has brought so much to the gaming world. The card battle genre is all about being able to evolve and grow great heroes and this franchise has created some of the most epic characters in gaming today. – Araki
We are passionate about creating great experiences for mobile players and we have applied all of our learnings and success with past games to Assassin’s Creed Memories. We want to capture all the excitement and beauty of Assassin’s Creed and apply it to a completely new experience for mobile players. – Nguyen
We at Capsule Computers will keep you posted on when a specific date is announced for Assassin’s Creed Memories‘ worldwide release.
Ubisoft released a new trailer for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege. The trailer shows off new gameplay footage along with the snippets of accolades the game has received from the press. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege received high praise at E3, when the first footage was released out of the blue.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege is a new take on the long running tactical police first person shooter series. The game focuses on competitive multiplayer, challenging a team of hostage takers to outwit the SWAT team sent in to rescue the hostages. The game will be released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows in 2015.
Crimsonland is a HD remaster of the original that began life as a student project, and kicked indie developers 10tons Ltd into gear back in 2003. After more than a decade, Crimsonland is resurrected on Steam, but also makes its début on the PlayStation 4, both with updated graphics, new assets, design tweaks and added content. It’s also a cross-buy title on PlayStation platforms, with the PS Vita version hitting PSN soon. The title has been a cult-favourite of sorts among top-down shooter enthusiasts since its original release, but will this remake leave just as big an impression on a new generation?
Gameplay
Crimsonland features two main game modes – Quest and Survival. Quest plays out across six chapters, holding ten levels each. There isn’t a story to speak of, only a series of challenges that ramp up exponentially in difficulty within the three established Difficulty settings to choose from. There is no ‘Easy’ in Crimsonland, only ‘Normal’ , ‘Hardcore’ and ‘Grim’. At first, only the former is available to select, with the latter dificulties only becoming available once you’ve completed Quest mode on the easier choice. This is representative of Crimsonland‘s unlock system on a whole; every milestone achieved grants a new plaything. Completing a chapter unlocks a new Survival mode play type, and completing a single level results in the alternating unlocking of weapons and perks. All up, there are thirty “unique weapons” to cause utter destruction with, although they’re really anything but. Multiple are variations or combinations on a base weapon earned early on, e.g. the Plasma Shotgun – a mix between the trusty Shotgun and Plasma Cannon.
Each gun has its own trait value, from clip size and reload speed to damage covered, that affects their efficiency and effectiveness in certain situations. For instance, the Flamethrower should be the weapon of choice for those pesky, quick lizards and spiders, at least early on. Different guns are dropped by decimated enemies, as are perks. The Perks are true game-changers; speed boosts, shields, incendiary ammo, nuclear explosions and freeze blasts are just a few that give great advantages to the player, enabling them to retreat from dense spots on the map, clear the immediate area for some breathing room and gain a momentary reprieve from the onslaught. Enemies vary between slower aliens, mutated lizards, giant arachnids (some that shoot fire from their mouths!) and more. Hives and spawn points are introduced not too far into Quest mode that must be destroyed, or else the foes won’t stop coming. Control-wise, Crimsonlandsticks to the basics, utilising the twin thumbsticks for movement and aim, and R2 to shoot. A reload button is alluded to, but was not specified in the control scheme diagram within…I just kept shooting till I ran through the clip, forcing an automatic reload.
The trackpad is an alternate option for aiming and shooting on the PS4, but it is extremely unintuitive; its responsiveness might be higher, but accuracy is harder to attain. Up to three friends can jump into the game by simply pressing play. The ability for a pal to join the fray on a particularly tough mission helps tremendously as things can get pretty dicey, fast! I didn’t experience Grim difficulty, but I can imagine how frustrating it must be based on how tough things get on the lower Difficulty settings. And the lifeline that is cooperative play isn’t restricted to Quest mode either, with the same easy drop-in capabilities found in Survival mode too. Survival boasts five play types: classic Survival, Rush, Blitz, Weapon Picker, and Nukefism. In the first, your score rises with each kill, doubling as XP points as you’ll eventually hit an XP threshold, leading you into the next level. Then, you can choose between a careful selection of four perks. In Rush, well…you’re stranded with just a machine gun, with infinite ammo mind you. But good luck with that. Blitz speeds up classic Survival play by 2x. Weapon Picker spawns timed gun pick-ups around the arena, each with only one clip worth of ammo. And finally, Nukefism takes away all weaponry…perks only. Yep, survive solely by using perks. There’s clearly some good variety here, and getting to the top of the respective leaderboards increases replay-ability even further.
Visuals & Audio
Crimsonland‘s colour palette remains muted and limited, with the key art displaying more vivid colour than anything you’ll see in the game. Atmospherically, it is apt, but the drab greys and browns become a bore to stare at mission after mission. Not only that, but the environments are so non-descript and plain (literally, they’re just plains!) that they just compound that feeling that you’re playing an aged title, despite the revamp. You’ll almost have to remind yourself that you’re playing Crimsonland on a Ps4, which promotes a sense of anachronism in and of itself. Then again, that’s not to say that the reworked assets go completely unappreciated, as the character models themselves are noticeably more three-dimensional and detailed. In terms of soundtrack, there are few tracks in the game, with the repetition of the generic, grungy, 90’s-esque metal wearing on you after a while. The sound effects themselves can also be grating, especially after you are continuously bombarded with the same shooting cues, some of which sound as if they were recorded on old technology like the first couple Doom entries. Also, at the beginning of each level, the audio is delayed until sometimes the first kill; you could be spraying bullets for three seconds with no aural accompaniment.
Overall
Crimsonland is to be enjoyed for its unabashed simplicity – sometimes, you just want to shoot things! (that sounded really distressing now that I read it back…) At the same time, that perceived lack of depth will certainly make it easier for many to put the game down after an hour or two. Four player local co-op is a great enhancement, allowing more friends to join in and multiply the fun (to my knowledge, the original only had 2 player local co-op). It becomes quite challenging as you progress in Quest mode, and high score hunters will surely tackle Survival mode in order to top the leaderboards. All that said, and considering its next-gen makeover, the game – its levels in particular – looks bland, and coupled with equally outdated audio and U.I. elements, Crimsonland still feels old. But if you’ve never played the original, like me, Crimsonland is still worth checking out for those times when you get a sudden craving to test your spider-killing skills against the world.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Whoa, whoa. Did you come into here ready to sigh? Well, turn away as this is not the place to do that. For years, Nintendo have been providing Club Nintendo Platinum and Gold Rewards, which have featured the likes of a Zelda soundtrack, playing cards, a pin set, a statue, and many more physical and digital rewards. This year, Nintendo opted to go strictly digital – and I have to step in and say….GROW UP INTERNET!
I have been with and received a lot of Club Nintendo’s physical rewards over the years, dating back to that statue. Yes, its nice to get something shiny and real, but why not enjoy some of the reason we love Nintendo to start with? First, lets go over the rewards.
Platinum: Game & Wario Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D Earthbound NES Remix Dillon’s Rolling Western Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move Fluidity Spin Cycle
Gold (or Platinum): Ice Climber Kid Icarus Zelda II: The Adventures of Link Super Mario Land II: 6 Golden Coins Metroid Wario Land II Super Mario Bros. Donkey Kong 3
The best value of the lot is without a doubt Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, as well as the decently lovable Game & Wario. Earthbound is also nice to see for those who have put off buying it thus far, and Fluidity makes a nice niche pickup for those who have ignored it completely. Gold people, you don’t get a calender you will use for six days this time and never tear off another page, as you get to pick from a nice selection of classics. If I had to say anything about that selection, it would be that Earthbound should be where Kid Icarus or Metroid is, as we have seen those two quite a few times as standard Club Nintendo rewards. Remember however, these two tiers are not why you redeem those codes.
You, as a Nintendo consumer buy games to play, and you should enjoy those games as well as the rewards given out every single month for free for doing those surveys. Those are the rewards. Want physical? Go get a Kirby patch or some stationary, which beats those playing cards and still sealed soundtrack from the last two years completely. Not one point is spent on the yearly tier rewards, so its time to gain some perspective, folks. Sorry for coming off ranty dear reader, but the criticisms are tiring and selfish. Would I have liked to see something better in terms of digital – since that is the direction Nintendo took it? Sure, but we already got a free full retail Wii U game for buying Mario Kart 8, and have been offered Pokemon countless times if you were a new 3DS owner (not to mention Super Mario 3D Land). Think about the ambassador program, the freebies from Club Nintendo, the Deluxe Digital promotion that rewards you for simply buying games by placing more money in that eShop account. Its time to chill out and enjoy what we get for once, as these digital rewards are a lot better than receiving the nothing we could get. Don’t be that guy that ruins the party because you didn’t receive a hat. Celebrate, snag a game, and go enjoy.
Last month we reported on some apparent leaks of Disney Infinity 2.0 characters from the US-based retailer; Walmart. Since then, news from Disney about the game has been relatively slim. That was until today! Disney have officially announced that two more classical Disney characters will be making their way to Disney Infinity 2.0 when it launches later this year.
Two of Disney’s most popular (and mischievous ) characters; Tinker Bell and Stitch will be joining the game’s already impressive roster. We have a short video below that shows off how the new characters play, so check it out and be sure to let us know in the comments how excited you are for your game to be getting a sprinkling of fairy dust. Disney Infinity 2.0 is set for launch later this year so make sure you stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the Disney news as it becomes available.
Ubisoft and Carbon Games have announced that AirMech Arena, the fast-paced, real-time strategy free to play game, will be receiving a closed beta on the Xbox 360 starting from July 23rd. The closed beta will include all of the features slated for release with the full game, including single-player, multiplayer cooperative and multiplayer competitive gameplay for teams of two to three players. Teamwork is vital to succeed in multiplayer and co-op as players must work together to defend their fortresses against an onslaught of relentless enemies. In AirMech Arena, players command giant transforming robots that fight to capture and protect bases while building colossal armies to take on waves of enemies. As players conquer fortresses, they unlock powerful units, pilots, items and AirMechs and can customize their armies to fit their personal gameplay preferences.
Players who wish to participate in the beta can sign up now by heading to airmecharena.com. An Xbox Live Gold membership will be required for the multiplayer portion of the beta.
Yesterday Viz Media released their first clip featuring the brand new Sailor Moon English dub and revealing how Usagi and Mamoru will sound and today they have followed up with another video and this one focuses on introducing us to Luna who is now voiced by Michelle Ruff.
The video can be found below where we see Luna speaking with Usagi for the first time and teaching her the phrase she needs to transform. Currently Viz is planning on releasing the Part One, containing the first 23 episodes of the first season, on Blu-ray/DVD combo pack and DVD on November 11th.
