At the Evolution Championship Series 2014, Razer unveiled the Razer Atrox Arcade Stick for Xbox One. The fight stick is customisable, tested by eSports athletes and made for modders and competitive gamers alike.
It features eight genuine Sanwa Denshi buttons and an “ergonomically authentic arcade layout”. At the touch of a button, the arcade stick opens up with spaces for the detachable USB cable, bundled screwdriver and alternate bat-top joystick to be stored. Additionally, a limited edition Killer Instinct-themed faceplate was announced after a collaboration with Microsoft. Razer co-founder and CEO, Min-Liang Tan, had this to say about the product;
We designed the Razer Atrox Arcade Stick for Xbox One on the same principles that made the Razer Atrox for Xbox 360 so popular amongst the fighting game community. Professional gaming is growing rapidly into a global phenomenon, and gear like the Razer Atrox Arcade Stick for Xbox One will help fighting game players everywhere dominate the opposition in style, match after match.
The Razer Atrox Arcade Stick for Xbox One will be available in August, 2014 for a RRP of $199.99. Check out the gallery below for images, and for more information on the Razer Atrox Arcade Stick for Xbox One, click here.
Through Xbox, a full walkthrough of the Dragon Age: Inquisition E3 demo has surfaced online, this time commented on by creative director Mike Laidlaw and played as a Qunari Mage. Check out part one directly below, with part two set at Redcliffe Castle embedded at the very bottom of this article. Also released by EA and Bioware are new screenshots that introduce two main characters from the game: Advisor Leliana and Advisor Cullen, which can be viewed below as well. Dragon Age: Inquisition comes out October 9 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC.
Dragon Age: Inquisition Gameplay Series – E3 Demo Part One: The Hinterlands
Overview Koushun Takami’s Battle Royale is a novel that many are very familiar with due to its dark content and an extremely successful live-action movie. Despite being filled with numerous deaths and despair, Battle Royale’s death game has a few scenes that will specifically stand out in many readers’/viewers’ mind and that is the scene that unfolds in the lighthouse. Due to this being such a memorable event, the girls in the lighthouse have been given their own spin-off manga in Battle Royale: Angels’ Border. Now with this spin-off being released in North America, should fans of Battle Royale pick it up?
Story For those unaware, the story of Battle Royale takes place in a world where Japan is under the power of the totalitarian rule of Greater East Asia and every year a horrifying military experiment is held where one class of ninth graders from the area is forced into a program where every student of the class is in a battle against one another. These ninth graders are forced to kill one another until there is only one person left standing, or if they choose to not kill each other, then every one of them will die.
Battle Royale: Angels’ Border takes place during the events of the Battle Royale story and while those familiar with the series are aware of some of the events that happened in the lighthouse where six girls have holed up in an effort to survive together only for events to unfold in a gruesome manner that epitomizes the horrific situation these students have been placed in.
The story in Battle Royale: Angels’ Border is told through two chapters, with the first chapter focusing primarily on Haruka Tanizawa and Yukie Utsumi as the two keep watch at the top of the lighthouse. During this time Haruka struggles with her own feelings as she realizes that she is in love with Yukie and will do anything to protect her, even though she knows that Yukie is in love with someone else. Little do they know that while they are up keeping watch, the rest of the girls are beginning to turn on one another.
The second chapter deals more with the events that take place before what happened at Battle Royale and involves Chisato Matsui and Shinji Mimura having a chance meeting on a day off of school where the two discuss past tragedies that have occurred in their families and how they both want to take and live for themselves and not be moved away by the flow of everything around them.
These two chapters wrap up in a manner that anyone familiar with the material expect since this is more about expanding the characters as well as giving a face to the tragedy that takes place in the story since these girls had lives and hope for a future before they were forced to participate in Battle Royale. This creates an emotional and tightly knit story despite being short and readers knowing the outcome, though it feels like there was a missed opportunity here by focusing so heavily on the past in the second chapter.
It is worth noting however that those unfamiliar with the original material will probably not be able to enjoy Battle Royale: Angels’ Border quite as much because not only does the manga only briefly go over the whole situation but also references events that take place outside of the releases’ scope.
Artwork It is worth noting that this is a Viz Signature release, meaning that the release is larger than normal being sized at 8.2” x 5.8” meaning all of the artwork is larger and more detailed than a standard release. As mentioned before, Battle Royale: Angels’ Border is separated into two separate chapters and the artwork for each chapter is handled by a different artist. The first chapter, following Haruka and Yukie, is handled by Mioko Ohnishi, while the second chapter is handled by Youhei Oguma. Both artists have a similar looking style, with Oguma being more detailed with smaller aspects such as clothing and character details while Ohnishi’s drawings having more emotional impact and better character expressions.
This does cause a problem however due to the fact that any time that the story focuses back on the events happening in the lighthouse, there are variations in the way that some characters look, such as Haruka having a completely different hair color. Though this isn’t much of an issue due to the way the second chapter focuses on the past, it is a distracting oversight. There is also a problem with the way that the manga tends to jump from scene to scene with very little transition, which is hinted at in the bonus script.
Extra Content There is a fair amount of extra content included in Battle Royale: Angels’ Border, beginning with a color illustration of the lighthouse and a brief rundown on what the world is like in the story. At the end of the book the original script for both chapters is included and not only does the original script give extra detail about certain scenes that were not shown in the release, perhaps due to page restrictions, as well as alternate ways a few scenes could have been shown. The book closes out with an “Afterword” from author Koushun Takami, talking about writing the story.
Overall Rarely does a side-story add extra detail to the events that occur in the main story, especially over a decade after the original story was released, but that is what Battle Royale: Angels’ Border manages to accomplish. With the lighthouse being one of the iconic moments in Battle Royale, this release adds some extra depth to these characters that once had hope before being thrown into this twisted game, even if it does have a few issues.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
In a very interesting turn of events, NIS America has announced that, while Koei Tecmo is going to be published and localized in North America and Europe by Koei Tecmo, they will be releasing a special limited edition version of Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star when the title is released in North America on September 23rd.
This $64.99 limited edition can currently be pre-ordered through NIS America’s online store and it contains a copy of the game for the Playstation 3, a hardcover full color 26 page art book, the game’s original soundtrack in a jewel case, a collector’s box, and a 16″x23″ Ar nosurge poster. Recently a large number of screenshots and a trailer for the game were released and you can check them out here.
So far the three pop metal idols have performed in France, Germany and the UK, now it seems more gigs have been set up for them in North America and alongside Lady Gaga.
BABYMETAL are currently doing their world tour which began at the beginning of this month, their last two shows were at the Sonisphere music festival and at London’s Forum Theater (which was a sold out gig). Before they head to Canada for the Heavy Montreal festival they will be opening for a few Lady Gaga concerts in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Denver from the 1st of August. The 2014 tour will finish on the 14th of September with their last gig being in Japan.
Check out the video of their London gig down below and leave us a comment below about what you think of BABYMETAL.
Female vocalists ChouChou and True will be performing the OP and ED for the Suisei no Gargantia sequel OVAs, the news was recently confirmed on the official website of the anime which will be premiering the first episode in September this year.
Both vocalist provided the opening and ending tracks for the anime Buddy Complex which aired at the beginning of the year; True will be performing the opening song Hajimarai no Tsubasa (The First Wings) for the Gargantia sequel with ChouChou singing Taisetsu na Takaramono (Precious Treasure) for the ending.
The two OVAs will take place six months after the events from the last episode of the anime; a new character has also been introduced for the sequel who appears to be another messenger for the Gargantia. The premier of the first OVA will be screened in Japan across 10 theaters, the second episode plans to screen in April next year.
Senior Editor Jamie kicks off a brand new play through of Larian Studios’ Kickstarter-funded RPGDivinity: Original Sin. Viewers will get their first taste of the game’s class-less character system and an introduction to the vile murder of Councillor Jake. For more information, be sure to check out our Divinity: Original Sinreview.
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Sniper Elite III is the latest in a series of WWII games that put you in the role of a sniper for the allied forces. While previous instalments had their problems, this time around the developers have listened to the fans and created a more fluid and fun experience. Open level design, great new mechanics and a sense of freedom and power really underlie this game and make it worth picking up.
Story
Set during 1942 (prior to the events of Sniper Elite and v2) in Africa, our hero, Karl Fairburne must fight against the infamous Afrika Korps and their incredible Tiger Tanks to put a stop to Hitler’s war machine before it can build the Wunderwaffe (Wonder Weapon) which will decimate the allied forces and quite possibly wipe them off the map.
The story is well-rooted in history while still maintaining enough elements to be accessible to gamers everywhere. The protagonist is your standard action-hero; quiet, stoic and driven, which really makes the whole game feel like a massive action hero power fantasy. The story itself is fairly thin and incidental to the whole gameplay experience. Although that being said, it would make a pretty cool movie if they were ever inclined to go that way.
Gameplay
By the time you get to a third game in a franchise, you usually have all the bugs and kinks worked out. It seems that Sniper Elite III has definitely done this, managing to improve on Sniper Elite V2, by eliminating a lot of the problems that players had like the linearity of levels.
Sniper Elite III doesn’t have all that many levels, but each of them will take you a considerable amount of time. Finding the perfect vantage points and taking out enemies without being spotted is a slow and purposeful process but even taking the “I’m just going to run and gun,” option will have you spending upwards of an hour on some stages.
There is not a whole lot of mission variety in Sniper Elite III, which is expected since snipers in the real world never have all that much variety in their day-to-day jobs. While it is authentic, it provides a gameplay experience that can get a little waning and repetitive after several missions.
One of the coolest gameplay mechanics of Sniper Elite III is definitely the ability to mask your shots with ambient sounds. An enemy may hear where your rifle shot came from in the open air, but wait till a plane passes overhead or a nearby machine malfunctions and you can pick off the krauts in near silence. Should your rifle be heard by the enemy however, they will have an idea as to where you are (as indicated by a ghostly silhouette of yourself at the position) meaning you can either try and pick them off before they circle in on you, or relocate to another spot and set up once again. This little thing keeps players on their toes and never resting on their laurels.
Previous Sniper Elite games suffered from incredibly linear level design. For the most part this has been done away with, giving the player a more open field to play in, as well as providing a tonne of different options and approaches to each of the missions. While some areas of the game still feel like a bottle-neck, they are fewer and further between than before.
The core focus of Sniper Elite III is without a doubt the freedom. You are free to approach missions however you choose, you are free to tackle optional objectives or leave them by the wayside, you are free to pick your weapons loadout and most of all you are free to make the game as easy or difficult as you would like.
Aside from the industry standard difficulty settings, you can customise each individual facet of the gameplay experience. Want useless enemy AI but super realistic bullet physics? You can have that… Or the inverse if that is your more your style. The world is your oyster here in Sniper Elite III.
Visuals
Visually, Sniper Elite III is an impressive game. While it may not be the best looking game on the market, it still has a lot of detail, a wide field of view and most importantly – colour. Being set in the desert gives Sniper Elite III bright blue skies, interesting landmarks and just a general change from the washed-out brown that many modern games have.
The Sniper Elite games have become infamous due to their graphic and stylish x-ray kill shots. When you fire at an enemy with your sniper rifle, a bullet-time cinematic will play that follows the bullet’s trajectory out of the gun, through the air and into the enemy. When it hits the enemy, you will get an internal shot of their muscles and bones, and you will see in gory detail as their eyes explode from having a bullet pass through them, or the back of their spine shatter outwards.
The effect is impactful and really draws you to the damage that these firearms can do without making it seem outlandish. The effect is great the first few times, but eventually players may turn it off because you can only see the back of somebody’s skull shatter so many times before it impedes on the actual gameplay experience.
Audio
There isn’t much to say about the audio here. It is really low-key and unobtrusive which helps players to focus in on what they are doing, in order to make the perfect kill. Since the game relies on abient noise as a gameplay mechanic, it is definitely a pleasure that this noise sounds authentic and realistic.
All of the game’s cinematics are narrated by the protagonist, who’s hardened gravelly voice really sets the tone. His voice allows for the opening of each level to feel less like a video game and more like a real military briefing, and gets you in the zone for the action that is about to unfold.
The sound of your gun firing is probably the most important sound in the game, and even without being super knowledgeable on guns I can say that they all sound great. The way that they sound, combined with the controller vibration as I pulled the trigger really did sucker me into the experience and made it a whole lot more enjoyable.
Overall
Sniper Elite III really stands out from other shooters. Its down to earth, almost realistic approach to war really makes the player feel like they are experience combat first hand, but that they are also in total control. This is definitely helped by the level design and freedom of choice that allow you to approach a mission exactly how you would like. While it gets a little repetitive at times, it is a fun experience without being over the top.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
The upcoming Dr Who series 8 promises to be a lot darker than its predecessors, with Peter Capaldi taking the role of the magnificent Time Lord. In the action-packed official trailer for the BBC sci-fi series, the 12th Doctor is determined to fix his past mistakes by travelling back into the darkest timelines. Let’s hope that his companion, Jenna Coleman doesn’t regret her decision to join him – for the Doctor may not be a ‘good’ man, after all.
Get your dose of the new Dr Who, when the latest series returns August 23 on BBC One.
With the release date for Super Smash Bros. Wii U and 3DS drawing ever closer, the number of unknown spots on the roster is getting smaller and Nintendo look to be decreasing that number yet again, as they have started a countdown for a new fighter intro video that will be unveiled at Midnight in Australia. Not even a single clue has been revealed as to who this new mystery fighter will be but we will do know the video will last for 3 minutes and it will be an all new character, joining latest reveals Mii Fighter, Pac Man and Lady Palutena.
If an early leak is to believed (and at this point it is hard to doubt it due to being spot on with other character reveals), than the next character to be revealed could be Shulk, the main character from the Wii RPG title Xenoblade Chronicles or the Chrous Men from the DS game Rhythm Heaven. You can check up on the countdown and watch the video live when the time comes through the Nintendo YouTube Channel or just watch it embedded below. Place your bets in the comments below as to who the new fighter is going to be or even who you want it to be. If you miss the live unveil don’t worry as we are covering aspects of Smash Bros. news as it becomes available.
Edit: Xenoblade Chronicles director Yuchiro Takeda has been reported to have retweeted a tweet from Nintendo about the new character being revealed, giving further evidence in support that Shulk will be the character revealed.
