The real-time strategy title that utilizes history as its premise and story-line was developed by SkyBox Labs and Big Huge Games. With over 18 nations to choose from, each with their own unique abilities and strategies, Rise Of Nations: Extended Version is sure to provide real-time strategy enthusiasts with a load of exciting gameplay. This extended version includes both the original Rise Of Nations and Rise of Nations: Thrones And Patriots. Steamworks is fully integrated into the title now, giving players the option to play multiplayer matches, based on ELO, and trading cards to trade, sell, or purchase on the Marketplace. They also have Twitch integration now so that you can more easily stream your matches as you play.
For more information, check out the Steam page here. This title is making a comeback in a good way, so be sure to take a gander!
Crea is an incredibly interesting 2D Sandbox RPG title, drawing its influences from more popular Sandbox titles like Minecraftand Terraria. Developer and publisher Siege Games has been working hard at creating a game that can be played in any way you want for over two years before releasing this Early Access version on Steam. One of the main selling points for Crea is its heavily moddable ability, providing players a completely new aspect of gameplay to look at. Whether you want to re-texture all of the skins or make new gear, Crea gives you endless possibilities to move forward with your progression and to create something amazing out of nothing. The game is very user friendly and it really sets a player up into discovering the full capabilities of their abilities.
Gameplay
The game plays very similarly to Terraria. While it has its differences, the movement and style of gameplay is similar. The main difference that Crea offers is that it was created with the intention of providing a more adventure-oriented gameplay experience. Players who enjoyed creating fortresses and battling the various monsters and creeps in other sandbox games will thoroughly enjoy the experience Crea provides. Battling monsters with swords, bows and arrows, magic, or even wands will yield you loot and materials to create even stronger items. Character creation in this game is slightly limited at the moment, but because this game is an easily moddable title, I’m sure someone will be creating more cosmetic options for people to choose from, all of which can be accessed through Steam Workshop.
Something that I’ve come to enjoy out of Crea is how accessible everything is, especially when looking for new patterns to create other items. Players can research different materials to uncover new patterns. For example, different weapons require different materials, but you don’t have any of the patterns until you use Research a material that is required for it. Researching a piece of wood can yield you different results under the separate branches of crafting, whether it’s in weapons, armor, basics, or alchemy. There are also costumes that you can create that provide you with different cosmetic options for gear, but they won’t provide any defensive benefits. When you craft items, they can be made to be more powerful and proficient than their original counterparts, and all of these options can be unlocked through the talent tree in-game.
Another awesome little feature that Crea has in-store for its players is the talent tree, which provides boosts and new abilities in separate trees. There is a tree for Arms, Arcane, Divine, Gather, and Craft. Each of these provide different benefits that you can upgrade with your Talent Points. You earn talent points by engaging in activities within each of these trees. Breaking down materials to collect will give you talent points in Gather, while using spells that damage mobs will give you talent points in Arcane. Each of these trees can level up, which will unlock even further abilities for your disposal. The game makes it quite easy to get adapted to the in-game mechanics, much more so than other sandbox titles like Minecraft where it’s a bit difficult to learn all the patterns for crafting. The game also creates a much more RPG oriented atmosphere, making the players want to level and progress towards better gear and materials. EXP is given for everything you do, so regardless of what activities you choose to partake in, you will constantly be leveling and making progress towards the next step in your journey.
The movement in the game is nothing spectacular, though they do have a little dash maneuver that you can utilize to speed up your travels. The combat isn’t perfect either, but it works in a game like this. Casting spells will end up at your mouse pointer, and melee attacks with the sword is directed towards whichever way your avatar is facing. You can dodge enemy attacks, which adds a whole new level of skill and challenge to the game. Getting hit by a mob will chip away at your health bar. While you do have a Heal skill, it’s on a cooldown and it heals for a relatively low amount in the beginning. Being aware of how much MP, or mana, you have is important during a do-or-die situation in the game. It’s things like this that makes this title so much more rewarding for players who enjoy the RPG aspect of games, especially in a sandbox environment.
Visuals &Audio
The graphics really match the tone and atmosphere of the title. The game is pleasant to look at and none of the graphics clash with other aspects of the game. The character customization wasn’t up to par with my expectations, however, and the design for the avatar actually turned me off slightly with how it was built. The audio, while decent, did not stand out to me at all. It fit the game and worked well in meshing with the gameplay, but I wasn’t “wow-ed” by any of the tracks or sounds that the game provided. Still, it fit the bill for what I’d imagine the game developers were looking for, and I commend them for that.
Overall
Crea is an amazing title that has a lot of potential. When Siege Games releases the game fully and the mod community grows a lot more, I’m sure that players will be taken aback with the level of depth and entertainment that this game provides. Even though Crea is in early access and has small bugs and content issues, the game is completely playable. This is probably the most enjoyable Early Access title I’ve played so far, and I can guarantee everyone that this game will knock your socks off. Give it a try and get ready to spend a lot of time building up your strength and defeating the evil terrors that lurk in this sandbox world.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Today marks the official end of the manga Black Jack Sōsaku Hiwa – Tezuka Osamu no Shigotoba Kara (The Untold Story: How Osamu Tezuka Created His Black Jack). The series was created by Masaru Miyazaki (writer) and illustrated by Kouji Yoshimoto, it was first published in 2011 in Weekly Shonen Champion Magazine.
Black Jack Sōsaku Hiwa was a biographical series about how Osamu Tezuka came up with his iconic manga Black Jack and what he went through whilst the series was in publication. First hand experiences and stories were used within the manga which was provided by people who worked at Tezukas’ studio during the run of Black Jack, the biographical series ran for five volumes with the final one due to be released in August.
Black Jack and Black Jack Sōsaku Hiwa were both published in Weekly Shonen Champion, the original series ran from 1973- 1978 within the magazine and was published in 17 volumes by Vertical Inc.
Nickelodeon has today released the first official trailer for the upcoming season of “The Legend of Korra” (titled “Change”), sending pop culture fans worldwide into one hell of a bending frenzy. The trailer for “Book 3: Change” is extremely action packed but lacks dialogue which has worked to to build immense hype without actually giving any real information regarding the story.
From what we’re quickly shown throughout the video; there are going to be a bunch of new characters introduced including a group of what seems to be Air Nomads, a race of Benders that were once virtually extinct. Alongside flashes of unrecognizable characters, both good and bad, come some familiar faces like Asami, Mako and Korra herself.
No information has been released regarding the air date of the new season but you can be sure that we’ll have it here on Capsule Computers as soon as that information gets unveiled. Head down below to the featured video section where you can see the first trailer for “The Legend of Korra – Book 3: Change”. Remember to stick to the site for any and all new information as it is released and don’t forget to hit up our comments section below to show your excitement.
Since the announcement of BABYMETAL’s 2014 world tour, a few more concert dates have been added with two performances in Japan and one in Canada.
The metal/Jpop trio are set to perform at the music festival Heavy Montreal on the 9th of August, this will be their last international concert before returning to Japan where they will perform in Osaka and Tokyo as part of Summer Sonic 2014. A promotional image including the new tour dates can be seen on their official website, clicking on any of the columns will take you to the selected venues website where you can buy tickets to the shows (except for July 7th which is sold out).
The BABYMETAL 2014 tour will begin on the 1st of July in France, the group will then play in the live music hall in Germany before sharing stage time with The Offspring, Metallica and Iron Maiden in the UK and Canada. The final three concerts will be back in Japan with the final tour date being on September the 14th.
Funimation has announced that the long awaited English dub of Dragonball Z: Battle of Gods will receive the red carpet treatment and premiere in a little town you may have heard of before: Los Angeles.
On July 3rd at 8:00 pm, a few recognisable faces, and voices, will strut their stuff down the red carpet before the film itself screens at 9:00pm. Members of the English voice cast, including Sean Schemmel and Chris Sabat, shall attend the event, along with producer Justin Cook. The screening itself, coincidentally enough, is taking place at the Regal LA Live Stadium 14 Theatres, a mere two blocks from Anime Expo. Since the Expo is running from July 3rd-6th, many a fan will get their chance to stand in the remote vicinity of some of anime’s most renowned voices. Well played Funimation, well played.
Following the events from the Dragon Ball Z television series, after the defeat of Majin Buu, a new power awakens and threatens humanity. Beerus, an ancient and powerful God of Destruction, searches for Goku after hearing rumors of the Saiyan warrior who defeated Frieza. Realizing the threat Beerus poses to their home planet, the Z-fighters must find a way to stop him before it’s too late. Only Goku, humanity’s last hope, can ascend to the level of a legendary Super Saiyan God and stop Beerus from destroying Earth, and possibly the entire universe! Fans of the series will be delighted to know that Battle of Gods is an original work from Dragon Ball creator, himself, Akira Toriyama.
So if you’re somewhere near LA around July 3rd congratulations…you’re closer than a lot of us will get to this premiere. But fear not fans of Z who live in the USA, the film will also play in over 350 theatres across North America on August 5th-9th. Shame for the rest of us though…guess we’ll just have to wait for the DVD/Blu-Ray release. So if you are within the realm of attending, visit the official site and check out the trailer below. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to make my self feel better by listening to “Rock the Dragon”.
Atlus USA has revealed that those who want to punch Teddie in real life will soon be able to do so. Or at least they will be able to hit a blow up version of Teddie as that is one of the pre-order bonuses for Persona 4 Arena Ultimax.
Those who pre-order the game will net the Teddie bop bag, 11 tarot cards that are the first half of the ones included in the Persona Q premium edition, and the game itself. The announcement also said that there will be more bonuses to come. Until then, you can check out a new trailer for Persona 4 Arena Ultimax below that was released for E3.
Having regained his corporeal form and acquired two new allies last episode, Sora is looking to be in good form for his upcoming bout with the Warbeasts. Unfortunately for our King, his entire country does’t exactly see it that way. But if there’s one thing that this series teaches, it’s don’t believe everything you think you know. More often than not, you’re wrong.
If the shoe fits…
Taking a rather logical approach to the whole “team up” process, Sora decides that it would be best to run through some introductions. You know, like one of those annoying team building exercises that business do to create a “friendly” atmosphere. Starting with Kurami Zell, whom we know very little about, this little “get to know me” session devolves pretty quickly when Fil Nilvalen divulges her, how do I put this, unrelenting animosity towards Jibril. To serve as a reminder that not everything was chore and games in the world of Disboard, we are told that Jibril once wiped out a large number of Elves because their magic made her crash and bump her head…yeah. Though credit to Fi because she decides that she can put aside her hatred for the good of the team…if Jibril licks her feet and apologises. Surprisingly for an anime like No Game, a discretion shot is used so that we do not actually see the apology take place. We hear about it immediately afterwards of course and let’s just say that Jibril is not too unhappy with having a Master. She is certainly an excitable Flugel.
All those shenanigans aside, the most interesting fact to arise from the introductions is the truth of Kurami and Fi’s relationship. Owing to their overarching sense of self worth and position as seventh out of the sixteen Exceed races, the Elves see no problem in owning slaves…of which Kurami is one. For generations her family has served the Elves, at least until Fi came along. Not like her fellow Elven folk, Fi treats Kurami with respect. Though Sora notes that their relationship is more in line with that of a mother and daughter, Fi being the mum of course. Of course this places them at odds with the beliefs of her race, warranting the need to keep up the appearance of a slave/master relationship. Additionally, if her treatment of Jibril wasn’t enough of an indication, we see quite clearly that Fi has a brutal side hidden under her saccharine demeanour. Though only a few brief statements here and there, it’s nice to see that Fi isn’t the simplistic, porcelain princess she appears to be.
She certainly makes one hell of an entrance
Though having only shared a few interactions thus far, I’m rather curious to see how the connection between Sora and Kurami develops. Not necessarily in any kind of romantic way, I mean more in the “we share each other’s memories” kind of way. After all, it’s not like either of them is afraid to go delving into these memories, as both recite personal lines spoken from years in the past. I assume that the two will continue to utilise a few less-than-public memories to poke fun at their parallel mind, but hopefully we’ll see a camaraderie develop there as well. It’d certainly be interesting to see someone who can compliment Sora in the way Shiro does. After all, they say no one knows you better than yourself, but I guess they never counted on mind copy-pasting. The fools.
With preparations finally complete, Sora reveals to his allies the reason he bet the Imanity Race Piece: doubt. As he so eloquently explains, there is no truer watcher than one who is suspicious of your actions. Combined with his newfound Elven friend, the taller half of Blank created an environment that severely hampers the Warbeasts ability to cheat. With thousands of eyes and a magic wielder on their side, Imanity possess a threat considerably larger than the Warbeasts are used to. I honestly shouldn’t be surprised at this point. Everything Sora does is part of some grand scheme that shifts from ludicrous to brilliant in an instant. He even made use of a demand that he had left over from Steph’s day of challenges, you know that one were she wound up naked on the street? Or course you do. Well it looks like her final loss will come into play sometime in the near future and judging from what happened at the end of the episode, Blank is going to need all the help they can get.
They’re not exactly what you would call “city people”
An unexpected turn to say the least. Thrown into a virtual world, Blank soon realises that they know the scenery all to well: Tokyo. How the Warbeasts came to possess knowledge of such a city is not yet known, but the mysterious leader of the Warbeasts may have something to do with it. Unfortunately for Imanity, being thrown back into the world they despise, or a virtual representation of it, Sora and Shiro revert to their timid and terrified demeanour. Though I’m sure they’ll manage to pull themselves together next episode because if they don’t, it’s game over for Imanity.
A new trailer for Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited was released by NIS America today for E3 and you can check out the full video below. For those that haven’t been keeping up with the game, Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited is an enhanced port of Disgaea 4 for the PS Vita and it will feature all of the DLC from the original PS3 game as well as new story elements, new characters, and more.
Currently Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited is set for a physical and digital release in North America on August 12th and a few weeks later on August 29th in Europe.
Final Fantasy III was originally launched in 1990 for the NES. The game never left Japan until a 3d remake was created by Square Enix and Matrix Software for the Nintendo DS in 2006. Since then, the remake has been ported to Wii, Wii U, PSP, iOS, and Android. Following the Steam releases of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy III is finally available for PC gamers. The PC port boasts improved graphics over previous ports along with Steam Trading Cards and Steam Achievement support.
Story
Final Fantasy III follows the story of four orphans who have been chosen by the Crystals of Light to save their floating continent from an imbalance between the forces of light and darkness. The plot line is pretty standard fare for JRPGs, but has weathered the test of time rather well. The story’s biggest weakness is the game’s sparse writing. Most plot conversations are only a few sentences long, leaving little space for character development. The overarching plot on the other hand is much more interesting. Even still, Final Fantasy III manages to be charming and light hearted enough to balance out the shallow writing.
Gameplay
Final Fantasy III was released long before Square Enix experimented with a variety of time based combat systems. Instead, the game uses the turn based, step forward, attack, step back, let the next person move system most of us know and love. The mana system, on the other hand, may be a little more foreign to modern gamers. Spells are first split into two categories, Final Fantasy’s traditional white and black spells. Next, each spell is given a level. Each character can equip up to three spells of each level. As they level up (and if they are currently using a caster class), their mana pool grows, allowing them to cast a certain number of spells from each tier. The system may be familiar to Dungeons & Dragons players who use the D20 system.
Final Fantasy III is the first Final Fantasy title to implement the job system, which would later make appearances in many other titles in the series. The concept is probably one of my favourite mechanics ever implemented in a Final Fantasy title. It allows for a lot of flexibility. Players can build parties based on their play style, allowing the cast of characters to remain the same while experimenting with a variety of character archetypes. Jobs can be swapped between battles, requiring only a few battles to let the character acquaint themselves with their new job. Once that period is over, they will have access to the full range of abilities and gain job experience alongside regular character levels.
One of my biggest irritants with Final Fantasy III’s job system is the dependence on having a certain job in the party to proceed at certain times. For example, several dungeons in the first quarter of the game requires a White Mage in the party at all times. It is not possible to switch in the White Mage on the fly, as needed as swapping from a non-magic using job to White Mage means a trip to the inn before the appropriate spell can be cast.
Despite some of its flaws, Final Fantasy III still manages to be a solid JRPG experience while staying true to the game’s roots. The game tends to be a bit unforgiving at times. Players are free to wander around at will and are not blocked from walking into situations that would require a much higher level to conquer. The tutorial is a bit on the sparse side and the game does not make too much effort to hold the player’s hand. Smart money management will be a must, as gil is a bit short even if the player carefully seeks out every single secret stash.
The controls in Final Fantasy III are perfect. By default, the controller button layout will be instantly familiar to those who have played Final Fantasy titles on the console. The keyboard works well, though I find the default buttons to be a tad scattered. However, rebinding keys for both the controller and the keyboard is extremely easy.
Visuals
One of the big selling points of the 3d reboot is the complete revamp of the original visuals. Gone are the 8-bit pixel art in favour of a more modern 3d look. The new art style is cartoony, but keep in the spirit of the original sprites. In theory, the PC port of Final Fantasy III is supposed to boast improved visuals, to support the higher resolutions compared to the Nintendo DS’ comparatively miniscule resolution of 240 x 160 pixels. In reality, the game’s graphics have been scaled up a little to fare nicely at full 1080 resolutions, but the skins and the models are still very basic. They clearly have seen little to no improvement over the original NDS game. The only real noticeable improvements are the animated cut scenes. These short videos are on par with more recent numbered Final Fantasy titles.
Audio
The audio in Final Fantasy III is a wonderful mix of retro sound effects and a remastered score. Nobou Uematsu’s score translated wonderfully from chiptunes to a full orchestra. The soundtrack manages to hit moody, epic, and light hearted moments with laser like accuracy, while the retro sound effects serve as a constant reminder of the game’s retro roots.
Overall
Final Fantasy III boasts a great amount of content for the price. The 3D remake is true to its roots, for better or for worse. The resulting game is long and challenging retro JRPG with a very modern wrapper that will not hold player’s hands through the game. The remastered soundtrack is a pleasure to listen to, but the claims of upgraded visuals for the PC version has been exaggerated. Final Fantasy III is a must buy for the nostalgic, the retro fans, and the JRPG nuts everywhere.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
