IT’S ALL ABOUT THE LONG RACE IN NEW GRID AUTOSPORT ENDURANCE GAMEPLAY VIDEO NOW PLAYING AT WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/GRIDGAME
PUSH TO THE LIMIT IN COMPETITIVE EXTENDED EVENTS WHERE ‘YOU NEVER FEEL YOU’RE GOING FAST ENOUGH UNTIL YOU’RE INTO THE WALL’
SYDNEY, 26th May 2014 – Codemasters® have revealed a new video showcasing the Endurance racing discipline, one of the five unique styles of racing set to star in the game’s new world of professional motorsport, now playing at http://youtu.be/QZ35QKDMxWk
In the video, gameplay footage of GRID Autosport’s Endurance racing discipline reveals spectacular sports cars racing into the night in extended events where “you can never win a race on the first corner.” The video also features real-world professional drivers explaining the enduring appeal of the discipline and how to succeed in the sport, including Matt Bell of United Autosports, Aleksander Schjerpen from Century Motorsport and Rory Butcher of the Oman Racing Team / Motorbase Performance who comments, “You’ve got to be quick of course. You’ve got to treat the car well to get to the end of the race. You’ve got to be very consistent over the long distance.”
In GRID Autosport’s Endurance events players must manage tyre wear and race to a strategy in extended races which provide a true test of racing skill, patience and car management. As players race, they must manage their tyres which will lose grip as they break traction or go off track, affecting performance and handling as the race progresses. Players who look after their tyres will be faster towards the end of the race.
In career mode, Endurance events are set at night for dramatic racing and an extra challenge, and gamers can also set up Custom Cup and online races to put the stunning Endurance cars to the test in day time events. In the drive to capture the feel of racing in real-world Endurance events, Codemasters has consulted with professional drivers and the experts at Autosport magazine to distil the experience into scalable races, whether online or in career mode.
Endurance events feature stunning prototypes on the cutting edge of automotive engineering and some of the most exciting and desirable production cars tuned for sports racing, each requiring incredible aerodynamics, blistering pace and extraordinary reliability. Players will get behind the wheels of contemporary and classic cars including the Aston Martin N24 V12 Zagato, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3, McLaren 12C GT3, Audi R8 LMS Ultra, Lola B12/80, Shelby Cobra “Daytona” Coupe, Ford GT40 MK1 and more as they race on the games circuits, including Bathurst, Yas Marina, Sepang and the world-famous Hockenheimring. Endurance events test both the capacity of the cars competing to withstand the extreme stresses placed on the vehicles in this long form of motorsport and each driver’s ability to maintain concentration at high speeds over distance.
In GRID Autosport’s huge career, gamers will specialise in their favourite racing discipline or conquer them all; players will feel the aggression of the pack in Touring Cars, race into the night in Endurance events, race Open-Wheel cars with precision, show car control in Tuner events and react on the fly in Street races. Each unique category features series dedicated to different classes, including Touring Cars, Hypercars, Endurance GT Cars, Prototypes, Single-Seaters, Super Modified vehicles, Drift cars and many, many more. Bursting with content, GRID Autosport features over 100 routes across 22 incredible locations and the world’s most exciting contemporary and classic high-performance racing cars to collect, tune and upgrade.
GRID Autosport is set to release on June 26th across Australia & New Zealand for the Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft, Windows PC and for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. Fans can keep up with all the latest updates straight from the studio by speeding over to www.gridgame.com and www.facebook.com/gridgame or follow the team at www.twitter.com/gridgame.
Overview
Nintendo have come a long way during the past 30 years. Mario has also come a long way as well, starting as a simple mascot from a platformer and evolving into something more special, with loads of spin-offs that each take the same universe and dive into other genres. Back in 1992, Nintendo strapped the plumber into the drivers seat for Super Mario Kart, and racing titles were never the same. These days, a Mario Kart installment typically sells more than the standard platformers we see from the franchise, which makes the Wii U’s Mario Kart 8 one of the most important releases in history. With new visuals, a blend of old and new elements, and the same gameplay attached, does Mario Kart 8 set the mark for the console, or is this racer one to pass up? Let’s find out.
Gameplay
I won’t sugarcoat it. Mario Kart 7 for the 3DS was good, but played it completely safe. We enjoyed the new features such as the in-air and underwater additions, but truthfully – the game felt like it was done before, and kind of left the more hardcore audience wanting more. Mario Kart 8 in many ways however takes notes from Super Mario 3D World, taking all of those new ideas captured in the portable version and expands upon them entirely, creating the most unforgettable Mario Kart release to date.
So what is new this time around? Well, the first thing players will notice are the tracks. Each location features ramps and hoops that can allow the player to partake in some anti-gravity kart racing. At first, this seems like something that wouldn’t change much at all, as its just a loop. In some ways, that is true, as the loops and riding on walls doesn’t redefine the game. When you add in the hang-gliding and other fare however, it brings a huge burst of fresh air that not only makes things more fluid, but finally shows some intuitive track design, which is something this franchise has needed for years.
Imagine you are riding on a track and see a blue ramp that leads you to hop up and cruise alongside a wall. With boosts planted in place, the player can capitalize on speed before launching into the air, where they can then instantly glide and get right back on the ground without missing a beat. Whether it be in water or any other terrain, this is the type of fluid gameplay that Mario Kart 8 delivers consistently, making races more exciting than ever while keeping the polish one would expect with a first party Nintendo release.
Overall, there are 32 tracks within the game. Sixteen are brand new and I must say, quite wonderful to put it lightly. Tracks such as Mario Kart Stadium start the game out at a high point, with scenic routes that capture a city atmosphere, while others like Sunshine Airport bring a flavor of nostalgia, capturing past worlds to perfection while allowing us to revisit the locales in a brand new way. Like every racer, the favorites within are going to come down to preference. There are no speed bumps in terms of quality, but I did feel a few tracks were a tad too cluttered with obstacles that interfered with speed. Yeah, the point is to be sharp and dodge, but when you have twelve participants in a race that are obtaining frequent items, it chaos builds quickly and the last thing the player will want to see is a giant pit ready to swallow them up as they jump out of harm’s way.
The other sixteen tracks are not new locations, but have been rebuilt from the ground up to fit with these new mechanics and gameplay stylings. At least one track has been put in from other installments, such as Moo Moo Meadows from the Wii version, Dry Dry Desert from Double Dash, and DK Jungle from Mario Kart 7, just to name a few. The recreations are breathtaking at times, as seeing a course as old as Donut Plains 3 remade with fresh components and such a large scope changes the way that classic race is won entirely. Add in the 30 racers overall and you have a fantastic smorgasbord of fresh races spanning generations of Mario Kart titles.
Items are usually the hit or miss part of a Mario Kart game. That really isn’t any different here. While most of the classics are back such as the red and green shells, star, and so on – the blue shell has also rose up again to remind us that some parts of Mario Kart simply rely on luck. This item is still unavoidable and seems to hit at the worse possible time. Now if it were block-able (there is a rare item that can block it, but is extremely rare) or varied on choosing a target (outside of first place), I would complain a lot less – but the blue shell to myself is nothing more than a way to punish victory. It also seems that the top players are only awarded boosts or very weak items yet again, but there is a bit more balance in that compared to Mario Kart 7, which is a plus. Coins in my opinion stand as the most important collectible however, as each coin out of ten obtained boosts speed dramatically, and can allow a player having a bad lap to catch up 11 spots in no time.
As far as modes go, the difficulty bases 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc Grand Prix options are back without much change outside of rewards, along with Time Trial Mode and Battles. Battle Mode has been completely retooled as well, and now has the player run along a normal track with the option of going in any direction to knock off the opponent’s three balloons. Sure, it works and can be fun – but arenas were more fit for the mode and not seeing them in this installment almost makes it seem that Nintendo simply ran out of time. While that is one of the game’s only sour notes, the online mode allows for up to two players to take to the servers and participate in battles and standard races. Mario Kart TV is also a great new feature that allows players to re-visit, edit, share intense bouts with others. Again, this sounds like something simple, but the presentation factor makes it feel much greater as you see all of the Miis come together to cheer on the tape.
Couch multiplayer is of course back as well. Many are going to argue about the Gamepad’s use here, as split-screen is still split-screen on the device as well as the television. The thing is, I could have cared less as when I played, everyone used Wiimotes aside from one person, and not one complaint was made the entire session. The Gamepad is great for single player however, as the player can change the screen from a horn to a map, or simply put the action on their screen entirely with a couple drags and taps.
Visuals
Where do I even begin? When I reviewed Super Mario 3D World, I bragged about how great Mario and company looked in HD. If I would have played this first however, even that would have felt like a downgrade compared to how utterly phenomenal Mario Kart 8 is visually. Every single location explodes with color and smooth textures, with animations running fluidly at 60 frames per second. Not only that, but these worlds are incredibly detailed with so much happening in the background that I had to play many races several times just to take in a portion of the lively atmospheres present. Everything is fluid, the models look incredible, and the tracks are pure eye candy with substance attached. This is the best looking title to ever hit a Nintendo platform thus far, and sets a new high standard for what the Wii U can do visually.
Audio
In this area, I will start with the voicework, as in my opinion it is an important factor as hearing your opponents (I hate you Yoshi) gives you a sense of who is coming up on your tail and who is next in line to beat. With baby Mario, baby Luigi, baby Peach, and baby Rosalina (way too many babies), it can be a bit confusing of which one is next. The same goes for all of the Koopalings, but that is a small gripe as they at least have minor differences and are find additions to the roster, even if I miss a few of the omitted past faces. The soundtrack however is simply divine. From sweet and calming tunes rushing out of a water based Dolphin Shoals to the more intense and nearly dubstep beats of Electrodome, the music is highly varied and enjoyable within Mario Kart 8, giving us some great background to drown out those loud motors.
Overall
Mario Kart 8 is the system seller for the Wii U. There is no other way to put it. While it tends to tread in familiar waters a tad too much with items and balance, the crisp and outstanding visuals and anti-gravity gimmick have redefined the franchise entirely, making it the most refreshing entry to date. Nintendo didn’t have to go out of their way to recreate Mario Kart to be honest as lets face it, this game is going to perform fine on whatever platform it is placed on based its legacy alone. Nintendo however have needed to show that the Wii U is not a force to be reckoned with and is not the same as its predecessor however, and no game is more proof of that than Mario Kart 8.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Logitech are expanding their tablet product line with the just announced Logitech Hinge and Logitech Big Bang protective cases, to be available for the iPad Air, iPad Mini and iPad Mini with Retina Display. The former is expected to release early June in Australia, with the latter releasing shortly after mid-month. Marcus Fry, Managing Director at Logitech ANZ, said;
People expect their iPad to integrate into their daily activities – from playing your favourite games to checking e-mails on airplane trays or watching movies on the couch – but until now, accessories haven’t adjusted to the kind of flexibility that our busy lifestyles demand. Providing people with accessories that are more flexible, versatile and protective is our main focus with the release of the Logitech Hinge and the Logitech Big Bang.
The Logitech Hinge is a flexible case with a smooth-gliding hinge (hence the name) that enables the stand to adapt to just the right viewing angle within a 50-degree range. It is spill resistant and made with wipe-clean materials, also offering impact protection to the standards of bulkier cases, but while maintaining a thin and light folio design. The Logitech Hinge will retail at an RRP of $69.95 across the board.
The Logitech Big Bang also brings the best of both worlds; rugged, while at the same time versatile, the Logitech Big Bang features the Essential Protection System (E.P.S.), protecting against all manner of scratches, bumps, spills, drops and screen impact. It is extremely durable, having been drop tested from 1.4m (which exceeds the U.S. Military Drop Standard of 1.22m), and its shell and case cover are made of shock-absorbent material utilised in the aerospace, automotive and sports industries. The viewing stand can shift between 5 different positions, with the case coming in multiple fashionable colours. Expect the Logitech Big Bang at an RRP of $119.95 for the iPad Air and $99.95 for the iPad Mini and iPad Mini with Retina display.
As you are probably aware, a few years ago Dragon Ball Z was re-released as Dragon Ball Z Kai. This version of the show not only cut out a large amount of filler content and shortened the series immensely, especially since it only covered up until the Cell Arc, though a Buu continuation is underway, it also saw a number of redrawn scenes to look a little better by today’s standards.
Previously FUNimation had released the entirety of Dragon Ball Z Kai and the series has already been broadcast on other channels in North America, but now this weekend FUNimation and Toonami revealed that Dragon Ball Z Kai will be joining the Toonami line-up this fall.
Eureka SevenPart 1 Studio:Bones Publisher:FUNimation Release Date: April 22nd, 2014 Format: DVD Price: $34.98 – Available Here
Overview
What do you get when combining giant robots and surfing? Eureka Seven. Previously, I got to review Eureka Seven AO, the sequel series to the original, which was some what of a mixed bag of interesting moments coupled with alright action, with way too much time travel thrown in. Now, with a release of the original series from FUNimation, we can see what it was about the show that created an audience that would want to see a sequel series. Let’s take a look at the first half of Eureka Seven and see what it has to offer.
Story
Sometime in the future, the human race is living on a planet with the entire thing covered in a layer of scub coral. Which has forced the people to build cities and villages on top of the unstable scub, using whatever means necessary to try and keep it from destroying the buildings on top. But, the differences don’t stop at the surface of the planet, as the sky has become filled with transparent light particles (trapars) which allow for a new sport by the name of lifting that is essentially sky surfing. Right in the heart of this world is a young boy named Renton that suffers from small-town life syndrome, who’s father was one of the biggest heroes in the entire world.
With his serious love for lifting and the magazine Ray=Out, that chronicles the crew of the Gekkostate a group of younger adults with their own ship and LFOs, the humanoid mechas, Renton’s finally lucks out when he manages to meet a member of the Gekkostate and finds out that his father left something behind that the Gekkostate needs. While at first glance a lot of the set up seems a little hammy and cliche, that he might have some sort of destiny, so he’s joining up with this team of awesome young adults on adventures, but the plot is actually very well drawn out and paced.
Where some stories feel the need to just dump plot and exposition on the viewer in a moments notice to get them up to speed with what is going on in the world and the characters’ lives, Eureka Seven has no problem using a slow build. Dialogue between characters will hint and imply things about the past before it is finally fully revealed, generally based around the same speed that Renton finds things out, which works so much better than characters just pouring into their life stories to him immediately. Even better, the build up across Part 1 is able to work on the emotional level as well as the stresses of their lives gets on each other and make them much more deep and realistic.
Even plotwise the show’s slow build feels natural and doesn’t needlessly raise huge questions about what’s going on as there is a steady slow reveal of more and more. At the end of Part 1, Renton finally comes to the end of the refusal of the call part of his life, which works very well for setting up Part 2 for him to actually be doing things about helping the world like he can. Though plenty has been revealed about the past of the different minor cast, there is still plenty to cover as well, without ever feeling unfulfilling.
Visuals
As the series was originally made back in the mid-2000’s, the visuals themselves are a bit outdated, with a full frame aspect ratio and slightly aged look of the animation itself. In spite of this though, many parts of the design still stand out, such as the brilliant green wakes left by lifting on the trapars through the sky and many of the ship and LFO designs. The design for the characters however is somewhat of a contrast for these though, as so much looks futuristic, while the characters tend to wear more current age styles of clothes, except for some of the advanced flight suits or military uniforms. Which helps to highlight that this is a much more dystopian future, while still giving so many of the characters a much more colorful and relateable look.
Audio
The voice acting for Eureka Seven is quite impressive for such a large cast of characters, from all the different members of the Gekkostate to all the people they meet along the way of their adventures there is a great job done ensuring that they all sound fresh. With all of excess of Renton’s emotional outbursts and Eureka’s lack of emotional inflection, the voice acting highlight of Part 1 has been Talho, as she has a pretty good range of emotions that all play well together and work even better as they build up over the course of the series.
Despite the slight age, the music still does a great job fitting the setting and feel of the series from the opening and ending themes, to the background music that sets the mood for all the locations that Renton and the team visit. The first opening theme, “Days” by Flow, focuses on the themes of the path one takes in life and holding onto memories; while the second opening theme, “Shonen Heart” by Home Made Kazoku, focuses on the themes of memories and young love. The first ending theme, “Himitsu Kichi” by Kozue Takada, focuses instead on looking to the sky and wanting to protect loved ones, though the second ending theme, “Fly Away” by Asami Izawa, mainly focuses on the theme of young love.
Extras
The special features go beyond just the normal collection of clean opening and ending themes, trailers, and video with a nice selection of commentaries for select episodes through out the series. Those that are used to seeing commentaries though should be surprised to see that all the commentaries included are in fact from the Japanese voice cast, as opposed to the standard English voice cast commentaries. It’s quite refreshing to get the other side of the anime production, which is usually handled with videos, instead done over individual episodes has a much different feel, which is great to see included in this release.
Overall
So far this is one of the best paced anime I’ve seen, with a slow build and it can be easy to see how it’s popularity would generate interest in creating a sequel series. But even more than just the pacing, Eureka Seven Part 1 features an interesting world with realistic, though sometimes troubled, characters. Though the visuals show just a bit of age, it is still a fantastic looking anime that features a great soundtrack to boot.With even just the first half, the series pays off the questions, hints, and teases that it gives along the way and sets up for even more of the slow build pay off.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Hello again, friends! Welcome back! We’re eight weeks into the new “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders” anime which means we’re now at episode eight, an episode that changes the pace of the series quite drastically but we’ll get into that soon enough. If you missed episode 7, “Strength”, you can head to the impressions article for it by clicking here. “Strength” ended the oceanic portion of the “Stardust Crusaders” crew’s journey and it also introduced us to one scary ape, luckily Jotaro was around to take it out otherwise they would have never made it to Singapore where episode eight takes place.
The team have made it to Singapore with minimal injury and all they want to do right now is take it easy before they set off on the next leg of their trip, but DIO won’t be having any of that, he wants them killed. Now. Unfortunately Polnareff is the punching bag in this week’s episode but, as brutal as it is, it does make for one entertaining half-hour of anime.
– Foreign Land –
Foreign Land.
As mentioned; the team finally makes it to dry land, luckily for them this sanctuary away from the ocean just so happens to be Singapore, one of the most beautiful cities in the known world. Almost instantly one of them is picked up for littering which is quite the crime over there. Don’t worry though, it’s just Polnareff’s bag. It may look like trash but it’s actually his belongings which says a great deal about the man. Polnareff hasn’t been on the team for very long (two episodes to be exact) but he’s already proven to me that he’s a key member by providing a level of goofy humour none of the other “Stardust Crusaders” characters have mastered so I’m real appreciative of Polnareff, though…I may be the only one.
Heading to the nearest hotel, the team try to make themselves comfortable before having to head off once again. Even if it’s for a single night. Polnareff finally gets a little respect and is given his own room while the others have to share. Good on him! Now he’s got enough privacy to have a few drinks, take a bubble bath and pamper himself the way a good Frenchman should! Nothing is going to stand in the way of him having a good night! Not even a scary doll hell bent on murdering him.
– The Haunting Of Room 912 –
The Haunting Of Room 912.
Polnareff makes it to his room and has a bit of a look around before realizing that there’s someone else in there with him. Noticing something is a little “off”, Polnareff opens up the mini fridge to reveal a fully grown human male curled up inside. The man, who calls himself “Devo” (subtitled as “Soul Sacrifice”), baits Polnareff into attacking him and is almost instantly killed when he’s stabbed three times in the face and falls from the hotel balcony. This scene, once again showing off the animation capabilities of David Production, really made an impact on me; it was gritty and rough but flowed amazingly.
Polnareff peers over the edge to make sure Devo (Soul Sacrifice) truly did die but there’s no body to be seen on the ground below. Given absolutely no time to think the situation over, Polnareff is attacked and his ankle is sliced open. Looking around the room, he notices nothing strange and just writes it off as an “aftermath” of Devo’s confrontation. Polnareff actually does something smart now, he rings the rest of the team to explains to them that he was attacked and the attacker may still be lurking around. They all agree to meet but this may be one rendezvous Polnareff won’t be making it to. Now it’s time to search for his keys that, even though were clearly thrown onto the bedside table next to the creep doll, are now nowhere to be found so he checks around the room eventually ending up under the bed where the keys were hiding. This is where the episode gets good.
The enemy makes a move and ties Polnareff to the bottom of the heavy-looking bed, the colour of the scene changes and the audience now knows we’re about to see a brutal fight. Polnareff is blinded when the enemy sprays shampoo in his eyes but that’s not the worst part. The miniature assailant then begins sawing the legs off of the bed and crushes Polnareff underneath, thank the gods that he’s a hulking mass of French muscle! The gods didn’t quite look out for the bellboy though…he enters the room and is killed almost straight away. This is where the episode shifts from being a typical Shonen anime to a gory horror movie.
– It’s All Just Child’s Play. –
It’s All Just Child’s Play.
This is where the true fight begins. Polnareff, now face to face with his enemy spends the rest of the episode struggling to stay alive as he defends himself against a barrage of unconventional weapons all the while being tied to the bottom of a bed, bound and blinded this may be it for Polnareff. Devo does absolutely everything he can to send Polnareff into a state of unwavering fear. Devo knows about Polnareff, he knows about “Silver Chariot”, he’s done his research and at this point in time he has the upper hand. “Silver Chariot” cannot attack what Polnareff cannot see so he’s essentially just stabbing at anything and everything in the hopes that he may accidentally skewer Devo but the odds are against him.
Devo basically toys with Polnareff for the majority of the fight, slowly getting more and more cocky with “Silver Chariot” occasionally landing a hit, though not good enough of one to do any real damage. This episode outdid itself when it came to the animation quality. Not only was it simply good but the film techniques used within it were brilliant, half the time it didn’t even feel like you were watching an episode, it was anime movie caliber when it really wanted to be. “Silver Chariot”, while stabbing furiously at anything it can, just misses Devo and breaks the mirror scattering glass around the room. Devo decides “enough is enough” and begins emptying every liquid he can onto Polnareff and the bed, this is the end.
Devo shorts out the hairdryer he found in the hotel bathroom so that it’s sparking uncontrollably (it’s also spewing out fire at this point in time), his plan is to electrocute Polnareff and it looks like it may just work. Devo drops the hairdryer but Polnareff is a lot smarter than we all give him credit for and, using the scattered glass around the room, pinpoints exactly where the Devo is and skewers both him and the hairdryer. “Silver Chariot” then proceeds to torture Devo as he attempts to flee the scene, killing him in the process. Never underestimate a Frenchman.
– The TV Will Help Us! –
The TV Will Help Us!
Before I move on to the finally of the episode I just want to say that the “Stardust Crusaders” team as a unit is terrible! They were meant to meet five minutes after Polnareff made the call and even though he mentioned that he was attacked, after forty five none of them thought of going to his room to check out whether or not he was alright. Eventually, when he does turn up all bloodied and bruised, all they can say to him is “Jeez you took a while!”. That’s not a good team! Anyway, Polnareff is taken to the local jail to be questioned and Devo’s real body is found in a hotel bathroom mangled and almost unrecognizable. Lucky old man Joestar has connections, he quickly calls up the “Speedwagon Foundation” to get Polnareff out of police custody.
Apparently there’s nothing that foundation can’t do! Joseph and Avdul, doing their best to prepare for what will come next, use Joseph’s Stand to consult the universe. This time they use the TV instead of a camera but the TV brings some terrible new; there’s a mole in the group and his name…Kakyoin. The episode ends with a menacing image of the young boy’s face and leaves us in suspense for next week. Is Kakyoin the mole? Is Joseph going to replace the hotel room TV? Is Polnareff ever going to be treated kindly? We’ll have to wait until episode nine to find out!
Check out the “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders” anime on Crunchyroll and check out more episode impressions HERE.
Overview Taro Yoko has only directed a number of games in his life but for many people his titles are impossible to forget. This is mostly because he is the man responsible for the Drakengard series and Nier. While Nier was a great return to form, it has been nearly ten years since a Drakengard title was produced. As such fans were delighted to hear that Drakengard 3 was in development and better yet, it was going to be released in North America. Now after so much time has passed, does Drakengard 3 still have the same feel of the past games?
Story While an old man begins to tell the story of how the ‘Intoners’ saved the world and brought it to prosperity, he is suddenly stabbed through the chest with a sword. The person holding this sword happens to be the main character of Drakengard 3 Zero and she is one such Intoner. Unfortunately unlike the story the man was reading, Zero isn’t about to save anyone. In fact she is out for blood. To be more specific, she is out for her sisters’ blood.
Zero is searching for her five Intoner sisters to kill them all and seemingly take over the world for herself and with the help of her dragon Michael she quickly makes mincemeat out of her sisters’ defenses before facing off against One, Two, Three, Four, and Five. Despite her best efforts, One is prepared for Zero’s attack and counters with a corrupted dragon of her own that not only tears off Zero’s arm but also wounds Michael so grievously that he is forced to reincarnate.
Taking a year off to lick her wounds, Zero and the young and naïve Mikhail, the reincarnated form of Michael, are out for revenge this time and Zero’s first target is her sister Five as she begins her hunt once again. As you may surmise, Zero is not exactly a good person as she relishes in the thought of slaying her sisters and anyone who gets in her way and treats Mikhail like trash.
While past Drakengard titles may have been balanced in a gray area, throughout Drakengard 3 we see Zero as largely the villain of the series as she brutally works her way through her sisters and takes their disciples as her own. Then again, her sisters range from innocent to psychopathic and their disciples are either huge perverts or also psychotic. With a cast of characters full of evil or twisted personalities Drakengard 3 shines by giving these characters hilarious dialogue as they argue and trade quips with one another through each stage and in cut-scenes.
Although laced with plenty of great humor and strange situations, the story itself can be rather confusing at times, as the Drakengard series is wont to do. Zero’s quest seems to be nothing more than a quest for destruction. However the further one goes the deeper the rabbit hole becomes as even the basic ending of the story is not the only ending available as there are four separate endings in total, each one branching off on its own similar to past Drakengard games and as one progresses it creates a need to know more about the world surrounding the game.
It is worth noting though that unlike last few games, Drakengard 3’s story branches are simply unlocked by completing the previous branch which makes use of a few past stages that have been twisted in some form. That being said, the final branch does require a bit of work to unlock and completing the branch itself might be the most frustrating part of the title.
Gameplay Drakengard 3 has remained true to its roots as far as combat is concerned; only evolving to become a faster system over the years. After players gain extra weapon types, they will be able to switch between four different weapons at any time allowing the player to string together Gauntlet, Sword, Lance, and Chakram attacks all into one intricate combo if they happen to be skilled enough or dodge one of the boss enemies long enough to actually pull off such a barrage of attacks without killing everything before it is finished. When a blood gauge is filled players can also unleash Zero’s ‘Intoner’ abilities to enter a rage state that deals a large amount of damage and makes her invincible against standard enemies.
Related to the final ending unlock requirement, there are a large number of weapons available in the game for the player to use and these can be upgraded through the use of money and upgrade materials found in levels. Upgrading a weapon not only raises its stats but also changes the appearance of the weapon, adds attacks to the weapon’s combo, and even changes the attack range making every weapon feel a bit unique and adding quite a lot of variety to the game’s action.
Speaking of variety, there are actually a fair amount of enemy types the player will come across in Drakengard 3 and while a number of them are basic soldiers rarely do you only face off against one enemy type at a time. While there is no option to adjust difficulty, the game is pretty forgiving as far as failure is concerned. Not only can the player play through past levels to level up, upgrade weaponry, and purchase healing items that can be used in combat anytime they die and restart the level or from a mid-level checkpoint, enemy attacks will start to do less damage making it easier to finish a stage.
When you aren’t battling on the ground there are a number of stages that involve fighting against enemies on dragonback. Riding on Mikhail is a relatively rare occurrence that happens around fifteen times total throughout the game’s storyline and these sections range from rail-style shooting where the player has to fly Mikhail around projectiles and kill flying enemies and attacking units on the ground while either running on the ground on Mikhail or keeping him aloft to use various attacks.
Thee controls for Mikhail are pretty simplistic as the player can choose to do a homing lock-on attack during the on-rail sequences while the free battles require the player to lock onto an enemy and either unleash fireballs, tackles, or tailwhips to defeat them. All of the bosses in the game involve the player fighting on Mikhail and these range from entertaining to a pain, mostly because of the game’s camera system. While the camera can be an issue in normal combat, fighting in an enclosed space atop of a dragon and trying to dodge attacks and fly around can make the camera become an enemy in own right. Then there’s that ultimate boss which… yeah.
Outside of these story battles there are also a number of side-missions that are timed challenges that either involve the player gathering items from killing enemies or opening treasure chests within a set time limit and without the use of items or allies. Most of these stages require a specific weapon to only be used and add a bit of spice to the game, though they tend to grow repetitive very quickly. There are also survival modes that challenge the player as they fight against waves of enemies for rewards and these are some of the best ways to test your abilities and make use of the game’s lovely combat system.
That being said, despite having a fun combat system, the game has a lot of issues when it comes to actually running at 100%. There are numerous times that the action will become too much for the game and cause a massive drop in frame rate and these usually happen when Zero is in her Intoner state or fighting the larger mini-bosses and quite often in cut-scenes where Zero and her sisters are speaking. It is also worth noting that there are a few glitches that will pop up in the game such as enemies not spawning properly in locked rooms where the only way to advance is to defeat a certain number of enemies. When this happens the player has no other choice than to restart a level which is problematic and happened three times throughout the basic story.
Visuals Graphically Drakengard 3 is a mixed bag. The designs of the Intoners and their Disciples are wonderful looking, with the Intoners really becoming something special as you encounter them in cutscenes. Even the designs of the standard enemies you come across are fairly impressed and varied enough to make each chapter feel like a new experience and as I mentioned before the variety of weaponry available and the fact its appearance changes as they are upgraded is a nice plus.
Unfortunately the level designs themselves are rather uninspired looking. Sure they are varied as each chapter takes place in a different area, but each stage is bland and full of poor looking textures. Speaking of textures, the pop-in rate can be terrible at times, especially in regards to Mikhail who often takes a couple of seconds to fully load in. It is also worth noting that the design of the planes where enemies can walk is strange and can create a number of odd looking moments as enemy soldiers will stand halfway in the ground or larger enemies will be hovering completely in the air save for a little bit of their body on some raised ground.
Audio The voice work in Drakengard 3 is suitable with the English voice actors fitting their roles nicely. Mikhail’s voice is filtered and sounds young to match his naïve personality while Zero’s tone is fitting considering her actions. A special highlight goes to the fact that the enemies players are fighting against will often make remarks as Zero tears through their ranks. These phrases are always different sounding even if the voice actors are the same and gives the battles an added layer of depth.
I can also say that Drakengard 3 sports an absolutely wonderful soundtrack that cannot be disregarded. Everything from the battle themes to the fireside moments in-between stages is amazing sounding. That doesn’t even touch upon the background music for the boss battles which will be some of the best that you can experience in a game like this.
Overall Drakengard 3 is a game that many thought would never be released in any form, let alone in the West but thankfully it has been and although it is plagued with graphical glitches and slowdowns, the enjoyable cast of characters and the intriguing storyline will keep players enthralled as they make use of the fast paced combat system to slaughter every enemy in Zero’s way as she tries to kill her sisters. Drakengard 3 isn’t without its issues but once you step into Zero’s shoes they won’t be able to stop until her lengthy journey is seen through until the end.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
The crowd screams “We like Ike! We like Ike!” as the heavy-hitting, sword-wielding, blue hair-having warrior returns to the battlefield once again for the next installment of “Super Smash Bros.” for the 3DS and Wii U. Yes, he’s back! The fan favorite Ike for the “Fire Emblem” series makes a grand return for the new game with a brand-new look and hopefully some nice new moves to master. Nintendo announced his addition to the new game over the weekend to the delight of “Super Smash Bros.” fans worldwide.
No information regarding his moveset has been released as of yet but I’m sure we’ll be seeing more and more of him (as well as the other combatants) in the near future. What we DO have are some amazingly good-looking pictures of the man in action which you can see in the gallery below. The new “Super Smash Bros.” is set for a Summer release this year on the 3DS with the Wii U version to follow later in the year. For now, enjoy the images of Ike and start getting excited for what is going to be one epic battle!
If you recall back to late last year you may remember that we were graced with a short CG trailer for the upcoming action/adventure/MMORPG sequel “MapleStory 2”. It drove fans of the first game (including myself) absolutely bonkers! Not only was it released to announce the new game but it also showed some pretty high-level animation so it did a damn good job at hyping it up.
Nexon, over the weekend, released another trailer for sequel but this time we’ve been given a nice little look at the game itself.No CG animation. “MapleStory 2” looks to have somewhat ditched the typical 2D, side-scrolling style that it had mastered in the first game, instead it has adopted a more 3-dimensional look while also borrowing some clear visual aspects from the hugely popular “Minecraft”. The graphics are looking absolutely brilliant and the world is just as vibrant and appealing as they were in the first game.
The action portion of the gameplay seems to have been elevated to new heights with what looks like more cinematic boss battles as well as true co-operative battle tactics like an all out team attack. “MapleStory 2” is looking to be a fantastic addition to the Nexon lineup as well as a sequel that will do it predecessor justice but enough out of me, head down to the featured video section below to check out the new gameplay trailer and don’t forget to hit up our comments section just under that to share your excitement with us.
A closed beta for the game will begin later this year in Korea and a worldwide release will come shortly after that so we still have a while to go before we’ll be given a chance to become obsessed with “MapleStory 2”. For now, enjoy the trailer!
Over the weekend at their “Fanime” panel, Crunchyroll announced that they have acquired the streaming rights to the upcoming anime series reboot “Sailor Moon Crystal“. This is an amazing acquisition for the online anime and drama distributor, one that has made a lot of old-school anime fans from around the world extremely happy.
The first episode of the series is set to be aired on the 5th of July and will be available on the site at approximately 3:00am and , as usual, Crunchyroll will be streaming each and every episode as it is broadcast in Japan.
So far there has been no word regarding available territories for the streaming of “Sailor Moon Crystal” but I believe it is safe to say we’ll be given more information on that within the coming weeks. “Sailor Moon” is back in one heck of a big way and, with only a couple weeks until it begins, now is the time to start getting excited!
Over the weekend at their “Fanime” panel,