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Maya The Bee: The Ant’s Quest Review

March 31, 2014

Maya The Bee The Ant’s Quest
Developer: Studio 100
Publisher: BulkyPix
Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad (Reviewed), Android
Release Date: 27th March 2014
Price: $4.19 – Available Here

Overview

“Maya The Bee” was actually first released as a book for children all the way back in 1912. The book’s original writer was a German man by the name of Waldemar Bonsels who I guarantee would have never imagined his creation would come so far. “Maya The Bee” has been almost every single form of media throughout its run; comic books, a tv series, a film, even an opera written for children and now, in this day and age, a series of video games. The first “Maya The Bee” video game was released for the Gameboy Colour back in 1999 and the latest one to be released is the one this review is about; “Maya The Bee: The Ant’s Quest”.

Story

The original “Maya The Bee” book had a storytelling style quite different to that of this game, not that it is a bad thing though, it’s simply just interesting. The book dealt with many real-life issues like nationalism, racism and the long for individualism and freedom in a “hive-mind” society. “Maya The Bee: The Ant’s Quest” jumped to the other side of the storytelling spectrum, instead of having the game focus on more hard-hitting subjects and themes it decided to shoot more towards a younger audience with the story simply being; “The ant Queen is sick and she needs some medicine that’s made up of different fruits, since the ants don’t know what to do without their queen it is up to Maya to jump in and save the day”. Once again; it isn’t bad that the stories are so drastically different, the first book was published over 100 years ago and so much has happened in between. Clearly some changes were made. Personally, for an mobile title like this, the small bit of story it gives you is all you really need. It doesn’t often come up and there’s no real story “progress” so really you aren’t missing much by totally ignoring the short opening sequence.

Gameplay

“Maya The Bee” plays similar to Nintendo’s “Pikmin” series. It was clearly inspired seeing as the developers themselves have related their game to that of “Pikmin”. You play as Maya who flies around environments recruiting different types of ants, each of which do different things; the soldier ants fight enemy wasps, the worker ants break down obstacles and the transporter ants carry things like boulders and the fruits you need to bring back to the ant hill. You’re tasked with going through different levels, solving puzzles, finding secret treasures and beating the clock but since your average time to finish a level is somewhere near 500 seconds, you can pretty much always take your time.

There are bosses to fight throughout the game and I actually enjoyed going up against them because the way you combat them is quite old-school and very clever. For example: The very first boss is a huge wasp that dashes at you, breaking down rubble and carrying boulders into the middle of the arena works to stun the wasp when he runs into it. Once he’s knocked out you just sick your soldier ants on him and, hey presto, the guy is done for! I did enjoy this game but I also found it to get boring after a while. A sense of monotony did loom over me while playing but going at the game in short bursts is the way I feel it is to be played but puzzle-freaks will probably go at this title with everything they’ve got and I guarantee they’ll love it. It’s a mix between a puzzle game and an adventure game so tread lightly unless this type of game is your “thing”.

Visuals

Simply: The game looks great. Yes, there are a few key visuals that are a little bit “lackluster”, for lack of a better word, but it’s overall visuals really make up for what solitary visuals lack. The only thing I took a major dislike to was how Maya herself wasn’t entirely animated well. Her character model had a great deal of edges when when the developers really should have put the time and effort into smoothing her out as much as possible. The only reason this was a big deal for me is because most of her idol animations make her out to look quite angry only because her cute, round eyes weren’t as smooth as they should be and caused her to seem as though she was furrowing her brow.

For the most part though the game was well-polished and Maya herself is one of the most adorable characters I’ve seen as of late, I can honestly see child fans falling for her cutesy charm hook, line and sinker. The game has nice, vivid colours and I was very impressed by it all. Something I found odd was that the game didn’t seem entirely optimised for iPad use, while playing on my iPad the certain images looked stretched and weren’t as crisp as what it would look like on the iPhone or iPod Touch. While I can’t exactly take away big points for that, it would have been nice to be able to see a beautiful, more detailed version of the game on a bigger device like the iPad.

Audio

The game has a nice little soundtrack but unfortunately it isn’t anything special. What I enjoyed the most about the game auditorally was Maya’s voice, though her voice actor never actually spoke, she did make cute sounds for when Maya is reacting to certain situations and it just added to the likability of the little bee. Though, in saying that the soundtrack wasn’t anything special, it did do a good job for the game that suited it very well. It wasn’t over-encompassing in any way, the tracks were quite light and made for quite a comforting vibe. even when fighting the bad guys you never truly felt like you were playing through some sort of hostile game so the music did what it was meant to do. Kids will love this game, the music is “tip-toey” (as I like to say), it gives off a nice vibe and it matches the entire game very well.

Overall

Adult or child, you’ll find something you like about this game. Though clearly directed more towards children I wouldn’t advise for adults to pass this one up. If you are a fan of games like “Pikmin” and are looking for, let’s say, a mobile version of the game then I’d recommend “Maya The Bee: The Ant’s Quest” to you because, essentially, it’s “Pikmin Lite” and it plays very well. While its price may be a little steep for the more casual mobile game players, if you love puzzle games and cute aesthetics than it is well worth the price. If you can look past the little things that aren’t entirely “up to scratch” you’ll enjoy this game through and through so maybe it’s the one for you.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Nobunagun Episode 13 Impressions

Kane Bugeja

March 31, 2014

Nobunagun-Episode-13-01 — **The Nightingale soars again**

Nobunagun
Gun No. 13: Nobunagun

So here we are folks, the final act of humanity’s struggle with an alien invasion force who seeks to claim our shores. Were it not for the superhuman abilities of history’s best, brightest and most brutal, we would have fallen years ago. So as Earth’s final bastion of rebellion stands before their greatest foe yet, the only thing left to do is hope they can pull through again. It’d be kind of a downer if they didn’t…

Nobunagun-Episode-13-02 — **The final bullet**

I’m just gonna come right out and say it, my prediction was a little bit off last week regarding the reveal of the Florence Nightingale E-Gene. IT would seem that it is indeed one E-Gene per person and my theory about quelling vicious personalities with ones of temperance was wrong. As we learn via flashback description, Nightingale and Jack the Ripper are indeed two historical figures of note…they just also happen to be one in the same. I’ll just let that sink in for a moment. The so called “Angel of Crimea” a renowned nurse, even to this day, is also one of the most well known serial killers of all time. That being said, her motivations were not entirely monstrous (as the series depiction of the Ripper would seem to denote). Apparently, Nightingale possessed the unique ability to hear a mysterious voice analogous to God. This voice both led her to become a nurse and commit murder on the streets of London. To save London. From bio-terrorism. So Secret Agent Florence Nightingale murdered women injected with terrible strains of bio-weapons in order to save Europe, all because of a mysterious voice that only she can hear. Don’t you just love Nobunagun’s revised history? I’ll admit it does seem a little convenient that Jack would unlock a new power right when it was needed, but this is anime after all. Eleventh hour superpowers are all the rage. A minor twist however, is that he did not unlock it to save himself, but rather Nobunagun. Who, in turn, is revealed to be crucial to the world’s survival. SO SAYS THE VOICE.

As Jack and Sio fought within the evil alien battle ship, a majority of the action was in fact taking place with the rest of the E-Gene Holders. In their final strike against the remaining “boss” Invasion Object, Geronimo, Cyx, Gaudi and Gandhi really got a chance to show off their true combat abilities. The manner in which they aided each other in the assault was fluid and logical (in an insane way), showcasing that despite all the fighting, they are in fact a team capable of supporting each other. Even Gandhi managed a hero moment when he protected Gaudi from an incoming barrage of spikes with his not-barrier things. It was nice to see this battle receive the attention it did because, though Sio and Jack’s attack was highly dangerous, it was in fact the main goal of Operation Stone Forest. The second battleship wasn’t even a part of the calculations, it just kinda appeared. Glad the anime didn’t fall into the trap of caring too much about the protagonist and let the other characters fall by the wayside. Though the same can’t really be said for the countless other E-Gene Holders who net roughly 5 seconds of airtime over the course of the series. I’m curious what other historical figures got the reincarnation treatment.

Nobunagun-Episode-13-03 — **A well earned rest**

After winning their respective battles and saving the world, the Holders earned themselves a little rest and relaxation. Naturally this allowed the episode to end in a similar vein to where it began: awkwardly. A fun kind of awkwardly. Despite the hardships they faced together on the battlefield, the E-Gene Holders are still a dysfunctional collision of personalities that makes you wonder how they’ve managed to work together this long. Poor Sio adds Cyx to her ever expanding list of female friends who are “too familiar” with her on a daily basis. Of course, this situation allows the male E-Gene Holders one last moment of anime pervertedness because that’s how saviours act apparently. Seriously, Capa had a camera with him and we already know what he does with his E-Gene ability in his spare time. Poor Sio.

That aside, we also get to see some actual development on the relationship front. Unfortunately, Hunter’s heroics and subsequent use of his wish (for winning the body count competition, much to Gernimo and Jack’s chagrin) were not enough to ingratiate him in the eyes of Galiko, who still remains focused solely on Vidocq for whatever reason. The main development would, of course, have to be between Jack and Sio. Possessing her usual cutesy awkwardness, her joy surrounding Jack coming to her rescue is cut short as he explains he was following his E-Gene’s orders. Devastating. Of course this immediately followed by him kissing her, explaining that his E-Gene had nothing to do with it this time. Well played Jack. I thought it was nice to see the series end by following through on what it had hinted at throughout. A lot of series love to hide behind the ambiguity of character’s interest in each other, letting the fanbase decide how it plays out. Though, in all honesty, that’s a bit of a cop out. Just finish plot points, some will like it, some won’t. I liked this one. Though I do feel that the moment didn’t have a much impact as it could have. Though there were hints that Jack liked Sio in return, it was sort of glazed over in order to focus on more action sequences. Some smarter time management throughout the series definitely could have enhanced this final scene. Though it was cute. I’ll give it that.

Nobunagun-Episode-13-04 — **A new beginning…**

So, the Invasion force is crippled but still kicking. I guess that means that the world is not yet free from the Invasion Objects and there may just be more E-Gene adventures somewhere down the line. Though if this is where the journey ends, that’s fine too. Nobunagun was never a series that tested your emotions in a grand way. It never inspired true fear or created poignant moments of sadness, but there was one thing that made the series what it was: a sense of fun. From the quirky protagonist, to the even quirkier bundle of colleagues she was thrown in with, Nobunagun certainly knew how to enjoy itself. Sure the fight scenes would’ve been more intense if there was the threat of death that more serious anime carry with them, but that’s not what the series was going for in my opinion. I mean, the cast ranges from Jack the Ripper to Mahatma Gandhi, existing as souls to power ridiculous weaponry in order to save the world from alien fish. If you were expecting a serious anime based on that, you’ve only got yourself to blame. Also the title, and subsequently the titular character’s name, is a pun. Which is all kinds of awesome. I guess you could say that, all in all, this strange little series was Nobunagood.

Check out more Nobunagun Impressions HERE.

Vikings: The Complete First Season Review

Mateja Simovic

March 31, 2014

Vikings: The Complete First Season Review

Vikings
Studio: MGM
Publisher: MGM Television, 20th Century Fox
Format : Blu-Ray (Reviewed), DVD
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $42.98 – Available Here

Overview

History has not been kind to the Medieval Pagan cultures of Northern Europe. Within the modern cultural mindset, hearing the word “Viking” evokes images of horned helmets, longboats, and bearded sea raiders attacking helpless monks. This percept has largely been shaped by the historical accounts which have survived from that period, and in this area the victims of Viking raids most certainly had an upperhand. Common knowledge of this remote but historically important culture is surprisingly limited and cliched, which is a problem this tv series aims to rectify.

In Vikings, we see the eponymous culture as much more than the simple sea raiders and barbarians of our cultural zeitgeist. Certainly aspects of it can be quite can be bloodthirsty and confronting to an audience and it is not for the feint hearted. These characters aren’t mere caricatures, they are people with ambitions, jealousies, and complex moral quandries. This makes them ideal subjects for a historical drama and in my opinion; infinitely more interesting than another series which might have depicted them as solely seaborne vandals. Although, if you’re interested in just that interpretation of Viking culture there is a games you can check out here…

Story

The narrative of the series takes cues from real historical events and individuals, mixed in with details and characters from Viking sagas. The series focuses on the trials and tribulations of Ragnar Lothbruk (based off of the protagonist of the saga of Ragnar Lodbruk) and his family. We witness the ambition and drive of Ragnar to raid westward, across the Ocean which captivates those around him to take their chances with him. This (as you might have guessed) turns out to be a very successful and profitable gamble. This ultimately leads him to confront his liege, Earl Haraldson, who disagrees with Ragnar’s ambition and often times insolent disobedience. After the Earl plots against him, Ragnar is forced to confront Haraldson in order to keep his family safe and free as well as keep his dreams of sailing West alive.

For every success that Ragnar obtains, however, a new problem arises. Largely this occurs from his own greed and ambition which forces him into many confrontations. With his wits and strength alongside the support of his wife ,Lagertha, and brother, Rollo, he is able to overcome the obstacles he encounters… to be honest though, when you’re backed up by a shieldmaiden and a berserker there isn’t really anything which can stand in your way for long. The plot is largely well paced and intense, although it does lose some of its force by the end of the season.

The show aims to give its you a holistic view of Viking life and culture. We are shown the large, world-changing events such as the Viking raid on the monastery of Lindisfarne in 793AD (which many historians take as the beginning of the ‘Viking Age’) alongside smaller scenes of family life in the Viking Longhouse. It is very interesting to watch the small, personal dramas of the characters play out such as the jealousy Rollo has for his brother Ragnar’s success, and Athelstan’s (a monk kidnapped from the raid on Lindisfarne) loss of faith in Christianity. The problem is that when you place these scenes next to the parts which depict the revolutionary events of the past, it is difficult to remain interested. When compared to these historical forces, homestead life doesn’t amount to a hill of beans (or whatever it was that the Vikings farmed) but there is always some intrigue or action sequence just around the corner to spice things up.

Visuals and Audio

Vikings is beautifully shot and directed with great cinematography. The sets are all meticulously constructed and give a real sense of being transported to another time and place. Exterior shots were made on location in Ireland and the rocky landscape standing in effectively for Scandanavian fjords and the Baltic sea. The benefits of using real physical sets are clear to be seen here with the actors freely moving through and interacting with the sets and locations for their performance, a mundane feat made impossible with a green screen. Costumes and props are of a similar high quality and only the most die-hard of historians would be irked by some of the anachronistic details… although, if you’re one of those people then you really shouldn’t be watching a historical drama to begin with.

The action scenes are par excellence and one of the great gems within the show. I do not recall Medieval combat having looked so good cinematically, which is compounded by the fact that most of the combat is essentially brawling… BEAUTIFUL brawling albeit. This isn’t the combat you’ll get in the likes of Braveheart and Kingdom of Heaven with armies clashing on the field of battle. Instead, we have a tighter focus with clashes between smaller warbands. This allows for some interesting direction in terms of action and I would argue that it is to the show’s benefit.

The soundtrack is largely unremarkable but is largely satisfactory. It complements the setting, tone, and pace of each adequately but nothing sticks out in this humble writer’s opinion. One song that you WILL remark upon is the opening theme of If I had a Heart by Fever Ray. It’s dulcet tones complement the opening credits perfectly and give a taste of the world that we are stepping in to.

Extras

The extras on the discs are a great addition to anyone who is interested in learning more about the production side of the Vikings show or about the historical Vikings themselves. Interviews with the cast and crew give a greater appreciation for them as characters, and it’s a pleasure to hear them talk candidly about their experiences working on the project. Since this is a History channel production, it should be unsurprising that there is a short, interesting documentary on Viking society included… what is surprising for the History channel is the lack of aliens in said documentary (ZING!). There are also several little ‘mini-doco’ vignettes which go into detail about the lands the Vikings visited and the weapons which they used, which was also quite interesting and enjoyable.

Overall

The North men have come and they have made their presence known and you certainly get to see a side of them in Vikings which isn’t normally portrayed in fiction, but is this to its merit? I would argue ‘yes’.

For all the shortcomings of the mundane melodrama of Ragnar and his family, we are still given a unique, intimate gaze into a (fairly) accurate portrayal of a long dead culture. Norse mythology is captivating, and it’s almost just as captivating to watch characters who earnestly believed such tales to be the history of their world and their gods simply living their lives. There is also plenty of brutal action and violence for those of more martial tastes (such as yours truly) as the Vikings didn’t gain their barbaric reputation for nothing, a fact that the show capitalizes on. The virtues of Vikings far outweighs its flaws and you’ll find its more than worthwhile to sit through a couple of lulls to here and there to enjoy the magnificence that is this show.

Now grab your sword and strap on your shield for Valhalla awaits!

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Filth Review

Zac Elawar

March 30, 2014

Filth
Studio: Steel Mill Pictures, Logie Pictures
Publisher: Icon Home Entertainment
Formats: Blu-ray (Reviewed), DVD, Digital
Release Date: April 4, 2014
Price: $29.98 – Available Here

Overview

Filth is what many called the “unfilmable”. Based on the novel of the same title by Irvine Welsh, Filth is the fourth film to be adapted from the author’s works, the most high profile of which being Trainspotting (1996). It stars James McAvoy (Wanted, X-Men: First Class) in what could fairly be considered his defining role as Bruce Robertson, or “Robbo”, a Detective Sergeant of the Edinburgh Polis in Scotland who is one of the most deplorable and, well, filthy people in existence. Despite McAvoy’s potentially deterring prediction that “there will be people that walk out of the cinema”, the movie opened at number one at the Scottish box office. And now you can revel in the filth on home media.

Story

Filth begins with a monologue from Bruce’s wife Carole (Shauna Macdonald), commenting on their marriage and how being “the ultimate tease”, keeps the spice in their marriage. Apparently the two are quite similar, both knowing exactly how to get what they want. Carole then walks a tunnel, witnessing the murder of a Japanese student at the hands of a gang of punks. We’re then introduced to Bruce Robertson, who is literally one of the worst human beings you would hope never to come into contact with. Eyeing a promotion to Detective Inspector (Lord help Scotland if this were their calibre of police enforcement), “Robbo” begins his scheming in a plot to ruin his workmates and fellow promotion chasers’ reputations, and therefore their chance of “winning”. He dispassionately calls these manipulative ploys “the games”. It’s in these “games” that Bruce gets to showcase to the audience – sometimes in breaking the fourth wall – just how vile, misanthropic, racist, sexist, homophobic and downright casual he is in going about it all, the latter of that long list being the most worrying as there seems to be an absence of any semblance of a conscience.

As per Bruce’s personal assessments, Dougie Gillman (Brian McCardie) is “your average Scottish copper”, and poses a ‘serious challenge to his promotion prospects’ at 5 to 1 odds, which means he must be “eliminated” (bit dire, don’t you think?). Peter Inglis (Emun Elliott) is Bruce’s main threat at 2 to 1, although his obvious closet homosexuality presents himself as an easy target for Bruce to expose to a still uneducated and discriminatory society. The resident rookie of the bunch, young Ray Lennox (Jamie Bell) is also a junkie, but is a long shot at 20 to 1… oh, and not because of the drugs, but because he is more interested in pursuing the office secretary. Gus Bain (Gary Lewis) is a few sandwiches short of a picnic, though Bruce states that a single-digit IQ has never held a policeman back before, giving him 7 to 1 odds. And finally, there’s 10 to 1 odds Amanda Drummond (Imogen Poots), whom Bruce is convinced is sleeping with Chief Inspector Bob Toal (John Sessions). On top of the planning and manipulating of his co-workers, Bruce indulges in copious amounts of alcohol, drugs, and meaningless sex. Of note, he has repeated rendezvous with Chrissie (Kate Dickie), Dougie’s wife, who likes to ‘turn off each other’s gas’, i.e., code for asphyxiation.

As the film progresses, Bruce suffers from increasingly traumatic and confronting hallucinations. Not only does he periodically imagine frightful visages of animals on humans’ bodies – including his own, which is a pig, aptly – he also drifts into a surreal rendering of a psychiatrist’s office, with Jim Broadbent playing a creepy, disquieting and provoking portrayal of Dr. Rossi, responsible for medicating Bruce for his bi-polar disorder. The audience starts to become privy to developments earlier in his life, and recent, that have led to his current, self-destructive state. Everything falls apart as the viewer begins to sort of feel bad for the man, who by no means deserves it. In fact, by the end of the film, the character himself reprimands the audience for feeling so. It’s one of those films that can easily be understood, but still deserves a second viewing for a new perspective with the myriad foreshadowing and symbolism placed throughout. That’s if you can even sit through it in the first place, as the film is filled with graphic language and high impact sex scenes that may turn some away. Then again, with a film called Filth, and source material written by Irvine Welsh, I doubt watchers would be coming in blind.

Visuals & Audio

Filth‘s 2.35:1, 1080p video transfer maintains the original look of the film to a tee, from the gloomy, low-light, unsaturated scenes of daily life, to the much sharper and brighter hallucinations Bruce suffers from. Much of the film features a muted colour palette, representing the gloominess of a constantly overcast Scotland. It also reinforces that this is by no means a glamorous life you are witnessing unfold. Bruce’s visions of his “Self”, manifested as a mad-hat, evil scientist take on his psychiatrist don’t present themselves as overly trippy, instead relying on different camera techniques and the pure strangeness of his surroundings to sell the experience. The lossless Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track is clear, however you wouldn’t be blamed for needing to turn on the subtitles as the dialogue incorporates Scots language and rhyming slang, intermixed with the more common Scottish English.

Clint Mansell (a busy man, responsible for the score of current box-office smash NOAH) has created an overall tense score, utilising very off-putting melodies and electric guitar riffs that sound like they were pulled from a thriller such as 28 Days Later. Although, the movie does open with his own faithful version of the uplifting ‘Winter Wonderland’ – given that the film during Christmas season – yet multiple tracks have an overwhelmingly sad tone to them, composed with a purely orchestral instrumentation. A favourite is ‘The Games’, in which Mansell appropriates part of George Bizet’s ‘Habanera Act 1′ from ‘Carmen Suite No. 2’, dropping an octave and lending a more appropriately mischievous air to the track. The talented composer also employs the traditional sounds of Scottish bagpipes here and there for some local flavour. Mansell perfectly captured the varying mood swings experienced by both Bruce and, through audience involvement, the viewer.

Overall

Just like the star of the film – who is absolutely brilliant here – once intimated, Filth will draw you in and repulse you at the exact same time. Although it doesn’t go as far as the novel, if it did we’d probably never see the film come to fruition. In its condensed interpretation, most would agree that the R 18+ rated picture is disturbing enough, and successfully conveys all the important, layered narrative elements that Welsh is known for in his writing. There are some notable differences, such as the existential monologues of Robbo’s tapeworm being replaced by the surrealist hallucinations involving his psychiatrist. The blu-ray transfer is flawless, with spotless visuals and crisp audio. The only disappointment here is missing out on any special features, especially after hearing about a few deleted scenes that, let’s say, take proceedings to a whole new level of distastefulness (if that is even possible). The infamous “Angus” sequence is among them. Regardless, provided you have a sick sense of humour and can stomach a high degree of vulgarity, you’ll be able to appreciate Filth for the achievement in British cinema it is.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Ender’s Game Review

Vicky Martin

March 30, 2014

Ender’s Game
Studio: Summit Entertainment
Publisher: Icon Home Entertainment
Formats: Blu-ray (Reviewed), DVD
Release Date: April 4th, 2014
Price: $29.95 (Available Here)

Overview

Ender’s Game excels from the page of Orson Scott Card’s original sci-fi classic novel, into an on-screen simulation run by director and screenplay writer, Gaven Hood. For a film that has taken 20 years to adapt, there is no denying that the expectations for the action adventure movie exceed the distance between earth and the moon. Ender’s Game is not simply a film adaption, but a visionary experience for the endless possibilities that the future holds for space. The question is whether or not an all-star cast can make the almighty leap across gravity to impress the audience.

Story

Ender’s Game draws upon a meaningful and intriguing story, which centres on the blur between reality and fantasy and dimensions of good and evil. The International Military are searching for the best young minds to enter their training program at battle school in space, to find a hero worthy of replacing the legendary Mazer Rackham (Ben Kingsley), from the hostile alien species – the Formics.

From the beginning of the film, the audience grasp that Andrew “Ender” Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) is a young person struggling with a dual agenda and trying to define their moral values. One side of him is compassionate and caring, much like his loving sister, Valentine (Abigail Breslin); whilst the other side is tormented with aggression and malevolence, derived from his abusive brother, Peter (Jimmy ‘Jax’ Pinchak).

Ender is put to the test when he is confronted by a group of bullies at school, as revenge for humiliating the ring leader in a one vs. one battle simulation. Unaware that he is being monitored by the International Military, Ender takes down the biggest threat to prevent all future attacks. During dinner that night, Ender and his family receive a surprise visit from Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) and Major Gwen Anderson (Viola Davis), with news that Ender has successfully passed the final testing stage for admission into battle school. Despite the Wiggin family refusing Colonel Graff’s decision for their son to join the program, Ender has no other choice but to follow military orders and defend the human race.

Upon arrival at the military space battle school, Colonel Graff ensures that Ender is alienated for being the most intelligent recruit and assigned the task of becoming a leader of the other cadets (“launchees”). The power-play throughout the film escalates, when Ender challenges Sergeant Dap (Nonso Anozie) about his right to ask a legitimate question and is commanded to do 100 push-ups as punishment for back-talking. As a result, Ender earns the respect of his fellow launchees and forms alliances with several crew-mates.

As a way of monitoring the launchee’s progress in the program, Major Gwen Anderson designs a mind game that enables her to observe their emotional responses to an impossible situation. When Ender attempts the mind game, he resorts to a horrendous act to win, because violence is necessary to defeat the enemy. Colonel Graff takes advantage of Ender’s state of mind and promotes him to the next level to further develop his training.

Ender’s promotion involves him relocating to a new base and joining the Salamander army. On the first meeting, there is an immediate clash in personalities amongst Ender and the squad leader, Bonzo Madrid (Moises Arias). Bonzo tries his best to isolate Ender from the team out of fear that Ender is a better leader, in addition to developing a relationship with female launchee Petra Arkanian (Hailee Steinfeld). As time progresses, Ender proves himself through feats of bravery and valour in the battle room and that he may in fact, be the chosen one to end the war against the Formics. Colonel Graff finally assigns Ender the right to lead his own squad, the Dragon army, with the hopes that they will be the winning team.

Promising results in battle simulations by the Dragon army gain Ender unwanted attention from his ex-squad leader. Unsurprisingly, Bonzo ambushes Ender in an attempt to incapacitate him out of jealousy and anger, however, this backfires when Ender hospitalizes him out of retaliation. Consequently, Ender quits battle school out of guilt and comes to the realisation that the battle isn’t about just winning, rather how you win; a paradigm which persists throughout the film.

Colonel Graff persuades Ender that he is needed on the front lines, to end the war against the Formics. With the help of Valentine, Ender begrudgingly accepts to complete the mission. Once Ender returns, the Dragon army run through a series of realistic battle simulations against the Formics. The squad demonstrates that they are proficient commanders of a fleet of ships through these simulations and meet the expectations of Mazer Rackham and the International Military. However, the final simulation proves to be more than what was promised for the Dragon army and ultimately changes Ender’s plan of game.

Visuals & Audio

The zero gravity military battle school is by far the most impressive feature of Ender’s Game. With Digital Domain joining the team for the production of the film, visual effect supervisors Matthew Butler and David Hodgins helped Ender conduct the most realistic and phenomenal universe within space. Furthermore, the extra-terrestrial spaces, known as ‘Formics’, are an absolutely stunning creation from the fantastic work of the creature designer, Tully Summers and CG Supervisor, Hanzhi Tang. The ant-like creatures possess traits of a praying mantis, live in underground colonies and work through the mind of the Hive Queen.

Composer, Steve Jablonsky conducts a magical score of great depth, with a magnificent orchestra to captivate the audience’s imagination in Ender’s Game. The most mesmerising tracks include, ‘The Battle Room’, ‘Dragon Army’ and ‘Dragon’s Win’, all of which are pronounced by energetic rhythms to highlight the action and emotion within the scenes.

Extras

The Blu-ray edition of Ender’s Game offers a multitude of special features for viewers to explore behind the scenes and meet the production team, director and impressive cast members. There are two audio commentaries of the film, with insights from both Gaven Hood and the producers, Gigi Pritzker and Roberto Orci.

In addition, a 50-minute documentary titled “Ender’s World” transports the audience into the very core of the film. To prepare for the mission, the cast were subjected to training in a space and boot camp to adhere to the militaria environment. Gaven Hood was able to assist the team in achieving their best performance, with his own experience as a young soldier in the army.

What I found to be the most interesting aspect was the layers of artwork and design that went into creating the Mind Game. It was impressive to see Gaven take on the role of the threatening ‘Giant’, preventing the mouse from reaching fairyland. The concept of the Mind Game as a platform for generating thoughts and feelings, really worked well for establishing a link between the Queen of the Formic and Ender towards the end of the film.

Overall

Ender’s Game is a brilliant sci-fi action film on its own accord and satisfying representation of Orson Scott Card’s novel. Asa Butterfield gives a tremendous performance as Ender, whose journey leads to a captivating anecdote about true leadership consisting of both good and evil. One of the most memorable quotes of Ender’s appears at the beginning of the film and towards the end; “When I understand my enemy well enough to defeat him, then in that moment, I also love him.” Ender’s Game gives the audience an incentive to go beyond the on-screen simulation and re-read or read for the first time the series of novels.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Nagi no Asukara Episode 24 Impressions

Sergei Lazarev

March 30, 2014

Nagi no Asukara
Episode 24 – Detritus

What a confession! And no, not the awkward blunder that Tsumugu started at the end of the last episode (you can’t just grab someone like that!), but the sleeper hit couple Kaname and Sayu. For the first time I think Nagi no Asukara has established itself as great romance anime, rather than leaving everything with loose ends and tears. And there’s still two episodes to go!

Back to Tsumugu and his confession to Chisaki. What in the world? It starts off OK but then it hurtles into creepy territory. So she rejects him and gets the hell out of there as one naturally would. His reaction after isn’t normal either as one would normally be upset or depressed. Nope, he is left feeling just thoughtful.

Chisaki is upset and wondering how after five years so much has changed. She is still trying to stay loyal to her friends from Shioshishio while Tsumugu has somehow fallen in love with her. This girl retains her status of being the biggest sook of the show.

Cue Kaname. Here’s a guy who no one remembers half the time and has to deal with everyone’s problems while hiding his own. This is the real hero of the show and I’ll get to his shining moment later on. He offers Chisaki an ear for her problems and puts away his own feelings. Kaname reassures her by saying everyone is now back, however there is still Manaka who still can’t remember love. Until that’s fixed, we can expect Chisaki’s problems won’t go away.

Interestingly, Akira writes “I love Manaka” on a piece of paper which sets off Manaka’s confusion about love. The roar of the ocean in her mind interferes with her ability to understand it. Meanwhile, during a quiet moment between Hikari and Miuna, Miuna promises to herself that she won’t reveal her feelings to him, for his and Manaka’s sake. The next morning Manaka asks Hikari the sledgehammer question of “what is love?” and even probing him on whether he likes anyone. Clearly, he can’t answer that.

The friends, in particular Tsumugu, come up with an idea of holding another Boatdrift Ceremony but sacrificing Manaka’s sea slug stone instead of her this time. The stone is said to contain her feelings which might appease the Sea God into returning her ability to love. It’s a crazy idea, but one that might just work. Thus begins what looks like a repeat of the past. The friends try and garner support for another Boatdrift Ceremony, whatever it might bring.

In a powerful scene with Tsumugu and Chisaki, Chisaki is about to suggest that she should be the sacrifice this time. Tsumugu stops her in a sharp voice. The two become silent alone in the room while Kanamae is eavesdropping. But Sayu is also eavesdropping Kaname so we have this three way interaction happening without them knowing.

And so we come to what’s my favourite scene in the whole series up until now. Sayu confronts a lone Kaname at a train crossing, lecturing him on his half-hearted efforts to woo Chisaki. He explains that it’d do no good and she might treat him like a kid. In his eyes, Chisaki is long gone. There is simply no way she could love him that way as she hardly even thinks of him anymore. As a train approaches, Sayu confesses to Tsumugu in the most beautiful way possible (and far more mature than her age would suggest).

To this, Kaname breaks down in tears. All this time he was hardly given a passing mention but someone has admired and waited for him all along. Guess the whole time stopping thing went in someone’s favour, right? Man I’m so happy for these two.

In a repeat and a role reversal of five years ago, Hikari promises to tell Manaka who he loves after the Boatdrift Ceremony. He hopes that she would remember her feelings by then. Sure, we haven’t heard that before. Now let’s hope the whole planet doesn’t explode this time.

Check out more Nagi no Asukara impressions HERE.

WIN – 10x CC IndieGala Doorsways Bundles

Philip Federico

March 29, 2014

WIN – 10x CC IndieGala Doorsways Bundles

We’re giving away 10x Capsule Computers CC IndieGala Doorways bundle packs which includes a total of 11 fantastic PC Indie games. (See below for list of games)

Oknytt – Nemoria Entertainment – (Desura)
Doorways: Chapter 1 & 2 – Sailbot Sutios – (STEAM)
Huntsman: The Orphanage – ShadowShifters
Face Noir – Phoenix Online Studios (Steam)
Unhack – Invert Mouse – (Desura)
Not The Robots – tinyBuild Games – (STEAM)
Fester Mudd: Curse Of The Gold – Replay Games (STEAM)
Dawn Of Fantasy : Kingdom Wars – Reverie World (STEAM)
AirBuccaneers – LudoCraft (STEAM)
Postmortem: One Must Die – Unbound Creations (STEAM)
* ONE MORE GAME TO UNLOCK *

Click here to check out the CC IndieGala bundle. To enter, simply follow the instructions below

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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This competition will close on April 5th. Make sure you use a valid email when you register. If you choose to enter by logging in with your Facebook account, your email is not required

**SPECIAL NOTE**

Competition is open WORLDWIDE!

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Star Wars: Assault Team Launches on iOS and Android

Mateja Simovic

March 29, 2014

Disney‘s in-house games studio, Disney Interactive, and LucasArts has further capitalized on its (fairly) recent access to the Star Wars intellectual property with the release of a new game called ‘Star Wars: Assault Team‘. Disney Interactive has previously worked on other Disney licensed titles including the critically the Kingdom Hearts series, alongside Square Enix.

Now hold your wookies! Star Wars casual games can be pretty fun too. I, for one, quite enjoyed Tiny Deathstar; a game which allowed me to construct a moon/battle station on my phone while on public transport/the loo. It was good little game to keep me company and while away minutes when I had nothing else to do. This is what casual games are designed for and excel at. Do not discard the new game out of hand, as only Sith deal in absolutes… which is, in itself, an absolute.

Speaking of discards, Assault Team appears to be a turn-based strategy card game with some RPG elements. Players will apparently be able to collect and assemble characters from across the Star universe and then do battle with them. Characters such as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Boba Fett all make an appearance as cards which you can collect and advance to get better stats and abilities. The game also features an original campaign, set chronologically between the events of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, will take players across the Star Wars universe from Tatooine to Kashyyyk as you attempt to complete various missions and control/free the galaxy. There will also be an opportunity to pit your team against fellow players for even more mayhem.

If you’re interested in trying out the game for free, you can download it on iTunes, the Google Play Store, the Windows Phone Store, and the Windows store. Star Wars: Assault Team will also be released on the Amazon Appstore in the near future. You can also check out the trailer below…

Mind Zero debut trailer and release date announced

Travis Bruno

March 29, 2014

Mind Zero debut trailer and release date announced

Earlier this year Aksys Games announced that they were planning on bringing Mind Zero over to the West for the PlayStation Vita. At the time of the announcement we only knew that the game would be coming out sometime in May, but now the company has solidified a release date and it just so happens to be on May 27th in North America where the game will be available both physically and digitally while gamers in Europe will be getting a digital only version on May 28th.

To commemorate the release date for the game, the company has released the first trailer for Mind Zero which can be checked out below.

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