Overview
There have been a number of F-Zero styled space racers on the mobile platform, so what makes Flashout 2 stand out among them? Well at its core there isn’t anything about Flashout 2 that is exactly innovative, there isn’t really much about Flashout 2 that we haven’t seen a dozen iterations of before. What makes Flashout 2 stand out is its execution. It is a damn fine game that wears a coat of polish that you just don’t see on mobile games. Flashout 2 looks great and plays great, you can tell that JujuBee put a great deal of effort into fine tuning the space racer experience and the result is probably the best incarnation of the formula on mobile to date.
Gameplay
Much like other space racers on the market, Flashout 2 appears to be heavily influenced by the Nintendo racing classic F-Zero. It wears that influence on its sleeve for better or worse. Thankfully the game plays quite differently to F-Zero despite being bred from the same formula. Flashout 2 doesn’t focus so much on speed as F-Zero does, rather there is a focus on power-ups and obstacles.
When racing you’ll encounter a number of obstacles, which you either avoid of shoot down. Some alternate pathways can be opened up by activating them, there is also the traditional speed boosts and other items. As you race you accumulate in game cash which can be spent on customization and other vehicles.
The game features a number of gameplay modes, branched between Single Player and Multiplayer. There is the standard free race mode which allows you to jump straight in and just race it out on a track of your choosing. There is also a time trial mode and a detailed career mode. Through these modes you can progress, unlock vehicles and ultimately move through the game and become better at it. It is a simple method, but it is a proven one and it works spectacularly. The tutorial at the beginning of the game is quick enough that it doesn’t overstay its welcome and the game kicks into gear with ease.
As for controls, the game plays really simple, you steer your vehicle with gyro control by moving your device as if it were a steering wheel. There are on screen buttons that can be pressed to activate weapons and boosts. It is all very simple and gets the job done well enough.
Ultimately the game is well polished and is quite a bit of fun to play. It doesn’t really bring anything new to the table but its a solid game all round and there isn’t really much more you could ask for from Flashout 2.
Visuals and Audio
As for Flashout 2’s visuals, the game is aesthetically impressive and features some graphics that could pass on consoles even. There isn’t really anything memorable about Flashout 2 visually but the graphics are quite nice and give the game a decent level of immersion.
The soundtrack for the game is probably one of its better points. Featured are a number of techno beats coupled with some dubstep tunes. The dubstep tracks may be off-putting to some but it does generally fit the action of the game.
Overall
If you’re looking for a well made space racer in the same vein as F-Zero, then Flashout 2 is just the game you’re after. It is polished and plays quite nicely. JujuBee have crafted a good game that will satisfy the needs of racing game fans and serve as a nice casual game for mobile devices. Newsflash people, Flashout 2 is a spot of fun that is well worth the price of admission. Get ready to start your engines, Flashout 2 is ready to roll.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Last week Atlus USA released the demo for Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars onto the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS but since then they were a little quiet about the game and have left fans hanging as far as heroine introductions go. Six of the heroines have already been introduced, leaving one left without an introduction.
Today they have rectified that problem by introducing us to Feene the game’s seventh heroine. She is an ultimate defender and carries a gigantic shield. She is a third year student at the school and adores photography. Conception II is still set to be released in less than two weeks on April 15th in North America with a European release coming sometime in Q2 2014.
Overview Anime where the main character is a pervert that has nosebleeds over anything lewd and gets lost in their own delusional fantasies are easy to find. However that main character is almost always a male, and Maria Holicthrived in its first season by showing how a perverted lesbian girl can be just as prone to nosebleeds and lewd thoughts and be rather hilarious because of it. Now that Sentai Filmworks has released Maria Holic Alive, the second season of the series, with a new English dub, is it worth continuing this story?
Story For those unfamiliar with the series, Maria Holic follows a girl named Kanako Miyamae who has transferred into a private all-girls Christian school named Amenokisaki in order to find her true love similar to what her parents did at the academy when they were her age. The only problem is, unlike her mother and father, Kanako only has eyes for girls and now that she is at an all-girls high school, she has just entered a proverbial paradise.
However that paradise quickly becomes a hell when she finds out that the most popular girl in the school and the previous headmaster’s granddaughter, Mariya, is actually a man in drag. Forced to keep Mariya’s secret and constantly watched by both the sadistic Mariya and his cold maid Matsurika, Kanako still manages to become friends with a number of girls at her school despite the fact that she always seems to be having nosebleeds everywhere and breaks out in hives anytime a man touches her.
Anyways, Maria Holic Alive takes place in a bit of an odd place thanks to some time shenanigans that seem to place the beginning of the season somewhere in the middle of the first season and continuing past the events that occurred at the pool involving Mariya and Shizu. Thanks to the way that the series places itself, and also simply due to the way everything unfolds, little has changed in the way this show is handled.
The story continues to follow Kanako as she interacts with her fellow classmates and has to deal with not only her own delusional thoughts and constant blood loss but also the constant torment from Mariya and Matsurika as well as constant misunderstandings with a male priest named Kanae who seems to always be struggling with possible feelings for the girls he comes across.
This pattern continues throughout the entire season, making Maria Holic Alive something of a random slice of life comedy with a perverted lesbian since there really is no semblance of an actual story being told here, though a few new characters are introduced in this second season. Even the whole rosary issue that was hinted at during season one is never followed up on, outside of a throwaway gag during the last episode.
You know what though? This ends up being okay for the most part thanks to the amount of comedy and build-up many of the gags in Maria Holic Alive receive. All of the standard jokes from the past season return, such as Kanako’s fantasies and fountaining nosebleeds, but this time around there are a number of gags that end up being referenced a few episodes later, revisiting these jokes and often building upon them further.
It is often difficult for a comedy series to stay fresh during its second season, but Maria Holic Alive manages to do so by keeping all of the jokes that people loved from the first and building upon them. It is a shame unfortunately that any hint of story progression and even character development, although there is some of the latter, is left by the wayside to make room for all of the gags.
Visuals Considering how Shaft handled the first season it would have been impossible for another studio to step in and take its place and as such Shaft has returned in Maria Holic Alive with all of their signature moves. All of the characters normal designs are nicely detailed with a lot of attention to detail included in most of the environments that characters spend time in.
The constant shifting in art style remains the same as well, with many scenes being portrayed with characters looking extremely deformed and chibiized for comedic purposes and most of the fantasy sequences looking like shōjo artwork taken to such an extreme level that the characters barely look human. It is nice to note that Sentai Filmworks has done a great job with the amount of Japanese signs that appear in the show with everything from sound effects to side-text and various cultural notes to help viewers understand some of the more obscure references made in the show.
Audio As with the first season, Sentai Filmworks has went back and revisited Maria Holic Alive and have given this release a complete English dub. The English voice actors all retain their roles from the first season and I am pleased to say that they have not lost a step working in this second season. Jessica Calvello and Monica Rial sound excellent when they are dealing with one another as Kanako and Mariya. Of course for those only looking for the Blu-ray upgrade, the Japanese voice track is also included.
As for the background music, the odd nature of this series where it often flips from one tone to the next rapidly is impressively matched by the various pieces of background music in the show. There are a number of different opening themes in Maria Holic Alive, with two standalone songs for the first two episodes played for parody and amusements sake until the main opening song “Run Run Riru Ran Ran Rara” by Yuu Kobayashi, the Japanese voice actress for Mariya, takes over as a surprisingly enjoyable opening that rivals the opening from the first season. As for the ending theme, it is a bit more subdued with “Dounimo Tomaranai” by the Japanese voice actresses for Mariya, Kanako, and Matsurika singing the ending theme.
Extras As far as bonus features go, the key inclusion with this release are commentary tracks for all twelve episodes from the original Japanese voice actors. This is then followed with some more standard inclusions such as trailers for other Sentai Filmworks anime, Japanese commercials, a clean version of the two comedy opening themes but oddly enough not the main opening theme, and a clean version of all of the different ending theme animations, with there being a slightly different ending animation for each episode.
Overall Maria Holic Alive may skimp on any actual story progression and be rather scarce on character development, but it makes up for it with a large amount of comedy with a high rate of accuracy. While a few jokes may start to feel stale near the end, almost every gag, reference, or parody remains consistently funny all the way until the end. Now that Maria Holic Alive has an English dub and the already colorful and unique looking Shaft style has been released in Blu-ray, fans of comedy anime would be doing themselves a disservice to pass Maria Holic Alive up.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
After many inquiries from next-gen console owners, ASTRO Gaming have provided a detailed update on the compatibility of their ASTRO Gaming headsets with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
For PlayStation 4 Users:“Our A30, A40, and A50 Audio Systems are fully compatible with the PS4 once the PS4 Firmware 1.50 update has been applied to the console, and the latest ASTRO firmware updates have been applied to both the A50 Headset and Wireless 5.8 GHz Transmitter. All of our headsets will deliver Dolby Digital 5.1 and 7.1 game audio and full voice chat functionality over the PlayStation Network.” You can access the ASTRO firmware update page right here.
For Xbox One Users: As it pertains to game audio; “Microsoft has released a firmware update. Once the Xbox One system update is performed, it enables Dolby 5.1/7.1 through the optical SPDIF. Xbox One consoles with the latest system update allows ASTRO products to deliver GAME AUDIO in 7.1 Dolby Digital surround sound.”
In regards to voice chat; “The connector on the controller is now a proprietary port, meaning that all ASTRO products will require an adapter to connect to Xbox Live for online VOICE CHAT. The Microsoft voice chat cable is now available as a stand-alone product through EB Games and JB Hifi. To enable voice chat for A40: – Owners must also download the new Astro 2013 MixAmp Firmware v.5003. To enable voice chat for A50: – Astro is currently testing a firmware update for the A50 Wireless headset and MixAmp Pro. This should be available within a week”
A Crooked Mile. That is the title of the next chapter of Telltale Games‘ The Wolf Among Us, which just dropped episode two (check out our review for Smoke & Mirrors here) not too long ago. If you have been keeping up, the story has been quite engrossing as of late, and the latest chapter looks to put together more pieces of this twisted puzzle.
While you can watch the teaser below, know that it does contain spoilers for the first two episodes. We also don’t have an official release date for A Crooked Mile even though the official Xbox Youtube account is listing this as a launch trailer (which means maybe it will come out this week?), but will bring it to you as soon as the wolf is let out of the bag.
After a good wait, Mercenary Kings has made its debut on the PS4. For those who have not been keeping up, this side-scrolling shooter has a 2D flare and resembles Metal Slug, but has a lot more bite and its own original art style that has made it a fan favorite since releasing on Steam last year through Early Access.
Along with this release is the fact that the game is free to Playstation Plus members this month, making it nearly impossible for any Playstation 4 owner to go without adding it to their library. Check out the launch trailer below and get to downloading Tribute Games’ latest and greatest today.
The second Call of Duty: GhostsDLC, entitled Devastation, will be available this Friday on Xbox Live. The DLC pack contains four new multiplayer maps. Behemoth is a close quarter battle on a excavation vehicle, posing dangers not only to the sides of players, but also above and below. Players will shoot it out in an ancient Mayan temple in Ruin. Unearthed is inspired by the popular Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 map Dome. Finally, Collision is set in a cargo ship that has collided into a bridge in New York. Devastation also contains the Ripper 2 in 1 SMG that can switch seamlessly between a short ranged SMG to a long ranged Assault Rifle. As a bonus, Season Pass holders will be able to start using the Ripper weapon immediately.
Extinction mode players can look forward to Episode 2: Mayday. The level takes place in an abandoned ship floating in the South Pacific, crawling with the new Seeder alien. The Quick Reaction Force will go toe to toe with one of the largest threats they have ever faced, the monstrously sized Kraken. A new trailer for Episode 2: Mayday can be viewed at the end of this article.
Call of Duty Ghosts‘ Devastation DLC will be available to Australians on Friday, April 4th on Xbox Live, with other platforms to follow. Learn more at the official Devastation mini-site.
Hellraid is going mobile with a new action-adventure game for iOS Devices. Shortbreak Studios has been tapped to work with Techland on creating a mobile spinoff for the upcoming PC first person slasher. Hellraid: The Escape will task players with escaping from a magical prison, after waking up with amnesia. The action adventure game will requires smarts and cunning to solve puzzles and defeat the demons guarding the player’s cell.
Hellraid: The Escape will feature PC quality graphics, TV display support via HDMI and AirPlay, and free updates with no in-app purchases. The game will be available on March 15th for $2.99 on iTunes. Lean more about the game at the official Hellraid: The Escape website.
A dragon has awoken, darkness, violence and chaos is spreading in the streets.
Shadowrun is back with another great addition to the game series. Developed by Chiffhanger Productions, Shadowrun Online is now available on Steam Early Access. However, this is only what the developers are calling a ‘prequel’, as the full game is far from complete. Early bird players will get to play an impression of what the game will be like. They will have access to PVP gameplay and four missions. This means the players can influence the development of the game with their actions and feedback. Chiffhanger Productions promise new content, content, game elements, and fixes will be release every four to six weeks.
Shadowrun Online is a turn-based MMO. Players can harness the power of both technology and magic to control the world from the shadows for money, fame and all sorts of personal gain. You could be tasked with hustling a local ork gang, stealing valuable cargo from a ghoul-infested warehouse, or infiltrating a remote megacorp research lab to sabotage a top-secret project.
Since this is the first online game for the Shadowrun series, the most highlighted feature, of course, is the co-op and PVP gameplay. There will be other features that may soon come to the title such as adaptive mission lines and campaigns that evolved based on the choices of players.
If you prefer a closed one player game, check out Shadowrun Returns. It came out last winter and it just received a new expansion called Shadowrun: Dragonfall.
Overview The only thing worse than dealing with a sworn enemy is having to explain your actions to those you call allies. Having lost the almighty All Spark in combat with Megatron, our rag tag bunch of Autbots are not exactly in the good books where their bosses are concerned . Being the loyal soldier that he is, Optimus is forced to obey the whims of his Commander, putting Earth in jeopardy…on account of them being jerks.
Blaster beats hammer…who knew?
Story Right from the get go, Season Two introduces two brand new characters for us to hate: Sentinel Prime and Porter C. Powell. Though one is of Autobot origins, both human and Transformers seem to have a vendetta against our heroes. Due to their past that was briefly revealed in Season One, Sentinel bears a tremendous grudge towards Optimus (despite the fact it wasn’t his fault) and never misses an opportunity to undermine him. Despite his heroic actions on Earth, Sentinel (along with the rest of the Elite Guard) see Optimus as nothing more than a maintenance bot acting beyond his programming. It’s actually a scathing commentary on the limitations and negativity that can arise from a class based social system, at least where the “upper echelon” are concerned. Porter on the other hand, quite obviously stands as a representation of the greed that permeates human society. Of course, the series isn’t too focused on such intricacies. In reality, he’s just a big jerk.
Having been “dispersed” during their last confrontation, the All Spark now exists as countless tiny fragments. Naturally, both sides wish to rebuild the incomparable Cybertronian relic and a race to find the pieces begins. Due to the tremendous power of the All Spark, even in its damaged state, countless machines begin to rise beyond their programming. This more robotcentric plotline provides the series with a greater focus on the clash between the Autbots and Decepticons, taking over from the more human cast of villains (though they are certainly still there). The All Spark also serves as a rather convenient method for the series to introduce new characters, like the Constructicons for example. The frequency with which the All Spark creates life is as startling as it is beneficial to the plot. With all the new allies and enemies, the war has no chance but to escalate. Though the biggest bad in Transformers history is still relatively absent for a majority of the season. Which is strange.
Fire…good
Though it was certainly present in Season One, the disparity between organic and technological is presented as a driving force behind quite afew characters. Meltdown’s illogical hatred of technology, despite his constant use of it, continues to pit him against our robotic heroes. Of course, the Decepticons hold no regard for humanity and will often harm them without a second thought. Manipulation isn’t out of the question either, just ask Mr Sumdac, the stupidest genius you’ll ever meet. However the most interesting perspective on the techno-organic conflict comes from Blackarachnia. Caught somewhere in between the two, her longing to rid herself of her “organic curse” borders on the insane. Of course, being abandoned by her comrades didn’t help her mental state. Despite her outward hatred of her new half, she has no qualms in utilising her arachnid abilities. All in all, it makes for quite a complex and interesting character.
Fans of G1 might also like to take note of a special cameo by a certain familiar couple. Whilst learning to be more approachable, Ratchet crosses paths with Spike and Carly from the original incarnation of Transformers. On their way to the hospital, it would seem the Witwicky family line continues to grow. I wonder if they’ll appear again somewhere in the series…
This one might come down to a photo finish
Visuals Transformers Animated. It’s all there in the title. They’re Transformers. They’re animated. As you’d expect from such a visual existence, this incarnation of the franchise is a lot less serious. This is by no means a bad thing, as it suits the overall feel of the series incredibly well. The less detailed designs of each Transformer presents a much “friendlier” visage, intended for the younger demographic the series is geared towards. Ironically, this simpler style is reminiscent of the G1 cartoon, though this time the lack of intricacy is on purpose.
As is most always the case with Transformers cartoons, newly born Cybertronians still appear as if they are capable of Transforming, even prior to scanning a vehicle mode. However, in an attempt to rectify this common mistake, each Cybertronian is given an original alternate form that is very similar to their chosen Earth mode. Like Bumblebee, who was always some kind of compact, yellow car. Though I’m not sure why they’re so impressed or upset with surprisingly similar modes they adopt. Personal preference I guess.
Big chin, big ego
Audio Just as with Season One, the voice cast of Animated puts in a solid performance. The vocal variation of each character serves to add a tremendous amount of personality to the already visually diverse cast. Perhaps even in ways you wouldn’t expect, such as in one episode where Optimus laughs. Now I’m not talking about the old school episode wrap up chuckles, the Autobot Leader briefly breaks his responsible facade and full on laughs…at Sentinel. It’s awesome.
In addition to the regular cast, there is also a cameo of note. Though only present for one episode, Weird Al Yankovic portrays the highly impressionable, and ridiculous, Wreck-Gar. Lending well to his far from serious stage persona, Yankovic’s performance as Wreck-Gar serves to enhance the humorous nature of this short lived Autobot/Decepticon. He even manages to get in a very specific reference when he outright states, “I dare to be stupid.” In addition to being one of his own songs, the track was also a part of the Transformers: The Movie soundtrack oddly enough, playing over a scene in which Wreck-Gar appeared. Clever. Very clever.
Extras Just as with Season One, this DVD release features some additional animated shorts. These brief stories are more inclined towards humour and depict some of the “offscreen” moments of the Decepticons. Should you wish to learn more about the Animated Transformers cast, a gallery featuring some additional information is also present. One thing the Season Two release has over its predecessor is the inclusion of audio commentary for the episodes “Mission Accomplished” and “Garbage In, Garbage Out”. Of course, the standard trailer also figure into the mix, but the commentary is definitely the highlight.
Who said he didn’t have a sensitive side?
Overall Transformers Animated Season Two is a great continuation of the story that began in Season One. With Megatron back in action, the Autobots were once again forced to focus on their ancient foe, bringing this incarnation more in line with those previously created. That being said, the series still focuses greatly on creating a more humorous atmosphere. Though it would be simple to say that the plucky human sidekick is the source of most of this lightheartdness, it’s not entirely true. Surprisingly, every character, human of Cybertronian, gets the chance to bring a smile to your face. Whether it’s Blitzwing’s bizarre meeting of the minds, the Constructicons stereotypical demeanour or Starscream’s multitude of psychological issues given life, there’s bound to be something you enjoy. Though with the revelation the finale presented, humour may just have to take a break…at least for a little while.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
