The trailer for Crimes & Punishment, a new game based on the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, has just been released. The video shows Sherlock Holmes as he tries to solve a case involving a sailor, a whale harpoon, and a list of likely suspects. The beauty of this upcoming game is that the outcomes vary depending on the choices you pick. There is no set path or choice that you have to make.
The game brings to life the peculiar quirks and mannerisms that define Sherlock Holmes. The developers Frogwares seamlessly linked together the extraordinary abilities of Sherlock Holmes with six unique investigations, all of which are dictated by your choices alone. Check out the trailer below, and if you’d like more information about the game, here is their website. Crimes & Punishments will be released for the PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, and PC in the second quarter of 2014.
With last week’s episode wrapping up the first half of the series, we reach the bane of all anime. That which makes the hearts of viewers sink…the recap episode. A time when a series takes a break and looks back at the moments that we all just recently saw and still clearly remember. Luckily for us, Kill la Kill isn’t any ordinary anime series. Instead of the tedium of a full episode compilation, the series said, “Screw that noise,” and blazed through every crucial detail before the opening song even began. Awesome. Now onto the episode proper!
The episode begins fairly powerfully by revealing to us that not everything is coming up roses with Satsuki and her Kamui. Though it has been hinted at before, we get to see a little more clearly just how bloodthirsty and overpowering Junketsu is. Having made her defiant exit, Satsuki falls to her knees after being forced to use Junketsu for an extended period of time. The Kamui even needs to be sedated before Satsuki can remove it, at which point it is nailed to the wall. This serves to further express the stark contrast between Ryuko and Satsuki. Following her own motto of sheer dominance, Satsuki must fight to remain under control of her clothing, whilst Ryuko and Senketsu stand outside of the norm and possess a friendship with each other. Just to showcase how draining it is for Satsuki to remain herself, after combat she is left so tired and sore that she can’t maintain her signature scowl without effort. Let that sink in for a while. In all honesty it’s strange to see her without it. It almost makes her seem more…human.
Class is in session
Making good on his promise, Mikisugi brings Ryuko (and Mako) to the HQ of Nudist Beach…which is actually a beach. Who’da thunk? Anywhere, it’s time for Professor Mikisugi to reveal the truth about the Life Fibres…and it’s a doozy. Did you ever wonder why only humans wear clothes? Why we decide to cover ourselves in fabric, when every other creature on the planet stays naked? Many believe that it’s a sense of shame that humanity developed somewhere along the way. A thought that made us ashamed to bear all in everyday life. Well my friends, they were wrong. The truth behind clothing, behind mankind itself, is far more sinister than you could possibly believe…and it starts with aliens. That’s right, Life Fibres are not of this world. Something from beyond the stars that crash landed on our bright blue marble and changed the course of evolution forever. These sinister threads forged humanity’s path, creating creatures capable of wearing them so that they could absorb the sweet, sweet electrical impulses that fire within.
The clothes make the man
With the slew of revelations that are thrown around in this episode, Senketsu is noticeably affected. Having not known his purpose for so long, the news that he is an alien destined to injure Ryuko hits him hard…or at least it did when that was all he knew. Shortly after, he is informed that he isn’t even a true garb of Life Fibres, but an artificially created weapon. One designed to snuff out the kind from which he was based. Though this news comes as a shock to him, it is in fact Ryuko who takes it to heart. Standing up for forced protagonists everywhere, she is infuriated that Senketsu is simply considered a weapon, designed to kill his own. A messed up premise. Though ultimately she’ll probably end up fighting to save the world, it’s pretty badass to see someone receive the call to action and slam the phone back down. It was also nice to finally get some answers about Senketsu, what with him being such a crucial character. It’s interesting to note that his fight against Life Fibres, originally thought to be out of character for a Kamui, are in fact his entire purpose for being. Consider his world officially turned upside-down.
While tensions flare in Nudist Beach, the Kiryuin household is also having a day of truth. Ragyo reveals to Satsuki the presence of the Life Fibres along with their source: the Primordial Life Fibre. The ball of twine that has caused so much trouble. A war is coming. One that nobody is prepared for. Worse than that, humanity carries its enemy on its shoulders, completely unaware of what horrors await. You’ll never trust clothes again. It’s definitely interesting to note that throughout the episode, Satsuki adopts a different role, a lesser role. Compared to her mother, Satsuki seems more misguided and angry than the unfallible tyrant she has been portrayed as thus far. What with Junkestu threatening her each time he is worn and her mother’s apocalyptic beliefs, Satsuki is brought down to the level of human. It’s kind of unnerving, in a nice way. There’s also a sense of fragility and uncertainty in her that is openly explored in the bath scene with her mother who has zero boundaries. Like none. At all.
Ryuko bares all
So a rather crucial episode this week, wouldn’t you agree? We finally learnt the truth behind the wonderous and deadly Life Fibres and in turn the origins of Senketsu. So add “artificial alien weapon specifically designed to defeat his own species” to his list of credentials. Ryuko got another chance to prove why she’s so badass and we saw a side of Kiryuin not often glimpsed: weakness. Not in a combat sense, but as a human. One with emotions and facial expressions other than anger and contempt. Ragyo on the other hand…a different story entirely. I’m interested to see just how the lustrous woman fits in to the whole Life Fibre Override of the entire planet. But before that, it’s time for the Cultural & Sports Grand Festival. Sure it sounds fun, but if Satsuki is shocked by something, you’d better be careful. I sure hope Ryuko and Senketsu will be around to fight for the world once more. We don’t have a lot of other options…
Overview I’m not going to beat around the bush here, the first thing you’ll think of when you see Monster Battle Arena is Pokemon. The overall setup of the game is one that we have come to love over the last 18 years. Now I’m not here to say MBA is bad because it draws upon this formula, I’m just pointing out the elephant in the room. The true test will be to see if the game can stand on its own two legs and prove to be a fun, interesting experience. To step out of the shadows of those who came before and make a name for itself.
Welcome to Tutorial Island
Story You have just arrived at the Monster Battle Arena. Serious fighters gather from all around to test their strength by capturing and taming the monsters that dwell within. Keep on fighting until you come out on top.
Gameplay You are you…or the spritely representation of you at least. Before the game even begins, you create an account and receive one of three monsters, to give you a helping hand. The game itself starts of well by dumping you onto Tutorial Island, a place where you can learn the basics that will aid you on your quest. Silently, you jump into the fray and scour the grass for a bush…it’s the first creature you encounter. It is here that you learn simple combat. Creatures you control possess a set of four attacks. Attacks do damage. Use attacks to damage enemies. Simple enough. Should you want to capture an opposing creature, you must use an item known as a net. By taking this option you can slowly but surely empower your team, collecting all manner of curious creatures.
You gotta work your way outta the bush league
If, on the other hand, you simply defeat an opponent, your monster will receive experience. This experience allows your creature to level up, learn new attacks and, eventually, mutate into a stronger form. So battle a lot for the best results. As you patrol the overworld, you will bump into fellow travellers who wish to prove their mettle against you, thus commencing battle. Beat them, show them who’s boss and move on to the next opponent who dared to cross your path. Survival of the fittest. That being said, the game also includes a quest system that allows you to help your fellow travellers. You know, if you want to be nice.
Visuals and Audio MBA has a very crisp pixel style that is visually appealing. Set in a world where creatures roam, the overall environment gives of a very natural feel. Due in no small part to the abundance of trees. Even in towns, houses are fairly sparse, preventing the game from overloading the visuals with too many elements. It’s simple, but in a good way.
Overpopulation isn’t really an issue in the Arena
The monsters themselves are also very visually unique, as is to be expected from a game centred around capturing countless creatures. Each is clearly based on real world flora and fauna, with a little twist…sometimes a very little twist. I’m looking at you Bushil. Though not an inherently negative element, the designs are definitely better as the creatures mutate and the game progresses. That being sai, during battle, things can get a little stale. Despite the various attack names, such as Rage burst and Terra Blast, there is only a few basic attack animations. This takes away from the action of the battle, taking you back a step and making you realise that the stationary creatures do very little visually.
Taking a cue from the natural visage of the game, the audio is a very peaceful affair. When in the overworld, the tempo is slow, the instruments are soft and the tunes are smooth. It’s just rather pleasant. When in battle however, the music changes gear and gets a little bit more forceful. Add in some trumpets, boost the tempo and enjoy your musical accompaniment as you best you monster foes.
Decisions, decisions…
Overall Monster Battle Arena is…OK. It has all the elements of a good game, nice visuals, cool audio, interesting characters…it’s just missing something. There’s just something missing that makes the game feel flat. As it stands, the game still lacks polish. Load times are annoying with how frequently they appear, the joystick is a little stop and go, tapping an option too fast or too many times may cause the game to quit…a whole lot of little things that bundle together and impede the game as a whole, making it feel slow and rather unexciting. The game definitely has potential, don’t get me wrong. If these issues are rectified and the game flows better, it will make for a much more enjoyable experience. Unfortunately, it just isn’t there yet.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
It would seem that dreams can actually come true in this crazy world. 5 Live Studios’ Brent Waller is currently working lead environmental artist on their upcoming title Satellite Reign, a real time, class based strategy game. But everybody needs a hobby and in Brent’s case, that hobby is LEGO. A hobby which just paid off big time.
LEGO CUUSOO is a website designed for fans to submit their ideas for models, with the hope that they will be called into production. Should a submission gain 10,000 supporters, it will be considered during an official review process…I think you know where this is going. That’s right, Brent’s own submission to the site not only reached over 10,000 supporters, but was also reviewed and approved to become a retail LEGO kit. In fact, it is only the seventh kit to do so since the sites creation in 2008.
Everybody can relax, I found the car
The kit itself is designed after the classic Ghostbusters film, which has just entered its 30th anniversary and is still widely beloved and adapted. With its approval, fans of LEGO and Ghostbusters alike will be able to assemble their own ECTO-1 car and accompanying minifigures, which are of course the four Ghostbusters themselves. Brent explained:
“I grew up with a love of LEGO, video games and movies like Ghostbusters, so it’s a dream come true to have my hand in designing an official LEGO set based on Ghostbusters.”
Brent is also the designer of an exclusive hand-made LEGO minifigure, simply named Bob. The figure itself was only available to the highest tier Kickstarter supporters of Satellite Reign (USD$7800). Might be worth something now that he’s an officially recognised LEGO engineer. In the meantime, check out the dramatic images Brent’s winning design down below…also Bob. (Note: Some changes may apply to final production models)
The folks at Limbic Entertainment and Ubisoft have once again brought their classic RPG series, Might & Magic, to the masses. Might & Magic X: Legacy is their first entry to the series in over a decade. Many of the mechanics remain unchanged, but it works to keep itself relevant as well. On tile at a time, you’ll explore and conquer a large world. Are you prepared?
Join editor Joe Morgan as he explores the Agyn Peninsula. You’ll witness world exploration, combat, character progression, and much more. Slow and steady, Legacy still manages to deliver a tense, satisfying RPG experience for fans.
We livestream gameplay footage on our Twitchpage. Our YouTubechannel is updated with content daily. Also be sure to follow us on Twitter, and Facebook. Leave a comment here or head on over to our YouTube page and leave a comment so we know what you think and how we can improve our Impact! feature.
Nordic Games has announced that strating from today, the PlayStation 2 classic The Legend of Kay will be available to download from the PS3 PlayStation Network in Europe today at a low price of £3.99. The game is also available on the Australia store at $7.35. The game revolves around the masterful kung fu cat Kay as he tries to bring peace back to the island of Yenching after it is invaded by an evil army lead by Emperor Shun. The game features platforming, exploration, puzzle solving and combat against hordes of enemies as well as big bosses. Think Jax and Daxter cross with Kung Fu Panda.
Martin Kreuch, Producer at Nordic Games had this to say:
“We’re bringing back Legend of Kay so players can relive the joyous wonder that is Kay, as well as introducing it to players who may have missed it first time round… There is no reason not to love Kay, he’s a hero with a kung-fu attitude that provides hours of fun.”
This game joins the growing list of PS2 Classics titles making their way to the PlayStation Network store and is a welcome addition for fans of the original game released on PS2 and new players alike. It is unclear if the game is to be released in the American territories at this moment.
Rare have just revealed details regarding their worldwide challenge for Kinect Sports Rivals players. With the Kinect Sports Rivals Preseason having begun they released the International Champions portion of the popular sports game, which has to date receieved nearly 1 million downloads.
This Preseason of International Champions pits the entire world against one another in Kinect Sports Rivals madness. Think you’ve got the gusto to play for your country? Well you can now in Kinect Sports Rivals Preseason Internation Champions.
For more details on the International Champions be sure to check out the Xbox website here. Be sure to let us know what you think of this news in the comments section below.
Ace Combat Infinity beta period will run from February 4th to 11th. Players will have a chance to experience an array of campaign and co-op missions as Ace Combat Infinity takes the series back to its roots.
If you want more information on Ace Combat Infinity be sure to check out the official Facebook site for the game and give it a ‘like’. Be sure to let us know what you think in the comments section below.
The Outrageous and Addictive Free-to-Play Shooter with Wildly Customizable Weapons
AUSTIN, TX (January 31, 2014) – Edge of Reality today announced their Free-to-Play online shooter Loadout is now available for the PC. After years of adjusting and perfecting Loadout’s innovative and acrobatic gameplay style, the Austin-based studio’s debut title is now officially available in the Steam Store.
“With Loadout, we offer players a genuinely fresh and gratifying alternative to everyday shooters,” said Rob Cohen, CEO of Edge of Reality. “Allowing players to define their own class and play style with weaponcrafting took us somewhere truly special, and we can’t wait to see what players come up with.”
Loadout is a fast-paced shooter that distinguishes itself with an amazingly robust customization system, super-fast action, and comedic violence. With over 44 billion possible combinations, players have the ability to assemble the weapon of their dreams. From Gatling guns to tesla bolts to remote-controlled missiles, if you can think it – you can build it.
The team behind the game has worked on tremendously successful franchises such as Mass Effect, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, The Sims, and Dragon Age, and they’ve spent countless hours developing a game that’s so over the top it needs to be played to be believed. Characters hilariously lose limbs, expose vital organs, and inflict shocking and ridiculous wounds upon enemies. The more damage a character takes, the more devastated they will appear.Designed in a humorous, highly irreverent tone, Loadout is comic violence at its finest.
At its core, Loadout is all about total and uninhibited player expression. As players progress, they earn new weapon parts, equipment, and prestige. The more you play, the more you can customize. The range of possibilities in the chaotic and deranged world of Loadout is essentially endless.
Edge of Reality is an independent, world class console game development studio based in Austin, Texas. Throughout its 16-year history, the studio has now released 16 titles on 8 platforms, selling over 20 million units worldwide. The company is entrusted with some of the biggest brands in the industry, and the team works with passion to deliver high-quality entertainment. More information about Edge of Reality and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.edgeofreality.com.
The game industry has reached a point in its long life where it now exists in two different universes at the same time: We live in an age where consumers demand perfection and with that demand comes “next-gen” titles that both look brilliant and play even better. On the other hand, we’re also a generation that longs for a nostalgic feeling while playing games, this is what forces us to also want retro-style titles.
There are an abundance of games that are made in that fashion, they implement 8-bit or 16-bit graphics with a soundtrack to match that reminds us that gaming “back in the day” wasn’t so bad. “Slayin”, by Pixel Licker Games and FDG Entertainment, fits into this description quite well; it’s both old-school yet playable and enjoyable to a huge degree. It’s a game that takes us back to our younger days of gaming yet, at the same time, gives us something new to play around with. Keep reading to see exactly why this is.
Gameplay
“Slayin” is a game that takes the concept of traditional adventure/RPGs and turns it into a quirky endless title that will earn its place on the main screen of your mobile device for many months. Despite its lack of story it does have a fairly highlighted theme and that’s basically old-school RPGs. As you start the game for the first time you have but one choice of character and that’s the Knight, throughout gameplay you can unlock other characters like the Ninja, the Archer, the Mage, and so on. As the Knight (or any other character you unlock) you’re thrown into a battlefield that is the size of your mobile device and that is all, there are no continuing levels, what you see is where you fight.
There are literally three controls in this game, I know it may be confusing by try and keep up would you? The directional buttons which have you walk either left or right and the jump button are all you have on your side while fighting hordes of slimes and demons. Your character generally sticks their weapon out infront of them so any monster that touches it usually gets itself an instant death, you basically juggernaut your way through hordes of enemies while trying your best not to be hit by them. Throughout the game you earn gold which will allow you to purchase upgrades like bigger weapons and sturdier armour which really helps for when you have to tackle bosses at the end of levels, that’s IF you make it to the end of the level.
The point of the game is not really to survive, it’s essentially to test how quick your reflexes are. Despite having only three buttons, it is a game that actually takes a great deal of skill to play through, I highly doubt the general masses will get through more than five or six levels of this game at a time before dying and having to start all over again. I’ll say this much; the fact that once you die you have to start again is not actually a bad aspect of this game because you’re constantly doing it, yes it gets frustrating when you get really far into it and then have to start over again but going into this game thinking you’re going to beat the entire thing is not a mindset anyone should have while playing.
“Slayin” also has a, kind of, quest system in place where you’re given three little tasks to do at any given time and you complete these tasks just by playing the game normally. It could be something like “kill 20 slimes with a silver sword” and doing so will award you with more fame points once you die which can be used in the “tavern” section of the game to customise your layout, unlock new characters or even decorate your tomb stone. “Slayin” has a gameplay style that’s so simple yet so challenging, it has coming back time and time again and what’s fantastic is that it’s a game you can literally pick up and play almost anywhere.
Visuals
As I mentioned in the opening paragraph to this review; “Slayin” has an extremely retro visual style. Pixel art is its main visual focuse throughout the entire game and the developers have absolutely destroyed the competition with how good this game looks. Much like it sgameplay, “Slayin” has a simple yet highly detailed style; characters and enemies are fairly basic and are animated well but it’s the backgrounds of the levels that really show the range that these developers have when it comes to pixel art.
Every background is very detailed and almost looks like a normal picture but still retains that pixel style which man people enjoy so much. The one thing that I love the most about the way this game looks as that the development team have made it so the game actually looks like it’s being played on an old console, really the screen you watch to actually play the game takes up only half of your mobile devices screen, the other half is the “gamepad” and it just looks great. No complaints here.
Audio
This game is auditorally much the same as it is visually. It takes a lot of inspiration from the older games in the adventure and RPG genres and you can really tell. The games soundtrack is entirely made up of chiptune songs and not one time did I feel like turning the volume down, I was excited to hear the music and the way that each song was composed allowed for a certain level of intensity to be injected into each and every level. Remember, this game isn’t that of a slow one so the music had to mirror that and it did so fantastically.
I was actually more impressed with the sound effects, even though the music was great, and I think it was mostly because each and every one was different and gave a better explanation as to what was going on than anything else could, maybe apart from a big flashing sign on the screen telling you. Certain things like levelling up or your armour breaking had unique sound effects tat alerted you and, even though your “HUD” told you what was going on, I could still identify what was happening through sound alone. Certain enemies have certain sounds and most of the time you can anticipate their attacks because of it. I just feel like the audio was done brilliantly, once again, no complaints here.
Overall
Pixel Licker Games have really made their bones with this title. “Slayin” is just so easy and so simple, you can pick it up and put it down within a matter of minutes which means it is super accessible to anyone. There’s no story so its not like people can be put off by the type of tale it tells nor can they really be put off by a lack of story considering the type of game it is.
It’s a game that brought out the hardcore gamer in me, the gamer that was killed many times while attempting to complete just one simple task and that’s odd considering it’s not really a game for the hardcore players. It’s super addictive and it has the makeup of a great mobile game, one that I’ll be keeping on my devices for a while now. This game is simply perfect for what it is and for $0.99 you really have nothing to loose by going ahead and trying it out. It’s a quirky little adventure that you can fit in your pocket and it’ll keep you entertained time and time again, what else is there to say? This game is great!
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
