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In an Amazon listing for the Dishonored Game of the Year Edition, a Bethesda release, the above image was found and has since been taken down. It reveals the as-of-yet officially unannounced The Elder Scrolls Online Imperial Edition and its contents.
As you’d be able to tell by clicking through, the Imperial Edition is set to include a steelbook, a 12-inch statue of the Daedric Prince Molag Bal, a map of Tamriel, and a considerably large 224-page “Emperor’s Guide to Tamriel”. In regards to in-game bonuses, Imperial Edition owners will receive the ability to play as an Imperial inside any alliance and will be gifted a a white Imperial horse, a Mudcrab pet, and two Rings of Mara. This is certainly a nice package for hardcore fans… it shouldn’t be too long (especially after the leak) until its official announcement.
Well it’s time again to check in on our favourite yuri couple of 2014 (yes I’m already calling it), what are Haruka and Yuu going to get involved with in the third episode of Sakura Trick and how will it affect their relationship? The past two episodes have done a good job establishing a natural and realistic bond between the two and this third episode takes it to another level by adding in an element of risk to their secret, a risk that goes by the name of Mitsuki Sonoda.
That’s right my friends in this half we are introduced to a brand new character and it happens to be Yuu’s older sister. We first get a glimpse of both siblings when Yuu is trying to wake up Mitsuki, asking her if she can borrow one of her hair accessories, this leads to Yuu slipping over and waking her dear older sister up by head-butting her… oh and breaking her glasses along the way. During breakfast Yuu starts talking about an optician that Haruka knows about, Mitsuki then questions why Haruka is always mentioned when Yuu says something and gives the throwaway line “It’s not like you’re dating her or anything.” Mitsuki then realizes she has no idea what Haruka looks like or what kind of girl she is, and thus the suspicion begins…
Due to the low number of first year classes and the low budget of the soon to be closed school, instead of having a full athletics festival they plan on having a regular sports day. This sends Yuu into a pit of sadness as she wanted to be the head cheerleader for the athletics festival, something that isn’t normally done on a sports day. In an attempt to solve this dilemma Haruka became a committee rep and put forward the idea of having cheerleaders to the council president, who just so happened to be Mitsuki. What occurred next was a good example of misinterpretation; Mitsuki wass squinting in order to see what Haruka looked like (having just got her glasses broken), which translates as a look of aggression in the eyes of Haruka. After a quick confrontation with her in the hallway Haruka is pleased with Mitsuki’s decision to have a cheer squad on sports day, thus ending the story with Haruka being in Yuu’s room as Yuu shows her appreciation by giving her a special kiss.
Oh wait, I forgot to mention that Mitsuki walked in on their yuri moment, I may have to go back a little bit. Mitsuki was touched when Haruka was talking about her best friend wanting the cheerleaders on sports day; she then froze when she discovered the friend mentioned was her little sister. At the end of the story Mitsuki walked towards Yuu’s room, she wanted to thank Haruka for fixing her glasses. She opened the door and saw her little sister on top on Haruka, how did she react you may ask? Well…
3-B: A Promise Made while Cleaning the Pool
The second half of this episode doesn’t really have much of a plot; it’s just the six girls cleaning the school pool and ends with Haruka and Yuu alone in the storage shed. It starts off with Yuu forgetting her swimsuit and as a result has to borrow one off Haruka, who spent most of the night sewing on patches that displayed their affection for one another. This sends Yuu into a panic as she rips off the more obvious one claiming that people would discover their secret if they saw it. Think of this half as more of a beach story because the girls certainly did; their ideas of playing volley ball, burying each other and lying about in the sun are immediately shot down my Iizuka who reminds them that they actually need to clean the pool first.
Other entertaining bits from this half include a small water fight between Haruka and Iizuka, a scene that shows Kotone and Shizuku sitting rather cosy together and a great manipulative trick Ikeno uses on Iizuka in order to clean the pool faster. The animation of the water flowing from the hose was done very well and music that played when Kotone and Shizuku were together was perfect, the slow trumpets made the scene more romantic and the way they faded out when Yuu broke the moment was a nice touch. The fan service is quite clear in this half too, mainly consisting of close ups on Haruka’s chest. It’s hard not to notice when Haruka’s swimsuit is shown through her soaking wet top or when she begins poking her chest in front of the other girls… okay she was really pointing to her “I Heart You” patch, but I don’t think anyone noticed (in case you were wondering, she’s a D).The second half ends when a certain big sister arrives and doesn’t see Haruka or Yuu cleaning the pool with the others, after Mitsuki begins to walk away she discovers the patch that Yuu ripped off from the beginning, her reaction was the same as the first half’s end.
Although there wasn’t any funny moments that stood out like the previous episodes (volleyball scene and veranda jump) I really enjoyed episode three, my only problem is that the kisses are becoming more predictable and I’m starting to wonder if the rest of the episodes will always end in them kissing, making each time seem less special and more like a routine. The issue of the school closing down is appropriately used in this episode and is not seen as just a side detail, strengthening the idea that they can only do these event’s once in their life, adding more weight to even the littlest scenario. With the introduction of Mitsuki there is now genuine concern in regards to Haruka and Yuu’s relationship, what will happen once she finds out? How will this affect the two of them? I have a feeling we will be seeing more drama in future episodes as Mitsuki tries to uncover the truth about her younger sister.
Sakura Trick is animated by Studio Deen and is currentlybeing streamed byCrunchyroll. Don’t forget to check out our Anime Impressions page to see what shows the other Capsule Computers anime crew is watching this season.
Overview The Tomb Raider franchise had been around for over sixteen years when the series was rebooted last year by Crystal Dynamics. With this reboot fans saw a new side of Lara Croft and many people believed that not only did the game deliver an excellent experience but it was even a game of the year contender for many outlets. With such an amazing reception for the original game, Square Enix is now bringing us the Definitive Edition of Tomb Raider for next-gen consoles. Sporting all of the game’s DLC and a major graphical overhaul, is this title still everything fans loved?
Story Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition offers almost the exact same experience as the original version of the game as far as the storyline goes. Lara is young and inexperienced as she has only done some very minor archaeology work and is now on an expedition to find the lost island of Yamatai with her friend Sam, a few acquaintances, and the rest of the crew of the Endurance.
Following a lead that Lara has discovered, the Endurance sails into the Dragon’s Triangle only to snap in half and sink in a vicious storm that separates Lara from the rest of the crew as the few survivors manage to make it to shore only for Lara to once again be separated from the group after being knocked out by a mysterious figure on the shore. When Lara next gains consciousness, she finds that she has been tied and hung upside down in a strange cave with a ritualistic sacrifice and altars to an unknown deity.
After escaping from this predicament, Lara learns that the crew of the Endurance is not alone on this island as hundreds of people have been stranded here in the past and these survivors have formed a religious cult that kills anyone that disobeys them. With her friends in danger and Sam kidnapped for a ritual that involves the Sun Queen Himiko, Lara will have to do anything it takes to survive and try to make it off the island.
The story remains fairly simple as it tells the story of a woman surviving against nearly impossible odds as she faces off against not only dangerous gun-toting fanatics but the wild elements that make up the island of Yamatai. There is a bit of spice thrown in as some mystical elements come in to play with Oni and strange storms that prevent anyone from leaving the island pop up from time to time. But for the most part everything is pretty much telegraphed outside of a few action sequences that see Lara having to run for her life in set pieces that put some action movies to shame.
It is also worth noting that outside of Lara, players will probably not grow attached to most of the cast. This is partly due to the fact that they rarely are given screen time, though players can learn a bit more about them from collectibles spread across the island, but also because most of them are simply used as tools for Lara’s character growth. From the beginning of the game we see Lara transform from a vulnerable and inexperienced woman weeping over killing someone to a survivalist that will do anything it takes to survive, even if it means blowing away hundreds of men with a machine gun and screaming as they run away, to do so.
Gameplay The gameplay of Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition has only received some very minor additions, most of which aren’t even noticeable or can be a bit problematic. The title still plays just like the original version of the game with players navigating around the island of Yamatai through the use of ledges that Lara can climb up or shimmy across with additional equipment gained over time to allow her to access new areas. These pieces of equipment range from the climbing axe that allows Lara to scale rough rocky surfaces, rope arrows allowing her to create make-shift zip lines and barricades that can be destroyed with specific weapons.
The gear plays a major role in extending the play time of Tomb Raider as there are numerous areas that the player will travel through that have specific collectibles or areas gated off by obstacles that Lara cannot pass until the player obtains a specific item later in the game. As before the gear and weapons that Lara obtains in the game can be upgraded with salvage and weapon parts found throughout the game, giving players an incentive to make sure they break open every salvage box and loot every enemy that they come across.
As for the game’s combat system, it remains as fluid and enjoyable as ever. Lara will instinctively react to nearby enemies by crouching and drawing her weapon and if players move against a wall or piece of cover, she will naturally take cover behind it without forcing the player to tap any buttons. Aiming will see Lara popping out of cover to take aim at enemies that are plentiful and deadly as they usually will hide effectively and liberally use explosives or molotovs to force Lara from cover. This can make for a rather quick death as enemies with machine guns can quickly pepper Lara with enough bullets to put her down for good.
With the game’s leveling system players will be able to make Lara quite deadly and able to take a bit more damage. Some of the later skills she can earn provide Lara with brutal finishing moves that range from her slamming the climbing axe into an enemy’s skull to holding them at close range and peppering them with her assault rifle as an execution maneuver. This allows players to evolve over time and make Lara a force to be reckoned with, especially once she obtains a few weapon upgrades and uses them in the game’s fast-paced combat to eliminate numerous enemies at a time.
The optional tombs are still in the game though they only take around five minutes to get through as the puzzles that have to be solved are very simplistic. It is also worth noting that there is an additional tomb in this version of the game that was previously held back as a pre-order bonus for the original game. As for the rest of the additional gameplay content, we have a few costumes for Lara to wear, all of which are absolutely terrible and boring looking, and all of the downloadable multiplayer map packs.
The multiplayer for the game is still extremely lackluster even with the addition of a few new maps. Unless one finds themselves really enjoying the game’s multiplayer mode you probably won’t feel like trying out enough matches to actually experience all of these maps. For what is offered, the gameplay is a bit varied with some of the single player’s combat features removed with new combat options exclusive to the multiplayer. It is a bit enjoyable to set traps for opposing players but it ultimately remains a forgettable addition.
It is worth noting that with this release on the Xbox One, players can use the Kinect to either examine relics they have found by moving around their hand and using the Kinect’s voice recognition for various tasks. This includes switching between weapons with voice commands, bringing up the menu or the map by calling for it and other little tidbits. Unfortunately, this feature tends to be more problematic than anything else as the Kinect absolutely loved picking up sound effects from the game and randomly swapping weapons during basic gameplay.
Visuals Pretty much the whole point of Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition was to provide gamers with a next-gen Lara as fast as possible and while the game is almost entirely the same as far as story and gameplay goes, the graphical improvement in this release is obvious right from the very first scene as nearly every aspect of Lara Croft’s character model has been reworked and numerous other features have been implemented into the game to make this title look as impressive as possible.
As I mentioned, Lara’s character model has been given a number of upgrades. Her hair is now handled by the previously PC exclusive TressFX technology which makes almost every strand of hair in pony tail react realistically to any given situation. I say almost as there are plenty of moments in the game that the pony tail reacts wildly or simply doesn’t react at all despite Lara’s constant movements. The equipment that Lara carries around jostles around as she runs and climbs and even the way that mud, rain, and blood runs off of Lara’s body has been touched up to provide some extremely realistic looking scenes.
It is worth noting though that even when Lara has been submersed in a pool of blood, her hair still remains shiny and clean which is a rather odd misstep considering how much attention they paid to trying to present a realistic looking character covered in dirt and grime. Lara’s face has also been reworked to be more detailed and skin effects work with the enhanced lighting and particle effects to give characters a living feel and make many of the action sequences all the more impressive.
Audio As far as the game’s voice work and music goes, the title remains the exact same though there are a number of language tracks to choose from if the player wishes. Saying that the voice work has stayed the same isn’t much of an issue when it comes to Tomb Raider however as the original performances were perfect and had just the right level of emotional impact to drive the events of the game home.
The same can be said for the game’s soundtrack which is ranges from melancholy pieces of background music to fast paced action music to accompany the events occurring on the screen. The original soundtrack gave players exactly what they wanted and this has not been touched in the port.
Overall Now, the main question is, should you purchase Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition? Maybe. Despite being an excellent title in almost every way, there is one obstacle in the way of this game and that is its $60 price tag for a game many of us have played almost a year ago. Outside of some bare bones costume DLC and meaningless multiplayer maps, the Definitive Edition simply offers a major graphical upgrade and that may be a high price for those who have already played the original game and for a cheaper price this would have been an easy suggestion. That being said, if you have not played Tomb Raider yet then there is a reason this is called the Definitive Edition, as this is the best way to experience the new Lara Croft and one of the best games from last year.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Judgment of the Gears of War franchise has been passed, and it’s been common opinion for years that a fresh take was due. Now, news that Microsoft Studios have acquired the rights to the Gears of War franchise from Epic Games might just signal as much becoming a reality. In a Xbox Wire blog post, Phil Spencer, Head of Microsoft Studios, Hanno Lemke, General Manager of Black Tusk Studios at Microsoft Studios, and Rod Fergusson, former Director of Production at Epic Games on the Gears of War franchise, answered questions on the acquisition.
Black Tusk Studios may be a familiar name to you; the team used to be known as Microsoft Studios Vancouver before undergoing a rebranding in November of 2012. They were supposedly tasked with creating the next big IP for the publisher, on the scale of a Halo or, ironically, Gears of War. They were knee-deep in development of the secretive title in question leading into this announcement, and it is unknown what will become of said project. Back on the subject of Gears of War, Rod Fergusson will stand as overseer in his Studio Manager leadership role over at Black Tusk Studios. This should ensure a consistency in tone and brand identity/character, whilst allowing newer gameplay approaches and concepts thanks to the fresh-perspective of the experienced (over 12 years average) guys and girls at the Vancouver-based developer.
Join the conversation and let us know how you feel about this news. It can only be good, right? Gears of War needs an overhaul and, although untested, I’d put my chips behind a crew who has the trust and confidence of Microsoft to develop the “next Halo” any day.
Just as I was starting to think that Paradox Interactive was running out of things to add to the strategy game behemoth that is Crusader Kings II, a new expansion is announced which adds in an entire subcontinent to the game. The sixth expansion to the much beloved (especially by me) strategy game, will add the lands of Central Asia to the map as well as introducing new a ruler type (Rajas), along with new religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Hinduism). Our cover of the release of the previous expansion, Sons of Abraham, can be found here.
Considering the track record of Paradox when it comes to the amount of content in their expansions, Indian rulers will play in a manner completely different to their Western counterparts, as one would expect for a culture which would had developed largely independent of contact with Christendom (at the time period). The different religions are hinted to each have a different effect in gameplay with new events for each of the new major religions. These include meeting with yogis and sadhus, celebrating Diwali, meditating under bodhi trees, and many more new unique cultural events. The new expansion will be available through online distribution in Spring of this year (hurray!). No doubt these new Rajas will stand proud beside the Kings of Europe, the Caliphs of Middle East, and the Mongol Khans (as well as the Aztec Emperor, whose one goal in life appears to be wrecking all my carefully crafted plans… CURSE YOU MONTEZUMA!).
In the meanwhile, you can check out the new map in the trailer below.
After his last outing through time, it looks like Sly Cooper will be on an even bigger adventure, but this time around it won’t be coming to any system console or handheld as it will be coming to theaters instead. Yep, it turns out that Sly Cooper will be getting his own movie sometime in 2016 thanks to Blockade Entertainment and Rainmaker Entertainment.
Sly Cooper will be joining the ranks of other video game characters that have gotten their own movies in the past, though being an anthropomorphic raccoon his will luckily be CG-animated. First created by Sucker Punch, who’ve since gone on to make the newest inFamous game Second Son, Sly Cooper has more recently been in PlayStation All Stars and a new Sly Cooper game released for the PS Vita and PS3.
There hasn’t been too much released on the Sly Cooper movie yet, but a trailer just released today does at least show how the character will be making the transition, along with Bentley and Murray. Those wanting to see the trailer for themselves can check it out embedded just below.
There is no other anime this season that has been top to bottom great week in week out. In a season riddled with series of ups and down, Noragami stands out as one that is consistently a good source of anime entertainment each and every week. And you know there is good reason for it as well, not only is the source material great, but the studio working on it is firing on all cylinders as well.
This weeks Noragami dives deeper into the series mythos, exploring the very nature of life and death. What does it mean to be dead and what does it mean to be alive? Hiyori makes for a perfect viewer substitute as she stands firmly between both worlds, an anomaly between the near and far shore. Through here we get to see both sides of that coin and the results are actually quite tragic.
Yuki is developing to be one hell of an interesting character and definitely a tragic hero for us to follow. He has no recollection of being alive, but feels a deep sense of emptiness, a void in his existence. We seen through a series of flashes when he became Yato’s regalia that his past life was not exactly a good one. But through that we see Yato take Yuki under his wing, almost like a son. The connection between the two of them goes further than that though, there is also a literal connection between their minds that allows them to share their feelings (even the dirty ones).
From there we see an interesting side of Yato. The Stray God that we have come to know thus far is really only just scratching the surface here. When he is confronted by another much more successful god in the God of Learning, Yato comes off as a rebel of sorts, more anti-hero than hero. He flat out refuses to save people who are committing suicide, which of course sets Hiyori off. But there is a method to his madness, he thinks that life is something that should be valued and not just thrown away. Ultimately he does the right thing, but because of all this we see that there is a darkness in him, he is a Stray God that has stared out at the cruelness of the world and kept walking on.
With the introduction of the God of Learning and the return of Yato’s former regalia, now under the command of the God of Learning, we are sure to see some more Gods being thrown into the mix.
Yato’s goals seem simple at a glance but I feel that there is more to him than meets the eye, underneath his somewhat rough exterior is a warm heart and with Yuki and Hiyori as his charges, I expect to see that heart shine brighter than ever before.
As we dive deeper into Noragami, it is becoming clearer and clearer that this is an anime with a lot on its mind. With the beginnings of what looks to be a series long exploration of life and death, Noragami is shaping up to be one of the most thought-provoking anime series of the season.
With this episode, Noragami is verging on beauty in its journey into the concepts of life, death, love and existence itself. If it can stay consistent, Noragami might just wind up being a profound examination of the human condition at its very core. What will make or break this series however is if it can maintain its warm heart in the face of harsh darkness. Only time will tell where the Stray God and friends may roam.
It’s been a couple months since the last DLC for Bioshock Infinite was released with “Burial at Sea: Episode 1”, exploring Booker and Elizabeth in Rapture set prior to the events of the first Bioshock. But, developer Irrational Games and publisher 2k Games have just put up a brand new video showing off the first few minutes of the next DLC.
Just what can players expect from “Burial at Sea: Episode 2″? Well, those interested can go ahead and find out from the video embedded below, but obviously be warned that as the opening few minutes of a second part, there is going to be some spoilers. But anyone just dying to find out, can go ahead and watch it regardless.
As for when “Burial at Sea: Episode 2” will be officially releasing, there is unfortunately no definite answer, only a hopefully disappointing coming soon. But, if luck holds out it will prove to be sooner, rather than later. Be sure to check out our review of Bioshock Infinite if you’ve somehow missed out on it before.
Harebrained Schemes, the folks behind the the tactical RPG reboot Shadowrun Returns, are back with a whole new full-length campaign entitled Shadowrun: Dragonfall. The new campaign, which is set to release February 27, is now available for pre-order.
The new cyberpunk-meets-fantasy campaign will feature a full-length campaign set in Berlin as well as a multitude of new features and enhancements. It will debut on Windows, Mac, and Linux, with iPad and Android tablet versions yet to come.
Features for Dragonfall include:
New Full-Length Campaign: Return to the “Tech meets Magic” future of Shadowrun as you and your team of runners get drawn into a treacherous conspiracy.
An Exciting New Locale: Shadowrun: Dragonfall transports runners to the Free City of Berlin.
Command Your Team: Lead a small team of shadowrunners, each with their own outlook and backstory.
New Weapons, Cyberware, Enemies & More: Try your hand at the long-range sniper rifle, devastating grenade launcher, stun-inducing taser, and more.
Save Anywhere
New Game Editor Features: A wide range of enhancements to the game editor for community content creators.
The expansion, which requiresShadowrun Returns, is $14.99 and will release February 27. You can check the game out and preorder it on Steam here. Be sure to check out the official trailer below this article as well.
After a successful Kickstarter campaign, Dren McDonald and Jason Poss are now accepting pre-orders for their string quartet album with a modern video game twist. The String Arcade features 15 tracks from games both modern and retro. The composers hope to inspire gamers to learn the viola, violin, and cello. The album is available for pre-order at 20% off the normal price on iTunes and BandCamp. All of the proceeds of the album will go to support the Alameda Music Project, a free after school music program for kids in kindergarten up to grade 5. Check out the track listing bellow:
Grasswalk (Plants vs. Zombies)
Echos of Ecco (Ecco the Dolphin)
Ferdinand Wanders Out For a Late Night Haircut (Pettington Park)
Engii (FTL – Faster Than Light)
Sonic 2 Scherzo (Sonic the Hedgehog 2)
Outlaws Title Theme (Outlaws)
Medicated Cow Walks the Cobbled Streets with Disgruntled Goat (Ravenshire Castle)
Scurvy Scallywags Theme (Scurvy Scallywags)
Scabb Cemetery/International House of Mojo (The Secret of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge)
