Paramount Pictures have today announced that their latest action blockbuster, Enemies Closer – starring Jean-Claude Van Damme (who recently appeared in The Expendables 2) will be available for purchase on Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital from Boxing Day (December 26th). The movie is unique in that it features father-son duos in front and behind the camera. Director Peter Hyams is joined by his son John Hyams as the film’s editor and Kristopher Van Varenberg stars opposite his father, Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Here is the film’s synopsis:
After a major shipment of drugs goes missing on the US-Canadian border, forest ranger and former Navy SEAL Henry (Tom Everett Scott) is plunged into survival mode when the drug cartel forces him to help retrieve the downed package. Trapped in the wilderness with no communication to the outside world, Henry finds himself face to face with Clay (Orlando Jones), a man with a personal vendetta against Henry who has returned for retribution. Now, the two mortal enemies must make a choice: put aside their past and work together, or die alone at the hands of the drug runners, a ruthless gang who will stop at nothing to retrieve their lost cargo.
If you need to see more of the movie before deciding if it will be thrown into your shopping trolley this Boxing Day, then check out the trailer below. Will you be picking this one up, or do you already have all of your post-holiday spendings planned out? Let us know in the comments below, and as always stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the Paramount Pictures news as it becomes available.
Invizimals is for better or worse a franchise that kids seem to love. Now, the members of the Alliance of Invizimal Hunters are jumping through the portal once again, and landing on TV Screens across Australia in the brand new animated series from BRB International, and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. The series looks to be a part of the Invizimals: Lost Kingdom storyline, including the game’s protagonist Hiro as the leader of a youthful band of heroes that are trying their best to save the Invizimals world.
Invizimals debuted last week on Channel Eleven with a special 90-minute episode. The following 90-minute episode will air this Sunday at 6am for viewers to get hooked onto. Don’t worry if you missed out, Invizimals will be officially starting its 26 episode series from July 2014. If you want to know what to expect from the series, then check out the little trailer below. Always remember to stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the Invizimals news, be it television or video game related.
IndieGameStand’s 12 Days of Christmas Spotlights Free Indie Games for Charity
Indie-focused service has selected the best free downloadable indie games to raise money for Child’s Play Charity
PHILADELPHIA, PA – December 17, 2013 –IndieGameStand is taking a break from its “pay what you want” deals this holiday season with a 12 day charity drive. Starting tomorrow, IndieGameStand will be spotlighting notable free downloadable indie games every 24 hours for 12 consecutive days in the hopes of raising money for Child’s Play. These games were all hand-selected by IndieGameStand to spread awareness about these amazing game developers and some of our favorite free indie games.
IndieGameStand’s 12 Days of Christmas Charity event will run from December 18th to December 29th. Each day will reveal and spotlight a new indie game that is freely available on the internet. Think of it as a sort of indie game advent calendar. By donating, customers will unlock these great games in their IndieGameStand account and all proceeds will be donated to Child’s Play.
“Our goal at IndieGameStand is to serve the gaming community and spread awareness about indie games and indie development,” says Mike Gnade, co-founder of IndieGameStand. “People have been asking us about free indie games since the launch of our site, so we came up with this idea to raise money for charity. We hope that this event is successful and embraced by the gaming community so that we can continue it for many holiday seasons to come.”
IndieGameStand is committed to serving the indie gaming community exclusively, a focus that stems from the company’s love and admiration for indie game developers’ dedication and creative passion.
Founded in 2012, IndieGameStand.com provides convenient ways for indie developers to sell and promote their games. In their first year of operation, their 96-hour “pay what you want” deals have earned more than $25k for more than 30 different charities. IndieGameStand’s recent site expansion offers developers and gamers a dedicated storefront for unique indie games. Learn more at http://www.indiegamestand.com.
PlayStation Plus also provides access to PS4 online multiplayer allowing players to challenge friends and like-minded gamers from all over the world. PS4 features a significantly enhanced online feature set that delivers innovative new online gaming for all.
Enter an unexplored world full of strange creatures, dangers and surprises in the PS4 title Don’t Starve. You play as Wilson, an intrepid gentleman scientist who has been trapped by a demon and transported to a mysterious wilderness world. Use your environment and its inhabitants to aid your escape and find your way back home. Don’t starve will be available on PS Plus from 9th January.
Prepare to face your demons in DmC: Devil May Cry™ for PS3, which details Dante’s early years set against a contemporary backdrop. The title retains the stylish action, fluid combat and self-assured protagonist that have defined the iconic series but injects a more brutal and visceral edge.
In the PS3 action adventure Borderlands™ 2 expose the corrupt Hyperion Corporation and its evil boss, Handsome Jack, in a thrilling single player campaign. Choose from multiple character classes, including the formidable Gunzerker, whose deadly skills let him dual wield any two weapons at the same time. Discover innovative new ways to attack enemies with an almost limitless array of outrageous weapons and equipment. Both PS3 titles will arrive on PS Plus 25th December.
The incredible content continues on PS Vita as fans are invited to embark on an epic adventure to learn dark, powerful magic. Fight to free yourself from a nightmare prison and escape the clutches of an evil sorcerer in Soul Sacrifice™ available from 25th December. As you awaken, trapped and alone, your fate seems sealed: to be the next living sacrifice to the sorcerer Magusar’s dark arts. But just as all seems lost, a mysterious talking book appears and reveals the secrets of magic, drawing you into its pages and setting you on the path to relive the story of an all-powerful mage.
BlazBlue Continuum Shift Extend is the latest addition to the BlazBlue series and will be available for PS Vita from the 25th December. In addition to the wealth of content provided in previous games, the newest title introduces four brand new stories, an all-new hardcore play mode UNLIMITED MARS and Relius Clover as a new playable character. A recap of the Calamity Trigger story will also be included allowing players to explore the whole story up until now!
PS Plus provides members with access to top-rated games* every month throughout the course of the membership and, in addition, if you’re already a PS Plus member your membership automatically covers PS4 as well as PS3 and PS Vita. So all you’ll need to do is simply plug in and get gaming! A membership will be required to play PlayStation 4 online multiplayer across titles.
A PS Plus membership is AUD$69.95 for 12 months, AUD$19.95 for 3 months or AUD$9.95 for a 1 month membership.
*Top-rated is based on a meta-critic rating of 70+
Nine years after the release of one of the consensus funniest motion pictures of our generation in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, comes its hugely anticipated sequel. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues sees the return of Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), Champ Kind (David Koechner), Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd) and Brick Tamland (Steve Carrell) after their lives took greatly diverging paths. It’s extremely difficult to live up to the lofty expectations fans have placed on the movie, and so that brings us to the million dollar question… does Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues bring the laughs? “By the hymen of Olivia Newton John!”, yes it does!
Story
“You stay classy, San Diego”, sadly, no longer applies as Ron and Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) – now married and parents to a 6 year old boy named Walter (Judah Nelson) – have moved to the ‘Big Apple’ to pursue prime-time, co-anchor spots for a big-leagues national news network. Unfortunately, news-casting titan and boss-man Mack Tannen (Harrison Ford) is on the way out, relinquishing his duties as lead weekday anchor. Why is that so bad? I mean, a promotion may be on the horizon for the duo, right? Well, you’d be half-right. Mack proceeds to flirt with Veronica as Ron awkwardly and inappropriately quips, in an awful Italian accent, “you like-a the merchandise?!” Mack is a fan of her… “work”, but considers Ron “the worst anchorman I have ever seen!”. He fires Ron, who is fuming upon arriving home, getting into a row with his successful wife and bringing back to the fore the issues of gender-equality and misogyny that were the underpinning themes of the first film. “It’s me or the job!”.
“Whammy!” Chicken… except, it’s not chicken.
Needless to say, Veronica is a business-oriented woman, and so Ron is sent packing back to San Diego, falling into a drunken existence doing side gigs like introducing presenters at Sea World. One failed suicide attempt later, a gift from the Gods arrives in the form of producer Freddie Schap (Dylan Baker), who has a proposition for Ron – an opportunity at the revolutionary upstart Global News Network (GNN). Although the concept of 24 hour news boggles Ron’s mind, he accepts and ventures to get the old gang back together. David Koechner as Champ Kind is the first to be visited and earns some of the best laughs of the first act, refusing to let go of his and Ron’s embrace and then dishing on the true ingredients in his “Whammy! Chicken”. Brian has become a star photographer for Cat Fancy magazine and, finally, Brick is… dead. Or so everyone thought, attending his funeral only to find him giving his own eulogy. Steve Carrell is a consistent scene-stealer once again, bringing his trademark innocence and charisma to the outrageously stupid character of Brick Tamland.
Together again, they arrive in New York (once more for Ron) and get acquainted with their new workplace, ratings competition in Jack Lime (James Marsden) – the “best in the biz” – and their African-American, female boss, Linda Jackson (Meagan Good). As previously mentioned, the controversial gender-equality arguments, topical and timely in the first (set in the 70’s) are briefly re-tread here, but the bigger problem for Ron in particular is Linda’s race. They didn’t call them the “turbulent 80’s” for nothing, and rampant racism was a significant part of that. In this case, Ron cannot seem to get over the truth that his manager is black, literally finding himself helpless against the urge to repeatedly blurt out the fact of her skin colour. Thankfully, this is done in such a way that just makes Ron look like a complete buffoon, rather empowering Ms. Jackson and sending the right message. In actuality, Linda works under GNN’s true innovator and creator, the Australian Kench Allenby (Josh Lawson).
Brick finds love in an equally mentally challenged Chani (Kristen Wiig).
Throughout their budding careers at the station, rivalries are born, ratings rise, love is found, news becomes entertainment and journalistic integrity is tested, leading to a turn of events that alienates Ron from his best friends and dives into absolutely ludicrous territory. Without giving much away, there is a strong shift at the end of the second act that sees Ron take residence in a lonely lighthouse, blind to the world around him. The ensuing third act doesn’t let up with the humour, per se, but it does slow down, which is understandable (some might say inevitable). Ron pays more attention to his responsibilities as a father too, but I feel like the change in narrative focus is, not sudden, but maybe slightly undercooked. Nonetheless, the film doesn’t suffer too badly from this alteration in direction. Fans will love and appreciate the multiple callbacks: Baxter saving the day (and talking!… in text again), Ron’s outstanding flute playing, a huge multi-national news team brawl – featuring numerous superstar cameos, some of which are extremely fun and genuine surprises – and even a nod to Will Ferrell’s ice-skating comedy Blades of Glory (2007).
Visuals & Audio
Ah, the early 80’s… the age of the perm, poofy hair and pastels. Transitioning from the 70’s, Ron and the gang undergo an ever-so-slight transformation to usher in the new decade. The set designers and wardrobe department did a groovy job in encapsulating the era, for better or for worse. Never again has the colour teal been so popular. 80’s kids will also rejoice in the soundtrack choices here, with Christopher Cross’ “Ride Like the Wind”, John Waite’s “Change”, Neil Diamond’s “Shilo” and Kenny Loggins’ “This is it” featuring among others. And just like the prior movie, there are numerous quotable bits that demand to be re-listened to on the Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues OST. Visually, a few scenes were more involved and complicated then you would expect from a comedy genre-piece…
Perm-tastic!
Early on, the former Channel 4 news team flip their RV after Ron leaves it on cruise control, not realising it only regulates speed. Almost like a Final Destination set-up, before it begins to spin out and roll, certain objects – a deep fryer, a enclosure of scorpions and a bag of bowling balls – are highlighted in the space through dialogue and are given overt camera focus. With everything (and everyone) in motion, being thrown around like ragdolls, we see the searing liquid burn Champ’s face, bowling balls strike the wind out of Brick and a scorpion latch onto Ron’s tongue in a beautiful, zero gravity-esque, slow-motion sequence. Oh, and yeah, there are explosions in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, in a scene reminiscent of front-line warfare. In the same set-piece, however, a less impressive technical feat – to say the least – was a badly green-screened Harrison Ford, who was obviously not present on the set that day, but later keyed in during post-production.
Overall
Adam McKay and Will Ferrell have produced a rarity in the genre – a sequel that is just as funny, if not more, than its predecessor. Much of the film’s comedic successes can be attributed tothe crew’s trademark improvisational approach, and when your cast includes such quick-on-their-feet, seasoned funnymen as David Koechner, Paul Rudd, Steve Carrell and Will Ferrell himself, that’s a recipe for pure gold. The humour is signature Ron Burgundy silliness taken to the umpteenth level as Anchorman 2:The Legend Continues is leaps and bounds more absurd than the first, and I loved the film for it. It is also a surprisingly strong satire and commentary on the death of TV journalism, with a life lesson to boot… DO NOT swim out to reunite with a grown great white shark, even if you did raise it. “Say whaaaat?!”
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Madman Entertainment have announced their next acquisition in their #12AnnouncementsOfXmas promotion. This time they have announced that they have acquired the license for the second season of Oreimo, which is aptly titled Oreimo 2.
Oreimo 2 continues the story of a sister who really can’t be this cute! The second season wraps up the series, finishing the adaptation of the light novel series to its completion. Madman plan to release the anime on DVD at some point in 2014.
Stay tuned for more announcements as part of Madman’s #12AnnouncementsOfXmas promotion. Will your favourite anime be licensed by Madman, well you’ll have to wait and see to find out.
Get ready for fun on the run as the hunt for Invizimals hits TV screens across Australia!
Join the Hunt as the popular franchise covers new ground with the brand new animated TV series
SYDNEY, 17th December, 2013: Get in on the action as one of the most popular children’s franchises of all time storms onto your TV! Team up with scientist Kenichi (Keni) Nakamura and his Alliance of Invizimal Hunters as they embark on a quest to unravel the mysteries of The Invizimals™ world in the new animated series from BRB International, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE).
Invizimals debuted on Australian television with a 90 minute episode on Sunday 15th December 2013 at 6.00am on Channel ELEVEN. The second 90 minute installment airs at the same time on Sunday 22nd December. Don’t worry if you missed out, replays will be available to view again in January 2014 with the rest of the series (all 26 episodes) hitting your screens from July 2014!
The Invizimals are unique and incredibly powerful beings made of energy who have lived in our world – but in their own dimension – since long before history began. The Invizimals franchise, created in collaboration with Novarama for PlayStation®Portable, now includes three fantastic games Invizimals™, Invizimals™: Shadow Zone, and Invizimals™: The Lost Tribes. Gamers are able to join the hunt on PS Vita® with Invizimals™: The Alliance and Invizimals™: The Lost Kingdom on PlayStation®3.
In the exciting new animated series Keni is a young, super-gifted scientific researcher that discovers the Invizimals during a routine experiment. Together with his friend Jazmin, they are able to collaborate with the Invizimals and start developing some completely new and pioneering technology by using the Invizimals’ infinite and non-polluting source of energy. Just when everything is running smoothly, Keni’s laboratory is hacked by the X-Tractors, whose sole objective seems to be taking over their source of energy!
Keni needs help against this unknown enemy and enlists Hiro, a video game fanatic from Kyoto, Lima, a girl prodigy from Sao Paolo who’s already studying at the university at the age of 13 and Sam, a gadget geek from London. This group of unlikely heroes from different corners of the earth form the elite Z-1 Unit of the Alliance whose mission is to explore the mysterious world of the Invizimals!
Just like the games, the new animated series incorporates augmented-reality techniques, where viewers will be able to unlock additional content from the series exclusively via their PS Vita and other mobile devices.
Nexon Europe have announced that the closed beta for Lost Saga will arrive early 2014. The free-to -play MMORPG, developed by I.O. Entertainment and licensed by WeMade Entertainment, welcomes action-fighting gamers to a battle royale of heroes of sci-fi and fantasy from across the ages; Kage Ninja, Victory Defender, Musketeer, Tao Warrior, Western Gunman, Space Soldier, Crazy Sapper and Savage Beserker.
Managing Director at Nexon Europe, Kenny Chang, stated, “We’re incredibly pleased to have this prestigious title added to our already large and varied collection. Lost Saga is an easy to learn, difficult to master game. Fast-paced, high action, and fun-packed gameplay with 100 different well-balanced offensive and defensive characters will provide unique experiences in every single play. I believe our players will relish in this great addition to the NEXON Europe family.”
Lost Saga is designed to be the ultimate party brawler, that features; six languages (English, German, French, Italian, Polish, and Turkish), with up to 16 players to explore 20 maps, customise their arsenal of heroes and switch between them during multiplayer battles online. Players who win the fight claim ownership over their opponents armour and weapons, along with the accompanying skills.
Lost Saga will feature the following types of modes:
Crown Control: heroes must defend their team’s crown from their enemies
Prisoner: players can capture their opponents on the field of battle
Power Stone: players must protect their skills by keeping their Power Stone safe
Boss Raid: take the ultimate advantage by becoming the boss that their opponents must destroy
Check out the action-packed trailer below and prepare yourself for the closed beta test next year, by joining the official Facebook page herefor Lost Saga.
Piranha Games has revealed a host of Clan Mech packages for its free-to-play PC title, MechWarrior Online, available for pre-order. Check out a short teaser trailer below.
These offers are described as the precursor to the third “pillar” of the MechWarrior Online gameplay, Clan Warfare, which has been anticipated for some time now. Players can now buy one of several bundles for a limited time, including XP bumps, limited edition forum badges and other items ahead of the next big update that’s set to introduce Clan Invasions. More details will be revealed in time.
These Mechs are also available in the Gold edition with a one-off special gold skin. Standard variants will be available for C-Bills in the future using earned in-game currency.
Broken Sword 5: The Serpent’s Curse Episode 1 Developer:Revolution Software Publisher:Revolution Software Platforms: PC (reviewed), Mac, Linux Release Date: 4th December, 2013 Price: $24.99 – Available Here
Overview
Putting aside the history of the series and its recent Kickstarter rebirth, the most vital thing to bear in mind going into any review of this game is that Broken Sword 5 is currently an unfinished tale. Serpent’s Curse has been split into two parts, with the finale set to be released in January 2014. Even though the asking price for the game covers both episodes, reviewing it now still feels like judging a three course meal when the main course has only just hit the table.
Broken Sword 5 is currently available on PC, Mac, and Linux, but is due for release on the PlayStation Vita before the year is out, and will also see the light of day on iOS and Android sometime in 2014.
Story
The story begins in Paris, where Broken Sword headliners George and Nico find themselves reunited at an art exhibition. Joining them is gallery owner Henri, oily art critic Hector Laine, and a Dominican priest by the name of Father Simeon. The plot moves into motion when a thief crashes into the gallery, making off with one of the paintings and killing have a go hero Henri. Although the painting seems of little significance to George and Nico, both have a vested interest in finding out what happened: George works for the insurers of the exhibition and journalist Nico has the promise of a front page story if she can get to the bottom of the theft.
There are some great supporting characters in The Serpent’s Curse, from Cockney gardeners with a penchant for topiary to a wonderfully cynical French waiter. Fans of the series will also be pleased to see some old characters returning, with Lady Piermont and Sergeant Moue both making an appearance. George is still a likeable and gently funny protagonist, taking up the majority of the screen time whilst Nico is largely there to distract people and give George someone to talk to- an imbalance that will hopefully be remedied in part two.
The humor saunters along in a fairly low key fashion, drawing the best of its comedy from the banter between the characters. George’s inner monologue and reactions are good for a smirk too. The whole game exudes a very safe kind of charm, and is at heart warm and welcoming.
As the two pursue the painting and uncover its history there are plenty of revelations and dramatic incidents to drive things along, with a bit of globe trotting thrown in for good measure. Whilst the theft, murder and associated dodgy dealings are interesting to uncover, there is the sense that they don’t really matter in comparison to the more supernatural element of the plotline.
Where previous Broken Sword games dabbled with the Templar mythology, Serpent’s Curse picks up the Gnostics as its religious fringe group of choice. Sadly the threads of the Gnostic plotline only begin to come to a head as the episode draws to a close, making Episode 1 feel a little lonesome without its climactic brother.
Gameplay
The Serpent’s Curse returns the Broken Sword franchise to its point and click roots, utilising a simple interface that allows the usual selection of examine, use, and talk. Mouse work takes care of all movement, with the inventory accessed through a corner hugging suitcase. Everything works perfectly and there are no awkward moments with screen transitions or object interaction.
Not so old school however, is the relative lack of difficulty. Whilst there are a couple of head-scratchers most of the puzzles are pretty simple, with little to send well traveled point and clickers googleward. The way the game handles plot progression means that only relevant locations are accessible, and if a puzzle doesn’t require items from elsewhere then you’re simply stopped from leaving until it is solved, leaving little mystery if you do happen to come stuck.
Audio & Visuals
Broken Sword 5 features some utterly gorgeous hand painted backgrounds- picking out screenshots for this review was a very lengthy process! Whether it’s a Parisian street or a florist’s shop bursting with blooms, the environment work in Broken Sword 5 is a delight. Paris and London are full of vibrant colours and lush landscapes, with the artwork brought to life by the clever use of light.
All the characters are cell shaded 3D models, and whilst some of the movement animations are a little clunky there is a nice level of expression in their faces that can add to some of the comedic moments. Voice acting throughout is strong, with side characters efficiently brought to life. Nico does feel a bit flat at times, but given that George carries the majority of the game with his warmth and wit it’s not overly noticeable.
The music is a largely subdued concoction of strings and piano that mellows or comes to life with the action on screen. As well as the background tracks there is a pop tune that plays a minor part in the story, and it’s actually a pretty plausible creation that is catchy enough to stick in your head.
Overall
Broken Sword 5 is off to a good start. The plot is intriguing, the artwork is beautiful, and George and Nico have a good selection of supporting characters helping them on their way. The return to a more classic point and click style along with the successful Kickstarter campaign has hopefully reinvigorated the series, but whether this is a good or a great game can only be judged come January, when Episode 2 is released.
Given a great climax and a few trickier puzzles, The Serpent’s Curse could quite easily find itself in nine out of ten territory. For now Episode 1 doesn’t quite stand on its own as a great adventure, but that won’t stop fans of the series from enjoying it. Returning to that three course meal analogy, The Serpent’s Curse Episode 1 is a tantalising appetiser.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
If you need to see more of the movie before deciding if it will be thrown into your shopping trolley this Boxing Day, then check out the trailer below. Will you be picking this one up, or do you already have all of your post-holiday spendings planned out? Let us know in the comments below, and as always stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the Paramount Pictures news as it becomes available.
