It looks like Atlus USA has something up their sleeves and we may be hearing about it sometime this week. With their latest email sent out to their Atlus Faithful, a link on the bottom of the message lead to a very strange site portraying a baby in the womb via an ultrasound.
The site also features little bits of text that is probably referencing at least a handful of Atlus titles since one is Gold 4 which likely refers to Persona 4: Golden. This could either be a brand new game announcement for Atlus itself, or a new localization and if it happens to be the latter, signs are pointing to a certain RPG called Conception II, what with the baby ultrasound and the site URL containing “sc_c2”.
Breaking Bad is touted as one of the best TV shows to ever be produced, and its ending left viewers satisfied while still giving us a wealth of plot points and intricacies to debate and discuss for years to come. Although, what if it had ended differently?
While Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) has the need for speed, Heisenberg himself, Bryan Cranston has brought to life an all new-alternate ending to the show. I wont give away any spoilers, but this is the ending that a lot of fans secretly wished for. Check out the video below which has the entire conclusion, and let us know your thoughts in the comments. As always, for all the hit TV news when it comes available, stay tuned to Capsule Computers.
Overview The weather is getting colder and although a tornado just swept on through here, it is starting to feel like Christmas now that stores have begun stocking ornaments and the first snowfall has already occurred. As such, it seems like it is prime time to bring a Christmas themed shojo manga over to North America and Viz Media has done just that with Sweet Rein. Now that the first volume has been released, does this Christmas themed series start off well?
Story Kurumi Sagara is used to spending time alone. Her mother passed away when she was young and her father spends all of his time at work in an effort to provide for the family. With all of her friends already planning parties with their boyfriends or relatives, Kurumi has resigned herself to spending yet another Christmas alone.
In an effort to clear her head, she takes a walk through town only to bump into a boy who seems to be bumping into everyone that he sees. The only problem is, when she bumps into this boy a rein suddenly wraps itself around her wrist and as she looks back, it connects to the boy’s neck. The boy, named Kaito is ecstatic as he proclaims that he has found his master and that she is a Santa.
At first she believes that he is crazy, but at her command he turns into a reindeer right there in the middle of the street. Kurumi now finds herself in a master and servant relationship where Kaito will do anything that she asks of him, whether it is to turn into a reindeer, fly to her no matter where she is, or even get launched away when she wants her space.
Despite the crazy circumstances, Kurumi takes everything in stride as she meets with Kaito’s family, consisting mostly of other reindeer, and accepts her responsibilities as a Santa Claus, learning that there are many more people like her and Kaito out in the world. As she begins to spend time with Kaito, will this lonely girl find happiness?
Sweet Rein is a rather simple manga at heart. While the idea of Santa and humans that turn into reindeer is certainly novel, this first volume is rather simplistic but still heartwarming in a number of ways. Thanks to the fact that there are only three actual chapters in this release, the story moves at a brisk pace as Kurumi learns to handle her new situation, helps out a child in need, and deals with someone from Kaito’s past.
All of this occurs while she struggles with her feelings for Kaito since, despite his constant devotion and love for her seems true, she is prone to bouts of jealousy and is concerned over how quickly he seems to have developed feelings for her. While stereotypical, it still makes for a rather enjoyable read that will leave the reader smiling and even laughing thanks to the artwork and events in certain panels. It also helps that this first volume avoids a lot of issues that plague many romantic comedies such as this and is pretty much devoid of any worthless drama.
Artwork It is always interesting to see an author handling her own artwork as there is little disconnect with what she wanted to portray and how it is shown. In Sweet Rein we have a rather simplistic art style that is very familiar to the handful of shojo manga that I have seen in the past. Only a few characters are given importance in the series, so Kurumi and Kaito are nicely detailed and Kurumi has a number of cute outfits that she wears throughout the volume as she switches between a Santa outfit and more standard clothing.
The panels are rather basic except for the standard shojo background effects during romantic moments and there are a handful of large panels that are very nice looking with plenty of Christmas-like illustrations. It is also worth noting that any time that Kaito is shown in his reindeer form it is very cute, especially when he is depressed in that form. Thankfully there are no issues with the English text obscuring the artwork as everything is handled nicely and all sound effects have been translated into their English equivalent.
Extra Content Throughout each of the chapters in Sweet Rein Volume 1 there are occasional ‘Sakura Mail’ panels on the left page which feature notes from the author Sakura Tsukuba as she talks about her reasoning for creating the series and adding specific elements to the story. Interestingly enough, she does mention a few colored pages however no colored pages are included in this release. The final few pages of the volume also feature a full page of Sakura Mail which is followed by character introductions.
Sweet Rein Volume 1 may only be three chapters long, but it does feature an interesting one-shot chapter from Tsukuba which focuses on an entirely different cast and situation. The one-shot is titled Sweet Bite Mark and follows a tamed vampire who lives in the modern day. Since vampire bites are almost always deadly, he avoids biting people whenever possible and works with a special agent to get by. However when a little girl appears claiming to be his daughter, he is in for a slight change of pace. This little inclusion is a nice closing story and also features comments from the author referencing how she wanted to write a vampire story such as this.
Overall Sweet Rein Volume 1 is a rather basic romantic comedy shojo manga but it is still fun to read. Without extra drama to hold it back, the manga remains light-hearted almost the entire time and when something dramatic does occur, Kurumi perseveres to try and make it right. Although rather short to begin with, Sweet Rein’s first volume offers an enjoyable new take on Christmas, Santa Claus, and his, or in this case her Reindeer and their budding relationship.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
The holidays are just around the corner, and now we all have to think about what to get for our loved ones. Well if you are racking your brain trying to think of a present that doesn’t revolve around an Xbox One or a PS4 then Wizards of the Coast have you covered. This year’s Magic the Gathering Holiday Box is available now!
The box itself is sturdy, beautifully designed and will hold upwards of 2000 cards, which means at the very least you will have provided your favorite Planeswalker with a perfect place to keep the rest of their Magic related Christmas presents. However, a storage container is the least of the goodies available in this bad boy. You will also get 4 Theros booster packs, a pack of 20 basic land (4 of each type), plastic dividers featuring gorgeous artwork to separate your cards how you see fit, stickers to further customise the dividers, and a special alternate art Karametra’s Acolyte card (which is only available in this collection). All of that for the RRP of $29.95
The 2013 Holiday Box is available now, so be sure to pick one up for card-tapping, strategy devising loved ones. We have a tonne of Magic news coming in the following days, including our review of one of this year’s Commander Decks, so be sure to stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the Magic the Gathering news as it becomes available.
Leading maker of quality PC power supply units FSP has made available its latest AURUM and Raider range of PSUs in Australia and New Zealand. The new AURUM and AURUM PRO series come in anywhere between 400W and 1200W models and are considered Haswell ready.
The Raider Series meets Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) with 80 PLUS Silver certification on a single +12V rail. The range starts from 450W to 750W models running at <19dBA at 50% loading, consuming 0.5W on standby.
The AURUM range features 80 PLUS Gold certification at 90% efficiency, Hybrid Synergy Design on 12V rails and arrow-shaped ventilation with an 120mm FDB fan. Prices for the series start at $79.99 and are targeted for active power users, system builders and those looking to upgrade their PC for the latest hardware.
You can grab FSP’s AURUM and Raider range from most major PC hardware resellers in Australia and New Zealand. For more info check out the official FSP website.
As I am sure everyone reading this article knows, Sony’s PlayStation 4 finally launched. When the clock struck midnight in New York City on November 15th, the first console was sold, and since then many more have followed suit – so many in fact that the PSN could not handle the initial stress.
To celebrate the launch, PlayStation Australia gathered various media outlets and personalities from across the country together for quite a shindig. Food was served, drinks were had, and we all ushered in the next generation of console gaming together. However, most importantly we got to go hands-on with the sexy new console, and take a look at its stylish UI.
Sony were eager to get the thoughts and opinions of some of those in attendance, and they have compiled some of them into a pretty impressive launch video. If you look and listen really hard, you will be able to find a certain Capsule Computers editor sharing his opinions at three separate spots in the video.
Check out the video below and let us know in the comments how excited you are for the beginning of the next generation of gaming and entertainment. You can also join in the conversation on social media with the hashtag: 4ThePlayers. Remember that the PS4 launches here in Australia on the 29th of November, but if you need your PlayStation fix, we have began publishing the reviews for the console’s launch titles, starting with Resogun. So as always, be sure to stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the PlayStation news as it becomes available.
Deadfall Adventures Publisher:Nordic Games Developer:The Farm 51 Platforms:PC (reviewed), Xbox 360 Release Date: November 15, 2013 Price: $39.99 – Steam
Overview
Deadfall Adventures follows an unique re-interpreted storyline that has spawned from the great works of H. R. Haggard “Lost World” genre (King Solomon’s Mines & Allen Quartermain). Inspirations from these novels led to the creation of famous figures like Indiana Jones that have fueled many fantasy desires of becoming treasure hunters or archaeologists. So how does Deadfall Adventures bring the focus of these desires to the gamer? Does the storyline content provide original work, or rely on previously used content? Let’s dig up some good ‘ol truth!
Story
How does a studio try to emulate a treasure hunter adventure without having similarities with well-known novels and films? Well, the developers for Deadfall Adventures managed to mix up a few cultural identities like “The Mummy”, “Indiana Jones”, and “Tomb Raider” and mold them into a single story. The protagonist is James Lee Quartermain who happens to be the great-grandson of the Allen Quartermain. Though his last name provides an exceptional reputation, he has poor money retention capabilities. Living off of providing tours and autographs in Africa, James is looking for the next big “thing” – if the price is right. And so Jennifer Goodwin, an American agent and former colleague, enters the picture to offer such a desirable task.
Presentation of the story is done very well through cut-scenes and character dialogue. However, the material presented can be construed as plots taken from the previously mentioned cultural identities. (1) In “The Mummy” there is an artifact that can re-animate the dead. This is clearly being done in Deadfall Adventures through the use of Atlantean tools. (2) While Indiana Jones spawned from the original Quartermain novels, we see immediate correlations with time periods and secret organizations – primarily Nazis. (3) And “Tomb Raider” along with the others, the protagonist usually finds a single piece of the artifact at a time and must combine the missing pieces scattered across the world. Such is also the case for James and Jennifer.
Gameplay
Deadfall Adventures can offer a healthy mix between FPS and puzzle gameplay, but players can ignore or completely miss opportunities to collect treasure from the grasp of deadly traps. For the latter adventurer the game offers the player Allen Quartermain’s compass, an ancient compass that directs one in the direction of treasure. When walking around a map with no treasure nearby, the compass will spin uncontrollably. But upon getting closer to the treasure, the compass’s needle will begin to focus in a single direction and eventually turn yellow signifying an immediate presence. Exploring the unknown is extremely encouraged in this title – you are an adventurer after all!
Puzzles can be simple or quite intricate. You may notice a golden statue is well within your reach, but some low hanging electrical wires may block your path. You can walk into them, or choose to live and simply shut down the wire’s power source. Die or get the treasure, decisions… decisions…
Offering variety in gameplay, there are many weapons that James Lee Quartermain can wield during his travels across the world. Sometimes a high powered rifle is necessary for the occasion in taking down ranged foes, or in other instances a heavy machine gun might make enemies reconsider running out of cover. Any gun that is able to be picked up will have limited amounts of ammo. This means that James can always count on his trusted dual pistols (unlimited ammo). Each weapon has been modified to have certain specifications such as reload speed, draw speed, and damage to allow for unique gameplay.
Beyond the normal weapons players can equip wonderful items like explosives! A good way to make non-mummy foes run to their mommy – see what I did there – is to chuck a stick of TNT or grenade at their feet. But even more impressive that just some explosive sticks is a grenade launcher. One such weapon becomes available to you in the Arctic and is essential to progress in the story. It’s not everyday that you get to blow up a side of a mountain…
Other than the Adventure/Story mode there are Survival and Multiplayer modes. Survival is interesting because it plays off much similar to a firefight scenario (Halo) or zombie zone (CoD). The positives to consider in this mode is that it can be an escape from the storyline or give additional play time after the story’s completion. You gain points for killing each enemy, and can progressively buy better weapons each new round. An important note to consider is that you will run out of ammo in this mode, so conserving ammo and using the scene’s traps would be beneficial.
Multiplayer is practically non-existent. So far only a hand few of players are logged in the ranked system (12 total). There are plenty of interesting items to unlock in this mode. You may unlock weapons that you have found throughout the story mode and even increase your rank to unveil new articles of clothing to wear. However, such things are only accessible if a community is available to make it attainable. Though multiplayer is a nice option to have, there isn’t a calling for it in this type of game. I find it very hard for people to play this title and complete all achievements when the multiplayer has such a short coming.
Audio
While making the title authentic by relaying actual phrases used in the book series, Deadfall Adventures becomes repetitive in the non-story sectors of the game. This is particularly noticeable when dealing with your companion Jennifer Goodwin. Too often do you hear, “still think I’m a rookie Quartermain?”. At the very least there could have been a random selection of snarky phrases set in place for whenever Jennifer gets a kill.
Audio scores for levels and the main overlay do well to match tone and theme for a treasure hunter. The soundtrack certainly helped to place me in the mood of finding treasure or just having an all out shootout. I just wish I had a bullwhip to snap into a mummy’s face…
Visual
Environments are stunning! Deadfall Adventures does well to emphasize the importance of the environment considering the whole ‘treasure hunting’ aspect. Looking beyond traps that cause immediate death, landscapes and terrain make this game more enjoyable. Pause for a moment when riding down mine carts above a dormant volcano to capture the beauty and detail placed into this world.
Another aspect that I thought the developers did well was the implementation of special effects. Early on you encounter the existence of the undead, and you need some way of dispatching these monsters. So how better to make mummies vulnerable than to use your very own flashlight! Powered with Atlantean crystals your flashlight turns into this burning flame that slowly turns a contacted mummy’s body into smoldering embers. The burning is done in stages and looks fairly neat as the skin/wrappings become brighter with flame. After pumping a couple bullets in the body limps to the ground and quickly disintegrates.
Not quite as amusing are some visual glitches noticed during gameplay. I wasn’t overly concerned when I quickly switched between weapons and items to notice that my compass became stuck on screen. I was testing this out on purpose to see how quickly I could bring up my double draw of pistols. Could be useful for those that like looking for treasure with both hands ready to shoot… However, the more concerning glitch is immediately noticeable in the storyline when shining a light on an encased mummy in the Arctic zone. As the mummy emerges, it “magically” shifts to be above the ground and no longer holding the treasure. Since this is one of the most noticeable glitches in the game, it makes you wonder what else could be wrong.
Overall
I did find the excitement that the developers were aiming towards in reviving the treasure hunting theme, but Deadfall Adventures just falls short in several areas that makes it unappealing at a $39.99/$49.99 price value. Playing the game for the story may be understandable; but offering a multiplayer with little to no community following just shows how much attention this game is receiving. Pretending to be an “Indiana Jones” is fun, but I would likely consider other titles in the current price range.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here
Friends, it’s time you became a star anchor. If you enjoy rich mahogany and a nightly glass of scotch, Ron Burgundy wants to hear from you! You have a rare chance to get your salon-quality hair featured on the next GNN broadcast.
By visiting www.joinronsnewscrew.com you can submit an audition tape to be reviewed by Ron, Brian, Champ and Brick. It doesn’t matter whether you’re interested in doing the weather, covering sports, being out in the field or sitting behind the news desk, you’ll get feedback from the best news crew this side of everywhere.
Share your audition across your own social networks and keep your eyes peeled! You may also appear in the weekly recap of fantastic auditions from the last 7 days. If you’re not the on-camera type, that’s understandable… few have the natural good looks and raw talent of Mr. Burgundy. Instead, you can share your own brand of news crew love by using the meme generator. And remember to stay classy, and catch Paramount Pictures‘ Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, in cinemas December 19.
We’ll pick 1 lucky winner on the 25th of November. Make sure you use a valid email when you register/post your comment so we can email you if you are one of our winners.
Developer Visual Concepts and Publisher 2K Sports have just released a brand-new trailer for the upcoming game; NBA 2K14. It is called the “Uber Trailer” and shows off a lot of what this next instalment to the NBA 2K franchise has to offer, things like the amazing new graphics to the Eco-Motion Engine. It also shows the different game modes within this release such as MyCAREER, The Park and MyGM. The graphics are looking absolutely fantastic and are so close to being live-action, NBA 2K14 is already showing us what the next generation of consoles will have in store for us and fans are running absolutely wild for it.
The game is available now for the PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360 and for Microsoft Windows PCs. The game has already been released for PlayStation 4 in North America but will hit Europe on the 29th of November, the Xbox One version of the game is also set for a November release on the 22nd. Head down to the Featured Video Section below to check out the new trailer and don’t forget to hit up our comments section to let us know what you think. Also check out Part 2 of the Michael Jordan Uncensored conversation directly below, where he talks about his reasons for wearing the number 23, his favorite dunks, as well as the historical players he’d pick for his starting five.
The box itself is sturdy, beautifully designed and will hold upwards of 2000 cards, which means at the very least you will have provided your favorite Planeswalker with a perfect place to keep the rest of their Magic related Christmas presents. However, a storage container is the least of the goodies available in this bad boy. You will also get 4 Theros booster packs, a pack of 20 basic land (4 of each type), plastic dividers featuring gorgeous artwork to separate your cards how you see fit, stickers to further customise the dividers, and a special alternate art Karametra’s Acolyte card (which is only available in this collection). All of that for the RRP of $29.95
