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Pokemon X and Pokemon Y: The Official Kalos Region Guidebook Review

November 18, 2013

Pokemon X and Pokemon Y: The Official Kalos Region Guidebook
Publisher: The Pokemon Company
Distributor: Bluemouth Interactive
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $34.95 – Available Here

Every generation of Pokemon comes with a whole bunch of different releases from toys to cards and every time a game is released you can be sure that, soon after, there will be a release of a region guidebook. In the past these books have always been great but they were in their prime back before a majority of people playing the game had a constant flow of internet access, now that times have changed and almost everyone owns and can use a computer alongside the internet I feel like the popularity and/or need for these guidebooks is slowly declining. The latest generation of guidebook has just been released and us at Capsule Computers have managed to get our hands on a copy and I’m here today to tell you that I personally think the age of the game guidebook is about to be reborn, specifically for Pokemon.

I want to start off by talking about the guidebook aesthetically; it is a great deal smaller than previous releases yet it is a great deal thicker and honestly seems to have so much more in-depth information than other years. The guide retains the flashy and holographic front cover much like the previous releases but that is solely on the dust jacket, once taken off the book really looks almost religious much like that of a bible, it is very simple and is half red and half blue with the version exclusive legendaries on their respective sides. I would sooner keep this book on display without the dust jacket than with it on. I’m already calling it the book that keeps on giving because on the flip side of the dust jacket is the Kalos Region map which is very detailed up close and looks beautiful.

The way the actual content of the book has been written and set out reminds me of a textbook. It begins with a table of contents which is shown in two different ways; one is the order in which the game should be played and the other is alphabetical order. There are also small tables that outline extra pieces of information which can be seen throughout the book. They have made it so easy to flick through and find what you need to find, each box is coloured softly and the information within them is easy to read without getting too confused. Colours and symbols are used profusely throughout the entire book and it makes it so easy to find your place. On each page on the right hand side you can see all eight gym badges, as you continue through the book those gym badges become coloured and highlighted so you know exactly what gyms you should have beaten by that point and it also helps you indicate your place in the game and helps you through.

The information within the book is absolutely incredible and the depth in which the explanation goes is just as good. Not only does it have maps of routes and towns but where you can find trainers, what Pokemon they have and how you can beat them and while the other guidebooks have done this I can’t say it has ever been in this much detail. The only true way to understand what I’m talking about is to actually have the book, you don’t realise how much of an asset it is to have it and the fact that it is so compact and easily taken around gives the masses more reason to purchase it. Details like how exactly to catch the Snorlax on Route 7 that is blocking your make the game much easier simply because of the rang of information within just one small paragraph of explanation. Not only does it tell you exactly what makes it hard to catch, it also tells you how to combat those specific things and swiftly make a catch. I can’t stress this enough.

If you’re a fan of the site and you’re constantly up to date with what we do I’m sure you’ve seen our feature articles regarding how to make lots of money in Pokemon X and Y (which you can see here) or how to level up Pokemon faster in Pokemon X and Y (which you can see here), well the guidebook actually goes over these things in a whole lot more detail than we did and, even at first glance, has taught me things that I’ve never known like how stopping a Pokemon from evolving will, in turn, give you more Experience Points. It’s not just information on the game that you get in the guidebook, information about certain Pokemon and the myths and lore behind them can be read throughout the book. Information on how to properly and swiftly Super Train your Pokemon or how to successfully and quickly make a Pokemon befriend you are just two small examples of the mass of information you can find in the book.

It also comes with a couple nice little extras like a second Kalos Region map that is NOT on the back of the dust jacket which also has a great typing chart that tells you what effects what. It also comes with a micro-fibre screen cleaner which has the legendary Pokemon on one side and the Kalos Region starters on the other side. The Pokemon X and Pokemon Y: Official Kalos Region Guidebook is set apart from the others by being so much more in-depth with a seemingly better layout and better look to it that doesn’t make you feel like you’ve gone out and bought a Pokemon book but that you’ve gone out and bought a Pokemon Textbook for Pokemon University and if that isn’t the best feeling you could have than I don’t know what is.

Kill la Kill Episode 7 Impressions

Kane Bugeja

November 18, 2013

Kill-la-Kill-Episode-7-01 — **It’s the simple things in life that matter**

Kill la Kill
Episode 7: A Loser I Can’t Hate

This week we take a slight divergence from last episode’s quest for answers and power, instead peering into the twisted cityscape that is Hannouji. With the iron fisted rule of Satsuki extending far beyond the school walls, even the citizens are not free from her rules. When might equals right, how will our Kamui clad hero cope with this barbaric world order?

Whilst partaking in one of the trademark Makanshoku family dinners, Ryuko notes how different it is from her own childhood. Apparently papa Matoi was not the most responsible father, shipping Ryuko off to boarding school at a young age. With her mother having passed away, Ryuko wasn’t left with a lot of family connections. After having been accepted so warmly into the household, she decides that it’s high time she payed the family back somehow. Calling on her stengths, she decides to infiltrate the Satsuki system and form her own institution: Fight Club. As an official part of the Hannouji school system, the members of Fight Club are entitled to all the benefits that come with such a position. Unfortunately, being the President of such a club, as Ryuko had initially intended, also comes with paperwork. A lot of paperwork. Not prepared for such a task, Ryuko immediately hands the reigns over to everybody’s favourite ditz: Mako. As the episode progresses we are treated to a brand new side of Mako, a responsible side never seen before. She rather quickly grasps the concepts of the school system, creating a plan for Ryuko to use her natural talents to secure a stronger position for their club. Carving through clubs with prodigious speed, Fight Club gains enough clout for Club President Mako to gain a One Star uniform and with it, a residential upgrade.

Kill-la-Kill-Episode-7-02 — **Don’t talk about it**

As the Makanshoku family works their way up through the echelons of society, they begin to change. What began as an innocent jubilance for their more well of lifestyle, twists into a desire for more. Greed. Pure and simple. A family that was once happy with mystery meat croquettes now considers opulence a given, drifting further apart from each other in the process. As Ryuko sits alone at a lavish table, she finds herself regretting her course of action, having lost that which she cherished the most. That being said, the fault lies with the Makanshoku family, rather than Ryuko herself. Not used to anything more than life in the slums, they were not equipped for such a rapid rise through the social hierarchy of Hannouji. It for this reason that Satsuki even allowed Fight Club to form, trusting “human weakness” to grab hold of the loveable family. We have already seen Satsuki’s despisal towards all she deems weak, which is quite a large deal of the population. Hoping to seize victory through less direct means, Satsuki sought to have Ryuko too succumb to the barbaric simplicity of her regime. That being said, a small smile creeps across her face when Ryuko remains defiant. Perhaps in the acceptance of Ryuko as a truly worthy opponent, or perhaps in relief that she may be wrong about the world. Who knows?

Unfortunately, thee is one who does not remain entirely unaffected by Satsuki’s plan. One who allows the system of violence and reparations to cloud her judgement. Mako. Having lived in the grasp of poverty for, presumably, her entire life, she is unwilling to give up her new position…even if that requires her to turn on a friend. Granted the power of a Two Star uniform by Satsuki, she is given a rare chance: Defeat Ryuko and immediately receive a Three Star uniform and a place on the Student Council. Donning her Fight Club Spec outfit, the misguided Mako reveals yet another side: badass. Able to go toe to toe with a Kamui, she proves herself a more than capable fighter. Refusing to fight her friend, Ryuko deactivates Senketsu and proceeds to get pummelled for hours. This display of faith eventually manages to get through that thick Makanshoku skull, forcing the family to realise the error of their ways and rush to Ryuko’s side.

Kill-la-Kill-Episode-7-03 — **Kenka Mako Friendship Rumble**

This episode also provides an explanation for the seemingly endless supply of ridiculous clubs and over the top anime baddies that target Ryuko. Consumed by the same greed that almost tore the Makanshoku family apart, Hannouji clubs have begun to crumble and divide. As only the club president will receive a Three Star uniform upon defeating Ryuko, each student desires the power for themselves. It is also for this reason that Ryuko faces so many weak opponents. Though many now hold the title of Club President, very few of them are actually worthy of said position. It’s essentially a system that creates its own cannon fodder. Very handy. Plus Ryuko gets more chances to add to her collection of requisitioned Life Fibres. It’s win/lose, in the good way.

Well we learnt quite a lot in Kill la Kill this week. Not about fighting or super powered clothing, but about family. What it really means to be happy and what you need to continue living. Apparently it isn’t things, but emotions and connections with loved ones…weird right? When life begins to change around you, it’s easy to lose sight of what you started with. The only difference between a shack and a mansion is all the hollow space.

Check out more Kill la Kill Impressions HERE.

Crowman And Wolfboy Review

Frank Inglese

November 18, 2013

Crowman And Wolfboy
Developer: Wither Studios
Publisher: Wither Studios
Platforms: iPod Touch, iPhone (Reviewed), iPad
Release Date: 18th October 2013
Price: $2.99 – Available Here

Overview

There are so many games floating around that try to turn different genres on their heads and they don’t “reinvent” them but they do put a nice spin on them, they make it their own and, in some big cases, they make the genre work for the game instead of the inverse which I find to be an incredible feat and one that doesn’t often come about. Crowman And Wolfboy is a platforming/puzzle game that has a beautiful art style, a very in-depth story and a almost perfect pacing, I would consider it to be one of those games that makes the genre its own and pushes it to the absolute limit yet keeps the game simple enough for an audience to be able to pick up at any time and play. Clearly I think highly of this game already but allow me to further explain why it is I like it so much.

Story

It’s funny to think that such a seemingly simple iOS game like this has a fairly deep and highly meaningful story that will really get players thinking but it does and while its is not always highlighted, it is definitely always present during gameplay. You, as the player, take control of two monsters that work almost as one entity; Crowman and Wolfboy, these two “things” live in a dense and dark forest that is thick with the eerie fog of evil and populated with nothing but other monsters and devilish beings that even scare them. The two friends become sick of living in such a depressing environment and it’s slowly killing them inside, they find a flyer for a city that boast clean air and happy people, the two monsters set off for the city but the other “citizens” of the dark forest don’t like the idea of them leaving and give chase, this is where the game begins.

As you go through the game you are constantly chased by a wave of darkness, which I will get into more in the “Gameplay” section, and one wrong move could land you in some deep trouble. The two creatures must continue running, always fearing the envelopment of darkness that is coming their way. I love the metaphor of running aware from the negativity yet no matter how fast or how hard you run it will always be there, lurking and chasing. Throughout the game you come certain power-ups that, when obtained, give off a light that turns the grey and black environment partially coloured, the game basically tells you that the stronger you get and the more you run brings you closer to the bright new world you wish to live in, I find the layers of meaning and thought put into the game to be wonderful.

Gameplay

Crowman And Wolfboy plays fairly simply; you run across an environment, you swipe up to jump, down to land quickly, you collect orbs to keep away the darkness and you try to make it to the finish line before you get eaten. That there is the most basic way to explain the fundamentals of the game but the great thing is that there is so much more to it than just that. Obviously the obstacles become more and more difficult as you go into the game which is great but the progression of difficult is not sharp nor is it steep, it is a nice gradual and the learning curve is a nice slope that lets you quickly get a feel for a level as you progress through it. There are small acheivements at the end of levels that I would compare to games like Angry Birds which use three stars as a 100% complete indication, so to speak. Finishing the game with full hearts, having collected all the big light orbs and saving the baby creatures you find throughout levels will earn you nothing but bragging rights but it is still a nice addition that leads you to replay certain levels in the hopes that you’ll get it all this time around.

Something I found to have been done fantastically is the pacing of power-ups within the game; some games have several tutorial levels wherein which you’re given power-ups as you go through them, some games space out power-ups to the point where you feel as though it is not worth heading to the next levels because they’re too hard to get through to get the power-ups anyway, this game does it almost perfectly. There really isn’t a layout for when you get power-ups but it seems like whenever you’re ready to put the game down it gives you another ability to use within the game. Power-ups and abilities like swiping forward to slash thorny bushes or swiping up while flying to flutter and stay airborne just that extra second longer, they all have their specifics. I think they’re great and the fact that they relate to the two characters you’re using makes it even better, it’s almost like they’re learning as they go on their journey, it’s a very nice touch.

Audio And Visuals

These two aspects happen to go hand in hand in this title, more so than a great deal of games of this type that I’ve seen in the past. The style of the art is incredibly dark and desolate with only shades of white and black used throughout most of the game, the fact that you only see colour at certain critical times gives the glimpse of colour an extra level of beauty to the game. It focuses very much on it’s environments and I think they were done fantastically, you do get a bit tense while playing with the sound on because the music isn’t booming or even that loud to be honest, it’s almost like it is…lurking, if you can understand what I’m trying to explain. This is where the audio comes in; it’s beautifully dark yet that is conflicted by the sparkling and music note-like sounds of collecting light orbs. The deep and creeping piano is interrupted by the, almost electric, sounds of the collection of light orbs which keep away the darkness is so brilliant and I really can’t get enough of this game. The art direction within it is brilliant, simple as that.

Overall

There was really no bad aspect of this game, yes I understand that there isn’t any unlockables so going through levels trying to get everything gives you nothing to show for it but there is a great level of satisfaction within doing so and considering how well-rounded the game is in general I honestly can’t see why a player would not come back to try his or her hand at a level they have already completed. It really doesn’t leave you wanting more out of it and it works well for those of you who are platformer-lovers or more puzzle-minded. I think it is a great game that anyone can enjoy and it’s free so what exactly do you have to loose by getting this game. Crowman And Wolfboy takes you on a journey where light must overcome dark and if you can’t enjoy that than I don’t think you’re human.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Pokemon The Movie: Genesect And The Legend Awakened Review

Frank Inglese

November 18, 2013

Pokemon The Movie: Genesect And The Legend Awakened Review

Pokemon The Movie: Genesect And The Legend Awakened
Studio: OLM, Inc
Publisher: Beyond Entertainment
Format: Cinema
Release Date: 16th November 2013

Overview

I have not been to see a theatrical release of a Pokemon movie in many years, not since Pokemon The Movie: 2000 had I had the pleasure of being in a packed cinema to experience an epic Pokemon adventure and, I have to say, Pokemon The Movie: Genesect and The Legend Awakened came close to letting me relive some of the wonder I felt as a child. This weekend Beyond Entertainment in association with Hoyts cinemas hosted a preview screening weekend of the movie over a select few locations and I was lucky enough, alongside my workmates, to be a part of it. It’s easy to say that the Pokemon has changed from when it was first released, it’s even easier to say that the team behind Pokemon are loosing their touch, just because the points are easy to make does not mean it is necessarily true and while the new movie did have a few setbacks we can truly see how far the franchise has come and how connected it is to its roots.

Story

Pokemon The Movie: Genesect And The Legend Awakened has a very typical Pokemon story, which I wouldn’t consider a bad thing, and borrows a great deal from its predecessors with themes of friendship, belonging and a sense of unlimited courage that, I assume, is to be instilled into the young audience, this is what the Pokemon movies are and this is, typically, what they will always be and there’s nothing wrong with that. The story follows Ash, Iris and Cilan as their journey leads them into what seems like Castelia City, although I don’t recall them ever outright mentioning it so it could’ve just been a brand-new city designed for the movie. In a remote place somewhere in the Unova Region a team of five Genesect, one being a red Genesect, travel icy mountains in search their home but considering they are the revived version of fossils their home is no longer there and they seem to begin welling with panic.

The small group gets into a bit of strife when an avalanche is set off but an old friend of the Pokemon world, Mewtwo, senses this and uses the power of, what we now know as a Mega Evolution, to save them. They converse for a short time before the red Genesect, showing extreme signs of aggression, attacks Mewtwo and forces it to flee. Now before I go on I must outline that the red Genesect, one of the four regular Genesect and Mewtwo can all speak proper English, though broken, and this is how the background of the story is put across to the audience.

The Genesect also flee and continue the search for their home, they spot a big city on the horizon and notice that the tall buildings and structures are very reminiscent of their home so, being the angry Pokemon they are, they fly into the city to attempt to take out anyone around and once again find their home. As you can probably already tell; this is the bulk of the movie, Ash and friends land face first into this ancient brawl between man-made Pokemon (Genesect and Mewtwo) and it is now up to them to stop the battle, rescue the Pokemon and save the day, like I said, pretty standard Pokemon stuff.

Now the story was great, I had no problem with it overall and while the pacing was a little bit off I still enjoyed it the entire way through so I really don’t have a great deal to complain about, what I do have to complain about though is something that really got to me throughout and still I’m not too sure whether or not it should but I feel as though it is worthwhile outlining as a negative: The Mewtwo in this movie is an entirely different Mewtwo.

Pokemon fans already know where my gripe is with this one, Ash and Mewtwo have met before, Mewtwo was a huge deal in both the movies and the games yet they never though to place the old Mewtwo within this movie, I know I’m getting on a lot of peoples nerves but allow me to explain myself in more detail. There are a lot of reasons as to why a new Mewtwo as a perfectly good idea; it is a man-made Pokemon so who’s to say it can’t be replicated once again, having a female Mewtwo brings a certain freshness to the movie and a lot of the children who would be watching this movie probably don’t know the other Mewtwo.

Throughout the first twenty minutes of the movie I kept going over these points in my head and I tried to wrap my head around why they didn’t bring in the older Mewtwo for us older audience members, the fact that kids wouldn’t know the “classic” Mewtwo gave good reason as to why they didn’t and I had almost given up until I heard a young boy sitting behind me turn to his friends and say, verbatim; “How do Ash and Mewtwo NOT recognise each other?!” which not only gave me hope for this new generation but also highlighted the fact that this may have been a bad move.

That is pretty much the only problem I had with this movie, the childish themes of friendship and love didn’t bother me in anyway because, in the end, this movie is targeted towards children and new fans of the Pokemon series, I totally understand that but the “new Mewtwo” thing just didn’t sit right with me, don’t get me wrong I was a very big fan of Mewtwo’s classy lady voice and they way the Pokemon was portrayed I just would’ve liked to have seen classic Mewtwo return in an epic way. As an older audience member to have seen the old Mewtwo return after years and years of training, finally mastering the next stage of evolution and once again reuniting with the boy who changed his entire mindset would have been something spectacular and, while the new Mewtwo is great, the story could’ve been made that extra little bit better.

Visuals

I would have to say, hands down, the visuals in this movie were absolutely amazing, yes, amazing. The use of both traditional animation and CGI animation blended well and, at times, the scenes almost looked live-action, THAT’S how well it was animated. The environments were nothing short of breathtaking and the team of artists that designed them surely most have medals for their work and achievement. Sweeping and spinning shots came in an abundance in this movie but, considering they were done well, I didn’t entirely mind it, they made the film extremely cinematic and they made me feel like I was watching a movie and not just another Pokemon movie.

The human and Pokemon characters were animated well, each of their movements was smooth and it didn’t look like they cut any corners when it came to both design and execution. I have to throw back to the environments though because, out of everything in the movie, they were my favourite things to see. The huge city within the movie looked a great deal like New York City which is what it was based on so I’m giving them points for that one. Aesthetically this movie is beautiful and at no time did things get boring to look at. Fight animations were also great but I feel like the locations blew me away like no other aspect of visuals could.

Audio

While the audio aspect of the movie was great, it wasn’t as good as the visuals and that’s not a comparison for the sake of taking away points, it’s a comparison for the sake of you guys understanding fully how it felt to me. All the voice acting was great and it seems as though the main cast reprised their roles from the series and did a good job. Unfortunately the writing was fairly childish the voice actors didn’t exactly get a chance to do their best work but it was still great and fit within the nature of the movie so I feel like it all worked out fine.

The music was actually fairly orchestral, not overly but there was always a sense of big instruments making big sounds that gave off the aura of a huge clash of sorts. Alongside that was a lot of high notes and soft music which, like all Pokemon movies, contrasted the dark to the light. The opening and ending songs to the movie were actually really catchy and quite good for tracks that seemed a little bit corny, I did get really into it by the end despite, once again, the overall talk of love friendship, journey, adventure and all the usual Pokemon themes. It all fit nice like a puzzle and it really wouldn’t have been the same had it been different.

Overall

Pokemon The Movie: Genesect And The Legend Awakened is an absolutely fantastic movie that is set back by one thing in particular that will really only get a small percentage of the audience upset, I just felt like they could’ve won over everybody by changing the story slightly, apart from that it was an incredible movie that took me back to my younger days of watching Pokemon movies and I can see both young and old audiences getting into it, obviously with the younger audiences liking it even more than the older members. It is a movie for Pokemon fans to all see I just suggest you don’t go in expecting it to be “our” Mewtwo like I and, clearly, other people did and you’ll love it 100%. It’s fun, it’s whimsical, it’s Pokemon.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

The Bridge Review

Simon Wolfe

November 18, 2013

The Bridge
Developers: Ty Taylor and Mario Castaneda
Publisher: Midnight City (Majesco)
Platform: XBLA (Reviewed), PC
Release Date: November 13th, 2013
Price: $9.99 – Available Here

Overview
Puzzle games are by no means a rarity in the gaming world, but to make one stand out it needs to be easy to get into while offering something unique enough to keep players into it. The hard part is for those players that do enjoy it to be able to describe the game in a way that makes senses, but is still intriguing, which The Bridge is able to do that with just two names, Isaac Newton and M.C. Escher. Those with even a little understanding of the two historical men, should be getting an interesting combination of images from that juxtaposition. Does The Bridge have what it takes to tease the brain and live up to the names? Let’s look at what it has to offer.

Story
When the game is first started up, the player is shown a very Newtonian setting, i.e. a man resting beneath an apple tree. Even more interestingly, there is no menu, no introduction simply the man and the tree leaving players to discover how to progress the story themselves, with a few hints and tips if necessary of course. The man is very stereotypical of the normal conventions of scientists, with a goatee, messy hair, and brown suit, I assure you even in black and white I can tell a brown suit. The way the game opens, it sets the precedent of being more about exploration than story, but even then the story it tells is limited.

A scant few lines of story in the hub world or at the end of a chapter however do a good job with rewarding the completion of the puzzles, though in such a mind bending game as this it does have a slight problem. With the time it takes to solve all the puzzles as well as the brain power it takes to solve some of them, it is easy to either disregard the snippets of story or forget them all together. Even more frustrating is the necessity to replay the final level in a chapter simply to return and read these bits of story, instead of unlocking the final rooms to read them at the players leisure. While not the most important aspect of the game it would have been nice if more consideration was taken when wanting to re-experience the whole story without having to go through each final level again.

Gameplay
Opening up immediately into gameplay, leaves the player with no idea to familiarize themselves with the controls via a menu, but luckily the game focuses on very simplistic controls and principles. Instead of relying on the character having to possess amazing abilities, they are instead limited to one ability, one convenience, and the everyday abilities of walking around and using things. The tweaks and changes that occur from there on in, come not from the character but the environment that they are in, leaving the puzzles to be thankfully limited to only what is on a level instead of what the character has on them or unlocked.

The main ability that the character features, outside of walking and using stuff of course, is the changing of gravity. Gravity is easily rotated via the triggers, or bumpers if preferred to aid in navigating not only floors, but walls and ceilings. While starting off there isn’t much to worry about, later levels include hazards such as crushing boulders and falling off into space. Thankfully, this is where the convenience comes in as player’s can backtrack with the press of a button to unto anything from horrible deaths, to simple errors. Using these as the foundation of gameplay, The Bridge is able to offer a wide variety of challenges as new elements are introduced chapter to chapter.

Adding in concepts like inversion to change both gravity and polarity in one go as well as the veil, which allows the user to use special gravity for specific objects to get them at odds with regular gravity, the difficulty does certainly ramp up, but the slow pace at which they are introduced makes it a very reasonable pace. With the ability to turn back time from mistakes it makes it even easier to not have to worry about getting too stuck or having to completely start levels from scratch unless necessary.

Featuring 4 chapters with six levels a piece, with 4 mirror chapters with even harder challenges once those are completed there is plenty to do in the game. Even more, the inclusion of collectible wisps adds another layer of things to do, with hints to the locations of the wisps in the loading screens of the levels. All this adds up to a game with simple controls that don’t get bogged down as it goes on and get ingenuity in the levels to offer great puzzles for players to have to solve. Puzzles that certainly live up to the inspiration from M.C. Escher.

Visuals and Audio
While the vast majority of the game is black and white, such as works of M.C. Escher, the detail given to the scenes, character, and objects make up for the lack of color. On higher resolution displays the gameplay looks fantastic as the levels are spun about as the character walks across the different surfaces, though on lower resolutions like standard TVs there can be a bit of a problem following what is going on onscreen as bigger levels force everything to be shrunk down and harder to distinguish. However, these levels are still passable even at the lower resolution. There is also fantastic use of music from composer Kevin Macleod, that as the only audio outside of sound effects fit beautifully with the darker themes the occur as the story unfolds.

Overall
Combining the use of physics with M.C. Escher like locations makes the perfect combination for a puzzle game, that is only marred by slight issues with execution. The story that unfolds is an interesting addition to a puzzle game, but being forced to replay levels to revisit and re-read them complicates it unnecessarily. It also does get fairly difficult as the game continues, but players are afforded every chance to make it easier on themselves with the ability to back up after a mistake and simply try again until they can reach the exit. All of this makes The Bridge a solid puzzle game that fans of the genre can enjoy wrapping their head around.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Maken-Ki! Review

Travis Bruno

November 18, 2013

Maken-Ki!
Studio: AIC
Publisher: FUNimation
Format: Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack
Release Date: November 12th, 2013
Price: $69.98 – Available Here

Overview
Over the last few years, Japan started to censor many of the fan-service anime on the market. This is primarily done in an effort to help drive up the Blu-ray sales for specific series since the home release features the uncensored version of the anime. One of the many anime that underwent severe censorship was Maken-Ki! which suffered from so much blatant censorship many viewers quickly were turned off of the show. Now that FUNimation has brought Maken-Ki! over to North America in its uncensored, boob and panty filled glory, is it worth picking up?

Story
Tenri Academy has recently gone co-ed and this is great news for a teenager named Takeru as he now has a chance to attend a school where he can live on-campus and also spend time with his childhood friend. It also just so happens that Takeru is quite perverted and since this recent all-girls school now is accepting boys, it seems like the best chance to surround himself in girls after being relegated to an all-boys school for many years.

However Takeru probably should have done a little bit more research before joining Tenri Academy because it is unlike any other school in the nation as all of the students possess unique abilities and elements that allow them to control ‘Maken’ which are powerful weapons special to each student who attends the school.

Takeru’s paradise may be slipping away from his hands, but it quickly falls right back into his lap as not only does his attractive childhood friend Haruko stand up for him, Inaho, a very affectionate and incredibly strong girl claiming to be his fiancé has appeared to protect him. To top it all off, Himegami, a twintail loli that possesses unique abilities also has taken interest in a mysterious power that Takeru seems to possess, resulting in Takeru living with three attractive girls right at the end of the first episode.

While many harem shows spend the first half of the series working on introducing each of the girls that are part of the main character’s harem, Maken-Ki! manages to introduce nearly all of the main girls in the very first episode of the series. While this leaves the series with plenty of time to work on plot and character development, very little time is spent on either of these things.

Sure, there are elements of story that are hinted at and slowly developed over time, such as the mystery behind Takeru’s powers and how his Maken makes him unique as well as the Venus group that appears at the latter half of the series. Even Himegami’s interest in Takeru and her own secrets start to be revealed but sadly this is left by the wayside due to poor pacing.

There are also hints of character development as we learn a bit about Inaho’s promise with Takeru, even though the latter cannot remember it, and hints about Takeru’s past that drives him to protect women in battle are also given. Sadly except for a very minor story arc that covers the last two episodes of the season, Maken-Ki! is all build-up with no pay off at the end.

Of course for what it lacks in story, Maken-Ki! makes up with fists, breasts, a likable female cast, and a halfway decent harem lead. Takeru may be a rather perverted guy who happens to have numerous women falling all over him, but he holds true to his values when it comes to fighting against others and protecting the women around him. This leads to a number of standout moments where Takeru breaks out of his weak stereotype and gives him purpose in the series besides gathering a following of girls.

As for the fights and fan-service, Maken-Ki! is the type of series where you have to know what you are getting into by the time you pick it up. The action is fast-paced and almost anytime damage is dealt, clothing is ripped off and the pacing favors numerous swimsuit scenes and flat out nudity. While fan-service is great for a series like this, there comes a point in time where it is time to place the cheesecake to the side and focus on the meat of the story.

Visuals
You have to hand it to the animator’s behind Maken-Ki!, they knew exactly what they were getting into with this series and managed to provide some top of the line animation. The bright and varied color palette combined with plenty of flashy effects and nicely designed weaponry make every fight sequence in Maken-Ki! amazing looking.

They also knew what they were doing when it came to fan-service. There is a wide-range of girls in Maken-Ki! and while a number of them fall into stereotypical appearances, they are all nicely designed and detailed. The fan-service is quite high in this series as I don’t believe there was a single episode without nipples being shown and numerous times in any episode some highly detailed panty shots were presented to the viewer, ensuring the series delivers on what fans of the genre are looking for.

Audio
With the release of Maken-Ki! FUNimation has provided both the original Japanese voice track as well as their newly produced English dub. The English voice cast does a nice job handling the characters, and Takeru, voiced by Ian Sinclair, actually comes off as a better character than his Japanese counterpart thanks to Ian’s voice work.

The background music is rather standard for a series such as this, meaning it tends to be rather forgetful even during fight scenes. As for the opening theme, we have “Fly Away” by Mizuki Togashi which works well as an opener for a series such as Maken-Ki! and the ending theme is “Baby! Baby!” which actually changes every single episode. You see, while the lyrics and animation stays the same, each episode features different members of the female Japanese voice actors performing the song.

Extras
As far as bonus features go, it is worth mentioning right off the bat that Maken-Ki! comes with a third disc that is dedicated to special features. Among these special features include two episode commentaries, trailers for this series as well as other FUNimation anime, textless versions of the opening and all of the ending themes, and original Japanese commercials.

Also accompanying this release is an OVA episode, which is counted as episode 13 of this release. The episode focuses on training Takeru a bit but also provides a hefty dose of swimsuit fan-service. The first commentary track is for episode 2 and it features Scott Freeman, who voices Kengo, and Ian Sinclair, the voice of Takeru. The two discuss the many lewd scenes in Maken-Ki! and even mention the heavy censorship of the Japanese release. They also read off fake ‘love letters’ from the female voice acting cast for the series. Episode 8’s commentary features Monica Rial, the voice of Haruko and Tia Ballard, the voice of Inaho, and these two also continue the fake love letter bit from the previous commentary.

Finally, closing out the special features of Maken-Ki! are the “Heart-Throb Maken-Ki! Secret Training” bonuses. These are six ‘exercise’ videos which include six of the animated girls from the series as they perform workout routines for the viewer’s pleasure. The reason I say ‘exercise’ is because these videos are mostly meant to put the girls in very lewd poses and often have them wear various outfits briefly shown in the series, providing that last push into boob heaven.

Overall
There is a certain point in time where an anime fan has to know what they are getting themselves into when they pick up a certain series and in the case of Maken-Ki! it just so happens to be a harem anime with fan-service overload. By focusing so heavily on providing fan-service, the anime suffers from poor pacing and poor story progression but it makes up for it with an enjoyable cast of characters that receive some minor character development, hints to potential plot points in the next season, and satisfying animation to accompany the over-the-top fan-service.

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Golden Time Episode 7 Impressions

James Mapley

November 18, 2013

Golden Time
Episode 7 – Masquerade

Golden Time has finally gotten into its stride and all the parts have fallen into place. We have passed the quarter-way mark and now the real race begins. One only has to look at Gurren Lagann to see a great series become a million times better after reaching this stage so I am tingling at the prospect of what Golden Time holds in store for us. Bravely marching on with my spoiler shield held aloft and my keyboard by my side I will not give up until the cold winter has passed and we have our (hopefully) heartwarming conclusion.

J.C. Staff must be aware that the world is more beautiful through rose-coloured glasses because the second that Kouko and Banri started dating, the animation quality went through the roof. What was once a style that I have called lazy and dated in the past, suddenly metamorphosed into beautiful, almost painting-quality backgrounds, crisp character animation, and more scenes of flourish than the average episode of Ouran Highschool Host Club. I have no clue what is going on with the animation budget allocation at J.C. Staff with this series, but it seems to fluctuate wildly from episode to episode and I can’t understand why. I didn’t notice it at the time, but it was brought to my attention that last episode there were actually moments that were done in CG to save on budget, and yet this episode looked amazing in places and brought the style back into 2013. So far, J.C. have managed to keep Golden Time from falling prey to their occasionally sloppy animation that they have a reputation for and I hope they keep it up.

As for how Kouko reacted to her new situation, she took to it like a duck to water. Or maybe a more appropriate phrase would be a battleship to water… By now we know that Kouko does nothing by half measures and loving Banri is definitely something that she is giving her all to. I like how even her father knows what she is like after watching her pursue Mitsuo for most of her life. His warning that Banri would be better off without her will no doubt come back to haunt Banri at some point in the series, but for now I would rather revel in how cute they are together! Kouko and her new, “Ro-me-o-Sa-ma,” could hardly have looked happier together, but Mitsuo was definitely right when he said that Banri is the sort of patient guy that could withstand dating Kouko. She was so clingy! Cute as a button, but any normal man would break in a matter of seconds. I’d definitely be willing to give it a go though!

As the episode came to a close, Banri was shown in two very different conversations that did a great job of building on the already masterfully written characters in Golden Time. First we were treated to a lovely foray into awkwardness, sex, and Paris as Kouko rummaged her way into Banri’s porno mag collection. What should have descended into a tense silence was saved by Kouko in her true boisterous fashion though as she described exactly where she wanted her first time, making Banri look like he wanted to sprint off and buy tickets to Paris immediately. Moments like this were what made episode 7 the funniest episode of the series so far! The second of the conversations was one that Banri had been putting off for a long time, but eventually Linda and Nana tricked Banri into coming to his room so that Linda could talk to him alone. He may have been trying to avoid it, but his tears gave away that making up with Linda must have meant a lot to him. Even if he has had his memories wiped, the impression that Linda left on him and vice-versa must have been deeply ingrained in his heart. Now they are friends again, but whether love will blossom and cause a conflict with Kouko is something we will have to wait and see.

Honestly, I don’t have a bad word to say about anything from this episode. It was well written, the happy feel was a welcome break from the doom and gloom of last week, the characterisation was brilliant, and even the animation stepped up its game. All of this culminated into another fantastic episode of this amazing series. Keep up the platinum performance, Golden Time!

For more awesome reviews of this season’s best and worst anime, head over to our Anime Impressions page.

Check out more Golden Time impressions HERE.

Noucome Episode 6 Impressions

James Mapley

November 17, 2013

Ore no Nounai Sentakushi ga, Gakuen Love Comedy wo Zenryoku de Jama Shiteiru
Episode 6 ① Tiger,Tiger,Tiger ② Pig,Pig,Pig

Recently, I’ve discovered that I have 3 natural states when I’m watching anime: Laughing, crying, and staring blankly at the screen until my retinas burn out. Well… There is a hidden 4th hidden state, but I try to keep that locked away as much as possible. That is, until this week’s episode of Noucome inspired it to erupt forth from my innermost sanctums like some sort of cute-girl-loving chestburster. Of course, I am referring to when a 20 year old man is uncontrollably mashing his face into his pillow, blurting, “AWWWWWWW! OH MY GOD, HOW ARE YOU SO CUTE?!?” What can I say? Yukihira brings out the worst in me. Especially in the latter half of this episode where she was centre stage, stalking her favourite, cute children’s character and going completely against her feigned harsh personality. But I will hold my fanboying for later in the review.

The first half of the episode was squarely focused on Kanade trying to cross as many of the girls off of his god-given list as possible by getting them to say “I like you.” First of all, we revisited the always adorable Konagi and despite Kanade thinking she was going to be the easiest target, she ended up being a mountain to climb compared to the others. Whether he was getting beaten up or violated by her bodyguards (especially that last guy!) Kanade had one hell of a time, but eventually he managed to get her to say it and suddenly acquired another prime candidate for the inevitable harem. In the next scene though I was disappointed with Noucome for resorting to being quite as lewd as it was because to be honest it didn’t need to be. Certainly, Noucome’s plot isn’t masterfully crafted, but its humour is actually quite intelligent and well received, so why it needed to include a huge, faked breasted girl’s bra bursting off of her body like an eagle taking flight is beyond me. Blu-Ray sales I would imagine are the culprit, especially considering some of the later scenes where Yukihira’s body is covered only by a thin veil of steam which have a tendency to be blown away when rendered on Blu-Ray, but all in all I felt it was unnecessary and devalued the anime.

While these scenes were entertaining, I couldn’t help, but feel that the story was rushed through at an alarming rate which unfortunately will happen a lot considering this adaptation is only going to be 10 episodes long. This saddens me because as far as trashy romcoms go, this has been a pretty good one so far. Not to mention, Yukihira’s true feelings are still a mystery to Kanade because at the end of this episode he got his memory wiped! It seems like a main theme of this series is Yukihira growing as a person and learning to be strong enough to confess her feelings while not being afraid of Kanade not accepting her as she is. In all honesty, every other girl’s involvement in Noucome just seems to be for comedic purposes and to keep the plot moving. Yukihira is the only one that actually has real feelings for Kanade that pre-date the start of the series and it has been really sweet seeing her come to terms with herself.

And now for the fanboying! Dear lord was Yukihira cute in the latter half of the episode… When she was following White Piggy around while trying to not be seen she looked like a little skittish rabbit, running away whenever it came near her. Call me a sucker for a white haired girl with a secret love for cute things, but I think I have found a new girl to add to my ‘Favourite Anime Girls of All Time’ list. If she had known that Kanade was in the suit she would have exploded with embarrassment on the spot and so Kanade made the ultimate sacrifice and had to delete his ‘The Path to Being a Philosopher’ folder so that she wouldn’t find out. These little, clever, self-torturous choices that Absolute Choice forces Kanade into are easily my favourite part of the show. I originally thought they’d be gimmicky, but they are really well done and remind me of the sort of self-torture that made me love Watamote and Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei so much. Maybe it’s just my cynical English side shining through, but I always enjoy a bit of dark humour.

What confuses me is how we are STILL not at the competition introduced in episode 4! I would imagine we must be getting to it soon. However, next episode does look like it will be entirely dedicated to the conquest of the school council president, Saira, so we won’t be seeing any action until that is resolved at the very least. The series seems set to end at the conclusion of the competition between the reject 5 and the 5 most popular kids in school, but will Kanade’s team be victorious? More importantly, will Yukihira be able to confess her feelings by then? I don’t know, but I am excited to find out.

For more reviews of this season’s best and worst anime head over to our Anime Impressions page and check them out!

Hajime No Ippo – Rising Episode 7 Impressions

Frank Inglese

November 17, 2013

Hajime No Ippo – Rising Episode 7 Impressions

Hajime No Ippo – Rising
Episode 7 – Cheese Champion

Episode 7 of Hajime No Ippo – Rising was a mixed bag of fun I’d say. This week we returned from Aoki’s big fight and, despite his inevitable loss, he returns to the gym in good spirits and with two followers who were so inspired by his match that they now want to be exactly like him, it is a very humorous and a typical ending to a Hajime No Ippo fight, we’ve seen this throughout the whole series and I can’t imagine NOT seeing this type of humour within it.

We’re met with two big things in this episode; one which I can see being elaborated on in the future and another that seems like it will be the upcoming main attraction of the series but considering these things revolve around both Ippo and Takamura respectively, they could actually go either way, both characters are staples to the series and both characters make for incredibly epic fights that take the viewer by surprise so I’m very much looking forward to that.

Amongst a great deal of little things here and there we’re met with an incredibly speedy match where, beforehand, Takamura announces that he is done with the Junior Middle Weight class, to which he is the champion of, and intends to gain weight bit by bit while also becoming the champion of each upper weight class along the way. His thirst for the attention of the masses has become overwhelming and it seems like the only way he’ll be able to get his fill is as if he takes the entire boxing world by storm, not just his own weight class.

I loved this scene because, almost in the same sentence, he states that the next match he’s in he will not take even a single hit and that he will decimate his opponent. Once in the match, while using Aoki’s “look away” technique, he IS hit but comes back hard and strong and wins with a knockout. I may look at this in an odd and overly intricate way but I honestly see this as a metaphor for who Takamura is and how his journey will go; he talks big yet he has the ability to back up what he claims even though he’s an A-Grade “doofus”, like I mentioned just above; I’m extremely excited to see his rise and possible fall from grace.

Now onto something that may just blow Takamura’s statement out of the water: Makunoichi Ippo’s next Title Defense match. Early on in the episode at a match of one of Ippo’s friends we’re introduced to a tall and dark man who sports an eerie vibe and almost comes across as some sort of killer, his name is Sawamura Ryuuhei and judging by what we see in the opening sequence you could tell straight away that he was going to be a big part of the story.

Some time goes by and, possibly the next day, Ippo is having a meeting with his coach wherein which he states that though Ippo has defended his title four times it seems as though other fighters are still willing to challenge him. It’s quite odd for a fantastic fighter like Ippo to have so many challenges set against him but the coach thinks it’s because Ippo is a “Cheese Champion”, a term he seems to have made up which basically means, like cheese, Ippo has many holes and a great deal of fighters want to exploit that, fighters like Sawamura Ryuuhei.

Out of the four challenges that Ippo had received he chose to fight Ryuuhei, at this point in time I’m not sure exactly why, even before he knew who he was Ippo was scared of the man. It seems like Ippo has gone against his guts telling him not to fight and has prepared for a hell that no one thinks he is ready for.He heads home to study some of Ryuuhei’s old fights and once he realizes just how brutal this man is he calls the rest of the gym to help him through the situation.

Sawamura Ryuuhei is a destroyer of men who chooses not to KO an opponent, instead he toys with them as they flail about the ring, he humiliates them and it seems as the though only times he’s ever lost any matches was when he had been disqualified for brutality against other fighters. Shimabukuro who once challenged Ippo lost to Ryuuhei, in fact, it was his only loss in his career apart from the one against Ippo. The man has incredible reflexes and an even better sense of intuition.

The episode ends with Sawamura Ryuuhei being seen starting a fight with three grown men in a back alley, his only reasoning for fighting them is that they just happened to look weird to him. He cuts up his fist by shoving his hand into the mouth of one of the men showing that he’s not only cruel, he’s a man that enjoys blood and carnage and he’ll do whatever he can to be apart of it. He wishes to crush Ippo, his plan is to do what Shimabukuro could not; destroy the Dempsey Roll, humiliate Ippo and take the title from hime, becoming the champion and decimating Makunoichi Ippo are the two most prominent things on his mind right no and it’s going to make for an absolutely fantastic battle between giants.

I enjoy the fact that Ippo, who is a kind-hearted and all around nice guy, up against these fiends who only want death and destruction. The physical, emotional and metaphorical conflict of Ippo’s fights are amazing to see and it just gives the fights more depth than what you would see in another Anime, that’s what keeps me hooked to the show! Check out more Hajime No Ippo – Rising Impressions HERE.

G6 Driving Simulator Accessory Launches IndieGoGo Campaign

Jamie Laike Tsui

November 17, 2013

G6 Driving Simulator Accessory Launches IndieGoGo Campaign

There are some examples of some crazy race car simulation rigs out there, but none of them properly simulate the experience of high G forces on the body during high speed turns. A Slovenian company called Gravitom seeks to fill the niche with their new G6 Driving Simulator. By exerting force on the head, the G6 simulates the G forces from using a high powered racing car.

The G6 currently supports Windows, 8 popular driving sims, and Oculus Rift. Gravitom hopes to raise €100,000 on IndieGoGo to help lower the manufacturing costs of the G6 and bring it into production. The team hopes to deliver the first prototype units to supporters in October, 2014.

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