Recently we reported on the latest scan which revealed the final two giant characters to be featured in the upcoming Dragon Ball Z game Battle of Z. Official screenshots have now been released showing off Great Ape Bardock and Giant Meta-Cooler in all their gigantic glory as well as a few other screens showing off the other new characters such as Beerus and Whis from the new movie Battle of Gods.
These new screenshots indicate that the Gete Star stage from the movie Cooler’s Revenge might be playable which would be a first for the series as the stage has previously only been playable in boss fights and you couldn’t fly around and interact with it. Hopefully it is not limited just to the boss fight. Check out the newest screenshots below and let us know in the comments if you will be picking up Battle of Z when it releases in early 2014 on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PS Vita.
With the release just a few days away on Friday, Warner Bros. now has its Batman: Arkham Origins launch trailer up for players to get one final look at a little bit of the story that will unfold on that Christmas Eve night in Gotham. The most important part being of course the “Personal Mission” that lies at the center of the game.
The “Personal Mission” is not from Batman though, as he doesn’t really have personal missions mainly anti-personnel ones. Nope, the mission the trailer references is all about the hate Black Mask has for Batman, even showing the Black Mask without his telltale mask. It’s no surprise then that he would offer such a huge bounty on Batman that night.
Those wanting to watch the launch trailer for themselves and get a feeling for this “Personal Mission” can find it embedded below. Batman: Arkham Origins is set to release Friday, October 25th, 2013 worldwide for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, and PC.
Paramount Pictures wants to know… “who’s hungry for some chimichangas?”. No, Deadpool, sit down… what are you even doing in an Anchorman article? Anyway, the studio have released a brand new trailer for Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.
Along with the video – embedded at the bottom of this article – which shows Brick being Brick, believing he lost his legs after wearing green pants in front of a chroma key screen, we also have an official, updated synopsis:
With the 70’s behind him, San Diego’s top rated newsman, Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), returns to the news desk in “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.” Also back for more are Ron’s co-anchor and wife, Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), weather man Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), man on the street Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd) and sports guy Champ Kind (David Koechner) – All of whom won’t make it easy to stay classy…while taking the nation’s first 24-hour news channel by storm.
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues will have its Australian premiere on November 24, ahead of its nationwide release on December 19.
Paramount Pictures are proud to present another instalment from the highly anticipated comedy, Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, coming to cinemas worldwide on November 14. As recently revealed in the Redband Trailer, Jackass fans can expect an outrageous and hilarious performance from Johnny Knoxville and Jackson Nicoll -as the Bad Grandpa, Irving and young accomplice, Billy embark together on a wild road trip.
The featured ‘Penguin’ clip explores the extent to which a ‘customer is always right’; as Irving challenges his rights to park in his driving spot, against the store owner’s penguin statue. Not your average debate; “you put a penguin in my spot” vs. “you ran over the penguin”, but it’s hard not to laugh at Knoxville’s effort to get away, without fixing the damaged penguin.
Overview What is Duck Dynasty? Where does it sit in the pop-culture lexicon? Is it a show about duck hunting? Or is it simply about a company that makes duck hunting gear? Is it a show about good old fashion family values? Well it is a bit of all of those things. But at its core, Duck Dynasty is pure junk food television. It isn’t particularly something good for you, but it’s just a bit of fun for half hour.
It isn’t a very intelligent show in any sense of the word, but it has captured the attention of millions of viewers. What is it that makes Duck Dynasty so popular? Well it really is quite simple, it is just stupid entertainment that you can switch off to.
Story The second season of Duck Dynasty is generally comprised of single episode stories and situations that the Robertson family and their business Duck Commander find themselves wrapped up in. We see varying stories involving lawn mower races, redneck driving lessons, swamp fishing, missing tupperware, security cameras and old men tagging along for teenager’s dates. Each episode’s scenario seems to get more ridiculous than the last in what makes for quite a relentless journey into some kind of bizarre redneck twilight zone – a place where these otherwise ridiculous situations play out like they are perfectly normal and not absolutely stupid.
It goes without saying that Duck Dynasty is a pretty damn silly show. It features brainless scenarios that are played off a ‘real’ despite being clearly staged. In spite of all that though, it is a relatively harmless watch, heck it might even be a bit of fun at times.
The cast of characters are interesting enough, though they do come off as quite stereotypical for the most part. If you have an image of a ‘redneck’ in your mind, they are represented in Duck Dynasty pretty much as you’d imagine. The character of Si in particular embodies the old redneck hick stereotype to a tee. He does have an interesting quirk though, his affection for a tupperware cup that he drinks iced tea out of almost constantly. He may very well be the most funny character on the show.
Each episode of Duck Dynasty season 2 is for the most part relatively entertaining, albeit by and large very silly. There isn’t any real objectionable material here and the show does seem to promote some basic family values, or at least tries to. The stories are frequently nonsensical and occasionally frustrating. The frustration comes from the sheer stupidity of the action playing out on screen or the poorly executed staging of the supposedly ‘real’ scenarios that take place. Based on that description you could say that Duck Dynasty is pretty much Keeping Up With The Kardashians but with beards and duck calls.
The problem with Duck Dynasty though is its lack of purpose. There isn’t any real take away from any of this show, you have a series of random events that don’t ever amount to anything or hold any real meaning. It doesn’t give any real genuine insight into the business of Duck Commander, nor does it feature any duck hunting. Therefore it is kind of difficult to categorize this series. Is it meant to be a comedy? Is this meant to be a pseudo-reality program about Duck Commander? What is this show meant to be? It is hard to say, but it does manage to at least make for decent junk food tv.
This isn’t a show that you’ll need to think much about. It is essentially a silly show about a family that runs a business that makes duck hunting gear. The family themselves are pretty fun to hang out with for half an hour, just don’t expect any real intelligent content from them or the show and you might just enjoy it for the mindless fun it truly is.
Visuals and Audio Aesthetically speaking, Duck Dynasty is not exactly a masterstroke of artistic creativity. It features reality show style camera work and the cut away interview portions that come with the territory. Nothing new for reality show viewers. The one interesting thing about the series visuals is the way it represents the deep south of America. ‘Redneck Country’ as they call it is portrayed as a nature-lovers wonderland in many ways, but there are simply far too few shots exploring the setting, instead locking action into the bland and monotone Duck Commander warehouse. It isn’t exactly inspiring a setting, but it does a good enough job at giving Duck Dynasty a sense of place.
The soundtrack for Duck Dynasty is quite pedestrian for the most part. The audio work here is nothing special and seems the be very much standard for the reality genre. If there is anything that stands out in the soundtrack for Duck Dynasty, it is the excellent theme song ‘Sharp Dressed Man’ as performed by the legendary rock band ZZ Top. It is an appropriate theme song for the series and a great tune in general.
Overall Duck Dynasty is a show that you will either love or hate. The second season of the show isn’t much different from the first. If you enjoyed the first season in any shape or form, you may want to give this second helping of bearded men and duck calls a go. If you didn’t enjoy it, then you know what to do.
Ultimately this is not a great show, but it is not a bad one either. It is simple inoffensive fun, that makes for a decent watch if you are looking to switch off for a bit and just watch something silly. For that alone, Duck Dynasty isn’t too bad of a pickup. If you are looking for something with substance, this is not the show for you. Duck Dynasty is about as shallow as a puddle of mud. But hey, at least it doesn’t have a stick in it.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Face front true believers!LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and developed by TT Games along with The LEGO Group and Marvel Entertainment, is set to launch in the UK from November 15th. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Universe in Peril, a separate handheld version of the game for, offers a different gameplay experience that includes challenging time-based missions, performing combo moves, and getting assistance from your super-powered tag team partner.
Players take on the role of their favourite Marvel characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wolverine, Thor, Captain America and the Hulk, as they assemble to battle against some of the most menacing Marvel Super Villains, including dastardly Doctor Octopus, the ghastly Green Goblin, the ruthless Red Skull, the vicious Venom, Thor’s vexing brother Loki, and even the Devourer of Worlds, Galactus. Players can unlock more than 100 playable characters, including Mystique, Elektra, Mandarin, Silver Samurai, Malekith, Aldrich Killain or Super-Skrull. Players can also choose from a plethora of magnificent bonus hero characters, such as the heroic Guardians of the Galaxy, the Punisher, Captain Britain, Squirrel Girl and Deadpool. Among the featured characters included in the game is Stan “The Man” Lee himself. Players will be able to rescue him from perilous predicaments and unlock him as a super-powered playable character. And for the first time in a LEGO game, players can clobber and smash bricks harder than ever before with super-sized LEGO big figures like Colossus, Lizard, Juggernaut, Blob, Red Hulk, Iron Man’s Hulkbuster Armor, Rhino, the ever-lovin’ blue-eyed Thing and more.
Excelsior!
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes offers players a chance to show off their super skills by using weapons such as Captain America’s shield, Thor’s hammer or Hawkeye’s bow to use in combat-like action sequences or epic battle scenes. Players will be introduced to different character super abilities like summoning magic powers as Doctor Strange, shrinking down to miniscule size as Ant-Man or Wasp, and more. Players will also achieve the power of mind control with Professor X or Jean Grey, sharpen their claws as Sabretooth, Black Panther or Beast to dig into the ground to uncover hidden items; and blaze around the city on a motorcycle as Ghost Rider or other speed-demons to complete exciting race challenges.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes features some of the most legendary locations from the Marvel Universe, such as Iron Man’s headquarters Stark Tower, the Daily Bugle, the Fantastic Four’s Baxter Building, and the X-Mansion, home base to the X-Men. Fans can travel to dazzling distant destinations including Thor’s home of Asgard, Doctor Doom’s castle in Latveria, and even Magneto’s Asteroid M to track down the evildoers and save the world! Players can further discover the Marvel Universe with extra exciting escapades set in Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum, Kingpin’s treacherous Fisk Tower, Laufey’s lair in Jotunheim and much more.
All of the Marvel characters are here…whether you want them or not
Tom Stone (Managing Director, TT Games Publishing) said:
“We are excited to finally bring LEGO gamers and Marvel fans the action-packed game they have all been waiting for with LEGO Marvel Super Heroes. LEGO Marvel delivers an original story told in classic LEGO humor and with more than 100 playable characters, the game also includes an impressive roster featuring some of the most iconic fan favourites, such as the Hulk and Spider-Man, spanning the entire Marvel Universe, including Stan Lee!”
Andreea Enache-Thune (Senior Vice President, Games & Digital Distribution, Marvel Entertainment) said:
“The collaboration with LEGO and TT Games, an uninhibited creative process, has resulted into an outstanding execution that will delight children and adults alike. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes reaffirms our commitment to quality. With every game build and every trailer that brought us closer to the finish line, our enthusiasm has grown exponentially and to say that we are excited to see this game come to life is an understatement.”
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is set to launch for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U and PC, along with the next gen Playstation 4 and Xbox One. Plus, there’s the 3DS and PS Vita version to check out. So many choices. For more information, visit the official site and Facebook page. ‘Nuff said.
Electronic Arts Inc. has announced that The Sims 4 will be shipping in Spring 2014 (ANZ) worldwide. In development at Maxis’ The Sims Studio, the newest Sims title brings all new ways to play with to life; powerful new creative tools, all-new Sims with enhanced emotion and intelligence, and a gaming experience where players control the mind, body and heart of their Sims to bring their stories to life like never before.
Rachel Franklin (VP and General Manager of The Sims Studio) said:
“The Sims franchise has the best fans in the world and their passion and enthusiasm is at an all-time high. Those millions of voices will fuel our development process, helping The Sims 4 to be the most ambitious and the best game our studio has ever made. We can’t wait to see our fans reaction when The Sims 4 comes out in Spring 2014.”
It’s time four the Sims
The Sims is one of the best-selling and most beloved franchises in the history of gaming. More than four years after its launch, The Sims 3 continues to be played every day as players exchange their creativity, stories and life’s moments across an array of social networks to an audience in the multi-millions.
Those who pre-order now will receive the Limited Edition which comes with The Sims 4 Life of the Party Digital Content. For more information, visit the official site.
Ubisoft have just announced that Mighty Quest For Epic Loot will be getting even more customization options on top of the already immense amount of options available in the game.
Part of the brand new customization is several new castle themes. You can check out these brand new castle themes in the newly released trailer which is embedded below. Not only that but there is a bunch of screenshots below that you can peruse.
We recently spoke with the guys behind Mighty Quest For Epic Loot about the game, you can check out our interview for Mighty Quest For Epic Loothere.
Last Thursday, EA held a FIFA 14 Xbox One preview event at the Ivy Penthouse here in Sydney (talk about swag!). We were lucky enough to receive an invite, get some substantial hands-on time with the next-gen iteration, grab a quick word from EA Sports Producer Peter Trenouth and see a few familiar faces throughout the night.
To start off the occasion, Mr. Trenouth gave a presentation on the features and improvements found in the next-generation versions of FIFA 14, which we detail in our hands-on preview. In an ever-so brief moment, Peter highlighted the addition of three footballing legends to FIFA Ultimate Team exclusively for Xbox. After concluding his speech, everybody put their game face on in pursuit of victories on the pitch that would put France and Brazil’s wins over Australia to shame – although most skills flew out the window once the beers started making the rounds. Today, we can give you the details on the three aforementioned legends.
Click through for a better look at the names included
Luís Figo, Paul Nedvěd and Romário de Souza Faria (better known simply as Romário) are joining the 42 player roster of legends to be featured in FUT. Luís Figo is the most capped Portuguese player in history, playing 127 matches for the Portugal national team. Figo captained the side in the 2006 World Cup all the way to the semi-finals – the best performance at the tournament in 40 years. A legendary midfielder who played for both rivals FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, Figo was also the 2000 European Footballer of the Year and the 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year.
Pavel Nedvěd was an important link in the Czech Republic national team, who reached the finals of the UEFA Euro 1996 with an amazing performance by the midfielder heavily contributing to the gelling and success of the team. Romário is one of the most prolific and highly regarded strikers of all time. Now a politician in his home country of Brazil, Romário once helped the Brazilian national team to victory at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He also won FIFA World Player of the Year and World Cup Golden Ball in 1994, and is one of very few strikers to have scored a thousand goals in his career.
We’ve also got a gallery to share below, holding images from the night and the numerous special guests present. As afternoon turned to evening, local celebrities began to arrive and take part in the festivities. Among them was ‘Blue Wiggle’ Anthony Field; Darian Lobb of MVP Management; Ryan O’Keefe of the Sydney Swans; TV personalities behind ABC’s children show Giggle and Hoot; Western Sydney Wanderers forward Tahj Minniecon (who also made an appearance at the FIFA 14 National Championship Finals) and midfielders Josh Baressi and Yianni Perkatis; singer/songwriter Jordan Millar; Local FC’s Chad Gibson and presenter/actor Nick Gulliver.
Now, we’ve reviewed FIFA 14 for the Xbox 360, but also went hands-on with the Xbox One version last week at a preview event hosted by EA at the Ivy Penthouse (not to brag or anything…) – where new exclusive FUT Legends were officially announced – and can honestly say that the next-gen iteration of our favourite football title is an entirely different beast.
Obviously, the first noticeable difference comes in the graphical department. FIFA 14 on the Xbox One looks amazing, and the developers at EA Canada want to show off the full capabilities of the hardware – hence why some particular presentation choices were made. One of those relates to the stadiums; on next-gen, each arena and the surrounding streets have been modelled from the ground up after their real-life counterpart. Camera fly-ins before each match spotlight the immense level of detail put into these arenas, which are also packed with thousands upon thousands of fans, all represented as fully-3D character models. Based on polygon count alone, this would never have been possible on older consoles.
Etihad Stadium – Home of Manchester City
As seen above, Etihad Stadium is a great example of an arena recreated with expert accuracy. But the arenas and crowds therein are only parts of the sum that lends to the feeling of Living Worlds. The default camera angle has been lowered to include more of the crowd in the background, showing off the surroundings, but also keeping an effective, unobstructed perspective on play. Individual blades of grass on the pitch get kicked up when players strike a ball, and should they go in for the goal, you’ll notice more dynamic angles being utilised during celebrations. Everything is tighter and closer to the action, pulling you deeper into a state of immersion.
Producer Peter Trenouth actually explained to us that a team of guys from the studio visited the Director’s Box during a televised game in order to observe how he controlled the teleplay, noting when and why he switched between certain cameras, and where they were located throughout the grounds so that they could gain a better understanding of the presentation side of things. And it paid off. There is also unique commentary during replays now, which is something that people have requested for a long time… no longer will the silence urge you to skip through, as you now receive feedback on the play in question. Other small touches such as the inclusion of ball boys – which results in a higher frequency of second balls appearing on the pitch, mind you – and footballers flicking the ball to another who is preparing to take a corner really add to the overall authenticity.
Available to us were some of the best teams in the world: PSG, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bor. Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur, but only for kick-off matches strictly with 3-minute halves. Gameplay-wise, the experience was smooth as silk, with the Ignite Engine providing more nuanced motion, blending between a substantially increased animation set. In-Air Play is no longer limited, enabling more than one player from each side to leap for a header, making the tussle much more competitive. Pure Shot is also taken to further extremes on next-gen platforms when considering the integration of Elite Technique and Pro Instincts, resulting in even more varied strikes.
Elite Technique makes this possible by incorporating skilful techniques such as shooting while off-balance, trapping the ball in a swift 180° turn and automatically dummying or running over an incoming ball if calculated that accepting the pass would break momentum. It essentially allows the means to execute some of the more expert manoeuvres in the game. Pro Instincts deals with the instinctual reactions a player would give in real life situations. For instance, if the opposition is coming in with a slide tackle, you will – provided conditions relating to stride and spacing are met – jump over their feet, avoiding impact. Players also brace for impact when going to ground, and put an arm between themselves and a defender when the threat of losing possession is present. This isn’t exactly the same as Protect The Ball, but follows the same principles of instinctively doing what’s requiring to keep the ball.
When you combine all of these elements, both in aesthetics and mechanics, FIFA 14 on Xbox One plays like a dream and feels as real as ever. And for those of you who have already purchased the title on either current-generation console – much like with how EA is handling retainment of Battlefield 4 stats – your badges, kits, cards, FUT career, Seasons progress and more will carry over – from PS3 to PS4, and Xbox 360 to Xbox One. So, taking a gander at the varying upgrade offers out there may very well be worth it, as the enhancements found here are not just superficial, but affect the gameplay experience itself for the better. FIFA 14 will be available in November, at launch, for both next-gen systems.
