Focus Home Interactive and Spiders Studios have been very adamant about bragging up their unique bestiary for the upcoming Action/RPG Bound by Flame. The past screenshots have shown some very interesting creatures that all look pretty fantastic and still fearsome. The screenshots released today are no different showcasing 3 new screenshots and 3 enemies from their bestiary.
While the past screenshots have seemed to include mainly enemies that are more alive, this set of screenshots from Bound by Flame is all about the undead. From a Bone Golem that appears as a hodgepodge of different bones and skeletons slapped together, to the Lich that is much more elongated and creepy, to the mighty general of the Living Dead clad in bone armor.
Needless to say that with all these guys running around looking to cement the hero in the completely dead column, players will have their work cut out for them as they go toe-to-toe. Those wanting to see a bigger version of the screenshots can click on the images, else just wait for your own chance to take these foes on when Bound by Flame releases in early 2014 for Xbox 360, PS3, PS4, and PC.
It looks like Ubisoft and Obsidian Entertainment are getting prepped for the release for South Park: The Stick of Truth in December as they have just announced the preorder bonuses that players will be having to choose from. With two different sets of preorder bonuses, split between retailers no less, those wanting to get exactly the bonuses they want should pay close attention.
The first preorder bonus is the “Ultimate Fellowship Pack”, that in the UK is available at ShopTo and includes:
the Necromancer Sorcerer Costume with a bonus to Fire Damage
the Ranger Elf Costume with a bonus to Bonus Weapon Damage
the Rogue Assassin Costume with a bonus to Bonus Gold
the Holy Defender Costume with a bonus to Bonus Defenses
The second preorder bonus is the “Super Samurai Spaceman Pack”, that in the UK is available at GAME and includes:
the Superhero Costume with a buffs at the start of combat
the Samurai Costume with a buffs when defeating an enemy
the Spaceman Costume with Emergency Shields
Those outside of the UK will have to check their local retailers to see which preorder bonus they will be offering or have the option to get BOTH preorder bonuses when purchasing South Park: The Stick of Truth from the Uplay shop. Not to mention The Grand Wizard Edition with it’s own set of exclusives.
Welcome back for this week’s iOS Game Suggestions. If you missed last week’s, or are new to the suggestions, click on the link below and check out what cool games you should be picking up for your iOS device along with the introduction on how the suggestions work. (suggestions 1 has how it all works)
A great week on iTunes! As always, it started slow and but ended with a bang! There are many must-buy games this week in all departments, FREE, 99c and over 99c. This week I’ve suggested a total of 16 great quality titles. Make sure you check them all especially… Brotherhood Of Violence 2, Mega Dead Pixel, Dungeons & Dragons: Arena Of War, Device 6, Rabbids Big Bang just to name a few.
Break down below :
7 – FREE Games
3 – $0.99c Games
6 – Over $0.99c Games
As always for this week’s suggestions are all new titles that you should take a look at and consider spending your hard earned iTunes cash / time on. Well the Free games just below certainly should all be given a shot as they won’t cost you anything!
For The Cheapskates – FREE GAMES
MASTERABBOTT’S FREE GAME PICK OF THE WEEK!
Rebel Warfare – Price : FREE – Publisher – 505 Games (Wage epic war and lead your troops against malicious rebels! Set up basecamp, train infantry units and battle evil insurgents in epic combat. It’s time to kick some serious tail and annihilate the bad guys! ) on iPad & iPhone. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
Mega Dead Pixel – Price : FREE – Publisher –Chillingo (When pixels collide, it’s game over! Tap to steer your plucky pixel left and right as it descends through a minefield of dangerous retro shapes to build up your meter and transform into the almighty Mega Pixel.) runs on iPad & iPhone. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
Dungeons & Dragons Areana Of War – Price : FREE – Publisher –Mobage (Arena of War, the first free-to-play Dungeons & Dragons game to come to mobile, is a thrilling 3D battle RPG that takes place in the famous Forgotten Realms. Battling alongside your trusted teammates, you will unlock great powers that can be upgraded and combined to your device.) runs on iPad & iPhone. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
Seven Dwarfs: The Queens Return – Price : FREE – Publisher –Disney (Enter the enchanted forest in this exciting continuation of the classic story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The Queen has returned! And she has cast a curse that has left Snow White and the dwarfs scattered throughout the vast forest. It’s up to you to rescue them! Lift the Queen’s curse, and return happiness to the forest and its inhabitants in this free, village-building adventure.) runs on iPad & iPhone. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
Disco Bees – Price : FREE – Publisher –Space Inch (The most innovative matching puzzle game ever. Mind-bending, brain-breaking concentric gravity, disco-dancing bees, beautiful game design…. and ZOMBEES!) runs on iPad & iPhone. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
33rd Division – Price : FREE – Publisher – Craneballs Studios(Welcome General! Your troops are in dire need of your tactical mastery! Get them past German patrols unnoticed and unharmed. Get back in time to World War II Europe. The war is underway and the Allies on the German front desperately need reinforcements. Only you can provide them with more engineers, medics and sargeants. The Germans are looking for you with their fingers on the trigger so watch out! You will need all your wits and skill to dodge the enemy line of sight.) on iPad & iPhone. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
CSR Classics – Price : FREE – Publisher –NaturalMotion (Race the greatest cars ever made, and restore them to their former glory! A brand new game in the CSR series, CSR Classics sets the benchmark in graphics and gameplay. Get ready to race!) runs on iPad & iPhone. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
For The Bargain Hunters – 99c Games
Rabbids Big Bang – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Ubisoft (Forget the Milky Way! This is the Rabbids Way!
Rabbids Big Bang is the first Rabbids physic-based game on mobile devices that lets you pilot a Rabbid in space with the tip of your finger!) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
Brotherhood Of Violence 2: Blood Impact – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Realtech VR (Brotherhood of Violence puts your fighting skills to the test with stunning 3D graphics, multiple fighting disciplines, and more than 400 ever evolving fighters that learn through artificial intelligence. Battle your way through 30 environments to defeat punks, ninja, Yakuza and more. Watch out for the Big Boss. He has it in for you and his skills are unmatched! Click “…More” to learn why you should download this Game today!) runs on iPad & iPhone. BUY NOW
Pocket Titans – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Kumotion (Join our heroes on an exciting journey through a land of Orcs and Skeletons, defeating evil bosses and rescuing villagers. Make powerful new allies and do battle with your Game Center friends in this epic adventure with unique puzzle style gameplay.) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
For The Millionaires – All games over $0.99
MasterAbbott’s over 99c Pick Of The Week!
Fist Of Awesome – Price : $4.49 – Publisher – I Fight Bears (When Tim Burr’s family disappeared and his house spontaneously burst into flames he thought his day was as about bad as it could get. That’s when his hand became self-aware and broke the horrific news that the world was now ruled by bears. Join Tim as he embarks on an epic battle across time and space, unravelling the bear-ridden damage to Earth’s timeline. It’s a bit like Quantum Leap but with more bears and lumberjacks.) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
Ghost Toasters – Regular Show – Price : $2.99 – Publisher – Cartoon Network (Save the park from a ghostly invasion in this REGULAR SHOW PLATFORM SHOOTER! Gear up with the latest high-tech weaponry and toast some killer ghosts! Hot Dog Guy loves his hot dogs extra hot, with lots of ghost peppers. But when Mordecai and Rigby accidentally knock his savory snack into the graveyard, its supernatural spice summons an army of ancient ghosts.) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
Indigo Lake– Price : $1.99 – Publisher – 3 Cubes Research (Indigo Lake is an intelligent psychological horror game that mixes first person combat, driving and puzzle solving. Explore an open world, translate ancient American Indian pictograms and dispel spirits with unique rituals.) runs on iPad. BUY NOW
Mimpi– Price : $1.99 – Publisher – Cresent Moon Games (Explore strange new worlds and unique adventures in Mimpi – a fantastic new adventure, puzzle, and platformer game. The game is like a psychedelic illustration come alive! Mimpi the dog is searching for his master in eight diverse worlds. The environment is seldom repetitive, the puzzles are always new. The story is told without words by the game world itself. The game can be played by anyone, kids, adults, hipsters, crypto terrestrials…) runs iPad & iPhone. BUY NOW
Machinarium Pocket Edition – Price : $1.99 – Publisher – Amanita Design (An award-winning adventure game by the makers of Samorost and Botanicula. Finally available also for iPhones with pinch-to-zoom feature, achievements and more.) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
Device 6 – Price : $4.49 – Publisher – Simogo. (A surreal thriller in which the written word is your map, as well as your narrator. DEVICE 6 plays with the conventions of games and literature, entwines story with geography and blends puzzle and novella, to draw players into an intriguing mystery of technology and neuroscience. Anna wakes up in a castle on a remote island, with little recollection of how she got there. All she remembers is an unusually unpleasant doll.) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
There you have it folks these games should keep you busy for quite some time well until next week at least. I’ll be back next week for another dose of iOS goodness, in the meantime if you would also like to suggest your own suggestions, please feel free to share them in the comments section below or in the iOS forum section on the site here.
There is a week and a half until the second wave of Disney Infinity begins. This Halloween, Disney will be launching new figures, new Power Discs and a brand new Play Set. The new Play Set is one that fans everywhere have been dying for: Toy Story in Space.
Toy Story in Space puts you in the role of Buzz Lightyear, Woody or Jessie as you try and send the Pizza Planet Aliens back to their home. In typical Disney Infinity fashion you will run, jump, glide, make use of character-specific powers and unlock more toys all while playing as fan favourite Toy Story Characters.
The Toy Story in Space play set will be available on October 31 and will come with the play set piece, and two figures: Buzz Lightyear and Jessie. Woody comes separately and will be available on November 28th.
As well as being playable in the Play Set, each of the figures, as well as the toys you unlock will be playable in Toy Box Mode. This Play Set also allows players to unlock the highly anticipated grow/shrink blasters for the Toy Box.
With the addition of the Toy Story characters, and Jack Skellington, the amount you can do in this game is growing from Infinity to beyond, so for all the Disney Infinity news as it becomes available, be sure to stay tuned to Capsule Computers.
The Marked Ones is a spin-off from the main series, and will feature the main demon from the franchise. The Marked Ones takes the same found-footage style of the previous Paranormal Activity movies, but this time features people who are marked by a paranormal force, which slowly begins to change them. A picture is worth 1000 words, so you should check out the trailer below for yourself, but so far it looks like this will be one that Paranormal Activity fans will go wild over.
A lot of the storyline was hinted to in Paranormal Activity 4, so fans of the series should be able to understand what is going on without any trouble. Let us know in the comments below your thoughts and if you will be seeing this films, and remember that for all the Paranormal Activity news as it becomes available, be sure to stay away from those who are marked, and stay tuned to Capsule Computers.
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox Studio:DC Entertainment Publisher: Warner Bros. Format: DVD (Reviewed), Blu Ray Release Date: Out Now Price:$16.98 – Available Here
Overview
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox is the movie based on the comic book event that changed the shape of the DC Universe as we know it, by causing an unprecedented universe-wide reboot. As such, there is a lot of pressure to make the movie adaptation as good as, if not better than the book itself. Luckily, with a fantastic line-up of talented voice actors, and some tweaks to the story to make it more accessible to audiences who don’t read comics religiously, Flashpoint Paradox brings this vital part of DC’s history to life and makes it one of the best animated movies that DC have produced.
Story
After thwarting a terrorist plot from The Rogues, Barry Allen (The Flash) wakes up in a world that doesn’t feel right. His mother is alive, and he has lost his powers. Not only that but the world is in the midst of war. Aquaman and the Atlanteans are battling furiously against Wonder Woman and her Amazons. The battle has already claimed Europe, with the rest of the world soon to follow. This sets the tone perfectly for the entire film, which has a glim, desperate feel. Cyborg, on the bequest of the President of the United States is trying to round up as many heroes as he can in order to take the fight to both Aquaman and Wonder Woman before their conflict destroys the world.
After realising that something is not right in Kansas, Barry heads to find the one man who he knows is smart enough to help him – Batman. However, when he arrives at Bruce Wayne’s mansion, he finds a Batman that is more ruthless, more aggressive, and more unrestrained than the one he knows back home. After ascertaining why this Batman is not the “James Bond of Superheroes,” that he remembers, the two form an uneasy partnership when it is made clear that Reverse-Flash altered the past to create this universe.
The story unfolds and Flash, along with Batman round up their own set of heroes in order to stop Reverse-Flash and rectify the world. This puts them at conflict with not only the US government, but the Amazons and the Atlanteans too. As the movie progresses, it becomes steadily more dark and violent, showing scenes that you wouldn’t imagine in an animated movie. This includes a beheading, with Wonder Woman holding up the head of Queen Mera (Aquaman’s wife) to her soldiers, as well as the murder of the Shazam Kids.
The story is a near perfect adaptation of the book, and in many ways improves upon the source material. It is written in such a way that it removes all the clutter and necessary prior-knowledge that the book itself requires, meaning anyone can sit down and watch the story and still know exactly what is going on. However, this also has the slight side-effect of simplifying the ending. It still fits perfectly with the context of the story, but I feel that they they could have done a little bit more.
This “It is good, but we could have used that little bit more,” thought popped into my head a few times while watching the movie, another notable example is when Wonder Woman is saved by Grifter and his gang. Even some die-hard comic book fans will have no idea who Grifter and Etrigan the Demon are, and they are given no backstory or plot development aside from their brief conversation with Lois.
Another well done part of the story is that includes some minor details about the universe that originally were only collected in the side stories. One of these is the brief scene where the Paradox Universe’s Joker comes to fruition, which is an emotional and gripping scene on its own (the side-story that features The Joker was one of the better parts of the Flashpoint storyline, and it is slightly disappointing that we didn’t get the see more of it, but what we got was more than enjoyable.
The movie is also filled with a heap of twists and turns to keep you guessing. As soon as you have figured out the story, it changes drastically. This gives the movie a real authentic comic-book feel, where at the end of every chapter we are given a plot twist or a cliffhanger to keep us hooked. Some may find the plot twists to be too over the top and too numerous, but they really do keep you guessing as the movie progresses.
Visuals
The animation for this film is.. Interesting to say the least. Some of the characters are drawn outstandingly, and really bring their personalities and characterisations to life on the screen. However, there are some characters, especially Aquaman who just look like a muscle-bound thug. Some of the faces, especially the mouths and jaws of these larger, burly male characters are really downright ugly, and can detract a lot from the viewing experience.
While some of the characters are less than perfect, the setting and backdrops are a lot better. The whole universe is dark and gloomy and this is portrayed with a lot of dull colours and greys. Gotham City is always dreary, but here in Flashpoint it is downright depressing. You really get a sense of the trouble that the world is in just by looking at it. The animations of many of the super-abilities are also pretty impressive to look at, even though they are drawn a lot differently than many people may be used to. Superman’s heat vision for example is a lot more transparent than usual. This difference in art style really helps make Flashpoint Paradox its own.
Audio
The voice work here is absolutely outstanding. Flashpoint Paradox is a veritable who’s-who of famous voice actors, anchored by returning DC Animation veterans Kevin Conroy (Batman/Bruce Wayne), Nathan Fillion (Hal Jordon) and Dana Delaney (Lois Lane), who’s voices have become synonymous with their respective characters. Aside from the three recurring roles, the rest of the cast are filled with prominent voice actors lending their talents to characters for the first time, like Steve Blum who voices Lex Luthor (taking over for long time Lex voice actor Clancy Brown), or Dee Bradley Baker playing Etrigan the Demon.
No matter if they are old timers, or newcomers to the DC Universe, everyone here gives it their all and brings to life these characters that we usually only see on printed page. Since Flashpoint Paradox takes place in an alternate universe, some characters are voiced by two separate and distinct actors to help differentiate between their voices. The best example of this is Batman, who is voiced by Conroy in the beginning main-universe setting, but in the Paradox universe is voiced by Kevin McKidd. The two Batman are very different characters, so having different voice actors portray them really helps define each of them individually.
Special mention goes here to Justin Chambers, who takes on the leading role of Barry Allen/The Flash. The Flash has always lacked a recurring voice actor, typically portrayed by different people in every incarnation. As such there has never been a definitive ‘Flash’ voice in the same way that there is a ‘Lex’ or a ‘Batman.’ However, Chambers’ gives a sense of character and humanity to the Flash, and before the movie is out you will find yourself believing he IS Barry Allen. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like Chambers will be returning to the role in the near future, so as great as his portrayal of Barry is, don’t get used to his voice behind the red spandex mask.
Extras
As far as additional extras go, Flashpoint Paradox is quite bare bones. The only extra on-disc is a preview for Justice League: War, which is the next DCU Animated Movie. It is being based on the first story-arc from the New 52 wave of comic books, and as such means it takes place almost directly after the conclusion of Flashpoint Paradox. The movie will show the formation of the Justice League, as they face one of the most powerful beings in the universe; Darkseid.
Overall
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox takes one of the most important pieces of DC’s history to date, and brings it to life for fans everywhere to see. It does this in such a way as to eliminate a lot of the clutter and confusion that the less than religious fans would struggle with. A stellar voice cast really bring these characters to life, and the world feels as dark and desperate as it is described to be. The only thing holding the movie back are some unusual character designs. While some will feel that the violence is too over the top for a Justice League cartoon, this movie isn’t meant for kids, and the violent acts these ‘heroes’ perform just adds to the despair, and shows how far they have fallen in this new universe. All in all, Flashpoint Paradox makes its mark as one of the best animated movies that DC have produced, and it makes me excited for the future of the DCAU franchise.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Pokemon X and Y is FINALLY here! Have we caught them all? No…. But we’re getting there! This week on CC Unplugged, Luke Halliday, Philip Federico, Kane Bugeja and Frank Inglese go bonkers for Pokemon X & Y, giving their opinions of the game so far, while also sharing their Pokemon Team and also the names of their Pokemon. We also speak about Grand Theft Auto V, and other open world games. We also discuss a number of titles such as Watch_Dogs, Assassins Creeds IV, Call Of Duty Ghosts and Battlefield 4. It is a show full of…stuff, and you should tune in and check it out!
So grab a space shuttle, tell your friends, and prepare to get UNPLUGGED WITH LEGEND SWAGGY!
Be sure to listen to our past CC Unplugged episodes here.
SPONSOR PLUG
Special Mention to our partners over at Razer, us here at Capsule Computers are geared by gamers, for gamers. Check them out on Twitter and Official Website.
Zumba Fitness World Party has players travel around exotic locations while working their bodies to 40+ new high-energy routines and a soundtrack featuring the likes of Lady Gaga, Pitbull and Daddy Yankee. The game includes a new World Tour mode and all-new visual presentations.
For more details on the game’s soundtrack, including a comprehensive list, check out this earlier article.
For those of you who have waited to catch a glimpse of the legendary NBA 2K series on the next-generation of gaming consoles, you’re wait is over. 2K Games have just released a trailer for NBA 2K14 which features PlayStation 4 gameplay footage. This is the first next-generation gameplay footage for NBA 2K14 and it is simply out of this world.
You can check out the impressive PlayStation 4 version of NBA 2K14 in the trailer below. Be sure to check out our review of the Xbox 360 version of the game here for an idea of what this latest installment is like. Let us know what you think in the comments section.
University is a wonderfully odd place. Some would call it a right of passage, taking you on a journey of self-discovery accompanied by some of the best friends and the most deluded basket cases that you could ever dream of meeting. So far, I feel like Golden Time has painted us a fairly accurate picture of university life, albeit with a much higher concentration of gorgeous women, but all in all it has been a pretty down to earth representation. After a rough start, this show managed to pick itself up and dust itself down in episode 2 so will it continue going strong into episode 3?
Last episode set us up for a club trip with Banri and Kouko and that is exactly what we got, but since the club member never really explicitly told them the name of the club it could have been any number of obscene things. As a general rule, university clubs are split into three types: sports, special interest societies, and then there is the grey area where the unofficial ‘clubs’ lurk. In the case of my university this is made up of a multitude of oddities like the Viking Society, the Super Villain Society, and it used to include a Pirate Society before they somehow plundered enough members to become official. However, clearly none of those sounded nearly crazy enough to Golden Time, so this time around we find our protagonists being indoctrinated into a religious cult preaching the truths of the universe…
Honestly, this isn’t completely unrealistic judging by some of the people I’ve met at university, but it is certainly what you would call a worst case scenario. They might have been in a bind, but what this allowed for was a chance for the audience to ponder how Banri and Kouko would react in a situation completely out of their comfort zone. At first, both seemed lost despite their best efforts to think of an escape plan, but then Banri surprised me.
In episodes 1 and 2, Tada Banri came across to me as a nice guy with some unusual emotional depth, but little else stood out about him except his underlying amnesia backstory. What I didn’t expect was for him to be so cunning! In no way did I think that he would be able to lie so convincingly and to an extent I guess I was correct in that assertion considering he actually had to tell the truth about his amnesia to make it sound convincing. After seeing his reaction to the text message in episode 1 that reminded him of his amnesia I assumed that it was a very touchy topic, but after getting Kouko into this situation he wanted to get her out no matter what, even if that meant sacrificing his own privacy.
Episode 3 was an even bigger tease than episode 2 when it came to implying a growing bond between Banri and Kouko, but their relationship still has a long way to go. From the beginning, they are both exceedingly flawed characters, but there are parts of their personalities that are a mirror image of each other. Amnesia left Banri with absolutely nothing. Waking up to a world where everybody is a stranger, even your parents and closest friends must be terrifying. Suddenly, you have no place anymore and even if you tried to become the person your friends once knew and loved, you would no longer be yourself. You’d feel invisible. Faux-depression or not, Kouko muttered those exact words last episode and I think her playing them off in this episode was merely an act, or at least she recognises that it was at least 10% true. Their situations are not that different, but until something groundbreaking happens involving the apple of Kouko’s eye, Mitsuo, it looks like Banri will be trapped in his beta male role for a little longer at least.
Pacing has not been Golden Time’s strong suit in the first 3 episodes, but being so heavily character based I am willing to give it some leeway. As long as we keep getting long, revealing dialogues like this week then it can go as slow as it wants because I love that kind of anime. Call me brainwashed by Bakemonogatari, but I think seeing some insight into a character’s feelings this early on is invaluable because when everything hits the fan the emotional impact grows ten-fold knowing how soul destroying it must be for them.
All Golden Time is missing now is a big twist. Something that will drop Kouko into reality. I have no clue what will happen, but my speculation is that Mitsuo will meet another girl and all of a sudden Kouko’s entire world will come crashing down around her. She said it herself, she doesn’t feel, “complete,” without Mitsuo because she has lived her entire life around him. To have him suddenly torn away from her after she felt so betrayed when he moved university to avoid her will trigger something titanic in Kouko, but as for what that will be I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Golden Time has got the ball rolling now and despite its pacing being less than perfect, it is still standing up as a great romance with some very true to life emotions. The drama hasn’t started yet, but I am seeing the first signs of a simmer and once Kouko comes to the boil I think we’re going to see something quite special. Keep an eye on this little gem, it might surprise you.
For more anime impressions from the CC crew and myself, covering all of fall’s best and worst, check out our Anime Impressions section!
