Welcome to another episode of CC: Anime, Capsule Computers Anime Podcast! In our twenty second episode, the CC: Anime crew discuss the latest anime and manga news, our theories on Attack on Titan, The Eccentric Family, Space Dandy casting details, Pokemon Origins being really good, our thoughts on Fall 2013 anime, as well as answering your questions and tweets. We also have a prize giveaway of Chihayafuru Part 2 on DVD thanks to our sponsor Siren Visual, find out how to enter here.
Cast: Luke Halliday, Travis Bruno, Frank Inglese and Kane Bugeja
We hope you enjoy CC: Anime Episode 22, be sure to let us know what you think.
As with all Pokemon games, there are differences between versions in Pokemon X and Y. While there are some situational differences between the two 3DS games, there is a number of Pokemon exclusive to each version. The following is a list of Pokemon exclusive to each game:
Pokemon X Exclusives:
Staryu
Starmie
Pinsir
Houndour
Houndoom
Poochyena
Mightyena
Aron
Lairon
Swirlix
Slurpuff
Clauncher
Clawitzer
Xerneas
Mega Charizard X
Mega Mewtwo X
Pokemon Y Exclusives:
Shellder
Cloyster
Heracross
Larvitar
Pupitar
Tyranitar
Eletrike
Manetric
Purrloin
Liepard
Throh
Spritzee
Aromatisse
Skrelp
Dragalge
Yveltal
Mega Charizard Y
Mega Mewtwo Y
Interestingly enough, it appears that in terms of exclusives Pokemon Y has Pokemon X beat. Pokemon Y features a total of 18 exclusives whereas Pokemon X only features a total of 16 exclusives. Take that as you will Pokefans. If you have yet to jump on the Pokemon bandwagon, perhaps the exclusives list above will help you make up your mind.
To see what we think of Pokemon X you can check out our in-depth review of it here. Be sure to let us know what you think of Pokemon X and Y in the comments section below.
Over the weekend the Bathurst 1000 racing competition took place and Microsoft sent in their Xbox One Racing Team to compete in the event. The Xbox One Racing Team comprised of International champion drivers Andy Priaulx and Mattias Ekström. Both men raced ferociously in the six-hour epic race, making it in at 10th in the race.
The car driven was the gorgeous Xbox One rally car, which is designed in order to promote both the upcoming Xbox One console and launch title Forza Motorsport 5. The race was intense and I’m sure Microsoft are more than pleased with their impressive 10th place positioning in the legendary Bathurst 1000 event at Mount Panorama.
Forza Motorsport 5 and the Xbox One will both be launching on the 22nd of November, 2013. Stay tuned for further coverage on Forza Motorsport 5 and the Xbox One in the lead up to their releases.
Activision have just released a series of comedic promotional videos for the upcoming Call of Duty: Ghosts game. The trailers are part of a series called ‘Call of Duty Time’ all of which are being used to hype the imminent time in which Call of Duty: Ghosts will be released to the world, at which point all future time that occurs will be ‘Call of Duty Time’.
The situations featured in the ‘Call of Duty Time’ videos are rather humourous and a great watch for fans who cannot wait for the time in which Call of Duty: Ghosts will be out. Once that time comes they can then spend time playing it during the new era of human history known as ‘Call of Duty Time’. Some of the situations featured in the series of videos can be seen below in delightfully epic and occasionally badass image form.
Call of Duty Time: Faboom!
Call of Duty Time: Tea Time
Call of Duty Time: Checkup
Call of Duty Time: Dinner
Call of Duty Time: Dentist
Call of Duty Time: Night Shift
You can check out the video playlist of all of the Call of Duty Time videos below. Call of Duty: Ghosts is set for release on November 5th, 2013.
Montague’s Mount is a psychological horror game from Irish developer Matthew Clifton, AKA Polypusher Studios. It is the first game to be released by the independent developer, and also features Oculus Rift support. Unfortunately I didn’t have the necessary kit to test it out!
The game is entirely first person, putting players in control of an amnesiac fisherman who wakes up on a desolate beach. The game is based on a true story and also features some use of Irish Gaelic. You can check out a preview here.
Story
Montague’s Mount bills itself as a psychological horror. To that end things start off well enough, with the main character awakening on a grim deserted island somewhere off the coast of Ireland. With no memory of who he is or how he came to be washed up on the deserted beach, he sets off to explore the island in hope of uncovering his identity and finding a way to escape.
The atmosphere is great, all haunting music, trembling voice over and half heard screams. It makes you feel uncomfortable, and makes you think that bad things are lurking around every corner. You can hardly see what you’re walking into, and the deserted buildings and flickering shadows add to the unease.
Those early expectations are the high point of the experience. Montague’s Mount never goes anywhere with its plot, struggling to make a point, develop its character or even deliver any scares. It is slowly paced, with precious few details that actually reveal anything. There are quotes that flash up on the screen talking about mental illness and the sparse dialogue tries to push the insanity agenda, but any attempt at actually getting the player to feel a little crazy is hamstrung by the gameplay – more on that below.
The final nail in the coffin for Montague’s Mount is the ending. What keeps you going throughout the game is the hope for a great payoff; a horrible, shocking, grisly climax that will make the hours you’ve spent trudging around dark and dingy beaches worthwhile. What you get is a plug for a sequel.
Gameplay
The gameplay in Montague’s Mount is a simple combination of exploration and point and click puzzling. The controls allow you to walk around the island, with a click for examine and another for action. You have a limited inventory for items that are used to solve puzzles. The controls work well and there are no major problems with the mechanics of the game. I experienced one wobble when I used a log to climb over a fence that I should have solved a puzzle to open, but a reload solved the issue and did the puzzle for me!
Exploration is hampered by the pace of the main character, who shambles along at an appallingly slow rate. Initially it isn’t much of a problem, but when you’ve soaked up all the atmosphere and start to back track across the island, things start to grate. What was an appropriately grim atmosphere becomes wearing, the repetitive sound effects begin to take their toll. Things get boring, and you tune out while you toddle along the beach at a snail’s pace.
And there is nothing to distract you while you’re poncing about. The darkness obscures much of the scenery whilst the rain lashes on and on and you’re left stumbling around in the dark wandering why it is that you’re still bothering. For tension to be an effective tool there’s got to be a release of it at some point – but the scares just never come.
Montague’s Mount has two types of puzzle. The first is standard lock and key fare; hunt around for an object and use it to activate another. The dark, debris strewn environments can make finding things quite tough, but if you get frustrated you can always activate the hint system that illuminates important objects with a red glow. To activate this you have to quit the game, which given you often get stuck between check points means increased backtracking as you repeat the first few steps of a puzzle. Increased, extra slow, backtracking.
The other puzzles seem to be aiming for some sort of logic. There are incredibly weird setups on the island, such as a bridge lowering mechanism that is activated by decoding the flashing light of a buoy into Morse code, using the letters to identify a colour and then using those to dictate the placement of some wooden spinners on a wall. Similarly aggravating is the puzzle that requires you to gather six candles to open a gate. There are candles EVERYWHERE but the ones you want must be some sort of special candle, so you can’t take any of the dozens strewn around the place.
There are plenty of games that thrive on having slightly weird point and click puzzles, but Montague’s Mount doesn’t have the wit to pull off weird. The illogical puzzles are totally at odds with the otherwise realistic feel of the game. There are achievements to unlock and collectibles to be found, but any will to seek them out is crushed by the banality of exploring the island.
Montague’s Mount has a great atmosphere but the gameplay mechanics kill it stone dead. If the whole thing is a clever ploy to actually drive you up the wall then it certainly works in that respect, but it’s a very irritated sort of crazy that it inspires.
Visuals
Montague’s Mount is characterised by a visual bleakness that plays well with the story. The island is shrouded in darkness, with the occasional spot of light letting a bit of colour seep back into the world. The shadows and the dimly lit paths make you feel lost, and there is the odd moment where your brain turns a shadow into something more. Some of the useable objects can be very difficult to see without the help system, but scrabbling around in the dark is probably largely the point. There is a lot of debris scattered around, and the objects do repeat at a noticeable frequency – why are there so many pine wardrobes on this island?
Audio
The music is quite beautiful in Montague’s Mount. It gives the atmosphere a mournful feel and also feels appropriate for the Irish setting. There is some good use of sound effects too, with the half heard screams of a woman being quite unnerving whilst you’re still settling into the game. Otherwise it is a bit light on effects, leaving the constant rain to fill in the majority of the soundscape.
The voice acting on the main character is good but is ultimately hampered by a poor script that gets worse as the game goes on. There is a lot of time spent walking around in silence, and it’s a shame that there aren’t more reactions from the main character to the things that he sees. You never get an insight into his thought process, making it extremely hard to care about him.
Overall
The opening half hour of Montague’s Mount has some promise. The atmosphere is great, the set up hints at a story that will deliver, and it gives you a main character that could be descending into madness. Unfortunately every decent element of the game is mutated into just another irritation by the slow pace of the gameplay and the complete lack of any climax. The puzzles are bland, the exploration is tedious, and to be left hanging on a flat cliff-hanger is the final insult.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
A great new game has been released by KFC. DT and Ogilvy collaborated with KFC to bring us ‘KFC Snack! in the Face’, a physics based action game for iOS and Android.
The story centres around KFCs tasty snacks where players help Colonel Sanders steal back his Popcorn Chickens that have been snatched away by the evil and gluttonous Professor Snackbot. To get back all the tasty snacks, players are challenged to launch Popcorn Chickens into Colonel Sanders’ mouth Angry Birds style, while dodging fireballs, lasers and more.
KFC’s fast-paced Snack! in the Face game is jam-packed with unique and exciting features, including:
Adventure Mode – Help Popcorn Chickens escape from three of Professor Snackbot’s lairs – the not-so-Secret Lab Lair, the steamy Volcano Lava Lair and the glacial Arctic Ice Lair. Watch out for buzz saws, fireballs, lasers and more to help your Popcorn Chickens escape!
Snack Time Mode – Everyday between 2pm-5pm AEST, test your speed and agility in the special Snack Time daily challenge to instantly win free KFC snacks
Win snacks on the go – In Adventure Mode, players can unlock achievements and find collectables to win free KFC snacks and discount offers. All snacks won in game are stored in My Snacks, your own prize wallet full of chicken. Just show the prize screen on your mobile device at a KFC restaurant to redeem your snack
Win snacks for your friends – For the not-so-hungry, share the snacking fun and gift snacks to your Facebook friends through the game
Acting Chief Marketing Officer at KFC, Valerie Kubizniak, said:
With more Aussies eating and snacking on the go, KFC’s Snack! in the Face mobile game was a natural next step to connect with our customers. The game is fun to play, but also allows our customers the opportunity to win our great-tasting KFC snacks anytime, anywhere.
This is yet another great marketing plan by KFC like the ‘Say It With Chicken‘ campaign. KFCs use of interactive media for marketing is clever and creates a fun casual game with hours of gameplay value, entertaining challenges and a chance to win great-tasting KFC snacks. The tasty game is now available on the Apple App Store (here) and Google Play.
Nisemonogatari Part 1 Blu-ray Studio:SHAFT Publisher: Hanabee Format: Blu-ray (reviewed), DVD Release Date: October 2, 2013 Price: $49.99 – Available Here
Overview Nisio Isin has a created something of a monster with his Monogatari Series, where we’ll see anime adaptations pouring out over the next few years. Sequel to the original Bakemonogatari, Nisemonogatari continues to follow the exploits of half-vampire Koyomi Araragi as he deals with the supernatural problems of his city.
This time it’s his sisters who need his help, which is refreshing seeing as they previously had very little screen time. Read on to see whether this closer to home sequel lives up to Bakemonogatari.
Story The story continues on from Bakemonogatari, where Koyomi Araragi helped five girls be rid of their supernatural illnesses. This time however, they all seem to be doing fine as the plot of Nisemonogatari focuses on his sisters, 15-year old Karen who is a fiery tomboy in a tracksuit and 14-year old Tsukihi, a quiet girl dressed in a kimono who is capable of going hysterical. Known as the Fire Sisters at their school, the duo are essentially wannabe super heroes that look for trouble (particularly Karen).
A mysterious swindler, Kaiki Deishu, has returned to town. He was the one who originally tricked Hitagi before Bakemonogatari story and the curse that had befallen Nadeko Sengoku before is spreading throughout their city. Naturally the Fire Sisters try to put a stop to him, only to find it isn’t as easy as they think.
It may come down to personal preference, but I find the story developing tighter and more cohesive than in Bakemonogatari due to its single narrative and fewer episodes. The talking may seem drawn out and overly edgy at times, but unlike Bakemonogatari I felt that it wasn’t as obscure but rather more down to Earth.
Every interaction is genuinely entertaining though, with Koyomi’s encounters with his sisters and familiar characters like Mayoi Hachikuji always a whole heap of fun. The vampire girl Shinobu now has a voice, much to the delight of fans, along with plenty of fan-service despite the 300-year old being in an underdeveloped body.
She acts as an adviser to Koyomi, and seems to always be the one in control of the conversation. Nisemonogatari goes all out with the fan-service during conversations, but it’s done in such a matter-of-fact way you’re hardly surprised anymore.
Fans of Senjougahara will be disappointed though, as she hardly plays a significant role in the first half of the series. The other girls do show up despite the focus on the Fire Sisters, and are accompanied with the obligatory fan-service.
Action does happen occasionally, and it always surprises you how sudden and over-the-top it can be. The fight scene between Karen and Koyomi in episode seven, for instance, was absolutely insane.
To sum up the direction of the story in Nisemonogatari so far: less serious, more mischief and more fan-service while keeping the essence of its predecessor. Which, for me, is perfect for a side-sequel like this.
Visuals SHAFT continue to use their trademark art here. Quick cuts, bizarre backgrounds and head tilts. I can see why some people would find it irritating to watch, but it’s beautiful in its own way.
The colours are vivid, the scenery has incredible detail and they’ve certainly mastered the art of making a conversation somehow fascinating. When action does happen, it’s surprisingly over-the-top and violent, making you want to rewind those scenes and wonder how the heck SHAFT pulled it off.
What makes the show interesting to look at it is how they made ordinary places like a bathroom, for instance, feel almost alien. You sometimes have to pause at a new location to orientate yourself and to familiarise with the setting.
The Blu-ray version ups the crispness to a clean 1080p finish. A show as artful as Nisemonogatari definitely benefits from the higher resolution over its DVD version.
All this comes together into a package that isn’t pretentious or flashy in a high-budget way. I see it as pure fun and it really works your imagination.
Audio
The sound work here is just as you’d expect from Bakemonogatari, where character voice is dominant. 95% of what you will hear is someone talking. Now that’s fine when the voice acting is skilled and you’ll be glad to hear it’s expertly handled in Nisemonogatari.
I have unfathomable respect to these voice actors, as the script seem ridiculously demanding. This release is Japanese only with English subtitles, so be prepared to challenge your reading skill to its limit.
The music works really well to complement the constant talking as in order to hold your attention in an anime like this, the visuals and music must work together. It’s funny that you’d be hard pressed to remember the sound track, because it almost becomes ambiance while you’re watching. The music is essential to the experience, but it never particularly stands out. The opening and ending themes are nicely composed too.
Extras
As with their Blu-ray release of Bakemonogatari, Hanabee have stopped packing the discs in the unique art books that we’ve seen for their DVD versions. While a little disappointing, the blow is softened considering the huge increase in picture quality. Part 1 contains no on-disc extras which are assumed to be on Part 2 just like the DVD release.
Overall Firstly, anyone curious would have to have seen Bakemonogatari as this launches straight in assuming you know all the characters. As someone who enjoyed Bakemonogatari but found some of the story arcs drawn out due to personal preference, Nisemonogatari so far is a delight to watch. The Blu-ray version makes everything softer, smoother and simply a treat to look at, too.
Nisemonogatari panders to what fans loved about the original (unless you’re a Senjougahara fan), whether it’s fan service or the molestation of Mayoi, and injects a whole load of fun in the mix. The plot never seems as serious as Bakemonogatari’s, even if there is a threat to Karen and Tsukihi regarding the dark swindler, but we’ll see just how far the story goes in part two.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Anime fans in North America will be very happy this December, Aniplex will be screening the third Madoka movie in theatres throughout the US and Canada.
The final Madoka Magica film Rebellion will be first premièred in Los Angeles on the 3rd of December at the Egyptian Theatre; tickets for the premier are available now and special Madoka gift bags will be given to all who attend. Other gifts presented to ticket holders include a movie guide book, autograph board and an interesting Kyubey phone holder.
If you are in LA and miss the special premier then don’t fret; the movie will continue screening until the 19th of December with other special merchandise available. Items range from Madoka bandanas to keychains and even canvas art.
The Aniplex Madoka website has provided a full list of dates and theatre locations for Rebellion, which will be shown across 21 different states in America and across 6 provinces in Canada. The first two movies were similar to Evangelion 1.11 in the sense that they retold the main story of the anime; the third Madoka movie will be a new story following Homura in the newly re-written universe.
World class developer Realtech VR has just released a long awaited update of its latest iOS game, the outstanding ‘Brotherhood of Violence 2: Blood Impact’. Also, there is a limited time offer to purchase the game at only $0.99 to celebrate the game’s re-launch. (Pick it up here)
In ‘Brotherhood of Violence 2: Blood Impact’, iPhone and iPad gamers play the role of a former ruthless assassins. Players experience an interesting story line, great soundtrack and professional in game voices to keep users engaged as the player battles hundreds of AI enabled opponents through more than 30 environments to destroy the final boss.
Brotherhood of Violence 2 came out earlier this month and has been described as not just a video game, but a whole new gaming experience. The game is constantly evolving, learning the players’ moves to be become more challenging. It has stunning cinematic effects, advanced lighting and detail that is unparalleled when it comes to mobile games. The game app’s great features and 3D graphics aew owed to the exceptional high end 3D engine and artificial intelligence (AI).
‘Brotherhood of Violence 2 – Blood Impact’ Features Include:
High end 3D engine, optimized for iOS7, iPhone 5 and latest iPads.
Exclusive for iOS: Multiplayer online and over Bluetooth, up to 4 players, iOS 7 game controllers support (two players cooperative), Bladepad, iCade controllers, cloud save games, Airplay, and more.
Explore 32+ unique environments
More than 400 different stylized opponents to defeat!
Choose from 12 unique fighters or create your own with a deep character editor (features: face, complexion, weight, clothes, accessories and more)
Evolving fighters AI will keep you entertained
Play daily challenges: Hitman, Battle Royale and Survival, and play online with Game Center multiplayer.
High quality character animations with 5 different fighting styles: Boxing, Muey-thai, Feral, Kung-fu and Karate
Professional acting for voice overs, new stylish effects and improved gameplay and responsiveness
Available in English, French and Russian language.
Dogs of War Online is an upcoming free-to-play strategy game from Cyanide Studio (Aarklash: Legacy, Of Orcs and Men). We recently had the chance to get our hands on the Closed Beta. Please note that this does not represent the final product, and that some things may still change.
Much like Cyanide’s recent strategy RPG Aarklash: Legacy, Dogs of War Online takes place in the Confrontation universe. Instead of an epic single-player campaign, though, Dogs of War Online will put you in control of a squad of mercenaries in a competitive turn-based strategy context.
DOWO looks great while keeping its strategic edge.
After working through three different tutorial missions, each with increasingly complex material to teach the player, you’re able to choose which faction you want to control. Right now there are three factions: The undead army of the Ram, the army of the Wolf, which is made up of hulking Wolfen mercenaries, and the army of the Lion, which his made of human soldiers.
Within a competitive match itself, the game shines. Two opposing squads square off on the field of battle, which is comprised of a hex-based grid. You are initially given a minute to set up your formation before the match starts. Once battle begins, players takes turns moving and acting with their units. Each unit can move once per overall turn (not per player turn). Beyond movement, each action (such as landing an attack or spell) is given a percentage chance of succeeding. This can provide some truly tense moments that can make or break a match.
You’re given a chance to setup your squad before combat.
Before you enter battle, you’ll have to decide how the squad you bring in with you is constructed. Each combatant is worth a certain amount of AP, or Army Points, and squads can be from 100-300 AP total. Standard soldiers or archers may be worth 60-70 AP while mages and other special units are worth much more. This gives a great sense of flexibility within restriction to keep everything fair while allowing players to experiment.
Each army in the Beta follows a different “Path.” Those three paths are: The Ways of Light, The Meanders of Darkness, and the Paths of Destiny. If the layout of the beta is any indication, each path can expect to see two more factions, bringing the total playable factions up to nine. This bodes quite well for the full release of the game, given the diversity of the factions already present.
Armies come from three Paths: Darkness, Destiny, and Light
Every unit is unique in the Dogs of War. As you deal damage, earn kills, and more with each unit, they’ll earn experience. After they’ve earned enough experience, they can level up and earn new skills and spells to take into battle with them. This gives you some personal investment in each unit, but the real hook comes in the form of permanent death for units. Much like XCOM, when a soldier falls in battle, he could potentially be lost to the aether forever. You can invest in items that let you revive them after battle, but if you’re lacking those items, you’ll have to kiss units goodbye forever. It can give you a great sense of ownership and puts an intense edge on each battle.
On top of tracking their progression and potentially losing soldiers in combat, you can send them on individual missions outside of combat. These missions take real time and offer various rewards (at the risk of dangerous consequences). You can send soldiers to pickpocket money, train for more experience, and more. Given the upcoming game’s perpetual online model, it’s nice to see you can still earn progress while offline.
Units gain levels and skills – if they survive long enough.
Right now there are three game types available to players. Deathmatch is initially the only thing open. As you level up, you’ll earn Elimination VIP and King of the Hill game types, as well as access to more maps. Deathmatch is fairly straightforward and reduces the chances of injury or death to units. Elimination VIP has each team escorting a VIP and the first team to kill the opposing VIP wins. King of the Hill will have teams vying over a central territory, and the team who holds it with the most units the longest before time runs out wins. It all presents a good variety of game types that will keep players interested. It would be really cool to see some cooperative game types in the full release, though.
While the game itself is a lot of fun and provides a lot of opportunity for customization, there are a few minor areas that aren’t quite release-ready. Some of the in-game text is still in French. Beyond that, the other six factions and in-game store need to be implemented, and the UI feels like it could use some work, especially in relation to in-game communication.
When not in combat, you can send soldiers out on missions.
Keeping all of this in mind, Dogs of War has a solid base it’s working with. Cyanide knows the Confrontation world and is hard at work to give strategy gamers a robust package they will be able to sink their teeth into. I’m excited to see how the final game turns out when it’s officially released sometime in Q3 2013.
