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Pokemon X Review

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October 14, 2013

Pokemon X
Developer: Game Freak
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms: 3DS
Release Date: 12th October 2013
Price: $39.96 – Available Here

Overview

Pokemon is a franchise that has been in the hearts of men, women and childeren for a very long time at this point. Those who were fans as kids are most likely fans as young adults now and throughout the years in between. It is safe to say that Pokemon X and Pokemon Y have been the most anticipated games within the lifespan of Pokemon itself and that anticipation, alongside the hype of it all, is well deserved. It seems as though the team over at Game Freak has put their blood, sweat and tears into this game and it is noticeable beyond all belief. I have been given the pleasure of reviewing Pokemon X and I could not be happier with the way it has turned out. Don’t stop reading here though, continue on as I take you through, possibly, the biggest Pokemon release of all time.

Story

Pokemon X’s story is that of a typical Pokemon story and if you’ve grown tired of playing through a typical Pokemon story than the game just isn’t for you because Pokemon has had this type of story layout since the very beginning and to that I say; “Why fix what isn’t broken?”, because it is the truest form of adventure and that is basically all the story anyone needs to depart on a journey like this. Once again you start off as a young trainer living with your mother, this time around your mum was an award-winning Ryhorn racer which is great because I’m sure a lot of us got tired of having a “generic mum”.Something else that has changed is the fact that you now have four friends to share your adventure with and while their personalities aren’t much to think twice about they don’t exactly have to be and while a lot of people will complain that these characters are 2-Dimensional and annoying you must remember that Pokemon’s target audience is still a younger crowd.

Now I won’t go into detail about the aspects of Pokemon story that you will all already be aware of because, let’s be honest, if you’re reading this right now you are a fan of Pokemon who just can’t get enough of it. Mega Evolutions are now just as crucial to the story as they are to the gameplay. Gym leaders and “Poke-freaks” enjoy a bit of Mega Pokemon chatter and as the main character in your own adventure it is obvious that you will come into contact with a lot of story-driven characters wielding or offering Mega Evolutions which is great because, really, Mega Evolutions are fairly hard to come by unless you’re away of both the location of the Pokemon species and it’s Mega Stone, the game gives you a couple nice Mega Evolving Pokemon that you can use within your team as you journey on and search for more, they don’t leave you in the dark, they light your way through it.

Team Flare is the latest team of bad guys who’s plans are to make the world beautiful. You come into contact with them a great deal as you advance through the story, they are just another bunch of key players in your adventure and without them then you would have no actual enemy to fight. What I love about Team Flare and, in fact, the rest of the story is that it creates a sense of nostalgia in me that only a game like the original Pokemon titles can. It has a layout similar to those games and a big example of that is the way you go and get the fossils, now this isn’t really a spoiler because I’m not going to be specific: You’re on your way to meet a scientist in a cave that is going to give you one or two fossils, he so deep into his work that he wouldn’t even think about coming out to give it to you so you must travel in, on your way you run into Team Flare who don’t seem to want you to get it, you fight them, you win, you get the fossil you want.

It all seems very “Red and Blue” and, my God, is it done well. Now I want to speak to those who say the Pokemon story is childish: In some cases, yes, it may be quite childish but the more you play the game, the more you learn about Kalos and it’s past. Once again I’m NOT going to go into detail but if you’re noticing a lot of people mentioning a “king” or “leader” throughout the game than be prepared, later on in the story, for a tale like you’ve never heard. It’s deep, it’s detailed, it’s not just for kids and I want everyone out there to know that it’s not as basic as first perceived by general audiences, players of the game will know that it dives deeper than just “catch Pokemon, have fun”.

Gameplay

Much like the story, the gameplay follows the same layout as any traditional Pokemon game so, once again, I won’t be going heavily into detail about it. Pokemon battles are, more or less, the same as they always were apart from the glaring change being Mega Evolutions which you can do if your Pokemon is eligible. You can have one of them per battle and they make a pretty distinct different stat-wise so it’s always good to have at least on on your team at all times. The overworld has been upgraded in a way like no other Pokemon game has, it is now much easier to travel from destination to destination not only because of the ability to ride certain Pokemon outside of battle but also because of the addition of roller skates as well as bikes which we’ve seen since day one.

It seems like it has become extremely well-rounded with the opening sequence of the game not dragging on like it used to, it basically throws you right into the story without having to go through a great deal of monotonous chatter and “learning”, it seems like they don’t treat the audience as stupid anymore. That applies to the whole game actually, it’s a learning experience that isn’t too hard to pick up for people who haven’t played the games nor is it a bore to people like me who have played since Red and Blue.EV training your Pokemon has been made so much easier with the addition of “Super-Training” where in which you play certain mini-games that boost certain stats so that you can customise how your Pokemon fights, they have made it so easy to do and they haven’t dulled the effects either; Pokemon become so much stronger with a bit of Super-Training behind them. Additions like Pokemon-Amie allow you to direct interact with your Pokemon much like you would do in a “Pet-raising” game.

While this doesn’t seem all that useful it actually is; the closer a bond you have with your Pokemon the better it evades, lands critical hits and even recovers itself from status ailments so it is actually worth doing. It seems as though everything they have implemented in the game has been done so to bring you closer to your virtual pals and to make players feel a greater sense of immersion…it works too. The game takes everything that Pokemn has ever given us and adds on top of it without going overboard. Gameplay-wise it’s something great to experience as a whole and I can honestly see no fault in what they’ve done. It has become so much easier to play multi-player, easier than ever before, with the click of a button you could be battling your friend.

The entire online experience is fantastic, they’ve added things like “Wondertrade” where you offer a Pokemon and it is traded for another Pokemon with a person anywhere in the world, it’s a “lucky-dip” system and sometimes you actually come out on top. The addition of 4-player battles is incredible as you can join up with three of your friends and all play at once. A lot of work has been put into online play and it has surely come out on top. They’ve also added the customisation option so that your character can truly be your own instead of a generic player, as you go through the game you’ll find more and more places to purchase clothing and hair styles that will make your character actually feel like…well…YOU! I could go on for days about the gameplay, I really could, trust me when I say that the folks over at Game Freak have really proven themselves to be top dog.

Visuals

The graphics alongside the 3D visuals in this game have, without a doubt, knocked all other 3DS titles out of the park. Each and every Pokemon, new and old, look fantastic! Each model is incredibly smooth and each of them have their own unique movements whether it be attacking an opponent, using an attack on themselves or fainting from loosing a battle, each Pokemon has a different animation and it really makes the wait for this game more than worth it.

The graphics of this game in general are outstanding! Castles reflect off of lakes, grass blows in the wind, water moves around you as you surf through it and everything within the world looks like it belongs. From posing for a picture to crouching down when talking to a child, it seems this game has everything! The environments you go through are so beautiful and so diverse, you’ll never feel like you have deja vu because the places you’ll travel through are all just so unique and wonderful.

Audio

Beauty is a major theme in this Pokemon game and it’s not just shown aesthetically, you can hear the beauty as well. The music, be it battle or general BGM, is all very “Pokemon-ey” and it will definitely remind you of past Pokemon games. They’ve never really had a problem with sounds, it’s always been pretty great and it’s no different this time around. The Pokemon keep their usual and unique sounds except for Pikachu who actually says it’s name throughout battle which is a perfect little touch that the development team added in.

Like all Pokemon games the music matches the town or area that you are in incredibly well, it makes spooky areas seem more spooky and peaceful areas seem more peaceful. While there are no NEW tracks that jump out at you and stick with you forever, the tracks do their job to highlight your situation and the suit so well with the rest of the game that there is no real room for complaint, there are also a lot of music tracks that are very similar to ones from older generations which veteran Pokemon fans will be extremely into.

Overall

I’m going to just outright say it and I don’t care what “flack” I get if people don’t agree: This is a perfect Pokemon game. Through and through this game is perfect. It basically gave fans everything they asked for and much more. No, there isn’t as many new Pokemon this time around but you’re given a world where you can do so much and see so much that you tend to forget about that, it’s a game that almost forces you to look at the positives after a while and I think that’s great.

There is literally nothing to complain about when it comes to this release and if I could write a 10,000 word review on it I probably could and definitely would. I’ve spoken to people who have played Pokemon all their lives and I’ve spoken to people who played Pokemon sometime deep in their youth, both types agree that that is the Pokemon game we’ve all been waiting for and I personally don’t know how Game Freak are going to top it with the their next release.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Hajime No Ippo – Rising Episode 2 Impressions

Frank Inglese

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October 14, 2013

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Hajime No Ippo – Rising
Episode 2 – The Dempsey Roll Destroyed

Let’s just dive straight into the episode impression: It begins exactly where Episode 1 left off and it seems as though Ippo has been given no breathing room from Shimabukuro, he’s relentlessly pounding at Ippo’s body and our champ is really starting to feel the effects of it all. He’s brought to his knees and he seems, for all intents and purposes, broken. This scene is quite funny because Shimabukuro, once again, mentions that he’s brought Ippo to the bottom of the ocean yet he also states that he would have hoped to have gotten to this point earlier in the match meaning Ippo doesn’t plan on going down without a fight despite the fact that he can barely keep his eyes open. Shimabukuro decides to end Ippo and pushes him into a corner once again, the thing Shimabukuro doesn’t understand is that Ippo still has enough in him to fight.

Shimabukuro comes at him like he had previously done and as Ippo dodges side to side he gains momentum for the Dempsey Roll, I though this was done fantastically because he didn’t wear out the opponent and begin the Dempsey Roll like he had done before, you could see that Ippo kept in mind the fact that Shimabukuro had a way of countering the Dempsey Roll so he tried to take him off guard by coming out of a set of dodges and into the rolling pummel. It was a good idea but it seems like it just wasn’t good enough. Shimabukuro’s way of countering the Dempsey Roll? Going blow for blow with the Dempsey Roll itself! For every punch Ippo landed while doing the Roll, Shimabukuro also landed one on Ippo. Here’s why I liked the way this went down: I had originally thought he would counter Ippo by some sort of more technical means, possibly a physical counter or some sort of “rolling cross block” but it didn’t go down that way.

At first I, kind of, didn’t like the “blow-for-blow” counter to the roll but then I came to realise that Shimabukuro managed to defend himself while damaging Ippo with nothing more than just brute force, not only that but he had picked up no momentum like Ippo had done yet managed to be on par with the champ, it was actually well done. What I liked even more was the aftermath of the first bout, Shimabukuro freezes on the spot just as he’s about to land the “finishing blow” to Ippo, it seems as though countering Ippo had done more damage to himself than to his opponent and he now suffers from the same affliction as Ippo; Cyanosis. Welcom to the bottom of the ocean, Shimabukuro!

Thr round ends and another begins, Shimabukuro backs Ippo up against the ropes again but it seems like this time Ippo is slowing down more than he did before. Somehow Ippo recovers from a devastating Gazelle Punch (a heavy uppercut from real low) but his hits are nothing anymore, they’re soft, they have no power and it seems like he has no way of winning…maybe. The progression of this fight was great because, half way through, Shimabukuro states that he is not in this fight to earn the belt, he’s only in the fight to break Ippo’s might “Dempsey Roll” and to make a name for himself, Ippo starts the fight defending the belt but as it goes on you can tell now it’s just to survive. Ippo swats at Shimabukuro like a punching bag and it seems to be doing nothing, Ippo lands a hit on Shimabukuro’s left cheek and the challenger freezes, he found the perfect opening and took the chance to rock him to the core.

They go through another round of Dempsey Roll but this time Shimabukuro doesn’t come out on top. It was really uplifting and incredibly epic in this scene; Takamura, from the sidelines, states that while Shimabukuro is more powerful at the bottom of the ocean the match isn’t being held there, it’s being held in the ring where Ippo is the stronger of the two. The episode ends on Ippo’s win like it always has but with some nice symbolism; the end of Episode 1 had Shimabukuro stating “Welcome to the bottom of the ocean” and the end of episode two had Takamura stating that this isn’t the bottom of the ocean, this is a boxing ring where Makunoichi Ippo has been his whole life. I really like the symbolism in Hajime No Ippo and I can’t wait for Episode 3! Check out more Hajime No Ippo – Rising Impressions HERE.

Hakuoki – Demon of the Fleeting Blossom – Dawn of the Shinsengumi Review

Frank Inglese

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October 14, 2013

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Hakuoki – Demon of the Fleeting Blossom – Dawn of the Shinsengumi
Studio: Studio DEEN
Publisher: Hanabee
Format: DVD (Reviewed), Blu-Ray
Release Date: 2nd October 2013
Price: $59.99 – Available Here

Overview

Hakuoki – Demon of the Fleeting Blossom – has had a great deal of releases in the past, it started out as an “Otome” game title and only recently, in the past few years, has it become an actual Anime series that is now in it’s third season which, while I’m not too into what this title has to lay down, it seems as though a lot of people are. I reviewed one of the seasons that came before this one (you can read it here) which had a great deal of the “Otome” element, this one however seems to have cut that right out and it allowed me to enjoy it more than the last season despite it having flaws. Read on to get the full impression of what I felt about this release.

Story

Hakuoki – Demon of the Fleeting Blossom- Dawn of Shinsengumi seems to take us back a bit to where it all began and by “it all” I mean the Shinsengumi. While it is a prequel to the other seasons the characters haven’t really changed from this time to the time we see them in the future which is…poor to say the least. Ryunosuke Ibuki is, seemingly, the main character of the series along side the usual rag-tag cast that we’ve seen in every other Hakuoki iteration.

Ibuki is the son of a great Samurai who is made a slave by a man named Serizawa who saved him, he’s then taken back to a compound where he meets the “Hakuoki crew”, as I’m calling them, and that is where the series truly begins. Now without getting into the “nitty gritty” of the story what we see is, basically, the rise and fall of the Shinsengumi. You can, somewhat, imaging what the story is going to be like and if you are imagining something right now chances are you are correct for the most part. While the first half of the 12-episode series is pretty basic with it’s “the citizens of this town hate us” and it’s “you don’t respect what we’re doing to help”, the second half of the series takes a fantastic turn with a supernatural, almost scientific aspect coming into play.

It is in the second half of “Dawn of the Shinsengumi” where you really see some character development as well as some story development and, I’d say, it’s actually worth sitting through the monotonous scenes. Usually with titles like this I have no problem spoiling certain aspects of the story but, this time around, I’m NOT going to do that because the series actually gets great, the only unfortunate thing about it is that it takes almost 9 of 12 episodes to kick in which is where the problem lies. I understand that there must be a lead up to certain events but, in my opinion, a lot of what “Dawn of the Shinsengumi” had to offer could’ve been breezed past and paced better, that’s not to say it was entirely bad at all, it simply could have been done better.

Character don’t seem to actually interact well, they were written quirky but not quirky enough for it to be bearable, in fact, the best interaction come from the most crucial parts of the story which backs up my point of sitting through the bad to get to the good. I’m glad that they decided to kick the “Otome” aspect of the series, even just for this release, because it helped me get into the series and not cringe at every moment.

One thing that is does well is end and that’s not me being clever or rude, it actually has a great ending which sets up the series’ that came before this one’s release. I like it when a series does this kind of thing right and it seems to make up for a great deal of what the rest of the title lacks. It is definitely a series that, if you intend to watch it, you have to watch the whole thing then decide whether or not you’re a fan because it really makes an impact after the viewing rather than through it, now I’m not a big fan of that because I believe an Anime should have you hooked from start to end but I do respect an Anime where the end makes up for the beginning so I can’t really come down hard on Hakuoki too much.

Visuals

I’m sorry to say but it seems fairly dated even though I don’t think it physically is an old Anime. Visually the series is the same as it is story-wise; the further the Anime goes on, the better the animation gets. At the beginning I wasn’t impressed at all, to me it just seemed like another generic release which we’ve seen a lot when it comes to game-to-anime releases but it’s not that at all. By the end of the series I was really impressed at the calibre of the fight scenes that we see and the style of it all, it’s extremely “Samurai-ey”; blades shine and glisten while the blood is dark red and almost seems to glow around the borders and it makes for some very cinematic struggles and battles. Costume-wise I think it was done very well!

While the regular hakuoki crew’s costumes hadn’t changed at all, the actual Shinsengumi jackets were incredibly historically accurate which I thought was a fantastic touch. If you’re a fan of Samurai-titles like I am, the Shinsengumi jacket is an extremely icon image so I really enjoyed seeing it once again. As always the environments looked exceptional and just complemented the rest of the series aesthetically.

Audio

I’m going to start with something negative because it was the an aspect of the audio that stood out the most; the voice acting. I’m sorry to say but the voice acting was an aggressive average for about 90% of the series. The characters all seemed boring and childish, it just doesn’t work when you’re given a team of highly-trained Samurai and you’re meant to believe that is what they are. They did a great job during the final scenes of the series with a great deal of intense screaming and, actually, the Geisha who popped up a fair bit throughout the series wasn’t annoying at all, she was probably the least aggravating of them all.

I highly suggest watching it in Japanese because it is the original language and it fits a lot better considering the series is set in ancient Japan. I’ve heard these particular voice actors in many other Anime titles and they’re not bad at all it just so happens that these are the characters they must play and it really didn’t come across as well as it could’ve. The music was great, very traditional, very accurate and very suiting indeed. I’ll give credit when credit is due; the music was, audio-wise, the best aspect.

Extras

This release didn’t really come with any extras apart from the usual trailers and what not. It does have a nice piece of art on the flip-side of the DVD cover but apart from that there was nothing much else which, as always, seems to be the norm for Anime releases so it really isn’t that disappointing.

Overall

It is a very good release and, yes, it has it’s flaws but what Anime doesn’t? Fact is; it was great, it wasn’t too boring and the parts that were got better as you watched on. It’s not for everyone, that’s something I can say with certainty, it takes a good fan of the series or of Samurai-stories to enjoy this release but I wouldn’t pass it up if you are a fan of those things. While it’s not a perfect release and it could’ve been done better I also wouldn’t say it was a terrible release.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Attack On Titan – Levi Figure Coming Soon

Frank Inglese

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October 14, 2013

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Attack On Titan is still fighting strong and, with the amount of merchandise it has coming, it’s slowly turning into it’s own franchise rather than just a series. We only recently heard about the reveal of an official 1/1 scale 3D Maneuver Gear that is going up for sale sometime in 2014 and while we have seen some incredible figures of the main characters I doubt they will get as much attention as this one.

Levi is an Attack On Titan fandom favourite so i can imagine that a LOT of people will be excited about this release: It is a 1/8 scale figurine of the one-man army himself. His pose is confident and he looks as though he’s ready to battle at any time. His head is moveable so as to change his line of site, his cape is removable and his swords can be held both in the usual way and backhanded which adds at least 20% more style to this figurine.

This next little bit of info I KNOW the fandom will love: If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on the “Delux Edition” of the figurine you will also be given a few extra additions to it that are “pretty quirky” to say the least. It comes with a bandanna and two brooms which replace his swords, transforming Levi into the clean-freak we’ve all seen in the series. The figure stands at 200-millimeters and will go for about 8,400yen with the “Deluxe Edition” being sold for 9,240yen. It goes on sale in January of next year so start saving your money now, Levi-Fans!

Pokemon X/Y Shipment Delays Caused By Government Shutdown

Frank Inglese

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October 14, 2013

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Are we all enjoying Pokemon X and Y? I know I am but there are some people around the world who, unfortunately, haven’t been. The United States Government Shutdown has caused a fair bit of problems throughout the country but nothing more devastating than the delay of Pokemon X and Y 3DS game shipments. Obviously I’m only joking but the fact that this is, almost only, effecting military families is actually saddening in ways. Families stationed at United States Military Bases around the world are still waiting on their copies of the game, not only the children of those families but some adults too. It is unfortunate considering the situation they’re in.

Being one of the people, in Australia, to have bought the game at opening time on the day of it’s release and seeing the lines and excitement for the game I can’t help but feel, somewhat, sorry for those who have to miss out on it, not to mention the fact that these people and/or their family members are serving a country in the military. Hopefully all the Poke-fans that are out on tour can get their hands on a copy soon enough but, as of right now, there has been no information on whether or not the games will actually be shipped out once the Governments shutdown is over. Hopefully the men, women and childeren who are still waiting can find away to purchase the game, possibly over the eShop, and join the worldwide adventure soon!

Grand Theft Auto Online Impressions

Zac Elawar

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October 14, 2013

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It has been about two weeks since the inauspicious launch of GTA Online, but a title update released just the other day has rectified many of the issues experienced during its rocky infancy, from a progress halting tutorial mode glitch, to lost characters and saves… although they won’t be able to be retrieved, players now have less reason to be hesitant about joining in on the multiplayer, open-world carnage.

In between reviews this weekend, I’ve been able to clock in a solid amount of time with the mode – which is almost unfair to call a “mode” due to its scope and breadth – and have my own impressions to share for those who haven’t ventured outside the single-player campaign, or are not one of the 21 million consumers enjoying this amazing game so far. For the foreseeable future, GTA Online is only accessible through the pause menu of GTA V, but Rockstar do see it becoming its own, self-contained universe down the line. Before getting stuck in, first thing’s first – character creation, and GTA Online does things a little bit differently in this field…

In defining who you want to be, the question of your lineage comes to the fore, as you choose your grandparents on both sides of the family. Sliders enable you to tweak who you more closely resemble from each set. Aside from the usual customisation options you’d expect at the start of a game, your character’s initial fashion and skillset are determined by the allocation of points – which represent hours in a day – to a number of pre-set activities. These include Legal and Illegal Activities, Family Time, Sports/Exercise and more. Funnily enough, to be a naturally amoral resident of San Andreas, it seems spending limited time with family a day is required, as 4 hours is the maximum amount allowed.

Once you’re happy with your guy/girl – yes, for those unaware, you can play as a woman for the first time in the series – the game can begin. An opening cutscene shows you arriving at Los Santos International Airport to be greeted by none other than Lamar, Franklin’s best friend. He eases you into life in the city by throwing you straight into a street race. Something to note, by the way, is the fact that the player character is mute… no dialogue, not even a grunt or scream when hurt or falling from great heights. It’s interesting to see how Rockstar wrote the script around this restriction, with support characters making references to you being a “quiet person”. As fans will know, they all have big mouths and like to ramble, so the one-way conversations are still entertaining.

After the tutorial-section, you’re set free to roam the state. Now, before I could even attempt a job on the map, I was bombarded by annoying chatter from other players. For a while, I had absolutely no idea how to alter chat settings, but finally found them in the “interaction menu” accessed by holding the ‘back’ button on the Xbox 360. Options include allowing chat for everyone, friends only, crew only, or a combination of the latter two. The same parameters can be decided for who you wish to allow access to your personal vehicle (which we’ll get to shortly) and how you want to experience GTA Online at the outset. So if you want to go online and play by yourself, without the potentially 15-strong multiplayer co-inhabitants, you can do that.

In GTA Online, the mobile phone becomes even more useful and a truly key tool for providing a streamlined, connected affair. The internet is still accessible, and will be your financial saving grace as you can deposit your cash into your own Maze Bank account by visiting their website. This is important because, if killed, other players will be able to take the earnings that you carried on your person. Vehicular ownership is another core aspect that takes on a different life in GTA Online. You may purchase and store vehicles in a garage, but stealing any other car/motorcycle will have cops swarming on you should they spot you driving them at any point in time.

If you park your vehicle on the street, and allow the option as stated above, someone may commit a theft of your prized vehicle. In that case, you want to have a tracker built-in, and also – just to be safe – insurance. These can be bought at a Los Santos Customs. If your vehicle is stolen or destroyed, you can make a claim to ‘Mors Mutual Insurance’ by phone, and will have to pay a fee to have your vehicle delivered to their depot, good as new. While on topic, I encountered a somewhat common glitch whereby my vehicle turned invisible and could not be entered, although it still existed in physical space. Some low-life even attempted a drive-by on me, but my ghostly car protected me. They drove off confused.

Your mobile is also a portal for missions; you will receive phone calls and texts from story characters like Lamar and Simeon, setting up the more cinematic missions. You have the ability to accept missions from the phone’s interface, which will transport you to the appropriate location. If your instance of San Andreas is being populated by fellow players, they will appear on your Contacts page and can be invited for jobs and missions. It’s extremely easy and simple to jump into a Deathmatch, or join a Race. Other than these match types and their variants, there are also Capture the Flags and Heists (once you reach a certain level). When a job/match is finished, you can opt to stay with the current party, and a screen will then display 6 choices for flowing to the next job, as well as options to replay, refresh the list or exit, where majority rules.

With every job you complete, you earn cash and reputation points which fill up your reputation meter and ranks you up. As you rank up, more clothing options, weapons and even mission types will become available. Speaking of clothing, you can switch between threads on the fly – continuing the philosophy of immediacy present. When matchmaking or waiting for a host, depending on the game type, you get the opportunity to customise your starting weapon, vehicle, radio station, celebration (a taunt that can also be activated in free roam by clicking in both thumbsticks) and to put down a bet, although many decline to do so considering money is tighter and takes real effort to accumulate in GTA Online. Where are all the risk-takers, like me?!

All mini-games and activities return from story mode, with arm wrestling being added to the plethora of past-times to partake in. When engaging in a mission, there is a limited number of Team Lives allowed, and should they run out, the player/s will automatically fail the mission. And dying will be a common occurrence, at least at first. If you don’t want to run up your hospital bills, it would be intelligent to avoid breaking too many laws as even a 1-star wanted rating draws gunfire from the coppers… they have absolutely no interest in arresting you. And most times, players have no interest in befriending you. Should one particular nuisance run you over, or murder you in cold blood, you can go on to challenge them to a one-on-one deathmatch to settle your differences.

If you just want to explore and take a break from the constant paranoia of confrontation and sneaky assaults, you can pay $100 to enter passive mode, which disables weapons and damage on-foot until you decide otherwise. In a humorous moment – after your first death in free roam – vision of a floating Cris Formage, cult-leader of the Epsilon Program, informs you of this option in a prolonged monologue where he implores you to follow in his footsteps to enlightenment as a nonviolent human being in a violent world. There’s always something to do in GTA Online, and the variety of ways to play is astounding.

Though the title update has fixed many bugs, more are guaranteed to persist. What’s cardinal is the performance of the servers, and thankfully the experience was largely smooth and uninterrupted. It is beyond impressive to see this extremely ambitious concept brought to digital life and thriving, and it will only get better. Content-wise, there can be no complaints, especially when considering the content creation capabilities, where – at the most basic level – you can specify the rules and guidelines of hosted jobs. GTA Online is practically its own fully-fledged game, and a great extension of the elements/mechanics established in the single-player experience.

Magic: The Gathering – Blazing Beasts of Myth Review

Andrew Day

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October 13, 2013

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Magic: The Gathering – Blazing Beasts of Myth Intro Deck

Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Price: $19.99 official site here

Magic: The Gathering Intro Decks aren’t designed to win tournaments, or be unbeatable in any of the game’s formats. Their primary purpose is to provide a pre-made deck that new players can pick up and play, secondary to this is that they typically introduce and make use of the new rules implemented in the set they are from. In this way Intro Decks provide a great first stop for anyone jumping into Magic: The Gathering.

NOTE: Since Intro Decks are made for newer Magic: The Gathering players, I wrote the review to reflect that, and used some terminology that only Magic players will understand.

Blazing Beasts of Myth is a red/green Intro Deck from the Theros set. Magic players all have one thing spring to mind when someone mentions red/green: Aggressive play! Instead of focusing on particular mechanics or monster abilities, this deck hits hard and hits fast. Satyrs are used here in order to speed up the production of mana so that you can slap down your giants, snakes and elementals early in the game, and hit your opponent before they can even blink. Monstrosity is used here to great effect, as big creatures become insurmountable challenges for your opponent, and to top it all off can really screw with the way they play their game. A prime example of this is the face-card for the deck: Ember Swallower

A 4/5 for 4 mana is great no matter which way you slice it, and as you can see above he has a nice little Monstrosity effect. Aside from becoming a 7/8, he also forces each player to sacrifice three lands. While this seems like it is a detriment to you too (as you have to do it), by the time you trigger this bad boy, you should have more than enough mana producing capabilities outside of your lands to keep you sitting pretty, while hopefully setting your opponent back a few turns. As I mentioned above, Satyrs are here to help you do this, check out two of them that will really help you out:

As this is a deck with red in it, that means burn spells. Hitting your opponent or their creatures (usually the latter) for damage is a godsend, and can help you quickly clean up the field, or pick off that nagging threat on the board. With 2 Lightning Strikes and 2 Magma Jets, you will be sitting pretty, especially since the latter lets you Scry for 2 cards (look at the top two cards of your library, and put them on top, or on the bottom of in any order you choose). Scry is a great mechanic, and it becomes really helpful while you are trying to fish for land or for your big creatures to hit the field hard.

As with all Intro Decks, this one also contains a second rare: Polis Crusher. This red/green giant will allow you to walk your way through your opponents defenses in no time. It has Trample, AND protection from ehcnantments. “What good is protection from enchantments?” You say? Well, aside from being able to be affected by the any Enchantments already on the field, Theros has introduced a new type of creature called Enchantment Creatures. Polis Crusher is immune to these Enchantment Creatures, and he can’t be blocked by them. Also, when he goes Monstrous, he is able to destroy one enchantment on the field, so he can target one of those Enchantment Creatures if you choose.

Blazing Beasts of Myth is a really fun deck to play with, and while It wont be winning you tournaments anytime soon, if you are new to magic and are looking for a deck filled with giant beasts and quick mana sources, then you can’t go past this one. One final thought on the Intro Decks in general: I noticed when I was playing with them, that the cards feel quite different, almost slippery in comparison to normal. Due to this, they got dirty quicker and were also harder to shuffle, so if you plan on using them a lot you might want to invest in some sleeves (although you should be doing that anyway!).

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Magic: The Gathering – Manipulative Monstrosities Review

Andrew Day

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October 13, 2013

0

Magic: The Gathering – Manipulative Monstrosities Intro Deck

Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Price: $19.99 official site here

Magic: The Gathering Intro Decks aren’t designed to win tournaments, or be unbeatable in any of the game’s formats. Their primary purpose is to provide a pre-made deck that new players can pick up and play, secondary to this is that they typically introduce and make use of the new rules implemented in the set they are from. In this way Intro Decks provide a great first stop for anyone jumping into Magic: The Gathering.

NOTE: Since Intro Decks are made for newer Magic: The Gathering players, I wrote the review to reflect that, and used some terminology that only Magic players will understand.

Manipulative Monstrosities is an Intro Deck from the current Theros set. It is a blue/red deck, and as the name suggests, makes heavy use of the Monstrosity ability, and also allows you to control how you draw cards in your deck through the Scry ability. Most of the cards in this 60-card deck will make use of at least one of these abilities.

For those who don’t know, Monstrositiy is an effect where you pay a certain amount of mana and then your monster becomes bigger. They gain a set of +1/+1 counters, and often a second ability will trigger. To best demonstrate this ability, lets check out the face-card for the deck: Shipbreaker Kraken.

So Shipbreaker Kraken is a 6/6 creature for 6 mana. Definitely not a bad thing to smack down onto the table, but lets take a closer look. Shipbreaker Kraken also has a Monstrosity ability; Monstrosity 4. By paying the 8 mana, Shipbreaker Kraken then becomes a 10/10 creature, and you get the option of tapping up to four of your opponent’s creatures and having them remain that way until Shipbreaker Kraken leaves the field. It is an expensive cost, but it works well in the intro deck. A whole bunch of creatures in this deck make use of Monstrosity, but all of them are different. Here are some more creatures in the deck that make use of Monstrosity.

So aside from playing creatures down and making them massive with monstrosity, the deck also relies heavily on the Scry mechanic. Scry was introduced in 2004 in the Fifth Dawn set, and has since been reintroduced in Theros. Scrying basically means you get to look at the top card (or cards, depending on the amount you can Scry) of your library and either putting them back on top, or on the bottom in any order you like. Effectively this lets you stack your own deck mid-game, and if used right can be devastating for your opponent. Check out Omenspeaker (one of my personal favourite cards not only from this deck, but from Theros period).

Omenspeaker lets you Scry 2 when she enters the battlefield. So basically you get to look at the top two cards of your deck, and decide which of any you want on top, and which if any you want at the bottom. It really helps if you are looking for a particular type of spell to finish off your opponent, or a land so that you can finally trigger Monstrosity.

Being a blue/red deck, there is a lot of control and burn going on aside from the Monstrosity and Scry mechanics. Blue makes use of a lot of stalling tactics, while red does its best to deal damage as quickly as possible. Cards like Wall of Frost, and Shock are staples of these two styles of play, and both are present here. However, I haven’t touched on the deck’s second rare card: Curse of the Swine. This card turns your opponents creatures into pigs! Check it out…

Awesome right? This card is fantastic, and really ties the deck together nicely. Nothing better than having a bunch of Monstrous creatures on the field, than your opponent only having a bunch of pigs to try and stop them with.

So there is Manipulative Monstrosities for you. It wont be winning you any matches at the Pro Tour, but for an intro into Magic, as well as the more in-depth mechanics of Monstrosity and Scry you really can’t go wrong. Also don’t forget that if you are picking up an Intro Deck, that it comes with two free booster packs too, so you might get something to customise your deck with and make it even better!

One final thought on the Intro Decks in general: I noticed when I was playing with them, that the cards feel quite different, almost slippery in comparison to normal. Due to this, they got dirty quicker and were also harder to shuffle, so if you plan on using them a lot you might want to invest in some sleeves (although you should be doing that anyway!).

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

NBA 2K14 Review

Luke Halliday

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October 13, 2013

0

NBA 2K14
Developer: Visual Concepts
Publisher: 2K Games
Platform: Xbox 360 (Reviewed), PlayStation 3, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Release Date: October 1, 2013
Price: $89.95 – Available Here

Overview
‘We started from the bottom, now we’re here!’ – Those words from the Drake song that plays frequently throughout NBA 2K14 serve as a battle cry for 2K Games’ NBA 2K franchise. Now 14 years in, the NBA 2K series has come a long way and with NBA 2K14 we get a celebration of the series in a way that any fan would die for.

It is only fitting that this game features a mode focusing on Lebron James’ path to greatness as it is truly a culmination of the NBA 2K series’ own path to greatness. This is without a doubt the best game in the long-running series and a true classic of the sports game genre.

Gameplay
From top to bottom, NBA 2K14 shines with polish. While on the surface it may not appear to bring much new to the table, but if you take the time to really soak it all in, you’ll see that 2K have taken the formula that has made the series such a hit and shined it up to near perfection.

The basic core gameplay has become tighter and more refined than ever before. It couldn’t be easier to jump in and have a game of basketball and the controls are easy to pick up no matter your skill level. Having such a control scheme is integral to a game like this which works superbly as a pick up and play style game as well as a serious intense playing sort of game.

The game features many of the same game modes seen in NBA 2K13, with the career mode, shoe creator and season mode all returning among many others. Besides the returning features however we have the brand new inclusion of the Lebron James ‘Path to Greatness’ mode, which much like the theme song says, you start from to bottom and work your way to the top. It is a fun mode and for fans of the legend that is Lebron James it is a real treat. Interestingly though it isn’t simply about reliving King James’ best moments, it is about making moments of your own. A welcome surprise and one that proves to be quite a lot of fun.

Perhaps the mode that will see you having the most play time however is the standard exhibition match mode. It is a simple click through to set up a game, you can once again play currently ongoing matches as well if you are following along with the NBA, which of course many players surely would be.

One of the highlights of the game is of course the online multi-player mode which allows for a multitude of players to jump in on a game with one another and battle it out on the court. The online mode is smooth as silk and the gameplay does not suffer under the pressure of online whatsoever. It runs smoothly and makes for some truly great challenges when taking on some tough opponents around the world.

What really stands out with NBA 2K14 though is just how tight the game’s mechanics feel. Whether it is the split second timing of a perfect shot of the precision passes or interceptions, 2K have nailed the mechanics here. This kind of refining is much welcome in a game like this which mostly builds upon a pre-existing formula. It’s the little bits of fine tuning that make all the difference.

NBA 2K14 may not be a major leap forward for the series but it’s a brand new shiny coat of paint that cleans up the rough edges of its predecessor quite nicely. Not only that but there is simply hundreds of hours of content to explore in this game, making it the most deep and immersive NBA 2K game thus far. There is so much to see and do, NBA 2K14 is packed to rafters with content to slam. All of this goes into making this the best NBA 2K experience to date.

Visuals and Audio
As far as aesthetics go, NBA 2K14 is a highly realistic visual experience. Each player has been painstakingly captured in near photo-realistic graphics, bringing them to life in digital form. From the way they move down to the way they look, 2K recreate each player in great detail. The courts are also well represented being quite vibrant and true to real life in design.

One of the major highlights of this game is its incredible soundtrack. As we have come to expect from 2K over the years, NBA 2K14 features a blockbuster soundtrack comprised of some of the hottest licensed tracks going right now. With the previously mentioned ‘Started From The Bottom’ by Drake being the forefront of the soundtrack, you’ve got a great headliner. However it isn’t just Drake’s track that makes this audio compilation so superb, there are tracks like Kanye West’s ‘All Of The Lights’ and Imagine Dragon’s ‘Radioactive’ that will find their way into your head and set up camp, repeating over and over in your mind’s eye for days. It is truly a sign of a great video-game soundtrack when the songs become so ingrained in you that the sound of them make you think of the feeling of playing the game and with NBA 2K14 this soundtrack does that.

Overall
From the bottom to the top, NBA 2K14 has solidified the NBA 2K franchise as arguably the greatest basketball gaming series of all time. Last year when I reviewed NBA 2K13, I pondered how 2K could possibly top it. With NBA 2K14 they showed us that they not only could top it but they could do it 10 times better.

Now I must ask this again, how can 2K top this game? I’m not sure they can, but I look forward to seeing them try with NBA 2K15. With the sheer amount of content they packed into this game, NBA 2K14 has reached the greatness at the end of this 14 year long epic path the series has taken. NBA 2K14 is an absolute slam dunk!

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Family Guy Season 12 Review

Andrew Day

-

October 13, 2013

2

Family Guy Season 12
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Publisher: 20th Century Fox
Format: DVD
Release Date: Out Now
Price: $39.98 – Available Here

Overview

Family Guy has been delighting fans for years… While at the same time, pissing off a whole generation of people. Often dismissed for its crude humor and over the stop bits, Family Guy is a love it or hate it show. Family Guy Season 12 continues this tradition, and offers a non-apologetic laugh a minute animated series. However, behind a lot of the comedy there are some poignant social commentaries that add a real depth to the series. The show isn’t as funny or outrageous as it was a few years ago, but it is definitely still enjoyable for fans. Being uncensored really helps it too, as the random and unexpected f-bombs really liven up the show.

Story

If you don’t know by now, Family Guy revolves around the Griffin Family; Peter (the overweight patriarch), Lois (the easily agitated housewife), Chris (the slacker teen-boy), Meg (the punching bag teen girl), Stewie (the genius and possibly homosexual baby) and Brian (the articulate and opinionated family dog). While there are no over-arcing plot points for Season 12, each episode is self-contained and will provide hours of hilarity for those who can handle it.

A lot of the storyline elements in Season 12 relies on viewers having known the characters in advance. Although some character development does happen on-screen, and allusions to previous episodes are made, a lot of the jokes are for the enjoyment of long-time fans. ‘Forget-Me-Not’ is a prime example of an episode that will be enjoyed more by long-term fans, as it follows the friendship of Peter, Brian, Quagmire and Joe after they mysteriously lose their memory and are the only people left on earth.

For a show that is often seen as ‘low-brow’ and over the top, there is a startling amount of depth to Family Guy, and that shines through in Season 12. Family Guy is a comedy show through and through, but there are episodes that have a more emotional pull, and some that toe the line and will make viewers feel uncomfortable. A prime example is early on in the season; “The Story of Brenda Q,” which focuses heavily on the sister of regular cast-member Quagmire, and how physically and emotionally abused by her boyfriend. There are still plenty of jokes made here, but they will give you the “haha… Oh I feel bad having laughed at that,” feeling. However, this episode, as well as a few others in the series don’t feel so much about the laughs, as they are making a poignant social commentary. “The Blind Side,” also does this, as Brian dates a blind woman who hates dogs, so he actively pretends to be something he isn’t in order to win her affections.

The series doesn’t feel as funny or fresh as it did a few years ago, and sadly it has gotten to the point where it often feels like it is just being random for the sake of being random. Regardless, there is still a lot to like here, and it is amazing to see that after 12 Seasons, it is still going strong, with episodes that can make you laugh, feel uncomfortable, and make you say “Shut up, Meg!” … Oh, and there is another giant chicken fight in there too.

Visuals

Family Guy has come a long way since it debuted in the 90s, and this DVD showcases that perfectly. The series is presented in high definition, and the characters, scenes and even the backdrops all look absolutely stunning. You even get to see how far the series has come during the episode ‘Back To The Pilot,” where Brian and Stewie travel back in time to the very first episode of Family Guy. The character personalities and how they have changed are highlighted here, but it is nothing in comparison to how different the show looks. Stewie even remarks a few times how the animation wasn’t top-notch back then, and it really highlights how far the show has come.

Audio

The audio here is great, and the voice cast behind the show give it their all. Seth McFarlane, the series’ creator does a lot of the voice work, and he tries to provide different voices for as many characters as possibly. He is joined by other regulars Seth Green, Mila Kunis, Alex Borstein and others, to voice the enormous amount of characters that populate Quahog.

Family Guy Season 12 is uncensored, and I cannot over-emphasise how much funnier that makes the show. Although Family Guy doesn’t rely too heavily on swearing for its humor, when it does, it will come straight out of left field and really add something to the joke. A special shout-out goes to “The Blind Side,” where Peter keeps falling down a flight of stairs, and whenever he does, a string of profanities erupts from his mouth, and will almost certainly cause an eruption of laughter for yours. The uncensored nature also creates a greater flow for the series, as you aren’t suddenly brought out of it with a loud “BEEP” sound.

Extras

Gamily Guy Season 12 is riddled with extra features and bonus content for fans. The first that any fan will notice is the extended and uncut scenes that were not presented on TV. sometimes they are just small additions, and others provide more context to the story, or an extra joke or two. Once you get past the episodes themselves, you will also find that there is a wealth of additional content here. From scene and full episode animatics, to more deleted scenes, audio outtakes, commentary and even an appearance by Ricky Gervais (who appears as the Dolphin, Billy Finn in the episode ‘Be Careful What You Fish For,’ there is a heap to keep fans interested even after you have watched the episodes 2 or 3 times over.

Overall

Family Guy Season 12 is a great show to watch. Sure it will always have its naysayers, and people who think it should be done away with for good, but longtime fans of the series know that there is more to it than over the top jokes and crude humor. The amount of depth shown in Season 12 shows that although the show may be a little past its prime, it is still at fighting weight and has a few more title bouts left before it hangs up the gloves for good.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.