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Black Mirror: The Collection Review

October 12, 2013

Black Mirror: The Collection
Studio: Zeppotron
Publisher: Madman
Format : DVD
Release Date: October 2, 2013
Price: $34.95 – Available Here

Overview

Black Mirror is a British television series that casts an eye over the influence of technology in our lives. It is an SBS Home Release that brings together two episodes from Season 1 (the third is missing due to music clearance issues) and the entirety of Season 2. Creator Charlie Brooker (Dead Set) has said that if technology is a drug, then Black Mirror is a look at its side effects.

The Black Mirror of the title is every screen that has come to dominate our lives in the digital age – that of smartphone, television, and computer. Every facet of our digital existence comes up for examination over the course of five episodes. Each is set in a slightly different version of the present or the near future and features a stand alone story and characters. The show has seen two critically acclaimed seasons, winning an International Emmy and having one of it’s episodes – The Entire History of You – optioned by Robert Downey Jr’s production company for a full movie treatment.

Story

The first episode of Black Mirror comes out of nowhere and grabs you by the throat. The National Anthem opens with a phone call that wakes the Prime Minister of the UK in the middle of the night. The young, popular Princess Susannah has been kidnapped, and to secure her release the ransom demands that the Prime Minister has sex with a pig on live national television.

From there things snowball, dragging the viewer on a journey that is brilliantly paced; horrific, funny, sickening, and engrossing. The Black Mirror theme is prominent – the video ransom note is uploaded to YouTube and goes viral before it can be suppressed, the public responds on Twitter, and everyone has a device in their hand at all times. It’s edge of your seat stuff until the very end, and is so effective because it is horrifyingly plausible. The viewer is forced to examine the ugly face of a world who’s moral boundaries and norms have been obliterated by the internet.

The Entire History of You takes a step into a near future where everyone is implanted with a memory recording, playback, and editing device called a Grain. The story has a more intimate scale, focusing on a young married couple and the emotional fallout of an awkward dinner party. The episode explores the consequences a device such as a Grain would have on many aspects of life – employment, relationships, identity theft, sex, and it’s all very cleverly done.

It isn’t as electric as The National Anthem, relying on a relationship dynamic instead of a rapidly developing plot. Whilst the characters are believable and well acted they aren’t entirely sympathetic. Fortunately the concept of the Grain is strong enough to carry the episode and make it another solid piece of social commentary. It is all too easy to see people’s real life addiction to Facebook morph into something like this with Google Glass just around the corner.

Season 2 has a more emotional opening act, Be Right Back. Young couple Martha and Ash move to a new home in the country. Martha is then left devastated when Ash dies in an accident. At his wake Martha is told about a new service that might help her grieve, and is reluctantly signed up to an online tool that gathers all the information a person has ever posted online and collates into a functioning personality. Martha is repelled by the virtual Ash at first, but after making a life changing discovery she is compelled to engage with him.

Whilst the idea of digital resurrection is provocative it is Martha’s emotional journey that is the focus of the episode, much to its strength. Anyone who has ever lost a loved one will be familiar with the beats of the grieving process that Martha goes through, and whilst it doesn’t sustain that hook through to the end it is still a thought provoking episode.

White Bear is an entirely different journey. A woman wakes up surrounded by pills and bandages on her wrists, with no memory of who she is. The TV next to her shows nothing but a strange symbol. Outside the house the few people she can find refuse to communicate with her, instead filming everything she does on their phones. After fleeing a man who tries to kill her, she runs into another woman – the only person she has met so far who seems normal. She explains that 90% of the population have been brainwashed by the signal on the television, and do nothing but film what they see on their phones. Others who have been unaffected have taken advantage of the newly lawless society and roam the streets hunting people for the entertainment of the watchers.

Initially White Bear is a little hard to take seriously, but evolves beyond the skepticism to deliver one of Black Mirror’s best episodes.

Politics gets a turn in the final episode of Season 2 – The Waldo Moment. Jamie is a comedian who voices cartoon bear Waldo on a crass comedy talk show. After doggedly pursuing and mocking a candidate in the local by-election, Waldo himself is put up for election by producers keen to exploit the character. Jamie, always reluctant about his work as a trash talking bear, is forced to play along in a political campaign that continues to gather momentum as people flock to Waldo’s anti-establishment attitude.

The episode plays into well established opinion about politicians and the games that they play, giving it a fresh spin for the age of social media. Jamie’s ups and downs as he tries to come to terms with his new role are not as dramatic as some of the character arcs of previous episodes, but Waldo is more comedic an episode than some of its pitch black brethren.

Visuals & Audio

Every episode of Black Mirror is constructed around a convincing world. No matter what vision of the future it visits there are always plenty of details – both big and small – that ensure complete immersion. Things are kept simple with little in the way of flashy techniques, allowing lighting to set the tone and making sparse use of music. That simplicity extends to the design of some of the future tech that appears in the episodes, which nudge viewers into a future that seems entirely possible – laptops with gesture control, subtly futuristic mobile phones and the way people’s eyes change when they use their Grain implant. Nothing ever seems stupid or outrageous, instead coming off as genuine possibilities if we were to pursue our current technology to the extreme.

Overall

Black Mirror : The Collection is an excellent series. It is thought provoking without being glum or sanctimonious, and never pushes a particular agenda on its audience. Every episode has something interesting to say or something shocking to reveal, and given the wide breadth of topics it covers there is going to be something here for anyone who has embraced the digital age. The National Anthem and White Bear are particular stand outs, but every episode will make you think, make you talk, make you share. It is a show that holds up a mirror to society and dares to show an ugly reflection. Watch it.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

REBORN Kickstarter launched with new goal

Travis Bruno

October 12, 2013

Some of you may have read about a new Kickstarter that was set to be launched back at the end of September for a game called REBORN that would be released on the PS3 and PS4. Well the Kickstarter was delayed a bit as the company received a lot of feedback about the title and after evaluating some of their details, they have chosen to now launch the Kickstarter and have also increased the amount they are asking for.

The Kickstarter originally was going to ask for $150,000 but now the goal is currently set at $200,000. For more details about what the game has to offer the Kickstarter page can be found here while more assets and details for the title can be found here.

Valve Shows off the Steam Controller in New Video Demo

Jamie Laike Tsui

October 12, 2013

One of the engineers at Valve sat down in front of the camera to show off the Steam Controller prototype. The demo unit is missing the touchscreen in the middle of the controller. Four physical buttons are in its place. This is the exact same version that 300 lucky testers will receive when Valve begins beta testing.

The video shows off Portal 2, Civilization V, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, and Papers, Please gameplay using the controller in legacy mode. The most impressive portion of the demo is without a doubt Papers, Please as it is a mouse intensive game that requires an incredible amount of speed and accuracy.

Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl Review

Travis Bruno

October 12, 2013

Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl
Developer: Atlus
Publisher: Atlus
Platform: Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: October 1, 2013 USA – May 8th 2014 AU
Price: $39.99 – Available Here

Overview
With Etrian Odyssey IV already gracing Western shelves earlier this year it was rather surprising to hear that not only was Atlus working on bringing yet another Etrian Odyssey game to North America, but it would also be the first game in the franchise’s history to actually feature a legitimate storyline. Not only that but it also is a remake of the original title that started everything back in 2007. Despite this, don’t let the word remake think that Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl is in any way a basic rehashing. Does this make the game worth picking up though?

Story
Interestingly enough, one of the newest aspects in Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl is the fact that the game’s story mode has an actual plot. While past Etrian Odyssey titles have featured a story, it almost always was vague and was included mostly to provide framework for players to launch their own adventure as they navigated the various dungeons and faced down numerous foes with a custom built party with the story only rarely playing a major role.

With The Millennium Girl however players are immediately thrown into a story where the lead character is a highlander that is set to venture out on his first real assignment. On this mission the highlander runs into a girl that has no memory of her past and seems to be from a different time. This girl is named Frederica and players must fight alongside her to not only recover the girl’s memories but also put a stop to a danger that is threatening the world.

The nameable highlander and Frederica aren’t the only characters in the story mode however; there is also an alchemist, a protector, and a medic to help you along the way. Each of these characters has a unique personality and will interact with each other throughout the story. The combinations of these personalities make for some rather interesting conversations and help give the story a bit of feeling this time around as these characters actually play a role in the adventure rather than simply be created fighters of the player’s choosing.

That being said, both the characters and the story are rife with stereotypical characteristics and events which will make gamers feel like they have played a similar story before. While enjoyable and full of both drama and lighthearted interaction, the story still feels rather simplistic for an RPG that is as lengthy as The Millennium Girl. Of course despite its simplicity, it does feel well-paced and considering how long the game can be, the inclusion of cutscenes, a real cast of characters, and meaningful dialogue does a great job providing an interesting and entertaining story to go along with all of the dungeon crawling players will be doing.

Gameplay
Now one of the first things that players will notice when jumping into The Millennium Girl, if they choose the Story option of course, is that players will have a pre-set party waiting for them when the game unfolds. This means that unlike past games you are not able to create a party of your own though the party given to you has a very nice balance to it as players are given two new classes, a Highlander and Gunner, to fight alongside a Medic, Protector and Alchemist.

Another major difference for those who’ve only touched upon Etrian Odyssey IV is the fact that there is no overworld for players to explore and find various duneons. Instead players are taken straight to any dungeon that they have been able to get to so far and there they will take on the various missions that they have been assigned. While the lack of a worldmap is disappointing, it does keep the game a bit more focused as there is only the town of Etria and the dungeons to worry about.

The Millennium Girl’s battle system remains very much the same as what was offered in Etrian Odyssey IV though a few of the more in-depth details have been removed. As such the game’s combat system is very similar and that is actually a good thing because IV’s combat was polished to such a high extent that seeing it in The Millennium Girl is a gift. For those who don’t know, players will still encounter enemies while they are navigating through dungeons and be taken into a first person battle screen where they will take on enemies in turn based combat.

Both the player’s party and enemies can fight in two rows and as each party member levels up they are capable of learning various skills in a customizable skill tree that lets players choose to level their party members to fit their playstyle. There are also items called “Grimoire Stones” which can be obtained from a fight that, when equipped, can provide that character a new ability that can be used in battle or even a new weapon to equip. These stones can only be changed around in town so it is diverse but limiting in that factor.

Earlier you may have seen how I mentioned that there the starting party is nicely balanced and because of this the various fights players will encounter are a bit fairer this time around as players won’t be venturing into dungeons with a party of ill-prepared classes only to be smashed into oblivion. However even with that balancing The Millennium Girl is still not a cakewalk by any means as the game’s combat still requires players to be well versed with the game’s systems and think about what they are doing or else they will only be meeting their end.

While there are difficulty options that can make the game somewhat easy to make it through, it is entirely possible to be eliminated by even the weakest looking enemies if the player doesn’t take them seriously enough. Fights are plentiful and the powerful FOEs still exist in the game meaning that there are plenty of times that the player may need to run with their tail between their legs or suffer a severe beating.

Those unfamiliar with Etrian Odyssey may not have learned about this feature, but anyone who has played one of these games before knows of the game’s mapping system. The bottom screen of the 3DS is used to create a map of the dungeon and players have the ability to create their very own map and chart out every bit of the dungeon if they please. This system is great for the hardcore and always proves useful thanks to the fact that there is a fair it of backtracking and revisiting of dungeons so having a planned route is always a key to success, but it always seemed like a difficult challenge for newcomers to overcome.

Thankfully there is something new in The Millennium Girl that will make things a bit easier as the game now has the option to auto-map a dungeon. With this option turned on the player will no longer need to draw the basic parts of the map as the paths and walls will automatically be filled in. Players still need to add their own personal touches however as notable locations, such as shortcuts, healing locations or other unique areas are not automatically filled out. This still makes the game a lot easier for those who are looking for a jumping point to the series.

Of course for the hardcore among us there is also an option to completely forgo the story mode and many of the new additions in “Classic Mode.” In this mode players are given the authentic Etrian Odyssey experience where they will be able to create a party of their own without the worries of a story to bog them down. However Atlus has made a very odd choice in creating only one save file for The Millennium Girl. This means that if the player chooses to switch from Classic to Story or vice versa, they will lose all of their progress if they choose to save. Considering there are two modes of play here this is a very poor design choice which may catch players unaware and losing a lot of progress.

Visuals
One thing that helps tie everything together in The Millennium Girl is how great the game looks. Everything from the character portraits and enemies you fight against is gorgeous looking. The characters are nicely designed and detailed and they look absolutely stunning when presented in the animated cutscenes that populate The Millennium Girl’s story mode.

As for the enemy designs they are varied well enough and everything has a very crisp look to it. That being said, there is some issues with the dungeons becoming fairly repetitive looking after a while and a number of assets have been re-used from IV.

Audio
It is interesting to note that, since this is the first game to have legitimate characters in the Etrian Odyssey series and there are animated cutscenes, there is some English voice work for the game, though it is only partially dubbed as most dialogue is still presented as text only. This is still a nice touch as it adds a little more flavor to the cast.

Outside of the voice work The Millennium Girl’s soundtrack is wondrous. The game’s soundtrack is a real delight thanks to the work done by composer Yuzo Koshiro who has redone a number of old pieces of music for this game. It is interesting to note if you want to listen to the classic music, there is an option to switch between the old songs used in the original version of the game.

Overall
Etrian Odyssey is a franchise with a significant level of difficulty to jump into but Atlus has managed to lower that bar by making the game more accessible without sacrificing the crippling difficulty for those who are looking for it. With a story that, while far from original, helps direct the flow of the game, various options for assistance in the game and a number of other tweaks and modes for players who want to punish themselves, The Millennium Girl’s refined combat and great look make for an excellent RPG that nearly everyone can enjoy.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Golden Time Episode 2 Impressions

James Mapley

October 12, 2013

Golden Time
Episode 2 – “Lonely Girl”

Take note everybody, THAT is how you make a comeback and make me shut my mouth. Like a phoenix from the ashes left after the flaming that I gave episode 1 last week, Golden Time soared well above my expectations and ended up leaving me rather excited for the next episode. Despite my criticism of the first episode for doing nothing other than introducing characters and failing to deliver on any other front, it has become apparent from episode 2 that it was a necessary evil. Now, with the foundations built we got to see the characters as I hoped we would see them before, with emotions and interpersonal relationships. But has it polished itself enough to stop me from calling it, “Copper Time,” again?

Easily my greatest qualm with episode 1 was the lack of character that seemed apparent in both of the main characters. Tada Banri came across as a plot vessel lead male, there only to fuel the reactions of the supporting cast and Kaga Kouko was a slightly deranged girl that had her eyes set on one guy and that was that. This episode really needed to show some cracks forming in that rigid structure and for the most part it was successful. The first half of the episode planted seeds when Banri had his first disagreement with Mitsuo regarding the way that he was ignoring Kouko. What I liked about that argument was how realistic it was. Unlike in a standard romcom where the second there is conflict, a big argument sparks and it resolves itself that way, Golden Time’s seinen quality shone through and there was no resolution other than agreeing to disagree. After the halfway mark the roots emerged from those seeds and Banri’s loyalty to Mitsuo began to waver. Hearing how everyone was avoiding Kouko because they saw her as above them, he simply decided to talk to her and his suspicions were correct, she was lonely.

Kouko has suddenly become an interesting character in my eyes. Much like how her classmates see her as too good for them, I failed to see past her crazed attachment to Mitsuo and see a person behind those feelings. Certainly, we have only seen a ripple formed on the surface of her emotional depth as of yet, but Banri definitely left an impression on her when he pushed her to go along to a club introduction. Disregarding what Mitsuo has led him to believe, he doesn’t see a psychopath, but someone like himself, just having started a new school and not necessarily knowing what they are doing. She may not have enjoyed the meeting, but for the first time since she started college someone talked to her like a normal person and I think that will be very valuable in the long-run. On a side note, I thought the scene with the club rep was hilarious since I was that guy shouting god’s grace about the anime society at my university to new students only two weeks ago and it made me laugh thinking that was how I looked!

It is funny how you can go from liking a character to disliking them in just a few minutes. The scales have tipped and while Kouko has become a likeable character, Mitsuo, who carried the last episode, has become the bad guy all of a sudden. His emotions reflect some of the seinen realism of Golden Time so I don’t dislike how he has been written, but he is definitely coming across as a horrible person, even if his emotions are understandable. Mitsuo sits in an odd and unique position as a romance main character whereby he is actively trying to drive away the girl that loves him. From someone’s outside perspective, Banri’s and ours for instance, it seems like he is in the wrong and he is deliberately hurting Kouko. However, he seems to have valid reasons for wanting to avoid her and while he may not be handling it the best way he is somewhat justified. Though, clearly he does not see her for who she is after he arrogantly mentioned that because she was beautiful she could get away with anything, making Banri out to be a fool and Kouko to be simply a pain. He is an interesting character and pivotal to Kouko’s feelings so I am sure we will see more of him in upcoming episodes.

Golden Time has stepped it up a notch and then stepped it up another, making up for its monotonous start. Episode 1 provided the outlines and in the coming weeks we will see the vibrant colours of this interesting cast being filled in. Does the future hold blue skies, or will the ink run red with conflict as Banri gets even further involved in a relationship that seems ready to break apart at any moment?

Oh, and what was with the first few seconds before the OP? I knew that the amnesia element was a part of this series, but I didn’t expect it to be trickled in over the course of a few episodes. Hopefully, we’ll find out more next week and the picture will become clearer. Find that review at the same time, only on Capsule Computers’ Anime Impressions section.

Check out more Golden Time impressions HERE.

Rocksmith 2014 Edition Reveals Session Mode

Vicky Martin

October 12, 2013

Ubisoft have introduced ‘Session Mode’ to Rocksmith 2014 Edition, a revolutionary feature that allows players to lead their own virtual band!

Nicholas Bonardi, lead audio designer at Ubisoft explains how ‘Session Mode’ works in the featured video below; “We have over 75 instruments for you to choose from – drums, bases, guitars, keyboards, synthesisers . . . you can effect the volume and the pan of each of the AI musicians, you can effect the tempo, you can change anything about your virtual jam session”.

Rocksmith’s ‘Session Mode’ allows players to create their own customised band experience with up to four instruments, engage in missions, such as ‘Learn a Scale Shape: Pentatonic Minor’ and jam together in multiplayer mode.

To celebrate the game, Rocksmith 2014 will be appearing at Jurassic Lounge in Sydney, next Tuesday night. Capsule Computers is offering five double passes for the first five responses to this event (however participants must be 18 years or over) and a chance to win a Rocksmith 2014 guitar bundle!

Rocksmith 2014 Edition will be available October 24th on Xbox 360, PS3, PC and Mac – pre-order from the official site here today.

Pokemon X and Y Launch Trailer

Frank Inglese

October 12, 2013

Happy launch day, everybody! It’s here, it’s finally here! The 12th of October has arrived at that means Pokemon X and Y for the 3DS has been released and with that release has come, what I am assuming to be, the final trailer AND the launch trailer for the title. It is another live-action and CGI animation mix and it looks better than the last, we see evolutions and old-school Pokemon and…it’s just great. As you can tell I may be over-excited for this release but honestly who isn’t? If you’re anything like me and have woken up a little bit before the stores are actually open than this trailer is just for you! Head down to our Featured Video Section below to catch the Pokemon X and Y Launch Trailer and let us know what you think about the trailer and the game in the comments section below!

Full Season Order For Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Matthew Vella

October 12, 2013

Avengers without super powers assemble!

ABC has announced a “back 9” order for Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D, giving the series a full-season pick up. This will bring the season to a total of 22 episodes, including the 3 episodes that have already aired. It’s unsurprising really, since there has been incredible amounts of hype for this show since before it even had a release date. Furthermore, Marvel has also revealed that Titus Williver will reprise his role as Agent Blake from the Marvel one-shot “Item 47” in the sixth episode of the series, “FZZT”. Here’s ABC’s description of said episode:

When floating bodies turn up, Coulson and the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D must hunt down an elusive killer. No one is safe–not even the team–on “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

Is Agent Blake that elusive killer? Or is he the one who isn’t safe? Or is he teaming up with Coulson again? Looks like we’ll have to wait and see!

Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D airs every Tuesday on ABC 8PM EST.

Noucome Episode 1 Impressions

James Mapley

October 12, 2013

Ore no Nounai Sentakushi ga, Gakuen Love Comedy wo Zenryoku de Jama Shiteiru
Episode 1 – “That Choice Put My Life in Motion!”

From the moment you wake up in the morning you’re presented with a million different choices. Do I stay asleep? Do I want to shower? Cereal or bacon? Casual or formal? Coffee or Tea? The world as we know it is shaped by decisions both small and large from what to wear to whether to go to war. So, of course, like with every other premise ever, a harem comedy has to be made about it immediately. Sporting a hideously obnoxious name, a main character with a gimmicky power, and more “plot” than you could break a bra with, Noucome is here to fill the silly-but-I-can’t-stop-watching-it role for this autumn season.

Upon translation the title reads, “My Mental Choices are Completely Interfering With My School Romantic Comedy,” and that is incredibly telling and accurate. As you might expect Noucome is a no holds barred romantic comedy, but with a twist. That being the main character, Kanade Amakusa, and his supernatural predicament whereby at completely random times he will suddenly be presented with a choice that he has to make otherwise he undergoes blinding head pain. For example:

Choose:
① Read this beautifully written review
② Backflip through a flaming hoop and then read this beautifully written review

Fortunately for you readers, you have one option that is quite frankly amazing and one that is still great, but you also have to risk your life for the luxury of treating to your eyes to my linguistic mastery and flawless opinions. For Kanade though, this is rarely the case and he more often than not gets presented with two equally awful options and he has to just pick the one that leaves him with the most dignity (though he seems to have lost that a long time ago). Throw in a kuudere best friend, an overly cheerful CEO’s daughter, a loli teacher, and a Sena Kashiwazaki lookalike who fell from the sky and you have yourself an anime.

As I pointed out in my Autumn Picks, the studio behind Noucome is Diomedea; an odd little company who have a habit of making series that could be considered to have controversial themes, especially Kodomo no Jikan that was refused a North American release both in manga and anime format. However, recently they have toned their content down a little and everything that they have produced in the last few years has been tremendous in my opinion. Whether Noucome will be a descent back into ecchi territory is yet to be seen, but after testing the waters with the recent Mondaiji-tachi OVA it would not surprise me if they planned to do just that.

What I can credit Diomedea for however is the shockingly good animation that I did not expect them to worry themselves with for a series like this. Mondaiji-tachi was beautifully animated, but in all honesty it needed to be to reflect the wonderful world of Little Garden and to do the action scenes justice. Noucome is not a series that was in desperate need of amazing artwork, but they decided to make the most of it anyway, unlike J.C Staff with Golden Time. Certainly, Noucome is not going to give Shingeki no Kyojin a run for its money and as far as harem comedies go, Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai still looks better by comparison, but it definitely goes far beyond the call of duty and I have no complaints with the artwork so far.

Being a primarily silly series it was fairly obvious that there would be no plot in episode 1 and that is exactly what we got. Immediately we were dropped into an amusing, but highly dragged out history of the greatest choices of all time which if you knew enough about Japanese history and had a bit of general knowledge to back it up was actually really funny. Granted, I predict that it will be the most intelligent joke of the series, but intelligence is not what I came here looking for! I came here looking for fanservice and comedy, and while we got the latter in abundance, I am shocked to say that there was barely any fanservice in the entire episode. In fact, Kanade got more naked than any of the girls did so kudos to Diomedea for not just trying to hook people in with boobs like so many other poor series.

Episode 1’s primary role was to introduce the main cast and it did so in a way that was genuinely completely inoffensive and made me actually laugh out loud at times. First of all we met Furano Yukihira, a sharp, but passive, silver-haired girl who reminds me of a cross between Miyako Shiina (Majikoi) and Yozora Mikazuki (Haganai). Being English, I love passive-aggressive, sarcastic wit and so I always adore kuudere characters. She cracked me up and I really hope we see a lot more from her since she is masterful at making the main character suffer in hilarious ways. I was less fond of Ouka Yuuouji, the rich CEO’s daughter, but in her defense she was not given a lot of screen time so forming an opinion of her this early would be unfair. The real surprise character so far though came crashing into Kanade’s life when he was given the choice between a beautiful girl falling from the sky, or his incredibly odd, neighbour who is a bit portly to say the least and would likely crush him to death. Obviously choosing the beautiful girl, he was astonished when she actually fell through the clouds and landed on top of him. The stunning girl in question is called Chocolat and I look forward to seeing her turn his already crazy life upside-down next episode.

All in all, Noucome was a pleasant surprise! I went into it thinking it would be a characterless smutfest, but I left actually quite looking forward to the next episode. If you go into it expecting it to be more than a generic harem comedy you will be disappointed, but it does what it does well and it looks beautiful which definitely does no harm.

Keep an eye on Capsule Computers’ Anime Impressions section for more autumn reviews and make sure to come back next week for episode 2 of Ore no Nounai Sentakushi ga, Gakuen Love Comedy wo Zenryoku de Jama Shiteiru.

MasterAbbott’s iOS Game Suggestions #85

Philip Federico

October 11, 2013

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)

MasterAbbott’s iOS Game Suggestions

A average week on iTunes! As always, it started slow and ended slow. But still as always, there are many must-buy games this week in all departments, FREE, 99c and over 99c. This week I’ve suggested a total of 13 great quality titles. Make sure you check them all especially… F1 Challenge, Steampunk Tower, Runnercraft, Advenchewers, Type:Rider, Football Heroes just to name a few.

Break down below :

2 – FREE Games

6 – $0.99c Games

5 – 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

Football Heroes – Price : FREE – Publisher –Run Games (Football Heroes is inspired by classic football games but modernized with controls specifically designed for touch-screens. Take on challenging teams in Single Player and claim the Cup Trophy, or play multiplayer anywhere via online, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Build and customize the ultimate team and fight your way to the end zone using special moves and perks to bring home the victory for your hometown. You have never seen a football game quite like this…) runs on iPad & iPhone. GET IT NOW FOR FREE

Arcade Ball – Price : FREE – Publisher –Mobage (Bring the classic American arcade bowling experience everywhere with Arcade Ball for iOS! With a quick flick, roll the ball up the ramp and into one of the numbered holes for points, tickets tokens and achievements. Arcade Ball is easy to learn and easier to love: Play by simply flicking your finger across the screen. Tilt your device to add spin. Simple to play, impossible to stop! Win enough tickets to go on a shopping spree for fun prizes, custom lanes, and custom balls! Over 100 prizes across multiple collections!) runs on iPad & iPhone. GET IT NOW FOR FREE

For The Bargain Hunters – 99c Games

	Steampunk Tower – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Chillingo (Tower defense on the rise! Take charge of the immense Steampunk Tower and help the eccentric Lord Bingham protect his precious Etherium Mine. As the Imperial Army’s foot soldiers and mechanical monstrosities march into battle, fortify your epic spire with machine guns, cannons, lightning coil, saw launchers and more. ) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW CHECK OUR REVIEW FOR STEAMPUNK TOWER HERE
	Advenchewers – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Warner Bros (Harness the mighty power of bubble gum in a high-flying adventure from Warner Bros.! When the world is faced with its darkest moment, there’s only one thing to do…CHEW. Become an AdvenChewer and soar to your father’s rescue before he’s forced to serve an evil General. Using special bubble gum and friendly birds, fly through treacherous landscapes of cascading ice caverns, boiling volcanoes, and more. Float your way to the top of the leaderboards and crush your Facebook friends’ high scores as you pop the General’s plans and save your family. ) runs on iPad & iPhone. BUY NOW
	KAMI – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – State Of Play Games (A beautiful and relaxing paper puzzle game. KAMI is deceptively simple: fold out coloured paper to fill the screen in as few moves as possible. Relaxing and easy to pick up, you’ll soon find yourself deep in contemplation to perfect each puzzle. Created by State of Play, famous for their handcrafted aesthetic, KAMI has been created with real paper in an elegant Japanese theme. ) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Random Runners – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Ravenous Games (The Random Heroes crew is back for more fun! Random Runners is a spin on the Random Heroes game in runner fashion! Play as a misfit group of heroes on their run-and-gun adventure taking on the most cliché bad guys ever, zombies! Choose your character, choose your weapon, and give ’em hell! Featuring both level based and endless gameplay mode, you can compete for high scores on the global leaderboards.) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Har Mo Ny – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Borderleap (har•mo•ny the addictive puzzler is pleasing to the eye, music to the ears and challenging to the brain! Your objective is simple, yet deceivingly complex: rearrange the blocks according to a harmonized palette of colors. Blocks may only move horizontally or vertically and each block must use up all its moves. Sophisticated color palettes range from simple boards with 3 colors up to incredibly challenging 10-color boards. As levels increase, so does the intricacy and beauty of each color palette. ) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Forword Rush – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Everplay (Use your fast reflexes and word building skills together in this brand new experience! The first of its kind, Forword Rush is a smart, slick, and stylish word adventure game that becomes more challenging as you progress through a variety of levels across three worlds. ) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW

For The Millionaires – All games over $0.99

	F1 Challenge – Price : $2.99 – Publisher – Codemasters (Complete over 90 racing events and recreate thrilling moments from the 2012 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™ in F1 Challenge – an officially licensed FORMULA 1™ videogame.) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Runnercraft – Price : $2.99 – Publisher – Interstellar Games (The premium block inspired endless runner has finally arrived! Come experience a blocky world like never before! Navigate perilous obstacles while collecting materials to craft items and power-ups to help you along the way. How far can you run?) runs on iPad. BUY NOW
	Type:Rider – Price : $2.99 – Publisher – Bulkypix (The European cultural TV channel Arte innovates and launches its first video game ! Immerse yourself in this fascinating and unique experience to uncover the history and secrets of Fonts & Characters ! Play as 2 dots and travel through the ages of typographic styles and techniques. From the rock paintings of prehistoric times to Pixel art of the 2000’s, solve all the riddles by riding the most popular fonts and characters (Garamond, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Pixel, Comic Sans…) in a very captivating musical and visual environment.) runs iPad & iPhone. BUY NOW CHECK OUT OUR REVIEW FOR TYPE:RIDER HERE
	Ring Run Circus – Price : $4.49 – Publisher – Kalio (Play in a dream world of connected circus rings, perform as three star acrobats and solve more than 50 tricky, skill-based puzzles in the world’s first RING-FORMER. Soar and float through levels as the speedy and elegant Nina. Slap those who get in your way with proud Ned or play as Grandpa Nelson to change the order of things. Ring Run Circus is a ring-former: a platformer set on rings. Master each character and use them together to solve tricky puzzles.) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Duet Game – Price : $2.99 – Publisher – Kumobius. (Enter a mesmerising trance of co-dependence in Duet — a minimalist experience that will expand the limits of your perception and radial dexterity.) 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.

Remember kids, Play Hard Or Don’t Play At All!

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