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