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!
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 Y3DS 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!
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 Onlineis 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 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 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 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 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.
Totems: Game of Conquest is a strategy heavy board game for iOS. Players will take turns placing totems on a board to control territory for points. The larger the territory, the greater the points awarded. The winner is the player with the most points at the end of the game.
Story
Totems: Game of Conquest is a board game, thus lacks a story.
Gameplay
Strategic board games have a long and proud history. Legendary strategy based board games with extensive history like go, shogi, and chess have been joined by contemporary titles like Ticket to Ride and The Settlers of Catan. Totems: A Game of Conquest seeks to join this storied list with its gameplay based on the “4-Color Map Theorem.” According to the theorem, no map needs more than four colours to colour each section without having any two adjacent sections sharing the same colour.
Totems: Game of Conquest is a board game for two to four players. Depending on the map, three or more types of totems are randomly dealt to players. Each player will have a hand of six totems. Players will take turns laying one totem onto the board to take control of a territory. If a totem is placed on a territory adjacent to a territory controlled by a totem of the same animal, the player will take control of the entire coloured territory and gain points. As more adjacent territories are controlled by a single animal type, the points awarded will be multiplied. Players take turn laying down totems until the entire map is controlled by players.
The game shares a similarity to the classic game of Go as it is extremely simple to learn, but is difficult to master. The rules of the game can be easily learned from the short tutorial, but the strategies available to the player are endless. The game’s difficulty rises sharply as more players and more types of totems are introduced to the game. There are a eight maps available for play, some support only two players while others support two to four players.
The game supports single player and multiplayer play. Single player will pit players against the surprisingly competent AI. Multiplayer can be played through Pass and Play mode, local WiFi, local Bluetooth, or through Game Center. Online multiplayer is played like chess by mail. Players can have several games running at the same time and the game will be played turn by turn. When it is the player’s turn, an iOS notification will pop up. Players can challenge their friends or find random gamers to play against. Pass and Play mode was a little more difficult to find initially as local players need to be added in the local “Play” mode. I would have appreciated some sort of indication that adding players to the list of local players would trigger the Pass and Play mode.
Visuals
Totems: Game of Conquest is presented like a classic board game. The graphics look great on Retina displays. Board games iPads are matches made in heaven, but the smaller iPhone screens tend to pose a bit of a challenge. However, Totem’s gameplay elements are very easy to identify, even on the small iPhone screen. Stylistically, the game draws a lot of inspiration from Mesoamerican culture.
Audio
Since the game is mentally intensive, the sound effects and the music in Totems: Game of Conquest seek to be a subtle part of the experience. There are small sound effects for placing down totems and drawing new ones from the pile. The music is very restrained and will not distract from deep thought. The subtlety is an excellent design decision that benefits the game experience immensely.
Overall
Totems: Game of Conquest has all the requirements to become a classic board game. It is simple to learn and requires an impressive amount of strategy. The game takes the simplicity of Go, mixes it with elements of Risk, and then presents it in a beautiful package.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
At this year’s NYCC, Warner Bros. announced that they will be debuting a new Batman: Arkham Origins game for iOS and Android devices. The free-to-play game is being developed by Netherrealm Studios and will be a brawler much like previous DC Entertainment super hero games on mobile devices; Injustice: Gods Among Us and Batman: Arkham City Lockdown. It will retain the same visual fidelity and similar control scheme to previous games, and as such will be a game that fans of any age and skill level can pick up and play.
Batman: Arkham Origins will be launching on mobile devices soon after the launch of the console version, later this month. Check out the gameplay trailer for the mobile version below and let us know what you think in the comments. As always, for all the Batman news as it becomes available, stay tuned to Capsule Computers… Same Bat-Time, Same Bat-Channel.
Kromaia is Kraken Empire’s upcoming arcade shooter. The game is a throwback to the old style arcade shooters with scores of enemies being hurled at the player and unlimited ammunition. The game has won awards at Freeplay 2011 and HóPLAY 2010. Kraken Empire is seeking funding to complete the single player campaign through IndieGoGo. Currently, the Score Attack mini-game is available to play for those donating $10 USD or more to the campaign.
The Score Attack demo features four armours, each with a unique style of attack. The amber Alpha armour provides a straight firing bullet backed up with a shotgun like secondary attack. The red Mu armour fires a laser in two different modes. The primary fires a single short laser pulse while the primary attack fires a steady beam for a several seconds. The green Tau armour fires short range missiles that locks onto nearby targets, while the secondary attack will lock onto several nearby enemies and unleash a deadly salvo of missiles. Finally, the blue Psi armour poses one of the greatest player challenges. Its primary attack is a close ranged slash that obliterates almost everything close enough with one swipe. The secondary attack will throw a giant shuriken that will stun and disorient enemies for a short time, which allows players to safely close the gap between them and the enemy. Secondary attacks have a short recharge time depending on the armour which encourage liberal use of the special abilities.
The demo is meant to showcase the technology behind Kromaia. The AI is designed to adapt to the player’s style to provide a unique challenge. The effect is most apparently when using the Psi armour. Normally, my play style consists of strafing the enemy to dodge incoming danger while keeping them at range. Since Psi’s abilities are focused on close combat, I cannot rely on my usual tactics. I noticed the game immediately compensated by throwing close ranged suicide bombers far earlier in the game.
The physics engine is a big part of Kromaia. The game moves the armour based on its thrusters. Players are able to move in all directions with ease. The controls are best used with the mouse and keyboard, though the Xbox 360 controller is an option. The armours are able to move like a helicopter, but with simpler set of controls. But even with the simplified controls, a skilled player can start dodging and weaving through the plentiful asteroids.
Kraken Empire is providing a very easy way to hop into modifying the game. Kromaia allows full access to XML files that provide modifiers for practically everything in the game. The team says gamers should be able to make small changes like tweaking the player’s speed and large changes like creating new types of enemies with the XML files. At this point, there is little documentation on the XML files, so it will be a matter of trial and error. However, I see this providing some extra longevity to the game as players create new scenarios with the tools.
Personally, the lack of crosshairs was a bit of a challenge for me. When flying forwards, the weapons will usually fire straight ahead, so lining up enemies is not difficult. But once the armour begins strafing, aiming tends to require the player to “walk” the projectiles onto target. Of course this affects the Alpha and Mu armours the most, but I would have also appreciated to see a crosshair for Psi’s secondary ability.
Kromaia’s visuals looks like an interpretation of the internet from the 1980s. The environment reminds me of the Tron franchise. The enemies on the other hand feel more Japanese in nature with their sterile white bodies and clean lines. The game does a great job portraying fast movements in an a vast area. The long trails of colour that follow in the wake of the armours provide an impressive visual display.
Surprisingly, Kromaia’s visuals really shine when the game is played on a 3d monitor. Although 3d displays is not officially supported, the game was a jaw dropping experience when played on a Nvidia 3D Vision monitor. Kromaia is a perfect game to demonstrate the joys of 3d gaming.
My only gripe with Kromaia’s visuals is the menu system. All the major menu entries are supposed to be pictograms of some sort. However, the images used for each menu option has no discernable meaning to them. The only way to figure out what they do is to highlight them with the cursor, to reveal the English description. Although I suspect this decision was made for immersion purposes, it gets in the way of navigating menus quickly.
The audio is a little bare at this point. There are sound effects and music, but there is little variety at this point. However, what is there compliments the game well.
Kraken Empire is seeking funding to finish Kromaiai’s single player campaign mode. They currently have the framework for an excellent retro styled shooter reinterpreted for a modern generation of gamers. It is already a fantastic title to demonstrate 3d gaming. Retro shooter fans and 3d gaming nuts take notice, Kromaia is ready to knock your socks off.
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