The trailer details the Ulysses meteor shower that occurred in 1994, devastated the Earth and reduced 20 percent of its surface to ruin. This resulted in mass refugees who were accepted near southern Russia as the nations went to war over scarce resources.
Players will take on the role of a rookie pilot in a mercenary group that works for the United Nations 20 years later.
Ace Combat Infinity ditches the controversial Dogfight Mode introduced in Assault Horizon and blends the series’ fictional world with the real. It’s due out for the PlayStation 3 later this year as a free-to-play title. Check out the new media below.
Lost Planet 3 was only just released worldwide for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. The Lost Planet franchise is one of Capcom’s most popular franchises, alongside a few others, and there’s a real serious fan-base behind the series, you can definitely see why though; giant monsters, awesome weapons, grappling hooks, they’re all awesome things that gamers love. Now we’ve been given a Lost Planet comic book and I’m sure fans of the games and the franchise itself are pretty pumped to get their hands on a bit more of that Akrid-killing action. Lost Planet: First Colony is here and it will have two issues, it’s a small comic but it is said to give fans of the game a little more insight into what happened before the actual games themselves. Here we have issue one and, well, read on to see how well (or not so well) it turned out.
Story
The story of Lost Planet: First Colony is set 40 years before the events of Lost Planet 3, so essentially First Colony is a sequel to a sequel, very interesting premise and we’ve never really seen anything like it before. The comics follow the story of Captain June and her crew on-board the “Crusader”, she and her team travel the galaxy looking for different places to scavenge items so that they can trade, they trade with NEVEC as well as anyone else who is willing to pay the right price or offer something to their liking. It seems Earth has become a wasteland, people stopped caring and it’s basically a giant dumping ground, so the residents of Earth decided to shoot off into space to search for planets that are similar enough to Earth for them to live on but unfortunately a lot of these planets do not fit this description. E.D.N III, however, is a planet that DOES fit this description which means that NEVEC (NeoVenus Construction) now have a new place to try and turn into “home” and along with them are pirate and all different types of people who want to either make money or do the same as NEVEC, who ALSO want to make a bit of sweet, sweet cash.The “Crusader” and it’s crew are shown on a NEVEC ship causing trouble in the hopes that they can cipher enough information from the on-board computers to get an idea of a treasure-filled planet for them to pilfer. That planet, once again, is E.D.N III. They crash land due to a storm which happens to appear right around them and that is where our story truly begins. We now follow what is left of the crew as they track through the tundra, doing their best to survive. I’m really sorry but the story is incredibly basic.
It is so unfortunate because I’m a huge fan of the games but from what I read in the first issue it’s just a typical “crash landing” story. I’m hoping that we get more information in the second issue because here we just get bare bones. The characters don’t actually interact very well with each other either, they’re supposed to be this crew and even though I can see where each character is coming from, it doesn’t seem to work as well as some other comics. I also feel like it’s pace was all wrong, it felt like it was rushed. I understand they only have two issues to tell their story but had the comic series been spread out a bit more I guarantee they could’ve done a better job. In saying that it DID give off a very “Lost Planet” vibe, so they definitely did that well. I was hoping to see more Akrid action, they fought a huge. crab-like Akrid but it only lasted about 3 pages, I just thought there could’ve been more too it considering it’s based off of the games and they seem to put a lot of attention on the large enemies. Unfortunately the characters had real generic personalities and maybe if the comic was more stretched out we could’ve actually seen more of them interacting outside of just straight out yelling but unfortunately you can’t always get what you want. I can understand how hard it would be seeing as the characters within the game barely interact but this is a comic and things need to be altered sometimes.
Artwork
This aspect of the comic absolutely won it for me. Without a doubt! The artwork is just brilliant! It’s so gritty and dirty and sketchy yet so well put-together, it just rocks. You can feel the pure essence of Lost Planet, you can feel the cold and the pain through just the way these characters and environments have been illustrated. The environments looked down right amazing, you can tell how much work has been put into every single page of this comic, clearly the illustrator has done his “Lost Planet” research because he got everything spot on visually. Even the armour and the weapons were really reminiscent of the games despite it being a prequel. The colours blended nicely as well. The cold, steel-coloured armour up against a powerful Tundra background just worked so well. The action was drawn incredibly too. The way that blood splattered, it wasn’t over the top or unnatural, it was just right. I just love seeing comics in full-colour too and one one like this comes along where they’ve gotten it “spot-on” it’s me elevated hope in the industry. What the story lacked, the artwork made up for, that’s not to say there shouldn’t be story but I practically stayed around for the art.
Overall
It’s a great comic. Yes, the story IS weak and fairly basic but it feels like Lost Planet, it honestly does. It’s in full colour which is great for hooking in audiences, it also has such high calibre illustrations that will keep you there for the whole book. My hopes are that the second issue will kick into some story and end it in a nice way that will lead readers into playing Lost Planet 3 and understanding a fair bit more, I really hope that’s what it does because that IS the purpose of this comic book. I think all around it’s a great purchase, I just would’ve liked to see more story or, at least, some better character interaction and dialogue. If you’re a fan of the games though, you will like it and I believe it will help you get more into the game.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
The Thaumaturge is a rare hunter that specializes in magical arts. As the Thaumaturge you’ll stab foes with ice shards, construct a fire trap with your firewall spell, blind them, chuck thunderbolts at them, boil their blood, and more.
The DLC will be out September 26 and will cost $3.99. You can visit their official page here. Also be sure to check out the Thaumaturge in action via the trailer in the video player below this article.
Today it has been revealed that acttil will be helping the video game developer Elemental-Labs with their first game project, REBORN. REBORN is going to be a real-time weapon based 3D action RPG that will be developed for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 using the Unreal Engine.
To help get REBORN off the ground, acttil is organizing a Kickstarter for REBORN which is set to go live next week, along with a gameplay trailer and developer diary. The Kickstarter will have a modest goal of $150,000 which, if reached, will result in a digital version of the game for the PS3 and PS4. Some background info about the game reveals that it has been in development for the past nine months and if everything works out well, the developer is planning on releasing the title sometime in Fall 2014.
REBORN will take place in 2188 in Neo-Tokyo where the city is shrouded with lies and corruption. There is a stark contrast between the wealthy and the poor as the President of the Nexus Roku Corporation, Rena Nakano, leads the country into darkness by creating augmentations for humans.
However all of these augmentations are embedded with chips the company is able to alter the behavioral patterns of society and to make them complacent with the terrible changes the Roku Corporation is making to the country. Rena Nakano is seeking a way to remove an ancient pearl used to seal away the Tengu Demon Sōjōbō and free it from its seal, with eternal life being her reward if she manages to complete this task.
A resistance has been established within the city to try and put an end to Rena Nakano’s machinations and prevent the revival of Sōjōbō. The group, with Musashi Miyamoto as the leader, must work through a plot “teeming with deceit, violence, love, betrayal and sacrifice against a backdrop inspired by traditional Japanese lore” to put a stop to the organization.
The game itself will feature real-time 3D combat that will take emphasis with how well players are able to time their combos, special attacks and environment use together in combat. As for the RPG elements, players will be able to find and equip a wide variety of gear that can be enhanced further with Augmentations and skills learned using the element-based ‘Wu Xing’ system. The developers have also said that they are basing the game around four distinct gameplay pillars in the form of Combat, Stealth, Augmentation and Social Perception. Additional concept art and 3D models of the game can be found below.
TV Tokyo has just released two one-minute promo videos for the next season of Pokemon Anime, Pokemon X and Y. While the promos are short we do get a fair bit of information from it, one being that the animation is actually looking a fair bit better and that’s a big tick in the “positive” box. We’re also introduced to some new characters who are actually seen within the Pokemon X and Y games, the first is Serena who is the character based upon the female Trainer from the new games and, although you can customise your characters, the Anime persona is just based on her initial design with slight changes.
Both Clemont, the inventor, and Bonnie seem like they will also be Ash’s tag-along friends for this series. There are a whole lot of other characters that you will recognise from what we’ve seen from the game that will surely be introduced along the way. Something else that is incredibly cool is that, in the second promo, we’re given a small glimpse of a Mega Blaziken that Ash comes into contact with. It’s looking very nice and we’re all very excited for it, the series should begin it’s run on the 17th of October, it is part of the Fall Anime Season. You can see the first of the two promos just below this paragraph and the second of the two in our Featured Video Section below.
Happy 2nd Anniversary to Digimon Masters Online! Joymax’s very own Digimon MMO/RPG game is into it’s second year and it a special “Mega Sale” has just been launched by the team behind the game. Tamers will be getting a whole bunch of awesome gifts in-game that will not only help you on your adventure but will help you look stylish as you beat down your rivals. The biggest and by far the best give-away item will be the three piece EXP Amplification Booster 1000%! This is such an incredible item and you can see straight away why it’s one of the most popular in-game items floating around.
That particular item will be given away on the 24th of September. This sale will have all items’ prices slashed to 30% off so Tamers and Players should make their way into the DMO Store to nab themselves some top-shelf Digital Boosters. The Mega Sale starts today and will be running for a month, it will end on the 22nd of October so get in now while you can and reap the benefits of this huge give-away! Head here to sign up for Digimon Masters Online or to continue playing and to grab your loot!
The art of solving crimes has been one practised ever since the first caveman slipped a sharp rock out from underneath the nose of a rival huntsman who had been flaunting his sabre tooth jacket around the encampment. Today, shows like CSI make detective work look easy, but sometimes it is nice to take a step back and admire the quick witted and intelligent detectives of old. Plunging you into the shoes of the great Sherlock Holmes himself, Crimes and Punishments does just this, whisking you away, back to the 1800’s when all you had was your cunning, a magnifying glass, and a sharp eye for clues.
Previously announced for an early 2014 release on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC, Crimes and Punishments has now been given a PS4 release at an undisclosed date. It is being developed by Frogwares who were also responsible for The Testament of Sherlock Holmes which received mixed reviews. In our review, we criticised the game for it’s lack of character, but praised it on several other fronts meaning that they have a lot to prove with this particular title.
Golgo 13 Complete Collection Studios:The Answer Studio Publisher:Sentai Filmworks Format: Blu-Ray Release Date: September 17th, 2013 Price: $129.98 – Available Here
Overview
Golgo 13, the greatest sniper and professional assassin, in all of the world finds his complete series collected in one set. With the ability to make impossible shots and willing to carry out missions that no one else will do, Golgo 13 is an interesting beast. Collecting all 50 episodes together is definitely the ultimate collection, but is it worthy of this pro among pros?
Story
The story of Golgo 13 as a series is fairly easy to pick up on right away, 50 almost completely one-shot adventures of the sniper Duke Togo, code-named Golgo 13, as he travels the global meeting and killing interesting people. While there isn’t an over arching plot across the entirety of the series, there are still a few instances of addition developments, characters popping back up in Golgo’s life again. Though the fact is that the vast majority of re-occurrences of characters tends to happen in the first half of the series. Does the series hurt from a lack of overall plot? Not particularly, as it probably made the show easier to get into when originally airing on TV, where other anime tend to view much better straight through.
So, based solely as a series of stand alone adventures, Golgo 13 does a decent job in supplying action and sex, the only thing the series really lacks however is a central focus. The main character, Duke Togo himself, is predominantly an emotional void, the first few episodes focus on him and just how amazing he is, but it does become stale pretty quickly. Luckily however the show finds a much better aspect to spend its time, the side characters. Without a central supporting cast the series instead treats each episode as a view into different people’s lives, not with Golgo as the main character, but simply a plot device. Akin to the series Hell Girl, this show isn’t trying to sell people on how awesome Golgo is or say anything too deeply about him, anytime it does try it does so ham-handedly, but look at the type of people that would hire an assassin and for what reasons, then look at what happens because of it.
Based on these realizations on the show, it is easy to see where the episodes lie in terms of quality. Generally those centered around Golgo are alright but not outstanding, while those where he is just a plot device succeed in creating a fairly realistic world, even with Golgo going around shooting strings off violins. Having all the episodes able to stand alone then makes it much easier to accomplish this. The series also does well in terms of originality, every job in every episode is different enough to avoid becoming boring or predictable, plus at 50 episodes the series doesn’t end up having to go too far outlandishly, the mech episode not-withstanding.
Visuals
In terms of art, Golgo 13 is very flat and muted though as a stylistic choice. Every scene is filtered through a grain, to give a somewhat “realistic” feel to the series, that while makes sense does end up distracting somewhat, especially on Blu-Ray. In held in contrast with the commercial bookends every episode that don’t have this filter, it feels like the viewer is forced to miss out on quality. The commercial bookends really do look spectacular, acting almost as individual posters for each episode.
The character designs are for the most part well done throughout the series, with one unfortunate problem. With 50 episodes of different characters, many of whom getting killed, several character designs end up seeming to be reused. It can be somewhat disengaging to see a new character that looks strikingly similar to someone that had been killed episodes ago, but with the bodycount the series has, it’s almost inevitable.
Audio
The voice acting suffers in the same way as the character designs, just in a different way, meaning of course that with so many different characters throughout the series the voice acting ends up sounding a little ridiculous partway through. Seeming to impact the English dub far more than the original Japanese, new characters start to sound more silly in an effort to distinguish all the different characters throughout the series. So preference might lean towards the Japanese because of this.
The music, excluding the opening and ending themes, is very similar to noir or radio plays in terms of execution. With a small set of specific themes for things like suspense, mystery, and action, Golgo 13 goes about its music very simply and do well to fit the style of the series as a whole. The opening themes, “Take the Wave” by Naifu and “So Faraway” by Pinc Inc, as well as all four ending ending themes “Glass Highway” by doa, “Yume no Hitotsu“ by Garnet Crow, “Sono Hohoemi Yo Eien ni” by Aiko Kitahara, and “Mou Kimi wo Hitori ni Sasenai” by U-KA Saegusa in DB seem strange at first not really fitting the themes of the series, until seen from the side of the clients, instead of Golgo. Viewed this way all the themes represent all the different things Golgo is to his clients, from carrying out their dreams to being a lover.
Extras
In terms of special features the 6 Blu-Ray disc set doesn’t hold all that much. It does include clean opening and endings, plus the trailers for other upcoming series, but not much else outside of the 50 episode series. The clean opening and endings themselves are weird as they are not separated out individually, but instead just as both openings together and the endings together. The feature also lacks the first ending entirely, so playing the clean ending animation will only show the second, third, and fourth, which is odd, though these three together actually do form a small story unto themselves.
Overall Golgo 13 is not a series about Golgo 13, but instead the separate stories of both bad and good people as they live their lives and hire snipers to do things for them. Judged on this, the series does a good job, but is definitely not right for everyone. Though unfortunately the series choose to hamstring its visual and audio for style the series still has something to offer. Those that want to know more about Golgo the man, will be left wanting, while those interested in looking at a wide variety of character pieces will find something interesting unfold in the vast majority of episodes.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
System 3, the UK’s most successful independent publisher, is pleased to announce the remake of James Pond: Codename Robocod. As but one of a series of classic games being reworked to celebrate 30 years of the UK’s oldest independent publisher, players once again have the chance to slip into the persona of their favourite underwater agent.
After destroying Acme Oil Co. James Pond’s latest adventure sees our hero track his evil nemesis Dr. Maybe to the North Pole to infiltrate Santa’s Grotto in a quest to return the toys stolen from every child across the world and defeat Dr. Maybe once and for all.
As the home of classic retro gaming, iOS and Android versions of the game will be released as a true conversion of the retro classic, replicating the cartoon graphical feel of the original. Handheld, console and PC releases will feature a reimagining of the original with a graphics and audio built from the ground up for each format. Featuring over 100 levels of side scrolling action, players will have ample opportunity to relive the experience that is James Pond.
What once was…
Mark Cale (System 3 CEO) said:
“I’m a huge fan of retro gaming, but to bring a game back and deliver an updated vision isn’t easy. With James Pond: Codename Robocod, we’ve got all of the right ingredients to satisfy the needs of retro fans, and today’s gamer. We’re ecstatic to be bringing yet another hero back to life, and we’re looking forward to sharing more about James Pond in the coming months.”
James Pond: Codename Robocod will be available in early 2014 for iOS, Android, PS Vita, 3DS, Wii U, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Steam and Windows 8…whew. Keep and eye on the site and stay tuned as more information on this aquatic agent is revealed. The name’s Pond…
It has been announced that an anime movie of Bayonetta is currently in the works and is set to be released in November. The anime movie is called Bayonetta: Bloody Fate and given how Bayonetta looks in the trailer, which can be found below, it appears it may follow the events of the first game in the series.
The movie is set to be directed by Fuminori Kizaki and is going to be animated by Studio GONZO. The anime movie is set to be released in Japanese theaters on November 23rd and the official website for the movie can be found here. Bayonetta 2 is currently being developed as a Wii U exclusive by Platinum Games.
