Activision have released a brand new trailer for the wildly anticipated upcoming Call of Duty title, Call of Duty: Ghosts. The new trailer focuses in on the game’s single player campaign mode and what players can expect from it.
With Call of Duty: Ghosts, Activision promises that you will experience a new world, a new story and a new next-gen engine. It looks to be a true thrill ride of a video-game if there ever was one.
Be sure to check out the campaign trailer below for your latest Call of Duty: Ghosts high-octane action fix. Also if you want to lock in your purchase of the game, be sure to pre-order it here.
Overview
Every year there are multiple fighting games released that are never brought overseas in any form. If the game doesn’t have a number behind it, chances are the title won’t be making its way to English shores unless people choose to import it. However in recent years a few different fighting games have slowly been released in English and now an anime styled fighting game called Chaos Code from little known developer FK Digital has been released onto the PSN. Does Chaos Code give us a taste of something different or should it have remained in the dark?
Story Unfortunately, Chaos Code packs a very basic story mode that plays as a simple arcade mode. In this mode players will select a character from the fourteen available, see their initial reason for fighting and battle numerous enemies in a row. Once they reach the final two enemies there is a bit more dialogue and defeating these final bosses treats the player to that character specific ending. There is a bit of a twist available to players in the story mode however, as defeating opponents in a special way does open up a possible B ending that features different fights and a different ending for each of the characters.
That being said, considering the game was in Japanese before this, it is worth noting that the only way to understand the story is to read the English subtitles when they are available, and unfortunately these subtitles are atrocious. There are numerous translation errors throughout each of the characters’ story mode, a number of which could easily have been caught if it was checked beforehand by a native English speaker.
Gameplay When players start up Chaos Code they will notice that there are only a few modes available for play. There is your standard story style arcade mode where players fight through a series of enemies to complete each characters story, a versus mode to fight against either the computer or in local multiplayer, a survival mode and finally a practice mode. There is also an option to see various ending scenes you’ve unlocked and other pieces of artwork from the game in a Gallery option.
Once you enter the fighting modes, there are fourteen characters to choose from, though two do have unlockable “boss” variants that can be used in multiplayer only due to their overpowered nature. There are numerous fighting styles available amongst the fourteen available fighters and to add a bit more to the game, players are capable of selecting two of four special attacks to take into battle and even the ability to choose their movement type.
These special moves can be anything from special dodges, long range blows, close range attacks or even some area of effect ones that can hit wherever you are. Each fighter has four different options to choose from so it gives players quite a bit of choice as they learn the intricacies of each of the fighters’ attack pattern and find which one works best for their playstyle. However that won’t be too difficult thanks to the fact that it is actually not all that hard to learn to play.
Chaos Code is a four button fighter for the most part, meaning that there are strong and weak punches and strong and weak kicks and all of these buttons can be put into both ground and air combos which vary depending on the character and of course, grab moves. Special moves, such as the ones selectable on character select, are always shown below a special attack bar for easy reference and as for that special attack bar, it is filled up whenever the player deals or receives damage.
The special meter adds a bit of depth to the game as there are numerous specials available to each fighter, which again isn’t overly complicated to pull off, that sap a certain amount of the bar. There are Tactical Guards and Guard Breaks that take a bit off the bar while special EX, Ultimate Chaos, Destruction Chaos and more variations are available for players to unleash if they manage to input the commands correctly. To add even more depth to the fighting, there is even a stun meter that will leave opponents temporarily dazed if hit too often in a short period of time, often leaving them vulnerable for one of the aforementioned Chaos attacks.
You may have noticed that I have made no mention of an online mode for Chaos Code and that is because, at the moment at least, there is no online component to the title. FK Digital has said that they are currently working on bringing an online mode to the game but currently it is unavailable, meaning that the only way to actually fight against someone else is to play local co-op against a friend. This is a pretty big oversight for the title considering how well balanced most of the fighters in the game are, as it seems nearly every character has a chance against any other on the roster thanks to how detailed the combat system is.
Visuals Everything in Chaos Code is bright and flashy once the player gets past the mundane menu system. Fights can be fast paced and each character comes with some fancy, over the top looking attacks that can take up the entire screen at times and even the characters themselves come in all shapes and sizes. There are your typical fighting types but also ones such as Cait Sith, a pair of twin fighters and even Catherine whose special moves involve cosplaying in different outfits for damage. There is a bit of pixilation on each of the character sprites, but nothing too terrible thanks to the screen ratio.
Since Chaos Code was originally released as an arcade title over in Japan, the ratio of the screen is a bit boxy; this is adverted for this widescreen release by placing each fighter’s character portrait on their respective side of the screen, a common but nice looking trait to anime style fighting games such as these. As for the stages themselves, they are varied well enough and just as brightly colored and random looking as the characters players can fight as.
Audio The game is presented with the original Japanese voice work intact and instead we get the aforementioned subtitles which, as mentioned earlier, are rife with translation issues and awkward sounding English. Anyways, the Japanese voices are suitable enough for the characters and the game sounds great in motion as they yell out various phrases as they attack their opponent, enter the fight, or celebrate a victory.
Chaos Code’s soundtrack is very impressive as it offers a wide range of background music that fits the fighting game well. Every music track has a Japanese feel to it of course but it manages to fit the sometimes fast paced nature of the battles well enough to make each fight a bit more interesting because of this.
Overall Chaos Code is something of an anomaly in this day and age. While it may offer very little in the way of gameplay modes and suffers from pretty bad translation issues and occasional graphic mishaps, it also offers some fun and exciting combat with an intricate but easy to learn system that lets players customize their fighter a bit for their own style. While it does come at a rather discounted price, it is a shame that at the moment, there is little to do in the game besides face off against the AI or a friend on the couch as the lack of online is a serious issue.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
EA have announced today that they have officially released the demo for the hotly anticipated upcoming installment in the FIFA soccer video-game franchise, FIFA 14. The demo is now available globally for players to get a chance to get a kick in with the game before its release later this year.
The demo for FIFA 14 is available to Xbox 360 owners on the Xbox Live Marketplace, PlayStation 3 owners on the PlayStation Network and PC gamers on EA’s Origin service. The game was voted “Best Sports Game” at Gamescom 2013.
Be sure to pick up the demo for FIFA 14 now and get an early shot at goals with what looks to be the best FIFA game to date.
Ubsisoft’s next-gen racing title being developed by Ivory Tower has alot of competition from the likes of Forza 5, DriveClub and Need for Speed Rivals, not to mention Gran Turismo 6 on the PS3. The Crew has really caught my eye though, standing out from the competition with its vast driving landscape based on the U.S.A that features over 1000 landmarks, fully customisable cars and the merged single player and online experience. It really looks The Crew will be creating something unique, which is very important for a new franchise entering an over-saturated market. The team making it is also rather impressive, with many of the creators working on past racing game franchises such as V-Rally, Test Drive Unlimited and even non-racing games that are held in high regards like Splinter Cell.
Ubisoft recently held their Digital Days 2013 event where they showcased some new games and provided more information on already announced titles. Key features detailed in the latest press release include:
NEVER DRIVE ALONE – Jump in and out seamlessly and build your crew of four through bonding or intense rivalry. Whether your objective is to takedown a convoy or to escape the police, achieving it with friends ensures a fresh experience each time you join in.
A PLAYGROUND OF UNPRECEDENTED SCOPE AND VARIETY – The entire United States is your driving playground – all roads and everything in between. Every type of terrain imaginable is yours to master – from downtown city streets to suburbs, hillsides, cornfields, canyons, desert dunes or even race tracks.
PREPARE YOUR CAR FOR THE NEXT CHALLENGE – Collect body and performance parts along your progression to customize and upgrade your licensed cars. Equip your ride with 5 different tuning specs (street, perf, dirt, raid, circuit) to adapt to different driving terrains. Choose from a wide range of perks to enhance your vehicle according to your driving style.
THE EXPERIENCE GOES ON, WHEREVER YOU ARE – Continue the experience on iOS, Android tablets, and on the web. Keep track of your friends’ performances and tinker with your ride before playing it live to set new records, or send your crew on jobs on-the-go to gain more XP and parts.
A large Q&A was also conducted at Gamescom. Here are all the highlights in simple list form for your viewing pleasure.
The Crew defines what freedom truly means in a driving game, without any barriers and invisible walls to restrict your car to the road. Go anywhere in the huge open world at any moment and use the surrounding environment to your advantage. Take that cop chase off-road and watch those cumbersome patrol cars spin out in the dirt, or maybe just hide in a corn field…
Play the entire campaign co-operatively with your friends.
THE CREW contains 1,000 real world landmarks and many major American cities from across the nation, each with environments and terrain representative of their real-world counterparts. Maneuver through the bustling streets of New York City and Los Angeles, cruise down sunny Miami beach, or trailblaze through the snowy mountains around Aspen, Colorado. Nearly every type of terrain you can think of, from downtown city centers, suburbs, hillsides, cornfields, canyons, desert dunes, race tracks – you name it and it’s in the game.
The Crew will take you on a journey to move up the ranks of the Five-Ten Motor Club, a gang grown around Detroit’s illegal street racing scene – making a rep for yourself and ultimately taking down their activities one region at a time.
Each time you enter the game world, you are notified of all your friends’ achievements that have occurred in your absence – new scores to beat, missions completed, etc.
Every car is a 19-piece puzzle that you can customize and upgrade at will as you unlock body and performance parts along your progression. During our campaign you will be introduced to 5 different tuning specs (street, dirt, perf, raid, circuit) that enable you to perform better and venture on unexplored or previously impracticable terrains.
Max level cap is 50 but there is alot planned for end game content.
Companion apps are becoming a big thing with next-gen and the Crew is no exception. Players can do tasks like building their cars and organising missions on their phones and tablets, meaning you have more time to race on the big screen. A closer look into some of the screens reveals we will be able to modify the colour of our cars, the type of paint and also apply a variety of decals which will leave fans of car customisation happy. The app will be available for Android and Apple devices.
Check out the screenshots below which show just how varied the landscape can be and how you can customise each car (a Camaro in this case) to suit different challenges such as offroad, raid and street. It also gives a look at the companion app which allows users to update their cars without the use of a T.V. A recent video from Gamescom also walks us through a couple of missions in game and explains mods and perks, you can check that out in our recent article covering the game. The Crew is releasing in early 2014 for the PS4, Xbox One and PC.
Today Natsume has announced that they have launched their pre-order campaign for their upcoming 3DS release, Hometown story. Though the game currently is only set for a release window of sometime in the Fall season, gamers can now choose to pre-order the game from whichever retailer they feel like.
However if you happen to pre-order the title from GameStopyou will receive, along with the game of course, an Emerald Green Ember plush toy which mimics the baby dragon which is in the game itself. The game will cost $39.99 at launch and in the game itself players will play as a character who recently inherited their grandmother’s shop and must build it up again to revive not only the store, but the town itself.
As you may or may not know, Atlus USA is bringing a unique fighting game featuring anime/visual novel characters to North America and that game happens to be called AquaPazza. At the time of their localization announcement, the company didn’t know exactly when it would be released but today they have announced that they are planning on releasing the game on November 19th for a nicely discounted price of only $29.99.
To go along with this announcement the company released a handful of screenshots which can be seen below. As for AquaPazza itself, it offers thirteen playable characters, numerous partners that assist in combat and numerous gameplay modes, including an online component.
Today Kingdom Hearts fans will be able to take some time and visit some of the classic games in the series as Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix has been made available for purchase in North America. As for European regions, they will have to wait until Friday to acquire the PS3 exclusive.
For those who don’t know, this version of the game includes HD versions of Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories as well as cinematics from Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days. To go along with the game’s release, Square Enix has released a number of new screenshots and a launch trailer, both of which can be found below.
Remember Theatrhythm Final Fantasy? It’s been awhile so if you need to refresh your memory you can check out my review of the title here. If you do happen to remember it then we have some great news for you, today it has been revealed that Square Enix is developing another game for the Theatrhythm series.
Thanks to a scan from Shonen Jump magazine, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call has been revealed and it will contain over 200 songs and 60 characters from the Final Fantasy games. These songs will also include some from Final Fantasy XIV and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. Also new to the game is a versus mode that allows players to challenge others to rhythm battles. Currently Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call is planned for a Spring 2014 release on the 3DS.
Quick name a company that just announced a JRPG. No it isn’t Square Enix. Nor is it Compile Heart, Gust, Nippon Ichi Software or even Idea Factory. Nope it actually is Ubisoft and they have revealed that they are working on a game called Child of Light which is a JRPG inspired title that will be released as a digital download for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and PC.
The company has released a trailer for the game which can be seen below and they have also given us some details about the title. The game will follow a fairy named Aura who is searching for her home and must defeat the Black Queen to do so.
As she makes her way through the game she must battle against numerous enemies in turn-based combat and interestingly enough, the game will be told all in rhyme. Child of Light is being developed by Ubisoft Montreal and will use the same engine as Rayman Legends when it is released sometime in 2014.
Hey fans of the anime Watamote, how long would you wait for the next episode to air, what about a movie or an ova? A month, three months, how about thirteen months? And I thought the wait for the Oreimo specials was long, this one takes the cake.
The manga website Gangan online has released an informative pageannouncing that a special OVA episode will be included in the special edition seventh volume of the manga, which will be released on the 22nd of October 2014. If this so happens to interest you then I suggest you plan ahead as pre-orders are already available Through the Japanese Amazon and 7netshopping websites, and for only 3,500 yen ($35 USD) it could be worth the wait.
The Watamote manga currently has four volumes published in Japan by Gangan and will soon be available as an English release in October this year. Let us know what you think about this OVA news and if you are a fan of Watamote by leaving a comment down below.
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