Remember that defining moment last year that made the year 2012 the most memorable in recent history? Well a bunch of NASA’s sweaty Jet Propulsion Lab members threw their hands in the air with joy on August 6, 2012 as a rover the size of a small car touched down on the surface of Mars.
Now you can drive the Curiosity rover yourself among many other landers and exploration vehicles with Bohemia Interactive’s Take On Mars. While this sounds like a commendable indie effort, you might have heard Bohemia are simulation masters known for the military ARMA series. We can probably expect a thorough job on a very special simulation idea.
Features:
Space Program – Explore Mars from the perspective of a science-driven Space Agency. Develop new technologies, vehicles and instruments to tackle the tasks ahead.
Scenarios – Head straight to the surface of Mars and complete individual missions centered around various Science Missions and objectives.
Editor – Create scenarios with complex missions, or just play around with whatever you wish in this limitless, free-form mode.
Dynamic destruction system – Break off cameras, robotic arms, even individual struts and wheels, all affecting the way the vehicle handles.
Economy – Send missions to Mars with the budget you have available, raised by completing mission and individual tasks.
Realistic Terrain – Explore the surface of Mars in locations based on actual satellite data from locations such as Victoria Crater.
Check out the gameplay trailer released earlier below and visit the official site. Take On Mars is available for PC on Steam for USD$12.99. For a more Total Recall experience, check out our review of Mars War Logs.
Welcome to another episode of CC Indie Spotlight with Editor in Chief Phil Federico, where we demo the latest and greatest of indie gaming.
This episode features Harebrained Schemes‘ Shadowrun Returns. This strategic RPG was completed with the help of over thirty thousand backers on Kickstarter and beyond, all in hopes of returning the classic pen and paper RPG franchise back to video game glory. The game is set in a gritty world where high fantasy meets a futuristic Seattle.
The episode features a walkthrough of Shadowrun Returns‘ Chapter Four. If you want to learn more about the game, be sure to check out our Shadowrun Returns review. The game is available for $19.99 on Steam.
Intrigue In The Bakumatsu Part 2 Studio: Sunrise Publisher: Siren Visual Format : DVD Release Date: 18th July 2013 Price: $49.95 – Available Here
Overview
Samurai, Geisha, Peasants and Lords; That’s Edo for you.Intrigue In The Bakumatsu romanticizes about this era without romanticizing too much about this era…I get it, hard to understand but it will all make sense soon enough. Mixing deep the deep history of Tokyo(Edo) and a great deal of supernatural presence this series is bound to confuse you in a way that I really wouldn’t consider bad. Action, adventure and the Eternal Assassin.
Story
Part 2 of the series, much like a lot of series’, follows directly on from part 1 (you can read my Part 1 Review here). What we know from Part 1 is that our main character is a man called the Eternal Assassin and he’s out to destroy the head of the conqueror, well, the head of the conqueror has taken possession of a new vessel and this particular man is of high power within the military, this is where the story really kicks into overdrive. I would honestly love to outline some fantastic story elements right now but it would definitely ruin a few things for you and those “few things” are key. I have to say Part 2 of the series, the story within it, really won it over for me. I found the Story from Part 1 was slow and kind of bland but this half of the story is what makes watching the first half worth it! Characters are introduced that, somewhat, take the spotlight for a few episodes and those characters are so well written that you don’t even care that they’ve taken over the role of main character, even for a short while.
The historical element of the series is incredibly highlighted in this half, so many historically accurate “characters” are introduced and let me tell you something now; have Google handy because you’ll want to know who certain historical figures are and it really adds to the depth of the series. Another part of the story that gets brought to the forefront, moreso in part 2, is the supernatural element. Once again, I can’t say much without ruining it for you but just know that from what originally was the evil that flowed from a glowing red skull has now been magnified into…damn! I really can’t! Trust me when I say that this series has a great and deep storyline that really had me thinking and actually gave me an interest in Japanese history as well as the supernatural myths that surround it. The overall vibe I got from Intrigue In The Bakumatsu was that of putting a mythological reason behind the events that transpired in history; “why did general so-and-so do this? Some say he was under the influence of a dark evil…” and so on. That’s the vibe you get and they put it across in such an intelligent way.
Visuals
Now bare in mind while watching this that Intrigue In The Bakumatsu was made in 2006 so, animation wise, it’s lacking though it does pick up in a substantial way during the last 3 or 4 episodes, you really see the effort they put in to end the series with a bang! I have to say, more than anything, what impressed me was the character and costume design. The characters looked regal and they really suited the environment. Their costumes seemed accurate but they definitely had an Anime twist to them. There is a small group of characters that are English Soldiers, like special forces, they had the traditional red coats but with a bit of spice to them like, it was just nice to see something like that, something that is basic yet incredible at the same time. This is the one thing that has stayed the same from Part 1; the art is nice, clean and it looks fantastic.
Audio
I didn’t like the English voice actors in Part 1 of the series but I’m not going to say I hated them this time around either. I feel like because the story became more intense it allowed the voice actors to become more intense and they seemed to let themselves acting in a way that seemed…raw. The accents in the series are really bad though, there’s English, Scottish and Russian and they’re all fairly bad, at one point in time a character even stops talking with her British accent and just continues on with her American accent until the series’ end. From the episodes I watched in Japanese, they sounded great so if you can’t handle the English it’s probably better to switch over to the Japanese. The music was great! It started as traditional Japanese-style but as it got closer to the edge you could actually hear the European-style of music to kick in, that attention to detail is just nice to see.
Extras
The extras were as standard as they come in Anime releases. Clean opening, clean closing…that’s about it. There’s a nice piece of art on the inside of the cover but apart from that there really was nothing. It’s not really something to take points away for though because there are more Anime releases out there that come with nothing than there is that come with a whole lot of extras.
Overall
The series is great for historical buffs and big fans of samurai stories, like me. While it’s dated and it’s lacking a few certain things that would make this a perfect Anime, it’s still really good and it kept me glued to the screen. It ends in a big way and it’s just a fantastic Anime all round. I suggest, though, that if you’re going to get into this Anime you HAVE to stick with it; get Part 1 and even if you’re not that into it get Part 2 and continue with it because it’s one of those series’ that makes you love it over time and really the only way to get a good grasp on it is by watching it all the way to the end.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
SEGA and The Creative Assembly have unleashed another trailer showcasing the possibilities in their upcoming strategy title – Total War: Rome II. In the latest addition Rome becomes aware of her greatest foe. Hannibal once said, “I will find a way — or make one.” And Total War: Rome II emphasizes the multitude of ways that such a great entity can be brought down. How did Hannibal do it? Right in her own backyard…
Preparing for a September 3rd launch date, The Creative Assembly has a pre-order offer which provides the first DLC for free (here). Watch the Hannibal trailer below to see if this could be the next strategy game for you!
Wargaming, the developer and publisher that has found immense success with World of Tanks and are pushing that success forward with World of Warplanes, and after that, World of Warships, has been around for quite some time. In fact, they have just passed the 15 year mark for their company and what better way to celebrate the success of 15 years of making games than announcements for their expansion.
Wargaming will be adding yet another a new office and while last time it was Japan, this newest office will be opening in the United States, specifically in the city of Austin, Texas. The new office will serve as their Producing Center, Central Technology and Global Business Intelligence Groups, so that the company can centralize their worldwide communication.
But, new office aren’t the only announcements as Wargaming has a bit more to share about their games as well. In fact Wargaming will have even more IPs to work with than the World of line thanks to the acquisition of Total Annihilation and Master of Orion. While they don’t have much to comment on what plans they have in store, it will be interesting to see what Wargaming can do with the strategy titles.
Lastly, Wargaming has released that World of Warplanes will in fact be getting British planes before its launch. Britain had been completely unrepresented until now, but aircraft enthusiasts need not worry as they will be able to control planes like the Spitfire, Blenheim F and Javelin. Those wanting to see the British planes in action can check out the new released trailer embedded below.
Happy Dinos is at its core a park building game in the vein of Simpsons Tapped Out, or Smurfs Village. You need to build and maintain your dinosaur park, while breeding and training your adorable reptilian attractions. Through breeding and trading with friends, there are 1000s of dinosaurs available, so that even the most avid completionist will have a hard time finishing their collection. Some of the gameplay is a little sluggish, and there isn’t much to ‘wow’ the player here, but it is a fun experience none the less.
Gameplay
Happy Dino puts you in the role of a Dinosaur Park Manager, whose job is (you guessed it) manage a dinosaur park. Part of managing the park includes the breeding and training of dinosaurs, as well as building and maintaining their habitats. Happy Dinos plays a lot like other town-building games like; Simpsons Tapped Out or Smurfs Village, where your goal is to try and make your dinosaur park the best it can be by placing decorations, habitats and other items to improve its look and overall charm.
While the park-building is the game’s core, its focus is easily its dinosaur breeding system. You are given a variety of different coloured and differently designed dinosaurs, and through breeding you will create more, and unique dinosaurs to fill your park. When breeding, you are told what potential dinosaurs you might end up with, but it isn’t until the eggs are hatched and the little one steps forth that you will know for sure. The game has 1000s of dinosaurs and each has its own rarity, so even the most hardcore completionist will struggle to overcome this game.
After you have given birth to a new dinosaur, you are able to tame them and then teach them tricks. Taming them allows your dinosaur to breed and to be an active part of the park; showing off its tricks and performing a few other tasks. To tame and train your dinosaurs you will play one of four mini games with them. The further you get in these mini games will equate to how much you have trained your dinosaur. It typically takes from 1-2 attempts at a game to have your dinosaur fully trained.
The mini games are relatively simple; an auto-runner where you tap the sides of the screen to move your dino that direction, a match-pairs game, a fruit ninja clone, and another auto runner where tapping the screen causes your dino to jump over obstacles. Each game lasts about thirty seconds, and they would all be fun enough if not for sluggish and unresponsive controls that never quite seem to work properly. These lackluster controls very quickly turn these short bursts of fun into monotonous and frustrating exercises.
Alongside breeding and training your dinosaurs, you are also tasked with the duty of making sure they are always happy and well fed. You purchase food for your dinos to chow down on whenever they are hungry, and play with them whenever they are bored. Some players might enjoy this level of interaction with the game, but to me it just felt like micro-managing, and I was not a fan.
Happy Dinos has one of those free-game tropes that we’ve come to expect from the App Store; its use of an energy bar. Most actions you will take in the game will require at least one point of energy, and when you run out you will just have to patiently wait until it recharges. In the earlier stages of the game this isn’t a problem, as you will typically level up or be rewarded with free energy well before your bar is ever depleted. Later on it becomes noticeable, as you are rewarded with less free energy and are left unable to play for periods of time.
The game offers Facebook integration for players who choose to use it. By connecting your game to your Facebook account you are given access to two distinct features. Firstly, the ability to check out other parks and see how other players have them set up. The other feature allows you to trade your dinosaurs with friends and family, helping each other to complete collections in the process.
Lastly the game menus are typically well done. Instead of chunks of texts, they use pictures to signify what’s going on. It can take some time to learn what the pictures mean, but for the most part they are straight forward and easy to navigate. There is a downside however, and that comes in the form of the game’s discounts. Items that are discounted are emblazoned with a big gold emblem that shows how much the item is discounted by. These emblems quickly clutter up the page and make it less than appealing to look at.
Visuals & Audio
Happy Dinos visuals are not going to win them any awards, but that isn’t to say that they aren’t nice. The island itself and the water surrounding it are bright and clear no matter how much you zoom in. Although the textures are not top-of-the-line, they maintain a cartoonish charm that really shines through.
The cartoonish charm isn’t only shared by the backdrops, as the dinosaurs themselves have it in spades. They are brightly coloured, detailed with a tonne of different patterns, and as full-3d character models, they really stand out and look great. The colour and variety of these dinosaurs really makes you want to keep breeding and collecting them, just to see what they all look like.
You see other human characters through 2d artwork in some of the game’s menus. The two primary characters you will encounter look like they belong in an episode of Dora the Explora, or Go Diego, Go! They are well drawn, and have a life and charm of their own. The game wouldn’t be at a loss for not having them, but their inclusion is nice regardless.
The audio in Happy Dinos practically oozes “joy.” It is upbeat, has a nice tempo and you just can’t help but feel happy while listening to it… Well for a while at least. After playing for a few minutes the music becomes incredibly repetitive and you will find yourself wanting to switch off the sound just to keep playing.
Overall
Happy Dinos is an interesting game. Its cute, colourful visuals and simplistic gameplay features almost distract you from its core gameplay; a mixture between town-building and collecting. It is a fun enough experience for what it is, but it doesn’t offer anything that will make gamers go “wow! That is awesome!” Still, if you like town-building sims, and are a fan of brightly coloured dinosaurs, then give Happy Dinos a try… If you aren’t interested in both those things, then this game might not be fore you.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
After much anticipation, it was confirmed that there would be a follow up to the Nintendo DS Shonen Jump fighting game classic Jump Ultimate Stars, that game is the PlayStation 3 exclusive J-Stars Victory VS. So far several characters have been confirmed as playable from the extensive history of Shonen Jump manga series, including Monkey D. Luffy, Son Goku, Naruto Uzumaki and even Gintoki. The game is slated to feature the greatest Shonen Jump all-stars in the magazine’s 45 year history. So who should make the cut? Here is a list of characters who we feel must be in J-Stars Victory VS:
Gon Freecss (Hunter x Hunter)
While not as well known in the West, Gon is an iconic Shonen Jump hero in Japan and with the immense popularity of the currently airing Hunter x Hunter anime series, Gon Freecss is a natural choice to be a part of J-Stars Victory VS. His ‘JaJanken’ nen abilities would make for an interesting combat style that could very well make him a fan-favourite character if he is playable. Gon is undoubtedly a true J-Star and must be in this game.
Kuroko (Kuroko’s Basketball)
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few years you probably are quite familiar with the phenomenon that is Kuroko’s Basketball. The basketball manga has become insanely popular with both men and women for some very different reasons, but it has made a star out of the series protagonist Kuroko. With a number of basketball style attacks being possible for him to use, the shadow baller would fit right in with the crazy cast of J-Stars Victory VS and therefore must be in the game.
Kinnikuman/Muscleman (Kinnikuman)
Kinnikuman, also known as Muscleman, is a Shonen Jump icon. The galactic muscle-bound wrestler with a bad flatulence problem was one of the first real ‘stars’ the Shonen Jump magazine had. The character clicked on with fans almost immediately and the series has spawned several anime adaptations and even more manga series all based around the muscle bound star Kinnikuman. His wrestling ability would make him a unique type of character in J-Stars Victory VS and one that must be in the game.
Yugi/Yami (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
It’s time to duel! Yugi has become an iconic Jump star around the world. Known for his physically weak yet strong willed human side and badass card-games playing pharoah side, Yugi is an interesting character to say the very least. You never know what side of Yugi you will get, whether it is kind-hearted Yugi or the wrathful Yami Yugi. This makes him a great choice for a fighting game, as his abilities and behaviors are completly unpredictable. Not only that but the dude plays card-games and can summon his Exodia to kick your ass. He would be a strange yet fun character to play as and for that alone he must be in this game.
Bossun (SKET Dance)
Bossun is the star of a more recent Shonen Jump manga by the name of SKET Dance. The series involves Bossun and his helper’s club known as the SKET-dan as they set out to help various people at their school. Sure he doesn’t exactly scream ‘fighting game’ but over the course of the SKET Dance series Bossun shows that he would make for quite an eccentric fighting game character, with a bizarre array of comedic attacks being possible for him. He is a more recent Jump star and for the uniqueness he would bring, he must be in the game.
Pegasus Seiya (Saint Seiya)
What makes you more qualified to be in a fighting game than to already be in several of them? With the upcoming fighting game Saint Seiya: Brave Soldiers on the way, it only makes sense for Pegasus Seiya to make the jump into the crossover mayhem of J-Stars Victory VS. Saint Seiya in and of itself is one of the most popular manga the magazine has run and Pegasus Seiya an unforgettable character in his own right. He is yet another true Jump star and must be in the game.
JoJo – Any of them (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)
There are 8 JoJos in the series JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, each of them has etched their own unique legacy over the 25 year history of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and their individual runs in Shonen Jump have all been memorable. It would be difficult to choose just one, but the entire Joestar Dynasty deserves a place in this game. At least if they don’t all make it in, there is JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle to make up for it. Regardless there must be a JoJo in this game.
Yusuke Urameshi (Yu Yu Hakusho)
He is the original Shonen Jump bad boy, the high school delinquent with a heart of gold and fists of steel. Yusuke is still to this day one of the most popular characters ever produced from Shonen Jump magazine and an icon of both manga and anime. Yu Yu Hakusho was one of the only manga that ever truly competed with Dragon Ball in terms of popularity and many consider Yusuke to be one of the great Jump stars ever. He is undoubtedly an ass-kicker of the highest order and it is really a no-brainer that he must be in this game.
That wraps up my list of characters who must be in the upcoming J-Stars Victory VS game. For now, we must wait and see who will be confirmed as the information on the game’s characters comes to light. Is there any character you think must be in this game? Let us know in the comments section below.
Indie game publisher and developer eastasiasoft, along with SideQuest Studios, have announced the colourful RPG Rainbow Skies is coming to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in 2014. A set of vibrant screenshots have been released and can be seen below.
Marcus Pukropski, CEO of SideQuest Studios says, “Rainbow Skies combines lots of fan feedback with our own vision and will be an awesome mix of old meets new. We are looking forward to showing gamers more of Rainbow Skies in the months to come.” SideQuest’s last endeavor was the rather fantastic Rainbow Moon, which we reviewed last year.
Features:
Explore fascinating scenery in two parallel worlds
Engage in turn-based battles and execute devastating commands, including new combo attacks
Raise and level up a large variety of monsters, and add them to your party
Upgrade your characters, weapons, equipment, and battle skills
Complete all side quests and optional content to extend game play up to 100 hours and beyond
Exchange your saved data between your PlayStation®3 system and PlayStation®Vita system
Play a variety of mini games, including a new fishing game
Enjoy up to 50 background music tracks with a total playtime of more than two hours
Experience a technically perfect game engine that runs at 60 fps with little to no load times
Ridge Racer Driftopia will be the first free-to-play game based on the long-running racing franchise. Developed by Bugbear Entertainment, the same studio as Ridge Racer Unbounded, Driftopia delivers all of the arcade action with driving, drifting, destruction, and upgraded visuals. Shave seconds of your friends’ lap times and punch holes in concrete walls to reveal shortcuts! Earn booster cards and get the edge on your competition!
The Closed Beta is firing up now on Steam. You can head over to their official website to register for the Closed Beta today. The game will be releasing to PlayStation 3 and PC later this year.
Today a new trailer for Tales of Symphonia Chronicles was released by Namco Bandai in Japan and in this time around the trailer focuses on the character Colette Brunel, the female lead of Tales of Symphonia. You can check it out below but beware of a few spoilers, unless of course you’ve already played the original version of the game.
Also released today was a short TV spot which can be found below and a look at the 10th anniversary greeting card that will be included with all first run copies of the game in Japan. Currently the title is set to be released on October 10th in Japan and sometime early in 2014 everywhere else.
