The Cloud is the future… we’ve been hearing that for a while now with both Microsoft and Sony pushing its utilisation for next-gen. Now, Nvidia has revealed its CloudLight tech, enabling lighting rendering and computing for games using the power of the Cloud.
Details can be extracted from a technical report released by the company, but quite honestly, my brain is too puny to be able to comprehend how it all works. The diagram below shows the process from the Cloud to your display in a more simplified manner, although you can read through the report if you have the patience, understanding and/or interest that doing so would require. In summary, however;
We introduce CloudLight, a system for computing indirect lighting in the Cloud to support real-time rendering for interactive 3D applications on a user’s local device. CloudLight maps the traditional graphics pipeline onto a distributed system. That differs from a single-machine renderer in three fundamental ways.
First, the mapping introduces potential asymmetry between computational resources available at the Cloud and local device sides of the pipeline. Second, compared to a hardware memory bus, the network introduces relatively large latency and low bandwidth between certain pipeline stages. Third, for multi-user virtual environments, a Cloud solution can amortize expensive global illumination costs across users.
Our new CloudLight framework explores tradeoffs in different partitions of the global illumination workload between Cloud and local devices, with an eye to how available network and computational power influence design decisions and image quality. We describe the tradeoffs and characteristics of mapping three known lighting algorithms to our system and demonstrate scaling for up to 50 simultaneous CloudLight users.
Basically, this should be a cheaper solution for developers and take some of the strain off of hardware. Check out the 5-minute tech demo video embedded below for a look at its handy work.
EA have just unveiled the cover art for the upcoming basketball game NBA LIVE 14. The cover for the game will feature NBA star Kyrie Irving. He is the man who was first overall pick in the NBA Draft of 2011, the 2011-12 NBA Rookie of the Year and was just named an NBA All-Star for 2013. It is an impressive pedigree for Irving and being on the cover of NBA LIVE 14 adds to that.
NBA LIVE 14 will be released on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles later this year. You can check out the cover art featuring Kyrie Irving above in all its glory. Stay tuned for further updates on NBA LIVE 14 as they comes to light.
505 Games has announced today it is delaying Ashes Cricket 2013, originally scheduled to coincide with the first Ashes series, to November 13 when the return series starts in Australia. This marks the second time the game has been delayed within months, as a similar announcement was made in June.
Tim Woodley, Senior Vice President Global Brand & Marketing for 505 Games said, “We all had high hopes of bringing out a stellar cricket game during the first leg of this unprecedented Ashes year. But the fact of the matter is, we took a long hard look at the game as it stands and decided it simply wasn’t good enough in its current state.”
Although the series in the UK has just wrapped up, developer Trickstar Games has “the benefit of a second Ashes series in this unique cricketing year which affords us further time to work on the game and get it right for the return leg.”
A brand new trailer has just made its way online from Namco Bandai for the upcoming anime fighting game J-Stars Victory VS. The new trailer highlights the game’s impressive line-up of playable characters all of which feature many of the greatest Shonen Jump stars of the past 45 years of the magazine’s run.
So far it has been confirmed that Naruto, Goku, Ichigo, Kenshin, Gintoki, Toriko, Luffy and Ryotsu will be playable characters in the fighting game. You can check out the exciting action-packed trailer for J-Stars Victory VS below.
The game is slated for release on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation VITA later this year. More characters are set to be revealed in Weekly Jump magazine in the coming weeks.
The Voxel Agents have released Toy Mania – a free-to-play, fast-paced arcade game on Facebook where players race to collect as many toys as they can in just sixty seconds.
Players compete to create colourful toys bigger, faster and better than their friends, tracked via Facebook Leaderboards- this is achieved by rearranging rows and columns of colourful pieces to match three or more. The studio’s Creative Director Simon Jolsin said;
I was inspired by the Rubik’s Cube. I wanted to whittle it down and hone in on what is really fun about it – the challenge of spatial arrangement’‘In Toy Mania there’s a lot of depth in how you move the pieces around on the board and we’ve really brought a whole new experience to the colour-matching genre.
Toy Mania is the first Beta release from The Voxel Agents, with Joslin explaining the decision;
We prefer to make games with our players rather than in isolation. This process of releasing games earlier in Beta form is a new approach for us but it fits perfectly with our methods of fast prototyping and exploration of new forms of gameplay.
Attendees of PAX Australia 2013 the other week were the only players in the world to experience the game on a multi-touch device up until then, and competed for special prizes given out over that weekend. You can play Toy Mania right now, however, in the comfort of your own home by clicking here. The Voxel Agents also released Puzzle Retreat earlier in the year for the iOS, which is now free.
Icon Home Entertainment are churning out some big titles for release on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital this August. Their genres run the gamut from comedy to horror and action, so no matter what your movie tastes, there’s sure to be something for you.
When their respective partners are viciously murdered, a New Orleans hitman (Sylvester Stallone) and a young Washington DC cop (Sung Kang) put aside their differences and realise that their best hope for exacting revenge is to team up in Bullet to the Head. A high stakes investigation takes the unlikely duo from the back alleys of New Orleans all the way to the city’s most powerful and dangerous corridors, where each move could be their last. Bullet to the Head will be available on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital on August 1st. Check out our review of the Blu-ray edition. Its trailer can be viewed below.
A funny new twist on a classic love story, Warm Bodies is a touching tale about the power of human connection. After a zombie epidemic, R (a highly unusual zombie) encounters Julie (a human survivor), and rescues her from a zombie attack. Julie sees that R is different from the other zombies, and as the two form a special relationship in their struggle for survival, R becomes increasingly more human – setting off an exciting, romantic, and often comical chain of events that begins to transform the other zombies and maybe even the whole lifeless world. Warm Bodies will be available on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital on August 14th. Our Blu-ray edition review will be up soon. Its trailer can be viewed below.
Sinister is a frightening supernatural horror from the producer of the Paranormal Activity films and the writer-director of The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Ten years ago, true crime writer Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) made his reputation with a best-selling account of a notorious murder. Now, desperate to replicate the success of his first book, he moves his family into a home whose previous occupants were brutally executed and a child disappeared. There, he discovers a box of mysterious, disturbing home movies that plunge his family into a nightmarish experience of supernatural horror. Sinister will be available on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital on August 14th. Our Blu-ray edition review will be up soon. Its trailer can be viewed below.
From legendary filmmaker Takashi Miike (13 Assassins, Audition) comes a classic tale of love, honour and revenge amidst the fall of the Samurai in 17th Century Japan called Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai. Seeking a noble end, poverty-stricken Samurai Hanshirô requests to commit ritual suicide at the House of Li, run by headstrong Kageyu. But after being told a tragic story of another Samurai’s agonising suicide, Hanshirô sets in a motion a tense showdown of vengeance against the house of this feudal lord. Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai will be available on DVD, Blu-ray 3D and Digital on August 14th. Our Blu-ray edition review will be up soon. Its trailer can be viewed below.
Are you a racing fan? Have you put more hours into Grid 2 (check out our review of Grid 2 here) than you know what to do with? Are you looking for your next big racing game? Well guess what; it is (just about) here! F1 2013 is set to hit store shelves on October 8. 2013, and will be available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
To celebrate the announcement, the game’s publisher; Codemasters have released a work-in-progress video showing a hot lap of the Hungaroring Circuit. The video shows Australia’s own Toro Rosso-Ferrari driver, Daniel Ricciardo taking on the circuit. The video is narrated by famous Formula One driver Anthony Davidson (also serves as the technical consultant on F1 3013). In the video, Davidson tells would-be racers how they should attack each corner in order to speed their way through to first place
Codemasters today also announced some more features for their highly anticipated Classic Mode. The game will be introduced by legendary broadcaster Murray Walker, and will feature a fictional racing series for players to compete in, racing against circuits and legendary drivers from the 1980s. The cars and other content present in classic mode are also present in other game modes (like split screen and online multiplayer).
F1 2013 will also be available as a premium collectors edition, called F1 2013: Classic Edition. Additional content will be present in the classic edition, including 1990s cars and tracks for Classic Mode. The cars and tracks will also be available as paid DLC for players who don’t manage to get the Classic Edition.
If you were worried that F1 2013 was all about the past, then let me put your fears to rest. F1 2013 will include all the stars and cars for the current season, as well as letting players race as Lewis Hamilton in his Mercedes and Segio Perez in the McLaren-Mercedes for the first time ever. The game also includes all rule changes, tyre changes and remodeled handling to authentically reflect the challenge and exhilaration of racing 2013’s stunning roster of cars.
Are you excited for F1 2013? Let us know in the comments below, and no matter what, you should definitely check out the hot-lap trailer below. Remember that for all the F1 2013 news as it becomes available, stay tuned to Capsule Computers.
NCAA Football 14 Developer:EA Sports Publisher:EA Platform:Xbox 360 (Reviewed), PlayStation 3 Release Date: July 17, 2013 Price: $59.99 BUY NOW!
Overview
Each and every year, EA release the next best for the long-running NCAA franchise. The brand has done well to represent college football, but with aging hardware and features that typically run behind its Madden kin, the age old franchise is starting to show signs of rust. This year, NCAA Football 14 introduces some brand new aspects to the game, with the Infinity Engine 2 headlining the experience. Does this entry end out a generation with a bang, or is this yet another step in the middle for a brand that is still trying to define itself? Let’s find out.
Gameplay
I don’t have to go into the gameplay for any EA Football game to much, as the same formula has been in tact since the days of sixteen bit. Sure, if you go pick up NCAA from ten years ago and then try out ’14, the experience will feel the same. EA Sports don’t really make these titles for the casual player however, and hardcore fans that pick up every installment are sure to notice many subtle changes and additions to this year’s entry. The Infinity Engine 2 brings the popular Infinity Engine that graced Madden to NCAA Football this year – with some extras included.
To give a bit of perspective of what this physics engine brings (or brought considering its introduction in 2012), the Infinity engine introduced weight and momentum into the game, allowing players to have greater force behind their sacks and if running or charging, not to be tackled down nearly as easy. It made for a much more realistic approach, and this marks the first NCAA Football title that has seen this physics engine introduced. There is a big “2” labeled on that this time around though, meaning new features have been implemented to make the experience even more polished. The Force Impact system enables collisions based on factors such as speed, bursts of momentum, and the general mass of the player. For instance, you won’t be able to sack a player at the tap of a button if they are bursting through the field, and for defense, the opposing player will have to put more effort into taking down a player as they run to the goal line – ball in hand. It isn’t the most noticeable upgrade, but it does make the Infinity Engine hold greater merit and effect more outcomes to game – which is a massive plus considering how stale the gameplay has gotten over the years.
There are a few other minor additions with the gameplay, but the most noticeable are tweaks made to the defense. The AI has gotten slightly better in some areas (though there are still a few glaring moments of stupidity), meaning the player has to put forth more effort in coming up with an effective strategy to maneuver around the other team’s defense. Using the right stick can allow the player to bounce back on their feet during running plays, and a new burst mechanic can offer a large change of speed to plow through the the defense. Again, it isn’t a lot, but enough to warrant a bit of merit. Over the years, EA have attempted to make this franchise and Madden more about simulation, stripping out many of the unrealistic gameplay elements that just didn’t click with the sport. NCAA Football is the closest we have seen to the real deal, event with its shortcomings and minor hiccups from time to time.
Off the field, there is still a large amount of content to be explored. Ultimate Team is now gracing the college sport, and while the card collecting is still addictive, more has been added to give this mode a bit of new life. A season mode can be accessed for players can take part in a 10-team tournament of sorts, with higher stakes added afterwards. The currency system allows players to get more coins by completing challenges and selling off unwanted goods, and thankfully – all of this menu navigation is rather to the point and more accessible than it was in the past.
Dynansty Mode has also seen some improvements, bringing the “RPG” like progression system into the game of coaching. Coach Skills act as abilities of sorts and allow the player to utilize one of eighteen abilities that can all be leveled up as the player progresses. These skills can be found in two different trees, with the first being Game Management. This set of skills effects your team’s general morale, and allows your players to keep their cool when on and off the field. The Recruiting skill tree is a bit more to the point, and allows the player to have better odds when it comes to recruiting. It is a bit odd to see this all come into effect during a football sim, but the tools given to make this mode enjoyable do their job well and even if football isn’t quite your thing, the constant upgrading, recruiting, and coaching fare is enough to keep you busy for hours on end.
Since there are so many changes, a “Nike Skills Trainer” has been placed on the main menu, but being honest, I just didn’t feel the need. Sure, there was a lot of developmental effort to make this tutorial act as something more, but at times – I was a bit curious of what better usage of space could have taken its place. I mean, there isn’t any doubt that this franchise has seen a fair share of changes, but when you are on the field, the action still is familiar and easy to pick up and go. Those who want to know the details of the sport however are sure to find some useful information to improve their game however, even if the mode is a bit overkill as far as a tutorial goes.
Visuals and Audio
How many NCAA Football titles are we up to for this generation? Well, quite a few is the answer – and sadly, the visuals have officially peaked. Throughout the years, EA have detailed it all on the field, making crowds, arenas, and even dreadlocks more animated. The players themselves look fine, animations are fluid, but the game itself just doesn’t feel like a new experience based on the visuals alone. Now, I don’t know how they could make changes without them being drastic, but NCAA Football 14 is in dire need of something it just can’t have, and that is a proper next-gen coat of paint to go with mechanics that truly are starting to push the series forward.
Audio wise, it is kind of hit and miss. The soundtrack is basic and nothing new, the chants are loud and make situations more exciting, and as always, the commentary is rather bad due to missed calls and stale voice work. If you watch a college game on the television, the commentating is still a bit dry, but as plays happen excitement is heard – and that is something the play-by-play here just doesn’t have. The physics engine is also effected in a slight form due to the sound effects, as it sounds a little less satisfying when a collision is made on the field this time around, and that moment of gratification is something that has seemed to be replaced by softer, more realistic effects. This is more personal preference, but it is ok to still have some arcadey moments in a football game, as it is still a game at the end of the day.
Overall
NCAA Football 14 is an aging player that still wants to pull out trick cards in order to squeeze out a few more years. The problem is, the changes are subtle, and while the full turn to simulation is a good thing for fans, there isn’t a ton of incentive to throw down last year’s installment aside from a revamped physics engine. Sure, Infinity 2 is fantastic, but with dated visuals and audio effects that are just not up to par with the gameplay, I still feel as if this is yet another installment that takes a step back right after making a giant leap. There is still a well refined football game at the end of the day however, filled to the brim with content – with fan feedback accounted for in several ways. With next-gen consoles on the horizon, EA are ready to turn the page – and NCAA Football 14 is a soft yet suitable ending to a brand that changed the game.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Game of Watchcraft: Spawn of Squishy Developer: LCDemakes Publisher: Education Network Group Platform: iPad Release Date: 26 July 2013 Price: $0.99 (Limited Time Only), $2.99 (RRP) – Available Here Overview
Game of Watchcraft: Spawn of Squishy is part of a new trend in indie gaming called the “demake.” Developers look to take popular modern titles and reimagine them as retro styled games for systems like the Nintendo Entertainment System or the Game Boy. LCDemakes looks to take the concept to the extreme by taking one of the most content heavy games, World of Warcraft, and demaking it into one of the simplest forms of video games, the LCD based Game & Watch series. No Little Johnny, this isn’t like the LCD screen on your iPad.
Story
Being an LCD game, there is no real plot in Game of Watchcraft: Spawn of Squishy. Which really is not too much of a change from the actual World of Warcraft, since only a small fraction of World of Warcraft players actually read quest text in the first place.
Gameplay
Game of Watchcraft: Spawn of Squishy looks replicates the experience of the high end dual screen Game & Watch devices that later went on to inspire the Nintendo DS. Since the iPad only has one large screen, the iPad’s gargantuan screen displays the image of the Game of Watchcraft device and provides four buttons, the D-Pad, the action button, the mute button, and the menu button. In the middle of the screen are the two game areas, each with two different quests to play.
The bottom screen equips our hero Squishy with a pair of menacing daggers as goblins and chests spawn endlessly on the screen. There are a pair of linked portals on the map that allows for quick travels from one side of the screen to the other. A quest giver is present, who will send Squishy off to either slay a number of goblins or collect several chests. At the end of the quest, the player will be sent to the top screen to complete the next quest, either to kill the raid boss or kill several of the boss’ minions. Players will need to dodge incoming fireballs fired by the boss and minions that spawn beside the boss and run around the screen. The player can electrify themselves to damage minions and, with enough mana, fire moving lightning bolts at the boss to damage it. However, the boss will move up and down on the right side of the screen, so good timing is necessary. Upon emptying out the mana pool, players can run into a cave on the top of the screen where the healer will quickly replenish the player’s mana. Take care though, as the area is randomly fills with deadly flames, forcing the player out into the open.
Once the second quest is complete, an item will drop behind the quest giver that can be equipped. The player can then return to the start and the game continues again, with a higher level of difficulty.
Upon dying, the player will lose all their equipment and whatever progress made in the quest will disappear. Just like World of Warcraft, the player’s ghost will spawn at the graveyard and the player will need to return to their body to continue the game.
The controls in Game of Watchcraft are particularly finicky. They require the player to touch some part of the D-Pad to respond. Due to the nature of Game & Watch LCD games, there is only four directions of movements. If you happen to press two directions at once with a thumb, the game will make its best guess and move you in one direction. Using strictly the touchscreen controls, the game is best played by the player holding down on the touchscreen and then swiping their thumb in the correct direction and hopefully returning to the D-Pad’s centre to stop moving. Without some sort of third party controller aid, Game of Watchcraft’s controls can become extremely frustrating. The developers themselves used stick-on controller aids on their demo units at PAX AU 2013, called a Thumbies.
The game’s replay value rests in the Game Center integration. There are leaderboards for players to compete on and several achievements to complete. The extra two quests already provide more variation than the average Game & Watch title.
Visuals
LCDemakes make a great effort to replicate the experience of a Game & Watch LCD game. The visual stand-in for the device show an incredible attention to detail. The working mute button triggers a fake red LED to light up when engaged, and parts like screws and speakers holes are present. A nice touch that I appreciated was the intro animation for the start of each game. All of the positions where characters appear quickly go dark, filling the screen. The “physical” portion of the game provide all the colouring in Game of Watchcraft, while all the moving parts of the game are the classic dark gray colouring, staying true to original Game & Watch devices.
Audio
There is no music in Game of Watchcraft, just the beeps of classic LCD games. Clearly, a choice was made to preserve the original feel of the game, and it was the right one.
Overall
I applaud LCDemake’s incredible attention to detail, as it is obvious great care has been taken to replicate the Game & Watch experience. Unfortunately, the game is held back by really frustrating controls that need a physical button of some sort. At $2.99, the game is over-priced as it only contains one “device.” For those looking to relive the LCD based games they grew up with in the 1980’s or want to show their young children the game mom and dad played, Game of Watchcraft is a worth a try.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Another month practically gone and another round of Xbox Live news is coming to you! Thanks for joining Xbox Live News with Pipper, and we will be discussing the latest and greatest games to happen to Xbox Live. Let’s take a look at the deals first because they are going bye-bye fast!
Deals of the Week
Name
Discount Dates
Price
Clancy (Ubisoft)
July 24 to July 29
Splinter Cell Conviction
Varies
Deniable Ops: Insurgency
400 (50% off)
TC’s SC Double Agent
Varies
TC’s EndWar
Varies
TC’s GRAW
Varies
TC’s GRAW 2
Varies
TC’s H.A.W.X
Varies
TC’s H.A.W.X.® 2
Varies
TC’s RainbowSix Vegas
Varies
TC’s RainbowSix Vegas2
Varies
New Releases
R.I.P.D. The Game
From the looks of the prior new releases, this month did not get much larger. Game developers must be moving towards the next-gen consoles rather that implementing titles for Xbox Live. But we do have some updates for you. Take a look at our review for R.I.P.D. The Game to see if its worth playing!
Name
Release Date
Microsoft Points
(Games)
R.I.P.D. The Game (ATLUS)
18-July
800
Mars: War Logs (Focus)
27-July
1200
(Games Add-Ons)
Call of Duty: Black Ops II Aqua Pack (Activision)
24-July
160
Call of Duty: Black Ops II Pack-A-Punch Pack (Activision)
24-July
160
Call of Duty: Black Ops II Rouge Pack (Activision)
24-July
160
Call of Duty: Black Ops II Breach Pack (Activision)
24-July
160
Call of Duty: Black Ops II Desert Coyote Pack (Activision)
24-July
160
Call of Duty: Black Ops II Glam Pack (Activision)
24-July
160
(Games on Demand)
Injustice: Gods Among Us (Warner Brothers)
17-July
Sales & Specials
In addition to the sales and new releases, Xbox Live has been the host to other sales. Check them out on your dashboard.
Other important events to take note of in the coming future are Gamescom 2013 and EB Expo 2013. You can bet your arse that Microsoft will be presenting the Xbox One at both of these shows and what better way to redeem themselves to let the attendees to get their hands on not-yet-released titles? Sounds both dirty and fulfilling. Until then continue to “Play Hard or Don’t Play At All!”
