A Good Day to Die Hard has landed on Blu-Ray, DVD and DigitalHD and to celebrate its release, NRL star Beau Ryan and his father Kim were professionally ‘made over’ to respectively embody Jack McClane, played by Australian Jai Courtney, and his iconic father John McClane, played once again by action mega-star Bruce Willis. Beau said of the experience;
This is definitely a change in pace for me. Acting is so different to playing football; it’s a lot more intimidating in my eyes. But working with my dad is very exciting for me. I used to work with my dad when I was younger and he is definitely a fan of ‘tough’ love, we had a little John and Jack McClane dynamic.
You can check out their transformation in-motion via the video embedded at the bottom of this article, or through the stills of the photo shoot just above that.
Released on July 24 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, the A Good Day to Die Hard ‘Harder Extended Cut’ Blu-Ray packs a wallop with over 2 hour of extreme, bonus material. Check out the following list of features:
AGood Day to Die Hard 1-Disc BD
Extended Cut of the Film
Theatrical Cut of the Film
Deleted Scenes
Making it Hard to Die Featurette
Anatomy of a Car Chase Featurette
Two of a Kind Featurette
Back in Action Featurette
The New Face of Evil Featurette
Maximum McClane Featurette
Pre-vis
Cold Opening
Desert Heist
Truck Chase
VFX Sequences
Stills: Gallery
Storyboards
Concept Art
Theatrical trailers
Commentary by Director John Moore and First Assistant Director Mark Cotone (extended cut only)
25 years on since the original, and the Die Hard franchise is still ticking. If you’re a fan, you’ll most likely want to check this release out as “two McClanes are better than one”.
Mars War Logs has been out on the PC for quite a while now, and while it had its issues we liked it quite a bit! Focus Home Interactive has finally released the Xbox 360 version on XBLA while the PlayStation 3 version is coming out August 7 for the PSN in Europe and later that month for the US.
Mars War Logs takes you to Mars, nearly a century after a huge cataclysm that threw Mars and its colonies into chaos. You play as Roy, a renegade caught in the middle of a civil war, while different corporations fight over the most precious resource, water.
Three new screenshots have been released showing off the game running on console hardware. Check out our review of the PC version here.
The second episode of Total War: Rome II’s Let’s Play series has Trish Ryniak and Campaign Designer Dom Starr from Creative Assembly discussing factions, diplomacy and the campaign map itself.
Specifically, we find out about how your starting faction of choice and its traits influences the entire game, the inner workings of the revamped cities as well as diplomatic relations between friends and foes. Check out the video below for all the details!
The first Let’s Play video threw us into the ferocious Battle of the Nile earlier this month. Total War: Rome II is coming September 3rd for the PC.
The Summer 2013 Anime Season has started, it started about a couple weeks ago but don’t worry about that, and like a lot of the other guys on the site I’m going to be listing my picks for the season. I actually didn’t pick up many from this season but the few that I did are ones that I swear by and have been, and will be, watching religiously. I’m still following series’ that have continued one from Winter, series’ like Attack on Titan (Shingeki No Kyojin) and Mushibugyo but I don’t believe they count towards the Winter season so I’m not going to talk about them. There are some absolutely “top notch” shows going on this season and I’m glad I picked up on these ones!
BLOOD LAD
Wow, just wow, what a damn good show this is! If you don’t know about this at all basically it’s a series that takes place mostly in the demon world but it’s not what you think, the demon world isn’t a bunch of things on fire where the sky is dark and people are just in immense pain, no, not at all! The demon world in Blood Lad is much like your regular metropolis…if it was populated by mythological creatures…so yeah like your regular metropolis! We follow the story of Staz, he’s a vampire but he’s unlike those that came before him; he’s not really into sucking blood but he’s a massive Otaku so he loves his games and he loves his action figures and, my God, does he love his Manga.
Staz is also the leader of a gang and he runs a certain section of the demon world, he’s like a vampire Bancho. One day a human girl wanders into the demon world and, as you can imagine, Staz goes crazy over it; “a human girl!?” he loves the idea of having her around and really wants to know all about our world…but…she gets killed by a rogue, man-eating plant and becomes a ghost. Yeah. That’s ok though because Staz vowed to turn her back into a human so he can once again be in the presence of a beautiful female human. There’s plenty of action, plenty of comedy and the art style is fantastic, I say give Blood Lad a good whirl!
GATCHAMAN CROWDS
Gatchaman Crowds is one of the bests of this season both aesthetically and concept-wise, it’s the greatest looking, Super Sentai-Style anime you will see for a very very long time. No nothing about it? Allow me: I’m going to say it’s a remake of an old show even though it’s not an exact remake, basically it’s extremely similar to the old-school series Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. It’s about a small team of “normal people” who have been called into action to fight the “Mess” who are a bunch of crazy, Rubiks cube looking monsters from who-knows-where that are attacking the earth.
Now these “normal people” aren’t so normal when they go into what I’m calling “Catchaman Mode”, they get this weird yet awesome suits of armour that are all very unique and all sporting their own crazy weapons, in this mode they fight the evil “Mess” and save the day. I’m not too good at explaining things but I think you all get the drift. The animation is beautiful and, much like Blood Lad, the art style is really just fantastic. It’s an all around good anime that’ll get you going crazy! The best thing is that, really, it’s nothing like the old series which is just great because it means no overly-camp bad guys and “not a lot” of cheesy one-liners that’ll make you cringe. You also don’t need to know anything about the series before watching it so jump in!
DANGANRONPA THE ANIMATION
This one right here is another Game-turned-Anime series’ that really knocks socks off! Well, I think so. It seems as though the series’ I’ve picked this time round are all good for their own reasons yet no reason better than how great the art style is, I’m freakin’ loving this seasons art! Danganronpa The Animation is no different, I had to get used to the ways the characters looked but after episode one I warmed up to the style and realised how cool it is. So Danganronpa is a PSP game as well as this new anime and basically it revolves around a bunch of teenagers who were brought into this school for being good at something in particular, for example: one girl is good at gambling (yeah…I know) another is a great swimmer and another is just an awesome Bancho.
The main character, however, is just “extremely lucky” for getting accepted because he has no real skills. So they go to this school and, let me tell you, it’s not what it seems to be. Once they’re all in the school the doors and windows are locked and there’s no escape, a crazy looking bear appears and explains to the teens that the only way out of the school is if they kill one of their peers, not only that but their other peers cannot find out who the murderer was…basically the only way out is to commit the perfect crime. Real strange huh? Oh yeah! Real strange but real good! It’s so gritty and so gory and you can absolutely tell that it was based on a game because they add the game elements in so well. I hold this series in higher regard than Devil Survivor 2: The Animation from last season, when it comes to making shows out of games Danganronpa has seemed to do it the best.
A few days ago 2K Games gave the people a choice to decide the fate of Agent Ennis Cole, played by Dominic Monaghan, in a series of live action trailers. Check out the players’ decision below.
The first Pima Incident, an assault by a lone alien ship, has seen catastrophic damage and casualties, burdening the agent’s mind. Twitter users have narrowly and remorsefully voted to #GrabTheBottle rather than #GrabTheGun and you can check out the result in video below.
The Bureau: XCOM Declassified is the long-awaited XCOM title that began development in 2006 but has since been repeatedly delayed and changed. The game is finally set to launch on August 20 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.
The Wolverine Studio:20th Century Fox/Marvel Entertainment Publisher: 20th Century Fox Format: Cinema 3D (Reviewed), 2D Release Date: July 25, 2013
Overview
Directed by James Mangold (Walk the Line) and written by Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects), The Wolverine is an adaptation of the limited run comic series by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller back in 1982. It is set as a sequel to X-Men: The Last Stand, whereas originally it was expected to be produced as a prequel and retelling of Wolverine’s (Logan) origins. It explores his time in Japan and follows many details of the source, whilst introducing new elements to the proceedings. There have been multiple attempts now at telling a good Wolverine arc/story on film, but have 20th Century Fox finally succeeded?…
Story
The film opens calmly before panic ensues, as Japanese soldiers are rushing people away from the impending atomic bomb that is about to hit Nagasaki. Wolverine is witnessing it all through the slit of a well’s steel covering, hanging near the top with his bone claws plunged into its walls. One soldier – surname Yashida – spots Logan and tells him to run…he knows there’ no point in running. The sirens persist and impact is imminent, and the remaining soldiers kneel to the ground and proceed to perform hara-kiri (ritual suicide). Yashida is reluctant, but finally musters the courage to end his own life just as Wolverine grabs him, throws him into the well and leaps in himself, ahead of the blast.
Logan takes the steel lid and holds it over Yashida as the fire sweeps across and into the deep well, burning Logan to a crisp. Yashida sees the horrific visage of a burned Wolverine before he starts to heal, and proceeds to “freak out”. Jump to present day and Logan is effectively a caveman, and having persistent dreams of his true love Jean, who calls for him to join her. He has vowed to abstain from violence since that day he was forced to end her life, but again is forced to take another as a bear – shot with an arrow in his back – writhes in pain. Wolverine tracks the hunter responsible down to a bar in town, questioning why he is in possession of poison-tipped arrows, which are illegal.
Just as Wolverine is about to break his vow, a Japanese girl named Yukio steps in. She has been watching “the Wolverine” and says that she works for an old friend – Yashida. He is on his death-bed, and only wishes to say goodbye to the man that saved his life. Yukio convinces Logan to fly to Tokyo, but on the condition of it being a one-day trip because he, apparently, “has things to do”. When they arrive, and after a humorous washing scene (ladies forcefully scrubbing him down in order to look presentable), Logan discovers that there is an ulterior motive for his beckoning… Yashida wants to lift the burden of immortality from Logan and adopt it for himself.
Logan insists “you don’t want what I have” and declines. From this point forward, the dynamics and issues of this traditional family come to light as their patriarch – CEO of the most powerful tech company in Japan – on the verge of death. His granddaughter, Mariko, is distraught, but hiding something as arguments with her staunch and traditional Father are witnessed by Logan. A new villain soon appears to Logan – the toxic Viper – as if in a dream, that same night, which awakens Logan to find that Yashida has passed. Logan has lived in solitary since the events of The Last Stand, sulking and brooding to himself, alone. He has now been thrust into this family, undoubtedly feeling slight guilt for this loss.
Minor spoilers ahead, but it’s no surprise that the Wolverine within feels the heroic need to interject as Mariko is revealed to be in grave danger. Wolverine finds amongst the action that he is also not healing properly, but continues on his quest to keep Mariko safe (and discover what is happening to him). The story is much smaller in scale and scope than the bombastic X-Men entries and so allows for a more personal look at Logan, the man. That doesn’t mean it skimps on action, with some great set-pieces, which do sometimes verge on the ludicrous (that bullet train scene is insane, but fun). More so than in Iron Man 3, this is an examination of a character whom we thought to be infallible, and it’s great.
Visuals & Audio
Japan always films well and is a favourite and welcome backdrop for me personally. From the traditional architecture of its housing and temples to the neon-lit streets of Tokyo, The Wolverine explores many facets of Japanese culture, not just through the script (chopsticks standing vertically are a bad omen!), but in visual language as well. Much of the film was also filmed here in Sydney, Australia, made up with Japanese signage to resemble the inner parts of Tokyo – it was executed so well that you wouldn’t even recognise it (I had to research what was shot where in order to know myself).
There are some truly amazing visuals here, such as in the third act when, in a snow-topped village – a large outdoor set constructed at Sydney Olympic Park – Wolverine is shot with rope arrows and held back like a puppet whilst attempting to approach a tower in the near distance. There’s also an epic fight scene that plays off of shadow and light amongst the exterior Shoji screens of the Yashida compound that was cinematographically superb. Something you will have already noticed is the subtle change to Wolverine’s hairstyle, which maintains the iconic flare from the comics, whilst looking less outlandish (Dragonball Z being a good example of crazy hair when translated to live-action).
The 3D effect was extremely understated, to the point of becoming unnecessary (save money and see it in 2D). In terms of direction, James Mangold did a great job overall, however I felt like he overused the rack focus technique (when focus shifts from an object in the foreground to the background and vice versa). It became repetitive to the point where you could make a drinking game out of it. When it comes to audio, to be honest, very little about the music is memorable, and that can either be looked at as a good thing or a bad thing. It’s not meant to distract from the visuals but enhance it, and in that respect it worked well. The film is a lot quieter in that the dialogue and ambient sounds of the world do more to build the soundscape than the score.
Overall
The Wolverine is the best representation of the character on the silver screen to date. The film deals with personal themes relating to the consequence and burden of Wolverine’s healing mutation – immortality – and the emotional pain caused by Jean Grey’s death – which he has to come to grips with as being a necessary result – in a very human way, the depths of which haven’t been explored in the past. The movie has a few moments of ridiculousness, but when dealing with mutants and source material such as the X-Men comics, it can hardly be avoided all together. This is what Origins should have been, and now the character is refreshed for X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Rising Star Games has released the latest trailer for the upcomingBEYBLADE: Evolution game. The game is exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS and will be available in two versions: the standalone Solus edition and a special Collector’s Edition, which will include an exclusive, six-piece Wing Pegasus 90WF Beyblade, previously unavailable outside of Japan.
The game will allow players to collect, customise and compete with their very own Beyblade throughout a story mode directly related to both the toy and the anime. Players are also able to unlock the next generation Samurai Ifrit w145CF Beyblade to add to their ever growing Beypedia. The game utilises the 3DS’ gyro and AR functions to create a unique gaming experience and grant players precise control over their Beyblade.
BEYBLADE: Evolution is slated for an October release. For more information, visit the officialsites and check out the trailer below to get ready for some good ‘ol fashioned Beybattles. Let it rip!
Heroes are gathering. The time is coming. Nintendo and Platinum Games are getting pumped about their new IP hitting the Wii U known as The Wonderful 101, and have released a new trailer for the game, which acts as a prologue for the story. As you could guess, this clip sets our many heroes up for their journey while also showing off some of the gameplay techniques that can be performed with a large band of heroes.
You can check out the clip below, and expect to see The Wonderful 101 on the Wii U in just over a month – when it launches on September 15th. Stay tuned as well, as when more news comes out for this little gem, we will sure to keep you covered.
Mamorukun Curse! is a top-down, bullet hell style shooter that is strongly influenced by Japanese folklore and mythology, just oozes cuteness. The game is vibrant, exciting and difficult while still being fun. While it is definitely not for those who frustrate easily, it is definitely an enjoyable experience for gamers who love the older arcade-style action. Some moments of lag and costumes that may upset those who are easily offended hold this game back from being one of the PSN greats.
Story
After being caught in a tragic accident, Mamoru wakes up in a strange realm, where he and three other people have no memory of who they are or what happened to them. They are met by the charming, yet overbearing and downright bossy Miss Fululu, who informs them that their memory loss is not normal and is the result of the Dark World merging with the Netherworld (she also calls them such charming names, like ‘servant’). It is up to these five unlikely heroes to traverse the Netherworld, free the areas that are caught in the curse before finally sealing off the gate that separates both realms.
The story is pretty standard-fare for an anime-inspired title such is this, but it is fun, and humorous enough to keep you entertained between level after level of bullet dodging mayhem. The characters are all very unique and exhibit their own personalities, and as such they really bring a sense of life to the game.
Gameplay
Mamorukun Curse! is a top-down bullet-hell style shooter with a kooky anime theme and plenty to love. From its three different game modes, to a variety of characters to play as, and a nice selection of levels, there is a lot of content here to keep you occupied for hours on end.
The game offers multiple control schemes for players, suiting all needs. I preferred the twin stick option that gave me complete control over my movement and firing without the need for any adjustments later on.
The controls are relatively simple; move with the left stick, fire with the right. Just by aiming, your character will automatically fire, not relenting until you let go of the stick. There is no limit on ammo or energy for your shots, so you are free to just go absolutely off the walls with your firing.
Mamorukun Curse! Was originally a Japanese exclusive game. Since its release in the NA PSN store, it has brought with it all of the original version’s DLC completely free. This DLC gives alternate costumes to all of the game’s characters, as well as additional levels and play modes.
Each of the game’s character’s have a different style of shooting. One character shoots in a straight line, while another fires off in a wave-like pattern. In many of the game’s modes, you are given the freedom to choose whomever you want to play as, which lets players tailor their experience to suit their playstyle.
The controls and characters all run the same through the game’s three different play modes; Netherworld Adventures, Arcade and Story. These three game modes are differentiated by some tweaks that although are only slight, manage to change the flow, pace and feel of the game immensely.
Story Mode as you would expect is the story-driven adventure. The story plays out like a live reading of a manga before each chapter. After the dialogue and still-shot animation is played through, you are dumped into a level and off you go. In this mode, you are not given the luxury of the DLC characters, and have to use the five that come stock standard.
Arcade Mode will feel pretty familiar to most players, and has you picking one character and battling through level after level until you either finish the campaign or are defeated. Your character can be hit three times before you face that game over screen, but you can pick up items and extra lives as you play.
Lastly, Netherworld Adventures feels a lot like Arcade mode, but instead of playing through one level at a time, you are given a list of different “Adventures” you can undertake. These adventures range from an individual level, to playing through every stage in one sitting. To shake things up further, you are able to pick three different characters, swapping to the next character whenever your character gets hit. Once all three characters are hit though, that is game over for you.
For the most part the game plays really smoothly, and allows you to duck, weave and dodge your way around the barrage of brightly coloured lasers coming your way. The game however, does struggle when there are too many things on the screen at once. Once there are multiple enemies on the screen shooting at you, the game suffers some really noticeable slowdown, and it chugs along until you can clear out a few.
The last thing to mention about the game is its difficulty. Like most other games in the bullet-hell genre, this one is not for the faint of heart. You will die … a lot. The game can be punishing with its “one hit and you are out” kind of mentality, but it also means that players will always be on their guard. Regardless if you are the type who can get frustrated easily, then this game probably isn’t for you.
Visuals
The in-game visuals are very bright, vibrant and filled with bullets. You will find yourself focusing so much on the enemies and their billions of brightly coloured projectiles that you will often miss some of the subtler details in the world around you.
Every stage is different and has its own unique charm and character. From the snow-covered mountainous stages, through to the depths of hell, everything here looks great.
Enemy design is fantastic too, drawing heavy inspiration from Japanese folklore and symbolism. Mechanised nine-tailed demon foxes, and giant flying koi are just a small example of the plethora of monsters you will be facing off against.
The game has an unmistakable anime/manga influence and feel. The characters all look like they are handpicked from the latest “Cute, yet subtly perverse” manga from the shelves of Japan, and some of the costume choices are a little riské. They don’t show off anything, but at the same time they aren’t leaving much to the imagination. Coupled with the fact that some of the characters look a little young, and you might have people getting a little upset. I should clarify though, that aside from some of the costumes “maybe” being a little too short, there isn’t anything offensive in this game.
The cut scenes are nice. Instead of going fully animated, the developers went for a more screenshot-based style. This makes the game feel like you are playing through a manga, which I suspect was the goal they had in mind.
Audio
Mamorukun Curse! Is fully voice acted, and this helps not only give a sense of life to the game, but also to give each character a sense of individuality. Having the characters all sound unique seems like a pretty obvious feature for a game to have, but it is pertinent here as the game’s dialogue is presented in its original Japanese with English subtitles. As the manga-style cut scenes roll on, those who don’t speak Japanese are still able to differentiate between characters.
The voice acting is only a small part of the dialogue though. What you will spend most of your time listening to is the background music, and the sound effects of the various monsters and their weapons (as well as your own).
Although I am no professional when it comes to Japanese music, the game has a strong Japanese electronica feel that really works in the game’s favour. The music is also (at default settings) rather quiet and doesn’t impede on the game.
The sound effects are a mixed bag. Bullet shots from you and your enemies are fine, but the characters screams of (what I think are) glee and excitement are quickly tiresome. All characters have high-pitched voices, so their loud, repetitive exclamations are not the most fun thing in the world to listen to.
Overall
Mamorukun Curse! Is an interesting little title. It has a wealth of content and a feel that leads itself towards long-time replayability. This, coupled with its cute anime-styled characters and plot result in a game that is not only likable, but downright fun. Some chugging and lag during more heavily populated areas can be problematic, and some of the costumes, although innocent, may trigger a negative response from some fans. Regardless, Mamorukun Curse is a fun game and well worth the investment.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
It has been a long time since Call of Duty: Ghosts was announced by Activision for pretty much every home console, both current and next-gen and even the PC. However since the game’s announcement, the company has long denied that the title would be heading to the Wii U in any form. However it seems that they have finally changed their minds.
Today over on the Wii U’s Facebook page Nintendo confirmed that Call of Duty: Ghosts will indeed be released alongside the PC, 360 and PS3 versions of the game when the title is released on November 5th. As for the next-gen consoles, the game will be available as a launch title.
It has been