Today Tru Blu entertainment announced that they are currently developing the next in the AFL Live franchise; AFL Live 2, which is slated for release later this year on both the Xbox360 and the PS3. The promise for AFL Live 2 is that it will deliver a deeper and richer gaming experience as well as just fine tuning and adding on to the already good franchise.
The game will include a comprehensive career mode which will span over 15 years which will let fans manage all their players and teams from theTAC Cup all the way through to the Peter Jackson VFL and into the Toyota AFL Premiership season so gamers will have plenty of history to work with and enjoy. This mode will allow you to upgrade players’ individual skills and experience, there is a training mode that will help you mould your players into the types of sportsmen that suit your play style best. Sponsorships, staffing, tribunal, emails, drafting and trading will all be included as you progress through the Career Mode aspect of the game.
Managing Director Sebastian Giompaolo had this to say:
“The demand for a new AFL game on Playstation®3 and Xbox 360® has been staggering. We have listened to our fans and improved the gameplay, by improving your ability to out-manoeuvre your opponents, and selecting meaningful team tactics that give you control of your team. In addition the comprehensive 15-year career mode, new gameplay and new additions will allow AFL and sports fans alike the chance to experience all the action of the AFL from the best seat in the house”
AFL Live 2 boasts that it will be packed with plenty of original content like:
– Tackle, bump, fend-off, sheppard, spoil and take massive speccies.
– Unleash mighty torpedo goals from outside 50.
– Single player, competitive and co-operative multiplayer and online mode.
– Edit teams and create players in the Footy Factory.
– Multiple camera angles and dynamic replays.
– Expert commentary by Dennis Cometti and Tom Harley.
– 15-year career mode with drafting, trading, finances, tribunal, training and more.
– Over 60 teams from TAC Cup, VFL, AFL, as well as various bonus teams such as the Big V, Indigenous All-Stars and teams from the International Cup.
– Over 200 realistically modeled AFL star players.
– Realistic stadia in day, overcast, rain, night and twilight modes.
– Rich team tactics and combinations to personalise your strategy.
– Detailed control over players and on-field maneuvering.
– Unlockable features; including stadia and bonus teams.
Get your boots on and gear up because AFL Live 2 is sporting some pretty fierce features that get all you sports fans excited so keep an eye out on the site for any and all new information to come from AFL Live 2, also check out our review for AFL Live hereand don’t forget to hit up our comments section below to drop us a line.
After all the fuss over E3 this year we don’t want to forget about the other huge gaming event, Tokyo Game Show. Particularly when it’s open to the general public, with tickets going on sale July 10 for as little as 1,000 yen (1,200 yen on the day). That’s AU$11!
If you feel bad for paying so little to enter, you can always grab the limited Supporters Club tickets which are releasing in two batches on July 19 and August 19. These will most definitely be sold out before the day, and will cost 3,000 yen (AU$37). The TGS Supporters bundles nets you a T-shirt and a special pin plus access to the show before the doors open for everyone else.
So far 186 exhibitors from Japan and around the world are confirmed for the show. Most interestingly this year are special areas on the floor. The Indie Games Area for independent devs, as well as a Cloud Gaming Area.
The Japanese military was out in force last year.
Fans of niche visual novels, or “eroge” if rated 18+, will be overjoyed to know an industry event such as this will have its own “Romance Simulation Game Area”. Seeing as they’re a major part of Japan’s game industry and the dominant PC game format there, it only makes sense to include them.
TGS 2013 may very well be the last big event before the PS4 and Xbox One are released, making this show one to keep an eye on. The doors are open to the public on September 21-22, 10am to 5pm and you can order your tickets on the official site once they’re up.
Element4l Developer:I-Illusions Publisher: I-Illusions Platforms: PC (Reviewed), Mac Release Date: 24 May 2013 Price: $10.49 AUD – Available Here
Overview
Element4l is, in one word, tranquility. The calm amidst the storm. Where most games today focus on various mechanics such as more realistic destruction, the rapid gaining of experience or bigger and better visuals, I-Illusions have gone the other way entirely. There are no enemies in Element4l, only obstacles and puzzles. There are no unlockable powers, no bonus power-ups, it’s just you, your toolset, and the obstacles ahead.
Gameplay
Immediately, players are literally walked through the game’s core features as part of a four stage introduction. Each stage introduces players to one of the four elements at their disposal. They are, in order of appearance, Air, Ice, Fire, and Rock. Each element allows the player to traverse the environment in different ways, and as the difficulty quickly picks up, players are required to combine them to traverse each obstacle. Such as gaining height with air, then gaining momentum with rock, before changing into ice and sliding at a phenomenal speed towards your next destination. The puzzles are deeply rewarding, and when you solve one, a sense of accomplishment rushes over you that even top titles rarely afford in this day and age. The gameplay is a joy, and whether you opt to use a controller or the keys, both are equally enjoyable and there isn’t really anything here to moan about. At all.
The puzzles do accelerate in difficulty at quite a rate but this is contrasted perfectly against a baby-steps introduction that gets you fully to grips with all of your abilities before you even touch the first puzzle. This easing in followed by a “now let’s see what you’ve got” approach was a perfect move in this setting. It cracks a smile, as this game from the onset appears very forgiving, almost encouraging, until you get about three levels into the first section. Then you realize exactly why the baby-steps intro was a necessity, and you will be forever grateful for the initial hints, as the puzzles only continue to get more abstract, challenging, and punishing, but never to the point of no longer being fun. Which is a hard trick to pull off.
Visuals
The visual style here is deeply reminiscent of Limbo, and acts as a perfect compliment to the charming gameplay style. Much like Limbo, the visuals play an integral role in absorbing the player, and the camera panning and overall pace of each level has been expertly planned and devised. When you make an error with a puzzle, it’s very easy to both see and appreciate how fine the level of physics detail has been applied and manipulated to compliment an already triumphant concept. The use of a film grain affords the game even more charm, and the character (or element) design adds to this even further. If you’ve ever played the browser based Super Stacker, you’ll know what I mean. The use of colour is also expertly deployed to create an atmosphere that in reality, should only be present in higher priced, higher concept titles, but everything about the visual style here is perfectly sublime. You don’t feel like the game is trying to be something it’s not. Rather, you feel like the game is exactly what it wanted to be, executed to the highest levels of presentation. The superimposed text that offers phrases of encouragement, hints, and the odd compliment only add to the charm, style, and smoothness of the Element4l experience.
Audio
The audio plays a huge role in both emphasizing the atmosphere created by the unique visual style, and setting a sense of pace that to my mind, may actually stop players becoming discouraged from play following an encounter with a troublesome puzzle. The score is beautifully composed and almost says: “There’s no rush. Keep at it.” Which only further made this one of the most rewarding, casual, relaxing titles I’ve played in a good few years.
Overall
In every way, Element4l is a joyous break from the mayhem, carnage, sound and fury of modern games. It transports us to a place where we feel like we’re navigating an organic space. A natural space, and not a computer generated one. The way this is achieved in my mind is a careful balance of top quality visual, gameplay and audio elements that together, create a very special whole. I wholeheartedly recommend this game to anyone interested in the puzzle scene and in truth, you’ll be hard pressed to find another title out there at the moment that offers what Element4l does, particularly when looking for quality and developer care.
I-Illusions, I salute you.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Welcome to another episode of CC Indie Spotlight with Senior Editor Jamie Laike Tsui, where we demo the latest and greatest of indie gaming.
This episode features Knights of Pen and Paper +1 Edition, a casual RPG that started its life on Android and iOS devices. Since then, it has moved to Mac and Windows, bringing new content, character options, and the tavern. Fear not mobile gamers, as some of the new +1 Edition content has been added to the mobile edition.
Knights of Pen and Paper +1 Edition is available for $9.99 for Mac and Windows on Steam and $2.99 for Android and iOS on Google Play and iTunes. Want to know more about Knights of Pen and Paper +1 Edition? Check out our review!
Where’s My Mickey? is the latest installment to the popular “Where’s My…” franchise of Disney puzzle games for mobile devices. Like its predecessors, Where’s My Mickey? has you drawing paths through dirt and sand to direct bodies of water towards Disney’s infamous mascot: Mickey Mouse. With a visual style based off the new Mickey Mouse animated shorts (which you can catch on Disney Channel), the game has all the charm and character that you would expect from Disney. Sadly Where’s My Mickey? is let down by its easy difficulty, and in-app purchases required to play 2/5 of the game.
Story
Previous “Where’s My…” games have for the most part forgone stories. In the original, you just knew that your alligator buddy needed a shower, and in Where’s My Perry you were just trying to help Agent P through a series of tunnels. The story element is probably where Where’s My Mickey? deviates most from its predecessors.
Where’s My Mickey is broken up into five different chapters; three staring the ever-lovably Mickey, and two with his long time pal Goofy. Each chapter opens with a brief cartoon that provides a chuckle, as well as context as to why mickey needs to collect insane amounts of water. Be it Mickey making lemonade at the beach, or Goofy needing paints for his artistic works, these little scenarios are good for a laugh and are filled with the life and charisma that Disney are so well known for.
Gameplay
Gameplay in Where’s My Mickey isn’t too different from its predecessors. You draw lines through dirt and sand in order to direct water towards Mickey (or Goofy). Later levels add obstacles like switches that need to be filled with water before they will open, or Fizzy Red Water that will immediately cause you to fail the level should it touch Mr. Mouse. While you are guiding water around, there are three stars scattered through the game’s small levels, and to get the maximum score you have to pass water through all of these. In addition, some levels also have collectibles hidden in the dirt that need to be dug out.
One key addition that Where’s My Mickey adds to the traditional formula is the use of rain-clouds and gusts of wind. Rain clouds will collect any water that touches them, and by pressing down on the cloud, it will start to rain down below. The gusts of wind work in tandem with these clouds, either by helpfully pushing them to where they need to be, or harmfully pushing them away. The two features don’t seem like much but together are enough to really shake up the formula from previous games.
Goofy’s missions add a bit more variety to the mix, as he is trying to get the Red Fizzy Water. This causes you to rethink how you would tackle certain missions or obstacles in order to try and collect as much red fizz as possible instead of eliminating it. These missions are different enough to keep the game from feeling repetitive.
Where’s My Mickey lacks some of the difficulty of its predecessors. While the originals were never overly difficult, Where Where’s My Water? and Where’s My Perry? had some genuinely challenging levels. Where’s My Mickey? on the other hand, can be blown through in a couple of hours tops, collecting every star and hidden item along the way. This makes the game better suited for children, but also kills a lot of the replay value.
The game has three chapters when you initially purchase it. However, there are an additional two chapters (the Goofy ones) available as in-app purchases. You are given the option to play the first three levels of each Goofy chapter, but you have to pay an additional $0.99 to unlock the rest. An extra $0.99c for another 40 levels doesn’t seem like much, but the game costs $0.99 and comes with 60 levels, so the math doesn’t really add up.
Visuals & Audio
The animation style for Where’s My Mickey? is based completely off of the new Mickey Mouse animated shorts. The characters are all drawn in an exaggerated manner, and there is a sense of cleanness and crispness to the artwork. While the colour scheme seems a little bland at times, it is completely representational of the cartoons to which the game is based.
There is a big emphasis on black and white, not only with big, thick outlines around characters and objects, but many characters also have an abundance of black as part of their colour scheme. This makes the game (and the cartoon) somewhat resemble the older black and white Mickey Mouse shorts from the 1930s. In fact, you can see that the art style in general is a big throwback to these cartoons of old.
The audio here is well done too, with charming and catchy music playing in the background, and an array of sound effects like the way water fills up the stars, to the sounds that a lemon makes when being thrown into the water all make for a game that is delightful to listen to. The cherry on top of the cake that is the audio, is without a doubt Mickey’s trademark laugh, and gleeful cry of “oh boy!” or Goofy’s “Hyuck!”
Overall
Where’s My Mickey is a worthy addition to the “Where’s My…” franchise, and even though it lacks some of the difficulty of its brothers, it offers enough new features to keep it from feeling like a simple rehash of older games. The art and sound are sublimely done and reflect not only today’s current Mickey Mouse cartoons, but also harken back to Disney’s simpler times. If it is let down by anything, then it is by the fact that 2/5 of the game costs another dollar to unlock.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
While Viz Media‘s Weekly Shonen Jump service has become quite popular in the United States, unfortunately many English manga fans were left in the dark around the world because the service was unavailable outside of North America.
Well today it was announced at Anime Expo 2013 that that will soon be changing. The digital manga service is now available in United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand and it can be accessed through Apple’s Newsstand app with an Android version currently in the works. It is worth noting though that anyone outside of US or Canada will not be able to read older issues nor will the Yu-Gi-Oh! cards be sent overseas, but all other features will be available.
Today it was announced by Aniplex of America has given Viz Media the ability to stream Magi – The Labyrinth of Magic on their anime streaming service, Neon Alley. The announcement was made at Anime Expo 2013 and currently it is unknown exactly when the series will be debuting, but it is worth noting that this means that Magi – The Labyrinth of Magic will be getting an English dub.
Magi – The Labyrinth of Magic aired in late 2012 and features re-imagined tales from One Thousand and One Nights, better known as Arabian Nights and lasted for twenty five episodes before ending early this year.
Overview
The platforming genre has really taken off on the mobileplatform, there has been countless titles that have set the market on fire such as Temple Run and Jetpack Joyride. The formula for those types of games is really relatively simple and for many has already grown thin, so how do you build upon the working formula and make it something new? That is were Greedy Dwarf comes in, a game that literally turns the genre on it’s head! Could this be the next big mobile gaming sensation? Read on the find out.
Gameplay Greedy Dwarf is nothing if not innovative, it takes the platforming genre and twists and turns it into something new and fresh. Placing players in control of the titular Dwarf with a greed for gold, you must traverse the caves in your mine cart in order to reach the goal of gold. It is a simple premise but the execution is what is most intriguing.
Instead of the simple gameplay of moving left or right, Greedy Dwarf allows you full 360 degrees rotation of the caves, having you driving upside down or sideways to avoid obstacles. There are also portions in which the game switches camera and becomes a two dimensional side-scrolling platformer providing a fresh little change between the three dimensional sections. This all makes for some very challenging gameplay and is served well be the excellent level design that never seems to grow stale.
The control scheme is quite well conceived simply requiring a swipe to move the Dwarf to the desired location and a two finger tap for jump. It works quite well despite being a little slippery at times.
What makes Greedy Dwarf so good however is the way it looks at gaming in a different light, this isn’t your run of the mill mobile game, there is so much creativity in this incredibly well-conceived game. It is definitely a must play game for mobile devices and at it’s price point you really can’t go wrong here.
Visuals and Audio
Aesthetically Greedy Dwarf is quite colourful and definitely visually appealing. The graphics are quite nice and do a good job at representing the intriguing lava-soaked caverns that our Dwarven hero dares to venture. It doesn’t push too many boundaries visually but given the great level of innovation in the gameplay it is perfectly acceptable.
The soundtrack for Greedy Dwarf gets the job done, but it is far from anything special. It is the weakest portion of this overall great mobile game and does feel somewhat like an afterthought, but it is good enough to get a passing grade, it just doesn’t do anything remarkable instead opting for the simple and straightforward.
Overall
If you are looking for the next great mobile game, Greedy Dwarf is definitely it. By taking a new perspective on the norm, Greedy Dwarf becomes something truly special in a market filled with copycats. This is something new and fresh that deserves your time and attention.
Greedy Dwarf is pure fun with a side dish of challenge to boot. Crescent Moon Games without a doubt have another hit on their hands with this one. Greedy Dwarf breaks new ground by turning the genre upside down and finding magic in a new perspective. A different perspective on the old and faithful proves to make Greedy Dwarf one of most impressive mobile games in recent memory. What are waiting for? Get in the mine cart and get ready for fun.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Smooth Operators Developer: Bulkypix Publisher: Heydeck Games Platforms: iOS (iPhone and iPad), PC, Xbox Live –Reviewed on iPad Release Date: 3rd July 2013 Price: $2.99 – Available Here
Overview Everyone has that dream job, the one that they strive for. Smooth Operators gives you the opportunity to achieve that dream…by running a call centre. OK maybe it’s not everyone’s ideal job. Thrown head first in the cut-throat and pixelated world of business, how will you you handle yourself? What kind of CEO will you be? And just what is synergy?
Time to enter the wonderful world of management
Gameplay Smooth Operators is a call centre simulator and being that, you begin the game with $20,000. That’s how business works right? Regardless, you start the game with enough money to begin your company from the ground up, literally.
You begin the game with a contract and an empty lot. In order to complete the contract, you must purchase blocks and employees and there are numerous types of each. In order to employ people, they require a space to work in. Office spaces house the various employee types, though each has a preferred space. Though they can work anywhere, an office worker will not be happy working in a services block and vice versa. Each employee completes a specific task and in order to remain productive, must be kept happy. Employees moods are affected by the state of the building, so hiring janitors to keep the workspace clean is a must. IT Consultants to fix broken computers, handymen to repair the amenities, everything to keep the company profitable. Adding new features to the building, such as a food kiosk, relaxation room and bathrooms, keeps everyone happy. Just like in real life.
I’m pretty sure this is how all businesses start
As you finish each work day, you are given a spreadsheet displaying your results. Failing to meet the required workload will incur a penalty, whilst completing all work will yield a bonus. Profits, salaries, building costs, it’s all important and all relates to how much you rake in each day. As each day passes, more of the game is also unlocked. Not every employee type or object is available from the get go, so prove yourself a shrewd CEO and gain access to all facets of a successful call centre. The game also contains a gauge that allows you to control how fast time passes. Slow down or even stop time to place purchases without worrying about taking your eye off the company or, if you’re confident enough, activate turbo speed, sit back and watch the money roll in.
From humble beginnings…
Visuals and Audio Smooth Operators employs a pixelated style to bring your very own business to cute little life. Your chibi workforce putters around the office, from computer to canteen, if you’ve built it, and back again. The further you progress, the screen get busier. What began as one employee becomes a force of workers, always moving and, hopefully, always earning money. The more chaotic the screen, the better the call centre is doing.
The soundtrack itself contains two songs that play in a constant loop. That being said, the songs are good and catchy, almost annoyingly so. They have an upbeat style that fits with the style and makes the world of business seem happy and fun. Amidst the soundtrack you can also enjoy the tunes of daily work life, like the ringing of a a building full of phones and the majesty of sweeping brooms. These seem like small aspects of the game, but when they’re all combined, it gives a sense of chaos and work. When the game is quiet, your business is failing.
…a business grows
Overall Though call centre simulator doesn’t seem like the most exciting basis for a game, Smooth Operators is more fun than it sounds. As you progress through the business life, your company grows. Send your employees on vacation, build them better facilities. It’s like your own little family…that you use to earn copious amounts of cash. They get a salary though, so it’s cool. All in all, Smooth Operators is stressful, addictive and full of the real life pressures of business. It’s also cute, peppy and fun.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
That headline title will make a whole lot more sense when you view the titular clip embedded at the bottom of this article, from the upcoming Paramount Pictures film Pain & Gain – directed by Michael Bay.
We also have another new clip called ‘Honest Mistake’ directly below, which shows the gym-rat, criminal-mastermind team (played by Dwayne Johnson, Mark Wahlberg and Anthony Mackie) attempting to kidnap their target hostage (Tony Shalhoub). For those who don’t know, the movie is based on the unbelievable true story of a group of personal trainers in 1990’s Miami who – in pursuit of the American Dream – get caught up in a criminal enterprise that goes horribly wrong.
Finally, check out the following gallery for new screens from the production and the international red band trailer. Pain & Gain comes out August 8 nation-wide.
