The content will be narrative-driven, expanding upon the declassified origin story of the clandestine XCOM organisation. Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K, stated;
We take great pride in our track record of providing high-quality post-release content for our games. We will continue to expand the XCOM universe by telling original stories set in the paranoia-drenched Cold War era of The Bureau.
2K Marin Development Director Morgan Gray added;
The alternate 1962 universe that we’ve created for The Bureau is vast and there are many more stories to tell about the early days of XCOM. We’re excited that our stories will provide a new perspective on the war effort, much like how our critically acclaimed Minvera’s Den DLC for BioShock 2 allowed us to present a unique perspective of Rapture.
In regards to pre-order bonuses, consumers who pre-order the game from participating retailers will receive the side-mission “Codebreakers” and the exclusive “Light Plasma Pistol” for in-game use. The mission asks players to bring a silent, top secret government communications facility responsible for intercepting and decoding the enemy’s transmissions back online. The gun is less bulky than its Outsider predecessor, and fires condensed bolts of plasma, boasting a vastly improved rate-of-fire.
Join the conversation on Twitter using #EraseTheTruth, check out a trailer on the “Battle Focus” mechanic embedded directly below, and click here for a better look at gameplay in general.
Gravi is a 2d puzzle platformer starring the little blue ball of energy named Gravi. The game features forty levels across four chapters, with each chapter ending with a boss fight against Gravi’s arch nemesis, Anti Gravi.
Story
There is no story in Gravi. There is no explanation on why Gravi and Anti Gravi seem locked in eternal battle or why Gravi is attempting to escape the factory like setting of destruction. Gamers will simply have to just go with it.
Gameplay
Although Gravi is in 3D and has several areas where it looks like there is some level of 3d movement similar to what is found in the Little Big Planet series, Gravi is strictly a 2d puzzle platformer. Our little blue ball of energy can move forward and backwards while using two different abilities. His main skill is to fling a grappling hook that will slingshot Gravi towards the point of impact. The second ability throws out an orb of energy that will shrink Gravi down, allowing him to squeeze into tight spaces that would otherwise be off limits. Blocking Gravi’s way is a variety of traps and hazards including electrified floors, jets of flame, and spikes. The player has an unlimited amount of lives to conquer each level. Levels are ranked based on how long it takes to beat a level, how many times Gravi died, and if the player was able to find the green collectable hidden in each level.
Gravi’s controls are good for the most parts. Gravi’s sling shot has a limited range and fires in an arc, similar to a grenade launcher. The launcher is accurate, but still requires a great deal of player skill to perfectly slingshot through small spaces lined with spikes. Gravi’s gameplay leans heavily on the game’s physics engine. It is possible to nudge Gravi in a direction while he is falling or airborne, but it takes a high level of skill to land Gravi accurately. The movement behaves as expected until Gravi hits the ground. The player can move backwards and forwards, but it feels more like pushing the ball back and forth with a certain level of uncontrollability as Gravi will continue in the direction for a short time after the player lets go of the movement key. Considering the tight spaces Gravi operates in, this inevitably leads to a lot of unnecessary and frustrating deaths as Gravi accidentally rolls over spikes and other dangers.
Hashbang Games advertises Gravi as a test of player’s tolerance for pain, and they aren’t joking. The difficulty level in Gravi ranges from challenging enough to be interesting to hair pulling levels of difficulty. The green collectable found in every level further raises the difficulty to sometimes fiendish levels. Gravi is sure to challenge the most experienced gamer. The level designs are excellent, although there are definitely parts of the game where trying to guide Gravi through an obstacle is as difficult as threading a camel through an eye of a needle. As frustratingly difficult as some of the puzzles are, there is a masochistic satisfaction when player’s manage to perfectly slingshot Gravi through a difficult passage and finally hit the next checkpoint.
A small change I would like to see added in a future patch is a short explanation during the first boss fight against Anti Gravi. Upon encountering him for the first time, I was completely bewildered and rather confused on what I was supposed to do. It took several deaths before I realized I was supposed to dodge Anti Gravi and move on to the end of the level.
Visuals
Gravi’s 3d graphics is solid, but unfortunately will not blow any socks off either. The colour palette is a bit limited as the levels are grey with some tint based on the chapter. A variety of pipes and fans do provide a little bit of variety in the unused areas of the screen. Traps and other important details in the level are visually distinct compared to the rest of the level, allowing for easy and quick identification for speed runs. The menus are a little ugly, but since they are rarely used, it does not detract too much from the game. Gravi allows players to tweak the resolution, choose between four graphic quality levels, and choose between windowed and full screen mode.
Audio
Gravi has a seven track electronic soundtrack that is set to a pulsing machine sound that makes Gravi’s claustrophobic levels feel like an active factory. I thoroughly enjoyed the soundtrack. The tracks transitioned into one another smoothly. The game is a little light on sound effects, as the sound effects seem limited to the menu sounds and the sounds of the traps.
Overall
Gravi is an excellent debut from Hashbang Games. It is a fiendishly difficult puzzle platformer that will test the agility of gamer’s fingers. The game sports an excellent soundtrack and really interesting level design. The controls are excellent for the most part and the graphics are solid. At $9.99, is a solid purchase for those who love platformers or action based puzzle games.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Yesterday, a new update to the Xbox 360‘s Virgin Gaming App was announced which now allows players competing in the Xbox Tournaments to also partake in buy-in tournaments, which include head-to-head challenges. Since the Virgin Gaming app launched nearly two months ago nearly $100,000 has been awarded to players in cash prizes. Players using the app may also seamlessly view, enter, challenge, compete in and track tournaments for their preferred titles directly from Xbox Live. Gamers who are interested but unregistered can create an account and download the app from the Xbox Live Marketplace.
In celebration of the update, Virgin Gaming is offering one lucky player a chance to win the Ultimate Gaming Lounge, which amounts to $15,000 worth of prizes. That includes a 55″ TV, a top surround sound system and a Football table. The winner will be chosen out of all players that downloaded the Xbox Tournaments App and registered for an account between April 9th and June 25th in Canada, U.S., U.K., Ireland, New Zealand, Australia or Mexico.
The co-founder of Virgin Gaming, Zack Zeldin, had this to say about this announcement:
“Since launch, the Xbox Tournaments with Virgin Gaming app on Xbox has allowed us to bring engaging tournaments to a large and lively community that is eager to compete against fellow gamers for bragging rights and cash prizes[…]With this update, Xbox Live Gold subscribers are now able to prove their competitive prowess by pitting their skills against gamers from around the world to win cash and see who is truly the best.”
Pilot Brothers 2 Developer: 1C Wireless Publisher:G5 Entertainment AB Platforms: iOS (iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad) – Reviewed on iPod Touch Release Date: 19th June 2013 Price: $1.99 – Available Here
Overview In the sequel to Pilot Brothers, Chief and Colleague are back for another adventure. Following the same puzzle style as the first game, it’s up to you to search for the solutions and move forward in this cartoony quest.
Story The Pilot Brothers are on a quest of great importance: rescuing their pet cat, Arsenic. Stolen by Experimental Chef Sumo, Brother Chief and Brother Colleague must race against time to save their cat before he’s served up for dinner.
Gameplay Pilot Brothers 2 follows the classic structure of a point and click puzzle game. Hidden throughout every room are a series of objects and it is up to the player to solve the puzzle of the area and escape. Not every object is relevant to the puzzle though, some red herrings are scattered throughout, wasting time and energy figuring out if they matter.
Each brother possesses a…different kind of intelligence. Chief has a more analytical style, following the logical path of inquiry to solve problems, implementing intelligent solutions to simple problems. Colleague on the other hand is a different case. His general sense of stupidity and childishness comes in to play in unexpected ways. With a penchant for exploration and touching things, Colleague tends to help with some of the less obvious solutions. As time in a level passes, a video log is unlocked, providing a real time view of how the level is completed. A hint gaugeis also available from the start, showing which object should be examined next.
Some puzzles in the game border on frustrating. Whilst some use intelligent puzzles, such as one involving measuring four litres of liquid using only a three litre and five litre container, others require more convoluted solutions. With both brothers being required to solve puzzles, it can become annoying alternating between the two and trying one idea twice over. It is also necessary to watch each brother complete his animation, whether he is actually using an object or simply explaining that he doesn’t know what to do. This slows the game down considerably and becomes annoying, especially if one accidentally clicks the wrong object. One particular puzzle involves clicking an object at the right moment, otherwise beginning a cycle again. This can become frustrating due to a lack of direction, especially on the smaller screen of the iPod.
Visuals and Audio The game follows a very unique visual style. The brothers themselves are oddly proportioned, essentially being all torso. Other character are also styled strangely, long necks, noses that comprise a majority of their face and body sizes that vary greatly. This style adds to the unusual charm that the game brings. The world around the brothers follows the same cartoonesque vibe, though not to the same degree. The backgrounds themselves are simple and just large enough to contain the puzzles within.
The characters all possess a comedic nonsense language, comprised of mumbling and odd sounds that represent the idea of talking. The game also implements traditional cartoon sound effects. Chirps, whistles and glugs are all used to bring life to the actions of the Pilot Brothers. A backtrack, comprised of keyboard and other instruments are used to add to the comedic style of the visuals.
Overall Pilot Brothers 2 is an alright game. The puzzles themselves aren’t too bad, however some require scouring every object onscreen, rather than intelligent observation. The animation, whilst good, feels a bit clunky and slow when combined with the puzzle element, breaking the pace of the game. All in all, not a bad puzzle game, not great, but not bad. Come for the quirky art style, give the puzzles a whirl, but don’t expect too much.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Persona 4 Animation Volume 2 Studio: AIC ASTA Publisher: Madman Entertainment Format: DVD, Blu-Ray (Reviewed) Release Date:May 22, 2013 Price:$39.95 – Available Here
Overview: Coming off a rocky start in volume 1, Persona 4: The Animation had a lot of ground to make up for in this 2nd volume. I asserted in my review of Persona 4 volume 1 that the series relied too heavily on the viewer being initiated by the Persona 4 video-game. Those issues have been addressed and by and large quelled in this second part, which builds upon the foundations set in volume 1 and forges a distinct identity that does not feel like a skeletal version of the video-game. It does well to bring in the uninitiated, but is it too little too late for Persona 4: The Animation?
Story: The action heats up in volume 2 of Persona 4: The Animation. More mysteries arise with murder at the crux of it all. Throughout this part we see these characters become more than simple tropes, we see them gain substance, all the while the plot thickens bringing a much desired forward momentum that the series had previously lacked.
It goes without saying that Persona 4: The Animation has been hindered greatly by the shackles of the game it is adapting for the majority of its run. Those shackles aren’t broken in this part but they are at least loosened. The key to this is in the deeper level of substance the series has begun to find.
It has started to understand that jump-cuts won’t cut it (pun intended) and that explanation is necessary in order to flesh out and explore the concepts of Persona 4 in greater depth. It bends ever so slowly into the anime form that it quietly becomes an anime series instead of a collection of video-game cut scenes. This is really a marked improvement for Persona 4: The Animation.
This part really did go a long way in terms of developing these characters and the world of Persona 4, in particular Midnight Channel and protagonist Yu getting much needed depth. Unfortunately however it may be too little too late for Persona 4: The Animation, heading now into its final sprint the series has taken far too long to find its feet, the momentum has only begun to pick up, which is undoubtedly setting the stage for a hit or miss kind of finale. The series does improve in this part, but if you didn’t find anything to like in part 1 this part will not give you any more satisfaction as it is ultimately more of the same but with a bit more flavour.
Visuals and Audio: The visual aesthetic of Persona 4: The Animation is continually impressive, at least while in the world of Midnight Channel. I do feel that there is a intended contrast of the boring drab daily life of the real world in comparison to the wild imagery of Midnight Channel. The use of the colour yellow does make a noticeable impact creating a feeling of harmony between both worlds, all the while placing immeasurable distance between the two. It is quite the balancing act but it is one that Persona 4: The Animation does manage to in fact pull off. On top of that there are several interesting character designs and some lovely sakuga animation scenes over the course of this stretch of episodes.
The real star of Persona 4: The Animation is undoubtedly its incredible soundtrack. No matter how haphazard the rest of this anime’s production may be, it can’t be said that it doesn’t have an amazing soundtrack. That is of course due to the fact that the soundtrack appears to be pulled directly from the game itself. That said, the tracks are well placed and timed with great musical direction that amplifies scenes as well as paces them. It is definitely one of the better anime soundtracks in recent memory.
Extras: Madman Entertainment have once again done a great job in regards to bonus features, with Persona 4: The Animation volume 2 coming packed with some great extras to get stuck into. Included in this bundle are the standard features, a lovely reversible cover and the short dramas called ‘Jikken-kun’ all of which makes for a solid bunch of special features for this release.
Overall: Persona 4: The Animation is not without its problems. But it shows significant improvement in this second part that should be commended. It takes what was a very literal adaptation inherently flawed by its very nature and molds it into an anime form that can be appreciated by those who have not played the video-game it was adapted from. This is quite the turn around but it is unfortunately inconsequential. If you couldn’t get into the first part, you won’t want to stick around for the second part even if it improves.
It must be said however that if you are a fan of the video-game series, you will have loved the series from day dot. It is clearly a very literal adaptation in all senses that doesn’t seem too interested in escaping those trappings. But be it by crook or by hook it does manage to elevate itself to something of greater substance in this second part. Does it correct the missteps the series made in the early goings? No it certainly does not, but it does become something that the series should have been since the beginning – accessible.
Persona 4: The Animation volume 2 is an interesting volume of the series, that shows growth and even moments of brilliance. It is still a messy series that clings far too closely to its source material, but those moments of brilliance and long awaited growth show that this could have been a truly great series had it had enough faith in the source material to reach a wider audience than those who played the game. Persona 4: The Animation volume 2 does a lot of things right and i definitely a better direction for this series. I can’t recommend it if you were not pleased with the first volume, but if you’re willing to give it a shot you may see that this series is finding its ‘true self’ underneath all of the chaos.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
505 Games have announced that the upcoming cricket game; Ashes Cricket 2013 has had its release date pushed back to July of this year. The game, which will be available on Xbox360, PS3, WiiU and PC was originally slated for release tomorrow here in Australia.
Tim Woodley, 505 Games’ Senior Vice President Global Brand and Marketing stated that the reason for the push back was because;
505 Games has made a commitment to creating a cricket game designed for cricket fans … Developer, Trickstar Games has taken the time to overhaul and rebuild the game engine to offer brand new features in batting, bowling and fielding. By pushing back our release date, this gives us the opportunity to deliver a quality cricket title.
It seems like the parties involved really didn’t want to release a game that wasn’t going to be 100% pleasing to its fans. While the game has been pushed back to July, no official date has been announced. We will report on all updates as they become available. If you want to check out more about the game, take a look at the Ashes 2013 official website and Facebook page.
For all the cricket news stay tuned to… actually for cricket news you are probably better off at the Cricket Australia homepage, BUT for all the video game news, including all the news about Ashes Cricket 2013, then be sure to stay tuned to Capsule Computers.
Remember back in March how Compile Heartannounced that not only were they making a spin-off game focusing entirely on Noire but also a game called Hyperdimension Neptunia Re; Birth 1 for the PlayStaytion Vita? Well it looks like we’ll finally be getting some more news about the title soon.
Today a teaser website was launched by Compile Heart which features an 8-bit Neptune greeting users with various phrases including one that asks users to keep an eye out for the June 27th issue of Dengeki PlayStaytation. This will likely reveal whether this is a remake of the original Hyperdimension Neptunia game for the Vita or perhaps something entirely different.
Remember acttil? The company formed a little over a month ago by a handful of previous NIS America workers? Well today they have announced their first project which will be to help promote a new anime release for North America. The anime in question? Little Witch Academia.
For those who don’t know, Little Witch Academia is a twenty six minute anime which focuses on a human girl who wants to become a “cool” witch. The anime short was released online earlier this year and you can still check it out below along with a number of images from the show, but in response to fan reaction overseas, the animation studio TRIGGER has decided to create a Collector’s Edition of Little Witch Academia.
As such, TRIGGER will be releasing this Collector’s Edition sometime this summer. The Little Witch Academia Collector’s Edition will contain a Blu-ray version of the anime and will feature Japanese voice work with English subtitles (as well as many other available languages), a 66 minute “Making-of” video, an original soundtrack CD and a large 112 page art book.
Currently no price or exact release date has been given for Little Witch Academia but acctil will be holding a special Fan Event during Anime Expo 2013. The event will include writer Masahiko Otsuka and will be held on July 6th at 2PM, but be careful, only 50 people are being let in and to be one of these 50 you must submit your full name, address and phone number to [email protected] by June 26th. The fifty selected winners will be contacted on June 30th for their chance to attend the fan event.
Update: acttil has clarified that it is actually the animation studio TRIGGER releasing Little Witch Academia’s Collector’s Edition in the United States and acttil is simply helping promote and advertise the release.
Remember Shining Hearts? An anime adaptation of a video game that mostly revolved around baking bread that aired back in mid 2012? Well today Sentai Filmworksannounced that they are planning on dubbing the series and releasing it on DVD and Blu-ray on August 13th.
To go along with this announcement the company also announced the English dub cast which can be found below:
Rick Blake Shepard
Amil Maggie Flecknoe
Neris Genevieve Simmons
Airy Brittney Karbowski
Madera Marcy Bannor
Ranah Margaret McDonald
Alvin Eric Daugherty
Sylph Tiffany Terrell
Sammy Shelley Calene-Black
Priest Christopher Ayres
Sentai Filmworks has also provided a brief synopsis of the show which can be read below:
Over the years, many strange things have washed up on the shores of Windaria, a mysterious island where humans, elves and other beings all live in harmony. Rick, a former swordsman who runs the Le Coeur Bakery with his three beautiful coworkers Neris, Amil and Airy, knows this all too well, having been found on the beach with a profound case of amnesia himself. Perhaps that’s why Rick takes a quick interest in Kaguya, a girl who arrives in Windaria in a similar fashion. Whatever the reason, it soon becomes apparent that his skills with a sword may be required to protect the lovely castaway. For dark forces are on the move, the red moon is on the rise and a deathly wind is blowing into Windaria in the form of pirates, brigands and other strangers, all of whom seem to be seeking Kaguya! Or is it the mysterious pendant that she wears that they’re after? The one thing that’s sure is that there will be no time for loafing around the bakery now, because everything’s about to come out of the oven and go into the fire in SHINING HEARTS!
Last week it was announced by FUNimation that they would be bringing Evangelion 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo to North America sometime in the future, but what about those in the US that don’t want to wait for the English dub? Well today it was announced that Evangelion 3.0 will be making its debut in the US in late July during the 2013 Japan Film Festival of San Francisco.
To be a bit more precise, it was revealed that the screening will be held at the NEW PEOPLE Cinema on Saturday July 27th at 11AM PST and will feature the original Japanese dub with English subtitles. For those who are unable to make it to this screening, there will be two more encore screenings on July 29th at 7PM and also on August 4th at 11AM. Tickets for these screenings will be going for $13.00 each and for those who need to know the location of the cinema, it is at 1746 Post St. San Francisco, CA and early ticket info can be found here.
It is worth noting that besides the US premiere of Evangelion 3.0, the festival will also see the premiere of the Library Wars movie on August 2nd and 3rd, the Hunter x Hunter: Phantom Rouge movie on August 3rd, Naruto Shippūden: The Lost Tower film on July 28th and finally Resident Evil: Damnation also on July 28th and many more films. Full details about the festival can be found here.
