The next instalment in Frogwares’ Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes series Crimes & Punishments will be a little different from previous instalments (which by the way we reviewed). Mainly because developers Frogwares have swapped out it home-made engine for Epic’s Unreal Engine 3 to power the game.
The new engine allows the adventure game to hold bigger and more varied environments, with improved levels of detail such as dynamic lighting, shaders, post-processing effects, and more animations.
Frogwares has released a tech demo to showcase these new effects and graphics, viewable below. More videos on Crimes & Punishments’ gameplay features are set to be released over the coming weeks.
Crimes & Punishments is set to be released on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC this year.
Zeno Clash II Developer: ACE Team Publisher: Atlus Platform: PC (Reviewed), PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Release Date: April 30th, 2013 Price: $19.99 USD – Available Here for PC
Overview
Zeno Clash II is the follow up to the hit indie first person brawler Zeno Clash. The story picks up soon after the events of the first game and features co-operative multiplayer.
Story
The hero of the first game Ghat has returned, continuing his lonesome path to defeat The Golem. After waking The Golem from its slumber and learning the truth about FatherMother in the first game, Ghat’s adoptive brothers and sisters abandon their family to seek out their biological parents. Only Rimat has remained, owing her loyalty to FatherMother. The Golem has imprisoned FatherMother for kidnapping children and provided information to the children about their biological parents. In the beginning of the game, Rimat convinces Ghat to join her in freeing FatherMother and joins Ghat on his quest to take down The Golem.
It is highly recommended for those who are new to Zeno Clash II to play the Prologue/Tutorial and simply sit and listen to Ghat recap the events of the first game. I attempted to learn the mechanics of the game while listening to the prologue and ended up tuning out most of it because I was focused on learning how to beat the tar out of my enemies. Playing Zeno Clash II without a solid grasp of the plot events of the first game can get extremely confusing at some points. I ended up pausing part way to read the Wikipedia summary so I could better understand the developing story.
The plot itself was well written. The twists in the story was interesting and explored themes of morality versus law and the meaning of civilization. Though a few lines could get a little corny, at times, Zeno Clash II managed to keep me interested in the story.
Gameplay
First Person Melee games is a difficult sub-genre to execute correctly. Unlike throwing punches in real life, judging distance on a 2d screen is a challenge. The original Zeno Clash earned praise for its melee combat system and Zeno Clash II continues the tradition. Players are able to perform a variety of combination moves to inflict damage while having access to a variety of defensive abilities to minimize incoming damage. High quality melee combat is the heart and soul of Zeno Clash II. There are a variety of ranged firearms and tools to assist Ghat and Rimat in their adventures, but firearms tended to become a rare accessory to help whittle down enemies before engaging in melee combat. The ranged tools on the other hand proved to be more helpful and often took starring roles in boss battles. These boss encounters encourage players to think a little more creatively with their tools than simply wading into the thick of a battle and pummeling the closest target’s face in with the fists. Boss battles have proved to be a hit or miss spot with many FPS games, but I feel Zeno Clash II did an excellent job to balance its core melee combat with some a little variety.
The game is a little linear, with a handful of chances to branch out from the main storyline and experience side quests. There are plenty of collectibles to hunt for, as skill points are accrued by finding special totems and there are plenty of other collectibles to find. I was able to get through the main story line and one or two side quests on normal difficulty in about ten hours of game time. Online leaderboards are available to encourage players to replay the campaign for a higher score by increasing damage output and reducing incoming damage.
Zeno Clash II introduces co-op support in the campaign. Although the first game supported co-op in its survival mode when it was released on Xbox, players will be able to bring a friend into their game to take on the role of Rimat. The game seems easier with two players. Each player’s difficulty level modifies their own health and the health of the enemy they fight, so one player can play on easy difficulty while their partner plays on hard difficulty. I appreciate this acknowledgement that not everyone’s skill level is the same and that there is no one difficulty challenges all. Players can easily drop in and drop out of games. The matching system seems to work well, providing players many opportunities to be matched up with random players.
For those who play co-op, one ally can be called into major brawls from time to time. Allies that are more powerful can be called upon with a higher leadership score. Solo players will have the option to call in Rimat and the ally separately for fights instead of having Rimat there all the time. I found this made combat in Zeno Clash II more challenging as random fights meant I would have to go at it alone while major fights would only allow Rimat to fight for a limited period of time. Thankfully, I did not find the normal difficulty to be too tough. I could get away with rolling with the punches, barely using the blocks and doges in favour of simply pummeling enemies to death.
Zeno Clash II’s controls were extremely intuitive. The player is provided with two attack buttons, one for each fist, a special ability button, a block/dodge key, a sprint key, and an enemy lock toggle for combat. From these keys, special combos and attacks can be triggered. Attacking and dodging felt extremely naturally and with a little practice I was executing special combos with a high degree of consistency.
I tried playing the game with my Xbox 360 controller and with the keyboard and mouse. I found the controls were slightly better suited for the keyboard and mouse. The dodge key is one of the most important buttons as the difficulty rises. All of the possible controller layouts bound dodge to a face key, forcing me to take my thumb off the right thumb stick to dodge. I would have preferred to see the dodge key replace the sprint function on the shoulder buttons.
Visuals
Zeno Clash II may be one of the most visually distinct games in a long time. Although the art style itself seems to lean towards realistic, the world Ace Team has designed is unique. The beings that populate Zenozoik draw inspiration from animals we see every day. The character and environmental design is distinctive. Ace Team demonstrates some imagination in designing Zenozoik.
Graphically, Zeno Clash II looks sharp and runs well. Ace Team passed over Zeno Clash’s Source Engine in favour of the Unreal Engine for Zeno Clash II. I ran the game on max settings with a GTX 670 and a Phenom II X4 965+ at 1920×1080 with no strange visual behaviour or slowdowns.
Audio
Zeno Clash II provides a good soundtrack and extremely satisfying sound effects. Being a melee game, the sound of fists being pounded into flesh is a large part of the experience. ACE Team provides an excellent variety of thumps, crunches, and smacks. The weakest sound effects I found were the firearms. They often sounded weak and underpowered.
There is a fair amount of voice acting in Zeno Clash II. For the most part, the actors delivered their lines well, though I found some minor characters were a little more wooden in their delivery than others. I did notice the volume of the voices at some points were significantly lower than the rest of the game. Ghat and Rimat’s lines were the worst offenders. I often found myself raising the volume temporarily during cut scenes and relying on subtitles to understand what was going on. I would have liked to see a separate volume slider to increase the volume of the voices.
Overall
Zeno Clash II is a fine example of a first person melee game. ACE Team combines a visually distinct world, an interesting story line, co-op multiplayer, and incredibly satisfying melee combat into one slick package.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Crocodile Entertainment‘s action-platformer Zack Zero has leapt across from PSN to PC and is now available on Steam. Not the type to settle on a simple port, Crocodile Entertainment has given Mac and PC players a good old fashioned lathering of extra goodies including integration with Steam Cloud.
Having already received one significant update, the game will continue to offer free update during its life cycle. Filling in the power gap between consoles and PCs has also been on the team’s agenda as this offering provides us with 1440p resolution in HS with parallax-mapping, as well as upgraded sound. Zack Zero has also taken the opportunity make the controls smother and the animations more slick.
If you want to get your elemental shape-shifting platformer on you can download the game here
Joymax have revealed a new heroic Digimon character for their wildly popular MMORPG Digimon Masters. The new Digimon is Imperial Dramon Paladin mode, an upgraded form for Dramon that only the most experienced and well-seasons Digimon Tamers will be able to handle.
Imperial Dramon Paladin Mode was first seen in Digimon Adventure 02 and in Digimon World 3. He is one of the strongest Digimon in Digimon Masters and can destroy the majority of Digimon in the game with relative ease. His explosive damage is even 10 times bigger than the Mega Crusher. This Digimon will become available on the 7th of May.
You can start playing Digimon Masters now here to get ready to tame the legendary Digimon Imperial Dramon Paladin Mode.
Into the sixth week of the Anime Girl of the Week feature and for those who don’t know, this feature focuses on one female character from a currently airing anime and place the spotlight on them by providing background information, personality details as well as a slew of fan-art and official artwork.
This week we’re focusing on a lesser known series that isn’t even a full thirty minute anime, but instead a fifteen minute one. Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san, or as it is known in English, Muromi on the Shore, first debuted in manga format back in 2009 but despite being a weekly manga, the series never gained ground in the West in any way until the anime debuted this season.
Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san is a gag series that focuses heavily on slapstick humor and various fish and sea related puns and references. The stories mostly focus around the title character Muromi and her interactions with her various aquatic friends, a yeti girl and a normal human boy who loves fishing named Takurō.
The character we’re focusing on this week is one of Muromi’s friends, Levia-san. However despite going by Levia, her full name is well known since she is actually the mythical creature Leviathan. Despite appearing as a cute mermaid girl, Levia is capable of entering her “battle mode” which transforms her into a vicious sea serpent capable of breathing fire and destroying large swathes of land.
Her exact age is unknown though she could be over a million years old thanks to the events that she has had her hands in , including delivering divine retribution by fighting alongside gods to destroy a civilization that challenged them. Despite this however Levia has become much calmer thanks to her interactions with Muromi and now takes life slowly by relaxing and enjoying those close to her.
Currently Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san has not been licensed for home release in the West in any form though it is worth noting that the series is currently streaming with English subtitles on Crunchyroll under the name Muromi-san.
You may have already heard, but if you haven’t, in Atelier Escha & Logy Gust will be revamping the battle system to allow six party members to fight at one time with three in the front row and three in the back row. The characters will still be able to provide various support attacks and defensive support and all enemies will be visible in the field similar to past Atelier titles.
As you can see in this latest batch of screenshots from Gust, three new characters have been added to the game by the names of Awin, Threia, and Reyfer. Also demonstrated in these screenshots is the ability to create items during combat and occasionally use two items at a time for greater effect. Currently it is unknown if Atelier Escha & Logy will be released in the West but it is currently set to be released in Japan on June 27.
Inu x Boku Secret Service Studio: David Production Publisher: Hanabee Format: DVD, Blu-Ray (Reviewed) Release Date:April 3rd, 2013 Price: $64.99 – Available Here
Overview
How we perceive and enjoy entertainment can vary depending upon who we are. By extension this means that all entertainment is subjective, what one may like another may not. Some go broad to gain a wider audience and appeal, others go in close and specific to a certain type of taste. Inu x Boku Secret Service is neither, it is a series that seemingly has no audience in mind yet at the same time manages to reach several specific audiences. For those particular audiences this series will be a roaring good time, for those outside of that niches it may come across as a mixed bag. Despite that, Inu x Boku Secret Service proves to be a compelling romantic comedy that doesn’t try to be too ambitious, instead opting for a more intimate style of fun and that suits it just fine.
Story
Make no mistake Inu x Boku Secret Service is an anime series targeted that has a unique appeal. It certainly makes for a great watch if you are into the romantic comedy spectrum of anime. On the flip side of that it can be difficult to get into if you aren’t into these types of anime. Regardless of that, there is still a bit of fun to be had if you are willing to give it a chance. At its core Inu x Boku Secret Service is pure wish fulfillment but it has enough heart to transcend its hokey pretenses.
The story focuses on Ririchiyo, the stuck-up rich girl epitomized as she moves into a new apartment block that she believes to be exclusively for the elite of society. Of course things aren’t as they seem and the whole place turns out to be filled with some very bizarre demons including Secret Service agent Shoushi who vows to become Ririchiyo’s dog.
That in and of itself is a relatively elaborate set-up for a romantic comedy anime, but underneath that strange surface is some genuine emotion and even deeper meaning to all of this madness.
Ririchiyo is a misanthropic girl who tends to avoid others and forming friendships. When Shoushi comes into her life everything begins to change and soon enough she comes to the realization that she needs people in her life. She can’t go on being alone.
The central theme of Inu x Boku Secret Service is that people need eachother. It doesn’t exactly stick the landing on that, but it does manage to draw some interesting moments out of it. Ririchiyo and Soushi’s relationship is certainly an awkward one especially when taking into account the age of both characters, but it is evident that both characters need one another. Inu x Boku never really decides whether or not that need for eachother is a good thing or a bad thing but there is at the very least an unexpected sense of finality to the proceedings.
I feel that Inu x Boku has a very unique problem that it is afflicted with. It has many elements that appeal to many different audiences but it doesn’t ever commit enough to any of those elements to reach the potential each one has. All of this results in a rather scattershot anime series. It is a chaotic mixed bag that doesn’t exactly come together in the end, but it does provide an interesting take on take on the genre.
Visuals and Audio
David Production have crafted some excellent aesthetics with Inu x Boku Secret Service. While the locales don’t tend to be too impressive the characters are memorable. The series is beautifully animated with appealing art style and characters designs on show, making for a great visual experience. The Blu-Ray format serves to further accentuate the great art and animation of this series.
The series soundtrack is equally well composed, with a number of great tracks implemented. Interestingly enough Inu x Boku also features 6 ending themes alongside its single opening theme. Each track is well suited to the series and does a good job adding to the general atmosphere of the show.
This release also happens to feature an English dub alongside the original Japanese audio. Unfortunately the English dub falls far too much into the preverbial hokey valley with some poor casting decisions and lackluster performances in particular from Hilary Haag as Ririchiyo who fails to convey the vulnerability of the character instead focusing far too much on her posh tendencies with little to no nuance to the performance. This is of course disappointing, but to be expected for the often inconsistent casting efforts of Sentai Filmworks. Thankfully the original and admittedly brilliant Japanese audio is available with Rina Hidaka completely owning the role of Ririchiyo unlike her English counterpart.
Extras Hanabee have done a great job with this release, having managed to include a fair amount of extras for viewers to sink their teeth into. Included on this Blu-Ray collection is the OVA episode as well as clean opening and endings. There is also a rather odd inconsistency in this release however. Hanabee having reproduced Sentai Filmworks Blu-Ray release have not removed instances of Sentai Filmworks name in the product, with a rather oddly placed ‘Also Available form Sentai Filmworks’ trailer section. It is a small yet nagging issue that can be bothersome to those who like consistency in their products. This is a great release though, regardless of that very minor issue.
Overall Inu x Boku Secret Service is chaotic at the best of times and confusingly messy at the worst of times, but it is always weirdly entertaining. There is a true sense of fun that thrives on the chaos that comprises Inu x Boku Secret Service which makes for what is a surprisingly enjoyable anime series. It is far from perfect, it lacks the ambition to commit to any one element completely and it doesn’t seem to have a clue what it wants to be, but in spite of it all it turns out to be the one thing it had to be – crazy fun.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Today it was revealed that the developers behind Dead Island, Techland, are currently working on a brand new title which will be a co-op first person hack and slash game. The title is called Hellraid and it is currently set to be released on the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 later this year.
Techland has stated that the game features a story campaign for single-player as well as a four player co-op mode that has players battling against hellish monsters and even against each other. Currently the company has only released a few screenshots and pieces of artwork from the game which you can check out below but you can also check out the game’s freshly launched official website here.
Today it was revealed that a new Dead or Alive 5 related project is currently being worked on at Team Ninja. Details are very scarce at the moment however during Tokyo Game Night, Team Ninja’s Yosuke Hayashi announced a “new project” which is being worked on for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
After his statement a teaser trailer, which can be seen below, was shown which reveals that Ninja Gaiden’s Momiji will likely be joining the cast of Dead or Alive 5 either as some sort of DLC character or perhaps in an enhanced console version of Dead or Alive 5, though they can’t really call it Dead or Alive 5 Plus since the Vita port of the game already sports that title.
World War Z – the zombie outbreak film based on the novel of the same name by Max Brooks – infects Australian cinemas on June 20th.
Today, we have a brand-new ‘first-look featurette’ for the film, which features director Marc Foster as he gives a short overview on the story and film on a whole. You can view that clip at the bottom of this article.
For those unfamiliar;
World War Z revolves around United Nations employee Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt), who traverses the world in a race against time to stop a pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatening to decimate humanity itself.
World War Z – the zombie outbreak film based on the novel of the same name by Max Brooks – infects Australian cinemas on June 20th.