We’ll be falling Into Darkness very soon, and this newly released motion poster paints a daunting picture of what Kirk and his crew will be facing.
You can view the awesome motion poster below (it auto-plays, but you can replay it). For those unfamiliar with the plot of this sequel, here is the official synopsis:
When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.
Anodyne Developer: Analgesic Productions Publisher: Desura Platforms: PC Release Date: Out Now Price: $9.99 (Buy Here)
Overview
I think that Anodyne would be best described as a game that joins the mechanics of The Legend of Zelda with a kind of creepy and dark setting. The game is developed by a group called Analgesic Productions, who are an independent developer. The game, at the moment, can be found on the Desura market which is a marketplace for independently developed game series’.
Is this game a fitting Zelda clone? Is it a good game in general? Make up your own mind by reading on ahead.
Story
The story in Anodyne is a bit basic. You must traverse through the mind of the white-haired character Young and conquer puzzles, challenges and dungeons. You will also meet a variety of strange characters that seem to be not entirely all there, or are some kind amalgamation of un-nature.
The story is told mostly through what the player can pick up from the world around them, as well as from the brief hints that NPCs display when you chat them up in the rare instances that they appear. I quite like the way that the game doesn’t force exposition on you as it leaves the player free to come up with their own theories as to why the world is the way that it is. What’s even weirder is the way that a lot of scenes in the game can twist the way you observe the story from a players perspective. For instance, there is this one area where you’re going through and there are all these wild animals that you can talk to. But then you go into this nearby cave and there are a bunch of mindless humans walking around like some kind of herd. Creepy stuff.
Gameplay
Have you played any of the 2D Zelda games before? If so, then this game will be incredibly familiar to you from the moment you start. However, if you haven’t, then this game may seem a little foreign considering the current video game climate.
Basically, much like Zelda, the world is cut into segments and whenever the player reaches the end of a segment, the game pans you into a new segment to explore. This means that the game is able to render more things at once, but only for that particular segment. Of course, this kind of thinking should be obsolete considering that a PC from even 10 years ago would be quadruple the power needed to run this kind of game.
Early on in the game, the player finds themselves in need of a weapon to defend themselves from the world around them. What’s a better weapon than a broom? Mechanically speaking, the broom is as trusty as a sword would be in other games and from a players perspective it adds a bit of comedy into a game that could be interpreted as quite creepy.
What I didn’t like from a gameplay perspective is that some of the more, platformier parts were a bit unfair. I remember this one point where you jump over this chasm and there are two frogs waiting for you right where you land. Now you have two options for losing health here. The first is that you can land on the frog and hit it until it dies, sucking away your health as you do. Or two, you can land in front of the frog, hit it with your broom and then fall into a hole. Both options cost you the same number of health, but one of them see’s you running back from the entrance of the segment. Not cool.
The game also features puzzles for the player to work out. Some of these can be quite odd. For instance, there are some puzzles where you need to defeat a group of enemies to unlock something, only some of the enemies will be in a cordoned off area requiring you to change rooms. However, this goes against game mechanics as enemies usually regenerate between areas. Having the game rules change for certain puzzles is quite confusing and by changing the rules of the game, it leaves the player feeling confused and cheated.
Overall though, the gameplay is pretty solid. Not quite the Zelda clone you were expecting, but good enough to leave you with the Zelda feeling.
Visuals
What I thought was much more odd than the archaic (but still pretty cool) segmented design was the fact that the developers had arranged the play field and field of view much like a game that would be found on a smartphone. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that this game was designed for a smartphone at the planning phase, but was moved to the PC because it is clearly the superior platform.
The game has a visual fidelity of classic 16-bit RPGs and are very reminiscent of the Super Nintendo. However, I have to note that it seems like some of the sprites used in the game are very similar to sprites from games like Chrono Trigger and the like. Not saying they were lifted, but if you played those games, this title will feel very familiar to you.
Audio
For a game like this, the soundtrack really needed to be above par to make it work to its best. And for the most part, the soundtrack is okay, but it never really approaches the level of excellence needed to carry this title and make it as memorable an experience as the games it keys itself off of. Anodyne will always feel like an imitation of greater games and the soundtrack is the reason behind this.
It’s not that it’s a bad game, nor is it that the soundtrack sucks. It’s just an okay clone of much better games. Soundtrack was a key element of the games it borrows its identity from and it’s like it didn’t even bother to pick up the piece that was most important to those games.
Overall
Anodyne is a pretty interesting old-school style action RPG in the same vein as The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. However due to some design choices, I can’t help but think of this as only a decent imitation of a superior game. It isn’t a bad games by any means and it is certainly strong enough to stand up on its own. But if you’ve played the games that Anodyne use as a creative reference then you’ll certainly prefer them to this.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Developer: Platinum Games Publisher:Konami Platforms:PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 (Reviewed) Release Date: February 19, 2013 Price: $59.99
Overview: The Metal Gear series has quite a pedigree behind it. For an entire generation fans have flocked to any game with the Metal Gear name looking forward to a title that can focus around stealth and finely tuned mechanics as well as a convoluted storyline. However when Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance was first revealed, Konami had quite a different game in store for fans.
After a few issues before launch and a shift to Platinum Games as the developers, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance has finally come to store shelves. Now does this new action oriented title featuring everyone’s “favorite” character Raiden create a new benchmark for the Metal Gear series or should its name be stricken from the record? Let’s find out.
Story: One of the biggest issues that players may initially have with Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is the fact that Raiden is the main character this time around. Raiden was often despaired over for replacing Snake back in Metal Gear Solid 2 but when he debuted again in Metal Gear Solid 4 as a cyborg capable of wielding a sword able to slice through thick armor; Konami saw fan reaction and managed to create an entire title around the man and from the looks of things, the company has found a new face for the series.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance takes place four years after the events of Metal Gear Solid 4 and Raiden is now working as a member of Maverick Security a private military company which is currently tasked with guarding a Prime Minister of some African country. While things seem to be going smoothly at first, the caravan escorting the Prime Minister is suddenly ambushed by mysterious cyborgs that work for a company called Desperado Enterprises. While Raiden does everything in his power to try and prevent the assassination attempt, the Prime Minister is murdered while Raiden himself is left near death.
After recovering from his ordeal and being given a chance to actually prepare for combat, Raiden begins hunting down the Desperado cyborgs, including a powerful sword wielder named Sam and his comrades, the “Winds of Destruction.” However what may have been a story of revenge quickly turns into something far more sinister than simply the death of a Prime Minister and could lead to a horrible life for thousands of children and eventually a war that could cost the lives of millions of people.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance’s storyline is far from complex, at least as far as other Metal Gear games go, but this can be attributed to a number of things. First and foremost, the game’s campaign mode lasts roughly six to eight hours depending on your difficulty level and because of this many story elements are kept at the forefront for players to quickly comprehend whenever the game slows down for story development.
It is also worth noting that there is actually a Codec in Revengeance and it is highly recommended that any gamer access this Codec often. As you’re playing through any mission you will be able to call other members of your team such as Boris, Kevin, Courtney, the Doktor and others later on and each time you call them they will usually always have something new to say. Whether it involves discussing a recent event in the storyline, talking about Raiden’s current mental state or simply joking around with bits of comedy, each call can often provide a little bit of insight into the storyline.
As for Raiden himself, gamers are presented a man who initially is so strong in his beliefs but as the story advances, they witness Raiden not only undergo a number of horrible experiences but also explains a little more of his backstory. All in all, while rather short the game’s storyline is very to the point with everything and thanks to the Codec expansion, gamers may miss little snippets of conversation only to experience them on a second playthrough.
Visuals: There is a certain, and probably worrisome for some who enjoy it a bit too much, in the amount of visceral action that players can experience when playing through Revengeance. Thanks to the game’s blade mode and ZanDatsu cutting mechanic, players can literally slice an enemy into a hundred little chunks and every little piece can be seen at any time.
Enemies aren’t the only thing that actually cuts to the player’s swings, even most objects in the environment will be cut to the exact line that the player is swinging their weapon. It is worth noting however that when objects are cut up into too many small pieces, the game does experience slow-down issues until the player leaves blade mode and lets the tiny chunks disappear.
As for the rest of the game, every stage in Revengeance is gorgeously designed and there is plenty of variety in-between the stages. Throughout the game players will encounter a number of different enemy types as well which help spice things up, as there may be times the player has to face off against not only basic soldiers, but gorilla-like cyborgs and even robotic dogs all in one fight. As for the named characters, they are also handled well with each boss character having an iconic look to them and a special trait that will obviously play a part in battle once the player faces off against them.
Audio: As far as voicework goes, the team voicing these characters really managed to hit this one out of the park. The voice work for Raiden is excellent and gamers who pay close attention to his voice can realize his mental shifts and growing anger with situations thanks to the way the tone of his voice shifts. As for other characters, they are given just as impressively with numerous accents and speech patterns that fit perfectly with their origins.
Slicing and dicing through a number of opponents has never sounded better with the stellar sound effects found within Revengeance. The clangs of swords clashing together or slicing through armor is a treat for the ears and all the while the game has been given an exemplary soundtrack which fits perfectly with the game’s heavy action feel. Throughout most fights and every boss fight a number of different heavy rock songs will play in the background and despite the vocals usually being lost in the mix of explosions, gunshots and slicing, such intense music paired up with action-packed fighting takes the player to the edge of their seat with nearly every encounter.
Gameplay: Unlike its counterparts, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is a pure action oriented title that features the player entering the fray against multiple opponents at the time and unleashing high-hitting combos often culminating in multiple body parts being liberated from torso’s or tiny chunks of what used to be a cyborg left in a pile in their wake.
Combat in Revengeance is a fast paced affair but not an overly complicated one to learn. Raiden is limited to using only two weapons at any given time. The basic X attack uses Raiden’s sword to unleash quick light attacks while Y is used for stronger attacks that often do more damage but require a longer time to pull off. It is worth noting that the Y button is also for secondary main weapons, meaning that when the player equips weapons acquired from the game’s bosses, they will be used in place of the blade.
While the combat may seem easy at first, the actual intricacies of fighting can be difficult to master and mastering it is almost a necessity at times. Thanks to the fact that while there is a weak dodge skill players can learn, the best way for players to worry about avoiding damage in combat is to either run away from attacks or try to parry these blows. Parrying attacks is almost essential for most things and this is because of one thing, Platinum Games has not skimped on making Revengeance’s combat difficult.
While players have a number of difficulties to choose from, each battle in Revengeance can be tough to make it through until the player manages to master the controls, even on normal. However there are a few things Raiden can do to help balance the battlefield and both of these revolve around the game’s Blade Mode mechanic.
In Revengeance the players have the ability to feely control Raiden’s original sword and are able to slice in any direction they see fit by using the left analog stick, or basic horizontal and vertical slashes with X and Y. Weakened enemies will often appear with a blue tint and if the player has a fully charged energy gauge, they can enter into blade mode and find themselves in a state where time has slowed down to a crawl and players can now slice and dice these enemies into multiple pieces.
As the player slices through enemies, a red box will often appear that, if slashed accurately, will provide something called “zandatsu” which is a blue-spinal cord looking item inside of every cyborg that Raiden can yank out and absorb. Absorbing these blue items not only recharge Raiden’s energy gauge but also restore his health, making every enemy a potential health pack. It is worth noting that slicing incorrectly can cause the player to lose this health restoring item. Also dependent on energy is a special mode called “Ripper Mode” which is unlocked later in the game which, when activated with full energy, puts Raiden into a state where he takes less damage from enemies and dishes out the pain in larger doses. In this mode, even the most basic attacks can separate a cyborg into a hundred different pieces which is glorious looking even at the worst of times.
As you may have noticed earlier, I mentioned that the game’s length can be seen as rather short, even for an action title such as this. Clocking in at anywhere between six to nine hours, the game’s storyline plays through eight levels, most of which are quite large and culminate in an intense boss fight. However there are a number of things that pad the game’s length out a bit, such as hidden collectables including call-outs to the Metal Gear Solid series and more. Also, there is always the option for stealth in each stage, as players do have the ability to sneak around or behind enemies and execute them somewhat quietly. Of course nothing gets a fight started any better than jumping from a balcony and planting your sword into an unexpected soldier execution style, then entering blade mode and slicing him to bits before turning to his friends for more.
That is what makes Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance great. With the game’s intense and fast-paced combat system and brutal blade mode, every battle is a thing of beauty. Even though the game may clock in under you’re expected time limit, you will look at your total play-clock and be amazed that only that much time has passed. Revengeance is an absolute blast to play and the action is always cranked up past the maximum. With memorable bosses, including a monstrous final boss that will test everything the player has learned up to that point, this game grabs a hold of the player and doesn’t let them go until the final cyborg piece hits the floor.
Overall: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance comes as a pleasant surprise to an industry that may not have expected much as skeptic fans questioned how a Metal Gear action title would turn out. However any naysayers should quickly be silenced at one glimpse at even the smallest section of Revengeance. With a tight control scheme, easy to learn and difficult to master combat, non-stop action and plenty of moments that will have you saying “What?! Really?” thanks to the insane thing’s that just happened, Revengeance takes the hack and slash genre and defines it with literal hacking and slashing that culminates in an glorious experience that should not be missed.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Are you looking for the perfect opportunity to get into EA’s current best shooter? Do all of your friends have the superior Battlefield 3 while you’re stuck slogging it like a noob in Call of Duty? Then you’re definitely someone who will want to take advantage of EA’s current sale over their Origin service.
Players are now able to purchase the amazing Battlefield 3 for PC over EA’s own Origin distribution service for a reduced price. To quote EA’s own press release:
Today Origin is having a HUGE Battlefield 3™ sale! Battlefield 3™ has been reduced to $9.99, Battlefield 3™ Premium has been reduced to $29.99 and Battlefield 3™ Premium Edition has been reduced to only $39.99, all including GST (AUD pricing). Hurry, the sale ends 27th February, 11.59pm AEST!
As you can see, this sale is for a very limited time. It ends on the 27th of February, just before the clock hits midnight. You do not have the time to decide with this sale, move in and move in quick.
Be sure to check out our review of Battlefield 3 for the PCand Console.
The very recent introduction of South Korea’s new fantasy card dueling game, Perfection of Wisdom, has attracted the attention of online gamers from all around the world. 14Dimensionannounced yesterday that Perfection of Wisdom is now available for Windows PC.
PC gamers can expect to access features supporting single vs. A.I, Arcade storyline mode, multiplayer connectivity and multilingual options, including English, Korean and Japanese. Game-play consists of brief 5-15 minute battles on a 2D-grid map, using the 30 skill cards that come with a choice of one of five characters.
What makes this card dueling game unique is the inclusive Buddhist theme ‘Heart Sutra’, as expressed in the title. Perfection of Wisdom is suitable for any level of strategic players and card-gamers from beginners to expert.
Watch the ‘Perfection-of-Wisdom game-play’ video footage below and add to the conversation; let us know in the comments section what other card dueling games you have played and your thoughts on the introduction of this particular one.
If you were all set to get your hands on a copy of Konami’s latest title, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance in a couple of days and you live in Australia, well you’re out of luck! The eagerly awaited hack-and-slash title has been pushed back until February 26th down under, despite the majority of the world still receiving the game by the originally planned 21st. Today the Australian distributor Mindscape spoke up about the delay and released the following statement:
“Unfortunately due to a last minute shipping delay, the Australian and New Zealand release of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance will be delayed by a few days to the 26th of February,” read the statement. “As gamers ourselves, we’re committed to ensuring that Australian release dates align with global launches and we’re working hard to ensure that this problem doesn’t occur in the future.”
Bad news then for fans, but take heart as the delay is only five days later than the official release. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance will now be slicing it’s way into Australian stores on February the 26th for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
British Newspaper The Times has reported that the soon to be announced Playstation 4 will be priced at “about” £300. A quick calculation with a currency converter would then place the PS4 price at almost $450 Australian dollars. While currency conversions are not entirely accurate at pinning price points for consoles, $450 to $500 seems like a reasonable price point for the PS4 to compete against Nintendo’s Wii U and is drastically cheaper than the $999 dollars that the PS3 was launched at.
The Times is also reporting that we may have to wait longer than expected to find out the true price, as Sony intends on waiting for Microsoft to announce the cost of the next gen Xbox before making any announcements themselves.
Sony’s press conference is scheduled to take place in New York on the 20th at 18:00 EST (10AM on the 21st, Melbourne time). What would you be willing to pay for the newest Playstation? Let us know in the comments below.
Fans of the lauded Dragon Quest series have long been clamoring for more to sink their teeth into. While many were taken aback when it was revealed that Dragon Quest X would not only be an online game, but require a subscription as well, that didn’t stop the rest of their fans from hoping.
News was revealed today via the Japanese Dragon Quest site that not only would the game see a launch on March 30 in Japan, but that it would also launch along side a new Wii U console bundle.
This release date will apply to both the physical and downloadable versions of the game (all 16 GB of it), and people who already own the title on Wii can purchase the download for half off. All copies of the game will also come with 20 days free to play online as well.
Those interested in what’s contained within the hardware bundle will be happy to hear that it comes with the following:
Wii U Deluxe console
Dragon Quest X
Wii U Pro Controller
Pre-paid card to use in-game for five items that grant you double experience and gold for 30 minutes a piece.
Western fans will be sad to hear that no release date has yet been announced outside of the Japanese version of the game.
If you have yet to pick up The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the 3DS eShop then now is probably the best time to do it. Nintendo have had the game discounted on sale for $39.95 in comparison to the standard price of $59.95.
The sale however ends in the next few days on the 21st of February, so it is advised that gamers wanting to score a digital copy of the legendary N64 classic for their 3DS do so as soon as possible. If not, you might just miss out on this awesome limited time only discount.
If you still are not sure, maybe you should check out the trailer for the eShop release of Ocarina of Time below. Be sure to let us know what you think of this sale in the comments section below.
Ahead of its now solidified August 29th release date, Namco Bandai Games have revealed the details of the limited edition version of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle for the PlayStation 3.
The limited edition goes under the name of the Gold Experience Box and can be seen above. It features a plethora of goodies for fans of the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure series. Included in the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle Gold Experience Box is:
The JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle game itself.
Golden art plate featuring Giorno & Gold Experience illustrations from creator Hirohiko Araki.
Jotaro Kujo (Part 3’s JoJo) figure.
Limited edition special box.
The official soundtrack of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle.
Hayato Kawajiri notepad (available as pre-order bonus for standard edition).
Yoshikage Kira playable character download code (available as pre-order bonus for standard edition).
The limited edition will retail for 16,980 yen in comparison to the standard edition of the game retailing for 7,980 yen. As of posting JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle has not been confirmed for a Western release.
What do you think of the limited edition Gold Experience Box for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle? Let us know in the comments section below.
We’ll be falling Into Darkness very soon, and this newly released motion poster paints a daunting picture of what Kirk and his crew will be facing.
