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Wreck-It Ralph Review

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December 30, 2012

Wreck-It Ralph
Studio: Walt Disney Animation Studios
Publisher: Walt Disney Pictures
Format: Cinema
Release Date: December 26, 2012

Overview:
Disney are back in the saddle once again with another animated adventure this time by the name of Wreck-It Ralph. This is not the usual Disney family romp however, Wreck-It Ralph feels both simultaneously familiar and radically new territory.

Set within video-games in an arcade, Wreck-It Ralph is a film that inherently will feature a lot of references for gamers, but to think that this is a film just for them is a mistake. Wreck-It Ralph isn’t a film about video-games so much as it is a film set within video-games. If you can go into this film with that state of mind, you will find a lot to enjoy and heck you might even find somethings rather moving at times.

Wreck-It Ralph is an affectionate video-game tribute with a message underneath it, but as a film does it stay connected or go out of order?

Story:
Wreck-It Ralph follows titular perennial bad guy Ralph as he embarks on a journey to become a good guy and in the process gain acceptance and a better life. It’s a simple premise and placing it within the world of video-games gives a lot for Disney to draw from.

What exactly makes a person bad and what exactly makes them good? This is a question the film ponders throughout its run and reaches the answer it reaches is truly heart-warming.

The film begins with Ralph’s day to day life in his game ‘Fix-It Felix Jr.’ in which he serves as the villain that only wrecks things. He is shunned by all the other characters in his game and is forced to live in the dump outside of town. He becomes convinced that he will become accepted by them like Felix if he wins a medal, this sets his journey into motion and he starts game-jumping.

As Ralph sets out on his quest to become a good guy he discovers someone who understands his pain. That being Vanellope one of the films best characters, she understands Ralph on a level that others simply can’t.

Vanellope is a glitch in her game, which causes the rest of her game’s inhabitants to reject her and treat her like a fugitive. Being a glitch she can’t ever leave her game and if the plug where to ever be pulled, she would die. Ralph sides with Vanellope as he fights to save her, the only person that accepts him for who he is, which sets into motion a wicked series of events and twists that are delightfully foreshadowed all of which culminate in a glorious finale to savour.

In the end Ralph becomes a hero and he earns the acceptance of his game’s inhabitants, not because he is a hero but because he is their villain, without the bad guy there is no game. They accept that he is a as much a part of the game as they are and they come to see that he isn’t such a bad guy afterall.

Ultimately Wreck-It Ralph isn’t a film about video-games, it is a film about belonging and why we feel the need to belong, why we desire connection and acceptance. So what exactly makes a bad guy a bad guy? Well sometimes bad guys are just misunderstood and sometimes they are just plain bad, but the difference between inherent villainy and unintentional villainy is pretty clearly defined here. Regardless, If a little girl can like Ralph, how much of a bad guy can he really be?

Visuals and Audio:
There is a great deal of visual and musical references to gaming in this film but they never really take away from the films original work. The art in the film looks gorgeous and the worlds in which it takes place are very well realised and concieved. Although they may not be the video-game worlds gamers want to see they are well done and highly detailed. The character designs are also great being both memorable and charming.

The soundtrack of the film is solid with a number of familiar tracks such as ‘Shut Up and Drive’ by Rihanna. AKB48 also provide an excellent original song for the film titled ‘Sugar Rush’, the song is almost entirely in Japanese oddly enough except it’s chorus. It’s catchy to say the very least. All in all Wreck-It Ralph’s music has a lot of variety and is timed with precision to lift scenes to greater heights. It’s an impressive effort to say the very least.

Overall:
From start to finish Wreck-It Ralph is an exciting family adventure that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. If you go in with the mind frame that you are simply watching a film set in a video-game world and not so much a movie about video-games, you will find a lot of enjoyment, but if you go in with too high expectations of a video-game movie you will surely be disappointed. Take Wreck-It Ralph for what it is, a heartwarming Disney adventure with some video-games references sprinkled throughout.

If you give it a chance Wreck-It Ralph will surprise you with it’s warm soul and honest message about acceptance. Even if that isn’t to your taste the entire adventure is non-stop fun that anyone can enjoy. In the end the only thing Ralph wrecks is expectations, by completely blowing them out of the water and being better than many imagined it could have been. This is a must see film this holiday season for all ages.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt Blu-ray Review

Travis Bruno

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December 30, 2012

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Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
Studio: Gainax
Publisher: FUNimation
Format: Blu-ray
Release Date: January 15, 2013
Price: $69.98 – Available Here

Overview:
Every company is concerned about losing money to competition, especially competition from overseas. This fear has recently caused quite a stir in the anime industry thanks to the fact that many Japanese companies are either afraid to sell the license to Western companies to release in English or make it so certain versions of an anime are delayed.

Such is the case with Panty & Stocking, an anime which was originally released on DVD back in July. The original license holder feared that anime fans from Japan would purchase the Blu-ray version of the anime for a severe discount from North America. As such, FUNimation’s Blu-ray release was delayed until the beginning of 2013. However now that the series has debuted on Blu-ray, is it worth picking up for those who may have waited or are looking for the ultimate Panty & Stocking experience?

Story:
Daten City lies between the border of Heaven and Hell and because of its unfortunate location, the city is always plagued by evil spirits that take the form of various ghosts. The ghosts can come in all shapes and sizes and can cause mass chaos and destruction whenever they form. However the citizens of the city aren’t on their own, as two angels reside in the city under the eye of the local priest. Now if only one of them could stop having sex with anything that moves while the other is too busy eating anything sweet.

These two angels, called the Anarchy sisters are Panty and Stocking. They have been kicked out of Heaven due to the fact that their behavior is unbecoming of a heavenly being. To try and buy their way back into heaven they must destroy any ghosts they come across and receive Heaven Coins by making them “repent.” These two are monitored by an over the top priest named Garterbelt and are accompanied by their… pet like creature named Chuck.

Now while this may sound like a relatively simple story all on its own, that promises chances at redemption and plenty of action, it is far from it. The reason for this is simply because Panty & Stocking really never takes itself seriously as a show as the angels are more focused on sex and candy, thus creating some of the most off the wall and unpredictable antics viewers will likely ever see.

Panty is a nymphomaniac who would be much happier spending her time sleeping with four guys at once, while Stocking is a glutton for sweets who happens to love bondage, which seems to be trait shared with the priest Garterbelt. Throughout the series these two angels act like anything but angels, use their stockings and panties as weapons, often cause more damage than the ghosts themselves, all while swearing more than most people do in a year.

With this off the wall style, there is pretty much zero continuity between episodes barring a minor closing story arc. Instead the story mostly follows a monster of the week type style with the Anarchy sisters screwing and eating anything that moves, then fighting against whatever adversary pops up to stop their fun. But you know what? This formula and style work perfectly when combined together, creating an unpredictable laugh-riot of a show that will be impossible to forget.

Visuals:
To say that Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt received an upgrade by being released on Blu-ray rather than DVD would be an understatement. The reason for this is thanks to the fact that Gainax’s bright color palette and mostly simplistic art style shine on this Blu-ray release. You see, while the DVDs may have still looked impressive, the series has never looked better than it does now on Blu-ray.

Even the most basic sequences appear crisp and vibrant and whenever the art style changes into one with more detail, these crisp visuals never miss a beat as the entire series, minus one half of an episode which features a real-life type art style, impresses from start to finish, especially whenever these two angels battle. While fans may be satisfied with the DVD portrayal of the series, this Blu-ray offering is the definitive Panty & Stocking experience.

Audio:
As standard with a FUNimation release, Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt does contain the original Japanese voice track for those who would prefer it, though all of the rolled R’s and Japanese voice actors swearing in English can’t compare to what FUNimation has done with the English dub of the show.

Panty is voiced by Jamie Marchi while Monica Rial is handling the voice of Stocking and hearing these two go at one another and saying their outrageous lines is absolutely wonderful. Each voice actor has done a stellar job bringing these characters to life, and this praise doesn’t just end at the main characters. Even Colleen Clinkenbeard, Scanty’s voice, Cherami Leigh, Kneesocks’ voice, and Garterbelt’s voice actor Christopher Sabat have outdone themselves with this raunchy show.

The stellar voice acting of the series is accompanied by some stellar music as well. While Panty & Stocking may feature a rather simple opening song, the ending song “Fallen Angel” is not only a surprise given the series’ tone but also a joy to listen to. Besides these songs, the series is also rife with stunning background music and character themes, including both transformation sequences and the Anarchy Sisters’ theme song, making the show quite a treat for the ears, albeit one full of foul language.

Extras:
Along with the various bonus features which were included with the original DVD release of the title, this Blu-ray version of Panty & Stocking features a number of new English special features. More on those shortly, but for now here are the extras that some may already have seen in the DVD release. There are a plethora of marketing trailers for the anime, a clean version of both the opening and ending tracks as well as the US trailer for the show and an outtakes sequence which features the already hilarious voice cast making even more humorous mistakes as they worked on the dub for this show.

Along with these is the Sanitary Box OVA which still features an English dub. Sanitary Box is a collection of minimally animated sequences which are meant to take place after certain events in an episode but do not tie directly into the story in any way. Also included are the Japanese dubbed ghost explosion documentary and collection, the Making of the Lingerie Scene and a “Talk Live Animated at Loft/Plus One.” Each of these specials are worth a peak, as the “Making of” bonus describes how they created a certain event in the final episode and the ghost explosion documentary shows how the animation studio managed to make each ghost explode differently.

Outside of these extra features that were also available on the DVD release, there are two brand new English bonus features in the form of “Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt Revealed: Unrated Cut” and “Sit Down with Panty and Stocking.” Both of these bonuses feature filmed interviews with four of the English cast members, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Jamie Marchi, Monica Rial and even Christopher Sabat. These live recordings are a real treat and better than any simple voice commentary could have been and each one features new information about the process of the English dub as well as the cast’s opinion of the show and how they enjoyed working on a series as crazy as this one.

Overall:
While the original offering of Panty & Stocking back in July may have been great in its own way, anyone who has chosen to wait for the series to find it’s home on Blu-ray will not be disappointed. This raunchy and hilarious anime features amazing English voice work alongside gorgeous animation that looks better than ever.

Fans that have already joined the Anarchy Sisters on DVD, while this Blu-ray does feature some nice new extras and an impressive visual upgrade, its cost may be a bit too much to swallow once more. However if you have never experienced what Panty & Stocking have to offer, then this Blu-ray release will not leave you disappointed.

Dishonored Needed Two Things to be Exceptional

Brad Webster

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December 30, 2012

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Dishonored, a supernatural assassin game developed by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks had a lot of things going for it. Players step into the role of Corvo Attano, bodyguard to the Empress of Dunwall and vengeful assassin, armed with supernatural abilities and a bloody thirst for revenge.

The game features an interesting environment, unique set-up and some awesome gameplay; however it was two key things that hold the game back from being what it really deserves to be. So let’s check out what they both are below, from least to most important:

Major Spoilers for Dishonored Ahead

2. A Longer Intro

Within the first ten minutes of the game, players are thrust into a world they know little about. They return from a doomed mission to ask for aid from surrounding cities to deal Dunwall’s rat plague, meet the men who will eventually become your biggest targets, find the Empress and her daughter, fight off several would-be assassins and are framed by those you thought you could trust. That’s a whole lot to take in over the span of a few minutes.

But the main issue of such a short introduction to Dishonored is actually the fact that we spend so little time with Emily, the Empress’s daughter. This is the same character that we hunt down and try and rescue over the course of the game, twice. So why then is so little time spent of familiarising ourselves with the character?

You should end up caring for Emily so that when she is actually taken, players will really want to get her back, rather than just doing it because the game tells you to. We see some attempt at creating a relationship between our character Corvo and the future Empress-to-be, but it’s really not enough. The game of hide-and-seek that Emily asks you to play with her should really only be the tip of the iceberg, the beginning of a number of events and time that you really need to spend with her to form a bond. This way when she is ultimately taken by the Whalers, we feel a real deep need to get her back, an almost protective instinct to see this innocent girl return to safety. Maybe we could explore the castle with her, have lunch with her and her mother or receive a guided tour of all the changes that have occurred since your departure, any of those could have done the job and many more examples would also have worked.

In addition to Emily, how about forming some trust with the not-yet-revealed villains? Have them pat us on the back for doing the best we could, thank us for our efforts and then finally pull the rug out from underneath us. With the effect of adding more drama and a real, true sense of betrayal.

Then we go after them. Then we realise that “Revenge Solves Everything”.

By ending our time with the intro here we lose out on what could be some real emotional connection and ultimately a chance to improve the somewhat lacklustre story of the overall game. The Empress herself we already feel a connection to and ultimately a sense of loss when she is killed, as it is parroted repeatedly that we are her bodyguard (a poor one in the context of the game it seems); it was only Emily and the Villain introductions that needed the work.

1. A non-Silent Protagonist

This is the biggest and possibly best improvement that could be made to Arkane’s Dishonored. Adding in a voice to main character, Corvo Attano could have improved the overall game in a number of ways.

First off just think how much better Corvo’s interactions with Emily could have gone. In the intro this could mean we actually interact with and have a real conversation with her upon your initial return. When you hug and she says that she misses you, you could talk back and actually fully interact with her personality; rather than Emily just supplying an entire one-sided conversation. Instead of giving the Empress a letter stating that no help was coming, we ourselves could have spoke up and explained the dire situation Dunwall now found itself in.

This could work the same when talking with other characters, like when the Spymaster regales us with the story of how he framed us, the first time Piero gives Corvo his new mask, our initial interaction and meeting with Boatman Samuel, rescuing the Tactician from his chains and even when meeting The Outsider at different locations and receiving his notorious mark.

Certain story moments could have been done with so much more finesse and without the need for the many text and audio logs you find throughout the game (I still really liked finding those). Pinned against the wall by Daud and his men we could yell for Emily to run and when Havelock and the others are celebrating our success in toppling the tyrannical regime Corvo could join in with words of encouragement (moments before his health takes a turn for the worse of course).

When our time as Corvo finally concludes, players are treated to a slideshow of 3D images that explain what happened after we finally got Emily on the throne. Depending on our actions during the game we either get a ‘Dark’ or ‘Light’ style ending can either result in an uplifting finale, or a downright grisly one. I won’t spoil what each is as that’s not necessary to what I’m talking about but you probably got the point.

What really could have made these endings a whole other level of quality is if we got to play them out ourselves. Attending Emily’s coronation, exploring how our own personal playstyle affected the world around us by playing an Epilogue where we interact with other characters and so on.

The whole non-Silent Protagonist deal could have worked with the stealthy assassin gameplay as well. During full gameplay Corvo could be his silent, ruthless self; never speaking or giving away his position with pointless “I need to get past that guard” style lines. The speech could be restricted to safe areas and during pivotal story moments as mentioned before, and would have made an entire world of difference in regards to the quality of the game. I understand that the developers chose a Silent Hero so that players could project themselves onto him, but with a set gender, face and background it’s kind of jarring to do it this way.

Give us a voice and a longer introduction and Dishonored’s already near-perfect gameplay would have been improved upon with some amazing storytelling. Characters would become deep, story moments and twists more meaningful and the overall world and atmosphere (which is already crazy immersive) might reach new, more amazing heights. I recognise that a sequel to the game is unlikely but if Arkane Studios recognise the need for these improvements and implement them in a future game of a similar making and quality, we might have some true stealthy art on our hands.

Night Whisper Lane Review

Jamie Laike Tsui

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December 29, 2012

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Night Whisper Lane
Developer: EPX Games
Publisher: EPX Games
Platforms: iPad (Reviewed), iPhone, iPod Touch
Release Date: December 6th, 2012
Price: $0.99 Get It Here

Overview
Night Whisper Lane draws inspiration from Resident Evil, Saw, and Final Fantasy to create a point and click horror game with turn based RPG elements. Players will explore a locked house of horrors full of deadly traps while they seek to put an end to the mass murderer slaughtering all those who enter.

Story
Night Whisper Lane has only one scenario available at this time. Scenario 1 follows Victor who has entered a house full of devious traps in an attempt to put an end to the killing. The story is told through fully voiced conversations between characters. The story is a bit bland and lacks any depth or character development. In the end, the story ends up as a rough side show to the gameplay.

Gameplay
Night Whisper Lane breaks down into two game play phase. First phase is a point and click adventure where players will need to explore the house looking for weapons to use during combat and keys to unlock doors while avoiding traps. This mode would not be too bad if it was not for the traps. The traps discourage exploring rooms by clicking on things while the player actually needs to click things to find the keys. Even worse is the fact that precious health packs are burnt up by these traps putting the player at a disadvantage during the combat phase. Additionally, there are absolutely no hints on what can be interacted with and what cannot. This leads to extremely irritating random tapping. This is made even more frustrating due to the lack of responsiveness of the UI. The buttons are extremely laggy, the map button probably being the worst. The map button takes a few seconds before a map actually appears. Hitting hot spots have a similar lag. I found myself hitting a trap even though I had long moved onto tapping other things in the room.

The combat phase on the other hand is better implemented. Combat is turned based similar to Final Fantasy RPGs. Weapons collected during the adventure phase are used to deal damage. Each weapon has a single use and do a variety of damage. Each use of a weapon or health item uses up the turn. Unfortunately, the battles are few and far between. They are further frustrated due to the dwindling amount of health packs available due to the traps in adventure mode.

Visuals
Night Whisper Lane sports 3d graphics. The graphics are rather dated looking, reminiscent of early Playstation 3d games. Some of the 3d modeling looks extremely awkward and unnatural which can take away from the immersion. The visual design of rooms however looks good, managing to look extremely natural. The UI is simple but laid out well, however some of the images used for items were not meant for the Retina iPad screen and look a little fuzzy.

Audio
I applaud Night Whisper Lane for attempting to have a fully voice acted game. The voice actor who plays Victor does an excellent job. He delivers his lines believably and passionately. Unfortunately because he does such a great job, it makes it starkly obvious that the other voice actors in the game are not very good at their craft. The music in Night Whisper Lane is appropriately spooky and the sound effects are done well. Due to the terrible voice acting, you won’t be missing anything by keeping your device muted while playing this game.

Overall
Unfortunately, Night Whisper Lane is a short, frustrating game. Although the idea of having a point and click adventure horror game with turn based combat is a sound if not excellent idea, the execution leaves much to be desired. I found the UI to be generally unresponsive, the gameplay frustrating, the story hollow, and a majority of the voice acting to be cringe worthy. The game may be worth a quick try if it ever becomes free, but it is not worth $0.99.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Mass Effect: Paragon Lost Review

Travis Bruno

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December 29, 2012

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Mass Effect: Paragon Lost
Studio: Production I.G, T.O Entertainment
Publisher: FUNimation / MADMAN Entertainment
Format: DVD/Blu-ray Combo Pack
Release Date: December 28, 2012
Price: $34.95 – Available Here

Overall:
The Mass Effect trilogy may have wrapped up over half a year ago at this point, the franchise lives on not only through novels and likely prequels/sequels. However one such continuation left quite a few fans surprised when they heard that a Mass Effect anime movie was in the works. Though delayed often, the Mass Effect: Paragon Lost movie has finally been released to stores and fans can once again return to the Terminus system for a new adventure. Should the adventure found in Paragon Lost be avoided or cherished? Let’s find out.

Story:
Let’s address the elephant in the room right off the bat. Anime viewers who do not have knowledge from the games may be lost at multiple points throughout the show as there are quite a few mentions to past events and characters which do not appear in Paragon Lost. That being said, the title can still be enjoyed at face value for these people, though they will miss out on many of the references made to Mass Effect 2 and connections to events in Mass Effect 3.

Now the events of Paragon Lost take place early on in the events of Mass Effect 2 where the galaxy believes that Commander Shepard perished at the hands of an unknown enemy many months ago. As such, the Alliance must make do on its own. When a group of Blood Pack mercenaries assault the human colony based on Fehl Prime, a younger James Vega is sent into the scene as a Squad Leader of a group of Special Force soldiers.

When Vega’s group of soldiers manages to be the only group to survive the deadly Krogan led Blood Pack, they are assigned to security detail to keep the colony from coming under attack once again. After spending two years of peace and quiet however, a strange artifact is discovered a short distance away from the colony which seems to be causing issues with their communications. As such, Vega, his soldiers and an Asari researcher are sent to investigate the artifact.

As the group investigates this strange artifact, a mysterious hostile ship begins to hover over the colony and unleashes a hoard of insects upon the human colonists, paralyzing them all for collection. This leaves Vega and the rest of the survivors with little hope as they fight against an unknown foe wielding powerful weapons they have never seen before. But when the lives of hundreds of people and perhaps the entire Alliance lies in the balance, Vega must step up to the plate like his hero Shepard and try to defeat these foes.

Considering the fact that Paragon Lost is an hour and a half movie, the writers only have a limited amount of time to work with but they actually managed to pull off a decent job. The story of Paragon Lost plays out similar to the way a drawn-out mission in the Mass Effect video game series would play out as Vega and the group fight against the Collectors, take a brief respite to collect themselves and gather information and then fight again all while Vega is forced to make difficult decisions.

As people played through Mass Effect 3, many people found the inclusion of a the new character James Vega to be the least interesting and noteworthy character of the bunch. However it is thanks to this fact that this movie actually manages to shine as viewers will likely see Vega in a whole new light once the final few minutes of Paragon Lost play out.

Ultimately Mass Effect: Paragon Lost’s story benefits greatly from some great character interaction between the surviving soldiers, the Asari researcher and Vega as well as a couple of interesting plot twists paired with plenty of well-executed firefights all culminating in a horrible decision that no person should ever have to make placed at the feet of Vega.

Visuals:
This time around, BioWare and Production I.G. have chosen to use anime styled visuals for the creation of this movie, unlike the 3D models used for the Dragon Age movie. As such, the title actually benefits greatly from the added level of detail the anime focus can provide. It is interesting to note though that some races can look a bit different than fans remember them, especially the Krogan, but overall most of the weapon designs and ship designs remain true to the source material while the Collector’s themselves appear as spitting-images of the ones that appear from within the game.

Vega’s appearance goes largely unchanged for this prequel movie, but he does seem a bit younger and smoother than he does in the game, though that says little considering the changes in style. Throughout the movie the animation quality remains consistently high and actually peaks during most combat sequences as the Biotic soldier’s powers are impressively animated.

Audio:
Those who are used to FUNimation’s anime releases may be expecting a Japanese dub of some kind included with Paragon Lost, however these people will be surprised to find that there is in fact no choice of voice track in this release. Instead the only audio option is the English dub which may upset some people, though it is worth noting that considering the Mass Effect franchise is focused almost entirely in the West, it may be for the best that such an audio track was not included.

As far as the English voice work goes, it is interesting to note that Freddie Prinze Jr. provides the voice work for Vega as he did within Mass Effect 3 and he has managed to keep the character consistent throughout the show. The rest of the English cast does a well-enough job though unfortunately the English voice work is average at best with plenty of over-acting sequences throughout most action sequences. The sound effects and background music used throughout Paragon Lost are mildly impressive and can pack a decent amount of punch at times, especially inside combat sequences.

Extras:
As far as bonus features go, there is a decent offering of supplementary content here, though some of it is a little questionable as one bonus does not even focus on the franchise itself. That being said, viewers are provided a US trailer for the anime movie and previews for other FUNimation shows as well as three English video sections focusing around production and behind-the-scenes footage.

In “All Doors Open: A Look Inside Electronic Arts” viewers are treated to a behind-the-scenes look at various things from the EA offices, however all of the footage is focused around Dead Space 3, which is somewhat understandable thanks to that being the game they are developing at the moment. Also included is “An Inside Look at the Mass Effect Universe” which provides some developmental footage from the Mass Effect 3 video game.

Finally the “Directing Effect” focuses almost entirely on the creation of Paragon Lost and actually expands beyond the US offices and into Production I.G. to learn about some of the anime aspects the show was given and how they worked with Bioware to try and create the best experience possible. This alone makes this bonus feature the most interesting compared to the other offerings as it does reveal some interesting tidbits of information fans may be interested in.

Overall:
Mass Effect: Paragon Lost was an addition to the Mass Effect lore that many may not have asked for, however anyone who does give the title a chance will be in for a nice treat with an emotional story and great action. The weakest character of Mass Effect 3 gets his chance to shine as James Vega’s experiences on Phel Prime expand his character immensely and show what struggles he had to go through before meeting his hero Shepard. Despite the English dub being rather sub-standard, the impressive visuals and intense battle sequences help usher in a surprisingly enjoyable movie held back by a number of flaws.

IGDA names new Executive Director

News

Joe Morgan

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December 29, 2012

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Today the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) announced Kate Edwards their new Executive Director. The position has been open since Gordon Bellamy, the previous title holder, stepped down in July to join Tencent, a Chinese investment holding company whose subsidiaries include Epic Games and Riot Games.

Edwards brings more than 16 years’ of experience in the industry with her. She has worked on several game titles including Dragon Age, Fallout 3, Halo, Modern Warfare 3, and more. She has worked as a geopolitical strategist for Microsoft and as a consultant for her own company, Englobe, where she “pioneered the field of “culturalization” to identify geopolitical and cultural risks and opportunities in digital content.”

Said Dustin Clingman, Chairman of IGDA:

Kate’s knowledge of the global game industry and local cultures make her ideal to lead the IGDA. Her long service to our organization and commitment to the global development community will lay a foundation for ongoing international growth.

You can check out the IGDA’s full press release here.

Bring yourself to the “Edge of Twilight”

Jeffery Shull

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December 29, 2012

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Steampunk fans will have a reason to be excited about 2013 with the announcement of “Edge of Twilight” from JDJC and Fuzzyeyes Limited. Coming for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 in the coming summer, the developers have a mighty task ahead as they promise a multi-platform, multi-genre series taking place in the same world.

The game is a product of a joint venture between JDJC & Fuzzyeyes Entertainment Limited which took over on the project in 2011. Thought to have been dead, “Edge of Twilight” is getting remarkably positive support from fans of the resurrected title. This support has not gone unnoticed as the they are releasing “Edge of Twilight- Horizons” for free in the Apple App Store. Players of “Horizons” will get exclusive access screenshots, trailers, and news about the upcoming console versions.

This series will not retain a set genre but change game by game focusing more on developing the settings and the characters, fleshing out the story and making it flow through each title, making for a very unique experience. The first game is set to come out late 2012 and bears the series name, simply titled “Edge of Twilight”. The games world has night and day as seperate realms, and the first game focuses on the story of protagonist Lex who possesses the ability to bridge these realms together. The game will be a action/adventure style title and focus more on the story while having puzzle aspects as well. More information can be found at the games official web site at www.edge-of-twilight.com.

4 Fan Films To Prepare You For Dragon Ball Z: Battle Of Gods

Matthew Vella

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December 29, 2012

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Since the announcement of the upcoming animated feature film Dragon Ball Z: Battle Of Gods, Dragon Ball fans have been doing backflips in anticipation for it. Fortunately, these last few months have seen some of the greatest DBZ fan films to date, hitting Youtube and generating millions of views. Here’s a select 4 that every hardcore Dragon Ball fan needs to watched for those who may of missed them, this should help prepare you for Dragon Ball Z: Battle Of Gods!

4. Dragon Ball Absalon

From Youtuber mellavelli, Dragon Ball Absalon is a 3-episode animated saga loosely based upon the 1997 april fool’s joke Dragon Ball AF, and features the infamous Super Saiyan 5 transformation seen from said joke. The animated series takes place years after Dragon Ball GT and features much of the original cast at much older ages, with also new characters as well that compliment the art style of the original series. Furthermore, the voice cast contains various Youtubers that sound pretty damn close to the original voice cast so that’s also a major plus. Make sure to check out the channel for more and follow it on Facebook as well! Watch Dragon Ball Absalon Episode 1 below:

3. Dragonzball PeePee

Are you real Super Sand? Released just last week, OneyNG released this hilarious follow up to his 2011 parody, Dragon Ball P. This skit is based upon the first encounter with Frieza, (or Frizbee as he is called here) and it’s straight up hilarious. You can follow the artist for more via his Youtube page or Facebook. Watch Dragonzball PeePee below:

2. The Runaways

For a more serious, realistic and emotional approach, The Runaways is a live action adaption of the original Dragon Ball manga. This one has a much more ‘Hollywood’ feel to it, without ruining everything we’ve ever loved like Dragon Ball Evolution did. Writer and director Ray Savaya has stated if the pilot gets enough views more will be made, so make sure you check it out and check out the channel here. Watch The Runaways below:

1. Dragon Ball Z – The Sayian Saga

At almost 6 minutes and on it’s way to 4 million views, chances are you may have seen Dragon Ball – The Saiyan Saga hit the web a few weeks ago! In case you’ve missed out, it’s a trailer from K8KProductions, featuring highlights of the Saiyan Saga with live action actors in authentic cosplay and impressive special effects and coerograhy. It’s a DBZ fan’s wet dream! This is only a pitch (kinda like Mortal Kombat: Rebirth), with an extended trailer coming soon, so hopefully we’ll see more in the future. Check out the K8K Productions Facebook page and their Youtube Channel here. Watch Dragon Ball Z – The Saiyan Saga below:

What’s that? That’s not enough for you? Well how about you watch Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock again? I mean, it just came out like a year ago you greedy bastards! Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods is set to be released on March 30, 2013. Until then, keep practising on becoming a Super Saiyan, you’ll get there someday!

Indie RPG Legends of Dawn Seeking to Finish on Kickstarter

Simon Wolfe

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December 29, 2012

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Dreamatrix may have been a little off with the planned release of Legends of Dawn for Q3 2012, as the indie developer is still at work trying to finish it off, but they are hoping that they might be able to find some support from players interested in the open-world RPG. Joined by Aurofinity, they hope to find their support on two fronts, one being the Kickstarter where they are hoping to find the financing to complete the game and the other being Steam Greenlight where they are hoping to find a place on Steam to reach a bigger audience.

Looking to provide players with absolute freedom in a world where the only true goal is to survive, players can find their own paths into the world and even create their own spells through sacrifice and offerings to gods. Targeted for hardcore gamers of RPGs, Legends of Dawn casts aside the need for classes to ensure players get exactly what they want.

Players piqued by the game can check out the Kickstarter video embedded below and those interested in helping Legends of Dawn out with a donation can do so HERE and/or vote for it on Steam Greenlight HERE.

Cognition Episode 1: The Hangman Review

Joshua Moris

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December 29, 2012

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Cognition Episode 1: The Hangman Review
Publisher: Reverb Publishing
Developer: Phoenix Online Studios
Platforms: PC (reviewed), Mac, iPad
Release Date: October 30, 2012 (PC/Mac); Coming Soon – January 2013 (iPad)
Price: Episode 1: $9.99; Season Pass: $29.99 – Here

Overview
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller is a four episode murder mystery taking place in the not so average life of FBI agent Erica Reed. In the first installment of this point-and-click adventure, players are challenged by puzzles and spur of the moment decisions that can result in potential life and death. Does the overburdened FBI agent bring the immersion we desire to Episode 1: The Hangman? Let’s expose the evidence..

Story
As a Boston FBI agent, you could probably expect to be involved with some gruesome investigations. Erica Reed, however, seems to be directly linked to some nasty serial killers. Her beginning story has her involved with the “Cain Killer” who selectively chooses twin siblings and kidnaps the male. The audience is brought up to speed with knowledge that Erica has a twin brother and has become the next target. With limited time to spare, Erica and her partner rush to find the killer’s lair.

Emotions can change quite suddenly with the title making for an intense experience. With Cognition beginning with the kidnapping of Erica’s twin brother, players cannot help but to join in with the momentum of feelings building inside of Erica. Instilling such raw emotions makes the game hard to put down as new evidence presents itself with every look at the crime scene or dead body in the morgue.

Gameplay
I have reservations about point-and-click titles because I find them very easy to criticize for a number of reasons. First, I find it hard to immerse myself in a game that prevents me from moving forward. In previous titles that I have played, there would be a glitch that might prevent me from advancing further therefore corrupting my saved file. In this instance, you would need to start the entire game over or hopefully access a separate saved state. This is why games tell you to save often! I have not experienced such glitches in Cognition Episode 1 after completing the entire game. Still, follow the advice of saving often.

Another aspect of the genre that I find annoying is that there are ridiculous item combinations with obvious tools that could work better for the situation. Thankfully, Cognition approaches the use of items effectively and in a way that does not initiate migraines. A suspect that you bring in for questioning refuses to talk without getting something to eat. Stemming from there you will have to find a food source for the hungry suspect. If the source costs money, find some money – a simple but logical sequence of events that needs to be completed in order to advance.

Erica Reed possesses an ability that allows her to look into the past by touching objects or people. This creates additional gameplay and further involvement into the story by encompassing images from the past to enable actions in the present. For instance, Erica is able to use her powers at a crime scene by concentrating on an object therefore visualizing how it was affected in the past to reach its current state. So Erica could look at the murder victim and use her abilities to see how he died.

A silly aspect that plagues any game with an inventory is how much a player can hold at a single time. Honestly, I do not think Erica would be the type of lady to hide a dozen donuts in her uniform. But I have been wrong about women before! Offering more comedy than hurt, the amount/type of items that Erica carries should not distract from the gaming experience. Did she just pull a shovel out of her shirt?

Cognition is not a point-and-click title that will have you banging your head against a wall trying to figure it out. As Erica, you can access your smartphone at any time in the game to receive hints or tips from your father. I’ve come to realize that he is strangely familiar with every place and person that you bump into. If you ever get stuck, there will be an option to ask him about your current quest. For more of challenge try not asking your father for everything even though he likes hearing from you. Some agents are just spoiled… Having a hard time navigating each environment? Thankfully, the user interface has an option that shows which items are interactive in the environment. This can be access by clicking on the pointer icon with a question mark attached to it.

Visuals
The art direction is phenomenal as it captures emotions with hand drawn imagery while delivering the scenes as if they fit into comic books. This can be notably given credit to comic book artist Romano Molenaar who unleashed his talent during the cut-scenes of Cognition. Illustration quality greatly enhanced my time playing through the title as it helped keep me engaged to the story by becoming more visually connected to the characters.

Cosmetically the title has some minor faults that could be tweaked to present itself better in the coming episodes. In a scene where Erica is using the shovel to dig behind a mausoleum, the shovel – for a second – appears to be behind her when it is held in front of her body. Other instances in using items from your inventory prove to delay game speed. In other words, you may experience a slight stuttering by Erica’s movement when trying to use an item in the environment.

An irritation that is constant through the game is the loading symbol substituted in place for your mouse pointer. While the notification that the game is loading has its purpose, I felt that the loading symbol could be placed elsewhere on the screen. For instance, I would constantly take my pointer “off-screen” when a cinematic appeared. Perhaps I have control issues or appreciate no cinematic interruptions, but it was a minor issue that bugged me.

Audio
Cognition has its own soundtrack available for purchase. I would naturally assume a game does not sell a soundtrack separately from the title unless it is exceptional. After experiencing the music from playing the title, I definitely felt that the audio was well developed in trying to match the mood of the setting as well as characters. Personally, I would take advantage of the Season Pass to acquire all four episodes with prequel comic and soundtrack to get the best deal. Even though the soundtrack has some quality audio with “The Taking” by The Scarlet Furies, I would not choose to buy it separately.

You may experience some awkward stares from others in the room if they are listening in to the game’s sound effects. One instance in particular is when Erica has been injured in her quest to save her twin brother. While you may understand that she is in pain and groaning with each step as she goes down a stairwell, others might believe you have turned on a porno. Pain and inappropriate moaning might correlate well with each other, but that is a topic for another day. With the amount of swearing added in, earphones or a children-free environment would be best suited during these high intensity situations.

Overall
I have been amazingly stunned by the quality of this first installment to the Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller series. The art direction alone should bring many followers, and Phoenix Online Studios could not have picked a better art director for the job. A sweet blend of immersible storyline and gameplay made Episode 1: The Hangman one of my favorite point-and-click adventures to date.

The game does have its faults in a few areas. Minor cosmetics like the “shovel” mentioned above may be present. Also the stuttering movements after using an inventory item in the environment will provide a brief distraction. And don’t forget the loading icon that may annoy you when watching the hand drawn cut-scenes. But these are all insignificant areas of the game that can be altered/eliminated in future episodes.

I am excited to see where Cognition is going with Episode 2: The Wise Monkey. With the first installment impressing me as it did, I am positive Phoenix Online Studios will not disappoint. If I had a stamp, I would approve it immediately. Still need convincing? Head over to raindg.com to download the demo.