Welcome to Capsule Computers’ weekly anime segment, Anime Say! This week, I reveal my Top 3 anime of Summer 2012, my thoughts on the season as a whole and what I’m watching as we move forward into Fall 2012.
Got any questions for Anime Say? You can send me a tweet on my official twitter or alternatively drop me an email at [email protected]. I will do my best to respond to your tweets and emails as well as try read some out on the show.
What do you think of the latest episode of Anime Say? Let us know in the comments section below.
The largest gaming cult of all time, Razer, have had a bunch of teams entering the League of Legends tournament over in L.A to share in the pool of $2,000,000 USD. What’s interesting about this is that two Razer sponsored teams have made it to the top spots of this competition.
The two teams that have made it to the finals are representatives from Taiwan and Korea. The teams are Taipei Assassins and Azubu Frost, representing each country respectively. You can watch the final match live on the 13th, check back to thislink frequently.
Included in a press release about the upcoming Splinter Cell comic book, Ubisofts have given us a Question and Answer style interview with the comic-books artists and writers. We also have another interview with the director of the games from Ubisoft Toronto.
These interviews have been reproduced below.
Tom Clancy’s® Splinter Cell® Echoes Graphic Novel Q&Awith
Nathan Edmondson and Marc Laming
1. What comic books have you worked on previously?
Nathan Edmondson: I’ve created and written OLYMPUS, THE LIGHT, WHO IS JAKE ELLIS?, THE ACTIVITY, WHERE IS JAKE ELLIS? for Image Comics and I wrote GRIFTER for DC Comics and ULTIMATE IRON MAN for Marvel Comics.
Marc Laming: I’ve worked on American Century (DC/Vertigo), The Dreaming (DC/Vertigo), The Rinse (Boom! Studios), Exile On The Planet Of The Apes (Boom! Studios), THE ACTIVITY (Image Comics), Shepperton’s Waltz (Oort Cloud Comics), and Revolver Romance Special (Fleetway)
2. Are you a fan of video games?
NE: I am a gamer, but not a huge one. In fact we go on XBOX Live to play the readers of THE ACTIVITY on Wednesday nights. My wife and I have enjoyed the Kinect a good deal, too–a game like Just Dance is something we can do together or with friends. I was into the Splinter Cell franchise well before Ubisoft approached me about working on the series. Splinter Cell is particularly up my alley because of my interest in the black ops world; it resonates a great deal with my research on THE ACTIVITY and for my spy-fi works like DANCER and WHO IS JAKE ELLIS?
ML: I was a fan before I started working full time as an illustrator. Deadlines and video games don’t mix. I loved the Final Fantasy series and Lucasarts’ SCUMM-based games from the late 90s.
3. Have you played any of the Splinter Cell games before working on the comic book?
NE: Yes.
4. What challenges do you face when working with such a well-known, iconic character such as Sam Fisher?
NE: Making the story fresh, exciting and accessible to both the avid videogame players and comic readers new to the Sam Fisher universe.
ML: The main challenge an artist has is maintaining the series’ look and feel while making it dynamic as a comic.
5. How difficult is it to create compelling static artwork based on a video game universe that is in movement?
ML: It’s no more difficult a challenge than any other comic job. It’s still translating a writer’s script to the art board and making sure that the pictorial storytelling is a strong and readable as possible.
6. How challenging is it to adapt a 3D modeled character to a comic book style, and your style?
ML: It can be challenging but I have great references to work from.
7. How did you manage to create an original story while remaining consistent with Sam Fisher’s background and in-game story?
NE: Sam Fisher is a strong character, he’s a legend, and what’s exciting about working with a legend is conceiving situations and environments and seeing how he reacts to them, how he faces his challenges. It’s like creating a game environment and watching a videogame player play through it–Sam Fisher is truly dynamic and alive. In the canon of the Splinter Cell games his journey is distinct and creating the Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Echoes graphic novel has been about identifying the direction of his journey and building conflict around them–and recalling important character and events in his past life to season the story.
8. How did this collaboration come about?
NE: Because of my work creating THE ACTIVITY, a book about a Black Operations force in the US Army, Studio Lounak (the studio behind the critically acclaimed Assassin’s Creed graphic novels The Fall and The Chain) reached out to me for Splinter Cell Echoes. Marc has been a guest artist on THE ACTIVITY, and was a perfect fit to visualize Sam Fisher’s world.
ML: Nathan and I had worked together on an issue of his acclaimed series, The Activity, and it turned out well. We had enjoyed that collaboration so we were looking for a way of working together again. When this project came up, it gave us the chance to do just that.
9. How has it been working with the Splinter Cell team? Do you have a lot of autonomy/creative freedom?
NE: The Splinter Cell Echoes graphic novel has truly been our own story, which is not always the case on licensed or for-hire opportunities. The Splinter Cell team in Toronto are creative geniuses and their input is invaluable. They know Sam Fisher and his world more intimately than anyone, of course, but having “introduced” us to him, they have allowed Marc and me to be true creators. The partnership really couldn’t be better.
ML: They have been great with providing all the reference materials I needed and it’s been clear that I can contact the team anytime I have questions related to the game.
10. Outside of the announcement, can you provide any more detail about the Splinter Cell comic book?
NE: I don’t think I can say anything beyond the fact that fans of my previous work–and certainly Marc’s–will truly enjoy this book, even those that haven’t played the games. The Splinter Cell graphic novel is both a thrilling and personal story about an operative whose career has been spent in the dark machinations of the political/military world.
ML: The graphic novel will get you super excited to play Splinter Cell Blacklist and let you in on some of Sam’s motivations and more of his backstory.
11. Is this the first time you’ve worked on a comic book that’s based on a video game?
NE: Yes.
ML: Yes.
12. What is your creative process when developing an original story (or original artwork)?
NE: First and foremost, I have to get to know the character and his world. Only when they’ve become alive and real in my mind can I start to set up the story in broad strokes, and explore how the characters, for example, will react to certain conflicts. With Splinter Cell we knew the endgame; we know where Sam Fisher ends up in Blacklist. Knowing the future of his story, however, doesn’t lessen the gravity of the “present.”
ML: I read through the game script, make copious notes and assemble a huge amount of initial reference materials. Then I make small layouts of each page usually on the corner of the script pages. I then scan these very rough tiny thumbnails into page templates and start roughing out the pages in Photoshop. Once the pencils are tightened up and approved by the editorial team, I then print them out onto art board as blue lines and then begin inking the pages traditionally with brush and ink.
Tom Clancy’s® Splinter Cell® Echoes Graphic Novel Q&Awith
Ubisoft Toronto Game Director Pat Redding
1. Tell us about the new Splinter Cell graphic novel. What’s it all about?
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Echoes takes place after the events of Splinter Cell Conviction and sets the tone for the opening events in Splinter Cell Blacklist. After a few months of unemployment, Sam is haunted by ghosts from his past career. The graphic novel bridges the gap between Conviction and Blacklist, but we wanted to construct it in a way that can be enjoyed on its own. Players don’t have to read Echoes to understand the events of Blacklist, but it will give fans of the franchise a new way to dig into the Splinter Cell universe. This is a franchise with a legacy that spans over a decade, and we purposely designed the comic to be accessible to fans as well as those new to the universe.
2. Why did you choose to make another graphic novel in the Splinter Cell universe?
Honestly, the decision to develop a graphic novel was an easy one. The medium offers the perfect way to introduce our fans to new facets of Sam Fisher. We can approach narratives that aren’t necessarily a fit for the video game medium. Comics and graphic novels can play with linearity and time in a more fluid way. We’re also able to show Sam’s story from a perspective that Splinter Cell players wouldn’t be exposed to otherwise. When readers immerse themselves in the graphic novel, they gain access to Sam’s internal monologue and gain more insight into his strengths, weaknesses and fears.
3. What is the biggest challenge bringing Splinter Cell to a new medium?
Every medium has its own strengths, so the biggest challenge of any trans-media effort is to keep the brand at the center of the conversation between everyone involved. You need everyone committed equally. I think we’ve done a good job of maintaining a close dialogue between the game creators and the comic creators. Working with Nathan Edmondson is an amazing experience because he’s truly an expert in his field. We have to do this delicate dance to ensure that no one medium or piece overwhelms the other, and that each new piece we add to the universe stays true to the Splinter Cell franchise.
4. How did you select the team working on Splinter Cell Echoes?
Both me and our Art Director Scott Lee are huge comic fans and self-professed genre geeks; so Ubisoft shrewdly asked us who we would want in our best-case scenario. We both suggested Nathan based on his work on The Activity. He brought in artist Marc Laming, who had just the right mix of visual storytelling and realism for the book. When they agreed to collaborate with us we were ecstatic. If you look at Nathan’s work – from Who Is Jake Ellis? to Dancer – even when there are fantastic elements, it feels authentic and the characters are honest. But it was definitely The Activity that put Nathan on our radar, because that series has touched on many of the same themes we explore in Splinter Cell and it maintains a dynamic, gripping balance between real-world geopolitics and high-tech spy fantasy that draws readers in. As a writer, Nathan does his research and pays a lot of attention to detail, something that game creators value.
5. How much direction did Nathan Edmondson and Marc Laming receive in terms of artistic or plot direction?
We knew we wanted to explore the time period between Conviction and Blacklist. Our team met with Nathan and Marc to give them a crash course in Sam Fisher’s life during that time. In our initial meetings, we talked about the direction of the book, and really looked at which aspects of Sam’s past missions could create hooks for a new conflict. Right away, Nathan and Marc immersed themselves in the Splinter Cell universe. It’s the same thing game creators do when they go into conception on a new title, so it was a familiar process to us. Once they were fully versed in the universe, we wanted them to have a lot of latitude to focus on their craft and bring a new story to life for fans in a way that was true to the comic book medium. We’re confident that all readers – whether they’ve played every game in the series or are new the franchise – are going to really engage with this story and the level of fine detail Nathan and Marc inject into Echoes.
6. How has the experience been working with the Splinter Cell graphic novel team?
We are very fortunate to be working with guys that are really at the top of the industry and the top of their game creatively. Collaboration between the game creators and the comic team was extremely important to us right from the start. Nathan and Marc know how to deliver quality material and are a pleasure to work with.
7. Last question – when will you release the Splinter Cell graphic novel?
We will release Splinter CellEchoes in Spring 2013 timed with the launch of Splinter Cell Blacklist. We will have more details in the coming months about how fans can get their hands on it so stay tuned!
Fans of the Splinter Cell franchise are going to love this. Ubisoft have announced that they will be releasing a new graphic novel based on the Splinter Cell franchise. For those concerned that the novel is some kind of spin-off franchise, this is not the case as Sam Fischer is confirmed to be the main character of the novel.
Do you remember the Splinter Cell games Conviction and Blacklist? This novel is going to explore what happens in between these two games in greater detail.
New Little King’s Story Developer:Marvelous Entertainment Publisher:Konami Platform: PlayStation Vita (Digital Only) Release Date: October 2, 2012 Price: $39.99
Overview: Whenever a console is launched there is always a large rush of titles released to try and ride the hype train. However ever since the PlayStation Vita was released, the handheld has been lacking a certain genre outside of one remade game released shortly after the console hit North America. However another game with RPG elements has come to the PlayStation Vita and it may sound a bit familiar to some of you as it is one that once appeared on the Wii. Now that Konami has brought New Little King’s Story to the Vita, is it worth your time?
Story:
It appears that a number of years have passed since the original Little King’s Story and King Corobo (name can be changed) has built a rather bustling kingdom for himself and is popular not only with his citizens but the princesses as well who are all attending a party he is holding in the castle. Unfortunately nothing good lasts for long for the poor King as monsters suddenly invade the kingdom and strange forces whisk the princesses away and take over the castle.
The King manages to escape with his most trusted group of advisers, who happen to be characters from the past game, and a small number of villagers, though he does so at the cost of his best royal guard. Now that he has managed to escape to the outskirts of the kingdom, the King must work hard to restore the kingdom to its former glory by not only rescuing the kidnapped princesses but also ridding the land of the evil within his kingdom.
Now New Little King’s Story may contain a few callbacks to the previous game, but these are so minimalistic that anyone who may have missed out on the first title will not be missing a thing. The story itself is delivered nicely and gamers will feel like they are actually making progress with their kingdom as they defeat monsters, gather loot and save the princesses. That being said, the game does have some rather atrocious translation issues practically inexcusable in today’s age.
It also helps that if the player takes some time and speaks with a few members of their staff and the princesses themselves, they will find that each character has a little personality to them. All of these things help transform a rather simplistic plot into one that will have the player caring about what happens to their kingdom and eager to restore the King to his throne.
Visuals: One thing that is immediately noticeable is the fact that New Little King’s Story has received an aesthetic upgrade as far as character portraits are concerned. Every time the player talks to one of the main members of the cast, whether for story-driven dialogue or simple small talk, some beautifully drawn anime-like character portraits are shown and each character has various portraits depending on their emotions. This is a nice touch and adds some more class to the game, plus the player also is treated to some nice full-screen images such as the one below.
As for the gameplay, the world of New Little King’s Story as a charming feel to it and is both colorful and varied with a number of strange enemies to defeat and even stranger bosses to face off against. Unfortunately the game struggles with one of the key gameplay aspects of New Little King’s Story… large numbers.
Once you start having fifteen or more soldiers following you around everywhere you go, the game begins to slow down terribly at times. This becomes even worse when you enter combat with a monster or two with this large force or navigate through a fully built section of your kingdom. Considering the characters are designed with a chibi, though varied, appearance, there shouldn’t be as much slowdown in a game running on the Vita at this point.
Audio: The background music present in New Little King’s Story is well varied and a joy to listen to as you make your way through the world. Unfortunately the voice acting in the game does leave something to be desired, with most of the actors barely providing serviceable voice work. It is worth noting that the entire game is not voiced however, only certain cutscenes are fully voiced while your soldiers, the princesses and advisors will say a small phrase or two when you talk to them or use them in battle.
Gameplay:
As the King of the kingdom, the player must split his time between two things; exploration and taking care of the kingdom. Through taking care of the kingdom, the player uses “loot” they gathered through exploration to earn money which allows them to upgrade their King’s abilities such as allowing for more followers, as well as build new structures in the Kingdom. These pre-set and pre-placed structures can be anything from housing to provide more residents, to training centers that will allow you to give your citizens proper jobs such as a soldier, carpenter, farmer and more, allowing them to be more useful in the field by removing obstacles in your path or fighting better.
Players will be spending most of their time out in the field exploring however as there is much to do in New Little King’s Story and nearly all of it involves killing enemies and reclaiming your land. Players do not venture out alone however, as the King himself is rather weak and needs to have the protection of his recruited “royal guard.” You are able to walk up to any villager in their kingdom and have them join your small army. This can be done through simply tapping a villager with the touch screen as well, which is useful for saving time and recruiting the right villagers.
Fighting monsters in New Little King’s Story is a rather simplistic affair, but ultimately a satisfying one. Players can order a large number of troops to charge into an enemy and start attacking them however their class would attack such an enemy. This can also be performed using the Vita’s touch screen interface, allowing for easier troop deployment to a large group of foes. Now it is worth noting that although the player can eventually have a rather large army following them around, players often have to balance combat-effective classes with building classes.
This is alleviated somewhat by equipping various members of your royal guard with stat boosting items that raise their attack or health. This is especially useful against enemies that can’t simply be beaten by throwing massive amounts of bodies at them. While some earlier bosses in the game are simple to defeat, later bosses require some strategy to win and may need to be fought more than once to beat.
Overall: While New Little King’s Story does have some slowdown problems and translation issues which can be quite appalling at times, it makes up for it with plenty of charm and enjoyable gameplay. The new character aesthetic and touch screen controls make New Little King’s Story superior to its predecessor in almost every way and definitely worth the large amount of time (25+ hours) you will be able to sink into the game without blinking an eye. New Little King’s Story offers an addictive experience that will have you playing your Vita with renewed faith once more.
In an age of birds breaking things in zero gravity and blades that grant the bearer immortal life, it seems odd to use the humble snail as a protagonist in a game for iOS devices. The slimey bug somehow manages to translate well to the cartoon style we’ve all come to expect from these games, and comes off as cute, rather than something you feel should be going squish. But can Snail Bob provide the thoughtful thrills of a decent puzzle game, or is he just too slow to ever take off?
Gameplay
So Bob’s a snail, and he moves like one through the game’s various levels. His slow, ponderous pace actually matching quite well with what could be called one of the quickest physics-based puzzled games out there.
It’s not that your reaction times will be particularly tested, but the way obstacles are arranged around the game world lends itself to a very active method of problem solving. Bob moves forward in one direction by default, though you can stop him by giving him a quick tap on your iDevice screen. This will make him retreat into his shell, protecting him from foes like voracious, swooping eagles.
As Bob moves through levels, you’ll have to slide bridges open, pull levers, turn turnstiles that let him change direction, pop balloons carrying Bob across a crevice and the list could go on. The game does a great job of keeping new elements flowing in, which means you’ll never really have a chance to think about getting bored. In a sense, Snail Bob is the opposite of formulaic.
On top of that, death is something you’ll learn from rather than being the aggravating, send you back ten minutes insta-kill that has become the staple of some puzzle games as this generation has wound on. That’s not to say the deaths aren’t entertaining. Bob’s eyes widened dramatically as I failed to stop him being crushed by a log, until they were the only thing left I could even see of him. It’s like he was silently crying out, “Why me?”
Of course this wouldn’t be an iOS game if it didn’t include a three-star system for each level. Yet Snail Bob manages to implement the system creatively, with the stars being hidden in each level – a quick tap is all takes to collect them. That sounds easy, but some are really well camouflaged within the level’s assets and when there are so many moving parts in Snail Bob’s environment, it’s also clever of the developers to hide the stars on or behind those things, giving you just a quick window to see and collect them.
Snail Bob is a game that changes up the pace you expect from a portable puzzle game, and busts the stereotype of the slowness of the humble escargot. It’s not an all out dash, but there will be moments when you are frantically sliding, tapping, and analysing to get Bob safely through a level. Finding stars is, at first, an easy proposition, but when your mind is so focussed on getting Bob the hell out of trouble, you’ll soon find yourself missing one, two, or even all three of the stars as you try and survive a level. It’s pure fun, and it just doesn’t get boring.
Audio & Visual
Yes, it’s a cartoon, and no, it’s not the best looking one out there.
Snail Bob’s visuals do hold up, however. The game looks standard without coming off as cheap or as if the developers did the bare minimum graphically. Rather, the visuals do a good job of presenting the adventures of Bob as you guide him through various levels, and it truly shines at the protagonists portrayal. His truly comical deaths and general lack of slime make him one of the cuter heroes to grace the iOS platform, and his personality is perhaps his lack of personality. He’s just trying to make it through his horrible day of booby traps and hungry birds.
Oddly, there was no silly tune on the main menu or in the background of the game. Which meant no annoying song stuck in my head, but still, I noticed its absence. In fact one could say the sound work is a bit minimalistic. There are pops, cranking noises, and the like when you traverse an environment, but it’s all a bit sterile. For me, the sound design was probably the game’s biggest weakness (which says a lot about the actual gameplay).
Overall
Snail Bob is a game that, ironically, revels in its pace. While none of the platforming ideas are particularly new or unique, the speed and guile you’ll need to accomplish them is a breath of fresh air in a game market that often caters to the lowest common denominator (that is, 5 year olds who need several minutes of non-movement to figure things out). The game also keeps new gimmicks and challenges coming at an impressive rate, meaning you’ll have trouble getting bored, or even putting the game down.
Snail Bob costs 99 cents, and it’s worth every penny.
Sony have released the upcoming packages for the upcoming God of War: Ascension video game. These packages come in two varieties, the Special Edition and the Collectors Edition – with each of them containing their own extra collectibles.
The Collectors Edition contains a plethora of goodies that include an awesome looking Kratos statue. Here is a full list of collectors edition goodies:
Content includes:
The ultimate GoW collectible, a 8″ Kratos figurine
Premium steel book game case
Double XP bonus for multiplayer and a DLC pass to unlock all future DLC for the game at no additional cost (more to follow on these soon)
Mythological Heroes Multiplayer Pack
Official game soundtrack (digital version)
PS3 dynamic theme and an avatar pack
The Special edition contains a few less items, but is still kind of comparable with the collectors edition. Here is the list of goodies in the special edition:
Content includes:
Premium steel book game case
The multiplayer double XP bonus,
Official game soundtrack (digital version)
PS3 dynamic theme and an avatar pack
Be sure to check with your local retailers for pre-order details. The game releases on the 14th of March, 2012.
We have 2 copies of NAUGHTY BEAR: Panic in Paradise to give away courtesy of 505 Games (1 x XBLA, 1 x PSN)
“Naughty Bear – Panic in Paradise is crazier, more brutal, more absurd and even naughtier than its predecessor. It pushes its own boundaries into “insanity zone”. With more places to visit, more missions to complete, a new arsenal of weapons to master and loads of treasures to collect, Panic in Paradise is a vast game to discover.”
TO WIN
All you have to do to win is to simply answer the following question : “How would you take out the other bears in Paradise Island?” leave the comment below and also state what version of the game you want to win (XBLA, or PSN).
Lucky winners will be drawn at random on the October 20th, 2012. Good luck to you all!
**SPECIAL NOTE**
When you enter please leave a VALID email address so we can notify you if you are one of the 2 lucky winners.
Bolt Creative, developers of the cute and wacky Pocket Gods characters are proud to announce their migration into Barnes and Noble retail and online stores. “Pocket God is here to stay, and partnering with Barnes & Noble is a great way for us to ensure that our beloved Pygmies cross over successfully into the real world the same way they have in the digital space,” said Pocket God co-creator and Bolt Creative CEO Dave Castelnuovo.
The stores will carry 2 differing figurines, one being a 5” Collectors figure available in 4 different styles (Happy, Warrior, Zombie and Moon), as well as a range of 16 mystery 2.5” blind box figures where you wont know which Pocket God you have until you open it. Of course like any collectible series there will be rare characters that will more sought after by fans adding to the excitement and mystery. The ranges of figurines are all produced by the Seattle based company Funko and are made of durable vinyl.
To celebrate the Pocket Gods making their home at Barnes and Noble, Bolt Creative have decided to hold a competition asking fans to send in pics of any prized mystery figurines they collect in either a cool pose or creative island environment. The best poses go in the running to win over $500 in Apple gift cards and Pocket God figurines. For more information please visit [email protected], or tweet your photo to @PocketGod. Good luck and hopefully you find a rare collectible figurine.
To find Pocket God figurines just visit your local Barnes and Noble (US) or visit www.bn.com
For more information on the immensely addictive and popular app. Pocket God please visit www.boltcreative.com
Earlier this week WWE Games posted an interview with the legendary mad genius behind ECW and current Voice of the Voice of the Voiceless, Paul Heyman. Over the course of the interview, Heyman spoke about ECW’s influences on the “Attitude Era,” his role as the “Creative Rabbi” of WWE ’13, his incomparable eye for talent and more.
Check out the WWE Games Community Exclusive video below, then be sure to follow WWE Games on Twitter and Facebook for all the latest on WWE ’13 – on sale October 30, 2012!
Welcome to Capsule Computers’ weekly anime segment, Anime Say! This week, I reveal my Top 3 anime of Summer 2012, my thoughts on the season as a whole and what I’m watching as we move forward into Fall 2012.
