All around the world on PlayStation 3s, Xbox 360s and PCs gamers are exploring the world of Pandora. It is a strange world full of dangerous creatures, some of which are quite badass in nature, bandits and of course vault hunters looking for answers, riches and more guns than you can possibly ever imagine.
If you aren’t one of these vault hunters exploring the world of Pandora right now then what is holding you back? Because Borderlands 2 has now been released worldwide! Though I must warn you, that Maya is certainly one of the best character choices out there… too bad she is reserved as this editor’s class as of this moment! See you and your fellow gamers on Pandora soldier!
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Developer:Namco Bandai Publisher: Namco Bandai Platforms:PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 (Reviewed) Release Date:September 11, 2012 Price:$59.99 – Available Here
Overview: There have been many Tekken games released ever since the series first debuted back in the mid ‘90s, however all these games, including multiple ones released after it, are overshadowed by a certain title released in 1999. That title is Tekken Tag Tournament, a game which most fans of the series will still claim is their favorite title in the franchise. Now, more than a decade after the release of the first game, Namco Bandai has released Tekken Tag Tournament 2. With a rather large shadow to overcome, does Tekken Tag Tournament 2 surpass its predecessor?
Story: Fans of the first Tekken Tag Tournament may recall that the game was absolutely devoid of a story mode, with even the most simple arcade fights being nothing but a series of unstructured fights. Well… that has been partially retained in Tekken Tag Tournament 2, but rather than having barely any storyline, every character in the massive roster actually has an ending cutscene in the arcade mode, usually involving something completely nonsensical or comedic.
Plus, Tag Tournament 2 features a new mode titled Fight Lab, which will be discussed momentarily as far as gameplay goes. This Fight Lab sees players taking control of a personal Combot who is being created and trained by the eccentric Violet. As players make their way through various chapters in the Fight Lab there are a few little snippets of a story here, though it mostly revolves around the oddball Violet harassing his secretary. Ultimately this means that there aren’t large overarching storylines here, but what is provided is rather hilarious and enjoyable for what it is.
Visuals: If you thought that Tekken 6 was visually impressive than you will be quite surprised to learn that Tekken Tag Tournament 2 does a rather nice job improving on what was already seen as outstanding visuals. Most stages that the player chooses to fight on are varied well enough (some being quite outlandish) and are visually pleasing. To top that off, a number of them feature a few breakaway areas where the fight will continue in a separate area from where it began.
As far as the characters go, Namco Bandai’s team has outdone themselves this time by increasing the level of detail on most of the complicated characters. Considering how many characters are packed into this release and the amount of customization which will be discussed shortly, the design of each fighter is rather impressive.
Audio: The minor voice acting for the cast of fighters is standard in quality and they all sound the same as fans will remember, though Violet’s voice actor really helps sell his eccentric character. Now as far as the fighting music is concerned, there is your standard collection of fast paced techno music which is absolutely wonderful to fight to. Players can even customize the songs that will play during each stage via the Tekken Tunes menu, allowing them to choose the best music to pump them up for the fight.
Gameplay: Those who have played Tekken 6 already will be familiar with a number of aspects which are worked into Tekken Tag Tournament 2’s main fighting style, such as the Rage system which allows for a fighter to receive a boost in strength once they have lost a certain amount of health, the air juggling, blocking and everything else that made the series great. What is interesting with Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is that not only has the rage system been modified to work with two characters, but the whole game has been revamped to combine the aspects of tag team fighting.
Interestingly enough, Rage in Tekken Tag 2 still activates at random times, however it will occasionally activate sooner or later depending on whether your selected tag team actually likes their partner. While this does put a bit of a damper on players putting together two of their favorite characters who happen to hate each other, this is a rather interesting re-working of the system based on past character relations.
As mentioned before, there are a number of new abilities players can use a number of special attacks that are only possible with their tag partner, such as tag throws, tag crashes and tag assaults which allow players to perform lengthy combo attacks while safely switching between fighters, in fact tag assaults can even allow both of a player’s fighters to attack at the same time.
If this sounds a little bit confusing, don’t worry too much if you happen to be a newcomer to the Tekken franchise. As mentioned earlier, Namco Bandai has created the Fight Lab mode as an extended tutorial which goes over a number of the game’s more complicated systems in an easy to understand way, though it is entirely possible to hit a wall during practice which will halt your learning entirely which will be frustrating for newcomers eager to learn more, but stuck on one move they simply cannot manage to pull off.
Outside of the Fight Lab mode and the aforementioned Arcade mode, there are a few of your standard inclusions such as a Versus mode to take on computer opponents or a friend on the couch, team battles, survival, time attack and your standard training exercises. One thing that is quite interesting is the fact that players can also play a mode called “Pair Play” which allows four people to play at one time, each one taking the role of one fighter and tagging in and out with their partner as needed. This mode is an absolute blast to play with friends and helps get more people into the game at one time. Unfortunately most of the offline offerings are bare-bones outside of Fight Lab and the moderately enjoyable Arcade mode.
It is worth noting that despite the fact that there are an outrageous amount of characters to choose from in Tekken Tag 2 (literally every character ever in the franchise minus a certain little yellow dinosaur), the game seems balanced well enough if you know what you are doing. It does seem however that some tag assaults can be quite brutal as the amount of juggling that can be pulled off can make a fight almost one sided.
Speaking of balance, there is also a way for players to fight against a tag team as a solo fighter. The way this is balanced out is that the solo fighter will initially be placed into rage mode, giving them a bit of an edge over any standard solo fighter and placing the fight on equal ground.
When a player takes his skills online he will find a rather slim selection of modes to choose from, with your standard ranked and unranked matches being the only thing to choose from. This is quite strange and a bit of a letdown considering the fact that netcode for Tekken Tag 2 works very well as nearly every fight went smoothly. It is worth noting however that to enter into any online fights, the player will need to input an online pass first, so heads-up on that regard.
While there are a huge amount of characters to choose from, there are also plenty of ways to customize every one of these characters as well. Players will be able to deck out their favorite fighters with everything from standard outfits to completely off the wall outfits. There are even a couple of items which can be used as a weapon in the fight itself which makes customization not only a side-project but a way to spice up your fight.
Overall: Tekken Tag Tournament 2 takes what was laid out by its predecessors and improves upon it by offering not only one of the favorite modes that gamers have missed, but by doing it so well. While nothing too new outside of the Fight Lab has been added, Tekken Tag 2 feels like the culmination of everything the Tekken series has been, minus a story and fleshed out online options of course. Ultimately this does feel like a bit of a loss however, as while there are a number of enjoyable single player options, online mode is pretty much the only option for you to find extended play. As it stands, with the entire Tekken roster to choose from and customize, tight combat mechanics and a smooth online mode Tekken Tag Tournament 2 provides a rather satisfactory experience, though one lacking in offline options.
Who said Video Games cant be educational; certainly not the team over at Brainworth who have grand plans to change the face of learning using our favourite medium, online Video Games. Beginning with teaching the fundamental and basic concepts of AI, the team plans to extend online learning topics to include subjects ranging from “economics to philosophy” and I’m guessing everything in between. Based in Sydney Australia, Brainworth already have received financial backing from the NSW Governments Interactive Media fund.
NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Stoner said, “The NSW Government is pleased to support Brainworth through the Interactive Media Fund. The electronic games industry has an increasingly important role to play in other sectors such as health, finance and – as in this case – education. A company like Brainworth has great potential to achieve export success, and I hope the assistance offered under the Interactive Media Fund will help make this a reality.” Needing a tiny bit of extra funding the team have started a Kickstarter campaign to make sure that their years of hard work can see the light of day.
I had a look at the video and the whole learning process seems to be done in a way that makes it fun for all ages and levels of experience. Players were taught with visual cues and narrative how to control a snake using python code, eventually reaching a level of coding where the snake controls itself.
Brainworth will be going into Beta soon and is accepting signups from students as of now.
Gameloft pushed out a new major update to their sci-fi FPS N.O.V.A. 3. The new update provides an upgrade for the multiplayer experience. A new map called The Warehouse has been added. Players will have have to fight for the rooftops to get the strategic advantage on the enemy who will do their best to jet pack up onto the roofs and take control. A new multiplayer mode called InstaGib has also been added. InstaGib will provide every player with the same deadly one shot, one kill weapon with team deathmatch rules. Finally, Gameloft is pleased to announced the first ever inclusion of multiplayer voice chat in one of their games. Whether you want to co-ordinate with your team or complain loudly about much they suck, the voice chat helps bring the full console style multiplayer experience to the iOS device.
Anuman is rebooting another classic series with their announcement of Crazy Cars: Hit the Road. the Crazy Cars franchise originally started with Titus Interactive in 1987 and saw releases on the Amiga and Amistrad systems. With the purchase of the license, Anuman Interactive is bringing Crazy Cars to PC, Android, Mac, and iOS. Crazy Cars: Hit the Road will feature car customization, arcade style driving action, and most impressively cross platform multiplayer modes while keeping the spirit of the original games alive. Crazy Cars: Hit the Road will be released first on PC, Android, Mac, and iOS on October 15th with an Android release soon to follow.
A new map for Halo 4, has been revealed this past weekend. The map is titled Solace and it looks to be on a planet that is currently being glassed. Some other things you can see about the map, it is symmetrical and is designed for 4 vs. 4 team slayer matches.
Solace’s symmetrical design recalls lines, views, and positions from Narrows, the classic map from Halo 3. From some gameplay that has been shown, the opening spawn points on the platforms on opposite sides of the map resulted in fast DMR head-shotting starts, and provided set-ups aplenty for sniping while offering a short enough run to the center – which circles a second sub-level – to ensure quick CQC pile-ups with every spawn. The verticality of the map makes it equally suited for Jetpacks and Thrusters, though the caves at the tail ends of each base, and the lower level, keep things on the grounded in spots without much room for an easy escape.
You will be able to play this map and nine others when Halo 4 releases on November 6, 2012, exclusively on the Xbox 360.
Eryi’s Action Developer: Xtal Sword Publisher: Nyu-Media Platform: PC (Download) Release Date: September 14, 2012 Price:$4.99 (Buy here)
Overview
Eryi’s Action follows the story of a girl named Eryi as she quests to recover her stolen watermelon. However, as you’ll find out when you play this game, the quest is not as easy as it sounds.This is because this game is much closer to a game like I want to be the Guy than it is to a platformer like Super Mario Bros. Skill is definitely required. Find out why below.
Story
Eryi’s Action features a very light storyline. In-fact, as far as I made it into the game, there was very little mention of it at all. Granted, I didn’t -beat- the game, but in all the levels that I did finish, there was very minimal story interaction.
From what I can tell from the game, A girl named Eryi had her watermelon stolen and she must embark on a quest to get it back. However, I believe the game to have an actual deep and meaningful story behind it. The story isn’t about Eryi at all, but rather, it’s about the amount of effort, planning and eventual defeat of the player over and over again.
To be honest, I don’t think this game needs a deep and meaningful story behind it simply because what little story there is, is primarily used as a way to kick the game off. The reason you would play this game is because of its overall difficulty and challenge, not for a deep and complex narrative. After-all, you’d probably never reach the end if you were only average at gaming.
So to recap, the game has an incredibly light storyline, and is more about the personal struggle between man and game than it is about Eryi and her melon. If you’re the gamer that needs a deep storyline, or a yeah-bro style action cinematic storyline experience, you are looking at the wrong game. You’re also playing games for the wrong reasons.
Gameplay
So, as you’ve probably gathered from the above portion, this is a game that is incredibly difficult for any player to have to play through. And really, that’s what makes this game so enjoyable.
If you’re a gamer that prefers to cakewalk through games, not really have to think and just run forward to shoot more enemies, then this game is definitely not for you. For instance, as early on as the first level you are already forced to think outside of the box, memorise every single step of a level and master the controls; else you will die. And you will die a lot.
This game is best probably best described as a platforming game. At least formally, anyway. Informally, the most apt description for the title would be something like: a masochists wet-dream. I mean, really, this game is for people who really love to learn through punishment. One mistake, and you’re dead. I, myself, found this game to be a great way to relive stress though. For some reason swearing at your monitor and pointing at it viciously is actually a relaxing experience.
So you’re probably wondering what it is about this game that actually makes it difficult. Well, it’s not so much the control scheme or the way the character handles. It’s most definitely the way that the most innocent looking thing is really a deathtrap waiting to kill you. Do you want to know how many ways you’ll die? Well, let’s look at it like this. There is a part of the games overworld map that will kill you. Yes, you’re not even safe moving between levels.
Obviously this means that you will have to master a level before you can actually finish it. Making mistakes and learning from them are what this game is about. Just make sure you learn from them. You can always look up a walkthrough, but if you haven’t actually learned from it yourself, you’ll still probably die.
Just remember that it’s okay to admit that the game has beaten you. So long as you come back stronger and smarter, you’ll eventually have this game beat. If you’re lacking in determination or if you find no pleasure in pain, you may not like this game. I personally love it, but that’s just me.
Visuals
The visuals in Eryi’s Action are something that I enjoyed immensely. The game features a cartoony kind of visual style that reflects a kind of innocence to the game that is directly in contrast to what the reality of the game really is. I mean, if you were to look at a screenshot of the game, even if it was of one of the most player killing scenarios in the game, there is simply no way you’d deduce that this game was a deathtrap of death and more death.
The game is obviously a 2D platformer that features 2D artwork. This means that players expecting a game with 3D modelling and layers of grey to make it feel more realistic will probably be disappointed. However, I really enjoyed the bright and vibrant look and feel of Eryi’s art-style and as such, have no problem with it. In fact, I believe that if a game is a 2D side-scroller that makes no use of the other dimension, there is no need for a game to utilise modelling at all, unless it is for an artistic reason and actually suits the gameplay.
Audio
Eryi’s Action features a pretty decent set of sounds and background songs. These feel like they’ve been added into the game as a way to enhance the cartoony feel of the game, rather than someone was being paid to do the sounds and so they did. As a result of this, the game feels much more innocent than it should.
What I found really cool with the music especially, was that each track in the game has its own place while also being an enhancement to the gameplay itself. For instance, I don’t think this game would work as well if it had dynamic music that changed depending on the action. This is a game where you’re going to be hearing the same song over and over, just because you’ve died over and over. If it gets annoying, it’s because it’s meant to.
Overall
Eryi’s Action is a platformer that gamers who love pain will enjoy. This is a game that only the most dedicated and skillful of gamers will be able to beat. If you’re a glutton for punishment or just love games that provide a challenge, then this is definitely the game for you.
Eryi’s Action is presently on Steam Greenlight check out the linkif you wish to see it available as punchable title on the Steam Store.
Every year’s Tokyo Game Show feels like a competition where each company spends ages choosing what uniform their girls will have, and picking the most gorgeous girls they can. And they do a damn good job of it. A big part of the TGS experience is having gorgeous women in micro-clothing trying to get your attention (which is certainly a different experience than the norm for a lot of the people who go).
So, here at Capsule we decided to be super generous and share this experience with the rest of you, by bringing you TGS BOOTH BABES 2012!
In exploring the booths, and their very fine babes, we have put together a little perv album for you fine readers, as well as decided to give our own opinion on which company made the best choices for their girls.
So here are Capsule Computers’ top three choices for the best booth babes of TGS 2012.
Coming in third, with some of the most fine girls of the show (who were shipped in to Japan, just for being so fine), and did a dance that they did on the first day, just for the enjoyment and staring chance of the audience. The girls were great, the only thing that let them down was the uniform and these babes were from…
3rd place -Razer
Now, the uniform of the babes who came in second is definitely something that turned heads and was probably imprinted on everyone’s mind after they saw it…
2nd place – Capcom
Tight faux-leather short-shorts, bracelets and bikini tops? Damn Capcom whoever was in charge of the uniform design had a thing for a bit of the kinky stuff. And I applaud you.
But the booth babes who took the cake this year, in no small fashion…
TOKYO GAME SHOW 2012 Booth Babe Winners!
Gloops
With a uniform that immediately catches your eye and focuses your attention on an… interesting area, and great solid colour coordination, it was definitely the best uniform of TGS 2012. And the babes in them? Well, let’s just say that Gloops got their money’s worth when they hired this bunch.
Take a look at the gallery below for more booth babes! What do you guys think? Were these three the top performing or do you prefer some of the others? Or are you just happy that we’ve given you the chance to have a good old perv even though you couldn’t make it out for TGS?
Check out Booth Babes of TGS 2012 below! You can also check out the gallery on Capsule Computers’ Facebook PageHERE and make sure to LIKE our page for updates on the latest gaming news and reviews!
Also, make sure to check out the rest of our TGS 2012 coverage, including interviews, previews and announcements HERE!
Did you know that Lamborghini, in addition to making some of the most expensive and therefore coolest cars on the planet, also make farming machinery? I bet you didn’t! I bet you also didn’t know that Farming Simulator 2013 has just unveiled it’s full line up of vehicles and machines ahead of it’s multi platform release in October!
Now that those two facts have been established, feel free to feast your eyes on the copious selection of tractors, combine harvesters and other fascinating farming tools that will be at your disposal in Farming Simulator 2013.
The biggest title in the series to date, the game will feature both online and offline modes, so you can reap what you sow to your hearts content without once wearing a check shirt or stepping in manure.
Farming Simulator 2013 will be available on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 -crop rotations at the ready!
So you’ve all probably seen Luke Hallidays impressions of the first day of the convention by now, so I won’t be talking about the convention itself all that much in this article. Instead, I’ll be taking a look at the variety of cosplayers that were present at the event.
Now, as with any convention, there tend to be a large amount of fans dressing up in costumes and acting like their favourite characters from various forms of media. As this convention is known as Animania, it is of course apparent that it would be attracting a large amount of Anime cosplayers. Of course, there were a bunch of the more popular characters from some of the more well known series, like Bleach and One Piece, but it was kind of surprising to see some more obscure characters present at the event, such as Kirito and Asuna from the still airing in Japan series, Sword Art Online.
I don’t know how it’s happening, but it seems like the overall quality of cosplay costumes is increasing steadily. I’m not sure if this is because cosplayers are getting better at making their costumes, or if there is some kind of cosplay demon that cosplayers are selling their souls to for good costumes. And really, that doesn’t matter. Because in the end, not only do the cosplayers look great, but it also gives a much more positive look to the Anime community.
What was kind of disappointing about the day was the World Cosplay Summit, which is held each year at Animania, where cosplayers compete for a chance to win a trip to Japan to represent Australia in the worldwide summit. What made this disappointing was that there were too few entries into the contest. I would have loved to have seen more cosplayers take up the challenge. Now this isn’t saying that the groups that entered were bad or anything, they were actually really, really good, I’m just saying that I’d have loved to have seen more groups compete. I’m not sure how entrants are chosen for the contest, and maybe only three groups actually entered, but still… More was wanted.
So overall I really loved the cosplayers present at Animania this year. There were a lot of really high quality costumes being shown and all of the cosplayers that we managed to take photos of were incredibly friendly. I hope to see cosplayers at this convention keep up with the high standards they’ve set themselves with this year.
Be sure to check out the gallery below to see all of our photos from the event. These also include a plethora of shots from the WCS. You can also check out the gallery on our Facebook page.
