Still left with a bruise after beating your head against the wall after succumbing yet again to another Dark Souls boss or battle, well Namco Bandai have further added to your gaming woes with the release of Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition for all PC users. Finely tweaked for the PC, the new addition loses nothing in translation and retains all the challenging and immersive gameplay seen in its predecessors. For the true collector, Namco Bandai have included within the day one edition a plethora of goodies including an art book, CD soundtrack, behind the scenes DVD plus more.
Dark Souls: Prepare to Die edition will include huge new maps and environments as well as previously unseen bosses, enemies and non playable characters to interact with as well as masses of new armour and weaponry for players to utilise on their journey back to Lordran. Players will also be introduced to the dying kingdom of magic known as Oolacile where they battle to keep it from being engulfed by the darkness and save its people. Separate stand alone retail versions of Dark Souls: Prepare to Die edition for XBox 360 and Playstation 3 are also on the way and will include the original Dark Souls game as well as all the bonus content, available from most retailers coming 26th October 2012.
Dark Souls: Prepare to Die will be the first game from Namco Bandai that includes Game registration allowing players to accumulate points that are redeemable against downloadable content as rare in game items via the VIP corner for free.
Overview: There are many different types of fighting games out there and in recent years some of these fighting games have begun developing a certain level of oddity about them. However all of these current titles barely hold a candle to a title originally developed and released to arcades by Capcom back in the ‘90s. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure first came to consoles in the year 2000 and brought with it some of the strangest fighting gamers had seen. Now twelve years later, Capcom has brought a digital HD version of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure to modern day consoles. Does this title still stand up after all these years?
Story: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure HD doesn’t feature an extensive story mode or anything similar to that, instead it features a standard arcade mode like story that develops as each character makes their way through a number of fights. Each character’s storyline is different, especially the main ones such as Jotaro or Dio which feature more story points than secondary characters.
Unfortunately, considering JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure HD is based off of a manga of the same name, a lot of the story and some of the fighting aspects themselves will be lost on those who are unfamiliar with the original material as the game does little to introduce the premise. Thankfully, though it takes quite a large amount of playing, most fighters’ story modes blend together into a mildly understandable story,
Visuals & Audio: Obviously with an HD version of a game coming out, one of the biggest improvements to the game should be the visual section and it is certainly true that the visuals have been smoothed over a bit in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and thankfully the smoothing over of these characters’ appearances didn’t disrupt the title’s art style much. With their sprites smoothed over and their attacks still as flashy and over-the-top as ever this creates a rather good looking fighting game for a title as old as this, though for those who prefer it, the game does provide original sprites without the smoothing filter.
It is also worth noting that Capcom did not attempt to force a widescreen acceptable ratio on the game and instead provided a standard ratio that includes some nice looking artwork of the fighting characters along the sides. These little portraits look much better than a forced ratio increase and add a bit of style to the game as a whole.
As far as soundtracks go, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure HD seems to have kept the same soundtrack as the original title, though this really doesn’t do it many favors as the background music is mostly forgettable with only a few tracks that may catch players’ interests while the sound effects for the game itself have been given the same treatment as the music, leaving a rather dull impression.
Gameplay: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure HD features a rather large list of characters to choose from, with 22 characters playable right off the bat. This means that any fan of the series will likely be able to pick out their favorite character from the roster. It also worth noting that these characters come in every size and shape imaginable as fighters can even select a little dog called Iggi to fight as. What makes these characters even better is the fact that most of them have a very diverse moveset full of basic as well as very strange attacks.
Players will be using a standard combination of light, medium and heavy attacks to deal damage to their opponents in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure HD, though there is also a “stand” attack. These stands bring another fighter/creature into the battle which will fight alongside you, these stands can deal out large amounts of damage and can even take damage in the place of the player. These stands provide a lot of variety in fights and players can choose to fight in many different ways while using them, though it is worth noting that some characters do not have a stand.
One thing that is worth noting with JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure HD, it is not one of the easiest titles to pick up and play but thankfully the title does contain a training mode that allows players to practice attack inputs and combinations. This is almost essential actually thanks to the varying movesets between players, oddity of some attacks and difficult enemy AI.
Outside of training mode there is also the aforementioned story mode to choose from, a challenge mode and a brand new online multiplayer aspect. The challenge mode allows players to fight through a number of opponents, with players selecting a small bonus at the end of each successful fight. This challenge mode is rather simplistic and mostly works to show the player’s skill.
Although very little single player wise was added to the game, online multiplayer is something that has been added into this HD release and it provides a rather lag-free arena for players to face off against others from around the world. Unfortunately Capcom provided a bare-bone version of online multiplayer, allowing people to select either player or ranked matches. Players can also upload replay data of their matches if they feel like or allow for online matches to happen during single-player modes, though even with these additions the mode feels very minimalistic.
There is one thing that is quite strange about JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure HD release however and that is the fact that Capcom chose to release the title for $20 which is quite expensive for a digital title. While many would have expected a $10 price range or even a $15 release, this is far too much money to ask for the title thanks to the fact that, while the HD does look good and it now has a bare-bones online mode, nothing was done to make the title better.
Overall: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure HD is certainly one of the odder fighting games you could pick up but those who do will find a story with some rather humorous elements and characters. With Capcom’s “HD” improvement to the title the graphics have seen a decent improvement and the online mode will please some despite the fact that it was given a bare-bones treatment.
Unfortunately the company chose poorly by placing a $20 price tag on a title that, ultimately, received barely any additions to keep gamers interested. There are many other, cheaper, fighters out there which improve upon what JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure was known for, but for what it is worth gamers may find themselves drawn in by the crazy fighting styles and the game’s unique appeal.
Welcome to Capsule Computers’ weekly anime segment, Anime Say! This week, I dive into a topic that many shonen anime fans have been discussing over the past year, what is better: Hunter x Hunter 1999 or Hunter x Hunter 2011?
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.
WB Games brought the Wii U to Fan Expo, and were showing off Batman Arkham City: Armoured Edition. The graphics look well done, so there is no doubt in my mind that the console has some graphical power. The controller has some interesting ways of making the game more immersive; the tablet contains the map on the screen so you never have to leave the game which is a nice touch, and the radio frequencies come out of the tablet’s speakers.
All is not fun and games however- while the Wii U offers interesting new ways to play games, it’s extremely difficult to do with one hand. The controller is too large to be able to move the character and perform an action at the same time. It’s also very hard to hold the controller and do anything with it- which is really disappointing.
It is unknown at this point if there is a way around using the Wii U’s tablet controller for the Armoured Edition or for any other titles in the consoles library. Arkham City on the Wii U does look like a must own for the system even if you already own it on another console, but you may want to wait for the price to drop if you own it already. Overall the presentation looks good and the tablet gives a better feel that you are Batman. It’s also nice that you don’t have to take yourself out of the gameplay to find out where you’re going or to upgrade your abilities. The one downside to this of course is that you will have to pay close attention to your surroundings or you may find yourself in a lot of trouble.
I sat down with Bethseda’s Global Community Lead Matt Grandstaff to talk about Arkane Studios’ upcoming stealth action game Dishonored on the show floor at Fan Expo Canada this weekend. We discuss how long the game will take to complete, and about the cool different pre-order bonuses you get.
Check out the audio interview below
The visual presentation looks amazing along with the gameplay, and fans of the Thief series are really going to like Dishonored. People who have never played the thief series will still most certainly enjoy the game. Dishonored will be out in stores October 9th.
DC Comics was at Fan Expo Canada this weekend, and they had a lot going on, from free comic books, autograph signing, and I got to to talk to them about what fans can expect in the coming months. Perhaps the biggest story arc of the year is Batman Death in the Family where the Joker makes his return after a year of absence. The last time we did see the Joker was when he got his face surgically removed back in Detective Comics #1 in October 2011. You can catch the Jokers return this October.
Death in the Family is not the only major event happen as Green Lantern, Red Lantern and Green Lantern New Guardians are about to enter the Trinity Wars. Where all hell is going to break loose as the Lantern Corps must face off against the third army.
Before all the new story arcs DC Comic will also be releasing issue #0 for all the new 52 lineups to get the back story on why events happened in in issues #1-12. The #0 issues will be released in September, and will be released in a hardcover set in December under the name the New 52 Zero Omnibus.
In November DC will be releasing the New 52 Omnibus which contains the issues from the new 52 story lines in one hardcover book. Both Omnibus’s will cost $150 US each. For more information on what DC has coming up this year you can check out DC website.
WB Games was at Fan Expo this year and they brought NetherRealm Studios Injustice: Gods Among Us. Injustice: Gods Among Us is a 2.5D fighter similar to last years Mortal Kombat (also done by NetherRealm Studios), but with a few differences.
The first difference is that instead of 2 rounds like standard fighting games players have a life bar the size of 2 normal health bars. Once the player has depleted the opponents health bar the match is over.
The controls take a little getting used to. The ‘X’ button is jumping, while the circle is for taunts. Pulling off combos was a little difficult, and Injustice has a super move similar to the X-ray move in Mortal Kombat, they deal quite a bit of damage, and can help you in a tight spot.
Only 2 stages were available, The Fortress of Solitude, and the Batcave. The Batcave had the Bat-computer as well as many other of Batman’s gadget. The destructible object is of course the Batmobile. Grundy and Superman take the car and smash it over their opponent, while characters like Batman, and Harley blow up the car to damage their opponent. Players can take advantage of the environmental damage to an area such as dangling broken wires, if the player can juggle their opponent into the air and they touch the wires they will get electrocuted. Players can also throw their opponents through doors and other objects.
The Fortress of Solitude is of course Superman’s lair so there is a lot of Superman inspired elements. While I didn’t spend a lot of time on this stage I did notice that you can throw opponents through walls of the fortress to get to the outside. The scenery of both stages looks fantastic. The character designs look really good as well; it was nice that DC let Netherrealm do their own renditions of the characters costumes.
I personally prefer using Harley Quinn, she is one of the most balanced characters. In terms of speed and power most characters seem to be all speed or all power. Grundy does a lot of damage, but is far too slow to be effective. Whereas Flash and Nightwing have a lot of speed, but do very little damage. Hopefully when the game gets closer to it’s 2013 release date more characters will get balanced more evenly and be more playable.
At this point, I’d say Injustice: Gods Among Us is going to be a must for fighting game fans. The game is expected to be released in the spring of 2013.
Adam Gorham is the artist behind the up and coming medieval fantasy black and white comic Teuton. Partnered with writer “Fearless” Fred Kennedy, the host of Teletoon at Night (the Canadian equivalent to Adult Swim) and Toronto radio personality, Teuton tells the tale of Andrus Tamm, a Teutonic Knight suffering a crisis of faith in the midst of the crusades bringing Catholicism to the Lithuanian barbarians.
We asked Adam about what brought him to comic books, his future projects, the beginnings, inspiration, and future of Teuton.
Check out the first 90 pages of volume 1 and the first 51 pages of volume 2 of Teuton at Big Sexy Comics here. Volume One of Teuton can be purchased hereand Volume Two herefrom Indy Planet. You can check out more of Adam’s Work at his page here.
One Tap Hero Developer: Coconut Island Studios Publisher: Chillingo Ltd Platforms: iPhone (reviewed), iTouch, iPad Release Date: August 23, 2012 Price: $0.99 – Available Here
Overview
You know that feeling when you want to battle an evil wizard because he has stolen your girlfriend and changed her into a teddy bear and the only way to get her back to normal is by collecting stars and using their power? Yep, we all get those crazy feelings and that is why the people over at Coconut Island Studios have created One Tap Hero to satisfy these crazy urges. So now all we have to do is see how the game truly is.
Story
The story for the game is literally as straight forward as mentioned above. You battle an evil wizard who has turned your girlfriend into a teddy bear and then you have to rescue her. Now there are some points in the game where you come across a little more of the actual story when you encounter a new enemy or more challenging puzzles. You could compare this game to the hit title, Angry Birds, because in that game you also complete levels and will unlock a new chapter with many more levels to play through. In simpler terms, it gets repetitive since you have to re-rescue your girlfriend on every level you play. If they would have taken a bit more time and added a true story to it, the game would be one of the best iOS games out there.
Gameplay
The gameplay is where One Tap Hero truly shines. When Coconut Island announced that all you would have to do is tap the screen to play the game, I was a little skeptical. After playing the game it is safe to say that the gameplay works. You can literally tap to do anything, whether it is jumping, climbing ladders or to pull levels. It all works well.
The levels themselves can sometimes be harder than the previous one you have played and that is how it should be. As you progress from chapter to chapter you will begin to notice that the platforming will get a little more tricky and you will have to begin to get more creative on how you will collect all the stars and then save your sweetheart.
While you are playing through each of the levels there will be keys for you to find and the more keys you find, the more bonus levels you will have unlocked for you to play. This addition of keys to the game adds a lot of replay value as you will be going back from level to level to see if you can collect all the keys.
Visuals
The graphics for the game are cartoon and simplistic yet it works with the game’s cooler colors and shades they decided to use. Everything in the game runs well as I never did experience an issue with lag or any bugs and/or glitches. It is a great app that shows how to use coloring in the best way possible.
Along with the good graphics, they also give you the option to change your character visually. In order to obtain the costumes, you must first collect enough coins in the game to purchase them or you can buy more coins by doing an in-app purchase for them.
Audio
The audio is just what you’d expect from an iOS game. With the games unique melodic soundtrack, you come to feel a sense of peace and serenity from the game (think Viva Pinata). If you aren’t one for peaceful music then they make up for it in the games FX in which you can hear anything ranging from what sounds like a xylophone to just about any other sound they would use in old cartoons. Sadly, I cannot say the same for the character audio. Whenever you jump or do other actions like that, the voice he makes sounds fuzzy and too high pitched.
Overall
One Tap Hero is definitely a game I would go and check out if you are the type of person that enjoys a good clean platformer. It will give you what you asked for, a game that requires only one tap to play it. While the game isn’t challenging at first, it will slowly progress and get more difficult as you continue to play through the various levels. This game does have its issues though with the terrible audio used for the main characters voice and the story.
For only ninety-nine cents, it is safe to say that you get your money’s worth from this game. Now all we have to do is wait for number two to come out.
FanExpo is the biggest convention for a variety of geek culture ranging from comic books to gaming in Canada and the third largest of its kind in North America. Capsule Computers was on site for this big event. The convention started at 3pm with a big cheer on Thursday, August 23rd as the lines were opened and people started flowing into the convention hall. Hall G was reserved for celebrity Q&A and the rest of the halls were opened into a giant space for exhibitors, vendors, artist alleys, and a gaming floor.
On the gaming side, Microsoft had a hands-on demo of Halo 4 that had some of the longest lines outside of the lineups to get into the celebrity Q&A panel. Ubisoft had brought demos of some of their biggest upcoming games including Wii U, Just Dance 4, and Assassin’s Creed III. WB Games brought in big titles such as Batman Arkham City Armoured Edition, Scribblenauts, and Injustice: Gods Among Us. Sony had plenty of games to try, but the biggest draw was Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale.
Multiple gaming tournaments were running on site, including the iGO3D Battlefield 3 tournament that was part gaming tournament and part research project for Interactive Games Ontario 3D. This tournament featured new 3d technology that is a vast improvement on the 3d quality shipped with Battlefield 3 retail copies. Traditional non digital platform gamers were also represented, with a busy game room. EB Games set up a whole giant store offering pre orders for the latest big titles, tons of popular games, and lots of freebies. Pen and Paper RPG campaigns were going full swing alongside TCG players. Several impromptu Magic the Gathering games popped up in the hallways at Fan Expo.
Thursday brought comic legend Stan Lee and Darth Vader actor David Prowse in celebrity Q&A sessions. Friday brought Jamie Bamber who plays Lee Adam on Battlestar Galactica, Levar Burton of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Reading Rainbow fame, and one of the most hotly anticipated Q&A of the day, John Rhys-Davies.
The cosplayers were a little thin in numbers on Thursday, but came rushing out in full force on Friday. Steam punk, anime, gaming, comics, goth, and Lolita fandom were all represented at the con, including some incredibly detailed armour work.
Fan Expo 2012 kicked off with a slower day on Thursday and picked up intensity come Friday. Initially I had my reservations about starting the convention on a Thursday versus the traditional Friday. But the quieter Thursday turned out to be a great idea, giving people plenty of time to get their shopping done early and have many opportunities to deal with shorter lines to test some of the hottest up-coming games. Most cosplayers chose to do this out of costume, allowed them some uninterrupted convention time. Friday was a whirlwind of activity with larger crowds and tons of excellent cosplayers. Overall, a great start to Fan Expo 2012.
Check out all the photos from both Thursday and Friday in the Gallery below or on our Facebook Page here (FACEBOOK FAN EXPO GALLERY PHOTOS)
Welcome to Capsule Computers’ weekly anime segment, Anime Say! This week, I dive into a topic that many shonen anime fans have been discussing over the past year, what is better: Hunter x Hunter 1999 or Hunter x Hunter 2011?
