In this weeks episode of the amazing Capsule Computers podcast, we are all sitting around and taking a shave. What does our faces think of this? What do you all at home think of this? What’s better to shave with, soap or shaving cream? Maybe it’s better not to shave with anything at all?
Cast: Dustin Spencer, Luke Halliday, Philip Federico and your amazing host: Benjamin Webb.
Music for this podcast is from: Megaman X and Megaman X 3 Remix (found here).
Thanks for listening and let us know what you think!
Send all your video game or podcast questions, hints, suggestions, answers to questions and feedback to [email protected]
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
Due to a miscommunication with Razer, we are not giving away Electra’s this week. However, next week will be doing new giveaways, so stay tuned.
Each week, thanks to Razer, we will be giving away a prize a week competition held through Capsule Computers Gaming Podcast.
To win, simply listen to the podcast for the weekly question and SPECIAL CODE, once you have it send us an email with your name and address to [email protected], make sure you include the secret code. At the end of the week, a winner will be randomly selected from the pool of entries. The winner will then be announced on the next podcast.
Thanks for listening. Copyright Capsule Computers Pty Ltd – All Rights Reserved.
All Other Samples Are Copyright And Property Of Their Official Copyright Holders.
Shangri-La Part 1 Studio: GONZO Publisher: Madman / FUNimation Format: DVD Release Date: August 21, 2012 – US, November 28, 2012 Price:$59.95 –Available Here
Overview: Everyone has issues in their life and the world has plenty of problems in and of itself. To help people escape from worrying about every day issues various media forms have thrived on offering viewers and users a chance to escape into a world unlike their own, usually with either fantastical elements that are impossible in our reality.
However every so often there comes a title that takes these real world issues and puts them to the forefront. One such anime is the sci-fi anime Shangri-La. Originally created as a light novel back in 2004, the books received an anime adaptation in 2009 courtesy of Gonzo. Fast forward three years and we have an intriguing anime unlike what fans are usually treated to in North America. Does Shangri-La offer an enjoyable and interesting viewing experience or should it be cast aside?
Story: Many years in the future the world is undergoing severe levels of global warming and an international committee has decided that the only way to reduce the CO2 emissions that the world is making is to shift to an economy that involves trading carbon instead of money. After the shift to carbon trading and carbon taxes have been levied against every country in the world, Japan suffers a terrible earthquake which manages to utterly destroy parts of the country.
With the carbon tax preventing them from rebuilding effectively, Tokyo is left to change into a jungle city that will help absorb some of the carbon dioxide from the world while the rest of Japan is made into one of the poorest countries in the entire world. However a project has been organized to rebuild Tokyo and create a new government in the fallen nation.
The members of the organization call their plan Project Atlas. While Project Atlas may be a saving grace for the Japanese public, there is one small issue with this plan… the fact that only three and a half million people can enter the revitalized city while the rest of the citizens must be left outside in the vicious jungles teeming with danger and hardship. This creates an immediate class separation between the elites living in Atlas and the refugees in the jungle, which happens to be a rather interesting plot point given the way that protests in North America have been occurring between the 99% and 1% over the past year.
Our story follows a teenage girl named Kuniko Hojo who has just been let loose from a girls detention center in Duomo where she was kept for the last two years. You see, Kuniko happens to be the granddaughter of the leader of Metal Age, an anti-government organization who is trying to take down the company running the Atlas project and open up the city to everyone. Shortly after her release she is told that she is going to become the new leader of Metal Age when her grandmother Nagiko Hojo hands down the reigns.
When the Atlas Security Corps suddenly attack Duomo while blaming them for an unknown incident, Kuniko jumps at the chance to fight against the Atlas forces once again. However when Kuniko uses her signature boomerang weapon to attack the leader of the forces, a man named Kunihito Kusanagi, he blocks her attack with a dagger. For an unknown reason, when their weapons hit each other strange black dots appear above Duomo and rain destruction upon everyone. With dark forces moving within Atlas and the mysterious resonations of Kunihito and Kuniko’s weapons, many questions are left to the viewer.
It is worth noting that the first half of Shangri-La often spends most of its time introducing characters from both factions and introducing a number of plot points. This does create a very complex storyline which requires the viewer to pay close attention to what is happening or else they will easily lose track of what is happening at any given time. Most of the attention in Part 1 is paid to Kuniko and her friends as they try to survive in the jungle that is now Tokyo.
Shangri-La Part 1 does leave off on a decent cliffhanger, though considering Part 2 was released alongside the first half of the series, those who are eager to continue watching the series won’t have to wait at all. While a few questions are answered in Part 1, most of the plot seems to be building up to large events in the second half of the series. It is already evident however that the story so far does tend to feel a bit heavy handed, like they are attempting to force too many plotlines together within a twenty four episode series.
Visuals: It is quite obvious from the get-go that a lot of attention has been paid to Shangri-La’s environment and backgrounds. With the story taking place in a dystopian future where Japan has been devastated by earthquakes and abandoned by most of the world, the stark contrasts between the revitalized city of Atlas and Duomo are a sight to behold.
Unfortunately the same cannot quite be said for the series’ action animation. While the characters themselves are detailed well enough and given great animation, whenever the series begins to bring heavy action into the picture the quality of the animation as a whole falls slightly, though not enough to ruin the sequences, they are often noticeable.
Audio: Shangri-La: Part 1, and therefore Part 2 which was released alongside this one, has been given a full English dub by FUNimation. For those who prefer the Japanese dub you will be comforted to know that this release does contain both audio tracks. The English voice work has been handled well for the most part, though not quite as well as viewers have come to expect from FUNimation’s releases. It is worth noting that kudos should be given to Kent Williams as his character Momoko is certainly one that isn’t encountered, let alone portrayed in English, in anime often.
The soundtrack of the first half of Shangri-La is a bit hit and miss with when it comes to the background music. While Shangri-La contains some rather impressive musical tracks it is also full of rather bland and expected music that simply doesn’t add much to the experience as a whole. As for the opening and closing songs, they are quite entertaining and suitable sounding for the series.
The opening song “Kimi Shinitamou Koto NaKare” by popular artist May’n is your standard fast J-Pop song set to get the viewer eager for the show while the main ending song “Hajimari no Asa ni Hikari Are” by Midori is calming and slow-paced. It is worth noting that the second ending theme for the series does appear in Part 1 and is also by Midori. “Tsuki ni Kakuseshi Chou no Yume” features the same slow pace and tone as Asa ni Hikari, though the difference between the lyrics of the songs is noticeable and appreciated for those who enjoy anime styled music.
Extras: With the release of Shangri-La Part 1, the package comes with an actual chipboard case that will allow the buyer to store both Part 1 and Part 2 together in one package, with the chipboard case featuring some impressive artwork. There are also plenty of bonus features besides your standard inclusions, which are trailers for past and upcoming FUNimation releases, a clean version of the opening song and both clean ending songs. One of these bonus features is a short mock promo video for a show called “Magical Gina the Akiba Fairy.” The video itself is still in Japanese but is still entertaining enough as a minor diversion from the main series.
Besides those inclusions there are also two commentaries included with this release for episodes 1 and 10. Both of these commentaries are packed full of people, with Tyler Walker, the ADR Director and Line Producer, running both commentaries. In episode 1 he is joined by Kent Williams, the voice of Momoko, Lindsay Seidel, the voice of Kuniko, and Austin Tindel who happens to be the voice of Kunihito. Episode 1’s commentary is entertaining enough, especially with the fact that Kent voiced the aforementioned transsexual character Momoko.
Episode 10’s commentary features Tyler Walker joined by Anastasia Munoz the voice of Sayoko, Apphia Yu who handles the voice of Mikuni, and Randy Perlman the voice of Miko. This commentary is not quite as entertaining as the first, though still mildly enjoyable, and it is worth noting that these commentaries should be watched after viewing the first half is over, as it can spoil parts of future episodes.
Overall: Shangri-La Part 1 introduces us to a world with plenty of issues hauntingly similar to what we’ve experienced in real life. Not only is the premise of global warming weighing on the world now, with the hottest summer in North America ever, but the war between Atlas and Metal Age bears a striking resemblance to recent protests in the US. To make things even more eerie, two years after the anime aired Japan was hit by a devastating earthquake and tsunami.
As for the series itself, the complex storyline and various connections the plot has to real life events make for an enjoyable viewing experience. While only Part 1 has been released so far, it is fairly evident that the complex web of storylines spun in Shangri-La may quickly turn into a tangled storyline full of plot holes. Still, Shangri-La Part 1 offers engaging characters unlike what most anime viewers are accustomed to while also offering a compelling, albeit convoluted, story.
Sims expansion packs always bring brand new content into the core game and of cause with this new Supernatural themed expansion pack, EA’s brings new playable creatures to the game. Capsule Computers spoke to The Sims 3 Assistant Producer Megan Myers on just what to expect from The Sims 3 Supernatural.
In the new expansion pack, players can create their supernatural Sims directly from Create-A-Sim, so players can experience the full game right off the bat.“While there have been supernatural creatures in Sims games in the past, you had to do a lot of work to get them. With vampires in Late Night, you had to befriend one and get them to turn you. It was complicated” Myers says.
Myers also added that “the new pack is totally awesome with what we’ve done with the supernatural creatures. They haven’t been in a Sims game for a while and it’s something that fans have really wanted us to bring back. It’s also something that’s really relevant in pop culture right now.”
Playing though the game, it seemed quite strange to see a zombie, werewolf, vampire, witch, fairy, ghost and zombie all living in the same house, all under one roof. Myers says that’s something the team had been working hard on; bring the supernatural creatures out of their mythical culture and folklore context and into the modern mainstream world of today. “They’re trying to fit in, they’re trying to go to school, they’re trying to get along with everyone else – they’re just a little special and a little bit different. So we really wanted to maintain that fiction” she said.
The Sims 3 Supernatural brings with it the brand new neighborhood Moonlight Falls, and keeping in line with the game’s theme – it’s not your average neighbourhood. “It looks like just another town but deep down it has its secrets” Myers added. While the game doesn’t strictly have a liner storyline, it does defiantly have a story to tell.
“There’s defiantly is a story with the characters. Through that we’ve set up the traditional werewolf vs. vampire rivalry, we’ve got all of that. It’s available for players that want it, but it’s not a linear experience – werewolves don’t have to hate vampires and the player can’t do anything about it.” She also says there will definitely be more than a few familiar cameos to those who have played previous Sims games before, and that they’re are definitely things for keen eyed players to discover.
Speaking of the new creatures, Myers shed some light to the newest addition The Sims – the fairies. “The designer who was working the Fairies did a lot of fairy tale research and tried to bring out a lot of those elements from the stories out into the game,” she stated. The fairies are very mysterious yet at the same time, complete tricksters who love to pull pranks and cast spells on other Sims.
The Sims 3 Supernatural is set to be released for PC and Mac on September 4 in North America, September 6 in Europe, and internationally on September 7.
About a month ago us here at Capsule Computers were invited to the super secret EA office in Sydney to preview the upcoming expansion pack for The Sims 3, The Sims 3 Supernatural Expansion Pack. This expansion pack adds a bunch of new gameplay dynamics and options to the ever customisable Sims universe. Whilst a lot of the additions are superficial, many of them also directly affect the gameplay of the game, mixing things up and creating a new way for the player to interact with their Sims.
For those of you who have never heard of The Sims, it is essentially a franchise of games that allows players to construct various artificially intelligent people and have them interact in a virtual world. This means getting them into relationships with other Sims, as well as engaging in activities within the games world. This latest expansion pack takes The Sims into a new and fantastical supernatural world filled with magic, Vampires, Werewolves, Fairies and even more. Fans of The Sims and supernatural kinds of fantasies will want to read on to find out more.
The first thing that I want to talk about is how you begin the game in this new expansion. Much like previous The Sims expansion packs, Supernatural will require you to begin a new town when you start it. So you begin in much the same way as you would any other Sims game, by creating a family and then setting them loose on a household somewhere. The twist here is that you can create individual Sims with various Supernatural abilities and races. For instance, if you wanted a Vampire Sim, you are finally able to do so. In the full release, players will be able to create Sims as the following – Vampires, Werewolves, Fairies, Ghosts, Wizards and Witches.
Once you build your Sims and give them some abilities and stuff, it’s time to set them out on the world. Fortunately this is where things start to get a bit more familiar. Ultimately, this is a The Sims game, and as a result, not too much has deviated from this formula. Your Sims still function much like regular Sims but with some new interaction options, as well as things in the city that are now Supernatural themed.
Anyway, so you’ve picked out a house for your Sims and now it’s time to do some magic. First things that you will probably notice are all the new magic-themed items that you are able to decorate your house with. Some of these are also functional, for example, you have the alchemists table which you can use to brew potions to alter your Sims stats and behaviours. These can also be traded, if I recall correctly, to other players.
The town that your Sims now live in, Moonlight Falls, has a bunch of new Supernatural hangouts for Sims to enjoy. For example, the Vampires have their own club, The Werewolves have a tavern to enjoy and the Fairies have a pretty lot somewhere in town in which to congregate. The Sims can also visit the local library, which can level their Alchemy skills and allow them to do some research. Also, sometimes some travelers will come through the town.
One of the cool things I noticed in the game is that sometimes some dark creatures will come by your lot. I also noticed a bunch of other cool stuff like this Magic Mirror thing that allows for you to customise your Sims even after you have already created them.
During our play through, we had a pre-built lot with a bunch of Sims that we watched the creation of. The cast was diverse, with one Sim of each type. I have to say that aside from a couple of gimmicks with the interaction dial, not too much has changed on a Sim level with this expansion pack. Much like expansion packs of the past, the core of The Sims gameplay remains the same, whilst the expansion pack adds an entire new theme to it. And in this instance, it is the theme of a Supernatural town.
Of course, not every item in this game is Supernatural. The expansion back also allows you to use items found in the default Sims 3 game, thus giving you a plethora of items that are pretty normal looking. The best way to think of this expansion pack, in my opinion, is to think of it like in the Harry Potter books/films. Everything is pretty normal, but you also have the magic stuff in addition to that.
The one race that I was kind of looking forward to fiddling around with were the Fairies. Now, as a Zelda fan myself, I was kind of hoping that you could use them to, like, heal other Sims or catch them in bottles. Unfortunately, there is no Fairy catching in this game, however, Fairies do give some Fairy powder. So there’s a consolation there, I guess.
What I didn’t really pick up on while playing the game was that the Werewolf characters don’t become full-out hairy dog men. In fact, I had no idea that my Werewolf character was even in Werewolf form until it was pointed out to me. I just though that his lurch and weirdness was because he had the ability to to transform into a wolf, not because he already had.
Overall this latest expansion pack The Sims 3 Supernatural Expansion Pack is shaping up to be an amazing addition to the The Sims franchise. It adds a plethora of new features and items to the games inventory, as well as giving players new ways to interact with their Sims. I also think that players will enjoy the new Sim creation options and will find plenty of replayability with all of the new additions to the game. This is definitely an expansion pack designed for fans of the series, as well as those that particularly enjoy supernatural themed books and media. This will probably be a must-buy pack.
Bohemia Interactive has just announced the latest feature in the Carrier Command remake, Carrier Command: Gaea Mission. This latest announcement is for the new 3D vision for nVidia users. On the latest addition, the Executive Producer had this to say –
“Supporting 3D Vision reaffirms the philosophy behind our game’s ‘NVIDIA: The Way It’s Meant to be Played’ label. Although personal preference will always be a factor, I think for many it will be part of the optimal experience and draw them even deeper into our game”, said Executive Producer Jan Kunt.
The game is going to have a booth at the upcoming Gamescom event and will have a playable demo available for the industry. Be sure to check out the official site for more info.
Fans of the Metal Gear series of video games will be pleased to know that Konami have launched a new website to commemorate the 25th year of Metal Gears existence. The site appears to be a portal dedicated to keeping fans informed about things to do with the 25th Anniversary of the series’ life.
The thing that appears to be going to recieve the most coverage will be Hideo Kojima’s world tour, where he will be going around and talking about his top selling series. It has also been revealed that a new update to the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots game will be getting a new patch that will add 34 new trophies to the title. The classic Metal Gear Solid has also been reduced to $8.45.
Not too long ago, Capcom released Street Fighter X Tekken into stores. Yes, the game was good and fighting fans jumped for joy at the chance to put these legends head to head, but a dark cloud has loomed over the title since arriving earlier this year. You see, these 12 new fighters were already on disc, and will be included for free whenever Capcom release the Vita version in a short time. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that this on disc DLC is one of the reasons that the game’s sales have not been too spectacular, but with the constant sales and price-drops on the game thus far, this DLC might just be worthy of a purchase as of now. Let’s take a look at what’s inside.
Now, these are not new characters by any means, but they are new to this particular game, and a good number of these returning faces are worthy additions to any player’s roster.
On the Street Fighter side, we have Blanka, Guy, Elena, Cody, Sakura, and Dudley. Tekken fans will also be elated as Lei Wulong, Alisa Bosconovitch, Bryan Fury, Christie Monteiro, Jack-X, and Lars Alexandersson have been added in to balance both sides. I know twelve characters may not seem like a lot, but when you consider that some titles put a price tag of 400 points for just one character, this is still a good value, “locked DLC” or not.
Of course the added variety is sure to bring back those who put down the game, as each of these combatants feel very different from the next and largely expand what a hardcore fan can sharpen up on. There are also a good number of differences between how certain characters controlled in Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition compared to SFxT due to the balancing in place, which does give another good reason to check out this expansion of sorts. For instance, Elena (who is making her long time return to the Street Fighter series) is strong in her aerial combat, and can quickly pummel a foe if you can learn those precious combos. Blanka, one of my own personal favorites has gotten some love as well, balancing out the once close combat only character into something much more formidable. Yes, nearly every member of this pack are new to Street Fighter X Tekken, but aside from some balancing, most will find that these familiar faces still retain their charms and for the most part…feel more of the same.
Even with the six Street Fighter participants involved, the true flavor of this package comes with the other half. Jack-X is of course an odd inclusion due to his sheer size alone, but Capcom have brought him in to this new engine with sheer finesse. Remember how Sentinel controlled? Well, Jack-X is more like that. Bryan Fury is also a top tier contender for the Tekken side with the ability to storm through opponents with powerful ranged techniques due to his long limbs. Lei, Lars, Christie, and Alisa are also quite complex, but even after quite a bit of time with each I feel I have yet to scratch the surface of their abilities.
As you can see, there really isn’t any watered down introductions within this pack, as each feel just as important as the original roster. Yes, the ethics of all of these characters being locked away on the disc can still be disputed, but the value and variety is here. Street Fighter X Tekken was hyped for a long time, and it’s sad to see that so many fighting fans have shelved the game this early on considering the quality behind it. With that said, I honestly think that this DLC offers plenty of reason to revisit the grand battle between brands yet again and is still worth that asking price – regardless of the controversy.
As Mario would say… LETSA GO!!! The new Super Mario Bros.2 will be launching this Saturday the 18th of August for the Nintendo 3DS, and what better way to celebrate than to head down to The Nintendo Experience in Melbourne for a golden afternoon of fun and games.
If you’re located in Melbourne check out the details for where, when and what’s going to happen on the day:
Where: The Nintendo Experience, EB Games, 67 Swanston St When: Saturday 18th August, 12pm – 3pm What: Gameplay, Trivia, Prizes, Competitions, StreetPass, Cosplay, Mario appearances, FUN!
The what part above sounds like fun, with Nintendo advising that there will be prizes to be won all throughout the afternoon with Mario Trivia and give-aways, plus if you think you’ve got what it takes you can also put your skills to the test in the new Super Mario Bros. 2 Coin Challenge!
Anyone attending will also have a chance to experience and play Super Mario Bros. 2 on the new Nintendo 3DS XL which will be launching on the 23rd of August (the XL as mentioned in previous articles is boasts a 90% larger screen that the Nintendo 3DS)
And don’t forget while you’re there you can also take advantage of the StreetPass feature and pick up some more Mii’s, complete any puzzles you still might need and also try and finish a StreetPast Quest or two. So if you’re in Melbourne on Saturday 18th August make sure you head on down and enjoy the day and maybe win a prize or two along the way. YIPEEE!!!
An allege Xbox Durango Development Kit has been sold on Ebay for $20,100. A total of 43 bids were confirmed for the black tower PC looking device which may or may not be the Xbox 360’s successor. The listing by Ebay user ‘superdae’ describes the item as used and:
This item comes with powercables, and a wired controller.
Most defiantly an exciting description.
Now two things can come of this. It’s proven to be fake which is probably the most likely outcome, as development kits are strictly controlled and monitored.
However with that said, remember that guy who lost the iPhone 4 prototype in a bar back in 2010? Yeah strictly controlled and monitored…
However if this listing proves to be real (which is highly unlikely) we could learn the upcoming console’s specific tech details and hardware capabilities in full.
Spoiling Microsoft’s big unveil at a future press conference.
Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends Developer: Slightly Mad Studios Publisher: Atari (US), Bluemouth Interactive (AU) Platforms: Playstation 3 (reviewed), Xbox 360, PC Release Dates: 3/07/2012 (US), 15/08/2012 (AU) Price:
Overview
In 1929, a man by the name of Enzo Ferrari founded Scuderia Ferrari for motorsports. In 1947, the business expanded into street legal cars. In 2012, Slight Mad Studios brings the world Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends. Published by Atari, Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends brings out sixty five years of Ferrari into one video game. The slick look of the cars are accompanied by the beautiful sound of their roaring engines. However, will a few flaws stall the game like stalling a manual car?
Gameplay
Realism is the name of this racing game as Slightly Mad offers something for the veteran racer. The cars do feel good to drive. Handling is a mixed bag, depending on the car chosen to drive with, but most are good, since Ferrari do offer excellent cars with great handling. There is a sense of being behind the wheel of these cars as they are taken on the tracks. What is done right here, though, can be hindered at the same time. Driving aids are available for those who are not so skilled with racing games, as well as lower difficulty levels to be more accessible. The driving aids can get in the way with enjoyment, which is a real shame.
The main mode of gameplay is the campaign mode. In this mode, the player relives the glory days of Ferrari through three different eras. The Golden Era (1947-1973) covers the beginning of the Ferrari juggernaut with cars such as the 125 S and 125 F, their first F1 car. The next era, the Silver Era (1974-1990) goes into the age of the Testarossa and the F40. The third and final age, the Modern Era (1991-2011) brings the more modern cars such as the Spider and the Enzo into the player’s focus. Each era has a set of missions that must be completed, complete with a main objective and a bonus objective. This should have been the crowning jewel of the game, seeing that the player goes through the existence of Ferrari. However, the whole campaign just feels shallow. The objectives do vary but they will repeat often. The story tacked on every era wasn’t necessary either. It didn’t give any motivation to complete the mission and felt too basic. With that said, it is necessary to complete it as it is the only way to actually unlock all of the locked cars and tracks for use in the other modes.
Speaking of the other modes, Test Drive offers more modes for the player to indulge in. Of course, quick race is available, where the player simply jumps into a race. Of course, the car, tracks, opponents and time of day can be chosen by the player. The ability to choose the type of cars used can also be chosen, although that is limited in itself. Players can also go through a time trial with similar options available. Multiplayer is also available, but this is where it becomes a little unforgiving. It isn’t the gameplay during multiplayer, it is the fact it is only online multiplayer, so anyone with a desire to play split-screen will be out of luck. The split screen multiplayer is staple in the racing genre and for Test Drive to forgo that is surprising. If there is split screen, then it is not made clear, which is also disappointing.
Another problem also seems to be the difficulty level, especially in the campaign mode. While the beginning of the Golden Era does its job into easing in the player, down the line, there will be a sudden spike in difficulty, even on the easiest difficulty. There is really only one way to describe this particular element of game design: poor. It is punishing for someone to have it easy at the beginning only for the difficulty to take a sharp spike upwards, increasing frustration for the player. The player is supposed to ease into an increased difficulty. If the player feels that the crash is because of their poor driving, that happens to be a good thing. Frustration occurs when the game is to blame.
Visuals and Audio
The visuals for Test Drive Ferrari aren’t as spectacular as watching a F430 speeding down the straight, but still holds itself. The detail of the body work of the cars is quite amazing as they recreate the famous cars to the finest detail. The tracks aren’t bad either, with some of them looking spectacular. However, the heads up display (or HUD) is scattered all over the screen. Too much information that isn’t required cluster around the screen, providing an annoyance. The guys at Slightly Mad, however, did allow the simple press of the d-pad to turn off the HUD, providing the player with a clear frontal view of the track. The menus are quite basic. What is also quite important for the cars is how they sound. Ladies and gentlemen, Slightly Mad has nailed the sounds of Ferrari. The roar of the engines is beautiful for the car loving gamer. It is done so well, one could create the Ferrari symphony just using the sounds made in the game. Outside of the cars, the music isn’t too bad. Pretty stocky, actually.
Overall
It’s hard to recommend Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends for anyone who isn’t exactly a fan of both the racing genre and the Ferrari brand and that is still a stretch. While the gameplay brings realism to the beautiful cars, it is missing the fun of driving at 250km/h, a feat no game can bring when compared to actually driving one. The tracks are beautifully recreated, but the campaign feels shallow with repetitive objectives and the spike in difficulty, even in the easiest setting. A lack of a real showcase section in the game is minor, but it is a game full of Ferrari cars. While those who love realism in the driving games will enjoy the collection of Ferrari cars and the game, it may not be the game for anyone else.
