Page 5255 – Capsule Computers

Golgo 13 Part 1 Review

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July 1, 2012

Golgo 13 Part 1
Studio: The Answer Studio
Publisher: Siren Visual
Format: DVD
Release Date: May 24, 2012
Price: $49.95 – Available Here

Overview:
What is it about murderers that we find so interesting? Is it that subconscious wish-fulfilment? Do we all have a form of darkness inside of us that is attracted to murderous characters such as Duke Togo? Perhaps we do. Golgo 13 is an anime series that toys with that wish-fulfilment, placing viewers behind the scope of Duke Togo’s sniper rifle and front row and centre for his assassinations. But does it ever let us into the mind of the man known as Golgo 13?

Story:
Golgo 13 followers the titular assassin Duke ‘Golgo 13’ Togo through various different assassinations. The series plays out similar to a mystery series with each a lot of standalone style episodes focusing on a ‘kill of the week’ while others lace in some of what appears to be an overarching storyline. It has all the makings of what could be a brilliant series, but it lacks one pivotal thing – humanity.

Unfortunately I found Golgo 13 to be a very difficult show to connect with and at times watching it was rather tedious. This is due mostly to the emotionless protagonist. Togo is essentially an empty shell of a man with very little qualms with his actions. He is a monstrous killer and the show doesn’t spend much time pondering the morality of this man. Instead it spends far to much time glorifying his actions with out so much as a look into the man behind the gun.

There is no real connective tissue between Golgo 13 and the audience. It keeps viewers at a distance and only allows them to observe, not to feel involved with the world of Golgo 13. This is a major misstep as there is really a noticeable disconnect between the series and the audience watching it. You can not relate to Togo because we don’t really know anything about the man, he is simply a cold killer with little to no humanity. Perhaps this was the intention with his character but it results in a great level of difficulty on the viewers part in actually caring about the goings on in this series.

This is still the first of what appears to be several parts of Golgo 13, so there is still some hope that things will change and there will be some evolution in the plot and characters (with over 50 episodes, you’d want to hope so!). Sadly though this first part of the series was utterly droll and colourless, there is nothing to connect to and the only thing remotely interesting is the manly bravado of it all. If manly bravado is the only thing a series has going for it, what more can you get from the series other than shallow fleeting gratification? The answer is, nothing.

Visuals and Audio:
The Answer Studio don’t get a lot of work and for good reason. This series is just so unappealing both visually and aurally. It repulses even when it’s not focused on violence, due largely to it’s ugly animation and character designs which are more American than Japanese in structure. The entire experience as a whole is a repellent. It is both bland and muted, with no imagery worth batting an eyelash at and music just as substandard.

There is no creativity here, with washed out visuals lacking the slightest hint of a flare and a soundtrack that is so pedestrian it would make you want to take one of Togo’s bullets to the head. The entire production is severely lacking with an apparent lack of interest from The Answer Studio. There is truly nothing worth seeing here, unless you’re into meandering in a dank swamp for fun.

Extras:
Golgo 13 Part 1 does not feature any bonus content to speak of. However in the past Siren Visual has packaged special features in the last volume of a series so that is always a possibility for Golgo 13. Unfortunately though this first part of the series really could’ve used some extras to compensate for the middling effort of the show itself.

Overall:
It’s a shame that such a well respected franchise as Golgo 13 made for such a mediocre anime series. There is very little in Golgo 13 that is redeeming and it really is a perfect example of potential gone to waste. Perhaps in the hands of another studio this could’ve turned out better, but alas that was not the case.

But it’s not all bad, this is the first of what appears to be several collections of this series, so there is still hope that things will pick up with the next few collections. Well, you know what they say, first impressions matter most. It may be too little too late if it does pick up in quality for Golgo 13 and by all rights it shouldn’t have to take so many episodes to ‘get good’ any ways.

All in all, Golgo 13 Part 1 is a disappointment. It just fails on the most basic levels and doesn’t bother to be fun or meaningful, instead resolving to simply exist as some kind of ill-conceived showcase of violence and manly bravado. It may get better with the collections to come, the keyword being ‘may’. As sad as it is to say, anime fans need to watch Golgo 13 as much as they need a bullet in the head. Golgo 13 never allows viewers into Duke Togo’s world. It only allows you to watch from afar with slack-jawed disinterest, because it doesn’t care to strive for anything more. This series treats it’s audience like Togo’s victims and that is it’s greatest mistake.

Resident Evil 6 Collector’s Edition Priced Worldwide

Evan Brander-Jones

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July 1, 2012

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Earlier this week Capcom announced the Collector’s Edition for Resident Evil 6 for Australia and New Zealand, but never gave a price for it. Capcom has now revealed that the Collector’s Edition will cost 160.79AU. The same Collector’s Edition will also be available in Europe for €129.99 or £104.77.

Capcom has yet to say whether or not North America will be getting this Collector’s Edition or something similar. North America can however look forward to Resident Evil 5 Anthology on the PlayStation 3 and Resident Evil 6 Archives on Xbox 360 which will cost $89.99 each. Currently only GAME has the collector’s edition for pre-order, EB games Australia and JB Hi-FI should have online pre-orders available shortly. What do you think is the Resident Evil 6 Collector’s edition a good price?

Hetalia: World Series Part 2 Review

Travis Bruno

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July 1, 2012

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Hetalia: World Series Part 2
Studio: Studio Deen
Publisher: FUNimation
Release Date: July 3, 2012
Price: $34.98 – Available Here

Overview:
It is very rare to find an anime that has become popular all over the world. It is even rarer to find such an anime that isn’t of the shōnen genre. However there has been one series which has not only performed spectacularly well in Japan but has accrued a massive fan base in a number of other countries. This series has spawned three full anime seasons as well as a full-length movie so far, and now FUNimation has brought the fourth season to English fans.

The series I’m speaking of is Hetalia: Axis Powers, a series that puts a bit of a different twist on the entire world. Now that FUNimation has brought the fourth season of Hetalia, titled Hetalia: World Series Part 2 (the fourth overall season to Hetalia) to stores; is it just as great as the rest of the series has been so far?

Story:
One of the most interesting aspects of Hetalia is the fact that rather than creating original characters out of thin air, every character that is shown on screen is the anthropomorphism of a country. Originally the series began with a heavy emphasis on the events based around World War I and World War II and involved only the countries which were involved in those conflicts, with the Axis Powers: Italy, Germany and Japan interacting with one another while the Allies: America, Britain, France, China and Russia working against them and arguing between one another.

While this setup is great in its own right, every character also sports their most prominent stereotypes and history with one another. Each of these stereotypes contributes to that character’s personality which often leads to a number of hilarious interchanges and interactions. Now after the series moved into the World Series part of the show, a large amount of new characters were introduced to viewers, such as Norway, Iceland, Finland and the Netherlands. It is unfortunate however that due to the massive overload of characters, a number of fan favorites will have fewer actual storylines, such as Chibitalia which almost has zero presence in World Series Part 2 outside of the Extras disc.

Anyone who hasn’t watched Hetalia should know that the series as a whole doesn’t have a standard storyline or any overarching plotline. Instead the series tells a number of short stories involving various countries, more often than not parodying real historic events which will be a boon for history buffs. Outside of these historic events, most of the stories follow the character’s interactions with one another, such as Germany being concerned for Japan’s health, Britain always being captured by Italy and America trying to learn more about Japan.

Now Hetalia World Series Part 2 features a number of reoccurring jokes and also introduces a new twist on the Hetalia world, Nekotalia. Nekotalia is similar to the Hetalia world, except the entire world has been turned into cats, though this is changed slightly when say, Russicat’s owner Russia appears. The combination of the standard stereotypes on the new feline countries is a sight to behold and also combines two things people love, cats and humor… especially Hetalia brand humor.

It is worth noting that there are plenty of laughs derived from a few countries’ standard stereotypes, so those who may be offended easily may not be laughing the entire time. That being said, World Series Part 2 is quite tame as far as offensive references go unless of course you happen to be French. As it stands, Hetalia may be quite vulgar at times and poke fun at plenty of different countries, but it never crosses the line into offending territory all while presenting comedic gold to the viewer.

Visuals:
Now that the Hetalia series has been running for a few seasons, the visuals of the show have improved. As with past seasons, World Series Part 2 features a very soft color palette and often morphs the cast into chibi-like forms in an effort to either show that they are talking about the past or for comedic effect during hectic scenes. These shortcuts in animation aren’t used as often during this season however, though seeing nearly all the nations as cats is something that just has to be seen.

The characters themselves are well varied, though with the abundance of characters which are shown in World Series it is easy to get a little bit lost on who is who thanks to a few characters sharing relatively similar appearances. On the other hand, country stereotypes transfer well to the each characters’ visual style, with their faces and hairstyles usually matching each country well enough.

Audio:
As one would probably expect for a series such as this, FUNimation has retained all of the same voice actors to continue on with their roles in World Series Part 2. This is positively wonderful thanks to the fact that a large part of what makes Hetalia so enjoyable and comical is the way that the characters are voiced. Now while some may choose to listen to the Japanese voice track which is included in the release, the English dub far surpasses that version thanks to the accents that the American cast is able to pull off.

As far as background music goes, the soundtrack for Hetalia: World Series Part 2 is quite simplistic and not very noticeable, though it would probably detract from the scenes if it was. Now it is unfortunate but unlike past releases, World Series Part 2 features only two different ending songs, which is the basic ending song for most episodes sung by the Japanese voice actor for Italy and the ending every half hour featuring the English voice actor for Italy singing about being in Germany.

Extras:
The release of Hetalia: World Series Part 2 comes with a number of bonus features, as the second disc is made up entirely of extra features. Now the first disc features audio commentaries for episodes 26, 32, 36, 41 and 45 from the English cast at FUNimation. These commentaries are very light hearted and enjoyable to listen to with various members of the cast chiming in per episode.

As for the second disc, there are a plethora of extras including the Hidden History of Hetalia which will go over various historical events which are parodied during the episodes as well as six minutes worth of outtakes which are amusing. Rounding out the English bonus features we have an interview with four of the English voice actors as well as two segments from past seasons, the Chibitalia segment has been included in its entirety as an extra as well as America’s storage cleaning.

Besides these English bonus features there are also a number of Japanese bonus features which only offer a Japanese voice track with subtitles. These are only slightly worth viewing, though perhaps die-hard Hetalia fans would get the biggest kick out of seeing the original cast and the creator of the show as they are interviewed and perform stage events.

Overall:
Hetalia: World Series Part 2 continues to impress with consistently entertaining jokes and a presentation that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else. Though things do tend to get a bit bogged down with the large amount of characters now running around and interacting with one another, it helps keep things from becoming stale as viewers will never know what event or country is going to be parodied next.

While it is disappointing that this may be the last Hetalia release for quite some time, as no other animation has been revealed for Japan at the moment, it is worth noting that the original creator is still working on original source material which may eventually be adapted. Until then however, fans will not be disappointed in what Hetalia: World Series Part 2 has to offer.

Indie Royale Summer Bundle Released

Jamie Laike Tsui

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July 1, 2012

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Desura and Indie Royale is celebrating the start of summer the only way they know how! Creating a massive bundle containing 9 different games and a chiptune album. Indie Royale has a moving minimum price that rises and falls based on the amount people pay for the bundle. The Summer Bundle features RTS/Tower Defence game Harvest: Massive Encounter co created by Minecraft Lead Coder Jens Bergensten, point and click adventure game The Journey Down: Chapter One, twitch FPS Serious Sam II, Japanese shoot’em’ups Gundemonium Recollection, GundeadliGne, and Hitogata Happa, arena shoot’em’up Acceleration of Suguri-X Edition, indie classic Dino Run SE, and a beta key for F2P action-FTS AirMech with a bonus Fleur de Lis pet for your AirMech. Those who pay more than $8.00 also receive the chiptune album Pixeljams Volume 1.

Katy Perry Part Of Me Review

Benjamin Webb

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July 1, 2012

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Katy Perry Part Of Me
Studio: Imagine Entertainment/ Perry/ DMG
Publisher: Paramount / Insurge Pictures
Format: Cinema
Release Date: July 2nd, 2012

Overview

Have you got what it takes to aim for the top and to reach your dreams? What are the obstacles that lay before you? Are you willing to put everything on the line to make it to the top and to reach the heights in which your dream lay?

If you answered yes to absolutely all of those questions, then you may very well be Katy Perry, one of the worlds largest and most influential pop idols. Not only is she an amazing singer and an amazing performer, she is also an inspiration to all. How do we know this? Katy’s documentary, Katy Perry Part Of Me, proves this to us by showcasing her triumph from a girl with high ambitions, to a girl achieving those ambitions whilst not sacrificing that which got her there – her friends and fans.

Be sure to read on for our review of what is, I believe, one of the most inspiring and influential films of our generation.

Story

Katy Perry Part Of Me is a documentary that focuses on the life of Katy Perry before and during her tenure as a popular idol. The movie is centered around her world tour which was held in 2011 and highlights the many highs and lows of her tour, love life and career during that period. How well the movie does this is something that I hope to have discussed within this section.

So this movie is, ultimately, a message from Katy to her fans to show them her appreciation for helping her achieve her great success at reaching her dream of performing ‘…in a sparkly dress…’ up on stage in front of the world. What I really thought emphasised this was how much of the films footage was dedicated to fan reactions, Katy’s treatment of her fanbase and more. The fact that so many portions of the film was fan-related was amazing and it really helped to build the connection between herself and those that enjoy her music.

From a story-telling perspective I really enjoyed how the film would showcase a particular live show based around a particular part of the documentary. One scene that really stands out on this is where Katy and Russel Brands separation is emphasised in the film and one of Katy’s slower and more emotive tracks comes into play. It really emphasises what’s happening to her, it’s as though she’s singing to herself about her own problems and it gives the audience a much more raw and emotion-filled experience that really enhances the entire film.

What I absolutely loved about the film though, was that it portrayed the more human side of Katy. I mean, as someone observing her life from the outside, one can easily make large and incorrect assumptions about someone who’s famous. You know things like they’ve lost touch with reality, they’re above everyone else, lost their humanity, etc, etc. However, this film really shows how greatful Katy really is to have finally achieved her dream and how she absolutely loves sharing that dream with all of her friends, family and fans. I think that this is an important aspect to stardom that people don’t really appreciate, the celebrities are still people and they still have these human emotions.

Katy Perry Part Of Me is a tale of conquest over adversity, a tale of love and a story of giving back to those that helped you achieve your dreams. I sincerely hope that people come out of this film feeling inspired to do great things and then go out and do them. If we are to learn anything from this story, it is that you can make it on your own, but it is a lot easier if you make it with friends and you absolutely do not give up on your dreams. Because baby you’re a firework/ c’mon show ’em what you’re worth/ make ’em all go, oh, oh, oh/ as you shoot across the sky.

Visuals

A lot of 3D movies have this tacked on 3D that really feels out of place with the film. Now Katy Perry Part Of Me is not one of those films. To be honest, I really liked the way the 3D in this film was utilised. For instance, the 3D was mostly used in scenes showcasing either an effect of some kind, or when a stage-show was being shown.

I mean with the on stage stuff, it’s quite amazing having, not only the perspective similar to that of somebody actually there, but also having various lasers and lights seemingly being pointed right at you as though you were actually in the audience. I feel that these kinds of effects are a brilliant use of 3D and in this particular movie, it really enhanced the entire experience.

One of the best things about this film visually is the colours utilised throughout it. Katy Perry Part Of Me is one of the most colourful films I’ve seen in a while. This is also really strange considering it is a documentary type of film, rather than a blockbuster film. Regardless, watching this film was a treat visually and I don’t think anyone will suggest that it could do all that much better.

As an aside, I just want to say that seeing Katy as an eighteen year old was something quite strange. Her features weren’t vastly different, but she somehow seems a lot different now to how she did back then. But then again, don’t we all?

Audio

There is a reason that Katy Perry is one of my most favourite artists of this generation and that is because she consistently puts out catchy and fun tunes that can be played again and again and still remain fun. Fortunately for all of us fans, Katy Perry Part Of Me consists mostly of Katy Perry’s own tunes, with the exception of the few that were showcased for the purpose of exposition.

As I stated in my story section, the film uses the musical performances to emphasise a particular point of the film. As you would have gathered after reading the above section, I felt that this worked incredibly well because it was a much more personal affair that was not just Katy telling us how she felt, it was like she was showing and telling us what was happening. Singing is what she does, and by singing the scene to us, it is as though she is including us in that scene.

The Audio is easily one of best parts of this film. Any fan of Katy Perry’s will absolutely love how the audio was utilised throughout.

Overall

I have to admit that going into the movie; I didn’t know all that much about Katy Perry’s career other than she made a few songs that I liked and that she was a sexy woman. However, after walking out of the film, I was filled with a much deeper understanding and respect for Katy as a person. She had a dream, a dream that some people might deem a little ego-centric or selfish, and not only did she achieve it with her own merits, she also achieved it and achieved it for other people.

I think this is what I absolutely loved about Katy’s experience, although it was her dream, she was sharing that dream and experience with the world which changed that preconceived selfishness to one of selflessness. Katy is a great woman and this film exemplifies that fact. Now I am not only a fan, but I feel connected to the woman through her connection to herself and her fandom. Katy Perry is an inspiration to me and after seeing this film, you will see why she has become an inspiration to you as well.

MasterAbbott’s iOS Game Suggestions #25

Philip Federico

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June 30, 2012

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Welcome back for this week’s iOS Game Suggestions. If you missed or are new to the suggestions, click on the link below and check what cool games you should be picking up for your iOS along with the introduction and disclaimer on how the suggestions work. (suggestions 1 has the disclaimer and how it all works)

MasterAbbott’s iOS Game Suggestions

A pretty good week on iTunes, as always it started slow but ended up quite reasonably, certainly a few must buy game this week in all departments, FREE, 99c and over 99c. This week i’ve suggested a total of 28 great quality titles. Break down below :

8 – FREE Games
12 – $0.99c Games
8 – Over $0.99c Games

As always for this week’s suggestions are all new titles that you should take a look at and consider spending your hard earned iTunes cash / time on. Well the Free games just below should all be given a shot as they are FREE!

NOTE MasterAbbott’s iOS Suggestion’s will be going on leave for the next 2 weeks because of E3 coverage.

For The Cheapskates – FREE GAMES

	MOLEHEART – Price : FREE – Publisher – Gamevil (Protect your kingdom from enemies as you deploy your Hero, William and his troops in this tower defense strategy game. When a jealous brother turns his back on the kingdom and sells his soul to the devil, the Underworld of the moles find themselves helpless to the ghouls and goblins that threaten them. Prince William decides to bravely lead his units into war to defend the mole-folk. Battling endless stages and challenges- help William conquer evil and restore peace to the Underworld!) on iPad & iPhone. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	Stick Tennis – Price : FREE – Publisher –Stick Sports Ltd (From the team who served up Stick Cricket®, the number one sports game in 20 countries, comes Stick Tennis™! Easy to play yet difficult to master, Stick Tennis™ offers a fast and fluid gameplay experience with SIX game modes and TEN courts from around the globe. Take on the all-time greats in World Domination, try your hand at the Daily Challenge or steer your favourite player to Slam success.) runs on iPad & iPhone. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	Crabs and Penguins – Price : FREE – Publisher –The Coca-Cola Company (Crabs and Penguins is designed to work with iPad2, the New iPad and iPhone 4S. A beautiful and epic oceanic adventure game free from Coca-Cola. Lead the Hero Crab by jumping swimming and diving. Travel from a tropical paradise through shark infested waters full of sunken pirate ships into the frigid and dangerous arctic north. Bring happiness to the penguins by returning a lost ball and collect coins and bonuses on the way by making friends with whales and polar bears. Experience six levels of gameplay through an amazing 3D oceanic world.) runs on iPad & iPhone. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	Darkside – Price : FREE – Publisher – Clockwork Pixels (Battle your way around 100’s of massive 3D asteroids, fighting hostile aliens and protecting remote mining colonies! Watch out for orbiting chunks of rock, blast them into oblivion before they destroy the mining colonies. Try to stay on the sunlit side as much as possible, the dark side of these asteroids can be pitch black and full of danger. Luckily your ship is equipped with headlights!) on iPhone & iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	Garage Inc. – Price : FREE – Publisher –Breakthrough Entertainment (Chicago 1920s. Prohibition. The Golden Age of American mobsters. Angelo Marito is a recent immigrant trying to make it in the windy city. With a loan from cousin Sal, Angelo opens up an auto garage and starts working on his American dream. Garage Inc. is a casual time management game that throws the player into the shoes of mechanic Angelo Marito as he tries to build his own auto repair business in 1928 Chicago. Guide Angelo as he struggles to balance fixing his customers’ cars, hiring employees, growing his business and dealing with the mob in this exciting time management game.) runs on iPad & iPhone. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	Dark Ring – Price : FREE – Publisher – Beeline Interactive Japan (As a mystical overlord you must assemble a force of fantasy creatures and do battle to acquire more treasure, power and servants. Collect a powerful menagerie of beast and lay waste to your enemies. Acquire servants from three different classes and equip them for battle. Undertake epic solo quests to level your forces and unleash them against other players to steal their loot.. Leverage your creatures’ strengths to your advantage. Some servants excel in battle while others increase the chances of finding rare items. Defeat bosses during quests and add them to your collection. Beautiful illustrations and epic battles More than 100 creatures to acquire!) on iPad & iPhone. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	Frisbee Forever 2 – Price : FREE – Publisher –Kiloo (Experience the rollercoaster ride of your lifetime with one of the world’s most beloved toys! Dive and glide along the edge of erupting volcanoes, fly majestically above snow covered China or admire your reflection in the river glance at full pace through the European countryside. Play more than 75 creative and individually designed tracks throughout three brand new worlds booming with life. Steer your favorite Frisbee® disc skillfully with unmatched tilt or touch controls.) runs on iPad & iPhone. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	CSR Racing – Price : FREE – Publisher –Natural Motion (Race your dream car in the ultimate test: a drag race along deserted city streets. CSR Racing combines stunning, high-fidelity graphics with addictive gameplay to create a new type of racing experience. Upgrade your Audi R8, BMW M3 or Chevy Corvette with turbos, nitrous injection and aerodynamic tweaks to beat tougher and tougher opponents. And when you’re ready, it’s time to challenge the crews that rule the city. ) runs on iPad & iPhone. GET IT NOW FOR FREE

For The Bargain Hunters – 99c Games

	MASTERABBOTT’S OVER 99c PICK OF THE WEEK DEAD TRIGGER – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – MADFINGER Games (“The world has collapsed. In 2012 modern civilisation is coming to an end. Global economics have been disrupted, money has lost its value. People have risen against the ignorant politicians who were just lining their pockets – and they didn’t spare any of them. However, those who really ruled the world were prepared – and escaped. Suddenly billions of people died from a strange virus, while others turned into butcherly beasts with just one thought: TO KILL!Only a few people on the planet have survived, at least until they run out of ammo… or learn how to stop them…”) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Where’s My Perry – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Disney (Where’s My Perry is a challenging physics-based puzzler where you need to use water in all its different forms, ice, steam and liquid, to solve the puzzle. Overflowing with intuitive controls, vibrant spy-themed graphics, and best of all, lasers, you will be immersed in the world of Agent P! Perry from Phineas and Ferb is no ordinary platypus, he’s actually a semi-aquatic sleuth known as Agent P! And, you know, he SAVES THE WORLD! When summoned to headquarters by Major Monogram our fedora-rockin spy becomes stuck in his transportation tubes. Help Agent P get to headquarters for mission briefing by guiding water or steam to the generators powering the tubes.) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Squids Wild West – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – The Game Bakers (The Squids are back: bigger and better! The epic adventure continues as our band of stretchy heroes explore the underwater Wild West, fight back against the evil Black Ooze, and search for Winnick, their fallen comrade. If you don’t know SQUIDS yet, SQUIDS Wild West is a great place to start! SQUIDS Wild West has a unique mix of action strategy and RPG: build your team of heroes for challenging turn-based battles against corrupted crabs and shrimp! This sequel is even better than the original, with many surprises in store: devious new enemies, four new playable characters, and nearly twice as many levels. You can even ride seahorses into battle!) runs on iPad & iPhone. BUY NOW
	Platoonz – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Chillingo (Ten-hut! Ok soldier, some seriously bad dudes have attacked earth and it’s your mission to lead your platoon through enemy territory, punching, smashing, shooting and blowing up anything that gets in your way. Take control of a platoon of up to four soldiers of fortune using amazingly simple gesture controls and beat the epic campaign. ) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Left2Die – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Everplay (Left2Die – The greatest zombie shooter ever created, 60 Missions with more coming soon. Online Multiplayer, Tons of Guns and Characters to unlock with retina graphics.) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Neon Prime HD – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Apocolyp Software (A Neon Prime has entered our solar system. We sent our main fleet to engage it but contact has been lost. Now you are our only hope to defeat the Neon Prime and save our planet! Neon Prime is a retro style vertical space shooter with the player fighting through 5 levels and boss fights.) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Big Win Baseball – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Hothead Games Inc. (Step up to the plate and swing for the fences! It is always a guaranteed home run with Big Win Baseball, the game for everyone. CREATE your own unique dream team, COMPETE against opponents from around the world, WATCH your team battle it out on the diamond, BOOST your player’s pitching, hitting, fielding and other skills and get ready to win the Daily Pennant for the ultimate BIG WIN! ) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Zodiac Tale – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Janobe Studios (“Zodiac tale” tells the story of a hero who is immersed in an epic journey.In ancient times there was 13 signs of the zodiac. The number 13, the Dragon sign, betrayed and defeated the other 12 signs to steal their magical powers through the orbs of the zodiac, each sign had in his possession. Before the Evil Dragon finished his plan, humans with the power of the 12 signs and their orbs defeated and sealed the Dragon in a isolated island. Now the dragon has awakened and he wants his revenge!! The humanity will pay for his defeat. Only the 12 magical orbs can beat the Dragon and save the world from an era of eternal darkness. Take your shield, your Dragon Sword And start the adventure. The Fate of the World it’s in your hands.) runs on iPad. BUY NOW
	ControlCraft 2 – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Elite Games Ltd (A fast thinking RTS game, with tactic capabilities and graphics in unique style. Take over the enemy colonies to battle your way through challenging levels that call for your skill and wit. Upgrade your troop, pimp up your super weapons and smash enemies to save your Planet.) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Chasing Yello – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – dreamfab (Take an Adventurous swim in the raging river as the Chase continues! 7-year-old Mathilda lets her helpless goldfish, Yello, taste freedom in the local wild creek. Help Yello to escape Mathilda and navigate the poor fish through a rough adventure in the dangerous river filled with rocks, burning logs and piranhas! Will Yello escape, fall victim to the hazardous environment, to Mathilda’s fish net??) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Tanglers – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Chillingo (Match the alien creatures together in this fast-paced, cosmic game of pairs. Connect the Tanglers to collect them, keeping an eye on the timer. Complete levels quickly, or connect far-apart Tanglers to pick up bonus points. Super simple gameplay makes Tanglers universally accessible. Perfect for players of a all ages. Cute Tangler creatures. Beat your friends scores with Game Center leaderboards. Universal, plays great on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Doodle Fit 2: Around The World – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – NAMCO (Travel the world, solving puzzles as you go! Visit 10 countries, each with 20 puzzles based on an item or landmark from that country. Some puzzles have multiple solutions and some feature interesting facts. Play in Around the World, Time Attack and Challenge modes, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Doodle Fit 2 introduces a brand new Community section, featuring puzzles from players around the world. You can also easily draw or fit together a level of your own, give it a name, then share it with the world and your friends on Facebook and Twitter!) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW

For The Millionaires – All games over $0.99

	MASTERABBOTT’S OVER 99c PICK OF THE WEEK The Amazing Spider-Man – Price : $7.49 – Publisher – Gameloft. (Get ready for intense web-slinging action with the Amazing Spider-Man! Join Spidey in the official game app of this highly anticipated 2012 blockbuster! Play through the movie storyline as Spider-Man faces off against the Lizard and rampaging gangs. Web-sling and crawl your way through an open, fully 3D New York while using your amazing skills to save the city.) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Chicken Doom – Price : $2.99 – Publisher – Bulkypix (What happens when a primitive, under-evolved species and some almost evolved poultry covet the same ressource ? A terrible and everlasting series of conflicts named « Corn Wars » ! Biggy, a hunter and farmer, has in his possession a massive amount of a resource desired by evil space poultry: « Corn »! These vile volatiles have decided to plunder Biggy World to obtain as much Corn as possible in their crazed conquest of the universe. But the Biggies are determined to stop them… ) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Band Together – Price : $2.99 – Publisher – Backflip Studios (Welcome to “Band Together: The Unboxing” for the iPad 2 and new iPad. Simply touch a Bandi, and drag him where you want to go. Remember to keep all your Bandies well lit so they don’t fall asleep, and steer clear of thumbtack death machines, pencil pit traps, baseball boulders, and more. Figure out how to reach the popsicle stick pressure plates and miniature switches that open the trapdoors, retract the pencil walls, and move up the platforms that will get the bandies to the exit. Part puzzle game, part adventure- all painfully cute fun for your iPad 2 and the new iPad!) runs on iPad. BUY NOW
	Bee In A Bubble – Price : $1.99 – Publisher – Ovine By Design (What do you get when you cross a Bee with a Bubble? We’re not quite sure but it might be Bee in a Bubble, the retro-tastic maze racing adventure through many hazardous hives. You control our hero Bee in a Bubble and help him find his way to the exit in each level. Bee always flies up, so rotate your world to guide him through each maze. Beware of sharp edges that will burst your bubble! Each hive has a limited time for Bee to complete its levels. If Bee runs out of time in one level, simply revisit a previous level to get a better time. Get to the end of each hive to race the queen bee to the end goal and become King Bee (in a bubble).) runs iPad & iPhone. BUY NOW
	Bridge The Gap 2 HD – Price : $2.99 – Publisher – Monster Robot Studios. (Return to Buccaneer Bay and set sail with everyone’s favorite Pirate, Captain Sneer! Bridge the Gap 2 HD has a boat-load of Puzzling, Pirating Adventure for all ages! Bridge the Gap 2 HD Features: 50 levels, across 5 beautifully designed islands! The Learning Curve Cove, GlupGop Bog, Dry Dirt Reef, The Haunted Seas and the Great Peninsula (and more coming soon!) 9 different Pirates with funny voices and useful skills! In-game clock; if you play at night, it will be night on the islands,—if you play during the day, it will be day on the islands! ) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Nihilumbra – Price : $2.99 – Publisher – Beautiful Games SL. (Discover the huge world of Nihilumbra and join Born on his adventure to find himself whilst trying to escape from his inevitable curse. Born was created from the absolute nothingness. When he abandones the void and appears in the world, he begins a long odyssey where he will learn how to use the colors around, that will grant him powerful habilities; though he will have to pay a high price. The void must be one. It reclaims him and will never stop chasing him, destroying everything on its way. To keep being alive, Born will have to condemn the earth he walks, vanishing it forever.) runs on iPad & iPhone. BUY NOW
	Dynamite Jack – Price : $9.49 – Publisher – Hassey Enterprises (Dynamite Jack must blast his way to freedom! Jack, a brave space marine, armed with only bombs and a flashlight, must escape the Anathema Mines! Use stealth to sneak past guards and bombs to obliterate enemies in this intense top-down action-adventure.) runs on iPad. BUY NOW
	Cthulu Saves The World – Price : $1.99 – Publisher – TinkerHouse Games (The XBLA and Steam indie hit from Zeboyd Games finally comes to iOS! The lord of insanity, Cthulhu was all set to plunge the world into insanity and destruction when his powers were suddenly sealed away by a mysterious sorcerer. The only way for him to break the curse is to become a true hero. Save the world to destroy it in an epic parody RPG journey of redemption, romance, and insanity!) runs on iPad & iPhone. BUY NOW

There you have it folks, these games should keep you busy for quite some time, well till next week at least. I’ll be back next week for another dose of iOS goodness, in the meantime if anyone would also like to suggest their own suggestions, please feel free to share them in the comments section below.

Remember kids,

Play Hard Or Don’t Play At All!

7 Wonders II Review

Dustin Spencer

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June 30, 2012

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7 Wonders II
Developer: Mumbo Jumbo
Platform: DSiWare
Release Date: June 14, 2012
Price: $7.99

Overview
Remember when Tetris was the only relevant puzzle game? Well, that was a long time ago now, and the market is full of clones and new spins on the age old formula, with more developers mimicking the likes of Bejeweled, rather than the old brick-laying favorite. Yes, 7 Wonders II takes the match-3 mechanic for itself, but with an interesting gimmick attached where you can literally construct ancient wonders as you play. Sure, it’s not original, but does it offer enough to stand out from the crowd? Here is my review for 7 Wonders II for the DSiWare Service.

Gameplay
7 Wonders II has been around for a good while now, first hitting the PC back in 2008, and later seeing a cartridge release for the Nintendo DS in early 2010. The eShop is a new market altogether though, and while this version is essentially the same as it’s cart kin, it definitely has a lot to talk about when it comes to the way the game works. Think of Bejeweled, but with stylus controls. Yep, that core match-3 formula is the backbone of 7 Wonders II, but the stylus is very precise and makes the game easy enough to play for just about anybody out there.

To spruce things up a bit, power-ups come into the picture after blocks are smashed – letting players clear rows when they connect four blocks, or clear rows and columns when five are taken out at a time with a special tile. Other special blocks also come into play based on performance as well, such as the dice block that crashes multiple tiles at once, or one the many unique special abilities that can assist in garnering a high score in a short burst. Racking up points is of course the main objective for 7 Wonders II and these combos of sorts are an easy way to do it, but the key ingredient of what makes this experience different are the “Wonders” that the game gets it’s name from.

As you play, little workers will begin toting blocks and other materials across the screen. These little men represent your own success in the game, and as more of the board is decimated, your side meter will fill up in order to construct a wonder. Structures like Stonehenge and the Taj Mahal make for a clever little reward for completing a stage, and as you progress through areas, you get to see each come together – piece by piece. Now the preference for wonders being built is certainly in the eye of the beholder, but I found these charming little builders to be a great incentive to keep on progressing through the many stages. With 7 wonders in all (go figure), it’s not hard to lose chunks of time as you plow through levels as the match-3 gameplay is still quite addicting.

One of the other unique elements of the game are the layouts of the boards, as well. Sometimes a standard rectangle will make up your playing area, but latter stages feature a stronger difficulty as some boards have been broken up into pieces to offer the player a bit of a challenge when it comes to working in tight spaces. As a bonus, there is also a little mini-game that be discovered, which has the player attempt to drop a special item to the bottom in a limited amount of moves. This is a rather small addition that doesn’t really feel too special, but it does break up the tediousness and boredom when featured. Yeah, the whole game is solid as a puzzler and the uniqueness as there, but even with all of the themes in motion, I found most of 7 Wonders II to be a tad too…well..basic. Most puzzle fans out there won’t care to spend hours with a title like this, but with little change to the standard mechanics, others are sure to grow tired of the same stylings of gameplay throughout their constructive careers.

Visuals and Audio
Visually, these gems are bit stale and have little flare to them. The backgrounds however are well designed and keeps your time traveling through stages interesting due to all of the different locales. When a combination is made, the blocks animate very fluently as well, with little to no slowdown during a major chain, which is something other match-3 titles have had a problem with on the DS. The stars of the entire experience are of course the little minions on the top screen though, and there are plenty of humorous happenings that can be spotted as they build their lonesome lives away.

As for music, there isn’t a fully featured soundtrack to boast about, to be honest. The tunes do get their job done decently however, and all play well into whatever locale you may be visiting, but again, don’t expect anything too memorable or soothing (like the music from Bejeweled). Sound effects are pretty standard as well, offering your usual bout of smashes and klinks as you clear the board.

Overall
7 Wonders II is a solid puzzler that is sure to catch the eye of all match-3 fans. The gameplay is fun, the gimmick works, but the game itself never seems to try hard enough to offer more and tastes a bit vanilla as a result. With that said, this title still bares a low price and is a perfect fit for the handheld, which makes it easy to still recommend for anyone who has been looking for a puzzler with a good amount of content and a classic….yet overused core.

Something is missing in Cobalt

Mark Pearce

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June 30, 2012

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Let’s start with a little back story.

Cobalt is an action oriented side-scroller/platformer that is being developed by Oxeye Game Studios and published by Mojang. It is now available as an alpha for PC with OS X and Linux versions coming in the beta. The game puts you in control of Metalface MK1, a ‘highly reliable cyborg for long missions with low chance of success’. If you have ever played the flash game Thing Thing Arena by Diseased Productions you will have an idea of what the gameplay feels like. The pace is fast and the explosions are numerous with different weapons and power ups strewn about to mix things up and add to the chaos. Cobalt was made available as an alpha build in December of last year. Similar to the way Minecraft was released, Cobalt can be bought and preordered while in alpha and played with eventual updates to the beta version and full release. Also akin to the Minecraft release is the fact that the game is cheaper to buy in the earlier stages of development, 9.95€ while in Alpha, 14.95€ during Beta and 19.95€ when fully released. That’s approximately $13, $19 and $25 respectively.

Now if you are pulling out your wallet so you can throw more money at Mojang (and why wouldn’t you?) hold on just a second because there is no networked multiplayer in Cobalt and there are no promises that there ever will be. This is a deal breaker for a lot of folks, myself included. There is a multiplayer but it is ‘same computer’ only and requires gamepads for any additional players.

For a game that plays like Cobalt, you would expect online multiplayer to be the main focus but unfortunately that’s not the case here. There is hope though; one man named Jake Jervey who works with Oxeye is developing a proof of concept that will potentially give the game networked multiplayer, however, there are still no promises that this will ever be implemented into the final version.

Anime Say! Episode 13 – What Makes an Anime ‘Great’?

Luke Halliday

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June 30, 2012

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Welcome to Capsule Computers’ weekly anime segment, Anime Say! This week, I discuss what exactly is that makes an anime series ‘great’? Not only that but we have NewsWire with some major title acquisitions and of course Tweet of the Week.

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.

Follow Luke on Twitter: @LAHalliday

Code of Princess’ English trailer shows off the title’s main features

Travis Bruno

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June 30, 2012

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If you are curious about what Code of Princess will have to offer when Atlus releases it to gamers this Fall well then you will definitely need to watch the trailer they released below, as it goes over a number of the features that the game will contain, such as over a hundred quests to play with over fifty playable characters, though only four will be playable in the game’s single player mode.

Also revealed today is the fact that gamers will receive a Sound & Visual Book and the game’s official soundtrack if you happen to pre-order the title before its release later this year.