Fans of the Cthulhu Mythos should be excited to hear that the developers of the Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land game have had 1 specially made mug designed by the game’s lead artist, which players can see above. The mug is now the prize for a competition they have going on in honor of the game coming to PC through the GamersGate website. So, that makes the game, which Capsule Computer’s has reviewed HERE, available on the iOS, Android, and PC.
Details of the contest come from the developer, Red Wasp Design, facebook HERE, but the contest is easy enough. All players have to do is come up with the best ending for the sentence starting, “When Cthulhu wakes…” and post it on the facebook thread linked above or tweet it with the hashtag #whencthulhuwakes. Players are able to enter until the 28th of June with the developers picking a winner the 28th. Good writing and good luck.
Agent 47 is up to his old tricks once again in the latest issue of the Hope News Times, the fictional newspaper of the fictional town of Hope, South Carolina, the setting of Hitman: Absolution. This time, Agent 47 has assassinated another local resident, Joe the Plumber. Joe was a legend loved by all, so his death burdens the whole of Hope. However, if Agent 47 had to do the dirty deed, then Joe must have enraged someone quite important.
Expect Joe the Plumber to be one of the targets for Agent 47 in Hitman: Absolution. The game will be released on November 20 on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. In the meantime, the latest edition of Hope News Times is available for viewing below.
Star Wars the Old Republic Gaming Keyboard Manufacturer: Razer Device: Keyboard Price: AU$349.95 Purchase:Razerstore
Within the realm of competitive online gaming every player strives to grab whatever advantage they can get. Whether it is being the first to grab a particular weapon on a map, capitalise on a combo or glitch, or even using the most up to date gaming equipment to better our chances, online gamers want to get every edge they can. This is true of pretty much every online arena the modern gamer could imagine. So naturally, when it comes to one of the most popular MMORPG’s of recent years, players can expect to see a quite a few pieces of gamer specialised merchandise released bearing the Old Republic colours. And if you’re an avid PC game enthusiast, then you probably already know about Razer as a brand name. Combining their ingenuity with high quality gaming products with the popular force of a Star Wars themed MMO is a feat that can’t be scoffed at.
Earlier this year, several of the editors here at Capsule Computers had the fortunate opportunity to test out and review several SWTOR Razer devices, including the gaming mouse, gaming headset and gaming mouse pad. However, the best was definitely saved for last: the Star Wars – The Old Republic Gaming Keyboard. This particular device is not only the flashiest piece of equipment in Razer’s SWTOR arsenal, it boasts numerous unique features that promise to be a boon to not only the game in question, but in many other gaming arenas as well. As one of Capsule Computers avid SWTOR playing staff members, I was genuinely interested to see what sort of difference the keyboard would make to my in-game experience. The answer was: A WHOLE LOT.
From the moment I opened the box and pulled the keyboard out, it was clear that this piece of hardware had something special about it. The sleek metallic silver, available touch screen and unique sidebar buttons honestly seemed unworldly. Alien in fact. Additionally, each key on the keyboard is marked with a piece of Star Wars themed text. It was like looking at a piece of technology that really comes from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. The multi-coloured LED backlighting also added to this effect once I had the keyboard plugged in. This aesthetic design point alone shows how Razer really does care about the intellectual property they’re working with. When a company puts this much effort into even the simplest of design choices, it makes you think that there will be quality to back it up.
While clearly designed with the MMO genre in mind, it should be mentioned that the keyboard also has its uses within different genres too, courtesy of the ‘Switchblade’ user interface. Those who are familiar with MMO keyboards will no doubt be reminded of the extendable World of Warcraft keyboard which required users to purchase additional “extensions” to be able to access the widest and most varied array of macro functions. However, the Switchblade interface erases any need to buy more parts to be functional. The entire array of keyboard commands are at the players fingertips from the word go.
The keyboard features a massive amount of personalised customization features to accommodate players of all kinds. The afore mentioned LED backlights can be changed to whatever colour of the rainbow the player chooses. Naturally, as a Sith Marauder, this reviewer sported a wrathful bloody red to complement my play style of “stab everything that moves”. The keyboard’s Switchblade interface also allows for a high degree of customization with 10 interchangeable game keys. Using the Razer Synapse 2.0 program, not only are players able to create brand new hotkey functions, but have an entire array of pre-made digital images to assign to the keys. Each of the 10 keys features a small LCD display below the clear key itself. Each screen displays an image selection of the player’s choice ranging from the existing catalogue of SWTOR commands to commands from other EA titles such as Dragon Age 2 and Battlefield 3. And if the player so chooses, they can upload their own image for use on the keyboard. It must be said there’s something rather satisfying about creating your own personalised button labelled “Sick ‘em!” that commands your ally to attack the closest enemy in range. Better still, you can actually create your own ‘Awesome Button’ to perform taunts or social actions. However, in all seriousness, when it came to engaging in combat within the game, the inclusion of these extra keys went a long way to helping out my game by making my combos and attacks more effective, and allowing me access to a wider range of skills at the push of a button.
However, to be able to customize the keys to the fullest extent, the player will need a working knowledge of how to record and assign macro commands. This particular feature will take less informed players a while to figure out, even with the assistance of the online manual. Additionally, the macro commands and customization features can only be performed by using the free to download Razer Synapse 2.0 program. This means that you will require an active connection to the internet to interact with these features. Not such a big issue if you plan on playing an online game, but it might seem like an additional hassle to some.
The Switchblade interface also features a touch screen that allows players to user their finger to take control of the cursor. This is a feature that I would highly recommend in augmenting conversation scenes in SWTOR. However, this is not the limit of the Switchblade screen’s capabilities. The touch screen might not a feature for some players. In which case, these players might feel obliged to instead use the keyboard’s quick-open keys to open up a brand new, completely separate browsing window on the touch screen itself! With this feature, players are able to experience the convenience of having the full game opened on the main monitor, while checking emails, Facebook, Youtube videos or any other webpage on the Switchblade’s touch screen. It was quite convenient being able to have the small screen open to an online guide revealing the locations and methods for obtaining in-game holocrons while I actually perused them for myself on the main monitor.
If pulling off some of these commands is sounding confusing, don’t be troubled. The controls do not take long to learn, and a handy user guide is available on Razer’s support site. One area of improvement I could suggest is to include the support guide inside the box with Razer’s other stack of goodies. It’s a minor issue at best but would help players avoid that initial feeling of being overwhelmed by the technology.
While on the topic of the Razer’s stack of goodies, it should be noted that the keyboard comes packaged with several items of interest including: The quick set-up guide; a set of Razer and SWTOR stickers to show off the fact that you’ve got a Razer product; and for fans of free DLC (which should be effectively everyone) a instructions on how to receive a free downloadable Lightsaber colour crystal to customise your in game weapons.
Besides the Synapse interface and lack of physical manual, the only other noteworthy hassle that some players might experience are those who are shorthanded on USB ports. To get complete functionality out of the SWTOR keyboard, players will require 2 close proximity USB ports instead of one. If your PC is one which already has a large variety of devices plugged into it, you might need to make some room.
Despite the steep price tag, for the avid fan of Star Wars the Old Republic, the Razer SWTOR keyboard is a must have for their gaming armoury. Besides boasting great functional advantages, it’s also visually appealing and a unique gaming experience in and of itself. The remarkable number of customization features also makes it a product that can be tailored to be strictly unique and individual to the gamer using it. This remarkable piece of technology will see many players cruise to more comfortable victories in any Star Wars MMO arena whether they be PvE or PvP. Unless you’re against a Wookie. In which case: “Let the Wookie win.”
Today the Australian Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Justice, Jason Clare, announced that (finally) an R18+ category for computer games in Australia will become a reality.
The legislation passed through the Senate without amendment, officially bringing the gaming classification categories in line with the existing film classifications, and finally bringing Australia up to speed with the rest of the world so we can play some of the more adult games that we have been denied so far.
Question is, what will happen now? How many publishers are willing to re-release their games under the new classification system? And how will this affect the Australian gaming landscape?
Mr Clare, the driving force behind the reform, had this to say:
“These are important reforms over 10 years in the making. The R 18+ category will inform consumers, parents and retailers about which games are not suitable for minors to play, and will prevent minors from purchasing unsuitable material. The reforms also mean that adults are able to choose what games they play within the bounds of the law.”
It is now up to the states and territories to pass their own complementary legislations in reference to R18+ computer games. This will be affecting the roll out of the national scheme, although it is scheduled to commence on January 1, 2013.
What do you guys think? Are you cheering for this finally happening? Or are you disappointed that it took this long to come about?
Whenever Time Travelers was promoted through screenshots or trailers, the game footage was always from the Nintendo 3DS version. For those who was looking forward to the Playstation Vita version, Level-5 have decided to release screenshots from that version of the game. It is nice to see the Playstation Vita version of the game. Then again, the reason the 3DS was heavily used is because the game was a 3DS exclusive until last year. All versions will see a release on July 12.
In addition to the screenshots, an official soundtrack to the game has been announced, with publishing duties falling into the hands of Noisycroak. The 3 CD set will be available on August 8 at a price of ¥3,500. In total, the soundtrack will feature 68 songs. The soundtrack has an official site up and running.
The game has had nothing but positive reception so far and Watch Dogs is set to be a new IP so it’s not that much of a stretch to consider. This follows the recent news that another Ubisoft game, Tom Clanacy’s Splinter Cell has been getting movie interest as well.
Made famous by playing Viktor Krum in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Stanislav Ianevski cuts an incredibly intimidating figure. And boy is he aware of it. He laughs off the fact that he’s often mistaken for a bouncer, and that he intimidates people. Who wouldn’t be intimidated by him? He looks like the sort of guy who could carry you like a small doll, with biceps as big as babies, but he’s actually incredibly sweet, funny and loves jokingly flirting. I’m pretty sure a big part of that was due to the huge amount of swooning females that packed into the room for a chance to see him. One audience member actually told him he was hot and asked if he had a girlfriend, which he tactfully avoided answering.
When girls weren’t trying to hit on him, the questions were focused on Harry Potter and stories from the fourth film in the series. He talked about how his favourite Triwizard tournament challenge was the maze, his favourite set was the dragon arena, and if he had attended Hogwarts he would have been a part of Slytherin house. His cheeky side came out when he started talking about stories from the set, like how he ‘didn’t’ take anything from it, and a food fight that he and Tom Felton started at the Yule Ball when they were pretending to get drunk. It certainly sounds like an incredibly fun set to be involved in, and considering the fact that it took 11 months to film, that’s definitely a good thing.
On acting, Ianevski said his inspiration and hero for acting was Jack Nicholson, while he would love to work again with any of the Harry Potter cast, or Johnny Depp. He seemed more grounded when he was talking about acting, his passion for it was clear, and hopefully he gets a chance to step onto the international stage once more.
For more Supanova coverage keep tuned to Capsule Computers and make sure to check out our interviews!
The biggest attraction of Supanova 2012 would have had to have been Christopher Lloyd. Personally, I grew up with my favourite film being Back to the Future, and judging from the packed to the brink room, I wasn’t alone. There was a huge line outside waiting long before the event started, not that it was a surprise, Christopher Lloyd’s signature line was at least doubled for the whole of the event.
When he came out he was dressed casually in jeans and sneakers, and I have to admit it was strange and comforting to see a childhood idol dressed like the rest of us plebs (excluding the cosplayers of course). And the way he was dressed represented his personality perfectly, he was relaxed, funny and just a fairly comfortable guy to be around. He actually seemed taken aback and entirely humbled by this huge room of intense fans, like he couldn’t quite figure out why we were such huge fans, he’d just been doing what he loved for the love of it without thinking of the massive following he’d gained. One guy actually got a hi-five from him, which I was intensely jealous of.
Back to the Future was a big favourite, unsurprisingly, and a few people offered stories of their own ties to the franchise, and how much love they had for it. As well as some suggestions, such as if he was ever pulled over for speeding to tell the police officer that he has been trying to get to 88mph to go back to the future, which he seemed to be really entertained by.
He revealed that his favourite Back to the Future movie to film was the third instalment, because of the Western theme, his love for steam engines (like his character), the Doc’s romance, and horseback riding. Filming the movie felt like an actual adventure, and I mean what person wouldn’t love walking around in cowboy gear and being a badass like that? He also said that if he had his own Delorean he would either go 50-100 years in the future, or back to the time of the dinosaurs. If time travel is ever possible, I vote Christopher Lloyd gets dibs on the maiden voyage. He also suggested an old Chevy be an alternative to a Delorean, so if someone could get started on that, that would be fantastic.
His other favourite role that he talked about was Uncle Fester in the Addams family, which was something that he himself grew up with in the form of cartoons. He was unsure of if he’d get the role, due to his vastly different appearance from Uncle Fester, but that’s nothing that three to four hours in the make up chair can’t fix!
He also offered advice to any wannabe actors: persistence. The thing that separates the successful and unsuccessful actors is the fight and continually turning up despite however many times they’ve been rejected. So if any of you are trying to get into the industry, whether as actors or any other kind of artists, the key is persistence.
For more Supanova coverage keep tuned to Capsule Computers and make sure to check out our interviews!
A brand new and exciting TV Spot for The Dark Knight Rises has hit the web!
A new TV Spot for The Dark Knight Rises has been revealed entitled “The Bat”. This TV Spot contains a lot of never before seen footage and focuses heavily on Batman’s new vehicle, The Bat. Perhaps The Bat will play a similar role like the Batcycle did in 2008’s The Dark Knight? Regardless it’s going to take more than one vehicle to stop Bane and his army of henchmen. Check out the trailer below and witness The Bat in action for yourself!
The Dark Knight Rises is set to hit theaters July 20th.
So a lot of stuff happened this week, I guess. We headed to Supanova Sydney 2012 and I got very ‘hands on’ with absolutely everyone. We also wrapped up our coverage of E3. Other than that you know, news and those other things called reviews. Oh and Anime Say is back bastards, check it out and check me out. Hello and Goodbye.
Today the Australian Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Justice, Jason Clare, announced that (finally) an R18+ category for computer games in Australia will become a reality.
Made famous by playing Viktor Krum in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Stanislav Ianevski cuts an incredibly intimidating figure. And boy is he aware of it. He laughs off the fact that he’s often mistaken for a bouncer, and that he intimidates people. Who wouldn’t be intimidated by him? He looks like the sort of guy who could carry you like a small doll, with biceps as big as babies, but he’s actually incredibly sweet, funny and loves jokingly flirting. I’m pretty sure a big part of that was due to the huge amount of swooning females that packed into the room for a chance to see him. One audience member actually told him he was hot and asked if he had a girlfriend, which he tactfully avoided answering.
The biggest attraction of Supanova 2012 would have had to have been Christopher Lloyd. Personally, I grew up with my favourite film being Back to the Future, and judging from the packed to the brink room, I wasn’t alone. There was a huge line outside waiting long before the event started, not that it was a surprise, Christopher Lloyd’s signature line was at least doubled for the whole of the event.
