With Pro Cycling Manager 2012 set to release on PC this June 21st, Focus Home Interactive and Cyanide Studio have released one last slew of screenshots to tide over all those spoke-crazy cyclist die hards. Players can check out the screenshots below to check out all the cyclists in all their bike shorts glory.
The game is set to bring more than last year’s iteration, from more cyclists, to more events, to better training for all the cyclists on the team. This time it seems they really want to present every aspect they possibly can in the game, while not skimping on the visual side. According to the Pro Cycling Manager 2012 website they will be releasing one final trailer as well to coincide with the launch of the game, so hopefully that will show more of these new features in action.
Out of all the E3 booths, Borderlands 2 may have been the loudest, blaring out a tremendous cacophony of dubstep while Claptrap showed off his stylish dance moves on a giant screen. Borderlands 2 is not focusing on a new gimmick to differentiate itself from the first game. All its trying to do is polish some rough edges, and give you more. More flash. More loot. More guns. More WUB WUB.
During the gameplay demo, I chose to play as Axton, one of the new characters that will be making an appearance in Borderlands 2. Right off the bat, I noticed that Borderlands 2 has fixed one of the most frustrating parts of the original: it is now much easier to collect the loot you want and have it work for you. And that is really important, as Borderlands 2 features so much loot, it nearly sent me into sensory overload. There are bajillions of guns, cajillions of grendades, gajillions of ability modifiers and more. If you thought that Borderlands was cool and had a ton of guns, then be prepared to be shocked with the sequel. Gearbox has applied the same “no gun is the same” mantra to nearly every weapon in the game. However, they have also focused on making sure that your weapons actually feel different from each other, which was a huge complaint in the first game. Now, each weapon not only has visual differences, but they actually feel different while playing with them, meaning that some guns will work better on some enemy types or in certain situations.
Of course, Borderlands is also an RPG, and the same insane level of customization is applied here. There were so many screens of options that I felt like I could just spend hours tweaking my character. And that is the only complaint I have with the game. There is just so many options, and so much loot shooting out of everything, it boggles the mind. It will be nigh impossible to see everything in the game, much less try it out.
One major improvement in Borderlands 2 is that Gearbox has been messing around with AI enemies in the game, making them much smarter and harder to kill. In addition, the graphics nearly brought me to tears because they were so beautiful. Admittedly, I’m pretty sure I was playing on a PC, but still, those visuals were eye candy on top of a banana split with 100 cherries on top. As if that isn’t enough, Borderlands irreverent humor is returning in fine form.
Borderlands 2 is looking like a spectacular game for those who loved the original and can handle ginormous amounts of loot.
During the opening night of Supanova Sydney, Madman Entertainment held a special premiere screening of Gintama: The Movie. The premiere screening marks the first time Sentai Filmwork’s english language dub of the film has been shown in Australia.
Madman previously licensed the film for distribution on DVD and Blu-Ray, which is scheduled for release later this year. The film itself follows the Benizakura story arc of the anime series Gintama but in an abridged format.
This won’t be the only anime screened at the event as Madman plan to show a lot of other anime series and films at the event on Saturday and Sunday. You can check out what is being screened at the Madman Area at the event.
Akai Katana Developer: CAVE Publisher: Rising Star Games Release Date: May 16, 2012 Price: $39.96 – Available Here
Overview: In different regions around the world, certain genres can either be loved or mostly forgotten. For example, while hardcore FPS games are quite popular in North America and much of the rest of the world and companies have flocked to bringing as many of these games to the public, creating a flood of occasionally generic titles with little to no replay value.
On the other hand, a genre which unfortunately hasn’t been shown much love in Western countries, but is thriving in Japan, is the shoot’em up genre, also known as shmups or bullet-hell games. We’ve seen a scant few titles brought over to Western audiences in the form of Deathsmiles and even Otomedius Excellent, but now that Rising Star Games has settled into North America we now have another bullet-hell title gracing our shores in the form of Akai Katana. Does this unique looking bullet-hell styled game provide everything fans of the genre are looking for?
Story: Now the actual storyline for this game is set in an alternate universe which is similar to Japan in the early 1900’s where people have found these mysterious and powerful Blood Swords (Akai Katanas). These blood swords require a human sacrifice to reach their full power and a powerful nation has risen out of the blood of their fellow soldiers. A few soldiers (the three playable characters) have chosen to rebel against this practice and put an end to this nation’s power once and for all.
Interestingly enough, Akai Katana actually contains some sort of storyline, though barely any actual attention is paid to the story and with the English translation of the game being so bare-bones (more discussion on this later) barely any actual storyline is presented to the player, so those looking to understand what is actually happening in the game will probably be left out in the cold except for a very brief ending dialogue as the story itself is almost never mentioned in-game.
Visuals: Rather than try to conform to modern day 3D models, CAVE has chosen to stick with sprite based designs and hand drawn artwork for the game, which is quite a bonus. Based on the game’s setting of early 1900’s Japan and the rise of industrialization, most of the zones players will fly through have an appropriate, albeit bland, industrial feel to them. The enemies are varied well-enough with some surprisingly detailed mid-boss enemies appearing every level.
Where Akai Katana truly shines is when players are presented either the hand-drawn artwork of the characters, though it is unfortunate that most of these pieces of art are only briefly shown. Now one of the biggest questions about a bullet-hell game, is how does it perform when there are hundreds of projectiles flying around the screen? Well my friends, there is no cause for concern with Akai Katana as the title never experienced any slow-down despite the massive amount of colors, explosions, projectiles, points, orbs and more flying around the screen at any given time.
Audio: As one would expect, Akai Katana features some lovely Japanese-styled music with plenty of songs to accompany the fast paced action that is happening on screen, with music changes during difficult boss encounters. Fighting against enemies and destroying them in large droves is satisfying thanks to some decent sounding destruction but nothing too disturbing as to take away from the game’s wonderful background music.
When Rising Star Games brought this title to North America they chose to leave the Japanese voice track unchanged which is for the best, but unfortunately the company chose to provide barely any actual subtitles for the game itself, with only an English translated menu system and some very minor English translation for ending scenes. No actual in-game dialogue is given the slightest translation, which is disappointing as the already bare-bones story is made even more non-existent due to this.
Gameplay: At its very core, Akai Katana is a bullet hell shooter with hundreds of bullets flying around the screen at any given time . As they do this they will need to take down enemies using rapid fire attacks, smaller but more direct attacks and even bombs to clear the screen. The player will have a limited amount of health and lives and will receive damage whenever an enemy projectile hits their tiny green hit-box which is clearly displayed. Now with these limited lives, the player must make it through each stage without continuing in an effort to retain their high score.
Now while Akai Katana can actually be completed in under a half hour on a simple-playthrough and can even be completed by newcomers as there are an unlimited amount of continues provided for the story mode of the game, meaning that inexperienced players can still enjoy the experience and try to get better at taking out their enemies quickly while weaving in and out of the intricately patterned projectiles.
Despite the fact that it is quite short, the game’s true strength relies on the player’s tenacity to try and be the best by getting the best score possible. The challenge to be the best is even further increased by the fact that there are now two modes of play to choose form, a Slash mode and an arcade mode (as well as an upgraded Climax mode for console release). Now in Arcade mode players will need to acquire energy from destroying enemies to summon their Phantom, which can then allow you to acquire golden items which provide the most points to increase your score.
The Phantom form is extremely valuable and nigh-essential for surviving some battles, as players will be actually immune to enemy attacks as long as they aren’t firing while in Phantom form. Instead enemy attacks will bounce off as you maneuver for the best positions to take shots from. Ultimately, Akai Katana is very unforgiving to those who don’t know the game’s mechanics, and even the training area is hidden, though Rising Star has actually provided useful tutorial videos which should be watched here.
Outside of Arcade and Climax mode there is another gameplay type called Slash which ups the ante by giving the player new ways to attack. Outside of Phantom mode players can accrue steel orbs which will circle around their ship until they enter Phantom mode. In Phantom mode these orbs can be fired off to deal out heavy damage to enemies on-screen, which is especially useful for quickly defeating mini-bosses and weakening the powerful end-level bosses.
The bosses players face off against at the end of each stage deserve special mention not only for the insane amount of maneuvering that players will need to do simply to survive, but also due to how strangely insane these experiences can be. Initially the player can be firing upon the enemy already in Phantom mode until a giant warship appears out of a vortex in the air, bringing even more projectiles onto the screen in what can only be described as a colorful rain of death.
Overall: Akai Katana delivers everything a fan of shoot’em ups or bullet-hell games could ask for. It has a few gameplay modes to choose from and master and players can set punishing challenges for themselves as they try to rank on the leaderboards. Interestingly enough the game even provides replays of stages which can be useful for those who want to train to be the best Akai Katana player possible. The game may be a bit faulty in some areas, such as its non-existent storyline and barebone translation but also provides the same hectic action and polished gameplay mechanics that CAVE is known for. All in all, Rising Star Games has picked a hell of a title for their inaugural release in North America and it is one that shouldn’t be missed by any fan of the genre, or even some of you who have always been curious about it.
Way of the Samurai fans, you will be pleased to know that the latest addition to the series, Way of the Samurai 4 is going to be released later this year in September. That makes this a September, 2012 launch. This the European version of the game.
Santa Ana, Calif. (June 5, 2012) – NIS America is thrilled to announce that it will publish the critically-acclaimed action-adventure title from Japan, Way of the Samurai 4, in Europe this September exclusively on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system as both a retail product and as a digital release through the PlayStation®Store. Way of the Samurai 4 takes players on a journey through post-isolationist Japan, and chronicles the power struggle between three rival factions.
The game will also allow you to play as your own customised character in a dynamically created storyline that spawns multiple endings in a dynamic combat system and it will also feature an online multiplayer component that allows you to battle against AI controlled opponents that look like characters from other players games.
SuBLime, I’m guessing the BL is for Boys’ Love, partnered with VIZ Media and Animate Ltd has released two yaoi manga this month which are available in both physical and digital editions. The two releases, which you can see the covers above, are Three Wolves Mountain by Bohra Naono, a creator of over 20 manga series, and Honey Darling by Norikazu Akira, creator of Twin’s Labyrinth, Heart Strings, and Beast & Feast.
Three Wolves Mountain focuses on the relationship between Kaya Susugi and a pair of brothers he meets, Taro and Jiro, who also happen to be werewolves. The story tells the tale of Jiro, the younger of the two brothers, falling for Kaya and what unfolds thereafter.
Honey Darling has Chihiro finding a new lease on life after finding a stray kitten, but when it becomes ill, his life takes even deeper meaning after taking the kitten to the animal hospital and wanting to become a vet. Unfortunately, that requires becoming the live-in housekeeper to the handsome veterinarian, Kumazawa.
As can be seen from the covers the manga are in fact “M” rated, so don’t expect these to stay clean. Interested readers of any persuasion can get the books in physical copies for $12.99 US or $14.99 CAN, or worldwide as digital downloads in PDF format for $5.99 from the SuBLime website HERE.
Thanks to the power of Twitter, Katy Perry has announced that she will head on down to Sydney to promote her new film and walk the pink carpet (yes, pink, because it’s Katy Perry), for the film’s premiere. So if you want to see the woman herself, then make sure you go to the premiere at Event Cinemas on George St on June 30.
So many of Katy Perry’s Australian fans asked for her to head to Australia that #KatyPerry3DAustralia actually ended up trending within Australia in less than 10 minutes. So it’s no wonder that Katy Perry sat up and took notice, and good on her for listening to her fans and heading on over for the premiere!
Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D is an intimate look backstage at Katy Perry on and off stage. A great way to really get into the inner workings of Katy Perry and her music, this is perfect for Katy Perry fans.
To join in on the conversation about the movie head on over to Twitter and use tag your posts with #KP3D now!
Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D is being released in cinemas on July 2.
Paramount Pictures and Indian Paintbrush have announced that principal photography has started on ‘Labor Day’, a film based on a Joyce Maynard novel that is written and directed by Jason Reitman and starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin.
Labor Day is the story of a thirteen year old boy who is trying to man up and take on the man of the house role, care for his reclusive mother Adele (Kate Winslet), and deal with adolescence all at once. Then, while out shopping for school supplies, Henry and his mother run into Frank Chambers, who convinces them to take him into their home. And then it is later revealed that he is an escaped convict. And, just as these things tend to go, the vents of the long Labor Day weekend will end up changing them for the rest of their lives.
Labor Day is being released in 2013, so keep tuned to Capsule Computers for more information as it comes out!
DNA Interactive has announced that for the next five days their new series The Naked Gun: I.C.U.P. can be downloaded on iOS for only $0.99, a massive $4 saving!
The Naked Gun series is guaranteed to leave you in stitches, with that awesome immature humour that Naked Gun is infamous for. The special ‘Get NAKED for Under a Buck’ promotion gives iOS gamers the opportunity to experience Episode 1 ‘A date with destiny’, the first of several planned Naked Gun episodes. So if you were a fan of the series, or if you just like some good old fashioned immature humour, then make sure to check out the new app series now, for the massive saving, and get your dose of hilarity.
The promotion runs until June 18, so make sure to get it as soon as possible! The game is available for iPhone and iPad NOW for $0.99 HERE.
I’ve been playing the Worms Revolution beta, and having been required to sign an NDA beforehand meant I couldn’t discuss the details, no matter how exciting. So I have to wait until Team 17 announce things before I can run my mouth.
One of the first and most exciting things I noticed was the vocal talents of Matt Berry narrating the action and telling you what to do. If his name isn’t immediately familiar, you might remember him as the sleazy boss, Mr Reynholm, from The IT Crowd, or as half the comedy team behind Berry & Fulcher’s Snuff Box.
Berry is perfectly cast: an overly-confident air of undeserved authority shines through his performance, bringing quite a lot of personality to a character who is never seen. He fits the zaniness of the Worm franchise to a tee, just check out the preview below to see him in action.
There’s a lot of awesome in the Worms Revolution beta, but this was the hardest thing to keep to myself. I want to tell you more, but I shouldn’t: I can sense Team 17’s NDA ninjas outside my window. Just know this: it’s gonna be amazing.
Thanks to the power of Twitter, Katy Perry has announced that she will head on down to Sydney to promote her new film and walk the pink carpet (yes, pink, because it’s Katy Perry), for the film’s premiere. So if you want to see the woman herself, then make sure you go to the premiere at Event Cinemas on George St on June 30.
