Welcome to the third episode of CC Powerslam, Capsule Computers Wrestling Podcast! In our third episode, the CC Crew discuss the build up to WWE’s Extreme Rules PPV and give their predictions on the event.
Cast: Luke Halliday, Philip Federico, Dustin Spencer and Jahanzeb Khan
Developer: GameLab Publisher: Chillingo Platforms: iPad (Reviewed), iPhone, iPod Touch Release Date: April 19th 2012 Price: $0.99 Get it Here
Overview
Hail to the king baby! Chillingo and GameLab brings us a new twin stick shooter that takes some serious inspiration from Duke Nukem and scrubs it down to an age 13+ rating. In a genre already filled to the brim with games, can Lock ‘n’ Load rise to the top? Or will it sink to the bottom with the rest of the dreg.
Story
Lock ‘n’ Load follows our yellow coverall wearing masked hero who reminds me a little too much of Jason from Friday the 13th. Those who were misfortunate enough to be shown the film at age 10 will probably feel a little uncomfortable while playing Lock ‘n’ Load. Our masked hero has been enjoying a peaceful life living next to the most darling grandmother when one day a girl of unspeakable evil and begins her plot to take over the world. She only made one fatal error in her plan. She let her minions crush our hero’s flower garden. Now, with his elderly neighbour’s machine gun, our hero is off to save the world. The storyline isn’t the deepest in the world but it is witty and very funny. The wheelchair bound grandmother is probably my favourite character in the game. Although you shouldn’t play Lock ‘n’ Load for the plot, it sure is nice to have a little story going along as you blast away at the enemy.
Gameplay
Lock ‘n’ Load is a twin stick shooter. The concept is extremely simple. One stick to move, one stick to shoot. The game does not mess with the formula but is a great example of the genre done correctly. The main weapon is the machine gun and has unlimited ammunition. It’s weak but it is the only weapon with decent range. There are two weapons, the shotgun and the flamethrower, are limited by ammunition which must be either picked up or purchased with in-game money. There is a special berserker jump ability that recharges as players kill enemies. All these special weapons need to be purchased with in-game money to be initially unlocked and then can be further upgraded with money. I was disappointed to see that the machine gun could not be upgraded as it is the only weapon that has any sort of range and enemies tend to get a little tougher by the end of the game.
There are 32 types of enemies to kill in Lock ‘n’ Load. Almost all of them fall under four main categories, small creatures that come in packs, larger melee enemies, ranged enemies, and larger versions of the previous categories that serve as mini bosses. Creatures from the first two classes seem to only look different. However ranged creatures each have their own style of attack which helps maintain variety in the game and forces players to adjust their tactics depending on who they are fighting. I enjoyed the different types of enemies I had to face as it constantly kept me on my toes while I mowed them down endlessly.
The game usually rotates between running from point A to point B while mowing down everything in your path to fighting in an area and killing wave after wave of enemies until the exit unlocks. Once in a while, the game is broken up with small mini-games or special sequences. The run and gun portion plays well, hit detection is spot on and the game is surprisingly well balanced. The mini-games are of high quality and varied in nature. The weakest mini game of the bunch was the motorcycle game which involved possibly the slowest motorcycle chase in history. I love the fact they inserted these mini games as it provides a pleasant twist that most twin stick shooters lack.
The controls were spot on for the most part. The only issue I had was using the shotgun without automatic aiming. Since the shotgun is a slower firing weapon, it is best used with timed shots. However with manual aiming, I often found myself firing the first shot in the completely wrong direction. Overall, Lock ‘n’ Load provides incredibly solid gameplay that takes properly executed twin stick shooting and takes it to the next level with fun mini games.
Visuals
Lock ‘n’ Load uses a cartoony visual style with cel shaded roots. Characters are brightly coloured, contrasting against dark scenery which really make characters pop on screen. There is great character design with unique looking enemies and loads of extra costumes if the yellow coveralls get boring. Each skin can be purchased for 150 in game dollars once all three hidden gifts of the corresponding level are found. The game looks great on the large iPad Retina screen and scales down well to the smaller iPhone 4 Retina display thanks to the cel shaded looks. Lock ‘n’ Load is a great looking game that will be a gem for owners iPads, iPhones, and iPod Touches.
Audio
Lock ‘n’ Load is a stand out game for audio with a single weakness. Sound effects are top notch and the music is a pleasure to listen to. The guns have a punchy sound and the music is a great accompaniment to the symphony of gunfire. The most impressive thing with Lock ‘n’ Load is the fact it is fully voice acted. The voice acting is top notch for the exception of the main villain. For some reason her voice acting sounds like it was done by a 10 year old. Now if an actual 10 year old voiced this, I will be more forgiving, but considering the quality of voice acting in the rest of the game, the villain sticks out like a sore thumb.
The writing for the voice acting is impressive. At first I thought the game was laced with expletives and rated too low at age 13 and up until I listened closer. GameLab has managed to master the fine art of swearing without actually swearing. Similar to that picture of a man and a woman cavorting naked that is seen as six dolphins by young children, GameLab cleverly uses similar sounding words or just barely avoiding a curse word to trick the brain. Lock ‘n’ Load provides a high quality audio experience with fully voice acted characters, strong sound effects, and spot on music.
Overall
The most mind blowing thing about Lock ‘n’ Load is the price. For a game of this quality, $0.99 is an absolute steal. This game could easily go for $1.99 and still sell well. Lock ‘n’ Load provides superb graphics, an entertaining story, great audio, and most importantly top notch game play. This game is a must have to any iOS gamer’s library!
Digital distribution has given many independent and passionate video game developers an opportunity to share their creations with the rest of the world, giving them a chance to jump all the distribution hassles and charge bargain prices to consumers. Platforms like Xbox Live Arcade and Steam have allowed many great ideas to surface, coming from talented individuals from all over the globe. Gamers will remember a little independent and free PC title called Cave Story, which would later be picked up by Nintendo for a proper release on the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo 3DS.
Cherry Tree High Comedy is a dating simulator style game developed by an independent Japanese developer, 733, and picked up for localisation by Nyu Media Ltd and being distributed digitally by Capcom. The game is available for purchase on the official website now with release on other digital platforms to follow.
Story:
Before I get into the premise and setting of Cherry Tree High Comedy Club, it’s worth noting that the localisation didn’t just involve translating the original Japanese script as accurately as possible into English, it involved a heavy bit of Westernisation, much like the Ace Attorney games. This means that many changes have been made to the original context to make it more Western oriented. The original Japanese version takes place in Japan but in this localisation the game takes place in North America. With that, the character names and profiles were changed in order to make them fit into the new sitting, and much of the dialogue and culture references have been altered as well. That said, the setting still looks very Japanese as the main town has a Japanese temple even, but the translation team have cleverly covered their tracks as convincingly as possible by making it seem like a multi-cultural American town. With that in mind, let’s move on to what this game is really about.
Cherry Tree High Comedy Club takes place in quiet countryside locale called Cherry Tree Town, and players play the role of a high spirited high school student by the name of Miley Verisse. Miley is a passionate fan of stand up comedy and loves the idea of making people laugh, and with that passion she decides that she wants to start her very own Comedy Club at her school, Cherry Tree High. However her rival, Octavia Richmond, who is also the head of the student council, informs her that starting a proper school club isn’t a simple ask as she will need at least five willing members to formally join the club before it can be established. Not only that, but the deadline is at the end of April and when the game starts it’s already March, so she has very little time to work things out. Miley quickly realises that finding additional people who share a similar passion for comedy is not going to be a simple task.
It’s a fairly simple plot akin to those of slice of life comedies you see in Japanese animation. It’s all very light hearted and happy, and contains a lot of humour and charm. There is a fair bit of characterisation involved here as you interact with the game’s colourful cast. There are some serious undertones just to make the setting and characters more relatable, but it is generally quite uplifting. Apart from the main underlying plot of starting a Comedy Club, the experience that you have with the town and characters really depends on you. It’s one of those player driven experiences that allows you to choose how you interact with the game world and what characters to interact with and how. Overall, it’s a nice game world that lets you escape and unwind a little.
Visuals and Audio:
Being an independent game developed by just a handful of inviduals, Cherry Tree High Comedy Club looks decent enough. It looks like one of those free browser based video games built with flash. It’s still a decent enough 2D effort with simplistic character models and backgrounds, and the colour scheme is appealing enough. What really stands out about the game is the artwork, as you’ll get to see plenty of beautiful character illustrations. The character designs are quite nice, nothing unique but still charming enough.
The soundtrack is as upbeat and happy as the rest of the game, with fast paced jazzy pop tunes akin to a Shin Megami Tensei: Persona video game. The music is pretty catchy but there isn’t much variety, and so it can get pretty boring fast.
Gameplay:
Cherry Tree High Comedy Club uses a dating simulator like game structure, where you essentially engage in various activities and simply socialise with the game’s many characters. The goal here is to build on Miley’s character and also her relationships with other characters. In a way, the game structure is a lot like the dating simulator portions of Shin Megami Tensei Persona 3 and Shin Megami Tensei Persona 4.
The game progress on a day by day basis, with each day divided into Morning, Afternoon, and Evening. Activities generally involve socialising with characters or engaging in activities like doing homework, watching television, playing video games, and various other things.
As Miley, you need to work on her repertoire of conversation topics, and these topics include video games, music, fashion, and several others. You build Miley’s knowledge on these topics by engaging in various activities like reading magazines and watching television. It’s important to build on Miley’s repertoire as it helps her communicate with characters more effectively.
Miley’s goal is to recruit three people into her Comedy Club, as she already has herself and her best friend Harriet as members. There are six potential recruits, and you have to essentially max out your relationship level with at least three of these potentials before the game duration ends (end of April). Knowing the character’s likes and dislikes is key to knowing which topics to talk about in order to speed up the relationship development.
It’s a fairly interesting game that’s nicely paced, and you need to manage your time and days before the deadline at the end of April. It’s a challenge to figure out whether you want to spend time building your own repertoire that will help in socialising, or trying to figure out the characters better in order to pick the right conversation topics.
The localisation is actually quite good, as the dialogue is fun and the characters are expressed really well and have a lot of personality. The localisation team did a nice job retaining the flow and charm of the dialogue and the Westernised elements actually blend in quite well. It’s a very short game that can be completed in a couple of hours or so, but it’s a fun and relaxing ride. Still for its price it could have used a lot more game time but there is some minor degree of replay value given that there are six potential relationships to maxmise.
Overall:
Cherry Tree High Comedy Club is a nice little indie video game with very modest production values. However, it’s still a nicely executed dating simulator style game with some fun characters, good dialogue, and pleasant and colourful art style. It’s a fun and relaxing game that’s good for what it is. Graphically and musically it’s nothing really special as it resembles those free browser based flash video games, and it’s actually really short since you can complete it in a couple of hours with some minor incentive to play it again. For its price, it could have been a lot better but if you’re curious to try an independent Japanese video game localised for your convenience, then give Cherry Tree High Comedy Club a shot.
Episode 06 of CC: Anime is now live. Each month, thanks to our good friends at Siren Visual, we will be giving away a prize in a monthly competition held through CC: Anime.
To win, listen to the podcast for the question and once you have an answer email it in along with your name and address to[email protected]. At the end of the month, a winner will be randomly selected from the pool of entries. The winner will then be announced on the next podcast.
This month, we will be giving away a copy of Casshern Sins – The Complete Series, thanks to our good friends at Siren Visual. If you have yet to listen to CC: Anime you can do so here.
Listen to the podcast and then send your answer in along with your name and address to [email protected] Good Luck!
Competition only open to Australian and New Zealand residents.
Welcome to another episode of CC: Anime, Capsule Computers Monthly Anime Podcast! In our sixth episode, the CC: Anime crew discuss the latest anime and manga news, take part in the “Anime Anarchy” game show segment, as well discussing anime endings.
We also have a huge giveaway this month. Do you want a chance to win a copy ofCasshern Sins– The Complete Seriesfrom Siren Visual? Follow this linkto find out how.
Cast: Luke Halliday, Travis Bruno, Benjamin ‘Linkage Ayexe’ Webb and Simon Wolfe
We hope you enjoy CC: Anime Episode 06, be sure to let us know what you think.
This month we had some fan art sent in from Sanjay from New Zealand, who drew an amazing artwork which he calls ‘Mainstream Graveyard’. You check out his fan art below (click to enlarge):
Send all your anime, manga or podcast questions, hints, suggestions and feedback to [email protected]
Forget about Steel Diver or any other submarine experience, as Ubisoft have recently announced Silent Hunter Online, a new browser based multiplayer game based on the ever-popular series. Crafted from the same team who delivered PC classics such as The Settlers and Anno, Ubisoft Blue Byte, Silent Hunter Online lets players dive deep into a ” realistic, constantly evolving submarine simulation”, powered by Adobe Flash Player 11.
Here are a few first details:
Silent Hunter Online sees the return of the large array of historically accurate submarines that made the franchise famous, and invites players to experience them online in new ways. At the heart of the game is “the Battle of the Atlantic”, an innovative dynamic campaign in which individual successes impact all other players through asynchronous game-play. Also, for the first time in the Silent Hunter series, players will be able to play every mission of the campaign in co-op.
“This is the most innovative Silent Hunter experience ever created and we can’t wait to let our fans dive into the game,” said Christopher Schmitz, Head of Production at Ubisoft Blue Byte.
As of now, players can get early access to the game by visiting www.silenthunteronline.com and applying to be part of the closed beta. You can also check out the first trailer down below, no sub necessary.
It seems that even a Middle Eastern dictator has time to appear on an Australian show, with General Aladeen phoning in on an episode of The Project. The Dictator, as can be expected, made some wildly insulting but super hilarious jabs at Australian prime minister, Julia Gillard, and North Korean supreme leader, Kim Jong-un. But what else can you expect? He is a dictator after all.
The interview itself runs for about three minutes (4:00-7:00), and can be found on The Project website HERE.
Is that not enough to whet your The Dictator appetite? Well check out the short clip below of The Dictator trying to fit in with American society while chatting with Anna Faris.
Promising to be yet another highly offensive, and crazy entertaining film by Sacha Baron Cohen, The Dictator will definitely be one of those movies that you have to check out. If you love that kind of humour that is.
Anuman Interactive has pushed out a brand new trailer for The Bluecoats: North vs South today. The trailer features game play clips and footage of the mini games set to period appropriate music. The game takes place during the American Civil War where the Union soldiers of the North fought Confederate soldiers of the south. The Bluecoats: North vs South boasts dynamic strategic game play as players fight for the Union army. The Bluecoats: North vs South is the reboot to the cult classic released by Infogrames in 1989. The game will be released on May 10th, 2012 for iPhone, iPad, PC, and Mac.
CD Projekt RED has released a brand new Developer Diary video detailing the new content found in The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition. The video features artists from CD Projekt RED detailing new characters, quests, and locations found in the enhanced edition. These new quests will expand the epic tale and history of Temeria. The video also shows off some great looking in game footage and concept art. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced edition was released on April 17th, 2012 in North America for the PC and Xbox 360 and features enhanced environments and 4+ hours of game play new to the enhanced edition.
Square is hip again. If you are sick and tired of your iPhone 4’s smoothly curved edges, Incase has the perfect solution for you. Incase has released the Box Casetoday. The Box Case is made from a soft rubberized material for impact resistance. Thanks to the large sharp corners, there is extra material to protect your iPhone from drops on the vulnerable corners. The soft flexible material also makes it extremely easy to install the Box Case onto your phone. The Box Case comes in four colours: black, gray, frost, and pink. The frost colour is a slightly transparent white case. The Box Case can be purchased from Incase’s website fro $29.95
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