Hitting stores today exclusively for the Nintendo 3D handheld is Shifting World, a unique puzzle driven adventure game published by Aksys Games. The title is available now for a RRP of $30.
Shifting World takes place in a unique world where the only colours seem to be black, white, and gray. The unique puzzles in this title involve shifting between black and white. It also has a story, and as such will be conveyed using animated stills much like in a visual novel title.
You can pick up the title from your local game retailer or even order it from our online store here. Look forward to our review of the title on Capsule Computers.
Konami have given us a whole stack of details for Pro Evolution 2013, with all new features and an unprecedented level of control in this series.
“We’re excited to take Pro Evolution Soccer back to its roots, which is all about freedom and control.” said Tomoyuki Tsuboi, President of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. “Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 is created, in part, by the vocal PES community, and with them, along with some new faces within the development team, we’re bringing in new features and gameplay mechanics that will invigorate the soccer community as a whole.”
Three major innovations for PES 2013 include FullControl, Player ID, and ProActive AI. Sure they’re nice fancy names, but what do they mean?
FullControl will apparently offer more control than any football game, and includes the following features:
Total Freedom of Control: The new level of control allows for total freedom over ball control.
Dynamic First Touch: New subtle ways to receive the ball, from traps to lifting it up for a teammate to run onto.
Full Manual Shooting and Passing: You can now determine the height and power of each pass and shot, offering new varieties of ways to score and play.
Dribbling: dribbling has been made much more realistic with close control being implemented. You can also vary the speed of your dribbles and move freely within a 360 degree circle.
Full Manual One-Two: Active one-two passes can be made, with the second player being moved in any direction.
Response defending: Full 360 control means that players can check runs and steal balls from a parallel position, and a whole new range of defending techniques.
Goalkeepers: Distribution will be more precise thanks to higher levels of control.
Player ID focuses on individual characteristics and movements, including:
Player individuality: You’ll instantly recognise the very best players through their signature attributes, skills and tricks as well as the way the run, turn and move the ball. run, turn, trap and move the ball, shape to shoot, and even celebrate will be noticeably different during play.
Goalkeeper Individuality: New animations and play styles as well as saves and reactions to ensure the keeper’s are up to the standards in real life.
ProActive AI unites control and realism, with AI finding space and working in a way which will benefit the player to the fullest. its those at the top of their games.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 will be out later in the year for PS3, Xbox 360, PC, PS2, PSP, 3DS and Wii. Check out the first trailer for PES 13 down below.
That’s right folks, go forth and purchase the UEFA EURO 2012 downloadable extension for FIFA 12 now and get your EURO campaign underway nice and early.
Play in new modes such as Expedition Mode, where you take a player and build up an entirely unique squad using players from all 53 countries, as well as the classic Challenges Mode and finally of course the EURO 2012 Tournament mode.
The EURO 2012 DLC is available for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 users through their respective marketplaces. Check out the launch trailer for the game down below and don’t forget to keep checking the site here because our review will be available soon.
With Diablo 3’s release nearing, developer Bigpoint would like present an admittedly biased feature comparison for their free-to-play MMORPG Drakensang Online. Blizzard has created a well-known franchise with the Diablo series and expects a large volume of consumers for the upcoming title. On the other hand, Drakensang Online has been available for merely 8 months and has attained over five millions users. So here is the comparison breakdown:
While Drakensang Online is yet in its open beta, the browser-based title has garnered a lot of attention and resembles Diablo 3 gameplay far too well. Blizzard, you just won yourself a new rival! Play Drakensang Online today for FREE to see the ridiculous similarities.
In Neptunia V the main heroine, Neptune/Purple Heart, has been sent through time back into the 1980s. In the ’80s a different CPU is in charge of watching over Planeptune and her name is Pururut, though the scans from Dengeki PlayStation, seen above, show that she doesn’t appear all that different from Neptune herself.
Dengeki PlayStation contained a number of other details about the game, such as Pururut’s CPU form being called Iris Heart. Also revealed is that Neptunia V will continue to use 2D portrait art styles in conversations which will feature an enhanced Active Animation System, which makes these portraits more lifelike via breathing animations and small movements. Currently no gameplay footage has been released, though Neptunia V is set for release in Japan sometime this Summer.
Recently reported on Andriasang is the next Shin Megami Tensei title, this time for the Nintendo 3DS handheld. This new title is not so much a brand new entry in the franchise, but is instead an updated port of one of the more popular entries in this long running franchise, Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers.
The game was originally released for the Sega Saturn back in 1997, followed later by a PlayStation port, but in Japan only. Devil Summoner: Soul Hacker is part of the Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner sub-series. This latest port for the Nintendo 3DS is set to feature new animated cut scenes, voice acting, as well as improved animation and presentation.
Devil Summoners: Soul Hackers is set to release for the Japanese 3DS on 30 August 2012.
Another piece of information was revealed by Dengeki PlayStation this week and that is a exact release date for the next Hatsune Miku game. To make it even better, the title will be available on the PlayStation Vita when it is released August 30th.
Now the question for this is… with the popularity of the Vita in North America, will we finally see a Hatsune Miku title be released here? Probably not, but then again everyone could start asking Sega to see if they would be willing to bring the title over. English subtitles would truly be all that is required for fans to be pleased.
Surge Concerto: Ciel no Surge will be released in Japan in only a few days and to help sway over a few gamers before the title is released both Gust and 4Gamer have teamed up to release a ten minute trailer featuring plenty of gameplay… though good luck understanding practically anything what is happening.
The trailer contains what looks like the game’s opening and then switches to Ion and the player interacting with her. Catch the trailer below and hope that someone localizes it for North American release. Perhaps a full English dub wouldn’t be possible but at last English subtitles would make for a satisfactory release.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica Volume 1 is the first of three volumes planned and contains the first four episodes of what may be one of the most popular anime series of 2011. The anime took off by storm and achieved quite the critical acclaim and fan following. Puella Magi Madoka Magica did so well that it even anime hipsters called it ‘overrated’. Considering that Puella Magi Madoka Magica falls under the ‘Magical Girl’ sub-genre, its impressive mainstream success in not just Japan but all over the world, certainly comes as a surprise.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica may at first seem like a product of the Japanese Moe culture, a niche series made for a very specific audience. However, Volume 1 proves that this show is far more than what it seems as within the four episodes you will find a deep and mature show with really good characterisation. By the time you’re done with this volume, it becomes clear that this show has a demeanor unlike the anime subculture/subgenre to which it belongs. Also worth noting at this point that the DVD does not have any extras apart from the customary trailers and opening/ending themes.
Story:
Madoka Magica tells the story of a 14 year old girl named Madoka Kaname, who lives a happy and peaceful life and is surrounded by great friends and a loving family. This all suddenly changes when a mysterious new student named Homura Akemi joins her class, who Madoka Kaname saw in her dreams before even meeting her. Little did Madoka know that she and her close friends were about to get involved with some great powers and get themselves into an interesting predicament.
Early on Madoka has an encounter with a strange magical creature called Kyubey, completely out of the blue in an attempt to save it from danger. This creature turns out to be a powerful entity can grant one wish to her, and that wish can be absolutely anything she desires. However, in exchange for that wish, Madoka must become a Magical Girl for life. A Magical Girl is a supernatural warrior with great powers, charged with the duty to battle Witches that threaten the local populace.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica starts off innocently enough, as it all seems to be happy and cute in its characterisation, humour, and themes. Madoka Kaname seems to have the perfect life and even her magical encounter with Kyubey seems pretty innocent too as the creature itself is your typical adorable critter. The characters seem to have the typical anime school girl lifestyle filled with tea parties, obsession with deserts, and even talking about boys. If anything it initially gives off the impression of being a supernatural slice of life series.
However, nothing is what it seems as within the first four episodes the show takes an unexpected U-turn and shows its true colours. Puella Magi Madoka Magica isn’t what I described in the previous paragraph as the show is in fact far more compelling than the initial vibe it gives off. Luckily you’ll realise by the third episode in this volume that this is a serious show that really deserves the praise and fame it achieved in 2011. I won’t get into the details of what unfolds but all I can really say is that it really switches gears into something really special, nothing is what it seems and even the characters have more to them than their innocent and adorable demeanor, including the supposedly loveable plush-toy-like creature Kyubey.
This is a seriously action packed drama, one that explores mature themes and has really deep and compelling characterisation. It becomes clear that the appeal of the show is not just for the niche audience of the subculture that it apparently draws upon, as instead it’s pretty much geared towards any fan of anime who’s looking for a nicely paced show with a mature story and an interesting cast of characters.
Visuals and Audio:
Puella Magi Madoka Magica’s art style and ambience initially gives off cheery vibe similar to shows like Lucky Star. The character designs have an air of innocence to them as they’re all very colourful with the typical anime conventions to make them appear as cute as possible, as is the case with these kinds of shows that focus on adolescent girls. Madoka’s design pretty much sums it up, as she sports a pink hairdo.
However there is some mature artistic flair here, in particular the scenes where the characters venture into what’s known as the Witch’s Labyrinth. These areas are illustrated and expressed in a rather abstract and surreal manner, almost like walking inside a Picasso painting. The art direction in those scenes is rather creepy and dark, and drops the typical anime style look for something really unorthodox and unique. Visually, these scenes represent some of the best moments of the anime.
In terms of audio, Puella Magi Madoka Magica has a nice soundtrack, initially the style of music compliments the apparent happy go lucky nature of the premise and setting, but as soon as things pick up the soundtrack also evolves into something far more epic and dramatic. The English dub is actually pretty decent here with no one sounding particularly cringe-worthy, the English voice cast do a decent job in portraying the essence of the characters, and convey the appropriate level of emotion in a given scene.
Overall:
Puella Magi Madoka Magica in short, is a pleasant surprise. Those who initially dismissed it as a shallow byproduct of the anime Moe subculture, they will surely be caught off-guard as the show is more than what it appears to be. Even within the first four episodes, Puella Magi Madoka Magica gives off a lasting and positive impression, and will leave you wanting more. By the time you finish Volume 1, you will definitely be looking forward to the eventual release of Volume 2 and Volume 3, as this is one show you definitely want to see through till the end. Do not be fooled by the pink and childish looking cover art, this anime is serious business, one that starts off with an impactful bang.
New details about Gust’s upcoming PlayStation 3 RPG, Atelier Ayesha have been revealed in the latest issue of Dengeki PlayStation. One of the first details revealed was a new character who is named Wilbele. Wilbele is a 14 year old girl who is also a witch. As one may expect, Wilbele is a genius when it comes to using magic and she can even summon the elements to attack her enemies in battle, despite all of this she still can’t learn how to fly and is seeking a way to do so like every other witch. Also revealed is a 20 year old hunter who goes by the name Yuris. Yuris is seeking a dragon to defeat and then wear its scales as armor… not very deep.
Besides these two character reveals, a little bit of extra information was revealed about the game’s battle system. Rather than featuring the previously standard stand-in-place system, players will be able to move Ayesha and her allies in battle. This movement is done with a move command in the menu and the closer the player is to a monster will affect various battle factors such as team attacks and assist skills. It is worth noting that NIS America has not mentioned whether or not they will be bringing Atelier Ayesha to North America as of yet, though it is expected that they do so.
