For anyone living in Beijing China, Jiong Jiong Comic Show & Cos Play 2012 (JJYS) held in the China National Convention Center was on yesterday, Sunday 15th April 2012, so it was another perfect excuse once again for the Capsule Computers Crew to attend and cover the event. The event was very well organized and planned with the fans enjoying a fantastic event. As always collecting our special media pass tickets we were able to get in and take a look at the event floor 2 hours before the massive crowds / fans and cos players were allowed it. THANK THE ANIME GODS for that! Once the clock stuck 9am, the flood gates opened and it was on for young and old!
Cos Play at Jiong Jiong was in full force as you can see with the pictures taken below (over 200 gallery images) a lot of effort and time has gone into some of these outfits which I must say were very interesting and amazingly well designed. Cos-Play here at Jiong Jiong was as good as the previous Bejing comic book conventions ( M.Y. Comic 3 and ComicDive 6) that happened last year and last month in Beijing. The great thing about attending these events is you also get to know the regulars and see what new costumes they have designed, which is always very exciting if you’re a cos-play fan.
As always the same crowds are alaways in attendance when it comes to comic shows and Jiong Jiong was no exception to the rule, so once again the geeks, nerds, cos-players, children, old people wanting to be cool, you name it, they were there! The show was held at the China National Convention Center which also located right next door to the world famous Beijing National Stadium: most people call it the Bird’s Nest which hosted the 2008 Olympic Games. The Convention center was absolutely huge, the show floor only too up a quarter of the center but it was jam packed with stalls stocked with amazing Comics and Dojinshi’s, toys, clothes and a variety of other cool stuff (see image gallery for more details) If you wanted your favorite book or comic, the plan is always the same: Make sure you know were it was by doing your research while in the queue waiting or by checking online days before and preparing your list and memorizing stall locations and high tailing it over to the stall to buy whatever you needed! As always if you blinked too many times or stopped to smell the roses by looking at all the stalls one at time to see what they had would certainly on many occasions leave you very disappointed when you finally made it to the stall where your favourite book or item would be, as it would of been sold out by then.
The event opened its doors at 9am and was still buzzing at 5pm with fans taking photos of cos-players and people still buying their last minute comics, toys etc before they were asked to vacate the show floor. As always with video games in mind, this was the perfect opportunity to bring along my trusty Nintendo 3DS hoping that I might pick a few more street passes, and boy I sure did. I ended up picking up over 50 + new Mii profiles, swapped puzzles in the new Puzzle Swap and also nearly finished a run through on StreetPass Quest 2, not a bad effort at all for a days work. I even picked up via spot pass the President if Nintendo Satoru Iwata. Who’s been busy playing Mario Kart 7! We shook hands and he joined my Wii Plaza, HAPPY DAYS!
Check out all the great photos from yesterday’s event below, let us know what you liked the most or which Cos-Play character you thought was the best dressed.
While we all know why Alex Mercer is Sgt. James Heller’s #1 target, not many clips have shown us why we should give a damn. Today, all that has changed with a new video released by Activision, which shows our new protagonist leaping off a roof at full speed, having flashbacks as he makes the fall of the mental torture he has went through since being robbed of his humanity.
Johnny Cash’s “Hurt” sets the tone for the entire clip, and for the first time, I really feel I understand why this sequel is wrapped around revenge, as these clips do the narrative a ton of justice. Prototype 2 is still over a week away from release, but while you wait, you can check out the brand new vid below and don’t forget that you can still pre-order the Prototype 2 Blackwatch Collector’s edition today through most retailers.
Siren Visual have officially confirmed two new license acquisitions after some pretty intense speculation from fans. They have now announced through their official website that they have acquired two noitaminA anime series, Shiki and Thermae Romae.
Shiki will be getting a full dual-language release on both DVD and Blu-Ray with an English dub along side of course the original Japanese audio with English subtitles. The series first aired on the noitaminA anime time slot in Japan back in July 2010. The first part of Siren’s release is scheduled for the 1st of August, 2012.
While Shiki will be a dual-language release, Thermae Romae is set to be subtitled only and a Region 4 exclusive. The series only wrapped up in Japan a few months ago and also aired in the noitaminA time slot. Thermae Romae will get a full release with a plethora of extras come July 2012.
What do you think of these title acquisitions? Let us know in the comments section below.
Over the weekend at the Supanova Melbourne convention, Madman Entertainment made several announcements during their panel at the event. The most predominant announcement was that of the new titles that they have acquired the license for. The following titles were announced for future distribution from Madman (the means of distribution for each title has yet to be revealed):
Aquarion Evol
Legend of the Legendary Heroes
Star Driver
Oreimo
Mayo Chiki
Berserk: The Golden Age Arc Trilogy
Following these acquisition announcements Madman unfortunately revealed that their previously announced release of the Patlabor OVAs is now delayed indefinitely due to unforeseen circumstances beyond their control. The release of the Patlabor OVAs was originally scheduled for June 2012. Madman apologised for any inconveniency and disappointment felt by fans. They will keep fans updated if the status of the Patlabor OVAs changes.
Captain Morgane and the Golden Turtle Developer: WizarBox Publisher: Reef Entertainment Platforms: DS, PC (Reviewed), PS3, Wii Release Date: March 30, 2012 Price: £14.95 – Available Here
Overview: Captain Morgane and the Golden Turtle is an old school point-and-click adventure game much in the same vein as the Monkey Island series. Captain Morgane is also a sequel/prequel to the So Blonde adventure game from 2008. On the PC it was fairly straight forward, though being heavily reliant on the mouse, so other versions are probably reliant on the DS stylus, Move, and Wii-Mote respectively.
Going back to Monkey Island, Captain Morgane features a lot of the same kind of humor. Though the protagonist is more of the straight woman, than the bumbling fool. With pop culture references galore, it’s almost its own mini-game to try and find them all across the 10 chapters and 5 islands.
Story:
The game begins with a solid introduction of the character as a small girl, with hopes of being a pirate captain like her father. This only lasts the first chapter, but it serves as a perfect way to adjust players to how the game works from collecting items, to using them, and combining them. Even effectively establishing several of the character relationships that become important later in the game. This works great for the game and works to develop an attachment to the characters.
The main story of the game takes place about 10 years after the first chapter. It focuses on the Golden Turtle and the quest to find it, as well as Morgane trying to prove herself a capable captain to her father. But, there are plenty of side stories that go on throughout the game that tie back to the initial chapter, bridging the gap. With a sizable story, the game covers a lot of stuff, though one of the downsides is that the game has a great conclusion to the main story, several of the side stories are kind of left to interpretation.
Visuals:
The visual style of Captain Morgane has three different forms. For the vast majority, characters are 3D models and backgrounds are very detailed, which of all the forms looks the best. Cutscenes in the game are done through simple 2D art that is much more simplistic. While not as detailed it still conveys the mood effectively and once you get used to it, the switch between them isn’t very daunting. The last form is in the mini-games, that are 2D art but characters are done in a chibi art style, which can be kind of distracting. These sections are generally pretty short though, so it isn’t too bad.
All the characters in the game look very good and there is never an issue telling them apart between forms. The 3D models are very detailed and outside of a few issues with animations that are more relevant to the gameplay there are no real problems. The backgrounds are also great to just look at and appreciate, plus with all the pop culture references stuck in they are nice to look for when waiting for characters to move around.
Audio:
The music of Captain Morgane has the standard Caribbean feel, but there is a certain hint of more modern flavor. It isn’t annoying and shouldn’t grate on nerves while playing for the most part. It feels the part for the game, which is more than can be said for some of the sound effects. Now, yes, the game is comedic, but some of the sound effects are a little more slap stick than seem appropriate for the game. Sometimes to the point where it kind of interrupts the mood.
Voice acting though is nearly perfect, as there are only a few problems and those are very far between. The game also gives lots of options in terms of voice acting, including German, Spanish, and more besides English. The subtitles don’t always match up, but that seems to be more of an issue of choosing the best sounding line and not necessarily the one specifically written. The only real issues are a few lines that seem to have the wrong voice, both of which being for Morgane, so they are easy to notice after listening to her the entire time.
Gameplay:
The vast majority of the time is spent in the point-and-click style of gameplay, but actions are more condensed than in others in the genre. Things tend to have only two actions, everything can be examined, but things with two actions the other will either be to use or talk depending on what it is. The game has also built in a “tip” system that indicates all the things that can actually be interacted with, which can be turned on and off. Though it is highly advisable to just leave it on for inexperienced players or it will become somewhat of a pixel hunt.
Difficulty is what can be described as “adventure game” hard because if there isn’t a solid clue what to do, all that can be done is use every single thing on every other thing or person until something works. To make up for this, most mini-games and some puzzles can simply be skipped by selecting the “cheat” option instead of “play”. These aren’t too bad in and of themselves, sometimes being a nice break.
The only big issue with gameplay is that when in conversation the audio and special animations aren’t specifically linked, so conversations will pause until the animation is complete then pick back up. This can really slow down the gameplay and make conversations drag out, giving plenty of time to look over the background. Similarly, walking animations seem to be slower than they should be, so moving from place to place can be kind of a pain.
Overall: Captain Morgane and the Golden Turtle is an awesome game, that fans of point-and-click adventure games should be sure to check out. The story is solid, the characters are fun and interesting, and the positives greatly outweigh the negatives. It’s a decent length too, though length really depends on how quickly a player can figure out what they should be using together. While it’s currently only in Europe, it’s coming to Australia soon, and hopefully reaches the US.
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: The Sacred Star of Milos Studio: BONES Publisher: FUNimation Format: DVD Release Date: April 24, 2012 Price: $29.98 – Available Here
Overview: There are many anime franchises which have seen high levels of popularity in Japan as well as in North America. One such anime franchise received not only one, but two anime adaptations that have since concluded. The franchise I’m speaking of is Fullmetal Alchemist, which received an anime adaptation early in its publication and another adaptation called Brotherhood that not only stayed truer to the source material, but told the entire Fullmetal Alchemist story from beginning to end.
However who says that a good franchise has to end once the final chapter/episode is released? Though a few OVAs have been made since the anime ended and will be released soon by FUNimation, another new release is gracing the anime world, a full length movie called Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: The Sacred Star of Milos. Will this side-journey of the Elric brothers be one to remember?
Story: We join the Elric brothers shortly after a non-violent criminal has broken out of a prison in an extremely violent manner alchemy that not only destroys half of the prison but wounds countless soldiers. Encountering this escapee Edward and Alphonse Alric realize that this man is no ordinary alchemy user as he uses strange alchemy circles and techniques that neither of them has seen before. This man with unknown abilities manages to escape from them.
Upon investigation, Roy Mustang and the Elric Brothers discover that the man is heading to Table City, apparently in pursuit of a woman named Julia Chrichton. Soon the brothers find themselves in the middle of a rebellion, attacked by werewolf-like chimera, new enemies and allies and a philosopher’s stone sitting right in the middle of it all. Can the Elric brothers survive and save Julia or will these new enemies be too much for them to handle?
Anyone who has paid any attention to Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood should know that the anime’s storyline was wrapped up in a nice neat package that left nearly everyone happy. Which brings about the question as to where The Sacred Star of Milos happens to fall in the series’ plotline. The answer to this question is vague at best, as barely anything relatable to the main story occurs; in fact nearly all of the cast of the main show besides Ed and Al have barely any purpose in the show at all.
This wouldn’t have been too much of an issue if the characters were never included in the first place, but for an extremely basic reason, Winry is brought in to the show for a few minutes, with Hawkeye and Roy appearing as well. However Roy Mustang, a fan favorite character, barely impacts the story at all and doesn’t even fight on screen as everything he does occurs off screen so the show can focus on the newly introduced Julia Chrichton and the Elric brothers.
For what it is worth, the plot of The Sacred Star of Milos is rather enjoyable and features all of the same themes, such as temptation, playing with the power of god and more. To top it off it is also very action packed and anyone who is looking for some fast paced battling will be glad to hear that there is plenty of action here. With the new form of alchemy being used by the main antagonist, we also see a number of new alchemical attacks, including an end-show encounter that bears striking resemblances to a Dragon Ball Z clash where two fighters’ attacks duel against one another.
Not only is the plot full of action but also plenty of twists that will catch the viewer off guard and shift the story in a number of ways and keep the viewer guessing as to who is truly right or wrong in this conflict. It is unfortunate however that, despite the movie’s length and content basically covering a well thought out story arc, that nothing in this movie affects the FMA universe in any way as nothing is gained or lost.
In fact those unaccustomed to the series who feel like giving the movie a shot will be able to jump into the movie rather easily as many things are explained more than once. This includes what happened to the Elric brothers to make them who they are today and references to how Edward is a State Alchemist. Newcomers to the series will miss out on some small details but each character’s motivations and plans are explained via gratuitous monologuing.
Visuals: While the anime series for Fullmetal Alchemist usually had a high level of quality artwork, that same quality unfortunately did not successfully transfer into The Sacred Star of Milos. While most of the characters will look decent to start with, the consistency of this artwork varies greatly, with proportion issues and coloring problems appearing too many times to count. This is alarming considering the fact that most movies usually have a much higher budget than their anime counterparts, which begs the question as to why the artwork for the movie is such a blemish on the series.
While the artwork of the movie itself has suffered greatly, the animation quality has not. Whenever a battle of any kind ensues the viewer can expect some amazing scenes, both involving the use of alchemy and without, the most notable being a battle on top of a speeding train. It is strange to see this distinct separation in quality and it is worth noting that, given the fact that this is a FMA movie, the action is also a bit more graphic and violent than the original anime series ever was.
Audio: Fans of the Fullmetal Alchemist series will be happy to learn that all of their favorite characters have retained their voice actors in both the Japanese and English dubs, with Vic Mignogna handling the voice of Edward Elric and Maxey Whitehead handling Alphonse. With these same voice actors taking the lead we have the same level of quality one would expect from the main Brotherhood series, which was top notch. The newly introduced main character, Julia Chrichton is voiced by Alexis Tipton and she provides a suitable job alongside the other more familiar characters.
While The Sacred Star of Milos may have an impressive theme song, which is “Good Luck My Way” by L’Arc-en-Ciel, the rest of the movies background music just barely supports what is going on at any given time and will likely be quickly forgotten, such as the opening credit’s song “Chasing Hearts” by miwa.
Extras: While the movie comes on only one disc, there are in fact two discs included in the release of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: The Sacred Star of Milos, with the second disc devoted only to extra content. In the first disc we are presented with your standard inclusions of the U.S. trailer for the movie as well as trailers for past and upcoming FUNimation release. The shining star of the first disc’s special features is a full movie-length commentary track that features rotating members of the English voice cast as well as the ADR team.
The commentary track itself doesn’t really follow the movie itself, as the voice actors rarely mention what is happening on the screen at any given time but it is still worth listening to as it gives these actors a chance to say their goodbyes to a series they have worked on for quite a while, minus the aforementioned OVA release next month.
The second disc containing the rest of the special features contains a slew of miscellaneous content that is all still in Japanese with English subtitles. This includes a few TV spots and theatrical trailers, though the two key features on the second disc are the Fullmetal Alchemist: Making of Sacred Star of Milos featurette and a Web Promo. The Web Promo is presented with a very simplistic art style but lasts nearly 20 minutes and is interesting to watch at least once.
The “Making of” bonus feature lasts for over an hour and features a behind-the-scenes interview with the production staff that reveals various elements of production and how they created certain parts of the anime. It is worth noting that the subtitles are occasionally difficult to read due to the overlapping of the Japanese captions so certain sections may need to be paused and read to be understood.
Overall: The Sacred Star of Milos expands the Elric brothers’ journey with what can be best described as an entire story arc combined into one viewing experience. However the quality of the movie’s artwork does not remain consistent nor does it even meet with the standards most long time viewers would have for such a long running series. Despite this, there is plenty of action and a decent story arc to be found in this Fullmetal Alchemist movie, even if it adds practically nothing to the franchise.
Skullgirls Publisher: Autumn Games, Konami Developer: Reverge Labs Platforms:Xbox 360 (Reviewed), PlayStation 3, PC Release Date: 11/04/2012 Price:1200 Microsoft Points
Overview:
Skullgirls was unveiled last year and it immediately turned some heads because it had a rather quirky and unique art direction and style to it. Announced as a digitally distributed title, it initially may have come across as another simplistic and gimmicky fighting game that was just going to be a bit of fun. Fighting game releases on digital platforms thus far have only been re-releases of very retro titles with online functionality. There really hasn’t been a major new IP exclusive to the digital platform until Skullgirls.
Skullgirls is pretty much the brain child of Mike Zaimont and Alex Ahad. Mike Zaimont is well known in the fighting community as ‘Mike Z’ and he brings in his experience and expertise as a tournament level player, while Alex Ahad provides all the artistic and creative juice to create the world and characters of Skullgirls. The end result is a fighting game made by passionate fighting fans for fighting fans. It’s out now for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, with a PC release to follow soon.
Story:
Skullgirls contains a rather unique and refreshing world that has a ton of character and style. The basic premise of the game revolves around these female combatants, who battle it out in a tournament to claim the ultimate prize, the Skull Heart, an ancient artifact that has the power to grant any wish of its holder for a price. However, the Skull Heart also consumes and corrupts a wielder who carries ill intent, turning them into the monstrous Skullgirl.
While the basic premise sounds simple enough, the plot of the game is still fairly convoluted and deep, and the game’s characters have very rich backstories and personalities. The game’s story mode takes you through each character’s personal journey and their motive to acquire the Skull Heart artifact, during which you meet several other support characters. It’s actually a fairly interesting story but it gets plenty crazy and confusing, and the final ending in particular really makes no sense. In a way, it’s almost as if the game taking a stab at how convoluted and nonsensical plots can be in modern fighting games, in particular the BlazBlue series.
That said, the story is entertaining and it will amuse you just because it’s so blatantly over the top and ridiculous. It still benefits from a more Western style of character portrayal and storytelling, along with some elements of Japanese anime conventions that are thankfully not too overpowering.
You will appreciate the unique characters as they are really interesting and have so much richness in their backstories and portrayal. Also, the in-game world is very inspiring and just brims with life and personality. Skullgirls definitely deserves praise for having such a rich setting and world, even if the delivery is a little crazy.
Visuals:
Skullgirls is uniquely remarkable and exceptional in its aesthetics. The visuals and art style is so refreshing that you’d be hard pressed to find another fighting game that looks quite like it. It has a strong 1940s-1950s American pop culture vibe to it but with a very strong postmodern twist. There are traces of Japanese anime/manga influences, but thankfully they are weak as the overall art direction of the game is dominated by a profound Western comic book/cartoon influence with a ton of personality and flair. The character designs are out of this world and will leave a lasting impression and being an all-girl fighting game, they are heavily sexualized but in a more Westernised manner. The characters designs range from crazy, to scary, and even elegant and pleasing.
The game’s graphics engine is unbelievable and is perhaps one of the best looking 2D fighting games you will ever see. The character sprites are amazing to look at and have a ton of detail and character, and their animations are absolutely stunning, effortless, and fluid. It’s like watching a modern day animated show as sheer amount of detail and animations is just crazy. Not to mention, the stages and backdrops are pretty awesome too with a ton of artistic flair.
This is a truly fantastic looking game, and while the art and character designs carry some traces and influences of other fighting games, they are but homages. In the end, Skullgirl has a look that really belongs to it alone.
Audio:
The soundtrack of Skullgirls is just brilliant. You will find traces of several musical styles and themes, in particular Jazz, with heavy use of piano. It’s a varied and unforgettable score that even has a few lovely vocal tracks thrown in. The soundtrack, like the general vibe of the game, draws heavily upon the 1940s-1950s American culture. In a much similar fashion to games like Bayonetta and even the first Bioshock.
The main reason why the soundtrack is so stellar is because it was composed by acclaimed video game composer, Michiru Yamane. She is most famous for the amazing music she composed for several Castlevania video games, and while the style music in Skullgirls is much different, it still retains some of that haunting aura that characterised her work in Castlevania.
Gameplay:
The moment you start playing Skullgirls, it becomes clear that this is a refined fighting game created by people who are passionate fans of the genre. It’s mechanicially sound, very accessible, and has amazing depth to it. It borrows gameplay elements from fighters like Marvel vs. Capcom and Guilty Gear, but like everything else about Skullgirls, even its gameplay feels refreshing and unique.
The core fighting mechanics have all the necessary intricacies that characterize modern fighting games, and are beautifully implemented. It includes things like cancelling, dashes, recoveries, staggers, and all the tools that you need to create a refined tournament worthy fighter. The core combat mechanics are a lot of fun, allowing you to exercise creativity in creating massive chain combos with great fluidity. It has a tone of crazy special moves and super combo attacks, likes of which you may not have seen in other fighting games.
Much like in BlazBlue, each character in Skullgirls feels mechanically distinct. A good example is Ms. Fortune, a fast paced kind of character who has this interesting mechanic where she can throw her head around, and that has some implications on her offensive and defensive tactics. They’ve really put a lot of work into making each of the eight playable characters in the game feel profoundly distinct in play style. It’s hard to do this sort of thing without compromising game balance, but Skullgirls pulls it off rather well.
The style of play include the traditional one on one type of battles, but you can also choose to have teams of two or three and engage in some Marvel vs. Capcom style team based mayhem. The team based mechanics allow for some massive multi-character combos and strategies, and includes the usual assist attacks where a team member can just hop in to perform a special move. While the game will ask you to select one of the predetermined assist attacks for a team member, it also has this really cool feature where you can input a command for a custom assist attack. This feature allows for a lot of freedom and creativity in creating some unique team combos.
The game contains the standard modes of play for a fighting game. The story mode is told with beautiful animation stills much like in BlazBlue, and there is a very useful tutorial mode that does a great job in explaining all the mechanics and game systems to new comers. The online mode offers a fairly robust net-code for a digital title, and I had some hitch free match ups with my fellow countrymen thus far. It’s still in its early days so it will take time to develop a thriving local community. The game has an extras mode, which so far only contains the credits sequence and a message promising more content in the future, it’s a shame that these extras weren’t included now as it would have been nice to have an art gallery at least.
The most annoying aspect of the game is the final boss, now fighting game bosses are known to be notoriously cheap and unfair but the game’s final boss, the Skullgirl ‘Marie’, is easily among the worst. She has three forms, and while you will get by the first two forms fairly well, her final form is an absolute jerk as the hit box becomes really small and she just launches a cheap barrage of overpowered attacks from just about every angle. Eventually you will learn cheap ways to get by, but it’s still not a fun battle at all.
Overall:
Skullgirls is a pleasant surprise and will perhaps end up being the sleeper hit of 2012. It’s a refreshingly unique fighting game in every aspect, one that is beautifully executed in every aspect as well. It has some shortcomings, but overall this is a fantastic game that has all the elements of a standout title. It will be great to have some more content soon for the Extras section, as well some new DLC characters (just as long as they don’t handle it like Capcom did). For now, what’s present is entertaining enough as the game’s eight playable characters will keep you busy with their distinct mechanics and play styles, and the game’s world, art, aesthetics, and audible flair will impress you. Hopefully this game gains a strong following as it would be great to see more of Skullgirls in the coming years.
Incase has updated their Snap Case and created the Magnetic Snap Case which is compatible with the new iPad and the iPad 2.The case works in compliment with the Apple Smart cover, providing protection for the back of the iPad. It is a hard shell construction and features a metal bar on the back of the case that allows the smart cover to stick to it when the cover is open.
No more Smart cover flapping around. Because of this metal bar, it is possible to use the smart cover to prop the iPad in a third viewing angle that steeper than the typing angle but still maintain a comfortable viewing angle for watching videos. The case is only available in black and will set you back $39.99.
Midnight Mysteries – Haunted Houdini
Developer: MumboJumbo Publisher: MumboJumbo Platforms: iPad Release Date: April 12, 2012 Price: $6.99 USD/ $7.49 AUD Get it Here
Overview
The casual game market is the big unconquered gold mine of the video game industry and it’s the gold rush all over again. MumboJumbo is bringing its fourth entry to the Midnight Mysteries series with Haunted Houdini. Billed as a premium casual game, can Midnight Mysteries – Haunted Houdini justify its hefty $6.99 price tag?
Story
Midnight Mysteries – Haunted Houdini follows our hero as he attempts to delve into the mystery of Houdini’s dead at the ghost of Houdini’s wife Bess’ request. In death Houdini was supposed to send Bess a message tell her that he made it to the afterlife, but the message never made it. Haunted Houdini guides you through a world of secret societies, psychics, and séances to discover what really caused Houdini’s demise and reunite the couple. It appears that Midnight Mysteries – Haunted Houdini uses the book The Secret Life of Houdini as the inspiration for the story line. I found the story to be entertaining and the magician theme to lend itself well to the game. The dialog options with the ghosts of some well-known historical figures were a little on the sparse side for my liking. Overall, the storyline is solid and harmonizes well with the game.
Gameplay
Haunted Houdini is a hidden object puzzle adventure game. The game balances the three genres well, the game providing strong examples of each style throughout the game. The puzzle sections are creative, challenging, and at times downright devious. Thankfully those playing on Casual or Advanced difficulty will be able to skip puzzles after a certain period of time has elapsed. The hidden object portion of the game becomes challenging in its own right as the game progresses and manages to stay fun even after the fourth or fifth hidden object puzzle you encounter. Clues become vaguer, requiring players to be able to think creatively, not just have a sharp set of eyes. The adventure aspect of the game is extremely strong at well, the adventure puzzles are well balanced between logical and challenging.
There are three difficulty modes to play through and an unlimited hidden object mode. The first three difficulty modes are unlocked from the start of the game and adjust the difficulty by changing the recharge time between hints, the time required before a puzzle can be skipped, and allowing some tools that can be interacted with to sparkle on lower difficulties. I wish it was possible to change the difficulty of the game on the fly. Unfortunately the difficulty you start with is the difficulty you are locked into for the rest of the game. It is possible to start again by create a new profile and starting again though. Once 40 of the possible 70 four leaf clovers are found in the regular game mode, the unlimited hidden object mode is unlocked. This mode is exactly as the name says, allowing you to race against the clock as you find every single collectable object in the scene. As to prevent random tapping, only 12 items at a time are on your list of items to be found.
The controls in Midnight Mysteries – Haunted Houdini are on a whole very tight and responsive. Thanks to the ability to pinch to zoom, I had little problem interacting with objects in game. However, there were a few puzzles where it was impossible to zoom in and the hot zones were extremely small, leading to some very carefully tapping. The plus button used to merge objects is also extremely small, which had led me to press the wrong button several times. I believe this may be a by-product of the fact the game is also released for the PC, which benefits from a much more accurate mouse pointer for controls. But for the exception for a few hiccups, the game works well on the iPad.
Visuals
The graphics are very nice; the visual style is detailed and fits well with the theme and time period of Houdini. There is a nice balance between subtly highlighting objects that can be interacted with and having them blend in with the rest of the scenery. It is a very fine line to tread and MumboJumbo does a great job at it. I am not 100% sure if Midnight Mysteries – Haunted Houdini is Retina optimized. There are moments I swear it is, others I’m not quite sure. No matter what, the graphics are extremely sharp and is a pleasure to stare at for extended periods of time.
Audio
The audio is a spooky and moody experience, fitting for the theme of the game. The sound effects are well done. The game is a pleasure to listen to and doesn’t get tiring after hours of listening to it. I do however wish there was some voice acting in the game. It would have provided a more immersive experience in the game. Overall, Midnight Mysteries – Haunted Houdini provides solid audio experience that comes close to perfection but just misses the mark.
Overall
I can strongly recommend Midnight Mysteries – Haunted Houdini to anyone looking for a casual game to play on their iPad. For some the $6.99 price tag may be a sticking point, but I feel it is definitely worth it. The game is of extremely high quality and very polished. The graphics are gorgeous and the audio experience is near perfect. The controls on a whole work well. The gameplay is a great example of the genre and the story line is interested and engaging. The game can be upgraded with extra content that provides a bonus chapter or a strategy guide for $1.99 each. The collector’s edition comes with both the extra content and the guide for a $2.99 in app purchase. Even without the bonus content, Midnight Mysteries – Haunted Houdini is a fantastic addition to the Midnight Mysteries series.
Incipio has released Wizards of the Coast licensed Dungeons and Dragons: Rise of the Underdark themed feather Ultralight Hard Shell Cases. Rise of the Underdark is D&D’s new campaign setting that spans campaign books, D&D online, novels, and now iPhone 4/4s cases. The case is a 1mm slim case that provides generous cutouts for buttons, ports, and the camera. In addition, the case comes with the Incipio Vanity kit, providing you with two screen protectors, a microfiber cleaning cloth, and an applicator card to not only protect the back of your iPhone, but the front too. The case is black and you can choose between an image of a Drow, a Lolth Spider Queen, or the Lolth symbol. The case priced at $29.99
