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Mardock Scramble: The First Compression Review

March 29, 2012

Mardock Scramble: The First Compression -Complete Edition-
Studio: GoHands
Publisher: Madman
Release Date: 21/03/2012
Price: $29.95 Available Here

Overview:

Mardock Scramble: The First Compression is a Japanese animated feature film that serves as the first in what will be a trilogy of movies. The second movie in this trilogy, Mardock Scramble: The Second Compression has already been released in Japan. The movies are based on a Japanese novel series of the same name, and they follow the original story and premise closely.

The complete edition of Mardock Scramble: The First Compression has now been released on DVD, and it not only includes the original Theatrical version of the movie but also the Director’s Cut version.

Story:

Mardock Scramble: The First Compression takes place in a distant future where technology and science has allowed for some great innovations in robotics, artificial intelligence, and medicine. Even with such great developments, criminals have exploited these innovations to conduct heinous crimes. The movie portrays a rather interesting world with some interesting laws and regulations.

The movie takes place in a fictional city called Mardock City, and focuses on the life of Rune Ballot, a 15 year old girl with a difficult life to say the least. Rune comes from a truly broken home, with her older brother locked in prison and her drug addicted and abusive parents barely alive in the hospital. Her relationship with her family is also far from being normal as she was a victim of constant incestuous sexual abuse from a very early age. With such a poor upbringing and the fact that she couldn’t go to school, she had no choice but to engage in illegal prostitution services as a minor to survive in the real world. Needless to say, her life only got worse and it hit its lowest point when she was taken in by a powerful and wealthy businessman and gambler, Shell Septinous.

Early on in the movie you learn that Rune trusted Shell to take care of her both financially and emotionally. She however finds herself betrayed within the first few minutes of the movie as Shell, after engaging in sexual intercourse with Rune, attempts to murder her by locking her up in his car, which fills up with poisonous gas and then explodes. Shell is revealed to be serial killer who takes in a prostitute only to murder her, after which he erases his own memory and moves on to his next victim. Rune was supposed to be just another victim, but luckily for her someone was watching the horrific events transpire and make the save, an independent scientist who goes by the name of Dr. Easter.

While she was effectively killed in the explosion, Dr. Easter was able to somehow reconstruct her as a cyborg being under a unique protocol. Her role now is to work with Dr. Easter in a legal case against Shell, in hopes to bring him to justice for his heinous crimes. However, court proceedings are complicated because Shell has no memories of his past and Rune must dig deep into her dark past and share it with the world. Things also get even more complicated outside the court room as she takes on some truly disgusting and depraved adversaries.

While the movie runs for just a little over an hour, it still manages to tell a very strong and compelling story. We really get to see some significant character development, in particular we get a good insight into the horrible anguish and emotional pain that Rune has to deal with and how she now has to adapt to life as a resurrected cyborg. Her new body grants her some physical enhancements, and she even befriends this rather peculiar A.I technology that can morph into any object of her desire. They have a very interesting relationship and dynamic, and their interactions are perhaps one of the sweeter and uplifting moments of the movie.

Mardock Scramble is not for the weak of heart, and in particular the Director’s Cut version contains some very graphic and disturbing sexual content. This content is vastly toned down, but still implied, in the Theatrical version of the movie but even so still retains a lot of the gore, nudity, and strong sexual themes. You need to be able to stomach this sort of thing and in particular the scenes that depict the sexual abuse and torture that Rune Ballot had to endure. The movie and its characters portray a very depraved and sadistic side of humanity, and as such, results in a very powerful and adult storytelling.

Mardock Scramble tells a very moving story that will surely have a significant impact on you. If you can look past some of the dark and twisted themes, you’ll find yourself fascinated by how a young girl, with such an awful past, now has a second chance at life and must now fight to set things right for herself. One thing worth noting is that the movie ends on an abrupt cliff hanger, but it’s nothing to be upset about as there are two more movies that will move the story forward to a proper conclusion.

Visuals and Audio:

Mardock Scramble is a beautifully drawn and animated feature film with some amazing set pieces and cool special effects. If anything, its aesthetic and style is most similar to the legendary and iconic Ghost in the Shell anime, as it’s very dark with a slick futuristic vibe. It’s a brilliant production with a stellar art direction and superb character designs.

The soundtrack is powerful too, complementing the dark and yet emotionally tragic nature of the story and has a beautiful credits theme song. The English dub has been masterfully done and one of the better ones I have listened to.

Extras:

In terms of extras, there really isn’t much here apart from the usual trailers. As I mentioned at the start, you get two versions of the movie which is a pretty generous enough for a home release of an anime movie. The Director’s Cut adds several new scenes which are really intense and graphic in nature, which is why it’s good to have the original Theatrical version of the movie that is significantly toned down and thus easier to watch for viewers who cannot stomach intense and explicit adult content.

Overall:

Mardock Scramble: The First Compression is a truly deep and adult example of Japanese storytelling. It packs a heavy emotional punch and the characters are really compelling. It’s beautifully produced animated movie backed by a surprisingly excellent English dub. The subject matter is dark and twisted, but they are necessary elements in telling a truly powerful story and portraying a very complicated characterisation. It will make you depressed and show you some horrific things, but it will leave a mark and have an emotional impact that only the greatest of anime can have.

Adam’s Venture Episode 1 Review

Simon Wolfe

March 29, 2012

Adam’s Venture Episode 1: The Search for the Lost Garden
Developer: Vertigo Games
Publisher: Iceberg Entertainment
Platforms: PC (Steam)
Release Date: March 23, 2012
Price: $4.99 – Available Here

Overview:

Lost locations and hidden treasures are a tried and true formula for action adventure. Mixing in different ancient histories as a context is one of many ways of keeping it more or less fresh between different quests and adventurers. Indiana Jones is one of the most iconic in recent history, but there are plenty more and as long as the troupe doesn’t grow stale there will continue to be more.

Adam’s Venture Episode is a venture in this classic formula and by designing it as an episodic series it leaves it open to smaller more focused games than a full game that may attempt to cover too much or not enough. Setting it in the 1920’s fits the pulp novels that coined the genre. So where exactly does the first episode of Adam’s Venture lay between Indiana Jones and pulp novels?

Story:

Adam’s Venture Episode 1: The Search for the Lost Garden tells the story of Adam Venture, less searching for the lost Garden of Eden, but more trying to enter after they have already found it. He is joined by is girlfriend Evelyn, oh ho, Adam and EVElyn out for the Garden of Eden; the professor; and his dog, Digger. But, as stated before there isn’t any searching for the garden, thy know exactly where it is, it’s simply getting the door open that’s the kicker.

Adam Venture as a character is kind of a jerk, the first conversation with his girlfriend can make one wonder what she ever sees in the guy. Come to find out that may be the point. Adam is this hot shot adventure stud and he completely buys into himself, to the point where the others can blatantly mock him and he just takes it in stride. In fact it really works, a sort of parody of the other adventurers that get swooned over. Adam is flawed and he’s great that way.

Inside the caves and tunnels Adam must work to find the pieces that will open the door to the garden, but trying to prevent him is an ancient evil, represented by a cloud of black smoke because what other form could ancient evil take? Adam must dodge traps, avoid the evil, and solve numerous puzzles to get back with the pieces and open the door back to Eden.

Visuals:

The game is truly good looking. The characters are great to look at and have an excellent aesthetic to them that pops from the scenery, without seeming out of place. The scenery is also beautiful just to look at and for a game that is almost exclusively inside a cave, the environments have a solid variety, from sandy, to crystalline, to water.

There are a few issues however, though luckily primarily minor. The opening and closing cutscenes are a bit over sepia toned, to the point where it almost seems like the options need to be changed until the gameplay starts. Besides that, the only real other negative is that Adam Venture’s cap has no under texture, which wouldn’t seem like a problem except he takes it off when moving while crouched. Several tunnels have him crouched and very close to the camera, so it’s noticeable that one can see through it’s bottom. Nitpicky? A bit, but pretty good that those are the only real negatives.

Audio:

The soundtrack is very well done and nice to listen to for extended periods without going crazy. It includes a nice balance of instruments and every piece fits the area for which it appears. It isn’t a surprise that one can actually purchase the soundtrack for the game, as it is very high quality work.

The voice acting on the other hand is not quite up to par. Dialogue is at times cheesy and sometimes the lines are read in a strange cadence that doesn’t necessarily feel natural. The cheesiness of the dialogue can kind of grow on you as the game progresses, at times thinking of silly jokes will result in them actually being said or some variation there of.

Gameplay:

For the most part the game focuses on puzzles over everything else, which is actually a good thing. The game isn’t terribly long and in fact only a few puzzles are repeated, albeit at raising difficulty. There is a bit of platforming, but it is decently straight forward. The focus on the puzzles makes it easy to get through in a single sitting, and none are overly difficult in how much brain power needed to solve them. There’s a small bit of walking and exploration, with each puzzle area having one secret that the player can find.

The game totes its motion capture and for the most part it is well done, though there are a few issues with it. Attempting to crouch while already moving causes the animation to play twice, which is small, but fine. What isn’t however is an issue the player animations causes one of the timing puzzles. A room requires 4 stands to be ignited at the same time and figuring out the order isn’t hard. The hard part is actually lighting them in time. Missing the just correct position for igniting, causes Adam to turn to face the correct position, step in the correct position, then turn to face the stand, which can be overly time consuming. Numerous attempts left the first one going out while Adam was re-positioning on the last; overall taking way more tries than it should require to get the just right positions and complete the puzzle.

Overall:

Ultimately, this is a very well put together game that may be of consideration if you enjoy puzzles and are willing to give them a couple hours of your time. $5 is a great price and is well designed for kids to play and enjoy too. What few issues it has are buried beneath the high quality, which definitely creates interest in the later episodes. All things considered anyone only interested in the puzzles can always play with the sound off.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 Out Now

Jonno Weiss

March 29, 2012

EA Sports are pleased to announce that Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 and the The Masters Collector’s Edition have now hit shelves across Australia.

Both games come packed with new features including a comprehensive swing mechanic revamp, including the ability for players to customise their shots and execute over 62 million combinations.
What’s more is the integration of Kinect for Xbox 360, making it the first ever voice-enabled and controller-free sports simulation.

Go out and grab a copy of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 now and tee off on your Xbox 360 or PS3. The game will be out tomorrow in New Zealand.

UEFA EURO 2012 To Be Released As FIFA 12 Expansion

Jonno Weiss

March 29, 2012

EA Sports have announced that the official video game for UEFA EURO 2012 will be exclusively available as an expansion pack for FIFA 12 on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

This is a logical change for EA Sports who usually release the international tournaments as a separate game entirely, however the pricing for this expansion pack is still yet to be confirmed at this time. It will be available on April 26th and we will get some more information for you guys as soon as it’s made available.

EURO 2012 kicks off on June 8th in Poland, so you’ll have plenty of time to build up your excitement for the tournament playing through as all the participating teams.

New Video Series! Support us on Kickstarter!

Alexis Ayala

March 29, 2012

So now we’ve done it. Done what you ask? Well Capsule Computers has launced a Kickstarter campaign for our new video show The Uncanny Valley! We need your help. As much as we love doing the show we need some funding to keep it going. We would love your support. But you know what? If you don’t have a dollar to spare, that’s cool. We’d still love it if you shared this with your friends to get the word out. We feel really strongly about what we’re creating here and would love to make a whole lot more of them. So check out the Kickstarter page our our facebook page and show support.

SHOW DESCRIPTION

Sometimes it’s hard to describe things. You have a clear idea of what it is in your head and the moment you try and put words to it everything fumbles out of your mouth and it sounds like nonsense. This is not what our show is about. What it is about… is, well it’s about a lot of things. It’s about life, it’s about love, it’s about you.

The Uncanny Valley is a documentary styled show that tells stories about people who love things not because they’re cool; but for the pure sake of loving them. It’s about that time you camped out in the rain for first screening tickets to Star Wars; but it’s not about Star Wars. It’s about all those hours spent putting together and crafting the perfect costume for that cosplay convention; but it’s not about anime. It’s even about how you took first place in that Starcraft competition; but it’s not about video games.

This is a show about the people who never let that childlike love of things escape.

But this is a show about them, not the things they love.

Spring Bonus out now from Hothead Games

Luke Halliday

March 29, 2012

Hothead Games have released their latest mobile game on iOS, Android and Nook devices. That game is Spring Bonus, Hothead Games’ Spring-themed puzzle game.

The game features enjoyable puzzles that can be played on the go. You can play puzzle types like Match 3 and Match 4 aiming to bring back to Spring season and ward off the chill of Winter. Spring Bonus is undoubtedly an enthralling puzzler.

You can get Spring Bonus for free on the iOS here, the Android for $1.99 here and the Nook for $1.99 here. What do you think of Spring Bonus from Hothead Games? Will you be picking it up? If so, on what device? Let us know in the comments section.

New trailer for Max Payne 3 Shows off Multiplayer

Dustin Spencer

March 29, 2012

Max Payne 3’s release date is getting closer, and Rockstar have providing a ton of sneak peeks as of late when it comes to the game’s single player mode. Today though, a new video was released that details what many will be curious about, and that is the newly implemented multiplayer mode.

I know, most of the time we see half-assed multiplayer added in at what looks like last minute for story driven titles like Max Payne 3, and most ignore the mode completely after just a few minutes spent. Rockstar do not have the terms “half-assed” in their vocabulary though, and have went out of their way to make this outing both true to the series and enjoyable to all participants.

In the video below, we get nearly three minutes of footage from multiplayer, with many features and modes detailed. The first feature of sorts mentioned is the incorporation of bullet time into the experience. When a player activates bullet time, every player in their direct line of sight also enters the slowdown, and each player must think quick to take out their targets.

Max Payne 3’s flagship mode for multiplayer is none other than Gang Wars. This mode will have story-based rounds of matches using warring factions from the single player game, where the story changes depending on the outcome of each match. Payne Killer is a bit more familiar, with two players cooperatively taking the roles of Max Payne and his partner, Raul Passos as they try to survive against waves of enemies.

You can check out the video in full below, and pick up the full monty of Payne when it hit shelves May 15th.

rComplex Review

Jamie Laike Tsui

March 29, 2012

rComplex

Developer: EVENT Interactive
Publisher: Interwave Studios
Platforms: iPad (Reviewed), iPhone, iPod Touch
Release Date: March 24th, 2012
Price: $1.99 Buy It Here

Overview

rComplex was a much beloved indie title from 2009. EVENT Interactive has reimagined the running man’s tale to bring us rComplex for iOS. With infinite run games such as Temple Run and Jetpack Joyride cramming iTunes, can rComplex stand above the crowd?

Visuals

rComplex is a visually stunning experience. Bright reds, blues, and greens contrast sharply against the foreground of black. The style reminds me a little of Mirror’s Edge crossed with Limbo. On both the iPhone 4 and the new iPad, rComplex runs well with no slowdown. All slide obstacles are shown in electric blue and all jump obstacles are bright neon green. Although this is a good idea on paper, it stumbles on execution at times. Some of the obstacles are very small or thin, such as the bicycles, the wire park benches, and the ladders and can be incredibly difficult to see in such a fast moving game. While this is annoying on the larger iPad screens, this becomes hair pulling level frustrating once the game is shrunk down for the iPhone screen. Some the obstacles are simply not designed with iPhone and iPod touch users in mind.

Audio

I have only one major complaint about rComplex when it comes to sound. I want more of it. Indie music legend Roger Hicks provided an amazing soundtrack to the game that is completely addictive and worthy of its own album release. Unfortunately the album would only reach extended play length at best. The music during game play is the same track looped over and over. It is a great track, but I want to hear more. It is utter shame to have such a talented musician provide music for the game but only provide a small handful of tracks. I liken the experience to not eating all day and smelling a great feast being cooked up, then sitting down at the dinner table and being handed a small sampler plate. To say it’s a disappointment would be an understatement.

The only other issue I have with rComplex’s audio experience is the voice acting. It can be a hit or miss experience, there are moments when the voice actor doesn’t sound natural or convincing when delivering his lines. Most of the time, the voice acting is passable, but those awkward moments can be a bit of a shock to the system.

Gameplay

If I could section off the first three levels of rComplex and call it a game, I would immediately hand rComplex 10 capsules out of 10. If only. The game play is simple yet incredibly fun and addictive. You play the running man who wakes up without his memories with a giant wall of tentacles forever chasing you. Leap over, slide under, or swerve around obstacles as you make your daring escape on foot and on motorcycle. When the tentacles come too close, fire off one of your precious few remaining shotgun shells at the tentacles to beat them back for a short time. And when it comes down to it, you have one scythe blade to cut yourself free from the tentacles’ deadly grip. If you are lucky, you will be able to scoop up three more rounds for your shotgun or a new scythe blade. Once in a while you will be able to slide into Zen mode and the tentacles will fall back, allowing you to concentrate on dodging obstacles. Hit one however, and the tentacles come rushing back for your flesh. The story is told through a short comic book style cut scene in the beginning of each level and small flashbacks retold by the running man as you collect memory blocks throughout the run. Although the story is not deep or involved, it’s a nice addition to spice up the game.

Controls are available in two forms, tap buttons and slide. Tap provides two buttons, one for jump and one for slide. The longer you hold them, the further and higher you jump or the longer you slide. I personally prefer this control scheme for the smaller iPhone screen. However for the larger iPad screen I prefer the original slide touch controls. Slide up for jump, slide down for sliding. I personally find the buttons are simply too big and unwieldy to be comfortable on the iPad. Tapping the tentacle monster on the left side the screen will shoot the tentacles on both control schemes. The controls are well thought out and work well in rComplex.

In the first few levels, the game is enjoyable and challenging. There is enough difficulty that you will fail a several times, but not enough to have to fight off the desire to hurl your Apple device into the closest hard surface. But eventually, the difficulty ramps up so high, progressing becomes a matter of sheer luck. The problem lies with the speed obstacles rush towards the running man, the difficulty seeing certain obstacles, and the sometimes shoddy collision detection. A recent patch zoomed the camera back further to lengthen the time players have to react, but it is simply not enough. I also noticed slide obstacles are more forgiving than leap obstacles. But worst of all, there are the odd times your feet clear the jump obstacle but somehow the running man goes face first into the ground. There is great potential in rComplex, but game play issues severely hamper the rComplex after several levels.

Overall

rComplex is an enjoyable game with some serious flaws. It has flashy visuals with a great soundtrack, but needs more music than the same song played over and over ad nauseum. Too much of a good thing does become a bad thing. The game play is incredibly fun in the early levels, but once the difficulty ramps up, it becomes practically impossible to progress. The rComplex is advertised as a game for players with dexterity and mental perseverance, but in later levels, it feels more like a game for the lucky and the borderline masochistic. Thankfully the developers are actively in the midst of addressing the gameplay difficulty. However, until these problems are ironed out, gamers without robotic reflexes and eagle eyes should think twice before purchasing.

Madman signs distribution deal with Hasbro

Luke Halliday

March 29, 2012

Madman signs distribution deal with Hasbro

Madman Entertainment has announced via press release that they have signed a deal with Hasbro Studios, the TV division of Hasbro Incorporated, for distribution of Hasbro titles.

The new distribution deal means that many of Hasbro’s popular titles will see a release in Australia through Madman Entertainment. Titles such as Transformers: Prime and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic will now see distribution throughout Australia thanks to this deal broke between the two companies.

This deal further solidifies Madman as one of the leading film and television distribution companies within Australia. Madman plans to release several Hasbro licensed titles, including Transformers: Prime and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic in June 2012.

What do you think of Madman distibuting Hasbro titles? Let us know in the comments section below.

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