Page 5478 – Capsule Computers

Bodyguardz UltraTough Full Body Clear Skin Review

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March 26, 2012

Bodyguardz UltraTough Full Body Clear Skin for the new iPad

Developer: Bodyguardz

Specs
Durable, Ultra-thin, Clear Protectors
1 Complete Set Per Box
Lifetime Replacements
30-day Money Back Guarantee
Price: $29.95 USD Buy it Here

The screen protector market is an extremely saturated place. It seems like every company has their version of either the traditional static cling screen protector or the nearly indestructible vinyl style films that were originally designed to protect vehicle parts. Quality of these products varies wildly, from the screen protectors that can be snagged on eBay for a few pennies to 30 dollar premium kits. Bodyguardz hails from Draper, Utah in the US, proudly owned by women. Starting from their original vinyl style wet apply films for smartphones, Bodyguardz has expanded to static cling style protectors, skins, and cases for a variety of tablets, smartphones, and electronic devices and recently acquired the company earjax to expand their product line. Today we are reviewing their UltraTough Full Body Clear Skins kit for the new iPad.

The kit comes in a small box suitable for display in a retail store. Inside the box contains the two clear skin pieces neatly rolled up, a small sheet of paper containing application instructions, and a bag containing two packets of application gel, a small microfiber cleaning cloth, a plastic squeegee, a Bodyguardz sticker, and a wet screen cleaning wipe. This wipe is similar to the wipes you get at a restaurant to clean your fingers with.

Application instructions are rather simple in theory. First turn off your iPad. With wet fingers, pull the film away from the backing paper then apply 5-7 drops of the application gel onto the sticky side and spread around the film until you fully coat it. Then lay down the film into position. Once you are happy with the positioning, wrap the squeegee card with the micro cleaning cloth and squeegee out the excess application gel and air bubbles from underneath the film. Turn over your iPad and repeat. There will be some cloudiness, haziness, and small air bubbles when initially applied. In most cases, all of it will disappear in 48-72 hours. You will be able to turn on your iPad after 30 minutes. Although two packets of application gel is included, one packet of gel should be enough to apply both films with a little bit to spare.

One of the features that differentiate Bodyguardz from their competitors is their application gel. This gel is alcohol and water based, similar to the disinfectant gel that has appeared everywhere since the SARS epidemic of 2003. According to Bodyguardz, this speeds the curing time needed for the films as alcohol evaporates faster than water. In execution, this does speed the curing time; however I found I needed more gel than the recommended 5-7 drops to keep the whole film properly lubricated. I found applying 5 to 7 drops and spreading it around a third to a half of the film then applying another 5-7 drops to finish coating the film provided better results and preventing the film from drying out prematurely, only using 5-7 drops caused the gel to dry too quickly and allowed my dry finger tips to contaminate the adhesive. Also, I found the gel made adjusting the film once it was laid down onto the device more difficult than the traditional water and baby shampoo method that most companies use. For a device as large as the iPad, I appreciated the faster curing time as the traditional water and baby shampoo method often requires three to seven days of curing time. The faster dry time is a bonus for applying films to curved devices like the new iPad as it is easier to make the curved edge pieces stick to the device. No more whipping out a hair dryer to make those curved edge pieces tacky enough to stick!

The haziness really does disappear in time. I found mines took a little over 48 hours to completely disappear. Most of the air bubbles also disappear in that time, however I have two small stubborn air bubbles that have shrunk a little but never completely faded away. There is very little orange peel effect on this skin and is optically clear. For the exception of the spots where the adhesive was contaminated, the film does not take away or distort the Retina display of the iPad. A big plus considering the new iPad’s selling point is the Retina screen!

The film is extremely smooth once properly cleaned, however there is a slight friction that can catch the fingers. It didn’t interfere with any intense games of Fruit Ninja, but it may annoy some users who are used to the icy smoothness of bare glass or a high quality static cling screen protector. On the other hand, the slight friction is great for the back portion of the screen, making it easier to get a strong grip on your iPad and preventing your expensive iPad from slipping from your grasp. In fact, resting the iPad flat on my palm, I could tilt my palm until the iPad was at least 80 degrees from the floor without any slippage.

The cut of the back piece is perfect, providing excellent coverage without too many small and complicated cuts for the curved corners of the iPad. The front however is cut slightly small. This makes it slightly easier to apply but at the cost of being half a centimeter short of covering the whole glass surface. This isn’t a huge issue as the uncovered surface area really small, but some people may disagree with Bodyguardz decision. Thanks to the pliable plastic nature of the film, the Clear Skins film is extremely resistant to scratches. Short of taking a sharp knife and slicing into the screen protector, the film will survive most scratches. It won’t protect your iPad from a fall, but it is thin enough to be compatible with the Apple Smart Cover and doesn’t hide or take away from the iPad’s aesthetics.

As a bonus, Bodyguardz customer service is top notch. Their customer service is great. I had questions about the haziness of my film and was able to get in touch with them through their live chat and get answers quickly. In addition to great customer service, buying a protector from their site or an authorized dealer gives you access to their lifetime replacement guarantee and the Bodyguardz Advantage program. The lifetime replacement guarantee allows owners to purchase replacements at a heavily discounted price as long as you are willing to send back the original film to Bodyguardz after receiving your replacement. For the new iPad films, replacements can be ordered for $9.95. Of course warranty replacements are free. In addition to the lifetime replacement guarantee, the Bodyguardz Advantage program provides a 20% off discount to all future purchases from Bodyguardz from their site.

Bodyguardz packs in a high quality product and a great customer service experience behind their product. The film is easy to apply, although I believe their instructions could be tweaked slightly for better application. The Clear Skins is optically clear and extremely scratch resistant; however it comes at the cost of a bit of friction when swiping your finger across your iPad. Of course, since both pieces are made from the same material, this improves the grip on the back of the iPad. Even without the Bodyguardz Advantage program and the lifetime replacement guarantee, I would strongly recommend the Bodyguardz UltraTough Clear Skins. The lifetime replacement guarantee and the Bodyguardz Advantage program just makes the UltraTough Clear Skins a killer deal.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 To Feature N7 Armour From Mass Effect

Benjamin Webb

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March 26, 2012

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Square-Enix and Bioware are teaming up to bring the legendary N7 armour from the Mass Effect universe to their latest entry in the primary Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy XIII-2. Players may remember this particular piece of clothing as the primary armour Commander Shepard wore throughout their adventures in the Mass Effect trilogy.

The armour is going to be released on the 28th of March, 2012 and will cost approximately $3.50 Australian on the PSN, or for 240 points on the Xbox Live Arcade. Take a look at the screenshot below for a visual clue as to what they will look like.

RoboChess Review

Jamie Laike Tsui

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March 26, 2012

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RoboChess

Developer: MeYuMe
Publisher: Xtremics Ltd
Platforms: iPad, iPhone (Reviewed), iPod Touch
Release Date: July 20, 2011
Price: $0.99 Buy it Here

Overview

A great board game can stand the test of time. To this day, ancient games such as chess, go, and checkers are still played around the world. Many civilizations still have a board game still played centuries after their creation. Modern day has brought us games like Monopoly, Settlers of Catan, and Risk. There are a lot of excellent board games out there. So RoboChess has big shoes to fill; can it stack up to the giants? Or will it fade into iOS obscurity?

Visuals

RoboChess provides very simple no nonsense visuals. Robots are in a cutesy anime style and the UI is cartoony. The menus in contrast are very industrial and dark. Unfortunately, none of RoboChess’ graphics looks optimized for iPad or iPhone Retina displays, let alone the new iPad’s Retina display. iPad support is strictly in the ugly iPhone mode. It would have been nice to see more effort in supporting the iPad’s larger screen. The current implementation seems to be more of an afterthought.

Audio

The sound effects are appropriate to the Robot theme of the game. Many actually remind me of noises made by old dial up modems. The music however is completely forgettable. This may partially be due to the fact the music volume is extremely low. Thankfully you can play your own music as you play RoboChess. You won’t be missing much if you do play your own music.

Gameplay

The most important part of a board game is the game play. After all, the good old board game that we used to store in boxes and actually have parts made out of trees and possibly plastics and metals didn’t come with a fancy soundtrack or mind blowing 3d graphics. Unfortunately, RoboChess fails to shine in this regard. There are three game play modes that all happen in the hexagonal board. Siege mode is a checkers like mode with a slight twist of chess. Each player is given five pawns and a king piece. Each piece is able to move one space per turn; pieces are destroyed when they are surrounded by two enemy pieces, one on each side. Game continues until either all the pawns on one team are destroyed or the king is destroyed. Heat Centre is the next mode, utilizing four pawns per side. The centre becomes a safe spot for a pawn, and movement must be made between one of the two outer rings or the heat zone. Pawns become vulnerable to attack when they enter the centre ring. The last mode is racing. Similar to Chinese Checkers, each team gest three pawns and a goal at the other end of the board. No pawn can be moved in two consecutive turns. The teams race to move all their pawns into the goal. Unfortunately, even with three different modes with very different rules, RoboChess fails to shine. Racing mode is extremely simple with very little strategy involved, feeling more like an afterthought tacked onto the game to pad the features list. Heat Centre is slightly more interesting, but can quickly boil down to a deadlock by design. The main attraction without a doubt is Siege mode. This is probably the most entertaining and challenging mode in the whole game. Unfortunately, the mode’s balance feels off. For starters, it is the only mode that does not overlay the board layout onto the playing field. This leads to serious confusion when making decisions on where to move. The board size itself always seems to bounce between too small to maneuver without making a purposeful suicide move in the beginning of the game, to too large to end the game in a reasonable time without forfeiting the game by the end. Unfortunately the gameplay falls square into the lower limits of mediocre.

Overall

In an attempt to be the next chess game, RoboChess falls flat on its face, barely clearing the bar into mediocrity. Two of the three gameplay modes are completely forgettable; the main attraction is poorly executed. The audio is unexceptional, and the graphics are simple and do not take advantage of the iPhone’s Retina display or the iPad’s larger screen. Maybe if it was free RoboChess would be worth a download just to try. But even at the low price of 99 cents, I could not recommend RoboChess.

Saint Seiya Omega gets another Trailer

Luke Halliday

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March 26, 2012

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Saint Seiniac’s rejoice! A new trailer has been released for the eagerly awaited sequel to the 1980’s legendary shonen anime series Saint Seiya.

The latest trailer for the sequel known as Saint Seiya Omega can be seen below. The trailer shows off never before seen footage of the new series. Fans of the franchise should be able to pick out who is who in this colourful trailer for Saint Seiya Omega and may even spot a cosmos burning.

Saint Seiya Omega is the first televised Saint Seiya series in 23 years and will premiere on the 1st of April as part of the Spring 2012 series. No confirmation of a Western simulcast has been announced, but it’s always a possibility. Check out the trailer below and stay tuned for more news of Saint Seiya Omega.

Yakuza: Dead Souls Review

Travis Bruno

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March 26, 2012

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Yakuza: Dead Souls
Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega
Release Date: March 13, 2012
Price: $59.99 – Available Here

Overview:
Even when zombies first became popular upon the creation of George A. Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead,” they never reached such a high level of popularity as they do right now. There are countless movies created involving zombie outbreaks, tons of books and even more video games offering everyday people a chance to fight against the living dead in numerous ways.

However while most of these zombie outbreaks are unique in their own ways, none of them have ever had to face off against the hard-boiled gangsters that make up the Yakuza. While Sega’s Yakuza series has always been one that offers a brilliant storyline with plenty to do, however this time around Kamurocho has been infested with zombies in Yakuza: Dead Souls. Does this spin-off on the standard Yakuza experience with a sprinkle of zombies offer a compelling experience or one that should be left to rot?

Story:
It is clear from the on-set that Yakuza: Dead Souls is going to be different than anything previously experienced by the Yakuza fanbase. The Kamurocho district has become infested with flesh-hungry zombies and the infection has spread so rapidly that the only way to contain it was for Japan to deploy the JGSDF (Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.) However their inability left only one solution, to wall off the infected areas of the city in a quarantine zone.

Though as one may expect, zombies always find a way to reach the populace and there are only four men left who can try and turn the undead tide and possibly save the day. My personal favorite, Shun Akiyama from Yakuza 4, longtime main character Kazuma Kiryu, machine gun arm toting Ryuji Goda and the slightly psychotic Goro Majima must work together to try and save the day. With zombies and various Yakuza members facing off, how deep could this story possibly be?

While the basic premise for Yakuza: Dead Souls reads like a bad B-Movie plot, it thankfully goes above and beyond the call of duty and provides a compelling experience that demonstrates that a zombie game can actually have an interesting and well developed storyline. Whereas most zombie games tend to be generic and repeat plenty of clichés, Yakuza: Dead Souls’ pedigree for having an intricate storyline with plenty of drama makes for a stand-out zombie story.

To make things even better, there is plenty of comedy sprinkled throughout the entire game. Practically none of the comedic situations or jokes fall flat and Yakuza fans will love every second of it. Those who have never touched a Yakuza title won’t be missing out on much either as there is only a minimal amount of knowledge needed about past titles to get the most out of what Yakuza: Dead Souls’ story has to offer.

Visuals:
One of the main ways that the story is told is through various cut-scenes featuring detailed characters with expressive faces. These cut-scenes are enjoyable to watch with their high level of production, which is great because there are plenty of cut-scenes to watch as you progress through the game.

Kamurocho has obviously seen better days and this is most evident whenever players switch from a quarantined zone full of destruction and zombies to the normal un-infected segments of the district. The zombies you are facing off against are also varied well enough with multiple versions of simple zombies and plenty of outrageous special zombies to face off against.

However there is an issue when it comes to the amount of zombies you can experience at any given time. Unlike most zombie games, Yakuza: Dead Souls experiences slowdowns in frame-rate whenever a mob of zombies is encountered and the player begins fighting them. This is even more evident whenever explosives are used as it will bring the game’s pace nearly to a halt until it catches up.

Audio:
Now anyone who has played a Yakuza game in the past should understand that Yakuza: Dead Souls offers no English voice track, however most fans will obviously prefer it that way. Instead we are provided a cast of characters who reprise their voice actors from past games and offer us the same high level of quality one would expect from the Yakuza team.

Gameplay:
Yakuza: Dead Souls is quite different from your standard Yakuza game in a number of ways, especially right down to the core. Rather than focusing on brawls with fists and various weapons the title focuses heavily on guns. To help spice things up, each of the four characters have their own special weapons such as Goda’s Gatling gun arm, Akiyama’s dual wielded pistols and Majima’s shotgun. While these are the characters’ signature weapons, up to four different guns can be equipped at any given time and you can also apply various upgrades to any equipment you buy.

There is a bit more to Dead Souls’ combat than just shooting as players can still take on the undead with their fists as well. Players can still pick up various items around the environment and use them to return the undead to death. This also means you can run into combat with a garbage can or something similar and take out zombies as well, though there are even more crazy weapons to use but that is for you to find out. This provides an enjoyable and exhilarating option for zombie killing outside of using guns, which is a great thing because the shooting mechanics in Yakuza: Dead Souls are severely lacking.

Before I go into how simple and bland most of the shooting mechanics are, there is one mechanic that is not only enjoyable but provides a bit of cinematic flair to your zombie slaying. As you deal out damage and kill zombies you will fill up a Heat Snipe gauge. When it is full you will be able to use a special attack that will target an explosive item in the environment to cause a nice explosion that will take out multiple enemies. These explosives can range from gas cans laying around, to a broken down motorcycle or even grenades tossed into the air by a companion.

While that mechanic does make things exciting from time to time, the standard zombie shooting appeal wears off very quickly. You see, Yakuza: Dead Souls uses a third person shooting mechanic and allows players to aim with a simple press of the back left shoulder button. However aiming is practically useless, as well as clunky to use as there are much easier options available. The reason for this is the fact that there is no reason to even aim properly besides just facing in the right direction.

While some may find it easy, this new mechanic takes nearly all of the difficulty out of the game when facing normal zombies. It is so easy in fact that players can simply run around outside of aim mode and keep pressing the shoot button and your character will automatically aim at the closest zombies and take them out while still running. Those concerned about their accuracy or even headshots need not worry as nearly all the shots will hit and you will even pull off headshots from time to time, making combat too simplistic.

The only time the combat is spiced up is when a special zombie or a boss is encountered. Players can encounter special zombies (a few of which bear striking similarities with other games’ special zombies) which may require only headshots to take down or can summon more zombies until they are defeated. The bosses are also very enjoyable to face as they are obviously a bit more difficult and can provide a challenge.

When you aren’t facing off against the various undead you can still spend plenty of time doing various side-quests and mini-games in Kamurocho. Players can take on a slew of side quests that range from just zombie fighting, to fetching items, some escort missions and even some crazy ones that will give players a good laugh. Rarely do you see variety in side-quests, let alone ones found in a zombie game but Yakuza: Dead Souls will give you plenty to do on the side. Of course you can also spend some time gambling at a casino, going to karaoke or spending some time with some Hostesses if you fancy some non-undead company.

Overall:
Yakuza: Dead Souls offers quite a hefty amount of playtime for a game focused around zombies, with the main story reaching 14+ hours of gameplay and plenty of side-quests and other distractions to keep you busy. Rarely do we see a zombie game with a great storyline however if any series could pull it off, it is the Yakuza series. Some may be a bit put off by the simplistic combat and the occasional slowdowns but there is still a great looking game beneath all of that rotting flesh.

Batman Arkham City: Lockdown Review

Jamie Laike Tsui

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March 26, 2012

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Batman Arkham City: Lockdown
Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Publisher: Warner Bros. Studios
Platforms: iPad (Reviewed), iPhone, iPod Touch
Release Date: February 23, 2012
Price: $4.99 USD/ $6.49 AU Get it Here

Overview
Let’s be honest for a few moments. Major console and PC releases that get ported to mobile platforms are usually a hair better than movies that get a video game release and vice versa. Yes, I am looking at you Alone in the Dark movie. So can Batman Arkham City: Lockdown break out of a depressing trend and impress jaded iOS gamers?

Visuals
Batman Arkham City: Lockdown is a good looking game. Tested on the new iPad, the game ran as expected, without a single hiccup or slowdown. Graphics are slick and well done. However, there’s a lack of variety in the game. You will usually see at least two of the same generic thug in every level that looks exactly the same. I do like the fact that each of the four zones’ cannon fodder shares a common theme with their level’s respective boss. However, seeing the exact same thug you just beaten into submission a few seconds before can become irritating quickly.

There is a distinct lacking of separate environments to fight in too. But they are so well done, filled with expected debris and junk scattered around as expected, it is easy to forget about it. I would have liked to seen a more interesting looking sewer level. It was probably one of the least interesting areas to fight in in Lockdown.

Batman’s animations however are impressive; many of them feel like they were copied straight from Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. Watching Batman pull off a successful counter move is both painful looking and utterly satisfying. One small complaint in regards to the counter moves is some of them are not correctly timed to the sound effects.One that comes to mind is Batman’s arm break counter. On the new iPad, you clearly hear bones crack before Batman applies any torque to the limb. It is a very small annoyance that can be easily looked over though.

Audio
The sound effects for Batman Arkham City: Lockdown are well done. Impacts from punches and kicks sound painful, broken bones can cause anyone to wince. The voice acting is also well done; although I am not 100% sure it utilizes the same voice cast from Batman Arkham City on the consoles and PC. Music is dark and intense, providing a good mood for fighting. Overall, Lockdown’s audio experience provides a polished package.

Gameplay
Unlike Batman Arkham City and Arkham Asylum, Batman Arkham City: Lockdown is purely a beat em up controlled by swipes and taps on the screen. Inevitably it will be compared to Infinity Blade II due to their similar gameplay and design. Controls on the most part are tight and responsive.

There are the odd times dodges (taps) and deflects do not register correctly, but these instances aren’t particularly common. But of course, Murphy’s Law demands these to happen at the worst possible times. But of course we can’t hold Murphy’s Law against the developer.

The RPG elements in the game allow you to upgrade Batman’s skills and unlock four gadgets to use in battle. The more skilled performance you do in a level, the more bonus experience you can earn. The upgrade system will allow you to play Batman the way you want. In addition to the RPG elements, different Batsuits will tweak Batman’s stats. They range from the cartoonie Animated Batman Series suit to Bruce Wayne out of costume and in a sleek business suit with a blue tie.

However, for the exception of the default and Bruce Wayne suits, these Batsuits will cost you 99 cents a pop. Additionally, extra WayneTech points to purchase upgrades for Batman’s gadgets and stats can be purchased in the app. The extra Batsuits seem to be fun value added DLC, but frankly purchasing extra WayneTech points seems completely unnecessary.

There are currently five levels broken down to three to four brawls against four to six generic thugs each and one boss battle per level. I find the generic thug levels to be rather repetitive and boring. The only game play variations with these fights is the odd thug that carries a lead pipe instead of brawling bare fisted.

The game really shines during the boss fight levels. These fights have imaginative and fun twists to the brawling. Each boss has their own little unique little change up that make the fight memorable and fun. I only wish there were more of these boss fights. A full play through of the game will take half an hour to an hour depending on how skilled you are at the game. After completing the game, you can play the levels all over again with a cranked up difficulty level.

Overall
Batman Arkham City: Lockdown is a pretty good game that can hold its own against Infinity Blade II. Priced a dollar cheaper, Lockdown is a great alternative to Infinity Blade II. Although at times Lockdown is even more repetitive than Infinity Blade II, Lockdown adds extra value through its bonus content, packing in a smorgasbord of wallpaper and three full issues of the Batman Arkham City comic book. Currently the wallpaper is not available in the iPad Retina resolution, but I hope it will be added in a future update. Lockdown updates have already included a brand new level, adding the Harley Quinn level to the game. On-going updates for games are always a good sign. If you’re a Batman fan or looking for a fun beat em up game for iOS then definitely take a look at Batman Arkham City: Lockdown.

New Developer Diary for The Secret World

Simon Wolfe

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March 26, 2012

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Funcom, the developers of The Secret World, have put up a new developer diary for the upcoming game. What’s so great about The Secret World? Well, besides being a modern set MMO based on science fiction from cosmic horrors to legendary beasts, the game lacks a class or level system allowing complete freedom for the player.

From the video, some might worry at hearing about 500 skills to choose from, but hearing about the deck templates is very reassuring. Even better is how you can easily change between builds, so it should be very easy to find the perfect build for any situation and even to fit your current gaming mood. Overall, this is shaping to be an interesting take on MMOs and while there continues to be beta testing, the game is set to release June 19th through publisher EA.

Crush 3D Review

Dustin Spencer

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March 25, 2012

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Crush 3D
Developer: Zoë Mode
Developer: Sega
Platform: Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: March 9, 2012
Price: $34.99 BUY NOW!

Overview
Nearly 5 years ago, Sega introduced the world to Crush on the Playstation Portable. Yeah, I am sure many of you have never even heard of Crush, as even though the title was critically praised, it still failed to garner much attention and quickly garnered a “hidden gem” status. Thankfully, Sega like to deliver fan service on a daily basis and decided to give the IP another try in a whole new dimension with Crush 3D. As you would guess, this is the same game that we seen back in 2007, but completely re-tooled and repainted to fit within a 3D perspective. It’s a brilliant concept for revival, but is Crush worthy of another try? Here is my review for Crush 3D.

Story
If you played Zoë Mode’s Crush years ago, you should recognize the story almost instantly as it’s nearly the same tale. Players take the role of a troubled young lad by the name of Danny, who is trapped in his own sub-conscious due to a friendly scientist. Why, you ask? Dr. Reuben (the scientist, of course) created a device known as C.R.U.S.H. and is using the machine to put Danny through the ringer in his own head, where Danny must overcome obstacles while being treated like a lab rat.

Yes, as I mentioned, it’s pretty much the same kind of plot, but this time the entire atmosphere and even the main protagonist have a much lighter tone, which makes the entire experience feel much more…well, Nintendo. While this new coat of paint feels more approachable this time around, a good bit of the dialogue is used on quick one-liners and it becomes clear very quickly that this plot is mainly used as glue to hold the player’s attention, rather than to give Danny any character development. It’s a bit of give and take and a minor step down from the much darker PSP version, but I found myself rather attached to this little cast as I played and even though the jokes fall flat a good portion of the time, one certainly has to respect the many charms Crush 3D has to offer as a complete package.

Gameplay
Starting up Crush 3D, you would honestly think you are playing a 3D platformer that was ripped straight off the Nintendo 64. Platforms are floating in mid-air, the player can move in all directions, and even the design of all of the levels reek of that retro goodness that many of us grew up with. If you even think that you can play this title as a platformer though, you will quickly get stuck fast though as Crush 3D is a gritty puzzler at heart that demands your attention and patience throughout the entire experience.

The main concept of each stage is to make it from point A to point B, but the good doc has ensured that this will not be an easy task as the player must utilize their C.R.U.S.H. device to get through. Hitting L on the 3DS instantly squashes the world into a 2D environment, where platforms grow closer together and obstacles merge. This allows for walls to become steps, pathways to open up, and exits to become fully visible. Un-crushing has the opposite effect and sends the world back into it’s 3D state, where the player can then switch their camera angle to get what feels like a brand new level to explore as the crushing can be done again in order to reach different areas of the stage. Danny can jump, crouch, and perform all the basics quite well in this view, which is a necessity if you want to get all of the marbles, trophies, and other collectibles that can be found in each area.

Yes, it’s a bit confusing at first as all of this takes some time to get used to, but once everything clicks with the player, the genius behind these mechanics start to shine through. Think of yourself looking inside a cube with a few disconnected platforms or what what is essentially an unfinished level of a classic video game. The more you rotate this cube, the more these “pieces” of a world start to fit together. The crushing element is pretty much your way of connecting the dots and finding a path to a destination, with Danny playing the part of the avatar you must control as you press on. As the levels progress, so does the difficulty as enemies, moving platforms, and switches show up to add in more of a challenge to what is already a brain-drain. I did appreciate seeing new obstacles and yes, they do help keep everything fresh, but later on one will notice that the game starts to ramble off course with these additions, becoming more of a trial and error-filled test of patience than the charming puzzler seen earlier on.

With that said though, there is still something oh-so satisfying about progression within Crush 3D. I would spend what felt like hours in a good number of stages, just rotating my camera and moving around each area, trying to scope out the environment for clues of what to do next. No matter how daunting a stage may seem though, each has an answer and effectively completing a world is sure to make even the most hardcore puzzle nut let out a cry of glee when they find all of their marbles and snag up that coveted trophy. Even though you should be advised of the unforgiving nature of the latter group of stages, you still should not be turned away by these warnings of difficulty, as much like Kirby, nothing is truly mandatory other than making it to the end, and that alone makes this a worthwhile puzzler for completionists and casual players alike.

Visuals/Audio
For a game that is essentially an upgraded and slightly rebooted port of a PSP title, Crush 3D gets the job done graphics-wise without problem. Danny’s robed look does a lot to lighten up the once serious mood of the narrative, and he also has no problem fitting into this insane world coming from his own brain. Even though the visuals are crisp for the most part though, a part of me craved a bit more when it came to the actual environments. There is a good chance each person who tries Crush will spend a good percentage of their time eye-balling every platform and minor detail within each stage, but detail is something that seemed to be overlooked, as most levels just seem a bit bland and never provide enough appeal and charm to be engrossing. The 3D is very noticeable though, and almost eliminates any of those complaints as the depth of the effect feels almost required at times just to get a full scope of each area.

The soundtrack present is made up of pleasant beats that bode well with the gameplay and even though the tunes are rather forgettable, they do add a nice coat of chipperness to the atmosphere, which is a good thing considering the work your own cerebellum will be performing. Other than the music, there isn’t a lot of audio to truly speak of. Minor sound effects do their job well but never stand out and voicework is unfortunately completely missing to give this enjoyable tale the justice it deserves. At the end of the day though, none of that really matters as this is still a puzzle game and was never intended to put on an elaborate show for the player – but I still would have loved to have seen some more personality in the small bits of dialogue provided.

Overall
Even though this is an upgraded version of a 5 year old game, Crush has made a fine transition into the 3DS’ library. The 3D of the platform is utilized to near perfection and even though there a few minor flaws in terms of design, the mechanics offered still feel as fresh as they did since first being introduced on Sony’s handheld and are sure to please anyone looking for a highly intricate puzzler for their on-the-go gaming. Is Crush 3D any more revolutionary than the first outing for Danny? Not entirely. It is however still a solid title that is sure to have you looking at objects in every dimension.

Phi Brain Season Finale Delayed

Luke Halliday

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March 25, 2012

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The first season finale of Phi Brain: Puzzle of God was scheduled to air on the 26th of March. It has now been delayed a week for reasons that are unknown. The season finale will instead air a week later on the 2nd of April. Coincidentally the second season of Phi Brain: Puzzle of God is scheduled to premiere a week after this finale April 9th.

Phi Brain premiered back in the Fall 2011 season and last month was confirmed for a second season. The series revolves around Daimon Kaito as he takes on the evil organisation known as P.O.G. by completing a series of increasingly deadlier puzzles. In the world of Phi Brain, puzzles have become the biggest craze amongst Youths, however a darker history of puzzles is beneath the surface of this craze.

So there you have it Phi Brainiacs, if you haven’t yet caught up on Phi Brain, you’ve got another week to do so. If you have caught up however, go do some Sudoku or something you puzzle idiots!

Source: Otaku News

Madman license Cardcaptor Sakura and Rozen Maiden OVA

Luke Halliday

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March 25, 2012

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In their March 2012 newsletter, Madman Entertainment have announced the acquisition of two CLAMP anime titles, Cardcaptor Sakura and the Rozen Maiden OVAs.

As followers of Madman would know, Cardcaptor Sakura is easily one of the most hotly requested titles from fans and after overwhelming demand for the popular magical girl series, Madman have finally confirmed that they will release the series entirely uncut with the original Japanese dub.

The series became a smash hit in Australia during the early 2000’s when the English dubbed version aired on children’s TV block, Cheez TV. Since then the series has gone on to build a cult following within the country and interest in the never before released original Japanese dub has mounted over the years. Finally after such a long time in a state of flux the series will be released on two DVD collection in a completely uncut subtitled only release, the first of which hitting stores this July.

As for Rozen Maiden, the series also created by CLAMP has previously been released by Madman to much acclaim. So Madman will be releasing the Rozen Maiden OVA series known as Rozen Maiden Overture in July on DVD in a single collection.

What do you think of these two license acquisitions? Let us know in the comments section below.

Source: Madman Newsletter