Episode 05 of CC: Anime is now live. Each month, thanks to our good friends at Siren Visual, we will be giving away a prize in a monthly competition held through CC: Anime.
To win, listen to the podcast for the question and once you have an answer email it in along with your name and address to[email protected]. At the end of the month, a winner will be randomly selected from the pool of entries. The winner will then be announced on the next podcast.
This month, we will be giving away a copy of CLANNAD – The Complete Series, thanks to our good friends at Siren Visual. If you have yet to listen to CC: Anime you can do so here.
Listen to the podcast and then send your answer in along with your name and address to [email protected] Good Luck!
Competition only open to Australian and New Zealand residents.
Welcome to another episode of CC: Anime, Capsule Computers Monthly Anime Podcast! In our fifth episode, the CC: Anime crew discuss the latest anime and manga news, take part in the “Anime Anarchy” game show segment, as well discussing the state of the anime industry.
We also have a huge giveaway this month. Do you want a chance to win a copy of CLANNAD– The Complete Seriesfrom Siren Visual? Follow this linkto find out how.
Cast: Luke Halliday, Travis Bruno, Michael ‘Spike’ Marr and Jahanzeb Khan
We hope you enjoy CC: Anime Episode 05, be sure to let us know what you think.
The Devil Inside Studio: Insurge Pictures Publisher: Paramount Pictures Format: Cinema Release Date: March 1, 2012
Overview
I watched my first exorcist movie, The Exorcist, at the tender age of 13. Instead of nightmares, it made me laugh and brag about how awesome it was and how much I loved it. That was the beginning, over the years it has been followed by many other movies, each following that standard formula of a terribly possessed woman (are men immune? Does the devil just not care all that much about them?), a priest and his mini priest who isn’t quite as skilled or experienced, and as for the ending – it can go either way, but usually God triumphs.
I don’t go in expecting a deviation from the norm, heck that’d be setting myself up for failure in the case of 90% of movies, but the journey’s always fun. With The Devil Inside, however, I found that the standard formula wasn’t going to cut it.
Story
The main thing that really sets it apart can be summed up in a question one of my friends asked during the move- ‘Is this a documentary?’. The first half of the movie is made to look impeccably like a documentary. There are no shots that aren’t made by cameras that aren’t bring carried by one of the main characters or haven’t been set up by him. If it wasn’t for this then the beginning of the movie might have been painfully slow, but instead it gave us a better look at the main character and her background without being too contrived. I don’t think it could have been done much better, while giving that much detail. This kind of explanation just doesn’t come organically.
Stylistically it looks excellent, as I said, it tricks you (even if just for a second), into thinking – ‘Wait, should I Google this? Is this actually a documentary?’ Once the movie really gets going though, that sort of disappears and the documentary style has more purpose in terms of suspense, and building tension.
Another positive aspect of the documentary style is the acting. In a documentary the main focus person is always pretty vulnerable, I mean they are baring their life to the scrutiny of a camera and an audience. Fernanda Andrade plays this vulnerability perfectly, she’s part of the reason that the documentary style works so well, if she had played it any less believably the whole thing would have crumbled.
I won’t get too much into the story, but basically her mother has spent the last 20 years in an asylum for the criminally insane for doing some very naughty things and being totally cuckoo, and now she want some answers about the quite shady things surrounding her mother’s outburst that involved two priests and a nun (ooh, sounds familiar?), and also her mother’s transferral to Rome. I don’t really know how based in logic that one is, is the proximity to the Vatican meant to help or something? Anyway, she makes the trip to Rome and the movie follows her attempt to find answers.
There is a strong nod towards science and medicine, and how the increase in this knowledge affects exorcism as a practice and belief. Given the somewhat non-scientific basis of the movie it was nice to be given a more balanced view. And in fact during the movie one character listing off all the reasons for possessed behaviour as related to mental disorder symptoms.
Like I mentioned previously, the plot doesn’t go stock standard, and does take a few twists here and there that keep it fresh and made me appreciate it a little bit more. The biggest let down, however, is the ending. It feels like the movie ends 10 minutes early, when the final credits appear I was just left with this unresolved little ball of suspense sitting in my stomach and I had no idea what to do with it.
However, even if it does feel like they accidentally cut out the last ten minutes (or even last 2 minutes, seriously, just a short scene would have been nice, even if just to finish it off on a still unfinished, but more closure-y way), I wasn’t left being angry like I usually am if the ending is stupid. At least it was pretty plainly meant to be unfinished in a big way, unlike some films that wave it around in front of your face like ‘Come up with your OWN ending suckers!’. Following in the documentary style, it ends abruptly, and kinda where it would if you think about it. But just because I’m all Zen about it doesn’t mean you’ll feel the same way, so take heed and expect to not be given that lovely little resolution at the end of the movie.
Visuals
The movie is filmed in an obviously ‘documentary’ style, and it works really, really well. The tension in some scenes is just fantastic, and that can once again be attributed to the acting and directing of the movie. Considering they didn’t rely on a soundtrack to get the audience really hyped up, they definitely succeeded in using other visual means, and pacing, to build the suspense. And hey, there are only two scenes where you’re in darkness with only one light to see everything with, which is a big horror staple.
Audio
There’s no real soundtrack, which means that there is nowhere really to hide in terms of the music. There are occasional sound effect accents to accompany some moments, but the movie does not rely on them at all.
Overall
All up, I enjoyed the film. I respected the way it was directed, applaud the acting, and think that it was that lovely little sense of something different that you don’t get to see a whole lot of from mainstream movies. But if you like your resolutions at the end of movies, then maybe look elsewhere.
We have a quite a few codes to give away for the Final FreewayR2 & DOOMSDAY III on iOS courtesy of Oyatsukai & General Arcade. To win simply leave a comment on MasterAbbott’s iOS Suggestions #10 and we’ll pick a few lucky winners – Please let us know in your comments which game you would like to win, Final Freeway R2 or DOOMSDAY III. (Click link below to leave a comment)
We’ll pick the lucky winners once we have a few entries. Make sure you leave a valid email when you post your comment so we can send you your code via email if you win.
Overview
Nearly 8 years ago, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater was released to the masses and became an instant classic as it refined everything we know about Kojima’s landmark franchise. This tale actually serves as a prequel, where players take control of Naked Snake and must sneak their way through a jungle and several other locales, performing stealth missions in order to track down a super-weapon. Metal Gear is certainly no stranger to portables, as Snake seen some success on the PSP during the past few years, but this time around things are quite different to say the least. Remaking this classic on the 3DS instantly means that we would be in for practically a whole new experience, but goes this gimmickry get in the way of the gameplay? Here is my review for Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D for the Nintendo 3DS.
Story
Instead of the high tech world seen in several other Metal Gear titles, Snake Eater takes to the jungle for it’s narrative, with Naked Snake leading a well developed cast of characters. Most of you know how this story goes, but I would imagine there are still a few 3DS owners out there who are new to Metal Gear and the many twists and turns of the plot bundled within each package. In a 1960’s setting, Naked snake is put out in the wilderness, having to live off the land while he tracks down a scientist who is crafting a nuclear tank known as the Shagohod.
As to be expected, Snake Eater 3D has a good number of Codec sequences that give a sense of urgency to each mission, and the lengthy yet enjoyable cutscenes can make the entire game feel as if the player is bound in a big-budget war flick, providing both humor and thrills as players progress further. Much like other titles in the series, enemy Cobra also paint a vivid picture of Snake’s current surroundings and listening to their conversations while hidden is an optional yet almost required task if you want to witness some of the most clever dialogue found in the game.
The only flaw to think of with the story though is the same flaw that holds the rest of the game back from being perfect though, and that is that this is Snake Eater on a platform with 3 hours of battery life. I can’t imagine too many will be that upset with this, as in my opinion having a console experience on a portable is still an accomplishment, but there were times I craved a more streamlined approach as this title begs for long periods of play and is hard to put down, and that isn’t exactly an area that handhelds shine in.
Gameplay
While the story is top-notch and still comes off as impressive after all these years, the gameplay within Snake Eater 3D is more of a mixed bag. Players must control Snake using the slide-pad, and for the most part, this particular function works fine. Whether it be running from a group of enemies that just discovered your location or laying prone and sneaking up on an enemy, the 3DS’ answer to analog never fails to deliver when it comes to getting our hero from one location to another. Getting the camera to participate in all of the action however is where things start rolling downhill.
Unless you have the control pad pro, you should expect to be fighting the greatest enemy of Metal Gear in the form of the camera controls. Players are forced to use the face buttons to get the camera to follow behind snake, which is about as awkward and frustrating as it sounds. For example, there was one moment where I was sneaking up on a Cobra goon, ready to make the kill. As I got closer, another soldier stepped in and gave away my location, leading to several enemies coming at my character in all directions. Having to tap X and B to get the camera to move from one direction to another ultimately lead to my demise, as quick movement feels almost impossible when the camera doesn’t want to focus on the correct perspective fast enough. Over time, I got used to using the buttons to control my view, but I can’t stress enough how mandatory an extra stick actually is.
Snake also has to crawl through all types of terrain, and for some reason you are expected to use all action commands with the D-Pad. This would have worked, but the D-Pad is located right underneath the control stick and unless you were born with two hands on your left arm, you will probably be coming to a complete stop each time an action command is needed due to the poor placement. If you have the CPP, these commands are mapped to the now vacated face buttons, which makes the process a lot smoother and 100% less troublesome. This all may sound negative, but as I mentioned, learning how to utilize Snake Eater 3D’s single pad support is doable and while there are still several hiccups, everything still plays as it should…if you take a slower approach throughout the entire game.
One fantastic feature of Snake Eater 3D is the newly found HUD, now located on the bottom screen. While it isn’t much, this new location keeps the action all at the top and rids distractions from plaguing gameplay. Aiming also works well for the most part, as the player has the choice to manually scope out their prey (with the shoulder buttons) or to throw things into automatic and have their gun find the nearest target. I usually prefer manual for most titles, but the auto-aim here works well and is a better fit overall for Snake considering the camera controls. Sneaking up on an unsuspecting foe is still as intense of a scenario as it ever was, and auto-aim certainly didn’t detract those feelings of doom and uncertainty. Gyroscopic controls have also been added in for small sessions, which include the likes of playing a balancing mini-game while crossing a narrow pathway. Yes, this works, but can take the player out of the game as they are forces to tilt their handheld back and forth.
Where Snake Eater 3D truly shines the brightest is the core stealthy mechanics that the franchise is known for. The player must spend time to make sure Snake blends into his surroundings. Finding different types of camouflage is a necessity, and a new gimmick using the 3DS’ camera provides a whole new spin on this already well-oiled machine. Players can now take pictures of their own world (using the outer camera) and use those textures as camouflage in order to stay hidden. There still is plenty of default options and never is the camera gimmickry required, but I found it to be one subtly placed feature that not only worked well, but made the game feel a bit refreshing compared to the other remakes we have seen on the platform.
Even with all of my gripes with this version’s camera mishaps, I still admire the fact that this title is paced to perfection and allows the player to go at their own speed. If you want to hunt down animals and stop your hunger before heading into danger, you have the full option to and climbing up trees just to hop down on an unsuspecting foe still is as exciting as ever. Boss battles are still clever and engaging as well, always ready to throw new mechanics into the mix to keep the combat from getting dull. In other words, this is still Metal Gear, and in many ways, it’s still a legendary title, flaws or not.
Visuals/Audio
Even though Konami didn’t give Metal Gear Solid 3 the facelift it seen in the recently released HD collection in this incarnation, the visuals still stand the test of time and look fantastic on the 3DS. The 3D is used to perfection, letting blades of grass brush up against the screen as Snake is getting stealthy and enhancing each and every cutscene with graphics that now appear to be crisper and easier on the eye, so to speak. Yes, it’s not quite the beauty of Resident Evil Revelations, but considering this port’s true age, the changes present are very clear and that solid presentation value remains in-tact during some the most chaotic animation sequences within the game.
As far as sound quality goes, not much has changed at all since this classic was birthed on the Playstation 2. Again, considering that this is Snake Eater on a portable, that is certainly a good thing. The cast of voice actors did a fantastic job in capturing their characters, and each cutscene or Codec sequence benefits greatly from their performances. Many of the Metal Gear made famous sound effects still resonate here as well, with that classic high note blaring out when Snake’s cover gets blown. That is all gravy in comparison to the soundtrack though, as from the main theme to the intense tunes that blare out while you are in a boss battle, the many scores within effortlessly stand the test of time and truly bring out the AAA title status that Snake Eater rightfully earned years ago.
Overall
Since the 3DS launched, we have seen countless remakes and re-imaginings of some all time greats. Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D certainly attempts to stand strong with the lot, as it brings about some clever uses for the 3DS and feels almost like a brand new product due to it’s new control scheme. Sadly though, Snake misses his mark due to a wonky camera and somewhat clunky design choices, which makes the entire game more of a pass to those who have already played the game years ago or more recently picked up the HD version. All of that aside, those who own the platform and have yet to experience Metal Gear Solid 3 should consider picking this one up, as even with it’s flaws, it still represents one of the best games of all time and is still worthy of ownership by all portable fanatics….as long as you have that extra stick to play it in it’s purest form.
With the release of this year’s BIGGEST mech shooter on the horizon, NamcoBandai have released a walkthrough style video on Youtube that shows off some of the specific gameplay elements of Armored Core V. Entitled ‘Multiplayer, Customization and Bosses’ the video is a brief 5 minute explanation of the game’s facets described in the title. Narrated by FilthyRich of BandaiNamco games, we are first given a look at some of the various returning customization options, but more importantly, some of the brand new ones to be featured in Armored Core V. From colour schemes to emblem designs, to the different new types of weapons, including the aptly named ‘ultimate weapon’, including the almighty Grind Blade, the ultimate melee weapon. The video also includes a few gameplay demonstrations showing off the giant boss battles which are promised to be “harder than ever”.
Below is the official press release from NamcoBandai, as well as the video itself. Enjoy!
COME HEAVY OR NOT AT ALL.
In a future world where the arid lands have been ravaged by war, the resistance will rise up in ARMORED CORE V, the latest title in the renowned mech-action franchise developed by the critically acclaimed studio, FromSoftware, and releasing on March 20th in North America.
FEAR NOTHING.
FORGIVE NOTHING.
DESTROY EVERYTHING.
In today’s video, NAMCO BANDAI Games America’s Community Manager, Rich ‘FilthieRich’ Bantegui, takes a deep dive into the customization, weapons, and bosses that players will be finding in the latest action-epic, ARMORED CORE V when the game launches to on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. would also like to remind ARMORED CORE fans that when pre-ordering the title from GameStop® stores across North America, as well as GameStop.com, they will gain exclusive access to the ‘HEAVY ASSAULT PACK’ while supplies last. The pack will feature over 168 parts and powerful weapons that will help give players a competitive advantage on day one in the innovative and sophisticated online multiplayer battles of ARMORED CORE V.
Players ordering from AMAZON.com will also gain access to the exclusive ‘RECON PACK’ which includes starter and advanced packs as well as unique high-speed weapons.
It’s been a full year since Final Freeway, by japanese game developer Oyatsukai, was released for iOS and Android devices, and brought to the rest of the world through their parent company, Newtype K.K. Touted as a retro Outrun clone, it quickly gained praise from fans of the old classic racer, and left them wanting more.
And so, Oyatsukai have released FF2R, a sequel pushing the franchise that little bit further.
Story
It’s an old-school arcade racing game. ‘Nuff said.
Gameplay
With an accelerator and brake pedal on-screen for you to tap and hold as you like, there are a number of options for steering your vehicle, as well as the layout of the on-screen controls. You can use tilt, drag a steering wheel, or use left and right buttons to steer, all of which work really nicely.
While for me, most tilt-based racing games are slow and unresponsive, this game felt tight and always reacted exactly how I intended. This may be down to the face that you’re effectively strafing left and right along the road, and turning hard for corners, but in any case, it was a great experience no matter which control scheme I used.
The game features plenty of useful options, including an accelerator lock, allowing you to relax and focus on the steering.
Each time you start playing, you can shoose between 3 characters, each with their own Strength and Handling stats, as well as the colour of your car. You can also select the song playing (more on that in the Audio & Visual section), and the difficulty (Beginner, Normal, and Hard).
There is not a selection of races per se, but you aren’t stuck with one track, either. You always play from the same starting point, heading down the same road. At up to 4 forks in the road, however, you’ll be able to choose between two routes to take, giving you a choice of 14 individual and unique stages, and 3 possible destinations.
This is a really clever feature; it keeps it’s arcadey simplicity, letting you just “pick up and play”, it gives you a rich and varied experience every time they play. There is also varying amounts of traffic, and the road can be particularly windy and hilly, adding all the more to the feel of each individual area.
In each stage, there is a rival racer that appears, trying to beat you to the next checkpoint, adding a little element of competition to the already tricky task of making it to the next checkpoint in time. When you rival is near, his and your characters’ portaits appear on-screen, giving each other the evil eye and looking ever more determined, and even reacting to the events happening in your race.
The HUD is nice and chunky, keeping with the retro vibe, featuring Score, Time (which is extended when you pass a checkpoint after a fork in the road), Speed (in KMH or MPH), and Lap time.
Audio & Visual
The music in this game (selectable in the Character Selection screen) features 3 well-made tracks in the synth-dominated retro style of the classic games of yore. They really keeping things pumping, and are great to listen to as you play. You can, however, select “None”, or even choose your own iPod track to use.
The sound effects are spot on, and feel just right for the classic style of the game.
The graphics are wonderfully old-school. Everything you see is made up of nice and chunky pixel-art-style sprites, and nothing apart from the road itself is truly 3D. Everything pops with vibrant colours and retro goodness, making anyone into the style drool.
There are even atmospheric and weather effects on certain areas, which, while being totally spot on and somewhat realistic, also have a classic feel to them, doing well to not break the illusion you are playing a game made “back in the day”.
Overall
Everything is done so perfectly – so faithfully to the style! What would an old-school be like if it was made today? Final Freeway 2R, that’s what!
A few days ago a rather interesting trailer of sorts was released by Quantic Dream, best known for their interactive drama thriller adventure for the PlayStation 3, Heavy Rain. That game showcased some amazing use of graphics and visuals to create an almost lifelike gaming atmosphere and characters. It showed just how powerful gaming technology can be, but it seems Quantic Dream are not done.
This recently released trailer showcases a new ‘technology’ for the PlayStation 3, which in my guess is a brand new graphics engine. The concept is titled ‘Kara’, and this seven minute clip shows the manufacturing process of a female robot. I won’t spoil it further as this short but powerful story needs to be seen to be believed, for it is very haunting and emotional. The graphics shown in this concept video look rather spectacular to say the least.
Quantic Dream has made it clear that this is not a trailer for an upcoming video game project. So what is this Kara?, and what is it hinting at? we don’t know, but whatever it is, it’s going to be something remarkable. Enjoy the video below.
Choppers are becoming a daily part of James Heller’s life after being infected with the Mercer virus. So it isn’t a surprise that a couple of chopper types will be included in Prototype 2 for the player to have fun with. Two types of choppers will try to take down Heller when he starts stirring up trouble: the Transport Helicopter and the Gunship. All Heller needs to do is to give them a piece of his mind. Like the first game, send Heller in with a flying kick from above or rip apart from underneath it with a fierce uppercut. You can also steal its weapon system and turn their weapons against it.
Here is some more information on both choppers:
Transport Helicopter – This transport helicopter flies soldiers into the heat of the battle … that you most likely began. Hop inside for faster and safer transportation with a primary weapon that will saturate large areas. Also don’t forget its secondary weapon–the Rocket Pod–which can be weaponized and used for decimating enemies while on foot. Try your hand at an acrobatic death blow with the Claw Finisher. Tumble along the top of the chopper while slicing off its rotor, then sit back and watch the helicopter’s inevitable and fatal decline.
Gunship – The gunship may not be the safest vehicle in the world, but it is good at one thing: finding your enemies and blowing their heads off. To spice things up, remove its Missile Launcher and incite some mass panic in the streets. But this gunship ain’t so tough—watch it fall apart when you slice it in half with your Whipfist Finisher.
You will be able to rip these choppers when Prototype 2 is released on April 24 on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. Of course, if you have Prototype, you can bring those choppers down from the sky right now or check out our chopper gallery below.
Playstation Vita 8-in-1 Essentials Kit Distributor: Bluemouth Interactive Platform: Playstation Vita Release: 22/02/2012 Price: AU$29.95
Accessories always launch alongside a new console. When a new portable comes out, it seems that the amount of accessories that come out usually outnumbers those that are released for the home consoles. The launch of the Playstation Vita is no exception. Normally, you would want to purchase a game case, maybe some headphones, screen protectors and so on. You could buy them separately, or you could purchase the 8-in-1 Essentials Kit, released by Bluemouth Interactive in Australia. What they have included are usually popular choices of accessories, but is it enough to warrant a purchase?
First off, let’s look at the contents of the 8-in-1 Essentials Pack. The pack contains an EVA pouch, which is the carry case of the pack that holds four games, a silicon glove that goes over the Vita to protect it from dust, dirt and your fingerprints, a small storage case that holds two games and two memory cards, screen protectors for both the front touchscreen and rear touch pad, an anti-static cleaning cloth to keep that Vita nice and shiny, stereo headphones, bringing high quality sound straight to your ears, a wrist and neck strap to attach to the case and a 3.5mm earphone splitter, just in case you want your friend to hear that awesome track on your Vita. I have to say, this is quite a generous offering. This contains more than the official accessory packs that Sony released with the launch of the Vita.
So, how do each of these items fare? I’ll start with the EVA Pouch. On the outside, it is quite bland. It sports black and a small carabiner to hold the wrist and neck straps. Compared to the official Game Traveller Case, it seems soft, which does worry me a little. The Game Traveller Case was as hard as a rock, however, this is softer. I can even bend it quite easily. Inside, it is the same as the Game Traveller Case, except it only holds four games, lacks the soft screen protector and has a strap to lock in the Vita, rather than a strap below the Vita to give it a lift. That will mean that it will be a minor struggle to get the Vita out.
The silicon glove is basically there to protect the outer parts of the Vita. It leaves the controls exposed, which is good, as I do not want silicon over my buttons. Some buttons will have silicon, like the start and select buttons, but they are more secondary to the ones exposed. The colour is grey and it is rubbery. However, it does not feel flexible, which means getting the glove on is going to be a challenge. Accessories should not be a struggle to use, yet this silicon glove manages to achieve that. Besides, you will not want to keep it on anyway, as it makes the device look quite ugly.
This pack, however, does feature a few accessories that are either unnecessary or they lack what other competing accessories achieve. The storage case is too small. It only holds two games. The memory card slots are not an issue, but I have seen other accessory packs offer more space for games. The Game Traveller Case holds sixteen games, which is a very generous offer. The inclusion of a neck strap is also unnecessary. I will doubt players would want to carry their Vita around their neck. The headphones don’t produce high quality music. In fact, they are weak in terms of volume. They are too soft for the volume level the Vita currently sits on. The earphone splitter is quite useless because it drops the volume of the sound as soon as you share the slot, making the sound coming out of the headphones even softer.
While it seems generous that one gets eight accessories in one pack, I feel like it could have been better with less. They should have kept the essentials in the pack, like a better built carry case, screen protector kit, headphones, just a wrist strap and a better storage case and I would have been quite happy. I do not need an earphone splitter. The silicon glove could have been scraped as well, alongside the neck strap. Do I recommend this pack? If you want all of the above items, then yes I do, due to the fact it offers all of the items at a reasonable price. However, if you have most of these items or have already picked up a few accessories, then this isn’t an essential purchase for you.
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