While there still has been no announcement of an overseas release of Onechanbara Z Kagura made by D3 Publisher, the game is still building momentum in Japan as the company prepares to release the title in a few short days.
As such 4Gamer has provided this seven minute long gameplay video showing plenty of action featuring the new main character of the title Kagura face off against plenty of undead as well as a slew of grotesque bosses and even an enemy fans of the Onechanbara series will recognize. Catch the video below and hope that this title gets an international release announcement soon.
After focusing heavily on fixing most of the various bugs that existed in Dead Island, Techland and Deep Silver are set to release their first piece of full, not pre-order bonus, DLC for the title. This DLC takes a different twist on things however, because rather than add on a new area to the main game for our four survivors to explore, it will allow players to step into the boots of an enemy.
While playing as a zombie may be fun, players will be stepping into the role of a human enemy, one named Ryder White. Players will have access to “a single player campaign with several hours of story content” and two new blueprints for weapon mods will be added in as well. The DLC is set to be released in North America on January 31st and February 1st in Europe for $9.99/800 MSP
If you need more reason to get excited about Max Panye 3 well listen up. Rockstar Games have today confirmed that the previously announced early access to the Cemetery Multiplayer Map and the Silent Killer Multiplayer Loadout Pack will now be available worldwide and not just gamers in North America.
In Australia, EB Games is offering up the Cemetery Multiplayer Map as well as a code to download Max Payne 3’s first paid Multiplayer DLC Pack for free when you pre-order the game from them. Similarly, GAME is offering up the Silent Killer Multiplayer Loadout Pack which included three unique items (the Light Anti-Tank Weapon, the Listening Device and the Slippery Character Burst) when you pre-order from them.
Max Payne 3 is set to be released in March for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.
Today marks the launch of CC Forums, and we couldn’t be more excited!
While Capsule Computers has had community events and services in the past, CC Forums is our first strong attempt at giving our loving community exactly what they’ve always wanted: a place to share your voice. No longer must you sit by and just listen to what we have to say! This is your place to shine and express your truest thoughts on video games, anime, pop culture entertainment, everything!
If you ever have any questions regarding anything, feel free to contact us at: [email protected], and once again, thank you for making us your #1 resource for video game & pop culture news! Check the video below for more information on all of the exciting features of CC Forums!
Young Adult Studio: Mandate Pictures, Mr. Mudd, Right of Way Films Publisher: Paramount Pictures Format: Cinema Release Date: 19 January, 2012
Overview
I have always respected Charlize Theron as an actor for choosing roles that aren’t your typical Hollywood roles, ones that don’t showcase her good looks but instead her acting talent. Young Adult follows the same pattern, with Theron playing an unlikeable protagonist, who – while very attractive – manages to alienate herself from just about everyone including (at times) the audience.
Story
Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) has been blessed with a terrible name, good looks, and an overpowering sense of self-esteem. A Young Adult author, she spends most of her days tuned to one reality show or another, consuming terrible food, and taking care of her tiny, fluffy dog who never seems to stop adoring her. Mavis is fantastic at lying to everyone, including herself, and there are more than a few moments where you wish she would just stop speaking and word vomiting all over the place. Long story short, she is incredibly unlikeable. Despite this, she is just quirky and odd enough to make you love her.
The film is written by Juno’s Diablo Cody, a quirky personality herself, so the tone of the movie comes as no surprise. It is odd, far from mainstream, and marches to the beat of its own drum. Quite a few laughs are to be had from this movie, though not from the usual places you’d expect them. I guess you could say the humour springs from honesty, not just honesty about life but about people. There are a few scenes in which the honesty of the characters and the reveal of a far more brash side than is usually shown in movies results in choice humour. Part of this is because you feel like you’re just hanging out with some of your friends, having a cheeky chuckle at the expense of others; some of it is surprise at a side you don’t get to see in movie protagonists. Protagonists usually are who we would like to be at our best, beautiful, witty, charming, overcoming odds and persevering. Mavis isn’t any of those, apart from beautiful of course. Theron has the utterly frustrating ability of looking drop dead gorgeous, even when hungover.
There is no black and white in this movie, which is probably what I liked the most about it. Mavis is far from the well-meaning, caring female lead, and her self-perceived nemesis is the total opposite of selfish, evil, and in any way bad. In fact, it’s almost like we’re seeing things from the perspective of the crazy lady who comes into rom-coms and causes problems for the two leads. This results in far more dimensions to the characters than you see in most mainstream films, with usual ‘depth’ being a difficult past, or parents, or some other sort of shallow issue that isn’t really that much of a character flaw.
The ending might be something that not everyone will appreciate. For me, I was sort of expecting it because of how the rest of the movie went. It really is just an honest look into someone’s life, sure someone who is a lot more screwed up than your average person, but still. There isn’t a whole lot of closure, and some would argue that the character development is a bit circular, but that’s just how people are. We are simply silly creatures who hardly ever learn from our mistakes, and even if we do correct mistakes then we try and move on and pay it no mind.
Mental health is something that gets addressed pretty thoroughly, since Mavis is assumed to have some range of mental issues. It is never straight up addressed, revealed mostly in small hints and nudges. Theron’s portrayal of this is fantastic, she downplays everything, managing to make even the most subtle expression speak volumes. She really could not have been cast better, I can’t think of an actor with her amount of skill, and the looks to match.
Visuals
Visually, the movie is top notch. Even though it doesn’t seem mainstream in terms of the plot, it still looks just as good as what you’d expect from a mainstream movie. There is quite a bit of visual humour, though again not in the way that is usual, and a lot of the time Theron will do the simplest action or expression and it will cause quite an entertaining result.
Audio
Music plays an important part in the movie, particularly in the beginning. One of the things that Mavis focuses on is a mixtape that her old flame Buddy made for her back in high school, which includes a few songs that will pop up and have a huge amount of meaning tied to them. The soundtrack always does really well to spurn the tempo of the movie on, it doesn’t really feel like it drags in any place and the music (or sometimes the abrupt lack of music) helps with that.
Overall
Young Adult is nothing if not an entertaining film. While it may not suit some people due to it’s deviation from the mainstream approach to comedy, romance and character archetypes, I think it is a very welcome change. Theron plays the role perfectly, being utterly unlikable but also making the audience have a soft spot for her through the subtlest of actions.
For those of you sick of watching the same movie over and over again, with different actors and different dialogue, this movie is perfect. Not only does it challenge the usual, but also it does so in such an honest way that it can’t be faulted, nor can it be accused of purposefully being overly ‘alternative’ (as Juno may have been victim of).
Dustforce Publisher: Hitbox Team Developer:Hitbox Team Platform: PC (Steam) Release Date: January 17, 2012 Price: TBA
Overview
Dustforce is a 2D, side-scrolling platformer which sees you bouncing off walls and flying through levels, cleaning up as much rubbish as you can as you go.
Story
The story in this game is virtually nonexistent. You’re kinda helping people clean up their little corner of the world, but that’s as far as it goes regarding plot. It turns out this doesn’t even need a strong story, though. Everything else about the experience playing the game is more than enough to compensate for any perceived weakness in this area.
Audio & Visual
The first thing that hits you when you first start up the game is the utter awesomeness and beauty of the art style and design. The characters are colourful, the animation is awesome, and the overall visual style of the game is unique and compelling.
I’m sure many, like myself, were drawn to the game by the beta videos Hitbox Team released as they developed the game. These really showed off the great gameplay, but they had me even before I clicked on the video. The thumbnails themselves revealed there were wonders inside. The art style is simple, but very, very effective, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like it… in a video game, at least.
The audio also does a great job of adding to the art style, too. The music is done by a guy called Terence Lee, who released videos showcasing the game’s wonderful score, adding to the hype and awe the Dustforce fans had for the game.
The general feel of the score is chilled out and laid back, featuring some sweet synth and slow beats that do a good job of keeping you calm in the more difficult and frustrating levels. The tracks also reflect the milieu of each of the 4 main areas (and one for the tutorial level), so that wherever you are in the game, each level feel alive and unique in it’s feel.
Gameplay
The game opens with a tutorial level, where you are taught the many ways of maneuvering around the levels and how to clear up each of the many forms of rubbish that are scattered throughout each level.
The basics are: arrows for moving around, Z, X and C for jump, attack, and heavy attack, respectively. But it’s how you combine all of these that makes this game such a complex one; the old and often misused line of “easy to pick up and hard to put down” applying perfectly to this game.
To get through each level you have to utilize a combination of special moves, as well as well-timed jumps and movement. You can find all of the expected moves in here… double-jumps, speed-boosts, sliding down hills, running up walls (even upside-down), and aerial attacks against floating blobs of rubbish giving you extra hang-time.
But the way all this is implemented feels just right. You may need a few run-throughs to get to grips with how a level is to be attacked, but once you’ve figured it out, all the moves are so straightforward to execute that you’re left with a lingering “I’m so awesome” feeling as you fly smoothly through a level, and getting a perfect score.
The overworld level-hub is a level just like any other, with doors dotted around the place which you use to access the levels themselves. When you select a level, you are able to change character to one of four distinctly designed Dustforcers, all with slightly different stats and play styles.
There are also books, one for each area, which list all the levels for that area, showing which are unlocked and giving you access to the your online high-scores, as well as to the best replays for any given level, which give you hints as to how to attack a particular section, or just to enjoy watching.
To start off, you are given access to the tier 1 levels, which are already unlocked for you to play as you wish. To unlock a tier 2 level, you’ll have to complete a perfect run in a tier 1 level, getting an “SS” ranking. This will then give you an iron key, which you can use on any iron-locked tier 2 level door. I’m guessing you’ll receive a gold key to unlock a tier 3 level, but alas, I haven’t been able to make a perfect run on a tier 2 level as yet. They are suitably difficult.
At the end of a level, you are graded based on your performance. First for how much of the rubbish you collected in your run; and second for your finesse in maneuvering through the level. This is based on your combo score you accrue by cleaning up rubbish without leaving too much of a gap before collecting more rubbish. This also builds up a “special move” meter you can use at the end of the level to take down the final group of bad guys, giving a great crescendo to the end of each level. So if you fly through a level with no mistakes, you tend to get a higher ranking than if you’re going through it for the first time and are unfamiliar with it’s layout.
As I mentioned earlier, you’ll have to perfectly complete a level, with an “SS” ranking to get a key to unlock a harder level. In my first session I was frustrated by this… trying my best and only getting an “AA” ranking and so not getting a key… but if you stick with it and muster the patience to practice on a single level to hone your skills, then the reward of unlocking a new level to play with is very satisfying.
So if you really, really don’t like grinding in games, then you may find this one equally frustrating. For me, though, the style and finesse in which this game has been made makes it all worthwhile. It is simply a pleasure to play and experience this game.
There is also a local multiplayer “king of the hill” mode, where up to 4 players an battle it out, with selectable bad guys which lay down rubbish and goop and such instead of cleaning it up to build up their combo meter. The different stats of the characters are made really obvious here; the attacks of one guy sometimes not able to reach the other guy if they are using the same attack. There doesn’t look like there’s any online multiplayer right now, but for those of us who like playing with housemates or siblings in the same room, this local multiplayer is a welcome addition rarely seen in modern games!
There’s also a level editor hinted at in the overworld level-hub, but it is currently unavailable at the time of this review.
Overall
I love this game. And while I’m still not the best at it, and it may take me a while to complete a level, I can’t help but come back for more. The art and music in this game is some of the best out there, certainly for an indie, 2D title, and in my opinion better than some of the bigger, triple-A titles out there today.
I just can’t recommend this title enough. It will be available on 17th January 2012, tomorrow at the time of writing this article. So make sure your Steam account has your latest bank details and ready yourself for downloading it as soon as possible!
Just as the Australian Open is set to fire up, EA have released a new trailer for the upcoming Grand Slam Tennis 2, showcasing the famous Rod Laver arena in Melbourne as well as many of tennis’ huge attractions. Featuring all the sports big guns such as Federer and Nadal, the trailer gives a small glimpse of what to expect from the overall package soon to be released on February 9th. My personal pick for the Aussies in the Australian Open is Bernard Tomic, mark my words, you heard it here first, this guy will be a world contender in the not too distant future. So enjoy the Open and until it’s release, check out this trailer for Grand Slam Tennis 2 coming only to XBox 360 and PS3. Pre-orders available.
Here is an interesting turn of events. Last year, WiiWare titles were very limited, with barely one new game being seen each week for the service. Nintendo did make this up by releasing “limited time” demos for some of the top tier titles, which usually kept a demo up for around a month for specific downloadable hits.
Very quietly, Nintendo have now launched all 50 of the demos, and you can grab as many as you like for the time being. This of course includes the likes of the Bit.Trip series, Dive: The Medes Island Secret, LIT, and many other favorites. Due to the limited nature of these trials and past history though, it would be best to download all you can before they are taken down in the future.
A few months ago, European Wii owners got a nice surprise of finding out that The Last Story would be heading westward and hitting shops on February 24th. Nintendo have now announced even sweeter news for those anticipating the Mistwalker RPG though, and that is that a collector’s edition will be available upon release.
As you see above, this set will be packaged in a nice box, with a Steelbook, soundtrack, and miniature art book crammed in. Pretty snazzy, right? Right now, those of us in the U.S. are still awaiting for Nintendo to reveal The Last Story, but nothing has been said as of yet as NOA are more than likely waiting to see how well Xenoblade does in the region. If all goes well, here’s to hoping the rest of the world will see this type of treatment paid to The Last Story as well.
If you are an Australian hanging out for Asura’s Wrath, Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City, Street Fighter x Tekken and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (the Playstation Vita version, of course), then read on as Capcom will be hosting a public event where all four games will be available for a test run for all of the gamers out there. The event will be hosted at the Oxford Art Factory, located on Oxford Street Darlinghurst. Also at the event are a few producers and developers who will introduce the games on the night, including Capcom’s senior manager Seth Killian, who is attached to Street Fighter x Tekken. You will also get the chance to play some old arcade titles in their arcade cabinets.
So, how do you attend this even? Well, despite the fact that this event is completely free, there are limited places. The only way to actually get your hands on tickets is via registration. Send an email with your name and phone number at [email protected] and you will be with a chance to attend what would be an awesome event. However, if you are under 18, then you will miss out completely since the event is only for those aged 18 and above.
What are you waiting for? Tickets will go fast so don’t miss out.
