The Playstation Suite software development kits, which will allow development of games for both the Playstation Vita and Playstation Certified Android devices, will being its roll out phase this year with the release of the open beta in April and the full version later in the year in an announcement at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Through the introduction of these SDKs, there will be a more streamlined developmental environment for content developers and further expand the world of PlayStation to open operating system based portable devices.
The roll out of the open beta will be open to developers in the United States, United Kingdom and Japan, with support for additional countries later on. The beta will be offered to developers free of charge. Developers will also be able to conduct performance verification of their content developed with the open beta version on PlayStation Vita. This will be followed with the release of the full versions of the development kits later in 2012. These will be offered for US$99 per annum, which is not a bad price.
PlayStation Certified devices include the Xperia arc, Xperia acro, Xperia PLAY, Xperia acro HD, Xperia S, Xperia ion, “Sony Tablet” S and “Sony Tablet” P, with more surely added in the future. These will be alongside the Playstation Vita, Sony’s newest handheld gaming device. Supported content will be available in Japan, United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and Australia by the end of the year.
Casshern Sins – The Complete Series Studio: Tatsunoko / Mad House Publisher: Siren Visual Release Date: October 21, 2011 Format: Blu-Ray Disc (Reviewed), DvD Price: $79.95 (Buy Here)
Overview
Memory is such a fickle thing, it works some days, others it works not so well. It is entirely possible for a human to lose their entire memory and have to start their life experience from scratch. What about your memories? Are they important to you? If you could choose to forget them, would you? Are you able to comprehend the loneliness that would accompany such a loss in life data? What if you alone were the one who caused the destruction of the entire world? Is this something that you would like to remember?
At it’s core, these are the concepts that Casshern Sins is made up of. These are the questions that viewers can expect to answer while following along this journey. At it’s core, the loneliness, the conflict, the anguish that comes with losing ones memories are the things the comprise the core concept of this series.
Story
The Ruin is a plague upon the world in Casshern Sins, the background threat that will soon fall upon all sentient robotic life on the planet. This threat was created by the lead hero, Casshern, as he killed Luna – The Sun named Moon – on an assassination mission of unknown origin.
It is in the beginning episodes of the series where the melancholic, yet serene, mood is set for this tale of atonement for a forgotten sin. And related to this is one of the reasons I absolutely loved the series, the story is something you know from the start, you know the reasons why the world is sad, you know why it is that there is still this sense of serenity to the world. All of the information relevant to these aspects are given to you right from the start. You know that it’s Casshern that ruined the world, you know that everyone is so melancholic because they have to face the prospect of certain death. Yet, the contrast to this is what gives the show it’s serenity.
Across the breadth of the story are a plethora of interesting characters that have made (or at least made an attempt at) living their now shortened lives to the fullest, rather than spending it moping. Whether it’s searching for salvation, or doing something as creating something beautiful to fill the void of the emptiness, the serenity that comes along with the sadness of these individuals is quite engaging.
I think that on some level, we can all relate to the characters in this show, even the bad-guys who seem to do nothing but want to kill and eat Casshern. I mean, like, the concepts shown are things that we have to deal in our day to day life, like making the mundane fun and having to cope with the loss of a departed family member. These are all things that we can, at the very least, sympathise with in some way.
Visuals
Watching Casshern Sins is like participating in sex you shouldn’t be having. It is really that good. When I say this, I’m not referring to any kind of gratuitous sex or hentai material, but rather the visual style and quality of art within the show. Every character in this show has some degree of sex-appeal, every background is a sexy montage of barren wastes and even the visual themes and effects are very beautifully done.
But what I really mean here is that a lot of the actions that the supporting characters make are very titillating without being gratuitous. A lot of people reading this might sound disgusted, but I have to say, that I have never been even partially aroused by the prospect of a young-ish looking female character having her hand sucked on by a robot. Yes there was some blood here, but if this show was not drawn so sexually, I doubt I would have had such a strong response. Another perfect example of this is early on in the series where Casshern meets this female robot who is obsessed with making a bell. That character was walking sex. Her every movement, her every word, her behaviours were all done so sensually that you wish that you were the main character in that situation, she could turn you into her bell.
I feel I must stress this point though, there is no explicit sexual material in this show and the material that is within it never goes beyond kissing (except for that one exception where the other leading females psyche is trying to tell her something), but it is very sensually articulated. It’s hard to describe without going into abstract concepts, so you’ll just have to watch it.
Whilst watching Casshern Sins, I also could not help but get a very Megaman-esque vibe from the series. The facial artwork and Cassherns poses, in particular, really struck me as reminiscent of Zero from the Megaman Zero series of games (not so much the X Zero, he wasn’t as sexy). I think that people who enjoy the artwork of the Megaman series of games will probably really love this show.
Audio
What I found really spectacular was the way audio is used in Casshern Sins. And even more so was when it was often not used. Sure, anyone can make a scene emotive and and entertaining with a background track and some dynamic sounds, but it’s the silence in Casshern Sins that really catches you.
What I mean by this is that the audio staff have used silence as a story telling tool to convey the sense of helplessness and loneliness in a particular scene. A perfectly good example that pops up immediately is when Casshern is fighting a group of robots in a meaningless battle. The background music stops, there are only the sounds of the battle and it’s this that adds to the tension and the overall feel of helplessness across the battle.
The series is also incredibly well voice acted with the cast giving an incredibly believable performance that at no point feels unnatural or flaky. The audio is also presented in 5.1ch surround sound, which sounds amazing across a setup of that nature. I don’t think anybody will be disappointed in this series audio-wise.
Extras
Casshern Sins comes with a few extras spread across halves of the series. These are definite value-added bonuses that should keep you watching a short while after you have finished the main series.
These extras are –
Part 1 Extras –
Pre-Air Event
Textless Songs
Part 2 Extras –
Mini Concert
Original Commercials
Textless Songs
I found these additions to be quite entertaining, but the best extra is, in my opinion, the slip-case/box that the complete series is collected within. They could have easily have just paired this series off in a slim-pack with all 4 discs, or maybe even a fat-pack. But nope, box. Which is awesome. I wish more companies still did these.
Overall
Casshern Sins is an amazing anime series wrapped up in an amazing package. This isn’t just a series for Anime fans, it can be enjoyed by anyone. In-fact, I would advise viewers from outside of the genre to pick this up as their starting Anime series, it is seriously that good. It is also one of the better examples of the medium and a proof that not all Anime is cute-girls and tentacles.
In less than a week a Yakuza game unlike any other will be released in North America. Why is this one different than any other Yakuza game? Well because rather than dealing with people, this time around you will have to deal with undead people.
How will you be dealing with these zombies you ask? Well if you were to pre-order from GameStop before the game is released you will be able to receive five bonus costumes, eight bonus weapons and a slew of additional content. You can see some of this content in action below in what has to be the most patriotic video game trailer I have ever seen.
Gotta admit, when you have nearly the entire world playing your game the only way to advertise the next iteration of the series is to take it to another level… the space level… Today a huge piece of promotion for Angry Birds Space was released that not only involved the co-operation of NASA but also the International Space Station.
In the video below you will see a live Angry Birds demonstration and physics lesson from astronaut Don Pettit while he is in space. Talk about awesome huh? Besides that video, a few details were released about Angry Birds Space. The game will feature
This teaser for Angry Birds Space not only has the cooperation of NASA, it was filmed on the International Space Station, featuring 60 levels, new birds, new abilities, secret bonus levels and various gravity tricks.
Square Enix has been very adept at keeping their DLC releases for Final Fantasy XIII-2 moving at a steady pace with plenty of DLC and even keeping the worldwide releases all coming at the same time. As such Square Enix USA has announced today that fans can expect to see the release date for Jihl Nabaat’s DLC on March 13th,which is the same date for both Europe and Japan, for 240 MSP or $2.99 on the PSN.
Noel and Serah’s bonus weaponry has been released today and Lightning’s story DLC will be released in May and is currently being called “Lightning’s Story: Requiem of the Goddess.”
The Dark Meadow is a great game, so great in fact that our own Dustin Spencer gave the game a 9 when he reviewed it many months ago. It seems that such a great game can’t be held from the masses by something as simple as a price tag however as Phosphor Games has chosen to make the game free on the Android and iOS next week.
Those who bought the game when it was released for $5.99 have no reason to get angry however, as there will be an “exclusive upgrade” to the game when it does end up going free. If you don’t want to wait until next week you can pick The Dark Meadow up at normal price here.
If you haven’t played Deadly Premonition on the Xbox 360 then you probably should go out to the store and pick it up right now. It is at most, $19.99 for the Xbox 360 at the moment. However those who don’t feel like picking it up now or can’t do so due to the fact it is only on the 360 will be interested to hear that Deadly Premonition is in fact coming to the PlayStation 3.
During a talk about the origins of Harvest Moon at GDC, Yasuhiro Wada revealed that an enhanced version of Deadly Premonition with more content and PlayStation Move controls. Marvelous AQL will be releasing the title in North America and Wada plans to demonstrate the game at E3 this year. I can’t wait.
Answer the following question and post it on Capsule Computers Facebook page. : Question : What wish would drive you to fight in a tournament against others?
The competition ends on the 30th of March! We’ll be picking 1 lucky winner to receive both prizes! Keep an eye on the Capsule Computers Facebook Page as we’ll be announcing the lucky winner just after the 30th!
Do not forget that you MUST Like both pages FIRST then post your answer on the Capsule Computers Facebook wall, in order for your entry to be considered. The question once again is:
“What wish would drive you to fight in a tournament against others?”
As the newest member of the Capsule Team; I have yet to experience my fair share of struggles and frustrations which media journalism can bring; but this is unrelated to the fact that they do exist and that they will come. So with a gamer mentality in mind my strategy involves this: no camping, no re-spawns – simply run &gun. This stratagem may suggest that I am bold and daring but this isn’t true; facing an issue directly is a writer’s only course of action, so whether I am writing about an upcoming game or reviewing a new film; I intend to be straightforward and honest as humanly possible.
With this said, for my first contribution to the world of gaming and entertainment, I offer my experiences into what it was like joining Capsule Computers – for lack of better words; my struggle.
My story begins as any other story would; with a premise. Picture this situation. You’re a gamer, you almost always choose the good side/paragon in RPG games and you’re almost always online + add a dash of literacy skill.
Gamer>Goodness >Online>Able to read and write.
This leads us to assume that the magical talking hat of Hogwarts would place this theoretical person into the journalistic equivalent of Gryffindor; the good, the mighty, the just. For those who are amiss to the characters in this tale; the good being the independent, the bad being those tied to commercialism – i.e. the big corporations.
‘Pheww’ and a sigh of relief would be the reaction of a person who undoubtedly had no wish of being Slytherin (Aside: because we all know how that story ends.)
This premise leads to only one conclusion; that this person is actually myself, but spoken about in third person and that Capsule Computers must be one of the good guys *shameless plug*.
I apologise for my use of semiotics to lure you guys into this thread; The title I admit is a little misleading –TBH I haven’t broken into the gaming industry yet, I’ve barely scratched the surface but you’ve gotta start somewhere , right? Hopefully the following recap of my experiences will show that good things happen when you least expect it. I’ll keep it short and sweet.
Gamebook Adventures 7: Temple of the Spider God Developer: Tin Man Games Publisher: Tin Man Games Platforms: iTouch, iPhone, iPad (reviewed) Release Date: 6 Feb, 2012 Price: $4.99 – Available Here
Overview
As a kid I always loved those Choose Your Own Adventure books. Making a decision and flipping through the pages, and if I was killed then I just flipped back to where I was and picked the other option. Unfortunately this cheating option isn’t available in Gamebook Adventures, but that doesn’t mean that the app is any less awesome or evokes any less nostalgia.
Gameplay
I have to admit, having that much reading presented to me in a game required a bit of adapting. But, as someone who more than enjoys a good book, I adjusted quite happily and found myself just as – if not more – sucked into the storyline than with other games. I regard stories very highly in games, it’s the difference between me being invested in a game and putting it aside after a couple hours of gameplay. So, for a game that is pretty much just story, it was like my dream come true. But in a very tentative way. After all, there has to be a very exact balance to master the art of intense storytelling with no real animation without it getting to dry and boring for the player. But I do believe that Gamebook Adventures masters this, so long as you’re cool with reading. I have to admit, even for someone who loves reading, it was a bit of an adjustment.
There are three difficulty settings, novice, bookworm and classic. As always, classic is the most difficult, designed for those who really know what they’re doing, while novice is for beginners who have never played Gamebook Adventures. As someone who hasn’t played the game before, I found novice an easy introduction with it and was easy enough to pick up.
In the start of the game you roll for your character skill, and you better get used to rolling for things because apart from the story line, that’s pretty much all you have going for you. You will encounter several times where you have to roll in order to decide your stance in a fight, your fitness level, and of course the damage you deal and your defense.
The tutorial for how to do things is in the menu, but as one of those people who doesn’t read instructions unless they are right in front of me, or crucial to finishing things decently quickly (hello IKEA), I decided I could probably get away with just jumping in. It took a little while for me to actually understand what was going on with the dice, but it is all fairly easy to derive anyway, as it is logical. And hey, if you don’t wanna know the rules then you can play like that too, and just wait for the little message that pops up to see what’s happened. It’ll add a little more suspense to the game.
There is that little annoyance of not being able to flip back like old school physical Choose Your Own Adventure books would allow. Particularly if you have just died. That’s never fun. I got through to right near the end of the game only to kick it when some giant spider dominated me and found myself staring at the start of the story again.
Now here are two ways you can take this. Either you have a little spaz attack, throw aside your mobile device, and hate the game forever. Or you take it as a way to re-explore some of the other parts of the story. Sure, it’d be nice to be able to skip ahead and start from a certain point, but hey you can’t have everything.
Visuals
There isn’t a whole lot to Gamebook Adventures visually. There’s the book pages and the occasional picture – which are beautifully drawn and totally match the old school book visual. Apart from those two elements, there isn’t really much else to be said about the visuals.
Audio
The soundtrack sounds like it belongs to Lord of the Rings, or some other epic fantasy film. Especially during fights, the suspense and the pacing of the track made me feel like I was totally ready to take down an ogre or whatever. Of course this feeling doesn’t last that long, since the soundtrack isn’t super varied, and after a few rounds of epic battles you may feel it’s time to quieten the background music.
Overall
Gamebook Adventures 7: Temple of the Spider God is a great adventure story, which makes you feel like you’re halfway between reading an e-book and playing a game. As someone who loves a good story, it was a great experience for me, but for those who prefer their games to have action and animation, and all that, then perhaps look elsewhere.
