Admit it, whenever you have the chance to in an RPG you end up saving your game, then go ahead and murder every innocent villager and civilian in the vicinity before shutting off the game. I’ve done it, you’ve done it, we all have. However if you plan on doing this and continuing with that game then obviously there will be some repercussions right?
Well in the ESRB rating we learn that senseless acts of violence will actually damage your character’s charisma. Plus there will be harpy breasts for people who like thier bird monsters with tits. Check out the full ESRB description below:
This is an action-adventure game in which players assume the role of Glynn, a militiaman on a quest to kill an evil dragon. As players traverse through fantastical “open-world” environments, they complete missions and quests that impact the storyline and eventual fate of their character. Players use swords, bows and arrows, and magic attacks (e.g., fireballs, ice blasts) to kill various enemies (e.g., zombies, goblins, human soldiers) in melee-style combat.
The frequent combat is accompanied by slashing sounds, cries of pain, and large splashes of blood; attacks sometimes result in dismembered limbs and/or scattered body parts. Some sequences allow players to injure/kill non-adversaries, including unarmed villagers; such acts are penalized by lower “charisma” levels for players’ character. Other acts of violence appear in cutscenes: a man strangling a woman in her bedchamber; a character impaling himself.
The dialogue sometimes includes innuendo and suggestive material (e.g., “I would never violate His Grace’s privacy while he violates milady’s privates” and “. . . perhaps you seek . . . a turn in the sheets with His Grace’s own wife!”). During the course of the game, players may also encounter female harpies whose breasts are fully exposed at certain camera angles.
It seems that the next big fix for Battlefield 3 will have to do with the god light that has become quite a problem in multiplayer matches. Now the actual attachment is called a “tactical light” and is basically a small flashlight attached to a gun. Now the problem with the flashlight is that it is overwhelmingly powerful, so much so that as you can see above, it is ridiculously blinding even at a distance.
DICE gameplay designer Alan Kertz tweeted this above picture with the proposed change and I wholeheartedly support it and it appears that I am not alone as fan response has been “overwhelmingly positive.” At least this means that someone across the map can’t blind you anymore with their pocket flashlight…
When a headline usually reads about a developer for a game, especially a major game, trying to boost the game’s scores then it usually means there will be plenty of controversy. However this time around I’d have to agree with Sledgehammer Games boss Glen Schofield who was upset about the user Metacritic score that their big game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is bombing.
He was pretty blatant in his request on Twitter saying “I don’t usually do this but, if u like MW3 go 2 Metacritic.com & help our user score. It’s suspiciously low. Be honest but help if u agree.” Now this is in response to the fact that all of the various angry video game fans have been giving the title 0/10 with random complaints and general BS. Of course if someone interested in the title saw a user score of 3.2 without knowing the context, it would probably hurt their opinion.
While many were expecting a number of new characters to be announced sometime in the future for Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy and who can blame them. The title will feature music from every game in the Final Fantasy series so it should come as no surrpise that Jump revealed a bunch of new characters. However a few of these inclusions are perhaps surprising to some.
Andriasang has translated the list of newly announced characters and one seems to have returned from the dead to bring us music. Aeris, perhaps one of the most iconic characters in FFVII will be returning as a character alongside Snow (FFXIII), Prishe (FFXI), Vivi (FFIX), Faris (FFV), Cid (FFIII), and Princess Sara (FF) to round out your party. Any other Final Fantasy favorites you would want to see become available?
Dead Island was a zombie survivalists dream but it was missing one thing, an arena where you can face off against wave after wave of the undead and fight to survive as long as you possibly can. Now this was meant to be released shortly after the game was released, but thankfully Techland chose to focus on polishing the title and fixing any bugs reported to them.
Now that that is all taken care of however, Bloodbath Arena is coming down the pipeworks and will be available next week. Now those who pre-ordered the Special Edition of the game will finally be able to use their included download voucher to pick up the DLC free of charge, while everyone else will need to drop $10 or 800 MSp on it otherwise.
The Bloodbath Arena itself includes four new arenas for single or co-op play and challenges players to kill and survive through multiple zombie waves. This is more or less a Horde mode for zombies, but you know what? That is just fine with me.
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Developer: 343 Industries Publisher: Microsoft Games Studios Platform:Xbox 360 Release Date:November 15, 2011 Price:$39.99 –Available Here
Overview: It’s been just a little over ten years since Halo: Combat Evolved hit the original Xbox and began the domination of the first person shooter genre on home consoles. High Definition remakes are all the rage these days and 343 Industries, caretakers of the Halo franchise for Halo 4-6, were put in charge of remastering the original Bungie classic. With an updated graphical engine and reproduction of some of the Halo franchise’s best multiplayer maps, does Halo Anniversary deliver the goods in a holiday season crowded with great quality first-person competition, or is this just another cheap, HD cash-in?
Gameplay – Singleplayer: In case any of you have been living under a rock for the past ten years, Halo puts you in the shoes of a supersoldier, known as a Spartan, called “Masterchief”. Upon investigating a massive, artificial ring-shaped world known as “Halo”, the human warship Masterchief is travelling on is attacked by a group of angry purple aliens known as the Covenant.
And so, after an extended tutorial sequence, you’re handed a gun and told to blast away at the ship’s attackers. This is where the fun truly begins. What made Bungie’s original game so memorable were the tight controls and responsive feedback given by the weapons, and this is carried over perfectly to the remastered engine powering Halo Anniversary. Enemies stagger when hit, the aim-assist is friendly enough to make you feel like an unbeatable marksman without holding your hand the whole time, and every weapon has a distinct and unique feel to it. Whether it’s the combat rifle or the needler, every weapon plays and feels differently, and it’s a joy to rediscover them for the first time while playing the game.
Despite Masterchief’s badassery, there’s only one of him, and a few moments later you crash land on Halo and have to attempt to regroup with the other human forces. And this is where the gameplay begins to falter, giving you a hint of the issues to come, this intial “search and rescue” mission has relatively zero bearing on the overall plot, yet it takes about an hour of your time. At this point it still feels alright, there’s still something new to see around every corner. But as the game progresses, you’ll see more and more of the same enemy arrangements, the same attack patterns, and, most ridiculously, two entire chapters of the game are based in the same location. Now this location re-used room layouts and environments to the tee the first time you played through it. What changes the second time you run through, you ask?
You run through it backwards.
I literally got bored, turned Halo off, and went and played some Fallout instead. And if anyone’s guilty of repeating assets and environments, it’s Fallout.
Thankfully, the game does alleviate this with some great plot twists which have a direct impact on the urgency of the gameplay and the enemies which you fight. At this stage it’s been ten years so I feel comfortable that in telling you Halo is a galaxy purging super-weapon and that a parasitic race called the “Flood” lay dormant on Halo and upon being uncovered started doing their very best to take over the galaxy, I’m not spoiling anything.
And the Flood add something new t0 the gameplay, as you’re no longer shooting purple aliens, you’re shooting zombies, swarms of bug-like parasites, and exploding green enemies. Once again, you’re having fun just blasting away as you discover more about Halo and how to stop the spread of the Flood.
And you keep blasting. And you keep blasting.
And then it’s like the developers of the original Halo got bored and decided that instead of coming up with new challenges for the player, they’d just give the existing enemies in existing environments a plethora of one-shot, one-kill weapons to decimate you. By the end enemies are hurling sticky grenades and various rocket types your way, and if you put one foot wrong, the hit-or-miss checkpointing system can set you back as far as ten minutes.
In the game’s first few levels you’ll also be confused by the general lack of direction you’re given, and I sometimes found myself wandering rooms for extended periods of time searching for the exit. This however is alleviated by the above-mentioned repeating environments. In one room type, the door is always behind the glass wall on the left, in another, it’s always above and on the right. So the game replaces one flaw, with a distinclty less forgivable one.
In short, the game is too long. A game that requires 20 to 30 hours of time only remains fun when those hours are filled with interesting gameplay concepts, new enemies, or new challenges. Halo collapses under its own weight, as repeating environments and repetitive enemy encounters slowly begin to drag at your patience as you progress through a playthrough. The game becomes nothing short of a chore by the time you’ve reached the final level.
However, the way the story is presented never ceases to remind you why Bungie had a classic on its hands with the original. Even when the gameplay has let you down, the plot drives you forward. You’ll struggle through the chore that the gameplay eventually becomes because you want to uncover the secrets of the Halo weapon and you’ll want to blow it out of the sky once you realize it’s being turned on all sentient life in the galaxy. Whether it’s through the third person cutscenes or Cortana, your Artifical Intelligence “girlfriend”, feeding you information through Masterchief’s helmet, the game never ceases to intrigue and it felt like I was rediscovering Halo, as if I’d never played as or known of Masterchief and the three games that propelled him to superhero status.
All in all, there’s not much 343 Industries could have done to improve Halo’s gameplay without altering the classic experience, and it was ballsy to stick to the original foundation laid down by Bungie ten years ago. With the new graphics turned on, some of the levels do make it a little clearer where to go, as unlocked doors have a green light in the centre, and environmental cues are made a little more obvious than they were in the original. The addition of story-explaining terminals was an interesting one, and the terminals are rare enough that they feel special, but not so difficult to find that they feel undiscoverable. Though, in truth, many of the story beats provided in the terminals will only make sense to the most die-hard of Halo fans, and the constant referencing of characters who may or may not be involved in Halo 4 only adds to the confusion. But, for the most part, the terminals provide greater insight into the events and characters involved in the original Halo, and are generally a solid, yet subtle, addition to the original game.
The campaign is also playable all the way through with another player, though the lack of ability to choose different checkpoints from specific chapters is a little odd, especially because the chapters themselves are divided into smaller, titled parts when you play through them. So if you want to play the tank level with a friend, you can’t just pick the game up and boot it at the tank section, you have to play from the beginning of the chapter. This is particularly perplexing as other recent Halo games have included the feature, and it makes little sense not to include it in this one.
Oh wow, this is awkward. The first ‘World of Playstation’ was done a couple of months ago. Hmmm… well, here’s another one. Since that first article (which you can check out here), there have been some interesting news coming out of the world of Playstation. So, what has been the hottest Playstation news?
First up, Uncharted 3 has shot to the top with 3.8 million sold in 24 hours. Why don’t you read our review while your here? Also, the Playstation 3 has also exceeded expectations as it becomes the No. 1 selling console of 2011.
Second, the Playstation Vita has a release date in Australia and New Zealand, as well as other major regions outside of East Asia. North America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East receives it on the 22nd of February and Australia and New Zealand receive it on the 23rd of February. Check out both articles for more information (NA/EU/AF/ME date and AU/NZ date). Also, the UMD Passport program was announced. This will allow certain UMD games for the PSP to be registered so that the user can get a digital version for their Vita at a heavily discounted price.
Talking about portable consoles, the Playstation Portable has it’s fifth iteration called the E1000. It is now available for those who are looking for a cheap portable thrill. For what it contains, check out this article.
More Move news and there is a wave of Move games that are coming during November. Other than DanceStar Party, look out for Move Fitness, After Hours Athletes, Eyepet and Friends, Carnival Island, Medieval Moves and Start The Party: Save The World. I would say it is an exciting time to own the Playstation Move. Maybe buy it as a Christmas present.
Two Playstation branded peripherals are being released this month. First, the 3D display has been released in the US, with no date yet for Australia and New Zealand. What is on sale right now is the Playstation 3 Wireless Stereo Headset. It has 7.1 Virtual Surround Sound and built-in microphone for high quality voice chat. Expect to fork out AU$149.95.
That is about it for this month’s World of Playstation. Be sure to check out the website for the latest Playstation news, reviews and previews. Until next time, enjoy your Uncharted 3… or any other Playstation 3 and Playstation Portable game you need to complete.
PixelJunk SideScroller Developer: Q-Games Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Platform: Playstation 3 (PSN) Release: October 25, 2011 Price: $10.00
Overview:
It can be a tricky thing making a decidedly old school game feel authentic and modern all at the same time. Like a fat man dressed like a ballerina, putting on a fresh coat of paint doesn’t always help the overall concept. Lots of indie developers make classic style games with updated graphics but the same rote gameplay from bygone eras. The problem with this is the medium has moved forward and if you’re not in it for a nostalgia trip then you’re not getting anything out of the game. Q-Games and the PixelJunk series have had a pretty good pedigree with previous releases but does SideScroller live up to the standard or fall flat?
Visuals:
The very first thing you’ll notice when booting up PixelJunk SideScroller is the visuals. They’re striking with a ultra modern retro vector line look with a very selective colour scheme. The edges of the screen are concaved and warped a small degree to make it look like a you’re playing on an arcade cabinet with a tube display. At the title screen you’re greeted with an insert coin title which further sells the idea. Every level remains consistent with the vector look but plays with the colours used so they all feel very different. Even when you’re playing the game on different difficulty settings you’re treated to a new look for each level depending on the setting you’re on. There are a lot of elements at play in SideScroller such as lava, water and gas, (think PixelJunk Shooter) and each look beautiful using the games assets with water rendered as small bubbles that move around realistically using the in game physics (also from Shooter).
Audio:
One thing the PixelJunk games have been known for is audio. Whether it’s the awesome soundtracks or the sounds of their effects it has always been consistent and PixelJunk SideScroller is no different. UK hip-hop duo Alex Paterson and Dom Beken of High Frequency Bandwidth earned a BAFTA award nomination for their PixelJunk Shooter soundtrack and they’re back with remixes and some new material for SideScroller. It should be noted that PixelJunk SideScroller is actually an extension of a bonus area from PixelJunk Shooter 2, which is why the remixes are rather apt and it’s also why you’ll see some carryover with some mechanics and enemies from the Shooter games. But the music in SideScroller doesn’t feel like a bunch of rehashes. While there’s certainly a style that carries over from the games, the music in SideScroller certainly has it’s own vibe going for it and can be appreciated independently from the two prior Shooter games.
Gameplay:
If you’re looking for a game that seems horrifyingly brutal and forgiving all at the same time then go no further my friend, PixelJunk SideScroller is your bag. Taking a traditional bullet hell and side scrolling shooter (hence the name, duh) and adding just the right amount of modern conveniences SideScroller reminds me of all that time I spent playing games like 1942 or Gradius when I was younger by throwing a lot at me all the time but is at the same time forgiving by adding in much needed checkpoints that you’re able to perpetually restart at, albeit without your score if you lose all your lives. If you’ve played PixelJunk Shooter 1 or 2 then you’ll see some familiar things such as some enemies and the elements. When you’re hit (and don’t have shield power-up) you move into a damaged state in which your ship is overheating. The only way to alleviate this is by dropping your ship into water to cool off. You’ll run into water all over the place whether it be from dripping stalagmites or waterfalls and pools. In addition to the water you’ll also encounter lava and gas which will be ignited by lava if the two touch. You’re given 3 guns to play with that can be swapped to on the fly in SideScroller and you have them all at the outset of the game. There’s the standard machine gun which will be your bread and butter, a laser cannon which is super powerful and can shoot through ice but has a slow recharge and smart bombs which are effective for enemies stationed to the ground. Each weapon can be upgraded independently and you’ll have to experiment to find out which will be best for the scenario you’re in. You’re also given a charged attack which will launch your ship through a swath of enemies.
There are 3 worlds and 4 levels in each with a boss in each final world level. Each boss is unique and a blast (no pun intended… well maybe) fight. Once you finish each of the worlds you’re treated to the final level. And I mean treated in every sense of the word. The final stage in this game is almost worth the price of admission all on its own. You have a long level with a boss cycling through with huge graphical changes and easily the best song in the entire game making love to your ears. If you decided to play PixelJunk SideScroller you owe it to yourself to finish if only to see the final stage.
Overall:
So is PixelJunk SideScroller for everyone? Absolutely not, but none of the PixelJunk games are like that. Not everyone will fall in love with what this series has to offer. But if this game seems up your alley they it’s going to really be up your alley. It may be a bit polarising. Not a lot of people yearn for a sidescrolling shooter these days. But if you’re one of those people then you would be foolish to miss PixelJunk SideScroller. It’s a love letter just for you.
Hetalia Axis Powers: Paint it, White! Studio: Studio Deen Publisher: MADMAN / FUNimation Release Date: November 22, 2011 Price: $24.95 – Available Here
Overview:
Perhaps one of the strangest yet most intriguing anime that I have ever come across is the Hetalia series. It was originally based off of an online webcomic that then became a manga, which then became an anime series. If that doesn’t sound like a rise to success for a writer then I don’t know what is. But what made Hetalia such a success? Well it actually is the fact that the series actually takes various countries from World War II and creates stereotypical characters from them and has them interact in hilarious ways.
Hetalia: Axis Powers has been brought over to North America by FUNimation and the company is continuing to do so into next year with Season 3, but until then we have been treated to a Hetalia movie. To be more precise it is called Hetalia Axis Powers: Paint it, White!. Now Paint it, White! is a full length movie which is new territory for a series that originally follows a short skit format. So how does it fair?
Story:
Now as I mentioned, the biggest change with Hetalia Axis Powers: Paint it, White! is the fact that it deviates strongly from the short sketch comedy that was originally seen in the anime and now contains a plot driven storyline that in my opinion actually helps keep the comedy and the personalities of the various characters flowing at a steady and enjoyable rate.
The story of Hetalia Axis Powers: Paint it, White! is that a strange new threat has come to Earth, and it has begun changing people into strange white faceless humanoid blobs with green lights sticking out of their heads like anglerfish. Throughout every country in the world these strange aliens known as Pictonians have invaded and transformed the countries occupants into Pictonians themselves.
Now with the world in danger, all of the countries have organized a meeting to try and figure out what they should do to try and stop the invasion. Of course however, the guys (countries) cannot reach any form of agreement and instead start bickering and fighting with one another. The only person who even manages to make any type of suggestion is America who thinks that the best idea is to use military power to repel the aliens. Of course this doesn’t sit well with most of them and the bickering continues until everyone gets fed up and leaves except Canada because no one knew he was there.
With America being the only country with an idea, every country has decided to try and fight against the Pictonian menace and throw their best weapons against them. Well… everyone except for Italy unless you count a white flag as a weapon. However even the world’s strongest military forces cannot do anything against an enemy who can turn every missile or vehicle of war into something limp, useless and lame.
With the countries thrown in disarray and their weapons unable to do anything to stop them, the Pictonians even begin to change some of the various side countries into faceless Pictonians as well. Can the Allied and Axis nations work together to try and repel the alien invasion? Will there be hilarity on the way? Pasta!?
Now as I mentioned earlier, the movie itself structures itself as nearly a continuous storyline which may throw some people off considering the jump in structure. However fans should appreciate seeing their favorite country (if he hasn’t been turned into a Pictonian) in an actual full length adventure rather than the short gags from the original series. Actually this structure makes the series a bit more welcome to newcomers than some would believe. Now newcomers obviously won’t be able to understand a few of the characters’ interactions with one another nor a few of their personalities but it is certainly possible to be laughing extremely often and occasionally very loudly at all of the comedy that is happening nearly nonstop.
Now while the movie does follow a straight storyline, there are a few short skits that are thrown in at random places in the movie that have absolutely nothing to do with the actual plot of the movie and are there more for complete comedic purposes or reference little known historic facts. These include Germany scolding Italy for running faster while running away compared to normal advancing and even a bit about a newly introduced Iceland.
Visuals:
Now the various country representations range from being normal looking and well detailed and then will occasionally switch into chibi form. This is especially true whenever Italy decides to surrender. However most of the time the series looks very great and the animation is rather impressive. It is interesting to see the bland whiteness that the Pictonians create compared to the usual colorful world that Hetalia creates.
The Pictonians themselves are rather interesting in appearance and have some various CG effects which are impressive. Those who enjoyed watching the original series will be happy to know that the higher budget movie does see better quality artwork as well, meaning if you ever wanted to see one of your favorite characters at their best, this is the time.
Audio:
Perhaps one of the biggest highlights about the English dub of Hetalia Axis Powers: Paint it, White! is the English dub itself. While the voice cast of the original Japanese dub did their best with the various characters from other countries it couldn’t provide the best accents or even the best voice work with the actors that they had.
Now the difference with the English cast is that they can create all of the various accents to go along with the nationalities and stereotypes of that specific country. Listening to France, Germany or Japan is perhaps one of the best examples of great accents and this creates an amazing English dub that far surpasses the original Japanese one.
Extras:
Now FUNimation has packed a large number of extras into Hetalia Axis Powers: Paint it, White! and while some of these are your standard inclusions such as trailers for upcoming FUNimation releases and the clean version of the ending, there are also a number of other extras that are definitely worth a watch. This includes an Outtakes section that is provided by the English dub which is hilarious and contains plenty of profanity, an Opening Day Stage Greetings that was filmed during the first screening of the film.
Perhaps the two biggest bonuses are the CAPSLOCK Commentary and the Hidden History Hidden Within Hetalia extras. The Hidden History provides various historical fact sheets to the references made throughout the movie which is interesting and can provide some backstory for references viewers don’t understand. The hit extra is the commentary though, where the English dub cast provides entire commentary the full length of the movie and is a laugh riot that is worth a listen.
Overall:
Hetalia Axis Powers: Paint it, White! is a hilarious experience that provides plenty of enjoyment for not only fans of the original Hetalia series but even newcomers who are just looking for an enjoyable laugh filled viewing experience. The inclusion of a plot makes Hetalia flow surprisingly well and is certainly worth a watch. If you haven’t seen the original series then seeing this movie may make you want to go watch everything that is available just to see more of the hilariousness.
A remake for the classic series “Space Battleship Yamato 2199” is in production and with that production comes a trailer of the upcoming movie. According to Crunchyroll the movie is set to be, basically, the first two episodes of an upcoming series pasted together.
To quote Crunchyroll –
More specific details have beenconfirmed about the film by the Yamato Crew site in that it is actually the first two episodes of the forthcoming TV series edited together, with the “film” serving as the preview screening for the series ahead of its TV airing later that month.
The anime series is set to be released on the 12th of April, 2012 (Japan). It is likely too early to get a confirmation on release over here in AUS as there are way too many factors to take into account. For this one, we’ll just have to wait and see.
