Don’t you love the iOS platforms? You buy a game and then the next few months free updates occasionally stroll in and surprise you, refreshening the games you’d stopped playing.
The Halloween update for MoboTap’s Piggy Adventure adds a new Halloween-themed Island, complete with 12 new levels to play through. These new levels also add fresh, new physics-based objects to interact with in an attempt to liven up the formula.
If you read my original review of Piggy Adventure, you’d see that I rated it rather highly for using the three unique characters in ways which added creativity to what would otherwise been a pretty standard 2-D platformer. And as much as this is a free content update, you can’t help but feel like MoboTap tried too hard to get creative with the platforming elements, rather than the characters.
There are magic anti-gravity platforms and flying broomsticks which the characters can control from certain points on a map and even portals through which they can teleport, but it feels like the physics engine the game runs on hasn’t caught up to the interesting design ideas. Too often did I find myself doing everything right, only to be let down because the game decided a vital box should roll a certain way off of an anti-gravity platform into a bottomless pit or into a portal from which I couldn’t retrieve it.
The idea of a puzzle game is to make a person think and find a solution. Once I’ve found the solution, I shouldn’t have to run through a level 5 times because the execution of teleportation, anti-gravity, and the physics engine don’t work too well in tandem.
Honestly, MoboTap could have gotten away with just portals or just controlled anti-gravity, and simply polished it a little more. Instead there’s now a strange abberation to the great gameplay found in the main Piggy Adventure islands.
Piggy Adventure is still worth your 99 cents, but this update isn’t really adding any particular value to the formula which worked so well in the original game. But hey, at least it’s free.
Oh Backflow, it was love at first sight wasn’t it? Maybe it was your charming little rainbow app icon, maybe it was the lesson you teach people about recycling, but I’m pretty sure it’s the way your name makes me giggle a little. So does the actual game give me the same enjoyment that it’s name alone does?
Gameplay
Backflow (hehe) runs on the concept of sorting rubbish into it’s destination, there are four different types, cans, bottles, paper and sewage. Before you also get giggly, the sewage is actually fish bones. Which I’m not sure is where they’re actually meant to go, so I don’t know what that does to the recycling and waste disposal knowledge of the game.
You sort the waste by changing the direction of the switches (any direction but back where it’s come from), while the waste comes down the pipes. At first it crawls down incredibly slowly, and I got frustrated with the sluggish pace so I spammed tapping the top of the screen where the rubbish was coming from so that it would come down quicker.
You have five lives in the game, represented by the colour of the sky, which gets darker and way more unnatural as you lose lives. Because when you sort a glass bottle into a can recycling plant everyone knows that the city takes a massive health hit. There are also items that give you an instant multiplier, replenish your lives, slow down the speed, and shield you from your next mistake. These need to be sorted into the glowing bins in order to get the bonuses.
Now all of this information came in a giant clump during the tutorial, I know it isn’t too big of an issue but personally I think that tutorials are usually better when they’re spread out so that you can absorb it more instead of just feeling bombarded by it.
There are twenty-five puzzle levels with three different difficulty levels, which affect the speed that the game starts at. The time difference between each level isn’t a huge step up, but you do get higher points for harder difficulties. Some of the levels and pipe designs are a bit odd and you have to remember that for cross pipes that don’t have directional switches you have to be careful with what switch you use earlier on in the piece of waste’s journey. These five lives are meant to take you through the entire game, though you get an achievement for making it through all the levels without losing a life.
There is also Survival mode, which involves you trying to survive through each level without losing your lives. Surprisingly you also get five lives for survival mode, and you have to try and make it to a certain number of points. You unlock each level as you finish it in normal mode, using whichever difficulty level you like.
The thing about normal mode that kind of annoyed me was that there was no menu showing which levels you’ve unlocked, so you can’t jump to the unlocked levels. Instead of being given a new slate for each level in terms of points and lives, you play through from beginning to as far as you can get. I honestly would prefer to get fewer lives and have them replenished with each new level.
Another issue in the same vein as the whack-it-in-your-face tutorial, there is only four types of waste for the entire game. It starts off the same as it ends, and the only learning curve is when the speed increases, and to be honest that isn’t a very challenging curve at all.
Instead of having OpenFeint and Game Center capabilities, Backflow just has an achievements section where it lists your achievements to date whether they be finishing all the levels, finishing a survival, or whatever else you may have done in the game.
Visual
Visually Backflow isn’t anything special, you’ve got the city above, which changes colour from blue all the way to danger pollution red. The visual style is very simple, like the rest of the game. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, given the simple gameplay. If the graphics had been anything wonderful they would have probably looked out of place.
Audio
The soundtrack is really odd in the way that it has absolutely nothing to do with the tone or content of the game. It’s this kind of odd sweeping orchestral music, and doesn’t help you get in the mood for fast paced waste sorting.
Conclusion
Backflow is an interesting little puzzle game, with an interesting concept. However, the way the game goes about introducing itself isn’t the best and the game’s learning curve isn’t any where near challenging enough to make you completely invested in it. However, if you’re just after some quick plays in a simple game then this could work well for you.
On October 26th, 2011, the world will go to war when The War of the Worlds hits Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network. In anticipation of it’s release, Other Ocean Interactive have uploaded a launch trailer for the cinematic ation adventure title.
The War of the Worlds as you may have guessed is based off of the infamous H.G Wells’ novel of the same name. From the trailer you can see the unique atmosphere of the game as well as the interesting narration that is comparable to that of another Xbox Live Arcade title, Bastion.
You can check out the incredible launch trailer below. Be sure to let us know what you think in the shoutbox and comments section.
If the recent of Kirby’s Adventure wasn’t enough to get you excited about the 3DS’ Virtual Console, you can now rest easy knowing that Kid Icarus will also be seeing new life in the 3D Classics section of the Virtual Console. This is quite a smart move by Nintendo, as this re-release is sure to help hype the 2012 release of Kid Icarus: Uprising.
Yeah, it seems Nintendo are really pushing the eShop before the holidays, which is great for all of us who have been waiting for some worthy items to fill up those memory cards. No price or date has been given to Kid Icarus’ re-release of yet, but once Nintendo detail this release even more, we will be sure to bring you an update.
Nintendo have been re-releasing several NES titles this year, but we finally have a AAA title coming to the Virtual Console that is worth those Nintendo points (sorry Urban Champion). On November 17th, Kirby’s Adventure will be released on the virtual console in 3D. This title was Kirby’s first full color adventure and was originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment system back in 1993.
As of now, we still don’t have a date for the rest of the world, but there is no doubt that everybody’s favorite pink ball of fluff will see life again eventually in all regions. Not a bad move at all Nintendo and hopefully, we will be seeing other heavy hitters hit the service within the next few months as well.
Earlier today Namco Bandai confirmed that Ezio from Assassin’s Creed fame will be showing up in the roster, and they have now a detailed what fans can expect in their fancy collector’s edition of the title as well. You can see everything that will be available in the package below to provide a better view for what you will be obtaining with purchase.
The collector edition will come in one fancy collectible case in the shape of a book. Inside this collectible case there will be the game itself of course, an art book, an original soundtrack CD, a making of DVD, a piece of artwork and a letter from the team that has been signed. Plus players will have access to the Black Knight and Paladin armor set in the character. No price has been announced at this time, though expect a pricing announcement sometime before the game is released next year.
It’s just a few short days until Battlefield 3 releases on October 27 (on Xbox 360, Playstation3, and PC) and mayhem, explosions, and gorgeous graphics bombard console users around the world. With two million pre-orders in the bag, a marketing campaign that’s directly confronted Call of Duty, and a steady release of trailers and gameplay, could the hype possibly get any bigger?
Yes. Unquestionably yes.
Throwing all illusion of objectivity aside, this is probably one of the more impressive trailers I’ve seen all year for any game. I’ll stop talking about it now, but I warn you; you may be blown away.
Two Tribes have sent out invitations for their 10th birthday party. This weekend the developers will be turning 10 years old. But don’t worry, there’s no need to get a gift. Instead, Two Tribes are giving us all a gift with a range of discounts. To celebrate the occasion, all of their games will be on sale. So head over to the Mac App Store, App Store and Steam to wish Two Tribes a happy birthday and join in the party.
Two Tribes also invite you to share your favourite Two Tribes moment with them, which can be done here.
Enjoy the discounts, the celebrations and congratulations and happy birthday to our friends over at Two Tribes!
Click here for a list of all the games Two Tribe have to offer. Alternatively you can visit Two Tribes on Steam or search for Two Tribes on the iTunes Store or Mac App Store.
When one plays an RPG or any narrative, they play through a thoughtfully constructed story that would have been typed in Word or handwritten for quite some time. Then that would be translated into the game. It may contain branching paths as well. The interactivity of the game could allow players to experience narrative in a unique way.
Now, would you believe me when I mention that there isn’t any dedicated software to map out the story? Well there is now. Articy Draft is the name of the software, created by Nevigo. The purpose of this software is to map out the narrative of the game. Users can map out plots, write dialogue, help design character and even the locations of the game’s setting. All of this can be exported in XML.
However, the software is in a closed beta, so selection will be limited. Nevigo released two videos explaining the software and divulging into its features. The first video is below, which is an overview of what to expect from the software. The second video, which goes into character creation, can be found here. There will be more to come. If you want to apply for the closed beta, go to Nevigo’s official website.
I am very impressed that someone has taken a stab in the dark with game narrative software. Checking out the videos, I do have to say that this has the potential to become a successful piece of software. Although it is targeted at computer games, this has the potential to expand into other forms, such as film and television. As an aspiring writer, I will say that this will be very useful for creating a grand narrative that I can share with the world.
Hey folks! It’s been a while since I’ve posted one of my top 10 lists. But now they’re back yet again, and this time with a bit of a twist! As many of you might be aware, our website caters to fandoms, both gaming and anime. So I figured why restrict the love to just one facet? We here at Capsule Computers enjoy our anime just as much as we do gaming. So to kick start this first ANIME top 10 list, I thought it would be good to start by counting down a list of characters that tend to be the most loved in their own respective series. Besides the main hero characters themselves, anime fans have always had an affinity for the anti-hero character type because they are different, and challenge the classic notions of good vs. evil. And here will count down the top 10 of them!
10) Crona from Soul Eater
Crona is without doubt the most tortured character in the entire Soul Eater anime. Never mind Soul and Maka’s personal troubles with demonic forces, Crona’s mother is a sadistic psycho who experimented on her from a young age, manipulated her, played on her fears and turned her into a living weapon, fused with the demon sword Ragnarok. To Medusa, that is all she ever was, simply a tool to be used for her own evil ends. It should be noted that Crona’s actual gender is never actually disclosed to viewers, but many fans interpret the character as female. When first introduced to her, she is seen hunting down and killing civilians on Medusa’s say-so, simply to build Ragnarok’s strength for a later plan in the works. It is not until after facing Maka in combat a second time that Crona develops her own free will and chooses to reject her mother and the destructive path intended for her. From that point on, her allegiances swing to and fro in both manga and anime adaptations as she is pulled in virtually every direction possible, between friends, kinship, fear and duty.
Seto Kaiba is a classic case of a character who starts out as an enemy and evolves into a not-so-friendly rival. He has an unrelenting obsession with defeating his rival Yugi Moto in a card game, but his plans to defeat him are often undermined by his brother being kidnapped or through some act of villainy where the two must work together to save the world. As one of the most popular characters in the series, many of the story aspect revolve around not only his origins, but also events that occur as a direct result of his rivalry (such as planning a whole tournament to fight 1 particular person). Kaiba flaunts his own material wealth, and is portrayed as a ruthless businessman and strategist. He is also unmatched in terms of pride and raw arrogance. Although his attitude to aspects of everyday life are cold and appear to be self-centred, at the core he is a good person with a strict moral compass. Though he would never admit it.
7) Graham Aker from Gundam 00
Graham Aker, who also takes on the name of Mr Bushido in the Gundam 00 series is the main rival character to the protagonist Setsuna F Seiei. Despite the fact that he is often placed in a story position where he fights against the Gundam Pilots of Celestial Being, this is a role that is more so required of him due to his station as a Union Soldier. He simply follows his orders, regardless of whether or not the action is good or evil. Despite this, he also holds a strict moral compass to do what is right, which is shown in scenes like when he allowed the Gundam Exia to escape after it single handedly stopped a war, despite his orders to capture it. At one point in the second season, he also refuses to finish off Setsuna’s downed 00 Gundam because of the Gundam’s own mechanical failure. The manga adaptation even shows Graham coming to Setsuna’s aid when the Gundam pilot was being attacked in the streets by locals, describing their actions as shameful for ganging up on a kid. Like Seto Kaiba, Graham is also a man bound by an obsession to defeat the protagonist rather than kill him. His obsession with this rivalry passes through phases of” love, hatred and destiny”, as he describes it. While characters like Char Aznable and Zechs Marquise may be more iconic rivals, both were portrayed primarily as villains as opposed to anti-heroes. Because unlike either of them, Graham never tried to drop a gigantic space station on the Earth for the purposes of mass murder.
6) Captain Smoker from One Piece
Captain Smoker is a force that constantly hounds the Straw Hat pirate crew. As a Captain in the Navy, he is widely respected among his peers for being a relentless pirate hunter, and he is considered one of the strongest men in all of East Blue, courtesy of his Smoke powers that he obtained from eating a devil’s fruit. His original mission when first introduced to viewers was to capture the protagonist character Luffy in Loguetown. After escaping his grasp, Smoker makes it his mission to hunt down Luffy and his crew and to have them arrested, rather than killed. Unlike many members of the Marine Corps, he believes in his own sense of justice, which would have pirates judged accordingly based on what action’s they have taken and what crimes they have committed, as opposed to the traditional zero tolerance policy to piracy. Like Graham, he is a man bound by duty, but he is also willing to compromise, such as when he allows Luffy to escape after the Straw Hat pirates saved his life. With the Saga of One piece still ongoing, Smoker’s place in the grand scheme of things is still yet to be determined.
5) Father Alexander Anderson from Hellsing
Throw together a hardcore faith following in Catholicism, a raging bloodlust, unnatural regeneration abilities, brutal blade skills and an Irish accent, and you have the anti-hero character of Hellsing: Father Alexander Anderson, ‘The Paladin’. As a member of Organisation XIII Iscariot, Father Anderson’s duties, besides spreading the word of God and peace and love type stuff is to hunt down and brutally main, slash and kill all things occult in the world, whether they be werewolves, zombies, demons or vampires. Naturally, when the main character of an anime is a sarcastic honour bound vampire, this makes for a volatile clash of heads. More than once, we see Anderson cross paths violently with Alucard, particularly when the objectives of Iscariot and the Hellsing organisation conflict. Both act as the trump card of their respective organisations. However, despite a treaty designed to minimise conflict between the two, both have, on numerous occasions clashed with one another either due to conflicting mission objectives, or simply on principle. However, through their multiple clashes with one another, both eventually develop a respect for the other, as their objectives begin to align further and further, and when the real enemy comes into view.
4) Scar from Full Metal Alchemist
A survivor of the Ishval war that tore his home country asunder, Scar is presented to viewers of both Full Metal Alchemist animes as the first real “super villain”, bent on murdering every state alchemist he can find as part of his own particular brand of revenge. It was state alchemists like Roy Mustang who destroyed his homeland through means which are heretical in his eyes. He believes that using alchemy is an affront to God and all that is natural, and as such, he desires to stamp out the corruption that such a power can cause in people. More than once, Scar is found to be at odds with the Elric brothers, especially when Edward finds out that Scar was responsible for the deaths of Winry’s parents. However, as the series progresses, both the Elrics and the viewers learn about Scar’s origins and the motivations behind Scar’s actions. Scar eventually learns that his destructive power can be put to better use against people who corrupt and spread war around the world, just as was done to his country. He is one of the few individuals powerful enough to stand up to a Homunculus in a 1 on 1 fight.
3) Raven from Zoids: Chaotic Century/Guardian Force
For a majority of the Zoids Chaotic Century and Guardian Force series, Raven was portrayed as a primary villain, piloting machines only intended for mass destruction. His back story is never explored until the last few episodes of the show, where it is shown that he was kidnapped and brainwashed at a young age to become an assassin for an imperial minister. Raven is shown to have an intense hatred for “weaklings”, and he genuinely believes everyone else to be below him in terms of ability. He proves to be more than a match for the series protagonist Van. Like Van, Raven introduces another Organoid machine named Shadow, contrasting Van’s ownership of his own Organoid Zeke. However, unlike Van, Raven is shown to be a degree more destructive and brutal in nature. It is not until Shadow is destroyed that Raven begins to change his attitude to life, swearing revenge on the people that destroyed him. His heart eventually opens up, and he decides that his old attitudes were twisted and wrong. He eventually develops a strong respect for Van and the two enter the final battle as allies against a monstrous Death Saurer.
2) Viral from Gurren Lagann
Viral started out as the commander of a small brigade of beastmen tasked with the removal of human beings from the surface of the world. In a world were humans are forced to live in underground caves and forbidden from venturing to the surface, Viral acts as the enforcers to that law. He initially clashes with the two series protagonists Kamina and Simon, but is eventually defeated each time in combat. No matter how good he is at being a Ganmen pilot, he cannot match the strength of the combined Gurren Lagann. Initially, it seems that Viral is utterly convinced in the superiority of Beastmen as a race compared to the humans. He is eventually artificially imbued with agelessness by the Helix King, and thus never ages throughout the series. In the second half of the series, Viral is captured by human forces and imprisoned, where he and Simon both clash with one another, but the two eventually set aside their differences for the greater good when they realise that both of their races are in jeopardy. Without Kamina or Roshiu to act as a second pilot, Simon offers Viral to become the pilot of Gurren, which he accepts. Viral eventually becomes a member of the Gurren Brigade and a full time ally of the humans. His changes in attitude towards his former enemies, as well as bringing his own unique brand of brutality to the battlefield wins Viral the number 2 spot on the anti-hero list.
And as for number 1:
1) Vegeta from Dragonball Z
When you think “anti-hero” or “rival”, Prince Vegeta stands out as the quintessential anti-hero and rival to Goku as the protagonist of Dragonball Z. While Vegeta was first introduced as an ambitious Saiyan warrior determined to gain immortality for himself, through a series of shared goals and battles, Vegeta eventually becomes an ally of the Z fighters of Earth, though his grouchy attitude and reluctance to take part in social events still persist. Despite his supposed alliance with Goku, he never lets him forget that he will be the one to defeat him in battle. His refusal to let go of this obsession drives him to save Goku from several near-death situations, such as the battles against Cooler and the Androids. He is also clearly a man weighed down by his “Saiyan Pride”, shown in his refusal to deny a challenge as well as his insistence in calling Goku by his Saiyan name: Kakarot. Being of royal blood, he still continues to refer to himself as the Prince of Saiyans, as though it were some form of justification for his level of power. However, it is in this pride where we see his greatest character flaws. Even after starting his own family on Earth, in the Majin Buu saga, the audience sees Vegeta revert to his evil ways in a bid to take down Goku and prove himself as the strongest fighter in the universe. In the final episodes of Dragonball Z, we see Vegeta finally come to the realisation that Goku will always be better than him, and he gives him his respect for it. It is clear throughout the entire series that it is more than just obsession that drives him. It is a combination of many things, ambition, pride, power, responsibility, love, control and even survival that pushes Vegeta to be the strongest fighter around.
If you know of an anti-hero or anime rival worth mentioning too, please comment below!
