That’s right JRPG fans, The Last Story will be released in full English through-out Australia. Following Xenoblade Chronicles and Pandora’s Tower before it, The Last Story is the latest in a sleu of hugely popular Japanese RPG titles that usually would never make it out in English anywhere, that is actually being released in Australia.
The game itself recieved wide-spread critical acclaim, so far as recieving a 38/40 from highly regarded Famitsu magazine. No release date has been set for the title, however the Australian Classification Board provides some details regarding the title here.
Sad news for US and European gamers is that there does not appear to be any release of The Last Story heading there way any time soon.
It look’s like Australian fans are finally getting some good news amidst the depressing news of game bannings and censoring. What do you think of this huge announcement? Let us know in the shoutbox or comments section.
Ahead of it’s November 24th, 2011, release date, Nintendo have released the complete opening cinematic for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.
The upcoming title which is said to be the Wii console’s swan song, much like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was for the Gamecube. The opening cinematic is a classic tradition for Zelda titles, with fans eagerly anticipating the opening each time a new Zelda title comes around.
You can check out The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword’s opening cinematic below. It is sure to excite fans of the series and tide over their near unquenchable thirst for any Zelda related news. Be sure to let us know what you think in the shoutbox or comments section.
Forget the Assassin’s Creed Revelation’s Trailer, this is more interesting! I remember seeing this for the first time in-game, when you poison an NPC and they go into an arm flailing fit, it looks exactly like what happens in one of those lame moshpits. It looks ridiculious, “Slam dancing” or attempting to slam dance in this case. I think it points how forgiving the game can be as well, no doubt I’ve used this tactic you see in the video many times against the borgia as I’m running away.
I wanted to create my own video, but never got the chance to figure out the best way to do it. Someone beat me to the punch! Probably a PC gamer at that.
Not too long ago, we seen the release of Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet on the Xbox Live Arcade. If you still have yet to hear of this title, it works a bit like a Metroidvania game where the player must explore a non-linear area while completing environmental puzzles. We gave the ambitious title a 9/10 (you can check out that review here) and now Fuelcell Games are ready to dish out some new DLC.
Titled “Shadow Hunters”, this add-on will have 1-4 players pick up right where the campaign left off with many new gameplay elements mixed in. I for one enjoyed Shadow Planet and the “Lantern Run” that came after, and creator Michael Gagne seems to be attempting to push the game even further with this new content.
“Shadow Hunters won’t be more of the same”, said artist Michel Gagné. “I’m really happy that we were able to further the story, steer the art in a fresh direction, and create an adrenaline charged gaming experience. As far as I’m concerned, Shadow Hunters may very well be the most exciting part of ITSP.”
You can pick up Shadow Hunters this Wednesday when it comes out at the price of just 400 Microsoft points and finish the mission of eradicating the shadow virus once and for all. You can also check out the new trailer for this pack below to get a first glimpse of the new co-op mode in action.
November’s rolling around, which means a new batch of SBS DVDs are also slated for release. We’ve outlined our pick of the bunch below.
Freedom Riders
In 1961, a group of human rights activists, both black and white, began a perilous journey across America’s ‘Deep South’. An area marred by racial tension and violence, many of the 400 activists were often attacked or imprisoned, and the first ‘freedom bus’ they rode in was burnt by the Ku Klux Klan. Petitioning a distant and pre-occupied President Kennedy, the freedom riders were attempting to get the government to sit up and take notice of their constitutional rights – the fact that they too were people, who did not need to be segregated from others they lived alongside. An uplifting journey of resilience and determination, FREEDOM RIDERS is an inspirational look at America’s all-too-recent history.
FREEDOM RIDERS recently picked up a suite of prestigious Creative Emmy® Awards – including ‘Exceptional Merit’, ‘Writing’ and ‘Picture Editing’ in the non-fiction category.
Release date: 2nd November 2011
Wilfred Boxed Set
Winner of three AFI awards, and recently remade for the U.S., both seasons of this hugely popular cult Aussie series about the dysfunctional love triangle between a boy, a girl and a dog who thinks he’s a person is collected for the first time in this ‘Dog Box’.
Release date: 2nd November 2011
East West 101 Boxed Set
With too many local and international awards to count, EAST WEST 101 is the finest crime drama to come out of this country in a long time. Led by a stellar Australian cast, including Don Hany and Susie Porter, and based on the experiences of real-life detectives, this is a fast-paced, gritty series, now packaged up with all three seasons – perfect as a Christmas present for both the uninitiated and diehard fans of the show.
Release date: 2nd November 2011
The Pipe
In the tiny community of Rossport in Mayo, Ireland, five locals spent over three months in jail in 2005, after protesting a gas pipeline that was to cut through the land they and their families have lived on for generations. In doing so, members of this little town took on not only the Irish State, but the might of Shell Oil international.
Documenting a town ripped apart by fractured loyalties and tensions, this tale sounds like a dramatic novel – and yet it is a true story. Compulsory viewing for anyone with an interest in the environment, this is an issue that our world is increasingly seeing – livelihoods and precious land threatened by the interests of big industry.
Batarang Controller Developers: Power A Distributor: Bluemouth Interactive Licensed by: Warner Bros. Interactive Consoles: Playstation 3 (reviewed), Xbox 360 Release Date: Out Now
When this came in the mail, I wondered on how do you review a controller? What do you talk about? Well, after a few hours of gameplay with it (and reading the instructions that came with it), the picture is much more clearer. So, without further ado, this is the Batarang Controller. Distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Bluemouth Interactive, the Batarang Controller was developed in conjuction with the release of Batman: Arkham City, the sequel to the highly rated Batman: Arkham Asylum. There are two versions of the control, one for the Playstation 3 (which is the one I reviewed) and the Xbox 360. Other than a few feather shuffles, this is a well designed, well built controller.
Let’s start off with the design of the controller. When Bluemouth announced the controller was heading down under, they did point out the authenticity to the Batarang design. I’d say that they were right. It is beautifully designed. I guess they went with grey because of the rubber holders, but, if memory does serve me correctly, the Batarang is usually black like Batman’s other fifty or so gadgets. But that is really nitpicking at it. The grey looks nice anyway.
It does fell quite comfortable to hold. I can attribute this comfort to the rubber that is place on the handles. It feels smooth to hold it in my hands. Speaking of being comfortable, the L2 and R2 buttons got a bit of a lift. When you look at the top of the controller, you will notice that the ends of the L2 and R2 button are point upwards, instead of a regular L2 and R2 buttons found on an official Playstation 3 controller. This works perfectly. My fingers fit within the buttons, allowing a better grip of the buttons. This isn’t the first time I had encountered something like this. While conducting a preview of Supremacy MMA, attachments of the triggers were available. The thumbsticks are comfortable as well due to the convexing design, fitting into the thumbs quite well.
The controller does sport some cool features. One of the main features of the controller is the LED display that surrounds the controller during play. There are seven colours to choose from, ranging from blue to red to green and yellow. This is all activated via a button next to the start button. It has a lightbulb as a logo. There are battery indicators on the controller themselves, which is nice. It means you don’t have to enter the home menu just to see where the battery levels are. It will also serve as a PC controller, which is a great bonus feature to have. However, I haven’t tried it. It also has an on/off switch button. Odd, but I’ll get into that later.
However, if I have one complain about this controller, it is related to the layout. Let’s look at that picture of the Playstation 3 version. Is there anything odd about anything there? Well, we have the X, Square, O and Triangle buttons present, that’s fine. All of the four shoulder buttons are there as well and in their original positions. Cool. Now the right analogue stick is where it should be, next to the directional buttons… wait, directional buttons? Those are usually on the left of the controller, similar to the four symbol buttons. The Xbox 360 looks like an Xbox 360 controller, so why doesn’t the Playstation 3 controller look like a Playstation 3 controller? Because it sports an Xbox 360 look. As I said, I am really nitpicking here, but when do you make the controller look like the competition. If you are not satisfied with the Playstation 3 controller layout, then you might like this arrangement. I have used a Xbox 360, so I am used to the layout. But what about those who only used official controllers or third party who adhere to the original layout? Oh well.
Another annoying inconvenience is the lack of Bluetooth. Of course the controller contains motion control and it does sport the wireless feature (via an USB RF receiver), which is more than the Xbox 360 version gets. But the Playstation 3 supports Bluetooth and I’m sure it isn’t hard to put it in. I believe that a lack of Bluetooth is the reason for an on/off switch. This can be annoying at first. I had forgotten to switch it off a few times but it will become an automatic process.
Overall
Despite the inconsistent layout with official and third party Playstation 3 controller and the lack of Bluetooth, this is an excellent controller. The design is quite authentic, the LED lights is a nice aesthetic feature to have and having wireless capabilities is a bonus for the Playstation 3 crowd (unless I am mistaken, which I will apologise in advance). Will I recommend it? Yes I will, even if you are not a Batman fan and you are looking for a Xbox 360 button layout for the Playstation 3.
EA Games has released a new trailer for the upcoming The Sims 3 that features internet viral video sensation Randall or more commonly known as ‘That guy from that Honey Badger video’ narrating the clip. Randall spins his colourful narration on the rare breeds of cats and dogs that are available for players who pre-order the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 version of The Sims 3. These ten rare breeds included the Mabari War Hound, Panda Chow, Tiger Husky and Aztec Panthera, and are exclusive to the console version of The Sims 3 (Sorry PC, but you unfortunately miss out on this one).
The Sims 3 Pets is set to be released on October 20 in Australia for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Mac/PC and Nintendo 3DS.
Although it would be awesome to travel through a Stargate to other planets, or crank up the Tardis for a trip around the galaxy, I could never pass up a job at Warehouse 13 or Eureka. Every time I see the Warehouse, sitting alone like a ghost in the desert I get a tiny pang of jealousy towards those who have sworn to protect its dangerous yet often personally attached artifacts. Being able to work amongst such mysterious and misunderstood artefacts, while at the same time being able to interpret and better understand historical events through them; well I cold personally think of nothing more intriguing, or a better excuse for actually want to go to work in the morning.
While the great Richard Dawkins may disagree, sometimes it’s nice to believe in magic and fairies and all that weird and wonderful stuff, so especially in todays world, where this line of thinking is reserved for young girls and old hippies, lies my immense appeal to both shows. Warehouse 13 involves protecting the world from potentially dangerous “inventions”, while the geniuses and visionaries of Eureka spend their days building secret inventions for strict Government use. The two shows are like peas in a pod which has proven valuable to the success of crossover episodes as can be seen when Douglas Fargo of Global Dynamics assists the Warehouse agents on a computer upgrade only to become entangled in the Warehouses many unforseen twists.
There are so many elements that blend together to make both Warehouse 13 and Eureka appealing to so many people. It teaches us to think outside the box and not believe everything we are told, and it also highlights the significance and power of personal much loved items. While the relationship between a male and female partner in any show is usually predictable, with that uncomfortable sexual tension, the opposite could be said of these 2 shows. Warehouse 13 is built on generations of trust that are evident in all its current employees. Agent Pete Lattimer and Myka, who are really the main focus in Warehouse 13, are void of that over the top propaganda whereby each episode threatens to have them sleep together just to achieve ratings.
I urge everyone to give these shows a watch as they have the ability to draw you in and keep you waiting in anticipation as to what’s going to potentially unfold in the series.
As anyone who has ever been on the internet knows, there is an abundance of free to play flash based games on the internet. Some of these are uninspired, boring and often pretty horrible. While others can be a creative wonder and a joy to play.
One such game is Linear RPG, by Girlflash; as found on deviantart. The game creatively has the player running an entire RPG on a single line. The story, interestingly enough, is told in the background. What I mean by that is that it is literally behind the gameplay, as scrolling text that progresses as you do.
However, be warned before taking on your linear quest. You will have to do some backtracking.
Of all the Science Fiction series I’ve watched (and thanks to my wife it’s been quite a few), Warehouse 13 is the only one that seems to keep my interest episode after episode, and Season after Season. As such I have asked myself why? What is it about this particular show that has kept me watching when my interest in so many other shows had waned. After much deliberation the best interpretation as to my dilemma I could come up with was “Warehouse 13 brings together so many (in)famous myths and icons as well as concepts we want to believe in and grasp onto, even if just to break up the dull monotony of everyday life which is so void of wonder and magic”.
Anyone with a love of a good conspiracy story or an interest in alternate interpretations of well known historical events and icons will find an immediate attraction to the secret Warehouse 13 and its individually unstable protectors who amazingly manage to successfully form a balanced team. With a storyline that twists and folds on itself, revisiting and reintroducing new and past characters, there is never a dull moment and always a surprise around every Warehouse corner.
Even if you are not a huge fan of Science Fiction, Warehouse 13 would appeal to anyone with even a slightly quirky nature, mostly due to the instantly recognisable artifacts and historical figures cleverly interwoven into the storyline. Additionally there has been exceptional character relationships built over the Seasons, which provide much entertainment and succeed in their primary goal of eliciting many an emotional response from the viewer.
From the dark and mysterious Mrs Fredericks who seems to defy the laws of physics, popping up when least expected, through to Artie and his team of “chosen ones” who protect the Warehouse from those hell bent on acquiring what’s inside, each character has his or her own unique story outlining how they became entangled in the mess that is Warehouse 13. For those of you who are completely in the dark, Warehouse 13, is a secret location that houses the worlds most dangerous and interesting artifacts. From Lewis Carrols looking glass to Sylvia Plaths typewriter, each artifact, while seemingly innocent, houses dark and destructive powers, especially in the wrong hands.
Warehouse 13 is currently in its 3rd Season in the US with a fourth season recently being agreed upon. The show has been met with huge success, with the first 6 episodes being amongst the top 10 highest ranked shows on the SyFy channel and episode 6 holding the record for highest rated show. There has also recently been a cross over between shows which have seen characters from the popular series Eureka featuring in Warehouse capers.
Stay tuned for more Warehouse 13 news as Capsulecomputers interviews some of the stars of the 2 high ranked series including Agent Pete Lattimer on their upcoming visit to Australian fans.
