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Drawin’ Growin’ Review

October 12, 2011

Drawin’ Growin’
Developer: Taito Corp.
Publisher: Taito Corp.
Genre: Casual
Platform: iPhone/iPad(reviewed)
Release: 05/09/11
Price: $0.99 (Buy Here)

Overview

I’m not even fit to take care of a houseplant. Despite this, King and his plant-loving fairy named Meu think it would be a good idea for me to help them restore the kingdoms plant life to its former glory. Perhaps its my amazing drawing skills, or perhaps these aren’t actually real people and I’ve just happened to purchase an app for my iPad that involves me drawing to save plants. Regardless of whatever narrative you decide to believe, Taito’s latest game for iOS devices requires you to draw lines in order to help plants, and subsequently the kingdom, to flourish. Time to put on your gardening gloves and head out doors to play Drawin’ Growin’ (please note: Drawin’ Growin’ can also be played in doors, and without the aid of gardening gloves).

Gameplay

Drawin’ Grownin’ is a slightly misleading title. Sure there is growing, if you are half decent at the game of course, but there is a lot more going on then just drawin’. At first the game is very basic. Sunrays fall from the sky, and it’s up to you to draw a path for them to reach the plant. As the game progresses it becomes more complicated to raise happy and healthy plants. It also seems that not all plants will flourish in the sun, only those with brown pots will enjoy the sunlight, while those with blue pots prefer the rain. The further into the game you progress, you will come across plants that must be tapped in order to grow, or ones that luckily survive and grow by eating bugs, however you will have to feed them to the plant.

I’ll be honest, I had no idea gardening was such a difficult and dangerous business. Drawin’ Growin’ is littered with bugs. The further I progress, the more insect life there seems to be. Much like real bugs, they can be defeated with a swift tap. But when they come in hoards this size it gets a little difficult to exterminate them all. If the bugs weren’t enough, high winds, piles of sand and snow, falling icicles and lighting bolts also threaten my beautiful flourishing garden. These can be deflected by drawing a shield over the plants, but it soon becomes very difficult to manage attention when you have all of these hazards and three plants to tend to, all of which require different types of attention.

There are also a number of different level types to play through, all of which are grounded in the core mechanic of growing plants. Standard is exactly what it sounds like, you grow plants. Harvest, again, pretty self-explanatory. You grow plants that are then picked and then you grow more until you complete the goal. Defense requires you to protect already grown plants from the hazardous bugs and natural disasters such as lightening. Last, but certainly not least, there is the most difficult game mode, three steps, which is essentially playing three standard games in one time frame.

Graphics and Audio

It’s seems that we the players aren’t the only ones drawing. The team over at Taito Corp. have been busy with their pencils drawing away to create some stunning graphics for Drawin’ Growin’. Terrifically shaded characters come to life on their very own bits of paper, which are layered with a collage like effect through out the game. A variety of different plants have unique colours and designs, fitting to the type of attention they require. Plants will (hopefully) grow in amazing, yet simplistic environments that retain the same hand drawn quality as all the other game elements. What is particularly wonderful is the level select areas that flourish with plant life the more levels you complete. Sadly the audio doesn’t add all too much to the title, but does help remove some blandness to the game that is slightly noticeable when playing the title with the sound off.

Overall
Despite the amazingly hand drawn style in the graphics, the game lack is still a little lacking. The game is very easy to pick up and learn, but
extremely difficult to master. While the mechanics stay the same, not leaving much room for variety, the levels gradually become a little too taxing. Differences between game modes are sometimes very minimal, and at times it just feels as if you are tapping and swiping the screen at random. While Drawin’ Growin’ starts off as a rather basic game, and progresses to an enjoyable casual game, it unfortunately keeps going and becomes a little too frantic to enjoy casually. If you are looking for a game that will progress into a challenge, with a unique artist approach, then Drawin’ Growin’ will be worth your time. If you are looking for a throw away title to play sporadically, perhaps give this one a miss.

Check out other TAITO news and reviews brought to you by the team at Capsule Computers

Battlefield 3 Presentation with Lars Gustavsson

Matthew Vella

October 11, 2011

Yesterday EA and DICE held a hands-on experience for members of the press in which a few of us at Capsule Computers got the chance to experience the game first hand. To kick things off, Creative Director of DICE, Lars Gustavsson addressed us all with an insightful presentation of which you can see below.

“We’re looking best in class, or at least close to it!” Gustavsson told us with pride, and nothing could be further from the truth but everybody already knew that. With Battlefield 3’s launch only weeks away and now with the BETA closed, we’ve all seen quite a bit of what Battlefield 3 has had to offer, but with so many features in one game it can be hard to take them all in. But Gustavsson broke it all down to the basics to remind us why we should all be excited for Battlefield 3:The Battlelog which focuses on the social elements like no other FPS has before and the Frostbite 2 engine which has made the Battlefield experience greater in 5 separate ways-animation, tactical destruction, scale, rendering and audio.

Gustavsson knows that technology isn’t everything though. “Too be honest you don’t really play an engine don’t you, you play a game.” he said, and assured us that by using Frostbite 2, DICE have been constantly pushing themselves to improve to make the greatest game possible. “We want to do more, we want to do better” he said, and it was clear that both himself and DICE were very passionate about their product. For more details, watch the presentation below!

Click here for our Battlefield 3 Interview With Community Manager Daniel Matrox!

Battlefield 3 Interview with Daniel Matros

Jessica Barabas-Bui

October 11, 2011

Daniel Matros is not your typical company man who gets to go travelling around the world to peddle his product. Rocking the cons and tie look, he’s a casual friendly bloke who at one point helped us restart a PS3 and made sure to check up on is later on to see if we were enjoying the gameplay. Daniel Matros is the global Battlefield community manager over at DICE, and we were lucky enough to sit down with him and have a chat about Battlefield 3, the players and his thoughts on DICE’s efforts at keeping things fresh.

Daniel Matros’ job requires him to keep a finger on the pulse of the gaming community, and with a game as socially aware as Battlefield it’s a huge undertaking, especially with Battlelog, a social networking site/app/etc that will take the social side of gaming to a whole new level. But I’ll let him explain it for you guys in the interview below!

Check out the Battlefield Presentation with Lars Gustavsson here

Win A Chance To Star In Justice Crews Next Video

Benjamin Webb

October 11, 2011

Today brought an amazing amount of news for the newly released title from Ubisoft, Just Dance 3. And this will be detailed below.

One lucky Australian will be able to win an opportunity to appear in the next music video from the artist Justice Crew. Not only will they be able to win a chance at appearing in the video, they will also be able to receive a free dancing lesson from the group.

Just Dance 3
launches in Australia on Tuesday October 11, 2011. To be in the running, fans simply purchase a copy of Just Dance 3 on Kinect™ for Xbox 360® or Wii™ from leading retailers and head to
www.justdancecompetition.com.au between October 11 and November 22 to enter their details (proof of purchase required).

Assuming the winner lives outside of the Sydney metropolitan area, they will also be recieving free airfare and travel to the location. On the competition, the Director of Ubisoft Australia had this to say.

“Justice Crew have a great synergy with Just Dance 3 which is why they are the perfect partners for the game’s launch. The Just Dance franchise is all about entertainment, fun, dance and music and has become a worldwide phenomenon with 15 million sales of the games to date. We are extremely excited to launch Just Dance 3 and can’t wait for people to start enjoying the game’s brand new tracks and features”, said Edward Fong, Managing Director, Ubisoft Australia

In more Just Dance 3 news, The IOS and soon to be Android App – Just Dance 3 AutoDance – has also been released. This application allows users to record footage and match it to one of three included songs in the App. The application is free, so ubisoft encourage as many people as possible to take in the action and have fun.

The idea behind Just Dance 3 Autodance is to allow people to create their own choreographies using the camera on their iPhone or Android smartphone. The application records four video sequences and then combines them to create a short choreography matching one of the three Just Dance 3 songs available in the application:
Duck Sauce – “Barbara Streisand”
The Sugarhill Gang – “Apache (Jump on it)”
Konshens – “Jamaïcan Dance”

Make sure to check out the websites quoted below to obtain the app and watch videos of people that already have gotten their hands on it.

Created videos can then be shared on the users’ Facebook pages and through a special Youtube channel that hosts all the Autodance choreographies:
www.youtube.com/jd3autodance
To download the Just Dance 3 Autodance iPhone application, please go to:
www.justdancegame.com/autodance/ios

In the last bit of news today, Ubisoft have announced a special edition of Just Dance 3 which will be available at launch. This pack is recognisable through its shinier packaging, and includes two tracks from Katy Perry; E.T and Teenage Dream. For fans of the series, or Katy Perry, do not miss your opportunity to obtain this limited edition.

Guardian Heroes Review – XBLA

Julien Durand

October 11, 2011

Guardian Heroes
Developer: Treasure
Publisher: SEGA
Genre: Action/RPG
Platform: XBLA
Release Date: October 12, 2011
Price: 800 Microsoft Points – BUY HERE (HERE)

Overview

The SEGA Saturn is not a console many people have had the chance to play, so, thankfully some of the the Saturn classics are being brought over to XBLA. And if the Guardian Heroes HD remake is anything to go by, I’m quite
dissapointed that the Saturn didn’t make a bigger splash.

Gameplay

Guardian Heroes gives you the choice of four heroes, each with different strength, weaknesses, and powerful abilities. These characters are essentially your classes. There’s the dedicated warrior, mage, and healer, as well as a
warrior-mage hybrid.

At the outset the four heroes celebrate their discovery of a powerful and ancient sword in a village tavern. The party is soon crashed by a defected knight, Serena, who warns them the royal guards have arrived and are out for
the blood of those who possess the sword.

Guardian Heroes is a two-dimensional sidescroller, with different “lanes” you can jump backwards and forwards to within the 2-D plane. The combat is a simple button-mashing affair, however it is complemented by magical abilities,
which you can use to devastate your enemies in various and creative ways. On top of that, every character has different basic attacks and abilities, so the button-mashing results in very different effects based on who you’re playing with.

After escaping the village, the sword resurrects an undead hero of a past age. This hero is there with you throughout the game during your various battles (unlike the other three heroes, who disappear from battlefields until they pop in cutscenes). You can assign him behaviours such as aggressive or protective, etcetera. He becomes a good damage taker, particularly if you’re playing a squishier character on the higher difficulty levels.

It’s after this chance encounter that the game reveals its true vision in its inclusion of RPG elements. You’re given the option to “level up” attribute levels to increase your magic power, damage, and health (among other things). So if you’re feeling limited by the health levels of the mage, you can always invest in upping his health levels.

And then there’s the major one. After the first level-up, you’re offered a choice: Go back to the village, go to a rebel hideout, or seek shelter in the woods. This is the first of a great range of choices you’ll have the opportunity to make on the way to the five various endings, and it is astounding because this game, first released in 1995, implements the choice system far better in terms of gameplay than many games still do today.

Rather than different dialogue choices or NPC responses based on your decisions, your choices lead to entirely different combat stages and levels. Aside from the introduction, your first playthrough, could be absolutely nothing like your second and third.

This does, however, have a problem, as on the story-side of things, based upon your decisions entire characters could be left with Pending Fate Syndrome when you finish a run through the game, so that to truly get a picture of what’s going in the world of Guardian Heroes and reveal all the important plot twists, you will have to play through it at least twice. This is counterbalanced because it’s absolutely no hassle to go back and play a second time and make different choices, but a player really shouldn’t have to play a game several times to understand the most basic of plots.

The game punishes deaths by taking away one of your “credits” and bringing you back up to full health. If you’re playing on easy difficulty, you won’t even have to worry about it as you get 99 revives, but as you up it to normal and hard, you get fewer and fewer credits, and you’ll become much more reliant on dodging, countering, and using the undead hero for protection.

Based on the difficulty and your choices, a playthrough can run anywhere between 45 minutes and two hours.

You can play the entire game co-op with a friend, whether on or offline, and (of course) side-scrolling action-packed mayhem ensues.

There’s also a versus mode packed into the game, where up to six people can team up as various characters and pit themselves against the game’s characters, bosses, and enemies in timed battles to the death.

Guardian Heroes also has the option of reverting to the classic SEGA Saturn control-scheme, though I personally recommend against this, as it less intuitive than the updated Xbox controls.

Visual

Guardian Heroes features a shiny new coat of paint for its high definition release. The updated graphics, particularly with regards to the character models, look great on a big screen without compromising the original 2D art of the original.

For the purists, you can also revert back to the old Saturn graphics, but, sadly, there’s no easy on/off toggle in-game. To change back and forth requires you start an entirely new game, so you won’t find yourself comparing the old and the new mid-game.

Of course, you can tell the game isn’t from the modern era of gaming, as some of the textures and backgrounds clearly harken back to the days when three dimensions and higher polygon counts had only begun to be explored in video games.

Audio

The sound work for the game is outstanding. From the great musical themes, to the sounds of swings, bashes, impacts, and magical blasts, the sound-design sells the world of Guardian Heroes even today, when the graphics are slightly lacking in that department.

There is no voice-acting, as characters speak through pop-up text, but the writing of the text is both sharp and witty, though there was a typo halfway through one of the game’s pivotal moments in my first playthrough, which I found amusing, as it entirely reversed the meaning of a character-defining monologue (I challenge you to find it).

Conclusion

All in all the game is a spectacular re-release of an old classic. Having different choices result in completely different playthroughs is something many games still struggle with today, and Guardian Heroes gives you a unique gameplay experience each and every time (or at least the first ten-or-so times). The updated graphics do the job, holding the game up at high resolutions, and the audio remains spectacular.

The game is a great blend of combat and RPG, held back only by the repetitive nature of button-mashing and the story issues created by the branching levels and decisions.

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Xbox 360 Review

Matthew Vella

October 11, 2011

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon
Developer: Project Aces
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Genre: Arcade/Flight Simulator
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 (Reviewed)
Release Date: October 13, 2011
Price: $51.60 – Buy Now!

Overview

It’s been almost 2 decades since Ace Combat made it’s debut, combining realistic flight simulation with adrenaline-charged arcade action, and while the series has evolved with every title never before has the franchise reached the heights as it’s latest instalment Assault Horizon. With over 30 real-world vehicles, locations and a story written by best-selling author Jim Defelice, Ace Combat has never seemed more believable, and new additions to gameplay focusing on Close-Ranged Assault makes the action more furious than ever before. Ace Combat now no longer feels like a game engineered for a niche audience, but now as a more approachable, believable, engaging and more action-packed experience for any hardcore gamer. While Assault Horizon isn’t perfect, it’s filled with charm and easily the most entertaining addition to the series so far.

Story

While the Ace Combat series has always had an emphasis on dramatic global plots in it’s storytelling, Assault Horizon is the first of which that puts the player in a theoretical real-world setting. Taking place in the not-so-distant future of 2015, Assault Horizon is about a NATO-led task force who includes UN troops as well as Russian support forces, and their mission is to stop an anti-government sergeancy sweeping throughout Africa with a super weapon known as ‘Trinity’. You play mostly as Lieutenant Colonel William Bishop, leader of the Warwolf squadron, but whenever your not playing a typical fighter-piolt mission as most Ace Combat fans are familiar with, you’ll be playing as either Captain Doug “D-ray” Robinson, who is the leader of the Nomad squadron and flies a AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter, and as Janice Rehl who pilots the AC-130 Spectre gunship Spooky 01. On top of this there are also levels that have you playing as the gunner of a MH-60L Blackhawk helicopter as well. The story also takes players into a variety of different and interesting locations including Africa, Russia, Dubai and the Middle East amongst many others so it’s pretty clear that the story provides much variety of interesting scenarios. However switching players from one character to another does provide little opportunity to build on character development and can occasionally get a little confusing and hard to follow, but the scenarios set up are executed nicely. Cut scenes are directed with excellence, swapping from first person to third person often to emphasize certain aspects. There is one scene early on in the game which shows Lieutenant Colonel William Bishop parachuting out of his plane and watching the battle continue all around him, and really conveys the emotions of letting his team down creating a powerful response. While the story is great, it isn’t always executed perfectly, but scenes like this one are wonderful highlights. The attention to detail throughout the plot really helps make each scenario feel more believable, proving the decision to include Jim Defelice for the script a really intelligent move, as it really appears to have benefited the game greatly.

Gameplay

Even though Assault Horizon is hyped to be a revolutionary change for the series, the core of the game does feel very familiar with a few extra features thrown in. This isn’t a bad thing however, as Ace Combat fans will most likely feel right at home, and most if not all would want to welcome these new features with open arms. Arguably the biggest problem with the franchise so far has been that shooting enemies from far away often felt like shooting tiny ants as they often just looked like tiny moving dots in the distance. Assault Horizon addresses this issue with full-force, and results in some of the most intense action yet in an Ace Combat game. This new gameplay feature is a system called “Close-Range Assault” which focuses on getting up close and personal with your enemies. During air combat, players will often be forced to enter “Dog Fight Mode” where they will have to chase their opposing pilot and have to gun them down. These moments feature a zoomed-in camera which really intensifies the action, and are easily some of the most entertaining parts of the entire game as you try and shoot them down as they attempt to out fly you. If an enemy begins to chase you and places you into “Dog Fight Mode”, it becomes your duty to escape their target, and if you take the risk of slowing down, you can attempt to fly over them and gun them down in return, when done successfully can feel really satisfying. When shooting at ground-based targets, players will enter “Air Strike Mode”, which also involves zooming-in the camera and machine guns are less likely to overheat, also making terrorizing and destroying the enemy a much more enjoyable experience. The planes control nicely for the most part, with the right amount of weight and rumble helps make you feel like your flying a real aircraft, and a very cinematic in-game cut scene is often shown when taking down an enemy plane, place a strong emphasis on big explosions. Aircrafts also take in-game damage with an impressive focus on detail, making every shot fired feel very rewarding.

However despite all these new additions, many problems players may of experienced with previous titles still exist at the heart of the game. While destroying enemies is fun, and now even more fun thanks to “Close-Ranged Assault”, sometimes finding an opposing pilot can sometimes be an issue. Because your often placed in wide open-spaced areas and enemy pilots flying around so quickly, there are often moments where you are forced to break and take awkward slow-paced turns to look for an opponent. The radar switches from helpful to useless quite a lot, so it’s not always reliable and the distance between you and other pilots is often so great that it’s hard to tell which ones are on your team and which ones are not. While many situations this is easily forgivable, there are some sections of the game where this is hard to ignore and can really make for frustrating gameplay. Also for newer players, the learning curve can be a challenge, so expect to die a lot in your first few plays. Some objectives aren’t always explained well, so in a couple of one-off situations you might find yourself receiving a mission failure without knowing why. If players can overcome these flaws, they will find one heck of an amazing game, but for those who get frustrated easily, this may not be the ideal game for them.

Other than it’s setting and story, the biggest new additions to the Ace Combat franchise are some completely new modes of play. Throughout the campaign, players will find themselves in various other vehicles rather than just the typical fighter plane. The greatest addition is the AH-64D Apache helicopter. Upon hearing this I personally had tragically average memories of Apache: Air Assault but thankfully resulted in being a much more entertaining experience. Controls are much more simplified, and arguably more enjoyable in some cases than some of the fighter plane levels. While the action is more slower-paced, these moments are as equally intense and still retain that same arcade-styled action that Ace Combat fans will be familiar with although the controls are much different. Sadly however, these levels are quite seldom seen which is a shame as they are quite exciting. On the downside however there are also levels where you control the AC-130 Spectre gunship Spooky 01, which feel more like mini-games rather than actual levels. Another new addition is the ability to play as a gunner of a MH-60L Blackhawk helicopter, which work as on-rail shooter levels which are nice additions that switch up the gameplay. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to check out the multiplayer, but from the looks of things there are plenty of options and modes for players and looks to be quite entertaining.

Graphics and Audio

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon is a game that is really well polished. If the gameplay won’t captivate you, chances are you’ll stick around anyways as the graphics and audio will hook you in. The attention to detail is outstanding, the vehicle models look wonderful and when taking damage even the tiniest little scraps of metal will fly off making not just every successful shot feel more satisfying, but also more believable. As for the pilots and humans during the cut scenes, they also are modeled quite nicely, even ground troops which you see from afar are nicely done with some decent animation, so it’s nice to see some extra effort went to even the smaller aspects of the game. The elements also look terrific in Assault Horizon, particularly the many oceans you’ll find yourself flying over throughout the game. What truly compliments these graphics is the audio of Assault Horizon, which really helps engage the gamer. The music actually took me by surprise with this title, as I wasn’t expecting to be so impressed by it in a flight simulation game. Rather than typical patriotic music seen in many average military-based games these days, the soundtrack is composed with a more cinematic approach, and really pays off making each moment more entertaining. While most of it isn’t exactly all that memorable, it does leave a successful and strong impact on the player without them directly noticing it, amplifying the action. Where the audio shines it’s brightest however is with it’s sound effects. Every bullet, every shot fired and explosion feels powerful, and when accompanied with the detailed damage animation on your aircraft and destruction going on all around you, you really feel like you’ve stepped into a warzone. When accompanied by a cast of decent voice actors with good dialogue and well directed cut scenes, this can make for a really enjoyable experience. Overall the combination of great graphics and audio builds to a really intense atmosphere that amplifies the game itself, making Ace Combat: Assault Horizon even more fun to play.

Verdict

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon is a strong step forward for the series. The focus on close-ranged-combat is a massive improvement and really makes the combat in Ace Combat a lot more fun. The addition of the AH-64D Apache Longbow makes for a refreshing change of pace and the gunner missions are also entertaining. However the AC-130 Spectre gunship does feel a bit shallow and less exciting. The real-world setting and great storytelling really makes for a more entertaining adventure and is also a welcome addition to the franchise, and this is only complimented by the impressive graphics and sound. However what holds Ace Combat: Assault Horizon back is when it’s big, open, aren’t so crowded and contains smaller amounts of enemies, finding an enemy plane can occasionally be a nuisance, and the radar isn’t always as helpful as it should be. Objectives aren’t always clear and the learning curve can be steep for newer players. Regardless, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon on the most part is a blast to play and is a monumental stepping stone for genre, and in my opinion is the best Ace Combat to date, and is easily the best flight-simulation released in a long time.

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Hands On: Playstation Vita

Joshua Spudic

October 11, 2011

You know that cliched saying that, when someone is very excited (maybe too excited for their own good) about a particular object, you describe them as a child in a candy store? Well, I was that child today (metaphorically speaking of course) as I, Joshua Spudic, Capsule Computer’s Resident Playstation Reporter/Expert, had finally clutched the Playstation Vita in my hands. The sheer presence of a portable gaming machine that I want was enough to excite me, but having my hands to touch it… is another thing entirely. From the experience today, this is a portable force to be reckoned with.

The man of the moment was John McLaughlin, a Producer within the SCE Worldwide Studios external development group, known as XDev. Based in the United Kingdom, they are in fact developing a few Vita titles, with two available for show. First up, LittleBigPlanet. Being one of Playstation’s biggest platforming games, there is little to explain. But for others, then time for a gaming lesson. LittleBigPlanet follows Sackboy around the world, encountering exotic and interesting people and puzzles. However, the real strength lies in the creation. It seems like endless opportunities for the imagination of one to flow into this game. Levels, obstacles and other nick nacks can be created. Even Sackboy can be customised. Each iteration offers something new, however, the Vita version could be the best yet.

John boots up the game and, after revealing my experience with LittleBigPlanet on other Playstation platforms, decides that I should just jump right into it. The moment I had anticipated had arrived. The Playstation Vita was in my hands. A message prompted me to slide my finger to pull back the curtains. Behind them was the remarkable graphical capabilities. I am impressed with what was achieved. For a portable, this is a beast of a machine. They are on par with the Playstation 3. If one ever goes to a public event where the Vita is being displayed, they shall not be disappointed with the visuals. On the game itself, it has the LittleBigPlanet feel, bright and colourful.

[singlepic id=10070 w=400 h=300 float=center]

John pointed out certain bright blue elements hanging about. Not what one would collect throughout the level but what one would grab to go across pits and gaps. They are actually touch compatible. Using the front touch screen, one can drag across that element to Sackboy. After pulling the lever, it was time to trek onwards. I had reached to another blue element, this time embedded at the bottom of the screen. With a flick on the front touch screen, Mr. Sackboy launches upwards. That was pretty awesome, ladies and gentlemen. It felt so natural to use.

Of course, that wasn’t the only time I had encountered the unique features of the Vita. The rear touch pad came into play when a row of teeth (comically spelling out Rear Touch) receded, leaving a big gap too big to jump over. So, with my fingertips, a blue fingerprint appears as soon as I make contact with the rear touch pad. I slide across the teeth and they pop out instantly. I was amazed at this feature. So much possibilities lie within this one feature, as well with the others. A puzzle within the level used both front and rear touch areas. The gyroscope was also used, tilting the man on tracks to the right by tilting the handheld to the right. The same thing is done for the opposite direction. The end of the level involves flinging Sackboy in a sardine can, which is pretty cool.

[singlepic id=10035 w=400 h=300 float=center]

LittleBigPlanet will not just feature the main levels. It will also feature a variety of mini-games that will utilise the Vita’s main features. One such mini-game that I tried out was a version of air hockey. Holding the Vita on its side, you slide your puck from side to side. Bumpers will sporadically pop up to the annoyance of your opponent. Another mini-game shown was a car game, where, holding it on its side and only using the right analogue stick, players will drive Sackboy on a multi-lane road, avoiding cars from in front and behind. Nice additions to a game that has already impressed me.

The second game on display was Reality Fighters. Mostly using the camera, Reality Fighters is a fighter where the people around you are the fighters. Yep, that could mean your family, relatives, friends, strangers and, most importantly, yourself. Customisation is at the forefront for this game, as well as augmented reality or AR. Want proof? Let’s check some pictures shall we.

First off, the photo being taken:
[singlepic id=10044 w=400 h=300 float=center]

Then the customisation:
[singlepic id=10048 w=400 h=300 float=center]

Yes, that is me in a disco suit. There are different fighting styles as well, with traditional (muay thai, boxing) and wacky ones available (zombie, ballet). So, in order to fit with the costume, I decided to be a disco dancer.

The gameplay is simple enough to understand but also offer complex moves as well as interaction with weapons such as tongs for pulling teeth out. Both the AR markers and the actual environments will be offered as backgrounds for the game and they really work well. Although I did encounter a few AR glitches, I was told that this early code. A second version was brought with new code, including touch screen controls for the more casual player, but we ran out of time to try that out.

[singlepic id=10051 w=400 h=300 float=center]

Overall, I am excited on what the Playstation Vita shall offer. Both LittleBigPlanet and Reality Fighters both impress me with their use of some of the newer features never before seen on a Playstation handheld (AR did have a limited existence in PSP via a small USB camera). They feel natural and not tacked on for the sake of tacking them on. The handheld is light and the thumbsticks do feel they are cheaply made but they are very minor points. Overall, this experience has convinced me that the Playstation Vita is the way to go.

Check out our gallery below as well as an interview with John on certain features of the Vita and how are they going to be implemented in both LittleBigPlanet and Reality Fighters.

Vita’s UMD Solution?

Joshua Spudic

October 11, 2011

So many people doubted that a solution to the UMD problem would come along for the Playstation Vita. Doubters I bring good news, as there will be a solution to bring your UMD library into the Playstation Vita. However, it may not be a popular one.

Dengeki PlayStation interviewed Sony Computer Entertainment development head Yoshio Matsumoto and he had made some interesting comments. Matsumoto had revealed that they are looking into offering downloads at a special price for those who own the game on the physical medium of the Playstation Portable. This was after a retailer mentioning that a plan was being discussed at a sales meeting.

Now, I’m glad that they are thinking seriously about a solution, however, asking the owner of the game to pay again may not be the right path to take. There are other solutions that may please the consumer a little better. Please note that this is only relating to Japan, but may have implications in the West.

The Sims 3 Pets gets some console karma

Jessica Barabas-Bui

October 11, 2011

The Sims 3 Pets has officially been bestowed with karma points for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game. Karma points were popular in the old Sims 3 console games, replacing the PC/Mac lifestyle happiness points.

Karma points is turning into a bigger thing now, with more points available, however make sure not to overspend because who knows what the consequences will be, especially knowing the Sims developer’s sense of humour.

The Sims 3 Pets comes out on Xbox, PS3, 3DS, Mac and PC on October 20. Keen for The Sims 3 Pets? Stay tuned to Capsule Computers for more information as it hits.

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