This week we have a MEGA show for you with the crew getting back from SMASH! 2011 and having a chat with special guest star Rajika “Reggie” Kuruwita, winner of the Judges Choice Award for the Cosplay Competition. We get into some game news, talk about what we’ve been playing and discuss what we’d like to see in next years SMASH!
Cast: Alexis Ayala, Philip Federico, Matt Vella, Ben Webb, Michael Marr, Luke Halliday
Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3 Developer: Koei, Omega Force Publisher: Namco Bandai Platform: Xbox 360 (reviewed), Playstation 3 Release Date: June 28, 2011 Price: $59.99 (Available HERE)
PREMISE
In a western gaming market, anime based games are often met with differing reactions based on their fluctuating popularity. More often than not, we find many games based on animes do not even get considered for a international release. This is a trend that we, as gamers, are often disappointed to find, as many gamers, including myself hold a fandom for both anime and video games as two sides of the same coin. So in the rare instances where anime based game titles are released in an international market, one can imagine the level of excitement that grows as we see some of our favourite media formats converge.
Based on the immensely popular “Mobile Suit Gundam” anime series, and adapted from the Japanese hit title “Gundam Musou”, Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3 has finally arrived in the west, fully translated and fully optimised for western consoles. As the latest game in the DWG franchise, one must observe to see how this instalment improves upon the previous incarnations Has it been able to capture the spirit and character of the original shows? And has it been able to do so whilst maintaining strong story, gameplay and entertainment value? We know all too often that this balance is not easy to strike. Will it stack up in the market today?
STORY/CAMPAIGN
The story mode of the game is quite different from the “original mode” and “mission mode” that appeared in DWG’s 1 and 2. Unlike the last two games both afore mentioned game modes have been integrated into a single “story mode” which, despite the name, does not necessarily relate to story progression. After a brief tutorial level to educate the players on the main functional elements of the game, players are provided with a few starting pilots and mobile suits to begin their campaign. It should be noted that each of the different pilots will be included in different storyline progressions based on the different “chapters” of the game. The Chapters focus on numerous different pilots, often from different series of the anime. For example, one of the first available Chapters is called “Those who Understand” which tells the tales of Amuro Ray, Setsunna F Seiei, Kou Uraki and Kira Yamato (amongst others). Each of the story chapters are non-linear and don’t seem to occur in a particular chronological order. Rather, each chapter should be considered a small sub-story of a larger picture.
The underlying story behind each chapter revolves around a mysterious signal being broadcasted from an unknown planet. In each chapter the characters privy to that particular story strive to uncover the truth and secrets behind this mysterious signal. Playing through different chapters will reveal a little more each time about the overall story. To this effect, players are encouraged to play through with as many characters as possible to unlock the full plot. From the get go, players are provided with 5 beginning pilots, but the number of available pilots grows into several dozens. To that effect, the total story told by the game is HUGE.
The non-linear nature of the story mode can be seen as either a good or bad thing, depending on personal perspective. While on the one hand, the story seems displaced and tends to jump around, the breakdown of characters into smaller, manageable scales was a smart decision based on the sheer number of characters and storyline elements to be addressed. Attempting to stay too loyal to continuity would never have allowed all of these pilots to come together. For those who have played the previous DWG games, the storyline is reminiscent of mission mode in DWG1. Clear allegiances have been made between different groups, and this is often displayed on the battlefield. Members of different “chapters” will often find themselves allied with other ace pilots in the same faction. This at very least provides some sense of continuity to the universe.
GAMEPLAY
For those not familiar with the DWG series, or even the Dynasty Warriors series in general, the battles of the game are played on large enclosed battlefields from a third person perspective. The battle essentially pitches 2 armies against each other, where the player takes on the role of one of the ace pilots in one of the armies. The mission objectives to achieve victory in each battle differ, depending on the mission, but most follow a similar line of events as the battle progresses. In each battlefield there are several sub-sections called “fields” These fields allow for the deployment of additional allied forces for the player’s army. One of the goals of each battle is to capture these fields not only to assist in ally deployment, but also to diminish the fighting strength of the opponent army. By doing so, the player reduces the enemy’s “battle gauge”, which limits the number of times enemy ace pilots can return from the battlefield. The same too applies to the player and their allies. This is a feature that was not included in past versions of the DWG games. Generally victory is obtained by capturing all the fields on the map, capturing the enemy base field, or by defeating the enemy commander.
When fighting against enemies on the battlefield, most of the stock standard enemies are often weak and easy to dispatch. Enemy ace pilots will provide slightly more of a challenge, but nothing that cannot be beaten just as quickly. The enemy commanders generally also appear on the battlefield as ace pilots, but have had their health, defence and damage potential significantly boosted, thus making them a much tougher nut to crack. In previous games, other ace pilots rarely proved a threat, with exception of only the hardest missions. Many a time in DWG 2 players would find themselves an unstoppable dreadnought against their foes, and enemy ace pilots rarely posed a threat. DWG 3 however has ramped up the difficulty factor when it comes to ace pilot damage. Players now receive far more damage from enemy aces than previous games, so players must time their attacks carefully. Careless players need to be wary of how easily several ace pilots can overwhelm the player. And while compensations have been made in the form of allowing redeployment if shot down (provided the battle gauge is high enough), players will most certainly feel the difficulty level sting if they are not careful. I for one am actually happy that the difficultly curve has been better adjusted to provide more of a challenge, and truly make the players think before they rush into an enemy base.
As far as core game controls go, the movement and combat functions are very easy to learn and memorise on a control pad. On the Xbox 360 port the (X) button will serve as the players primary attack, as this controls the melee chains of combat. The (Y) button on its own controls the near useless shot functions, but when combined in a string of (X) combos allows the player to perform smash, block-bust or field wipe-out combo attacks. As far as movement is concerned, the (A) button controls the boost. Players will use this function a lot to move rapidly around the battlefield. Finally the (B) button controls the “super move”, which activates once players have performed enough attacks or feats to fill up their SP bar. When filled, the player can hit the B button and unleash devastating moves like 00 Raiser’s Trans-Am Mega Beam Sabre, Burning Gundam’s Shining Finger or Wing Zero’s Twin Buster Rifle. As the game displays it, piloting a mobile suit is
no-where near as hard as one might think. 🙂 The simplistic nature of the controls combined with the relative strength of the player’s mobile suit is one of the key factors that contributes to the illusion of power that is provided to the player. Stringing together effective attack combos is relatively easy to pull off, so many gamers won’t have trouble adapting to the gameplay.
While the gameplay action happens on the battlefield, players must also familiarise themselves with the player menu. Making full use of the shop, mobile suit development station and terminal will allow players to buy and sell plans, suits and parts, upgrade and fine tune mobile suits and interact with the myriad of characters in the DWG3 world. Bear in mind, understanding the functions of the mobile suit development station will take a little while to get used to, as using it is strongly determinant on player performance and money.
Although the game makes the player feel powerful on the battlefield, there is little question that the battles can become highly repetitive. This is added to by the limited range of attacks and combos available to the player from the one mobile suit. While it’s a good idea to provide over 300 different suits to pilot, most generally follow the same battle plan of defeat-capture-continue. Playing for extended periods of time will make the game feel like a repetitive beat em’ up. As such, players should consider changing play styles, mobile suits and even pilots at intervals to keep the buzz alive. This drawback is obviously subjective based on the player, but it still does not deviate from the raw fun value. Patience is a virtue. On the flip side of the argument though, as a majority of the game’s accessible content is locked until later stages, the game most certainly promotes longevity. This is the sort of game that keeps beckoning the player to unlock more and more. And there are a HECK of a lot of unlockables in this game. For instance, if a player wants to play with a character and mobile suit from the Gundam Wing series, the they will have to wait until they can unlock them by progressing through other character’s story modes. Ultimately, the longevity value and repetition factor will be personally determinant.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
Visually, DWG3 has scrapped the metallic model rendering art style that it has used in the past two games in favour of a new brighter cell-shaded art style. Doing so has sacrificed a minimal degree of colour detailing, but the end result is a far more colourful and visually pleasing flair that the last two games lacked. As a game based on an anime series, players don’t expect realism out of the graphics. As a result of the change to the cell-shaded art style, the game feels more like an anime, as it should. The attacks and model colouring of the mobile suits themselves really stand out against the battlefield backgrounds. The backgrounds also feature a degree of cell shading, but not so much to the degree of the mobile suit models. The game feels more visually rich and appealing for this swap. Additionally, the anime modelled characters in chat screens and cut scenes strongly enforce this idea of being present in an anime. Plus the character models of the pilots have not appeared to have been altered to any great degree, so it is good to see that the developers have not decided to muck with the visuals of the characters themselves.
The only gripe with the visuals has to do with camera control. Players can use the right stick to take control of the camera to zoom to an appropriate angle to see the carnage unfold. This can also be achieved by the use of the left shoulder button to bring up the block function. However, when too many mobile suits crowd an enclosed area, it can get very difficult to see what is going on. Perhaps considering making the units in the make more transparent when between camera and player mobile suit would have better tackled this problem.
The audio segments of the game is where I, as a Gundam fan, feel a little let down. On the positive side, the sound effects and well appropriated for the varieties of hacks, cuts, shots and crashes during battle. These tracks were all keeping true to the anime roots as they are the same sound effects that viewers will likely have heard in the anime series. Chief among these is the classic beam sabre flair from the shows.
However in terms of music, the game is something of a let-down. A majority of the soundtracks used have been recycled from previous DWG games. These tracks were not particularly well liked as they did not truly encapsulate the same soundtracks players are used to seeing in the anime. The Japanese version of “Gundam Musou 3” was actually able to appropriate the musical scores from the animes. As a fan of the shows, I am personally disappointed that the western port does not feature some of this iconic Gundam music. I’m actually quite fond of the Trans-Am theme from Gundam 00 and the opening “Rhythm Emotion” from Gundam Wing. That said, the existing soundtrack is decent for its purpose, but feels hollow when compared to what could have been included.
With regards to the voice acting work, I will be honest in that my feelings are mixed. Some of the voice roles sound identical to their anime counterparts, which assists the inner anime fan’s desire for continuity. Brad Swaille does a fantastic job as Amuro Ray and Setsuna F Seiei. However, on the other hand, many of the voice roles from slightly older series, such as G Gundam and Gundam Wing have had their voices completely re-dubbed. New is not necessarily always better. I’m personally disappointed that we won’t get to hear Scott McNeil’s trademark “Duo Scream”. Again, this comes down to a matter of personal preference. However, there are other times in which the player will think that this game was not meant to be spoken in English. While it may sound much cooler in Japanese, some of the philosophical monologues that take place can just get painful to listen to. And then there is the whiners. Several of the characters that continuously harp on about not wanting to fight or kill… while actually killing at the exact same time. *coughKiracough* I cannot help but feel there are some parts of the translation work that could have been appropriated better.
MULITPLAYER
Like DWG2, DWG3 supports both local and online multiplayer gameplay. Local multiplayer feels richer, as it is a strict co-op mission mode that allows a second player to jump in as an additional pilot during the first player’s story mode play-through. As a multiplayer experience, the game seems richer for it. The premise of local co-op adds on an extra controllable ally to the battlefield. Very simple, but effective in providing an optional multiplayer mode to the story. What’s best is that the two players will play in the same profile, and as such will be capable of sharing captured mobile suit plans and money won from the battles.
The online multiplayer element is also a degree more solid than the last games. The online game modes allows for up to 4 players to interact and play over Xbox Live and the Playstation Network in either co-operative or competitive game modes. However, it is probably worth noting that players will likely be waiting a while before they can establish an effective connection to another player. Player’s will probably know that this online system will not have nearly as many players online as COD or Halo. Even so, the addition is certainly a welcome one, providing 15 different mission types to join up with other Gundam or Dynasty Warriors fans and kick some ass
online.
OVERALL
I will be completely honest, I love playing this game, but I understand that this is likely a biased reaction based on my fandom of the anime series and Gundam universe in general. Part of my joy for this game’s release was the inclusion of the 00 series, and many additional pilots from the Wing series. Realistically, I know that his game is not for everyone. Hack and Slash games don’t dominate the mainstream game market, and it’s highly doubtful that this game will even come close to emulating the popularity of Halo, Team Fortress 2 or Call of Duty. But it must be said, that pushing all fandoms aside, this game is still raw fun. The art style is well constructed, the battle and control functions and simple and yet powerful. It is without question the best Dynasty Warriors Gundam game out of all the 3. It is not a perfect game, as it does have the afore mentioned audio and repetition issues, but it does not deviate from the fact that it is still a lot of fun to play. It’s simple. It makes the player feel powerful. It offers escapism into a universe where you get to pilot awesome giant robots. Come on, that kicks ass, does it not? Regardless of whether or not you are an avid anime fan, or gamer to the core, this game will still definitely be worth your time.
As an additional note, the first waves of Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3 downloadable content will be arriving in DLC packages on the 19th/20th of July for 360/PS3, and on July 28th.
Netflix streaming service has announced that they have added 4 new anime titles to their mammoth collection of titles available to stream. The four series now streaming are:
Excel Saga – the crazy comedy from Shinichi Watanabe.
Sgt. Frog – otherwise known as Kerero Gunso, another great comedy series.
Tears to Tiara – a visual novel adaptation, featuring the voice of Tiffany Grant.
Xam’d – a series from Bones, the guys who brought us the Full Metal Alchemist anime.
If you are located in the US you can check out all 4 titles now on Netflix. Unfortunately, if you are from Australia, this isn’t available to you.
If you were not already preparing for Saints Row: The Third as of yet, now is the time to take notice. THQ have now revealed the celebrity cast that will be lending their vocal talents to the game, which include Sasha Grey, Hulk Hogan and Daniel Dae Kim. The question is now what roles these three will portray, and thankfully THQ have went the extra mile and filled us in on what to expect.
Sasha Grey, who is best known for her roles on Entourage, I Hit it With an Axe, and several other films some of you may store in shoeboxes, will portray the lovely Viola DeWynter. Viola and her twin sister Kiki are the masterminds of the Syndicate’s financial empire and have increased the company’s profits “ten-fold” in Steelport with their savvy and ruthless business sense.
Hulk Hogan will be going for a role that is sure to be a stretch, a professional wrestler by the name of Angel De LaMuerte. Angel is hell bent on getting revenge against his former tag team partner Killbane, who is now a leader of the Luchadores street gang. Here is to hoping we will see Angel “Hulk Up” and deliver some devistating leg drops to all who cross him, BROTHER!
Daniel Dae Kim, who is best known from his role in Lost will be reprising his role as Johnny Gat, the chief lieutenant of the Third Street Saints and your right-hand in Saints Row: The Third. Gat is now an international celebrity as he licenses his likeness to Saints clothing lines, Saints energy drinks, and even the classiest ride in Steelport, the Johnny Gat-mobile.
I must say, the more we hear about Saints Row: The Third, the more I am intrigued as this game looks to be one over-the-top spectacular and THQ and Volition seem to be pulling out every card they have to make this a sure contender for Game of the Year. If you happen to be attending Comic-Con, Sasha Grey and Hulk Hogan will both be in attendance, signing autographs on Thursday, July 21 at the Saints Row Booth, #5145.
In the early 90’s, when there was actually cartoons made for Saturday Morning rather than Nickelodeon reruns, a little show crafted by Ted Turner turned into a phenomenon of sorts that taught kids how to recycle and about the damage of mind and bodily pollution. That show was none other than Captain Planet. Today, those who grew up with the show have a reason to rejoice as Captain Planet and the Planeteers is getting the film treatment, with Don Murphy and Susan Montford of Tranformers fame behind the wheel of the project.
“[Captain Planet’s] adventures are known worldwide and he is recognized across generations,” said Murphy. “We expect to make a spectacular series of films with the amazing team at Cartoon Network.”
“With the earthquakes, tornadoes, melting icebergs and all the other problems threatening the world right now, Earth really needs her greatest defender,” added Montford.
I still have a soft spot for the Captain (the ending theme is my ringtone at the moment), as every single Saturday I remember watching the cartoon and waiting all week long in agony due to the series’ constant two part episodes that were pretty exciting back then. The show was actually in my opinion years ahead of it’s time and while it did have the 90’s cheese, it was the only cartoon I can recall that dealt with topics that no one really discussed with kids.
No cast has been hired as of yet, but it certainly will be hard to top the performances of Whoopi Goldberg, Martin Sheen, LeVar Burton, and Kath Soucie, who have all were top names for a cartoon show back at the time. So now we ask you, PLANETEERS! Who should be cast, what topics should be featured, and what audience to you feel this new flick should target?
Recently I decided to survey members of the Capsule Computers staff to get their verdict on what is their personal top 5 favourite anime (series or movies) of all time. What I got was a lot of different views on anime as a whole and what we each as individual’s think is the pinacle of japanese animation. For the interesting results read on.
Philip ‘MasterAbbott’ Federico:
5.Love Hina – Something that totally grew on me, cool story and quite funny as well, yes it might more of a girly romance movie but u know what MasterAbbott does have feelings too you know.
4.GTO – Great Teacher Onizuka – One cool dude wanting to be the best teacher in the world, total FAIL but it was great watching him try.
3.Pokemon – The first series absolutely loved it, and I got to see cute little Squirtle, Bulbasaur and Charmanda in action 😛
2.Street Fighter 2 The Animated Movie – The Best Street Fighter movie ever made and does the game justice, wish they took that story and made a real movie from it.
1.ASTROBOY – THE BEST THE IS, the BEST THE WAS and the BEST THERE EVER WILL BE !! 😉 Nothing can beat this lovable robot boy.
Matt Vella:
5.Soul Eater – Soul Eater isn’t perfect. The plot as a few issues and it has a very unsatisfying ending. However, it makes my top 5 still for a few reasons, mainly based around its core. First off I’m crazy for the art style. It has a Tim Burton feel to it, but still has those bright, fun, Saturday morninganime-ish flavour to it, but it can get dark in unexpected and unusual ways. The character design is amazing. There is a focus on the bond between a weapon and a meister which spawns a deep character development throughout the series. During those 51 episodes, I found I wasn’t watching it was the anime itself and its storyline, animation and audio, but rather for the characters themselves and to appreciate the art style further. It’s really worth checking out.
4.Summer Wars – While I don’t watch Summer Wars everyday of my life, it has left a stronger lasting impression on me than most anime. You can check my review here. I really love how it seems they took a few different genres of anime and kind of blended them with each other. The action scenes are breath-taking, and it has this warm, loveable feeling of family honour which I really appreciate. There’s not much to say about it, just that its a really great film.
3.Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion – I usually can’t stand anime based on Mecha, it really doesn’t appeal to me. However Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, hooked me and appealed to me in various ways. The plot of one high school student trying to bring down an entire international empire and leading a rebellion is really exciting, and the cast of characters are memorable and loveable. It has a great plot, with great character development and is animated splendidly. It has a pretty cool theme of comparing chess to war, and a healthy mix of politics and high-school drama and comedy to go with it. It’s sequel series, Code Geass: R2, has the best ending of all time. It blows my mind still to this day!
2. Death Note – Death Note feels like a Hollywood action movie every step of the way. It keeps you on your toes and has an amazing plot, filled with some of the most unexpected twists I’ve ever experienced in storytelling. It lives off suspense rather than action, which I love. The animation is outstanding, the soundtrack is perfect and flawless, as is the voice acting in both the English and Japanese translations. In fact I’d say the English dub is the best anime dub I’ve ever seen/heard. What I love most however is the character development with the main characters Light and L. It toys with your moral beliefs and makes you question everything you stand for. It has a lot of social relevance, and is a straight-up masterpiece. Many people who don’t even like anime, some who even hate it get hooked into loving Death Note. It’s just that good!
1.Dragon Ball Z – It’s an anime that has stood the test of time, and is still enjoyable today! Some of the most memorable and awesome character designs ever, very unique, origin of the over 9000 meme, a few nice plot twists, has a vast expanded universe that is equally interesting and along side Pokemon helped introduce anime to an entire western generation. The fact that it was around for 10+ years before it saw it’s first English dub and it still blew everyone away. I gotta say the english dub has a really catchy soundtrack as well. This one stood the test of time, so its gets the #1 spot!
Aura Redwood:
5.Chobits/Durarara!!!/One Piece – Ok I cant decide XXD Chobits was fucking adorable. Durarara!!! was thrilling and One piece is just so damn entertaining. I’ve finished both Chobits and Durarara!! But well One piece does go on for a bit so I can’t watch it all in one go like I did with the others.
4.Ghost Hunt – Quite unknown. I love this anime to death because it made me start obsessing over supernatural animes and all beliefs. I think the story is so well done and I love all the characters.
3.Black Butler – Sebastian = <3 and I’m not the only fan girl that thinks that. On top of course there is hilarious humour, a dark theme and some real deep concepts.
2.Air Gear – Ok I love this anime so much that once I started watching it I couldnt stop. I mean I was up to like 6am watching this before I nearly fell unconcious. I also am now obsessed with getting myself rollerblades because of it. I just love this anime, its just so damn cool.
1.Hellsing OVA – I just fucking love this anime to death and back. Alucard (the main character) is pretty much how I would have made a vampire, if I wrote a vampire anime. I love the gore, the supernatural parts and the black humour. I just want to cuddle this anime.
Ben “Linkage Ayexe” Webb:
5.Reach for the Top: Gunbuster – Look, this would been be a tie with Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, but I had seen this first and it has such an amazing storyline and somewhat closely follows real world physics when it comes to space travel. While the anime was made in the 80s (and the producers ran out of budget by the last episode, which caused it to have a tonne of still-frames and be fully broadcast in black and white), it is still largely enjoyable and is still widely renown by all anime fans that bother checking out older anime shows. Gainax revisited the series a few years ago with a movie Gunbuster vs. Diebuster and a series that came slightly before that, Top wo narae 2: Diebuster.
4..hack//SIGN – This show is a tie-in to the pretty good PS2 games by the same beginning part of the name (.hack//). It is set slightly before the events of the PS2 games and features a player getting trapped within a game and other players trying to work out the mysteries surrounding him. The game is the largest MMORPG on earth and has a subscriber base as large as World of Warcraft. The story progresses quite well, though it is more drama than action based (even though it’s based on a game), and it’s the way this world was set up that really drew me in.
3.FullMetal Alchemist – Honestly, this is one of the few anime that I’ve seen where the voice cast is perfect for the characters that they portray. What really sold me on this series though, was the episode with Shou Tucker and his daughter. Such an emotional episode, it goes from fun and games to dead serious and really hits you in the side of the face with a wet smelly fish. Even though most anime shows that overtake their manga counterpart end up with weak in-house endings (or just stop completely without resolution), FMA remained strong the entire way through and that’s a part of what makes the show awesome.
2. Cowboy Bebop – Neon Genesis Evangelion was one of the first anime to make me into an otaku, this anime was easily also in that same category. The style, dialogue and freaking amazing action sold me on this instantly. Unfortunately I didn’t start with this series at the start, the episode I began with was Heavy Metal Queen (which was amazing). But I have obtained the entire collection in the fatpack that was sold by Madman during the anniversary thing a few years back, and I have to say that the series is amazingly amazing.
1.Neon Genesis Evangelion – Man, if you have not seen or heard of Neon Genesis Evangelion there is most certainly something wrong with you, ESPECIALLY if you’re a self proclaimed anime fan or otaku. Now the reason I love this so much is that it was the first anime that truly made me an otaku. The story was so unique, the gore was amazingly gory, the characters became more and more insane! My ten year old mind was wrapped! This was so good (and still is).
Luke Halliday:
5.Hunter x Hunter/Reborn! – It has to be a tie between these brilliant Shonen epics. Both are largely different but in their difference they are the same. Both of them are so very different to the normal standard for the shonen genre. Both shows are absolutely revolutionary, whether it be Hunter x Hunter’s unbridled darkness and sense of danger lingering across the series even in it’s lighter moments, or whether it be Reborn’s unqiue method of character development which is rivaled only by One Piece in the genre, they both completely revolutionised the genre and unfortunately were deeply unappreciated compared to lesser series.
4.Gurren Lagann – Never before has there been an anime series that has made me feel so proud to be a man. This show bursts of so much manly bravado and machismo that it’s hard to not get taken in by it, that is if you are of the male gender. It also tells a message that resonates long after viewing, that a little belief in yourself and who you are can go a long way. Also… ROW! ROW! FIGHT THE POWER!
3.Welcome to the N.H.K – This series is so unbelieveably and sadly relatable to my life that it makes me both depressed and filled with hope. It takes a brilliant philosphical view upon life and displays the vapidity of youth in a way not seen since the Perks Of Being A Wallflower. It is amazing from start to finish. Whenever a form of art can force you to reassess your own life, you know that it will resonate with you for years as that one show that changed your life, even if it were ever so slightly.
2.Cowboy Bebop – Like Welcome the the N.H.K this is another series that is what you would consider life changing, but in a more grander way. This series is all about carrying the weight of your past whilst trying to find your way through a world that is more screwed up than the past you carry. Cowboy Bebop can be considered a cautionary tale of the dangers of wearing your past too close to your chest as well as a question – is life but a dream? Cowboy Bebop was a series I watched as a young boy staying up late without my parents knowledge. I would watch it on Adult Swim in the early 2000’s and was captivated by every moment. Even to today, watching Bebop is one of my fondest childhood memories. It has resonated with me throughout my entire life and will continue to do so without a doubt.
1.One Piece – Never before has an anime series had absolutely everything that anime itself as a medium has to offer – Adventure, Humour, Friendship, Hope, Life, Death, Darkness, Pain, Emotion and even Heart. One Piece is the culmination of everything that the anime art-form has accomplished. It is the best selling anime and manga of all time in Japan and is considered an icon of the nation. The series is still ongoing with the anime at 507 episodes as of posting. It is a series that will resonate with you, change your life, make you believe in life, love and adventure. It is without a doubt the greatest anime series I have ever watched, it is more than just a show about pirates, it is a show about life and what it means to live free. If you have never seen One Piece, you are missing out on the greatest achievement anime has to offer. Do yourself a favour and come aboard.
And with that, I conclude my survey of the Capsule Crew’s TOP 5 ANIME. I will be holding many more anime related survey’s in the future, so look forward to those. What did you think of the Crews TOP 5’s? What is your personal TOP 5 ANIME? Let us know in the comments below.
Releasing tomorrow (21st July, 2011) is Call of Juarez: The Cartel. To bring the launch in, comes a launch trailer that showcases the games amazingness.
Call of Juarez: The Cartel is the nearly released first person shooter that has players completing objectives to bring down a drug cartel. Players play as a Mercenary, an FBI agent or a DEA agent that each have their own plots within the game that enhance the experience (especially in multiplayer).
Be sure to pick up the game on it’s release and have a blast playing through it!
Check out the embedded video below for the launch trailer.
PopCap may have been gobbled up by EA, but thankfully business appears to be the usual for the number one developer of casual titles. Today, PopCap announced that they have signed a global agreement with Sony Ericsson to pre-load their hit titles on the Sony Ericsson Xperia mini and Xperia mini pro smartphone models. What does this agreement mean to you as the consumer though? This landmark cements the arrival of PopCap titles on Android devices across Europe.
Starting this summer, Plants vs. Zombies, Peggle and Chuzzle will be embedded on smartphone devices that will roll out in the coming months. Chuzzle will be featured in it’s entirety, while Plants vs. Zombies and Peggle will get a trial mode treatment, with the option to unlock the full games with a purchase.
Both PopCap and Sony have each made a statement for this agreement:
“We are delighted to partner with Sony Ericsson to fulfill our promise to Android users and bring PopCap’s hit mobile games to an ever-widening base of smartphone users,” said Giordano Bruno Contestabile, PopCap’s senior director of global product and business strategy for mobile. “As the Android ecosystem matures, PopCap is committed to providing best-in-class game experiences for Android game players. The Sony Ericsson Xperia™ mini devices are equipped with superior processing power and exceptional screen resolution on the Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine, which provides an excellent platform for delivering the quality fun that our fans have come to expect.”
“By partnering with companies such as PopCap, we are demonstrating our commitment to bringing the very best communication and entertainment experiences to our phones,” said Fredrik Mansson, Global Product Marketing Manager at Sony Ericsson. “Games such as Plants vs. Zombies™, Peggle® and Chuzzle® are becoming increasingly popular amongst Android users and we are proud to be able to offer them exclusively on our Xperia™ mini and mini pro.”
While PopCap may be now under the ownership of EA, it looks like the company will continue to flourish as of now and continue to set the bar for casual games on mobile devices. Hopefully, things will continue to stay this way, but for now, European droid users have a reason to celebrate as PopCap make their mark in the region.
Swords and Soldiers Developer: Two Tribes/Ronimo Games Publisher: Chillingo Genre: Action/Adventure Platform: iPhone(reviewed)/iPad Release: 7/7/11 Price: $2.99 (Buy Now Aus or US)
Overview
Since the dawn of time, man has loved their food. Swords and Soldiers follows three mighty civilisations on their quest to find and preserve their ultimate delicacies. From the BBQ loving Vikings, to the Aztecs and their quest to defend the Holy Pepper and even ancient Chinese soldiers who manufacture explosive toys, Swords and Soldiers spans across time and allows you to take control of three mighty civilisations, all in the palm of your hand.
Gameplay
Essentially swords and soldiers is a time management game. While it could be viewed as a side scrolling action game, the gameplay is largely based on managing time and funds. There are two types of units in the game, miners and soldiers. The miners collect gold, and soldiers fight – pretty simple so far. With each unit being worth a certain amount you need to manage your funds well in order to claim victory. There are also a number of upgrades available that cost both time and gold in order to use. While many of the upgrades are for new classes of soldiers there are also special attacks. These include anything from healing to a giant bolder to quickly thwart your enemies. Rather than costing gold, these attacks use up mana, which regenerates very slowly on its own. Each campaign also comes with an unlockable challenge mode, one per each civilization, which are nice little additions to overall character development of each civilisation.
There is a bit of an incline in the difficulty of the game. With campaign mode being divided by civilisations, and each new campaign getting progressively difficulty as levels within it progress, it at times is a little difficult to keep up. There is always the possibility to skip to the next campaign if you haven’t finished all the previous ones levels, but I personally like to take things in linear strides. Eventually the levels become beatable as you learn how to manage each civilisation and utilise their unique weapons.
There is also a skirmish mode, which is fairly straightforward. First you pick a civilisation, then you pick an enemy to fight against, it can even be the same civilisation as you. Lastly, choose your terrain, ranging from a straight path to levels with multiple paths. Either way, the soldiers will collide in the middle and make a spectacular battle scene.
Graphics and Audio
Featuring charming, cartoon-like hyperbolic stereotypes of ancient civilisations, Swords and Soldiers graphics are both positive and negative for the same reason. Firstly, they are positive for the fact that they are so well designed, not just the characters but the game as a whole. While the levels are sort of blank slates so to speak, the characters, with the inclusion of their unique home base really utilise the neutral nature of the game space, allowing the game to look like it was perfectly designed for which ever civilisation has the most units on the screen at any given time. Also, I think creating a cartoon-like representation of war and colonialisation really takes away from the violent context of the game, allowing to spread to wider audiences, young and old. Why is this bad? As I said, Swords and Soldiers is about effective management, and it is surprisingly hard to effectively manage soldiers on a campaign when you are so easily captivated by the in game action. Many times I have found myself in enemy territory, just sitting back and staring as my soldiers fight on, slowly losing men, and forgetting that with a swift tap I could have reinforcements there in a matter of seconds. So essentially the problem with the graphics is that they are too captivating and well designed.
The audio provides the perfect scene for epic battles. As the tunes of war rage on, each character has their own unique little catch phrase, which they shout out during battle. The sound effects of battle are fitting, but its not really expected that they would be anything other than accurate to the in game fighting. The audio adds to the whole humour of the game, and as of yet has failed to get irritating, as many games that try and use comedy tend to do.
Conclusion
Utilising hilarious story lines, which are then played out via a combination of simple gameplay and spectacularly designed characters and levels, Swords and Soldiers is an incredibly engaging casual game for iOS devices. Whether you are waging war against ancient civilisations, practicing out strategies in a quick skirmish, or just testing your skills in unique challenges, Swords and Soldiers is a welcomed addition to any iOS device.
For players who pre-order the game Ace Combat Assault Horizon on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, they will be recieving a unique and exclusive aircraft for use in the game. It should also be noted that unlike most pre-order limited editions of games, this edition will cost the same as the non special editions, so make sure you pre-order for your chance to recieve these goods!
In addition to the F-4E Phantom II fighter players will recieve a folded box, a soundtrack, a notebook, the game and a cool card containing the code for the exclusive fighter. Personally, I’m looking forward to this game and the pre-order package does make it sound a lot more enticing and with the release date being the 13th of October this year, you’d better hurry and pre-order before they run out of stock.
Developed by the Project Aces team at NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc. in Japan, ACE COMBAT™ ASSAULT HORIZON brings a new intensity to the franchise, escalating combat to the next level with aircraft that are literally torn apart, spewing oil and debris across the sky. Players will engage in intense single player and online multiplayer combat over real world locations, dodging skyscrapers and turning enemies into fiery supersonic debris. Never before has combat been so fast and in-your-face.
Be sure to check out the Ace Combatwebsite for more info and assets.
