Usually when something involving the PSN is mentioned lately it only has to deal with bad news, but that is not the case involving the newly released details for a game called Amy. Amy is a PSN exclusive and it will be a horror game that apparently will hearken back to the days of classic survival horror. But this time around, it will do it better.
The details posted on the PlayStation Blog went over a number of features in the game as well as covering the basics of the storyline. Amy will take place in the year 2034 and players will be controlling a girl named Lana. Global warming has caused an outbreak of new diseases, natural disasters and to make matters worse a comet has just struck Silver City, the town where Lana lives.
Because of the comet, Lana finds the majority of the townsfolk transformed into hideous monsters by a new virus. Players must fight off infection by either taking medical units from dead soldiers or from a strange girl named Amy. Amy has the ability to heal Lana as well as keep her free from the virus. The army and the monsters want Amy’s ability for themselves so you must do your best to escape Silver City alive with her.
The game will allow different approaches to situations, including spying on enemies from inside closets or sneaking around them. You can also engage them in combat but Lana isn’t a trained fighter which means that this is not always the best choice. An interesting note is that if Lana becomes infected, monsters will usually ignore her. However if Lana is not cured quickly she still can die. So far only three locations have been mentioned, these include a train station, the city streets and of course a hospital. No word on how much Amy will cost but this game certainly has me reaching for my pocketbook.
Ocarina of Time 3D was released yesterday and as I wrote previously, if you purchased the game you could register it at Club Nintendo to receive a free soundtrack CD sometime in the near future. Now while my registration and subsequent CD order went off without a hitch, lots of Zelda fans were unable to take advantage of this offer due to failed email confirmations and the Club Nintendo site itself crashing.
Nintendo has now offered a new extension to the deal however for those still looking to purchase Ocarina of Time 3D early and get the soundtrack. The page has been updated to say that the cutoff point for CDs will be Midnight (12AM) Pacific Time on June 20th, which is tonight. Nintendo says that those who have yet to receive their email confirmation should receive theirs within seven days of ordering the soundtrack.
For some people when they hear the word Kinect integration, they cheer. For the rest however they usually just sigh and walk away. Now Microsoft announced today that Halo: Anniversary will indeed feature Kinect integration. In an interview with GameSpot, Microsoft Studios boss Phil Spencer said “As a first party we believe that Kinect will be important to all genres of games even games like Halo Anniversary has Kinect integration.”
Now Halo Anniversary was shown off at E3 earlier this month and we even had a chance to preview some of the content. However there was absolutely zero mention of any Kinect support at the time. One of the Halo Waypoint administrators named ‘bs angel’ helped shine a little light on the topic. He said to everyone:
“Just to let everybody know, the Kinect features we’re exploring with Halo: Anniversary are optional and won’t affect your core gameplay experience. Our mission, from day one, has been to deliver a faithful recreation of the original game, and we remain dedicated to seeing that through to completion.”
From the sound of his explanation this means that the Kinect use will follow along the lines of Mass Effect 3 and Ghost Recon Future Soldier. Meaning that the games will be “Better with Kinect” but not focus entirely on the peripheral.
Madman has brought Manga to the MS Readathon. That’s right starting this year, Madman will be supporting the MS Readathon’s novel challenge, by providing Manga as a reading source.
Kid’s will be able to add up all the Manga they read during the month with friends and family members pledging a donation per book or a flat donation. All donations will be going to Multiple Sclerosis Australia (MSA).
You can still jump on board for the fundraiser and help a good cause while having fun reading Manga. Follow the link’s below for further information.
If you were one of the elite 1000 people who liked Siren Visual’s facebook page back in May, you should be receiving your coveted noitaminA sampler DVD in your mailbox in the coming days, if you haven’t already.
The DVD sampler features the first episode of Welcome to Irabu’s Office, The Tatami Galaxy and House of Five Leaves along with a brilliant booklet featuring a stunning essay on anime written by Philip Brophy titled “Anime at the Speed of Thought”.
Also packaged inside your nifty little envelope are a thank you post card and a pamphlet advertising Siren Visual’s various other releases. The post card is particularly special, with Siren displaying genuine gratitude for their fans support with a very heart-felt thank you message.
So if you have yet to recieve your sampler keep your eyes pinned to your mail box. Siren has really done a great job giving back to the fans here and their gratitude is evident.
You may have thanked us, but I must say, from all us fans –Thank you Siren.
Japanese singer Gackt (yeah it’s not too nice to say) was recently announced to be guest starring as (yes you guessed it) a singer in the popular SKET Dance anime series.
Gackt will play a singer named Dante who will be a part of the Kaimei Rock Festival story arc. He will perform a song under the persona of this character, Dante, which will undoubtedly be a hit in Japan. The theme song of SKET Dance has already become a huge hit in the land of the rising sun, which has brought the series a lot of attention and no doubt Gackt’s guest appearance will have the same effect.
Gackt has had previous voice acting experience in The New Fist of the North Star, Shiki and Supernatural the Anime. Be sure to check him out in an upcoming episode in which he will be guest starring. I am sure his singing sounds better than his name!
After a hectic two weeks covering E3, we are finally back to the swing of things here at Capsule Computers…which means we’re back to asking our editors what they are playing! Check out the latest games we’ve thrown into our consoles, and don’t forget to tell us the games you’re playing too!
Editor-in-Chief: MasterAbbott
Konnichiwa everyone! MasterAbbott is in the land of the Rising Sun (Japan for everyone that didn’t know where that was). I’ve just spent a really relaxing week in Kyoto but also got to visit some other great places outside of Kyoto like Osaka (the home town and headquarters of CAPCOM). I also had some great food, like killer takoyaki (octopus balls) and okonomiyaki (Japanese style pizza made out of cabbage and batter and also noodles). I also checked out Nagoya and Kobe as well, and I’ve been having a blast so far. While travelling between places I’ve been playing my iPhone and also my Nintendo 3DS (Street Fighter, DOAD and Samurai Warriors). Since I’ve been here I’ve picked up approximately 50 new Japanese friends for my Mii collection which is fantastic. Streetpassing this many Mii’s back in Sydney would take me like a month to do.
I’ve now made my way to Tokyo and staying in geek central: AKIHABARA (electric town)! Its full of games, anime, maid café’s (which I know Linkage would be living in 24/7 if he was here with me), and a whole lot of other weird and wonderful things which I can’t go into detail as we have children reading! I’ve already picked up some cool goodies to share with all of you once I get back – just make sure you check the Capsule Computers CUBE Points section soon for some new arrivals to redeem your hard earned Cube points on.
I’m very tempted to go buy myself a Nintendo 3DS (NTSC – JAPANESE) so I can play Resident Evil Mercs, Zelda Ocarina of Time, One Piece, Gundam and so many other games which we probably never end up getting in AU or even in US .
And now it’s time for my daily hotspring therapy and Japanese massage by that hot Geisha I met in Gion, Kyoto. Remember…play hard or don’t play at all!
Senior Editor: Travis Bruno
With the release of Duke Nukem Forever and Alice: Madness Returns I spent the majority of my time switching back and forth between these two. Duke Nukem Forever certainly doesn’t deserve all of the flak that it keeps getting around the internet. Sure it is quite old in appearance and also has plenty of old mechanics but that doesn’t mean that Duke isn’t the best thing you could as for as a long time Duke Nukem fan. I’ve only made it about halfway through the game but I can say that this first playthrough certainly won’t be my last.
Alice: Madness Returns on the other hand has plenty of things that are making me frustrated about it. I love the art and the way that the game treats itself, but I absolutely hate the constant platforming and jumping around that you have to do. Couple this with the fact that Alice seems to clip into the environment more often than not and you’ll find yourself disappearing into a flutter of butterflies quite often. Also the fact that American McGee’s Alice comes within the game itself, as opposed to a separate XBLA game is disappointing.
Senior Editor: Dustin Spencer
Over the past week, my Wii has finally gotten something new, that being Wii Play: Motion. Yes, it is a mini-game compilation, but I would say this may be Nintendo’s finest mash-up of mini-games to date as each really bring out the Motion Plus controls and are actually fun to play. If you have been wanting the attachment to finally feel useful, this is the game that achieves that purpose. I spent 3 hours just skipping stones with a friend earlier, so if that is any indication, there is certainly a lot more going on with this title than just a free WiiMote. A review should be up very shortly, so keep an eye out for that.
I guess the game that is making news this week is Duke Nukem Forever, and for good reason of course. Reviewers just about everywhere panned the game for just about every reason imaginable. While I don’t think the game is technically bad by any means, I will say Duke’s character is a bit different than I remember it. I remember Duke as a “macho tough guy who likes the babes”, but I feel DNF tried to throw in an over-the-top element that made Duke seem uncaring and simply offensive for no true reason. It’s one thing to be offensive and still be funny, but it is another when the punchlines change the shape of a character to be a crude ass. I did however enjoy the gameplay as it felt like a Duke Nukem title and the interactivity and attention to detail throughout the levels give the game a lot more depth. No matter what the score, I guess you can definitely say Duke made an impression that will be remembered for years to come.
I also picked up both Alice & Record of Agarest War Zero, which are both fantastic titles from what I’ve played so far and hopefully I can get a bit of time to progress further in each over the next week.
Editor: Kyle Moore
The beginning of my week has mostly been taken up by my 3DS. With the release of the new e-shop I logged on and got myself the free Pokedex and Excitebike. I wouldn’t really call the Pokedex a game even, it’s most just something to have really, but I’ve at least managed to “capture” legendary Pokemon using Augmented Reality, so that is okay. Pity you can’t really do anything with them. I was pretty impressed with the 3D on Excitebike, but other than that, it’s not so exciting. After I got sick of downloadable games, I decided to get back into my Sims 3 for the 3DS, resetting my character and forcing him to become a master of guitar! So where ever I have had spare time I’ve been getting annoyed at my Sim for always want to sleep. Lazy simulated little thing he is.
Running with the EA theme, I recently bought Mortal Kombat and Sim City for the iPhone. Needless to say, I’ve had a blast playing Mortal Kombat and reliving playing it on the SNES at my friends house across the road. While the screen is significantly smaller, I am impressed with the graphical improvement. At least, from what I remember of my Snes days. I also recall not being very good at it, which I am sad to say, has not really changed. Luckily I have benefited from the huge update that has recently come to the game and get a big list of characters who I can play, and lose as! Having tried out both the 5 and the 6 button control, I have been having a lot of fun trying to remember all the old special attacks in the game. Sim City on the other hand is nothing like I remember it once was, and is a little difficult to play on the iPhone. Either way, I still love the nostalgia I’ve gotten from both games and they still have been great fun to play.
Editor: Matt Vella
I’ve been hitting the arcades a little lately, and the other day I finally fulfilled my life-long gaming dream. I found an arcade that plays the original Killer Instinct! I’ve only ever played the SNES version, which I was obsessed with my entire childhood, so this was a dream come true for me! It’s unbelievable how rusty I was, I think I may have to go to a GameTraders soon and grab myself a Super Nintendo with a copy of the Super Nintendo Port. I’ve also given X-Men vs Street Fighter alot of love, for reasons unknown to me because I could just as easily play one of the Marvel vs Capcoms, and I’m still terrible at Daytona USA!
As for home console gaming, I’ve just started playing the PS3 exclusive White Knight Chronicles ll, and you can expect a review to hit the site late next week. It’s an interesting JRPG, it’s very inspired by MMORPG’s such as World of Warcraft, with that whole Final Fantasy Xll feel to it. Oh yeah, and I can’t stop daydreaming about the Wii U. I can’t wait to see what it can do, and play titles like Zelda on it!
Editor: Jack Joly
I’ve been playing a few different games this week. Firstly, there’s Williams Pinball Classics which I was testing out for my review of the game. It’s a fantastic pinball simulation and feels like one of the few games I’ve actually enjoyed playing for a quite a while.
I’ve also dusted off the Kinect for some games on that. It always seems like a huge effort to do Kinect as I have to create space to play it, and this has been even more evident playing this week; some of the games that involve stepping on panels were particularly frustrating as a lot of the time, some of the panels were in fact under the sofa. I played Kinect Adventures which seems to be getting worse every time I play it and nowadays the only game I enjoy playing on it is RallyBall.
I briefly played Carnival Games in Action which is mediocre, with only a few fun mini-games, and Your Shape: Fitness Evolved to try to get fit again which was great and so far has given a good workout. I preferred playing the Cardio Boxing classes above anything else, and I usually had enough space playing alone, with the exception of kicking the odd piece of furniture here and there.
Editor: Jared Hilliers
I finished some old games and sort of started catching up to new releases, including LA Noire and playing through Assassins Creed: Brotherhood again, I thought why not? LA Noire is proving to be more frustrating than I thought it would be and it’s only a matter of time before a controller earns teeth marks. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it, it’s just the interview process is sometimes flawed because of the baiting (ha!) that’s required to catch people out, but it’s a joy to watch! The dead naked lady thing is getting old too, how this game made is through the Aussie classification board baffles me, they don’t leave much to the imagination. Fewer bushes, more boobs please…. maybe in the sequel.
I also got a PS2 emulator in my apartment now, we call it that because its basically a PS2 sitting next to the PS3, which should play the freakin’ games itself man! I’m going to play through FFX again because it’s my fav, but then again I haven’t finished 12, which I also have within reach. I own no PS2 games, but my roomate has a bucket load of them for he’s emulator, it is threatening to take away alot of time. The idea of re-living the naughties isn’t a bad idea; I was off my head for much of that decade anyway!
Finally… I have Sniper Elite, I spent most of the weekend playing it as I’m reviewing the thing, this game makes me look like a psycho. It’s like Time Crisis, but with a giant Sniper peripheral, now imagine someone walking into the room as I’m firing it. Yep, it’s sort of strange, especially since the plastic rifle actually looks legit. Nintendo and their crazy motion controls, just some casual sniping on a Sunday kids!
Editor: Michael Irving
This week I’ve gotten into the infamous Duke Nukem Forever, and was actually surprised at how vocal everyone seems to have gotten over it. I wasn’t really following the whole debacle, and had no real emotional investment in the franchise, so maybe that explains why I wasn’t too disappointed when it turned out to be a sub-par game. I mean, it isn’t terrible, but it does seem unfinished – still. The humour may not be as sharp as the PR train would have you believe, the graphics are somewhat dated, and the shooting and movement mechanics feel a little unresponsive, but I am enjoying it, despite its flaws.
I’ve also ploughed through a fair chunk of Resident Evil 2 this week. A while back I played through the Gamecube remake of the first game, and once I finished that I started the second. I don’t like to be “That Guy”, but while the first game’s remake had updated graphics, the second was a direct port of the original Playstation version, and I couldn’t handle the pointiness, and didn’t get far. This time, I sucked it up, and am really enjoying it now. I much prefer the style of the first few games; the slower pace, the puzzle aspects, and the focus on survival rather than action. A single zombie in a hallway is enough to freak you out, whereas in RE4 and 5 they throw heaps at you at once to make it more actiony. I’m looking forward to the new Resident Evil on the 3DS, which apparently brings the series back to the survival horror roots.
Editor: Luke Halliday
I was playing an iPhone game called Top Girl. I think I am either a ghost or god right now guys. Either way, my eyes have been opened and made to cry ominous blood. My ear’s didn’t fair too well either as a matter of fact. Anyone have the Hospital’s fax number? Terrible game overdose… Someone call me a carpenter, I’m flat-lining!
American McGee’s Alice in 2000 introduced players to an insane Wonderland, a very dark reinterpretation of Lewis Caroll’s literary classics. Fans that remember playing the original on PC will be glad to know that the same dark, twisted imagery that hallmarked the original is as strong if not more in this sequel which brings back the madness and insanity that is ‘Alice: Madness Returns’.
Story
The main allure of this game is its dark and twisted reinterpretation of ‘Alice In Wonderland’. The game takes place eleven years after the events in the first game, with Alice released from the confinement of the insane asylum and now in the care of psychiatrist Doctor Brumby. And still things are not as they seem. Alice is still haunted by the tragic loss of her family in a fire and troubled by gruesome visions of what her ‘Wonderland’ has become. Dragged into Wonderland once again, Alice attempts to piece together her lost and forgotten memories to ultimately figure out what happened that night.
The story overall doesn’t really get any deeper than this, and unfortunately it’s bogged down in poor execution. Playing through the game, I felt that the story was very convoluted and very hard to follow at some points; particularly when Alice goes back to the real world from Wonderland. There is very little continuity between these sections and there is little explanation as to why she is there at all.
Along with this, the game doesn’t exactly tell you everything about the characters or even why you’re doing what you’re doing, leaving you feeling somewhat left in the dark in some points. However with all this said, there are nice attentions to game’s story, such as the storybook-like animated cut scenes which look really good and adds to the game’s overall unique look and feel. Despite the story lacking in some areas it’s still fairly decent for a game like this.
Gameplay
Alice: Madness Returns is at heart, part action and part platformer. Spicy Horse should be congratulated on getting that mix correct in this game. Thanks to good level design, fighting sections and platforming sections are seamlessly woven into one another without that awkward feeling of ‘being set up’ or’ moving through one arena to another’, like you would find in other similar games. Platforming in this game is very solid with well thought out puzzles and level design. However at times it can feel like a grind as you are just running back and forth pulling leavers and flicking switches just to get through an area. Alice: Madness Returns introduces the ability to shrink anytime within the game. This gives Alice “Shrink Sense” in which she’s is able to see things that would otherwise be hidden.
It’s not a gimmicky game mechanic. By shrinking directions, hidden passageways and even invisible platforms are revealed. With that said one good thing about the game are invisible platforms, and one bad thing about the game are invisible platforms. As your shrink sense only last momentarily, these platforms often disappear as your jumping in mid-flight leaving it up to the players to guess where these platforms are. This especially gets frustrating when the game throws at you moving invisible platforms in timed sequences.
Spicy Horse has also ditched combo lists in favour for a simplified combat structure. Yet without dumbing-down the attacks to just ‘light and heavy’ or just ‘one-button combat’, Alice: Madness returns retains fast paced, fluid and smooth combat throughout the game. A range of weapons are introduced to players including the Vorpal Blade, Hobby Horse, Pepper Grinder, Tea Pot Cannon and Clockwork Bomb. These weapons are slowly introduced to players as they progress through the game and are often needed in the various platforming sections. The Clockwork Bomb for example acts as a timed weight, which players will need to use to hold pressure pads in place.
The game itself is quite lengthy at around 10-15 hours depending on if you want to complete everything in the game, which there is ALOT of. Despite being a linear game, multiple paths can be taken to complete a level. Alongside numerous hidden rooms and secret passages which can be taken to find an assortment of collectables such as memories, bottles and rotunda rooms – which act like special challenge rooms where Alice must either fight wave after wave of different enemy types or complete a range of mini-games. Completing any four of these rooms rewards players an extra health rose and they’re also a good distraction for players from the quest at hand.
However with these good points in mind, gameplay in Alice: Madness Returns is not as fully-fledged as it have should be. In combat for example, more often than not players will die simply because they are swamped by too many enemies or boxed in way too much by the locking on system which fix the camera a bit too awkwardly. And in harder sections of the game this gets very frustrating. Judging distances in this game is also not perfect, despite the developer’s attempts at fixing this common problem found in many platforming games – Alice has the ability to float and take multiple jumps mid-air. Yet still I found myself falling to my death several times over a platform I swear I could have made.
It’s a minor complaint as there is no death penalty for dying in this game whatsoever which may be a bit of a head scratcher, but an even bigger head scratcher is the game’s lack of boss battles. With the expectation of the game’s final boss, there are no real bosses in this game expect for the occasional tougher enemy type. Which felt quite disappointing, game’s first chapter builds up to boss battle yet it’s completely dismissed in a brief cut scene at the end.
Graphics & Audio
The world of Wonderland is presented superbly through the game’s very strong art direction which all presented effectively a very dark and twisted world. The game shines in the fact that players are drawn into a colourful world which then flipped on its head completely. Players will be traversing through a range of environments from twisted clockwork industrial factory, to a bizarre underwater theatre and to a very, very creepy doll factory (There is a MA15+ rating for a reason…). Graphically the game is presented in a very stylishly cartoony way, which is fitting to the games setting and it works well.
Characters models themselves are done quite well and animations are smooth as they should be in a game like this. It’s unfortunate that there is texture pop-ins and other annoying graphical problems which impedes the overall performance of the game. And on top of this, later levels of the game feel overly dark and repetitive with the same dark colours used over and over again. The game definitely has a very memorable soundtrack and hauntingly creepy theme. Which all sets up what players will expect in this game. Voice acting in this game is very good and spot on, especially since you will be picking up various ‘memories’ scatter in the world which plays out like audio logs.
Final Comments
Alice: Madness Returns is a solid platfomer and action game. It is a welcome return to the world very dark and twisted world of Wonderland for those who remember it from American McGee’s Alice (which by the way, is included free of charge in each new copy of the game). For a single player action adventure game it’s quite lengthy, perhaps inflated more so then it should be by numerous collectables and extended gameplay sections which too often overstay their welcome. Yet with all the games flaws, there still is quite an adventure to be had in this very twisted and deranged take on ‘Alice In Wonderland’. And for that I’d have to say it’s at least worth the trip down the rabbit hole.
I give Alice: Madness Returns for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC:
If you are reading this now and own a Nintendo Wii or a DS, there is a good chance you have played a Cooking Mama title in one form or another. A new Japanese trailer has just released for the upcoming entry into the franchise, Camping Mama: Outdoor Adventures, and things look very…different.
Instead of a close-up mini-game format in which you assist Mama with all sorts of tasks, Camping Mama looks to completely break away from the franchise with a top down view in which you actually control Mama & Family (which includes the newly added Papa) as they perform their camping duties in whole new ways. I want to say this style of gameplay closely resembles what we have seen in the Harvest Moon DS titles, but it is still to soon to tell at the moment and hopefully Majesco will step in soon enough and give us a better breakdown on how the gameplay will actually work. For now though, you can check out the trailer below (via Siliconera) and let us know what you think of this new gameplay style in the comments below.
Let’s face it, games based on comic books or movies these days are extremely hit and miss. Captain America: Super Soldier however is showing a lot of promise at the moment and hopefully will be a worthy experience. Those who would rather not dish out the $49.99 on the game but are still interested in giving Sega’s latest super hero title a try might be interested to know that Amazon have (temporarily?) listed Captain America: Super Soldier for just $37.49 with free shipping (Xbox 360 & Playstation 3 only), an early price-tag that drops the title to 25% off before launch.
Captain America: Super Soldier doesn’t release until July 19th, but this price is certainly worthy of mention for those on the fence with the Captain’s latest entry into the video game world. You can click HERE to be taken directly to Amazon’s official page or HERE to snag the game from Capsule Computer’s Amazon store at the same discounted price.
