It is an unfortunate world we live in where practically every major title will get some sort of DLC down the line, and when it comes to console and computer FPS, it is practically a certain. But regardless of whether or not you agree with DLC being a part of the market today, a lot of people are apparently quite angry over EA’s plan for Battlefield 3.
The Back to Karkand expansion pack is a pre-order incentive for the title which also provides a number of extra skills to players if they pre-order Battlefield 3 before it is released in stores. The rage stems from the fact that even if a gamer were to buy the game after launch, thus not receiving the expansion free, and then buys the Back to Karkand expansions… they will not receive the extra guns. These gamers feel like they are being punished for simply being intelligent with their game purchases instead of running out to the store with their money like robots.
Reddit users have established the boycott and have also provided various links to areas where potential boycotters can let their voices be heard by EA, this includes a number of EA employees emails, though spamming these people’s inboxes are not recommended if you are trying to help the cause.
Well…. they said that it could happen. In a press release today THQ has revealed that they will be closing down the Manhattan based developer Kaos Studios. Kaos Studios was threatened with closure a few weeks before Homefront was released in the United States, saying that if the game didn’t do amazingly well the studio had seen its last days.
Unfortunately it seems it didn’t do well enough, as Kaos Studios, as well as THQ Digital Warrington who worked alongside Kaos Studios to develop Homefront. It is unknown how long it will be until the studios are actually closed down, as the information released today simply says that the employees “have been notified.” Also unknown at this time is whether or not the Homefront DLC which was supposed to be in the works will still be released somewhere down the line.
Genre: Action/Horror Director: Yohei Fukuda Featuring: Eri Otoguro, Tomohiro Waki, Taro Suwa, Manami Hashimoto Running Time: 86 minutes Available for purchase at:Madman Online Store ($29.95)
Overview
Japanese low-budget zombie films are notorious for their terrible animation, their bad acting, and their naked (or near-naked) leading ladies. In an age where the indie film reigns supreme, sometimes you need a bad movie or two just to lighten up the mood and to laugh at.
Luckily, Chanbara Beauty has everything we love about the low-budget zombie films. The acting is terrible, the fake blood splatter on the screen looks like it was animated in the 90s, and the main protagonist wears a bikini and shorts (although it really could be described more as shorts). However, this film’s got that extra something with some of its characters and visuals, which makes me like it more than the handful of other films I’ve seen in that respective genre.
Plot
The story is your typical, cookie-cutter zombie apocalypse plot: the world is filled with zombies and there’s some vengeful human woman out there in the world that somehow possesses the power to stop them.
The film takes place in the future, where a crazed doctor, Doctor Sugita (Taro Suwa), has engineered a formula to resurrect the dead as zombies. The world is so overrun with the undead that families have to kill their own just to survive. Amongst those who are still human, there is Aya (Eri Otoguro), Katsuji (Tomohiro Waki), and Reiko (Manami Hashimoto) who all meet and become united in their quest to stop Doctor Sugita’s mad plans. However, there is a catch: one of the people helping the doctor is actually Aya’s younger sister, Saki (Chise Nakamura). Together, the three companions must fight the zombie-infested path to the doctor in order to seek their revenge for the havoc he has wreaked on the world.
Nearly naked…surprise, surprise.
First things first: Chanbara Beauty is actually based on an action game called Oneechanbara for PS2. However, the plot of that one was more about fighting zombies and the writers of this film had to do a lot to translate the game into a film.
The plot is as stereotypical as they come, and within the plot there are plenty of moments where there are long-winded and dramatic appeals to the heartstrings of the audience. The overarching plot is a perfect example of this: the younger sister working for the bad guy, and the main character that must fight her own family for the greater good of the world. While this would normally bother me and cause me to fastforward, Chanbara Beauty’s overdramatic moments actually seemed quite genuine and, although the moments were more common than a McDonalds, held my attention for a tad longer than any other films of the same style would. The narrative was also told using a few flashbacks, which was a great touch to lessen some of the cheesy-ness of the film’s emotional components.
Characters
The characters in Chanbara Beauty are nothing new, but at least each of the three main protagonists is fully developed with back stories to make them seem less flat.
The main character in the film is Aya: a brooding twenty-something who has way too many powers and way too little clothing (yes, men, I can hear your cheers now). She spends her days moping and killing zombies, and probably says about 5 words through the entire duration of the movie. I have to say that Aya is possibly one of the least likeable protagonists I have ever come across in films from this genre. Her brooding nature is far too artificial, and it actually seems more like she can’t think of anything to say rather than her not choosing to say anything. With all that being said, her back story is fairly intriguing (although nothing explains why she’s such a moody person) and her relationship with her sister is not as contrived as I anticipated it to be.
Two sisters fighting with katanas. Personally, I think it’s quicker to kill with guns.
Aya’s two companions were great though, and really made me warm to the film more. Reiko was a lovely character and really different from what I was expecting: she was portrayed quite well by Hashimoto and in my opinion she would have made a far better protagonist than Aya did. Reiko was the most developed character which I came across in the film, and it would have made far more sense to cast someone likeable (albeit, wearing more clothing than Aya) as the leading woman – she even said more words than Aya, which is a major flaw in the script-writing side of things. The sole male in the trio was also far more enjoyable and relatable than Aya. Katsumi is that silly, goofy guy who has good intentions but is a little bit of a coward. Waki’s acting didn’t feel at all like it was forced – a rare feat for low-budget zombie movies – and I’d have to say this guy was the shining star in the film: again, another missed opportunity for the writers to really go somewhere special with their script.
However, for every two good characters there are two terrible characters, and the bad guys were truly the dullest evil people I’ve ever seen. Doctor Sugita was the mad doctor with no real purpose to his resurrection of the dead. He had this weird glass eye (which was really just a white contact lens in one of his eyes), and his acting was just as transparent as his eye. Also, Saki truly was Aya’s little sister: she may have said 2 more words than Aya but other than that it felt she served no true purpose but to make Aya’s story more compelling to the audience.
Visual and Audio
Visually, the film had some aspects that were great and some that were absolutely disastrous. As I mentioned earlier, low-budget films generally have bad special effects, but the animation aspects in this were terrible. The gun shots looked like a beginner had been hired for the film just to keep costs down, and in the final fight so much had clearly been green-screened: there was even a moment when the two jumped in the ‘air’ and it was just a low angle shot of them with clouds in the background.
This was not really one of the better visual moments.
The make-up was far better than I expected though, which balances out the animation to some degree. The zombies looked genuinely creepy, and when they died blood spurted out of their mouth in a fairly convincing manner – even some of the severed heads looked remotely like real zombie heads! Their movement was also choreographed quite well, from twitching when they were resurrected to their lurching forward in an attempt to kill a human. The bright flashbacks to Aya and Katsumi’s past also did wonders for the visual composition of the film and acted as a great interjection to the grim dark tones which were present through the majority of the settings.
Unfortunately, the audio really wasn’t half as great as some of the visuals were. When the zombies came to life and their bones cracked, it sounded a bit like a kid banging two toys together. When swarms of zombies crept up on a place, there was a sound similar to that of someone blowing into the top of a bottle. The music used didn’t really fit the majority of key moments in the film – the music for the final fight was really an anticlimax –, and really it was a shame that the audio was such a let-down because great audio effects can still be created on a tight budget.
DVD Extras
The DVD only comes with the theatrical trailer of the film, which I had watched on YouTube previously anyway. I do have to say that I don’t think I would have watched the extras even if they did come with the DVD, but it would have been a nice touch to have the original Oneebara Beauty to watch as a comparison.
Final Comments
Overall, Chanbara Beauty had its standout moments, its cookie-cutter moments, and its not-so-great moments. Despite all the aspects that I didn’t like, something still made me enjoy this film. Perhaps it was the two great characters, or the makeup and flashbacks…or perhaps I’ve just seen too many low-budget zombie films and they’re starting to grow on me. No matter what it is though, I have to say that Chanbara Beauty is probably one of the more enjoyable low-budget films out there.
Hidden on their website, Nintendo has very quietly released the specs for their upcoming Wii U console. Why they didn’t boast about this more publicly is anybody’s guess, but the big N’s new machine is packing a punch somewhere in the ballpark of the Xbox 360. Set your eyeballs on the specs below. [sic]
SIZE: Approximately 1.8 inches tall, 6.8 inches wide and 10.5 inches long.
NEW CONTROLLER: The new controller incorporates a 6.2-inch, 16:9 touch screen and traditional button controls, including two analog Circle Pads. This combination removes the traditional barriers between games, players and the TV by creating a second window into the video game world. The rechargeable controller includes a Power button, Home button, +Control Pad, A/B/X/Y buttons, L/R buttons and ZL/ZR buttons. It includes a built-in accelerometer and gyroscope, rumble feature, camera, a microphone, stereo speakers, a sensor strip and a stylus.
OTHER CONTROLS: Up to four Wii Remote (or Wii Remote Plus) controllers can be connected at once. The new console supports all Wii controllers and input devices, including the Nunchuk controller, Classic Controller, Classic Controller Pro and Wii Balance Board.
MEDIA: A single self-loading media bay will play 12-centimeter proprietary high-density optical discs for the new console, as well as 12-centimeter Wii optical discs.
VIDEO OUTPUT: Supports 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p and 480i. Compatible cables include HDMI, component, S-video and composite.
AUDIO OUTPUT: Uses AV Multi Out connector. Six-channel PCM linear output through HDMI.
STORAGE: The console will have internal flash memory, as well as the option to expand its memory using either an SD memory card or an external USB hard disk drive.
CPU: IBM Power-based multi-core microprocessor.
GPU: AMD Radeon-based High Definition GPU.
OTHER: Four USB 2.0 connector slots are included. The new console is backward compatible with Wii games and Wii accessories.
Mastertronic has today unveiled plans of May’s Mysteries: The Secret of Dragonville, a new, hand-drawn puzzle adventure game due for release on Nintendo DS this Summer.
May’s Mysteries: The Secret of Dragonville, sees May embark on a charming adventure to find her missing brother. The cute hand-drawn scenes will be home to around 270 puzzles and mini games, spread over 4 worlds and 80 mysterious locations, with players meeting close to 50 different characters along the way.
The mini-games and puzzle will be varied, with 230 brain teasers, 25 hidden object searches, 13 rhythm-action games and many more.
Developers V5 Play say May’s Mysteries: The Secret of Dragonville is a 25 hour adventure, featuring seven minutes of full screen animated cutscenes, so this could be a game to look out for if you enjoyed not only the mind-boggling puzzles of Professor Layton, but the intriguing story and unfolding mystery.
MasterAbbott was able to sit down with lead programmer at Naughty Dog, Christian Gyrling. Christian has had his full focus on Uncharted 3 ever since development began on the title. The video, which you can watch below Mr. Gyrling answers all of MasterAbbott’s questions and more while also showing a bit of multiplayer footage that will arrive alongside the main game.
As he was filming I had my hand at the multiplayer aspect of the title. I was paired with another player in a team of two and was placed against two other teams of two. With six players on the map the size of the level didn’t feel too large, though with the way that you can easily traverse the landscape and climb onto buildings it is easy to see that many players will work on gaining the height advantage early in levels. Catch the full interview below and learn much more about Uncharted 3’s multiplayer mode!
Unfortunately at E3 this year NIS America didn’t have a whole booth set up; but that doesn’t mean they weren’t there at all. NIS America had attached themselves to the Tecmo Koei booth and had set up a PlayStation 3 station where we could check out their upcoming JRPG Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland.
When I got my hands on the controller I joined Totori in the exploration field which also threw me immediately into a battle with a few different monsters such as a large bird and blob like monsters. Despite my unfamiliarity with the control scheme I was able to quickly grasp the few upgrades that have been made to the combat system and finish the fight. One of the initial changes that I discovered was the fact that the characters in the game will actually run across the battlefield and do combat with their enemies which is a small upgrade from Atelier Rorona.
In my party was Totori herself, a young adventurer named Gino and an axe wielding woman named Melvia. After receiving a few knocks from the enemies I was able to pick up that stronger characters, or at least those more focused on full-on combat can support weaker characters. This meant that during an enemies attack I could request that Melvia would intervene during the attack, blocking either Totori or Gino from receiving the blow and receiving little damage in the process.
Using items from Totori’s inventory are also useful for combining attacks. In one such case; I used a bomb from Totori and was able to also attack afterwords with Gino to assure the enemies defeat. The quick and easy way I was able to pick up the combat, despite my experience with JRPGs, speaks wonders for the ease that a player will be able to enter the game even if they have no experience in any past Atelier titles.
After finishing off the enemies I was back in the field and I was able to get harvest a handful of different items from the field and make my way to the world map. The world map has seen a huge graphical improvement over the previous game and players should appreciate the change considering how much time they will be spending on it. The map is still used to navigate around the world between areas and I was told that time would still be important in Atelier Totori. The time given for Totori will be five years instead of Atelier Rorona’s 3 but thanks to the larger map of Atelier Totori players will still need to manage their time closely.
After making my way back into town I was very impressed with the visuals of the title. This is something I had noticed immediately when I began the game as the whole game has seen an improvement. Character models are more detailed than before and the character art of the menu screen and all of the visuals that look hand drawn are as breathtaking as ever, meaning fans should find no lack of visual joy in Atelier Totori.
Inside of Totori’s house I tried my hand at creating an item and was told that the various ingredients in the alchemy have been made clearer to the player. Before the different effects of the items you would be placing in a recipe were more of a roll of the dice than actual planning, but thanks to ingredient effects shown under every ingredient you will know roughly what to expect as a final product. Unfortunately I only happened to make a black pile of sludge but the game still let me select the different properties I wanted that sludge to contain, which many fans of the title will enjoy doing when hey create something actually useful.
Unfortunately my time with Atelier Totori had to end there as I had to run off to make another appointment but I can tell that Atelier Totori: Adventurer of Arland is an entirely new experience that has been polished from the gem that was Atelier Rorona. I personally can’t wait to learn more about the title and get my hands on it again when it releases on the PlayStation 3 this Fall. Until then we managed to snag a picture with the crew from NIS America the day before which you can see below; including Phil, myself and the crew from NIS America that were in attendance!
Okay everyone! We here at Capsule Computers have some excellent videos to share with you!
These videos are from the Nintendo Conference at E3 this year (2011). We have videos of the 25th Anniversary of Zelda speech by Miyamoto, the 3DS presentation segment of the show and the presentation of the eagerly awaited Wii U. So make sure that you check out the videos that interest you below, or all of them as they’re all really interesting.
1st : Zelda 25th Anniversary Nintendo Conference E3 2011
Nintendo’s E3 Conference starts with Shigeru Miyamoto as he welcomes everyone to the keynote then speaks about the Zelda 25th Anniversary and everything we can expect to see in the coming months. A Great presentation if you’re a Zelda fan!! 😀
2nd : 3DS Presentation Nintendo Conference E3 2011
Nintendo Conference at E3. The President of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aime, presents what we can expect to see on the Nintendo 3DS in the coming months. Luigi’s Mansion 2, Kid Icarus, Super Mario 3DS, Mario Kart and Star Fox – to name a few. Enjoy the presentation.
3rd : Wii U Presentation Nintendo Conference E3 2011
The one moment that everyone knew was coming, but was also so very eagerly awaiting – Nintendo finally announced the Nintendo Wii U! The President of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, explained everything in fine detail about how the Wii U will work, how it functions and what features it will have. The Wii U is likely to have a very creative series of games.
I wasn’t fast enough to claim the review for Duke Nukem Forever for our site, but on playing it, I realised I still had a few things I wanted to say about it. So I figured I’d jot out a few thoughts that crossed my mind as I kicked some alien ass. Check out our full review here.
The game has a pretty lengthy legacy behind it, and with such a long development time people have built up an unreasonable set of expectations, one which no game – or almost any product, really – can meet. It seems unfair, then, for the general response to be “it’s been 14 years in the making, how can there be flaws?” The game has undergone a frankly ridiculous number of engine and staff changes, and obviously, computer technology has advanced exponentially since the initial announcement in 1997. The fact that it’s out at all is an achievement, and with the constant problems it’s unclear how much Gearbox had to work with when they took over development last year. My guess is that much of what we see today is the result of Gearbox’s team, which should all but put the “14 years for this?!” complaint to bed.
Props to fellow Capsule writer Michael Marr, who handled the review for the game and didn’t judge it solely on the time it took.
That said, the game has some flaws, but nothing game-breaking. I found movement to be a little stiff and unresponsive, the graphics are a few years behind what we’re used to, and some lines of dialogue are clunky.
No doubt the worst mistake the game makes is in hinting at clever ideas, then undermining them. The health system is the perfect example. Duke doesn’t lose physical health when he’s attacked; instead, getting hurt lowers Duke’s Ego. He can rebuild his Ego by checking himself out in the mirror, lifting weights, winning at air hockey, hitting on chicks, or by defeating enemies and bosses with special execution moves. This makes for some interesting health mechanics, where you need to stay in the fight to replenish your Ego – very Duke Nukem. If there isn’t a fight going on, reflective surfaces and heavy items can help him get his mojo back. It sure is more fun than health packs.
Unfortunately, this unique system is rendered completely unnecessary by the video game cliché of regenerating health. Simply stay out of danger for a few seconds, and your Ego is fully charged again. Crouching behind a bench, avoiding enemies, is not what the Duke would do. This is just one of the missed opportunities for the game to stand out.
It has been argued that the current video game climate has outgrown Duke Nukem’s immaturity in his 14 year absence. I’d argue that the industry needs the Duke right now, to serve up some satirical self-evaluation. Games are too preoccupied with epic stories, action and graphics at the moment, and the Duke himself parodies the countless hardened, space marine heroes we’re so used to. Master Chief, Marcus Fenix, and everyone in Call of Duty are one-dimensional, hardened douchebags anyway, and fairly immature as far as “developed” characters go. The Duke pushes much further in the same direction, but does so with a self-awareness that makes him a far more compelling character than he (or his creators) would ever let on.
But you know what? Just play it, and have fun. Don’t get offended, don’t do as Duke does, and don’t expect the world from the game. Just have fun. Is that too much to ask?
It’s unlikely that the industry jokes on the 14-year development cycle will ever completely fade away. But the Duke’s a big boy – he’ll shrug it off, grab a beer and a babe and kick a pig’s face in. And that’s why we hail to the self-appointed king.
The first official footage of the highly anticipated Gundam AGE anime series has hit the web. It gives us an in depth look at the new series and gives us an idea of what to expect. We get to see the new Mobile Suits in action and a glimpse at the back story of Furitto (the father protagonist, of the 3).
This all looks amazing and very promising and for Gundam fans, this is sure to get you pumped for the series release in October 2011. Could this be the best Gundam series yet? It’s too early to say, only time will tell whether it will be able to surpass the stellar Gundam 00 series and even past series such as Seed and Wing.
