In an interview with the ABC, Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor talks about the classification system and how it is too broken to remain relevant. He tells us about how we are the only developed nation without a restricted category for adult gamers.
“We’re becoming the laughing stock of the developed world, where we’re the only country that doesn’t have an R18 classification level for video games.”
The article goes on to explain that the commonwealth is against the non-restricted category system currently implemented and may be planning to oppose the system should the next meeting fail. He basically agrees with the argument that the current ratings system is bringing more harm to children, less choice to adults and is just overall archaic.
“I foreshadow that if there is not a consensus around this issue, the Commonwealth will certainly be considering other options because we cannot continue to have an outdated classification system that’s actually, in my view, causing harm to young people.”
In the comment section below, let us know what you think of this news. And your personal opinion on the current system/ any concerns you may have about a system run by the government or etc.
Dreamrift’s (Developers of Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure) brand new platformer for the DS in now available in the states and if you have been following our coverage for this title, it is looking to be a true gem on the handheld. Monster Tale puts players in control of the two heroes for the title, Ellie and her pet monster Chomp. The plot sees the duo out to save Monster World from the Kid Kings and their enslaved creature pets.
What truly sets this title apart from other platformers though is the bottom screen is used as a training ground for Chomp, where players will he will eat rewards Ellie finds so he can evolve and gain new abilities to assist in battles. Chomp has over 30 different forms as well so while Ellie explores the 5 worlds within, Chomp can grow stronger as players progress. You can now pick this title up today wherever games are sold and while your at it be sure to follow Monster Tale’s official twitter page for even more updates. Keep checking back here as well as our review will also be coming soon.
With the release of Yakuza 4 today, SEGA has released a launch trailer that shows off the better side of being a member of the Yakuza. That is of course until you have to get your hands dirty and throw a few punches, kicks and pieces of the environment at enemies. There are bits of the Hostess part of the game shown off and it is all voiced over by the same man who has done the other trailers.
Considering the sound of the man’s voice I sure hope he is going to be the main narrator for the actual game itself when the four main characters aren’t lounging around the screen or picking up their groceries at the local store. With the release of Yakuza 4 it is only a wonder if Yakuza: Of the End will be making its ways overseas, that is of course until it is released in Japan after its current delay.
If you were expecting some classical music then you are out of luck because we are talking about a different kind of class here. Character classes. In a trailer released today by Bethesda we are shown some of the game’s online multiplayer which is based off of class gameplay and see some of the more unique features of each class.
Of course some of these classes are more or less self explanatory, medic heals your teammates and revives them, engineer builds weapon stations and the soldier dishes out death which then the medic on the other team has to clean up. What is good to see is the large amount of gameplay that is shown off during the cutscene and a few of the environments you will be battling in. Catch the trailer below.
Yesterday we reported that Sony’s MotorStorm Apocalypse was going to be delayed to a To Be Announced release date after the earthquake and tsunami that have devastated the country. Originally the delay was only announced for Japan’s release on March 18th but it appears that the European release will also be getting delayed.
GAME retailer has canceled pre-orders for the title, although Gameplay.co.uk pre-orders may have already ended up being fulfilled according to a spokesperson of the company to Eurogamer. Apparently Gameplay will be attempting to retrieve these shipped copies of the game to avoid any issues. Currently there has been no announcement for a delay to the April 12th U.S. release of the game but one may guess that it too could receive a delay.
Batman couldn’t survive all of his battles against supervillains and psycho enemies for all these years without evolving his strategies and that is certainly what it looks like in the latest Batman: Arkham City trailer. Warner Brothers Interactive released this new video showing Batman’s newest abilities as well as show off everything that we’ve been expecting for months now.
The video gives us a look at Two-Face, Catwoman, Joker, Harley Quinn and plenty of random bad guys just asking for a beating. Perhaps most interesting however is the fact that Batman’s ability to glide around the city has been greatly improved with a diving mechanic to gain speed and allow further flight, and dare I say an even more fluid combat system. Catch the trailer below courtesy of IGN.
In an effort to help raise funds for earthquake and tsunami relief in Japan, Capcom has placed their iPhone version of Street Fighter IV for sale at only $0.99. This means that for only a dollar you will be able to not only pick up one of the best fighting games that you can find on the iPhone but will also be giving money to helping the citizens of Japan.
All sales for the next week will go directly to the relief effort and Capcom itself is donating ¥100 million ($1.23 million) to relief efforts already and has cut their electricity usage through various arcades and internal businesses to lighten the load on the electrical grid that suffered heavy damage during the earthquake. You can pick up the Street Fighter IV App here.
Just as a little heads up, Parasite Eve is now available on the PlayStation Network and can be picked up as simple as downloading any other PsOne Classic but the major news here is the fact that Square Enix is going to be bringing the second game of the series to the PSN although no actual release window was announced at the current time.
Parasite Eve II changes venues from the first game by placing Aya in Los Angeles and in the Mitochondrial Investigation and Suppression Team, otherwise known as MIST. Kyle Madigan from The 3rd Birthday is introduced during this title and considering The 3rd Birthday itself is going to be released on March 29th in the U.S. we may be seeing the whole Parasite Eve franchise available for purchase again soon enough.
The Capsule Computers Crew had the complete pleasure of interviewing Atari Producer Michael Fahrny about a few of their up and coming digital releases and a bunch of other random things that us super geeks all enjoy. Sit back and enjoy.
1. What was the development process behind a title like Yars, did you have the original close by for reference?
We had an original 2600 setup with a copy of Yars handy whenever we needed it. Killspace spent countless hours and a lot of personal time putting a lot of love into Yar’s. It was a passion project for them.
2. From what I’ve seen of Yar’s Revenge, it plays like Star Fox or Panzer Dragoon, why do you think that not as many of these on-rails type shooters are released?
I have a new found respect for anyone who’s worked on a rail shooter. Because these genre if games are relatively simple on the gameplay side (i.e. being on a rail), the biggest challenge is to make sure you are doing enough the keep players engaged in the game. There are a lot of different ways to do this, and we used games like Rez, Sin & Punishment, and Panzer Dragoon as influences to help us along that path.
3. Considering Atari have frequently released Dungeons and Dragons video games, has there ever been a point where you have just started borrowing game ideas from campaigns that you have run privately?
A lot of our ideas come from working closely with the team at Wizards of the Coast and from sitting down and going through the table top game. We feel that we have taken the best of both worlds and put them into one cohesive video game.
4. Have you considered any other Tabletop franchises for adapting into a video game?
That’s a good idea 😉
5. Let’s say that Superman and Batman get into a fight, who would win and why?
This is a tough one for me. I love them both, but I think Batman is the more intelligent superhero and in the end (even without having true super powers), he would figure out a way to defeat Superman.
6. Dungeons and Dragons: Daggerdale – Does it use D&D mechanics? Will players of the tabletop game be able to recognise the game outside of the tag?
Of Course! Daggerdale uses the 4th Edition rule set, so anyone who is familiar with it will immediately recognize and understand what’s going on. That being said, not everything from the tabletop rules translate well into video games so we have worked closely with the Wizards of the Cost team to come to a happy medium.
7. Have you seen the film ‘Grandmas Boy‘? If so, how accurate is it to the life of the average game developer?
[in robot voice] “Please sit on my face.” 🙂
It varies day to day to be honest. Some days, I sit back and can’t believe I actually get paid to do this and some days it can be just like any other job. In the end though, it’s a very rewarding career.
8. What is the average day of a game developer entail over at Atari?
Lots of meetings and emails! I manage more than one project at a time so most of my time is spent evaluating the status of all my projects, making sure everything is running smoothly, and playing my games of course 🙂
9. Stargate SG1 or Stargate Atlantis? Or something even better !!
Wow, well that’s a hard one. I’ve seen them all, including the recently cancelled Stargate Universe. SG1 has to be the favourite though. The biggest new show I’m looking forward to is A Game of Thrones, The Song of Ice and Fire series is my all-time favourite book series.
10. If you could convert any D&D module into a PC game, which would it be?
Return to the Tomb of Horrors would be awesome to see as a video game.
11. Being video game publishers/developers, what are your favorite games and why?
Picking a favorite is tough, but, I am currently playing Civilization 5, Magika, and Dragon Age 2.
12. What do you love most about Working at Atari ?
The people.
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There you have it ladies and gentlegeeks another amazing inteview over. The Crew here at Capsule Computers would like to thank Michael for taking the time from his busy schedule, we wish him and the team over at ATARI all the best with their up and coming digital releases.
Let us know what you thought of this interview, leave a comment below 🙂
With Activision calling time on the Guitar Hero franchise only a month ago, it seems Ubisoft have seen an opening in the market and are making their delve into the music game genre with a new IP called ‘Rocksmith’.
The game will supposedly use real guitars as opposed to plastic peripherals, with the ambitious aim of teaching you real guitar chords instead of fairly redundant button-pressing. Ubisoft’s senior VP of marketing Tony Key described it as “a music experience” rather than just a “party game”.
Ubisoft is said to be in talks with guitar manufacturer Gibson to produce guitar bundle that is reported to cost around 200 US dollars, although Rocksmith will comes with a standard input jack that can plug most electric guitars into a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, though not a Nintendo Wii.
Rocksmith will roll out around September, boasting of a set list of 45 songs from the likes of the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Nirvana and the Animals.
