Gamestop appear to be preparing for the Nintendo 3DS launch and have now listed three “bundles” for $299.97 on their website. These are not really actual “bundles” though, as they are just made up of the system, a case, and a launch title. What is more interesting about this story is the titles used for this assortment. Street Fighter IV & Samurai Warriors Chronicles are the games that will be sold with Street Fighter coming with both the Black & Aqua Blue system, and Samurai Warriors with the black console. These are probably the two biggest names for the launch, but it strikes me as odd a bit that Nintendogs + Cats are not seeing the same treatment due to the titles being first party.
There really isn’t too much else to say about these 3DS bundles really, as the price is only around $5 under current MSRP for everything together. If you had plans on grabbing a 3DS with one of these titles though, I guess it couldn’t hurt to get a cheap case on the side by saving a little bit of money in the process.
Nintendo have now released early sales numbers for Pokémon Black & White and previous records have now been shattered. Both titles raked in the most sales of any Pokémon title to date with 1.08 Million copies sold in first day alone, beating out Diamond & Pearl’s record of 780,000. These numbers come as not too much of a surprise for fans of the series, but they do show how wide the appeal of the franchise has become over the years.
Nintendo released this statement on the feat earlier today:
“Longtime Pokémon fans are attracted to the new Pokémon, new battle systems and a new region to explore, while newcomers enjoy the ability to jump in and have fun right away,” said Charlie Scibetta, Nintendo of America’s senior director of Corporate Communications. “These sales numbers illustrate the continued strength of the Nintendo DS family of systems. Already established as the nation’s best-selling video game platform of all time, the installed base of more than 47 million makes it the ideal hand-held for developers to reach a huge gaming-focused target audience.”
If you are still on the fence about getting either title yourself, we recently reviewed Pokémon Black & White and had some GREAT things to say about both, as they are without a doubt two of the best titles the esteemed RPG line has seen to date. I guess the question now though is now that these two mega titles are out, just what do Nintendo have brewing for the series next? I personally would like to see something new for the franchise in terms of the inevitable spin-off and now that this title paid off, maybe something fresh can be worth the risk of creating. Only time will tell on that, but for now fans can bask in the news that Pokémon still has the power to be a heavy contender in the gaming world.
The latest batch of PES 2011 DLC will arrive on March 15th for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC – as confirmed by Pro Evolution Soccer team leader Jon Murphy. The new downloadable content will feature new team line-up updates, new team strips and new football boots for in-game players.
It may seem trivial but anyone who has played a football game of late knows that it is the small details that count, and that developers are striving to make the virtual experience as authentic as possible. The latest strips, boots and line-ups in this up only reiterate this. Will anyone with PES 2011 be picking this up on the 15th of this month then? Let us know below!
The demo for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters has now arrived on PS3 and Xbox 360. The long awaited Augusta National Golf Club is now available in the Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters demo seeing as this years rendition of the series is the first to visit the Masters golf competition.
You’ll be able to live out moments on courses too exclusive for most to visit in real-life. In the demo, you can approach the tee box of the famous closing hole during the tournament’s final round in your quest to become the Masters champion and don the Green Jacket. In the “Play Now” setting, you can have that epic moment on the first ever virtual opportunity to play Augusta National’s par-4 18th.
Ok wow! Just when the excitement couldn’t get higher for the new addition to the Mortal Kombat franchise, creative director Ed Boon has appeared on GDC and unveiled a truck load of new footage and features! I could talk forever about these announcements, but rather here’s a nice, easy to read list! WARNING TO ALL MK FANS: This may blow your mind and you WILL feel overwhelmed by its awesomeness, but don’t worry, your good buddies here at Capsule Computers are here to take care of you all, here’s a nice list of the newly introduced information from Mr Boon himself!
FIGHTING MECHANICS:
This title is focused at alot for the hardcore Mortal Kombat fans. In fact, NeatherRelm Studios even went so far to get some tournament players into the studio to test it in order to balance out the game.
The meter at the bottom of the screen known for the newly added ‘X-ray’ move also can be used for preforming breakers, similar to the ones in Mortal Kombat Deception, it’s also used preform enhanced moves that are easier to do now, but players can’t spam it.
In a lot of ways, the controls are easier and more accessible than MK Vs DC.
Alot more custom combos are in this title, there’s very little attacks that are more than 3 hits, so theres a lot of juggling involved.
CHARACTERS
Some characters are more direct translated versions of the 2d games, such as Sektor, Cyrax, Sonya and Katana. (By the looks of things, Jax looks the same too, the best he’s looked since MK3 if you ask me!)
This game goes back alot to MK 2&3. If you have a favourite character from MK’s 1-3, chances are they are in this game.
It was implied that Kabal won’t be in the game, but it wasn’t confirmed. Perhaps he may be a DLC character?
There will be DLC, and downloadable characters.
It’s Implied, but not confirmed there might be an Xbox 360 exclusive character, much like how It’s confirmed PS3 will have Kratos from the God of War series.
It’s safe to assume that not all the character’s moves will appear in the moves list, and player will have to discover some for themselves.
There will be many alternative costumes based on the old, retro designs.
There’s heaps more characters yet to be announced!
Kratos has the most weapons in the game, using the head of head of helios, his bow and arrow and others. His classic chains will be used in special moves, not a basic attacks, and can do some pretty sweet combos by the sounds of things.
Noob Saibot will not have a flesh version of his costume.
FATALITIES
When creating fatalities for this game Boon said “There’re be one person saying ‘Oh no, that’s crossing the line, and we can’t do that!’, and that’s how you know you gotta do it! And so you have all these kinda morality arguments about on whats doable in the game, but when we started this game we knew we wanted to do a Mortal Kombat with fatalities that’d give you a kind of reaction like you felt when you played Mortal Kombat 1 & 2.”
It’s implied but not confirmed, there might be Bablities and/or Animalities in the game, but if it is, they won’t announce it and it would be for the fans to find themselves. More of a focus would be on Fatalities anyways as its going for a more serious vibe.
FATALITY TRAINING MODE! In a controlled environment, optional timer, indications where you should stand, the works. Everything you need to rip somebody’s head off in a few easy steps! Awesome
This Mortal Kombat will have the most stage fatalities in a game so far, and the most gruesome ones yet!
CHALLENGE TOWER
You can buy your way through challenges in the Challenge Tower, but it’s really expensive.
In Challenge Mode, the first few levels are tutorials, teaching you various controls and tactics, and then ‘crazy’ challenges come in around level 8.
Challenges Include: fighting people without heads, fighting zombies, stunt men and Tarkalans, target pacific body parts to attack, throwing limbs at enemies, fighting without heads, among other challenges.
Buy completing the 300th challenge, you will get the best reward ever, and you can use it online.
Many secrets of Mortal Kombat won’t be announced, because NeatherRealm studios wants to surprise us when we get the game.
MISC INFO
Theres quite a few more online features still to be announced.
Koins make a return!
There will be hidden fights and surprises hidden throughout the game.
The fans will impact DLC alot. If they see a fighter’s name being mentioned alot via twitter and such, they’ll definitely making that character included in DLC.
There is an ‘epic’, ‘massive’ story mode yet to be revealed!
There’s a huge unlocking system in the game, similar to The Krypt in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, with hidden codes and unloackable features and a currency system yet to be revealed.
FUN FACTS:
It was Ed Boon’s Birthday the other week, so Happy Birthday to him!
A retail truck tour will be touring the USA, hitting up retailers, including Chiago and Los Angeles and Ed Boon himself will personally appear at one or two of them!
According to Gamespot, Australia has a King, and his name is Bruce.
One small feature I noticed in gameplay footage which I found interesting was the personalised reactions to winning a round while the enemy is getting up. Jax will kiss a forearm muscle and Kano will spit on the opponent. It’s a small addition, but it really shows how polished the presentation is for this title.
Mortal Kombat is coming out April 19th on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, but the exciting news doesn’t stop there! On the 8th of March, the Demo for Mortal Kombat will be available for Playstation Plus members, and open to all Playstation Network users worldwide on March 15th! An Xbox 360 demo will also be available on a later date.
We here at Capsule Computers have an online petition you can sign here to update the classification system in Australia to include an 18+ rating and to lift the ban of Mortal Kombat down under, check it out and help support the game!
Entitled ‘Shifting Focus’, Codemastershas released a new video for the upcoming first person shooter “Operation Flashpoint: Red River”, the sequel to 2009’s Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising. The video focuses on the backstory of the game and showcases new gameplay footage, as well as giving players an idea on the new combat situation in Tajikistan, US Marines against the Chinese People’s Liberation Army who seek to skate a claim as “the preeminent military authority in the region”. The Operation Flashpoint series is known for its authentic, realistic, intense tactical combat and Operation Flashpoint: Red River is no different as the latest game in the series which will introduce for the first time, full four player co-op campaign.
Operation Flashpoint: Red River is set to be released onto the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC on April 21 in Europe and April 26 in North America.
Tekken players can rejoice as Namco Bandai are collaborating with the Tekken Community to organise a competitive event in the UK. It will be called Tekken Force, and is planned to be a monthly Tekken tournament, taking place on the last Friday of each month at HMV Gamerbase in London’s Trocader from 7-11pm and there will be lots of prizes up for grabs.
Matches will be played on PS3, commencing with a round robin followed by the straight knockout stages. Prizes include cash, vouchers and hardware — entry is open to all. You can stay up to date with the latest news and track the progress of the even over on the Tekken Force Facebook and Twitter, as well as find out exactly how to enter.
For all those who are missing out, Ubisoft recently announced an interesting game called ‘We Dare‘, for the Nintendo Wii that is spawning quite some controversy! Some are calling it the greatest idea for a game ever, while others see it as potentially one of the most awkward games of all time. It’s a game similar to wii sports, but is advertised as ‘quirky’ and ‘sexy’. While the many mini game’s content that play are basic standards for a wii motion party game such as flying through hoops and eating apples, the gameplay itself involves spanking, kissing wii remotes and of coarse, stripping! But here’s the catch: for some reason it has been banned in America! Europe and Australia will get the game though, as it has only been given a PG 12+ rating! Whatever side your opinions are on it however, there is no denying that the uproar, outrage and hilarious jokes on the internet arn’t a joy to read and watch, so here is a collection of some of my favorite quotes on the game that I’ve seen so far! If you have anything else to say, feel free to add it below in the comments section!
“The game where you shove wii motes in your pants. GAME OF THE YEAR PEOPLE. HANDS DOWN”– iProjectPixel, Youtube User
“For a 12 year old to play something like this, you’re taking away their innocence..When everyone starts joining in, then you’ll get the perverts playing.”– Caller on the daily UK talk show The Wright Stuff
“I’m really excited about it Jeff, It was really hard to convince girls to f**k me during wii bowling..”–Brian “Murph” Murphy from dorkly.com
“I think if this game existed when I was a kid, I think my dad would’ve bought me a copy to encourage me to find a girlfriend! It would not have worked, I would’ve found a cheat code of something.”-Jeff Rubin from collagehumor.com
“It is encouraging under-age sex. The video pretty much shows them swapping partners, girl-on-girl kissing. That kind of thing is not something that young teenagers should be exposed to.”–Concerned parent, Laura Pearson, from Birmingham (quoted from thedailymail.co.uk)
“It’s only like a modern day spin the bottle. It’s just a bit of harmless fun.”–Sandra Betts, who has a 15-year-old son (quoted from thedailymail.co.uk)
“Now weirdly it’s banned in America, Europe might be going the same way, but in Australia, they rate it a PG. Either their sex over there is crazy, yet they ban MK so I guess it’s the gore they don’t like, but they like seeing a bit of bum…”–JASONMOORE87, Youtube Blogger
“This is weird right, cause when I was a little kid, me and my uncle used to play this game all the time!”– Greg Miller, from IGN Entertainment
“Share your Wiimote, share your wife”–Ben Kuchera, Editor from arstechnica.com
“I’ll never look at or buy a pre-owned nintendo wii controller ever again!” – Dustin Spencer, capsulecomputers.com.au
Oh yeah and there’s also countless parodies on youtube, and of coarse this awesome comic from games.on.net:
My personal favourite however was a simple pun on Ubisoft-“Ubihard’, as told on The Daily Mail. It should be noted that the majority of the controversy is not aimed at the games content, but rather at it’s rating: 12+. The game only implies sexual references at the most, so nothing sexual actually occurs within the game. While the game is banned in America, the game is still just PG here in Australia, while we have banned Mortal Kombat a few weeks ago. You can sign the Capsule Computers petition to include an R18+ rating for Australian gamers here. This has spawned a lot of controversy, and the future of the game will be interesting to say the least.
Personally, Im interested to see how it works out. This can either be the most awkward video game of all time, or a revolutionary title. Either way, kudos to Ubisoft on such an original concept for a video game. It really brings a new meaning to the term ‘co operative gameplay’, that’s for sure! 😛
It’s safe to say that Rockstar’s upcoming title, L.A. Noire, has gotten a few heads turning in the gaming world. We know you all have busy lives, so Capsule Computers has compiled a useful “All You Need to Know” so that you can get all the information you need in one place.
Name: L.A. Noire Developer: Team Bondi Publisher: Rockstar Games Release date: May 17th 2011 (US), May 20th 2011 (Europe and Oceania)
What is L.A. Noire?
L.A. Noire is a crime thriller game that combines elements of action and shooter genres. Players explore a re-creation of 1947 Los Angeles that is inspired by 1940s and 50s film noir and real life crimes. The game features new facial animation technology (Motion Scan), countless voice actors, and a detailed storyline to create one of the most anticipated games of 2011.
What is the storyline?
You play as LAPD detective Cole Phelps, a former World War II soldier who lives and works in a post-war Los Angeles. The city is rife with corruption, from drug dealers to murderers, and it is up to you to solve the latest string of crimes that have been committed. Phelps has to fight for the truth behind arson, conspiracies, and serial killers in order to discover a major secret that lies in the underbelly of the city.
How will the game screen be laid out?
The game screen is laid out similar to the Grand Theft Auto series. Phelps navigates a highly realistic world with a map displaying destinations and enemies on the bottom right hand corner. Players can drive cars or walk to their destination in the same way that people in 1940s LA did…that is, with lots of traffic and people everywhere.
Are there missions?
Instead of missions, Phelps will work his way through five crime desks: patrol, traffic, homicide, vice, and arson. Each case within these desks has different parts, and players will have to visit crime scenes, collect clues, question witnesses, track suspects, and then interrogate them.
Within missions, players will sometimes engage in shoot outs with criminals (of course, in third person shooter style), or have to chase and catch a criminal by car or foot.
How will interrogation work?
Once you bring a suspect back to the interrogation room, you can choose from a range of different questions to ask. Players will have to gauge the reaction of the suspect to the question to determine whether what they say is the truth, a lie, or if it’s doubtful. Evidence can also be produced to accuse the suspect of a crime, or get them to talk more. Phelps will collect any clues or evidence found in his notebook, which can be referred back to for more information.
Is there multiplayer?
While we would love to solve crimes with other players and gang up on suspects, L.A. Noire features no multiplayer components. In a Q&A, Rockstar Games said “the combination of innovative technology and unique gameplay that allow you to solve crimes through interrogations and investigation is really one that’s geared entirely for a single-player experience.”
How historically accurate is the setting?
Phelps’ surroundings are meticulously done and almost an exact replica of 1940s Los Angeles. The Hollywood sign is visible in L.A. Noire – but not the one we’re familiar with. Apparently, the pre-1949 Hollywood sign actually said “Hollywoodland”, and was used to promote a new housing development. Warner Bros signs appear outside cinemas with “Now Playing” films, and there are signs in the game saying “Keep our city clean”. The team sure have done their research.
<What are some cases that players will come across?
In addition to a historically accurate setting, many of L.A. Noire’s crime cases are inspired from real life crimes from the 1940s. One case, “The Red Lipstick Murder”, was based on a real-life murder which took place in 1947 (you can read more about the case here). While the cases in the game are original in their own respect – different endings to unsolved cases, different locations, different characters, and so forth – the creators have made no secret in telling gamers that there is a certain grain of truth to this shady underworld.
Stay tuned for regular updates on this title…the release date can’t come soon enough.
With L.A. Noire’s release just over two months away, Rockstar took the liberty to answer a few questions about the game. Trust us when we say: this just makes us even more excited for the release!
“What is the official release date for LA Noire?”– received via Twitter “Nice to know the dates of release but what about a date for Australia?” – Tommy_Spaghetti
As confirmed officially recently, L.A. Noire will be coming to stores for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on May 17th 2011 in North America and May 20th 2011 in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. If you’re in another territory not covered in the above and would like to know when to expect the release of the game, drop us a line at[email protected] and we should be able to confirm the release availability for you.
“Hey Rockstar love the new LA Noire trailer! So you’re tracking down a serial killer the whole game?? Can’t wait to find out more!”– received via Mouthoff
Thanks! And actually the serial killer crimes are really just one portion of the game story. You are hot on the trail of that killer while working the Homicide crime desk, which is just one of five total crime desks Cole Phelps will work.
“@R* is there multiplayer in L.A. Noire? or just single player?”– ghostcheez
There will be no multiplayer component of L.A. Noire, the combination of innovative technology and unique gameplay that allow you to solve crimes through interrogations and investigation is really one that’s geared entirely for a single-player experience. Trust us that this is a game unlike any you’ve played before, very different not only for us here at Rockstar but for videogames as a medium. Bolting on generic multiplayer on top of that would not make much sense, or be a good use of our time or development budget! Hope this clears up any confusion. We thought this would be spelt out in some of last week’s previews, but as it wasn’t, we felt we should clarify ourselves.
“Hi R*. We heard about interrogations and analyzing a crime scene in L.A. Noire but what about follow a suspect on foot and in car, gathering information from informants, tap a phone call, milk a conversation? ….could be nice to hear more about gameplay.” – realrasta
Glad to see you’re getting into the spirit of it all; and yes, many of those things (but not all) and more will be part of the gameplay of L.A. Noire. From investigating crime scenes with a keen detective’s eye, to tense interrogations where you’ll have to pick up on nuances of what the suspect may (or may not) be telling you, to action-packed pursuit on foot, in car, plus fights and shootouts. We really wanted the game to make you feel like you are actually a detective, working criminal cases and making decisions about how you solve crimes and to build out a variety of gameplay moments and experiences to that effect. Look for a special new gameplay video about this subject called “Investigation and Interrogation” dropping this week.
“So, will I be able to choose from a wide range of questions when interrogating a suspect?” –The4ourTy67 “I’m guessing you get to choose from different questions/responses to ask your witness or suspect? Can these interrogations change the course of the game/story if not handled properly? Personally this aspect of the game is the most exciting for me. Nothing beats a good Noire mystery, I really hope that the cases take some serious effort to solve.” – IWIHooligan
You will always be given a range of questions when you interrogate a suspect, but the number and content of those questions is determined by how efficient you’ve been at searching related crime scenes for clues. The clues you discover can open up different leads to new locations or suspects, which in turn open up new options for a player to decide how to go about solving a case. Then during interrogations, it’s up to the player to correctly analyze a suspect in order to get the most information from them. Knowing when to believe a suspect, when to doubt them, and when to be certain they are lying (by presenting them with your evidence) will open up new ways for you to solve each case correctly. In every case, there is only one real truth about what happened – it’s up to your skill as a detective to discover it.
“All of those pre-order bonuses sound awesome but is there any way to get all of them? Hate to have to choose just one.” – received via Mouthoff
All of the L.A. Noire pre-order content will be made available for purchase as DLC at some point after the game comes out. We have long planned to do this for all digital pre-order items. In case you’re interested, the Red Dead Redemption pre-order items (Deadly Assassin Outfit, Golden Guns Weapon Pack and War Horse) will finally be available for download via Xbox LIVE and PlayStation Network this April. Apologies that has taken so long, but we ran into some technical issues. Stay tuned for more details.
“R*, will we be able to see the Hollywood sign in L.A. Noire???”– rk8000
Yes, however since the game takes place prior to the year 1949, we have the historically accurate original version “HOLLYWOODLAND” sign in there. You can read the full history of that iconic landmark at the Hollywood Sign wiki page here, but in short; the sign was originally erected in 1923 to promote the Hollywoodland housing development in the hills. It wasn’t until 1949 that the city of Los Angeles decreed that the sign be changed to be broadly about the district of Hollywood.
R20;So are we playing as a police detective or a private investigator in L.A. Noire?R21; – ghostx1984
You will play as LAPD detective Cole Phelps, and as the game progresses and you solve more cases, you will rise up through the ranks of the LAPD from a beat cop to other positions. Much more will be revealed about that in due time.
“Is this going to be a sandbox game? If yes, is it going to be GTA style or more like Mafia where it’s really more of a set story game in sandbox world…” – MarenkaS
L.A. Noire is a detective game, and it is unlike any game we have made or anyone else has made that we are aware of. You solve a series of crimes, some of which are linked and some of which are not, in 1947 Los Angeles. As a company, we try to design games around the content and setting, rather than form the setting to the game design. So the answer to your question is not a simple yes or no, but it’s definitely not ‘GTA with fedoras’ and is something very original we’re excited for everyone to experience this May.
“Is the music in the L.A. Noire trailer original to the game?” – received via Twitter
The music in both trailers are pieces of original composition from the soundtrack, we will have full details on all of the music soon.
“I really like that L.A. Noire artwork [of Cole Phelps]. Are you going to release more artwork soon?” –The4ourTy67
Thanks! And most definitely. Look for lots more original L.A. Noire artwork of characters from the game as well as of some of the grisly crime scenes in the game to be revealed and released in the weeks and months ahead.
“[L.A. Noire] looks really great!!!! So the real murders and crimes of the 40’s like the Black Dahlia murder are gonna be in this game or something??? I read something on Game Informer that says “suffice it to say that this game might feature some of Rockstar’s grittiest content ever.” Well this sound’s more and more awesome!!!!!!!!” – Mortal91ify
Thank you. Yes, all of the cases in the game that you’ll solve as Detective Cole Phelps are inspired by real life crimes that happened during the 1940’s. Names and places may have been changed though, along with a good degree of creative embellishment to add extra drama and twists and turns.
