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.
Excited for the impending release of Duke Nukem Forever? Of course you are. That much should be obvious. With the long awaited return of the undisputed King of ass kicking, gamers far and wide have taken to countless video game retailer outlets, hoping to pre-order themselves their own little slice of the action. Any self-respecting gamer will understand how HUGE this release is going to be, particularly for fans and collectors who have suffered for 12, Duke-less years waiting for this. However, ordering in the Balls of Steel Collectors edition will soon be an impossible task, with order limits already being hit worldwide.
That said fans of the series that are still determined to grab themselves some form of collector memorabilia for the Duke Nukem release have another option available. EB Games Australia has recently announced the addition of the Duke Nukem “King” edition, for those fans who still want to be able to obtain Duke Nukem collectible merchandise. Enclosed in this sweet little package includes the exclusive bonuses that can be seen below:
The limited edition ‘King’ edition Duke Nukem Forever game.
A limited edition pack of Duke Nukem Bubblegum. So now YOU can kick ass while chewing bubblegum.
A set of Duke theme playing cards (The same kind that Duke typically uses in his favourite casinos.)
The “Ego-Boost” DLC which increases Duke’s in game health 2-fold.
Additional bonus costume DLC for Duke to be worn in-game.
And, you NOW it’s likely that there are a few hardcore fans that won’t even OPEN that gum… Regardless, it’s an impressive little package, and is available as an EXCLUSIVE to Australian customers who order from EB. Now, while the bonuses are nowhere near as extensive as those of the BoS edition, the King edition is currently being run for the same price as the stock standard edition, which means that the enclosed bonuses are essentially free for customers that pre-order well enough ahead of May 6. If you missed out on the Balls of Steel edition, then make sure you don’t miss this one!
Best get the orders in ASAP, and get ready to hail to the King baby.
Pokémon White Developer: Game Freak Publishers: Nintendo, The Pokémon Company Platform: Nintendo DS (Reviewed) Release: March 6th, 2011 Price: $35.00 US, £34.99 UK, $70.00 AUS
Overview:
How many game franchises can you name that are recognizable from the youngest child to adults graduating out of college today? I can guarantee that Pokémon would be at the top of that list. Pokémon itself is so widely recognize today that whenever a new game to the series is announced fans everywhere clamor to see what has been added or changed.
With the latest installment being the Pokémon White & Black games we see perhaps one of the most upgraded pair of Pokémon games to hit the market since the series’ creation. Have all these improvements changed the formula or only improved upon what we know and love. Let’s find out.
Storyline:
As with every Pokémon game you begin your journey in a small town that would be better named as a village due to having only a few residents living within its borders, the town itself is called Nuvema and will be the home to the Unova region’s next Pokémon master. This is where some changes are immediately noticeable however considering the fact that rather than have just one friend, you start with two.
Cheren and Bianca are the characters that fill up the role as best friends/rival trainers this time around and play a much more active role as the game’s story progresses further than what fans of the series may have experienced in previous games where they’re rivals only showed up to fight here and there.
In your house there sits a gift box and inside are three starter Pokémon that have been given to you by Professor Juniper. They allow you to have first pick between your standard fire (Tepig), water (Oshawott), and grass (Snivy) Pokémon and then begins your journey (after numerous tutorials) into a world full of new Pokémon you have never seen before and log them into your Pokédex.
But all is not peaceful in the Unova region. A large organization named Team Plasma has sprung up in the Unova region and with them comes their legion of grunts wearing medieval soldiers’ uniforms. They preach about the way that Pokémon have been treated unfairly and that the best thing for Pokémon is to be free. To do this they will stop at nothing even if it means stealing Pokémon away from any trainer that they come across.
Team Plasma is perhaps one of the biggest delights about the story in Pokémon White because of the way they so closely mirror PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) in the real world. Though PETA can claim that they are helping animals occasionally their methods can be seen as extreme if not damaging to the animals they are trying to save, and that is exactly what Team Plasma is doing as is demonstrated by immediate the abuse of a Munna Pokémon that they are trying to “save.” Now what exactly Team Plasma’s motivation is for their freeing of Pokémon everywhere is a mystery to even the sharpest minds of the Unova region.
Graphics:
If anything has seen a huge revamp from previous Pokémon games in Pokémon White is the presentation of everything. The whole world has seen an entire revamp from standard 2D environments to a 3D world unlike anything we have seen before in a hand held Pokémon game. The camera itself is the best part of this advancement into the realm of 3D environments due to the fact that the angles isn’t content to simply stay at the same angle it used to in previous games.
For the majority of the game you will find yourself with the standard camera angle that the game has featured since its creation. This all changes in certain areas as the camera angle changes to depending on where you are and how your character is moving through the environment. The camera isn’t even content to stay in one position when you enter buildings, instead zooming in as you enter to provide a sense of entering the building. This change to the camera angle really brings out the 3D environments and highlights the advancements the series has made graphically.
This translates extremely well into the battles. Gone are the days of static Pokémon with only slight movements depending on their attack. Now you will find yourself entering battle with an entirely animated Pokémon. Every single Pokémon has specific actions that they do while on the screen for a battle and though some may simply be wagging a tail, others are full body actions. This breaks up what would otherwise be the standard monotony of turn based battling into a visual delight. Oh and that active camera that I mentioned earlier returns and slides around the screen during a lull in battle, but when your moves strike home it provides a closer look at your enemy.
If only they were able to make your own Pokémon look great from behind. While your opponents’ Pokémon may be a sight to behold the view from your side of the screen is not a flattering one. The Pokémon on your side of the field often look pixelated and are a far cry from the level of quality seen everywhere else in the game.
This quality can especially be seen during the Xtransciever calls you receive occasionally during gameplay from other characters in the game. During these calls you are treated to a hand drawn looking portrait of each characters’ face (reminiscent of a Visual Novel) involved in the communication. These character portraits are impressive to look at and almost seem out of place after you leave the call and return to the standard exploration mode.
Audio:
There have been a few changes done to the audio presentation as well. Sure there is no actual voicework being done (besides the signature noises of each new Pokémon) and everything is still text based but the background music has seen an upgrade. This is significantly noticeable during battles as the music changes tone and becomes more dire as your own Pokémon are about to faint. Then immediately changes back when you heal/switch your active Pokémon. The world music itself has seen an upgrade in quality and is actually worth listening to instead of turning down your volume to avoid it.
Gameplay:
Pokémon White continues the tried and true structure of all previous Pokémon games. Pokémon appear whenever you are venturing into tall grass and when one appears in front of you, you must do battle with it. Using your own Pokémon you can either choose to capture the Pokémon or make it faint. Any Pokémon you do capture using your Pokéballs will either stay with you, or if you have more than six they will be transported into the box system.
The battles themselves, while they look great, have undergone practically zero change. They are turn based affairs and even against other Pokémon trainers you will find yourself undergoing the same exact process that you have gone through thousands of times before. Ironically the best thing that the developers could have done was do nothing to the battle structure and that is exactly what they did.
One thing that has changed in Pokémon White is the fact that there are 156 new Pokémon between the two versions of the game. This has been done before of course but there is another change that makes these new Pokémon quite interesting. Every old Pokémon that you would normally come across has been removed from the game and will not appear at all during the story of the game itself. Instead the Unova region is full of fresh faces and new opportunities to pick which Pokémon is your favorite.
Earlier I mentioned that battles had stayed the same at heart and that is true. But there has been a new form of battling introduced which adds a bit more spice to the equation. I am talking of course about the triple battle feature which, as it sounds, places three of your Pokémon against three enemy Pokémon. The structure of the battle is roughly the same but instead of being able to target whichever Pokémon on the other team you want to, it varies depending on the position of the current Pokémon. Meaning if you are selecting an attack for your middle Pokémon it will be able to attack any of the enemies and the ones on the outside can only attack the far left two or the far right two respectively.
This is a nice addition and the restriction of targeting your enemy’s Pokémon creates an interesting barrier for those who do not think ahead. Also added is the Rotation Battle which places three Pokémon on each side of the field but instead of an all-out brawl you will only be able to fight with the Pokémon on the front ranks while the other two sit in the back and wait until you decide to rotate the battleground and bring a fresh Pokémon to the front.
These additions to the battle are a nice touch but another nice change is the fact that TMs have received a change in formula. Rather than vanishing the instant you use them on your Pokémon they now are re-usable and can be taught to as many Pokémon as you wish which removes the worry of wasting a TM on a Pokémon you may find a replacement for hours later.
Pokémon also features a new C-Gear which functions as a focus for the WiFi and Wireless abilities within Pokémon White. This provides a more streamlined way to access a number of Pokémon’s online features but a number of them, including trading and battling other players, comes from within the various Pokémon Centers spread across the Unova region. There is a small problem attached to using the C-Gear however as it provides a heavy strain on the Nintendo DS’ battery and can shorten battery life significantly.
Overall:
Pokémon White has seen a number of upgrades to the standard Pokémon formula with little change to the basic structure and this has worked extremely well for the game’s fanbase. The inclusion of the triple battle system adds some spice to the already upgraded visual style of the battle system while the fact that new Pokémon faces are everywhere to be had equals a large step forward for the series while only stumbling over pixelated back sprites.
Game Name:Pokemon Black Version Platform(s): Nintendo DS Publisher(s):Nintendo Developer(s):Gamefreak Genre(s): RPG Release Date: March 6, 2011 (US), March 4, 2011 (EU) March 10, 2011 (AU) Price: $34.99 BUY NOW!
Since Pokémon Red & Blue’s release well over 15 years ago, just about no other franchise has evolved more than the main Pokémon series. After producing 12 titles so far in the main series (not including remakes), Gamefreak and Nintendo have now released Pokémon Black & White for the Nintendo DS.
These two titles come with the promise of starting “A New Beginning” for aspiring trainers everywhere with newly added gameplay mechanics as well as a cast of over 150 new monsters to catch, train, and breed while on yet another quest to become a Pokémon master. The question now is does this new start actually feel fresh, or is the series starting to lose it’s luster. Here is my review for Pokémon Black.
Story
As with every Pokémon title, you start as a young trainer in a small town, ready to embark on your own journey to become a Pokémon master. After some standard introductions via Professor Juniper, you soon meet your two close friends, Cherrin and Bianca, and quickly it becomes time to select your first Pokémon to embark on this new quest which are all wrapped up neatly in the form of a gift. The three starters consist of the water starter, Oshawatt, the fire type, Tepig, and finally the grass type, Snivy. Making this decision is a big one as the Pokémon you choose will somewhat effect challenges and events later in the game.
When you are finished completing the basic training tasks and tutorials, you then set off on your quest to conquer the brand new region of Unova. Unova is much farther away than any of the areas players have traversed through in the past, being completely cut off just about from any of the previous region’s Pokémon and characters alike. This means however that everything, from trainers to the monsters themselves feel brand new and makes the journey much more fulfilling not knowing what is around the next corner.
As for the plot, you still must try to discover every crevice of the region, filling up your Pokédex and aiming to “catch em’ all”, while taking on Unova’s eight gym leaders and Elite Four. That part has stayed relatively the same aside from the varied personalities along the way. There is also an evil team for Black & White by the name of Team Plasma.
Team Plasma are very different from any of the previous teams in the past, as they are actually fans of Pokémon themselves and see trainers as evil for keeping the creatures in Pokéballs for use in battle. Plasma play a huge role in the game’s story and you will be seeing a lot of them as you move from town to town on your journey. This plotline feels a bit more mature and political in a sense while adding some of the most in depth “villians” I have personally seen so far in the series.
My favorite part of the series as a whole has always been the whole exploration factor though, and the many offbeat characters that inhabit the region make this as fun as ever with quick, witty dialogue and interesting little side-quests in which you can partake in. Locations, trainers and citizens of Unova alike make it easy to want to progress futher in this title and ensure there is never too much of a dull moment ahead.
Gameplay
For Pokémon Black & White, many elements of gameplay have been added and enhanced for the overall battling experience as a whole, which does wonders to make the system feel fresh despite it’s age. The first thing to talk about would be the way you go about catching Pokémon to start with. As you travel Unova, patches of grass, caves, and water all are home to the many various Pokémon which are needed to fill up your Pokédex. Nearly all the Pokémon in the game can be caught standardly in Pokéballs, so staying stocked up at all times is essential if you want to capture each wild encounter you may come across. Catching is nearly exactly the same as it was in past titles, relying on the specific ball used as well as a little luck and how much HP is remaining for your potential catch with up to six being used for your team, and as usual, the others are sent to the PC storage system. I will say for the first time ever in my many years with the series, I caught my first shiny and nearly fell over with excitement. Little rare quirks like that in my opinion boost the demand to hunt for Pokémon in general and make exploration a lot more rewarding.
Battling has grown even more complex than what we seen in Diamond/Pearl/Platinum from a strategic standpoint, but still relies on the same system of type advantages and grooming the proper moveset to best ensure victory over whatever foe you may be up against. Each Pokémon has a distinct nature, which can be completely random and slightly effects the way they perform in battle. As you progress and win each battle, experience is given which is used to level up your team’s stats and level, and the great news for this title is that overall is that it is easy to keep a balanced level team with all of the wild battles as well as trainer encounters you come across. Random battles do seem a bit more frequent this time around, but due to the varied Pokémon you can encounter, these never become overbearing or monotonous.
Brand new to the series are Triple & Rotation Battles. A standard triple battle is exactly how it sounds and plays nearly identical to a double battle, but with the extra Pokémon in tow. The only thing is that Pokémon on the left cannot hit the opponent’s team member on the right, and vice-versa. Pokémon in the center are free to hit all three opposing members, however. Rotation battles work quite a bit different. While still using three team members, only one is allowed to attack at a time. To use another party member, you must rotate the field left or right, moving your Poké right into the battle zone, enabling it to attack. Both of these new additions are not utilized all that much within the game, but make for a great change of pace (and strategy) when encountered.
One of the most important elements of battling is each Pokémon’s own moveset. As you level up, you are rewarded new moves to use in battle. Each Pokémon on your team still can only have four moves, so upgrading techniques throughout the game still is yet another important feature to stay on top of. Each monster’s movepool still consists of offensive, defensive, and status effecting techniques which can change tip the flow of battle in an instant. For instance if you are unfamiliar, a move like Sleep powder will lull the opposing Pokémon to sleep, incapacitating it for a set number of turns, or moves like Toxic will Poison the foe and slowly drain their HP while they are active in battle. Other attacks and maneuvers are mainly used for quick, HP reducing moves, or simply raise stats when applied in battle. This whole layout has been perfected and fine-tuned in Pokémon Black, and keep battling at the forefront of the entire game while adding in many brand new attacks in the process.
Pokémon still have separate abilities which can be used in battle as well. Each ability takes a trait from a specific Pokémon and then uses the said trait to that monster’s advantage. A good example for this is Sandile’s Moxie, which increases the attack stat after it faints an opponent. This title does a great job of utilizing these even more so with this release, adding in even more strategy to be applied to a player’s technique for battles in general.
Along with the quite hefty battles comes the tools that assist you on your quest. Items in the game can be purchased at the shops (which are now conveniently located in Pokémon Centers), as well being found scattered throughout Unova. Potions and status curing items are the most common, but the hold items are still very present and can give your team some much needed assistance for training and battles as well. TMs and HMs are also back with full force, but now with TMs possessing infinite usage, lifting the one-time-only restrictions of the past.
Battles are not where the gameplay ends though, as there is plenty to do other than just toughen up and fight with your team. There are a few mini-game like opportunities which come along which are a great break from an intense route or gym. As you make your way through the game, many puzzles also come into play which can be found in caves as well as gyms and require completion to move forward. These are not too complex, but battles found along the way give these the challenge they need to make it all the more rewarding when you make it to your destination.
Menus have also gotten a small face lift, but not really much has changed other than the mapping of Key Items, which let you hop on your bike, go fishing, ect. by just hitting the Y button as a small menu pops up letting you quickly choose an option. Sometimes certain things still seem like a chore to do, such as using the PC or accessing online functions, but honestly, this hasn’t changed since the start so I can’t find too much room to complain, though it is one minor thing that could use some polish in the future.
Online/C-Gear
Near the beginning of your journey, you are given a device by the name of the C-Gear. The C-Gear is always displayed on the bottom screen (unless you are in a menu) and controls a good portion of the online functions of the game. Each cartridge has infrared sensors built in, which makes swapping friend codes extremely easy as now you can point your DS at a friends’ and swap data instantly. There is also a wireless/wi-fi video-chat feature labeled the Xtransciever, and while small, it is a great distraction and has some features such as voice modification and doodling which are fun to play around with. Up to four players can use the Xtransciever wirelessly, or two can go over Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi mode does require the extra steps of actually adding a friend code in the pal pad, then accessing the wi-fi room to be used, but I encountered hardly any lag whatsoever on the device and felt like this is what the DSi/DSiXL has needed since release. The C-Gear also boasts many new features to toy around with as well, such as wireless battles, trades, and other minor add-ons which make the interactivity between Black & White come full circle.
Graphics/Audio
When it comes to graphically changing a game, both Black and White have definitely evolved the series in major ways due to the small visual touches applied to just about everything in the game. While in battle, each sprite is fully animated and gives life to each Pokémon. Even the smallest details such as a Pokémon blinking and even finally closing their eyes when asleep have been applied which just makes the game feel like no others before it. When I first jumped into my first battle though, the back sprites did seem a little pixely around the edges, but after spending so many hours with the game, this became more of an afterthought. The camera also zooms out and in, making the battles much more intense with the fully animated battle seqeuences
As well as the Pokémon and battles, each city and environment has gotten a huge boost in presentation as well. The second I walked out of my house near the beginning, a couple of Woobat flew over, with the wind blowing Autumn leaves overhead. It really was a sight to see as since Platinum, Gamefreak have been enhancing small touches in towns with minor touches like animated windmills flashing lights on buildings, but Black and White seems to have captured the full on environmental feel and improved vastly from that, adding a huge exclamation point to the whole experience. Camera angles also play a huge part of the game as they add a lot of depth to each location, pulling back and zooming in to put off a better feel of each location making everything feel like much more 3-D and full of life with detailed buildings and environments, animated citizens, and seasonal changes which occur every month.
Music has always been an important part of the Pokemon series, and Black & White offers quite a soundtrack that should keep fans happy for years to come. Each tune is perfectly adjusted for whatever situation or town you may be in and quite memorable as well. A really nice feature was how the battle music can change instantly, such as when a gym leader is down to their last Pokémon or your team member is low on health. This boosts the feeling of intensity with each battle dramatically and keeps you on the edge of your seat during crucial moments. Sound effects have also never been better. Environmental sounds such as wind blowing or raindrops tapping in puddles add a lot of depth to each area and work with the visuals to tie in a full on feel for your location. Pokémon cries also sound sharp and do a great job of capturing the essence of a Pokémon’s personality.
Overall
Pokémon Black & White really could have been just clones of previous titles we have seen on the DS and still would have been great titles, but the finished product we were given should be any Pokéfan’s dream. Everything feels fresh and new, leaving excitement around every corner and is still easily accessible to those who may be new to the series. Battles are more of the same and have not changed a lot, but the new presentation make this aged system feel modern and pushes the series towards the future. I felt very involved throughout the whole story as well, which made it hard to even turn off my DS at times and left me running to my charger on several occasions after hours of gameplay.
It seems with these titles, Gamefreak and Nintendo now officially know that most players that pick up Pokémon titles are going to invest a lot of time into the games, and they did a spectacular job at making this time spent well worth it with many past features being fine tuned and perfected while adding in an even more interesting and diverse world to explore. All of the extra online features are just icing on this sweet-Pokéball shaped cake. Pokémon as a series has came a long way and matured a lot since Red & Blue, and the future is looking as bright as ever now for the series with the release of Pokémon Black & White.
