Idiots, Tests, and Summoned Beings, also known as Baka to Test to Shōkanjū’s first season broadcast ended on March 31st, however Silver Light, their studio, has released a public statement on the shows website announcing the production of a second season.
The show was comedic genius which mixed together your usual school life and outrageous battles involving test scores, which works amazingly well. Baka to Test revolves around Class F, the worst class of the school and how they are planning on battling their way up to Class A. The only problem is that the class grades represent their own grades and battle levels. Meaning Class F is full of idiots, and class A has the smartest students in the school. Throw in romantic comedy involving the biggest idiot of all, Akihisa Yoshii, and his classmates and hilarity ensues. Baka to Test to Shōkanjū has recently been licensed by Funimation Entertainment and has already designed a website where various episodes may be watched streaming from their site, so good news for everyone if they plan to bring the series over to American audiences.
A huge chunk of the internet has had access to the blur beta, and recently there was a patch that raised the level cap from 10 to 15.
But, if you didn’t get into the closed beta, it is planned to become an open beta on April 6th. According to the lead designer “We basically ran out of codes, so next week we are going to go live with the whole thing publicly so anyone can download it.”
The most I’ve ever seen in the beta at one time were 1000 with about 300 people per room, except 1 with only 12. Recently the amount has dropped even more, getting as low as 36 in a normal racing lobby. The new comers will revive the races and extend play time even longer. They will have trouble winning with all the level 15 people though. Since I’m a nice guy I stopped at level 14 to give everyone a chance at beating me.
The Ipad is not even out yet, but you may be seeing various updates for applications on your Iphone or Ipod Touch to make them compatible with Ipads, well here is Gameloft announcing a total of eight different games the day before the Ipad is officially released to the public.
The list is as follows:
* N.O.V.A. Near Orbit Vangard Alliance
* Modern Combat: Sandstorm
* Dungeon Hunter
* Asphalt 5
* UNO
* NFL 2010
* Let’s Golf
* Real Football 2010
All of these games have been “HD Optimised” for play on the Ipad, take that as you will, and will run $6.99 for download once the Ipad is released. Minus N.O.V.A. which will run you $10.
NOVA has recieved multi touch support and features which are available on the Ipad and not on previous iterations of Iphones or Ipod touches. Plus UNO will feature four player multi-player modes allowing you to play with up to 3 other friends using one Ipad, or by connecting to other friends’ Ipads or Iphones locally or via Wi-Fi.
This is good news for everyone that wishes to update to an Ipad, but I hope that companies don’t start to leave the Iphone and Ipod touch behind when it comes to developing applications and games in the future. These are all updated and improved versions of previous game apps, but I wonder if they will continue to provide for both aspects of the Apple app market. What do you guys think about this Ipad and what it may mean for Iphone/Ipod touches?
Yes you heard that right to celebrate the release of the Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package, Microsoft have a special on the Modern Warfare 2 Night Vision Goggles for your your Xbox 360 Avatar. They are absolutely FREE till Sunday !!
So click on the link below and get yourself some cool Goggles free of charge and be the coolest dude on Xbox Live !!
Overview:
Create a fighter, eat a LOT, get fat, train, and take on the best animated Sumo wrestlers in tournaments around the world!
Story:
The story for the game (what little story there is) is very simple: your character starts off as a thin, Juryo-class wrestler, and through a repeated sequence of eating, training, and fighting in tournaments you rise through the ranks of Sumo to the level of Yokozuna (Grand Champion).
During the tournaments you take on a sequence of wrestlers from diverse countries, with names to match. For example “Ayers Rock” from Australia, “Sprout” from Belgium, and “Tulip” from the Netherlands.
That is about as complicated as matters get – you eat, get fat, and then you fight (a lot!). In this case, the game is exactly as described in the title!
Graphics:
The graphics are very simple and cartoonish, which suits the game perfectly. The fighters are rendered in 3D, but are only seen side-on for the most part. The venues for each tournament, the backgrounds and the crowd are all drawn in 2D.
The 3D design of the fighters is rarely utilised as the game is mostly side-on 2D, but when you put on weight you do get a satisfying jiggling animation as your wrestler’s midsection expands.
When you create your fighter you’re given minimal ability to customise. Sex, a choice of skin colours, and the colour of your Mawashi (the pants your fighter wears) is about as deep as it gets. When you break out of the Juryo level (I did this after the first tournament) you can apply your own Mii to your fighter’s face, giving him/her that extra customised touch.
Tournaments are broken up by static, cartoonish cut-scenes of the nightly news, informing you of your current position in a tournament and your change in ranking at the end. While simple, these cut-scenes do fit perfectly with the style of the game.
Audio:
The sound is very simple (but not annoying), an electronic 8-bit sounding version of Japanese traditional music that fits in perfectly with the tone of the game. Add to that some nice grunts and slaps when you mix it up during the tournaments and that’s about as complex as things get.
Gameplay:
The main part of Eat! Fat! Fight! consists of fighting your way through 15-bout tournaments and coming out the other side with enough wins to see your rank rise for the next tournament. Apart from the Chanko minigame (in which you point the Wiimote), the game is controlled by turning the Wiimote sideways in the 8-bit old school configuration, using the D-pad and 1 and 2 buttons.
A tournament is split up into three sets of five bouts, and in between sequences of fights you have the opportunity to train your fighter and increase his attributes by playing one of four minigames: Chanko, Stomp, Strike, and Sparring. These minigames add a “RPG-lite” aspect to the game as you decide which areas to increase to improve your chances for your next set of bouts:
Chanko
Chanko refers to Chanko Nabe, the Sumo wrestler’s staple diet. This mini-game is similar in style to games like Bejewelled, with the object being to use your Wiimote to point at and select blocks of food that are adjacent to blocks of the same type. The more blocks in a group means the more calories your fighter gets – a good thing in this game!
Training
The training menu gives you the choice of three mini-games: Stomp, Strike, and Sparring.
Stomp
To train your stomp (and gain the resulting boost to your “Guts” and “Grit”) you need to maintain your wrestler’s balance using the Wii-mote. The longer you can maintain that balance before you stomp, the more points your stomp will score.
Strike
The striking mini-game is a cross between a rhythm game and the barrel bonus stage from Street Fighter II. To increase your striking ability you need to strike a rice bale as it rolls towards you. Time it correctly and you’ll destroy it, but time it incorrectly and it will explode on your fighter’s face!
Sparring
Sparring is basically a time-limited version of the tournament fights, but once you defeat an opponent another immediately jumps into the ring. These opponents gradually increase in difficulty, with the session ending when you are defeated or when time runs out.
The tournament fighting system is quite good, and although it’s simple to dive in and be competitive immediately using the thrusts and strikes, the lifting and throwing aspect of the game takes some more time to master. If anything, taking the button-bashing approach and striking at your opponent until they are forced out of the ring is TOO easy; you can finish most tournaments with a 10-5 record or better using strikes alone.
The wrestling system involves clinching your opponent, then taking advantage of the motion-sensitive capabilities of the Wiimote to lift them or perform one of a large variety of throws. “Super” throws are also possible, allowing you to finish your opponent with exaggerated results, such as burying their head in the ground or tossing them high in the air.
It is worth mentioning that although the tournament fighting is good fun, it is quite repetitive, and the button-bashing style of play will take it’s toll on your right thumb if you choose to play a few tournaments in a row!
The lack of true multiplayer is also a downside, only 1 or 2 players are supported. A “create your own tournament” mode where you could line up bouts for 8-16 friends would be a welcome addition.
Overall:
Eat! Fat! Fight! is a fun little game that is certainly good for a quick bash now and then. I have a feeling that it will get repetitive very quickly for some people, but if you’re a fan of the sport of Sumo it’s probably the best (only?) game out there. It’s a very easy game to slip into, while at the same time offering a bit of depth and a increasing level of difficulty for players who want to explore it further.
I give Eat! Fat! Fight! a solid (but not overweight) 7 Capsules out of 10.
This is brilliant idea and I think everyone should give this a go. Your helping out and your killing randoms online at the same time in Lost Planet 2 … man thats a tripple win in anyone’s book. I’ll see you online …
Read the press release for all the information and then check out SNOW’s Blog post over at Unity for all the information you need.
CAPCOM® UNVEILS LOST PLANET® 2 “KILL BIG FOR CHARITY” PROGRAM
Capcom to Donate Cash for Each Lost Planet 2 Multiplayer Demo Downloaded; Community Members To Compete for Spot in Celebrity Tournament at Lost Planet 2 Launch Party
We here at Capsule Computers actually had an April Fools joke set up in the last minute due to Wolvespack88 reminding everyone here that it was April 1st; MasterAbbott had already passed April 1st on his calendar and I didn’t even know we had entered the month of March yet (don’t ask questions). However, many April Fools jokes backfire regularly and we would prefer to keep our readers, so we decided against what we planned. It also didn’t help much that the layout plans fell through the cracks because MasterAbbott couldn’t pull it off with such short notice. I managed to write up the article that would follow up along side his layout changes, but since it never happened and I would prefer not to waste a perfectly good article I have decided to share it with you guys now. The actual layout changes that were planned for the day are listed below as well. I honestly think it would have been funny, what do you guys think?
Happy April Fools!
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Remember me mentioning that MasterAbbott loves to watch Barbie Adventures on netflix? Well Vivendi Universal Games took us seriously and have decided to sponsor us. There are only a few requirements we must fulfill in order to get this sponsorship. Below is the list of changes that will occur in order to fulfill the requirements. We WILL continue to provide all the latest updates to you as well as game reviews, so don’t worry.
The site has taken on a neutral pink layout.
All user icons have been changed and you are now able to decide between a bunch of barbie related pictures (IE. Horses, Barbie, Barbie’s friends).
A new feature has been added that includes all Barbie related news.
All site graphics have become Barbie Related.
Our logo has been changed to “Capsule Computers: Video Games and Barbies are our passion”.
A few extra minor updates that you shouldn’t even notice.
Thank you for understanding, and I hope you will all stay with us as we all make the transition together.
First off, I don’t like April Fools day and now as press I’ve begun to dislike it even more. The main reason i don’t like April Fools day is because when i try to prank people I tend to take the joke way to far and end up with more hassle then is neccesary. Another reason I don’t like April Fools day is because whenever somebody does something stupid on this one particular day all they have to say is “Oh! April Fools! HAHAHA!” and then their stupidity is wiped off the screen. Now as press I’m stuck shifting through what is and isn’t an April Fools joke because i don’t want to feed our readers false information as fact, and not to mention many readers don’t even believe anything you say o April 1st anyway. So i decided to take off today and not worry about it. Instead I have decided to provide the April fools jokes that have occurred around the web. Below are the some game related jokes, and below that are some website related jokes.
Halo Chess was announced in this Bungie Vidoc, but I am a little bit disappointed to find out that it was an April Fools joke. This looks like a fun minigame to play with a friend in the late hours when matchmaking isn’t as populated. Wait, something doesn’t sound right about that last statement…
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A not so interesting joke is about Lara Croft going blonde. Really? couldn’t think of anything better? oh well, the full quote here:
“We’re adding a new and immersive dimension to gamer democratization with Laura Croft and the Guardian of Light. We want to bring empowerment to players by allowing them to dynamically make-over the tones of Laura’s hair from traditional brunette to killer blonde as we look to move into a new space while breaking down barriers and challenging accepted convention. During a deep-dive mindshare we asked ‘what would Laura do?’ And we concluded….. ‘she would do blonde’. We wanted to leverage that connection with Laura and take her back to her roots – only this time her roots are butterscotch blonde.”
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Vitua Fighter 5: Final Showdown video, as sega parodies Tekken and Street Fighter.
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Remedy: Alan Wake Wars, I have to say that the video jokes are by far the best. Everyone loves videos.
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Sega announces Ecco: Water Wars 2, although a clear joke it was still fun to read.
“Today is a big day for us here at SEGA of America – and for aquatic wildlife across the world. Today we announce something that many of us have been waiting patiently for, our eager fins and flippers anxious. Today, we make it official – it’s time to reveal the North American-only exclusive sequel to one of the best-selling SEGA games ever not created: ECCO: WATER WARS 2!”
“As the first F.P.S. (First Porpoise Shooter) ever on a console, ECCO: WATER WARS 2 sees Ecco trapped by humans and forced to perform tricks on a daily basis for pudgy, cash-bloated tourists and families. When his pod’s turf is infringed upon by lost Russian submarines searching for a legendary signed copy of SEGA BASS FISHING, Ecco has no choice but to break free of his captors, steal their own technology, and hurl those weapons back with him into the seas.”
NOTABLE WEBSITES
Newgrounds.com
(The site is NSFW, it has many users who are very clear on their “Freedom of Speech” but the SFW stuff is fun, from movies to games created in flash. Many XBox Live Indie and Arcade developers started there. The Behemoth was actually created by the people who made Newgrounds.com so if you never heard of the site I am amazed.) Newgrounds Plays some pretty massive April Fools jokes every year, and this year Kevin Bacon came to the site. Read the post here. The day did produce some notable videos and games, as well as some not so notable ones. The most notable has to be the spoof on tremors, the game was programmed by Tom Fulp (programmer for The Behemoth) and drawn by JohnyUtah in 1 day in preperation for the joke they were going to make. But that is 1 day Fulp could’ve been working on Battle Block Theater. Play the game here.
Not to mention that all first person nouns (I,ME,MY ect) became ‘Kevin Bacon’. IE “Kevin Bacon wrote this article, the April Fool’s jokes please Kevin Bacon very much.”
Youtube.com
TEXTp format has come! Bet you never heard of it! Below is a video demonstrating TEXTp format since after April 1st it is no longer available.
Runescape.com
Jagex pulls off elaborate jokes, but their jokes are so blown out of proportion that they are clearly false. Today they announced the development of a RuneScape amusement park. I would just like to state that it doesn’t sound very fun to start out with with only 2 main rides and a few attractions but whatever floats their boat. Read the announcement and see the map here.
If you remember my earlier post on Record of Agarest War, you will know that Aksys Games has a flare for giving out limited edition versions of their games, and making them quite extravagant.
This Deathsmiles Limited Edition pack does not contain the pillow case or the mousepad that Agarest War does, however it does include; an amazing looking Xbox 360 faceplate featuring all four girls from the game, the game itself, and the Deathsmiles premium arranged original sound track that has fifteen tracks from the game hand picked by the game’s directors themselves. All of this also comes in a long collectible box which you can put up on a shelf somewhere to show off as it looks quite amazing.
The price of Deathsmiles Limited Edition runs only $49.99 which is $10 cheaper than your average release price for a new title, without any especial additions. The release date has not yet been set, but it is due to be released in America later in 2010.
Deathsmiles itself is a shoot-em-up style game, developed by Cave, with a side scrolling screen in which you control one of the four angels to destroy the forces of evil coming from hell’s gates. A description of the features for the game are listed below from American publisher Aksys Games:
* Five Characters to Explore Gilverado
Choose Windia, the foppish English girl; Casper, the sassy German; Follett, the cautious French girl; or Rosa, the California valley girl or Sakura the faithful witch of the swamp wastes.” Travel down the roads of Gilverado and discover hidden conversations between the angels.
* Mega Black Label
Test your supernatural powers against the onslaught of the Ice Palace and its forgotten protector! Put your skills to the test with a new scoring system that demands more, but pumps out even more explosions of shiny tokens!
* Choose Your Path and Difficulty
You can choose your own route through the game’s stages and set the difficulty for each, from a level of 1 to 3. These difficulty levels allow you to customize the bullet count and boss toughness. Watch out if you choose level 3 five times, though….
* Save and Play Back Replays
Save replays of your own games to watch later for your own enjoyment.
Players can also download the top 20 scoring runs on the leaderboards.
* Online Rankings & Online Co-op
* Check out your score on the online leaderboard, with rankings for each character and game mode. Two-player cooperative play is also available via: Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network!
Deathsmiles looks very intriguing and to be great for fans of scrolling shooters, plus this limited edition comes with that great looking faceplate and the box art itself. I’m also happily surprised that this game is coming to American soil, and hope that it does well to encourage more of such ports. Who else is liking how these games are turning out? Anyone thinking of picking this game up?
Or of course you could splurge for the BDSM ÜBER EDITION coming at a price tag of $299.99 and is shown below:
This package features a oversized case shaped like a coffin, a Rosa whip and collar for your family, Wyndia angel wings to strap to your back while playing the game, and of course some special man’s boxer briefs. Plus the game itself by the way in case you were curious.
All of this can be yours today only on APRIL 1ST and being an April fool.
