Monthly Archives: March 2018

Attack on Titan 2 Review

by Andrew Skelton (Outfoxed)

 

Attack on Titan has become a big thing since its launch back in 2009.  While most people were introduced to the series through the anime, the manga for the title had been going strong for four years before that.  Universally, it seemed, there was one common call amongst the fans: where’s the Attack on Titan video game? Well, that call was answered with the release of Attack on Titan in August of 2016.  Since that game, the anime has enjoyed a successful second season, and the manga still continues developing.

It was only obvious a new game was going to be needed that told the events of this second season.  Many were hoping for some improvements on the original game, developed by KOEI Tecmo and Omega Force, and there were murmurs of an even more amazing feature incoming: the ability to create a custom character.  Attack on Titan 2 releases soon, and I got a chance to play through extensively. Does it compare to the original? Can it exceed its predecessor at all? These are questions I hope I can answer for you.

 

Crafting A Soldier

The story mode of Attack on Titan focuses on a hitherto unknown member of the 104th Cadet Corps, referred to in cutscenes vaguely as “our man.”  While most of the cutscenes use masculine pronouns in the English translation, your character can be either male or female with no change whatsoever to gameplay.  The game even has a reason for this, stating they recovered a journal from an unknown soldier. Not knowing who it was, it simply becomes the aforementioned, “your man.”

Attack on Titan 2 Screenshot

Attack on Titan 2 doesn’t skimp on customization options either, rivaling some MMORPGs for the breadth of its character creator.  The one unfortunate thing is that most parts (hair, clothes, etc) are taken from other main characters in the game, so creating something truly unique isn’t 100% possible.  Your character, however you choose to create them, still looks like they would be at home in the pages of the manga or on screen in the anime, which is an amazing feat.

 

You Might Have Heard This One

As previously stated, your character joins the 104th Cadet Corp (akin to military recruits) along with other famous Attack on Titan characters such as Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman, and Armin Arlert.  The game does a great job of making your character feel like they belong in the manga or anime, with others interacting with them as if they were a part of the story from the start. Many people worried that you’d just be in everyone else’s shadow, but happily, the game puts you in the protagonist role without making you the sole character in the universe. In fact, it puts you in the first-person for character cut-scenes, pushing your immersion into your role even further.

Attack on Titan 2 Screenshot

The game’s tutorial functions a lot like the training the other cadets went through.  The training teaches you the basics of moving about with your Omni-Directional Maneuver Gear (ODM for short) to zip across the battlefield and take out your titanic opponents.  Admittedly, the controls can be a bit tricky for new players to learn, but it quickly becomes second nature. Additionally, you can freely rebind your keys, so if you’re not feeling the default controller scheme, change it to something you like.

 

Aim For the Nape

Combat in the game is expectedly fast paced.  When you’re not darting across the battlefield, you’re taking out Titans in brutal form.  At the start, you have limited access to equipment and consumables, but the game thankfully scales reasonably.  Taking out a Titan seems simple enough: take out the head and you win, right? Well, if you’ve never watched the show or read the comic, you actually have to attack the back, at the nape of the neck.  Facing the titans head on will quickly wear out your blades and your supply of gas (your secondary statistic next to health). Also note you can’t actually see your character’s health. You must rely on visual cues from the game itself to understand whether you need to retreat or if you’re good to press on.

Attack on Titan 2 Screenshot

You’ll have access to extra blades and gas canisters from the start, too, along with restoratives to heal damage.  New to the series in AOT2 are buddy actions, which allow you to give your squad orders in combat. Each character has their own unique ability, and they can also change and develop as the story goes on.  Essentially, you don’t simply have to rely on your own skills in the sequel, as your teammates offer powerful tools to help you succeed.

 

You Must Live For Your Goals

Also new to the series is a daily life segment, where you can wander around the barracks and various other locations.  Here you can talk to characters, change your appearance (at will, thankfully!), and more. Several features unlock throughout the course of the main storyline, which will be discussed soon.

Attack on Titan 2 Screenshot

Most important, however, is the social aspect of Attack on Titan 2.  You can chat with most everyone on the cast. At various intervals throughout the story, you can even develop your friendship with them.  By choosing the correct options based on each character’s personality, you grown your bond with them. Fill the bar, and you get a rank up scene which can either be simple, or a fully fledged cutscene.  Some will even take you on combat missions! One drawback here was I quickly found you could save and reload in order to pick the best option every time (aka save-scumming), so it’s not a perfect system. Leveling up these bonds grants your characters a variety of skills which you can equip to further power up. Keep in mind, you can only equip as many skills as you have skill points available, which are earned by leveling up on combat missions.

 

You’re Going To Get Blood On It

Skills aren’t the only thing you’re going to want to equip.  Equipment comes in three primary forms: Blades, scabbards, and ODM.  Blades determine your damage, and also have a durability rating on them.  More durable weapons means your blades damage slower, allowing prolonged use before changing.  Scabbards offer gas capacity, pressure, and number of blades. Capacity is obvious — more gas, longer use of the grapples that propel you about.  Higher pressures increase the speed at which you dash, and blade capacity is how many spare blades you can carry per mission. Finally, the ODM grants reel speed, anchor range, and anchor strength.  Speed indicates how fast you’re pulled when you engage your anchors, range should hopefully be obvious, and strength indicates how long you can stay attached to a titan before being shrugged off. You can also gain stat increases by equipping pieces of the same “set” together – I usually used pieces that offered me the best balance of stats though.

Attack on Titan 2 Screenshot

Stores open up after a couple points in the story.  Here you can purchase new equipment, or upgrade your current gear.  Purchasing and upgrading both require raw materials in order to perform, so luckily there’s a material shop that unlocks when you unlock the shops.  Keep in mind, however, that not all materials can be purchased: some must be earned from story missions. One final option for upgrading comes in fortifying, where you can sacrifice three pieces of old gear to raise the base parameters of your preferred one.  This can make for some very powerful equipment, and is key to maximizing your potential against titans. You’ll also gain access to a shop that sells horses for field missions, as well as a gift shop to purchase presents to strengthen bonds with your friends. All of these options also require regiment funds, which you earn by doing well in battles.

 

Not All Fun and Games

Further into the story, you’ll be granted access to the Survey Corp NPCs.  These trio of NPCs stand in the barracks, and have several important functions.  The first allows you to replay any story mission you’ve completed for materials, or simply to gain a better rating.  The second is the research and development head. Research lets you enact policies that have a variety of effects, such as reducing gas consumption for the next mission or increasing the experience you earn.  Development allows you to upgrade the unlocked bases that you can build when you’re out in the field. These upgrades are quite significant, but they cost a lot of wings — a secondary currency given by, effectively, being a good soldier.  Helping citizens in the towns, chastising soldiers for poor attitudes, and doing well in combat with your comrades all grant you wings, and you’ll earn a lot simply by playing through the game. They’re also used for training on the Training Grounds you’ll have access to, which allows your character to increase their base stats.

Attack on Titan 2 Screenshot

You’ll also have access to Scout Missions, which are quick forays into the world.  While doing these missions has no effect on the story as a whole, they are a great way to earn additional regiment funds, additional resources, and to build bonds with soldiers in the missions.  There are dozens of missions to perform, and clearing them also helps to unlock even more. Some materials can only be obtained in this mode, so it definitely is helpful to go through if you really want to power up your character.

 

Know Your Enemy (Your Very, Very Large Enemy)

Also unlocked through the course of the story is the Titan Research facility.  With it comes the ability to capture Titans in the field rather than killing them outright.  There are dozens of Titans you can capture, too, from small to large, skinny to muscular, and everywhere in between.  The game keeps track of the titans you’ve captured, and you’ll gain regiment funds for each you bring in — bonuses for new ones you haven’t before!  Keep in mind some titans need to be weakened before capture. Typically you can capture small titans easily, but larger ones may require you to disable arms or legs, and the truly large ones require you to take out every body part save the neck.

Attack on Titan 2 Screenshot

As you capture titans, you gain access to a variety of perks.  New skills can be learned, but more importantly are the development of various anti-Titan weapons like firebombs as more is learned.  These rewards tend to be very, very powerful, so it’s worth pursuing if you want some additional options for some of the more challenging missions in the game.  Plus I found it enjoyable to see how many different types of Titans I could find in every stage.

 

Another Time, Another Place

One of the first things unlocked in the story mode is Another Mode.  You’ll notice thus far I’ve only talked about the main story involving the created character, and that’s all the story consists of.  Another Mode allows you to use other characters you’ve unlocked for use in the previously mentioned survey missions. There are about 30 additional characters you can gain access to, well improved from the 10 in the first game.  Each of these characters has their own strengths, and each can be leveled up like the created character can.

Attack on Titan 2 Screenshot

Another Mode is also where you’ll have access to various online multiplayer modes.  You can complete survey missions co-op with up to four players total, or you can compete against each other in Annihilation mode, which pits teams against one another to see who can eliminate the most titans in a given time limit.  Keep in mind, though, this isn’t simply defeating enemies. Bonuses are given for assists and chains as well, so working together will really rack up the points against your opponents! More online modes are promised to be coming soon, further fleshing out the online component of the game.

 

Final Verdict:  Great (4/5)

I fully admit, I never played the original Attack on Titan game.  I watched quite a bit though, and enjoyed most every moment spent watching.  Attack on Titan 2 improves on the original in almost every conceivable way. More characters to choose from, a created character story that puts you in the storyline immediately, a social system, and squad actions in battle are just a few of the additions that make it shine.  The controls, while taking a bit to understand and master, are quite tight and fluid, and add so much to the fast paced action of the game. There are a couple of small drawbacks I see, however. First, the game can get repetitive quite quickly. The social aspect of the game is also very easy to save scum in order to choose the best answers every time (though obviously you don’t have to).  While optional, you’ll probably end up doing a bunch of the scout missions just because you’ll need the funds to upgrade your primary gear.

Attack on Titan 2 Screenshot

Still, these are minor gripes in an overall solid title.  If you’re a fan of the anime and/or manga, you definitely owe it to yourself to try Attack on Titan 2.  There’s plenty for people who’ve never seen the show or read the comic to enjoy, too. If you’re into action combat that’s frenetic and strategic at the same time, you’re missing out by not checking out this title.

 

Note:  A game key was provided for review purposes.

Attack on Titan 2 Screenshots

Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time – Opening Cinematic

Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time is officially coming to America on May 15th, 2018 and will be available on both PC via Steam and the Playstation Network Store. Fans who pre-order through the Playstation Network will also receive an exclusive theme and Magic Knight Grand Charion mini-game. Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time is a 2.5D action RPG beat ’em up featuring an original storyline inspired by the Studio Trigger anime series and is not to be missed.

Original EVE Online Designer Joins Novaquark to Expand Dual Universe

Dual Universe News

Dual Universe, the seamless virtual online civilization has acquired the talent of one of the original EVE Online designers, Hrafnkell Oskarsson.  They will be working together to expand the already massive multi-planetary sandbox universe, where players can create their own stories, political ecosystems, cities, and empires. Traditional approaches to gaming and entertainment are based on companies spending substantial amounts of money to create content and sell it. Most of the time, players have little influence on the value of the platform, as they passively consume the content, and then move on to another game.

Novaquark wants to change this completely with its one-of-a-kind technology, providing users with a stage to collectively create the content they want and share it together on an unprecedented scale. The material the users create is what gives Novaquark’s universe value. At the heart of Dual Universe is a truly innovative proprietary technology, that was developed to lay the foundations of the game: the CSSC (continuous single-shard cluster) manages one single universe with potentially millions of people interacting in it at the same time, with no loading screen.

Pair that with an innovative voxel engine that enables players to modify the world and foster a persistent, continuous form of reality and players will find that Novaquark has created something truly unique with Dual Universe. Oskarsson originally helped design one of the most acclaimed online multiplayer virtual universes, in EVE Online. The two titles could not be more different but share the same large-scale player story and cultural heritage.

“Competitors in the MMO genre tend to rely on simplified models to connect a few hundreds, sometimes a few thousands of players together in the same arena or instance, which are often not persistent and not interconnected,” says Founder and CEO Jean-Christophe Baillie. “The experienced content is made by the company, and the players “consume” it. We have a new proprietary technology to change that and let millions of people together inside the same persistent, never stopping, virtual universe, where they are free to modify the world and create their own stories as they see fit.”

Novaquark offers the following to their users:

  • Seamless co-existence: Millions of people exist together at the same time within a continuous “no-loading screen” virtual space, with the actions of one affecting the rest. Empires will form and die, and alliances and betrayals will shape the destiny of the world.
  • Modifiable and evolving environment: Rather than a world that is static and scripted, Novaquark provides one that is constantly changing and progressing based on actions taken by users.
  • Platform for content creation: Players can use harvested materials to build anything from spaceships to cities to political and territorial systems, at any scale they want. There can be war, drama, action, conflict, all put into one giant universe for people to take control of, and that never stops.
  • Space to enact a common inner desire for new beginnings: Dual Universe works around the old dream of humanity for people to have a second chance at creating a new life for themselves, in a way even bigger than life itself.

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life Review

by Jason Parker (Ragachak)

Yakuza 6 - Selfie

Does this look like the face of mercy?

The Yakuza franchise is one I fell in love with a little late in its creation. I didn’t find it until I did our review of Yakuza 4, and when I was doing my research, that’s when it happened. I have been waiting a year roughly on Yakuza 6, and the worry was high that we were not going to get it. A lot of my favorite franchises eventually stopped coming out in America. This game was truly something spectacular and I am grateful that Yakuza continues to come out in America. Yakuza 6 is definitely in the running for my personal “Game of the Year” stamp and we’re only in March. That’s how strong it is. Yakuza 6 continues the tale of Kiryu Kazuma, and while he is the playable character, the focus doesn’t really seem to be on him. It’s on Haruka and what is going on with her.

Yakuza 6 - Hirose

Every character is fascinating in their own way.

There will be no spoilers in this piece, at least, none that are important to the main plot so don’t fret. The main story is an incredibly powerful journey though, and you learn a lot about Kiryu. It’s gripping, powerful, and honestly, pretty dark. The biggest thing is, for those of you who have never played a Yakuza game, the game does a pretty solid job of catching you up in the prologue, as Kiryu starts the game off in a coma, and in his flashbacks, you’ll meet all the important characters, and learn why they’re important to Kiryu, why he will go to such great lengths to protect who is important to him. The story twists and turns and wraps you up in its tentacles, and I found myself unable to stop playing. I tried to stream it a few times, but by the time I got to the second stream, I had already gone past the “point of no return” in my Embargo. A very brief blurb on the story:

Kiryu spent several years in prison. He is released only to find out his ward, Haruka is in a coma after being hit by a car. She also had a kid, Haruto, who is at risk of becoming a ward of the state. Kiryu must fight for and maintain custody of Haruto while investigating the strange mysteries surrounding Haruka’s accident. The stage is set as we initially enter Kamurocho once again, and after he begins his investigation, the trail leads to Onomichi, a seemingly peaceful town that is more than it seems.”

Yakuza 6 - Whoop Ass

Sometimes, you must simply channel your inner Steve Austin.

Much in the same vein as the other Yakuza games, you spend a lot of time in Kamurocho, and it’s the same city you remember from the other games. It’s the same streets, same layout, but modernized, as this game takes place in 2016. It’s always struck me as sort of funny because I normally hate open-world/sandbox games. I easily get overwhelmed by how much there is to do at once. The Yakuza franchise gives you the main story you can easily just move from, and if you only did the main story, it would still be an enjoyable experience. There is so much to do, from side missions, sub-games, the arcade, and all extra content. Yakuza gives me an open world, that while it is significantly smaller than other cities, there is no wasted space. Every character is voiced, and the quality of the game itself is truly spectacular. This story of secrets and familial bond will leave you wanting more, right up until the end. Though I can’t say much about it, Kamurocho is not the only locale you’ll be visiting. Kiryu does some traveling in this game, and both towns are accurately created from what inspired them originally.

Yakuza 6 - Baseball Sim

Batter Up!

There is always something to do, so many mini-games and adventures to undertake. Simply wandering this city unlocks a wealth of things to see and do, but I won’t lie, it is much harder to find side missions this time. This is the biggest weakness of the game for me. In previous games, I had a guide, or map, or an item, something to help me find them. In my NG+ run, it won’t be as big of a deal, because eventually someone will map it out, but I miss having access to the “Trouble Finder”, and it seems like a serious insight to not include one. If it is there, I could not find it, and trust me, I looked. But let’s talk about those other things though. I don’t think I can talk about all of the mini-games, or this article would easily double in size, so let’s go over some of the more interesting ones. Like the Cat Cafe. Yes, there’s a Cat Cafe, but the guy running it has only one cat! He’s not good at acquiring them. He wants stray cats that need a home, so Kiryu, who is conveniently good with animals, has to buy cat food, find strays, and then call him when they have a bond. A cat bond. Once you fill it with cats, it’s quite lovely. Then there’s the Baseball Sim. At one point in the story, you will help a baseball team out, and the game will play out like a traditional baseball simulator/sports sim game, and while I didn’t really get this, I enjoyed the challenge of it.

Yakuza 6 - Naito

I won’t lie to you: I marked the hell OUT when I saw Naito, Okada, and Tanahashi in one screenshot.

Then there’s the matter of the Clan Creator. Kiryu will wind up running his own clan or gang, thanks to the events that unfold around him. You don’t have to do any of it, but it’s probably your best source of money-making, and you will find people in the world to join your clan. The biggest, most important part of this to me, is that the rival gang, the reason this clan appeared at all, is the mysterious “JUSTIS”. This group is run by characters from New Japan Pro Wrestling. And not just anyone. This evil gang is run by Tetsuya Naito, Toru Yano, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and the Rainmaker himself, Kazuchika Okada. This absolutely blew my mind. The game features their theme songs, their special moves, and are perfect representations of wrestlers. Sure, I was disappointed it wasn’t a Bullet Club group (Kenny Omega, Guerillas of Destiny, Bad Luck Fale?) but seeing several face (good guy) wrestlers being corrupt and evil was just perfect. You recruit people to your clan and enter another type of RTS/simulator battle, where you command your forces in a tactical battle. This was crazy fun, but something I’m going to focus on in my second run-through.

Yakuza 6 - Anri Okita

Bless whoever picked Anri Okita for this game. They know what the people want.

You still have the Hostess mini-game, but now you have five girls to pick from, and each has their own distinct look, personality, likes, dislikes, and backstory. Now you have cards to draw, each with their own stat assigned to them (Sexy, cool, et cetera) and your job is to win them over. Not enough sexy girls, you say? Do you want more? Well, how about JAV (Adult Film Stars) in the game? Kiryu gets introduced to Live Chat, which is essentially, a Cam Girl system. They are both popular film stars, but the biggest one, if you will, is Anri Okita. Of course, I had to do my research and play through this mode, for science. It’s a button mini-game, where you have to hit the buttons within a certain amount of time or he fails his typing. They do undress more and more, so kids should definitely not be playing this. Then there are the various Arcades (with Darts, Virtua Fighter, Puyo Puyo, Space Harrier, Out Run and more), the Batting Cages, Karaoke, and the last really important one, the Gym! You can do a series of rhythm mini-games and dietary challenges, and it’s a seriously solid way to increase your stats. Eating also increases your stat exp, and now you have a hunger meter (which can be lowered and expedited to go down faster), so you can’t just stay in restaurants all day and rack up XP.

Yakuza 6 - Blorp

Don’t show these punks any mercy.

Combat’s a little stripped down in this one, compared to 0 and Kiwami though. In those games, Kiryu had several styles to choose from (including his own) that could be swapped between on the fly. Now he only uses his own “Dragon of Dojima” style, and you have two attack buttons like normal (Regular and Heavy), and you can attack up to four times in a row, and weave a Heavy attack between them. You can still grab your foes, but now if you hit throw again, he’ll spin them around in the air and hurl them at their buddies like a living weapon. Instead of a “Heat Gauge” you have Heat Orbs, that once they’re filled, you can hit R2 and enter a rage mode. This beefs your attacks up to 8 swings, and when you hit Heavy (triangle) you can mash it out as fast as you can to do incredible extra damage. Heat Attacks are still here and use a Heat Orb, and of course, there are absolutely insane new Heat Attacks for melee and for the various weapons you come across. Enemies don’t drop money anymore though, or at least, not every enemy. Money was very tight in the early going, so I found myself beating as many people as I could in hopes one of them would drop some Yen. The combat system is a lot easier to grasp this way, and I found myself warming up to it quickly. The transition between regular fights and being in the world is seamless, and now you can see nearby gangs of punchable targets on the mini-map.

Yakuza 6 - Stats

It’s also important to note that there are no more equippable weapons. You drop weapons you pick up in combat after combat.

Let’s talk about XP though. Instead of having combat-style exp, or just a regular exp pool, you have five pools of exp, each built around a different stat and associated with a particular color. You gain exp in these stats by completing tasks associated with them (combat, eating, talking with/helping people, et cetera). Most side-quests and major quest objectives will give all exp, but it’s important to run through the skills (because there are a lot of them) to figure out what is important to you. Whether you want more Heat Skills, or better skills when talking to the ladies, you can dump exp where you like. You also boost your physical stats this way, and each is bound to one or two stats. Personally, I focused on Health/Attack, because Evasion is for chumps. If you pummel them into a custard, you don’t need to stress getting out of the way. Not always the smartest choice, but I stood by it. It’s pretty easy to get exp if you’re diligent because almost everything you do gives it. By the end of the game, I had around 8,000 surplus Red (Strength) exp, because I had purchased everything I could with it, and was waiting on more Purple (Talking) EXP and Green (Study? Not very clear) EXP.

Yakuza 6 - Menu

Smartphones have taken over. They have bonded with Kiryu. This is how Skynet was born.

There’s one more important thing to note, and that’s your menu. It’s all localized on a smartphone, which has your tasks, items, your stats, a camera, and another new function, “Troublr”.  The resemblance to “Tumblr” made me snort, I won’t lie. As you are running around in town, once you have unlocked Troublr, people will post on it when something is wrong in the town you’re in. From a fire, to someone being mugged, hanging from a building, or a bomb being placed. At first, this is great, because it’s a source of exp, and you’re helping your community (which is important). But by the end of the game, I began to grow insanely frustrated with it. If you fail to save someone or choose not to, most of the time a passive-aggressive message comes through to make you feel bad. Yup, it’s the Internet all right. But this is where you manage everything from your clan, to upgrading your stats and skills. Boy, Kiryu’s really catching up with the times.

One Night In Onomichi: 4/5

Yakuza 6 - Heat

And of course, the Heat Actions are still nuts. Sorry not sorry.

This is easily the best open-world game I have ever played. I hope that other open-world designers take note of the Yakuza franchise. You don’t need to have seven hundred square miles of open world because most of that is going to be desolate, empty, worthless crap. Take a look at what Yakuza does: It’s a small city (or towns), but every single square foot of it is packed with something to see, something to do, someone to meet. It has very few flaws, but I did start to get very frustrated with the story about half-way through. Not because it was poorly written, but I hate secrets! I need to know things! But the pay-off was worth it.  There are not as many side-missions in this, which is something Yakuza is known for. But every one of them is incredible, some serious, some satirical nonsense (like a side-mission about Influencers/Social Media people who make dumb videos for clicks). I just wish it did not feel so impossible to find them in this game. The Kamurocho Shrine is gone too (where you would unlock extra traits and items, with Bob Utsonomiya) which made me very sad. This is a modern Kamurocho though, and it really takes you on a rollercoaster of highs and lows. I laughed, I wept, I cheered, I felt such a mixture of emotions that I did not really know what to do with myself. The only thing it needed more of, was more Goro Majima. Plus you can play Puyo Puyo and Virtua Fighter 5 in local versus matches! And you can take selfies! Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is a master-class in how to craft a world, and how to build an open-world game. Now, if only Sega would bring them to PC. . .