Release Archives: ... WEEK OF FEBRUARY 14, 2006 2.14.2006 Age of Empires: Age of Kings Dev. Pub. Majesco MSRP: $29.99 System: DS Strategic warfare comes to the DS with this very competent little reworking of a well-respected PC franchise. Addictive turn-based combat goes hand-in-hand with deep city management and technology research. Even more in-depth than the almighty Advance Wars, and with equally great multiplayer. I'm sold. Exit Dev. Taito Pub. Ubisoft MSRP: $39.99 System: PSP Hmm, not sure where to start describing this one. You play as Mr. ESC, an escapologist, helping people get out of their houses during fires, earthquakes, etc. Side-scrolling goodness abounds, with fantastic hand-drawn visuals and great music to compliment. One hundred levels to begin with, with another hundred up for download soon after. A great, unique, compelling puzzle handheld experience. Full Auto Dev. Pseudo Interactive Pub. Sega MSRP: $59.99 System: 360 Burnout meets Twisted Metal meets Prince of Persia with mixed results. On the one hand, it's fast, good-looking racing with a completely destructible environment and a unwreck time-defying rewind feature. That is to say, it's incredibly gratifying for a couple of races. After that, not so much. Without so much as an attempt at story or anything to break up the monotony, it comes off as little more than a tech demo. It's certainly entertaining, but not fulfilling in the long run. Wait three more weeks for Burnout Revenge on the 360. Marc Ecko's Getting Up Dev. Atari Pub. Atari MSRP: $49.99 Systems: PS2, XBX I would usually dismiss this as urban culture cash-in crap, but from what i've played, and the passion that Mr. Ecko himself has actually put into the production, I'm actually more interested than ever for the final product. A bit of combat, lots of hopping around urban sprawl like a current-day Prince of Persia, and of course, graffiti. It still seems a tad too forced, but it's not for lack of sincerity (more from marketing). Give it a chance. State of Emergency 2 Dev. DC Studios Pub. SouthPeak Interactive MSRP: $39.99 System: PS2 Bleh. Now THIS is urban culture cash-in crap. Only slightly more palatable than the original, which everyone was grossly disillusioned by after buying anything Rockstar published following GTA3. Guns, vehicles with guns, and more guns. Waste your money on a smarter activity, like playing catch with cinderblocks. - Nick WEEK OF FEBRUARY 7, 2006 2.07.2006 Chibi-Robo Dev. Nintendo Pub. Nintendo MSRP: $49.99 System: GC Ah, playing as a tiny robot doing chores in the home of a messy family. Do video game concepts get any better? I submit that they do not. Well, they don't get much more unique, at the least. Feed the fish, scrub the floor, and if they give me what I want, brush a mans teeth from INSIDE THE MOUTH. As I understand it having to regularly recharge your batteries in your robo-house is a bit of an annoyance, but hey - it's quirky, it's colorful, it's simple and most importantly, it's a new Gamecube game. Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max Dev. Capcom Pub. Capcom MSRP: $39.99 System: PSP SFA3 was the best fighting game on the PS1, and for my money, the best 2D fighter period. Character balance and speed were at their best, and the World Tour Mode was a fantastically challenging journey and mentor. The game sees a glorious redux on the PSP here, with four "new" characters, a tag team option, and 3-character team battles. The striking and wide screen of the PSP is perfect for action such as this - if only I could say the same for the analog nub or D-Pad. Try before you buy if you can to see if the controls suit you - if they do, you'll adore it. World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 International Dev. Konami Pub. Konami MSRP: $39.99 Systems: PS2, XBX, PSP FIFA has the license, but WSWE9I (I would just like to take a second to reflect on just how unwieldy even that ACRONYM is...jeez) has the gameplay. Authenticity and subtlety are both top notch and I would much rather play as real soccer hooligans than those US imposters anyhow. New positions, new weather effects and an improved Master League mode polish off an already fantastic soccer game. Resident Evil Deadly Silence Dev. Capcom Pub. Capcom MSRP: $34.66 Systems: DS Quite an interesting project we have here - a remake of the original Resident Evil, reworked from a new approach with the DS' features in mind. The puzzles, of which many are new incorporate the touch screen, as do the first-person zombie battles, of which there are quite a bit more. Basic movement and inventory management should also be less of a chore then before, as the series has never been known for great control (before four, anyhow). It's odd that it took a handheld, hands-on approach to freshen up the classic experience, but it seems like they've done an admirable job. And 2-player co-op! Drill Dozer Dev. Game Freak Pub. Nintendo MSRP: $34.99 System: GBA The first non-Pokemon game from the primary Pokemon team. While it's hard to get excited about a GBA game these days with the wonderful DS in our lives, DD does seem like quite a bit of fun. Using the L and R triggers you maneuver you Drillbot through various levels, defeating various creatures and finding upgrades for your transpost. The cart also has a rumble feature, making the experience a bit more tactile. As I said, it's not anything to get terribly excited over, but with fewer and fewer GBA games on the horizon, it's definitely something to take note of if it's your only means of portable entertainment. - Nick WEEK OF JANUARY 24, 2006 1.24.2006 Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition Dev. Capcom Pub. Capcom MSRP: $19.99 Systems: PS2 A very good game in it's own, this budget-priced Greatest Hits redux will surely hit the spot of any action gamer. The main point of frustration with the original release was it's obscenely unforgiving difficulty and checkpoint system, but this edition offers thankfully easier alternatives. Oh, there's also a second playable character, a new boss, and a couple other tweaks/bonuses. I would still recommend God of War over this any day of the week, but for $20, you're getting a hell of a lot of game. Torino 2006 Dev. Take 2 Pub. Take 2 MSRP: $19.99 Systems: PS2, XBX I'll be honest - I don't know the first thing about the specifics of this game (outside of having 15 events across 8 sports), and I DON'T care about the olympics. However, I can hazard a pretty educated guess that it's a collection of very simplistic button-tapping and simple movement mini-games, not too far removed from any other olympic game from the last decade. Wouldn't it be cool to actually be able to train a character, and develop a true athlete from scratch? I can dream; in the meantime, if you won $20 betting against the Dutch in the biathlon, you might as well treat yourself to a reenactment of sorts. Or just buy the previously mentioned DMC3. True Swing Golf DS Dev. T&E Soft Pub. Nintendo MSRP: $34.99 Systems: DS It's weird that I'm more excited about an unlicensed golf game than every winter sport combined. The DS can do that to a man though. In what could be the first truly dynamic representation of the feel and finesse of the sport, you use your stylus as a club on the touch screen, which apparently works quite a bit better than Tiger Woods. Power, accuracy, slicing, fading - you have complete control, minutiae and all. Yes, when it comes down to it it's just golf, but it's portable, cheap, and from the looks of it, damned entertaining. - Nick WEEK OF DECEMBER 13, 2005 12.13.2005 Armored Core: Formula Front Exploding robots: Better on the go than home? We'll find out this week Dead or Alive 4 Some gorgeous fighting, The usual breast physics, We are good to go. Final Fantasy IV Never played this one? There's plenty of new and old Classic, I suppose Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows Axes and armor The might of a million men Alone or online Midway Arcade Treasures: Extended Play Xenophobe and Klax That mean anything to you? Please do come in, sir WEEK OF NOVEMBER 28, 2005 12.01.2005 Game of the Week Mario & Luigi - Partners in Time Developer: AlphaDream Publisher: Nintendo System: NDS MSRP: $34.99 This is one of the main reasons I bought my Nintendo DS. The first Mario and Luigi RPG on the GBA was one of the few games that consistently made me laugh out loud. You want an example? Check out this quote from Fawfal: "Princess Peach's sweet voice will soon be the bread that makes the sandwich of Cackletta's desires! And this battle shall be the delicious mustard on that bread! The mustard of your doom!" I'm sure the new title keeps the over-the-top dialog in tact and I know the phenomenal gameplay of the original has returned, so there's no reason this game should be left unplayed. Heck, as long as Baby Luigi struggles to say his own name - "Wee gee" - I think we can all be satisfied. Elf Bowling 1 & 2 Developer/Publisher: Ignition Systems: NDS, GBA MSRP: $19.99 Now this is why I love portable systems. Is there any way a ridiculous concept such as this would fly in the big budget world of consoles? I think not. I would love to wax poetics about the simple joys of bowling elves, but there isn't too much to say about this title. You play as Santa and launch yourself, via elastic underwear, down a bowling lane in attempt to knock over your poor, little elves. And that's about it. The two-player mode pits you against a rival Clause as you attempt to knock down your own elves while pushing his into the water. A must buy? Certainly not. But a $20 price tag on this is sure tempting... Dr. Mario / Puzzle League Developer: EAD Publisher: Nintendo System: GBA MSRP: $29.99 Fifteen years after the original Gameboy version of Tetris dropped into our lives, a new portable puzzle title is ready to lay claim to the coveted spot of Most Addictive Game Ever. A combo pack of Dr. Mario and Puzzle League almost seems cruel. It's one thing to have these games waiting under your TV when you're at home, but with a portable version you may find yourself playing in class, on the job or even while driving. It honestly doesn't get much better than this. Buy as many GBAs and copies of this game as you can carry, and contaminate all your loved ones. PoPoLoCrois Developer: SCEI Publisher: Agetec System: PSP MSRP: $39.99 Times have really changed. Back when Sony first burst onto the scene in the mid-90s, they didn't want any 2D games to hit their precious systems. Popular Japanese titles, such as the one I am currently writing about, were left overseas so American gamers could buy another Tomb Raider. But now Sony has a portable system, and while it has more power than Edsel Ford in his prime, it doesn't really have any games to speak of. So Agetec reaches into their bag on games from yesteryear, found a certain gem that never made it stateside, and decided to do our nation a service by bringing it our way. There isn't too much innovation going on in the crazy capitalized world of PoPoLoCrois, but it sure is pretty and should be quite fun as well. There is no reason not to buy this title; there certainly isn't anything else to warrant your attention on the PSP. Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones Developer/Publisher: Ubi Soft Systems: GC/PS2/Xbox MSRP: $49.99 If you were upset with the stereotypical angst bursting from every orifices of the Prince's body in Warrior Within, this title is the compromise to appease both fans of WW and its predecessor, Sands of Time. This time, via the wonder of time travel, a good version of the prince has to fight an evil side he never knew existed. As long as the dark elements are kept in check with plenty of whimsy, this should be a fun title. The Prince of Persia series is known for excellent platforming and clever puzzles, and while the tone may turn off some people, there is more than enough gameplay buried within its morbid exterior to appeal to more reasonable individuals.