Release Archives: WEEK OF OCTOBER 11, 200510.11.2005 *Game of the Week* Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Developer: Capcom Publisher: Capcom MSRP: $29.99 System: NDS Have I mentioned how much I love the Nintendo DS? Even though I have every relevant system surrounding my television and plenty of games to occupy my time, I find myself sitting on the couch playing another mission in Advance Wars or trying to beat my high score in Meteos instead of turning on my TV. Phoenix Wright looks to continue that trend by once again offering something I can't play anywhere else. This is a wacky court room adventure in which you interrogate witnesses and hunt for clues, all while the game tries its best to make you laugh. Sure, it's not a game in the traditional sense, but how many titles make you laugh out loud? Highly recommended if you need a break from Castlevania. Ty the Tasmanian Tiger: Night of the Quinkan Developer: Krome Studios Publisher: Activision MSRP: $29.99 Systems: GC/PS2/Xbox Ty has always been one of my favorite games to make fun of. I just find it so amusing that Electronic Arts - the most unoriginal company publishing games today - used a Tasmanian Tiger as the one character in their massive library whose likeness wasn't bought from a more imaginative entity. When I heard that EA had purchased the rights to the Marvel license with the intent of making a fighting game pitting the most powerful superheroes around against EA's own crew of original characters, I was overcome with joy. To say that it is a dream of mine to orchestrate a fight between Wolverine and Ty is an understatement of epic proportions. When Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects didn't provide entertainment on any level, I felt the need to interact with Ty in my own way. On my trip to E3 this May, one of my goals was to take a picture with some poor individual wearing a suffocating Ty suit. As you can see, my goal was realized. Unfortunately, EA no longer owns the rights to this woeful franchise, and the folks showing off the game were so nice, I was shamed by my mean-spirited intentions. I feel like I should recommend this merely to cleanse my soul... but it would be much worse to recommend a mediocre game to people who put their faith in me.  I wonder how many more times I can repost this picture SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy Seals Developer: Zipper Interactive Publisher: Sony MSRP: $49.99 System: PS2 I find it hard to believe that people are still going online with their PS2s, what with Xbox Live offering a far superior experience, but I figure there must be someone out there who hasn't made the plunge yet. Socom is easily the best online franchise exclusive to the PS2. Just because this features a bunch of gun-toting warriors doesn't mean it plays anything like Halo, though. Instead, you must be disciplined in the art of war - making good use of your environment and teammates to take down your evil opponents. A slow paced, deliberate affair; the closest you'll get to a real war experience on a home console. And guess what - this is the first entry in the series that offers a competent offline mode to compliment the online experience. The series has always been far too unforgiving for my taste, but anyone who wants their shot at a deadly mix of wartime strategy and action should buy this. - Tom |
