There's no question that Wii owners have been starved of RPG experiences, even now, three-and-a-half years since its release. One game that Wii owners have been holding out for to deliver that experience is The Crystal Bearers. Unfortunately for Wii owners, The Crystal Bearers is much more of an adventure title than it is an RPG, and a mediocre adventure title at that.
Sandlot probably isn't a familiar developer name to most gamers, but it's one that should be. The team is responsible for the campy Earth Defense Force series; a third person shooter focused on protecting the Earth during an alien invasion. Those who do know the series will immediately understand the team's latest endeavor, Zangeki no Reginleiv. The game, published by Nintendo in Japan, takes the guns out of players' hands and replaces them with swords, bows, magical staffs, and other medieval equipment. Though the weapons have changed, players will still fight hordes of enemies waves at a time, but rather than aliens, players fight ogres in an ancient, medieval land.
As you may already know from our podcast-based Developer Specials, The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces is the latest work of Project Aces, the team behind Namco's popular Ace Combat series. With this title, the team has made a departure from the gritty action for a more light-hearted anime adaptation.
Mega Man 10 is a title nose-deep in nostalgia, stemming from a series that saw its first game launch in 1987. In this respect, Mega Man 10 is the culmination of classic platform-driven gameplay mixed with modern game modes and options, creating a game most will find some value and enjoyment in playing.
It isn't often that I find myself surprised by the content of a video game. If anything, I usually anticipate a much better experience than I wind up with, resulting in disappointment. Two years ago I sat down with Endless Ocean, and came away feeling utterly impressed with the beautiful underwater world that Nintendo created, yet unfulfilled by the lack of true purpose provided by its fairly shallow gameplay. So, for the release of Endless Ocean: Blue World, I had my doubts about how much Nintendo could expand upon its original formula, and just how deep a game based on diving could be.
The first of the upcoming DLC packs for Resident Evil 5 is Lost in Nightmares; a short episode starring Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine. The duo find themselves in a mansion eerily similar to the one found in their very first adventure over a decade ago.
Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing formula is nothing particularly new, but Sumo Digital definitely took one step closer towards perfection of the genre with this game. Racing is a relatively straightforward venture, eight drivers compete in 24 zany Sega-based locales. Players will see areas based on the Sonic, House of the Dead, Billy Hatcher, Super Monkey Ball, Jet Set Radio, and Samba De Amigo series. During each race players will also need to fire projectile weapons, lay mines, and boost toward an all-out war for first place. There's no doubt Sonic and Sega All-Stars has some of the most solid gameplay available in the Kart Racing genre, though finicky videophiles should note that the game also carries a staggering or jumpy framerate. While it's not clear why the framerate is so eratic, most players will become accustomed to it, making it no more than a minor distraction in this excellent racing title.
When the arcades were in their heyday in the 80s and 90s, almost every one included an awesome looking pinball machine. As a kid I always loved seeing the unique designs of each different machine and was always amazed how many ramps, lights and other random decorations fit inside the machine. When I first loaded up Pinball Pulse on my DSi, I was surprised that the developers were able to faithfully recreate a realistic pinball machine, right down to the ball physics within a $5 DSiWare game.
As you all know, around two weeks ago I played through No More Heroes for the first time. With the second game already out, it only made sense to keep on going and jump right into No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle.
While many games this generation are a throwback to the days of yore, not many have emulated the cult classic, Contra (exluding Contra ReBirth). Matt Hazard, originally a campy third person shooter on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, has now returned for yet another campy adventure, this time, a run-and-gun shooter for the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade. Along with the camp comes some solid gameplay that might emulate the old days a bit too closely.
For those who are familiar with Sonic & Knuckles, and wish to read about the game's implementation of lock-on through the virtual console, please click here.
Most gamers familiar with the Mad Catz name are typically reluctant to purchase their products; I'm not surprised considering their track record, and many poor quality peripherals. Recently, Mad Catz has entered the arcade stick market with Street Fighter IV branded arcade sticks, as well as the Tatsunoko vs. Capcom Arcade FightStick, which was released in conjunction with the recent Wii fighter. While Mad Catz has a questionable track record, I am happy to say that after thoroughly playing numerous games using this arcade stick, this is a fantastic controller.
Since the inception of the Wii, one genre in particular has become one of the most prevalent: the on-rails shooter. This is undoubtedly due to the Wii’s control scheme. With so many available, the genre has diversified. Some provide a more arcade-like experience while others feature a more cinematic experience that some companies have dubbed a "guided first person experience". Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles is the latter, providing scares and tension by the boatload. As such, The Darkside Chronicles has established itself as one of the best on-rails shooters on Wii.
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that's the case, Bizarre Creations should be absolutely tickled pink as Square Enix's latest release, Death By Cube, is a blatant attempt at copying the successful Geometry Wars formula. Unfortunately for developer Premium Agency, the results are nowhere near the quality of said series and players will notice immediately.
As a long-time Fatal Frame fan, I was deeply frustrated by Nintendo's decision to not bring the fourth title in the series overseas. Apparently Nintendo refused to bring it over due to some technical errors that Tecmo refused to fix. Having spent countless hours with each of the previous iterations it seemed ridiculous that Nintendo would bar an entire group of people from experiencing the game due to small issues, such as a sluggish framerate. Thankfully, a dedicated group of fans have pooled their efforts in order to create a fan translation of the game, affording us English speaking gamers the opportunity to play the title.
I definitely missed the boat with No More Heroes. Sure, I bought it near release, but the best I ever did was wipe out the first boss and get into a few side jobs. Other things seemed to come up and the game got shelved indefinitely. As we all know, the second title in the series has just been released, which incidentally acted as a pretty good motivator to go back and finish what many called one of the Wii's greatest games.
Though Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars has just made its way to American shores, I've had the opportunity to play the game (more accurately, the first version of the game) for nearly a year now. This latest iteration of the Vs. series features the same over-the-top fighting found in all of the other titles in the series, with a fresh new look and roster of fighters.
I’d like to start off saying that I have been a fan of the God of War series for years. Back in 2005 (I say it like it was ages ago), I remember sitting down, watching Cheat on television and being tickled by the concept of a game that seemed to combine punching things in the face with Greek mythology. In 2007, sometime before God of War 2 hit markets, I remember sitting down (at a different television this time) to introduce my fellow Pixlbit-er Chessa to the game that finally forced me to learn where the buttons on the PS2 controller were, all while cussing up a merry storm as she stood by, slack-jawed, at the token violence, random optional sex, and angry bald Spartan grunting.
Tony Hawk titles have a special place in my heart. Years ago when the first title was released to the market, it was unbelievably unique; never before had a skateboarding game been released that was so smooth and dynamic. Not to mention the fact that it was released at a point in time where skateboarding was earning some widespread appeal. Being the teenage boy that I was, Tony Hawk inspired myself and other friends to start trying to skateboard in real life. It didn't take long to realize that skateboarding is hard as hell. No matter how much effort we invested, the best we could ever do was ollie - so like any teenage boys who aren't immediately successful, we gave up.
As I've made clear in the past, I am by no means the world's biggest Tekken fan. Tekken 6 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 was a solid entry that fans of the series no doubt enjoyed. Thankfully for those same fans, Namco has created a portable version of the fighter in order to play and practice on-the-go.
The Dragon Ball series seems like it never wants to die. Since its debut in 1985, the series has remained popular and with its popularity has come an endless stream of Dragon Ball merchandise and games. In 2009, a total of four unique Dragon Ball games were released; Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans is the latest title, and surprisingly, it's one of the better games in the series to be released.
Dr. Mario is one of the most classic puzzle titles ever released. Originally debuting on the NES, Dr. Mario was one of the titles that pioneered the match the same color style of gameplay that is prevalent in puzzle games today. The DSiWare release of Dr. Mario is actually a bite-sized version of Dr. Mario Online Rx, which was released on WiiWare in 2008.
While the DS has allowed for countless genres to appear in handheld form, there's still one genre of games that doesn't really fit the overarching style of portable games: party games. These types of titles are meant to be enjoyed with many people in a casual environment, and with the exception of long road trips, it’s not often that a grouping of players have no better option than a DS to play such a game. As you might imagine, with Squeeballs Party for the DS, the one element that saved its Wii brother is basically pointless in a portable environment. Outside of its party elements, the game is incredibly dull providing for a subpar experience.
When I started playing through Squeeballs Party, it reminded me over and over again of Itchy and Scratchy; the cartoon cat and mouse on the Simpsons who loved to try and rip one another to shreds. Within this game, all of the squeeballs are constantly either trying to do harm to one another, or falling into hysterics at another's misfortune. The characters themselves are incredibly full of personality, and most certainly add something unique to this game. Unfortunately the gameplay itself is full of rehashes of familiar party games which only remain fun for so long.
Casino games have been around since the inception of the home video game console. I remember countless hours spent in front of the Colecovision with my parents playing a game that only featured Black Jack and Poker. The game was so simple and to the point though, that it's still playable today. As someone who enjoys some gambling with family or friends every once in a while, I was interested to see what Vegas Party had to offer.
