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So, uh, past tense. Here's what came out this past week:
| Playstation 3 | Xbox 360 | Nintendo Wii | •Call of Duty: World at War
•Mirror's Edge
•Pro Evolution Soccer 2009
•WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 | •Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts
•Call of Duty: World at War
•Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
•Mirror's Edge
•Pro Evolution Soccer 2009
•WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 | •Big League Sports
•Block Party
•Bratz Kidz: Slumber Party
•Call of Duty: World at War
•Candace Kane's Candy Factory
•FaceBreaker K.O. Party
•Guinness World Records: The Videogame
•Hasbro Family Game Night
•Imagine: Party Babyz
•Kung Fu Panda: Legendary Warriors
•Luxor 3
•Monkey Mischief: Party Time
•Mortimer Beckett and the Secrets of Spooky Manor
•Pet Pals Animal Doctor
•Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World
•WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 | | PSP | Nintendo DS | Playstation 2 | •Pro Evolution Soccer 2009
•WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009
PC
•Call of Duty: World at War
•CSI: New York
•History Channel Civil War: Secret Missions
•Petz Horsez Club
•Sacred 2: Fallen Angel
•Secret Service: Ultimate Sacrifice
•World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King | •Amazing Adventures: Forgotten Ruins
•Avatar - The Last Airbender: Into the Inferno
•Call of Duty: World at War
•futureU: The Prep Game for SAT
•Guinness World Records: The Videogame
•Hello Kitty Daily
Kung Fu Panda: Legendary Warriors
•My Stop Smoking Coach with Allen Carr
•National Geographic Panda
•Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia
•Pony Friends: Mini Breeds Edition
•Populous
•Sally's Salon
•Six Flags Fun Park
•Star Wars Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance
•Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff
•Tropix
•Zoo Vet: Endangered Animals
•Winx Club: Mission Enchantix
•WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 | •Eternal Poison (It's a FATlus RPG, go nuts fanboys)
•Hasbro Family Game Night
•Onimusha: The Essentials (This is NEVER coming out)
•Pop Star Guitar
•Pro Evolution Soccer 2009
•Think Fast
•WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 |
 One of the biggest games this week is Call of Duty: World at War, the first game in the popular series since last year's awesome Modern Warfare. This game takes the series back to its WW2 roots...and back to off-year developer Treyarch, two strikes against the game in the eyes of many fans of last year's Infinity Ward developed installment. However, don't be worried because I think the game looks great, especially since it keeps the same addictive multiplayer XP/perk system found in 4...AND BECAUSE IT HAS NAZI ZOMBIES! How can you say no to that?! Well, other than saying "I'm waiting for Left 4 Dead next week".
Next up is Mirror's Edge, the ambitious first person running game from BattleField developers, EA DICE. In case you've been living under a rock, Mirror's Edge is a first person game inspired by Parkour, or free running, in which you play as Faith, a messenger who is being pursued by the man. Based on the demo on PS3, I must say it's one of the best games I've played this year, and definitely the most original big-budget disc-based game of the year. Don't let IGN's BS reviews fool you, Mirror's Edge is a game worth getting.
Of course the biggest game of the week is World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Litch King, the latest expansion to the wildly popular MMORPG. I really don't know much about WoW except it steals your life and turns you into a fatass basement-dwelling neckbeard nerd. Needless to say, I've never played it, but I've seen what happens to friends that get into it, and it scares me off from playing...plus the game looks boring as heck.
Also out this week is Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts (the awesome N64 platformer is back...with little platforming and lots of vehicle building), Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 (360 this time, in case you missed it on the PC), Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff (The classic is back...with no NFL license), Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia (moar Pokemans, hopefully moar mudkipz), and Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World (people like the Tales series from what I know...)
So, next week, I WILL DELIVER ON TIME! I promise!
 Yesterday I went to Belgium's biggest gaming event called "Next". It was quite a big event with all the biggest publishers/developers present, as well as Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. There were also some non-gaming brands present such as Samsung, Nikon, Apple, Bose, Philips, etc.... I had to go alone because none of my friends were willing to pay the 12 Euros admission. That obviously made things less fun but then I came up with the idea of shooting some photos of the event and sharing them with you guys.
Continue reading Next 08: Gaming Event
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Wow, I am like ultra late with this, I apologize.
| Playstation 3 | Xbox 360 | Nintendo Wii | •History Channel Civil War: Secret Mission
•James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace
•Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
•Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm
•Resistance 2 (Also available as a collector's edition)
•Tom Clancy's End War
•Valkyria Chronicles | •Gears of War 2 (Also available as a collector's edition)
•History Channel Civil War: Secret Mission
•James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace
•Legendary
•Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
•Namco Museum Virtual Arcade
•Secret Service: Ultimate Sacrifice
•Tom Clancy's End War | •Bratz Kidz: Slumber Party
•James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace
•Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
•Monster Lab
•Movie Games (What?)
•North American Hunting Extravaganza
•Petz Sports (Sports totally should have ended with a z)
•Pop Star Guitar
•Rubik's World | | PSP | Nintendo DS | Playstation 2 | •Tom Clancy's End War
PC
•CSI: New York
•Guitar Hero III/Aerosmith Bundle
James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace
•Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
•Operation Mania
•Petz Sports
•Princess Pack
•Realms of Arkania Trilogy
•Space Trader | •Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Snow Princess
•Dragonball: Origins
•Exit DS
•futureU: The Prep Game for SAT
•Goosebumps HorrorLand
•Guitar Rock Tour
•Hello Kitty Daily
•Imagine: Interior Designer
•Imagine: Wedding Designer
•Korg DS-10
•James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace
•Little Red Riding Hood's Zombie BBQ
•Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
•Monster Lab
•My Baby Boy
•My Baby Girl
•Petz Dogz Pack
•Pony Friends: Mini Breeds Edition
•Princess on Ice
•Real Soccer 2009
•Theresia (Holy shit, an M rated game on the DS!)
•Tom Clancy's End War
•Winx Club: Mission Enchantix (That's one x away from XXX)
•Zoo Vet: Endangered Animals | •Call of Duty: World at War Final Fronts
•Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World
•History Channel Civil War:Secret Mission
•James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace
•Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
•Monster Lab
•NHL 09
•Onimusha: The Essentials (I highly doubt it)
•Pop Star Guitar
•Secret Service: Ultimate Sacrifice
•Think Fast |
 If you haven't joined the new age of gaming and don't like downloading games, you may want to check out Namco Museum Virtual Arcade since it includes many games available on the Xbox Live Arcade service on one disc including Galaga Legions, Pac-Man Championship Edition, Mr. Driller Online, Pac-Man, Galaga, Ms. Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Xevious, and New Rally-X. Achievement whores will be happy to know that all the XBLA games on the disc retain their achievement points, so you can further boost your e-penis. In addition to all those (mostly) excellent XBLA games, there's the usual cross-section of classic Namco games that you've come to expect from the Namco Museum series.
This week also sees the release of the latest James Bond game, Quantum of Solace. This looks pretty good because it is based on one of the best FPS engines out there, the Call of Duty 4 engine. Reviews, however, have been a mixed bag so far, so be cautious.
Next up is the the game of the year based on just the title, Little Red Riding Hood's Zombie BBQ for the DS. It's sort of a shmup with fairy tales and zombies. Surprisingly, it's getting good reviews on the interwebs. Plus, it's only $20, so what do you have to lose? NOTHING! That's the answer!
The most unique (and sure to be rare) release of the week is the Korg DS-10 synthesizer for the DS. In case you don't know what this is, it's a full-featured Korg synthesizer for only $35. Want to learn more? Watch it in action on the June 20th episode of the 1UP Show. Want to buy the game? Chances are you'll have to order it online because almost no retailers are carrying it, including GameStop.
Also out this week are two big name exclusive shooters: Gears of War 2 for the Xbox 360 and Resistance 2 for the PS3. I'm not a Gears fan, so I'll spare you my thoughts on that game (actually, horde mode in that game looks hella fun), but I did try out the "beta" (aka demo) of Resistance 2 and had quite a fun time in both competitive and co-op modes. Haven't played the single player mode, but judging by how multiplayer is and how the first game was (and my Insomniac Games fanboyism), it should be awesome.
Rounding out the week is Valkyria Chronicles (Sega's incredible PS3 exclusive RPG/Third Person Shooter combo), Naruto Ultimate Ninja: Storm (BELIEVE IT!), and Tom Clancy's End War (an RTS that you can control entirely using your voice, which is actually pretty fun based on the demo).
Again, I am sooooooooooo sorry for how late this is and how it doesn't live up to my usual standards. Things got in the way Sunday and Monday, and then the election was last night. Hopefully you all forgive me enough to check back next time.
 First off, let me say that my expectations of this game were moderate. I, like many others, was disappointed when Fable came out on the original Xbox and many of Peter Molyneux’s promises failed to materialize. So I approached this game with a bit more caution, not wanting to fall prey to the hype machine and Peter’s ambitious sales pitches. “Fool me once” and all that….
The biggest thing I found with this game, is that to me it felt like the Fable I had expected four years ago. The choice/consequence system, the social interaction and the size of the game as far as explorable landmasses were all things we thought we’d get with the first game. This time around it actually delivers. There is a lot more humor, more things to do and more interaction with the various NPCs throughout the game. The downside of that is with so many more options, you dilute the overall experience. Like Oblivion, it felt like there were 5 NPC models, Woman A, Child B, Man C that sort of thing. Coupled with the voice acting of the cookie cutter NPCs, it’s great for the first few hours, but then after a while you tune it out when it gets repetitive. On the flipside of that, is the voice acting of the unique characters. Those characters essential to the storyline had a good selection of Hollywood/theatre actors including Ron Glass of Firefly fame who provided a fantastic performance and Stephen Fry who voiced a hilarious narcissistic character.
While the AI for the most part was solid, the NPCs didn’t really do anything spontaneous other than mill around wandering aimlessly or running in fear. The canine companion you got, was on one hand very realistic in it’s behavior and mannerisms, on the other, a hindrance because sometimes he just didn’t follow you or just sat there like a lump and did nothing. I also found even when maxed out, I constantly had to heal him after a lengthy battle which was just a tedious chore post-combat. If you didn’t, the whining would drive you nuts until you did.
Don’t get me started on the amount of bugs and glitches in this game. Some are game breaking like having your characters stats wiped, others would interrupt the story progression like the infamous Monk quest. Then other times while exploring you’d get stuck by so many invisible environmental barriers you felt like you were navigating a river with a Galleon at midnight. Most of the points lost in my final score are attributed to these unacceptable issues that beta testing should have cured.
Graphics and sound for the most part were really well done. There was special attention to provide lots of humor in the townsfolk and their comments would adjust to your characters morality, infamy and appearance. The soundtrack was well chosen and the music always suited the event or area you were in. There was some frame stutter at times and the camera would go all snafu when you least expected it, but the scenery is quite nice and the vegetation lush and colourful. That alone sets it apart in this age of drab colours this generation. Details like firelight on rain or shadows on the buildings really add a nice touch and a sense of realism as does the really nice water effects. A great looking game and a great sounding one as well.
Gameplay is a mixed bag also. Combat is pretty straightforward and simple and inventory management is solid, but there’s no ability to assign quick slots. Meaning when you need to heal, it’s pause, inventory, scroll, select, confirm to do so which breaks up the pace of the battle. See, in a game where you have food, drink and potions, it’s always the lesser items that show up on your D-pad quick keys. Meaning if you have a piece of celery which would give you a paltry 80 points of healing, it takes priority over your life saving potions that will give you 700 and fully heal you. You basically have to either do the pause menu thing or eat everything from lowest to highest by pressing the button several times until your healed which means running off somewhere so you left thumb can get to the pad instead of the stick for movement. I also found the character always automatically putting his weapon away rather annoying.
Now for the flipside of gameplay, there was lots of variety. Puzzle solving, gambling, real estate & decorating, raising a family, exploring, entertaining etc etc. There is lots to see and do and many ways to enjoy yourself without even touching the main quest. The achievements for the most part are fun. One minute your hunting Gargoyle heads and exploring, the next your stripping your clothes off and risking a fine to perform a stunt of public indecency. Then you’ll find yourself on a treasure hunting mission and an hour later stopping by to see your wife/husband and kids while upgrading your furniture and bearing gifts.
The game as a whole package is solid and worth checking out. It’s an action RPG/social experience with a Charles Dickens/Harry Potter feel to it. As a gift I felt I got my money’s worth as it were. If your on the fence about it, wait til it drops to $30 or so. If you want a true RPG experience and intend to skip the social fluff and diversions this game offers, it’ll be a short one. 10 hours or 40, your mileage may vary.
7.5/10
 LITTLEBIGPLANET!!!
That's the only thing of any importance coming out this week. So, I'll see you all next time, provided I'm not playing LittleBigPlanet.
Continue reading RFG Release List: Week of October 26, 2008
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It's a literal gamesplosion this week!
| Playstation 3 | Xbox 360 | Nintendo Wii | •Bioshock
•Disney Sing It
•Eternal Sonata
•Far Cry 2
•The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon
•Midnight Club: Los Angeles
•Monopoly Here and Now: The World Edition
•Rock Band 2 (Game only and as an instrument bundle)
•Spider-Man: Web of Shadows | •Dance Dance Revolution: Universe 3 (Game only and bundle. God I'm sucker for DDR)
•Disney Sing It
•Fable 2 (Also available as a limited edition)
•Far Cry 2
•The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon
•Midnight Club: Los Angeles
•Monopoly Here and Now: The World Edition
•Rock Band 2 (Game only and as an instrument bundle)
•Spider-Man: Web of Shadows | •Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?: Make the Grade
•Backyard Football 2009
•Barbie Horse Adventures: Riding Camp
•Build a Bear Workshop: Fur Seasons
•Carnival Games: Mini-Golf
•Celebrity Sports Showdown
•Circus Games
•Dancing with the Stars: We Dance
•Disney Sing It
•High School Musical 3: Senior Year DANCE
•Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009
•The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon
•Monopoly Here and Now: The World Edition
•Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 2
•Penny Racers Party: Turbo Q Speedway
•Petz Rescue Wildlife Vet
•Rock University Presents: The Naked Brothers Band The Game
•Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
•SpongeBob SquarePants featuring Nicktoons: Globs of Doom
•Think Fast
•Wii Music (God this game looks AWFUL. Do not buy this because it says Wii ____.) | | PSP | Nintendo DS | Playstation 2 | •Crash: Mind Over Mutant
•Midnight Club: LA Remix
•Petz Saddle Club
•Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
•Star Ocean: First Departure
PC
•Bully: Scholarship Edition
•Combat Wings: Battle of Britain
•Dead Space
•Deer Hunter Tournament
•Europa Universalis III Collection
•Far Cry 2
•Heist
•Littlest Pet Shop
•NBA 2K9
•NHL 09
•Petz Horsez Club
•Poker for Dummies
•Rock University Presents: The Naked Brothers Band The Game
•Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
•Shaun White Snowboarding | •Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?: Make the Grade
•Barbie Horse Adventures: Riding Camp
•Back at the Barnyard: Slop Bucket Games
•Backyard Football 2009
•Battle of the Giants: Dinosaurs
•Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
•Dancing with the Stars: We Dance
•Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell
•Ener-G: Dance Squad
•Ener-G: Gym Rockets
•Ener-G: Horse Rider
•High School Musical 3: Senior Year DANCE
•The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon
•Lovely Lisa
•Master of the Monster Lair
•MechanicMaster
•My Baby Girl
•Pass the Pigs
•Rock University Presents: The Naked Brothers Band The Game
•Smart Girls Party Games
•Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
•SpongeBob SquarePants featuring Nicktoons: Globs of Doom
•Tornado
•Touchmaster II
•Transformers Animated
•What's Cooking? Jamie Oliver | •Backyard Football 2009
Barbie Horse Adventures: Riding Camp
•Cake Mania Baker’s Challenge
•Disney Sing It
•The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon
•Monopoly Here and Now: The World Edition
•Rock University Presents: The Naked Brothers Band The Game
•Spider-Man: Web of Shadows |
 First up: Rock Band 2! This time it's the game only for the PS3 and the bundle edition for the PS3 and 360. Sorry, but PS2 and Wii owners have to wait until next month to rock out with plastic instruments...again. Or until Guitar Hero World Tour next week. But why get that when Harmonix is so much better than Activision? Plus Rock Band 2 has one of my favorite songs of all-time, Teen Age Riot by Sonic Youth.
Next, Fable 2, the latest promise-a-thon from Peter Molyneux...and from the looks of things, it lives up to at least some of the promises he made. I have no experience with this series, so I can't say too much about it.
Far Cry 2 is also out this week. I've always wanted to play the first game, but have never got around to it. It looks pretty awesome and got some great reviews. Any insights here?
This week two former 360 exclusives make the move to PS3.First up is the critically acclaimed Bioshock. I've never played much Bioshock until the PS3 demo a few weeks ago, and it totally blew me away. I won't get this game right away, however, because I want to wait until it reaches the price level that the 360 version is at, which will probably be a month or two after Christmas. The other one is Eternal Sonata, which is actually not half bad for a JRPG (at least based on the demo).
Also coming out this week: Star Ocean: First Departure for the PSP (yet another Square remake), Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia for the DS (even more Castlevania goodness), Midnight Club: Los Angeles on PS3/360/PSP (That OTHER game Rockstar makes!), Spider-Man: Web of Shadows on PS3/360/Wii/PSP/DS/PC/PS2 (The reviews are surprisingly good so far, and the game looks pretty intriguing), DDR Universe 3 for Xbox 360 (probably another shitty 360 installment), and Dead Space on the PC (DO NOT MISS THIS GAME!!!).
Phew. Exhausting list. Check back next week for the next installment of the Holiday 08 release list season.
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There's so many games coming out this week that I had to switch to three (?!) rows instead of the usual two! Granted most of the games this week are shovelware crap, but there's some damned awesome releases!
| Playstation 3 | Xbox 360 | Nintendo Wii | •Blitz: The League II
•Dead Space
•FIFA Soccer 2009
•Golden Axe: Beast Rider
•Rock Revolution
•Saints Row 2 (Also available as a collector's edition)
•SOCOM: Confrontation (Also available as a bundle with the official Sony PS3 Bluetooth headset or as a download on the Playstation Store) | •Blitz, The League II
•Dead Space
•FIFA Soccer 2009
•Golden Axe: Beast Rider
•Rock Revolution
•Saints Row 2 (Also available as a collector's edition) | •Avatar - The Last Airbender: Into the Inferno
•Boogie Superstar
•Bratz: Girls Really Rock
•Dokapon Kingdom
•Littlest Pet Shop
•Safecracker
•Sam and Max: Season One
•Tak: Guardians of Gross
•Ten Pin Alley 2 | | PSP | Nintendo DS | Playstation 2 | •B-Boy
•Cake Mania Baker’s Challenge
•FIFA Soccer 2009 | •Battle of the Giants: Dinosaurs
•Bratz: Girls Really Rock
•Cesar Millan's Dog Whisperer
•FIFA Soccer 2009
•Kage Densetsu: The Legend of Kage 2
•Littlest Pet Shop: Garden
•Littlest Pet Shop: Jungle
•Littlest Pet Shop: Winter
•Lovely Lisa
•My Japanese Coach
•Naruto: Path of Ninja 2
•Smart Girls Party Games
•Prey the Stars
•Rock Revolution
•Tak: Mojo Mistake | •Avatar - The Last Airbender: Into the Inferno
•Bratz: Girls Really Rock
•Cake Mania Baker’s Challenge
•Dokapon Kingdom
•FIFA Soccer 2009
•Tak: Guardians of Gross | PC
•Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?: Make the Grade
•Avatar Last Air Bender: Path Zuko
•Brain Training for Dummies
•Cesar Millan's Dog Whisperer
•Combat Wings: Battle of Britain
•Dark Horizon
•Enchanted Fairy Friends: Secret Fairy
•Etch A Sketch (AGAIN?!) |
•FIFA Soccer 2009
•Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (Game Only)
•Hot Dish
•Let's Ride: Riding Star
•Littlest Pet Shop
•Paws and Claws: Australian Adventure
•Poker for Dummies
•Rock University Presents: The Naked Brothers Band The Game |
•SAS: Secure Tomorrow
•Saints Row 2
•Shaun White Snowboarding
•Sniper: Art of Victory
•SpongeBob Squarepants: Game of Life
•Space Trader
•World of Goo |
 The biggest game of this week is EA's sci-fi scarefest, Dead Space. If this game is not on your radar, it should be. Why? It's supposed to be an effing scary game and the reviews have been excellent so far (high 8s/low 9s). Yes, it is yet another shooter, but it does some very innovative stuff, such as strategic dismemberment. You can't just shoot a baddie in the head and move on because that would waste your ammo and anger them. What you need to do is totally tear them apart. While you are tearing them apart, they will change their approach to killing you. For example, if you take the legs out, they'll crawl towards you with their arms and try to take you out that way. In addition, there's some other cool powers like telekinesis and stasis. Based on all the footage I've seen so far, EA could have a possible game of the year contender with Dead Space.
Also out this week is indie darling child, World of Goo, on both PC (direct from 2D Boy via PayPal, on Steam, Direct2Drive, Beanstalk, Greenhouse, and in regular stores for all you disc fans) and WiiWare. Based on Tower of Goo (download it for free here, this physics-based puzzle game requires you to build structures using different types of goo in order to get balls to the exit. Sounds simple, but judging by the time I've played Tower of Goo, the end result should be a damned addictive game.
If you're a Wii owner looking for a hilarious adventure game should check out Sam and Max: Season One from Telltale Games. As you could probably infer from the title, it's a compilation of the all six episodes from the first season of the game put onto one disc on the Wii. Each episode will give you about two or three hours of gameplay, so you're looking at about 12-18 hours total to complete them all. Totally recommended if you're a Wii owner who liked Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive people and haven't played the PC version of Sam and Max: Season One.
Also out this week is SOCOM Confrontation for the PS3 (the latest installment in the popular online shooter), Saints Row 2 (the next installment in the GTAalike franchise), and Kage Densetsu: The Legend of Kage 2 (the sequel to the cult-classic 1984 arcade/NES game).
Oh yeah, Rock Revolution comes out this week too. If you buy it, I will punch you in the face.
Next week, prepare for armageddon.
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This would be the sorry for me being slow, at least it's still the calm before the storm edition. Oh well, here's this week's BALLIN release list:
| Playstation 3 | Xbox 360 | Nintendo Wii | •Fracture
•NBA 09: The Inside
•NBA 2K9
•NBA Live 2009 | •Crash: Mind Over Mutant
•Guilty Gear 2: Overture
•Fracture
•NBA 09: The Inside
•NBA 2K9
•NBA Live 2009 | •Army Men: Soldiers of Misfortune
•Crash: Mind Over Mutant
•Game Party II
•Line Rider 2 Unbound
•NBA Live 2009 All Play
•Ten Pin Alley 2 | | PSP | Nintendo DS | Playstation 2 | •My Spanish Coach
•NBA 09: The Inside
•NBA Live 2009
PC
•Baseball Mogul 2009
•Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway (Also available in a limited edition)
•Can You See What I See
•Dark Horizon
•Etch A Sketch
•Exodus from the Earth
•The Guild 2: Venice
•Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy
•SAS: Secure Tomorrow
•Sniper: Art of Victory | •Baseball Mogul 2009
•Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway (Also available in a limited edition)
•Can You See What I See
•Dark Horizon
•Etch A Sketch
•Exodus from the Earth
•The Guild 2: Venice
•Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy
•SAS: Secure Tomorrow
•Sniper: Art of Victory | •Crash: Mind Over Mutant
•NBA 09: The Inside
•NBA 2K9
•NBA Live 2009
•Onimusha: The Essentials |
 Anyways, the highlight this week is Fracture. In case you don't know, Fracture is a third person shooter like so many others. What sets this one apart from the rest is the ability to manipulate the terrain around you. Neat idea on paper, but the actual games falls victim to the disease affecting so many other games today: more of the same. The actual shooting portion of the game is just not that great. It feels like every other third person from the past two or three years. But that's not my biggest issue with the game. I truly have a problem with how it seems very linear and hand-holding in what you need to do. LucasArts really should have taken this game and made it more into a free roaming style experience with some clever puzzle solving aspects rather than a generic third person shooter that rips borrows something from every big name game over the past couple of years.
It may sound like I didn't like Fracture, but that's not the case at all. The game is pretty fun, but nowhere near $60 fun. Wait for this one to hit $20 or $30 before buying. Or if you're unsure, try out the demo on Playstation Network or Xbox Live.
Also out this week is the latest game based on the Bleach anime series. The only reason I mention it is because one of my favorite developers, Treasure, made it. I didn't highlight in the release list because I hate Bleach and it's wannabe Chuckie main character.
Another big release this week, and a possibly game of the year contender will be released this week: Etch-A-Sketch for the PC. In case you have not been following the massive hype surrounding this game, Etch-A-Sketch is the new prequel to the classic MS Paint which appears to feature a special guest appearance from a silver Pac-Man. Wonder why they decided to bring out a prequel over 20 years after the original, but maybe they can ride the cash wave of casual games. For me, I'll be sticking with Paint.
Finally this week, notice Ten Pin Alley 2 in the Wii's release list? This is the perfect example of how bad the shovelware situation on the Wii has become. Did you ever hear of the first game? It was a mediocre bowling game released in the US in 1996 for the PC and PS1. Yeah. We're digging up mediocre 12 year old franchise and shoehorning in Wiimote controls in hopes of a little money. Nice going Jack of All Games, whoever you are.
Come back next week when the REAL wallet raping begins. Now if you'll excuse me, I just got a LittleBigPlanet beta key in my email. 
So, I had this written earlier today and wanted to make a few corrections, but then I closed the web browser on accident. Looks like I'mma have to do the commentary section from memory.
| Playstation 3 | Xbox 360 | Nintendo Wii | | •Silent Hill Homecoming | •Mobile Ops: The One Year War
•Silent Hill Homecoming | •Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility
•We Cheer | | PSP | Nintendo DS | Playstation 2 | •Cake Mania
•Pipe Mania
•Valhalla Knights 2
PC
•Baseball Mogul 2009
•Dark Horizon
•Hardy Boys: The Hidden Theft
•Mount & Blade
•Pipe Mania
•SAS: Secure Tomorrow
•Sniper: Art of Victory | •Animal Paradise
•Margot's Word Brain
•Pipe Mania
•Pop Cutie: Street Fashion Simulation
•Princess Debut
•Sonic Chronicles: Dark Brotherhood
•Unsolved Crimes | •Mortal Kombat Kollection
•Onimusha: The Essentials
•Pipe Mania |
 Looks like the game companies decided to give us a break before completely slaughtering our wallets in October.
First featured game this week is Silent Hill Homecoming for the PS360, the newest installment in the popular survival horror franchise. I must confess that I've never played a Silent Hill game in my life, but I do know that Pyramid Head is badass. Since I've never played Silent Hill, I pose this question to my readers. Is it worth getting into the series? If so, where should I start?
Next up is Sonic Chronicles for the DS. Expecting a fast platformer like Sonic Rush? You're definitely not getting that. Sega decided to take Sonic in a totally different direction with this new game, and hand off development to Bioware, creators of Mass Effect and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Yup, this is an RPG in the Sonic universe. Quite an interesting concept if I must say so. And get this: it's getting strong reviews. Let that sink in. A new game starring Sonic that's actually GOOD. For reals.
Also this week: 360 owners can MUST download Mega Man 9 for 800 Space Bucks (that's $10 for us Earthlings).
Check back next week for a return to game companies raping your wallet.
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Yet another crowded week. It's especially bad for Wii and PS3 owners...
| Playstation 3 | Xbox 360 | Nintendo Wii | •Baja: Edge of Control
•Buzz Quiz TV
•Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway (Also avaliable as a limited edition)
•Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2009
•LEGO Batman | •Baja: Edge of Control
•Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway (Also avaliable as a limited edition)
•Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2009
•LEGO Batman
•Warriors Orochi 2 | •Brothers in Arms: Double Time
•Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2009
•de Blob
•LEGO Batman
•Lost in Blue: Shipwrecked
•Pitfall: The Big Adventure
•Rebel Raiders
•Samba De Amigo
•Sim City Creator
•Twin Strike: Operation Thunder
•Wario Land: Shake It
| | PSP | Nintendo DS | Playstation 2 | •Buzz Master Quiz
•LEGO Batman
•Pipe Mania
PC
•Battlelord: King’s Bounty
•Command & Conquer 3 Deluxe Edition
•Everlight
•Flight Simulator X: Gold Edition
•Hired Guns: The Jagged Edge
•LEGO Batman
•Mount & Blade
•Nostradamus
•The Settlers VI Gold
•Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization | •Barbie Fashion Show: •Eye for Style
•Brain Quest Grades 3 & 4
•Brain Quest Grades 5 & 6
•Di-Gata Defenders
•Dinosaur King
•Disgaea DS
•Drop Cast
•Hi! Hamtaro Ham-Ham Challenge
•Kirby: Super Star Ultra
•LEGO Batman
•Margot's Word Brain
•My Japanese Coach
•My SAT Coach: Princeton Review
•My Little Pony Pinkie Pie's Party
•Nancy Drew: Hidden Staircase
•Pipe Mania
•Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure
•Shaun the Sheep
•Sim City Creator
•Time Hollow | •Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2009
•Dragon Ball Z Trilogy
•LEGO Batman (Also available in a bundle with a PS2 system for all 2 people that don't own one yet)
•Onimusha: The Essentials
•Pipe Mania
•SingStar Pop Vol 2
•Warrior's Orochi 2 |
 Because I'm kinda busy, I will keep my rundown fairly short.
So, this week you have a Wiimake of Samba De Amigo (which apparently isn't that great), a Wii adaptation of student project that gathered a lot of attention at the Independent Games Festival, yet another WW2 FPS (but a good looking one), a new Lego game (which usually turn out good), a new Buzz! game (pretty good trivia/party game), Wario Land: Shake It (Nintendo hasn't hyped this game at all. Why?), Kirby Super Star Ultra (Same. Why no love Nintendo?), Disgaea DS (ugly art, but supposedly good game if you like that kind of thing), and of course Mega Man 9! If you own a 360, PS3, or Wii, I expect you to buy MM9. If you don't I seriously doubt your classic gamer cred.
Also out this week on the PSN is Wipeout HD, a steal at just $20.
Sorry for the abridged look at this week's games. Hopefully school doesn't totally screw me over again next week.
 Now first off, let me say that I'm not really a fan of the Star Wars movies per se. As I drop that nasty bit of flamebait in your lap, let me say it's because it's so empty as opposed to other science fiction franchises I enjoy. The scope of background to draw from and the mythos in it's size and complexity is a far cry from that established for Babylon 5, Stargate, Doctor Who or Star Trek.
Having said that, I've always enjoyed the Star Wars games. I suppose in a way, I see the games as deep as the 90 minute movies they are based on. If you've ever played Rogue Squadron, Knights of the Old Republic, Jedi Knight series, Bounty Hunter and Shadows of the Empire, you know what I mean as they fill in so much more info and back story than the movies ever did.
Continue reading Tan's Mini Reviews: Lego Star Wars The Complete Saga
 Praise the Gods! Our humble beseeching was heard by our humble lords. Our penitent pleas have been recognized by Yevon and in doing so he has ensured that the Wii was in fact the top selling console in Japan last week. What will Yevon do for us next week? Might he protect us from Sin? I only dread the thought of what city could become the next Zanarkand. They embraced technology too much, and in doing so were punished for the techological zeal. That's why I use a laptop powered by a hand crank, praise Yevon. Oh lordy, praise Yevon, for he is GOOD. Like I know that the Wii only sold 1500 more consoles than the 360 last week in Japan, but it least the cosmic order remains.
Oh merciful Yevon, what won't you do to protect your people? How we citizens of Spira praise your magnificence! Save Spira from Sin, in the name of Maester Seymour Guado! May we never experience the same fate as Zanarkand! Guardians, protect us!
Xbox 360 The Best Selling Console In Japan? Media Create Says 'No'
 In what surely is to be a one in a lifetime occurrence, the Microsoft 360 was the top selling console in Japan for the week of September 8 through 14. It's... terrifying. What have we done to cause such a cosmic quirk to occur? Was it our capitalist overlords screwing with the subprime market, causing a financial meltdown? Could it have been the Japanese obsession with Used Pantie Machines finally caught up with them? Was it that as a world we're too preoccupied with shrubberies? I DON'T HAVE A CLUE!
Truly, someone must have done something to cause this strangeness to occur. It's not as though the Japanese could actually be genuinely interested in the 360, could it? I know it was popular in the US a couple months back, but the US and the Land of the Rising Sun are very, very different. They have Pachinko. We have Casinos. There's no way that the Japanese could be convinced to buy a 360 because of a price drop, could it? COULD IT? All I know is that last week the 360 was the top selling console in Japan, and it's scary. Such a freak oddity can not happen again next week, can it? CAN IT? I really hope not, I fear what would happen to the cosmos if it did.
OH MERCIFUL GODS! Hear my plea! Spare us from the impending cosmic rift! We humbly beseech you! We wish not to invoke your wrath! Please, take these shrubberies as a token of our most sincere acquiescence. Please, PLEASE! Don't let the 360 top the chart for another week, I don't know if the cosmos could take another week of such stress!
Holy Snot! Xbox 360 Tops Home Console Sales In Japan [Kotaku]
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I've been hyping it up for a long time now, but this is going to be the trend for the next few months. A fuckton of games. Enjoy!
| Playstation 3 | Xbox 360 | Nintendo Wii | •Armored Core: For Answer
•Pure
•Star Wars: The Force Unleashed | •Armored Core: For Answer
•Battle Fantasia
•Pure
•Rock Band 2 (360 Exclusive. GAME ONLY! The bundle comes out next month.)
•Star Wars: The Force Unleashed | •Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party 2 (Simply because it has LCD Soundsystem  )
•Igor
•Kidz Sports: Crazy Golf
•Littlest Pet Shop
•Rebel Raiders
•Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
•TNA Impact!
•Zoo Hospital | | PSP | Nintendo DS | Playstation 2 | •B-Boy
•Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
•Yggdra Union
PC
•Cooking Academy
•Crysis: Warhead
•Discovery
•Everlight
•Hell's Kitchen
•Line Rider 2 Unbound
•The Price is Right
•Pure
•The Settlers VI: Gold Edition
•S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
•Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning | •Animal Paradise
•Di-Gata Defenders
•Dragon Quest IV
•Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition
•Happy Cooking
•Igor
•Imagine: Fashion Designer New York
•Line Rider 2 Unbound
•My Secret World by Imagine
•Red Bull BC One
•Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
•Unsolved Crimes | •Dance Dance Revolution: X (Game only and Bundle. However, the game has a craptacular song list, par for the course with DDR these days. Hey Konami, just release a game with the arcade soundtrack for once. You'll make so many people happy.)
•Namco Classic Fighter Collection (Includes Tekken Tag Tournament, Tekken 4, and Soul Calibur II)
•Naruto Ultimate Collection
•Pac-Man Power Pack
•Speed Racer
•Star Wars: The Force Unleashed |
 So, yeah, this week has quite a few good games coming out. Where do we start?
How about the biggest game of the week, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed? I've played the demo on PS3 and it's pretty damned good. Not $60 good, but a good pickup at $30 or $20. However, if you're a Star Wars fan, you might want to get it right away because it seems like the first great Star Wars game since Battlefront II. In case you don't already know, Force Unleashed is kind of like a God of War or Devil May Cry game set in the Star Wars world. But what makes this game so awesome is that you can play around with the force. For example, grab a Stormtrooper and throw him into other enemies or grab a TIE Fighter and throw it at enemies. There's so much you can do in this game due to the fact that it is running THREE physics engines on the PS3/360 versions. But don't you Wii owners feel left out, you'll get the opportunity of using waggle to throw things. I haven't researched the other versions as much, but I bet they'll be good.
Rock Band 2 comes out this week ONLY FOR XBOX 360. Harmonix has load of cash from Microsoft a contract with Microsoft to have Rock Band 2 on the 360 one month before the other systems. The thing is that the only way you can get the game at the minute is without any of the instruments. The bundle will arrive next month along with the release of Rock Band 2 on the other systems. So, I'll save talking about it until then. However I will say that if you buy RB2 and you already have the first one, you can transfer over all the songs from the frist game for only $5...and any songs you purchased on the first game will work with the new game free of charge. Nice job Harmonix!
Square Enix whores will be happy to know that yet another handheld port of one of their old games is coming out this week. That game is Dragon Quest IV for the DS. Since I don't like Square Enix besides the fact that they published Space Invaders Extreme and Einhander, I won't comment on how good this game is because I obviously hate it. 
Also out this week is Pure, Disney's surprisingly fun arcadey ATV racer; Crysis Warhead, the sequel to the biggest PC game no one bought because they're all cheapskates that would rather pirate games instead of putting food on the developer's tables; S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, a neat looking FPS; Warhammer Online, yet another MMO; and Line Rider 2, a new version of the popular web game.
In case you did not notice there, I started listing PC games. You're very welcome. Let me know what you think of the new format in the comments.
A little bit lighter week this time around, but it sees the release of one of the most anticipated games of the year!
| Playstation 3 | Xbox 360 | Nintendo Wii | •NHL 2K9
•NHL 2009
•TNA Impact! | •NHL 2K9
•NHL 2009
•TNA Impact!
•Zoids Assault | •Cabela's Legendary Adventures
•Hell's Kitchen
•NHL 2K9
•The Price is Right (One of my original ideas for the Wii. Read my comments later.) | | PSP | Nintendo DS | Playstation 2 | | •Cabela's Legendary Adventures | •Hell's Kitchen
•Lock's Quest
•Mazes of Fate
•Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir (It's a game with no hype from Nintendo. It's gotta be good.)
•The Price is Right
•Spore Creatures
•Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise | •Cabela's Legendary Adventures
•Dragon Ball Z Trilogy
•NHL 2K9
•TNA Impact!
•Yakuza 2 |
 This week is one full of possibly great games that are flying under the radar...along with a game that is going to be freaking huge. First up is the new game from Will Wright, the mastermind behind The Sims and SimCity. That game is Spore for Windows and Mac. What is Spore? It's a life simulation game like The Sims, but with a much larger scope. In the game, you design a species and oversee their evolution from single cell organisms to intelligent creatures. During this time you will guide the species through many phases including Tribal, Civilization, and Space. Once you reach the Space Age, you will be able to travel to the planets of other players and interact with their civilzation by trying to make peace or attacking them. I am so very interested in this game due to the fact that it could be the deepest game ever conceived. I just hope my PC is able to run it. Hopefully PC gamers actually buy this game and support EA instead of pirating it and contributing to the downfall of PC gaming.
Anyways, next game I'd like to highlight this week is The Price Is Right for the Wii. Why the hell would I mention this? Back in 2005 or so when the Wii's "innovative" controller scheme was announced, one of the first games I thought would be pretty awesome on the Wii was The Price Is Right. Imagine spinning the big wheel in the Showcase Showdown, punching out holes in Punch a Bunch, or putting in Hole in One (OR TWO!),or dropping a virtual chip in Plinko. I didn't think much about my idea after that, but it was in the back of my head. Imagine my surprise a few months ago when I found out that UbiSoft was making a game based on The Price is Right. My hopes aren't very high for the game, but I still hope it turns out decently (and has a Barker's Beauties sex minigame).
Other games coming out this week include Yakuza 2 for the PS2, the long-overdue sequel to the original game on the PS2. Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir for the Nintendo DS, a new point and click mystery game from Nitnendo that hasn't gotten a lot of hype, so it's gotta at least be decent considering all the other games they've done like this have been good. Finally is the American debut of Masaya's truly fucked up PC Engine shooter Cho Aniki on the Wii Virtual Console. This game is unlike anything you've ever seen. It's the first in a series of shmups with weird homoerotic overtones and a strange sense of humor going throughout the whole thing. I can't even begin to describe the screwed up goodness that is Cho Aniki, so check out Hardcore Gaming 101's look at the series and prepare to be amazed.
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