Now I have to say, for BioWare’s first handheld game, they did a great job! Sonic has suffered lately as the good games, few as they may be, are lost in the sea of really crappy ones that seem to be pushed out year after year tarnishing his name. So for one of gaming’s greatest mascots to have a really great game after 2 decades while crossing into a new genre, it gives one hope for the future of the character and the franchise at large. I can just imagine if a Sonic RPG ever hits consoles, what a sweet day that would be!
So to start things off, here’s what Ididn’tlike about the game:
I never seem to amass a good amount of money or items, no matter how much I grind or steal during combat.
I wish the side quests were more varied and numerous.
Now here’s what Ididlike about the game:
Each character was different and it made the combat and exploration more interesting.
It felt like a console experience, which to me means a deeper game than I expected for a handheld.
The franchise felt fresh without rehashing or leaning on the past like a crutch, at the same time had plenty of things that felt like I was playing a classic Sonic game.
Enemies respawned, which for a BioWare game is remarkable in itself. It allowed me to spend time building stats which gave me a comfortable lead as I reached more difficult areas and battles.
So overall I’m more impressed with this game than I had expected. So much so that I even started a new game file right after beating it. When you do your characters carry their stats into the new game. Hopefully there will be sequels and if I’m lucky, even a console version at some point. Though there is still room for improvement here, it’s a great start and I give this game an 8.5/10.
First off, let me say I'm a huge BioWare fan. I'm also a Sega fan in general and while Sonic isn't super high on my top lists of titles or franchises, especially lately, I still enjoy the Sega Genesis titles from that series. So while you read this, keep in mind that these impressions come from someone with no particular loyalty to the series but instead, from an RPG fan, a BioWare fan and someone who doesn't get as much use out of his DS for lack of games suited to his tastes. In fact, this is the first DS game I've bought this year.
Now I admit, I was a bit hesitant on picking this up. This is after all BioWare's first title on the DS and also it's first ever handheld title period. Sonic as a franchise seemed almost un-salvageable as a quality series and it has earned some harsh criticism due to it's overall downfall. Don't get me wrong, I was looking forward to it's release, but that's as much from curiosity as it was the prospect of a DS RPG from my favorite developer. In the end it was my faith in BioWare as a developer while owning and loving every game they've made so far that convinced me to take a leap of faith and plunk down the $40.
Here are three videos courtesy of GameTrailers.com, showcasing the gameplay of the Wii Sports sequel Wii Sports Resort. Included in these three are the sword dueling, jetski and frisbee gameplay clips. The sword dueling uses the new WiiMotion Plus add-on, to enhance gameplay and bring the Wii closer to a true 1:1 experience.
Special note of interest to those of you who are big fans of Wave Race, as this is touted to be the spiritual successor to that franchise and besides using your Miis, is supposed to be a deeper and more intuitive game.
Wii Sports Resort is expected to be released in Spring 2009 and it has been indicated that it will include as many as 10 different games in the compilation.
For those of you who have a bit of time to kill this week and want to be "in the know" here are the dates and times for the three main press conferences by Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft:
Microsoft: Monday July 14th, 10:30AM Pacific time (1:30PM Eastern).
Nintendo: Tuesday July 15th, 9:00AM Pacific (12:00PM Eastern).
Sony: Tuesday July 15th, 11:30AM Pacific (2:30PM Eastern).
As for where you can watch it or catch up with the latest minute by minute, here's a few websites you can stream it live:
IGN.com - Free low res stream from IGN, requires a minor download to view it. IGN Insider subscribers have access to a high res version G4TV.com - Live stream commercial free, also available on the television channel of the same name. Gamespot - Live stream plus other coverage.
If video isn't your thing, here's a few sites who will be live blogging it (updating their post every few minutes as the conference goes on):
Keep it tuned to Channel 3 this week as we bring you thoughts, impressions and hopefully other goodies from the shadow of the giant otherwise known as E3 2008.
So I've put around 2 hours or so into this game, They say it's a 15-20 hour title 100% completed and if that's the case there's some nice value for the money.
The graphics and sound are superb for this game. I didn't care much for Wind Waker but this Cel-like style suits the DS very well. Controls are tight and easy to use. It's what I imagine Ninja Gaiden DS and Animal Crossing would be if they merged into one game. From what I've seen so far you can pretty much play the whole game with a stylus in either hand and maybe only need to use a shoulder button from time to time or the mic.
Gameplay is classic Zelda. Puzzles, a bit of dungeon crawling, some sailing etc along with using the map more extensively and making notes on it like places to come back to later or routes to take to avoid traps. I imagine side quests as well once you get into the game more.
My only concern right now is exploring. Something I always thought was great about the series. Like Wind Waker it seems more restricted and smaller because of the open water/island maps. Hopefully there will be some free roaming land masses once the rest of the map becomes visible.
Although the opening sequence and story is a bit lame and reeking of deja vu, it's a light hearted game I'm really enjoying. It's certainly got a respectable amount of charm I've found lacking in the last console one, but I think this will be the last Zelda of it's type they can get away with before the series becomes tired and needing an overhaul.
If you've played:
Wind Waker Minish Cap Animal Crossing
You'll like this game for sure. Just keep in mind it's easier, more casual and laidback.
So what do dairy farmers and Bandai Namco have in common? Well if you don't know the answer to that perhaps you should do a search in our database for Pac-Man or Namco Museum and hazard a guess!
So you can imagine my and no doubt countless other people's initial reaction when they hear that yet another Namco Museum has come out. This time around it's on the Nintendo DS. The sound of milk striking a bucket at 14.6psi can be heard from miles away. Yet for some reason this one struck me immediately as one that I had to have and not 12 hours after I had seen coverage and media for this compilation on the net I had a copy in my hands. Even more surprising is that's it's better than I had even imagined.
This particular version of the Museum series includes: Pac-Man, Galaga, DigDug II, Xevious, The Tower of Druaga, Mappy, Galaxian and the recent multiplayer hit Pac-Man Vs. All of this is a neat package for only $19.99.
Let me get this out of the way first, this is among the best compilations of any type I've ever had. The emulation of these titles is equal to any PC version and second only to the arcade cabinet originals in my opinion. I normally don't have a lot of respect for the DS's D-pad but I have to say it works so well with these games it brings a refreshing feel to these classics.
Now I won't bore you with gameplay details of these games, if you don't know what they are already then you don't deserve to call yourself a gamer. Find yourself an arcade somewhere, bring some coin and familiarize yourself with these classics that helped define gaming in the 80's. What I will focus on is why I think this version sets the bar higher than the rest and why it's worth your $20.
First off the intro is good. It uses the sprites of each game and sound effects into one continuous sequence, very entertaining. Then as you come to the main menu you have 4 options to choose from: Pac-Man Vs. (multiplayer only game), Arcade, Demo and Library. The Demo mode allows you to broadcast demos of each game to your friends wirelessly and the Library allow you to listen to each game's music and sound effects, read instructions, view arcade flyers, view high scores, credits and more.
The Arcade mode is where the other 7 games are located. Keep in mind that throughout this whole thing the menus are simple, easy to read and big enough to be used by finger or stylus. Each game has 3 main menus with specific options and settings for that particular title. Game settings, Button config, Screen settings, Hardcore options, Dip switches and even hints.
Now that's where this game really becomes impressive. There are 6 screen modes, everything from width, height types with aspect ratio adjustment to even switching screens and playing sideways like an open book. As well there are sharpness settings for the screen.
You can adjust game settings like extra lives etc, recreate documented game glitches known to the originals and mess with the dip switches. The dip switch options are neat because it gives you an actual picture of the cabinet PCB, tells you to find the dip switches on it and using the stylus, change the settings of each while the top screen shows you what each switch does.
All of this together with fantastic sound, authentic looking graphics and great control make this one helluva good investment for anyone wanting a portable arcade and a great price to match it. Even some of you Galaga haters out there (you know who you are), might finally make your peace with this game and enjoy it for a change.
So it's that time of year again. TGS time that is. For those of you unaware, it's the Tokyo Game Show I'm referring to. Every year since 1996 in Chiba, Japan vendors come together in much the same way they do with E3 and Leipzig (GC) and show off the latest and greatest. It's the last major trade show before the holiday season kicks off in full swing.
Just to give you an idea of the scope of last year's event, there were 148 companies represented, showcasing 650 games with 176,000 people in attendance.
Personally I found both E3 and Leipzig 2007 a bit of a letdown as far as coverage, new products and press conferences. And not because there's no major system launch this year, sme of the biggest years for trade shows have been in between. My theory was that they were all holding out for TGS because it's so late in the year and would resonate stronger in consumers minds come the holidays. "Bombard the people with media and hype and the dollars will flow" so to speak.
Some of the more interesting rumors and speculation have been a PS3 price cut to combat the release of Halo 3 this month, Nintendo being a no-show and Microsoft unveiling yet more "exclusives" (if you can call them that).
But do we care anymore? Hasn't everyone already made their list of games to buy this year? Do we really need to see more Halo 3, Super Mario Galaxy or LittleBigPlanet because we're already as pumped as we can be? Can anything unveiled at TGS even make it in time for the last Quarter of this fiscal year let alone 2007?
Of course it's always nice to confirm your interest in a game with more media coverage like screenshots and gameplay footage. But like many this year I'm a bit weary of giving a damn about the press conferences and news. E3 used to be a special time of year when you practically lived for the scraps of gaming news they'd throw at you.
Now I'd rather be excited about games I'm getting after Christmas. I already have my list, no need to ruin the momentum of it by over-analyzing and over saturation of the hot games. Holiday 2008 is a long long ways a way. Let me know what I have to look forward to between January and June of '08 because E3 in May is too far off.
So let's hope for a good TGS this year filled with news, footage and surprises that whet the appetite, drain the wallet and induce insomnia. Otherwise like the boy who cried wolf, no one will care next year.
Keep it tuned to RF Generation for Tokyo Game Show 2007 coverage from now until the actual show Thursday September 20th to Sunday September 23rd.
So I thought I'd make a list of my favorite games. Why? Because I can, because I want to and because I'm curious to see how many off the top of my head I can think of.
It's interested to see how one can deviate from your own list when you can list a top 100 versus a top 5, 10 or 20 etc. This one is made up from just about every system from the last 30 years. All games I enjoy playing then and now. So here goes:
Remember nearly three months ago when I said I needed a pole vaulting coach to reach Lori Baker's record of 841 lines in Tetris DX?
Well it seems that I'll need around 5000 Crackdown agility orbs to reach the new record made by Neil Gewirtz. This Tetris freak of nature just set a new world record with 2,349 lines for a total of 2,426,967 points in a span of over 2 hours straight!
Setting aside my admiration for this achievement for the moment, I have to wonder how much practice this guy has had. If I play for over an hour I see Tetronimoes in my sleep or everytime I close my eyes for hours afterwards. Not to mention my thumbs almost fall off. And that's only for a couple of 500+ line games!
Now it seems my place in the line of succession for the Crown of the Kingdom of Blocks is permanently out of reach. Instead of being a potential front runner for the throne, I'm like the cousin to the sister-in-law of the guy who shines the King's shoes.
I just realized that yesterday was the 10th anniversary of the release of Goldeneye for the N64.
Time sure has flown since we were all sitting around with our friends in 1997, duking it out in the temple, or the complex using rocket launchers, Cougar Magnums and PP7's. You can Zelda me this, Mario me that, but where would the N64 have been without Goldeneye? For many people myself included, it represented the sole purpose we kept a Nintendo 64 and 4 controllers hooked up at all times. Big parties with multiple systems, plenty of booze and lots of pizza while playing Goldeneye represent a lot of my 18th and 19th year of existence.
I still pick the game up from time to time. I'm not nearly as proficient as I once was. Being spoiled by dual analog has further alienated the odd N64 controller. After a half hour of messing around I get the "feel" back for the stick and away I go. It's interesting that after so many years I can still remember patterns, objectives etc for the single player game.
"I ain't as good as I once was But I'm as good once as I ever was"
In the circle pf players that I frequently played, it was RC-P90's in the temple, proximity mines in the Complex, or rocket launchers in the caverns. Also enjoyed playing handguns only or remote mines as well. Wielding dual Dostovei's is another huge favorite of mine. And yes like most people, I hate the Klobb, even when you've got 2 of them.
Although I have fond memories of the game, it hasn't aged well at all. Nostalgia carries this game forward more than anything else and I had moved on to other systems before Perfect Dark came out. That being said, I think I'll dust off my N64, and play one of the most influential shooters of all time and reminisce of days before "tea bagging" and "pwning".
Here's a Gametrailers.com Quakecon 2007 video showcasing gameplay footage from id Software's Orcs & Elves DS. The game which is a port of the cell phone title from 2006 is an old school RPG similar to the classic D&D dungeon crawlers. I'm a sucker for these types of games and can't wait for this to come out. Enjoy:
Looking for a family crest to hang above the mantle? Something to trim your fake plants in your living room? Maybe your looking for something to ensure you stay single for many years to come? Well look no further!! Camy International has got you covered. Become the Dork Hero of Hyrule as you arm yourself with the best Nerd bling/cosplay/Hallowe'en accessories $20 can buy! Check it out:
Beware evil Moblins!! An army of well armed plastic warriors will hunt you down. Let's just hope those v4 Wii remote straps do their duty. Otherwise someone will lose an eye.
Another 7 more songs have been revealed for Guitar Hero III. Is it just me, or have we been spoiled by the thought of original recording so much now that we tend to look down on "as made famous by" songs for the upcoming titles? Some of them I actually prefer to the original, others I'd like to forget. In any case here's the latest batch:
"Miss Murder," by AFI
"3's and 7's," by Queens of the Stone Age
"Raining Blood," by Slayer
"Reptillia," by The Strokes
"Paranoid," as made famous by Black Sabbath
"Cities on Flame," as made famous by Blue Oyster Cult
"Mississippi Queen," as made famous by Mountain
Head over to Joystiq for the complete list to date as well as Youtube links to each song in case you need to jog your memory.
News of Rare bringing the Viva Pinata franchise to the Nintendo DS was a welcome announcement if not kind of expected. Both my wife and I enjoy the Xbox 360 version and take turning managing the "garden". Despite the game's reviews, word of mouth and apparent "kid appeal", something told me to take a chance on it and for that I was richly rewarded with what I think is one of the most overlooked and best games on the 360.
For those of you who haven't played it, Viva Pinata is an incredibly deep game with plenty of adult humor alongside it's family appeal. A DS version would in my opinion, cater to the Rare fans of yesteryear and fans of games like Animal Crossing, Pokemon and Harvest Moon.
Micromanagement, breeding, planning, and many other aspects of gameplay will according to Rare, bring the full experience of the 360 version to the DS plus even more additions, game modes and Wi-Fi integration. My only minor beef with the 360 version was the control. It worked well enough not to detract from the game too much, but it's a camera and selection system more suited to a mouse on a PC. Needless to say using a stylus for everything from tapping "sours" to digging holes and selecting Pinatas would be a natural fit.
You want to know one of the most disturbing things I've ever seen in a game that ranks up there with Manhunt and Hot Coffee? Beating a Pinata to death with a shovel until they explode in a shower of candy which their fellow Pinatas swarm in and eat, even cannibalism by members of the same species! Or breeding a parent with their own children! Or even watching helplessly while a guy with a penchant for putting sick Pinatas out of their misery kills them before the pokey slow Doctor can get there and treat them. How these snuck past the ESRB and earned a "E" rating, I'll never know.
I can just imagine all the fun I'll little kids will soon have chanting "die! die! die!" while beating a little candy bunny rabbit to death with their stylus with an evil grin on my their face. Good times, good times.
For more information check out the official Rare website at:
Now I have to say, for BioWare’s first handheld game, they did a great job! Sonic has suffered lately as the good games, few as they may be, are lost in the sea of really crappy ones that seem to be pushed out year after year tarnishing his name. So for one of gaming’s greatest mascots to have a really great game after 2 decades while crossing into a new genre, it gives one hope for the future of the character and the franchise at large. I can just imagine if a Sonic RPG ever hits consoles, what a sweet day that would be!
First off, let me say I'm a huge BioWare fan. I'm also a Sega fan in general and while Sonic isn't super high on my top lists of titles or franchises, especially lately, I still enjoy the Sega Genesis titles from that series. So while you read this, keep in mind that these impressions come from someone with no particular loyalty to the series but instead, from an RPG fan, a BioWare fan and someone who doesn't get as much use out of his DS for lack of games suited to his tastes. In fact, this is the first DS game I've bought this year. 
For those of you who have a bit of time to kill this week and want to be "in the know" here are the dates and times for the three main press conferences by Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft:
So what do dairy farmers and Bandai Namco have in common? Well if you don't know the answer to that perhaps you should do a search in our database for Pac-Man or Namco Museum and hazard a guess!
Find yourself an arcade somewhere, bring some coin and familiarize yourself with these classics that helped define gaming in the 80's. What I will focus on is why I think this version sets the bar higher than the rest and why it's worth your $20.
So it's that time of year again. TGS time that is. For those of you unaware, it's the Tokyo Game Show I'm referring to. Every year since 1996 in Chiba, Japan vendors come together in much the same way they do with E3 and Leipzig (GC) and show off the latest and greatest. It's the last major trade show before the holiday season kicks off in full swing.
Remember nearly three months ago when I said I needed a 
News of Rare bringing the Viva Pinata franchise to the Nintendo DS was a welcome announcement if not kind of expected. Both my wife and I enjoy the Xbox 360 version and take turning managing the "garden". Despite the game's reviews, word of mouth and apparent "kid appeal", something told me to take a chance on it and for that I was richly rewarded with what I think is one of the most overlooked and best games on the 360.
