all-vedio-game

Resident Evil 5 Demo Early Next Year?

2008-10-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

Perhaps surprisingly - although certainly not unfortunately - EA's Dead Space is already starting to rake in the high praise, and in the first review, it says "EA could teach Capcom a thing or three about survival/horror." Well, Capcom hasn't come forth with their next-gen effort yet...
It's not far off, though, and we may get a chance to play it sooner than you think. According to GameCenterOnline, the latest edition of GamesTM magazine states that Capcom will release a playable demo of Resident Evil 5 some time in early 2009. This would make our month if it dropped in January, especially if we're still on a survival/horror high from Dead Space. Unfortunately, the magazine didn't provide any additional details on this mystery demo, but we get the feeling it'll be something attendees may have seen at either E3 or TGS. Of course, it's one thing to see it and quite another thing to play it, which is why we'll be scanning about for any new information concerning a RE5 demo. Depending on how secret they want to be, Capcom is usually pretty good about clarifying rumors or vague announcements. So stay tuned on that.
Some fans were super disappointed that RE5 didn't make it out in 2008, but given the gigantic number of games on tap for the holiday season, could we even fit the damn thing in? Hell, we've already forgotten about Killzone 2; we have Resistance 2 in November; who wants both at the same time?! Too many games...not that we're complaining.

Tekken: Dark Resurrection

2008-10-04T11:16:00.000-07:00

There's no doubt about it that every PSP owner knows the reason they bought a PSP is to play flagship titles than they loved on the PS2 in the palm of their hands. Certain flagships arrived early on in the system's life (Metal Gear, Ridge Racer), others trickled in (Grand Theft Auto, Daxter), meanwhile others are taking much longer than expected (Gran Turismo). Awaiting on promises from Sony aside, Namco has graced the PSP with one of the most defining series' to ever grace the PlayStation consoles; Tekken.
Essentially a port of Tekken 5, Tekken: Dark Resurrection is exactly what every PSP owning Tekken fan wants. While some aesthetic sacrifices were made during the transition, Dark Resurrection is still one of the best looking titles the unit has to offer -- if only for the silky animation. You'll notice during pre-fight intro scenes that the characters look a little rough and sharp around the edges. But once the gameplay actually starts, all of that becomes forgotten as it becomes far less noticeable. The characters move, punch, kick, jump, swing, and roll just like they do in the PS2 and arcade versions. It's really a sight to see such an incredible looking title in the palm of your hands. The backgrounds have taken a slight hit in quality, as well; but nothing too noticeable for most people. Though I must admit that the backgrounds definitely are my favorite aesthetic part of the game -- they're absolutely vibrant and very hard not to admire (which has always been a great trait that every Tekken game has always possessed). Also, just like a Tekken title, Dark Resurrection sports some of the cleanest and prettiest FMV sequences out there - definitely a big plus. Lastly, considering the transition to a handheld, I'm happy to say that the frame rate always remains consistent and never disrupts the gameplay, which is a pretty big sigh of relief.
As mentioned earlier, Dark Resurrection is a port of Tekken 5 for the most part...but it's not a direct port. In fact, quite a number of differences set these two aside from each other. First off, the PSP brawler sports three (count 'em - 1, 2, 3) characters not found in the console code -- Lili, Dragunov and...Armor King! That's right, boys and girls, Armor King. One of the most popular and beloved Tekken characters is a selectable character from the get go. In fact, as opposed to Tekken 5, all 34 characters are unlocked and ready to be used as soon as you start the game. For some, it's bad news. For others it's good news. To me? It sort of puts a damper on a game's replay value and I was a little disappointed to see every character at my disposal instantly.
In addition to sporting new characters, the PSP fighters also feature additional move sets not found in the arcade or PS2 versions. There are also new stages to fight in, and even more items to customize the fighters with. Now if that wasn't enough, Tekken: Dark Resurrection also has an online mode of sorts. It's not a person-to-person online battle -- rather, a ghost of you and your fighting 'intelligence' is downloaded by another player and fought against. But, and this may be a huge 'but' to some, the side brawler Devil Within has been taken out unfortunately and replaced with the return of Tekken Bowling. Also featured is Tekken Dojo; a tournament mode where you brawl through various tournament leagues, as subsequently your fighting characteristics (intelligence) is gathered to form a "ghost" version of your fighter to be uploaded online for others to fight against. If one thing is for sure is that there is definitely no shortage of game modes, bonus modes, and overall value in the game. Tekken Dark Resurrection is arguably the most complete and replay filled title the PSP currently has. And it's certainly the most fine-tuned Tekken game ever.
When it comes down to the audio, Dark Resurrection is pretty much identical to Tekken 5. You'll instantly notice that when you begin playing the game, the punches and kicks don't sound as brutal or punchy as the home version. That's due to two reasons; one is because the game's sound effects have to be adjusted in the options menu -- once that's done, you'll instantly notice a difference. And two is because the PSP's speakers have a hard time emitting any sort of bass-like tones -- so playing with headphones will cure the problem completely. Otherwise, all of the voice acting and the soundtrack is taken straight out of the console title; which is a very good thing.
If there's one thing that Dark Resurrection has been criticized for most often is its controls. Lots will claim that the PSP's directional control setup (be it analog or digital) isn't primed for fighters. I beg to differ, personally. For as long as I've been playing the game, I haven't struggled at all with the controls. I haven't felt the need to purchase the directional cap cover once. Aside from that, the controls as a whole are pretty much as they are in the console versions, so it's highly unlikely that anyone will have a hard time adjusting.
After it's all said and done, nobody expected Namco to release a hack up of the game and disappoint their fans. From day one the project looked promising and that it would fulfill every Tekken fans needs for a proper handheld title. After the surprisingly decent, though barebones, Tekken Advance for GameBoy Advance some years back, it's about time that fans were treated to something this great. In fact, Tekken: Dark Resurrection is so great, that many will argue that it's the best Tekken game ever - and I'd agree. It plays tighter than Tekken 5 (because it's based on the updated Dark Resurrection arcade update), and it has tons of features not found in the home release. While it doesn't have Devil Within mode, the bonus games/side modes like Bowling, Command Attack, Tekken Dojo and the online features more than make up for it. In short, yes, Tekken on the PSP is that damn good. And yes, this is a AAA, high-profile release for the console that no PSP owner or fighter-fan should be without.

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World Hands-On

2008-10-02T23:38:00.001-07:00

We return to the new world for another adventure, set two years after the events of Tales of Symphonia.
To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Tales series in North America, Namco Bandai brings us Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World on the Nintendo Wii. The game takes place just two years after the events of Tales of Symphonia, and you'll come across familiar faces and revisit this new world that Lloyd and Collette had saved. It seems that even with all of their hard work from the previous game, peace hasn't spread across the land, and there are some bizarre climate changes. In Dawn of the New World, you follow the story of two young heroes who set out to discover the reason behind these events while allying with monsters they meet along the way.
We've played through the first few hours of Dawn of the New World, and it's very linear for the first hour and a half, given that there's a lot of dialogue to try to get you up to speed with what's going on. If you haven't played the previous game, it shouldn't make much of a difference because they do explain the important events that happened. The hero of our story is a timid boy named Emil who lost his parents when his city was ransacked. He now lives with his aunt and uncle in Luin. Right off the bat, we notice that the townspeople are rather hostile to Emil, but he doesn't have much of a backbone to fend off the bullies and verbal abuse from everyone around him, including his relatives. There has been an increase in aggressive monsters, and the lake has dried up, so everyone in town blames Emil. That's quite an accusation for a boy who can't do much else but say "sorry" all the time. Emil eventually meets Marta, a pretty young girl with a jewel stuck to her forehead. She tells him about Lord Ratatosk, ruler of all monsters, and it becomes clear that Marta's connection with Ratatosk is the reason why everyone seems to want to kill her. As indecisive as Emil is, a cute girl always takes precedence, so together they try to get a better grasp of what's happening around them.

A noticeable change from the last game is that you can't wander the overworld map anymore. Instead, you use the Wii Remote to point at a location, or you use the direction button to select which city to visit. In the beginning, the only options available to you are the places you have to go, so it's hard to get lost. In dungeons and cities, you can point the Wii Remote to your desired location and hold down the B button for Emil to go there. It's still more efficient to use the analog stick, but the choice is there. When you receive the Sorcerer's Ring, you'll also be able to point with the Wii Remote to use it on specific areas.
Enemies are seen onscreen, and you're taken into a 3D arena when you start a battle. This time, you can hold down the Z button and walk freely around the battlefield, although if you get hit while you're doing this, you'll take a lot more damage than you normally would. You will learn special abilities called artes, of which you can assign up to four for your character, and they can be executed by pushing the B button and the corresponding direction on the analog stick. Unison attacks can be performed when your gauge at the bottom of the screen is more than half full. There are also other skills that you need to equip for your character to use them, and they're limited by the number of skill points that you have.
What you're probably wondering about is the new monster-gathering feature in Dawn of the New World. Monster collecting involves forming a pact with the monster after the battle is over, but it's not that easy, not at first. We weren't able to simply form a pact with everything we came across, considering that there are requirements that need to be met for the pact to occur. When you begin a fight, there is an elemental grid in the bottom left corner of the screen that indicates the major element of that particular field, and around the grid are minor elements that can change when you use an arte with elemental properties. If you have three minor elements, the major element will change and the pact will form when the major and four minor elements match. This seemed complicated at first, especially because we didn't have too many artes to work with, but we imagine that it should become easier once you're able to perform more element-specific artes. Seeing as how you're also controlling one character at a time, you need to make sure your other party members aren't messing up the elements if you have a specific one in mind. This is when having a friend or three will help so that you can coordinate which elemental arte to use. Multiplayer works just like in the previous game; your friends help you out in battles, but most of the time they're just waiting for the next fight.

You still have the ability to cook, and in order to track down gourmet recipes, you'll have to locate that sneaky Wonder Chef who hides out in the most obscure places. You'll usually find a Katz worker in town, dressed up in a yellow costume with cat ears, who can help you manage your monsters, cook, and give you quests. By making tasty dishes, you can feed them to your monsters so that they level faster and are therefore more useful in a party. No one wants an underfed, wimpy monster.
Other than the anime-style intro before you even begin the game, that style is seen again only in the pop-up skits, in which the dialogue exchange is presented by character portraits. The game is presented with 3D characters, and the characters and environments don't seem to have the same feeling of crispness that you would find with cel-shaded graphics, though admittedly this is still a preview build. The character models still look great, but right now the dungeon and towns that we've visited look a bit plain. We didn't find any Japanese voice-acting option, but the cutscenes and skits do have English voice acting, which is done fairly well.
The Tales series has come a long way in the past 10 years, and Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World appears to be a solid role-playing game for the Nintendo Wii. There are more than 200 monsters to try to collect, so it will certainly keep you busy if you want something else to do. Dawn of the New World is expected to ship sometime this fall.

Final Fantasy IV Hands-On

2008-06-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

Final Fantasy IV (originally known as Final Fantasy II in the US) has seen a number of rereleases throughout the years, the most recent of them appearing on the GBA as Final Fantasy IV Advance. However, not content with mere ports, Square Enix has decided to completely remake this epic adventure from the ground up similarly to what they did with Final Fantasy III. The end result is a fully 3D game that looks better than ever and includes several new gameplay features such as voice acting, but is still unmistakably Final Fantasy IV.
FFIV tells the tale of Cecil, the Lord Captain of the Red Wings of the kingdom of Baron. As a youth, Cecil was taken in by the king of Baron, who raised him to be a just and honorable knight. However, that same kindhearted mentor has suddenly transformed into a cold and power-hungry tyrant, and Cecil begins to doubt the righteousness of his actions. On orders from his king, Cecil leads Baron's air force in a surprise strike against the friendly city of Mysidia to steal their sacred crystal, and torn between his honor and his duty, he openly questions his king's motives. Displeased by his lord captain's lack of faith, the king strips Cecil of his command and orders him to travel to the village of Mist, where he is to deliver a ring to its elders. This simple errand kicks off a world-spanning journey of redemption for Cecil, and along the way he is embroiled in a battle for the fate of the entire world.
The shift to three dimensions has not only allowed for a far more accurate sense of depth and spatial awareness in buildings and dungeons, but has also made for a more cinematic style of storytelling. Whereas in the original version all conversation was conducted in static dialogue boxes, much of the story is told through in-game cutscenes in the remake, many of which feature voice acting. In addition, everything has been completely retranslated again, removing the hit-or-miss pop-culture references added to Final Fantasy IV Advance and making it feel far more accurate and authentic.

Enchanted Arms

2008-01-10T20:51:00.000-08:00

Enchanted Arms is the first Japanese role-playing game for the Xbox 360, and while it isn't overly impressive or memorable, it's a capable representative for games of its type. The game sticks closely to the console role-playing template made popular by the Final Fantasy series, to the point that even the victory music that plays after each battle sounds eerily familiar. Androgynous characters, melodramatic plotlines, random encounters, and ridiculously overblown battles form the basis of Enchanted Arms, and if you have any previous experience with this type of game, you'll feel like you've seen it all before. Despite that, if you give it plenty of time, you'll find that Enchanted Arms is still worth playing if you have any interest in role-playing games.

You've heard this story before. A feisty young man with no memory of his past discovers within himself a hidden power capable of saving--or destroying--the world. His name is Atsuma, and he's a student at Enchant University, where he studies a type of weak magic known as enchanting. However, some people seek a more powerful form of magic, which has been lost for the past 1,000 years. Turns out that a millennium ago, humans were quite proficient with magic and used it to create artificial servant creatures, known as golems. As you might expect, the golems one day went berserk and turned on mankind, nearly destroying the world in what's known as The Golem War. The most powerful of these creatures, called devil golems, were sealed away to prevent another disaster. Flash forward to present day, and some conniving megalomaniacs start fussing with the seals to draw upon the powerful magic that lies within. At this point, Atsuma's destiny as savior of the universe is revealed, along with a mysterious power that resides in his right arm.
As Atsuma, it's up to you to keep these nasty golems in check, which you do by running around the world battling not only golems, but also the humans who are attempting to manipulate them. Enchanted Arms plays like a traditional console role-playing game. You spend most of the time running through dungeons or down long, linear paths from one city to another, engaging in random encounters, collecting money and items, and developing your characters to make them stronger. Between battles, you'll often be treated to some heavy dialogue or the occasional prerendered cinematic sequence.
The story sequences in the game can be quite lengthy, with conversations lasting several minutes. You might be tempted to simply skip through all the chatter, but if you do that you'll miss out on a lot of the charm that Enchanted Arms has to offer. The dialogue, while sometimes a bit overdone, is relatively natural and engaging for a role-playing game. There aren't many characters in the game, but that works to its advantage by letting you focus on the dynamic between four entertaining personalities. There's also plenty of humor, and although a lot of it is downright silly, it doesn't feel forced and is funny enough to prevent your eyes from glazing over during every story sequence.
The nuts and bolts of the game are simple but effective. Throughout most of the game, you'll be running on a linear path from one point to another. Sometimes you'll run from one town to another, and other times you'll be running from the beginning of a dungeon to the obligatory boss fight at the end of that dungeon. While in these areas, you'll be drawn into battle with a random assortment of enemies every several steps. The encounter rate is usually reasonable, letting you cover plenty of ground between battles. Sometimes, however, you'll find yourself going from one battle to another every few steps, which quickly gets tiresome. It doesn't help that the game requires you to backtrack through these large, empty spaces several times, which is boring and takes quite awhile since you're prone to being attacked every step of the way.

The nature of the combat system in Enchanted Arms results in some often very lengthy battles. That said, the system is fun and challenging most of the time. Each battle takes place on a flat, 6x4 grid that is divided down the center. Your party is randomly arranged on one half of the grid, while your enemies are on the other. You can't pass the center line into the enemy grid, so you have to plan your attacks accordingly. You can have up to four characters in your party, and during your turn, you can move those characters and assign actions in any order. Once you've done that, you press go and the actions are carried out. The battles all come down to positioning, because each attack has a specific range and pattern. Some attacks will hit only a single square, others will hit a line of squares, and still others will hit an entire enemy area. By balancing your party so that you have a proper mix of ranged and direct attacks, you can be ready to face any enemy. The battle system doesn't require much in the way of strategy, but it does demand a bit more than simply selecting the attack command over and over. It feels almost like a puzzle game because you have to figure out the best order and position for each of your characters to maximize damage and minimize risk.

Even if you have a team of direct attackers against a group of ranged enemies, you usually won't have a problem winning. The game is very forgiving, and enemies will often move within range of your attacks, if for no other reason than to avoid a stalemate situation. Between battles, your characters automatically regenerate both their health points and their ether points, which are required to perform all attacks. However, over time your characters will lose vitality points, and characters with no vitality points left won't regenerate any health or ether points between battles until you reach a replenishing station. This system requires you to keep plenty of extra characters on reserve to be swapped in for characters who have expended all their vitality points. The system works well, if only because it gives you incentive to make use of all your characters, rather than using just a few powerhouses throughout the entire game.

Having extra characters is never a problem in Enchanted Arms. Throughout the world, you'll encounter golems, and usually if you defeat one of these creatures in battle, you'll get its core, which can be used along with some other items to synthesize that golem. This is just a roundabout way of recruiting enemies to join your party. There are more than 100 different golems in the game, and they're all quite diverse and useful. Each golem has its own attacks and abilities, and each one can be leveled up and made stronger, just like the human characters. There seems to be a golem for every occasion, from mermaids that can absorb hit points from enemies, to a massive Sasquatch with frosty breath, and even a pizza-headed creature that can shoot fire.
You can take all of the golems you collect in the game online to engage in multiplayer battles via Xbox Live. It feels like a feeble attempt to add a multiplayer component to the game, because all you can do is have a straight-up ranked or unranked battle. The battle system isn't robust enough to allow for any engaging or involved multiplayer competitions. It can still be interesting to see which golems other players prefer to use, though, and it can lead you to discovering some new tricks that you can put to use in the single-player game.
The presentation in Enchanted Arms is reminiscent of other games of this type, and considering that this is an Xbox 360 game, that isn't a good thing. The character models are fairly detailed, but the animation is awkward. During story sequences, you'll see large versions of the characters as they jerk and spasm from one fixed position to the next without any sort of transition. The environments aren't impressive, either. You'll see a lot of huge, wide-open areas that show no signs of life whatsoever. The entire world feels empty and uninhabited, which makes for dull viewing. Sometimes you'll see some shiny textures, but for the most part, this game pales in comparison to other Xbox 360 games, regardless of whether you're viewing it on a standard definition or high-definition television. Furthermore, there's the problem of getting a workable perspective in battle. There are a few preset camera angles to choose from, but none of them offer a full view of the battlefield. The heads up display often obscures enemies, to the point that you might not even see an enemy until it attacks you. The camera is also zoomed out to get the whole battlefield in the picture, but that also makes some of the characters appear tiny, and their colors tend to blend into the background. The game does look good in a few respects, though. Most of the attack effects are flashy and exaggerated, but they all look good. In particular, there are EX attacks, which are special attacks that feature more lengthy and over-the-top animations than the standard attacks. In addition to the special effects, the prerendered cutscenes in the game look great. There are only a handful of these, but they're each worth watching multiple times.

The sound in Enchanted Arms is decent for the most part. The English voice acting is pretty bad most of the time, but there's an option to listen to the Japanese voices instead. Even if you can live with the annoying voices during the story sequences, you'll probably find it hard to bear the chirpy phrases uttered by your characters with every single attack. It quickly gets old hearing the same two or three phrases repeated a dozen times or more in a single battle. The music is typical of a role-playing game, and it's mostly good. There are dramatic orchestrated tracks, as well as ambient loops that softly fade into the background. None of the music ever gets annoying, which is perhaps the best thing that can be said for the music in a game that takes 40 hours or more to complete.
While you can finish Enchanted Arms in about 40 hours, it will take you considerably longer if you spend the time to find all of the golems in the game. The game is paced reasonably well, and although it's very linear, you'll never be stuck wondering where to go or what to do next. This keeps the game moving along most of the time, but it still tends to drag in spots. There's too much backtracking required, and it often takes an inordinate amount of time to get where you want to go. If you have the patience for it, though, you'll find that Enchanted Arms is a good first effort for role-playing games on the Xbox 360, even if it isn't a very original one.

Lost Odyssey Impressions

2008-01-10T20:46:00.000-08:00

Today at TGS, we were able to sit down with Hironobu Sakaguchi, famed creator of Final Fantasy and producer of Blue Dragon, to take an updated look at his latest Xbox 360 RPG, Lost Odyssey. While the game isn't going to reach North American shores until early next year, it's currently expected to ship in Japan before the end of the year, so what we saw was a game that was nearing the end of its development cycle.
If you haven't been following our coverage of Lost Odyssey, it follows the story of Kaim, one of a very small number of immortal men and women who live alongside normal mortals. Given that Kaim is over 1,000 years old, he's obviously been around the block a few hundred times, but as the events of the game approach, he finds himself swept up into the political upheaval that erupts between his world's three main kingdoms as they all proceed toward a simultaneous magical/industrial revolution. As with Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey is shaping up to be quite a large game, with 40 or 50 hours of gameplay that'll have to be spread across four DVDs.
More details of the combat system were revealed in this latest look at the game, including the precision aiming system. In the game's menu, you can equip onto each character one of around 150 combat rings that you'll be able to find around the game world. These rings have a variety of power levels and elemental affinities. If a character is wielding a fire-based weapon, you can match him or her up with a fire-based combat ring for a little extra oomph. During combat, you can use these rings by holding the right trigger while attacking. If you do so, you'll see two large rings appear on the screen, the larger of which will quickly shrink to overlap with the smaller. If you let go of the switch just as the two rings overlap, you'll be able to execute a more powerful attack than you normally would.
Another new system involves the manner in which powerful characters can protect the weaker party members. As in other RPGs, this is represented by having the powerful melee characters stand in front of the weaker magicians and ranged characters. However, there's also a meter in the upper right-hand corner of the screen that indicates how well the forward characters are protecting the rear guard, which apparently goes up as the forward characters take and deal damage, and drops as the rear characters take damage. It's unclear precisely how the system works, but it seems that the higher the meter goes, the more effective the protection is, which presumably lessens the damage the weaker characters take. Sakaguchi claims that this system is inspired by the MMORPG concept of tanking, wherein heavily armored characters attempt to take damage and distract enemies from weaker characters.
Apart from the combat mechanics, we saw a few new cinematics and areas during the demo. As befitting a game from the man who created Final Fantasy, many of these were gritty industrial areas, where high technology and magic uneasily melded. At one point, Kaim and the rest of the main characters in the game (they numbered six or seven) were trapped on a huge platform that was collapsing into the ocean. After they escaped by jumping to a ship that appeared below, they were accosted by a group of six wizards that called themselves "The Darkness." They're apparently evil and completely unaware of trademark law, but although they attacked with powerful magic, Kaim and his group managed to dispatch them after casting numerous flashy spells.
As we mentioned, Lost Odyssey won't be arriving in the U.S. until after the New Year, but it already has a full English voiceover. Oddly enough for a Japanese RPG, the characters are being lip-synched to the English voices instead of the Japanese. However, if you prefer to hear the Japanese voices, both tracks will be available on the disc (or discs, rather), and you'll also be able to select subtitles for the Japanese voices. You can expect GameSpot to have more coverage of the game as it nears its American release date, so stay tuned.

Rock Band Hands-On--The PS2 Edition

2007-12-14T10:21:00.000-08:00

Rock Band Hands-On--The PS2 Edition

Harmonix's multiplayer rhythm hit Rock Band has been setting hearts aflame nationwide for a few weeks now. That is, at least, on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. For all you would-be bandmates who haven't ponied up the cash for one of those consoles yet, take heart: Harmonix and Houston-based partner developer Pi Studios have been working on a PlayStation 2 version of the game. This version will let you get a vocalist, guitarist, bassist, and drummer so that you can pull silly rock-star poses and play through dozens of hit songs all in the same room. We had a chance to whip through a few songs in the PS2 game to see how smoothly it's translated to lesser hardware.
Unfortunately, a number of the modes from the 360 and PS3 versions of Rock Band have been removed from this port. Chiefly, there's no online head-to-head play, which will also preclude the possibility of future downloadable content (though that's not surprising, given the PS2's lack of standard mass storage). The band world tour mode has also been scaled down considerably. In the next-gen versions, you create a band and then tour from city to city, amassing cash, gaining new fans, signing record deals, playing in battle-of-the-bands challenges, and so on. On the PS2, you can still play a four-player career game, but you'll simply progress linearly through each tier of songs, as you would in a Guitar Hero game or one of the single-instrument solo tours in Rock Band. That also means the character creator is gone, so you won't be able to customize your own rock dude or dudette before jumping into the world tour gameplay.
The good news is, aside from those missing modes, this looks like a faithful port of the next-gen version of Rock Band, from what we've played so far. All 58 of the songs in the released version will be included in the PS2 edition. The game will support a 480p widescreen display mode, and we were surprised to see that the game's superbly stylish visuals haven't taken a big hit in fidelity on the PS2. The wildly imaginative venues are still in here, as are the various filters and visual effects (things like film grain, black and white, slow motion) that make the game's concert footage so believable and snazzy. We didn't perform an exhaustive analysis of the graphics, but at first glance, we really didn't see a big reduction in the detail on the character models and backgrounds--though the gamer is lower resolution and consequently a bit fuzzier--so this should remain quite a nice-looking game in the final analysis. Because there's no character creator, the developers have created pre-fab bands corresponding to the different genres in the game--punk, metal, and emo, for instance. You'll see the corresponding genre-based band in the background depending on what song you're playing.
The PlayStation 2 game will be $10 cheaper than its big brothers, meaning that the bundle--including game, microphone, guitar, drums, and USB hub--will come in at around $160, while the stand-alone game will hit at around $50. Most surprisingly, the PS2 bundle will include the exact same pieces of hardware used for the PS3 game, including the USB wireless receiver dongle that allows the wireless guitar controller to work. So if you get the PS2 bundle now, then snag a PlayStation 3 at some point in the future, you could pick up the PS3 version of the game by itself and keep playing with the instruments from your PS2 bundle.
Rock Band is slated to ship on the PlayStation 2 on December 18, so look for a full evaluation of the boxed product soon.

PSU: Ambition Illuminus

2007-12-02T10:06:00.000-08:00

Platform exclusivity runs rampant as headliners join Unreal Tournament III, Ghost Squad, Time Crisis 4, Mario Party DS, FFXII: Revenant Wings, Trauma Center: New Blood.

In October, Activision's Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock gave the performance of its life, racking up more than $115 million in first-week sales and accounting for four of the top 10 best-seller slots for October. This week, MTV Games and Harmonix will hit their opening chord in the Battle of the Bands with Rock Band on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. (A PlayStation 2 version is due out December 18.) In addition to toy guitars, Rock Band amps the rock-centric rhythm game action to...12...with a drum kit and mic and will retail stand-alone for $59.99 and in bundle form for $169. Rock Band's set list includes 58 songs from the likes of the Rolling Stones, Metallica, and Nirvana, with additional downloadable content slated to arrive day and date with the retail package.
Platform exclusivity is the name of the game this week, with nearly every system receiving its own hotly anticipated game. Fresh off its bout of legal wrangling in Singapore due to a steamy alien-on-alien love scene, BioWare's sci-fi space opera Mass Effect arrives for the Xbox 360. Naughty Dog's Indiana Jones-inspired action adventure Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Namco Bandai's light-gun shooter Time Crisis 4 arrive on the PS3. While it's uncertain whether its PS3 counterpart will arrive before the end of the year, Epic Games' gladiatorial shooter Unreal Tournament III arrives a day before the November 20 salvo for the PC.
Retailers are arming themselves with the Wii Zapper this week, and in addition to the packed-in Link's Crossbow Training, Sega is shooting up the Wii arcade-style with Ghost Squad. Atlus hits the siren on Trauma Center: New Blood, while Namco Bandai eschews mano-a-mano brawling for action adventure gameplay in Soulcalibur Legends. The Nintendo DS also gets in on the action this week, with already-a-hit-in-Japan Mario Party DS arriving for the portable, while the world of Ivalice expands with Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings.
Chair Entertainment's Unreal Engine 3-powered downloadable title Undertow exerts its pull on Xbox Live this Wednesday. The underwater shooter features single- and multiplayer modes, as well as 16-player online action, and can be purchased for 800 Microsoft points ($10). In addition to working the pipes as a plumber and saving the Mushroom Kingdom as a superhero, Mario moonlights as a demolitions expert in Wrecking Crew (500 Wii points, $5) for the Wii Virtual Console. Also appearing on the Wii VC this week is Sonic 3D Blast (800 Wii points, $8) and Super Air Zonk (800 Wii points, $8).

This week's new releases are listed below (list taken from retailer information--actual dates may vary).
NOVEMBER 19, 2007 Avatar: The Last Airbender -- The Burning Earth (X360) Baby Luv (PC) College Hoops 2K8 (PS3, PS2, X360) CSI: Dark Motives (DS) Eschalon: Book I (PC) Link's Crossbow Training (Wii) Mario Party DS (DS) Medal of Honor: Airborne (PS3) Sega Rally Revo (PC) Sonic 3D Blast (Wii VC) Super Air Zonk (Wii VC) Time Crisis 4 (PS3) TimeShift (PS3) Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3) Unreal Tournament 3 (PC) Wrecking Crew (Wii VC)

NOVEMBER 20, 2007 7 Wonders of the Ancient World (PS2) AMF Bowling Pinbusters! (Wii) Cabela's Monster Bass (PS2) Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess (X360, PS2, PC) Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (DS) Geometry Wars: Galaxies (Wii) Ghost Squad (Wii) Godzilla Unleashed (PS2) Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash (DS) History Channel: Battle for the Pacific (PS2, PC) Indoor Sports (Wii) John Deere: Harvest in the Heartland (DS) Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (PC) Luxor: Pharaoh's Challenge (PS2) Mass Effect (X360) Monster Jam (Wii) Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus (X360, PS2, PC) Rock Band (PS3, X360) Showtime Championship Boxing (Wii) Soulcalibur Legends (Wii) Star Trek: Conquest (PS2, Wii) Strawberry Shortcake: The Four Seasons Cake (DS) Swashbucklers: Blue & Grey (PS2) The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles (PS3) Trauma Center: New Blood (Wii)

NOVEMBER 21, 2007 Incursion (PC) Soldier of Fortune: Payback (PS3) Undertow (XBL)

NOVEMBER 22, 2007 No releases announced.

NOVEMBER 23, 2007 Black College Football Experience (PC) Fire Pro Wrestling Returns (PS2) Petz: Hamsterz 2 (DS) Petz: Dogz 2 (PS2) The King of Fighters XI (PS2)

Super Mario Galaxy

2007-12-02T09:56:00.000-08:00

Games don't get much bigger than Super Mario Galaxy for Nintendo Wii, a game that has not only brought a Mario platformer to the console for the first time but has also rocketed the plucky little plumber into, of all places, outer space. With its release basically a month behind us, we took time to sit down with Galaxy game director Yoshiaki Koizumi to get his thoughts on the making of his masterpiece, the challenges of bringing Mario to the Wii, and the future of Mario's never-ending video game quest.

As usual, November has been a huge month for game releases. However, not even the flood of new AAA games could keep the long-awaited Super Mario Galaxy from having the single best launch of a Wii game to date. According to the publisher's own figures, the spacefaring adventure sold more than 500,000 copies in the US during its first week on shelves.
Besides touting the sales figures, Nintendo also pointed to a GameRankings.com aggregate review score of 98 for Super Mario Galaxy, with the claim that the score is the best of all time. The information is actually out of date: As of this writing, Galaxy's review average has dropped slightly, putting it a fraction of a percentage point behind The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Skeptical gamers who want to check that claim out for themselves can try out Super Mario Galaxy during Nintendo's Mall Experience, a traveling assortment of Wii and DS kiosks highlighting the latest games for both systems. For a list of participating malls, check out the official Web site.

The Golden Compass Updated Impressions

2007-11-29T20:41:00.000-08:00

LEIPZIG, Germany--We'll admit it: Before our first look at The Golden Compass, the upcoming Sega action adventure game based on the upcoming New Line Cinema film, we had never read the original source novel from which both are being drawn: Philip Pullman's outstanding The Golden Compass. Soon after seeing the first game, however, we cleared up that problem and, boy, are we glad we did. Still armed with the experience of having read Pullman's excellent fantasy novel, we've got higher expectations than ever for the game that bears its name. Today, Sega was showing off a slightly expanded look at the training mission that starts off the game. The mission features the star of the story, Lyra Belacqua, and her friend, the mercenary panserbjørne (that's fancy talk for huge, armored, talking polar bear) Iorek Byrnison.
The level shown off was actually an expanded version of the one shown at this year's E3, featuring Lyra riding Iorek through an icy, mountainous land looking to rescue a child from a remote location home to the Samoyeds. Though this is the first mission in the game, it actually comes from a point that's roughly in the middle of Pullman's book (and, presumably the film). As game producers explained, once you've finished this mission, and learned many of Iorek's special moves, the game will move back in time to the opening of the novel and film in order to properly introduce Lyra and the rest of the characters.
Still, it's probably a good idea to start off with the rampaging Iorek as he sprints through the icy wasteland, taking on hordes of nasty-looking wolves as he goes. In addition to taking out foes with a variety of attacks, you'll need to jump chasms by pressing the Y button, and take part in brief minigames such as a strength test, which challenges Iorek to push over a huge slab of ice so that he and Lyra can continue along their path. Because the game is aimed at a slightly younger set, the controls are appropriately simplified; even Iorek's most powerful attacks require little more than a two-button combo.
As Iorek and Lyra continue on, they eventually run into a mysterious ship that holds a clue to the whereabouts of Lyra's missing friend. Once close to the ship, it's time for Lyra to take over. Though she doesn't have Iorek's strength, she's certainly not helpless. For starters, she's agile enough to make skillful jumps between ledges, and she possesses a keen sense of balance (which you can test out as she walks nimbly over thin ledges and narrow ship masts).
Lyra's also got Pan on her side. This is her daemon, who, like all daemons in the magical world of The Golden Compass, assumes animal forms. Because Lyra is a child, Pan is able to switch between different forms--two of which, the ermine and the sloth, we saw on display during today's demo. The ermine can help Lyra balance on narrow paths by moving across her body to help her counterbalance; in addition, the ermine's watchful gaze can help the player out with helpful gameworld clues for how to proceed when stuck. In sloth form, Pan can use his long arms to swing Lyra from one ledge to a next, helping her reach otherwise inaccessible areas.
Now what about that alethiometer, another name for the titular Golden Compass of the series' title? In the book, Lyra "reads" the symbols on the compass to help her divine the truth of any situation she encounters. While we still have yet to see it in action in the game, producers told us that the compass will have a place in the game. It will function mainly as a way of encouraging exploration of the gameworld (picking up symbol meanings as you go), as well as unlocking new content, such as making-of documentaries and interviews with the film cast. Unlike the film and novel, it seems that Lyra's mastery of the alethiometer won't be a requirement to saving the world in the game.
Given that we only got to see an expanded version of the training level, we're still wondering how the rest of The Golden Compass is set to turn out. We do know the developers are creating 11 levels in the game, nine of which come from the film, and two of which come directly from the novel. In addition, the game's story will be propelled by cutscenes lifted directly from the film.
So will The Golden Compass be a good game, or another shoddy movie tie-in? Time will certainly tell, but we can say that there are few licensed games that have richer material to draw from. We'll be keeping a close eye on the game in the coming months as we lead up to its release later this year.

Ninja Gaiden II First Look

2007-11-29T20:34:00.000-08:00

Now that the dust is settling from the fall releases and the masses are working their way through the plethora of stellar content for the Xbox 360, thoughts are already turning to the next big thing on Microsoft's console. While we're sure there are a few heavy-hitters not yet announced for the platform, we expect Ninja Gaiden II to be high on any list of big 360 titles in 2008. The game is the proper sequel to Tecmo's superb revival of its classic franchise from the Xbox and caused quiet a stir when it debuted a few months ago in Japan. The game's visuals are complemented by blistering gameplay speed and a generous helping of blood--because no ninja game is complete without blood, and lots of it. We had the chance to check in with Team Ninja leader Tomonobu Itagaki about the upcoming game, which looks set to rock the 360 next year.
The game once again focuses on ninja Ryu Hayabusa, but a younger version of him. Apparently, Ninja Gaiden II will focus on the butt-kicking hero's formative years in adventure, set before the action in the original NES and arcade Ninja Gaiden adventures. The specifics of the story aren't available yet, but longtime fans can look forward to some interesting twists and new faces, along with all kinds of stabbing. So how does one go about topping one of the best action games out there? For starters, it helps to have a borderline-masochistic team of perfectionists with a notoriously ambitious leader. While the basic framework of the action remains the same--you'll work your way through levels, basically mowing down anything in your way with your hands, weapons, and magic--the action is just nuts now. Ryu moves like greased lightning, and his array of moves, while still elegant, are just brutal. The speed turns out to be quite a necessary thing, due to the aggressive mobs of enemies that seem fixated on murdering you. Ryu's fleet feet help him hack up foes good, with a creative array of weapons that draws on familiar historical arms, plus stylized weapons such as the wicked pair of claws he uses. Finally, when Ryu's ninja skills and weapons won't do, he's got his trusty, deadly ninja magic to tap into to take out his foes. From the look of things, Ninja Gaiden II is a fast, chaotic experience that is a good deal more intense than its predecessor. The mobs of foes hit fast and furious and seem to come out of the woodwork. We're curious to see how this will all work out in terms of pacing. The frenetic pace we saw in our demo looks to offer a meaty challenge and positions the game as one of the front-runners for "Game Most Likely to Take Your Lunch Money and Make You Cry in 2008." Masochists that we are, we're eager to see just how challenging the game is going to be. As seen in the trailer and live demo, Ninja Gaiden II looks pretty slick, even in its work-in-progress state. The character models look very sharp and move with a fluid grace that almost makes it a shame when they're cut down (but you get over it). Ryu looks incredibly sharp and every bit the badass you'd hope he'd be in a 360 appearance. The environments look lush and break apart quite nicely. The game's look also has a decided differently flavor thanks to a varied array of locales that span the globe and include some well-known places such as New York and Venice.
While what we saw was still far from done, Ninja Gaiden II is looking like an impressive sequel to the Xbox game that should stand tall amid the Xbox 360's 2008 lineup. The game is fast, looks very sharp, and seems to be maintaining, even topping, the cool factor of its predecessor. The big question is how the gameplay and camera system will shape up. High-speed combat and in-game cameras tend to not get along well, but Team Ninja has a pretty good track record when it comes to making Ryu Hayabusa look his stabby best, so we're excited to see how the whole adventure comes together. Look for more on Ninja Gaiden II in the months to come. The game is slated to ship next year exclusively for the Xbox 360.

The Legend of Dragoon

2007-11-29T20:30:00.000-08:00

After Final Fantasy VII hit the streets, RPGs finally got their due. As the laws of economics dictate, this spurred everyone to develop RPGs. Envying Square and touting similarly large-budget potential, Sony itself entered the fray with The Legend of Dragoon. While it's a good first try, Sony's inexperience with the genre shows through, resulting in a highly generic RPG with some out-of-this-world FMV.
The Legend of Dragoon starts out the same way as many other RPGs. The spiky-haired Dart already has one vendetta against the mysterious Black Devil, who killed his father, but it's time he had another. For unknown reasons, the Sandora Empire burns down his village and imprisons his childhood friend, Shena. Infuriated, Dart impulsively storms out to rescue Shena. Shena's kidnapping is merely the tip of the iceberg of a much grander, more sinister motive. During his globe-spanning quest, Dart is transformed into a Dragoon, a warrior cloaked with the power of the Dragon of Fire. To defeat the Sandora Empire, Dart will have to find the other six Dragon Spirits and people to use them so the Legend of Dragoon may be fulfilled. Along the way, the magical septet will learn about one another, accrue additional vendettas, and save the world.
The Japanese have a word for stories and setups as predictable as this - sentai. The name was given to the expansive, formulaic Japanese Power Rangers genre, and the only thing that doesn't scream sentai here is that there are seven "rangers" instead of the more traditional five. Dart, for example, fits into the typical leader position, as he is clad in red. Before too long, you'll be able to easily predict who will join the party simply by the color of their outfit rather than whether they have a character portrait or not.
With a story so trite and borrowed, one would hope the gameplay was at least a little different. Arguably it is, but not at all in any of the right ways. You guide Dart, with the rest of the party cleverly concealed on his person, around prerendered backgrounds and get in random encounters with monsters, much like the recent offerings of the Final Fantasy series. Eschewing magic almost altogether, The Legend of Dragoon relies on its more mundane "Additional System" for spice. When attacking, you must tap the button as the character connects multiple times, allowing said character to perform a stronger attack. Only one such Additional may be used at a time, gradually gaining strength the more times it's successfully used. Every few levels the characters will get new Additionals that can be turned on from the submenu, but only one can be used at a time, forcing you to watch and tap out the same attack over and over again. Once your characters have the ability to transform into Dragoons, Additionals also charge the character's spirit meter. Once the meter is full, the character can transform into a Dragoon and remain that way for one turn for every time you fill the meter. As a Dragoon, you have two options - Dragoon Additional or Dragoon Magic. The former prompts you to tap a button four times consecutively to charge a meter, which results in a powerful aerial assault on the enemy. The latter fits the standard definition of magic, but on a grander, more time-consuming scale.Without general access to magic, how do you heal your party? Legend of Dragoon relies heavily on defending, a first for RPGs. Not only does defending halve all damage taken from enemies, but it also restores 10 percent of the character's max hit points. This fact, combined with a limited inventory and a short supply of money, means you're going to be spending a lot of time defending. In fact, defending for five or ten turns in a row when fighting a boss is not only common but also necessary. With so many steps required to fight bosses, heal, or use magic, Legend of Dragoon sports some of the longest and most tedious monster encounters in any RPG to date. Expect to get bored quickly with spells and attacks that you've already seen a thousand times before.
Legend of Dragoon lacks a visual style to make it interesting to look at - the character designs are missing personality and innovation, with characters often only describable by the color of their clothing. The world, too, follows the same line of thinking, resulting in a boring world rendered by some rather talented 3D artists. The large number of CG movies that fill the game's four discs are technically impressive, but they still lack that certain visual edge needed to really captivate you. The real-time 3D graphics, however, aren't as technically impressive as the prerendered stuff. Fraught with rendering errors that seemed to disappear long ago from most other PlayStation games and being low on textures, the game's real-time graphics fit somewhere in between the flat-shaded sameness of Final Fantasy VII's art and Final Fantasy VIII's textured wonders. The models themselves are blocky and heavily jointed. As Legend of Dragoon is generally devoid of magic, the minor spell effects aren't impressive in the least, and the Dragoon magic sequences are overdone and overlong. The game's sound is neither technically nor aurally impressive, relying on hackneyed instrument samples and uninteresting musical composition to push the game along. While token voices do appear in CG scenes or when characters call their moves, they don't particularly add to the experience.
Sony's on the right track, but it's got a ways to go before it can hope to produce an RPG with the polish of a Square game - pieces of the puzzle are here, but the overall experience just isn't there. Legend of Dragoon borrows too heavily from other games and lacks that "hook" to make it worth dealing with excessive defending, a thin story you'd expect to see on Power Rangers, and aural competence.

Xenogears

2007-11-22T11:03:00.000-08:00

Square's latest RPG is weird in a lot of ways, especially for Square. Xenogears' reliance on story, subtlety, and mood make it Square's most anime-like RPG thus far, in many ways making the game one of its best.
Staged on a human colony far in the future, Xenogears' story centers around the war between the nations and their endless power struggle. With the nations constantly dueling for power and resources, warfare has escalated to new levels thanks to enormous humanoid robots called "Gears." Trapped by destiny in the middle of the crisis' latest escalation is the game's stereotypically-named Fei Fong Wong. Exiled from a peaceful burg on the brink of war, Fei scours the world with his allies for clues to his past and the unknown destructive power that dwells within him.
Like a number of anime features, Xenogears' story is hard to put a finger on. The game's beautiful introduction sequence explains nothing and, at first glance, bears no relevance to the game. This trend continues throughout the game - when questions are answered, a slew of others open up, leaving one in a constant state of cluelessness. As opposed to a Final Fantasy game's primary goal of defeating the villain and saving the world, the driving force behind Xenogears' is resolving the game's excellent story. While it has its humorous moments, Xenogears's story is serious - so serious that it was almost never released in the United States. Rife with religious overtones and criticism, Xenogears often asks us to question our very being. While a little preachy at times, this is used well to enhance the story and our understanding of the game's deep characterizations.
Xenogears plays differently than just about every RPG out there. This is most noticeable within the game's dual battle systems. When Gear-less, one has the standard RPG options at his disposal: attack, defend, magic, item, and run. Attacking is where the game differs most, as you are given a number of attack points for every turn. After opting to attack, the player can perform a series of moves, costing one, two, or three attack points each. Certain combinations of moves will result in more powerful attack combos, learned throughout the game. Additionally, leftover attack points can be stored up and used to string together massively destructive combinations of combos with a sixth battle option. When riding a Gear, one's attack options are similar but different enough to keep things interesting. Instead of using attack points for player combos, Gears come equipped with a large stash of fuel. Each move requires 10, 20, or 30 fuel points, and super-combos require more. As running out of fuel would be a problem, a "charge" move restores a small amount of fuel points but leaves the Gears open to attack. Finally, a "booster" option speeds the Gear up for more frequent attacks but sucks 30 fuel points away every turn it's active. A definite change from the Final Fantasy series, spells play a very small role in Xenogears, mostly serving defensive purposes, and are learned through the age-old "get a level, get a spell" system.
With its different style of game and story, Xenogears is accompanied by an art style vastly different from that seen in other Square games. Each town and dungeon is presented polygonally from an overhead view, where pressing the left or right shoulder buttons will smoothly rotate the scenery. All characters in these scenes are sprite-based. Battles are presented in a combination of 2D and 3D, with most characters in 2D and the Gears in 3D. Xenogears is Square's first game to use actual anime and voice acting, mostly found only in the game's awesome movies. Unfortunately, the concept isn't pulled off as well as similar executions, namely GameArts Japanese RPG hit, Grandia. The game's character sprites are poorly animated and suffer from terrible pixelation, no doubt due to the PlayStation's limited RAM. Xenogears' robot and town designs are full of detail and panache, but their textures constantly wiggle and distort when the camera pans about, giving the game's geometry a less-than-solid, gelatinous look. The game's color in general is bland and washed out. Finally, the game's spells use the PlayStation's more 2D effects well, much like Final Fantasy Tactics' elaborate spell animations. Xenogears doesn't look bad by any means, just substantially unpolished when placed next to Final Fantasy VII or Tactics. However, the beautiful anime sequences skillfully combine top-notch hand-drawn animation with rendered graphics a la Ghost In The Shell's cinematics.
Featuring music from Chrono Trigger's composer, Yasunori Mitsuda, Xenogears expertly uses audio to push the story along. Many tracks include voice or chanting and all are appropriately uppity or low with the game's mood. Much of the game, however, uses silence or ambient noises, making parts of the game's soundtrack a tad sparse. To go along with the anime cutscenes, Xenogears is also Square's first foray into including in-game voice-overs. With a few rare exceptions, the voice outside of the movies is limited to grunts and other attack-type noises and usually end up getting drowned out in the game's music. Unfortunately, just when you might have thought Square was ready for all-digital sound, the rest of the game's sound effects lamentably follow Square's standard, uninspiring synthesized formula.
Xenogears is an excellent, thought-provoking RPG with enough story and original gameplay to warrant a look, even if the gameplay could use a little graphical polish.

Crysis

2007-11-22T10:56:00.000-08:00

It was hard not to be completely impressed when the first images and videos of Crysis appeared about 18 months ago. Scenes of lush jungles and towering alien war machines looked light-years beyond what seemed possible. Of course, the two questions that revolved around Crysis since its announcement were whether it would deliver on those visuals and whether it would deliver a game worthy of those fancy graphics. It turns out that the answer to both those questions is a resounding yes, as Germany's Crytek has proven that its 2004 hit Far Cry was no fluke. In fact, it was just the beginning from this studio. With its sophomore effort, Crytek has managed to deliver an incredibly advanced and exciting first-person shooter that practically rewrites the rules for the entire genre.

Crysis is an alien invasion game set in the year 2020. An archeological team on a remote Pacific island is captured by an invasion force of North Koreans, and your US Special Forces team is dispatched to investigate and rescue the scientists. Clad in high-tech nanosuits capable of boosting your strength, speed, and armor, as well as cloaking you temporarily to the enemy, you're parachuted into a tropical paradise that's crawling with intelligent enemies and something else that's tearing both the North Koreans and US forces to shreds.
Like Far Cry, the first half of Crysis is essentially a "sandbox" game where you're put in the middle of incredibly large levels and tasked with an objective. How you get the job done is pretty much entirely up to you, which is part of the brilliance of the game's design. For instance, the environments are big enough to give you a wide range of latitude. Do you have to get to a certain point on the map? You can take a meandering route that avoids patrols and go stealthy, or try the up-front approach and try to blast your way through, with the danger of enemy reinforcements showing up. Need to infiltrate a North Korean-held village? You can try the front gate, or maybe explore and find a quieter way in.

Double Dragon

2007-11-13T11:22:00.000-08:00

Double Dragon

Double Dragon for the Xbox Live Arcade will provide some quick entertainment for nostalgia fiends, but the game doesn't hold up as well as you might hope.
Double Dragon is inarguably one of the greatest games of all time. It's the game that launched a thousand beat-'em-ups, the reason that walking to the right and punching mindless thugs became a genre unto itself. It wasn't the first game of its kind, but it's the one that made them famous. Without Double Dragon, there would be no Streets of Rage, no Final Fight, no Bad Dudes, none of it. But as is sometimes the case with seminal games, the nostalgia for such titles belies the flaws inherent to them. Double Dragon is a 20-minute-long game with slightly awkward fighting mechanics, a lot of cheap enemies and pitfalls, and very little replay value once you've beaten it a few times. The newly released Xbox Live Arcade version of Double Dragon does at least toss in a few bells and whistles, like updated graphics, online co-op play, and some tough-to-earn achievements. But most importantly, this is Double Dragon. Those with happy memories of the game ought to find this $5 download worthwhile, though anyone coming to it for the first time is likely to wonder what all the fuss was about.

In Double Dragon, you play as either Billy or Jimmy Lee, two martial artist brothers who go out on a gang-beating rampage through their crime-dominated city when Billy's special lady, Marian, is punched in the gut by some lowlife thugs and taken prisoner. Along the way to the final battle against gang leader Machine Gun Willy, you'll fight a myriad of generic thugs, tramps, and a whole bunch of Abobos. Don't know what an Abobo is? Then maybe this isn't the game for you.
That's because it's going to take someone with a real fondness for the arcade original to enjoy Double Dragon on XBLA. It's not that the game is suddenly terrible or anything, but it hasn't aged all that gracefully, and many of the beat-'em-ups that came after it pretty much did what this game did, but did it a lot better. The one thing Double Dragon has over a lot of those games is its move set. You get a nice roster of moves to play with, from punch-and-kick combos to grapple attacks, multiple jumping kicks, head-butts, and elbow strikes, not to mention multiple weapons. However, there are a couple of things that negate the appeal of the combat system--mainly, the fact that you can use the elbow strike endlessly and get through a good chunk of the game relatively unscathed. There are some tough fights where you can't avoid getting knocked around a bit, but even then you can just line up the elbow strike over and over again and get by. Twenty minutes' worth of endless elbow strikes and occasional weapon hits for good measure isn't necessarily a lot of fun in this day and age.
Of course, these details probably won't matter much to someone who really loved Double Dragon back in the day, and if all you care about is being able to play the original arcade game and maybe earn some achievements along the way, this download offers precisely that experience, right down to the ugly slowdown that pops up when too many characters are fighting onscreen at once. Yes, this slowdown was very much inherent to the original game, though at times it almost seems worse here. You might hope that with the game running on a system like the Xbox 360, that slowdown might be fixed. Not the case, unfortunately. On the more positive side of things, the standard graphics and audio are all intact (and the soundtrack in particular is still awesome). Additionally, the new, revamped graphics mode looks really sharp. The developers basically redrew all the sprites and backgrounds into something that almost looks like a flash game, but doesn't lose the aesthetic appeal of the game. It's a nice look all around.
Nostalgia can be a harsh mistress, and with Double Dragon, odds are that in playing it now, it isn't going to live up to every fond memory you have of plunking down quarters on it in '80s-era arcades. Still, it's not bereft of amusement. Playing the game single-console or online with friends can be entertaining (just beware of periodic connection issues with the online play), and the new graphics do give the game a nice, new sheen. This is the sort of game you'll pay the $5 for, play a few times, get all the achievements, be over and done with, but still come out basically satisfied in the end.

Super Dodge Ball

2007-11-13T11:17:00.001-08:00

Super Dodge Ball does a good job of showcasing the power of the Game Boy Advance--it's fast, colorful, and fun to play.
You may already be familiar with Super Dodge Ball, one of the first games available for Nintendo's impressive new Game Boy Advance. It lets you control an aspiring team of youngsters bent on winning a deadly world-class dodge ball tournament. The game's cute characters literally pound each other to death with a rubber ball--a proud tradition that actually dates back to 1987, when the original Super Dodge Ball game by Technos was released in arcades. Technos was already famous for its Double Dragon and Renegade side-scrolling martial-arts action games. But Super Dodge Ball gained most of its popularity a couple of years after its initial release, when it was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System. In 1996, a rare new version of Super Dodge Ball appeared in the arcades running on SNK's Neo Geo hardware. Unfortunately, Technos ceased operations shortly thereafter--but Super Dodge Ball lives on thanks to Atlus, which has re-created the game in a format that promises to give the game more exposure than it's ever had before. This latest revision of the original arcade classic will be instantly familiar to fans of any of the previous versions. Like all the others, it's a good-looking, fun-filled game that has lots of charm and plenty of action. However, some of the game's initial appeal does wear off soon enough, as its single-player mode is a little shallow and its two-player mode doesn't play smoothly. These problems don't mean Super Dodge Ball for the Game Boy Advance isn't worthwhile, though they'll hopefully be addressed in a future installment in the series.
Super Dodge Ball includes exhibition, championship, and two-player versus modes of play. The rules in all these modes are the same: You have seven team members on the court--four on your side, and three behind the opposing team's sidelines. You have direct control over just one player at a time, while the computer handles the others. It intelligently switches your control between members in all the right situations, such that you're always doing the brunt of the work. You can pass the ball between any of your teammates at any point, but ultimately, you're going to end up throwing it at one of the four guys on the other side of the court. The harder you hit him, the more health he loses. When he runs out of health, a little angel floats up off the screen, and he's out of the match. It's pretty easy to catch a regular throw if you're on the receiving end; you just press B just before you're hit. However, it's not quite as easy to catch one of Super Dodge Ball's 50 different types of special throws. By hurtling the ball toward your opponents while sprinting (or jumping), your team members can initiate these various special throws, which make the ball fly across the screen in any number of erratic ways. Special throws can be anywhere from extremely fast to extremely slow. Others zigzag, form star shapes, twirl, drop, and more. There's a lot of variety in the different throws, and they all do much more damage than normal throws, to the point where normal throws are basically worthless since there's no limit to how many special throws you can use. You don't strictly have to throw the ball from your side of the court--you can alley-oop the ball to your teammates on the sidelines to initiate a special throw from behind your opponents. Using one of the Game Boy Advance's shoulder buttons, you can also call upon your teammates on the court to run and jump toward the opposing side--you can use this new Super Dodge Ball technique to set up tricky combo attacks.

Star Fox 64 takes off on Wii VC

2007-11-13T11:10:00.000-08:00

Star Fox 64 takes off on Wii VC
Nintendo 3D space shooter joined on downloadable game service by two wingmen in NES Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and TG-16 Dragon's Curse.

Three new games were added to the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console today, spearheaded by just the fourth Nintendo 64 title to arrive on the downloadable game service. Star Fox 64 is joined on the service's new release list by the original Nintendo Entertainment System Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game and the TurboGrafx-16 action-role-playing-game Dragon's Curse.
When it was released in 1997, Star Fox 64 became the first sequel in the series to see the light of day (Star Fox 2 on the Super Nintendo was canceled). The game boasted support for up to four players and levels that take players out of the standard Arwing fighters and put them behind the controls of tanks and submarines. Star Fox 64 is available for the N64-standard 1,000 Wii Points ($10).
One game that deviates from the Virtual Console's usual pricing scheme is the original NES Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game. Not to be confused with the NES port of the arcade game, Konami's first foray with the license was a single-player side-scrolling action game in which gamers could switch between the four turtles at will. It also carries an asking price of 600 Wii Points ($6), a $1 premium over the usual amount charged for NES games. The only other North American Virtual Console game to receive the premium pricing treatment is R-Type, which sells for 800 Wii Points ($8) instead of the TurboGrafx-16 games' usual 600 Wii Points ($6).
The final game added to the Virtual Console today is HudsonSoft's 1990 TurboGrafx-16 game Dragon's Curse. As a hero transformed into a creature, players must travel the gameworld defeating monsters and acquiring various swords, items, and armor in order to defeat the sinister Mecha Dragon. Dragon's Curse is available for 600 Wii Points ($6).

Stranglehold

2007-11-12T10:06:00.000-08:00

film transfer

Film transfer

Stranglehold
It would be very easy for the average person to take one look at Stranglehold and write it off as a Max Payne rip-off. That's because, in a sort of roundabout way, it is. Midway and John Woo's video game sequel to the director's classic Hong Kong action flick Hard Boiled borrows very liberally from the mechanics of Remedy's slow-motion, heavy-action franchise, which is a little ironic and mind-bending because Max Payne was itself a tribute to John Woo's brand of cinematic action. Regardless, if you're going to make a game based on a badass cop dodging, diving, and shooting all over the place in slow-motion, there are certainly worse places to look for inspiration. Stranglehold effectively takes the elements that made Max Payne fun and uses them to its own advantage, while sprinkling in a number of original touches and gimmicks that give the game its own Hong Kong cinema flavor. It's an interesting piece of work that's more fun than it isn't, and fans of Hard Boiled ought to especially enjoy watching Chow Yun-Fat reprise his role as Inspector Tequila--provided, of course, that said fans didn't already experience this role reprisal earlier in the year on the Xbox 360 or PC.
Stranglehold takes place many years after Hard Boiled, though Yun-Fat's Inspector Tequila doesn't seem to have lost a step. He's still a rogue cop on the Hong Kong police force, and when a member of the force turns up dead, evidently offed by one of HK's major gangs, Tequila steps up to deal with the situation. What follows is a sometimes confusing and ham-fisted story of gangs double- and triple-crossing one another. Somewhere in there, Tequila's former girlfriend and daughter both end up being held hostage by one of the gangs. It's a decent crime tale that's certainly better than much of John Woo's American work (though exactly how involved Woo was in this game's production is debatable), but there is still something about the whole story that feels very Hollywood. It lacks the gritty feel of the original flick, and a lot of the film's cool factor to boot. Nevertheless, the plot serves as an OK-enough motivation to get Tequila back in action and shooting people in the face--and really, that's pretty much all you need.
You will shoot a lot of people in Stranglehold. The body count is pretty staggering for a game that runs only about six or seven hours. Enemies come flying out of every nook and cranny of each stage, and always with guns blazing. Fortunately, they don't have the ability to jump and dive around in bullet time like our man Tequila. Though the game refers to it as "Tequila Time," this is really just the bullet-time mechanic from Max Payne given a fancy makeover. The one trick is that you won't ever go into bullet-time automatically as a result of diving around, unless you specifically have an enemy in your targeting reticle sights. There is also a specific button that puts you into bullet-time completely separate from the shoot dodging, though it's rare when you ever need to use it.
That's not the only ability he's got, either. Tequila can interact with practically every piece of scenery in a level. If you run up to a table, you can choose to slide right over it, or kick it over and use it as a temporary cover point. If you run up to a wall, you can dash up it and dive even further than usual. If there's a rail nearby, you can run up or slide down it. See a little wheel cart sitting around? You can jump onto it and roll around the area, blasting everyone silly. Pieces of the environment can also be shot or otherwise destroyed for both fun and efficiency. If an enemy is standing underneath a neon sign, shoot it and watch the sucker get crushed. Exploding barrels are all over the place, and you can imagine the havoc they wreak when shot. There are even occasional environmental puzzles that require wooden poles or planks to be shot out to create new pathways for Tequila to traverse. These are arguably the game's weakest links, in that they're often difficult to discern and sometimes take more shots than they ought to actually work. Fortunately, about halfway through the game, the developers apparently decided to just give up on these distractions and focus almost exclusively on the shooting.
There's even more on offer. Pulling off stylish moves throughout the game fills up a meter that lets you trigger one of four different "Tequila bombs." These are special abilities that do everything from recharging your health, to letting you spin around like a gun-toting whirling dervish, killing all the enemies that surround you, all while doves go fluttering off into the sky (what would a Woo production be without doves?). These special abilities are all useful, though some more so than others. One example is the accurate-shot ability, which lets you move a targeting reticle in slo-mo to any part of an enemy's body, and then watch the bullet fly directly to its target. Save for a few enemies who are especially vulnerable to this move, it's hard to ever really want to use it when the next ability up the scale is an all-out barrage of invincibility and limitless gunfire that usually lasts long enough to clear the room.
The last element of gameplay isn't so much an ability as it is a sort of minigame. Periodically, Tequila will run into a group of enemies and end up in a standoff. These standoffs quickly snap Tequila's focus around from one enemy to the next. Using both analog sticks on the controller, you have to simultaneously dodge enemy gunfire and move a targeting reticle over enemies to take them out one by one. It's tough to do, though once you get the hang of it, it's also quite amusing to watch Tequila dart from enemy to enemy while dodging bullets and unleashing hot-leaded hits of his own. Granted, it's a silly contrivance to have only one enemy at a time firing at you; if there are five guys, why don't they all shoot at once? But it is pretty fun, so it's a forgivable contrivance.
You can't quite call Stranglehold a one-trick pony, given that it does have a few different things going on at all times. However, all those things are fed directly into the act of shooting people--and shooting them often, to boot. Accordingly, it's good that the guns are appropriately satisfying to shoot. There's nothing remotely realistic about the game's guns, mind you, though that's arguably a good thing in the context of this game. Being able to shoot a guy from a hundred feet away with a shotgun and still take him out is helpful when you've got dozens of heavily armed enemies running around. Apart from that, you've got Tequila's default pair of pistols, along with assault rifles, submachine guns, heavy machine guns, grenades, and even the occasional rocket launcher to play around with. Each gun has its own strengths and weaknesses in power and accuracy, though they rarely matter much. You get to carry only two types of guns at once, and normally you'll want the gun that will do the most damage at all times.
By no means is Stranglehold an overly challenging game, but by the time you hit the third or fourth level, you'll see a noticeable jump in difficulty. That's a good thing, because the early portions of the game are a bit of a cakewalk at times, even while you're still feeling out all your different abilities. Once you get past the point where the difficulty gears up, you'll actually have to use those different abilities smartly to survive some sequences. Cover points are also helpful, though you can rarely stay in one place for very long, as the environment around you tends to get destroyed very quickly. Likewise, enemies are usually smart enough to run up and start shooting if you stay in one place for too long. The Tequila bombs become a lifesaver in a few situations, though they also tend to make a few of the boss fights overly easy. Turning the game up to the hard difficulty level fixes that some, though not entirely.
As helpful as some of these abilities become later in the game, they're not entirely required. In fact, for much of the game, you can get away with just diving around like a crazy person over and over again, periodically ducking for cover for a second or two, and busting out with the occasional Tequila bomb for good measure. In a sense, it makes the gameplay a foregone conclusion. It's not that the gameplay isn't fun, because it is. But it's not so dynamic and over-the-top that you won't ever find yourself bored due to repetition. It's enjoyable to shoot enemies and blast apart the environment in the process, but when you end up doing it the same way over and over and over again, you'll be ready to move on and hope something new comes up. It rarely does. Little of what Stranglehold does ever feels like it operates outside of expected boundaries, and the few things that are original aren't necessarily amazing enough to hold up the entire game. Again, the gameplay is solid and even thrilling in spots, but it's probably not a bad thing that the game only lasts for a half-dozen hours or so. It might have gotten stale beyond that length.
Apart from the short single-player campaign, there are some production bonuses to buy through an extras shop (John Woo himself sits behind the counter), and a multiplayer mode that's probably not going to garner much attention. It's not that it's completely awful or anything, but it feels very tacked-on. You can only engage in standard deathmatches or team deathmatches with up to six players. Though the multiplayer plays a lot like the single-player game, it's not nearly as good. Maps are a little on the condensed side, and though you can use the slow-motion mechanic in multiplayer, its scattered execution in this mode makes it all but worthless. Essentially, it seems like you can't go into slo-mo unless you and your opponents all have a full Tequila time meter. At that point it becomes pointless to fumble around with it when you could just be focusing on shooting someone, and it almost makes things even more distracting when it suddenly pops on. With limited play modes and inconsistent, cramped gameplay, this isn't a multiplayer game to get excited about.
If you do find yourself specifically interested in the PlayStation 3 version of Stranglehold, you might want to take a look at the collector's edition of the game. This version includes Hard Boiled on the game disc, thus letting you watch the game's inspirado at any time on your PS3--and only your PS3, because the movie is on the game disc and won't play on any other Blu-ray Disc player. The film transfer is actually pretty good. The film itself doesn't look spectacular by any means, but that would seem to be less an issue with the transfer and more a problem with the movie itself being really old, and the print the film was transferred from being a bit crusty. There aren't any artifacting issues, and the picture and audio quality are certainly a cut above some of the older DVD releases of the movie. Incidentally, the film defaults to the English-language dubbed version, but you can go into the menu and select the original Cantonese language track with English subtitles. The collector's edition is a tad pricey at $69.99 retail. Given how little content the actual game itself has, that might prove to be a bit overmuch to pay for most people. We're just saying that if you're already planning on getting the PS3 version and don't already own Hard Boiled on a disc somewhere, you might as well spend the extra $10 and get the collector's edition.
Stranglehold's presentation is mostly good, though it's not without blemishes. By far the most impressive aspect of the game visually is the environments, and specifically how awesome it is to watch them get completely destroyed. Whether you're in a gaudy Hong Kong casino, a lavish penthouse, or a cold, sterile-looking history museum, it's great fun to destroy the scenery. It's really quite impressive how much of every environment is destructible. It's also a boon for the gameplay, because each cover point you hide behind tends to get shot to hell very quickly, which forces you to duck and run. On the less positive side, character models are overly shiny and not especially detailed, animations are limited, and the camera periodically gets in the way of the action when it snaps to angles that are hardly beneficial to your survival. At least the game runs smoothly for the most part, save for occasional hiccups when you try to swivel the camera around too quickly. By all accounts, the PS3 version of Stranglehold looks as good as its Xbox 360 counterpart, with no notable differences to speak of.

Audio is more consistently enjoyable. Chow Yun-Fat joins several other noted actors for the voice cast. Dialogue is appropriately cheesy, especially when Tequila's boss keeps tossing out every angry police-captain cliché in the book. The voice acting is quite solid overall. Yun-Fat occasionally dead-reads a few of his lines, but in general he sells the character as well as he can while speaking English. It is sort of weird that the sequel to a classic Hong Kong action flick would be entirely in English instead of Cantonese, but considering the audience, it's also not really surprising. The soundtrack is a nice mix of typically bombastic orchestral pieces and some Asian-flavored string sections, and the game's sound effects are mostly top-notch, from the gun sounds right on down to the individual effects of bullets hitting each and every type of surface.
Stranglehold isn't the sort of game that's going to set the shooter genre on fire. It's a more-than-competent take on an existing formula, and it has enough unique moments and overall challenge to succeed. Sure, it gets repetitive at times, it's got a few design quirks, and the multiplayer is borderline irrelevant. But there's enough solid, exciting action here for shooter fans to sink their teeth into. It's a short ride, but an amusing one while it lasts.

Sony Pictures making Metal Gear movie

2007-11-12T09:46:00.000-08:00

Sony Pictures making Metal Gear movie
[UPDATE] Executive confirms his movie studio is working on the live-action adaptation of the seminal stealth action series; Sony also pondering EverQuest film.
At the Electronic Entertainment Expo last year, Konami revealed that work had begun on a live-action movie based on Metal Gear Solid. The news broke via a pamphlet for Studio Kojima, the Konami-owned development house headed up by Metal Gear series creator Hideo Kojima.
"I have received many offers to adapt Metal Gear Solid. It has taken a long time, but we have finally settled on an arrangement," Kojima said in a statement. "False facts aside, a movie project is underway. I have finalized a Class-A contract with a party in Hollywood."
For eight months, the identity of the aforementioned "party" was unknown. That changed this week, when Sony Pictures Entertainment vice chairman Yair Landau revealed his studio is developing the project.
"We're working with the Metal Gear guys," Landau told GameSpot following his D.I.C.E. summit keynote address in Las Vegas. "It's a very cinematic game, it really lends itself to movie telling. But the question is, 'How do you translate Snake's experience into a full arc that conforms to what audiences expect on the large screen?'"
Landau also hinted the Metal Gear Solid movie may just be the beginning. "There are other games we are looking to develop," the executive said. "We're working with one of my favorite producers right now on an idea for an EverQuest movie." The producer was apparently of such stature that Landau declined to name him. "I'll let him disclose that," he said cryptically.
Besides the forthcoming World of Warcraft film, currently in development at Warner Bros., the Metal Gear Solid movie is the highest-profile game-film project in Hollywood. Previously, that stature was held by the Peter Jackson-produced Halo adaptation, which imploded last year.
[UPDATE] On Friday, news of Sony's involvement surfaced in the Hollywood trades, which gave further details on the deal. According to The Hollywood Reporter, former New Line Cinema chief Michael De Luca is in talks to produce the project, with Kojima himself being named as executive producer.
Sony executives Sam Dickerman and Doug Belgrad are in charge of finalizing the deal to acquire the Metal Gear Solid film rights, which is apparently close to completion. Belgrad hailed the Metal Gear IP as "loaded with well-developed, intriguing characters and one of the first games to ever use cinematic tools in its storytelling."

MANHUNT

2007-11-12T09:38:00.001-08:00

MANHUNT
The developer of Grand Theft Auto delivers its darkest, most violent game yet in Manhunt, an original third-person perspective stealth action game that puts you in the role of a death row inmate forced to run a deadly gauntlet at the whim of a sadistic cinematographer. The game unflinchingly depicts intense graphic violence, the likes of which you might expect from a slasher movie but not from your PlayStation 2. However, these grisly scenes are done up in style, as Manhunt has a real cinematic flair to it--not to mention a suffocating atmosphere that perfectly fits the theme. The game also does a much better job of incorporating stealth mechanics than most other such games, though the latter portion of Manhunt devolves into a nearly continuous, mind-numbing series of shoot-outs. Nonetheless, those wondering whether Scotland-based Rockstar North is capable of putting together something remarkable that doesn't have "Grand Theft Auto" in the title, need wonder no more. Manhunt is seriously intense, and anyone with a stomach for the game's concept ought to find it fiendishly entertaining.

There's no reason to like the main character of Manhunt. Debates over the ethics of the death penalty aside, at the beginning of the game, James Earl Cash is presumably about to be put to death--and with good reason. Something happens, however. The "lethal" injection he's administered merely knocks him out. He later comes to and finds himself alone in a cell with an earpiece nearby. He puts it on, and this is how Cash meets Lionel Starkweather. Starkweather presents himself as Cash's savior and promises the man his freedom...after he performs a few key tasks. From this point on, Cash is thrust into a series of levels, called "scenes" in the game, during which he is hunted by ruthless thugs and must make use of any weapon he can find to dispatch of them--or else die trying. All this happens to Starkweather's great delight. You see, Starkweather makes "snuff films" and captures on video the bloody executions conducted by people like Cash. Cash, it seems, is Starkweather's latest leading man. The rather original storyline is very intriguing at first but doesn't really take off. As a result, it proceeds in predictable directions and essentially just acts as a setup for Cash so that he can be thrust from one hopeless situation into another.
The premise of Manhunt is actually highly reminiscent of the original Hitman: Codename 47, and, indeed, the game's combination of stealthy surprise attacks and full-bore shooting action is also similar to that game (and its superior sequel). Manhunt is also directly comparable to Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, which, too, combines stealth and shooting, though not with such gory results as the kind you'll find here. By now, most gamers have experienced stealth gameplay before. Some enjoy the tension and suspense that this style of gaming is uniquely capable of providing. Others don't have the patience for the sort of trial-and-error approach that most stealth-based games boil down to. Ultimately, Manhunt won't change most people's minds about whether they like stealth games or not. Yes, it can be highly suspenseful, and, yes, it can get quite frustrating at times--especially in the later scenes. But, for what it's worth, the game does handle certain aspects of the stealth action formula remarkably well. The game's control scheme does have a few issues you'll learn to get over (mostly with the camera controls, since there's no simple way to snap the camera back to the default behind-the-back-perspective), but the core mechanics are great.

Though there aren't many legitimate comparisons to be drawn between Manhunt and the latest Grand Theft Auto games, it does have certain mechanical similarities to Rockstar North's previous work that should give you a good frame of reference. Those experienced with GTA III or Vice City won't have any problems getting started with Manhunt, especially since Starkweather will conveniently walk you through the basics when you first begin play. As far as specific points of comparison, Manhunt's hand-to-hand combat system is basically a crude, button-mashing affair, just like in GTA. There are a couple of additional moves; however, you'll rarely need or want to get into a head-on brawl in this game. Guns (including pistols, shotguns, submachine guns, assault rifles, and even a nail gun) come into play later on in the game, and you can fire them using an auto-aim feature, much like in the GTA series (though you can aim manually as well). As if to encourage brutal, close-quarters shoot-outs, Cash will automatically target his foes' heads if you lock onto them from a short distance away. From medium range, an upward tap of the left analog stick, while locked-on, will likewise cause Cash to raise his sights to the opponent's most vital region. Of course, he has perfect aim. Cash, himself, can take a number of hits before dying and will never show any real signs of fatigue or injury (except for the cuts and bruises you'll see on his body when he's particularly hurt). In a nod to Max Payne, you recover health in Manhunt by finding painkillers, which instantly restore large portions of your health on the spot.
Like any stealthy video game character, James Earl Cash can become virtually invisible by standing in shadows. A context-sensitive onscreen icon, shaped like a silhouette of Cash, turns blue when he's in shadows, though you'll also quickly learn to identify the dark, shadowy areas you can hide in just at a glance. This contextual icon is quite useful, in general. It points out when you can, for instance, pick up a dead body and move it someplace. Additionally, it points out when you can use a crowbar to pry open a lock; kick a garbage can to cause a diversion; press your back flat against a wall; or instantly kill an unsuspecting foe. Cash may carry several different weapons at once, but only one of each category. His bare fists are always available, though Cash is capable of carrying a large weapon (like a shotgun or a baseball bat), a smaller weapon (like a hammer or a revolver), a single-use weapon (like a plastic bag or a glass shard), and an object for throwing (like an empty bottle or the dismembered head of one of Cash's victims). You can quickly cycle through your weapons, and many missions revolve around trying to find better weapons than the little ones you start with. You are also able to sprint, which is noisy and alerts nearby foes, though Cash's default walking speed leaves him completely inaudible to his foes, unless he steps on some loose gravel or something to that effect.

Star ocean

2007-11-10T09:52:00.000-08:00

Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

If you're knowledgeable about Japanese role-playing games, then surely you've heard the name Star Ocean before. The sci-fi-themed series began nearly 10 years ago on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and spawned a 1998 sequel for the original PlayStation. That was the first Star Ocean game to arrive in North America, and very soon, the second game will be available, exclusively for the PlayStation 2.
Star Ocean is a sci-fi-themed RPG at heart, but it features a refreshingly fast-paced, action-oriented combat system. Click the Stream button for a larger view, and check the media page for more movies.
No previous experience with the series will be required to enjoy or appreciate Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, which is an epic console-style role-playing game comparable to the Final Fantasy series or last year's Xenosaga Episode I. Yet while this new Star Ocean has a lengthy, involving storyline the likes of which you'd expect from a game of this type, its actual gameplay seems to have a refreshingly quick pace--both for when you're exploring the game's diverse environments and for when you're fighting the dangerous foes lurking in them. But there's much more to the game that's likely going to appeal to fans of the RPG genre.
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time has actually been available in Japan since February of last year, though the imminent North American release of the game is based on a director's-cut version--a couple of the more notable extras include extended cinematic sequences, a new versus mode, and two additional player characters. At any rate, the focus of the game is still, of course, an epic role-playing adventure. You play as a young man named Fayt Leingod, and in the beginning, you'll meet Fayt along with his childhood friend, Sophia, as they're exploring a lavish, futuristic resort hotel. They're on vacation.
Needless to say, the situation turns sour. There's an attack, and the hotel residents are ordered to evacuate. Amid the turmoil, Fayt and Sophia are forced to abandon Fayt's mother and father, who they presume are killed in the attack--or perhaps captured. The situation doesn't improve much as Fayt and Sophia continue their escape aboard a rescue ship; the relentless attackers irreparably damage that vessel, forcing the civilians inside to bail out in escape pods. Fayt and Sophia are separated--Fayt finds himself crash-landed on a planet reminiscent of 15th-century Earth, and it's at this point that the sheer scope and scale of Star Ocean's adventure becomes apparent. All of this occurs within the first couple of hours of gameplay.
Like last year's Xenosaga, Star Ocean often feels like science-fiction-themed anime rather than simply like a game. It features lengthy, frequent cinematic cutscenes involving dialogue between the various main characters, and these cutscenes for the most part aren't interactive. The particular style of sci-fi on display in the game seems heavily influenced by Star Trek--teleportation devices called "transporters" are used to move people around instantly, and an organization called the Pangalactic Federation overrules a vast network of different planets. Portable translator devices allow individuals to speak with foreigners in their own, native language without any trouble. And, interestingly, the Pangalactic Federation has imposed laws requiring individuals to respect the natural evolution of various worlds--so when Fayt finds himself in a medieval environment, he's forced to conceal his identity and brandish a simple sword as a weapon so that he can blend in with the locals.

During the course of the game, Fayt and his growing number of companions will end up in a great number of other places, so the science fiction setting gave the designers of the game creative license to actually include a variety of different themes throughout. In fact, the setting of the game is so rich with detail that there's a persistent menu option called "Dictionary," which is really more of an encyclopedia about the different people, places, and organizations you've either seen or heard about.
With that said, the game's story isn't immediately captivating, since it takes its time to pick up speed, and the main characters initially come across as mundane. On the other hand, Star Ocean's fast-paced, real-time combat system is appealing right from the start. Find out all about it next.

Shadow of the Colossus

2007-11-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

Shadow of the Colossus

Shadow of the Colossus is the new game from the creators of Ico, a haunting and ethereal adventure/platforming game that came out over four years ago. Although Shadow of the Colossus isn't a sequel to the earlier game, it does share some of the same aesthetic and gameplay sensibilities, dropping you into a world that you're not really intended to understand. In it, you play as an unknown soldier, tasked with finding and killing 16 Collosi that roam the land, in order to appease the spirits that inhabit a shrine. In so doing, you hope to be able to bring a woman back to life. But why? And who is she? Will you ever find out?
Unlike most adventure games, Shadow of the Colossus involves more brainpower than monotonous killing of hundreds of enemies; indeed, except for the Colossi, the land is utterly devoid of life. Each of the Colossi has different attacks and weaknesses, though, so figuring out how to approach them and attack them is just as difficult as actually delivering the killing blow.

If you're stumped, though, you'll be happy to know that GameSpot's complete Game Guide to Shadow of the Colossus is here to help. In it, we have a complete walkthrough for the game, including hints and tips (and video) for each of the 16 Colossi that you're going to go up against. Enjoy!

Metroid Prime 3

2007-11-10T09:21:00.000-08:00

Metroid Prime 3

If you expected Metroid Prime 3: Corruption to be a high-quality continuation of the series, you'd be right. And yes, the Wii controls are terrific and intuitive, so if you hoped that controlling bounty hunter Samus Aran would be a dream, that wish has been granted, too. All told, even though Corruption's easier battles and conservative design sometimes seems like less of a sprawling Metroid adventure and more of a straightforward first-person shooter, it's still a great action game that does exactly what you expect it to do, no more and no less.
Of course, the five years that have elapsed between the original Metroid Prime and the trilogy's final hurrah is an eternity in gaming, so even with its smooth, Wii-specific controls, there is a strong sense of familiarity here. While Metroid Prime spectacularly ushered Metroid gameplay into a 3D vision, Corruption is content to be a solid successor. Yet you shouldn't let some spurts of predictability dissuade you from checking it out, particularly if you are a Metroid enthusiast. Corruption offers its own formula tweaks while staying true to its roots, and like the previous games in the Prime series, it sends you on an atmospheric journey of discovery and enjoyable boss fights.

This sequel is aptly named. Samus and her fellow bounty hunters are struggling to repair an organic computer that has been infected by a mysterious virus. As always, these things are never what they seem, but rather than risk spoiling any sensitive plot points, we would rather safely say that the ensuing adventure sends Samus across a number of lush alien worlds and bizarre landscapes. (Not that the Prime games have ever strived to set standards for gaming fiction.) There is a plot here, but it's never been about the destination: It's about the voyage. As before, there is a ton of written backstory to discover, all dispersed among strange, imaginative worlds. You'll also meet up with a number of old acquaintances, friend and foe alike.

But all that is part and parcel of a terrific series. The obvious change here is in the controls, and Corruption leaves behind the methodical maneuvering of its GameCube brethren with an intuitive and configurable scheme that sets the standard for first-person shooting controls on the Wii, despite Corruption's battles not being all that challenging. (More on that later.) All of your aiming and turning is done with the remote, while moving and strafing is handled by the Nunchuk. It's been done before, of course, but not to this degree of success. Almost any player will be at home with the "advanced" scheme, where moving the remote moves your targeting reticle but also turns your point of view as it approaches the edge of the screen. The other schemes require your reticle to hit the screen's edge before turning commences, which is more than a bit annoying. You aren't stuck free-aiming at your enemies, though, since the Z button allows you to lock on to your target.
Suffice it to say, Metroid Prime 3 takes on characteristics more akin to a standard first-person shooter than its predecessors did. The good news is that moving about is less frustrating and plodding than before. Your enemies fall faster, boss encounters require less controller fumbling, and there is an overall ease to travel and movement that the series lacked before. It's a double-edged sword, however, because while most Metroid Prime hallmarks--object scanning, careful exploration, complex puzzle-solving--remain, Corruption feels less like a probing adventure than a regular shooter.

But a highly enjoyable shooter nevertheless. When it comes to blasting stuff, Retro Studios kept things simple this time. Samus begins with the trusty arm cannon and soon gains the use of homing missiles. These are, more or less, the weapons you will keep for the duration, though not as you are given them. As you progress through Corruption's 20-hour campaign, you'll earn cumulative upgrades, so the standard fire becomes plasma fire, which evolves again come the next power-up, and so on. You never lose any abilities with a new upgrade, so once you've earned the ability to melt through ice, you aren't in danger of losing it later. But don't expect a barrage of constant enemies; nor should you expect much of a challenge from the standard foes. Yet even without a sense of challenge, shooting feels great in Corruption. A lot of this has to do with the smooth controls, but even more of it is due to the good variety of alien and mechanical monstrosities you do battle with.
The biggest addition to the shooting is that of the Phazon Enhancement Device. The PED allows you to enter hypermode by holding the plus button. In this mode, Samus' attacks do outrageous damage. But she has limited phazon in her reserves, so once it's all gone, all you can do is wait for it to replenish. You've got to pay attention, since entering hypermode depletes Samus' energy, and you also run the risk of overloading her with too much phazon and being forced to fire it all away lest she bite the dust. Another new element is the nova beam, which is a great cannon upgrade in and of itself, but is also used in conjunction with the x-ray visor to shoot at enemies and objects through solid walls.

Dragon Quest VIII

2007-11-08T21:39:00.000-08:00

Dragon Quest VIII
The beloved Dragon Quest role-playing game series (previously known as Dragon Warrior in the States) has traditionally had a somewhat quiet reception outside of Japan, where, conversely, each release is consumed with fanatic devotion. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed Kings marks a number of firsts for the series: It is the first fully 3D installment, the first fresh series entry on the PlayStation 2, and the first time a Dragon Quest game has retained its proper nomenclature for domestic release. There are plenty of good reasons for RPG fans to pay attention, too, because Dragon Quest VIII is a beautiful, lighthearted adventure that pairs satisfying, classic-style gameplay with a whole lot of charm.

You'll begin with a simple setup: An evil wizard named Dhoulmagus has seized a legendary scepter, cursing the castle from which it was taken and turning the king into a toadlike creature and the princess into a horse. You (a palace guard and hero of this tale) were the only other inhabitant of the castle to survive the tragic events, and you set off with King Trode, the equine Medea, and a portly companion named Yangus to track down the foul magician. That's all the preamble you need to start off on your adventure, and soon you're out meeting the locals and following clues to trace Dhoulmagus' sinister trail.
In addition to the stalwart, powerful Yangus, you'll eventually meet up with Jessica, a self-confident young woman with a fondness for magic and skimpy clothing, and Angelo, a holy Templar knight who's more occupied with drinking, gambling, and the indolent pleasures of life rather than with the noble precepts of his Order. It's this group of four characters that sets out to face the world and its many monsters. Unlike some other role-playing games, Dragon Quest doesn't have dozens of characters of all types to recruit to your cause. But that sort of focus serves the game's simple, straightforward style of storytelling, familiarizing you with your friends as you're introduced to a host of other personable characters on your way to bring Dhoulmagus to justice. In battle, too, each character has a clearly defined set of strengths that you'll learn to bring to bear against your challenging opponents.

Battles are turn-based and randomly occur as you explore the wilderness, though the spacing between encounters feels pretty generous and isn't invasively jarring to your progress. You'll select moves for each member of your team and then turn them loose against monsters as a group. In addition to basic melee, your party will learn a number of spells, from offensive magic that can be used on single enemies or groups, to spells that boost party defense and attack, to healing magic. These spells are largely learned automatically, with enough overlap that you aren't ever forced to rely on just one character for, say, healing. A command called psyche-up lets you boost a character's "tension," which increases your amount of stored attack power until you unleash it all in a single, focused attack for major damage, which is quite handy against tough bosses.
Abilities also come into play, which are learned through spending skill points gained with each level. Each character has four weapon-based skills to spend points on (axes, swords, spears, and so forth), as well as a fifth category that varies from character to character. Boosting the weapon categories lets you do extra damage with that type of weapon, and you can use special attacks that are only available with a certain level of skill. The final category is unique to each person. For example, Jessica's special ability tree is "sex appeal." Putting points into this trait not only teaches her new magic spells, but also generates passive powers, like being able to randomly charm enemies simply by appearing in battle in front of them. There's nothing quite like facing a daunting group of foes, only to have two of them completely forget to attack for a turn because they're too busy admiring Jessica's…attributes.

Grandia III

2007-11-08T21:31:00.000-08:00

Grandia III

It's been a long wait between Grandia titles, but the latest in Game Arts' fan-favorite RPG series has finally arrived. The good news is that Grandia III retains the great gameplay that's been a hallmark of these games, with a fun and dynamic battle system that makes every encounter strategic and fresh. The bad news is that the story's a bit uninspired, and the game itself doesn't last very long. Despite that, the experience is still sustained well by its character interactions and enjoyable combat, and it's a nice option for role-playing fans looking for something unique.

Young Yuki is a boy thoroughly wrapped up in his dreams of becoming a great pilot, soaring the open skies just like his idol, the dashing Sky Captain Schmidt. It's taken him a number of different models and lots of tinkering, but he's finally settled on an airplane design that he's sure will carry him off his native Titalos Island and into adventure on the mainland. When he tries to leave, he runs into two problems--for one, his devious mother, Miranda, stowed herself away on his plane, pushing it over the ideal weight limit. For another, he happens to fly over an elf-eared young lady being pursued by mysterious assailants. He can't just leave the poor damsel in distress; and besides, his overburdened plane crashes anyway. The girl is Alfina, the last member of the Communicator bloodline. Communicators are those individuals gifted with the ability to receive the words of the mighty Guardian Gryph and relay them to the people of the world. As it turns out, Alfina's older brother is a bit of a troublemaker, and instead of assuming his place as Communicator, he'd rather try to murder the Guardians and take over the world. This just won't do, of course, and Yuki and company move to stop him, earning some extra comrades along the way.
There's not a great deal of exposition into the background of the various characters, only a number of disjointed allusions for you to put together about their varied pasts and their motivations. They're pretty chatty with each other, though, and by the end you develop a good sense of their personalities and an affection for them. There's a fair amount of speech going on, and while it's decently delivered, some of the script is just awfully hokey. There's a lot of discussion about dreams and freedom that sounds like it's being read from an RPG self-help seminar. There's a good amount of other interaction to help balance that out somewhat, though, including lengthy discussions over meals and some battle interactions.

The battle system itself is very similar to that in previous Grandia games, and the mechanics continue to hold up extremely well. When you enter a fight, you'll see a circular meter in the upper-right corner of the screen called the IP gauge. Icons representing each of your characters and each enemy present then slowly rotate around the gauge, passing through three phases. The first is the command-entry area, where enemies and allies will determine their next action. The second is the command-execution area, where you'll have to reach the command line to actually carry out your attack. The third area is a sort of waiting zone between the other two. The trick to Grandia's battle system is that attacking enemies will serve to delay their motion on the gauge slightly, and if certain special attacks hit people during the execution phase, you can actually cancel an enemy's attack altogether, knocking their initiative way back. Fights then rely on the delicate balance between your characters' turns, your enemies' turns, whether or not you have any special or critical attacks at your disposal when your foe's planning to smite you, and so forth.

The Darkness

2007-11-08T21:22:00.000-08:00

The Darkness.

You work best when you're in the shadows, it's a grisly and occasionally gruesome tale, and it also happens to be the name of the demon festering inside of you. Yes, for multiple reasons, The Darkness is a perfect name for this first-person shooter from 2K and Starbreeze, the developer responsible for The Chronicles of Riddick. Based on a comic book from Top Cow, The Darkness weaves an interesting and authentic tale of mobsters seeking revenge together with an otherworldly force with an insatiable appetite for human hearts.
The game opens with an amazing set piece that gets things moving right away. You play as Jackie Estacado, a New York-based mob hit man on his 21st birthday, and you've just woken up in the back of a speeding convertible. A money-collection deal has gone wrong, your two buddies are attempting to get away from crooked cops, and you apparently got knocked out somewhere along the way. As you're speeding along to a construction site to take out the foreman, you're tossed a shotgun to help defend the car from incoming fire. The car crashes, you end up on foot, and the story begins to unfold. Your Uncle Paulie, the leader of the crime family, has gone off the deep end, suspects you of foul play, and puts a hit out on you. So it's on you to tear apart his operation by taking out key moneymakers and money movers. As you do this, Paulie starts to hit back, sending thugs not only in your direction, but also in the direction of Jenny, Jackie's girlfriend and the only person that really matters to him. Luckily, you won't have to fight it out all by yourself.

Early in the game, Jackie is possessed by The Darkness, some sort of parasitic creature that speaks to you as a demonic voice in your head and manifests itself as two demonic snakelike appendages that shoot out of your shoulder blades and appear on the sides of the screen. They snap and growl when you whip them out, and over time you'll earn new abilities. For starters, revealing The Darkness gives you a shield against damage, better vision in low-light situations, and a move that lets you plant one of the snakelike creatures onto the ground and take control of it. From there, you can crawl into ventilation ducts, sneak around, and kill enemies with a bite attack. You'll also earn a demon arm attack, which causes a big, sharp appendage to thrust outward and through your enemies. Eventually you'll get guns that use The Darkness' energy as ammo and a black hole attack that lets you open up big vacuums that suck enemies in, killing them quite easily in the process. The catch is that The Darkness has a limited amount of power, and all of these attacks drain it. It's restored automatically when you're standing in shadows, making shooting out light sources wherever you go a pretty big part of the game.
You'll select your darkness powers much like you'll cycle through your conventional weapons, with a touch of the D pad. There aren't very many different types of guns in the game, and what's more, the dual pistols that you start with are also the most effective weapon from start to finish. You'll get a shotgun, assault rifles, and an auto-shotgun that isn't accurate enough to be of much use. The game's auto-targeting seems to make your aim naturally gravitate toward the heads of your foes, and one shot from a pistol is almost always enough to take care of them. Considering the artificial intelligence isn't always swift enough to duck and cover, the game usually isn't too much of a challenge on its medium difficulty setting.

Most of the game takes place in New York, and despite its world being reasonably open-ended, the story itself is strictly linear. You'll always know where to go next, and you'll have a good idea of how to get there. If you end up lost, an objectives menu will point you in the general direction, and a map will show you which sections you'll have to travel through. Along the way, particularly in the game's two active subway stations, you'll run into people in need of a little help. This gives you some side missions to play with, and most of these seem to involve going somewhere and shooting and/or talking to someone. They're usually not very difficult, and there isn't really much of a payoff, either. You'll usually get one of the 100 pieces of bonus content, which gives you a few issues of the comic books, as well as plenty of concept art. Unless you're a sucker for concept art or an Xbox 360 achievements fiend, most of the extra stuff can be safely skipped, though the world looks so nice that you might find yourself wanting to complete as much as possible just to spend more time with the game. The main storyline definitely has some length to it, though, so even if you ignore all of the extra little elements, you'll still feel like you got your money's worth out of the game. Thanks to a handful of especially mind-blowing sequences and well-crafted plot twists, you'll feel like you've covered a ton of ground by the time you reach the game's final confrontation.

Call of Duty 4

2007-11-08T21:15:00.000-08:00

Call of Duty 4

It took awhile, but Infinity Ward finally got the message that World War II is played out. With modern times and international affairs becoming more and more, shall we say, interesting in recent years, the 1940s just don't carry as much weight as they used to. Perhaps that's why Call of Duty 4 has a new subtitle, Modern Warfare. By bringing things into a fictionalized story that still seems fairly plausible, the developer has made a much heavier game. But COD 4 is more than just an updated setting. It's also an amazing multiplayer first-person shooter and a great but brief single-player campaign with the visual chops to make it a standout shooter in an era filled with seemingly dozens of standout shooters.

The only real catch is that the single-player is almost shockingly short. If you've been keeping up with this style of game, you'll probably shoot your way to the credits in under five hours. While you can raise the difficulty to give yourself more of a challenge, the main thing this does is make the enemies frustratingly deadly, which sort of detracts from the fun.
While it may have a lack of single-player quantity, it makes up for most of it with its quality. The game tells its story from multiple perspectives, and you'll play as a new British SAS operative as well as a US Marine. The campaign takes you from a rainy night out at sea on a boat that's in the process of sinking to a missile silo where it's on you to save millions from an unsavory nuclear-powered death. Along the way, there are plenty of jaw-dropping moments where you'll look around the room for someone to whom you can say, "I can't believe that just happened." In a world filled with war games in which the good guys come out unscathed and the world is left at total peace, Call of Duty 4 will wake you up like a face full of ice water.
The action in the campaign is usually very straightforward. You have a compass at the bottom of your screen, and the direction of your current objective is very plainly marked. But getting from point A to point B is never as simple as running in a straight line, as you'll be conducting full-scale assaults in Middle Eastern countries by moving from house to house, taking out what seems like a never-ending stream of enemy troops along the way. You'll also get an opportunity to raid Russian farmhouses in search of terrorist leaders, disguise yourself as the enemy, and, in one sequence, don a brushlike ghillie suit and crawl through the brush as enemy troops and tanks roll right past you. It's a breathtaking moment in a campaign filled with breathtaking moments. Unfortunately, it's about half as long as the average shooter, and there are plenty of sequences where you wish there were just one or two more hills to take.
Of course, if you're looking for longevity, that's where the multiplayer comes in. Up to 18 players can get online and get into a match on one of 16 different maps. Many of the levels are taken from portions of the single-player and they offer a healthy mix of wide-open, sniper-friendly areas and tight, almost cramped spaces where grenades and shotguns are the order of the day. There are six game modes to choose from. The old standby is team deathmatch, though you can also play in a free-for-all deathmatch, which isn't as much fun as the team modes. The other modes are more objective-oriented, and a couple of those have you lugging bombs across the map to blow up enemy equipment, or preventing the enemy from blowing up your base. Others have you capturing control points. Lastly, you can change up the game rules a bit with a hardcore setting that makes weapons more realistically damaging or an old-school mode that puts weapons on the ground as pickups and generally moves away from the simulation side of things.

In addition to just firing your weapon or tossing grenades, you earn some more interesting tactical moves for skilled play. If you can shoot three opponents without dying, you're able to call in a UAV drone, which basically is an upgraded radar that makes enemy positions show up on your onscreen map for 30 seconds at any time. Normally, enemies blip up onto the map only if they fire their weapon to make their location known. If you can go on a five-kill streak, you can call in an air strike, which brings up a shot of the entire level map and lets you place the air strike wherever you like. When combined with a UAV sweep, this can be really devastating. If you can make it all the way to seven kills--which is actually easier than it sounds--you can call in a helicopter for support. It'll buzz around the map and automatically open fire on enemies, though enemies can shoot it down, too. These additions to the normal first-person shooter gameplay really open up the game a lot and make it superexciting to play.

Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel

2007-11-07T09:31:00.001-08:00

Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel

Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel, known in Japan as Fullmetal Alchemist: The Flightless Angel (鋼の錬金術師翔べない天使, Hagane no Renkinjutsushi: Tobenai Tenshi?), is an action role-playing game that was developed and published by the Racjin branch of Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. It is the first of the Fullmetal Alchemist games to be brought to the United States, using the FUNimation English cast who worked on the anime series. The game was released in Japan on December 25, 2003, and in the US on January 18, 2005.

Plot
Taking place between episodes 17 and 18 of the anime, the game begins with the Elric brothers (somewhat unwillingly being escorted by Major Alex Louis Armstrong) heading to Central City via train. As Ed moans, Al consoles, and Armstrong flexes, the train is suddenly attacked by terrorists. The skirmish eventually ends with one destroyed train and the brothers in the town of New Heissgart, looking for a ride to Central. There, they meet a girl named Armony and learn more of the Philosopher's Catalyst, an item nearly as powerful as the Philosopher's Stone itself, but used to increase the efficiency of alchemy. The Philosopher's Catalyst seems to be directly linked with the berserk chimeras running about, the rogue military force, and the gathering of alchemists in the town. The Elrics soon find that their simple mission for a train turns into much more as they learn about the Catalyst and the dark mysteries surrounding it.

Front Mission 4

2007-11-07T09:25:00.001-08:00

Front Mission 4

Front Mission 4 is a tactical role playing game developed and published by Square Enix that was released in Japan on December 18, 2003 and in the US on June 15, 2004. It is a tactical role-playing game in which the player assumes the role of two characters, both of whom pilot large mecha known as Wanzers.
This is the fourth installment in the Front Mission series, the first to be released on the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console, and the second to be released in North America, the first being Front Mission 3.

Story
Front Mission 4 has two major scenarios that run parallel to each other, set in the year 2096. One scenario takes place in the European Commonwealth (E.C.) and the other scenario takes place in the United Continental States (U.C.S.). U.C.S. is the North American translation for the United States of the New Continent (U.S.N.), though the reasons for the change are unknown. In the North American translation for Front Mission 3, U.S.N. is left unchanged. A large portion of the between-mission dialogue is delivered through voice overs in English (for all regional versions of the game), which is a first for the series.
At the beginning of the game, the player assumes the role of Elsa Eliane, a new recruit for the EC Armored Tactics Research Corps, the "Durandal". The Durandal's initial assignment is to investigate a series of recent attacks on E.C. German military bases by unknown forces. After completing several missions with the Durandal and learning more about the causes of the attacks, the narrative shifts focus to the other scenario. The second scenario starts off in U.C.S. Venezuela (which has attempted to secede from the U.C.S.) and centers around Darril Traubel, a U.C.S. Sergeant, and his teammates Billy Renges and Phillip Chaeffer. The three witness the crash of a Venezuelan State Army (VSA) transport plane that turns out to be carrying gold bullion worth up to $25 million belonging to Venezuelan Governor Bruno Diaz. They decide to steal the gold and go AWOL, but it is not long before they are found out by the VSA and have to escape Venezuela.
After a few more missions detailing their attempts to escape, the narrative returns focus to Elsa and the Durandal. For the rest of the game, the narrative continues to shift back and forth between the two scenarios after a certain amount of missions are completed. Eventually, a plot connection is established between the scenarios, though they remain independent of one other for the entire game. In both scenarios, the Republic of Zaftra is discovered to be source of their issues. Front Mission 4 expands on the unresolved plot elements regarding Zaftra that were revealed at the end of Front Mission 1st, detailing the real reasons behind Zaftra's involvement in both installments. Two characters from Front Mission 1st also make appearances in Front Mission 4: Frederick Lancaster from the O.C.U. side and Maria Paredes from the U.C.S. side. Several minor loose ends are resolved in Front Mission 5: Scars of the War, though all of the major plot elements are resolved in Front Mission 4.

Breath of Fire IV

2007-11-06T08:27:00.000-08:00

Breath of Fire IV

Breath of Fire IV, known in Japan as Breath of Fire IV -Utsurowazaru Mono- (ブレスオブファイアIV うつろわざるもの, Breath of Fire IV -Utsurowazaru Mono-lit. "Breath of Fire IV: The Unfading Ones") is a role-playing video game developed by Capcom, and is the fourth game in the Breath of Fire series. It was originally released for the Sony PlayStation home console in Japan and North America in 2000, and the PAL region in 2001. The game was later ported to Windows-based PCs in Europe and Japan in 2003.
Just as in previous games of the series, Breath of Fire IV follows the adventures of a young man named Ryu, heir to a lost civilization's ability to transform into powerful dragons, who must team up with several other skilled warriors to combat an awakened immortal emperor from ascending to godhood and destroying the world of man. Like Breath of Fire III, the game utilizes a mix of two and three-dimensional computer graphics and turn-based battle sequences.

Gameplay
Breath of Fire IV is a traditional console role-playing game with an overhead, isometric viewpoint. The game's camera can be manually rotated by the player up to a full 360 degrees in some instances, though unlike Breath of Fire III it cannot be tilted up or down. The game environment is rendered in full 3D, while character are present as two-dimensional hand-drawn sprites. While moving about the world, players can interact with computer-controlled characters and objects, gain knowledge on the world around them, and gather clues on how to advance the story. Each playable character is given a special "field skill" that can be used to destroy obstacles or solve puzzles outside of battles, which occur randomly in hostile areas or dungeons.
The "Master System" from Breath of Fire III returns, allowing players to customize each character by having them apprentice under different masters found throughout the world. Under their guidance, these characters may gain new skills and special statistic increases by fulfilling certain tasks, such as participating in a certain number of battles, or finding specific items. The fishing mini-game common to the rest of the series also returns, along with the village-building Faerie Town feature from the previous title that allows players to construct a special village that opens new features

Strider

2007-11-06T08:22:00.000-08:00

Strider

Strider, also known as Strider Hiryu, is an arcade game produced by Capcom in 1989. It is a side-scrolling platform game. It became one of Capcom's early hits before Street Fighter II, revered for its innovative gameplay and multilingual voice clips during cutscenes (presented in Japanese, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish and English).

Plot
In the game, the player takes control of Strider Hiryu, a ninja-style warrior who must defeat a legendary being known as Grandmaster Meio. Meio has observed Earth from his dwelling in a far off galaxy, and has created a space station (known as "The Third Moon"), between Earth and its original moon in order to rule earth and continue observation. The year is 2048. Armed with a Cypher (a razor-sharp blade, wielded similarly to a tonfa which generates metal-cutting plasma) called Falchion, Hiryu must travel around the globe (including the Soviet Union and the Amazon Rainforest) to find and destroy the evil being. Throughout his travels, Hiryu encounters many power-ups, including robotic animals called "Options" (a hawk and a leopard) which help him defeat enemies. He also has the ability to latch onto walls and ceilings using a metallic hook — an aspect which set the game apart from other platformers

Saint Seiya: The Hades.

2007-11-05T20:28:00.000-08:00

Saint Seiya: The Hades.
Namco franchises find European publishers
Koch Media signs on to release Warhammer: Mark of Chaos and Mage Knight: Apocalypse; Atari to handle Saint Seiya: The Hades.

Sometimes game publishing is truly an international affair. The North American arm of Japanese game company Namco Bandai Games today announced that three of its properties have found publishing homes in Europe. Warhammer: Mark of Chaos and Mage Knight: Apocalypse will be released for the PC before the end of 2006 by Koch Media's Deep Silver label, while France-based Atari will take responsibility for the newly announced Saint Seiya: The Hades for the PlayStation 2 in Q3 2006.
Warhammer: Mark of Chaos is a real-time strategy game set in the popular Games Workshop fantasy universe, which GameSpot saw in action at the Electronic Entertainment Expo this year. Mage Knight: Apocalypse is a fantasy-themed action role-playing game based on the Mage Knight tabletop franchise.
Saint Seiya: The Hades is the sequel to 2005's Saint Seiya: The Sanctuary and is an action game based on the Saint Seiya manga and anime series. Gamers will be tasked with saving the world by doing battle against evil forces from Hades, known as the Specters. The game is being developed by Japanese studio Dimps, which released some screenshots today.

Saint Seiya: Chapter Sanctuary (PS2)

2007-11-05T11:00:00.000-08:00

Saint Seiya: Chapter Sanctuary (PS2)

Based on the popular anime series of the same name Saint Seiya: Chapter Sanctuary brings the legendary conflict between the Knights of Athena and the Knights of Ares home to the PlayStation 2. Battling over the Golden Cloth of Sagittarius, more than 20 different fighters square off against one another across several different modes including those of the Story, Versus, and Practice variety. As an added bonus, several of the show's most memorable moments have been recreated using the latest in CG cinematics as well, with licensed voice-overs specifically re-recorded for the videogame version of the story. Available only in Japan.

Folklore

2007-11-05T10:48:00.000-08:00

Folklore

If you had proof that there was life after death, would you live differently than you do now? Would the world change--and not just for the better? These are questions the characters in Folklore wrestle with. It sounds like the setup for a deep role-playing game, but in actuality, this is an action/adventure game with rather few RPG elements that tells an intriguing, convoluted story set in two distinct worlds: modern-day Ireland and an afterlife based on Celtic traditions. Folklore is an inconsistent game with some minor gameplay and storytelling issues that keep it from reaching its full potential. Nevertheless, even with these flaws, it manages to be an enjoyable journey into the lands of the dead, where our memories take many different forms.

The game is separated into two different regions. First, there is the Irish village of Doolin, where two characters are trying to solve a series of murders. One of them is Ellen, a young woman who's received a mysterious letter from someone claiming to be her long-lost mother, and encourages Ellen to come to the village to find her. The other is Keats, a reporter for an occult magazine who received a message of his own, one that points to strange goings-on in the same village. The second region is the netherworld, a series of afterlives that are home to the memories of the dead. There, a tale of political intrigue plays out that relates to the events in Doolin in ways both obvious and not so obvious. Just don't be surprised if at first you aren't all that taken in: It takes the story a while to ramp up.

The story itself is great, and it gets more and more elaborate before the twists begin to unravel. Unfortunately, the manner of storytelling isn't quite so grand. Most scenes play out like a graphic novel in that they feature static images and dialogue boxes without any voice acting, and with music that doesn't always fit the mood of the scene. It's an interesting design choice, but it's weirdly flavorless. Folklore wants you to invest psychologically in Ellen's mission, but it's hard to get a handle on her because those scenes are so devoid of personality. By contrast, the standard cutscenes that occasionally crop up are eerie, beautiful, and well acted, and they provide a distinct sense of place and time.

The real-world gameplay consists of moving either Ellen or Keats around the village to interact with other characters and look for the occasional clue. The game always tells you where to go and what to do, so the Doolin portions are like playing a PC adventure game, only without puzzles. The first five chapters are playable from both Keats' and Ellen's perspectives, so you'll experience the story from both sides. Each character's story is linear, but you can switch between them once a chapter is finished, so if you want to play out the initial five chapters as Ellen and then do them again as Keats, you can. But you're better served by finishing each chapter one at a time from both perspectives, an approach that keeps the story more consistent and interesting. You'd think it would be good to have the choice to follow each character as you see fit, but it's weird to go back to chapter one and play as Ellen if you've already completed several chapters as Keats. It really hurts the saga when you get the story out of order like this, so why developer Game Republic would have given players the chance to weaken the tale is an even greater mystery than Ellen's past.

Luckily, the game picks up significantly once you're in the netherworld. The worlds you visit are visually lush and filled with all sorts of fantastic creatures. They're brimming with gorgeous details, stunning lighting, and strong color palettes that infuse the environments with more life than the actual land of the living. Your goal? Slay the monstrous folk and suck up their souls. Neither Ellen nor Keats use a weapon--at least, not directly. Instead, they rely on collecting the ids of the netherworld folk to summon for use in battle. As you progress from chapter to chapter, you gain more and more folk, and they have a wide range of uses and abilities. Some act as short-range melee weapons that you use by pounding on a button as if you're swinging a sword. You can also send a flying machine into the air to drop bombs, slash enemies with an electrical monster, or summon a creature that flings ice shards into the air.

There are dozens and dozens of different folk to collect. Although you'll probably tend to use the same few as often as possible, some enemies are resistant to certain attacks and weak to others, so you'll need to constantly shuffle your folk and experiment with different tactics. You will occasionally come across hint books scattered about that are suppose to help you determine some of these creatures' weaknesses, but these books are rarely useful. The writing on them is just scribbled nonsense, and their scratchy doodles don't always help you figure out which folk you should be using.

Once you defeat a folk, you can suck out its id, which floats above the downed creature in the form of a bobbing pink silhouette. To collect the id of a standard enemy, you hold a shoulder button and yank upwards with the Sixaxis. Stronger enemies and bosses require a little more perseverance, and you sometimes have to free the id by shaking the controller rapidly, tilting the controller back and forth, yanking the id upwards, or doing a combination of these and other things. It's an intuitive use of the Sixaxis, and the sensitivity of all these actions is pitch-perfect. It's awesome to watch the ids getting sucked up, and it's simply fun to do. If you haven't captured the id previously, you'll now be able to map it to a face button and summon the folk in battle. If you already have it in your inventory, you'll be leveling it up for greater attack power, an increased health bar, or other advantages. You can also level them up by destroying various stones scattered about and collecting the remnants.

The levels are beautiful and take you through war-torn battle zones, lush green fields, bubbly seascapes, and other dazzling worlds. The biggest problem with them is how linear they are--and how long it takes to load them. The combat areas are generally small arenas connected by narrow corridors. The zones are small, and they are all separated by loading times that are far too long and far too frequent. This can be a huge annoyance because there is such little room for maneuvering, especially when there are multiple large creatures attacking you in these confined spaces. It feels as if an old design necessity has been shoehorned into modern technology, and it doesn't work all that well. It constantly removes you from the game when you just want to be beating up creatures and sucking up their souls. Fortunately, some of these weak levels are held together with fantastic missions that force you to collect a certain creature's id only after you've defeated all the others, or that make you follow a particular folk so you can find the correct door to move to the next section.

Transformers:

2007-11-05T10:40:00.000-08:00

Transformers:

The Game is based on Michael Bay's big action-movie reimagining of the classic giant-robot cartoon and toy franchises that were integral to more than a few adult gamers' formative years. You'll play as both the noble Autobots and the evil Decepticons, following both groups as they battle for control of a powerful device that gives the giant bots life. The game lets you race, transform, and smash your way through events that take you into an open world adventure, mirroring the film's key moments. While the console games feature the slick updates of classic characters, such as Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Bumblebee, the unlockable content offers some cool surprises for fans of the original-generation bots. Use the Transformers: The Game launch center to browse GameSpot's game reviews, the film trailers, information on the classic cartoon series, videos, screenshots, and more.

The Game

Transformers: The Game is very much the archetypal movie-licensed game. It's got all the hallmark problems of the genre, including short length, overly simplistic mechanics, a barely-there story, and a bit of a sloppy feel. It is simply an excuse for fans of the upcoming live action film (and maybe even some fans of the old cartoons who, admittedly, will take pretty much anything they can get at this point) to run around, awkwardly beating up Autobots or Decepticons in various semidestructible environments. If that's all you want out of the game, then Transformers might provide you a few mild hours of entertainment. If you were hoping for something more, Transformers will probably just disappoint you.
The basic premise of the game is the same as the film's. The classic Transformers battle between good robots and evil robots has spilled over to planet Earth as the two warring sides search frantically for an artifact known as the AllSpark. The AllSpark is essentially the life force for all Transformers, which explains why they'd want to get it back. Sam Witwicky (voiced with appropriate "gee whiz!"-ness by Shia LaBeouf) is an average teenager who happens to hold the key to finding the AllSpark. From there, it's a race for both sides to find Sam and get the AllSpark. There might be more to the movie's plot than what is presented here, and you should really hope there is, because otherwise, we're all in for one exceedingly boring film. With the exception of a few bouts of basic dialogue between Sam and the various Transformers (including veteran TV series voice actors Peter Cullen and Frank Welker reprising their roles as Optimus Prime and Megatron with about as much enthusiasm as you could hope for), there's almost no story to drive the game forward. In some respects that's not surprising, simply because with this method, almost none of the film is spoiled for you.

Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword

2007-11-04T20:01:00.000-08:00

Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword Company Line
Company Line -- This Content Was Not Created By GameSpot
Uncover all the mysteries of Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword as you fight enemy ninjas and battle various fiends while taking on the role of Master Ninja, Ryu Hayabusa, in an all new storyline for the Nintendo DS.
Features:
Innovative DS Stylus Functionality: Smoothly maneuver and fight through levels with the intuitive operation of the DS stylus.
Hold the DS Like a Book: Hold the DS with one hand like a book to assist in the operation of the stylus which allows players to view a wider range of scenes.
Cast Ninpo, Ninja Magic, by Symbol Input: Using the DS Stylus, draw various symbols to quickly execute numerous types of Ninpo.
New to the DS: Experience Team NINJA's first original action game for the Nintendo DS!

Beowulf Hands-On

2007-11-04T10:31:00.000-08:00

Beowulf Hands-On

Currently scheduled for release in mid-November, Beowulf is a combat-oriented fantasy adventure game in which you'll assume the titular role of a legendary Geatish warrior. The game is based on the upcoming Paramount movie of the same name, which is in turn based on an ancient and lengthy poem. We recently had an opportunity to play through a four-level demo version of Beowulf on the Xbox 360. Although our experience was short-lived, it bodes well for the finished game.
The first level that we got to play through is the first level of the game proper, and it serves as an interactive tutorial. Playing as Beowulf, you're challenged to a race of sorts by a rival. Along the way, you'll learn how to climb walls and shimmy along ledges, and you'll also learn that Beowulf can slide down steep inclines without losing his footing. The race portion of the tutorial ends on a beach inhabited by giant crabs, and although nobody appears to be keeping score, you'll be attempting to outdo your rival as the pair of you set about killing them.
Beowulf's combat is visceral and satisfying from the moment you land your first punch. The controls are uncomplicated enough that you'll feel comfortable with them right away, but you certainly won't be able to just mindlessly mash buttons once you come up against something more dangerous than crabs--for example, the three huge sea serpents that show up toward the end of the first level. Your battle with them not only calls upon all of the skills that you've learned previously but also a brand-new one: carnal fury.

Activating carnal fury sends Beowulf into a blind rage for a period of time. The screen takes on a deep red hue, there's some motion blurring and, most importantly, your attacks are much more powerful. They're powerful enough, in fact, that you can punch a huge sea serpent in the face and cause its head to crash down onto the rocks next to you. After that, you have the opportunity to climb up onto said monster's head and take it down God of War-style by hitting the correct buttons as they flash up on the screen. Incidentally, these button-sequence actions aren't reserved for large, boss-type enemies in Beowulf; you'll be presented with a similar scenario every time you grab an enemy (or a part of an enemy).
Your offensive commands during combat are mapped to three buttons: grab, light attack, and heavy attack. Light and heavy attacks can be strung together to perform some devastating and very satisfying combos, but the grab move is the most interesting of the three because it's invariably followed by an opportunity to perform up to four different moves. For example, there are moments when you can successfully grab an enemy that is roughly the same size as you by initiating the maneuver and then mashing the correct button when instructed to do so. At that point, your options might include throwing the enemy, crushing the enemy (it's brutal), or stealing its weapon. The options vary somewhat according to the opponent that you're grappling with, but we can report from experience that grab moves get the job done regardless of the enemy's size. More on our troll-butchering exploits later.
The second level, titled King's Road, saw Beowulf and a number of his allies landing on the shore of a landmass purportedly inhabited by another of the game's huge monsters. Unfortunately, the portion of the level available in our demo ended before we could confirm or deny that possibility, but not before we'd had a chance to learn about Beowulf's heroism system and to put it to good use against numerous enemy crabs and barbarians. Heroism is represented onscreen as a blue energy bar of sorts that fills up anytime you perform a particularly devastating combo or do something deemed heroic. One example that did the trick occurred when we picked up a large rock and used it to crush a giant crab. As your heroism gauge fills up, you and your Thane colleagues will become increasingly powerful and start to emit a blue glow. The heroism gauge doubles as your life bar, so the best way to stay alive is basically to kill others as spectacularly as possible. In addition to the significant bonuses that heroism affords you and yours in combat, it gives you the power to unleash the "Viking storm" special attack on multiple enemies. Heroism also makes your followers more adept at performing simple tasks for you, such as moving heavy stone doors. Tasks appear in the game quite frequently, and as your followers attempt to complete them for you, you'll have the option to speed up the process by completing a relatively simple rhythm-style minigame known as Thanes' Song.

Next up in our demo was a level taken from Beowulf's ninth episode, which we believe is almost halfway through the game. You've been separated from your men at the start of the level, and must make your way to a blood-filled sacrificial pit where they're fighting for their lives. The only way to get there is on a long, crumbling staircase that runs along the edges of cliffs and such, and along the way you'll come up against skeleton warriors whose shields make them tricky to hit with conventional melee attacks. However, the aforementioned grab moves work just fine, and there's plenty of fun to be had in tossing the enemies off the staircase to their deaths using the throw command. When you reach the pit, you'll find that the situation is pretty dire; your men are being attacked from all sides by undead-looking enemies and need to close large doors to stop more of the enemies from pouring in. The enemies will do their best to hamper those efforts, and things definitely take a turn for the worse when a large troll shows up. The troll is too big for you to grab in the same way as the other enemies, but if you time it right, it's possible to grab one of its arms and then climb up it onto its head. Once atop the troll, your options will include the usual stuff to deal damage, as well as an opportunity to steal the huge axe that it wields. There are very few weapons available in the pit, so that was definitely the course of action from which we enjoyed the most success.
The last level included in the demo was taken from near the end of the game, and it featured a boss battle of sorts against the rival that we were racing against in the tutorial. There are numerous waves of enemies to get through en route to said encounter, and although it might be possible to simply bypass a lot of them and leave your followers to deal with the situation, there's a lot to be said for looking after those guys. Every follower that you keep alive makes your health gauge a little longer. Small icons above your health gauge represent the followers in play, and if any of them start flashing red, that's your cue to go and help them out. To a casual observer, the boss battle at the end of the level would look like little more than a one-on-one fight between two muscular guys, but it's more involved than that because only heroic combos and grab moves have any effect on Beowulf's rival. Any other moves you attempt to hit him with are a waste of time.
We look forward to bringing you more information on Beowulf as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, be sure to check out our new screenshots and movies of the game in action.

Zelda leads three to Wii VC

2007-11-04T10:27:00.002-08:00

Zelda leads three to Wii VC
Ocarina of Time joined on Virtual Console today by Sega's Bio-Hazard Battle, Hudson's Chew Man Fu.

As advertised, the Nintendo 64 debut of the console maker's seminal adventure series, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, went live on the Wii's Virtual Console this morning. Link's first journey into the third dimension arrived on the downloadable game service with a price tag of 1,000 Wii Points ($10) and a pair of other retro offerings in tow.
The Virtual Console library of Genesis games was bolstered by the side-scrolling shooter Bio-Hazard Battle. Taking control of one of four insectoid "ships," players must blast their way through eight levels swarming with mutated adversaries. Bio-Hazard Battle supports two-player action and is available for 800 Wii Points ($8).
TurboGrafx-16 fans also have a new offering today in the form of Chew Man Fu. In this action puzzle game, gamers must clear each level by pushing four orbs onto like-colored tiles. A variety of obstacles and an evil wizard's henchmen complicate the task, but players can work together with a friend and kick orbs to eliminate enemies or break through walls. Gamers can also go head-to-head with a kickball minigame, or create their own levels in the edit mode. Chew Man Fu is downloadable for 600 Wii Points ($6).
If that doesn't satisfy the Virtual Console sweet tooth, Hudson Entertainment has also announced a pair of TG-16 games it will soon bring to the Virtual Console in North America. Next month, the company will release the gory 1990 action game Splatterhouse and the previous year's first-person catacomb crawler, Double Dungeons.

Manhunt 2

2007-10-31T11:42:00.000-07:00

Manhunt 2

A lot has been made about Manhunt 2's supposedly ultraviolent content. Like its predecessor, it depicts its share of grisly murders, gruesome decapitations, and a few swift kicks to the genitals for good measure. It's visually less grisly than the original Manhunt: The much-ballyhooed blurring added to the most extreme acts often makes it difficult to see exactly what bloodthirsty rages you're subjecting your victims to--particularly in the Wii version. However, don't take this to mean that Manhunt 2 doesn't deserve its M rating: There's plenty of gore, sex, and adult language to go around. There's also some solid stealthy gameplay to back up all the eviscerations. It's got its share of problems (we'll get to those later), and it's not quite as rewarding as the original, but there's a lot here into which patient gamers can sink their teeth. This isn't a series of random bloody tantrums--it's a calculated study in what drives a man to madness and to what extremes he will go to discover the truth.

That man is Dr. Danny Lamb (not a randomly chosen name, certainly), an asylum inmate who manages to escape, thanks to a freak electrical malfunction. He doesn't remember much, but he's able to fill in bits and pieces through flashbacks, and with the help of fellow inmate and constant companion Leo. As Danny begins to remember more and more, he finds himself getting to the bottom of a medical experiment called "The Project," as well as just how involved he was in its development. The plot is missing the degenerate thrills of the first Manhunt, but it still has a script only Rockstar could pen. The raunchy quips you'll overhear from the game's self-described "hunters" are sometimes creepy, often hysterical, and always worth a listen.
Just don't expect anything as memorable as your encounter with Piggsy in the original Manhunt. Aside from the very nature of stealth gameplay (you always fear getting caught), there's nothing scary here. You're still fighting for your life, but unlike the original's protagonist, Danny could simply disappear if he so desired. The danger is secondary--a result of his need to find out exactly who he is and how he ended up this way. Uncovering the truth and revealing the past makes for an interesting tale, but it's not as engaging as the snuff film premise of the first, nor does it really ever take off, remaining content to mostly smolder until it pops its highly foreshadowed surprises. At least as far as the Manhunt games are concerned, fighting to stay alive is more compelling than fighting for your sanity.
It's still an interesting story that is accentuated by an appropriately dirty and dank visual design. You'll explore a raunchy, sticky sex club; gritty gas stations; and slummy warehouses; all places that seem like you could catch some nasty disease just by looking at them. A scratchy, slightly blurry filter gives everything the faint haze of scan lines, as if you're watching an old VHS tape. That effect is particularly pronounced in the PlayStation 2 version. That isn't to say that Manhunt 2 rises to the occasion from a technical standpoint. Animations and character models look terribly dated. Some environments are also washed out and textures aren't detailed. The Wii release tends to maintain a better frame rate than the PS2, though there are occasional slight pauses when the Wii accesses the disc, an issue that also crops up from time to time on the PS2--just less often. Aside from these differences (and a few others to be noted shortly), the two versions look more or less identical.
The doomed ambience is further accentuated by a minimalist sound design that features an eerie soundtrack and limited environmental noise. Silence is put to good use here, creating moments of tension when you must remain perfectly still and making the occasional eruption in the soundtrack even more effective. The voice-overs are good too, not just from the leading men, but from the random hunters you overhear. You'll hear guards in the sex dungeon whine about their sexual frustration or masked patrolmen taunt you to come out of the shadows, and most of it's acted with just the right amount of coarse charm.
There are lots of shadows in Manhunt 2, which you'll be hiding and waiting in for a good portion of the game. You control Danny from a third-person view, avoiding the watchful eye of enemies and attempting to pick them off one by one. The easiest way to do this is to hide in a dark corner and lure a foe over by throwing a brick or punching the wall. The noise will attract nearby hunters, who have a tendency to walk over and stare straight at you for a moment before shrugging their shoulders then walking away. This is your chance to perform one of the infamous execution moves--the violent showcase of Manhunt 2's visceral action.

Bomberman live

2007-10-31T11:18:00.000-07:00

Bomberman live

Lots of classic games have been returning to our TV screens lately with mixed results, thanks to the advent of services like Xbox Live, Nintendo's Virtual Console, and the PlayStation Network. Not all of these old series have passed the test of time. Hudson's Bomberman, however, is a perfect student of modern gaming. This new version of the old classic doesn't just capture the series' antique essence; it actually makes more sense now as a casual online multiplayer game than it did in the late eighties when it exploded onto Nintendo Entertainment Systems everywhere. The only downside is that it's utterly boring to play by yourself, but considering that this game seems tailor-made for multiplayer action, that's perhaps understandable.
If you aren't familiar with Bomberman, it's pretty easy to understand. The game is played from a top-down perspective on a battlefield full of blocks--some destructible, some not. You run around planting bombs, collecting power-ups, and blasting your friends or foes. To drop a bomb, you simply hit the A button, and then get out of the way. This is usually pretty easy, since - power-ups notwithstanding - bombs only explode in two dimensions--vertically and horizontally. However, this gets a lot trickier when eight players are dropping them all over the board, especially since the bombs tend to increase in power toward the ends of matches, when all the players have collected bevies of power-ups. If a match lasts more than two minutes, the screen is quickly covered by dropping blocks that wall the remaining competitors into an ever-smaller space until only one remains.

Pac-Man CE

2007-10-31T11:07:00.000-07:00

Pac-Man CE (Championship edition)

If you sat down and redesigned Pac-Man in 2007, what would you do with it? Would you give it more mazes like Ms. Pac-Man had? Totally redo the graphics in the most photorealistic style possible? Make it a first-person game? There are probably a billion different things you could do to Pac-Man, but let's face it--almost all of them would pale in comparison to the original, the Namco arcade game that made American arcades go absolutely insane in 1980 and spawned that awful cartoon, that sweet "Pac-Man Fever" song, Halloween costumes, and a bunch of crazy sequels. Well, as it turns out, there's still one crazy sequel left. Namco has gone back to the well and delivered Pac-Man Championship Edition, a game that holds true to the original game's maze crawling and dot eating while simultaneously upending the apple cart and making something that feels entirely different and, yes, exciting. While a few more improvements clearly could have been made, Pac-Man CE is a surprisingly rad addition to Xbox Live Arcade that even folks who disliked the original Pac-Man might enjoy.

As the game was rolled out in conjunction with Microsoft's Pac-Man World Championship in New York, Pac-Man CE has a decidedly competitive streak to it that the original game didn't. Rather than asking you to last as long as you can, the different modes in the game each have time limits. So survival becomes a secondary goal, and scoring as many points as possible before time runs out becomes your main task. Two of the six modes are five-minute games, and the other four all last a maximum of 10 minutes. If you run out of lives, your game will end early, but once you wrap your mind around how the game gives you points and how to keep those points coming in, ending early doesn't happen too frequently. Once your game ends, your score is sent off to the leaderboards and you're informed if you've unlocked any of the game's 12 achievements, most of which are pretty easy to earn.

TGS '07: Time Crisis 4 Hands-On

2007-10-30T12:19:00.000-07:00

TGS '07: Time Crisis 4 Hands-On

We grab the Guncon and start making the world a better place.
TOKYO--Time Crisis is one of those games that can sell itself. If you like Guncon games and shooting copious numbers of bad guys, you're probably going to buy the game regardless of what you read or see on TV. But just because you're going to buy it already doesn't mean you don't want to know more about it, right? Read on for our hands-on impressions of the first level on display at the TGS '07.
The game's prerendered intro was playing as we approached the kiosk. It was tough to figure out what was going on since everything was in Japanese, but the movie still conveyed all you need to know--some bad guys are up to no good, there are some giant buglike creatures on the loose, and it's up to you to make things right.
Fiddling around with the menus we noticed a split-screen option as well as some sort of minigames. The clock was ticking on our playtime though so we hopped into the game's first mission. Another cutscene played, seemingly reiterating what we had seen in the intro. Our character was a tough-looking character named Captain Rush. After the two high-ranking officials gave us the lowdown on what was happening, it was time for action.
The first level takes place on the docks of an unnamed California city. We rappelled onto the docks from a helicopter and got acclimated with the controls. In many ways the plastic gun that comes with the game looks similar to what you'd find in any shooting game, but this gun has a lot more than a trigger. An analog stick on the left side of the gun lets you move around while another stick just above the back of the handle lets you look around. Pushing in the left analog stick makes your character crouch and pushing in the right stick zooms in the sights a bit. There are two buttons on the front of the gun. One reloads the weapon and the button below it makes your character jump. There are also a few buttons on the back, one of which lets you select different weapons. Our impressive arsenal included a pistol, machine gun, shotgun, knife, and even a grenade launcher.
Acclimating to the controls was a piece of cake and we quickly made our way through the maze of boxes, crates, and shipping containers--at least until the bad guys showed up. Soon we found ourselves under fire from dudes jumping out from behind corners, crouching next to parked cars, and even atop the shipping containers. Running through the level was a recipe for disaster, but slowing down and carefully picking off enemies one by one worked great and was a lot of fun. After using the jump button to climb some crates that were conveniently stacked in a stairlike fashion, some helicopters flew overhead and dropped off some reinforcements. These new bad guys were a lot tougher and even carried blast shields. We made short work of them and were just starting to feel confident when a helicopter came swooping down raining bullets on our parade. Death soon followed and we passed the controller to the next person in line.
Time Crisis 4 isn't much to look at--at least the stage we played wasn't--but this is one of those games that doesn't need to be gorgeous to be entertaining. You can find out for yourselves when the game hits stores this winter.

Astroboy : ATOM

2007-10-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

Astroboy

Everyone, regardless of age, simply must own and play Astro Boy: Omega Factor--because it is one of the best action games on the Game Boy Advance. Sega has teamed up with Treasure, the same development house responsible for past cult hits such as Gunstar Heroes, Dynamite Headdy, and Ikaruga to create what is essentially a celebration not just of Astro Boy creator Osamu Tezuka's life's work, but also of everything that makes the side-scrolling action genre so timeless and great

The Treasure-inspired influences are unmistakable. Astro can beat up enemies using his fists, but the many individual waves of enemies within each level encourage the frequent and gratuitous use of his pyrotechnically gorgeous finger laser, arm cannon, and machine gun special attacks. The arm cannon, for instance, is as tall as Astro Boy and spans the entire screen. Best of all, you only need to perform a couple of kung fu combos to recharge Astro's stock of special attacks. Roughly half of the game's 43 levels have a boss battle, another Treasure trademark. Some bosses are behemoths that stand multiple screens high and attack with a variety of different weapons. Others are smaller, but have multiple transformations and attack patterns. Just to shake things up a little, there are also flying stages scattered here and there. These stages play out like a traditional shoot-'em-up, with Astro dodging lasers and taking on wave after wave of flying robots using his finger laser and special attacks.

Astro has only a handful of attacks, but they're all extremely useful in the right situation. The A and B buttons perform basic jump and punch functions, and you can press the A button multiple times in midair to use Astro's rocket boots. Pressing the up and B buttons at the same time activates the finger laser, which can shoot through multiple enemies. When you tap twice quickly in the same direction on the directional pad, Astro will perform a dash move that lets him pass safely through bullets and enemies. This is a handy move to use when you're knee deep in angry robots. The L and R buttons activate Astro's special attacks--the arm cannon, machine gun, and EX dash. The arm cannon fires a powerful blast that can deal out 30 times the damage of the finger laser. The machine gun stops enemies in their tracks for a couple of seconds, which is nice when you're in a cramped room and want to squeak behind a boss. The third and last special attack is the EX dash, which adds a powerful multihit punch onto the standard dash move.
Nowadays, plain old action games are ubiquitous. They're old hat. Heck, they're obsolete. Someone on the development team must have realized that, because Omega Factor incorporates character interaction into its level navigation and power-up procedures. It works like this: Most levels have a character either sitting in plain sight or hidden behind something. When you talk to that character, he or she will offer up another part of the story and let you upgrade one of Astro's weapons. At the same time, some characters provide clues about how to find other characters or simply reveal a formerly secret level. In order to unlock all of the game's levels and see the best ending, you'll need to revisit previously played levels and figure out the proper order in which to speak with certain characters. That type of setup gives this side-scroller a rather engrossing quest aspect that most action games don't have.

Neo Contra

2007-10-29T12:15:00.000-07:00

Neo Contra

Neo Contra is filled with over-the-top shooting action and twitch gameplay, so it's good for some kicks, even if the game ultimately doesn't provide much depth or challenge.

Old-school shooters are experiencing a bit of a revival lately, at least if Konami has anything to say about it. The company had a lot to do with the shoot-'em-up genre's proliferation back in the '80s, thanks to hits like Gradius and Contra, and now is delivering nostalgia-inducing sequels to its old hits. Neo Contra for the PlayStation 2 is the latest of these. It's a pure arcade-style shoot-'em-up based on Konami's classic side-scrolling action game from 1987, and it can be played by one player or two players simultaneously, much like the original. 2002's Contra: Shattered Soldier took a similar approach, and while Neo Contra plays out a little differently (mostly from a top-down perspective), it's still a short-lived experience that tries to derive lasting value from compelling you to play through its handful of stages over and over, until you've memorized everything and ceased making mistakes. The stages themselves are filled with over-the-top shooting action and twitch gameplay, so they're good for some kicks, even if Neo Contra ultimately doesn't provide much depth or challenge.

In Neo Contra, you'll blast your way through five core stages in an effort to take out the titular gang of high-tech terrorists. The game's main characters are Bill Rizer, the spiky-haired, cigar-chomping protagonist of all the Contra games, and his new partner, a futuristic samurai called Jaguar. The characters are identical in practice, and can unload a continual stream of heavy firepower while quickly dodging enemies and their rather slow-moving bullets. The game opens by inviting you to choose from four different stages, which can be played in any sequence (a fifth and seemingly final stage opens up afterward). Each one pits you against an onslaught of enemies and culminates in a battle against one the "Elite Four," which seems to be poking fun at Metal Gear Solid's FOXHOUND terrorist group, what with its team members like Plant Contra and Animal Contra--the latter of whom happens to be a nasty-tempered, militaristic talking dog.

Silent Hill 2 movie confirmed

2007-10-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

Silent Hill 2 movie confirmed
French director Christophe Gans tells magazine DVDrama that the movie is "well underway," though there's confusion over Neil Gaiman's possible contribution.

There are a slew of film adaptations of video games in production right now, Hitman, Alice, and Postal, for example. Now, according to director Christophe Gans, Silent Hill 2 can be added to that list.
Gans, the Antibes-born director of the first Silent Hill movie, has revealed that a second SH film is on the way and that it will correct the mistakes of the first.
The original Silent Hill, released on April 21, 2006, told the story of Rose Da Silva, a mother who sets out to find a town called Silent Hill, which her daughter Sharon calls to in her sleep.
Gans confirmed in an interview with French magazine DVDrama that "there will indeed be a Silent Hill 2 and it is officially ordered and is already well underway. Once he has finished his adaptation of Driver, Roger Avary will be [working on the script], helped by his friend Neil Gaiman."
Roger Avary is a Canadian-born director, producer, and writer. He has previously worked on the screenplays for the first Silent Hill and Killing Zoe and won an Oscar for his work on Pulp Fiction.
British author Neil Gaiman is most famous for his series of Sandman graphic novels and has also worked on screenplays for the TV series of his novel Neverwhere, as well as Mirrormask and Princess Mononoke.
However, Gaiman's actual contribution is now under some doubt, after a post on his own blog stated, "Yesterday I discovered pretty much all of my FAQ messages were people asking whether I was really going to be writing the Silent Hill sequel with Roger Avary. I'm afraid that I don't think I am--I mean, it's the first thing I've ever heard of it, and I'm sure that if they make a sequel Roger would want to write it himself."
Gans' original statement has since been retranslated, so until there is clarification from Gans or Gaiman, some mystery still shrouds the title's development.
Gans added that he may not have time to take on the project himself, due to his commitments on the adaptation of another video game project, Onimusha.
When asked who he would like to see direct if he were unable to, Gans told DVDrama that, "If I cannot take on Silent Hill 2 myself, the director who does would need to continue in the same style as the first film. One does not want to make a Hollywood-style movie, and I think that it makes sense if the director of the sequel is European--in the best case scenario, French."
He also revealed that he was planning a special two-disc collector's-edition DVD of the original Silent Hill, but that would be a long time coming, possibly not for two and a half to three years, and that he intends to start work on it only after finishing up Onimusha.

Mario & Sonic jump gun to Nov. 6

2007-10-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

Mario & Sonic jump gun to Nov. 6

Sega again revises street date of iconic mascots' Olympic showdown on the Wii; Miis playable in-game, new modes revealed.
By Tom Magrino, GameSpot
Posted Oct 10, 2007 4:53 pm PT
Sega seems to be having trouble deciding which heavyweight to match up against this November with its Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Initially slated for November 13--putting it in the crosshairs of Crysis, Super Mario Galaxy, and Army of Two--the game was bumped by Sega a week to November 20 at the end of September. That date, of course, put it in line to compete for gamers' dollars with the likes of Kane and Lynch: Dead Men, Mass Effect, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, and Rock Band.
Taking a second false start, Sega today announced that Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games will square off against the likes of Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Call of Duty 4, and BlackSite: Area 51 on November 6. Confident of its new footing, Sega also noted that the game had gone gold and was being shipped to manufacturers for mass production.
Along with an updated release date, Sega also noted a few as-yet-unannounced new features. In addition to Mario's and Sonic's respective posses, gamers will be able to compete against the iconic mascots using their own created Miis. Miis will be playable in all of the game's Olympic events, as well as in the newly announced dream events.
In the dream race, virtual athletes can zoom through a course filled with power-ups in single- or multiplayer competition for up to four. Dream platform is similar to skydiving, and players must perform aerial maneuvers while soaring through hoops and avoiding obstacles. Dream fencing lets players match steel in a jungle world. Finally, dream table tennis serves up ping pong in a fantastical setting.

Virtua Fighter 5 First Look

2007-10-28T07:34:00.000-07:00

Virtua Fighter 5 First Look

We get an early look at the Xbox 360 version of Sega's hardcore arcade fighter.
Ever since word hit that Sega's Virtua Fighter 5 would be getting an Xbox 360 version in addition to the PS3 version released earlier this year, there's been much curiosity as to how the game was going to turn out on Microsoft's platform. The original arcade version of VF5 was developed on Sega's Lindbergh arcade hardware, which Sega reps had noted made converting games to the PlayStation 3 a pretty easy affair. This seemed to be supported by the striking PlayStation 3 version, which of course raised the question of how the Xbox 360 game would make out. Sega dropped by today to demo a work-in-progress version of the 360 game--the first playable incarnation--and we got an answer. Though the game is still early, with the expected rough edges, we do have to say we're quite impressed by how it showed.

The early version of VF5 already had the game's roster of 17 fighters playable--though we weren't able to get our mitts on the controller to try it out firsthand--and all four game modes seen in the PS3 game, arcade, versus, quest, and dojo, were included. Though our first barrage of questions to the Sega reps targeted specifics on what's being added or tweaked in the game over the PlayStation 3 version, we didn't get a ton of answers. The info we did get was basic overall, with some interesting tidbits thrown in. To sum up, the game will have 720p support and offer the core content found in the PS3 game.

E3 '07: Culdcept SAGA hands-on

2007-10-26T03:07:00.000-07:00

E3 '07: Culdcept SAGA hands-on

We take a few rolls of the dice with Namco's unusual fantasy board game.

We know what you're wondering. What is a Culdcept? And how on Earth do you pronounce it? The first question is easy: The Culdcept is an all-powerful book that can either save the world or ruin it. In good hands it's a benediction, but in the spiky mitts of evil it's the story that ends the world. So how do you pronounce it? It's not Cul-duh-cept, it's Culd-cept, or Cul-dcept. Trust us, in spite of that terrifying trio of consonants, Culdcept SAGA (you have to say "SAGA" loudly) sounds and looks cool.
In it, you play a customizable peasant who unwittingly possesses incredible magical power. A princess recognizes your potential, and enlists your aid in the quest for the Culdcept. And so the SAGA begins. In our previous hands-on preview, Ricardo Torres covered most of the known details about this game, including the fact that it blends both board game and collectible-card-game elements into one deep yet accessible package. It should be available at retail sometime in early 2008.

It's like Monopoly meets Magic the Gathering. Not only must you travel around a game board collecting cash each time you pass the fantasy equivalent of "Go," you also establish properties by placing monsters on squares. If an enemy lands on one of yours, they'll probably try to evict your monster landlord with a beastie of their own. Battle ensues, and if you win, your enemy will pay...rent. And possibly even utilities, though that was not featured in the build we saw.
Instead, we experienced an accessible but deep battle against a plucky she-pirate. Like Monopoly, we both started the game on the same square. Unlike Monopoly, we each began with five cards. She went first, and after a dice roll, moved a few squares, before immediately installing a big green troll in his fiery new home. We say fiery, because she was on a red square, and red means fire in Culdcept. Other squares on the board were green, blue, and yellow for other elements. Now, if your monster tenant is of the same element as his abode, he will increase in power. If he's a fire monster living on a blue square, he'll be very unhappy, and fight poorly.
At any rate, the troll was a green creature, so he was mostly indifferent to his hot, red house. On our turn, we immediately landed on our enemy's square! In our hand we had a soldier, spell strike, armor, a mace, and a rock wall. Both the soldier and the wall are types of monsters, but the wall can only defend property, not attack it, so we had to go with the soldier. Spell strike, as you might imagine, is a spell, but those can only be used outside of rental disputes. Both armor and the mace are items, though, and one can be equipped to a monster in a fight. Since we needed to kill the ogre in a hurry (his counterattack would be worse than Shrek 3), we equipped the mace, increasing our damage. Unfortunately, when the battle began, it was revealed that the pirate had decked out her champion in armor, so our assault failed to fell the beast. His response felled our soldier, and humbled, we paid rent to our enemy. Oh, the indignity. She didn't just get our money, though, she also got spell points. And the first one to a certain number of points merely has to get back to the starting square to win the game.
It's an easy concept with plenty of chance involved, but there's also a lot of strategy in how and when you use your cards, not to mention how you spend your rent money. We suspect you'll be anything but bored when this quirky board game hits stores in 2008.

Rock Band taking stage early

2007-10-26T01:25:00.001-07:00

Rock Band taking stage early

Multi-instrumental rhythm game moved up to November 20; launching alongside new community site.

Would-be Rock Band purchasers who've been sharpening their knives and survival instincts in anticipation of dealing with the consumption-mad masses on the game's originally announced Black Friday release date of November 23 can relax a little. Reps for developer Harmonix confirmed today for GameSpot that the game will now go on sale November 20, three days before "Black Friday," and in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.
The game's retail debut will coincide with the launch of a new community Web site, RockBand.com. Harmonix has made no secret that it has wanted to accent some of the social aspects of the Rock Band experience, and the revamped Web site will feature leaderboards, personalized band pages touting the group's accomplishments, individual blogs, forums, and even a "classified section" to help bands fill out their lineups. Eventually the site will also have a "photo creator" function that will allow gamers to set and light a photo shoot starring their characters to further shape their bands' images.
Originally announced only for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Rock Band is also set to arrive on the PlayStation 2 on December 18. European launches for all versions of the game will follow in the first quarter of 2008.

Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 2 Hands-On

2007-10-25T07:28:00.001-07:00

Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 2 Hands-On

The second chapter of the Uzumaki Chronicles promises the same accessible action as the first, but with a more involved plot.

For those of you steeped in the cartoon ninja lore of the anime show Naruto, we have good news: Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 2 is dashing its way toward retail shelves with the look and feel of a playable episode. From what we saw, the game doesn't depart too drastically from its predecessor, the first chapter in the Uzumaki Chronicles. You still sock and bop enemies on your quests for the leaf ninjas (this is a third-person beat-em-up at heart), but the game's commitment to telling the contents of a good ninja scroll seems brand new.
The story begins when four scary-looking robots scheme in the barely lit darkness of a cave--you can tell by their sinister, gravely voices that they're up to no good. The chief beastie, a mechanical-looking lizard, informs the others that with the power of the five spirit orbs, they will be able to resurrect the Master Puppet, an oxymoron of sinister proportions. And shock of all shocks, they already have four of them!

Meanwhile, Naruto discovers that Hidden Leaf Village is under attack by puppet ninjas! After fighting them off with the help of Kakashi, the lizard appears and ingeniously informs them all of his diabolical plans:
Lizard: Do you have the spirit orb?Ninjas: What's a spirit orb? Lizard: The thing I need to bring doom to you all! So, you don't have it?Ninjas: What?!Lizard: Nevermind (disappears)
Yep, that's Naruto alright. After learning that evil puppets are after the final spirit orb, your ninja team hatches a plan to cut the strings on their villainous efforts. This mostly involves beating up scores of bandits and puppet ninjas, as well as saving the villages damaged by the puppets in the course of their search. In one early level, a village has been set aflame; Naruto and company must clear out the remaining bandits while fighting the fire.
You can always do battle as the eponymous Naruto, but at any given point, you'll also have two comrades you can instantly switch to with the push of a button. Usually, you can switch between Sakura and another, such as Sasuke or Neji. All have roughly the same controls: a light attack, strong attack, a few power attacks, and shuriken. But switching between them now and then definitely keeps the corpses you leave behind feeling fresher.
You aren't limited to one path either. You'll frequently have several missions to choose from, and you'll travel to them via a map screen complete with random bandit encounters, just like in the first game. On top of that, you'll be able to spend points you earn in battle to increase your attributes. Even though it's a beat-em-up, this game could have a role-playing game core.

You wouldn't think so to look at it though; Naruto looks and acts like an action game through and through. The graphics look much like those of the previous game, with a smooth frame rate and cool-looking light effects on the super moves. It's not the best looking game we've seen all month, but it's not bad for a PlayStation 2 game.
But few games can boast this much quality voice acting because this one has tons of spoken dialogue, all of which is delivered by the cartoon's voice actors. The result is a game that feels like a playable episode.
Whether it's worth 30 minutes of your time--or a week--will not be known until the game is released in September. But it looks like Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 2 will have all the charm, personality, and blade-bending action of the show right at your fingertips, just like a ninja puppet waiting for its master.

Clock Tower 3 Preview

2007-10-23T11:05:00.000-07:00

Clock Tower 3 Preview
Capcom takes the reins on the latest entry in the Clock Tower franchise.

The first two Clock Tower games were solid but unspectacular entries in the horror genre on the original PlayStation. Japanese developer Human Entertainment's PC game approach relied heavily on a point-and-click mechanic that undermined the eerie atmosphere and unsettling story. The third installment in the series finds survival horror veteran Capcom taking the development and publishing chores on the game, which is promising given Capcom's experience in the horror genre. We recently checked out a preview version of the game to see how the game is coming together.

Clock Tower 3's story puts you in the role of a young Japanese girl named Alyssa who has moved away to an isolated boarding school. The game opens with Alyssa reading through a letter she's just received from her mother. Apparently Alyssa was shipped off to boarding school following the death of her grandfather. While a bit thin on the exact details of why she was sent away, her mother's letter is pretty emphatic that the relocation was to ensure Alyssa's safety. The letter also ominously asks the young girl to go into hiding until after her fifteenth birthday, which, coincidentally enough, is coming up soon. Faster than you can say "coincidence" Alyssa is called to her dorm to receive a call from her mother. When Alyssa's mother isn't on the line, Alyssa heads back home, apparently forgetting the warnings in the letter, to find her. Upon returning home she finds the family lodge empty, save for a creepy old guy who seems to know her and exhibits an unhealthy attraction for her. While finding Alyssa's mother is an important part of the game, you'll quickly figure out that the disappearance is just a piece in a larger, sinister puzzle you'll have to unravel and that the creepy old guy is an integral player in it.
The core gameplay mechanics in Clock Tower 3--exploration, item collection, puzzle solving, character interaction, and survival--should be pretty familiar to survival horror vets. The basic game structure is linear, as is the case with most horror games, and it moves you along at a pretty decent clip. You'll explore different environments, keeping an eye out for keys and other useful items you'll need to progress in the game. Item collection becomes an important element in exploration once you start interacting with ghosts. You'll discover that the surly wraiths that hassle you are lingering because of unfinished business as a result of their violent and untimely demises (don't expect to find any well-adjusted ghosts in the game). To help them "move on" you'll have to find sentimental items that will give them closure and send them to the light. The puzzles you'll encounter in the game will range from those that require you to use specific items to more logic-oriented puzzles that force you to think your way through them. You'll interact with other characters, living and dead, as you engage in all of the above and uncover new bits of the mystery you're involved in.
Of course, you'll actually have to survive potentially fatal hazards to get the chance to interact with the aforementioned enemies. Surviving becomes quite a bit of work due to the sad realization that Alyssa's time in boarding school wasn't spent in action-hero class, and you'll find that the spunky schoolgirl hasn't set out on her quest for her mom very well equipped. You'll start the game armed with good intentions and eventually get a vial of holy water that will stun enemies and open some doors. Beyond that, you'll be relying heavily on items, on special areas in the game that let you hide from or evade your assailants, and on your wits. Hide points let you conceal yourself from enemies, while evade points let you use whatever's on hand to drop your foe, albeit briefly, to buy yourself time to run like the wind. You'll also find an added level of challenge in the form of an onscreen panic meter that fills as Alyssa feels threatened. If it tops out, she becomes extremely clumsy in her panic, tripping over obstacles and getting herself killed. While there are ways to lower the meter--such as by resting in a quiet place or a by taking a swig of refreshing lavender water--you'll definitely want to be careful.
The graphics in Clock Tower 3 are a disturbing marriage of detailed polygonal models, prerendered art, and a whole lot of blood. The character models are very detailed, sometimes a little too detailed, and they animate well. The environments mix prerendered backgrounds with polygonal elements you can interact with as you creep about. Besides the corporeal crowd in the game, you'll find a wide range of spirits in unsettling designs floating about. The game will also serve up a good helping of special effects for various mystical occurrences. The game's graphics are enhanced by the engaging camera work that keeps the cutscenes and CG movies visually interesting. The only hitch in the visuals is the game's camera, which can be awkward as you move around. The game's use of fixed camera angles can be disorienting in places and may give you a moment's pause as you're trying to navigate, which can be a problem when you've got a mallet-wielding freak on your tail.

Sound in the game is very effective at setting the tone of the game. The voice acting works fairly well overall, with some truly unsettling voices coming from the undead contingent of the cast. The sound effects are a fine collection of disturbing noises tied to the various environments you'll find yourself exploring. The game's score is a bit on the heavy-handed side, beating you over the head during some key moments, but it seems to be strong overall.
From what we've played so far, Clock Tower 3 takes the series in a more accessible direction, and the visuals and story aren't for the faint of heart. The game seems to offer solid graphics, suitably moody sound, and a healthy dose of genuine scares. While the camera is a bit problematic in places, the overall package is strong enough to draw you in. Fans of the horror genre will want to keep a lookout for Clock Tower 3 when it ships this March. Look for more disturbing media in the coming weeks.

2007-10-23T10:58:00.001-07:00

Tekken 5

2007-10-18T11:16:00.000-07:00

After the conclusion of The King of Iron Fist Tournament 4,

an intense battle between father and son, Kazuya and Jin, took place at Honmaru in the Mishima Zaibatsu headquarters. Jin emerged as the victor and Heihachi turned his back on Kazuya."What a pathetic wretch... Worthless coward!"The battle between Heihachi and Jin began. Filled with anger, his black wings spread, Jin defeated Heihachi. Just as Heihachi thought he was doomed, Jin regained control of himself."You have my mother, Jun Kazama, to thank for your life." Jin said as he took flight.The sounds of battle gave way to silence as Heihachi lay spread out on the ground. The silence was soon interrupted by approaching aircraft.The roar of the aircraft increased and the sound of something being ejected was heard. A group of Jacks crashed through the ceiling. At first, Heihachi suspected that Kazuya was responsible for the intrusion but realized that Kazuya was just as bewildered by the sudden attack."Why are you here?" yells Heihachi as the wave of Jacks approaches. Heihachi and Kazuya battle waves of Jacks but reinforcements appear as fast as the Jacks are destroyed.Heihachi starts to lose his breath. Kazuya betrays Heihachi, throwing him into the middle of the army of Jacks, and uses the opportunity to escape from Honmaru. Shortly after, Honmaru is devastated by a huge explosion.Close by, the battle is watched by a man dressed in black. He raises his hand to his ear and speaks into his radio."Heihachi Mishima is dead..."At that moment, a Jack attacks from behind but it cut in half instantly as the man disappears.Honmaru is completely destroyed, a raging inferno in it's place. A pile of debris was blown apart as something emerged from the earth, unseen.The next day, news of Heihachi Mishima's death spread rapidly across the globe. Most people believed that Heihachi's death would bring about the end of the Mishima Zaibatsu, but behind the scenes someone else had taken control, and business went on as usual.A month later, it was announced that the Mishima Zaibatsu will hold the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5.

Tekken movie re-announced, Tekken 6 revealed?

2007-10-18T11:07:00.001-07:00

Tekken movie re-announced, Tekken 6 revealed?
Dimension Films will now distribute the Namco fighter-inspired film which will reportedly be the basis of a new game.

One of the biggest name game franchises is now headed for the big screen--again. Variety is reporting that work has begun on a film based on the Tekken series. If that news has a familiar ring to it, that's because a similar announcement was made over two years ago when production house Crystal Sky Entertainment (Baby Geniuses, the stalled Ghost Rider) acquired the rights to adapt Namco's classic fighting series.
Back in 2002, New Line Cinema was in negotiations with Crystal Sky Entertainment to cofund and distribute the film. According to Variety, that job will now fall to Miramax subsidiary Dimension Films, which is run by Miramax head Harvey Weinstein's brother, Bob.
Besides its history of horror films such as the Scream series, Dimension has long specialized in distributing English-dubbed versions of Asian action films, such as Legend of Drunken Master (originally Drunken Master II) and Twin Warriors (originally Tai Chi Master).
Even though Tekken is based on a Japanese game and is being cofinanced by Gaga, the Tokyo-based studio behind the cult hit Zeiram and owner of the Onimusha film rights, it will be an almost all-American film. Drumline's Charles Stone is in talks to direct from a script by Tomb Raider writers Mike Werb and Michael Colleary. No actors have publicly committed to the project. Budgeted at $40 million, Tekken the film is scheduled to begin production in late summer 2004.
Given Hollywood's track record of adapting games (Super Mario Brothers, Double Dragon, Street Fighter, House of the Dead), many gamers will likely not be thrilled about the Tekken adaptation announcement. The Variety article also revealed another piece of news though, which, if borne out, will likely get diehard Tekken fans excited.
According to this article, which stated, "Vidgame (sic) Tekken 5 is in production and games rights-holder Namco is understood to be developing a new game based on the movie" (emphasis added). However, attempts by GameSpot to contact Namco about the existence of a sixth, film-inspired Tekken game were unsuccessful as of press time.

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 Updated Hands-On

2007-10-18T11:02:00.001-07:00

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 Updated Hands-On
Get ready to brush up on your Dragon Ball Z character names--the latest Budokai Tenkaichi is on track to feature more than 90 of them.

Recently, we got some hands-on time with the latest offering in the Dragon Ball Z game franchise--Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3--the third in the Budokai Tenkaichi series being published by Namco Bandai for the PlayStation 2.
Our last look at Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 was at this year's Leipzig Games Convention, and while that taste focused largely around the playable character selection and controller gesturing for the Wii version of the game, this time around we'll be looking specifically at the gameplay, some of the characters, and what they can do.
Atari Australia also tells us that Tenkaichi 3 will be the last instalment on the PlayStation 2 platform, and as a result rolls all the features of the previous games into "one ultimate DBZ fighting package".
So what can Dragon Ball fans look forward to in this version? Plenty from the looks of it, with over 40 hours of gameplay, 10 game modes that relive the original Dragon Ball saga, and original Japanese voiceover work. Developer Spike has also thrown in more than 90 unique characters for a total of over 150 forms, playable on more than 20 battle stages. Unfortunately, since our preview code was a work in progress, we were limited to a handful of each.
The game's opening cinematic, character models, and environments look great on the aging PlayStation 2 hardware. A lot of work has obviously gone into the game's creative assets, leaving the cel-shaded art style and lighting effects looking fresh and crisp. Outdoor grassy environments are lush and green, while desert areas are sparse and rock laden. Audio hasn’t been skipped in the process, with our copy offering 21 battle-themed tracks with names like "Caution!", "Shootout in Meteor", "High and Scream", and "Heat Capacity".
Our playable character list consisted of: Goku, Piccolo, Nail, Goku (GT), Vegeta (Second Form), Future Gohan, King Vegeta, King Cold, Babidi, Demon King Dabura, Kid Buu, Android 13, Broly, Bojack, Nuova Shenron, and Spopovich. Once you've selected your base character, there's an additional level of customisation, with Goku available in GT, GT Super Saiyan, GT Super Saiyan 3, GT Super Saiyan 4, or Gogeta form following the various series and movies. Not all characters had forms in our code, although they may appear in a later build, or as unlockable characters through the story mode. Character models also offer between one and four colour variations, so you'll be able to tell who's who in two-player battle.
Even with all the story modes, Budokai Tenkaichi 3 and indeed the Dragon Ball Z that spawned it is obviously rooted in fighting, so how does it handle? Fans of the series shouldn't encounter any major surprises picking this one up, and all the frantic mid-air thrashing you've come to love is still here. Fifty-hit combos are par for the course, but there's plenty of other ways to dispatch your enemy, and using the skills list menu, you can plot out and learn your special attack, signature and rushing techniques, and their associated button presses.
This is one for the button mashers, even if you can't string together advanced combos, you'll have fun with Tenkaichi 3 by repeatedly pressing the square button to punch when your target is in range. Pressing X will make your player dash towards your opponent--useful for after you've dealt a devastating knock back blow and want to get another one in. Triangle fires your ranged weapon, dealing a moderate amount of damage, but using up your energy which you'll want to save for combos. Holding and releasing either the melee or ranged attack buttons will charge up a more powerful attack. R1 and the right shoulder trigger are assigned to flying, and will make your character either zoom into the air or descend back to earth.
Auto lock makes a return in this game, and so far seems to be plagued by the same issues found in Tenkaichi 2. Once players leave your field of vision, usually by flying above you, although still locked on, you won't know where they are without either backing off or flying to meet them.
Vertical split-screen multiplayer too is back in Tenkaichi 3, and unfortunately even on a large television set simply doesn't offer enough visual context per player with the locked shoulder camera. With such expansive environments, we understand why they've done it this way, but the problem is only compounded further by the height field of vision issue.
The game still has development time before it ships in November this year, and we're hoping that what has been such a solid series until now can go out with a bang with a few minor tweaks.

Everyday Shooter opens fire

2007-10-11T10:56:00.001-07:00

Everyday Shooter opens fire
SCEA confirms independently developed arcade-style shoot-'em-up set for the next PlayStation Network update; price set to $9.99.
Everyday Shooter
It makes more sense if you see it in motion.Watch Download
It's not every day that a game developed by a single person with an ambitious design that seeks to merge traditional elements of the music and gaming business into one nontraditional whole sees release on a major console. However, tomorrow happens to be just such a day.
Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced that Jonathan Mak's Everyday Shooter will arrive in tomorrow's PlayStation Network update. Described as "an album of games exploring the expressive power of abstract shooters," the downloadable shoot-'em-up incorporates sound effects from the player moving around and shooting obstacles into the game's guitar-driven soundtrack.
Everyday Shooter caused a stir at the Independent Games Festival in March when it earned awards for Design Innovation, Excellence in Audio, and a GameTap Indie Award. That showing drew the interest of Sony, which picked it up and had it on display at this year's E3 Media and Business Summit in July.

Mario & Sonic jump gun to Nov. 6

2007-10-11T10:54:00.001-07:00

Mario & Sonic jump gun to Nov. 6
Sega again revises street date of iconic mascots' Olympic showdown on the Wii; Miis playable in-game, new modes revealed.
Sega seems to be having trouble deciding which heavyweight to match up against this November with its Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Initially slated for November 13--putting it in the crosshairs of Crysis, Super Mario Galaxy, and Army of Two--the game was bumped by Sega a week to November 20 at the end of September. That date, of course, put it in line to compete for gamers' dollars with the likes of Kane and Lynch: Dead Men, Mass Effect, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, and Rock Band.
Taking a second false start, Sega today announced that Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games will square off against the likes of Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Call of Duty 4, and BlackSite: Area 51 on November 6. Confident of its new footing, Sega also noted that the game had gone gold and was being shipped to manufacturers for mass production.
Along with an updated release date, Sega also noted a few as-yet-unannounced new features. In addition to Mario's and Sonic's respective posses, gamers will be able to compete against the iconic mascots using their own created Miis. Miis will be playable in all of the game's Olympic events, as well as in the newly announced dream events.
In the dream race, virtual athletes can zoom through a course filled with power-ups in single- or multiplayer competition for up to four. Dream platform is similar to skydiving, and players must perform aerial maneuvers while soaring through hoops and avoiding obstacles. Dream fencing lets players match steel in a jungle world. Finally, dream table tennis serves up ping pong in a fantastical setting.

PS Eye pops out October 23

2007-10-11T10:52:00.002-07:00

PS Eye pops out October 23
Second-generation camera for Sony's console available unbundled from Eye of Judgment for $39.99.

Sony announced today that in addition to being available with the interactive card game The Eye of Judgment, the PlayStation Eye will be offered as a stand-alone product for $39.99 on October 23. Alternatively, the camera can be bought bundled with the game beginning the same day for $69.99.

For those not merely content in knowing it works, Sony also laid out some of the camera's nitty-gritty technical specifications. The PS Eye has a normal and wide-angle zoom lens that includes fixed focusing. It can maintain 60 frames per second display at 640x480 resolution and has a built-in microphone. A complete tech-spec rundown can be found on the official PlayStation Blog.
Sony will also be offering the EyeCreate Software as a free download through the PlayStation Network. With the software, PS Eye users can edit and share videos, photos, and audio clips through their console. Sony promises more info on the EyeCreate Software later this week.

Ubisoft denies SCi bid

2007-10-11T10:50:00.001-07:00

Ubisoft denies SCi bid
French publisher rubbishes rumours that it's the one currently in preliminary buyout talks with SCi Entertainment.
It's no secret that SCi Entertainment is being courted at the moment by a company interested in making an offer--the big secret is which company is the suitor.
British newspaper The Guardian named Paris-based Ubisoft as that company, and The Times added fuel to the fire by reckoning that Time Warner and an unnamed Chinese company had also thrown their hats into the ring. Meanwhile, Vivendi Universal, Warner Bros., and Electronic Arts were also named by various media outlets as potential buyers.
However, today an Ubisoft group spokesperson issued a definite negative as to whether the company was going to make SCi an offer it couldn't refuse. He told Reuters that, "Ubisoft has no intention of making an offer for SCi-Eidos."
The unnamed Ubisoft spokesperson stated that the company was too expensive. He said, "We are looking at other opportunities for external and internal growth which can create more potential value for shareholders."

Report: Evolution cost Sony £16 million

2007-10-11T10:48:00.001-07:00

Report: Evolution cost Sony £16 million
Cost to Sony of MotorStorm developer revealed; cofounder made £12 million from the deal.

At this year's Tokyo Game Show, Kaz Hirai made several announcements in his opening keynote speech: Dual Shock 3 would be coming for the PlayStation 3; Home would be delayed until spring 2008; and Sony had acquired Evolution Studios and subsidiary BigBig Studios.
The financial details of the deal were not disclosed, but the Liverpool Daily Post reports that Merseyside-based Evolution Studios set Sony back £16 million (approx $33 million).
Martin Kenwright and Ian Hetherington founded Evolution in 1999--Hetherington had previously founded Psygnosis, and Kenwright had run Digital Image Design. The company is probably most famous for PlayStation 3 driving game MotorStorm, as well as other driving titles including WRC: Rally Evolved. Turnover at Evolution sped past the £10 million mark in 2007, buoyed by sales of MotorStorm.
It is reported that Evolution is currently working on downloadable content for the original MotorStorm, along with a sequel to the game, due in 2008.
Cofounder Martin Kenwright, who owned a 75 percent share in the company, reportedly made £12 million ($24 million) from the sale. Both the original cofounders will be leaving the company, although no jobs will be cut as a result of the management changeover and the company will remain in its Runcorn base.

SSBB officially bumped to February 10

2007-10-11T10:47:00.000-07:00

SSBB officially bumped to February 10
Nintendo exec confirms hotly anticipated brawler's delay to 2008; promises to double last year's holiday Wii shipments.
SAN FRANCISCO--High atop San Francisco's Westin St. Francis hotel, Nintendo is hosting a media event where assembled members of the press will soon get to play such forthcoming titles as Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Mario Galaxy, and even Link's Crossbow Training.
Before turning the throng loose to play, Nintendo senior vice president George Harrison gave a brief address on the company's general state of affairs. Following the announcement yesterday of a Super Smash Bros. Brawl delay in Japan to January 24 of next year, Harrison confirmed speculation that the hotly anticipated multiplayer fighter will now release in North America on February 10.
Harrison went on to emphasize the full Wi-Fi multiplayer support in Brawl, as well as a feature for user-created content that the company will elaborate on in the coming months.
Before turning things over to the games, Harrison commented on Nintendo's position at retail for the holiday shopping season. He said that the company expects to have at least twice as many Wiis in the retail channel this holiday season than it did last year, which will hopefully alleviate the problems many people are still having finding the console on shelves.
GameSpot is at the media summit, so expect much more Nintendo coverage to hit the site very soon.

Guitar Hero comes to the Wii!

2007-10-08T13:42:00.000-07:00

The key difference in our strategy versus the prior cycle, is that in addition to full support on Sony and Microsoft platforms, we will aggressively target the Nintendo platforms consistent with our multi-platform strategy and Nintendo’s expected growth. In fiscal 2008, we will double our offerings on the DS and the Wii, including Spider-Man, Shrek, Transformers, and Guitar Hero.
Published by RedOctane, Guitar Hero from the makers of Karaoke Revolution uses a plastic guitar peripheral so that gamers can show their skills at crunching power chords and nailing a tough solo. The guitar features five buttons on the fretboard and a plastic button that can be tapped up or down where the strings would be strummed. Playing the songs here is simply a matter of holding down the right fret buttons and tapping the strum button in time with the music. This is all done along with the commands that scroll down the screen in an interface that's very similar to that seen in Frequency or Amplitude. Gameplay is simple: there are five lines on the screen for the five different buttons. Markers scroll down the lines and as they hit the bottom of the screen the corresponding "notes" need to be hit. The game features multiple skill levels and about 30 songs.

The Games of PlayStation 3: Uncovered!

2007-10-08T13:30:00.001-07:00

The Games of PlayStation 3: Uncovered!
Everything we know about Sony's upcoming software lineup. More than 30 titles in all!

With the absolutely massive splash that Sony Computer Entertainment made with its 2005 E3 press conference, we couldn't resist compiling as much information as possible about the system's upcoming games and putting it in one easy to use guide. After all, it's been less than two weeks since the PS3 was officially announced and there are already 34 confirmed videogames for Sony's next generation console. That's a hell of lot more than the PSOne or PS2 had in their coming out periods, that's for sure, and we still have plenty of time left before the expected spring 2006 release date. Now that's crazy!To help you weed through all the madness, we've compiled a comprehensive list of every confirmed PlayStation 3 game in existence, no matter how big or how small. So if it's been confirmed for Sony's next system then we've written it down for you right here. Keep in mind that this list is only for confirmed PS3 games -- vague hints and possible guesses are not listed. These are for confirmed and 100% real games only -- so don't be surprised if you don't see the next-gen game you want to happen but isn't.Please remember, though, that this list is for more than just name dropping -- it also has every last bit of official info associated with every game on the roster. If we know a ton about a particular title we're going to tell you. But likewise, if we know nothing we're going to tell you that too. We've even included genre types, developer and publisher info, release dates, and an easy to use Wishlist hyperlink that will allow you to track the movements of whatever games you're interested in over the next 18 months. See? Who loves you now?But enough yapping, let's get on with the show! We're both pleased and proud to bring you the culmination of one hell of a big research project and more than week of hard work. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls: we now present to you the games of PlayStation 3... Uncovered!

Devil May Cry 4 Hands-On

2007-10-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

TGS '07: Devil May Cry 4 Hands-On
Capcom runs PS3 and 360 versions of Devil May Cry

4 side by side in Tokyo, and debuts two new trailers.

News broke in May this year that Devil May Cry 4 was

going multiplatform, to both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360,

and the reaction from fanboys was obvious: PlayStation fans

derided the move, while Xbox stalwarts cheered to the heavens.

Since then, GameSpot has played demo levels from both console

versions, and found the differences to be, well, difficult to spot.

Content-wise, Capcom reps tell us both versions will have

exactly the same gameplay, and have confirmed today at TGS

that both the 360 and PS3 versions will run at a solid 60fps at

720p resolution.

At Capcom's booth at TGS today, both versions were playable

practically side-by-side on more than two dozen screens, although

the levels being shown were the same ones that have been displayed

since last year. Once again, it was near impossible to discern between

the two graphics-wise, although the PS3 did seem to have a sharper

draw distance than the 360, particularly in the demo level's wharf

environment. And in terms of gameplay control, both versions are once

again quite similar.
However, Capcom did showcase some new trailers for Devil May Cry 4.

The first was a frenetic mix of action sequences from the game, and

featured some cool moves from this game's main protagonist, Nero.

There was also quite a lot of returning hero Dante, and we were teased

with more glimpses of the fight between Nero and Dante seen in

previous trailers. Dante also looks like he'll get to take on what we're

assuming will be one of Devil May Cry 4's newest bosses: a large,

dragon-like creature that can fly, and that even transforms at one

point into a gigantic Little Shop of Horrors-style plant monster.

Other highlights include what look like new moves for the Devil May Cry

series, including one in which Dante spins upside down in midair

while pumping an opponent below with bullets. There were also

some impressive new air throws. The second, longer trailer was

more story-focused, although the trailer shed its story secrets only

after we clarified some confusing things with a Capcom rep.

The source of animosity between Nero and Dante apparently

concerns Dante's move to kill a friend of Nero's--a friend that

happens to be demon, although Nero is unaware of that. However,

there were plenty of other things that caught our eye, such as one

particularly cool shot of Dante "wearing" a new weapon, the Gilgamesh.

It consisted of two steel gloves, steel boots, and a faceplate that covers

the bottom of Dante's face Hannibal Lecter-style; we're not quite sure

what the Gilgamesh does, but it looks undeniably cool.
Devil May Cry 4 will be released simultaneously in early 2008 for

the PS3 and Xbox 360, with the PC version arriving shortly afterward.

Check back with GameSpot for more updates.

Tomb Raider: Anniversary Hands-On

2007-09-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

Tomb Raider: Anniversary Hands-On

We play through the first few levels of Crystal Dynamics' Tomb
Raider remake on the Wii.

Over 10 years after Lara Croft first appeared in Tomb Raider,
her first adventure has been successfully remade as Tomb Raider
Anniversary on the PC, the PlayStation 2 and, to a lesser extent,
the PSP. A Nintendo Wii version of the remake (along with an Xbox
360 version) is currently in development at Crystal Dynamics,
and we recently had an opportunity to play through the first few
levels. Given the way that Wii-specific controls are shoehorned into
many games that have previously appeared on other platforms, we
were primarily on the lookout for control issues. Along the way, we
were also able to check out some of the new puzzles that have been
added for the Wii game.

Tomb Raider Anniversary didn't make a great first impression on this
occasion, mainly because a number of the moves that you learn to
perform early on with Lara require you to shake the Nunchuk controller
like it's a maraca. For example, you have to flick it up and down anytime
you want to throw Lara's grappling hook. Likewise, the only way to
speed up Lara's movement when she's hanging from ledges or climbing
ladders is to shake the Nunchuk left and right. A similar technique also
needs to be employed to speed up when swimming, because moving
through the water at Lara's regular, sedate pace can prove fatal given
the limited capacity of her lungs. It didn't take us too long to get comfortable
with all of the Nunchuk-shaking, but surely tapping a button rhythmically
would work just as well.

Fortunately, not all of the Wii-specific controls in Tomb Raider
Anniversary are so counterintuitive; some of them actually
work very well. For example, you can use small and large

medical kits simply by tapping the Wii Remote's "-" and "+"
buttons respectively, which is certainly a lot better than having t
o visit an inventory screen to sort through the contents of Lara's
backpack. Combat also feels good on the Wii, although we should
point out that it's a little more challenging than in other versions of
the game. You need to keep the Wii Remote pointed at the screen
as a crosshair at all times, and although you can lock the camera
on to enemies when they appear onscreen, you still have to aim
manually. Of course, Lara can still perform all of her trademark
gymnastics without hampering her marksmanship, but having to
shake the Nunchuk controller to perform her "adrenaline dodge"
moves doesn't always feel like a quick or precise-enough system in
situations where a well-timed dodge can literally be the difference
between life and death.

As we played through Tomb Raider Anniversary's first three levels,
we were pleased to see that a number of new gameplay features
are being introduced for the Wii version that put the console'
controllers to good use. The ability to use the Wii Remote to
point Lara's torch in any direction regardless of which way she's
facing is definitely a neat addition. We suspect that this option will
come in handy when you're searching for some of the other new
features that we noticed scattered through the environment.
Ancient carvings can be found in all kinds of places if you take
the time to look for them, and every time you find one, you'll be
prompted to uncover and then take a rubbing of it via a couple
of simple minigames.

For example, the first carving you'll find--which you need to take
a look at prior to solving a nearby puzzle to open a door--needs
to be dusted off with a brush before you can take a rubbing of it.
Both the dusting and the rubbing motions are achieved by using
the Wii Remote as a brush and as a wax crayon, respectively.
Another of the carvings that we found, which was more hidden
and appeared to be a bonus rather than necessary for solving
a puzzle, was covered in a layer of sediment that needed to be
removed with a trowel. With your Wii Remote in hand, you have
to hover over the area in question until its vibration alerts you to
a weak point where you can use the trowel to pry a chunk of the
sediment off. Neither of the minigames poses a significant challenge,
but they're neat additions all the same.

Puzzles like the aforementioned replace what were straightforward

levers in the already-released versions of Tomb Raider Anniversary.
However, there's still plenty of lever-pulling to be done, and because
this is a Wii game you'll be going through the motions of performing
said actions rather than simply pressing a button. Puzzles near the
start of the adventure that task you with locating cogs to get ancient
machines working again have also benefited from some Wii-specific
improvements that make them more interesting. In other versions of
Tomb Raider Anniversary, you needed to find the missing cogs and
then hit a button to position them, nothing more. In the Wii version,
every cog mechanism is a puzzle for which the cog you've found is
a missing piece. Using the Wii Remote to pick up and reposition three
or four different cogs, you'll have to figure out how to connect them
all so that the mechanism works. Again, none of the puzzles appear
to be particularly challenging, but they're satisfying nonetheless.

It remains to be seen whether there's more all-new content in the
Wii version of Tomb Raider Anniversary, but what we've seen so far
leads us to believe that this could well end up being the best version
of the game. It's unfortunate that some of the controls are as
unnecessary as they are unusual, but we've yet to find ourselves
in a situation where they've really hampered our progress or enjoyment.
Tomb Raider Anniversary is currently scheduled for release in November.
We look forward to bringing you more information as soon as it becomes
available.

Universe at War

2007-09-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

Universe at War: Earth Assault Updated Hands-On - Multiplayer

This real-time strategy game will let you lead three entirely distinct alien factions in battle.

eal-time strategy game Universe at War: Earth Assault is an alien invasion tale where the aliens take it to humanity. In fact, you won't play as the plucky human defenders in this game. Instead, you'll be able to lead three different alien factions as they wage war against one another on terran battlefields. The goal in many RTS games is to create distinct factions that play uniquely from one another, and judging from the multiplayer beta that we've been checking out, Petroglyph has managed to achieve this goal. Universe at War has some truly alien races that play quite differently from anything we've seen in a strategy game.

The story goes a bit like this: In the year 2012, the Earth is invaded by the Hierarchy, a ruthless alien faction that is built around giant "walkers," 100-foot-tall or higher war machines. The Hierarchy are pursued by the Novus, a sentient machine race out to destroy the Hierarchy at all costs. The third alien faction is the Masari, which has actually been slumbering secretly deep below the Earth for thousands of years. The arrival of the Hierarchy, their ancient enemy, wakens the Masari, and they lash out at both factions.

It naturally goes that each faction has its own philosophy and gameplay style. For example, the Novus is essentially a computer race and built around the idea of networks. Novus structures are linked to one another, as indicated by a network of beams. Certain Novus units can disassemble themselves and "ride" the beams anywhere else around the network, sort of like the transporter in Star Trek. With certain research upgrades, bigger Novus units can also ride the network. This lets you rapidly shift forces around and allows you to conduct hit-and-run raids. This also plays a large role in resource collection. The Novus rely on energy and raw materials. Energy is generated by building special power structures, and raw materials are reclaimed by building recycling centers that send out drones to recover matter from the environment. That means that you can build the recycling buildings in the back of your base, which is where they're safe, while the drones ride the network out into the edges of the map to recover material. As a result, you need to constantly push your network out if you're a Novus player.

In comparison, the Masari have a radically different game style. The Masari only have one resource--matter--and it can be generated by building matter engines that automatically generate the stuff over time. This lets them build a variety of powerful units and structures. While the Novus rely more on sheer mass and large numbers of units, the Masari utilize a smaller number of powerful units and heroes. More interestingly, Masari units and buildings can alternate between "light" and "dark" modes, which basically give them dual capabilities. Generally, in light mode, Masari units have increased line of sight and weapon ranges, along with the ability to do burning damage. In dark mode, Masari air units become grounded, but all units have increased speed. Meanwhile, weapon hits won't do burning damage but will slow enemies. It's also nice that the Masari feel like the more "conventional" faction because you can build a powerful base behind a wall of defenses but don't need to spread out your structures as you would with the Novus.

If the Novus are about decentralization while the Masari are about concentration and versatility, the Hierarchy are basically a force of nature thanks to their huge, lumbering walkers. These are mobile fortresses, albeit slow ones. There are two types of gigantic walker. The habitat walker can churn out infantry units, while the assembly walker can produce vehicles. This is on top of their ability to be decked out with various weapons and equipment, though it's a balancing act. You can make a dedicated production walker by specializing in hard points that accelerate build speed and reduce the amount of raw materials needed for each unit. Or you can make heavily armed walkers that can stomp their way across the battlefield. The Hierarchy rely only on raw materials, which are scavenged from the environment by reaper drones. You need at least four or five drones to generate a stream of raw materials sufficient enough to constantly churn out units. These drones could be a potential weakness for the Hierarchy, since they're a lot easier for enemies to knock out than walkers.

Because Universe at War follows the standard RTS formula of gathering resources, building bases, and then raising armies, it wasn't too surprising that we encountered early game "rushes," where one player charges another very early in the game with a handful of units. This can have a devastating effect if caught unprepared because a budding economy can be crippled with an effective rush. To defend against it, you have to build a small group of defenders and, if they're available, defensive structures, such as turrets. That's a bit of a problem for the Novus because their deflection towers don't become available until after you build the pricy science center. Another solution is to make a gentleman's agreement with the other player to not rush each other so that you can build up bases and armies for a big throw down, which is something that we experienced as well.

Trying to figure out the nuances of these factions is going to take a while, especially considering the nature of the technology tree. The tech tree has three branches, consisting of four tech levels each. However, you can only research a maximum of six technologies in a single game, which means you have to decide what you want. You could max out a single branch and research half of another. Or you could spread the research out and unlock a little from each branch. This seems like a challenging game to balance, so the designers at Petroglyph have their work cut out for them. Universe at War will ship next month.

TGS 2007: Parse Rorunpe Hands-on

2007-09-26T12:12:00.001-07:00

Well, here's the most ridiculous peripheral we've seen recently. Parse Rorunpe, an online flying game from Mega Online, uses an actual broom for mid-air control. Strapped to the top is something resembling a bicycle seat to keep you comfortable, though we must admit we almost completely toppled off when we first sat down. The thing rotates all over the place, and there's actually a warning as you start up the game with a stick figure flailing his hands wildly atop the seat.

As far as we can tell, this game pits broom-mounted players against each other, allowing them to blast away with magic spells using the monitor's touch screen. Touch screen? Oh yes, not only do you have to manage rocking around on an uncomfortable, unresponsive broom to speed through the virtual air, but also need to trace the lines of magical runes on a touch screen monitor to activate attack magic.

Umm...

Thankfully you don't actually need to also deal with a mouse and keyboard, as buttons built into the end of the broom handle control acceleration, deceleration, and magical blasts. During our brief, somewhat embarrassing time with the game we managed to run our witch character into a stone wall and the ground on numerous occasions. As a further complication, this IGN previewer is a little on the tall side, and its likely the Parse Rorunpe contraption was built for someone of lesser frame.

According to a representative we were speaking with to a more or less successful degree, Parse Rorunpe is releasing this December in Taiwan and Japan. Though something could have been misinterpreted with the translation barrier, the broom peripheral will sell for approximately 6000 yen (around 55 USD). No word on the touch screen.

SimCity Societies Hands-on

2007-09-26T12:06:00.002-07:00

One of the more stunning announcements in PC gaming this year came when EA announced that Maxis would not be developing the next version of SimCity. The fact that it also would no longer be the city planning simulation that fans have obsessed over for so many years made the ruckus caused by staunch SimCity fans no surprise. Instead of "realism" the game would focus more on the social aspects of city living. Each structure was to relate to one of several societal influences such as creativity or authority. In theory, EA and developer Tilted Mill hoped to make it a much more friendly experience to new players. EA sent over a copy of SimCity Societies to check out for ourselves after getting only the briefest of hands-on time with the game at a recent EA event.

One of the biggest differences from all SimCity games in the past is the removal of zoning. Instead, players will choose and place one of hundreds of buildings that will remain rather than grow and shrink according to the immigration and emigration of citizens. Instead of zoning, the buildings are broken up into housing, workplaces, and venues. The most difficult part of this aspect of city planning is the fact that each of the buildings has a different footprint size. Hopefully they'll add some indication and sorting function for that, but it can definitely be more of a challenge fitting all of the puzzle pieces in than it used to be when we only had to drag a zone and watch the buildings grow.
Every city will need a balance of each building type to stay at peak efficiency. Housing obviously provides a place to live while workplaces offer up jobs and venues provide a place to relax after a hard day. Cities won't just stop functioning because of a lack of one of the buildings, nor will players ever have to worry about their budgets being in the red (buildings can't be placed if there's not enough money in the treasury), but unhappy citizens won't attend work, which hurts the amount of money that you can make, which hurts the number of buildings you can place down. The game isn't about perfect management of public works and economics. It's about playing around with the different types of societies and their combinations.

When choosing a building to place you'll be presented with a lot of options, some of which will be blacked out until certain parameters have been met. Those that are available will show how much they cost in terms of money and societal value. For instance, some buildings will add spirituality to your city and some will use that energy up. So when you're looking to build a city, it helps to look down the line to buildings you're eventually planning for. If a building requires certain amounts of spirituality and prosperity and you really want to use it, you'll have to place buildings that generate both. In some cases, especially in prosperity, there aren't a ton of buildings that generate that type of societal value so you'll have to look into the future to see which buildings do provide a positive flow of prosperity and try to reach those buildings.

Thankfully, searching for the type of building you want is fairly easy. Clicking on any of the three building type icons will bring up only those types of buildings. From there, they can be sorted using the societal value icons or by selecting from a drop down menu of city types such as a "fun city" or "prosperous city" so that buildings of all value types that would go into creating such a town will show up on the building select window. We're hoping they also include a drop down menu for the society value types as well so that it can always be selected when opening the build window, but the sorting functions are good enough to facilitate finding the appropriate structure and seeing what needs to be done to unlock buildings further down the line.

One of the most challenging aspects of SCS is the optional objectives laid out by the developers at Tilted Mill. These include all sorts of combinations such as needing a certain amount of one of the societal energies (creativity, authority, etc…), a certain amount of population, and a specific level of happiness. Many of these trophies will take a considerable amount of time to reach, but come attached with specialty buildings that will become unlocked once the award has been achieved. These will definitely give players something to aim for.

While SimCity Societies is certainly different than what SimCity fans are used to, it's not without its interesting aspects. Hopefully EA will be releasing a demo before the game is released this November so that fans have a chance to see if they can appreciate the changes for themselves.

Half-Life 2: Episode Two Hands-on

2007-09-26T12:01:00.000-07:00

Though the obvious should always go without saying, allow me to do so anyway: For those who haven't played Half-Life 2 or Half-Life 2: Episode One, please don't read this preview. I promise not to drop any major spoiler bombshells for those who have been waiting eagerly, as I have, for the next installment in Gordon Freeman's many adventures, but spoilers regarding those first installments are fair game from this point forward. When we last left the esteemed Gordon Freeman, he and his deliciously attractive--and brilliant--partner in thwarting crime, Alyx Vance, had narrowly escaped Striders while en route to board a train. Because Gordon and Alyx never seem to tire of harrowing cliffhangers, the train crashes at the end of Episode One, which provides the perfect opening for Episode Two. Our heroes emerge relatively unscathed and prepare to continue their fight against the Combine. Half-Life has long used compelling physics-based gameplay and beautiful artificial intelligence to tell its story. Sure, there's a story present, in the traditional sense, but Half-life's spectacular combat and devious puzzles have long told an above average story in and of themselves. Given these facts, faithful Freeman followers will be surprised and perhaps happy to learn that Episode Two is the most story-driven Half-Life adventure yet. The G-Man returns, of course, and leaves hints that both answer and confuse the long-running question of his allegiance. Is it his intention to help Gordon, or hinder him? The budding romance between Alyx and Gordon grows, and long-time favorites Eli and Dog return, one of whom reveals a startling familiarity with one of the Freeman's many acquaintances. Don't fret, though: Scripted events still drive the action, and instances where Gordon is taken out of the player's control are few and far between.

Traditional storytelling may have a more prominent spotlight, but that doesn't mean gameplay takes a backseat; rather, the two combine beautifully, as always, to shed a bit of light on some hitherto unexplained facets of the ever-expanding Half-Life universe. We know, for example, that the vicious Antlions emerge from underground tunnels with the intent to either do the player harm or, if "bug bait" happens to be in Gordon's possession, to heed the Freeman's every command. In Episode Two, players get to spend time spelunking deep within the Antlion's home turf. Grubs hang from walls, a new type of Antlion utilizes strafing techniques while spewing acidic globs at the Freeman, and an epic battle sees Gordon battling dozens of Antlions simultaneously emerging from multiple passageways. Just like Half-Life 2 and Episode One, Episode Two keeps boredom at bay by spreading out gameplay elements; just when one starts to grow old, a new game segment appears to take its place. Almost as soon as I was ready to get out of the Antlion tunnels and breathe some fresh air, that segment of the game ended, and I was able to re-familiarize myself with sniping Combine soldiers in their masked faces with my trusty crossbow, all the while ensconced in beautiful outdoor environments. Zombies, headcrabs, and Striders all make a return alongside a new foe--the Hunter. Resembling midget Striders in appearance, the Hunter bull charges players if they foolishly come too close, and fires tiny blue sticky bombs that explode after far too short a length of time. While Half-Life games always feature intense combat, they also come packed with mind-bending logic puzzles. Gordon once again does more than his fair share of solving puzzles heavily rooted in the Source engines powerful physics system and, of course, plugging in cords. Gotta make use of that fancy physics degree, after all. The Orange Box will be made available to PC and Xbox 360 gamers in just two and a half weeks, so I hesitate to say anything more until the review. I will, however, end with this--the final battle in Episode Two is probably my favorite battle in any videogame, ever. Get ready, shooter and puzzle fans: The Orange Box is almost here, and it is awesome.

TGS 2007: R-Man Hands-on

2007-09-26T11:50:00.001-07:00

Along with the first-person arena shooter Paper Man, Cykan Games' TGS 2007 booth was showing off a side-scroller called R-Man. It's most notable feature seems to be the online element, which lets players battle enemies cooperatively or against each other. The demo on the floor seemed to only be solo play. Instead of restricting you to a flat 2D plane for movement, the game gives you a limited area to walk toward and away from the screen. Like most games of this type, you walk to the right to advance. Gameplay seemed pretty straightforward in the two stages we played, requiring us to simply kill all enemies onscreen until we reached the end-stage boss.

First we took control of a spiky haired anime character with mechanically augmented fists. Instead of just mashing punch and kick, the game gives you a few combo options, like hitting forward-forward-attack to do a charge or up-up-attack to launch foes into the air. Using a gamepad to input these commands made things a whole lot easier. Using standard punches builds a combo gauge that deteriorates quickly when idle. If built up to full, another special move became available, in this case an up-right-attack motion that seemed to do more damage.

There seemed to be some RPG elements as well, as the android miners we were fighting in an underground cavern stage regularly dropped bolts and potions. These can be picked up an added to an inventory, but we couldn't make out exactly how the components, like nuts and bolts, could be put to use. Baddies were pretty easy to rip though, as they rarely attacked or blocked. If it seemed like we were in a tight spot, jump and dash moves could get us in the clear pretty quickly. In addition to the waves of foes, a few environmental puzzles impeded our progress, but they were generally simple in nature. For instance, on several occasions we had to hit a control console to open a gate.

Next we tried out a female anime character carrying a wand and decked out in a dress. While the spiky-haired male's moves were mostly melee-focused, the female attacked from a distance with magic. Down-forward-attack flung out a stun fireball, and she could unleash a freeze area-of-effect spell and pillar of flame. As we played through her stage, a sunny, hilly sort of region, we noticed a few instances of cut-scenes, seemingly indicating a story may be present. Like with the male's stage, we defeated all the grunt enemies and end boss with very little trouble.

At a stage's end a grade pops up to alert you to your performance. You can earn in-game cash as well, though we're not sure exactly what this is used for. Cykan unfortunately didn't hand out any asset discs and doesn't seem to have media available online, save for the art shown above, so we can't actually show you what it looks like. It's got a distinct anime flavor, with bright colors and cute character designs. The animations seemed decent, with a few showy magic and fire effects when executing special attacks. As Cykan describes it on their information sheet, "graphics are soft, but when the scene is in battle, flashy effects fly about."

Guitar Hero III PC First Look

2007-09-26T11:47:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical when I heard that Aspyr was going to bring Guitar Hero III to the personal computer. Sometimes it's hard to remember that more than a few gamers have their PCs hooked up to their HDTVs or simply have big monitors that provide a good enough viewing space to really enjoy the game visually. After seeing the game being played (Aspyr wasn't ready for any of us to lay hands on the guitar at this point), I'm less skeptical. It looked good and once the game was up on the screen, those goofy pictures of gamers standing in front of their home PC with a plastic guitar seemed less ridiculous. Instead, this looks like a move for Aspyr that could potentially sell a lot of copies. People that haven't had the chance to play Guitar Hero for their lack of console finally have a choice.

For all intents and purposes, Guitar Hero III is the same game on the PC as it will be on the console. Players will still get to choose between a bunch of guitar hero characters and rock their way from obscure basement theaters to gigantic megatheaters with throngs of cheering fans. Some of the game mechanics have been tweaked a bit including note timing, which could throw some vets for a loop at the beginning, though the game's difficulty level will supposedly sit somewhere between the first and second Guitar Hero games.

For the PC, the difficulty level will likely depend on what instrument you're using. While a wired guitar (very sadly, there will be no wireless guitar for the PC version upon release) will come with the game and function just as any Guitar Hero fan would expect, they'll also be able to give it a go on the keyboard. While the idea seems a little strange since the whole point is to make you feel like you're playing the guitar, this could be the perfect option for playing at work in windowed mode or taking a short break. It'll also be possible to play on a laptop while on a plane without having to break out the guitar and freak people out with your obsessive desire to rock out. It seemed to work just fine when it was demonstrated to us, though we're all curious how much of the fun factor the game will lose without the guitar controller.

Tons of new music will also be included and many of those songs will be master tracks rather than covers, which will undoubtedly thrill many fans since some of the covers in past iterations weren't exactly brilliant. We don't have a full list of songs in Guitar Hero III yet, but we do know there will be over 70 songs including a couple of originals from Slash and Tom Morello. Here's a list of the songs we know about at this point:

3's and 7's: Queens of the Stone Age
Anarchy in the U.K. Sex Pistols
Avalancha: Heroes Del Silencio
Barracuda: Heart
Black Magic Woman Artist Unknown
Bulls on Parade Rage Against the Machine
Cherub Rock: Smashing Pumpkins
Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll Blue Oyster Cult
Closer: Lacuna Coil
Cult of Personality: Living Colour
Evenflow: Pearl Jam
Generation Rock Revolverhead
Go That Far Bret Michaels Band
Helicopter Bloc Party
Hier Kommt Alex: Die Toten Hose
Hit Me With Your Best Shot: Pat Benatar
I'm in the Band: The Hellacopters
In the Belly of the Shark: Gallows
Knights of Cydonia: Muse
Kool Thing: Sonic Youth
La Grange: ZZ Top
Lay Down: Priestess
Mauvais Gar¿on: Naast
The Metal: Tenacious D
Minus Celsius: Backyard Babies
Miss Murder: AFI
Mississippi Queen: Mountain
My Name is Jonas: Weezer
The Number of the Beast: Iron Maiden
One: Metallica
Paint It Black: The Rolling Stones
Paraoid: Black Sabbath
Radio Song: Superbus
Raining Blood: Slayer
Reptilia: The Strokes
Rock And Roll All Nite: Kiss
School's Out: Alice Cooper
Rock You Like a Hurricane: Scorpions
Ruby: Kaiser Chiefs
Sabotage: Beastie Boys
School's Out: Alice Cooper
She Bangs the Drums: The Stone Roses
She Builds Quick Machines: Velvet Revolver
Slow Ride: Fog Hat
Suck My Kiss: Red Hot Chili Peppers
Take This Life: In Flames
Talk Dirty to Me: Poison
Through the Fire and Flames: DragonForce
Welcome to the Jungle: Guns N' Roses
When You Were Young: The Killers

As you likely know, the console versions of the game will have
downloadable songs down the line (quite a bit from the sound of it).
At the time of launch, it's unlikely that the PC version will be able to
support downloadable songs. Aspyr is currently looking into potential
partners dealing in very secure closed servers to make this happen.

Finally, though we didn't have the chance to see it played on the PC this time around, Guitar Hero III will also feature a substantial multiplayer experience that will include the standard competition and co-op gameplay along with a new combat mode. Combat will allow players to screw with each other while playing through songs by hurling attacks with different effects at their opponents. The attacks are:

Broken String: When an opponent breaks one of your strings, that button on the guitar controller won't work until you fix it. To do so you'll have to rapidly tap that "string" until it is repaired.

Difficulty Up: This one won't appear if both players have the difficulty set to expert. If you're playing on hard or lower and this gets sent your way, then you'll find yourself playing up a difficulty level for a brief period of time.

Amp Overload: This attack causes the scrolling fret board on screen to shake and blur, making it extremely difficult to read which notes are approaching.

Whammy Bar: If you get attacked with this bad boy, you'll have to get your whammy bar moving and fast before you can play notes again.

Steal Power: This one is self-explanatory. Use it to steal an attack from your opponent before they can use it. If they don't have one to steal and you activate this power, you'll lose it.

Double Notes: Make your opponent double up on how many notes they have to play for a short period of time: Devastating in the midst of a crazy solo.

Lefty Flip: The attack to end all attacks. Putting lefty flip on your opponent forces them to either transcribe the music or actually flip their guitar over and play left handed. Used at the right moment, it cannot be stopped.

Guitar Hero III for the PC is on schedule to release alongside the console versions. There's a chance it'll slip a little farther past the consoles, but Aspyr is confident that if that does happen, it won't be by much.

Look for more info about Guitar Hero III as it approaches release.

GC 2007: Unreal Tournament 3 Progress Report (P.2)

2007-09-26T11:41:00.001-07:00

As you just noticed, it's a bit difficult to succinctly describe the Warfare mode, but seeing it in action gives it a simple sort of beauty. Attacking and capturing nodes as you work towards an enemy's base is a simple enough set of tasks to follow, but the way they create a series of frontlines concentrates the action on specific points of interest on an otherwise open map.

With the Warfare demo done, we got a chance to play against some AI bots on the PS3 version while fishing for a few more details. Here are a few of those choice details:

The single player game has a story full of branching paths as you choose how to behave towards each of the two sides. As you move through the story, created by the Gears of War author, you'll gain access to different weapons and vehicles depending upon your decisions. You'll also unlock new ways to customize your character. These carry over to the multiplayer game, though they are only cosmetic and offer no change in stats or size of hit box.

The map editor will only exist on the PC, though PS3 gamers will be able to import content created on the PC to their console. At the very least, you'll be able to bring the maps onto the console by loading a memory stick full of content onto the PS3. Midway is looking at ways to share content using the Internet and/or Home (which Unreal Tournament 3 may or may not be functional with). Likewise, the company is still looking at having cross platform play between the PS3 and PC. Unlike some other games, the issue of having one dominant platform wouldn't be present here. You can plug a keyboard and mouse into the PS3 to play UT3.

The PS3 version is nearly identical to the PC release that will come at the same time. You can even install the PS3 version to the hard drive, though you won't be able to adjust video settings to optimize performance as you can on PC. Right now, the PS3 version is running in 720p. It looks good, though a PC can support higher resolutions and look even smoother.

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2007-09-26T11:41:00.000-07:00

http://directory.seo-supreme.com

GC 2007: Unreal Tournament 3 Progress Report (P.1)

2007-09-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

Midway gave us an extended look at the latest build of Unreal Tournament 3 at this year's Leipzig Games Conference. On display were a variety of vehicles, weapons, and a new multiplayer mode called Warfare. Both the PS3 and PC versions were on hand and we got a look at both along with a bit of hands-on time with the PS3 build.

First up we saw the PS3 build and got a tour of Necropolis. The mode of play was capture the flag in a vehicle rich area, which makes the fast game of Unreal Tournament 3 even faster. Or at least it would have been fast paced if there was any opposition present in this opening part of the demo. The map was empty for a purpose though: We were about to get a look at several sweet looking vehicles and weapons.
On a vehicle enabled map, those without a ride can hop on a hoverboard at any time to up the speed. You can't attack in this mode, but it evens the playing field a bit in terms of speed at least, or for more speed a friendly vehicle moving by can be latched on to for a free tug. For those playing on PS3, six-axis control can be used to direct the hoverboards. A hoverboard probably isn't a match for the first vehicle shown. The Viper is a fast moving, hover ride that can send out energy shots which bounce around the environment. For a utilitarian, the Viper might be enough. For our taste, we liked the Scavenger more. This energy orb with three long tendrils attached runs along using the tentacles a bit like a spider. The arms can be pulled in to start rolling and then whipped out to attack. It may not be the most effective ride, but it looks quite swanky.

The last vehicle shown to us was the Nightshade. This stealth vehicle can go invisible while it moves around and has access to several seriously cool weapons. By uncloaking, the Nightshade gains the ability to drop spider mines and stasis fields. The spider mines do just what their name implies; unleash a series of mobile spiders that track enemies and detonate themselves. The stasis field unleashes a large, green tinted cube that slows anything inside of it down to a crawl. Choke points become death traps, flags can be given added protection, and things generally look cool when the stasis field is put up.

Then there is the redeemer. It's a personal nuclear weapon that only spawns in multiplayer maps every few minutes, but you'd do well to watch closely for its presence. Six-axis controllers can steer the nuke in mid-air, or you can just use the standard flight controls. You don't have to be too accurate with it though to take out a whole swarm of enemies. It is a nuke after all.

After this look at the weapons of war, the demo switched over to the PC version for a first look at the Warfare mode. This new team based objective mode that involves a series of nodes that concentrate the action. The goal is to take out the opposing team's power core while protecting your own. That's the main goal, but getting there requires a bit of work. Scattered through out the map are a series of nodes that can be captured. A tactical map can be brought up to see your progress as well as outlining how the nodes are connected. Capturing connected nodes extends your power link with the goal of reaching the enemies main base, thus rendering their power core vulnerable to attack. If the enemy regains control of an orb while you're attacking the power core, the core once again becomes shielded from your attack until you reconnect your series of nodes. However, any damage that you may have dealt while the shield was down is permanent, ensuring a slow but steady drain on at least one of the bases.

Neutral nodes can be captured instantly by carrying orbs, or they can be converted using link guns. Orbs can also protect you when you're near a friendly node, or in other maps may be used for other tasks such as raising bridges. Once an enemy takes a node, they become entrenched and you'll have to take out a shield around the node before you can take it yourself. In addition to primary nodes, secondary nodes that don't lead to back to the main grid can also be captured though they'll only provide new weapons or vehicles.

The Lord of the Rings Online™:

2007-09-26T11:15:00.000-07:00

The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™ is the world's first and only MMOG based on the Books of J.R.R. Tolkien. Players can experience the most famous fantasy world of all time, exploring and adventuring their heroes through the vast reaches of Middle-earth in the fight against the forces of the Dark Lord Sauron.

Experience Classic Tolkien: Meet famous characters like Gandalf and the Fellowship. Explore legendary locations like the Prancing Pony and Rivendell! Battle deadly enemies, including Nazgûl, Trolls, and Uruk-Hai!

Defeat the Shadows of Angmar: Join with the Fellowship and fight against the forces of Sauron. Confront the forces of the Nazgûl Witch-king in the North. Protect the Shire and root out evil on Weathertop.

Explore Ancient Lands: Journey through Middle-earth to collect valuable Tolkien lore, knowledge, and artifacts that bring your hero greater powers. Complete ambitious quests of courage and exploration that bestow compelling character traits.

Create a unique character: Adventure as a Man, Elf, Dwarf or Hobbit. After choosing where your character hails from, select region-appropriate color palettes for skin, hair, eye color, and more. Equip yourself with items like sturdy Dwarven armor, intricate Elven mail, or weapons created with the knowledge of past Ages. Choose one of seven classes: deal massive damage as a Champion, protect your fellowship as a Guardian, beguile your enemies as a Burglar, or try a Captain, Hunter, Minstrel, or Lore-master.

As your character advances and grows, customize it using Traits – interchangeable abilities which modify your character's skills to give you greater control over its specializations. Gain new Trait slots by leveling, and unlock new Traits by completing Accomplishments.

Fight alone or with other players: With hundreds of hours of gameplay, there's plenty to do in LOTRO as a solo player or in a fellowship. Follow the storyline on your own or form a fellowship with other players for epic battles against creatures like Orcs, Wights, and even Balrogs. Coordinated fellowships can use group combo moves to do incredible damage, heal their fellowship, or restore their energy – how they harness the power of a combo is entirely up to them to decide! LOTRO will also include a consensual Player vs. Player combat system (details forthcoming), allowing players to fight against each other for glory and honor!

Create items both legendary and mundane: Farm in the Shire or forge weapons and armor in Thorin's Halls. Players can craft arms for the fight against the Dark Lord Sauron, or enjoy more peaceful activities like cooking and farming. Those who dedicate themselves to becoming master crafters can create legendary items of unsurpassed quality.

Dramatic sequences: LOTRO offers an expansive, open world, and incorporates cinematic technology to present the player with movie-like sequences which further the storyline. Experience epic challenges like the depths of the Great Barrow, the siege of Fornost and the battle to retake Weathertop.

Interact with others: Meet and socialize with thousands of other players and fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's works. Relax at the Prancing Pony in Bree, the Green Dragon Inn in the Shire, or any of the many other social centers throughout the land. Express yourself through emotes and chat – wave hello, bow, or dance with a friend!

Journey through Middle-earth: Experience an epic storyline through hundreds of quests created as a companion to The Lord of the Rings. Adventure in familiar areas as well as new ones, created for the game, which were only briefly touched on by J.R.R. Tolkien in his master works. Experience Middle-earth as never before as you swim the Brandywine River or make your way through the mists of the Old Forest. Turbine, working closely with Tolkien Enterprises, has created what Gamedaily calls "...a must have title for fans of Tolkien lore."

Final Fantasy series Page3

2007-09-23T21:48:00.002-07:00

Final Fantasy VII was the first game in the series to incorporate pre-rendered cut scenes .

[edit] The disc generations

Late in the 16-bit generation, Square showed an interactive SGI technical demonstration of Final Fantasy for the next generation. However, 1997 saw the release of Final Fantasy VII for the Sony PlayStation and not the Nintendo 64 as many had originally anticipated. This was due to a dispute with Nintendo over its use of faster and more expensive cartridges, as opposed to the slower and cheaper - though much higher capacity - compact discs used on rival systems.^[^{citation needed]}Final Fantasy VII would have required a very expensive large capacity cartridge to work on the Nintendo 64. A cartridge holding the game's three CD-ROM's worth of data and full-motion video would have been nearly impossible to market at a price that most people could afford. Instead, Final Fantasy VII was created for the PlayStation console. The characters and entire game world were now 3-dimensional , with fully pre-rendered backgrounds. However, Final Fantasy VII's FMVs often lacked consistency, with character models resembling their real-time counterparts in one scene, and then extremely detailed in the next. A version was later released for the PC .

The turn-based strategy title Final Fantasy Tactics, released shortly after Final Fantasy VII, once again used sprites for the characters. As the only real user-interaction outside of battle was menu-driven, the developers saw no need for fully 3D -rendered overhead graphics, although the battle area was in 3D. This title was also the first tactics based RPG in the series. The second was Final Fantasy Tactics Advance on the Nintendo Game Boy Advance .

Starting with Final Fantasy VIII, the series adopted a more photo-realistic look. Like Final Fantasy VII, some full motion video sequences would have video playing in the background, with the polygonal characters composited on top.

Final Fantasy IX returned briefly to the more stylized design of earlier games in the series. It still maintained, and in many cases slightly upgraded, most of the graphical techniques utilized in the previous two games in the series.

Final Fantasy X was released on the PlayStation 2 , and made use of the much more powerful hardware to render many cutscenes in real-time, rather than in pre-rendered FMV sequences. Also, rather than having 3D models moving about in pre-rendered backgrounds, the game featured full 3D environments, giving it a much more dynamic look (though the camera was still fixed, rather than a 360 degree, freely rotating camera). It was also the first Final Fantasy game to introduce voice-acting throughout the majority of the game, even with many minor characters. This aspect added a whole new dimension of depth to the character's reactions, emotions, and development. Final Fantasy X-2 used the same game engine as Final Fantasy X, and was aesthetically very similar.

Taking a temporary divergence, Final Fantasy XI used the PlayStation 2's online capabilities as an MMORPG . Initially released for PlayStation 2^[10] with a PC port arriving 6 months later, Final Fantasy XI was also released on the Xbox 360 nearly four years after its first release in Japan. This was the first Final Fantasy game to allow the use of a free rotating camera.

Final Fantasy XII was released between 2006 and 2007 for the PlayStation 2. The game utilizes only half as many polygons as Final Fantasy X in exchange for more advanced textures and lighting. It also retains the freely rotating camera from Final Fantasy XI.

Final Fantasy XIII was shown at E3 2006 and is slated to be the first game in the main series for PlayStation 3 . A trailer was showcased at E3 2006 and showed brief moments of what ostensibly looked like real-time battles.

Dirge of Cerberus continues the storyline from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and is a Third Person Shooter released for the PlayStation 2 in 2006. Vincent is the only playable character in the game, aside from one minor level with Cait Sith. Due to the new genre of the game, the battle sequences from previous installments have been removed, and the opponents simply appear from around corners or out of doors at set points in the game.

[edit] Gameplay

[edit] Game screens

The games typically have several types of screens, or modes of interaction, broadly categorized as:

Battle screens — Battles occur on a separate type of screen (or arena ), usually with a change of scale and a backdrop "arena" that usually generically represents where the battle is occurring in the game. (For example, a random battle in a desert gets a desert backdrop.) Plot-relevant battles (as opposed to battling random monsters) may have a specially built battle screen/arena, however. In Final Fantasy VII and later, these screens are fully 3D, using higher resolution versions of the characters, but very restricted in size. Final Fantasy XI and XII do away with "scene-battles": battle sequences occur on the main field screen.
Field screens — These are where the main interaction between the characters occurs, and most of the exploration of the world occurs on these screens. Dialog mostly occurs on these screens. Final Fantasy VII marked the point that Final Fantasy would have realistic computer graphics, while Dragon Warrior stayed with anime style cel-shaded graphics. Prior to Final Fantasy VII, they were pseudo-orthographic , using a simple 2D engine . Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, and Final Fantasy IX used pre-rendered and pre-painted backgrounds over which 3D models were overlaid. Final Fantasy X used a completely 3D field screen system, which allowed the camera angle to change as the characters moved about. The 3D field screen was kept for Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XII, but with a new camera system which can be adjusted by the player.
World screen — A low-scale screen used to symbolize traveling great distances in times that would otherwise slow the game down unacceptably plot-wise. These are usually not scaled, as a character may appear the size of a small mountain. Relatively little plot occurs here, but there are exceptions. Final Fantasy X did away with this, and simply made the distances between areas smaller, often classed as areas in themselves.
Cutscenes — These scenes are non-interactive playback that usually provide instructions for the player or advance the plot. They can either be pre-rendered video (FMV), or they can be executed in with the same engine (or a slightly modified engine to allow for more detailed expressions) as any of the three display modes above. Tutorials often manipulate the menu screen detailed below. In some cases, pre-rendered video is overlaid with real-time rendered field screen graphics (full motion video-3D).
Menu Screen — This screen is used for navigating your party's status, equipment, magic, etc. This screen is usually a very simple blue-table layout, with a gloved hand to select one's options. In some games, the option to change the color or texture of the tables is given.
Mini-games — The games often feature various minigames with their own graphical engines. Examples of these are the "Tetra Master" card game, featured in Final Fantasy IX, and then featured as a separate game shipped as part of the Final Fantasy XI PC game.

Battle system

See also: Final Fantasy battle systems

Screenshot of Final Fantasy IX during a battle. The enlarged bars represent the Active Time Battle system used in several Final Fantasy installments.

The Final Fantasy series started with a simple menu-driven, turn-based battle system, but later included more real-time and semi-real-time elements as the series progressed. The series went into complete real-time in Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XII. Most games in the series utilize an experience level system for character advancement, and a point-based system for casting magical spells. Since Final Fantasy III, most games in the series feature a variety of "special commands," over and beyond the traditional "Attack," "Defend," "Cast Magic," "Item," and "Run" battle commands, such as the ability to steal items from enemies, or performing a leap attack. Often these special attacks are integrated into the "job system," which has appeared in several games in the series and spin-offs.

The first three games all featured a traditional, turn-based battle system. At the beginning of each combat round, the player chooses all of the battle commands. These commands would then be carried out, but in an order from the fastest to slowest characters. The turn-based battle systems were later replaced by the Active Time Battle starting with Final Fantasy IV, which was, in turn, replaced by the Conditional Turn-Based (CTB) system in Final Fantasy X, and then finally by Real Time Battle systems starting with Final Fantasy XI.

At E3 of 2006 , Square Enix presented a short demo of Final Fantasy XIII, in which the battles had a battle menu for inputting commands at the bottom of the screen but was not well-noticed because the battles themselves appeared to be completely cinematic in nature.

2007-09-23T21:44:00.002-07:00