Echoes of Time is a fun hack n’ slash multiplayer game. The game improves upon its Ring of Fates predecessor with a greater emphasis on multiplayer combat and teamwork. Though the Wii version leaves much to be desired, the game is still a solid title on the DS to be enjoyed with friends. Square Enix’s efforts to allow both DS and Wii players to connect and play together are admirable, but one that definitely needs to be tweaked concerning the Wii’s control scheme. Echoes of Time should keep fans happy for some time until the arrival of the upcoming Wii title, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers.

Click here for an explanation of our review and scoring format.

Ring of Fates was Square Enix’s follow-up to their Gamecube title: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. After receiving fairly positive reviews, Square has returned to tweak the multiplayer features with a greater emphasis on combat in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time. Though the gameplay is similar, the ability to play with your friends over a Wi-Fi connection on both the DS and Wii versions is a welcome addition to the series. Echoes of Time combines the best of Ring of Fates and its Crystal Chronicles Gamecube brethren into a fun, light-hearted RPG for both casual and experienced players.

The story tells the tale of a young hero who reaches his or her sixteenth birthday. According to village customs, every young villager participates in a special ceremony by defeating hordes of monsters in the dark forest that surrounds the village. The victorious are crowned with a glowing crystal found in a forest clearing guarded by Sherlotta, a fellow villager. However, a village girl falls gravely ill on the brink of the village’s celebration that sends the hero on a mission to acquire the items needed for a cure.

Combat in Echoes of Time is similar to the earlier Ring of Fates DS title. You can attack, pick up and drop and jump in the open field in battle. There are four tribes are available: Clavats, Yukes, Selkies and the Lilties. You can engage the enemy with standard attacks, charge attacks (powerful attack that leaves you temporarily vulnerable) or magic attacks by acquiring various spells. This time around, you can either grab your friends or partner up with the A.I. to form a party. At the start, you can customize your party with as many warriors, mages or tribe kinsmen and kinswomen as you like. Towns  and villages hold save crystals with most locations situated around a trotted path on the world map. A diary is kept by the main character that contains the chronology of events and adventures throughout the game.

You can assign different tactics for your A.I. party members in battle that includes Protect Yourself, Do Your Best, Just Follow Me and Go Nuts With Magic. You can add and drop party members at the Adventurers’ Guild in town prior to your quest. For multiplayer coop, you can team up with your friends via Nintendo’s Wi-Fi connection. You can easily communicate with your party members with a communication panel that features phrases like “Attack Together”, “I’ll take this one” and “Hit it”. Phrases are customizable with a total of twelve phrases available for you to create your own unique message.

Echoes of Time allows you, just like its predecessors, to pick up and drop items, barrels and enemies at will. This is necessary on various quests to solve puzzles and unlock doors. Fighting enemies helps not only to gain experience but also helps you to acquire materials to place custom orders in town. By doing this, you save lots of money that would otherwise be spent on scrolls and materials at Custom Fabrications.

Visually, the game has polished character designs and detailed environments. After a short run, the Wii version is essentially a ported DS game. The graphics are only slightly improved with a rather mediocre control scheme using the Wii remote. Between the Wii and DS version, the latter is preferable as Echoes of Time was originally designed with Nintendo’s handheld in mind. The soundtrack is soothing and accompanies the game quite well with its light hearted and relaxed musical tunes.

Regrettably, the A.I. party members are more trouble than they are worth as they will often miss platform jumps, fall into lava pits and stand around idly while your enemies are attacking you. Echoes of Time shines in the multiplayer aspect as the single player adventure mode is very short-lived. Regarding the portability and the convenience to play with your friends, both Wii and DS owners can connect online with one another for quests. However, I personally recommend the DS version as the Wii online interface to join other quests is not very user-friendly at all.

The report claims that staff arrived at work only to find the doors locked with instructions to meet at a hotel for a final meeting, and office phones aren't being answered.

Also, the unnamed project that Free Radical was working on, believed to be Star Wars: Battlefront 3, may have been sent to Rebellion, the developer of the PSP Battlefront game. TimeSplitters 4's status is currently unclear.

Since an official announcement hasn't been made about the closing, file this one in the "rumor" category until more information is available. 

Update: Confirmed.

Time Ace has a suggested retail price of $29.99 and is rated “E10+” by the ESRB.

• First Brothers In Arms for the DS System: Exclusively designed for Nintendo DS with easy-to-use, stylus-based controls such as using the Touch Screen to aim, with the camera following the stylus.
• Impressive, Realistic 3D Graphics: Incredibly detailed environments with highly believable characters and enemies, cinematic camera angles, and great animation.
• Drivable Vehicles: Drive a recon car or a Sherman Tank. Use a wide range of weapons such as bazookas, sniper rifles, grenades and more to destroy your enemy.
• 16 Missions and Three Different Campaigns: Relive the intensity of WWII through three different campaigns, from Normandy to North-Africa and Ardennes.
• Redesigned New Multiplayer Experience: Fight major multiplayer battles with three of your friends in different multiplayer modes, including Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch.
• Contextual Movements: Gameplay adapted to the Nintendo DS hardware with auto-cover behind walls or auto-recovering life system. 

• Next-Generation Brothers In Arms - The award-winning WWII franchise comes to the Wii system with all of the action, story and authenticity that has critics and fans eager for more.
• Combining All 31 Playable Levels: Play as Sergeants Matt Baker and Joe Hartsock, leading your squad behind enemy lines through the Normandy invasion.
• Unrivaled Authenticity: Fight actual Airborne Infantry battles of D-Day accurately recreated using thousands of official photos, maps, After-Action Reports and eyewitness accounts under the direction of Military and Historical Director, Col. John Antal.
• Challenging and Dynamic Combat: Featuring close-quarter urban environments and a next-generation artificial intelligence system, Brothers In Arms Double Time promises to take authentic military action to the next level on the Wii system.
• Enhanced Control Scheme: Issue orders and perform military gestures to command and lead your team using the Wii Remote.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance fans rejoice, as Activision has announced the new Marvel characters that will appear in an Xbox Live downloadable content package to be launched later this month. The characters include Cyclops, Doom, Hawkeye, Hulk, Magneto, Sabretooth, and (everyone's favorite) Venom. Included below are character biographies (for the rare few who are unfamiliar with the new "heroes") and screenshots.

THE HULK:

Real Name:Robert "Bruce" BannerAliases:Annihilator, Captain Universe, Joe Fixit, Mr. Fixit, Mechano, Professor, War, Bruce Bancroft, David Banner, David Bixby, Bob Danner, Bruce Jones, Bruce Roberts, David Blaine, the Green Scar, Green Goliath, Jade GiantIdentity: Publicly knownOccupation:Unemployed, former nuclear physicistCitizenship:USAPlace of Birth:Dayton, OhioPowers:The Hulk possesses an incredible level of superhuman physical ability. His capacity for physical strength is potentially limitless due to the fact that the Hulk's strength increases proportionally with his level of great emotional stress, anger in particular. The Hulk uses his superhumanly strong leg muscles to leap great distances. The Hulk has been known to cover hundreds of miles in a single bound and once leaped almost into orbit around the Earth. The Hulk has shown a high resistance to physical damage nearly regardless of the cause, and has also shown resistance to extreme temperatures, poisons, and diseases in addition to regeneration of damaged or destroyed areas of tissue at an amazing rate. The Hulk's body also has a gland that makes an "oxygenated per fluorocarbon emulsion", which creates pressure in the Hulk's lungs and effectively lets him breathe underwater and move quickly between varying depths without concerns about decompression or nitrogen narcosisAbilities:Dr. Bruce Banner is a genius in nuclear physics, possessing a mind so brilliant that it cannot be measured on any known intelligence test. When Banner is the Hulk, Banner's consciousness is buried within the Hulk's, and can influence the Hulk's behavior only to a very limited extent.Weapons:NoneHAWKEYE:Real Name:Clinton Francis "Clint" BartonAliases:Father Time, Goliath, the Golden Archer, Hawkeye the Marksman, Longbow, and he impersonated DreadknightIdentity:SecretOccupation:Adventurer; (Formerly) carnival performer, security chief, and criminalCitizenship:USAPlace of Birth:Waverly, IowaPowers:None. As Goliath, Barton used gasses designed by Hank Pym to grow to great heights, with appropriate increases in strength and toughness. (He could also use them to shrink to miniscule size.)Abilities:Hawkeye is a world-class archer and marksman. His above average reflexes and hand-eye-coordination make him the most proficient archer ever known.Weapons:bow and arrowCYCLOPS:Real Name:Scott SummersAliases:"Slim," formerly Slym Dayspring, Mutate #007, Erik the RedIdentity:KnownOccupation:Co-headmaster of Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, adventurer, former student, former radio announcerCitizenship:USAPlace of Birth:Anchorage, AlaskaPowers:Cyclops possesses the mutant ability to project a beam of heatless ruby-colored concussive force from his eyes, which act as inter-dimensional apertures between this universe and another. Cyclops' body constantly absorbs ambient energy, such as sunlight, from his environment into his body's cells that allows him to open the apertures. Cyclops' mind generates a psionic field that is attuned to the forces that maintain the apertures. Because this field envelops his body, it automatically shunts the other-dimensional particles back into their point of origin when they collide with his body. Thus, his body is protected from the effects of the particles, and even the thin membranes of his eyelids are sufficient to block the emission of energy. The synthetic ruby quartz crystal used to fashion the lenses of Cyclops' eyewear is resonant to his minds' psionic field and is similarly protected.The width of Cyclops' optic blast is focused by his mind's psionic field with the same autonomic function that regulated his original eyes' ability to focus. As Cyclops focuses, the size of the apertures change and thus act as a valve to control the flow of particles and the beam's relative power. The height of Cyclops's eye-blast is controlled by his visor's adjustable slit. The beam's effective range is approximately 2,000 feet.Due to a head injury, Cyclops is unable to shut off his optic blasts at will and must therefore wear ruby quartz lenses to block the beams.Abilities:UnknownWeapons:NoneNIGHTCRAWLER:Real Name:Kurt WagnerAliases:"Fuzzy Elf", formerly GainsboroughIdentity:Secret (known by British authorities)Occupation:Adventurer; former priest, circus performerCitizenship:GermanyPlace of Birth:Bavaria, GermanyPowers:Nightcrawler is a mutant who can teleport by opening a portal into another dimension, travelling through it via an unconscious direction-finding sense, and returning to his own dimension. When teleporting, Nightcrawler leaves behind a small portion of the atmosphere of the other dimension that escapes with a muffled “bamf” sound and smells of brimstone. On returning, his power automatically displaces any extraneous liquids and gases.Nightcrawler can easily teleport north south along Earth's magnetic lines of force. However, teleporting east west against them or teleporting vertically is more difficult. Under optimal conditions, Nightcrawler can teleport 2 miles east west, 3 miles north south, and 2 miles vertically if he exerts himself. Nightcrawler's momentum is retained when teleporting, so he arrives with the same inertia he left with. He can reduce this by teleporting short distances in the opposite direction.Nightcrawler has a limited unconscious extrasensory ability that prevents him from teleporting into any area that he cannot see or has not seen in the past, as doing so runs the risk of injury or death by materializing partially or entirely within a solid object. Through practice, Nightcrawler has increased the mass he can teleport with him, though the limit to the amount of weight he can carry when teleporting and the distance over which he can teleport with such additional loads are unknown. Teleporting with Nightcrawler often leaves a passenger feeling weak and nauseous.Nightcrawler is also able to cling to solid surfaces via his hands and feet. He can also render himself nigh-invisible in shadows by manipulating the ever-present portal to the dimension he teleports through so as to bend light around himself.Abilities:Nightcrawler is an Olympic-class acrobat thanks to his flexible spine that allows him to perform contortionist-like feats and to go long periods in a semi-crouching position without injury. He is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant and a master at fencing, which he can even perform with his tail, which is strong enough to support his entire body weight.Weapons:Nightcrawler formerly wielded a pair of swords.DR. DOOM:Real Name:Victor Von DoomAliases:The Master, Invincible Man, Vincent Vaughn, Hans; has also inhabited the bodies of Daredevil, Norman McArthur and the Fantastic FourIdentity:KnownOccupation:Monarch of Latveria, would-be conquerorCitizenship:LatveriaPlace of Birth:A camp outside Haasenstadt (now Doomstadt), LatveriaPowers:Doom can exchange minds with others. He possesses some mystical abilities, such as casting bolts of eldritch energy and invoking mystical entities (principalities) for additional support. While empowered by the Haazareth, his mystical powers were on a par with those of Dr. Strange.Abilities:Doom is a genius in physics, robotics, cybernetics, genetics, weapons technology, bio-chemistry, and time travel. He is also self-taught in the mystic arts. Doom is a natural leader, a brilliant strategist, and a sly deceiver.Weapons:Primarily his suit’s armaments.MAGNETO:Real Name:UnknownAliases:Erik Magnus Lehnsherr, Erik the Red, Grey King, White King, Michael Xavier, "the Creator," White Pilgrim, Prisoner #214782, othersIdentity:SecretOccupation:Conqueror, former ruler, teacher, headmaster, secret agent, orderlyCitizenship:UnrevealedPlace of Birth:UnrevealedPowers:Magneto possesses the power to control all forms of magnetism. He can shape and manipulate magnetic fields that exist naturally or artificially. It is unclear, however, whether he must draw magnetic force from outside himself (if so, then he can do so over vast distances), or whether he can also generate magnetic force from within himself. Nor is it clear whether Magneto's power is psionic or purely physiological in nature. Magneto's power is, for all practical purposes, limitless. Moreover, he can use his magnetic powers in more than one way simultaneously. He can completely assemble a complicated machine within seconds through his powers. He can erect magnetic force fields with a high degree of impenetrability around himself for protection.Although Magneto’s primary power is control over magnetism, he can also project or manipulate any form of energy that is part of the electromagnetic spectrum, including visible light, radio waves, ultraviolet light, gamma rays, and x-rays. He can manipulate gravitons to create an anti-gravity field, and does so whenever he levitates a non-magnetic object. Hence, Magneto may be living proof of the long-sought Unified Field Theory that all forms of energy are related. However, Magneto almost always uses only magnetism, since it’s more difficult for him to manipulate other forms of energy. Magneto has also exhibited powers of astral projection and telepathy, and has claimed to be able to control the minds of others, though his abilities along these lines appear to be minimal.Magneto’s ability to wield his superhuman powers effectively is dependent upon his physical condition. When severely injured, his body is unable to withstand the strain of manipulating great amounts of magnetic forces.Abilities:Magneto has mastered many technological fields, and is an expert on genetic manipulation and engineering, with knowledge far beyond that of contemporary science. He is considered to be a genius in these fields. He can mutate humans in order to give them superhuman powers, or create adult clones of human beings and then manipulate the genetic structures of these clones during their development. He has also learned how to create artificial living beings. Magneto is also an excellent strategist, both in actual battles and games of chess.Weapons/Paraphanelia:Magneto's helmet is designed to prevent telepathic intrusion or psionic attacks. Magneto has designed such creations as magnetically-powered craft, complex robots and computers, and magnetically-powered generators.VENOM:Real Name:MacDonald "Mac" GarganAliases:Formerly ScorpionIdentity:Known by legal authoritiesOccupation:Government operative; former professional criminal, private eyeCitizenship:USA with criminal recordPlace of Birth:Yonkers, NYCPowers:As Scorpion: enhanced strength, enabling him to lift (press) about 15 tons, speed, endurance and agility (greater than Spider-Man's). As Venom: the symbiote further enhances Gargan's superhuman attributes including his agility and strength (enabling him to lift 45 tons optimally), and granting him the ability to cling to almost any surface, block Spider-Man's spider-sense, and enable him to blend in with the background. The symbiote can also produce organic webs which he can use for web-slinging from building to building or capturing opponents.Abilities:Mac Gargan has the intellectual skills of an average detective, though he is mentally unstable.Weapons:As Scorpion: The tail on his Scorpion costume could be used as a weapon. It has had axe-like additions on it, and originally it could simply be used to crush solid objects. As Venom, he has been able to mimic the shape of his old costume's tail.SABRETOOTH:Real Name:Victor CreedAliases:Der Schlächter ("The Butcher" in German), Slasher, El Tigre, othersIdentity:Known to various government officialsOccupation:Mercenary, former government agent, possibly othersCitizenship:UnrevealedPlace of Birth:UnrevealedPowers:Sabretooth is a mutant possessing various superhuman attributes that are the result of genetic mutation and artificial enhancement. Sabretooth's primary mutant power is an accelerated healing factor that enables him to regenerate damaged or destroyed tissue with far greater speed and efficiency than an ordinary human. Sabretooth can fully heal from injuries that result in massive tissue and blood loss such as multiple gunshots, slashes, puncture wounds, and severe burns within only a few minutes. This mutant healing factor also renders Sabretooth highly resistant, possibly even totally immune, to disease. Sabretooth's healing powers, also, render him immune to most drugs and toxins, except within massive doses. Due to the unique regenerative properties of his mutant healing factor, Sabretooth ages much slower than an ordinary human. Despite having a much greater chronological age, Sabretooth possesses the appearance and vitality of a man in the physical prime of his life. All of Sabretooth's natural mutant abilities stem from, at least partially, his accelerated healing factor.Sabretooth possesses superhumanly acute senses of sight, hearing, smell, and taste - although perhaps not of touch - comparable to those of certain animals, allowing him to track prey similar to the way dogs and wolves do. His night vision is preternaturally sensitive, containing twice the average human being’s area of light-gathering retina, and extends into the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. His hearing is extraordinarily acute, able to detect light breathing in a cave at 200 feet. His sense of taste can detect 1 part of foreign matter in 10,000. His highly developed olfactory sense and memory allow him to detect and track a scent over eight hours old, possibly a concentration of 20 parts per million, that he had not been exposed to for up to several months previously. Dilute, common odors of perspiration, perfumes, cigarettes, candies, and food are beacons to his senses.Many of Sabretooth's physical abilities function with superhuman levels of efficiency. He possesses some degree of superhuman strength, the limits of which are unknown. Originally, Sabretooth possessed sufficient physical strength to crush an iron barbell, with ease. Sabretooth has undergone various procedures, some willingly and some unwillingly, that have increased his strength considerably beyond his original levels. Sabretooth's mutant healing factor grants him much greater immunity to the lactic acids generated by his muscles during physical activity than the musculature of an ordinary human. Hence, Sabretooth possesses superhuman stamina in all physical activities. His natural agility and reflexes are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural limits of the human body. Sabretooth's agility and reaction time are superior to those of the finest human athlete.Currently, Sabretooth's entire skeleton has been artificially infused with the, virtually indestructible, alloy known as Adamantium. As a result, Sabretooth's bones are practically unbreakable.Abilities:Sabretooth is a formidable hand-to-hand combatant, having been trained by the Foreigner, the C.I.A., and many others. Sabretooth is also an extraordinary hunter and tracker.Weapons:He also possesses a single, razor sharp, retractable claw at the tip of each finger. Originally, these claws were fully capable of rending substances as durable as bone, wood, and stone. However, just like his skeleton, Sabretooth's claws have been artificially infused with Adamantium. As a result, his claws are not only as indestructible as his skeleton, but are now capable of cutting any known solid substance other than Adamantium itself.

]]> Tue, 03 Apr 2007 01:40:00 -0500 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/first_flatout_ultimate_carnage_media http://www.gamebump.com/go/first_flatout_ultimate_carnage_media http://www.gamebump.com/go/first_flatout_ultimate_carnage_media#
The title has upped the number of cars on-screen during races from 8 in FlatOut 2 to 12 in Ultimate Carnage, thrown in five new single-player and two new Xbox Live-compatible multiplayer modes, added widescreen high-def resolution at 720p, and will offer downloadable content upon its release. Enjoy. Originally written by Shiva Stella]]> Tue, 13 Mar 2007 18:25:00 -0500 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/prince_of_persia_joining_the_wii_party http://www.gamebump.com/go/prince_of_persia_joining_the_wii_party http://www.gamebump.com/go/prince_of_persia_joining_the_wii_party#
 "I can confirm that a game based on the popular Prince of Persia franchise is one of many titles Ubisoft has in development for Nintendo's Wii. At this time we can not provide an official date for the game or any additional information about it."

Now we can all start wondering how they'll integrate the running jump, and standing around on pressure plates with the Wii controller. Originally written by Philip Palmer]]> Mon, 07 Aug 2006 23:43:00 -0500 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_naruto_ultimate_ninja_ps2 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_naruto_ultimate_ninja_ps2 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_naruto_ultimate_ninja_ps2# This review was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content. It was written by Eric Dayday.

The Naruto anime features a cast of characters beating the snot out of each other in tournament-style competitions. Sounds like another particular uber-popular anime, doesn’t it? Many fans have come to see Naruto as sort of a Dragonball 2.0, but aiming to be like DBZ isn’t such a bad idea considering how well the Budokai series has done on consoles as of late. And now we have another Naruto offering (Clash of the Ninja for the GameCube was released earlier this year) that sort of emulates the frantic battles of those said DBZ games, but with a flair and style of its own. Not many games based on anime or television shows do well, but Naruto: Ultimate Ninja may just surprise some.

The art style won’t really surprise anyone considering that many other anime-based games have used cel-shading. Even though the novelty of cel-shading has run its course, here it was a good decision because it does an excellent job of copying the show’s look. What makes it more impressive is that the stages aren’t static two-dimensional backdrops. You can switch back and forth freely between the foreground and background, like the older Japanese DBZ games, so even though Ultimate Ninja sports a 2D look, it’s technically 3D played on planes.

The fighting system employed in Ultimate Ninja doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s different enough from other titles of the like to make it distinct. It seems simple at first, but then the realization that there’s so much more than beating down on the opponent will start to become apparent after you’ve settled into a few bouts. Attacks and combos are initiated with circle, jumps and double jumps with X, special attacks with triangle, and item usage with square.

Attacks and combos are done using different combination of circle and a direction. They’ve even included a Soul Calibur-like move list to help in case a particular move has escaped your mind. Then there are the stronger special attacks unique to each character. The use of special attacks is dependent on the chakra level. The chakra meter can be built up a number of ways - up to a max of three. Higher leveled meters open up more specials that can rip off more damage. If the initial hit of the special connects, then you can upgrade the attack up to three times, depending on the character and type of special. Upgrading involves hitting a specific button combination within a very small window of time, getting progressively harder after each upgrade. A successful upgrade means almost a guaranteed critical. If someone is on the receiving end of one of these attacks, they too will be given a button combination prompt. If they’re successful, then they’ll reduce the damage done, but failure means absorbing the brunt of a full blow and sometimes more. These special attacks are a blast to watch since they cut away from the standard fighting screen to show the move done in its entirety, which is a double-edged sword. I’ll get to that later.

During a bout, there’s a variety of items strewn about the stages that can be picked up. Most of these are dropped by each fighter’s support character. Support characters vary for some fighters, but in the end they serve the same purpose – to drop helpful items and to smack around the opponent when they’re near. The extra couple of hits they add are always a welcomed bonus, especially when trying to chain together a small combo into a special.

As for the items themselves, each character always has an infinite number of light hitting throwing stars at their disposal, but there are plenty of others to cycle through like huge multiple hitting stars, health restores, chakra restores, even invisibility potions. There are plenty more items like offensive and defensive buffs. The sheer number is quite staggering and knowing when to use an item, whether in a pinch or to add some extra oomph for a finishing blow, can turn the tide of the battle. This adds some strategy in what can sometimes turn out to be some very frenzied matches.

Mode-wise, Naruto doesn’t offer anything that you haven’t seen. There’s scenario, mission, practice, and free battle, along with a shop to buy extras using the money earned from the other modes. Scenario lets you play through a character’s story over the course of a handful of matches. And with 12 characters to choose from (most need to be unlocked), you’ll have plenty of reasons to come back and play through scenario multiple times, if not only to view each person’s story, but to gain more money to spend. Practice doesn’t need any explanation, and free battle allows you to choose any two characters to face off with, which can then serve as a two player versus mode. Finally, there’s the shop where you can insert your hard-earned money into a capsule machine and hopefully get something in return like artwork, figures, info cards, and audio samples.

Speaking of audio samples, the entire cast from the television show reprises their respective roles for Ultimate Ninja giving it some authenticity. There isn’t anything better than feeling like you’re playing/watching an interactive episode or arc.

The largest blemish here is how deceptively shallow the fighting system can be. Yes there are tons of different ways to dish out damage, but there will be many times when fights will start turning into special attack fests. And I mentioned that it cuts away from the action to show the moves. Well imagine that occurring at least four or five times a fight, then stack the upgrades on top of that and you’ll find that it breaks the flow of the fight. I know the reason to use specials is to take off as much energy as possible resulting in a quicker knockout, but sometimes the animations will drag the fights out longer instead.

Adding to the shallowness is the fact that one you master one character, you’ve mastered them all. While they all have unique moves, the way they are pulled off are almost exactly the same, meaning that for the most part, each character plays the exact same way. This spells monotony for anyone who blasts through the scenario mode with all the characters. The upside is that each character is accessible to everyone who has general knowledge of the fighting system, meaning you won’t be seeing the same versus fights over and over again like in other unbalanced fighting games.

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja has everything a Naruto fan would want in a videogame – graphics that do a beautiful job mimicking the animated show while maintaining a small sense of 3D, a healthy roster that includes many fan favorites, and a frantic fighting system that emulates the wackiness and pacing of the cartoon fights. Naruto fans should pick this up immediately if they don’t already have it. However, Ultimate Ninja transcends the Naruto fandom; those who had fun playing Smash Bros. or even the little known Power Stone could easily find themselves having a blast here. It’s a fun brawler – what more could you ask for?

Shallow in some facets, but the system offers enough to keep it interesting at a fast pace.

Does a wonderful job of capturing the shows style and feel.

Has your generic punch and kick sounds, but the official show’s cast gives it an authentic air.

Blazing fast and frenetic gameplay is fun in single-player. It ramps up immensely in versus.

Everyone playing the same is disappointing, but over 10 sort of lengthy scenarios ease the pain

]]> Wed, 02 Aug 2006 21:18:00 -0500 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/yugioh_world_championship_2006_announced http://www.gamebump.com/go/yugioh_world_championship_2006_announced http://www.gamebump.com/go/yugioh_world_championship_2006_announced# Konami has announced a new card game based around the new television series, Yu-Gi-Oh! Ultimate Masters World Championship Tournament 2006.

The game will include over 2,000 cards including ones from the new GX universe and the latest Structure decks. Each game upon release will also feature three limited edition trading cards from the GX universe.

World Championship Tournament 2006 will include a few new gameplay modes such as Duel Puzzle, Limited Duel, Theme Duel and Survival Duel. Duel Puzzle has players complete specific objectives per turn to win, while Limited Duel sets restrictions on the structure of each deck and moves available. Theme Duel forces players to accomplish certain conditions to win while Survival Duel has players taking on various opponents with a limited number of life points.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Ultimate Masters World Championship Tournament 2006 is scheduled to release in March.

We've added 20 screenshots from both the PC and Xbox 360 versions of Timeshift, many of which show the game's unique arsenal in action. Maybe it's only fitting then, that we supply some details on how the weapons will work within the game, straight from Saber Interactive. Read below for more information, and enjoy the visuals.

KnuckleDusterThis small caliber one-handed pistol has excellent accuracy at all distances in primary fire mode. The primary mode shoots individual bullets with a zero blast radius and medium shot power. The ammo cartridges are small, so frequent reloading is required. Due to the small size of the cartridges, you can carry a large amount of spare ammunition. Alt-fire mode is rapid but less accurate and uses ammunition much more quickly than the primary mode.MagCannonThis weapon uses energy cells to shoot concentrated projectiles of magnesium. The two modes of fire utilize the same energy source, but have very different effects. The primary mode shoots projectiles at a medium rate of fire and is highly accurate up to medium range. The shot power is medium and the blast radius is small. This mode of fire is useful in combat situations against large numbers of mid to small-range opponents. The weapon allows for an average amount of shots before reloading. The alt-fire mode creates an extremely powerful projectile with a large blast radius. In this mode the weapon utilizes a significant portion of the internal energy cell for one shot. It is slow to fire and is best used against slow moving opponents, to pierce armor or break objects. The range of the alt-fire is considerably greater than that of the primary mode of attack.M74 BloodhoundThis shoulder-mounted rocket launcher has two unique modes of fire. The primary mode fires rockets that are effective at long range, cause high damage and have a high blast radius. The Bloodhound can only hold a small number of rockets, so you'll want to conserve ammunition and use it only against the toughest opponents. Alt-fire mode launches a guided rocket that you can aim as it flies toward its target.GearMasterThis double-barreled shotgun is extremely effective at close range. It shoots multiple pellets that spread out quickly, so its effectiveness at medium distances is limited, and at long range it is essentially useless. It has a zero blast radius, so you will not incur damage by using it at close range. This weapon reloads relatively slowly, so it is important to shoot accurately and to have room to maneuver after each shot. The Gearmaster carries a medium amount of ammunition. Alt-fire mode shoots both barrels, employing twice as many pellets for twice the damage at close range.KrossBowThis weapon shoots energy projectiles that penetrate an opponent or armor and detonates immediately. The projectiles fly at a medium-fast rate of fire and have a medium blast radius. This weapon holds a medium amount of ammunition, and requires frequent reloading. The KrossBow is extremely accurate at short to medium distances, but it will deteriorate in accuracy at greater distances. The KrossBow's alt-fire mode is as a sniper weapon. Its zoom lens allows you to target opponents from medium range.Echo RifleThis weapon is a single-shot sniper rifle. It possesses 8x zoom capabilities in alt-fire. The gun shoots large caliber projectiles that are extremely powerful and effective at long range. The weapon must be reloaded after every third shot and has a relatively lengthy reload time. The Echo Rifle is most effective in picking off opponents from a distance. It is best used against slow-moving or stationary opponents because of the difficulty in aiming in zoom mode. It is also easier to use the weapon from a stationary position and is thus not particularly useful in fast-paced combat situations.KP-HellRazerThis uzi-style weapon shoots incendiary bullets. Its alt-fire mode provides you with a close-range flamethrower. While the flames are less damaging than a bullet-burst, they are faster, have no recoil, and sow confusion and terror on groups of enemies.Stalker RifleThis automatic rifle fires powerful bullets at a high rate of fire and is extremely accurate at long distances. It has limited ammunition per cartridge and requires relatively frequent reloads. The alt-fire mode is a grenade launcher.Surge GunThis is your most powerful weapon, firing an energy charge that latches onto any enemy it comes in contact with and disintegrates them instantly. In alt-fire mode, the Surge Gun generates a massive pulse of energy that builds up until it fires and annihilates any enemy (or destructible object) in its vicinity.Clutch GrenadeClutch grenade adheres to enemies, using electro magnetic energy.Swarm GrenadeThese grenades are actually miniattack drones. When thrown, these drones deploy in the air and hover in place while firing electricity bolts at nearby opponents.

Static WeaponsIn addition to the handheld weapons and grenades you will also find static turrets in some levels of the game. Turrets can be used by you and your opponents. They are extremely lethal, and you are advised to use the TIME SHIFTING functions of your Quantum Suit to avoid their fire, or even to back an opponent out of a turret that he has recently mounted. The TimeShift world is populated by a host of opponents each with its own unique mode of attack and behavior.

]]> Fri, 07 Jul 2006 10:10:00 -0500 Tim Grube http://www.gamebump.com/go/naruto_ultimate_ninja_ships_to_stores http://www.gamebump.com/go/naruto_ultimate_ninja_ships_to_stores http://www.gamebump.com/go/naruto_ultimate_ninja_ships_to_stores# This article was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Certain formatting, imaged, and embedded content may have been lost in the transition process.

“In the wake of the tremendous success of NARUTO manga, anime and merchandise in the U.S., ‘NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja’ is set to thrill fans and gamers alike for the first time on the PlayStation 2,” said Naruo Uchida, NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.’s Product Group Director said. “‘NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja’ truly brings the exciting series to life with meticulously re-created characters engaged in fierce ninjutsu combat.

Ultimate Ninja is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB. ]]> Mon, 26 Jun 2006 15:41:00 -0500 Brian Mohr http://www.gamebump.com/go/tenchu_time_of_the_assassins_officially_announced http://www.gamebump.com/go/tenchu_time_of_the_assassins_officially_announced http://www.gamebump.com/go/tenchu_time_of_the_assassins_officially_announced# This article was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Certain formatting, imaged, and embedded content may have been lost in the transition process.

SEGA has officially announced the upcoming release of the PSP title, Tenchu: Time of the Assassins.

In the game, player will follow the ninjas, Rikimaru, Ayame, Tesshu and Rin as you follow each character through a specific storyline. Something added to the game is the free mission mode which allows players to play 50 independent missions once you beat the single-player game.

Tenchu looks to include ad hoc multiplayer support as well. Allowing gamers to play head-to-head or cooperatively. There is also a level editor giving players the ability to create their own levels and share them with others through ad hoc download.

Tenchu: Time of the Assassins is scheduled to release June 23rd, 2006.]]> Mon, 22 May 2006 20:47:00 -0500 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_ys_vi__the_ark_of_napishtim_psp1 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_ys_vi__the_ark_of_napishtim_psp1 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_ys_vi__the_ark_of_napishtim_psp1# This preview was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content. It was written by Matthew Call.

One of the common criticisms of the PSP is the lack of solid role playing games available for the system. While there were a few good RPG/action RPG games released for the handheld in 2005, none of them seemed to hit the spot necessary to satisfy hardcore RPG fans. However, there are several PSP games scheduled to hit retail shelves within the next month, including some role playing games that will hopefully fill the RPG void that currently plagues the system. Ys: The Ark of Napishtim is the first of the Spring 2006 releases to fall into the RPG category, and it has a good chance of scratching that RPG itch felt by many PSP owners.

The Ark of Napishtim is actually the fourth Ys game, however the series has typically been available only in Japan. Ys III was released on the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo while Ys I & II were released on the TurboGrafx CD so it has been awhile since North American gamers have been able to get their hands on the series. The first Ys game to land on this side of the Atlantic since the early 1990’s was last year’s PS2 release of Ys: The Ark of Napishtim. The game was well received by critics and the PSP version is almost a straight port of the PS2 game, so hopefully hardcore RPG fans will finally get the game they’ve been waiting for.

The Ys series tells the story of Adol Christin and his companion, Dogi. In this iteration of the series Adol and Dogi are on a pirate ship bound for the Great Vortex, a barrier that keeps people from traveling further west on the ocean. However, the ship is attacked by the Romun army and Adol falls into the water only to be sucked into the Vortex and deposited on a strange island called the Quartera. The Quartera is shared by a half-beast race known as the Rehda and the many humans who have been stranded on the island by the Vortex over the years. The Rehda and the humans don’t get along very well and Adol is quickly sucked into the conflict, all the while trying to find a way back home.

The gameplay in Ys is of the jump and slash variety, with the red-headed protagonist hacking and slashing his way through several platforming areas. At the end of every segment Adol must fight a boss, which varies from typical ground based foes to flying enemies and everything in between. This style of gameplay is similar to the classic Zelda games, and even uses the same overhead view typical of the early Zelda series. The PSP version also includes nine exclusive minigames that are encountered in the main storyline and are playable from the main menu after they are unlocked, adding a bit of replay value to the portable title.

Ys features a classic 16-bit RPG soundtrack which adds to the nostalgic feel of the game. The opening uses a slick anime-style cartoon to get the story rolling, and Ys also features well drawn character sketches when talking to important people and creatures. The graphics of the PSP version are remarkably similar to its PS2 brother, and the game seems to have made the jump to a portable system quite well. The only potential problem concerns the game’s loading times, which have seriously plagued several PSP games; it remains to be seen if the developers have managed to solve the loading time issues that were present in early PSP versions of Ys.

Ys should be a solid RPG for the PSP, one of many titles for the console hitting retail shelves within the next month. Soon PSP owners with a hankering for a good RPG will be able to choose from several solid looking titles. Ys may just beat out the competition with its low MSRP of $29.99 and its classic feel, as long as it doesn’t have any major technical issues. The PS2 version of the game was well received last year, and right now there’s no reason to believe the portable version won’t be an excellent addition to the PSP library.]]> Thu, 02 Mar 2006 15:36:26 -0600 Tim Grube http://www.gamebump.com/go/alawar_releases_time_breaker http://www.gamebump.com/go/alawar_releases_time_breaker http://www.gamebump.com/go/alawar_releases_time_breaker# This article was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Certain formatting, imaged, and embedded content may have been lost in the transition process.

Visit www.alawar.com to view screenshots and download the free trial version of Time Breaker. You can also purchase the full version of Time Breaker online for $19.95.

]]> Thu, 01 Dec 2005 21:52:00 -0600 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_tim_burtons_the_nightmare_before_christmas_oogies_revenge_ps2 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_tim_burtons_the_nightmare_before_christmas_oogies_revenge_ps2 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_tim_burtons_the_nightmare_before_christmas_oogies_revenge_ps2# This review was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content. It was written by Brian Mohr.

In 1993, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas came to theatres. Twelve years later, Capcom has followed up on the movie by coming out with a partial sequel for the Xbox and PlayStation 2. The game looks and sounds great, like another version of the innovative movie, but as far as a translation to games, The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie’s Revenge doesn’t completely make the cut.

In this game, players take on the role of our hero Jack Skellington one year after the events of the movie. Jack must not only save his love, Sally, but he also has to reclaim Halloweentown from Oogie and stop him from taking other holidays like Easter and Christmas.

The first thing you’ll notice in the game is that Nightmare stays close to its roots from the movie. This is wonderful as it really puts you in the environment with all the characters you’ll recognize. Some of the actual storylines from the movie were continued in the game and others were developed by Capcom, but either way they fit the game well.

This point directly reflects the graphics which are solid as Jack, Sally, Oogie, Lock, Shock and Barrel all look great. They actually move well too, although Jack doesn’t move very fast in battles. The actual environments suit the game too, but are pretty limited as to where you can go and don’t they have a lot of depth to them. Also the other enemy minions you’ll mostly battle throughout the game are quite generic.

Besides keeping with the storyline, the music and voice-acting is wonderful in Nightmare. Capcom brought back all the voice actors to make the experience authentic and it really does show. The music is also well done as Danny Elfman was involved in the project and helped in 10 songs for the game including new and memorable classics from the film. Sadly, music like “This is Halloween,” and quotes like “Soul Robber,” are way too repetitive and become irritating after a bit.

As for the actual game, Oogie’s Revenge has Jack using a weapon in his action battles called the Soul Robber. The weapon is pretty good and works well as you can hit, grab and slam enemies. The Soul Robber is also handy for swinging across ravines and grappling walls amongst other things. Another nice advantage of the weapon is that it sucks souls from the dead which allows you to accumulate unlockable rewards like art, cut-scenes and more. The controls for the weapon are simple and intuitive. One other wonderful feature in relation to Jack and weapons is that our hero can change and acquire new skills when he becomes Pumpkin King Jack or Santa Jack.

Finally, the game features a great boss fighting situation as the enemies sing to you while you battle it out. You can either fight the old-fashioned way by hacking and slashing or push specific button patterns to defeat the bosses through the power of rhythm. Although this battle sequence is a delightful change from other titles, every boss in Nightmare fights the same way so the novelty wears off.

The most noticeable problem with Oogie’s Revenge is the camera angles. In every area, the camera is locked into one specific location and you walk around - this doesn’t put you in the action at all. This is a very old technique in games and found in PlayStation One and early PlayStation 2 games; it’s surprising that this far into a gaming cycle Capcom is still going back to the olden days.

Another key problem is that the fighting action is very repetitive as you are constantly hitting and slamming generic enemies with the Soul Robber. A problem that correlates to this is that Nightmare has you constantly backtracking in the game to continue your quest as well. Many times characters will have you search out an item and then it is up to you to go back into previous levels to get it and fight the same enemies over and over again. Once you retrieve the item, you have to make your way back to where you were in the first place. This gets especially frustrating and tiresome over the 25 levels.

Finally, the game has some puzzle problems and doesn’t really give you any guidance on what to do or where to go. Occasionally you’ll have doors that are locked or webbed and you have to figure out without any guidance how to open them. They aren’t the most difficult, but you’ll find yourself wasting time for no apparent reason. This problem combined with the camera and a terrible map that doesn’t mark anything causes frustration for gamers.

Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie’s Revenge is an interesting action game even if it’s 12 years too late as it looks and sounds great, following in the movie’s style. The game features fun and innovative boss fights and your Soul Robber weapon is nice too. Those elements are solid, but Capcom didn’t perfect key aspects of the game including the terrible camera angles and repetitive fighting that causes the game to be irritating. Nightmare is decent and works well, but in the end has obvious drastic faults. The question now becomes will it be another 12 years until we see The Corpse Bride come to the consoles?

The controls are simple, the game moves slow. Lots of backtracking.The camera angles are bad.

The game looks and feels just like the movie with attractive characters and average environment

Original film’s cast and Danny Elfman give magnificent performances. Some bits are repetitive.

Tedious and repetitive fighting gets tiresome, but boss fights are fun and innovative.

25 levels, new abilities, and other unlockables, but once you beat the game that’s it.

]]> Mon, 31 Oct 2005 11:01:00 -0600 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_ultimate_spiderman_xbox http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_ultimate_spiderman_xbox http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_ultimate_spiderman_xbox# This review was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content. It was written by Eric Dayday.

The first two Spider-man games may not have been the best, but being based on the two smash movies helped them push excellent numbers out the door. Now, Activision brings the Spider-man game back to its roots – the comics, though this isn’t the Spidey most of you know. Instead, we’re introduced to the Ultimate universe, which is a retelling of the hero’s origin with a few twists here and there. So with a new look and new story, we’re given Ultimate Spider-man. Are those changes enough to carry it?

The most obvious change from the previous games is the graphics and presentation. Whereas the first two feature the look and feel of the Sam Raimi movies, Ultimate Spider-man gives us cel-shading with comic book boxes and lining. Let me say it here and now – it works so perfectly with this game and the material presented. It truly feels like you’re playing an interactive comic. The characters have thick black outlining, the sound effects are accompanied by words (think BAM! and BOOM! from the campy ‘60s Batman show), and New York City never looked better or more artistic.

Besides the visual showcase, the audio is great. The sound effects are just what you imagine a comic book would sound like with the way the punches and kicks sound when they land. But what is really superb is the writing and voiceacting. Almost all of the main characters voices fit with their personalities – Peter/Spider-man sounds timid and mild-mannered as a 15-year-old teen, but cracks wise as the troubled hero; Mary Jane speaks with a tone that reveals her confident yet sensitive and caring spirit; and Eddie Brock Jr.’s voice exudes the confusion that his current situation has placed upon him. Of course, voices are just one part of the equation; the other is the script which is just awesome. Whoever wrote this has a firm grasp of the source material. The lines are in line with what their paper counterparts would say and the highlight has to be the random lines and lame jokes Spidey spews about every five minutes. The best line has to be during Spider-man’s first encounter with Rhino.

The great writing carries over into the story as well. Considering that it follows the first few volumes of the Ultimate Spider-man comics, it’s to be expected. The story unfolds through a series of cutscenes, which make liberal use of white frames and other touches to make it seem like you’re watching a video comic book. The cel-shaded graphics, again, help this quite a lot.

The boss encounters take on some epic comic book proportions themselves. While some of them are simple beatdowns, others are thinkers. They aren’t thinkers in the sense that it takes some odd strategy to defeat them, but rather figuring out the boss’ attack pattern ala Mega Man. Unfortunately, the game gives you some blatant hints before or during the action that totally gives away the trick to defeating a boss.

A pleasant surprise is the number of cameos other characters make in the game. In the first stanza alone you’ll run into the Fantastic Four’s Human Torch, and Wolverine is even the first boss for Venom.

And yes you heard that right. Venom is a playable character, though only when the story lets you (after you beat the game you can freely switch between the two). He does play slightly different than Spidey. Spider-man has two separate buttons for punch and kick; for Venom, punch initiates melee claw attacks, while his kick button unleashes long range tentacle attacks. Also, where the right trigger lets Spidey roam the skies with his ballet-like web slinging, the right trigger shows more of Venom’s brute force side as it allows him to leap huge distances, reminiscent of the Hulk’s massive leaps in both the movie and his latest game, Ultimate Destruction.

Another different play mechanic employed while Venom is that the suit constantly drains Eddie’s lifeforce. To restore his life, you’ll need to feed on innocent people, which you can do by simply walking up to someone and hitting the left trigger. It can become an annoyance in some missions, particularly in chase missions, as it’ll cause you to lose valuable time. But, the animation is for it is awesome, which is fortunate, since you’ll be doing it quite often.

If you’ve played Spider-man 2, then the gameplay will feel familiar. Story missions are only opened up after you’ve completed a number of city goals. City goals involve saving people hanging from a ledge, stopping a bank robbery, or racing through checkpoints scattered throughout a portion of the city. After you’ve met the requirements, a new story mission will open up.

Unfortunately, those who played the second Spider-man game also know how monotonous completing the city goals can be. The reason for that is there just isn’t much variety in those missions. In fact, there are only about four more kinds of missions besides the three I listed above. What makes it even worse is that the race missions are mandatory and those are annoying beyond belief. Now, you only need to get a bronze medal in a race to have it completed, but the further you get in the game, the harder it is to achieve that goal. One slight mistake and you’ll have to restart the race. And this happens quite a bit even when you have the race layout memorized. The only race missions truly worth doing are the ones against Johnny Storm because you’ll earn a swing speed upgrade if you beat him.

And though it’s almost a carbon copy of Spider-man 2, one of the good things from that game that was left out from Ultimate Spider-man was the combat system and the ability to buy new moves. The only upgrades Spider-man gets here is an extra attack to his combos, and that’s it. No new advanced attacks to buy like his “kick climb” combo. This oversight leads to a boring combat system, which makes completing those city goals to open a new story mission all the more cumbersome.

Lastly, this game is short. Five hours and you’re done with the story. Five hours – that’s it. There are over 150 tokens scattered throughout the city, but that is just a simple fetch quest and you’ll come across more than a few of them during your adventures in the main game. You can also unlock a few different costumes, but the only one worth wanting is Spidey in the symbiote suit, and that’s only unlocked after virtually doing 100% of what the game has to offer. And trust me the joy of swinging through the city and stopping a crime here and there gets old after a while.

Ultimate Spider-man needs to be experienced by webheads and comic book fans alike, but for everyone else, there just doesn’t seem to be enough for a full out purchase; it’s more of a weekend rental. The graphics are wonderful, the voiceacting and writing is far above average, and the chance to play as both Spider-man and Venom is something fans will love. However, the cumbersome game progression, sometimes boring combat, and very short main game kill anything else the game had going for it.

Stilted game progression and boring combat offset the joy of swinging free above New York City.

Captures the comic-book look perfectly.

The solid delivery of the lines is supported by the superb script, but the music is lacking.

The game is definitely fun until you need to finish off city goals to progress the story.

The game is short and after that it's just finding tokens. Free-roaming with Venom is awesome.

]]> Mon, 10 Oct 2005 21:29:00 -0500 Brian Mohr http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_ultimate_spiderman_ps21 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_ultimate_spiderman_ps21 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_ultimate_spiderman_ps21# This preview was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content.

Despite not having another Spiderman movie coming out, Activision is looking to bring the pop culture and updated version of the webslinger to life with Ultimate Spiderman. The game is going for a complete comic experience and even tries to mimic techniques from the comic.

Graphically you'll see a serious resemblance towards the comic book as you'll see pop up comic storyboards and paneling that tell the story as you progress. The graphics also show a much more comic element as they have muscle definition for Peter Parker. The comic look real does payoff and certainly should impress the comic fan in everyone.

The controls and feel of the game are more along the lines of Spiderman 2. You can still websling, webzip and more. Something a little different this time is the threat assessment meter which will tell you who all is in trouble and needs Spiderman's help. Then you must go over to them and maybe lift a car or item off of them by pounding on the trigger buttons to lift it off. Another nice addition is a halo around people and it'll go from red to white as they become less threatened.

Besides that, the game also includes the ability to play as a Spiderman villain. In Ultimate Spiderman you'll be given the option to play as Venom. He has a completely different style of play than Spiderman as his goal is to beat people up and raise havoc to stay alive. Even when he falls to the ground, his body cracks the streets. The controls for Venom are completely unique as he is bigger and more difficult to maneuver than the quick webslinger.

Activision is stating that there are approximately the same amount of missions for both characters. The game also focuses more on strategies to beat your opponent where you'll have to interact with the environment to take out an enemy. You won't just be able to wail on them anymore.

The two intertwined storylines for good and bad along with a more interactive environment should make Ultimate Spiderman a new and very exciting experience come fall. The game looks and feels great and doesn't have the repetitive side missions that were seen in Spiderman 2. Add that to the complete comic book look and this will certainly make players feel that this truly is the Ultimate Spiderman game.]]> Sun, 22 May 2005 15:12:00 -0500 Tim Grube http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_shogun_warrior_realtime_conflict_ds1 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_shogun_warrior_realtime_conflict_ds1 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_shogun_warrior_realtime_conflict_ds1# This preview was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content.

There aren’t many real-time strategy games for the Nintendo DS as of yet. But Namco and developer Box Clever, wants to change that by releasing Shogun Warrior: Real-Time Conflict for the Nintendo DS in October. What makes this title stand out the most is the fact that gamers will be able to utilize the Nintendo DS touch-screen features. To add onto its replay value, Namco will pack in several mini games such as Forest Duels, Castle Siege, Sea Battle, and Ninja Battle, while several more that have not yet been announced.

As stated above, gamers will be able to use the DS’s touch-screen functionality by planning out the strategy on how you’re going to attack your enemy and then you can watch it in full 3D in the top screen. I find that to be pretty cool, since it is kind of difficult to play a real-time strategy game like this one on a handheld.

The goal of the game is to conquer all neighboring armies and become the ultimate ruler of Japan. Once Japan is conquered, you will unlock the secret to the legend of the lost army of rebel monks. Wireless functionality is also integrated so you can play with up to 8 friends in several skirmishes.

Namco plans to show this one off at the upcoming E3 Expo. Expect more very soon.

With ]]> Mon, 18 Apr 2005 19:08:00 -0500 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_timesplitters_future_perfect_xbox http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_timesplitters_future_perfect_xbox http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_timesplitters_future_perfect_xbox# This review was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content. It was written by Chuck Landry.

The team over at Free Radical would have a hard time shaking the title “the makers of Goldeneye for the Nintendo 64.” But if your development studio had that label, would you mind? Of course not – because Goldeneye (developed by Rare employees who later broke off to create Free Radical) is generally accepted as the best N64 game that ever was. The reason I mention this is that everybody who’s anybody has played Goldeneye at some time (if not, go find a used N64 and a copy). Therefore, everybody should have a good idea of how the Timesplitters series plays once it’s in your hands. Timesplitters: Future Perfect is the third in the series that began on the PS2, and is essentially very much like the famous 007 game in terms of the controls, pace, and core gameplay mechanics.

Of course, Timesplitters doesn’t follow the exploits of an agent of espionage. Instead it revolves around Sergeant Cortez – space marine extraordinaire. Cortez is always trying to keep the time crystals away from evil mutant monsters called (you guessed it) timesplitters. Each Timespliiters game sends players back and forth through different eras on a mission to collect the time crystals before they fall into the wrong hands. These are first-person shooter games that are fast, colorful, and frantic – and most importantly never take themselves too seriously.

Timesplitters: Future Perfect is the third game in the series, and while it will be familiar to veterans of the sequence, it does add a few twists to the gameplay experience. For one thing, past games had players take control of characters living in each particular time period, taking on their forms. In the newest game, players will be Cortez throughout the entire story. But don’t fret – that doesn’t mean the game isn’t chock full of quirky new characters that will assist you (or defy you). In fact, don’t be surprised to see plenty of cameos from returning favorites like Harry Tipper (Austin Powers wannabe) and Khallos (cat-stroking maniacal fool bent on world domination). And monkeys.

Yes, monkeys. As previously mentioned, the Timesplitters games aren’t to be taken seriously. How can you take a game seriously that features a multiplayer mode called “Monkey Assistant” which unleashes a crack team of assassin monkeys into the foray armed with machine guns whenever someone falls behind in the scores? Or a mode where you race Khallos’ remote control cat around makeshift courses, effectively making you stare at it’s puckered (this is a family website) the whole time, as it bangs into walls and screeches, meows, and tips over constantly? There’s humor here for everyone. Some of the jokes are subtle, such as when your partner disguises you as a doctor and tells you, “Remember, your name is Gordon.” And then there’s the opposite end of the spectrum: Harry Tipper dresses as a woman and henceforth walks around with his elbows at his waist and his hands waving around in front of him, later being hit on by a male guard. If anybody plays through the entire game (and multiplayer modes) without laughing, stick a mirror in front of his or her mouth and see if it fogs up. It’s not that Timesplitters: FP is hilarious, but the zaniness certainly makes the experience more enjoyable.

The graphics on Timesplitters: FP are improved over the previous versions. They are incredibly vibrant and colorful. Each game in the series has been known for moving at a gloriously smooth framerate, although they are never graphics akin to Half-Life 2 or Halo (either one). Still, refinements have been made over the years, and the environment textures seem much more detailed this time around – especially on the island level and the haunted house. There are also some new special distortion effects throughout the game. They may not be technically demanding, but the effect when the mothership explodes on level one, or anytime you throw a time grenade or use the manipulator is impressive. The game showcases the usual assortment of different levels and time periods, ranging from Khallos’ secret base, to a moving train, to a haunted mansion, to a Terminator 3 robot war, to the earlier part of the 20th century. It’s all here to ensure the environments never get too stale.

Everything is pretty exaggerated in the universe Free Radical created – especially the characters. Still, there is a noticeable improvement in the character models over those of yesteryear. There are definitely more polygons being spent on each person, especially noticeable in their faces. You can really see this in Cortez’s expressions, which are often priceless. When he unwittingly signals the Navy to begin their artillery barrage on the island he needs to retrieve a time crystal from, you can read the “Damn, am I an idiot” look in his face once he realizes his mistake.

Whole body animations are also superb, as always, providing evidence of a development team that had way too much fun doing motion-capture. Why else would the entire ending credits roll while a disco dancing Cortez cuts loose on a glowing dance floor in the background? Plus, enemies always react to hits appropriately, reeling around, grabbing their wounds or what have you. This is something Free Radical has always done well since the Bond game, and still seems painfully missing from several first-person shooters, such as the Red Faction games where enemies don’t react at all when hit (until they die, that is). Characters are further brought to life with appropriate voiceacting. That isn’t to say it is Hollywood caliber, but it suits the game perfectly. There is certainly talent, and the voices feel right at home with each character.

The storyline in Timesplitters is nothing too special, but is great for the game’s overall tone. It’s essentially the same thing as before, visit the past, visit the future, and visit the distant past, the distant future, etc. to gather all of the time crystals. Future Perfect does introduce some Back to the Future situations that make you question the logic of how the same person could be two places at once because of time travel. Try not to think about it too much when you run into your future self, or your head might explode. However, this does mean you’ll have a good idea of where you’re about to be and what you’ll soon be doing…before you actually go and do so. Now I’m confused again. Suffice it to say, there’s even one point where you’ll see no less than four Cortez’s in the same room, and you will (eventually) control each one.

In addition to the single-player mode (which can be played cooperatively split-screen), Timesplitters: FP comes with tons of extras. You can play the various challenges to earn medals, which unlock cheat codes (like “Viking hats” or “thin players”). These range from the aforementioned “cat racing” to breaking every plate in a restaurant with bricks, to knocking the heads off of zombies. Easily the strangest one asks you to keep battery-powered cyber monkeys dancing on the disco floor with the electrotool weapon, careful not to let them run out of juice (or over-juice them to death). Cyber monkeys were (according to the developers’ note in the game) “inevitable, really.”

Arcade mode also returns, which lets players without Xbox Live (or any real friends) play multiplayer against bots. The other reason is of course to unlock more cheats and awards. As usual, Timesplitters delivers its normal fare of multiple game types rather than limiting the options to simply “Deathmatch” or “CTF.” I don’t have the space to describe each type, suffice it to say there should be at least a couple that strike your fancy. You can unlock 150 different characters for use in arcade mode or online. Everything is possible, from Cortez, to henchman, to zombies, monkeys, a bear, and even a robot with a fish tank on his head. Xbox Live also works very well, and it’s about time the series went online. Finding a game is easy enough, although I was kicked out of one after only one match. I can only assume that the players didn’t like that I constantly honked the horn of the jeep before I ran them over from behind. At least I gave them a warning. Sore losers.

Timesplitters: Future Perfect does a lot of things right, both in its single and multiplayer modes. The single-player game is funny, incredibly charismatic, and a blast to play. Plus, it lets you play the actual game cooperatively, rather than limiting the experience to separate mini-missions. My complaint, then, is that it is over too quickly. You’re looking at a story mode that would be possible to complete in one sitting, although we’re realistically talking about two or three sessions.

Also, in the cooperative play I ran into one problem. Although the mode itself is a great treat, on some levels a friend and I became very disoriented due to the “warping” of whichever player is lagging behind when the other makes progress to a certain point. I found these “points” too frequent, and at one time I was warping back and forth so quickly and often that I was completely confused about which direction I was facing and which room I ended up in.

While on Xbox Live, I also found it difficult to understand just how the game wants you to select your character model. You can only choose it before joining a server, and once there, cannot change it without exiting. Even so, sometimes I’d join a server only to end up playing as a random character other than the one I’d selected. I’m still not sure how the game decides when to choose for you. I also am a bit disappointed to see that, so far, it’s an exercise in patience to get players to join a server for one of the stranger gametypes. Getting players for Deathmatch is a cinch, but try starting a Gladiator server, and prepare to wait a while. Still, the game hasn’t been out very long yet, so here’s hoping we get more diverse players to pick it up from stores.

Oh, and why is there a Half-Life 2-ish manipulator gun in the game if you only use it once or twice?

Timesplitters: Future Perfect is a worthy successor to the series. The graphics show a noticeable improvement, and still run at what feels like 1,000 frames per second. You don’t realize how big a difference that can make to a game until you see it in action. It plays with that familiar Goldeneye style, which is great, plus it’s full of slapstick humor and just random oddness. In other words, it’s simply a good time for any FPS fan. The single-player story might be over quickly, but there are still hours of challenges to complete, and that’s before you even connect to Xbox Live. Free Radical isn’t going anywhere for a long while.

Varied, frantic, and wonderful

A step up from last time. Still not on par with the latest games

Great voice work and sound effects. No complaints here.

There’s a ton to do. Combat is engaging, the game makes you laugh, and monkeys dance the disco

Xbox Live certainly helps, but so does coop play and the range of crazy challenges.

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