Qore Annual Subscription ($24.99)
Qore: Presented by the PlayStation Network is a monthly interactive video production covering the world of PlayStation. Qore provides its audience with exclusive behind-the-scenes access to developers and their games, from both the SCE Worldwide Studios and the third-party community, where the audience member can freely navigate through the content.
File size: 1.17 GB

Qore Episode 09: February, 2009 ($2.99)
Episode 09 of Qore: Presented by the PlayStation Network kicks off Spring training with an inside look at MLB 09 The Show and demonstrates Resident Evil 5’s co-op gameplay with new QoreVision technology.
File size: 1.17 GB

Pulse 2/12 Edition (free) (also available from PSP storefront)
PULSE presented by the PlayStation Network is a free high definition video showcase of what’s happening right now on PlayStation. Featuring new game releases, demos, movie and television arrivals available for your PS3 and PSP systems, PULSE is a fast-paced new source to keep you connected and informed about the world of PlayStation.
Hosted by Christina Lee.
File size: 269 MB (HD) 446 MB (1080)

Flower ($9.99)
Flower lets you take control of the wind as you explore and navigate beautiful, lush environments using only the SIXAXIS motion controls. This is an interactive escape that takes you on an emotional journey like no other game you’ve ever experienced.
ESRB Rated E
File size: 628 MB

NBA Live 09 All Star Weekend (free)
Get up-to-date for NBA All-Star Weekend 2009 from Phoenix, Arizona with the official jerseys and court. This free update pack includes the official All-Star Weekend Court and official East and West All-Star game jerseys for All-Star 2009.
File size: 39 MB

LUMINES Supernova Classic Pack ($4.99)
This LUMINES Supernova download pack contains special classic skins!
File size: 136 MB

Disgaea 3 - Disgaea 2 Sacrebleu Set with Free Theme! ($5.99)
This package file adds new custom characters Tink, Yukimaru, and Priere. The download pak also comes with a free bonus item, a Priere theme for your PLAYSTATION 3!
File size: 1.23 MB

Disgaea 3 - Priere ($1.99)
This package file adds a new custom character called Priere. Purchase the Disgaea 2 Sacrebleu Set and get a free Priere theme!
File size: 1.22 MB

Disgaea 3 - Tink ($1.99)
This package file adds a new custom character called Tink from Disgaea 2. Purchase the Disgaea 2 Sacrebleu Set and get a free Priere theme!
File size: 1.22 MB

Disgaea 3 - Yukimaru ($1.99)
This package file adds a new custom character called Yukimaru from Disgaea 2. Purchase the Disgaea 2 Sacrebleu Set and get a free Priere theme!
File size: 1.22 MB

Rock Band

• “Creepin’ Up the Backstairs” - The Fratellis ($1.99)
• “Flathead” - The Fratellis ($1.99)
• “Henrietta” - The Fratellis ($1.99)
• The Fratellis Pack 01 ($5.49) - Build your Rock Band library by purchasing this song game track pack: The Fratellis Pack 01. This pack includes: “Creepin’ Up the Backstairs,” “Flathead,” and “Henrietta” by The Fratellis.

File sizes: 26 MB - 35 MB (singles), 90 MB (track pack)

Guitar Hero World Tour

• “Wonderwall” by Ryan Adams ($1.99)
• “New Slang” by The Shins ($1.99)
• “Drive” by Incubus ($1.99)
• Acoustic Track Pack ($5.49) - Downloadable Track Pack for Guitar Hero World Tour featuring “Drive” by Incubus, “New Slang” by The Shins, and “Wonderwall” by Ryan Adams. Please Note: Many songs are available both as singles and as part of a Track Pack, so please carefully consider your purchases before downloading.

File sizes: 40 MB - 41 MB (singles), 119 MB (track pack)

MotorStorm: Pacific Rift
This new MotorStorm: Pacific Rift demo offers both a single player and a split screen multiplayer race, but this time we let the veterans of MotorStorm.com choose their favorite track, Razorback.
File size: 673 MB

Flower Trailer
File size: 93 MB (HD)

Flower Developer Diary
File size: 231 MB (HD)

LocoRoco 2 Launch Trailer
File size: 66 MB (HD)

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue - The Ride Of Your Life
File size: 172 MB (HD)

Tekken 6 Call To Arms Trailer
File size: 12 MB (SD) 48 MB (HD)

GTI Club+ Trailer
File size: 48 MB (HD)

Brain Challenge Expansion Pack
File size: 86 MB (1080)

50 Cent: Blood On The Sand Trailer #1
File size: 45 MB (HD)

50 Cent: Blood On The Sand Trailer #2
File size: 34 MB (HD)

50 Cent: Blood On The Sand Trailer #3
File size: 37 MB (HD)

Rent: Live on Broadway Blu-ray Disc Trailer
File size: 38 MB (1080)

Flower Theme (free)
File size: 1.79 MB

LocoRoco 2 The Planet Theme (free)
File size: 2.04 MB

PAIN: The Hoff Theme (free)
File size: 1.97 MB

Prier Custom Theme free with Disgaea 2 Sacrebleu Set ($0.99)
File size: 1.43 MB

Magic Ball Theme (free)
File size: 2.20 MB

Mahjong Tales: Ancient Wisdom Theme (free)
File size: 3.11 MB

Cuboid Theme (free)
File size: 1.99 MB

Anime MBM Theme ($0.99)
File size: 3.48 MB

Valentine Hearts Theme ($1.49)
File size: 5.18 MB

Fractal Hearts Theme ($1.49)
File size: 5.63 MB

Valentine Angels Theme ($1.49)
File size: 6.60 MB

Flower Wallpaper
File size: 220 KB (SD) 504 KB (1080)

Game Love Wallpaper
File size: 414 KB (1080)

* Pulse 2/12 Edition (free) (also available from PS3 storefront)
PULSE presented by the PlayStation Network is a free high definition video showcase of what’s happening right now on PlayStation. Featuring new game releases, demos, movie and television arrivals available for your PS3 and PSP systems, PULSE is a fast-paced new source to keep you connected and informed about the world of PlayStation.
Hosted by Christina Lee.
File size: 269 MB

* LocoRoco 2 Trailer
File size: 9.73 MB

* LocoRoco 2 Planet Theme (free) (also available from PS3 storefront)
File size: 372 KB

* Anime MBM 1 ($0.99) (also available from PS3 storefront)
File size: 443 KB

* Anime MBM 2 ($0.99) (also available from PS3 storefront)
File size: 494 KB

* Valentine Hearts ($1.49) (also available from PS3 storefront)
File size: 310 KB

NCsoft has released new screenshots of Aion: Tower of Eternity for the PC. There are no details of the North American release as the date is still unconfirmed.

Hit the link to view more images.

"We are pleased to bring our highly successful WWE SmackDown vs. RAW franchise to next generation consoles," said Kelly Flock, executive vice president, worldwide publishing, THQ. "As the publisher of the number one wrestling video game brand in the world, we are eager to take this franchise to new heights by offering the game to current generation, next generation and handheld gamers."

"We are excited about the next groundbreaking release in the multimillion dollar SmackDown vs. RAW franchise," said Nelo Lucich, vice president of interactive, JAKKS Pacific. "WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2007 combines ambitious, exciting features, such as the interactive fighting area within the crowd and a brand new analog control grappling system, which enhance the WWE video game experience. We are confident this debut will offer a compelling sports entertainment experience for the next generation of gamers."

WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2007 is expected to make its debut on both current and next generation gaming systems beginning this fall.

The game is expected to be based on the feature movie coming out from Nickelodeon and Paramount Pictures. In the game, players will play the role of Wilbur the pig or Templeton the rat as they explore four different worlds including the junkyard, Zuckerman's barn, the countryside and the county fair. Throughout your journey, you'll interact with various other characters from the film including Charlotte, Gussy the goose and more.

Charlotte's Web is expected to ship Fall 2006 for the Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance and PC.

Echoes of Faydwer is the third expansion pack for EverQuest II, and introduces a new playable race, The Fae.  An enchanted race of winged creatures, the Fae dwell on the continent of Faydwer, in the arboreal city of Kelethin, the new starting city being added to this latest chapter in the EQII saga.  Echoes of Faydwer includes over 350 new quests, a new selection of profession hats, cloaks, armor, and new horse mounts available to players of all levels.  EQII players will encounter over 40 new types of creatures to face, more than 20 new zones and adventure areas, and will be able to compete against other players for new PvP (Player vs. Player) rewards, plus all-new items, equipment, spells and tradeskill recipes.  The Achievement system introduced in the Kingdom of Sky expansion has been enhanced to include additional sub-class abilities, allowing players to further customize their characters' abilities.

Developed in conjunction with SOE's Taiwan studio, The Fallen Dynasty Adventure Pack promises to deliver the same downloadable story-rich content seen in the previously released The Bloodline Chronicles and The Splitpaw Saga, but this time with Asian influenced adventure zones, weapons, tradeskill rewards, as well as all new quests. The Fallen Dynasty introduces EQII players to a mysterious city shrouded in secrets and once ruled by a powerful entity.  The Whistling Fist, an ancient order of monks, guard its veiled past, but seek adventurers brave enough to explore the mysteries of this forgotten civilization.

• New playable race - The Fae
• New starting location - Kelethin
• Over 350 all-new quests
• Content and zones available for players of all levels (1 - 70)
• Cloaks that can be worn by your player character 
• All-new Profession Hats and Armor
• Over 20 new adventure zones
• Over 40 new types of creatures
• New rewards for PvP (Player vs. Player) combat
• New player housing, items, equipment, spells and tradeskill recipes
• Levels for Guilds raised from 50 to 60

• Heroic and epic encounters available for players of level 55-70
• All-new weapons and items with a unique look and flair
• All-new quests and storylines
• Seven unique adventure areas
• Asian-influenced style and design
• Available via digital download only
• Station Access players with EQII will receive as part of their subscription

"We are thrilled to bring this next installment of the WWE to Xbox," stated Philip Holt, senior vice president, product development, THQ. "Defending a Championship Belt online is something that the wrestling fans have been asking for and we're excited to deliver this feature that will create an online wrestling community that's above and beyond anything we've seen in the wrestling genre before."

"It is exciting to bring this great spectacle in sports entertainment to WWE videogame fans," said Nelo Lucich, Vice President of Interactive, JAKKS Pacific, Inc. "WrestleMania 21 is the best looking wrestling game to date, with Superstar moves and animations that really come to life because of the amazing motion-capture technology that was utilized in the making of the game."

Capcom has announced at its Gamers’ Day Event in Las Vegas that Power Stone Collection, a compilation of classic Dreamcast brawlers Power Stone and Power Stone 2, will be arriving on the PSP later this year.As well as featuring perfect conversions of the old favourites, the game will add wireless multiplayer for up to four players with only one copy of the game. The four extra characters from Power Stone 2 will also be made available in the original, and a number of other enhancements and minigames can also be expected.For those who never played the Dreamcast originals, they’re 3D arena-based fighting games which don’t have a lot of depth, but more than make up for it with interactive environments and objects that you can hurl at opponents as you do your best to beat the living snot out of each other. Power Stone 2 adds support for up to four players and even more different stages to each level, as well as a story mode featuring giant bosses that players have to work together to take out.The eponymous power stones are gems that have the power to turn your character into and even more powerful version of themselves, complete with devastating super moves, when you manage to collect three of them without getting hit and dropping one.The first screenshots of the game are available below. It looks to be an accurate port, so this should definitely be one to watch.  Update: added the recent trailer.

Download the DivX Browser Plug-In.

]]> Sat, 18 Feb 2006 14:20:00 -0600 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_wwe_smackdown_vs_raw_2006_psp http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_wwe_smackdown_vs_raw_2006_psp http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_wwe_smackdown_vs_raw_2006_psp# 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.

When Sony announced the PlayStation Portable at E3 in May 2004 they claimed that games for the system wouldn’t just be ports of PlayStation 2 games and instead would just be new games. Despite Sony’s desire to have original content, some developers have decided to bring out ports any way and such is the case with WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2006. Is it just another port or is it an exception to the rule?

Usually you’ll find that most ports on a handheld system are a stripped down to the bare essentials version of the console game, but that is not the case with Smackdown Vs. Raw. This game features every mode seen in the PlayStation 2 version; whether you want to play Royal Rumble, Cage Match, Buried Alive, Fulfill Your Fantasy or any of the others, they are all packed into this little UMD. Aside from that, the game just about includes every wrestler from Raw and Smackdown as well as many of the wrestlers you may remember growing up with like Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan and Jake the Snake, although most of these grapplers need to be unlocked.

As for the gameplay in 2006, the controls are pretty solid and if you’ve played the Smackdown series before they are very familiar. Related to the controls are all the moves that are available in the game. Players can still pull off reverses and finishers although you will see certain moves used a lot more. One addition not seen in the series before is the stamina meter. During a match your player will eventually tire out and slow down, but with the simple holding down of the select button your stamina will improve and this can have a direct result on the outcome of the match.

Obviously the matches feature a lot of depth, but it doesn’t end there as the game also includes a season mode, GM mode, and create-a-player. The season mode sadly only allows you to play through one full season, but it does include multiple storylines with voice talent from the stars.

The GM mode on the other hand allows players to set up matches for either Smackdown or Raw wrestlers and work the business angle. This mode has you create exciting matchups for ratings and money and even allows you to jump in and play the matches when you so desire.

One thing completely utilized for the PSP is the game’s connectivity to the PlayStation 2 version. This is a very nice feature as it will allow you to switch your game back and forth during a season. Although create-a-player is problematic on the PSP due to load times, players can transfer that data over as well. One last thing is that Smackdown Vs. Raw includes ad hoc wireless support, but of course that means you’ll need up to four friends close by who all have the game as there is no game-sharing feature.

The biggest problem in Smackdown Vs. Raw has to be the load times. Last time we saw such problematic times was in Rockstar’s Midnight Club 3. The load times here are very long and average at least between 30 to 60 seconds. Beyond that, if you decide to go into create-a-player, every alteration you make takes forever to load so thus this option is almost unplayable on the handheld.

Another slight drawback in the game is the graphics which are hit and miss throughout. The arenas and crowds are rather poor quality while the character models are decent as you can tell each superstar apart, but the polygons on the wrestlers are still a bit rough and their movements are slightly choppy. The one good thing I can say about the graphics is that the cut-scenes are very impressive and that adds to the excitement leading up to the match.

Worse than the graphics is the commentary which is largely absent from the game except in season mode, but even there it’s quite rare. In-game there is just about no commentary although there are some sound effects, but nothing that really stands out. The music fits the wrestling atmosphere I suppose, but isn’t all that memorable.

One last issue in the game is the three mini-games that are featured. They include Texas Hold ’Em, Airplane with Eugene and a trivia game. Texas Hold ‘Em is slow and dull; Airplane is just idiotic to say the least; and the trivia is very simplistic. Unlike many other PSP games where the mini-games add something to the experience, these just seemed like a last second thought for the developers in order to make the product different from its console counterpart.

Overall WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2006 is a solid game for the PlayStation Portable especially considering they brought over every conceivable option to the handheld sans online play. The problem with this though is that unlike its console brethren, the PSP edition features extremely long and frustrating load times that really hurt the final product. Nevertheless, Smackdown Vs. Raw offers a lot for players and if you like wrestling or enjoy the series, this is definitely a game to grapple with for a while. 

Controls are familiar if you’ve played the Smackdown series before.

Arenas and crowds are poor while character models are average. Cut-scenes are very impressive.

The voice-acting that is present is solid, but it is meager while commentary is missing.

It's fun for any wrestling fan and offers a lot to do; load times really drag it down.

There is a lot of replay value as every game mode featured in the PS2 version is here.

]]> Sun, 29 Jan 2006 13:56:00 -0600 Aaron Dunlap http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_kameo_elements_of_power_360 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_kameo_elements_of_power_360 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_kameo_elements_of_power_360# This review was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content.

It seems like a story we're hearing more and more lately. Here is a game that Rare has been trying to put out for years now, beginning its life as a concept sheet for a Nintendo 64 follow-up to Rare's very successful Banjo-Kazooie, moved to the backburner for the sake of developing more sequels, and was to be born anew on the GameCube before Microsoft bought Rare; the objective failure of Grabbed by the Ghoulies probably made men in suits reconsider whether Rare should be making platform/adventure games or not. Finally, when the Xbox 360 was sent into development, Rare was handed the chance to make both a new Perfect Dark game and any other title they wanted. Finally, Kameo was given her wings.

Kameo: Elements of Power is unique in its genre-bending ways. It could be considered a platformer if you accept the more contemporary definition of the title – cute little heroes blowing enemies apart with engaging and creative weapons. Even still, that's not quite what we have here. You could also consider Kameo an action-RPG in the swing of Legend of Zelda in the way you add abilities and attacks to your repertoire. Whatever you consider it, it's these things for certain: a launch title for the Xbox 360, and a game made by Rare. Take that how you will.

This game exists in a fantastic world where two major factions live: elves and trolls. Kameo is an elf, daughter of the benevolent ruler of the elves who – until recently – had secured a truce between the mean green trolls and the kindly elven types. Kameo, being first in line for the throne, is given a great power. She can control and embody creatures known as "ancient warriors," somewhat-elemental characters who can pack a serious punch in a battle.

As the game begins, Kameo's sister has joined forces with the trolls and released a great evil in the land. Kameo's family is kidnapped, so she sets out on her own (sort of) to rescue them.

At this point, Kameo has the ability to transform into three different warriors, and right away you pick up on how they'll all be used differently to accomplish your goal. In a pretty unusual twist (forgoing the staple adventure game ritual of starting you off in a pleasant forest and slowly raising the tension), you begin the gameplay in a full assault on a castle bristling with trolls in an attempt to rescue Kameo's family.

Kameo herself is pretty helpless. She can perform a pathetic kick at the cost of some spirit points, so to be of any use she has to transform into warrior spirits. Each of these spirits has his own purpose, which becomes apparent almost immediately.

One of the three warriors you can become is Chilla, a powerful ice monster who can climb walls of ice, hurl icicles like spears, and grab an enemy and drop him onto the ice spikes sticking out of his back where they'll stay until you either throw them like spears, or use them like clubs. Loads of fun.

Another warrior in your arsenal is a walking flower who can jab faster than Ali and can burrow underground to bypass some obstacles, and a rolly-polly-esq creature who can roll into a ball to travel through pipes and launch off of ramps. You'd think all this transforming back and forth to solve each puzzle would become a bore, but it's exercised in a simplistic way that really makes you feel like you can do anything you want rather than forcing you to spill through endless menus before you can do anything cool.

After some pretty harrowing adventures in infiltrating this castle, you reach your kidnapped family just in time to get smacked around like a punk and have all your warriors taken away from you. You wake up at home, in a pleasant forest at last, where tension can slowly mount. A mystic explains that your warrior spirits are all gone, but you still have the power to acquire them, so if you want to rescue your family you'll have to bounce all over creation to find the "warrior sprites" (cute little animal critters that represent the warrior spirits you can absorb). All this, and a war has just been waged by the trolls on the elf territories. Watch your step.

And so the real heart of the story begins. You'll have to explore several themed environments, find the warrior sprites, battle the shadow spirits that are keeping them from you, use the warrior's unique abilities to proceed through interesting puzzles, fight gigantic boss monsters, and free all the members of your family. If that sounds mundane, at least there are no sacred rings or jems or jewels or triforce pieces to collect. In fact, the only things you really need to collect are gigantic berries that can be used to unlock or improve the abilities of the warriors you posses.

My favorite element (10 points for referencing the game's title in passing!) of the game is how brilliantly all of your warriors' abilities are used together not only to solve obtuse puzzles (that would be boring) but even to defeat some of the most basic of enemies. Shortly into the game, you'll encounter some trolls that carry giant wooden shields and hide behind them to block all of your attacks. Fortunately, you've got Rubble, a warrior made of a pile of rocks that he can hurl in any direction and have them magically roll back to rejoin his "body". So, you could chuck a rock up and over the shielded trolls, and when they roll back to you, they'll smack the troll from behind and open him up for an attack from one of your more assailant warriors. Small tricks like this are abundant, but the game never beats you over the head with them so you really start to feel like you're a star when you figure them out all by yourself.

Boss battles are even more elaborate. One of the first battles is against a giant tree who'll attack you with vines and shake trolls from his... err.. hair (leaves) who'll all gang up on you. You'll have to use your burrowing plant warrior to dig out explosive shells, launch them at the tree, and then when the tree starts laughing you have to turn into Rubble and shoot a rock into its open mouth to finally damage it. If this becomes too much to figure out, you can get guidance from your “wotnot” book, which also acts as your menu/inventory system.

As far as graphics go, well, it's hard to say – as this is one of the first games for the Xbox 360 and the only one that isn't trying to look photo-realistic. The adolescent or storybook feel of the environments are pulled off well, most characters are all very well-defined and some of the environments can knock your socks off with all that's going on. I'm sure in a few yearsthat Kameo's graphics will be the butt of many jokes, but they're a lot better than anything you'd see on the Xbox, definitely better than what we would have seen on the N64. As will always be the case with the 360, those without an HDTV will seriously be missing out on much of the graphical goodies. The bubbly, shiny surfaces of, well.. pretty much everything looks washed out and almost dingy on a standard television. Seriously, people, it's almost 2006. Smack down a thousand bucks on an HDTV bigger than you are and you'll never look back.

There are a few instances where the 360's power is really demonstrated, such as an early scene where you stumble onto a battleground where hundreds of trolls are attacking an army of elves. You're given a horse, which you use to (literally) plow right through the hordes of trolls. Something like that could be done on a current-generation console with some programming cheats or graphical shortcuts, but to see it pulled off with such ease on the 360 is breathtaking.

For all the time spent developing this game, it's disappointing to see some of the pratfalls so often seen in launch titles like these, which are obvious signs of development rushing to get the game out along with the system. Towards the end, the tight stitches holding the game together start to loosen. Boss battles go from intriguing to frustrating as the control scheme changes abruptly for later characters, environments start to lose their graphical flair, and the game ends just when you start to feel like you're in command.

You couldn't really call this game short, but with just over 10 hours of actual gameplay, it does seem to end before you'd think it would. Personally, I don't mind a short game as long as the ending feels as good as the beginning, so it's a small complaint.

There is also somewhat of a multiplayer mode. As you beat certain levels in the single player campaign, you can go through them with a friend, but it never feels as good as it should. A mode where you could battle against a friend with the warriors you've unlocked versus the warriors he's unlocked (a la Pokemon) would have been a really fun addition, or a time-trial mode where you have to get through various warrior puzzles before your opponent wouldn't be bad either. What we have now is just a last-minute addition to satisfy Microsoft's unwritten rule that every game allow for multiplayer without putting too many resources on it. 

This game is easy to recommend. If you're one of those people who follow Rare's career closer than Jessica Simpson's personal life, you probably already own this game. As pretty much the only non-shooter/non-sports game on the Xbox 360, you have to get this game just for the change of pace, if not for the fantastic platformer/adventure experience or the chance to show off your Xbox 360 to your less fortunate friends. This game may seem like an obvious choice if you're buying for a youngster, though it is rated "T" for Teen on account of all the vicious ways Kameo can dispatch of nasty Trolls. Also, perhaps, for the skimpy little outfit she (and all game heroines) wears.

Most aspects of the game are completely unique. Transforming feels clunky at first.

It's the 360, so it's better than anything else out there unless your pc costs two grand.

Engaging orchestral score is picture-perfect. Top-notch audio and voiceacting, save glitches.

Retro-style puzzles and engaging platform action cures the Madden-overdose.

Co-op mode isn't all it's cracked up to be. Fun to replay to see what you missed.

]]> Wed, 21 Dec 2005 18:24:00 -0600 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/the_tower_sp_announced_for_gba http://www.gamebump.com/go/the_tower_sp_announced_for_gba http://www.gamebump.com/go/the_tower_sp_announced_for_gba#

"The Tower SP delivers a simulation-style gameplay that will be refreshing to Nintendo Game Boy Advance fans," said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President of Marketing, SEGA of America, Inc. "This game will not only challenge players' imaginations to build the coolest towers possible, but develop their management skills as well. SEGA has always delivered innovative titles that challenge gamers in new ways; The Tower SP is another feather in Sega's hat of innovation."

The Tower SP ships to retailers in March 2006.

"As the industry leader in handheld gaming, we are excited to release WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2006 as the company's first title for the PSP system," said Kelly Flock, executive vice president of worldwide publishing, THQ. "We are confident the WWE SmackDown vs. RAW franchise will flourish on the PSP system and deliver a definitive WWE video game experience for both long-time fans and newcomers to the series."

"The success of WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2006 continues with its launch on the PSP system," said Nelo Lucich, vice president of interactive, JAKKS Pacific. "With a host of game play features, an impressive roster of Superstars and exclusive content, WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2006 is one of the most comprehensive titles offered for the PSP system and lets fans experience WWE video games in an exciting new way."]]> Tue, 13 Dec 2005 12:58:00 -0600 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_wwe_smackdown_vs_raw_2006_ps2 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_wwe_smackdown_vs_raw_2006_ps2 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_wwe_smackdown_vs_raw_2006_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 WWE doesn’t have an off-season like the major sports do and thus you see a new wrestling game coming out faster than a yearly basis. The reason for that, however, is that there are different franchises for each console. The PS2 has had the Smackdown! Vs. Raw series, which fans had a good time with last year. This time, PS2-owning wrestling fans get second helping of the fun, but with an extra coat of polish that makes it one of the best wrestling games ever.

The first thing you’ll notice in WWE Smackdown! Vs. Raw 2006 are the graphics and its presentation. The character models of all the wrestlers are spot-on accurate to their real-life counterparts. All the details, from their skin and muscular definition to their eyes and facial expressions, look fantastic and are animated spectacularly. It’s not so improbable to mistake this game for a real telecast of one of their shows if you’re glancing at the TV from a distance.

What adds to the great presentation is the commentary from both teams of Jim Ross/ Jerry “The King” Lawler and Michael Cole/Tazz. Some of the things they say can and will get repetitive, but they sound natural on the mic and do go into detail if the wrestlers facing each other in the squared circle have a history. Another nice touch is that they’ll interrupt what they are saying to comment on a powerful move or unexpected counter.

The great character models carry over to the created characters you can make. Now, they aren’t as well detailed as the main roster, but when in the ring with one of them, the CAW holds its own and looks like they belong in the ring with the WWE superstar. What makes this all the more amazing is the sheer number of options laid at your fingertips when creating one. You alter head and body types, changing the sizes of almost every individual part as needed. That’s almost elementary in every “create-a-person” mode these days, but then you get to hair, skin, and facial hair styles and boy are there a lot to choose from. Then you have to cycle through hundreds of different articles of clothing and tattoos with which to adorn your virtual grappler with. And that’s just creating the look.

Next, you’ll want to create your character’s entrance. You can do so in two ways – easy creation and advance creation. With easy creation, you just pick a current superstar’s entrance (or select from a few preset edit animations), select music to come out, and lastly a movie that plays on the big screen. It really is easy, but if you use advance creation, you’ll have so much more control over it. In advance creation, you’ll be able to customize each portion of the entrance – stage, ramp, ring-in, and ring. The same animations from easy are here, but you’ll be able to mix and match the animations to create one with your own flavor. On top of that, you can control the camera placements, pyros and fireworks, and light coloring. Finally, add some music and maybe a video and your custom entrance is complete. The only bad part about it all is that you can’t preview the different parts of the entrance very quickly – the game needs to load a full portion to show it. Thus, it makes the whole creation process very slow and time-consuming. It would’ve been nice had they added small picture previews of these things, most specifically for the camera angles and pyro/fireworks. The character animations I can understand having to load for, but for those little things, it’s frustrating to sit through a good ten second load for every preview just to check out something that you may not even use.

After you’re done toying with these, you can then edit a moveset for your character, and if you’ve played the other Yuke’s developed wrestling games, you know that there are hundreds of moves to choose from. Unlike the tedious time-consuming nature of the create-an-entrance, this mode will be time-consuming because there is just so much to sift through. They have moves for almost every situation possible. Standing grapples, running grapples and strikes, ground moves, rebounds, top rope – you name it, and they’ve got it.

This brings us to SvR’s gameplay, which remains intact from Yuke’s previous games. Circle and a direction on the D-pad initiate a grapple. From there, circle and the d-pad again will perform a move. Each direction corresponds to a different move, so you can just imagine what kind of repertoire a single wrestler can have. There’s X for strike, triangle for running. The shoulder buttons take care of your reversals – L2 for strikes, R2 for reversals. Thankfully, the reversal window is a lot larger this time around, so you’ll be able to perform your fair share of reversals against the computer instead of having them being so one-sided in the AI’s favor. As you can see, series vets will feel right at home here.

Yuke’s has, however, added two new major gameplay elements – momentum and stamina. Momentum may not seem new to fans as it is the flashing bar underneath your player name on the screen and filling it enables your finisher. But filling it requires getting the crowd behind you. You can do this by performing your trademark moves that you set in your moveset, flying off the top rope, or hitting really big moves. That’s if you entered the match deciding to fight clean. If you entered and chose “fight dirty” either in your CAW’s profile or prior to an exhibition match, filling the meter has different requirements – fight with dirty moves or use a weapon on an opponent, just to name a few.

You’d thinking that just using your powerful moves repeatedly would be enough to fill your momentum meter and use that finisher of yours – and you’d be right. To balance that, Yuke’s has invoked the stamina meter. This meter depletes when a wrestler exerts himself, so using big moves over and over again will drain this fast. When it’s drained, your wrestler will double over in exhaustion. The only way to recover stamina is either by standing still in the ring or holding down select. The stamina system is a great way to balance the use of power moves to build momentum, though it can be turned off if all you want to do is hammer away on someone.

Now that we’ve gotten the basics of the gameplay, let’s check out the modes you can use them in. The first of those is the standard exhibition in which you can select any match type and square off against a friend or two or against the AI. And in following the trend of the create-a-mode, there are a great number of match types that you can compete in. Aside from the standard single and tag matches there are hardcore, steel cage, hell-in-a-call, elimination chamber, buried alive amongst a host of others. If you’ve seen it on WWE television, then it’s in here too. They’ve even added the fulfill-your-fantasy mode for the divas, which is just a modified bra-and-panties match that now includes pillow fighting and spanking. I’ll leave the rest of that to your imaginations.

When you’re done with that, it’s time to get into the meat of the SvR 2006 – season mode. Here you’ll take a superstar of your choice and take him through a whole WWE season from the summer events to the granddaddy of them all, Wrestlemania 21. The best thing about it is that there are multiple story lines, some of which are exclusive to certain characters, so playing through multiple times with different people is a must if you want to see everything season mode has to offer. That’s a good thing too since the mode itself is so short. It would have been nice to get a couple of title defenses after winning the world title at Wrestlemania.

The stars really shine here because everything is voice acted – no more crappy text menu driven season mode here. And for the most part, the voice acting is great. All of the talent did a great job here, which makes sense considering that they act as the characters on a weekly, if not nightly, basis. To ice it off even more is the fact that your CAW has a voice too in all of the cutscenes. You can choose from five voices during the character creation process. This adds more towards immersing you in the action and drama. It really does feel like you’re watching WWE’s weekly programming when you’re playing through this. Hell, some of the storylines in SvR 2006 are better written than some of the current content on the small screen.

The other meaty mode of the game is the general manager mode. With the GMs of each show becoming more important during the last few years, it was inevitable that a mode that puts you in their shoes would find its way into one its console games. Here you’ll be responsible for one show’s roster. You’ll be in charge of the booking and contracts of over 20 people at a time, so keeping track of every detail can be a little harrowing. The goal of this mode is to win the general manager of the year award. To do so, you’ll need to book matches, rivalries, and promos that further the rivalries you create to attract the audience and rake in the ratings. You can even slander the other brand in order to steal some of the other show’s fans and ratings. More ratings equal more money and more success, thus paving the way towards that GM of the year award.

Beyond that, there’s the create-your-own WWE pay-per-view and a create your own championship belt, both of which are self-explanatory. The best part of creating a belt is that you can challenge and defend them online. Online in SvR is serviceable, but the community has found ways that make playing a match rather irritating. Stack that on top of the many instances of lag, which for a timing-based game such as this is killer, and it’s not as fun as it could have been. That’s not to say that going online with this game is a bad thing, it’s just that the mileage per person will vary.

I already mentioned some bad things earlier – the tedium of preview created entrances, the brevity of the season mode, and some of the online stuff – and for the most part that’s it. The GM mode though needs some more combing over.

In short, it sounds fun, but in reality it’s a bit boring. Though you can control each of the matches you make, there’s really no point in doing so, especially since you’ll need to go through a few of them just to move on from the week. This makes the majority of the mode text-driven, which, like the rest of the major sports games out there, is quite boring. However, there is a silver lining here in that this is the first year it’s been implemented, and they already have a solid base with which to start from. It’ll be interesting to see how they further develop this mode in future installments as it has plenty of potential to become a fun mode, it just isn’t here in SvR 2006.

The last gripe I have is that Yuke has gotten the graphics and gameplay pretty much down, but the hit detection is still shoddy and there are a few clipping issues. You’ll occasionally miss a ground strike because your opponent is in his “getting up” animation, or a dive from the top rope will mysteriously miss even though it looked like it connected. The targeting system is really bad too, and with the referee a selectable target, it makes trying to avoid that DQ a little harder than it needs to be. And the belts on certain wrestlers or CAWs look odd because the person’s stomach or waist will clip right through the belt creating the image of an incomplete title. This also happens when wrestlers that differ greatly in size tie up – sometimes their arms will clip right through each other, even through heads at times. After all these years, you’d think that these problems would’ve been solved, but alas they’re still ever present.

Without a doubt, WWE Smackdown! Vs. Raw 2006 is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, wrestling game ever made. The graphics are some of the best seen on the PS2, showing that it ain’t done just yet; the amount of customization options is enormous; the gameplay was already solid as seen in previous years and Yuke’s up the ante by polishing some of the past blemishes; the season mode does an awesome job of recreating a WWE telecast; and lastly, the game is downright fun. Even if you own every other wrestling game to date, you need to add this to your collection regardless.

It’s scary how good these models look. Points off for some clipping issues.

Old system worked before, so why change it? New momentum and stamina implemented well.

Outstanding voice acting from the WWE roster. Some licensed tracks included to entertain you.

If you’re a wrestling fan, this is the most fun you’ll have short of actually being there.

Different paths and stories for some characters plus 2 shows – season mode will eat up time.

]]> Fri, 09 Dec 2005 00:24:00 -0600 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_kameo_elements_of_power_3601 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_kameo_elements_of_power_3601 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_kameo_elements_of_power_3601# 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.

Kameo: Elements of Power began its creative process over five years ago. Originally slated for the GameCube, the game’s developer, Rare, was bought by Microsoft and the game was developed for the Xbox. The game was almost complete when Rare decided to switch consoles once again, this time to the Xbox 360. After years of development, Kameo is expected to be a launch title for the 360 and should be on shelves later this month.

The protagonist, Kameo, is an elf who has the unique ability to shape-shift into 10 different elementals of power. These elementals are based on the elements of plant, water, fire, earth, and ice and are unlocked as the game progresses. Kameo, with her elemental forms, must challenge her evil sister and restore goodness to the world by battling evil trolls, orcs, and other creatures across the various levels of the game. Much of the gameplay involves the use of these elementals to solve various puzzles and eliminate the enemies who are attacking the peaceful inhabitants of Kameo’s world.

The various elementals in the game are all very distinct. The first elemental Kameo uses in the game is Chilla, a blue furry giant with spikes on his back and arms. Chilla can pick up trolls and jam them into the spikes on his back, then take them off and use them as clubs against other foes in the game. Another elemental at Kameo’s disposal is Pummel Weed, who resembles a giant Venus flytrap with the boxing abilities of Mike Tyson. Rubble is a ball of rock that rolls around the level flattening enemies. In what is certainly a nice touch, enemies who are rolled over by Rubble will sometimes become flattened and stuck to the outside of the giant rock ball. Each elemental in the game starts off with a couple of basic attack moves and there are also four unlockable attacks awaiting the player’s discovery.

Where the game really shines is in the creative use of combinations of elementals. For example, players can hose down an area with oil using Deep Blue, a giant squid elemental. Once the area is thoroughly soaked, players can then shape-shift into Ash, a fire elemental who will quickly turn the oil into a raging inferno. There are several unique combinations of the 10 elemental abilities that can be combined to create interesting possibilities for problem solving as well as dispatching enemies. Rare also focused on allowing puzzles to be solved by using more than one combination of elemental, which means players will be able to solve the puzzles the way they want to, instead of being forced to play the way the game forces them to. 

The game begins in a “lobby” world, where Kameo can explore her abilities and choose which level to play. In addition to the regular game levels there are also four battlefield action quests, which are massive battles that Kameo can jump into at any time from the game’s starting level. These battles are enormous, with literally thousands of characters fighting on the screen simultaneously. Kameo can wander around and jump into the fray at any time to turn the tide of the battle in favor of her elven kindred. These levels really show off the horsepower under the hood of the 360 as games with thousands of characters on-screen at once have yet to grace the current generation of consoles.

Kameo’s graphics are cartoony, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t cutting edge. Water effects in the game are amazingly realistic and the game also features bells and whistles like bloom effects and heat distortion. Kameo also features a fully implemented physics system that allows the player to send enemies flying in a satisfyingly realistic fashion.

The single-player portion should take gamers anywhere from 25 to 40 hours to complete, depending on whether or not they decide to unlock all the bonus content. A co-op mode is available for players sharing a 360 and co-op play over Xbox Live is currently being developed and should be available at launch or shortly thereafter.

Kameo will be one of the games to have when the Xbox 360 hits retail shelves later this month. Although the cartoony graphics and semi-cute premise of an elf girl who can transform into different creatures may drive away some gamers, the innovative gameplay created by the combinations of elementals should make this title one of the more creative games to hit the market in recent years. If you’re planning on buying a 360 and want a slick, good looking game with an interesting premise, look no further than Kameo: Elements of Power.]]> Thu, 03 Nov 2005 16:09:02 -0600 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_we_love_katamari_ps2 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_we_love_katamari_ps2 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_we_love_katamari_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.

Last year, Namco scored a surprise hit with Katamari Damacy. Actually, surprise hit might be an understatement. Who would’ve thought that a game with a decidedly Japanese flavor, very artistic and minimalist graphics, a nonsensical story, and featured overly simplistic gameplay that had you rolling anything and everything in sight using just the two analog sticks would appeal to us Americans? Well, apparently it struck most of us as entertaining and now Namco has rolled out (pun intended) We Love Katamari for us to experience it all over again. So is it fresh enough to pick up or is it just more of the same? That depends on what exactly it is you’re looking for in the sequel.

Almost everything you know and love from the original Katamari Damacy returns in We Love Katamari, which could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your point of view. Since this is the good section, we’ll focus on the good.

The graphics return unscathed. That means plenty of angular models and blocky-headed characters – they remind me of a bit of those Little People toddler toys. Of course, without those designs, we couldn’t call this a Katamari game. It’s that design and artistic styling that gives this game its own distinct personality, and WLK is bursting at the seams with personality.

Along with the graphics, the humor carries over as well. The King of All Cosmos still speaks in the plural first person, in-game characters crack jokes about being rolled up, and the Prince, whom you control, continues to be belittled about his diminutive size. But, don’t worry, those that do will get what’s coming to them after they’re rolled up in a ball the size of a two-story house.

The story also carries a lot of the humor, though calling it a “story” is stretching it. Try as hard as they could to make any sense as to why the Prince is rolling stuff up, it’s still not a story. In the first one, the King of All Cosmos “accidentally” destroys all the stars in the sky (in the Japanese version, it’s alluded to that the King destroyed them while on a drunken bender) and the Prince has to fix his father’s mistake by rolling things up to put into the sky. This time around, Namco breaks the “fourth wall” and all the characters are fans of the game and they all ask the King for different kinds of favors that all end up with the Prince having to roll the katamari. Again, it’s a weak attempt, but why let that bother you when all you really want to do is roll, roll, roll.

Gameplay remains largely unchanged as well. Controlling the katamari is like driving a tank – up on both sticks moves you forward, down moves you back, both to the right is right, etc. The only new addition is the prince look. The old royal look, in which the Prince will fly high in the air to allow you a great look at your surroundings, is still present, but with the new prince look, he’ll jump on top of the katamari and give you a closer view of what is in your general vicinity. This view is a lot better for checking out what is directly around whereas the royal look is great for planning which future areas to tackle next.

Single-player gameplay may be almost identical to the first KD, but two player is where everything changes. The two-player vs. mode, in which the winner is determined by who rolls the biggest katamari or whoever gets rolled up, is back. But, the biggest innovation is two-player co-op. In this multiplayer mode, each player is responsible for pushing one side of the katamari – P1 gets the left half, P2 gets the right half. The only way to be successful in this mode is to communicate since you can only move forward if both of you hold up, etc. If you don’t then all I can say is good luck trying to turn the way you want. Also, good luck trying not to get into an argument with your partner when attempting this mode.

While We Love Katamari shares a lot with its predecessor, it outshines the original in the number of levels and cousins you can find scattered throughout. Whereas Katamari Damacy featured three levels that expanded as you progressed, We Love Katamari features quite a few more than three. Though the house to city progression still exists, at least it’s a different house and city. In addition to that, you’ll find yourself rolling underwater, within the clouds, along a race track, and even in outer space. And this time, when you start rolling up the world, it really feels like you’re rolling up the world. In KD, the world consisted of the main city, a new port city, a raised metropolis, and a few island towns. This time Namco added in some worldly landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, the Arc de Triumph, and the Great Wall of China to make it feel like you were swallowing up the globe. It isn’t geographically correct, but the fact that they added them in there is awesome.

Just like in the first game, each stage hides a cousin and a present, though this time there is more than one cousin in some of the stages. Cousins are nothing more than a different skin for whoever is rolling the katamari, but it’s nice to have the option to change that up every once in a while. With over 30 cousins to find, it’ll definitely eat up some time. As an added bonus, finding all the cousins opens up a new level. Presents are also just cosmetic changes to your avatar, though this time, up to three accessories can be equipped – one on the head, back, and waist.

The soundtrack remains just as off the wall as the rest of the game. Lots of j-pop and lounge-type songs fill up the soundtrack. Unfortunately, it isn’t as catchy as the first game’s soundtrack. In fact, my personal favorites from WLK are arrangements and variations on KD’s “na-na-nana” theme.

There isn’t anything ostensibly bad about this game. The only hang ups anyone could possibly have with it are that it’s more of the same. It’s true that the sequel doesn’t deviate much from the old formula – there may be new stages, but objectives are still the same – but that’s what fans fell in love with and that’s what the fan’s wanted more of.

One other thing is that WLK is horribly short. You could get the “ending” in a couple of hours. That said, however, there is no true ending as the main goal to roll a bigger katamari or roll it to a certain size as fast as possible. In that sense, the game is more like a shooter or a puzzle game where the objective is to beat the high score.

And though this really isn’t a negative pertaining to the game’s overall score, it is good to know that We Love Katamari retails for $29.99, ten dollars more than the original was when it came out last November.

We Love Katamari is a great game - it’s simple and fun and that’s all fans really need and expect from it. Fans of the first game no doubt already have it in their grasp. If you’re new to the game, be warned that while you may not warm up to the game’s peculiar humor and style, the joy and satisfaction of clumping up random objects into a huge rolling ball is universal.

The gameplay is very simple and there is just something so refreshing about rolling up junk.

It won’t appeal to everyone, but the chunky colorful graphics fit with the game’s general theme

The soundtrack isn’t catchy like the first game’s, but it’s still good. Sound effects are funny

You would think rolling up stuff would be boring, but then you would be wrong.

Story is short, but you’re not playing it for the story. Your goal is making a bigger katamari.

]]> Sat, 01 Oct 2005 21:02:00 -0500 Brian Mohr http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_rifts_promise_of_power_ngage1 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_rifts_promise_of_power_ngage1 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_rifts_promise_of_power_ngage1# This preview was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content.

The popular role-playing game Rifts is finally making its debut in videogame form as it is being converted to the Nokia N-Gage. The game gives you the opportunity to to work your way through different worlds as you find treasure and take control.

Rifts looks to feature approximately 40 hours of gameplay along with 50 enemies, 12 character classes and over 100 spells, weapons and more. The game also features support for up to four players via bluetooth or arena play.

Graphically, Rifts is shaping up to be one of the more impressive games to release for the handheld this year. The controls were also decent for the strategy title although not overly impressive.

Overall, Rifts is shaping up to be a solid convert of the RPG as it makes its electronic debut. With expansive hours of gameplay and good variety with enemies and options, role-playing fans will definitely want to look out for Rifts as it releases later this year for the N-Gage.]]> Sat, 21 May 2005 23:05:00 -0500 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_we_love_katamari_ps23 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_we_love_katamari_ps23 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_we_love_katamari_ps23# 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 Sean Kearney.

We Love Katamari, the sequel to last year’s clump-ball rolling game Katamari Damacy was on the showroom floor today, and Gaming Horizon got a chance to check it out. The playable demo featured two levels, and was E3 themed, with a few jokes thrown in specifically for the E3 attendees.

For those of you unfamiliar with the original Katamari Damacy, it is a uniquely addictive game in which you play as “The Prince of All Cosmos”, a young alien creature who is on a mission for his father, rolling up large clumps of random items into his “katamari”, or ball of collected stuff, to replace the stars in the sky, which have mysteriously gone missing.

You spend your time rolling your katamari around Earth, picking up items as you go along, and with each item you collect, your katamari gets a little bigger, until it becomes so big that you can collect massive homes and giant ships in it, as the goal of each level is to make a katamari of a certain size. It’s a simple enough concept, but it is in the game’s simplicity that its addictiveness and sheer pleasure really shine. The game is controlled mainly using the two analog sticks on the PS2 controller and features graphics that although rather simple for the power of the PlayStation 2, are completely stylized in a quirky and interesting way. These elements in the game, along with one of the most eclectic and catchy soundtracks in modern videogames, makes this a title that you can pick up and play again and again.

The demo of We Love Katamari showcased some familiar graphics and gameplay, and featured the return of the “King of All Cosmos”, who appeared in the demo to be a much more sincere character than in the first game and far less sarcastic to his son, The Prince, who returns as the game’s main character.

The most exciting new feature in the E3 demo was a new multiplayer co-operative mode, in which you and another player each control half of the same katamari, and have to communicate with one another in order to move the ball. The gameplay changes dramatically in this mode, as the two analog sticks on your controller function as one, and you are forced to work with the other player to get even the most simple movements from your katamari; in order to move forward in the game, both you and the other player must move both of your analog sticks forward at the same time, in order to stop moving, you must both stop at the same time.

The interesting thing I experienced while playing this game on the showroom floor was the many ways I was able to communicate with the player next to me without saying a word. I found myself leaning in to the turns I wanted to take, and often times looking or gesturing with my head in the direction I wanted to go in order to get the player to follow the same path as me. As well, it seemed that towards the end of the level, the two of us started to anticipate how the other one played the game, and reacted in a way that made the gameplay a lot smoother, and allowed us to complete the level much more easily. By the end of the game, it was obvious that we were rewarded for our ability to communicate with one another, an idea that was very interesting and unique.

The co-operative feature in this game is done in a very unique way, and one that I think it was executed excellently in the demo. It really put a new spin on the Katamari Damacy series, and I believe gaming as a whole. The co-op mode made me think about communication in video games, and brought the idea of gaming as a cooperative art to the front of my mind. I think that this is going to be a major title when it is released on the PS2 sometime next year, and that it is going to be well- received. And for good reason.
]]> Thu, 19 May 2005 03:09:09 -0500 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_rengoku_the_tower_of_purgatory_psp http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_rengoku_the_tower_of_purgatory_psp http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_rengoku_the_tower_of_purgatory_psp# 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.

The controls are lackluster, but the customizations are nice.

Graphics in the missions are dim, dark and all look very similar.

There isn’t any in-game voicework, but the music is upbeat, quick and adds to the fast action.

The customizations are nice, but the game is tedious and gets boring quickly.

There are a lot of levels and it does feature online play, but is still lackluster.

]]> Thu, 28 Apr 2005 19:05:00 -0500 Tim Grube http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_we_love_katamari_ps22 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_we_love_katamari_ps22 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_we_love_katamari_ps22# This preview was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content.

Katamari Demacy was a sleeper hit when it released on the PlayStation 2 last September. It is bizarre, but very original. To follow up with the series, Namco announced that they are developing the sequel and it won’t be called Katamari Demacy 2. Instead, We Love Katamari. Hey, another bizarre title—but I’m sure it’ll be another great game.

The sequel will continue the story that was left from the original where The King of All Cosmos grew to prominence after taking all of the Prince’s katamaris and restoring the stars. So now, The King of All Cosmos employed the Prince and his cousins to help with much larger tasks.

Gamers this time around will find themselves in a variety of new locations around Earth while keeping the same trademark graphical style and musical quality with an innovative soundtrack. A new thing that many will enjoy is the fact that gamers can also roll with a friend in the all-new two-player cooperative mode. Both players will control part of the clump and develop new strategies. Battle Mode will also be included with three size scopes for competitive rolling action.

If the game is still kept simple, I’m sure many will still enjoy it. The original released at a killer price of $19.99, maybe the sequel will be the same? It sounds like it is shaping up to be another hit title. Only time will tell. ]]> Mon, 25 Apr 2005 17:08:00 -0500