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GB Review: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time (DS)

Solomon Lee — Mon, 04 May 2009 19:42:14 -0500

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 Enixs 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 Wiis 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 Enixs 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 villages 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 Nintendos Wi-Fi connection. You can easily communicate with your party members with a communication panel that features phrases like Attack Together, Ill 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 Nintendos 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.

GB Review: Star Ocean: The Last Hope (360)

Solomon Lee — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 09:26:14 -0500

Star Ocean is an enjoyable RPG with engaging battles and an addictive item creation mode. Despite the bland dialogue and vague mission objectives, role playing fans will love the open worlds and intense combat with their party members. Ultimately, Star Ocean is a vastly superior game to Infinite Undiscovery and The Last Remnant titles. With multiple endings, battle trophies and various achievements, the Last Hope appeals to both casual and hardcore players. Though the game is plagued by bad dialogue and long cutscenes, The Last Hope is definitely an RPG that is worth the investment.

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

Star Ocean has been an RPG series that has only received modest attention. Overshadowed by other Square Enix series like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, the Star Ocean series has only begun to receive attention thanks to its recent PSP ports and the earlier Till the End of Time PS2 instalment. To the surprise of many RPG fans, the next title was announced exclusively for Xbox 360 with possible development for the PlayStation 3 left as unconfirmed. Despite the mediocre cutscenes and dialogue, Star Ocean: The Last Hope is a deeply complex but satisfying game.

Star Ocean tells the tale of World War III that erupted between the World Republic Federation and the opposing world nations. Most of the earth was left in devastated ruins with a cease-fire negotiated two weeks after (wait for it) weapons of mass destruction were unleashed on a global scale. Survivors of the war wandered underground cities with little hope of deliverance. The remaining nations formed the Greater United Nations and eventually launched a space campaign to explore inhabitable planets. Edge Maverick, a young soldier and Reimi, a childhood friend and expert archer, are sent on the SRF (Space Reconnaissance Force) maiden voyage. Along the journey, Edge meets other such characters like Faize, a young Eldearian, Lymle, a spoiled Lemurisian village child and Meracle, a spunky feline humanoid.

The Last Hope utilizes a real time battle system. You can issue commands to use items, switch characters, cast symbols and unleash skills, all on-the-fly. One of the highlights of these is the jump ability, allowing you to dodge enemy attacks or surprise them with blindside attacks, (where a ! symbol appears that makes enemies vulnerable to getting attacked when you escape from their line of sight). While most battles can feel like a chore in other RPGs, the ability to quickly maneuver around enemies keeps the battles intense and engaging.

As you take damage, your rush gauge slowly fills up enabling you to initiate rush attacks upon your enemies once the gauge is full. When initiated, they temporarily give you more speed and higher defense stats against various enemy attacks. There are no random battles as monsters prowl in open sight on the battlefield. In the event you are attacked while moving or standing still in battle, your party member may, depending on your stats, block the attack entirely. You can also execute special attacks with the trigger buttons and link combos together to inflict heavy damage on your foes. A battle simulator is accessible for those that wish to hone their skills prior to fighting real battles in the game.

As you build your repertoire of skills, you will be able to harvest and mine for materials on the open field with your character. Many of these points are both visible and well hidden in different locales and terrains on differing planets. Disintegration rings allow you to interact with the environment to remove barriers by utilizing different elements. For example, a large ice block can be removed with a fire disintegration ring. All of the rings have limited uses and can only be recharged by Lymle with her charge command ability or by ring experts in villages. Battle skills can also be upgraded frequently to unleash devastating attacks on enemies that increase your Bonus board, a tiled gauge that grants you extra bonuses for stylish and hard-fought battles.

The Calnus is your spaceship hub used to travel between planets. As you progress in the game, you can assign rooms to different party members. Depending on how you treat them, opposite party members can be assigned the same room for opportunities to trigger Private Events in the game. Private events are made of up of personal dialogue and interaction between two characters with a unique sidestory. Save points are also located in various rooms to allow you to rest and recover after difficult missions. Though the use of save points is convenient on the Calnus, the lack of sufficient save points during missions can be quite frustrating.

Item creation is one of the most satisfying features in this game. New items can be created by using old items with the help of your party members. This is done by designating your teammates into groups to invent recipes. The catch is that the recipes must be created in a timed session with the results hinging on the IC (Item Creation) abilities of your comrades. Once they are out of ideas, the message No Plan will appear and the session will end. You can also end the session manually if you are satisfied with the recipes before the timer is up. Much time can easily be spent on item creation to boost your partys offensive attacks in battle.

Visually, the game sports beautiful environments and polished character designs. The special effects are stunning in battle with a lot of symbology and chain combo attacks. Regarding the characters, the anime-style designs are decent but the vacant stares and awkward facial expressions in various cutscenes are rather disappointing. As for the soundtrack, the music is exceptional and is composed by Motoi Sakuraba, the acclaimed Star Ocean and Valkryie Profile maestro. The voice actors, however, dont fare nearly as well as the soundtrack.

One of the issues in this game is the mission objectives. You will find yourself either talking to your comrades often or wandering around aimlessly just to finish your objectives. They are not always clearly defined resulting in a bit of exploring and backtracking. In battles, the camera tends to swing or position itself poorly when fighting numerous enemies. With respect to the story and character development, the cutscenes are too long and would be more effective if they were shortened to emphasize key plot points.

More Fable 2 DLC on the Way

Zach Lott — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 19:40:43 -0500

Even the folks at Lionhead are "tweeting" these days, and CVG has discovered that the developer has announced via their Twitter page that more DLC for Fable 2 is on its way:

"Will there be any more DLC for Fable 2? The answer is quite simple: Yes. The team here in Guildford is working on some new content right now! More information will be shared in the coming weeks."

This comes after Wednesday's accidental announcement of Fable 3, which came via voice actor Jonathan Ross' Twitter page. Perhaps companies like Valve and Nintendo should start practicing the art of Twitter leaks.

Dragon Quest IX Pushed Back In Japan

Zach Lott — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 10:14:16 -0600

Originally scheduled for a Japanese release on March 28, Dragon Quest IX has been delayed until July 11, according to Joystiq (via NeoGAF).

It seems like Square Enix discovered some major bugs in the game's code and delayed the game as an emergency precaution, since they have been advertising the game heavily throughout Japan, which has traditionally been where the series sells the most units.

There's still no news on a North American release date, but we'll keep our eyes peeled. Could there be an announcement at E3, perhaps?

Nintendo Constructing New R&D Center

Zach Lott — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:23:12 -0600

The news out of Japan is that Nintendo, despite forecasting lower profits for 2009, is set to begin construction on a new research and development center, according to Kotaku.

The center will be built on a 40,000 square meter lot that was formerly a golf range and was procured last year for 12.8 billion yen.

Nintendo is planning on integrating it with their existing R&D complex and will use it to develop new software and do research for new hardware. It should be interesting to see if they use it as a casual games division or for something else.

No Longer Left Hanging: Left 4 Dead Content is Free.

Ryan Fulton — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:25:52 -0600

In a move that is seemingly solely intended to alleviate some of my (mostly) irrational anger towards Gabe Newell, Valve has announced their plans for pricing on both the PC and Xbox formats, free. While it could be, rightfully, argued that the two additional versus mode maps were already paid for in the initial asking price, the freebie pricetag is a welcome sight nontheless. Additionally, they are including a new mode dubbed, "Survival" with 12 maps; it is not known whether these maps are entirely new or simply segmented maps from the four existing campaigns. The new mode is said to be something like an extended siege/assault. Players can look forward to both updates on the same day... at some point in the, hopefully, near future.

Halo Wars Demo Hits Xbox Live

Zach Lott — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 22:23:58 -0600

The Xbox Live demo for Halo Wars, the RTS title from the recently-disbanded Ensemble Studios, was released back on Thursday, giving fans a chance to check out how Halo holds up as a strategy title.

The download contains a tutorial, along with a skirmish map and couple of scenarios from the campaign. There's no online or single-player co-op, but there's still plenty to check out.

The game will hit store shelves on March 3, so download the demo and let us know what you think.

Criterion Announces Cops and Robbers Pack For Burnout Paradise

Zach Lott — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 21:46:26 -0600

1up is reporting that Burnout Paradise developer Criterion has announced that the racing title will receive its sixth DLC pack, entitled Cops and Robbers, later this year.

According to Criterion, the pack brings "the thrills and spills of cops and robbers car chases in Paradise City" and will be released after all of its siblings.

Chinese Democracy Headed to Rock Band This Spring

Zach Lott — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 21:08:20 -0600

It took over fifteen years and millions and millions of dollars, but Chinese Democracy, Guns N' Roses' newest album, finally hit store shelves last year, and now it seems like the folks at MTV are planning to bring it to Rock Band.

In an interview with Billboard back in December, lead singer Axl Rose said that the release would be at the end of this month, but MTV has now changed that to "spring."

Rose mentioned that Harmonix "felt the record - based on the nature and complexity of the depth of instrumentation - deserved a bit more attention and some more involved elements than they've generally dealt with. I have no idea what that means but it's my understanding they were very enthusiastic."

Well, we don't understand what that means, either, but be on the lookout for the release in the next couple of months.

Fallout 3 DLC Delayed

Zach Lott — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 20:43:12 -0600

Operation Anchorage, the first DLC pack for Fallout 3, is out, but fans of Bethesda's latest title are going to have to wait another month for the next pack to arrive, according to a GameSpot report that it has been delayed until March. The third pack, originally slated for March, will now be released in April.

"The next DLC for Fallout 3, The Pitt, will be out in March," Bethesda vice president of marketing Pete Hines told GameSpot. "Broken Steel will be out the following month, in April."

The Pitt will send players against a group of raiders in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, while Broken Steel continues the main storyline and will raise the level cap.

Xbox 360 Dashboard Update: HDMI Audio Fix

Zach Lott — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 12:29:14 -0600

If you've signed into Xbox Live this morning, then you're probably already aware of this, but Microsoft has released a mandatory dashboard update for the Xbox 360.

Major Nelson has the story over at his blog, saying that the update fixes an audio problem some users were experiencing with their HDMI connection.

If you're one of the many 360 owners who have tried to deal with this problem ever since the "New Xbox Experience" was rolled out back in November, then get signed in and download the update.

Prince of Persia DLC Not Coming to PC

Zach Lott — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 12:18:42 -0600

Here's a story for those of you who played Prince of Persia on the PC: Big Download is reporting that Ubisoft has chosen to release the game's upcoming DLC pack, which continues the storyline, only on the 360 and PS3.

From Ubisoft's community manager via the Ubisoft message boards:

"Unfortunately for business reasons we won't be seeing any PoP DLC appear. Sorry guys!"

While unfortunate for PC gamers, the expansion will make its way to the Xbox Live Marketplace and Playstation Network on February 26.

Prototype to be Released in June

Zach Lott — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 12:06:50 -0600

Prototype may have missed its 2008 release date, but Activision hasn't forgot about it, seeing as they've sent Joystiq a New York Comic Con invitation that contains this nugget:

"Hands-on fans get their first chance to play the highly anticipated open-world/action thriller, PROTOTYPE, planned for release in June."

Naturally, we'll keep you updated with any announcements made at the event, which begins on Friday and lasts until Sunday.

Resident Evil 5 Demo Hits Xbox Live

Zach Lott — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 10:16:41 -0600

Although Microsoft is rather busy these days with firing their employees, it seems that they haven't forgotten that they still have an online service to maintain, as Major Nelson has announced via his official blog that a demo for Resident Evil 5 has arrived on Xbox Live.

The demo, which is the same one released in Japan last month, allows you to play "by yourself or play with a partner in co-op mode, either online or offline with a split screen," according to Nelson.

Capcom has yet to reveal a date for the PSN demo, but it shouldn't be long before it'll be available. We'll let you know once it's announced.

New Gears of War 2 Update Goes Live

Solomon Lee — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 21:03:12 -0600

Epic has released a new patch for Gears of War 2 that fixes various multiplayer glitches and gameplay bugs. Included with the update is a list of new achievements involving the Combustible and Flashback map packs. They are listed below as follows:

Skeletons in your Closet (20G) - Complete waves 1 through 10 on all Flashback Map Pack maps in Horde (any difficulty)
More Mystery, Less History (15G) - Win a multiplayer match on each of the 5 Flashback Map Pack maps (any mode except Wingman)
Bound by a Shared Past (15G) - Win a Wingman match on each of the 5 Flashback Map Pack maps
Trial by, and on, Fire (20G) - Survive first 10 Horde waves on Combustible Map Pack maps as a team
The Roof! The Roof! The Roof... (15G) - Win a multiplayer match on each of the 3 Combustible Map Pack maps (any mode except Wingman)
Forged in the Fire (15G) - Win a Wingman match on each of the 3 Combustible Map Pack maps
Annex: Now With Execution Rules (75G) - Win an Annex match on each Flashback and Combustible Map Pack map (public only)

GB Review: Chrono Trigger (DS)

Solomon Lee — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 23:07:45 -0600

Chrono Trigger is still an exhilarating RPG to play - this is no small feat considering the game was released thirteen years ago. The compelling characters, intriguing storyline, solid battle system and unforgettable musical score makes Chrono Trigger DS a worthy addition to any RPG fans gaming library. The Wireless Play mode and extra dungeons are a nice addition but nothing special. The game warrants the buying price alone for the simple reason that its Chrono Trigger and that it retains the title as one of the greatest RPGs in gaming history.

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

Chrono Trigger has long been revered as one of Squaresofts (now Square Enix) most epic RPGs that graced the SNES system. The game was produced by the Dream Team with credits given to Hironobu Sakaguchi, Masato Kato, Akira Toriyama and Yasunori Mitsuda. Shortly after a mediocre PSX port, Final Fantasy Chronicles, fell short of its mark with its dreadful loading and slowdown issues, no announcements were made for any potential re-releases. After a long seven year waiting period, Square Enix has revisited one of their most critically acclaimed RPGs that features touch screen controls, a brand new dungeon, an extra ending and a brand new Wireless Play mode.

Chrono Trigger tells the tale of Crono, the unspoken hero who meets Marle, the spunky, tomboy-ish princess at the Millennium Fair. After browsing through various attractions, he travels through time to rescue Marle after a scientific experiment goes awry. As one might expect, he is soon thrust on an epic quest to save the world and rewrite history along the way. Crono teams up with many allies: Lucca, a childhood inventor friend, Frog, a silent but noble swordsman, Ayla, a brash tribal leader, Magus, an optional ally who is an enigmatic figure, and Robo, a machine from the distant future. Each character is equipped with unique abilities and tech skills used effectively to destroy wave of enemies and large bosses.

The game utilizes the Active Time Battle system. From the start, you can select either an Active system (enemies are free to roam and attack during your turn) or the Wait system (enemies are frozen giving you ample time to choose your attacks). Most enemies are visible on screen (with exception to those hiding or waiting for an ambush) with no random battles. A new dual screen mode is featured in Chrono Trigger DS that clears the screen of menu clutter from the original game. Attacks and tech abilities can be selected by using either the stylus with touch functionality or the standard DS controls. Rather than holding down A or B, Crono runs by default instead of walking. In the DS mode, enemies are segregated by text boxes on the lower screen that are roughly divided to show their name and relative positions. Though the DS stylus control scheme is appreciated, most will end up sticking to the tried and true control scheme.

New features in Chrono Trigger DS include an extra ending, a monster training arena, and the inclusion of two brand new areas: Lost Sanctum and the Dimensional Vortex. The Lost Sanctum, found in two separate time periods, is a rather mediocre addition that fails to add anything valuable to the overall storyline of Cronos journey through time With respect to the Vortex, it offers a satisfying dungeon romp filled with monsters, new items and new spoilers that fills the gap for a few mysteries from the original SNES game. Accessible at the End of Time warp gate is the Arena of the Ages, known otherwise as the monster training area. You can send your monster to battle against NPC foes in a Prize match or online with a friend via a Wi-Fi connection in an Inter-dimensional battle. Prizes are awarded for victories that vary depending on the entrance fee paid before battles in the pit begin. Conversely, you can train your monster by giving it an item and sending it to a specific era on its own. Once that is done, you can return to it at a later time to check its boosted stats.

On the visual front, the game sports familiar environments, sprites and special effects from the SNES original with cut scenes ported from the PSX version. Chrono Trigger DS doesnt push the DS to its graphical limits but is still acceptable nonetheless. The dialog has been revised for the more modern gamer; thus replacing parts of the original script. More than a decade after its release, famed composer Yasunori Mitsuda was re-enlisted by Square to manage and oversee the games soundtrack prior to its release. With credits attributed to Nobuo Uematsu as well, the music still sounds as epic and inspiring as it did from its original heyday.

The biggest disappointment comes from the lack of multiplayer co-op. Training your monsters in the Arena of the Ages and Wi-fi battles with your friends is largely a forgettable ordeal. The Dimensional Vortex and new areas to explore are a nice addition but theyre nothing special compared to existing worlds found within the game. However, Chrono Trigger is still an RPG masterpiece that should be enjoyed by hardcore and casual role-playing fans worldwide.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix Destroys Sales Records

Zach Lott — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:55:34 -0600

Over at Capcom's website, John Diamonon has revealed in a blog post that Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix may very well become the highest-grossing digital game ever made, having already sold over 250,000 units since its release in late November.

Diamonon mentioned in his post that the game has "shattered" day one and week one sales records and is on pace to break the 30 day sales mark.

The game has been reviewed very well and has garnered praise for its music and artwork, the latter of which, interestingly enough, almost got the game cancelled at one point for a perceived lack of quality. You can download it either through the Playstation Store or Xbox Live Arcade.

Fable 2 DLC Delayed Until January

Zach Lott — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:28:12 -0600

Looks like those of you that have been eagerly awaiting the upcoming Fable 2 DLC will have to wait a bit longer, as Lionhead has announced that the content has been delayed from December 22 until late January.

"Due to unexpected technical difficulties, the Fable 2: Knothole Island expansion will not be available until late January 2009. As a result, the Fable 2, Knothole Island Download and Win, originally scheduled to take place December 22 23, 2008, has been temporarily suspended," reads a notice on the game's page on the official Xbox website.

Hopefully it won't take any longer for the issues to be worked out and everyone will be enjoying the DLC come next month.

Square Announces Dissidia Final Fantasy for mid-2009

Zach Lott — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:18:13 -0600

Square Enix announced today that Dissidia Final Fantasy, the PSP fighter featuring famous Final Fantasy characters, will be hitting North American shores in mid-2009.

The game will feature a lengthy story mode along with a new battle system that incorporates classic Final Fantasy battle features such as overdrives and limit breaks and RPG-based character development.

In addition, Dissidia Final Fantasy Trading Arts figures will be available through the North American online store around the time of the release.

Final Fantasy Trailer's from (Random Latin and Greek Letters) Event Released.

Ryan Fulton — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 21:40:00 -0600

Videos from Square Enix's Summer event, just recently released to the public. Please enjoy.

FFXIII VS:

FFXIII:

GB Review: Prince of Persia (360)

Aaron Dunlap — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:20:24 -0600

Prince of Persia is a reboot, re-imagining, re-everything of the longstanding platform jumping/climbing/sliding franchise. As far as reboots go, it's no Batman Begins or Casino Royale. It might qualify as a The Incredible Hulk. It's full of the basics (acrobatic maneuvering) but with none of the frills. It's fun to play, but it could have benefited from some gameplay experimentation and some play-testing to remove some control issues and bugs. It's a short game, maybe between 10-15 hours, so it's definitely worth a rental.

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

Prince of Persia, like Assassin's Creed before it, is a pseudo-historical acrobatic adventure game that could have benefited from a few months of play-testing and polishing. Unlike Assassins Creed, this more-or-less "reboot" of the Persia series doesn't suffer from an impenetrable story or some of the unbelievably frustrating elements that plagued last year's romp in the Holy land.

Comparing this Prince of Persia with the previous games, retroactively referred to as the Sands of Time series, is a bit difficult as they feel almost like they come from different genres. Sands of Time and its two sequels could be referred to as puzzle games mixed with action games. The puzzle element was built into the construct of the game itself. Often, simply figuring out how to progress through a level was a challenge, as wall-sprints had to be masterfully combined with wall-jumps and swings and rolls. Between the challenges of overcoming terrain and architecture were several battles against multiple foes. The battles themselves were almost like puzzles; simple sword swipes would never be enough, you had to combine acrobatic attacks and various superpowers.

This Prince of Persia is a different beast altogether. Here the puzzles are almost entirely removed. While almost the entire game is spent performing acrobatic feats such as running across walls and jumping from poles to ledges to walls to (somehow) ceilings in order to traverse otherwise-impassible areas, there is little challenge to figuring out how. What you're supposed to do is always made obvious by scrapes on the wall (apparently plenty of acrobats have been through here before you), or the sheer lack of alternative. If you're clinging to a pole and the only objects possibly within reach are another pole and the pole you just came from, it's not hard to figure out where to go. Even if you are hopelessly stuck, which I would surmise to be impossible, with a simple press of the Y button your AI teammate, Elika, can summon a floating blue orb that will mark the path to your next destination step-by-step.

Yes, Elika. This feisty princess acts as your guide, companion, and exposition dispenser throughout the entire game. My initial concern was that this would turn the whole game into one protracted escort mission (shudder), but I was rather impressed how well the AI character was able to keep up, stay out of the way, and fend for herself. If she's ever in your way, the two characters will simply hop over each other or scoot around each other, occasionally throwing in some cute banter. You never have to worry about protecting her or taking a path that she wont be able to follow. For a game like this, having a computer-controlled tagalong that never becomes annoying is quite an accomplishment.

Elika has a few vital functions, aside from providing the bulk of the plot. Y'see, Elika has some unexpected (to her) powers that let her fly in short bursts. The only gameplay implication of this is that it allows you to double to distance of a jump the Prince makes by having her catch you mid-air and give you a boost forward. This is novel, sure, but not very interesting. Elika's other function, the thing that could motivate philosophical discussions about this game is that she makes it impossible for your character to die.

If you fall off a ledge, miss a landing, or fall so far that the landing would kill you, Elika swoops in with her blue sparkle-magic and catches you, bringing you back to the last sturdy platform you were on. This sort of emulates the effect of the time-reversing ability in previous games, where if you made a mistake and plummeted to your doom you could just rewind time to before you screwed up, but that ability had a meter on it and was optional. If you were out of sand, or simply didn't care to muck around with causality at the moment, you'd die like normal, and have to restart from a save.

In this game, however, it is completely, 100% impossible to die. She will always save you.

Some say this makes the game too easy. I disagree, I think the lack of challenge makes it too easy. What it does do is raise an interesting question about one's stake in a game where death isn't an option. There are other games, sure, where you can't exactly die, but none where you cannot even fail. If in Prince of Persia if falling to your doom meant a quick "you died" message and you were instantly teleported back to where you were, would the game be different? What if dying meant having to reload a save and wait a few seconds? Playing a game where you can't die might make you feel powerful, but playing a game where you can't even fail just feels meaningless. In a way, the only way to fail at this game is to not complete it. The only way not to win is not to play.

It probably seems like a favor to the player, a way of simply automating the process of dying and reloading and saving them the frustration, but I think the way it's executed is damaging to the experience.

A penalty in a home video game will always be arbitrary, but time has shown it to be essential to the process. We're like rats in a maze. If we never get zapped and told we're doing it wrong, we'll never get it right. Removing the possibility of death, or even the fleeting sense of failure, could create an environment where the stakes of the game wont matter, and the sense of immersion desired by the game designers will be destroyed.

The only perceived penalty of screwing up in this game is having to try again, which I suppose can be punishment enough without the need to drag in the concepts of life and death.

I haven't mentioned the fighting system, or even anything about the story, I realize. This is because they left no lasting impression. After completing this somewhat-short game, the only thing I really remember about it is the running on walls and climbing up vines. The story is basically a good-god vs evil-god tale based in a small part on Zoroastrianism, an ancient Persian religion. The fights are unbearable little segments where the game demonstrates how little it cares about your sanity for the sake of insinuating some excitement into the title.

Yes, this game boils down to wall-running and little else. I had fun while playing it, and when I wasn't playing it I actually wanted to pick it back up and continue (which is a rare thing for a game reviewer after a few years). I think if the game had tried to add something new, or tried to turn the tables partway into the story, it would be a better game.

The problem I'm having, and one that could very well cause me to re-write this whole thing, is that I rather enjoyed this game but the only things I can think to write about are the negatives. This is a well-made game, for certain. It's a major release from Ubisoft, how couldn't it be? It's a nice, well-made, short game that passed the time well enough for me and made me consider the nature of reality. Worth a rental, I'd say.

Prince of Persia could have been much, much better if they had tried something new instead of falling back on the old hat of acrobatic climbing and swordplay. But perhaps it's best that they didn't try anything new. Last time they tried something innovative, we got Assassin's Creed, a game of which the very existence I consider an insult. I wished that game had dropped all the complicated nonsense and just stuck to the acrobatic stuff. Prince of Persia is a game that just sticks to the acrobatic stuff. It's kind of like a Campbell's chicken noodle soup game -- kind of bland, nothing creative or zesty thrown in, but you can't say you don't enjoy it at the time.

GB Review: Midnight Club LA Remix (PSP)

Ryan Fulton — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:48:26 -0600

Midnight Club LA Remix is a competent racer with few niggling issues and annoyances. The portable version holds up well to its fully featured console cousins and for an arcade style racing game on the go you're unlikely to come across a better example of the genre at the moment, but it's far from a must have title if you're not really in the market for a portable racing game. It's worth a buy if you're interested in a racer that's not tethered to a television.

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

Every once in a great while, in every field, in any genre, there is a title that exemplifies, redefines, and generally leaves everyone else involved in the business both gob-smacked and flabbergasted. Midnight Club LA Remix for the PlayStation Portable is not such a title, but it is a competent arcade racer spread across the cities of Los Angeles and Tokyo where you can pop parking brakes and bust nitrous boosts to your heart's desire. While it exhibits a few issues it ultimately proves itself to be a fun title.

Launch Gallery: Midnight Club LA Remix

(15 images)

As with any arcade style racer, realism takes a backseat to outlandish physics, over-the-top crashes, and general mayhem. The gameplay is flawed at times, but ultimately enjoyable. The game engages you by using the city as a glorified menu system allowing you to chose races and upgrade your car at your will once you unlock the features. While this is enjoyable to an extent, it feels like a chore after a while -- considering how you're forced to endure at least two healthy loading screens merely to accomplish any task. Once you arrive at your destination you can look forward to a one to five minute race followed by some more loading screens. Repetition of races is also a minor gripe that should be considered.

The racing itself is a blast, the sense of speed is very real, and the turning on most cars feels just right once you get a hang of how to handle each of your cars. The AI controlled races vary from laughably pathetic to fiendishly difficult. While this is not a bad thing it's difficult to find races where there is a definite sense of being in just the right spot for an exciting finish which is somewhat of a let down. On a related note, which explains the lack of exciting finishes to a degree, the AI does not resort of "rubber banding" their way back up to you when you're in the lead or vice-versa. The car modification system is exceptionally robust and the number of modifications available for each individual car is nothing short of astounding.

The game's sound is difficult to quantify. The racers and main character all feature voice acting that's subpar across to board, and the dialogue is beyond poorly written unless you consider 2 Fast 2 Furious to be the apex of screenwriting prowess. That being said, there is a certain campy value that the dialogue and voice acting adds that makes the game endearing or at least mildly amusing the first few times you hear the insults that are thrown about by the other racers. The music is a standard faire of rap, electronic, hip hop, and rock songs. Featuring nearly 100 musical tracks the selection is anything but constrained, and the long list of artists should almost guarantee that there is at least once act that you're interested in listening to. Unfortunately most of the races are shorter than the songs included in the game so the music is often cut short by the lack of a continuation feature.

The graphics are generally sharp with minimal pop up when moving. Upon closer inspection the textures are rather drab and lack much in the way of definition, but this is hardly a deal breaker since this is really only noticeable when you're stopped and looking directly at an object (which really isn't the point of a racing game, is it?) The cars themselves look as if they were recreated with care and the cities seem as if a great deal of forethought was put into their design. Each city has defined districts that differ in appearance from the rest of the city, and the streets seem to flow comfortably in such a manner that doesn't punish the player too badly for making a wrong turn. All things considered it's an attractive visual package for a portable racer.

Midnight Club LA Remix is a passable effort at an arcade racer that while falling short on a few points manages to create an enjoyable casual experience for a portable racing title. The loading screens sort of detract from the pickup-and-playability of the title, but if you've got an extra moment or two it may just be worth your while to put rubber to the streets of LA and Tokyo during your free time. Far from redefining the genre the game offers an experience that is generally pleasing and engaging.

New Xbox Experience: It's Up.

Ryan Fulton — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:43:13 -0600

Whelp it's up now. Enjoy all of those features that you've already heard about. Install the four games you can fit on your 20gb drive after uninstalling all of your demos and let rip. Enjoy kids. Or maybe don't if you're like me. It would be super awesome if we weren't forced to pick an avatar. These things were charming on the Wii for all of the first 30 minutes you played Wii Sports before that became tiresome, but honestly, can we please kill this trend? Additionally it would be nice if half of my themes weren't half-assed covered by the icons. Aside from that it's pretty cool.

Capcom announces dates for Super Street Fighter II HD for XBLA, PSN

Zach Lott — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:10:06 -0600

Capcom announced today the release dates for Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix - November 25 for the PSN version and November 26 for the XBLA version.

Also announced was that various Street Fighter-themed DLC will be released for various XBLA titles while another "little surprise" will be coming for PSN later in the year. In addition, a downloable album of hip-hop music inspired by Street Fighter will be made available for PS3 owners when SSFIITHDR is released.

GB Review: Spider-Man: Web of Shadows (360)

Aaron Dunlap — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:42:24 -0600

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is Treyarch's first Spider-Man game not based on a movie. The gameplay, especially in combat, is a step up from previous Spidey titles but the story is short and unsatisfying. Too much emphasis is placed on a half-baked "choose your fate" branching storyline that quickly devolves into a non-stop series of boss fights. The ability to switch between red and blue Spider-Man and black-suited symbiote Spider-Man is novel, but wasted. People like me who pine for a game with Spider-Man 2's quality of web slinging with a decent game attached might be satisfied, but not impressed. This game is worth a rental for Spidey fans or any curious gamer, but at the end you wont be itching for more.

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

Spider-Man is probably the perfect character for video games. He can jump higher than anyone; he can walk, run, and sit on walls; he can beat up multiple attackers with blinding speed and feline agility; and he can swing around town on webs he shoots from his wrists. If ever there was an entity better suited for virtual representation, I'd like to hear it.

He's had a spotted past in games. I have no qualms saying that Spider-Man 2 on the Xbox is one of my favorite games to play. Altogether, the game is a wreck, but it's the web swinging I love. I could sit in front of that game for hours doing nothing but swing around its digital Manhattan. It just felt right in that game. You could feel the weight of Spidey as he grabs a fresh webline, feel the G-forces as he reaches the apex of a swing, feel the wind sheer off his body as he pulls his legs in and kicks out at just the right moment to maximize airtime and distance. That game is the perfect Spider-Man webslinging simulator. Every game since then has tried to be a better game, cramming in more story or more combo attacks and celebrity voices, abandoning the web mechanics altogether. Spider-Man 3 was a complete waste. How couldn't it be? It was rushed to come out with the movie, which itself was a waste.

Launch Gallery: Spider-Man: Web of Shadows

(15 images)

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is different. It's not based on a movie or a particular series of comics (like Ultimate Spider-Man). If I had to describe Web of Shadows as intrinsically as possible, I'd say that it is Treyarch and Shaba Games' attempt to create a Spider-Man game that perfectly captures not only the feeling of swinging like Spidey, but the feeling of being Spidey. Not being bound or hurried by the release date of some summer movie, this game actually stands a chance of accomplishing that.

The web swinging is simplified and made more efficient, for sure, but the the focus this time around seems to be on the combat. Previous Spider-Man games have always been heavy on combo-attacks, but never very much fun. You never got the feeling during combat that you could do everything Spider-Man could, only that you were playing a watered-down beat-em-up tacked onto a web-swinging game. This time around, it feels much better. Combat makes heavy use of Spider-Man's abilities, and allows (at last) to make use of Spidey's best advantages in combat: his speed and ability to stay airborn.

How silly is it for Spider-Man, a man who can walk on walls and lift himself or anything else into the air with ease, to be seen standing with two feet on the ground, throwing punches against enemies? In Web of Shadows, there's no need to stay on the ground for the sake of grounded baddies. Better to knock them up into the air, where you're free to mangle their helpless bodies. The most welcome addition is the ability to "web strike," or zip yourself up to an enemy from far away, get in a quick attack, and then bounce out before he knows what hit him. You can string together web strikes and clobber dozens of enemies, one at a time, bouncing from head to head, staying in constant motion the entire time.

Treyarch's previous Spider-Man games have all been so-called "sandbox games" like Grand Theft Auto where an entire city is under your control, and you can attempt story-based missions at your leisure. This time around, the game is much more linear, but built around a sandbox architecture. You can still go anywhere in the city, and you still start missions by approaching specific characters and starting them, but there are no real alternatives. There are no real side-missions, and the random crimes you'll encounter just by wandering around aren't very engaging.

No, the game sees itself as linear and story-based, and shouldn't be ashamed for it.

The story itself involves the return of Venom and the black symbiote, and its eventual attempt to spread its inky tentacles across the whole city. Early in the game, Spider-Man gets re-introduced to the symbiote and through much of the game is free to switch between normal (red and blue suit) Spider-Man and symbiote (black suit) Spider-Man. Herein lies the biggest bullet point in the game's sell-sheet.

The game insinuates that your actions as either red/blue Spidey or black Spidey affect how the story branches. This is partially true. There are several points during the story where you're given the option to follow either a "good" path (marked by a red/blue Spidey icon on screen) or a "bad" path (marked by black Spidey). Whether you chose to be red/blue or black Spider-Man within the game itself makes no difference, and is altogether pretty arbitrary. Each suit has its strengths and weaknesses as far as combat and agility go, but it really just comes down to your choice of outfit. The branching storyline is controlled by your selection of the good/bad path, and when you're playing a super hero does it make that much sense to ask the player if he wants to do something good, like save somebody, or something bad, like let them die? Sure, after playing through the game once as a goodie two-shoes you might go through again to see what lies on the dark side, but the so-called conflict between good ol' Spider-Man and his evil suit doesn't come across very well when you're basically given the options of "be good" or "be bad."

It would be better if the branching paths in the story were based on your actions and not simply your selection of them. If the black suit had a more noticeable advantage in-game, maybe I'd be more tempted to use it. Maybe the game could keep track of how often you use the black suit or how much damage you cause with it, and from that make it harder and harder to go without it. Then, based on which suit you've spent the most time with, the story can branch however it likes. This is what I thought was going to happen. This is how the marketing material makes it sound.

Altogether, the story mode is somewhat satisfying but brief. The intention is probably to let people try the various branches, but I can't imagine it being too enticing.

Once you've beaten the game, you can't re-load your saved game and freely roam the town with all of your upgraded and unlocked abilities, nor can you start a new game with your earned abilities. This is a huge, huge problem for me. You spend the whole game unlocking and upgrading attacks and combos, and then after a boss fight wherein you can't even use them, they're completely wasted. I feel like I wasted all that time.

As I said, I can spend hours inside Spider-Man 2 ignoring the missions and just swinging around, looking for collectible items, earning points, unlocking new combos. Spider-Man: Web of Shadows doesn't really allow for this. It's a shame, really, because the swinging sure is fun.

I'm left at an impasse. I can't recommend this game for fans of Spider-Man video games. For people who don't really care, the more refined package and far fewer bugs compared to previous Treyarch Spidey games, as well as it being the first one truly designed for next-gen (although from the graphics you might not know it), it might be worth a rental.

They've finally made a game that feels like being Spider-Man, now they just need to make one with a satisfying game on top of it.

Maxis releases third Spore patch, includes 24 new limbs

Zach Lott — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:40:31 -0600

Over at the official Spore website there's news that the third patch for the game is now available, offering twenty-four new limbs for your creatures. The limbs are intended to be used with the Creepy & Cute Parts Pack, which was released today. Imagine how much freakier your creatures will be now.

There's also a few patch fixes:

Fix for esc key not bringing up Options in Galaxy Game Entry
Fix for creator backgrounds appearing on small sporepedia cards
Update to help keep achievements on the server in sync with achievements in the game

The patch is available for both PC and Mac.

Metal Gear Online MEME expansion set for November 25

Zach Lott — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:39:47 -0600

Good news for those of you still playing Metal Gear Online: Joystiq is reporting that MEME, the game's second expansion, is set for a November 25 release at the low price of $9.99. You'll also be able to pick up the expansion through a $14.99 bundle that includes GENE, the first expansion.

New content includes two new characters, Mei Ling and Liquid Ocelot, as well as new avatar content and three new maps, Silo Sunset, Forest Firefight, and Winter Warehouse. An official tournament lobby and a couple new modes will be available without purchasing MEME.

Square Enix to Open US Studio.

Ryan Fulton — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:14:51 -0600

According to Gamasutra Square Enix has plans to open a US studio based in Los Angeles for the purposes of creating an action game based on an original IP (assumedly for the 360 based upon the job descriptions.) It should be interesting to see how this pans out in the end. Square Enix, original IP, and action game aren't usually phrases that you see lumped together. I'm personally just excited to see what sort of art direction we can expect to see from this new studio. I'm going to be really disappointed if it's full of man-tough space marines rather than my beloved effeminate Gackt copies. In the end, I'm just glad to have had a chance to use this image.

GB Review: Gears of War 2 (360)

Solomon Lee — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 20:43:07 -0600

Gears of War 2 is the highly anticipated sequel to Gears; the title that gathered quite a following with its impressive visuals, intuitive run-and-cover gameplay, and engaging characters. The game doesn't mess with its own formula of success but rather, it focuses on what it does best -- delivering an intense, visceral, adrenaline-pumping experience. The sinister violence and gore is a trademark of this game that has been well received by fans and one that Epic doesn't shy away from. Although it fails to revolutionize the genre, Gears 2 delivers on all fronts and surpasses the original with more weapons, deadlier monsters, larger campaigns, more multiplayer maps and an incredibly addictive Horde mode. Gears of War 2 is this year's game to own on the Xbox 360.

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

Gears of War was quite the blockbuster when it first arrived on Xbox 360. The game offered solid controls, great visuals, intuitive third person camera and chainsaws. Though the plot wasn't the main focus, Gears effectively brought us the memorable, wisecracking Delta squad members: Marcus, Dom, Cole and Baird. Fast forward to Gears 2 -- the game takes everything that made the original Gears a solid shooter and takes it a step further on the epic scale. To quote Epic Lead Designer, Cliff Bleszinski, Gears of War 2 is definitely "bigger, better and more badass."

Gears 2 continue right after the original shooter; following General RAAM's defeat and the light mass bombing. Marcus and Dom fight with fellow COG soldiers fatally wounded defending the city after subsequent Locust attacks. It is there on the hospital grounds we meet the rook, Benjamin, brother to his sibling Carmine who died from an infamous sniper shot and Tai, a militaristic but calm leader. They quickly learn that the Locusts have quietly regrouped underground and have launched attacks in endless numbers. Entire cities have been sunk underground as the Horde employs powerful forces and tactical equipment and that's not all; they've brought grotesque and far deadlier creatures this time around. Epic has placed a strong emphasis on the story behind the war that sheds light on Marcus Fenix's history and Dom's continued search for his missing wife, Maria.

As expected, the returning weapons are the Lancer, Sniper Rifle, Shotgun, Torque Bow, Pistol and the Hammer of Dawn. New weapons added to your arsenal include the Hammerburst Rifle (enemy weapon), Gorgon Pistol, Ink Grenade (emits poison), Mortar (distance artillery weapon), Mulcher (turret gun) and the fan-favorite, the Scorcher Flamethrower. Grenades can be stuck to walls and used as proximity mines to destroy enemies lurking around. If you are pinned in battle, you can crawl while bleeding to try to reach your teammates to be revived. The new weapons are available in the latter half of the game and can be found by looting Locust corpses. Each weapon is distinct and allows you to perform unique executions on fallen enemies crawling away. You can also grab a dying Locust for use as a meat shield to flank your enemies. Be warned that using the corpse for cover lasts for a very short time -- limiting you to the use of a pistol. The shield will either explode into bits under heavy gunfire or be disposed of after breaking the Locust's neck.

The original Gears saw players destroying their opponents with a chainsaw attack; granting them temporary invulnerability to gunfire or melee attacks. Pulling the attack off was often based on luck between two players with the one who revved up his chainsaw just a split second earlier winning the fight; which was infuriating. Epic has addressed the Chainsaw attack complaints with a new Chainsaw duel feature. Two players that rush one another with the Lancer will be thrown into a mini-game; quickly mashing the B button ensures victory. If a third player approaches two people engaged in a Chainsaw duel, the poor guy or gal on the receiving end will instantly be overpowered.

Both single player and coop campaigns allow you to finish the game by yourself or with a friend. The option to play at your own pace is simplified as campaigns can be played with two separate difficulty settings. An extra difficulty setting Normal can be selected with the Insane difficulty unlocked after the game has been completed. You can invite your friends with the "What's Up" feature that lets you see the status and progress of your Gears' friends online. Personally, I found the friendly menu list to be useful in keeping tabs with other online players.

The all new Horde mode is one of the highlights of Gears 2. In Horde mode, you join a team of five players collaborating to destroy Locusts waves on various maps. Eventually, your enemies grow stronger with more health, better weapons and increased numbers. A total of 50 waves are featured in Horde mode for which the difficulty level rises considerably after the tenth wave. Fighting together in groups, reviving teammates, giving cover fire and using key vantage points is crucial for your survival. Linked achievements play a big role in the Horde and multiplayer modes. Gears fans will be happy to hear that specific achievements (completed from the original) unlock new playable characters such as Anthony Carmine, Minh Young Kim (former Delta squad leader) and General RAAM. Your progress ultimately dictates your rank; which is used for matchmaking purposes. Horde mode is tough as nails but is easily the most satisfying and rewarding to play with everyone.

A War Journal is a handy tool that tracks your listed achievements, unlocked characters, and collectables. Rather than using COG tags, Epic has placed hidden files, newspapers, memos and personal letters throughout the game. They comprise a total of 41 collectables that provides a side story to the events surrounding the war. A magnifying glass signifies the item is found and is easily picked up by pressing the X button. You don't need to guess how close you are to an achievement as the journal displays your progress towards obtaining it. This is a welcome change for fans wishing to complete the game in its entirety.

Multiplayer modes feature seven maps: Warzone, Execution, Annex, King of the Hill, Guardian, Submission and Wingman. Epic's gift to its fans is a code for the Flashback Map Pack for those with preorders and for those buying Gears 2 at launch. This map pack includes five maps: Subway, Canals, Tyro Station, Gridlock and Mansion. While it doesn't sound like much, each map is considerably different from the original Gears. The Subway is less dreary, Canals have been hit by a frozen icy spell, Tyro Station is more industrialized, Gridlock is filled with foliage and the Mansion has better lighting. A new Training Ground mode gives casual, novice and veteran players a brief tutorial on the basics of multiplayer controls and combat.

Gears 2 is a graphically intense game. Buildings, air-borne dust, the underground caverns and the city landscapes are very polished. Special effects ranging from hailing fire on your enemies with the Mortar to poisoning the enemy with Ink grenades are visually gratifying. The frame rate takes a severe hit at numerous checkpoint locations that could have used some tweaking. There is also a tendency for Locust corpses and weapon spoils to fall and to defy natural physics in its environment. Otherwise, Gears 2 is a game detailed to the core that manages to exceed the best visuals of the original Gears. With respect to audio, the soundtrack is top-notch and a great accompaniment.

Many of the flaws from the original Gears have sadly crept into Gears 2. The A.I. teammates tend to block your shots, run straight into enemy territory without cover, and get hopelessly pinned in a far corner amongst a group of Locusts. Regrettably, the vehicle stages are the most irritating part of many campaigns; especially on the higher difficulty settings. Despite its shortcomings, Gears 2 is an exciting game full of blood, action and suspense for anyone that enjoys a solid third person shooter.

Valkyrie Profile and Dragon Quest V Release Dates Announced.

Ryan Fulton — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:15:43 -0600

MarketWatch (I know, wtf.) has recently given away the release dates to several upcoming 2009 SquareEnix titles. Since I'm not a fan of making people wait:

Star Ocean: Second Evolution, Jan 6, 2009. (PSP)
Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride, Feb 17, 2009. (DS)
Star Ocean: Last Hope, Mar 3, 2009. (360)
Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume, Mar 17, 2009. (DS)

Still no release date for FFXIII, but who honestly expected one.

Fable 2: Making Big Promises, Again.

Ryan Fulton — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:00:56 -0600

On the Fable 2 Dev Blog, Lionhead has gone and thrown down the big promises gauntlet again. This time they hint at big announcement next week. As to what it is? No clue, but since I'm here... and you're here... and maybe, just maybe someone at Lionhead may look at this before it's too late: Un-fix the co-op camera and give us the ability to be our own heroes in coop. You're welcome to add another dog, some new STDs, actually include the girl from the above posted shot (in fairness I have yet to finish it, but I'm going to guess she was replaced by the blind lady) you know, whatever you want. Just, please, fix the co-op.

Curse You Red Baron!

Ryan Fulton — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:43:09 -0600

Everyone's favorite beagle takes to the skies in pursuit of the infamous Red Baron in Snoopy Flying Ace. The title is slated for X360 and Wii release with a tentative 2009 date. Other details are sparse, but the game looks as if they actually managed to expend some effort on the licensed title. Anyway, enjoy a video of the game, since well... that's the best you can do just yet as the official site is rather barren. (You can thank me for not saying baron there.)

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts Text Difficult to Read on SDTVs

Zach Lott — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:28:34 -0600

If you've yet to make the jump to a high-definition television, then you might be a bit disappointed with this news: Joystiq is reporting that the text for the upcoming 360 title Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts is muddled when viewed on standard-definition televisions.

Worse yet, Rare has announced that they aren't planning to take action in order to fix it, stating that it would require too much "time, resources and money to alter."

While there are certainly many gamers who already own HDTVs, this should be a huge annoyance to those still relying on standard ones. It shall be interesting to note how this affects the November NPDs.

U.S. Chooses Barack Obama

Tim Grube — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 09:42:55 -0600

Resident Evil 5 Coming To PC?

Tim Grube — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 08:34:02 -0600

Resident Evil 5 is approaching quite rapidly and today the folks over at MCV have found something deep within a Capcom Q1 2009 release schedule. It states the RE5 is scheduled to be coming out on the PC as well as the previously announce PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles.

This is big news for PC fans because many RE fans have been asking for a PC port and now it is here! The game is scheduled for release on March 12, 2009 in Japan, and March 13, 2009 in North America and Europe.

Gears of War 2 Sweepstakes Details

Tim Grube — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:43:00 -0600

On behalf of Lionsgate, you can now win some cool Gears of War 2 swag thanks to the movie Transporter 3.

How to enter:

Register your gamertag now and get ready for a whole weekend of fun and competition! From 12:01 A.M. (ET) on Friday, November 7 until 11:59 P.M. (ET) on Sunday November 9, you'll get an entry into the sweepstakes when you play a multiplayer Gears of War 2 match.

Prize Information
After the entry period, will conduct a prize drawing for the following nine winners from among all eligible entries:

Two Grand Prizes: A custom Gears of War 2 Xbox 360 console
Two Second Prizes: A Gears of War 2 Special Edition Zune 120 GB digital media player
Five Third Prizes: A Gears of War 2 Limited Edition game

Get more details on the Play & Win Sweepstakes.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open only to legal residents of the 50 United States (includes the District of Columbia) 18+. Game ends November 9, 2008. For details including free, alternate method of entry, see the Official Rules.

Valve Unleashes Left 4 Dead Intro

Tim Grube — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:18:14 -0500

Valve has released the introduction video for its zombie shooter Left 4 Dead. Left 4 Dead will is expected to hit the Xbox 360 and PC on November 18.

The demo is scheduled for release on November 11. Expect more soon...

EA Announces More Burnout

Tim Grube — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:29:48 -0500

Criterion Games and Electronic Arts announced today Burnout Paradise The Ultimate Box. This "box" will include the Burnout Paradise game plus the previously-released Burnou Paradise Cagney and Burnout Paradise Bikes content updates, and the brand new Burnout Paradise Party content.

Whether youre an experienced player or a gaming novice, Burnout Paradise is a game that anyone can enjoy, says Pete Lake, Senior Producer at Criterion Games. With The Ultimate Box, we aimed to deliver the most fun, high quality and high value experience possible to players both online and in the living room.

Burnout Paradise Party will be on display and available for free play at EAs booth during the London Games Festival in Trafalgar Square from Oct 31 Nov 1, 2008.

Now for the players that already own Burnout Paradise, Burnout Paradise Party will be sold separately as downloadable content.

Happy Halloween To All - Now Go Play Fallout 3!

Tim Grube — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:19:33 -0500

Shameless plug incoming...I have been locked into Bethesda's Fallout 3 on the PC for a couple days now and I have to admit that this game is almost my game of the year. Well, the World of Warcraft expansion is due out on November 13, so that might consume most of my time--but as of right now, Fallout 3 is an exceptional game and you must purchase it today!

Game reviews:

GameRevolution
Gaming Nexus
GameTrailers
Atomic Gamer
Total Video Games
GoodGearGuide
Spillmagasinet Norway
Vandal
Hardgame2
Gamesurf.it
PS3Italia
Spaziogames
Big Download
Spike
Fox News
MSN
Empire Online,

Banjo Kazooie Demo Arrives on Xbox Live

Solomon Lee — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:49:44 -0500

Following the special preorder bonus, the demo for Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts has made its way to Xbox Live. The demo is sized at 1.07 GB and allows you to explore vehicle building and "Jiggy" challenges.

Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts is set for release on November 11.

Tomb Raider: Underworld Demo Now Available On XBL

Aaron Dunlap — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:58:36 -0500

In case you haven't got enough Lara in your life, you can now download an official demo for Tomb Raider: Underworld via the Xbox Live Marketplace.

PS3 fans seem to not be invited to this party. We haven't gotten any word that a demo will find its way to the PlayStation Network.

Tomb Raider: Underworld goes on sale November 18.

Portal: Still Alive; Even More Extra-dimensional Hyjinx

Ryan Fulton — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 21:29:38 -0500

Come October 22, Xbox fairing fans of Valve's Portal will be delighted to find an expansion available for their favorite mind-bending pseudo shooter on XBL's Marketplace.

You can expect to find an additional 14 challenge maps, and assumedly, more witty banter from computers with sultry voices. Expect to pay out somewhere around $15 for the privilege. Granted that's more than the game's original percentage based price in The Orange Box, but if you're like me you were only interested in Portal anyway.

Image courtesy of Brickshelf.com

Little Big Planet: SquareEnix/Konami approved!

Ryan Fulton — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:05:56 -0500

God's honest truth, I didn't care about Sony's Little Big Planet until just a moment ago. Ok, that was a blatant lie, it's already pre-ordered, but that's hardly the point of what I'm going for here. Basically, we all knew that Kratos and Nariko were going to be making appearances in LBP, and that was cool. PlaySation Blog one-upped those two by breaking news of an additional round of sacked-out franchise characters.

Assuming you added your own drum roll there, the newly announced characters are none other than Metal Gear's Solid Snake, and Final Fantasy VII's Sephiroth. Please, kindly, resist the urge to make LBP Sephiroth x Snake yaoi. Who am I kidding; I'm sure someone is already writing the fanfic as I'm posting this.

Fable 2: Revenge of the Molyneux, Redux!

Ryan Fulton — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:48:04 -0500

Remember many moons ago when we first reported that Fable 2 would be shipping without a vital component? Well, it looks as if the gang at Lionhead Studios may just have pulled it out in the last moment. Should all go according to plan and the patch passes certification, the feature should be available at launch. See what we get for worrying?

TGS 08: The Last Remnant Trailer.

Ryan Fulton — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:03:01 -0500

Gametrailers.com has recently uploaded the Tokyo Games Show trailer for Square Enix's The Last Remnant. The video makes the game look rather intriguing. So far, the overall story, graphics, and art direction all look pretty solid. Personally, I'm still waiting to see how the gameplay works out before purchasing this title, but it definately has my attention.

You can find the Japanese blog for the game here. Even if you're incapable of reading Japanese, you can look at pretty pictures or download the backgrounds available on the site.

Additional Content Coming to Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

GB News — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:28:02 -0500

LucasArts today announced that it is preparing two rounds of additional content for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed this Fall. This new content will be available for Xbox 360 owners through Xbox Live Marketplace and for PlayStation 3 owners through the PlayStation Network.

The first piece of downloadable content will be comprised of additional costumes and character models that can used while playing through the single-player campaign, including Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Kit Fisto.

The second round of downloadable content, due later this year, will feature an entirely new single-player mission, set in the Jedi Temple on the planet Coruscant. Darth Vaders Secret Apprentice turns to the Jedi Temple to learn more about his father, and while searching through the rubble of the destroyed building he must confront his inner demons.

Pricing and availability for these downloadable items will be announced at a later date.

No Gears of War 2 For PC

Solomon Lee — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:35:31 -0500

With Gears of War 2 coming in November, fans hoping for a PC version are out of luck. Cliff Bleszinski, Epic Lead Designer, has reiterated the company's focus on the Xbox 360 by declaring the issue of piracy to be a deterrent for a PC version.

"The person who is savvy enough to want to have a good PC to upgrade their video card, is a person who is savvy enough to know bittorent to know all the elements so they can pirate software. Therefore, high-end videogames are suffering very much on the PC." states Cliff Bleszinski.

Gears of War 2 is set for release on November 7 on the Xbox 360.

Rare Announces Details On Banjo-Kazooie Preorder Bonus

Zach Lott — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:00:14 -0500

If you're a Banjo-Kazooie fan, then there's no doubt that you've been waiting since last month for details on how to pre-order Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, as it was then that Rare revealed that those who do pre-order will receive an Xbox Live Arcade version of the original Kazooie game as a bonus. Wait no longer; those details are finally here.

"You'll get the free B-K download token on or near the time you pick up Nuts & Bolts, and for the period between the launch of the two games (Nuts & Bolts on November 11th/14th in US/Europe, B-K XBLA on November 26th), only N&B pre-order customers will be able to download and play B-K XBLA," says a news post on Rare's official website.

You'll be able to download the game for fifteen dollars if you don't want to pre-order, but it's certainly a good way to save some money if you're planning on picking up Nuts and Bolts.

Here's a full list of participating retailers:

U.K.: Amazon, Play.com, Game, and Gamestation
U.S.: Amazon, EBGames, GameStop, and GameCrazy
FRANCE: Micromania and Game
SPAIN: Game
ITALY: GameStop
SCANDINAVIA: Game and GameStop

Fable 2: Revenge of the Molyneux

Ryan Fulton — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 15:17:51 -0500

In a move that's unlikely to surprise anyone acquainted with the works and words of Peter Molyneux, Fable 2 will ship without online co-op play.

People with real life friends or no friends at all will be unaffected due to the fact that the split screen and single player modes will be entirely functional in the disc release.

Those of you who happen to yearn for interaction with distant friends still have the silver lining that the online co-op mode will be functional via a patch that will be made available within the first week of release--probably.

Let's hope that Molyneux delivers, as it would be horrible to see such a promising game marred by the temporary occlusion of such a heavily touted feature.

New Xbox Experience: What's Bumpin' with Themes?

Ryan Fulton — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 17:03:16 -0500

We all know that the New Xbox Experience is a fancy way of re-skinning the Xbox's current "blade" interface and adding Mii Avatar support. While a new look is nice, many of us paid hard earned Imperial Credits for our current themes and they suit us quite well, thank you very much. Not to fear! The fine folks at Gamerscore Blog have descended from their perch upon high to allay your doubts and worries.

Not only will your old themes still be viable in the new format, they'll look even better, theoretically. In addition to old themes being supported, some of the new themes will be slightly animated. Avatars will also take an active role on the background representing what your friends are doing and even grouping together when partied. All in all, it seems pretty exciting. Well, as exciting as a glorified menu system can be, which is sort of exciting.