Archive for November, 2009

New Release Rundown Week of 11/29

Another bland week, which works in our favor, since we all probably picked up a plethora of cheap games this weekend. Fern Gully the game… errr James Cameron’s Avatar releases this week. At first I thought James Cameron was an egomaniac, since his name is in the title of the game and movie, but then I remembered the Avatar cartoon, so I guess the man is justified. Rogue Warrior drops this week as well, and if still looks like it did at E3, then I would be apprehensive to check this title out.

I would honestly say that it may be the safest thing to start saving now for the 2010 releases, because nothing special will be releasing the remainder of 2009. Catch up on your backlogs.

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PlayStation 3
Tuesday (12/1)

• James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game
• MX vs. ATV Reflex
• Rogue Warrior

Xbox 360
Tuesday (12/1)

• James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game
• MX vs. ATV Reflex
• Rogue Warrior

Wii
Monday (11/30)

• Rogue Trooper: Quartz Zone Massacre

Tuesday (12/1)

• Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
• James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game
• Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil Zero
• Storybook Workshop
• th!nk Logic Trainer
• Yoga

DS
Tuesday (12/1)

• Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
• James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game
• Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes
• MX vs. ATV Reflex
• Picture Perfect Hair Salon
• th!nk Logic Trainer
• th!nk Logic Trainer: Kids

Thursday (12/3)

• Dreamer Series: Zoo Keeper Learn Science
• Safecracker

PSP
Tuesday (12/1)

• James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game
• MX vs. ATV Reflex

PC
Tuesday (12/1)

• DiRT 2
• Elven Legacy – Magic (Digital Distribution)
• James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game
• Rogue Warrior

Friday (12/4)

• Altitude (Digital Distribution)
• Zombie Driver (Digital Distribution)

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New Blur “Fast Track” Game Play Video

We’ve been hearing about Blur for quite some time and it’s shaping up to be quite the fun racer, if this new game play video is any indication.  Hearing the description of the game is reminds me of a cross between Midnight Club and Burnout, which definitely isn’t a bad thing.  One of the most interesting aspects of the game to me – and this will appeal mostly to online gamers – is described this way in the press release: “The game’s story unfolds through Bizarre Creations’ unique and innovative community-based interface, enabling players to build a network of allies, rivals, fans and personalized racing experiences with friends both inside and outside the game”.  Interesting concept.

Look for Blur – which is developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Activision – this spring for PS3, Xbox 360 and Windows PC.  Now, here’s the video!

Avatar: The Game Video Diary #4

The latest in the list of video developer diaries for James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game was released by Ubisoft today (it’s a big day for them, it seems).  This comes right before the release of the game tomorrow.  What do you think?  Is the game worth checking out?  By the looks of it, it isn’t your ordinary movie-to-game adaptation.  Here’s hoping…oh, and check the video below.

Ubisoft Announces New Prince of Persia Title

Today Ubisoft revealed that they’re working on a new Prince of Persia title.  As soon as I heard that my ears perked up, hoping it would be a sequel similar in style to the 2008 re-imagining of the franchise.  Hey, I liked that game, don’t judge me!  Alas, my hopes were broken to pieces when I read the full press release.  It seems that this new title will focus on following the Sands of Time story, the one that was released back in 2003.  Whether the game will look and feel like the 2008 incarnation is unknown, but the press release mentioned that it “will feature many of the fan-favorite elements from the original series as well as new gameplay innovations that gamers have come to expect from the Prince of Persia brand.”  Take that as you will.

Unsurprisingly, the new title, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, will be released in May 2010, just about the time the new Prince of Persia movie will be hitting theaters across the country.  Crafty marketing there, Ubisoft, very crafty.  Whatever the case may be for this new game, you’ll be able to catch the first trailer for the title during the SpikeTV Video Game Awards on December 12, so if you’re interested, set your DVRs!

Biggest Game Impact on Me Is..

Having been out of commission for the last couple days with some family issues to take care, I can come out and say I’m feeling a bit better enough to post at least one article.  So here I am.

I don’t just have ONE BIG GAME IMPACT.  Coming from a kid who grew up playing Ms. Pac Man, Mr. Do, and Circus Charlie, I can say many games have made an impact on my gaming career, you could say.

Let’s go back a few years to when Frogger, Donkey Kong, and Elevator Action stood on the floors of our local arcades.  Pole Position was one of the first racing-related games I can remember playing. 

During this time frame when those games where pretty popular, one game stood out for me: Tron.  It was visually appealing and the game kept you interested.   It wasn’t a boring game at all.  It is based on the Disney movie with the same title.

Another few games that had a huge impact on me was Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat II.  Where else could you talk your smack and battle it out at the same time.  Sometimes even some of you guys would battle it outside of the arcade after the game was done because you were just that darn angry.

Hmmm…  Oh!  And that little game we can barely remember: Killer Instinct.  With its oh-so-multi-talented multi-mega combos and combo breakers, this game left kids on the floor either tired to death because they lost a losing battle (but tried their hardest — you know who you are), out of breath because they did a combo breaker on you, or they left you angry because all of the above happened plus a whole bunch of smack talking.

I think the reason these games had such a huge impact on me is because I not only played and learned off my friends who were also regular players, I was able to meet people from around the area from other arcades who were friendly enough to want to battle and to take on challenges.

I know that video games, especially nowadays with the consoles, it provides us with a much bigger opportunity to spread our gaming skills, to battle others with whom we many never ever get a chance to, and even still, be able to make friends along the way.

Gaming for the most part I think promotes some creative thinking, the ability to make friends, frenemies, and enemies AND still be able to game hard, and it provides the necessary tools to analyze situations.  A lot of smart and intelligent people play games, don’t forget.

If I have left anything out, please feel free to add on.

DSiWare Title Worth Mentioning

Rarely if ever are DSiWare titles worth mentioning prior to release. I mean… Mario and Animal Crossing Clock apps? Doesn’t the system have an internal clock already? Well, ladies and gentlemen I introduce you to Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes is coming to a DSi near you. EA Play is proud to announce the title will be available this December and will utilize the camera and microphone (hopefully utilized well) for a very customizable gaming experience. Here are some of the details best described by EA Play:

Key Features

• Put YOUR face & voice in the game! – Use the DSi cameras and microphone to capture your image for the game. Put on your angry game face! Record your heroic battle cry!

• Choose the hero YOU want to be – Will you be the musclebound barbarian, the slick spy, or sneaky ninja? Switch between 8 costumes to solve the game’s puzzles and defeat your enemies the way you want to!

• Add your friends’ faces! – Every character in the game needs a Face. Use the DSi camera to put your friends, family, pets, or even your own drawings in the game! Make funny faces for hilarious results!

• Reclaim your stolen identify – The sinister Face Stealer has copied your face and is up to no good! Clear your name by chasing down this villain and bringing it to justice.

• Upload your ingame photos – Show off you accomplishments by uploading your ingame photos for clearing each stage.

• Explore exciting worlds – Your quest will send you through 15 levels across the Haunted Hills, Frantic Frontier, and the Mystic East. Enjoy the scenery and quirky inhabitants. Search every nook and cranny to collect all the stars.

Not too shabby for 800 DSi points. I know the screenshots below are pretty scary looking, I agree with you. Let’s hope none of you look as scary as them. Anyway… happy downloading!

Guitar Hero/Band Hero DLC Line Up For December

Ready to rock out even more? Playing the same songs over and over again can suck at times, which is why Activision revealed the Guitar Hero 5 and Band Hero DLC line-up for the month in which we happily celebrate being broke as an acceptable excuse for the gift of giving – December.

December 3

The Fall of Troy Track Pack
“Panic Attack”
“A Class Case of Transference”
“Single”

December 12

OneRepublic Track Pack
“All The Right Moves”
“Everybody Loves Me”
“Mercy”

December 17

“Indie” Track Pack
Nada Surf – “Hi-Speed Soul”
Pavement – “Cut Your Hair”
Spoon – “Sister Jack”

December 22

Celebrity New Years Rock Track Pack
Taylor Swift – “Our Song”
Maroon 5 – “Harder to Breathe”
No Doubt – “New”

Those of you who are fond of free stuff (which should be everyone), Steve Ouimette’s version of “Hark The Herald Angels Sing” will be made available for you to download, as a bonus, on December 22. You’d think because the holidays are upon us, and that these songs are being released during a month in which giving makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside, that Activision would practice the gift of giving by offering these songs free of charge, right? Think again. All of the songs listed above, with the exception of the free one, will be $1.99 on the PlayStation Store, 160 Microsoft Points, or 200 Wii Points each, with track packs costing $5.49, 440 Microsoft Points, or 550 Wii Points.

TNA Wrestling Arriving for PSP and DS

SouthPeak Interactive has given word that they will be publishing a new title for the TNA Wrestling franchise. TNA iMPACT!: Cross the Line is scheduled to release for PSP, PSP go and Nintendo DS, later this winter. The TNA Wrestling franchise has shown strong sales with TNA iMPACT, which was released last year for 360 and PS3, by shipping over 1 million units. The fan base should only grow now by hitting the portable market.

“[TNA's] unique take on professional wrestling has captivated a continually growing fan base of millions of people across the world,” said Richard Iggo, VP of Marketing for SouthPeak. “We look forward to giving those fans the opportunity to go head to head with all their favorite TNA superstars on the go, on either the PSP system or Nintendo DS.”

How unique will these iterations be? And how much will the PSP and DS versions differ? These are burning questions that we will get back to you on, as we will surely cover this game as more news develops. The screenshots below are taken from the PSP version of the game.

Puzzle Quest 2 Arriving for XBLA and DS

All of you Puzzle Quest loving fans are, more than likely, pinching your nipples in knowing that D3 Publisher has revealed the return of the series – Puzzle Quest 2 – which is slated for a spring 2010 release. As it stands, the only platforms, however, that will be seeing Puzzle Quest 2 are the Nintendo DS and Xbox Live Arcade.  Knowing that the first game was released on the PSP, there are fans out there probably sodomizing their asses with a remote control in a blind rage. Don’t fret, PSPers, I’m pretty sure that you too will get to experience the game – probably not on the same day, but you will eventually.

Like the previous Puzzle Quest, the game is making its return following the match-three mechanic that made the first so intriguing, followed by its fantasy-ish storyline. In Puzzle Quest 2, players will be able to choose from four classes – Inquisitor, Barbarian, War Mage, and an Assassin. The game, much like its predecessor, will feature a story more, instant action mode, multiplayer modes (yes, plural), and a “tournament mode.”

Most of you are probably applauding the developers for staying true to the game’s sassy mechanics which were, indeed, great. That with a mix of great music made this game a classic for many, including myself. So, with Puzzle Quest 2 migrating the old ingredients that made the first amazing, there is no doubt in my mind that it will be awesome. Unless, of course, they ruin the soundtrack by adding the atrocious sounds of Rick Astley… ugh… just thinking about it makes me cringe.

LEGO Rock Band Review

Throughout the history of man there have been certain collaborations that seem to make so much sense, that you just can’t think of it any other way. Some of these combinations are: milk and cookies, peanut butter and jelly, Bert and Ernie. And lately in the world of video games, the collaboration trend we have been seeing more any more of is: LEGO and (insert anything here). Well the latest hit with the LEGO brand on it, has hit shelves and it has kids across the country, rocking out like it no body’s business. Yes, I’m talking LEGO Rock Band.

What JRPGs Need to Appeal to Western Audiences

There was a time when Western audiences ate up Japanese RPGs like candy – during the prime years for that genre in the mid- to late-90s.  Perhaps back then things were simpler and we didn’t expect as much.  Maybe JRPGs seemed like novelty items – something rare, precious and different.  They captured our imaginations with their deep, involving stories and amazed us with their graphical presentation.  But, times have changed.

While many JRPGs still push the graphical limits of modern consoles, we all know that visual appeal alone isn’t enough to float a game that no one wants to play.  Also, there are many and varied reasons why it seems like Japanese RPGs have fallen out of favor with Western audiences in this new century.  Perhaps gamers feel that they aren’t trying to innovate enough, perhaps this new generation of gamers wants your garden variety shooter where there is action every second of the way or maybe JRPGs just aren’t growing with the times.

I’m of the opinion that innovation isn’t everything.  Graphics are in the same boat; they aren’t really what makes a game tick.  To reveal my opinion of what JRPGs really need to start capturing the hearts of Western audiences once more, all you have to do is look toward other forms of modern entertainment.  In the past, movie-goers and TV viewers were enraptured by the fantastical.  Shows like the original Star Trek and movies like the earlier James Bond films captured people’s imaginations and took them on a journey to times, places and situations that were “out there”.  People really enjoyed that at the time.

As time passed, however, focus moved from these imaginative places into a more personal space.  Star Trek and James Bond began a visible decline in the earlier part of this decade (some would say even before that), likely because the audience wanted more intimate fare instead of the flash and dazzle of sleek spaceships and fancy gadgets.  People wanted to be able to relate to the characters they were viewing in these programs, therefore television and movie genres bended themselves to the desires of their target audience.  Today we have shows in those same genres – such as the new Battlestar Galactica – that seem to focus more on the people, while using the sci-fi setting as more of a backdrop to the unfolding personal drama than anything else.  What happens?  The audience eats it up like candy.

The point of all this?  Again, it’s because the mentality of people has changed.  We want to be able to see the characters in these programs and, by extension, in the games we play, in situations that are relatable to our everyday lives.  The backdrop doesn’t matter anymore; that is no longer the focus of our attention.  A game could be set in a fantasy world, a sci-fi world or a world that mirrors our own present day, as long as the characters themselves and the situations those characters face can be related to by the audience.  And herein lies the problem – JRPGs have the fantasy thing down pat.  What they need to work on is the stories they tell and how the characters in those stories relate to their target audience.  When they do that, they succeed both critically and popularly.

Take Persona 4, for example.  The story itself casts a heavy focus on the characters and their innermost fears, all of which any given individual who is playing that game could possibly relate to.  The characters aren’t in some crazy military unit on some unknown planet battling an unknown enemy – they’re relatable, battling feelings that we, as humans, deal with every day.  That whole experience is then given the backdrop of this surreal Earth town with mysterious happenings.  Note that the setting isn’t the focal point of the story, no, the focus is on the characters, their relationships with one another and their innermost thoughts and concerns.

A turn toward the more mature wouldn’t hurt, either.  And by “mature” I do not in any way, shape or form mean gratuitous blood, gore and sexual content.  What I mean is mature themes. In Persona 4 we see characters worried about acceptance because of their chosen lifestyle and we see characters searching for who they really are.  There’s nothing wrong with delving into the darker recesses of the mind and exploring those aspects of the human condition, assuming it isn’t done gratuitously.  That’s what people want – that’s what they eat up.  Why are we still seeing childish, cliché characters and over-done stories when these games could be so much more?  There’s nothing wrong, per se, with these types of tales, but why not stretch the envelope?  Let’s not be afraid of media freak-outs and non-gamer public opinion.

While a relatable cast of characters and story-based situations isn’t the only thing that JRPGs need to present a broader appeal to Western audiences, it is one thing that I feel needs the most work.  Look at Western RPGs like the recently released Dragon Age: Origins – that game has heavy themes running throughout that you rarely, if ever, see in a JRPG.  You see how the characters deal with slavery, abuse, betrayal, murder and even rape.  At their best, JRPGs might feature one of those themes, and never the worst of them.

Eastern developers have tried time and again to make their games appeal to Western audiences.  The Last Remnant was heralded as being a role-playing game with worldwide appeal, yet it still held very tightly to JRPG clichés in nearly all story- and character-related aspects.  We want more than war between nations and a mystical artifact of power, we want more than the anmesiac boy who ends up being the last survivor of some powerful beings.  There are strides being taken, but I don’t feel they’re large enough.  The Persona titles are working in the right direction.  In a way, it seems Eastern developers just don’t want to get their hands dirty.  Don’t get me wrong, standard happy-go-lucky RPG fare has its place, but to appeal to that worldwide audience, we need more.

Who will be the first to break the mold, to really sell a game in the JRPG style to Western audiences and receive critical and popular acclaim worldwide?  Sorry Square-Enix, Final Fantasy XIII is a shoo-in for massive sales worldwide because if the name alone, so it doesn’t count.  I don’t want to advocate changing JRPGs at a fundamental level, because there is a certain visual presentation and style, as well as certain game mechanics, that make JRPGs, as a genre, what they are.  No, that’s not what I’m looking to change and, in fact, I hope that never changes.  If you want an RPG done in the Western style, go play Oblivion or Dragon Age: Origins.  What I’m talking about is the characters, the story and how that all relates to how well the gamers become engaged in the game as a whole.  I do hope in the future Eastern developers get their hands dirty and try something outside of the box where these points are concerned, pushing the limits of expression, freedom and our imaginations to the point that the Western audience will once again appreciate Japanese RPGs like they did in times past.

WCG Holiday Heroes Tournament

World Cyber Games will be hosting its second annual Holiday Heroes Tournament in New York City at the Samsung Experience; 3rd floor of the Time Warner Mall on 59th Street.  The tournament will host Modern Warfare 2, Street Fighter 4 and DJ Hero.  Registrations for the tournament is now open for those who wish to compete.  Modern Warfare 2 is limited to the first 16 full teams registered, paid, and confirmed (the $15 fee will be refunded once all teams are registered at the event).  Street Fighter 4 will host 100 players in its tournament and for those wanting to compete in DJ Hero, it is an open walk in tournament.  There will be players coming from around the states to compete so all teams bring your A game as this will be the most intense tournament WCG has ever had.  Modern Warfare 2 will be the one to watch for on that weekend.  Remember to register NOW as space is limited and Good Luck to all those who enter, I will also be competing in MW2.

For more information on Holiday Heroes and to register, Click the banner below.