Bash Brothers: Brawl II
Now, the problem with this game, is I haven’t played any of those that came before… and unfortunately, most people in India haven’t either… the good part is, I and many of us, like bashing things up. So then this game is good… very good.
The game is simple, fly around as any one of many many characters, and kick ass… what makes it interesting are the many objects you can pick up, and the lack the amalgamation of the multiple gaming universes and bash styles imaginable… so Mario versus Pikachu is going to be the norm, and what’s more you can use either a baseball bat, or throw a pokeball out to release something else…
I’m not too sure about the controls, but apparently, they’re completely customizable, and what more can be used in a variety of ways, basically if you go by what people say, they’re good simple enough for anyone. Another really cool thing, is that they aren’t many, or in fact any ‘special’ technically hard combos to do… so its an even playing field, in as much as an experienced player wont have any know how advantage over a novice. Some people aren’t too happy about this…
Its interesting but the gaming community seems to take this game really serious, apparently, serious bashers, fight competitively, and vie for top honours, something they left undefined. But what’s cool is, if you don’t want to compete with the best in the world, but only with your friends, you can pull that off too, the game features, or more accurately is based on a really cool multiplayer platform. Also this multiplayer platform can be pushed online, so technically, you could play any one anytime… the good news is, the lag, is seen to be not much more than that experienced playing on a plasma TV, and wont be obvious to the casual gamer.
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Bash Brothers: Brawl I
Also speaking of thing online, the game makes it possible to create full stages/arenas to combat in, which you can actually upload to the main Wii server, and have downloaded all over the world. So potentially there are unlimited stages to play, though the editor is far from up to the mark, and gives only the most basic options.
The next thing about the game which is cool, is the single player mode. Not really the USP of the game, it is still well done, and carefully developed. Interestingly, you’re not tied down to one character but switch between multiple Nintendo and Sega heroes, enjoying their games’ worlds as you battle. As the game comes to a head, the worlds combine, and you may find yourself fighting alongside a Pikachu as something like Sonic. Go team Rodents!
I’m not sure there’s anything bad to say about the game, if there is, I didn’t find it, and possibly no one’s said it yet. Perfect scores were the average for the game, and the projected playing time for it, is over 6 years… quite believable, considering the last game in the series, launched 6 years ago, is still being played.
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Alien Invaders Review
Be the Super Villain take a break from the boring hero in you, and be a ridiculous little alien invader for a change… 30 years on from the original and you aren’t defending earth anymore, you want it flattened.
What’s interesting about this game, is not what you do, but how you do it. Basically you fly around earth, destroying people, killing buildings, and spreading despair. You appear like some kind of bully ship, with a bunch of lackeys handing around to do your bidding. Basically you can order other invader ships to do a variety of attacks, on buildings etc. the attacks vary from the general, to the bowling ball attack, where the ships become a single ball, and roll round, flattening everything. But the best is, if you ever feel you cant handle the heat from the earth defenders, then just call for mommy! Yup the mother ship comes in and deals devastating damage to everything, and then leaves, and leaves you to complete the mission. Pretty cool.
The way it works, is that you have a limited amount of time in each stage, and a certain mission to complete, everytime you get hit, by some sort of a earth defender you loose a lackey, and that means you take longer to complete missions. There are ways to replenish your time and ships lost… every building you destroy gives you a second back… but the best it, every COW you abduct gives you a whopping 15.
The opponents, the armies of earth, are pretty average, and beating them is barely a challenge, the challenge comes from the internet standings incorporated in the game. You do well, to tell about it. This makes the title a little more intense than it would normally be.
The biggest problem with the game is that you cant buy all of it, and need to download it from the net, and blah blah… basically not so much fun!
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Star Wars the Clone Wars Review
The game is interesting, and pretty much the expected outcome of a controller system like that of the Wii, unfortunately, its also a bit disappointing. Though to criticize the game is a bit unfair, because after all, the system is new, and you’re bound to get it wrong, the first few times.
That being said, its not that ‘wrong’ either… in fact its quite fun, specially if you play in multiplayer mode, which is what this game was designed for. The single player mode, is slow and repetitive, and because of the opposition requires you to do specific, repetitive combination… until you get bored… with a friend in the fray, it becomes pretty interesting, because you will both be free wheeling, in a way. While the opponents in the single player mode, can parry, almost perfectly and so fights get longer and longer…
The controlling, which is what you really want to know about anyway, isn’t all that expansive either, literally… there are just four basic moves, slashes and stab. And they involve not majestic swishes but mere flicks of the wrist to get right… once you’ve mastered the skill of slashing, you really cant do much more. The fights as I said before are all pre-meditated on ‘combo’ lines, limiting the effect of free slashing.
But because the game has a decent story line, and fits in seamlessly with Star Wars story, its fun. All the environments are brilliantly done… and the fights have glorious cinematic effects… making them look a lot like the movies.
Another thing I’d really like to see, is the dialogue. Apparently they’ve dubbed separate lines for each character facing any other possible fighter in the pack. So Obi Wan and Anakin taunt each other, as though it were a practice session, while Obi says considerably worse things to other fighters. That sort of attention to detail, will go a long way to preventing the game from getting stale… specially if you play it the way its meant to be… against your friends, because once you establish your favourite characters, their having their own personality goes a long way.
The other thing that I should mentions, is that while its not evident in the single player mode, each fighter in the game has his own special kind of fighting style, something which is very evident in multiplayer mode. Personally if there’s anyone I want to kill, I’d introduce him to this game.
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The new Sonic Game
Now this is a game I’ve not yet checked out. Largely because I don’t get to, being a college student in India, doesn’t help. But I’ve read up on it, and I’ve played a few earlier sonic titles, so I can at least pretend I know what I’m talking about.
The low down on Sonic the Hedgehog is that it has two kind of gaming modes. The first is classical fast, racing… streaky, sonic action. Which is obviously good, but apparently there is too little of this sort of action. Though it is much faster and closer to the original, and best loved Sonic, speed wise. Apparently there are much nicer tracks, which are hugely long, and fulfilling, with fewer obstacles, and better controlling, though apparently the sensitivity of the handheld Wii remote might be an issue. So the racing has a universal thumbs up.
The other side of the gaming involves a were-wolf Sonic. This guy is rather large, has a long arms, is very hairy, and has a loping, it would appear, gait. Not really very attractive from the screen shots. The game play here is platform based, and the usual issues like positioning angles of the character, and to a much larger degree of the camera come into play. The stages are hard, and falls can be unmerciful, and painful. The levels are apparently, sometimes to long and tedious to complete, and Sonic purists will hate it.
There are some good points though, like the fighting with Sonic becoming adept as time and stages progress, and creating some nifty combos, which using the Wii remote, might make fun. I think the game play is a bit like i-ninja if anyone remembers the game. I never got bored and never completed it, but the levels I played were great fun!
The graphics are supposed to be really cool, and I cant comment on what people using the Wii will feel about controls etc. the sounds is classic techno stuff that listeners found consistent with Sonic, the game, and pleasure. I don’t know what else to add. Go play the game.
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Super Mario Sluggers Announced!
The release of Mario Super sluggers for the Wii has been announced by Nintendo Co. on Monday. The game will allow gamers to play baseball using the wii remote, for both bating and pitching.
The game allows participants to choose from a range of 40 characters.
Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of sales and marketing described the game “Mario Super Sluggers has enough depth for core gamers but also offers controls that are instantly accessible to everyone, Mario Super Sluggers takes the fun into extra innings with cool characters, baseball-themed challenges and different control options for novice and experienced gamers.”
At the baseball kingdom players have to defeat other characters to convince them to join your team, while playing in the single player mode.
The game is priced at $50.
To create the buzz unique tradable baseball card are available at different places on the Internet.
When certain cards are paired, it will let players unlock bonuses like screensavers and game videos.
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WiiFit gets gamers off the couch!
Nintendo is going to make playing video games an exercise! The WiiFit, priced at $90 will make you burn calories while you play!
The technology is great, although it does not support multiplayers.
A collection of games use the Balance Board, which is the size of a small door mat. It connects wirelesly to your wii console. Small shifts in you weight and balance are detected by the board. Your movements translate onto the screen, wheather it be your ability to cross a thin rope to get from one skyscrapper to the next or going down a ski slope slaloming, steering through flag gates by the help of your weight.
The mini-games that are organised in different categories balance, Yoga, Strength, Areobics. Some Games are open at the start and more open up as you play the different levels in the games.
Pikes, press-ups and leg extensions are the type of activities that would come under the strength category.
The balance board truly does give a promising revolution to the video-gaming industry that is heavily criticised for being unhealthy, and being a major cause of obesity amoung children. Nintendo has finally found the solution! The Wiifit might aswell strengthen the Wii’s already huge sales. Nintendo sold 555,000 units the past month, which is more than the combined sales of its two competitors the PS3 and Xbox 360.
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Nintendo Wii Outsells PS3 3-to-1 in Japan
The Japanese gaming magazine Enterbrain reports that the Nintendo Wii outsold Sony’s PS3 by a ratio of three to one in Japan during July.
Nintendo Wii continues to remain the best selling current generation console in the Japanese market along with several other international markets.
The report claims that Nintendo sold 171,851 units of the Wii last month compared to 54,823 units of the PS3. These figures are for the four weeks which ended on July 27.
Sony however had a lead over Nintendo in the handheld gaming console market. Sony PSP sold 256,765 units compared to 217,639 units for Nintendo DS.
The electronics giant will retail a new $399 PS3 80GB SKU this fall, representing a $100 price cut from the current 80GB model.
Sony this month recorded a Q1 profit of $50.5 million (5.4 billion yen) profit in its game division compared to a loss of $273.3 million (29.2 billion yen) one year prior.
Nintendo this week reported a 32 percent jump in quarterly operating profit, driven by the runaway success of the Wii, which is enjoying strong demand thanks to its easy-to-learn motion-sensing controller, low price and innovative titles such as the “Wii Fit” exercise game.
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PS3 to Out sale Xbox 360, says Activision
In a conference call following the June quarter earnings release from Activision, Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith provided his company’s own forecast for how the console wars would turn out in 2008. While Nintendo is still the big winner, Activision does think Sony will edge out Microsoft this year.
Sony said on Tuesday it had sold 1.56 million units in the April-June quarter, up from 700,000 units a year earlier.
The Wii is forecast to sell 15 million units in 2008, compared to 8 million units for the PS3 and 6-7 million units for the Xbox 360. And Sony’s PS2, which after all these years is still thriving, is expected to sell a total of 4-5 million units this year.
Additionally, while Griffith did not provide a breakdown for PSP versus Nintendo DS, he did state that the portable market will see unit sales of more than 24 million.
Sony has left unchanged its targets to sell 10 million units of the PS3 and 15 million units of the PSP in the year ending March 2009.
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