411 Games Roundtable: March 2007 Part 1
Posted by Sean Garmer on 03.07.2007
Who are the big winners and losers this month? What are we playing? And who won game of the month?
MARCH 2007 Games Roundtable
Hello everyone, welcome to the 411 Games Roundtable for the month of March, as some of you readers might be enjoying your spring break we hope that you will take the time to read all about games. We have six questions to answer and after that it's on to all the games being released this month. Well let's get on with this and meet the wonderful staff.
He always looks back on great things of the past in his Retrospective check this one out on the Soul Calibur series. He also reviews great games of today, it's Sean McCabe
Damian Sarcuni writes about various things in his column called the Angry Gamer One thing you can always count on is insightful yet funny writing and genuine opinions. That should make you read his latest column on three video games that should or should not, have been made into movies.
Ramon Aranda reviews games and gives us info on very important things going on in the Gaming World. We couldn't make it around here without him. He did have a cool interview with Ben Brinkman on the MLB 2K7 game. You can read it right here
Whether he goes Retro or in his last column does a Flashback You can always count on trustworthy and honest reviews from Steve McHugh Don't miss his flashback on Comic Book Games.
411's resident Nintendo insider Theo Fraser is always happy to give you the latest news on his favorite company, in his report Nintendophiles
One of the busiest guys around the 411 Games section doing three different writings a week. He pushes Select and Start with his news report. He also writes his own column called Gaming Trends This one is on failed gimmicks that looked to good but turned out bad. Finally, the staff joins him with the Top 5 This week they look at their Top 5 important people in the industry. Say hello to Vincent Chiucchi
Finally Jordan Williams still may have a Working Title However, you can't say that his column isn't a good one. He entertains me every week with his opinions, journalism, and funny comments. Don't miss his game reviews too.
I'm your host of these roundtables and do reviews for the Games section. I also write the Triple Threat in the wrestling zone. I am Sean Garmer
On to the questions
1. Biggest Winner of the Month
Sean McCabe:SEEDS. Clover may be dead and buried but not before it could germinate! Okay, that was bad. Anyway, not often the guys behind Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Viewtiful Joe, Phoenix Wright, Godhand, and Okami leave Capcom to start their own company. I would suspect this studio is going to come out with some amazing games in the future.
Damian Sarcuni:Nintendo. The Wii is starting to hit record sales numbers and upcoming game announcements for adulterated titles like Manhunt 2 will only make the public want the system even more. The media hype may be starting to wane a bit, but the sales figures aren't and in the end that's what it is all about.
Ramon Aranda:Nintendo. Their stocks continue to grow and their marketshare is increasing as well. They have done a fabulous job of getting non-gamers excited and that's what it's all about. The Wii is still extremely difficult to find at retail stores.
Steve McHugh:X-Box Live users. Not only has the excellent Alien Hominod just been released but there's also Worms just around the corner along with the wonderful Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and the interesting looking Boom Boom Rocket (made by the Geo wars guys). On top of all this it's just been announced that Sam and Max could well be coming to the service and that's some pretty big reasons to be using XBLA at the moment and the not too distant future.
Theo Fraser:Square-Enix. Final Fantasy XII was finally released in the UK, and shot to the top of the charts, beating Xbox 360's highly anticipated Crackdown. With Final Fantasy V and VI also hitting the shops, it's been a big month for Square Enix and they are doing very well for themselves.
Vincent Chiucchi:Bungie. Bungie - For creating the best feature in Halo 3: The Mute Button. This is one feature I want copied in all other games going online.
Jordan "Ogre" Williams:None. I don't know if it was just me not really paying attention this month, or if it was really a slow month in gaming. Microsoft and Nintendo seem to, still be going strong though.
Sean Garmer:Nintendo & Bungie. I have to congratulate Bungie on making a great decision to put the mute button on Halo 3. I'm not a big Halo fan but adding a mute button to online play is genius. There is nothing more annoying than a kid screaming something while you are trying to kill someone else. I also think it should be added to every game released online. Nintendo systems are still selling like crazy. Many are saying that they can't even get in a shipment of Nintendo DS's at this point. Wii's still get sold within minutes of arriving in stores. I'd say Nintendo is still killing em.
2. Biggest Loser of the Month
Sean McCabe:Capcom. Whilst the closure of Clover wasn't by any means a deliberate thing done by Capcom. The fact is, they lost some of their most talented people, and though, I don't suspect it will hurt them too much in the long term. It's still a bit like ROH losing Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels and Austin Aries soon.
Damian Sarcuni:Sony. The market just keeps steam rolling over the PS3 and now the system is even starting to become the butt of several internet jokes and parodies. Resistance: Fall of Man was not the killer app that everyone thought it was and most developers have jumped ship or are planning to some time in the near future.
Ramon Aranda:Sony. The bad press continues to roll in while PS3's are a lot easier to find at stores now. (Just saw one yesterday at Toys R' Us) Stocks are low and their game division continues to lose an abundance of money.
Steve McHugh:Sony. I wasn't going to say Sony this month as I so wanted to find someone else to take this place but it's just been announced that Sony have lost the exclusive rights to the new mercenaries game. A game everyone thought was a PS3 only title. Also with the awful way the launch is being handled in some places (you have to buy a PSP and PS3 together to be able to get a PS3), and to make matters even worse they've just announced that the PS3 release in Europe won't have the backwards compatibility of other versions but will cost the same amount. It's like Sony are trying to actually get people angry about them.
Theo Fraser:Sony. I hate to give this to Sony again, as it must make me seem like such a Nintendo fanboy, but I really can't overlook some of the dumb moves they've made as of late. This month, the big news was that for PAL PS3s, Sony is removing the Emotion Engine from the console, severely limiting the backwards compatibility with PS2 games. Yet, the cost remains the same. I'm sorry, but that is just not on. How did Europe manage to piss off Sony quite so much?
Vincent Chiucchi:Nathan Moore. Teenage dumbass who killed a homeless man and blamed it on games, and he's not some kind of kid mistreated by his parents: Moore constantly beat them as well. These are the kind of asinine people that give Jack Thompson the ammo he needs, and I hope Moore rots in jail.
Jordan "Ogre" Williams:Sony. I suppose Sony is just going to keep winning this spot, huh? They are doing a BIT better now that that launch is behind them, but they just can't seem to keep their mouth shut long enough for gamers to start liking them again. It's like that one annoying friend you WANT to like, but they will always says something stupid at the last second and it makes you want to smack them.
Sean Garmer:Capcom & Sony. I say Capcom because they lost the guys from Clover who made great games for them. Yeah, I'm sure this won't affect them if they keep making great games on their own. However, you've got to think Seeds is going to continue their string of great games. So it's going to be a war between these two companies. I wasn't going to put Sony on here until I heard the ridiculous crap they are pulling on Europe. I don't live there, but some of the staff do and I have a few other friends there too, that is just stupid. How do you take out something that will limit backwards compatibility and then charge the same for the system? Sony just wants to get their butts owned don't they? Just because you may end up winning in America doesn't mean, that you can abuse everyone else. Making people buy a PSP to reserve a PS3 is also a dumb idea, because most will take back that idiotic thing they call a handheld.
3. Biggest News Story of the Month
Sean McCabe:Formation of SEEDS.
Damian Sarcuni:Rockstar announces Manhunt 2 for Wii. Gamers collectively soiled their undergarments when they saw the announced system list for the game, as Rockstar completely avoided the PS3 platform altogether to favor the Wii. Not only is this a slap in the face to anyone who billed the Wii as being a child oriented system, but it also sounds yet another death toll for the PS3. If Rockstar is avoiding the latest hardware submission from a company that helped put them on the map, something is up and now the public knows it even more.
Ramon Aranda:Rockstar announces Manhunt 2 for Wii. Not only is the Wii beginning to garner M-rated games, but the announcement of Manhunt 2; the sequel to one of the most violent games of all time coming to the supposedly "kiddy" Nintendo Wii was a huge coup and the biggest story.
Steve McHugh:Sony loses Mercenaries 2 as an exclusive. It's stuff like this that make people wonder what other big games Sony will end up loosing. MGS4 isn't looking so unlikely anymore is it?
Theo Fraser:Rockstar announces Manhunt 2 for Wii. A couple of years ago, who would have EVER thought they'd see a game such as Manhunt on a Nintendo console? This really was a shock announcement by Rockstar. I can see this being a major stepping stone for the Wii, opening up endless doors to bring more adult titles to the platform. And if Rockstar like the Wii hardware, who knows, maybe one day we could actually see Grand Theft Auto Wii.
Vincent Chiucchi:X-Box Reward System. Winning actual awards for boosting your gamerscore? Yet another interesting feature added to the Xbox 360. With this on top of downloading TV shows, one has to wonder what else Microsoft will come up with to make this more then a game machine.
Jordan "Ogre" Williams:Various. Again, there wasn't a lot of BIG news this months. SEEDS formed, and the Wii is close to breaking records while the PS3 just sort of putters around, Hmm, I think the kid who blamed video games for his violence only to get completely OWNED by his 'step mother figure' is a pretty big story.
Sean Garmer:X-Box Reward System. As someone that owns a X-Box 360 getting real awards for doing things on your games is a great thing. I'm interested to see just what else they are going to do with this, and this is another deal that separates Microsoft from Sony.
4. Classic Game of the Month
Sean McCabe:King of Fighters 2002 (PS2) this is still one of the best of the annual KoF games, and though the music was kind a bad, just about everything from the graphics to the roster, delivered a cut above most other games in the series. Also only one of two games where you can perform Leona's Awakening into Orochi form. That's cool.
Damian Sarcuni:Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (PS2 & X-Box). My friend called me up asking me if I had any strategies for the snake boss in the game, and I fondly recalled those hours of boredom and frustration I had going through it. Then I remembered and told the tale of what happened to my copy of the game after I beat it. I pulled it out of my PS2, lifted it up to the ceiling, and snapped it in two. I swear I heard Shao Khan shout fatality as I did it. Yes, the lucrative option would have been to bring it back to Gamestop for a quick buck, but the thought of some other poor sap picking the game up only to go through that torture disgusted me and I felt it best to destroy the disc entirely. A fond memory, justice was served that day.
Ramon Aranda:Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. One of the best games of ALL-TIME hit the Virtual Console on Feb 26th...right before the end of the month. Not one game can top this title...NOT ONE. (Twilight Princess isn't "classic" status yet.
Steve McHugh:Skies of Arcadia (DC & GC). If ever there was a game that should have gotten a sequel it's this. Come on Sega stop pissing around with awful Sonic and Phantasy Star Online games and make something people actually want to play.
Theo Fraser:Grand Theft Auto 2. Just the other week, Rockstar put up a free download of GTA2 on their website, and I must say, if anyone hasn't played it yet, you really must do so now. Sure, GTA is still awesome these days, but I loved that ‘old school' top down view, and there were some pretty inspired missions. I also have yet to find anything more fun than driving around in an ice cream van. Simple pleasures!
Vincent Chiucchi:Kid Icarus. It has finally arrived on the Virtual Console. Enjoy boys.
Jordan "Ogre" Williams:Smash TV (SNES). I've been playing this one a lot for some reason, and I really think an update to this would be so awesome.
Sean Garmer:Super Tecmo Bowl (NES). I just discovered this the other day and it gives me great memories of when football games were so simple to play. You press one button to pass and it was either a catch or interception. You could also run the ball and there was always an open space. They also had a full season mode with this one too. Something any sports game fan should check out, I can guarantee some major fun.
5. Best Game in February
Sean McCabe:Okami (PS2) UK release last month. Yeah, it came out in North America last October, but it only came out here a couple of weeks ago, and well... it's kinda awesome, very awesome.
Damian Sarcuni:Crackdown (XBOX 360). Rampaging co-op Grand Theft Auto style play is never a bad thing. It's not the most epic adventure in the world, but it'll tide me over plenty until Xbox 360 finally gets a killer app that isn't a straight up war game or first person shooter.
Steve McHugh:Okami (PS2) UK release last month. One of the best games for the PS2 and anyone who doesn't own it needs to play this game.
Theo Fraser:Jade Empire: Special Edition (PC). Now hurry up and bring it to the UK! I've been waiting for this one for years.
Vincent Chiucchi:Superbowl XLI. Superbowl XLI - Many great and surprising moments all around, but the commercials were really lacking this year. Oh wait...you mean VIDEO game? In that case, I'll go with Virtua Fighter 5 (PS3).
Jordan "Ogre" Williams:Crackdown (X-Box 360). Even though it gets sort of repetitive, Crackdown is still all sorts of fun, especially if you jump online and let someone else jump in your game. Nothing beats have one person throw a semi truck and having the other person catch it.
Sean Garmer:NBA Street Homecourt (X-Box 360). I love EA Canada because they bring us great games like this one. After the lackluster performance with NBA Street Vol 3, they came back and gave us this gem. It has a decent career mode, cool create-a-character function, and a very fun Basketball game. I couldn't get enough of double dunking and launching myself off of my teammates.
The Winner:Tie. Crackdown (X-Box 360) & Okami UK (PS2).
Ultimate Winner:Microsoft's X-Box 360 Two votes for Crackdown and another vote for NBA Street Homecourt allow Microsoft to get the slight victory over Sony's PS2.
6. Currently Gaming
Sean McCabe: Okami (PS2), Contact (Nintendo DS), Cooking Mama (Nintendo DS), KoF 2002 (PS2) and Fire Pro Returns.
Damian Sarcuni:Viva Pinata. which is filled with fun. I actually named all my fudgehog's after family members, my mousemellows are named after friends, and my bunnycombs are named after all the women I've slept with in the past. I'm not even going to tell you what I named my whirlems.
Ramon Aranda:Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (DS), Paperboy (360), The Legend of Zelda TP (Wii), Mega Man ZX (DS), Gears of War (360) and MLB2K7 (360).
Just finished Hotel Dusk and I was very impressed. If you haven't played it yet and own a Nintendo DS, do yourself a favor and try it out. My girlfriend is hooked on it now.
Steve McHugh: Okami (PS2), Viva Pinata (X-Box 360) (Anyone who doesn't like this game has no soul) and Dragon Quest VIII (PS2).
Theo Fraser: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Animal Crossing: Wild World, Prey, Metroid Prime: Hunters.
Vincent Chiucchi: Guitar Hero II - I love this game.
Trauma Center: Second Opinion - The whole "surgeons are better through games" article inspired me to finish this.
Jordan "Ogre" Williams: Fable: The Lost Chapters, Madden 07, Star Wars Battlefront: II, Max Payne II.
Sean Garmer: Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia (PS2), Super Tecmo Bowl (NES), Cooking Mama (Nintendo DS), Zombies Ate My Neighbors (SNES), Dead or Alive 4 (X-Box 360), Radiata Stories (PS2), WWE RAW 2 (X-Box)
