411 Games Roundtable: May 2007
Posted by Sean Garmer on 05.14.2007
Come read about games such as, Touch the Dead, Forza Motorsport 2, Mario Party 8, and more. Also, which game won for the month of April? And who are the winners and losers overall? Find out right here as the staff brings you the May roundtable.
MAY 2007 Games Roundtable
Hello everyone, it’s almost summer and some it may mean three months of rest and relaxation, for others it may mean the end of classes but the beginning of full-time work. For us it is another month in video games. As we enter the time that is usually known as the doldrums, until we reach fall, Sony loses it’s father, and Nintendo makes a big acquisition. Of course, we also take at all the games coming out this month as well. Without any further ado, let’s meet the staff and get on with the questions.
Let’s Meet the Staff Participants
Cory Moore shows you how to put the Fun In any game you play. Check out this week’s second Arcade Revolution.
The hate master, Damian Sarcuni is here, so be sure to show him some love for his game reviews and his column Angry Gamer too.
Coming back from a recent game over screen Jordan Williams and wanted to take the time out to show appreciation for some sidekicks. Go see why in his Working Title Jordan just came back from a severe injury, so we are glad to have him back.
He always likes to put things into Retrospective He looks at Star Fox in his latest one. Please welcome Sean McCabe
Ramon Aranda does various things for the Games section. He’s an editor, does reviews newsbits, and gets us cool media events too.
Giving us Flashbacks to the past, Steve McHugh checks in with a review of a terrific RPG called Golden Sun for the Nintendo GBA/DS. He also has a recent review of Earth Defense Force 2017
I’m Sean Garmer your host of this lovely roundtable and you can go read my latest game review right here
1. Biggest Winner of the Month
Cory Moore:Ben Heck. This whiz keeps creating whacky video game accessories that blow everyone's mind. Have you seen his converted PS3 controller into the mold of an Xbox 360 controller? How about the sleek Xbox 360 laptop? The dude needs his own company.
Damian Sarcuni:Gamers. In the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, the gamers of the world avoided a nearly devastating anti-gaming campaign from angry parents and those who blame fun for all evil in the world. Luckily (and surprisingly) for us, extensive investigations found no solid link between games and the violence that occurred during the incident. Even well known right wingers like Rush Limbaugh stepped up to bat for the gaming public and silenced their sheep-like followers who called in for some anti-gaming guidance. Score 1 for the republican youth!
Jordan “Ogre” Williams:Gamers. Yes, last month looked like gamers were going to be once again scapegoated by the media due to the VT shootings. But this time they couldn't pin shit to us. Sure, they had Dr. Phil and Wacko pointing the finger, but the evidence and the defense doesn't lie. In a perfect world, this would be the end of the media quickly blaming gamers, but we all know the next time it happens we'll be the first ones blamed yet again.
Sean McCabe:Haters of Jack Thompson. Yep, he made himself look like a total ass this month by trying to insist on a link between videogames and the Vtech shootings. Also, on ctrl alt del's forums, a loser (read, Jack Thompson supporter) got his ass kicked upside his head from me and a user named Visual. We both used our basic understanding of Psychology to pretty much debunk all of the claims made in all those studies Jacko and his followers love to bring up.
Ramon Aranda:Nintendo. Man these guys are on a roll. The Nintendo Wii is still selling like they're $1 each and with Pokemon out last month, the Nintendo DS is getting harder to find.
Steve McHugh:Game (A Store). This is sort of for a personal reason. A friend of mine recently went to Detroit to watch WM23 and whilst he was there brought Elite Beat Agents. Unfortunately, he didn’t open it at the shop to check and in fact waited till he was home in the UK before finding out the game case was actually empty. So after a few e-mails to Game and the US equivalent they sent a brand new copy of the game from the shop in Detroit to the UK. It took a few weeks but still they got it sorted and they showed some pretty good customer service there. So they deserve to win this month.
Sean Garmer:Nintendo. The Wii continues to sell well with the release of Super Paper Mario and probably will continue once Mario Party 8 comes out. The Nintendo DS saw the release of Pokemon Diamond & Pearl, which will probably one of the highest selling games of the year. If Nintendo keeps this up, they could be contending for that top spot all year.
2. Biggest Loser of the Month
Cory Moore:Jack Thompson. You know, the guy trying to blame video games on the VT tragedy, then taking website Kotaku to court on terms of a personal attack, then having the suit thrown out because there was no substantial basis for claims. Ahem, yeah.
Damian Sarcuni:Me. I lost my job, can't get a date, and I'm addicted to Yu-Gi-Oh!. DAMMIT!!
Jordan “Ogre” Williams:Jack Thompson. He got owned, that is all.
Sean McCabe:The people who suspended the Counter-Strike Student. I haven't publicly aired my views on this yet... but here we go. WHAT THE FUCK! A kid is possibly having his academic life ruined based on circumstantial and completely non-substantial evidence based on a fucking fear induced rampage by know-nothing teachers. I personally hope he gets reinstated and the people who caused all this get fired.
Ramon Aranda:Jack Thompson. This douchebag got the cold shoulder from Take 2 and he tried to sue Kotaku. Talk about a jerkoff!
Steve McHugh:Dr. Phil/Jack Thompson. After the horror that happened at Vtech people were looking for answers, and shock of shocks, dumb and dumber decided that it was all the fault of video games without any prior info about the killer playing games. Well unfortunately, for them it soon looked like the killer didn’t play video games showing both Phil and Jack to look like the headline grabbing no nothings they actually are. I did psychology at college and the idea of someone just playing games and then doing this is ludicrous in ways that are beyond belief. Let’s just hope that they both go away now and don’t come back.
Sean Garmer:Jack Thompson. I remember being in class at UNT when they reported the tragedy that happened at Virginia Tech earlier that morning. I was appalled at the news. It’s sad that things like this occur, and it makes you wonder what if the person sitting next to you, could one day do the same thing. Then of course the media has to look for a scapegoat and they blame video games. This gives Jack Thompson some fodder to run with and thankfully they didn’t find any video games in the person’s dorm room. We are safe on this one, but it is still awful that such a horrible tragedy occurred at that university.
3. Biggest News Story of the Month
Cory Moore:Nights on the Wii. The NIGHTS sequel has been long-awaited, and Nintendo Wii owners will be rewarded for their patience. The game is set to drop sometime later in the year.
Damian Sarcuni:Ken Kutagari retires from Sony. If you just got on the anti-Sony bandwagon, you could easily link this to the launch failure of the PS3. Regardless of that or any other backstage politics, Kutaragi's retirement is serious business. The father of the Playstation was a development juggernaut who many considered to be on par with the likes of Shigeru Miyamoto. Whether you love Sony or hate it, you cannot deny the impact of Kutaragi's career, and the industry will miss him dearly.
Jordan “Ogre” Williams:Ken Kutagari retires from Sony and Nintendo buys Monolith. Ken retiring from Sony is a big deal. I don't know if we can blame this on the PS3 launch or not, but there are definitely some problems and shake ups heading that way. Nintendo buying Monolith is also big news. Could it be that Nintendo is now serious about getting some RPG’s on it's systems so it's starting to buy up titles?
Sean McCabe:Nintendo buying Monolith.
Ramon Aranda:Ken Kutagari retires from Sony. This was a huge announcement as the "Father of PLAYSTATION" calls it a career and hangs up his boots.
Steve McHugh:Ken Kutagari retires from Sony. Crazy Ken, the father of the Playstation, has retired. However, this wasn’t by choice but because Sony were getting increasingly fed up with his bizarre outbursts (calling the 360 an Xbox 1.5 or saying that people should work overtime to be able to pay for the PS3). The man was a genius in many fields but public speaking was not one of them. In fact his brash manner was why he got the job in the first place as Sony’s then CEO was looking for someone to head up the video games division and Ken was his choice. He did a great job but the writing has been on the wall for a long time. So long Ken, enjoy your retirement.
Sean Garmer:Ken Kutagari retires from Sony and Nintendo buys Monolith. Kenny brought the Playstation to us all but he’s never been much of a people person and after all the problems with the PS3 this was bound to happen at some point, hope he enjoys his retirement. Monolith Soft the makers of Baten Kaitos and Xenosaga have been sold to Nintendo. Namco Bandai Games didn’t sell all of their shares (they still own 16%) but did sell 80% to Nintendo. I hope this means Nintendo can start making some good RPG’s for the Wii.
4. Classic Game of the Month
Cory Moore:Bucky O’ Hare. I recently discovered one of my favorite cartoons of childhood, Bucky O’Hare, had an arcade game in the same vein as X-Men, The Simpsons, and Turtles in Time. It’s been a great deal of fun playing it on MAME between studying for finals!
Damian Sarcuni:Street Fighter Alpha 3 My best friend damn near whipped my ass in this game last week. Thank god I still pulled out the win. I truly believed my Ken Masters skills would remain with me forever, but the reality is I've lost my edge. I'm getting older. I'm out of shape. I'm addicted to Yu-Gi-Oh!. DAMMIT!!
Jordan “Ogre” WilliamsRoad Rash 64 For some reason, my and my friend have been playing Road Rash 64 like it was going out of style. This game was one of the most underrated games on the N64 and had one of the BEST soundtracks for it's time. This game only proves that EA needs to resurrect the Road Rash license and bring it back.
Sean McCabe:Streets of Rage 2 (SEGA Genesis). It doesn't matter what your game is, it's base belongs to Streets of Rage 2, the greatest brawler of all time.
Ramon Aranda:Double Dragon (XBOX Live Arcade, NES). This game was awesome at the arcades in the 80s and the Nintendo releases were gold. WIth an HD makeover, and online co-op, this retro classic is a must have!
Steve McHugh:Wonderboy in the Monster World. I saw this on VC the other day and now I want a Wii even more. Yes this game is that good. It’s a platform, action, RPG and is one of my favourite games ever. Seriously if you have a Wii download this game you’ll get 15-20 hours of old school joy.
Sean Garmer:Ico (PS2) This game come out for the PS2 in 2002 and it was given lots of praise by reviewers but it fell under the radar. Ico is an adventure game where you play as a boy that is supposed to be sacrificed, but he escapes and finds this girl. As you fight off spirits and such you must guide her around and explore. The story is short but the characters and gameplay is charming.
5. Best Game in April
Cory Moore:Super Paper Mario (Nintendo Wii) There weren’t a whole lot of excellent releases in April, but Super Paper Mario takes the cake here, the RPG/Platforming hybrid was just what the doctor ordered and is quietly gaining a substantial fanbase. Honorable mention goes to the newest Pokemon games, though.
Damian Sarcuni:Guitar Hero II (XBOX 360) Ok, ok so RedOctane did something right for a change. Guitar Hero fever is slowly picking up where Dance Dance Revolution left off, and even the most dreadful music haters can't deny the game's simplistic appeal. Anything that further mainstreams music games into the public is great in my book, so rock on brothers. Rock on.
Jordan “Ogre” Williams:Final Fantasy: Chocobo Tales (Nintendo DS)
Sean McCabe:Hotel Dusk Room 215 (Nintendo DS UK)
Ramon Aranda:Pokemon Diamond & Pearl (Nintendo DS) Just look at the sales numbers people...insane! (And its good..I love it!)
Steve McHugh:Guitar Hero II (XBOX 360) Better then the PS2 version? Well the guitar is better and there are more songs (My Chemical Romance –Dead. Kicks so much ass) if you own a 360 you need this game. It’s a simple equation really.
Sean Garmer:Pokemon Diamond and Pearl (Nintendo DS It’s not that much different than the other Pokemon releases, but that’s what makes it great, it doesn’t stray far from what works. It’s still very addicting.
Winner: Tie between Pokemon Diamond and Pearl (Nintendo DS) and Guitar Hero II (XBOX 360)
Overall Winner: Nintendo With the release of Pokemon and Super Paper Mario Nintendo is doing well. Guitar Hero II tried, but the nods to the UK release of Hotel Dusk and Chocobo Tales puts Nintendo way over the top this month.
6. Currently Gaming
Cory Moore:Super Paper Mario (Nintendo Wii) Since I’ve been struggling with the last month of the semester with papers and the like, I haven’t had a whole lot of free time. But Super Paper Mario peaked my interest, so I’m trying to get through the tedious dialogue sequences while typing 10-page papers. What I’ve played so far is enticing, though.
Damian SarcuniCastlevania: Portrait of Ruin (Nintendo DS) 've barely gone through 2 stages and it's already close to topping the legendary Symphony of the Night. I'll go into more detail on my blog here at 411 when I beat it.
Sean McCabe:Grandia III (PS2) Fire Pro (PC) and Puzzle Quest.
Ramon Aranda:Pokemon Pearl (Nintendo DS), The Legend of Zelda TP (Nintendo Wii), Major League Baseball 2K7 (XBOX 360), Command & Conquer 3 (PC), Mario Kart (Nintendo DS)
Steve McHugh: Elder Scrolls Shivering Isles (XBOX 360)– It’s a great game, but it could have been so much better.
Pokemon Diamond (Nintendo DS) – Yes I gave in and brought it and so far it’s been a good game. Shame all the stylus elements are blatantly tacked on though.
Elite Beat Agents (Nintendo DS) – Because it’s just that damn good.
Sean Garmer:Pokemon Diamond (Nintendo DS), Ico (PS2), Simpsons Hit & Run (PS2), DOA 4 (XBOX 360), Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana (PS2)
Here are the Games coming out this month, I listed them in ABC order and by release week, so it’d be easier to find. Please keep in mind that just because we don’t talk about a game, doesn’t mean it’s going to suck. I send out the template for these two weeks in advance, so sometimes changes are made in release dates by then and we don’t get to talk about any new games added. If you see a game on the list that intrigues you, we implore you to take our advice, and find information on it on your own. Here we go.
Sean McCabe: I haven't played the first G.U. yet, but I've heard many good things about this series including it being a huge improvement over the original Quadrology.
Steve McHugh: Well the PC version is awesome and feels like C&C never left at all. I’m not sold completely on the new aliens but this is still an easy buy for anyone who likes RTS games and owns a 360. If the controls are as good as the LOTR game then this could be something very special.
Driver 76 (PSP Driving Game, Ubisoft)
Steve McHugh: New driver games have a lot to do to repair the damage done to the franchise. I’m not convinced that a PSP game is the one that will change that as the PSP has an abundance of driving games. I think this is certainly a wait and see game as it could either be pretty good or horrifically bad.
Sam & Max Episode 6: Bright Side of the Moon (PC Adventure Game, Telltale Games)
Damian Sarcuni: 'm grateful that developers never gave up on the Sam & Max license. The series is absolutely hysterical and I miss the cartoon alot. Adventure games are a dying breed, but the type of humor this series provides should be just perfect for yet another installment.
Steve McHugh: These games have gotten better and better over time and I’d really like to see them reach a larger audience by being put on VC or XBLA. Worthy of anyone’s time.
Sean Garmer: I really hope someone port’s these over to a system, so I can play these more because Point and Click games are by the wayside except for this wonderful comedic series. I love Sam & Max and if you don’t play too many PC games ( I don’t), this is one series I totally recommend.
Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam (PS2 Skating Simulation, Activision) Port of the Wii game without the motion controls.
Games coming out the week of May 13th
Etrian Odyssey (Nintendo DS Action Game, Atlus)
Sean McCabe: A unique looking Atlus RPG. They're always worth looking into.
Steve McHugh: Another Atlus game I’m interested in. This looks lovely and was developed by Kazuya Niinou who did Trauma Center: Under the Knife so this will probably be addictive as hell but about as difficult too. One to keep an eye on.
Sean Garmer: This game is original a RPG with cartography where you draw things and it has turn based elements in it too. The game is extremely difficult as you would expect from the person that made Trauma Center, no saving outside of town and you have to be careful in battle. There’s also dungeon crawling elements where you have to draw your path to continue. This sounds like something that could be an underrated RPG for the DS when it comes out.
Freestyle Street Basketball (PC Sports Game, Sierra Online)
Cory Moore: This title looks really intriguing for basketball fans. It doesn’t have the NBA license, but it is quirky, fast-paced, and simple. It’s highly customizable, there’s no subscription required, and it doesn’t require a state-of-the-art computer to play. For $20, it just may be worth checking out if you’re looking for an alternative to EA sports games on your PC.
Sean Garmer: You know when do MMO’s stop? A Basketball one, well I hope it does well but it probably will have nowhere the capabilities of NBA Street or 2K’s Basketball games.
Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon (PSP Strategy Game, Natsume)
Steve McHugh: The recent DS Harvest Moon has been largely panned as doing nothing interesting with the series. With the huge changes that seem to have taken place in this game (you’re a robot made to look like a boy) I can’t see this making the harvest Moon fanbase being all that impressed. Best wait for the real Harvest Moon, Rune Factory on the DS.
Resident Evil 4 (PC Action Adventure Game, Ubisoft & Capcom) -Port of the original game
Sean McCabe: It's meant to be a horrible port. Probably best just to wait for the Wii version.
Taito Legends 2 (PS2 Compilation, Taito) Includes the following games: Alpine Ski, Arabian Magic, Balloon Bomber, Bonze Adventure, Cameltry, Chack 'n Pop, Cleopatra Fortune, Crazy Balloon, Darius Gaiden, Don Doko Don, Dungeon Magic, Elevator Action Returns, The Fairyland Story, Football Champ, Front Line, G Darius, Gekirindan, Grid Seeker: Project Storm Hammer, Growl, Gun Frontier, Insector X, KiKi KaiKai, Kuri Kinton, Legend of Kage, Liquid Kids, Lunar Rescue, Metal Black, Rastan 2 Puchi Carat, Bust-A-Move Again, Qix, Raimais, Ray Storm, Space Invaders '95, Space Invaders DX, Sylvalion, Violence Fight,Wild Western
Steve McHugh: This has got a lot of really old retro stuff on it but nothing I’m all that fussed about bar one or two of them. It’ll have to be really impressive to pass the bar that Sega’s most recent collection set.
Touch the Dead (Nintendo DS FPS, Eidos Interactive)
Cory Moore: It’s like House of the Dead…with touch controls. Tapping the screen to shoot and dragging an ammo clip to reload seems rather simple. It’s yet another zombie-inspired on-rails shooter, but it’s a must for DS owners that enjoy the genre.
Damian Sarcuni: This is new? I used to play this game when I worked at a funeral parlor all the time.
...good lord, why did I say that?
Anyway if this title is anywhere near as innovative as Typing of the Dead it should be fun. This is kind of an unknown though, since we are dealing with Eidos interactive instead of Sega. What blatant copyright infringement.
Jordan “Ogre” Williams: Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce you to the first game that has EVER sold me on just the name alone. I don't know how this plays outside of the little I've seen. I haven't been following it at all. I just saw the name on the release list and blurted out "I have to buy this" and I will.
Sean McCabe: Oh, so this game finally turned up. I remember seeing a preview of it almost a year back, it looked fun. Hopefully that pans out.
Steve McHugh: I don’t know how it’ll work and I’m not convinced Eidos is the company to make it but it should be at least good for a laugh.
Sean Garmer: Wow, I think this is the first time in a while the whole staff on the roundtable all talks about one game. I wish SEGA was making this so I could trust this a bit more. As Eidos has a bad habit of making horrid games outside of Tomb Raider. You point at your targets with the stylus and that causes you to shoot them. You must drag a clip into the gun to reload it, and you can also slash the screen with melee weapons. This actually sounds like it could be fun.
Other Games coming out this week:
Dream Day Wedding (PC Puzzler, Elephant Entertainment)
Brooktown High: Senior Year (PSP Dating Simulation, Konami)
Cory Moore: Do you remember how fun your senior year in high school was? Well, take that, and multiply the drama but about 5 times. You have Brooktown High: Senior Year. It looks quirkey and promising, something never bad for the genre, but it is a dating sim, so keep that in mind. Still, for those looking to rekindle the (somewhat) carefree days of high school with a twist, this could be your virtual time machine.
Steve McHugh: A dating sim on the PSP. I despair about games like this and find them to be more then a little creepy. If this is for you then I’d just keep quiet about it.
Code Lyoko (Nintendo DS Action Game, Game Factory) -Game based off an anime of the same name.
Jordan “Ogre” Williams: The anime is fairly decent. It's not Avatar but it's very fun to watch. Hopefully, this translates well to the game.
Dawn of Mana (PS2 RPG, Square-Enix)
Sean McCabe: Dawn of Mana, from everything I've heard, is trash. I just like to give a little shout out to Square-Enix about the Mana series. Either port Secret of Mana to the DS, and stop fucking trying because you just fail.
Steve McHugh: The Mana saga has been pretty bad since the fantastic Secret on the SNES. I want to believe this will be good; I really do as it looks fantastic but I thought that about Children of mana too and that was boring. I get the feeling this could go the same way.
Sean Garmer: Apparently the camera and the lock-on feature is downright crappy in this game. Which the makes the game very difficult to play. Also every chapter you play once the chapter is over, everything you gain goes away and you start at level 1 for the next one. That just sounds extremely crappy. Considering this is a Square-Enix game, that’s pretty sub-standard for a publisher that can be of such high quality.
Death Jr. And the Science Fair of Doom (Nintendo DS Platformer, Konami)
Damian Sarcuni: I was fortunate enough to catch a preview video of this title. While the graphics don't exactly appear to be state of the art, the game is not without its gimmick. The characters and humor seem to be the real focus here, and with a lack of good 3D platformers lately I'm ready to give this a try.
Jordan “Ogre” Williams: Death Jr. was a very solid game on the PSP. Hopefully it dosen't suffer too much from touch screen controls and less graphical power. I think it should be decent.
Steve McHugh: The first game had problems but was still a good little platformer, hopefully mistakes have been learned and corrected and if that happens this could be a really good game for a console that needs more of them.
Sean Garmer: I thoroughly enjoyed the first one with a neat story and cool platforming elements. Glad to see the 2nd one is coming to the DS and I hope it's problem free too.
Cory Moore: Diner Dash is all about making sure your restaurant business is success. Of course, to key is to make sure your customers get exceptional service, hot food, and a friendly atmosphere. Judging by the PC version, it’s a good casual game with some pretty lofty goals. Something to keep your eye on.
Jordan “Ogre” Williams: The flash game is addictive as hell. I expect this one to be no different.
Sean Garmer: The popular cellphone and PC game is finally coming to a console and I’m glad to see it. This is the first one of these quirky games not made by Majesco, it’s instead made by Eidos. You run your own restaurant in this game and as you progress it gets larger and you gain more clientele. As you would expect keeping them happy is the goal to success, but the game does get difficult so be prepared.
Halo 2 (PC FPS, Bungie)
Cory Moore: What, you’ve never heard of Halo before? Really? The sequel to Halo will probably be a lot like the first port to the computer: closely mirroring the original gameplay, but not quite up to par. The map editor should be cool, but it’s only being released for Vista, so you need a souped-up computer to play it. If you’re a Halo junky without an Xbox 360, go ahead and buy it. For the rest, stick with the original. It’s far superior, anyway.
Jordan “Ogre” Williams: Not much to really say about this. It's Halo 2. I will say that it's about time it got ported to PC.
Sean McCabe: Now this game can be mediocre on Vista powered PCs everywhere!
Steve McHugh: I love Halo and whilst the 2nd game isn’t as good as the 1st this is still one of the best console FPS games ever. However up against the newer PC FPS games I’m not sure time has been kind. It’s still a great game but this is really a few years too late to make any impact I’d imagine.
Sean Garmer: The second Halo game was still a very good one, I didn’t like the way they did the story by focusing too much on the opposing side instead of Master Chief. How will the gameplay and all translate to Windows Vista shall be seen, but if you don’t have an XBOX system I’d recommend picking this up.
Marvel Trading Card Game (Nintendo DS Card Game, Konami)
Steve McHugh: The reviews of this have not been favourable and in many cases have panned this game. Although most of those are of the Japanese version I get the feeling that this really won’t be very good at all, which is a shame as I was interested in it. Still can’t be as bad as Capcom vs SNK now can it?
Odin Sphere (PS2 RPG, Atlus)
Steve McHugh: PS2, RPG, Atlus. All of that means this should be great. No one will buy it because no one ever seems to buy Atlus games too often but I will certainly be looking out for it.
Sean Garmer: Atlus is releasing another RPG this month and its in 2D so it has me intrigued already. There’s five playable characters and it’s an unofficial sequel to the Princess Crown game released in 1997. This should be another great RPG from Atlus.
WarTech: Senko No Ronde (XBOX 360 2D Fighting Game, Ubisoft & G. Rev)
Jordan “Ogre” Williams: Having not heard much about this game, I can tell you that it LOOKS very interesting. Maybe it will be that fighter to fill the void that Guilty Gear left behind?
Sean McCabe: This game looks a bit weird, but could be a laugh and I have heard it got good reviews in Japan.
Other Games coming out this week:
Circus Empire (PC Simulation, Enlight Software)
Legend of the Dragon (PSP Action Game, Game Factory) -Based off an upcoming cartoon.
Naruto 3: Ninja Council (Nintendo DS Beat-Em-Up, D3)
New York Times Crosswords (Nintendo DS Puzzler, Majesco Games) -features over 1,000 real crosswords and you can use the stylus to write answers or the touch screen.
Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World’s End (All Systems Action Game, Disney Interactive Studios) -Game based off the movie
Secrets of Atlantis: The Sacred Legacy (PC Adventure Game, Adventure Company)
Surf’s Up (All Systems Sports Game, Ubisoft) -Game based off the animated movie.
Games coming out the week of May 27th
Art of Fighting Anthology (PS2 2D Fighting Game, SNK) -Features all three games in the trilogy
Sean McCabe: Well, the original Art of Fighting is a bit too archaic to enjoy nowadays, but 2 and especially 3 can be very entertaining. I'd recommend this assuming the porting and localising is handled well.
Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm (PS2 RPG, NIS America)
Sean McCabe: The first two games are pretty good, this should be one for the fans.
Sean Garmer: I loved the first two games and overall I’m a big fan of NIS America in general. This is the final game of the trilogy and I expect it to be good I hope. The game uses 2D sprites and turn based combat, this is the first game not to use random encounters. As you can expect with NIS the story will be complicated but as long as the battle system is intuitive enough, it helps you get through that. Anyone that is a fan of something different on the RPG front, should look at this.
Forza Motorsport 2 (XBOX 360 Driving Game, Microsoft Game Studios)
Damian Sarcuni: Here we go! Long time Xbox fans are about to get their wish, as starving Gran Turismo converts finally emigrate over to the 360, hungry for realistic racing. Forza Motorsport is a bit less artistic and more contemporary than most GT fans are used to, and this will either break the series or carve a dominant legend for the next 10 years.
Steve McHugh: Now this should be good. I preferred the original to the GT games as this was more fun and I’m hoping that the sequel continues that trend. I’m very much looking forward to this, and seriously it looks completely stunning.
Sean Garmer: I thought that the first Forza Motorsport was better than the Gran Turismo series. It was realistic (sometimes way, too realistic with your whole car being at risk of damage, and trust me, you feel it.) However, overall I had more fun. Anyone that is a fan of racing games and has a XBOX 360 should get this.
Mario Party 8 (Nintendo Wii Party Game, Nintendo)
Cory Moore: Mario Party returns…this time to the Wii. Hopefully some new ideas will be breathed into the series, with a world of possibilities with the Wii’s motion controls. The change will have to be drastic for the newest installment, because Mario Party fans have been growing restless with the rehashing.
Jordan “Ogre” Williams: It just won't end, will it?
Sean McCabe: 8? Fuck Nintendo, stop whoring out the Mario Parties. Please.
Steve McHugh: Mario Party sucks. All of them have sucked and they get worse the higher the number. They’re boring and random and even with the inclusion of the Wiimote I can see this game sucking very badly.
Sean Garmer: The first three games for the Nintendo 64 were fine, every number after that has been a rehash. Sure, Nintendo has a right to do this, it’s their game series and if it sells, why not? However, for fans of the series let’s hope they put some new things into this.
Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia (XBOX 360 & PC Shooter, SouthPeak Interactive) Features four player co-op online.
Jordan “Ogre” Williams: The Demo leaves A LOT to be desired. I'm not fully sold on the control scheme yet as it seemed very clunky and unresponsive. If these issues are addressed in the final release, it looks like it could be a very fun game.
Sean McCabe: This actually looks like a cool game, and co-op shooters are always fun to play. Maybe a new Smash TV?
Steve McHugh: This is meant to be like Zombies Ate My Neighbours and if it turns out it is then this could be fantastic. I am really looking forward to seeing if this really is a good game. Here’s hoping as it looks good at the moment.
Sean Garmer: This game looks like it could be all sorts of fun. Getting to kill zombies with co-op, a mix of melee and weapons, vehicles and online. This could be a big seller and I hope it’s good.
Cory Moore: The Wii port of Armageddon arrives several months after its last-gen brothers, but Midway is convinced it is worth your wait. With a whopping 64 characters, Armageddon has about everyone you can think of. The motion controls look simple and intuitive – not clunky like some expected. But for those who want a more traditional feel, it supports the Gamecube and Classic controllers. If you want a fighting fix on Nintendo’s latest system, this is your only option outside of Virtual Console titles. Good thing it looks promising.
Jordan “Ogre” Williams: With all of the hype they've been giving this game. It BETTER deliver. I'm not sold on how easy it looks to pull off the moves. But I'd rather have the moves being easy to pull off than too hard to do with the Wiimote.
Sean McCabe: I played this a while on the PS2. It is a snazzy game, Anybody who is interested in it can't really go wrong, although I wish they would add more to the Wii port.
Steve McHugh: Okay so I don’t really know what to think about this. This was pretty crappy on the other systems and I can’t see that changing with it being put on the Wii. If you’re a fighter fan then there’s plenty of better games for other systems (and on VC too) so I wouldn’t bother with this one.
Sean Garmer: I liked this on PS2 and I think if everything goes right like Midway’s been saying this could be a good game on the Wii as well. I like that they made this work with the Classic and Gamecube controllers as well, so that they wouldn’t alienate anyone not interested in using the Wii controls. With 64 characters any fan of the series that is looking for a new type of fighting should give this a try.
Shadow Run (XBOX 360 & PC FPS, Microsoft Game Studios) -Apparently based off of an old RPG of the same name.
Damian Sarcuni: RPG purists have been crying over the genre of this long awaited title, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Shadow Run blends magic and firearms into one beautiful cyberpunk smoothie, and with the right features added in we could very well see a retro rebirth of the old pen and paper game. ...Wait, oh no...
Jordan “Ogre” Williams: If this game is ANYTHING like the old one. I'm avoiding it like the plague.
Sean McCabe: That old RPG was awesome. This arena shooter looks lame.
Steve McHugh: Apparently this is a MMO FPS and consists of online play only. It’s a nice idea and looks much better now then it did a year ago but I don’t think it’ll do all that well. I’ll be interested to see how it performs though as if it does well expect to see a flux of these sorts of games on every system known to man.
Tamagotchi Party On! (Nintendo Wii Party Game, Namco Bandai Games)
Cory Moore: Remember those virtual pets you used to play with in grade school? Well, they’ve been making a comeback, and this time they break out of their handhelds and into a board game. It follows the same premise as Mario Party, but it may be too cutesy for gamers over the age of 10.
Other Games coming out this week:
Codename: Panzers Commanders Edition (PC Strategy Game, CDV Software) -Features Phase One and Phase Two of the series
Space Force: Rouge Universe (PC Space Combat Simulation, Dreamcatcher)
Well we are done for this month folks. Thank you for taking the time to read this roundtable, but hopefully, now you can make smart gaming purchases. We hope you’ll join us next month. If you having any comments for the staff or about the roundtable in general, shoot me an email, and I’ll show it to everyone. See ya in June.
