411 Games Roundtable: July 2007
Posted by Sean Garmer on 07.10.2007
Hey, it may be the summer, but that doesn't mean video games don't come out. See what we say about games such as, Mario Strikers Charged, Guitar Hero 80's, and a whole lot more. We guarantee you will enjoy it.
July 2007 411 Games Roundtable
Hello everyone, the future looks bright as E3 is just around the corner and once the press conferences start to roll. What’s ahead for all of us in gaming will be very clear. We have a few big games releasing this month, but August looks like where we start rolling with the heavy hitters again. However, first, we need to get through this month. So, please join us for another edition of the Games Roundtable with the great 411 staff.
Let’s Meet the 411 Games Staff
Someone who knows how to make a fighting game dream team Jordan Williams shows you exactly how it’s done in his new Working Title
Always showing us how to put the Fun Factor back in games. Cory Moore is here to the delight of everyone.
Oh you know that we couldn’t have one of these without the ”Hate Master” Damian Sarcuni Pay attention to his Angry Gamer this week is the one year anniversary of 411 Games and Damian gives us the state of games.
Steve McHugh is always ready to give us a Flashback This week he talks about the supposed “evils” of gaming and what he would like to see done with them.
Another person that likes to look at things in the past, Sean McCabe Looks at SNK’s Samurai games in this week’s Retrospective
The author of the very good Select & Start News ReportVincent Chiucchi is always ready to tell us what’s going on in gaming.
The man that always gives the news with everything Nintendo, Theo Fraser has another one of his Nintendophiles
I, Sean Garmer am the host of this lovely roundtable and write game reviews too.
1. Biggest Winner of the Month
Jordan “Ogre” Williams:Microsoft. Why? Because really they didn't have any controversy or anything bogging them down. They release solid games and the end of the Halo 3 BETA turned out to be a great success.
Cory Moore:Microsoft. I’ve gotta agree with Jordan here. MS was the winner because it didn’t make waves. Sony and Nintendo actively spoke out against Manhunt, but MS stood pat and didn’t bother siding one way or the other. And did anybody really care that they didn’t take a stance? No. Plus, the hangover of the Halo 3 beta was enough to keep 360 gamers distracted from the fact that the summer sucks when it comes to worthwhile releases.
Damian Sarcuni:Microsoft. As much as I hate to admit it, all those Windows Vista exclusive games really seem to be working out for Gates and company. PC gamers and Xbox 360 enthusiasts really seem to have come together to join in games like Halo 2 and Shadowrun. On top of that, the content on Xbox live continues to grow and make waves. With the exception of their horrible console hardware track record, there seems to be nothing stopping the technological juggernaut.
Steve McHugh:Microsoft. Forza 2, Darkness and Overlord in one month. That’s a pretty good month right there.
Sean McCabe:Starbreeze. I've spent the last couple of nights playing The Darkness, and all I can say is it's one of the greatest FPSes I've ever experienced. I will be writing up a review this week, but for now, I give this to the company that made a game that was worth the hype and the wait.
Vincent Chiucchi:Microsoft. Nintendo and Sony just lost Manhunt 2 for their systems. With the game not on the Xbox 360, Microsoft didn't have to worry about anything.
Theo Fraser:SEGA. This may come off as being a bit
of a lame pick, but it could turn out to be really significant in the
future. SEGA get top trumps for me this month for securing BioWare as the
developers for a brand new Sonic RPG. Why is this such a big deal? Because
Sonic needs a makeover, period. A Sonic RPG is a good idea, period. And
BioWare are the best RPG developers on the planet, period (Please don’t kill
me, Square-Enix fans). It’s a winning combination, and this is EXACTLY what
SEGA needed to freshen up Sonic’s image. I think we’ll look back on this
month as the start of Sonic’s brand new golden era.
Sean Garmer:Nintendo & Sony. Why? For the exact opposite reason, it is my belief that Nintendo and Sony both did the right thing in the Manhunt 2 situation. Coming out with haste to proclaim that they would not allow an Adult rated game on their systems, Microsoft has come out and stated the same thing, so how does that make them any better. I commend Sony and Nintendo for doing what was right and telling Rockstar they are going to have to learn there are boundaries in life, and you’ve just crossed them.
2. Biggest Loser of the Month
Jordan “Ogre” Williams:Rockstar/ Take Two. Manhunt II looks in jeopardy and I know they can't be too happy about it. They witnessed first hand what an AO rating can do to a game and with this game already seeing multiple bannings and AO ratings. It doesn't look like this will end well.
Cory Moore:Rockstar/Take Two The developer behind Manhunt 2 just couldn’t catch a break this month. The AO rating could’ve been a potential selling point for the game, but then Nintendo and Sony stood by their position of refusing to distribute AO games on their consoles. By all indications, it looks like the game will head back to the editing room.
Damian Sarcuni:Rockstar/Take Two. Keep in mind that the ESRB did not ban Manhunt 2 but the game will go unreleased due to their influence. The UK tends to be pretty strict about their parental guidance laws in games (meaning you can see naked breasts on the Benny Hill Show but not in Grand Theft Auto) but the ESRB is usually pretty lax about these things. While it does make one wonder what was in Manhunt 2 that was so bad, it certainly isn't adding any sense of urgency to play it. I don't think Take2 did this as a publicity stunt at all, I think they got owned plain and simple.
Steve McHugh:Microsoft (for personal reasons). Last week I got the dreaded ‘red ring of death’ on my 360 so after trying to fix it myself and failing I rang Microsoft who declared that because i’d had my 360 over 12 months I needed to pay £85 ($150) to get it fixed. But for this I will get a 12 month warranty and 1 month free XBL gold, so I’m very excited. When I said that I didn’t see why I should pay anything if it wasn’t my fault and seeing how there were so many of these consoles that had this fault they replied that each fault is unique. But it isn’t if this was the case that means that there are thousands of faults with the 360 instead of just a few that keep happening. Anyone having this problem should be given a new console free of charge. It’s stuff like this that makes people angry with the company, it is their fault and they should put it right not make people pay for it.
Editor’s note: Microsoft has now come out and fixed this problem by extending their warranty for three years for any system released since launch.
Sean McCabe:Rockstar/Take Two. The Manhunt 2 debacle was them getting their due, if you ask me.
Vincent Chiucchi:Rockstar/Take Two. Manhunt 2 has been banned (or at least can't be sold in stores due to the rating) from what is said to be a part in the game where you just start killing for the sake of killing instead of say, killing for self-defense.
Theo Fraser:Rockstar/Take Two. Obviously, this relates to
the whole Manhunt 2 saga. First, the game is outright banned in the UK. Then
it receives an AO rating in the US, meaning it won’t be supplied in any
stores nationwide. Not to mention the fact that Rockstar are getting
themselves into some seriously deep water, especially after all the
controversy after the Hot Coffee incident, and to top it all off, word has
it that should they want to change the content of Manhunt 2 to try and
achieve an ‘M’ rating, it would cost them $1,000,000. That’s insane. I just
feel really bad for them, to be honest.
Sean Garmer:Rockstar/Take Two. Well, it’s about time something like this happened. Rockstar did a great job fooling the media with Bully. But this time, they did too much and the ESRB caught them on it. Poor Rockstar might have to reconsider their label pushing ways, because it’s not a good trend.
3. Biggest News Story of the Month
Jordan “Ogre” Williams:Manhunt 2 Problems. First it got banned, then it got AO, then it got dropped from the Wii and the PS2, now it's been put on hold until it can be worked out. The end of the month was just the tip of the iceberg for this game.
Cory Moore:Manhunt 2 Problems. While almost every other developer was getting their new E3 plans together, the people behind this over-the-top gruesome experience were trying desperately to combat the negative press brought on by the ESRB’s AO rating. The situation certainly sparked some debate, with almost everyone having strong opinions one way or the other.
Damian Sarcuni:Manhunt 2 Problems. 411mania readers literally dug up my old article on Thrill Kill for the PSX after reading about the fate of Manhunt 2. In a way I'm glad the game won't be released as is. It shows the ESRB are doing their job and prevented Rockstar from crossing the line yet again all in the name of creating controversy for their already hyped up name. It's annoying that the game won't see the light of day of course, but I'd rather hear about this story now than about how the game is warping 4 year old's minds around Christmas.
Steve McHugh:Manhunt 2 Problems. It got a huge amount of media attention, hell I even wrote a whole column about it. This was (still is) a very big deal.
Sean McCabe:Manhunt 2 Problems.
Vincent Chiucchi:Manhunt 2 Problems. Banned in the UK! Banned in America! Banned in...Italy? Yep, in case you didn't hear, Manhunt 2 got banned.
Theo Fraser:Manhunt 2 Problems. It served as a crushing blow to Rockstar and its fans, and received huge media coverage. I mentioned the details in the Loser of the Month category, so no need to go over them again here. But yes, this was certainly the biggest news story of the month, and could possibly turn out to be the biggest story of the year depending on the fallout.
Sean Garmer:Manhunt 2 Problems. This is obviously a no brainer. This is the first game that’s supposed to be released to the main public, to ever get an outright AO rating straight out of the gate. That’s huge news, and it shows the industry is stepping up and taking care of it’s own business. They know this would have caused Jack Thompson and politicians to get all jumpy. So the ESRB did what was right and gave it the rating it deserved. Maybe this will teach Rockstar that it needs to stop trying to push things, because they are only hurting themselves.
4. Classic Game of the Month (Does not have to be a XBOX Live Arcade or Virtual Console Game)
Jordan “Ogre” Williams:Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64) For no real reason I decided to pick this game up and start playing it again. I remember why it's one of my favorite platform games.
Cory Moore:Hydro Thunder (Dreamcast, N64) I love the local mall because it has Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and this watercraft-racing game. Playing it on Midway Arcade Treasures 3 is fun, but there’s nothing like having your butt vibrate when those subwoofers kick in after a big jump. When I get a substantial cash flow going, I’m seriously going to consider buying one of those units for my game room upstairs. Any kind donations are appreciated, hehehe.
Damian Sarcuni: Re-Release of Halo 2 (XBOX, PC) Is worth looking into. The game is more fun to play over Xbox Live now than it was in the past, and its only a matter of time before we start seeing a few user created maps popping up online. If you're going to enjoy a classic game, you might as well enjoy the updated version.
Steve McHugh:Streets of Rage 2 (Sega Megadrive) Best side scrolling fighter ever and I got to play the old megadrive version recently and felt about 12 again. Still better then 95% of every other fighter out there.
Sean McCabe:Samurai Shodown I've been playing all the Samurai Shodown games lately due to the focus of my column, and this game really is a truly classic fighter.
Vincent Chiucchi:Bubble Bobble (NES) Downloaded whole bunch of NES roms and felt like playing this one. Believe it or not, I actually got the Happy Ending for the very first time. Woot.
Theo Fraser:Mario Tennis 64 (Nintendo 64) It’s Wimbledon time at the
moment, so it’s a perfect occasion to dig out Mario Tennis on the N64 and
relive the glory days of Mario sports titles. Aside from Virtua Tennis, I
still rate Mario Tennis as one of the best tennis games out there.
Sean Garmer:Xenosaga 1 (PS2) My girlfriend bought this for herself one day when we were at Gamestop. I had stayed away from Xenosaga before because I heard it was mostly cutscenes, but after hearing about Nintendo buying out Monolith, I wanted to see what would make them do so. After playing the game for quite a while, I’ve come to enjoy it. Yeah sure, there’s just about as much watching, as there is playing but that’s what makes the game great, and it was the first RPG series to make story that important and I commend them for that.
5. Best Game in June
Jordan “Ogre” Williams:Etrian Oddysey (Nintendo DS)
Cory Moore:The BIGS (Nintendo Wii, XBOX 360, & PS3) Sure, it was the only game I purchased last month, but it and Big Brain Academy were the only recent, quality choices I had. It’s about time someone smartened up and released a quality arcade baseball experience. Check out my review for the Wii version, which should be posted by the time you read this.
Steve McHugh:Overlord (XBOX 360 & PC) as soon as my 360 is fixed I’ll get a review sorted out for this.
Sean McCabe:The Darkness (XBOX 360) pretty academic, I’d say.
Vincent Chiucchi:Planet Puzzle League (Nintendo DS) Favorite puzzle game of all time now for the DS? Of course it's the best game in June! Buy it, play it, and perhaps one day I'll kick your ass online, stylus or not.
Theo Fraser:Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (Nintendo Wii) Whilst it’s
technically a two year old game, this was still the best the gaming industry
had to offer for the month of June, being the definitive version of a
fantastic game.
Sean Garmer:The Darkness (XBOX 360) It’s very fun, the graphics are great, the gameplay is awesome. One of the best FPS’s I’ve ever played, and that’s saying a lot because I don’t play many of them. This one intrigued me from the beginning and it hasn’t stopped.
Winner: Tie between Overlord and The Darkness
Overall Winner: Microsoft With the two games of the month on there and the multi-platform game The BIGS. XBOX 360 had a busy month of June and it paid off for them. Nintendo tried to push, Bill Gates and company to the brink, but the honor goes to a company that really had their shine on last month.
6. Currently Gaming
Jordan “Ogre” Williams:Etrian Odyssey (Nintendo DS), Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64), Super Mario 64 DS (Nintendo DS), Star Wars Battlefront II (PS2 & XBOX)
Cory Moore:Elebits (Nintendo Wii) & SmackDown vs. RAW 2007 (XBOX 360 & PS2) With June’s rather limited assortment of good games, I decided to continue on the Elebits journey for the Wii, as well as diving into WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007’s GM Mode thanks to a roster update via Codebreaker. Good stuff.
Damian Sarcuni:Not Final Fantasy XI (PC & PS2) Thanks to my freaking Vista upgrade combined with Nvidia screwing up their graphics card drivers, FFXI's framerate drops from 30 to 5 everytime another character appears on my screen. I'm surrounded by morons!! Games I have been playing are Infernal and Forza Motorsport 2 and Command and Conquer 3.
Steve McHugh:Puzzle Quest (Nintendo DS), & Final Fantasy XII (PS2) Puzzle Quest- The equivalent to handheld gaming crack. FF12 – seriously this thing seems to go on forever.
Sean McCabe:Grandia III (PS2), Fire Pro Returns (PS2), The Darkness (XBOX 360), Samurai Shodown Just beat Grandia 3 within the last few days, The Darkness, Fire Pro, and the Samurai Shodown games have seen the most play recently.
Vincent Chiucchi:Final Fantasy XII (PS2), Jump Ultimate Stars (Nintendo DS)
Theo Fraser: Jade Empire: Special Edition (PC), Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS), Metroid Fusion (GBA). Coming to the end of
Phoenix Wright, and it’s been consistently awesome. With Trials and Tribulations out soon, I should be able to pick up the sequel, Justice For All, for a budget price. Jade Empire is phenomenal, it’s just a shame I have to play it in short bursts as my PC has to keep going back into storage whilst I move around. As for Metroid Fusion, I hadn’t played it in a while, dug it out recently and got completely addicted to it. Great stuff.
Sean Garmer:Xenosaga 1 (PS2), FIFA 07 (PS2), Atelier Iris 2: Azoth Destiny (PS2), NBA Street Homecourt (XBOX 360), & Elite Beat Agents (Nintendo DS)
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.
Games coming out the week of July 1st
Ninja Gaiden Sigma (PS3 Action Game, Tecmo) -Port of Ninja Gaiden Black w/ new graphics and the ability to play with Rachel.
Jordan “Ogre” Williams: Hey, if it's not broken, don't fix it. At least this will give the PS3 a little bit of power going into the hell that will be this Fall.
Steve McHugh: This is going to kick ass but I’m quite happy to just go back and play NG: Black on the Xbox. It’s about quarter of the price and basically the exact same game. But if you own a PS3 you now have another great exclusive game (so that’s about 3 now I think).
Sean McCabe: Said it once, I'll say it again, first PS3 game that actually interests me. Being as a port of a superb game with tonnes of extras isn't really a bad thing after all.
Sean Garmer: It’s cool that they get neat graphics and the ability to play with the buxom Rachel, but it’s still Ninja Gaiden Black, the same game that came out on the XBOX and it’s cheaper. Also, this is the wimpier version of the regular Ninja Gaiden too. If you never played this, you need to buy this for your PS3, but other than that, don’t waste your money.
Platinum Sudoku (Nintendo DS Puzzler, Ubisoft)
Steve McHugh: That Sudoku really took off didn’t it? Well there’s no Carol Vorderman in this game so I’d say it at least gets a point just for that. If you like Sudoku then you might as well take a look.
Vampire Rain (XBOX 360 Action Adventure Game, Microsoft Game Studios)
Jordan “Ogre” Williams: I'm not expecting much, but overall it looks fairly decent. It could turn out to be a sleeper hit. I might pick it up on my birtday (JULY 3RD WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!)
Damian Sarcuni: If you are a fan of the comedian Jim Norton like me, you probably think of the term "MONSTER RAIN!!" whenever you read about this. I won't deliver the punchline to that joke because it's VERY dirty, but Vampire Rain should quench the thirst of all you old World of Darkness role players out there. Considering the guaranteed audience and screenshots, I expect the game to be mediocre at best.
Steve McHugh: The reviews show this to be a mess and a horrible game so I would just stay well away from it. It’s got an awful name, which I know doesn’t impact on the gameplay but even so it’s just utterly ridiculous. And it looks like a PS2 game. Avoid it.
Other Games coming out this month
Chicken Shoot (Nintendo Wii & Nintendo DS Action Game, Zuxxezz)
Dead Reefs (PC Adventure Game, DreamCatcher Interactive)
Hot Wheels Ultimate Racing (PSP Driving Game, DSI Games)
Marvel Trading Card Game (PC Card Game, Konami)
Steel Horizon (PSP Strategy Game, Konami)
Terror Strike (PC Adventure Game, Encore Software Inc.)
Games coming out the week of July 8th
Project Sylpheed (XBOX 360 Shoot-Em-Up, Microsoft Game Studios)
Jordan “Ogre” Williams: The Demo seems solid. I like how the call it an EPIC shooter, though. If I can't find any copies of Overlord later in the month. This game is definitely going to get bought.
Steve McHugh: This looks pretty good and certainly seems like something I would have a lot of fun with. Looking forward to it.
Sean McCabe: Actually this is out in Europe now, and my friend bought it. I haven't played it yet but I'm looking forward to giving it a try. I've heard good things.
Sean Garmer: This looks like a fun game, and I haven’t seen a space shoot-em-up in quite a while. Microsoft and Game Arts are making this so I have faith it could be good.
Sword of the New World: Granado Espada (PC MMORPG, K2 Network)
Damian Sarcuni: The artwork on this game looks to be a traditional MMORPG with a very colonial twist. I like that the healer classes in the game are not bound to strict healing and can join in the fight sometimes. If nothing else, it's worth checking out the open beta.
Other Games coming out this week
Jewels of Cleopatra (PC Puzzler, Encore Software Inc.)
Vegas Casino High 5! (Nintendo DS Puzzler, SVG Distribution)
Games coming out the week of July 15th
All Pro Football 2K8 (XBOX 360 & PS3 Football Simulation, Visual Concepts) -A football game by the same group that made the NFL 2K games. This one uses NFL Legends with made up teams.
Cory Moore: Remember 2K Sports? Well, they lost the NFL license to EA a few years ago and pretty much disappeared off the football map. Now, they’re back with legends and amped up arenas to boot. The game will be presented in a flashier way, but this game is meant to give gamers a simulation alternative to Madden. As with any series, though, I’m sure the first installment of All Pro will have some kinks to be worked out. My suggestion is to buy it only if you must boycott Madden.
Vincent Chiucchi: Take THAT, EA! Finally some real football competition. Seeing how it's from the 2K guys, it's got to be good.
Sean Garmer: So EA finally gets competition this year aye. Well, normally I would go all bonkers featuring players of yesteryear and with the guys from the 2K series behind it, it let’s me have even more faith that it will be a good one. With the ability to play with your heroes from the past in Season and online it almost intrigues me to pick this up.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (PC Tactical Shooter, Ubisoft) -Port of the XBOX 360 game.
Steve McHugh: The 360 version is excellent so I would imagine that the PC version would be too.
Theo Fraser: I’ve recently been playing the first GRAW on PC, which was
absolutely tremendous. All reports from Xbox 360 owners say that the sequel
doesn’t disappoint, adding to the war-time experience in almost every area.
Clancy fans will snap this up in an instant, and it’s probably a good
starting place for those new to the genre, being more accessible than the
recent Rainbow Six: Vegas outing. I’m hoping to get my hands on this
ASAP. That opening FMV is a little bit cheesy though, isn’t it?
NCAA Football 08 (XBOX 360, PS3, PS2, & XBOX College Football Simulation, EA)
Cory Moore: Is it the same recycled formula for the annual offering of NCAA football, or is EA finally spicing things up this year? Well…both. The leadership control sounds promising, as successful user-controlled plays (in theory) will have more impact than a CPU’s work would. The recruiting in Dynasty Mode also sounds beefed up, with factors such as proximity to family playing roles in player decisions. But other than those tweaks, the game will feel familiar to those who have followed and dedicated themselves to the series for years.
Sean Garmer: I usually buy these games every year, but I really would rather save my money for something else. However, that doesn’t take away from the fact that NCAA Football has been the most consistent franchise EA has in bringing the goods. At times the game can be even more fun than Madden because it’s simple, and doesn’t add a lot of useless modes either. There’s a new recruiting mechanic, new gameplay features and more to check out in this year’s version.
PaRappa the Rapper (PSP Music Game, SCEA) -Port of the PS1 game.
Jordan “Ogre” Williams: If I had a PSP, this would be the one game I had. Shame I don't have a PSP.
Cory Moore: PaRappa was fun back in 1998, and it’s still fun now. The charming raps and cardboard cut-out graphics are timeless, and the gameplay should emulate well since this is a direct port of the game that was released on the Playstation. It’s worth your time to relive this one, if only because it’ll be a good source of nostalgia. Plus, you can’t argue with the catchy tunes. KICK KICK CHOP BLOCK!
Steve McHugh: the PS1 game is a lot of fun so I’m sure this port will be good too. Lets hope for some new extra content though.
Vincent Chiucchi: PaRappa is one of the best games I've played for the PlayStation. PSP owners should really pick this one up.
Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology (PSP RPG, Namco Bandai Games America)
Theo Fraser: Yay, a Tales Of game! Tales of Symphonia converted me into a massive Tales fan, and I’ve had my eye on this for quite a while, despite not owning a PSP. Plus, Lloyd (the main character from Symphonia) stars in this, so it automatically gets a big thumbs up from me! It looks good, and whilst I doubt there’s much to entice non-RPG fans, Tales experts should go crazy for this.
Jordan “Ogre” Williams: They've really been hyping this game up but it looks like nothing more than an arcade-y shooter. I'm sure it will be decent, but it will probably fall WAY under the radar like Scourge did.
Damian Sarcuni: I really hope this game gives the Wii the much needed shot in the arm it needs in terms of game sales, but the reality is that Alien Syndrome is so widely available most people have it already. Still, if you have a Wii, and don't have the game, it's already a time tested winner.
Steve McHugh: It looks like an old school action RPG but hopefully it’ll be fun and it’s something that the Wii doesn’t have too many off so if own one then you might want to take a look.
Sean McCabe: I spoke a few weeks ago of how much I enjoyed the original version of this game, and the 3D semi-remake that Sega put out on the PS2. This however is more a sequel, or "re-imagining" if you will. Should be interesting.
Sean Garmer: The Wii has yet to see an Action RPG like this and Nintendo really wants this to sell. It looks like something you might find in an arcade and that might be a good thing. I hope it does well, and it has me intrigued to play it actually.
Jordan “Ogre” Williams: If they can pull Dynasty Warriors on the DS off. I might just have hope for this VERY REPETITIVE series.
Steve McHugh: I quite enjoy the occasional Dynasty Warriors game even though they are all very similar and a DS version could be a lot of fun. Hopefully they’ll make it all more handheld friendly as having to go through one of those huge battles without being able to stop part way through it will be a nightmare.
Final Fantasy II: Anniversary Edition (PSP RPG, Square-Enix) -Port of the NES game with updated graphics, widescreen presentation, and new character art.
Steve McHugh: Right Square-Enix now is the time to stop. Enough is enough, do something new and interesting instead of porting these games to everything going. To everyone reading this I implore you to not buy this game. Go get the GBA version which is the exact same game with less nice graphics. FF2 isn’t even all that good anyway so I can’t really see the point behind all of it.
Vincent Chiucchi: Okay, Final Fantasy I can understand, but as for Final Fantasy II? That games SUCKS! Seriously, it's probably the WORST FF game in the entire series. Imagine just starting the game, you're going around fighting Level 3 monsters easily, then you wind up crossing into a certain part of the land where you're suddenly fighting Level 40 monsters, you can't run away, and you are killed instantly. Does that sound like fun to you?! I hate Final Fantasy II and I recommend you avoid it at all costs.
Sean Garmer: Square-Enix obviously doesn’t think they can do any wrong by porting their old games to consoles. They also probably don’t see FF II like we do, that it’s one of the worst, if not the worst, FF ever made. Anniversary or not, Square really needs to stop doing this stuff. It does nothing for them and it makes people think that you know, FF 2 was good.
FullMetal Alchemist: Trading Card Game (Nintendo DS Card Game, Destineer)
Vincent Chiucchi Wasn't this released last month? Like I said before, CCG video games usually suck and so will this one.
Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80’s (PS2 Music Game, Harmonix & Red Octane)
Jordan “Ogre” Williams: Sounds like a good idea, but this would've been better served as just downloadable content online. I might rent it, but not going to buy it.
Cory Moore: Guitar Hero is still one of the hot topics in gaming right now and you won’t find too many people complaining about another title being released. Developer Harmonix goes out in style before focusing on Rock Band and allowing Neversoft to take over the GH duties. Expect a plethora of hair metal and new wave tunes in this edition, ranging from Twisted Sister to A Flock of Seagulls. Tight pants not included.
Damian Sarcuni: More Guitar Hero is never a bad thing and 80's hair metal is some of the best music I can remember. I recommend picking up this game, grabbing some friends age 20 - 35, and getting very, very drunk.
Steve McHugh: I would have liked to see this as downloadable content on the 360 instead of just being on the PS2 as there aren’t too many tracks on it I’m that interested in but if you liked Guitar Hero (and seriously who doesn’t?) then you’ll at least get some fun out of it.
Vincent Chiucchi: This is more of a expansion pack then a full game, but does that really freaking matter? It's Guitar Hero, and possibly the last great one before Activision screws it up.
Sean Garmer: I love 80’s music, and having a Guitar Hero game full of the music sounds very intriguing. For those that have the other GH games if it’s reasonably priced I’d get it.
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 (PS2 RPG, Atlus)
Steve McHugh: I really enjoy this series and although they tend to be…strange, they’re still a lot of fun, something to look out for if you enjoy a more adult themed RPG.
Sean McCabe: The words Shin Megami Tensei means New Goddess Reborn, but it is also a signifier of quality RPGing. Persona 3 is on my list of games to import... I'm just kinda broke till September. But this is definitely a priority when we get there. And oh, I cannot wait for this series to be the focus of my column. It'll be fun.
Other Games coming out this week
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword (PC Strategy Game, 2K Games)
Combat Mission: Shock Force (PC Wargame, Paradox Interactive)
Chameleon: To Dye For (Nintendo DS Puzzler, UFO Interactive)
Cory Moore: Who said the PSP was going by the wayside? The system continues follow the Game Boy Advance’s direction by pumping out remakes of great older games. A hybrid of the first two arcade games with a bonus competitive multiplayer element thrown in, this installment of Crazy Taxi should be another solid addition for Sony’s handheld.
Steve McHugh: Crazy taxi hasn’t been good since the 2nd one but Sega seem to be on a bit of a role on the handheld market recently so I have my hopes that this will be pretty good.
Vincent Chiucchi: Holy crap, Crazy Taxi is back! This is one of my favorite "play in a 10 minute session" games. Totally recommend if you love short arcade action. Speaking of Crazy Taxi, wasn't there supposed to be a Crazy Taxi movie coming out? Or was that idea so bad that not even Uwe Boll would direct it?
Sean Garmer: I loved Crazy Taxi in the arcades and for the Dreamcast. Using both of the games and then adding some multiplayer is brilliant.
Damian Sarcuni: Come on ID software, don't fail me now! The mission based co-op game play in Quake Wars is something I've been waiting to see on PC first person shooters for years now. With the exception of Gears of War (which technically doesn't count) I can't remember the last time I had a truly great co-op experience. Quake 2 was actually one of the first games to deliver on that end, so here's hoping lightning strikes twice for ID.
Mario Strikers Charged (Nintendo Wii Soccer Game, Nintendo)
Jordan “Ogre” Williams: The first Mario Strikers was AWESOME. Add to the fact that fuckin' BOWSER is in this one as well as better sub-players with thier own sets of moves. Definate buy. Now hurry up and make a Mario Hockey game.
Cory Moore: The first Mario Strikers game was fast-paced, hectic and wickedly awesome, and the bar should be raised with the addition of online play. If the controls are kept relatively intact, this one could be the first true must-have game for the Wii.
Steve McHugh: It’s fantastic fun and one of the best Wii games in recent months. It deserves to be a success.
Theo Fraser: The US had Pokemon: Battle Revolution, but in the UK, Mario Strikers Charged was the game to finally bring the Wii online. It’s considered to be better than the Gamecube original, but still suffers from the same drawbacks, i.e. it does
get pretty repetitive. However, the pick-up-and-play arcade feel of the gameplay certainly suits a multiplayer environment, and if you’re after online multiplayer, you don’t really have many alternatives on the Wii at this point in time. Worth a look if you’re a soccer fan. Just don’t look for too much depth.
Sean Garmer: I love Mario, I love Soccer, and the first game was awesome. This one has online play too. If you are a Mario or Soccer fan this is a must buy. Really, you can’t go wrong with getting this, it’s guaranteed fun.
Picross DS (Nintendo DS Puzzler, Nintendo)
Steve McHugh: Remember earlier I said the DS doesn’t need any more puzzles. Well it needs this one. This is amazing. It’s been out here for ages now and it’s one of the best puzzle games on any console ever. It’s logic based and looks crappy but plays fantastically and once you’re hooked whole days will go past with you glued to the 2 screens.
Theo Fraser: For all you number-crunching puzzle fans out there, put aside your Sudokus or your Meteos or whatnot. THIS is the puzzler your DS has been crying out for, incredibly addictive, made even better by the fact that you can create your own puzzles. Then upload them to the Nintendo WiFi connection service for your friends to download and play. For a puzzle game, that’s a very neat feature, and developer Jupiter should be commended for it.
Other Games coming out this week:
7 Wonders (Nintendo DS Puzzler, MumboJumbo)
Brave Story: New Traveler (PSP RPG, X-Seed Games)
Glory Days 2 (Nintendo DS RTS, Secret Stash Games)
Pool Party (Nintendo Wii Pool Game, SouthPeak Interactive)
Super Collapse 3 (Nintendo DS Puzzler, MumboJumbo)
Well, that’s it for this month folks. Have fun watching all that develops from E3 and remember to join us next month.
