411 Games Roundtable: July 2008

Posted by Sean Garmer on 07.08.2008

Come join the 411 Games staff as we talk about games such as Soul Calibur IV, NCAA Football 09, and Final Fantasy IV. Also come see who are the winners and losers this month as the roundtable returns.

Wow, has it really been almost half a year since we last did one of these? Well hopefully that won’t happen again. Anywho, this is the month of July and summer is in full swing. Obviously, you can tell we’ve hit the summer doldrums with the small amount of games coming out this month. Regardless before this all begins, you have to meet the 411 Games staff first. Don’t fret there are still a few games to talk about like Soul Calibur IV, NCAA Football 09 and Final Fantasy IV DS.


Contributing 411 Games Staff


Always representing the Nintendo brand for 411 Theo Fraser is here every Thursday with his Nintendophiles

411’s resident XBOX 360 supporter and writer of the Full Circle News Report Welcome to the roundtable, Joe Roche

Rod Oracheski is all about those achievements with Achievement Unlocked He talks about PS3’s Trophy system this week.

The man that has the greatest name for a column ever Jordan Williams is always pleased to bring you the Working Title

I inhabit the Sports Zone mostly but I also write game reviews here and of course, I am the host of these roundtables. Don’t forget the name is Sean Garmer



1. Biggest Winner of the Month


Theo Fraser: XBOX 360 Owners. In the run-up to E3, all the big companies have been making statements on what games they will showcase at the blockbuster event, and as it stands right now, the 360 is looking best going into the show. Microsoft’s offerings alone are enough to make me foam at the mouth, with Fable 2, Gears of War 2, Halo Wars and Too Human promised, and when you bear in mind the third-party titles scheduled to be on show such as Left 4 Dead and C&C: Red Alert 3, it’s clear that now is a good time to be a 360 owner.

Joe Roche: Hideo Kojima. I hope everyone can appreciate how difficult this has been for me to come to terms with, but at this point I can’t deny the critical darling that is Metal Gear Solid 4. Let’s all forget for a moment that when you take out the loading times between acts, and the cut scenes you’re left with a game that doesn’t even make 10 hours of game play. MGS4 had a huge launch, and seemingly has been successful in moving consoles - which hasn’t been true of other recent major video game releases. I’ll even go so far as to admit that my curiosity in playing the final chapter of the Solid Snake story has me saving my pennies so that I might happen into a glorified Blu Ray player of my own in the not too distant future. With that being said, news coming out of Europe is that sales of MGS4 dropped significantly after the first week, so we’re left to see if the game has any staying power beyond the initial shock and awe campaign. For now though, Kojima is the big winner this month.

Rod Oracheski: Gamers. With Jack Thompson suffering yet another setback in his increasingly ludicrous war on games, there's ample cause for celebration by all gamers. With any luck, Thompson's steadily rising tide of insanity will clue in the mainstream media that they don't need to give him airtime whenever there's a tragedy he wants to exploit.

Jordan Williams: Sony/PS3. It might've taken them a bit longer than people wanted to get there, but now that they have released thier killer app in the form of Metal Gear Solid 4 it seems like Sony finally has some bragging rights and something to dangle over the other two consoles.

Sean Garmer: Gamers. They finally got to see the release of Metal Gear Solid 4, Ninja Gaiden 2, and WiiFit, PS3 is selling better because of it finally having that major game people want. Not to mention there is a big thing called E3 happening this month, yeah I think this is a great time for the gamers.



2. Biggest Loser of the Month


Theo Fraser: Tecmo. Since Itagaki left, the whole company seems to have fallen apart, with reports of over three dozen employees wanting out and new lawsuits to contend with. It’s not looking good, that’s for sure.

Joe Roche: Oh c’mon you honestly didn’t expect me to push praise on the PS3 without taking an equally deserved shot at the same time did you? The most recent news out of the Sony camp is that they’re currently operating with a $3.2 billion loss on the current run of the PS3. Of course apologists will tell you that the focus should be on the fact that they anticipated the early loss because they are selling the console so cheap (considering how much a Blu Ray disc player sells for that’s at least a plausible argument). The unfortunate truth for Sony is that the console is supposed to operate at a loss, because the games and hardware are supposed to make up the difference so that the company doesn’t have to take the financial hit – so the real problem is that they’re not developing the software or games to make up the difference in loss sustained because of the console. If you want to stretch this even further, the difficulty that developers have working with Sony, and the ease with which they receive assistance from Microsoft might allow that trend to continue for the foreseeable run of the current gen consoles. Personally I think Sony is smarter than that, and they turned a hefty profit with the PS2 so it’s safe to say that they know what they’re doing – but we will have to wait and see how long it takes to turn things around.

Rod Oracheski: Tecmo. Talk about having your problems piling up quickly. Losing Itagaki was going to be a big blow to the company, but the rest of the news coming out just made things worse.

Jordan Williams: Tecmo. Sure, they might've released NGII but they are taking the good with a fuckload of bad. I don't care for Itagaki much, but losing your TOP developer as well as the team that worked under him is a big blow. It doesn't help that Itagaki will probably try to take the heart of DOA and NGII with him, the only two games that keep Tecmo relevant.

Sean Garmer: Tecmo. Losing Itagaki is huge for Tecmo and Team Ninja. If they do end up losing their two big franchises Tecmo may not last very long. The fact that they had to issue a gag order on him just doesn’t bode well for Tecmo.


3. Biggest News Story of the Month


Theo Fraser: Diablo III The Diablo series has a huge following, and many to this day are still playing Diablo 2, showing just how diehard the franchise’s fans are. This is clearly a very big deal, and I’m excited to see what Blizzard bring to the table in 2008.

Joe Roche: Tecmo Lawsuits I feel like this story was the one constant throughout the month that kept coming back to life just when I thought we had finally put it to bed. It started poorly for all parties involved with Itagaki leaving Tecmo right at the release of Ninja Gaiden, and it just snowballed from there. Whether Tecmo will ever recover from the potential public humiliation of possibly having three hundred employees file a lawsuit against you for not paying bonuses remains to be seen, but there is little doubt in my mind that this was the story of June.

Rod Oracheski: Tecmo Lawsuits Not only did they lose their top developer, but they looked like major league assholes doing it, slapping a gag order on him to prevent any discussion about the issue at all.

Jordan Williams: Diablo III The new art-style aside. If you weren't on the bandwagon for SCII or a new WoW expansion THIS is what you were waiting for. It's a damn shame(or a blessing depending who you are) that they didn't try to put this on consoles as well, but D3 is finally here and it looks like Activision/Blizzard is going to make some serious bank.

Sean Garmer: Tecmo Lawsuits


4. Classic Game of the Month (Does not have to be a XBOX Live Arcade or Virtual Console Game)


Theo Fraser: International Track & Field 2000(N64) To me, in the N64’s heyday, THIS game = Summer. My friends and I would bust this out and waste countless sunny days cooped up in a smelly room, trying to best our throws in the Javelin Toss. Great stuff. Shame the upcoming DS affair didn’t take a page out of this one’s book.

Joe Roche: International Track & Field (NES) Theo I will see your claims of summer time Olympic like video game greatness and raise you one color coordinated running pad. Has there ever been a more pathetic game in history that found a way to combine boring track and field events with humiliating antics as great as this game? How many people have a story about the competition between you and your brother/sister/cousin/uncle deteriorating to the point where you’re both kneeling next to the pad slapping away with your hands because you could move your guy faster that way? You can take your N64 Olympiad if you want, I’ll stick with the original.

Rod Oracheski: Samurai Shodown With a friend picking up an arcade cabinet last month, I've been playing this one a lot lately. It sucked back a lot of quarters during my university days, and - unlike many classic games - it's aged pretty well.

Jordan Williams: Phantasy Star Online Ep.1 & II Since my Xbox 360 has joined the ranks of the FUBAR, I busted out my Gamecube and once again PSO has stolen my soul. It seems like about once a year this game will rear it's ugly head and for like a month straight I can do nothing but play PSO.

Sean Garmer: Final Fantasy IV In anticipation for the release of the DS 3D remake I started playing this again and found the reason why I love this RPG.


5. Best Game of June.


Theo Fraser: Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) That’s an easy one.

Joe Roche: Battlefield: Bad Company (XBOX 360 & PS3) Sure I could say Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriot, but I haven’t played/watched that game yet so in good conscience I can’t give it the award. On the other hand my entire life has turned into a blend of nerves about the upcoming Mass. Bar Exam, and a world of destruction in Battlefield: Bad Company. The story mode is better then the other Battlefield games (which isn’t saying much), and the online play is fantastic. The sound in this game alone is enough to keep people coming back and the frantic pace of the game as the entire world around you is blown to pieces is just great fun.

Rod Oracheski: Metal Gear Solid 4 It might be too cutscene heavy for my tastes, but there's no denying the high production value.

Jordan Williams: Metal Gear Solid 4

Sean Garmer: Metal Gear Solid 4


Game Winner: Metal Gear Solid 4

Overall Winner: Sony


6. Currently Gaming


Theo Fraser: Theo Fraser: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii), No More Heroes (Wii), Mario Kart Wii, Half Life 2: Episode One (PC), Bioshock (PC).

Joe Roche: Battlefield: Bad Company (Xbox 360), NASCAR 09 (Xbox 360), GTAIV (Xbox 360)

Rod Oracheski: Battlefield: Bad Company (XBOX 360), MGS 4 (PS3)- decent campaign mode, and the online has the promise of being great. I don't understand why they shipped it with only one online mode though, or why I can be in a squad in a ranked match and somehow end up on the OTHER TEAM. If there's no room, put us into the next game. Splitting our team in a ranked match? Stupid beyond belief. Also been getting into Unreal Tournament III on the 360 a bit. The run-and-gun gameplay isn't really my thing anymore, I burnt out on that during endless rounds of Quake, but I'm sure it'll have an audience. I'm almost done with MGS4, and I hope that the next game - and you know there'll be another one - has more gameplay in the gameplay. Finished Act 3, and I was disappointed that the best action sequence in the game (to that point anyway) was in a cutscene. I want to PLAY the cool parts in the next game, not just watch them.

Jordan Williams: Space Invaders Extreme(DS), Phantasy Star Online Eps I&II(GC), SSX 3(GC), Day of Reckoning 2(GC), Resident Evil 4(GC), Xtreme G 3(GC). Man, could you tell that I've been playing my Gamecube a lot more?

Sean Garmer: FF Tactics Advance 2: Grimoire of the Rift (Nintendo DS), FIFA 08 (XBOX 360), Blue Dragon (XBOX 360) Mario Kart DS (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 released the week of July 6th



Beijing 2008 Official Video Game of the Olympics (XBOX 360, PS3, PC Sports, SEGA)




Rod Oracheski: At least it looks like they're finally moving away from having every event be a button-mashing, controller-destroying festival. These kind of games can be decent for when people are over, if the game is done well, so maybe there's hope for it yet.


Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution (XBOX 360 & PS3 Strategy Game, 2K Games)




Joe Roche: Is it possible to be excited for game and apathetic at the same time? In theory I want to pick this game up and play it for hours on end, but in reality I will probably never play this game once which is probably a shame in the grand scheme of things. It does fill a void in the current console lineups, and from what I’ve heard the game looks to be fantastic but we shall see how things play out.

Rod Oracheski: Revamped for consoles, I'm looking forward to see what the team has done with the beloved Civilization series. It helps that Meier got me into gaming with Pirates!



Unreal Tournament III (XBOX 360 FPS, Midway & Epic Games)- With 360 exclusive content that includes five new maps and two more character classes.




Sean Garmer: I’ve been waiting for this to come out on the 360 for a while. I’m not someone that played these on the PC, I liked the console games that gave you that twitch shooting (mainly Unreal II) with the weapons and the decent campaign mode. This one has a little of that, but of course; this one makes its living online. There are two new game modes: Vehicle Capture the Flag and Warfare (something that resembles king of the hill) and all the blasting and destroying you love. This also includes some very cool new weapons and vehicles. If you have a XBOX Live account and love this game it should be a no brainer. If you don’t, I wouldn’t bother.


Other Games coming out this Week

Devil May Cry 4 (PC Action Game, Capcom)

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeon (Nintendo Wii Action RPG, Square-Enix)

Nancy Drew: The Phantom Vice (PC Adventure Game, Her Interactive)


Games released the week of July 13th



NCAA Football 09 (XBOX 360, PS3, PS2, PSP & Wii)




Joe Roche: I’ve made my love affair with this game well known and I cannot wait for the release of the next installment. Personally give me NCAA Football over Madden every day of the week, and now with Online Dynasty mode I don’t think I’ll be alone in that sentiment. Nobody has been able to give me a straight answer on whether the former division I-AA teams are included this year but I don’t think I’d be able to put a cap on my excitement to take my alma mater (UMass-Amherst) to a bowl game.

Rod Oracheski: They say, much like the Madden team, that they've fixed the issues from last year. Also like the Madden team, that's what they said last year...so we'll see. The demo is pretty good though, so I'll probably be on the field from Day One.

Sean Garmer: I really like the NCAA series and just like Joe, at times I can find myself wanting to play the college game more than the pro game. Mainly because it still has that simplicity and it is not over-saturated with tactics. Though the defensive A.I. has been improved this year. Also QB composure is more important than ever. If your QB doesn’t play well it will actually reflect on the field with a shaky camera and questionable routes. A nice bit of realism, especially for the College game where this is very reflective, as it always seems that confidence is important for those college QB’s because they are so young. Regardless we all know that online dynasty is the selling point and having that in the game is something that really makes me want to check it out.


We Love Golf (Nintendo Wii Golf Game, Capcom & Camelot)




Sean Garmer: Capcom enters the Wii Sport fore with this one. In a look similar to Hot Shots Golf, Capcom attempts to take the Wii Remote and make it very much like a golf club. Allowing players to create topspin and backspin, twist the remote to move the trajectory, and even switch clubs all without having to see a menu. It seems the game plays well and should get a look from golf Wii fans.


Other Games coming out this Week:


B-Boy (PS2 & PSP Dance Game, SouthPeak Interactive)

City Life 2008 Edition (PC Strategy Game, Paradox Interactive)

Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity (PSP Action Game, Game Factory)

Deadliest Catch (PC Fishing Game, Navarre Corp)

Golden Horde (PC RTS, Dreamcatcher Interactive)

Mister Slime (Nintendo DS 2D Platformer, SouthPeak Interactive)

Space Chimps (XBOX 360, PS2, Nintendo Wii & DS Action Game, Brash Entertainment) -Game based off the animated film

Puchi Puchi Virus (Nintendo DS Action Game, NIS America)

Yamaha Supercross (Nintendo Wii, PS2, Nintendo DS, PC, Motocross Game, DSI Games)



Games released the week of July 20th


Final Fantasy IV (Nintendo DS RPG, Square-Enix) -3D Remake with added content and voiced cutscenes




Theo Fraser: For old school Final Fantasy fans, this is an absolute must. FFIV is often praised for having one of the best stories of the Final Fantasy franchise, and now it is being retold in glorious 3D with some great voice-acting to boot. Much like FFIII before it, this looks fantastic and really pushes the DS in the visuals department. Reviews of the Japanese version suggest that this iteration lives up to the greatness of the SNES original, so fans of turn-based RPGs should lap this one up. Of course, if you’ve never taken a liking to Final Fantasy adventures, you’ll find little to sway you here. Nevertheless, it’s good to see the DS’ RPG catalogue expanded with an entry of this caliber.

Rod Oracheski: I'd probably pay to play this one again, even without the redone graphics and added content. It's nice to see that they're not phoning it in though.

Jordan Williams: The Final Fantasy DS Remakes have had a pretty damn good track record so far. Then again, they've only done it to one game. I really can't see how this will go wrong and I am looking foward to finally getting my hands on this bad boy.

Sean Garmer: As a big FF fan it is nice to see FFIV getting a 3D remake and it has a very good story to tell. I’m probably not going to buy it until I have some extra cash to spend because I already own the PS1 and GBA versions of the game. However, to anyone that has not played this, is an old-school RPG fan, or have always wanted to see this in 3D get this. However, to the uninformed I heed a warning. This is much harder than the US FFII that was released on the SNES, so be prepared to do a lot of leveling up.


Other Games coming out this Week:


Izuna 2: Unemployed Ninja Returns (Nintendo DS RPG, Atlus)

Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (PS2, Nintendo Wii & DS Action Game, Sierra Entertainment & Eurocom)- Game based off Summer Blockbuster

New International Track & Field (Nintendo DS Olympic Sports, Konami)


Games released the week July 27th


Soul Calibur IV (XBOX 360 & PS3 Fighting Game, Namco Bandai) -XBOX 360 version contains Yoda, PS3 version contains Darth Vader




Theo Fraser: I played an early version of this back in April at the Play.com Live event, and whilst I’m willing to be a little forgiving based on it not being the final version, I really didn’t feel like it brought anything new to the table. Some may be happy to hear this; Soul Calibur has thus far been a very strong franchise, and the old saying “if it ain’t broke…” could very well apply here. But to me it feels exactly like Soul Calibur III, albeit with a new coat of paint to spruce it up around the edges. 360 owners may want this in the absence of any other contenders right now, but PS3 owners may want to hold on for Tekken 6.

Joe Roche: I am admittedly more excited to get my hands on the original Soul Calibur on the Xbox Live Marketplace then I am with the current iteration of the game, especially considering the PS3 gets Darth Vader and us 360 loyalists are left with the less cool Yoda. That being said, of all the fighting games available throughout time the Soul Calibur series remains my favorite and I can at least bet that I’ll get some hands on time with this game at some point. Of course since this game comes out the same week that I take the Mass. Bar Exam, I doubt you’ll get an early report from yours truly.

Rod Oracheski: I just don't understand why Namco is whoring out one of their biggest franchises like this. I'd have been OK with it if they'd just added more Star Wars characters and called it a side-game, Soul Calibur vs Star Wars, in lieu of a proper sequel. Still, it's probably the best weapon-based fighter out there, so it's worth a look.

Jordan Williams: It's really starting to bother me that Namco Bandai is whoring this game out to seemingly everyone who thinks they have a knack for character design. This is hitting borderline Mortal Kombat levels of useless, and undeed characters. Either way it looks like it's going to be a great game.

Sean Garmer: Soul Calibur is my favorite fighting series right behind DOA. So anytime they have a new game I am interested. I really liked the third one including the RTS extra mode that was kinda cool. Anyway, I don’t care about having Yoda or Darth Vader in the game,(to me it is still not as cool as Link in the GC version of SC II. I’m just excited to see a new Soul Calibur. There are new characters, the critical finishers sounds a little Mortal Kombatish and of course new arenas. I’m not going to rag on one of my favorite franchises until I see it in action.


Other Games coming out the Week:


Ford Racing: Off Road (PC Driving Game, Strategy First)

Legend: Hand of God (PC Action RPG, ValuSoft)

MLB Power Pros 2008 (Nintendo Wii & PS2 Baseball, 2K Sports)

Romance of Three Kingdoms XI (PC Strategy Game, Koei)

Spectral Force 3 (XBOX 360 Strategy RPG, Atlus)


That is all for this month. Thank you for reading and see you in August.





Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9