Gamertell

Title: Boom Blox
Price: $49.99
System(s): Nintendo Wii
Release Date: May, 6, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Electronic Arts
ESRB Rating: “Everyone”
Pros: Makes great use of motion controls. Fun, frantic multi-player. Gets extremely additive.
Cons: Not all modes are created equal. Frame rate occasionally chugs along. May be a tad cutesy for some.
Overall Score: One thumb up, one sideways; 85/100; B; * * * 1/2 out of 5

When the Wii was first unveiled, the unique motion-sensing controller led many to believe that it would lead to a boom in creative, original titles. Unfortunately, that has not been the case, and aside from a few notable exceptions (mainly consisting of first-party Nintendo titles), games for the Wii have mostly been rushed ports and budget shovelware. 

That’s what makes Boom Blox so great:  It’s a game that couldn’t be played on any other system and, instead, it plays to the console’s strengths, offering a wholly fun and unique experience.

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Title: Toy Shop
Price: $19.99
System(s): Nintendo DS
Release Date: April, 29, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Majesco Games (Gameinvest)
ESRB Rating: “Everyone”
Pros: The business simulation works well. Making toys is fun. Once you really get into the game, it can be addicting.
Cons: It starts out slow. Hunting for toy plans from NPCs is a hassle. Graphics aren’t that good.
Overall Score: One thumb up, one down; 75/100; C; * * 1/2 out of 5

Toy Shop shouldn’t be overlooked. It probably will be, due to the childish concept, humble graphics and unassuming presentation. Most people will probably see it on a store shelf and assume it is shovelware. Instead, it is a fun store management sim that fans of Lemonade Tycoon or The Sims 2: Open for Business will enjoy.

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Title: Taiko no Tatsujin DS: Touch de Dokodon
Price: $48.90
System(s): Nintendo DS
Release Date: July, 26, 2007
Publisher (Developer): Nintendo (Namco)
ESRB Rating: “CERO A” for all ages
Pros: A unique music game with great songs that comes with two free styli.
Cons: Gets repetitive and you really need to play it at a table.
Overall Score: 6.5/10

Taiko no Tatsujin DS was a huge success and continues to be a top seller with more than 500,000 copies sold in Japan. Part of its success stems from the novelty of the game - the touch screen has a drum, which you tap on with two included styli in time to the beats.

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Title: Iron Man
Price: $29.99
System(s): PSP (also available on DS, Wii, PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
Release Date: May 2, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Sega (Havok)
ESRB Rating: “Teen” for alcohol reference, mild language and violence.
Pros: Captures the essence of the character quite well with the ability to fly at any time and use various weapons. Good looking (if not entirely accurate) cutscenes and nice bonuses.
Cons: Early stages a bit long and clunky. PSP controls get in the way throughout the game.
Overall Score: Two thumbs sideways; 73/100; C; * * out of 5.

Iron Man for PSP could have been a much more fun game if it weren’t for those pesky PSP controls. It has pretty good looking graphics, rather fluid character movements and even some decent attacks (and voice acting). Otherwise, it’s quite a letdown that starts slow and never quite redeems itself.

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Title: Echochrome
Price: $9.99
System(s): PS3 (PSP)
Release Date: May 1, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (Sony)
ESRB Rating: “Everyone”
Pros: An innovative use of relatively intuitive controls, cohesive artsy atmosphere and wonderfully challenging platform puzzles. Surprisingly addictive.
Cons: Might make you a bit dizzy and large levels make the avatar too small to easily see.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up; 90/100; A-; * * * * out of 5.

Echochrome is a rather odd yet innovative game that perfectly exemplifies the ideals of Escher’s iconic art. To play, you twist the perspective of wireframe, Escher-esque platforms to allow a generic humanoid avatar (aka mannequin) to reach ghostly humanoid goals (aka echoes). The result is a perplexing puzzle platformer that is simultaneously easy and dizzyingly difficult.

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Check out the gallery: Echochrome for PS3

Title: CrossworDS (aka Crosswords DS)
Price: $19.99
System(s): DS
Release Date: May 5, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Nintendo (Nuevo Retro Games)
ESRB Rating: “Everyone”
Pros: Fairly easy to play and has two extra puzzle games (crossword puzzles, word searched and anagrams).
Cons: Scrolling through large word lists and crossword screens become tedious. A few lame clues and some words left out of anagrams.
Overall Score: One thumb up, one sideways; 85/100; B; * * * 1/2 out of five.

Despite a few small inconveniences including a few lame crossword clues and selectively missing words in the anagrams, the portability, number of games, easy-to-use touch controls, low price and the two extra games not advertised on the cover make Crosswords DS a sure-fire winner for any puzzle-lovin’ person. If your mother likes word puzzles, you will definitely want to consider this for Mother’s Day.

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Title: Iron Man
Release Date: May, 2, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Marvel and Paramount Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Pros: Great acting, very funny, great effects, more contemporary setting and origin, pleasing to Iron Man and comic fans
Cons: Feels like a short movie, limited story, not enough action or Iron Man, to many quick edits, no Nick Fury cameo
Overall Score: One thumb up, one sideways; 80/100; B-; * * * out of five.

Ultimately, Iron Man is a fun ride that doesn’t live up to the story and emotional quality of Batman Begins, nor is it likely to win over a whole new generation of fans like the Spider-Man films have.

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Title: Mario Kart Wii
Price: $49.99 (includes Wheel attachment also sold separately)
System(s): Wii
Release Date: April 27, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Nintendo (Nintendo)
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for comic mischief.
Pros: Simple controls, cute WiiMote Wheel accessory and plenty of mutiplayer action. Additions (courses, bikes, tricks and powerups) are all very worthwhile.
Cons: Internet play requires long waits and kart/driver inequalities are more obvious than ever.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up; 90/100; A-; * * * * out of 5.

Mario Kart Wii has wisely neither reinvented the franchise nor strayed from its core fun and frivolous insanity. Instead, a layer of new features help update this just enough to make it enjoyable without feeling like an old rehash for a new console.

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Title: The World Ends with You
Price: $39.99
System(s): Nintendo DS
Release Date: April, 22, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Square Enix (Square Enix and Jupiter)
ESRB Rating: “Teen” for fantasy violence, mild language and mild suggestive themes
Pros: Everything
Cons: Getting used to controlling two characters at once in battles can be tricky, and occasionally Tin Pin Slammer is frustrating.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up, 100/100, A+, *****

The World Ends with You (TWEWY) is one of the most innovative and engaging games ever released. If you are only going to get one game for the DS in 2008, this is it. It provides a new way in which rpgs can be executed and proves that Square Enix, a company often criticized for its remakes and ports, is capable of releasing phenomenal new intellectual properties.

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Title: Teenage Zombies: Invasion of the Alien Brain Thingys
Price: $29.99
System(s): DS
Release Date: April 15, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Ignition Entertainment (InLight Entertainment)
ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+” for animated blood, crude humor and mild cartoon violence
Pros: A funny premise and fairly fun platformer with comic book art style, nice voiceovers and silly minigames.
Cons: Pace is slow due to awkward ledges, decaying legs and accidental uses of powerups.
Overall Score: One thumb up, one down; 77/100, C+; * * 1/2 out of 5

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Check out the gallery: Teenage Zombies for DS