Gamertell

How do you determine what Star Wars video games are the best? You ask Ernie Cline. Ernie is the screenwriter of Fanboys, which any self-respecting Star Wars movie or game fan has seen by now. More importantly, he’s been playing video games since a time when arcades were the cool place to hang out at the mall. Gamertell recently talked with Ernie about Star Wars, the gaming industry. And gold bikinis.

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I shouldn’t have played this game so quickly after Dead Space Extraction. Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles seems quite common by comparison. This isn’t entirely fair, though, because it’s still a great looking game that offers an intense action experience. A game like this can only be done properly on the Wii, and that’s somewhat rewarding. It’s a great entry in the Resident Evil series and is a fun throwback to those who will remember these places and characters.

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We all have aunts and uncles who just don’t quite get it. They never stick to your wish list, and they never check Gamertell for sound advice. And so, you end up with “Scene It: Twilight” because “...that’s popular with you kids now, right?” Well, let’s turn lemon into lemonades, as your aunt and uncle would say, and put those exchanges (or gift cards) to good use on great Wii games you may have missed this year.

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Despite its obvious faults, I didn’t mind working through this game because I’ve never played it before. As fan of the series, I felt I had to. But you have to go in understanding what the Resident Evil Archives series is. You’re not going to get enhanced graphics. You’re not going to get Wii motion controls. What you’re going to get is an old game that you can play on a modern system.

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Before Sony first threw down against Microsoft, before Nintendo first battled Sega, there was Mattel Electronics vs. Atari. I was firmly entrenched in Intellivision’s corner, and when INTV Corp. went down swinging in 1991, I went down with them. But a group of Intellivision game developers (known as the Blue Sky Rangers) is actively working with the games that helped to launch an industry longer than 30 years ago.

Gamertell spoke with Keith Robinson at Intellivision Lives about this group of developers and the state of the gaming industry, then and now.

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Electronic Arts should be ashamed of themselves.

In Dead Space Extraction, they’ve got the best rail shooter (or light gun) game available on the Wii - and arguably on any platform - and they’ve done next to nothing to let anyone know about it.

The developer videos made available did little to pique my interest and it wasn’t until well after its release that a former coworker convinced me to give it a try. That’s why this review is so late but you should trust me on this: Don’t miss this game.

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Boy, Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga sure sounds impressive, doesn’t it? The title makes it sound like a game that shouldn’t just be played, but conquered. There should be figures and books and a movie. It just sounds epic. Sadly, it’s not. This is a game that sucks the joy out of gaming, and that’s too bad, because there probably is something great here burried under the layers of muck.

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Ju-On: The Grudge is faulty on many levels but I’m willing to forgive many of them because of the subtitle “Haunted House Simulator” thrown across the box.

Have you been to any of the haunted houses that spring up in wooded areas and old schoolhouses at this time of the year? Ju-On gave me more scares than they do, so I at least have to give it credit for that.

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LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias is a charming little game. I hesitate to say that because it calls to mind singing mice or scruffy puppies with hearts of gold but that’s what Winter of the Melodias is: charming.

It’s also a gorgeous game with some good puzzles, a nice dose of adventure, and fairly unique combat that’ll appeal to gamers of all types.

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I’ll start off by saying that Deep Silver got the name of this one right. That mountain sure is cursed.

Most of this game’s personality comes from the mountain. It’s oppressive in some ways, but rewarding. As you stand at the bottom and look up at the peaks, you can’t help but feel like you’re not getting anywhere. But as you make your way up and look back down at the villages you’ve been through, you’ll know you’ve accomplished something. You’ll have to develop this connection with the mountain because, quite often, that’s all there is.

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