This is probably the sparcest Casual Friday since Gamertell started running it’s weekly Casual Friday casual game update. Only four new casual games made their debut this week, and of the four all but one are hidden object games. Plus, there are no Mac games this time around, only Windows titles. So if you’re not a hidden object fan, you may want to check a previous Casual Friday for a new game to play.

The only big news this week is that Big Fish Games is once again running its Novemberfest promotion. If you purchase six games from the site by November 30, 2009, you’ll get one free game. If you purchase nine games, you’ll get two free games. The free game credits will be awarded after December 1, 2009.

This week’s best bet is: Tropical Farm (PC)

Hidden Magic
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Pick a mage to play as, and then go on to search for your love who has been kidnapped and taken away to an undisclosed location in a forboding forest.
Demo Available: Yes

Valerie Porter and the Scarlet Scandal
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow, PlayFirst
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Valerie Porter is one of the few female journalists in the 1920’s, and she’s just stumbled upon an amazing story where an innocent man is being framed. You must help her find the truth behind the story and make a name for herself.
Demo Available: Yes

Tropical Farm
Genre: Simulation (Time Management)
Availability: Alawar Entertainment
Retail Price: $9.95
Platform: Windows
Premise: Help revitalize a hurricane ravaged island by running a successful farm.
Demo Available: Yes

The Return of Monte Cristo
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Help Edmond Dante discover who killed his lover Mercedes in a game that acts as the sequel to The Count of Monte Cristo
Demo Available: Yes

Editor’s Note: Due to so many casual games sites offering game plans or preferred member prices, which can cause a game to have multiple price-points, the games’ average retail prices is mentioned in Casual Friday.

Site [Big Fish Games] Site [PlayFirst] Site [GameHouse] Site [eGames] Site [Alawar Games] Site [Amazon] Site [Reflexive Arcade] Site [Harmonic Flow]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Title: Half-Minute Hero
Price: $29.99
System(s): PSP
Release Date: October 13, 2009
Publisher (Developer): XSEED (Opus)
ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+” for Animated Blood, Language, Mild Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes.
Pros: Four game modes which each represent a different game genre. Branching paths in Hero 30. A gallery and collection mode to see what you’ve unlocked in Hero 30. Unique art style. Very easy controls. Pretty simple to play, once you figure out the basic formula. Can submit your scores/rankings online to see how great a hero you are. Multiplayer lets you play Hero 30 against friends to see who’s the best.
Cons: You have to unlock Knight 30, Hero 300 and Hero 3. Even though the box claims 20 hours of gameplay, the modes other than Hero 30 are pretty short. Can be overly easy at times. Princess 30 is disappointing.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up, 90, A-, * * * * out of 5

Half-Minute Hero has rather humble beginnings. It began life as a brief, 1mb freeware game by developer UUE. Marvelous Entertainment saw the potential for a full game there, expanded it and turned it into Yuusha 30. The Hero 30 mode is nearly identical to the original game, and additional Evil Lord 30, Princess 30 and Knight 30 modes have been added in to flesh out the story and make the overall game more substantial. Now XSEED has picked up this quirky game for a North American release.

Only thirty seconds to complete your quests.

An ultimate evil lord by the name of Noire has been tormenting the land for hundreds of years. With the help of the Time Goddess, a series of heroes will face off against Noire throughout time in the hopes of destroying him and bringing peace.

Chronologically, the game begins with Hero 30, an RPG where a hero must face off against numerous evil lords who have been given a spell that will destroy the world in 30 seconds. It continues with Evil Lord 30, a real time strategy game where a vile man called Noire has placed a curse on the evil lord’s love Millenia and is placing Noire statues that warp the mind around the country. After that comes the shoot-em-up Princess 30, where the princess must retrieve medicines that could heal her father, who has mysteriously fallen ill. The next chapter is Knight 30, an action game where a lone knight must protect a sage with the power to save the world. Finally, it all ties together in Hero 300.

Not all game modes are created equal - Hero 30 steals the show.

Half-Minute Hero is probably one of the better on-the-go PSP games available. Since there are six game modes available (once you unlock everything) that cover four different game genres and typically take only a minute or two for each mission, it offers a lot of variety and a perfect portable game experience. It also has wonderfully retro graphics and a clever script filled with little jokes to make you laugh.

The title is a little misleading though. While it is true that at the start of every mission or adventure in each of the modes you are given 30 seconds to complete it, you can get more time. In Hero 30 or Evil Lord 30, the Time Goddess can grant you more time in exchange for money. In Princess 30, you can ride on a special carpet to slow down time and speed up. In Knight 30, you can put the sage on a spot where he casts faster.

The real problem with Half Minute Hero is that the game modes aren’t all at the same level of quality. If you play two adventures/missions of each of the four main modes, you’ll find that Hero 30 is easily the shining star of the bunch, Evil Lord 30 and Knight 30 are the passable mid-tier modes and Princess 30 lags behind and is formulaic, button mashing and repetitive. The unfortunate part is, you must finish the worst mode, Princess 30, if you want to unlock Knight 30, Hero 300 and Hero 3. Its understandable why the unlocking feature is there, given that the stories in all the modes culminates in Hero 300, but that doesn’t make the unlocking any less tedious.

One of the PSP’s most unique games.

Half-Minute Hero is certainly innovative, funny, unique and great to play on the go. It does have its faults, like how the game can be too easy and some modes (Hero 30 and Evil Lord 30), are better than others (Princess 30 and Knight 30). It’s a great game, but also one of those that could end up being a hit or miss, depending on the personal preferences of the person playing it.

The best advice I can give is go to the PlayStation Store and download the demos. Demos for the Hero 30 and Evil Lord 30 segments are both available immediately. Test both out. If you like them, then chances are you’ll love the full game. Be advised though that the Normal difficulty level of the full game is much easier than both of the demos available. An even better suggestion is to make a Japanese PlayStation Store account - there are demos for each mode of the game available there.

Site [Half-Minute Hero]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

**Fair Warning: This will be VERY SPOILER HEAVY. Read of your volition!!!**

The Human mind is very interesting piece of biological equipment. The way we think, interpret, and create. How our brains use electrical impulses to make it all happen. And yet, the Human mind is also one of the most terrifying things in existence. The way our mental psyche can succumb to an emotion, creating fantastic and frightening events, manipulated by memories and nightmares, an inescapable fear.

Silent Hill 2 isn’t a horror game in the classic sense of the genre; sure it has demons and plays our fears of the dark, but it goes beyond that by becoming truly scary through its playing with the mind. It’s a haunting video game twist on the plot device used in many works such as the short story, An Occurrence at Owl Bridge Creek , and the Adrian Lyne film, Jacob’s Ladder.

The inescapable fear described in the beginning paragraph has pulled in a widower named James Sunderland (who looks an awful lot like Keifer Sutherland’s character from the movie, The Vanishing, which I might is also about a man relentlessly looking for his wife). His wife, Mary, succumbed to unknown disease or so he thought. He received a letter from her telling him to meet her in their “special place”.

Silent Hill.

It was there that the two shared the last special moments together before Mary became hospitalized and pass on. It now is the place where James will confront Mary… and himself.

Silent Hill 2 isn’t a particularly good “game”, it instead is carried fully by its story, one that, to myself, remains good enough to go back through over and over again despite the horrible design choices the game’s designers made. Having to open the menu whenever you wanted to use items or view the map and notes was the most notable pain, though if you imagine Resident Evil controls plastered on a PlayStation 2 game that gives you a better idea of what your dealing with. The graphics weren’t anything spectacular either, even though the rough, grey and grainy visuals helped with the game’s atmosphere. Still, I love every bit of it. If Team Silent would ever get off their behinds to remake this game, I would only demand better sound quality.

Akria Yamaoka was at the top of his game when creating the Silent Hill 2 soundtrack. It’s something that any lover of video game music needs to experience. Promise’s guitar work is haunting and the piano work on it’s reprise is equally matching. Laura’s Theme is the standout track with its heavy rhythmical use of electric guitar.  Even its reprise does a fantastic job with a fusion of a piano and violin dancing a duet. Laura’s Theme is the track that just sucks you into the entire story. Too bad the original version never got released. For our protagonist James however, too bad a lot of things never got released.

After washing his face in a public bathroom that confirms why I’ll never use one, James sets off down a long pathway into a fog-covered, seemingly deserted Silent Hill. He meets his first encounter, Angela, in the graveyard just before the entrance to town.

Angela is mentally ill and is searching for her mother. She was abused by her father and has a fear of men. Further along James finds Eddie, a obese man who also is mentally ill but only wants to have a friend. Eddie killed someone and is on the run from the law. There’s also the little girl Laura, who was in the same hospital as James’ wife Mary. Finally there’s Maria who looks exactly like Mary but doesn’t share the same attitude.

If you play the prelude story on the Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams re-release, Born From a Wish, you find out that James is a “bad man”.

You see; James Sunderland did something terrible. His visit to Silent Hill isn’t to find his wife, but to confront what he has done. His journey through the town is merely a creation of his own guilt, the people he meets are figments of his own desires and misdeeds. His sins. The monsters are his aggressions and his own fear fighting back, trying to keep him from realizing what he did. The legendary Pyramid Head, James’ personal punisher.

As James puts the pieces together the town and its inhabitants go mad, falling apart, crushed under the power of realization.

Angela representing the way James treated Mary, with disdain over her illness, walks up through a burning staircase after James comes to terms with his hatred of Mary for burdening his life. Eddie is killed by James in a shootout, confirming James to be a murderer and a glutton. In contrast, Laura is James’ remaining innocence. She has committed no sin and therefore isn’t haunted by the demons. She is the little girl that Mary asks James to adopt, his only unselfish link to Mary. Maria, much like Angela and Eddie, is a representation of everything James wanted from Mary. James wanted to be with another woman, someone more outgoing, sexual, and not burdened by an illness.

That’s why James Sunderland killed his wife. James killed Mary. His guilt blocked the horrific event from his mind for years. He smothered her with a hospital pillow to free himself from her burden.

How it all ends after the final realization is a mystery. Future Silent Hill games would only make reference to James going into town and disappearing, his fate unknown to the outside world. Did he kill himself by driving into Tuluca Lake? Did he come to terms with what he did only to repeat the cycle with his imaginary girlfriend Maria? Did he adopt Laura? Does he ever get Mary’s forgiveness? Was it a dog all along? Or did James get abducted by aliens like Henry Mason (the protagonist from the first Silent Hill) before him? We will never know for sure. But what we do know is that no matter the official outcome, Silent Hill 2 remains the best in the series and a game that should definitely be our your Halloween gaming list.

Purchase [Gamestop / Amazon]

Full Story » | Written by Kris Rosado for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Full Story » | Written by Jessica Moen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Looking for something to play while you’re out tricking and treating this Halloween? Then we have just the list for you, because who says the iPhone and iPod Touch can’t get in on the Halloween fun? There are plenty of Halloween apps out there but below are our top 5 gaming apps to download that are sure to raise some hairs or at the very least raise your Halloween spirits. Have better options? Then list them below!

1. Silent Hill
What’s a Halloween list without a Silent Hill game? Unfortunately, this entry into the series doesn’t present a gripping story but instead offers a first-person view of a exploratory frustration. So why is it on the list? Because it’s still creepy hearing sounds in the distance as you clamor to find the exit to your flashlight lit dungeon. At $4.99 it is a bit pricey but then again you should be fully aware of what you are buying with a Silent HIll game.
2. Inkvaders
This just in, aliens are invading!!! No this isn’t Orsen Wells reading War of the Worlds, it really is a war of the worlds!!! It’s up to you Generic Marine (literally the guy’s name) to fight them from the moon to the earth and save what you can of humanity. Seriously though, Inkvaders is a lot of fun and very challenging if you want it to be. It’s kinda like a poor man’s Metal Slug without the POWs or crazy Independence Day references, instead just simply being a trial to see how many aliens you can cap before either reaching the end of the stage or death. This one’s $0.99 and well worth it.

3. Crush the Zombies
What do you do when an alien virus turns your fellow human friends into zombies? That’s right, you jump onto your nearest road roller and start crushing some zombies! Of course, you should also search for non-zombies and lead them to safety, but you know, doing donuts while making zombie mash is both fun and important too! Fair warning, the controls are a little loose but for $0.99 how can you not afford not to go for a ride?
4. Resident Evil Degeneration
Much like Silent Hill what’s a Halloween list without a Resident Evil game? The decision to go with Degeneration is based purely on the fact that you are probably burnt out on Resident Evil 4 because you know, it’s on EVERYTHING! Zombies, assisted laser tarting, PDAs, and full-fledged 3D models, all for $4.99 coupled with the fact that Capcom has yet to release Resident Evil 2 on the PlayStation Network Store and I’d say this is about the best you are going to do for a portable Claire and Leon tale.

5. DOOM Resurrection

Last but not least, especially in price, is DOOM Resurrection. I’m sure what else to write here other than it’s DOOM. Howabout, it’s an on-rails, first-person shooter, with lots of guns and exploding demons, set in the DOOM universe? It’s $6.99 and an all new chapter in the DOOM saga? Wait, there’s a DOOM saga? Nevermind, if you like crazy mayhem on Mars with demons from Hell, DOOM is well worth your money. 

Full Story » | Written by Kris Rosado for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Halloween is almost over and soon everyone will be preparing for the following holiday season. More and more children will begin begging their parents for pet-related games and toys for the holidays, then eventually beg for a real pet. A pet based on their virtual or toy pets that turn into more responsibility than they can handle or become aggravated with because the pet is nothing like their virtual ones, leaving the animal’s fate in their parent’s hands.

But one game company, Spil Games, created a game to help educate young girls about the importance of caring for a pet through their free online game Animal Shelter at GirlsGoGames.com.

It’s not as simple as pointing at the readily available food and toys on a screen or playing with a virtual pet that is always happy and healthy. Real pets can get hurt or sick and need attention that can’t be clicked on with a tap of a stylus or finger.

I was given an opportunity to interview Peter Hofstede, Games Director for Spil Games, about Animal Shelter and what he shared was his hope to educate girls that pets are not toys that you can just toss aside when you’re bored. A pet owner, it takes a lot more responsibilities to raise an animal than giving hugs and petting them on the head and I think this game expresses that responsibility.

I asked Hofstede what he hopes young girls learn from this cute game.

“We hope to increase our players’ awareness of the important fact that animals need good care. Unlike toys — which you can throw out or give away if you get fed up with them,” he said. “Animals need a lot of time and attention, and lots of TLC. We also hope that our players learn about the hard work involved in running an animal shelter. That’s something many people take for granted.”

And he’s not joking.

When you first play the game you’re given a list of tasks you must perform on top of making sure the animals in your care are given proper medical attention, fed a nutritional meal and exercised daily based on their health charts. For example, in my care I have a few dogs, cats, bunnies, turtles and even a hamster in my adoption center (see image on right). Each animal has its own needs much like a real pet. I have a turtle that is sick most of the time and requires more medical attention than the rest as well as a dog that’s often bored and hungry.

You also have to keep the areas clean to prevent their conditions from worsening and to keep your center from being closed.

Hofstede added that animal care alone just isn’t enough when they created this game so I asked what was the inspiration behind this game and what makes this virtual pet game different from the rest already out for handheld and console gaming systems.

“We know that cute animal games are very popular with our GirlsGoGames audience, so the idea of making a game about an animal shelter came up pretty quickly. However, it took some time to figure out the game’s core design and how to make it stand out from similar games,” he said. “Animal care by itself wouldn’t have been enough. That had already been done. But the advertising and ‘photography aspects hadn’t been done in other animal care games, so we added those two popular elements. We decided it was important for players to learn about the importance of keeping to a budget, so we added that element too. Lastly, we added movie events to build awareness about how commercials and movies can trigger people to get a pet, something our players may not have considered before. By combining these fresh and informative features, we ended up with a fun, successful, and unique game with an educational twist.”

Photographing the animals is not as easy as it seems. The camera moves and so does the animal. You have to take the right photograph of a pet and find the right words to use in your advertisement that will draw potential pet owners to your shelter. Patience is a virtue here because the animal moves around, looks away and even growls at the camera. If you’re patient enough you may be able photograph an adorable pose to post in the newspaper, fliers or even a television ad. Once the right photo is captured, then you must provide a decent description about animal you want to advertise for adoption.

Based on your success of getting the animals adopted as well as keeping the animals and the center in good condition, you are given donations that can be used to upgrade the food, medical care and toys for your animals. Just watch your budget because you don’t know when the next animal will be adopted or when the center will receive the next donation.

The game is adorable but takes strategy to get all the animals adopted and raise the donations needed to keep the animals fed, clean and healthy.

I asked if this game would eventually be made for a console or if there were any other educational games they are about to launch.

“We launch new games every single week but it’s really heart-warming when we can also take part in spreading awareness and educating our players with games like Animal Shelter,” Hofstede said. “We hope our players will enjoy the gameplay, of course, but we also hope that they enjoy learning about proper animal care and the process involved in animal adoption. Also, we want to let your readers know that they can expect a lot of new, exciting features and content in the near future. Our team here at Spil Games is working hard to develop ever richer and ever more entertaining online gaming experiences!”

Site [Spil Games] Site [GirlsgoGames.com]

Full Story » | Written by Lucy Newman for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

When your friendly neighborhood delivery person (hey Tim) comes to your door with a wooden crate in tow and you didn’t order anything, you know it’s going to be fun.

It’s been a while since I’ve received notable swag from a game company - I blame the economy - but this one proved to be especially interesting.

Prying open the nailed down wood lid to the small wooden crate revealed a dozen plush (read: stuffed) SqueeBalls Party creatures. Each is about 6 to 8 inches tall and variable widths. They feature large eyes and, as my almost-3-year-old can attest, they are “so cute.”

SqueeBalls Party by Aksys Games and PDP is a family party game that stars twelve wacky toys. You control the cute and creepy SqueeBalls in minigames including bowling, golf, cooking and a bunch of other button-mashing tasks. It’s rated “Everyone” with cartoon violence and is currently available for Wii, DS, Xbox 360, iPhone and iPod Touch.

Site [SqueeBalls]

Full Story » | Written by PJ Hruschak for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Halloween is only a day away, and what better time to continue thinking about how the spooky and extraordinary can tie into our daily lives. Monstrous creatures are a mainstay of the holiday, whether people watch horror movies starring them or dress up as said characters to frighten and impress. If you think about it, some of those monsters have quite a bit in common with some well known, established and perhaps even loved video games.

To help you all get in the holiday spirit, Gamertell’s gone through the massive library of games available to see what they would be if they were monsters.

Imagine/Ener-G/Dreamer/Charm Girls Club/Petz = Zombies

It started out with just one game line, Imagine, and now look what it has become. Step into a DS game section and you’ll be overwhelmed by a sea of pastel, substandard games for girls. And, even though you may never actually see anyone buying them, they keep appearing! The section grows larger and larger. I wouldn’t be surprised if those games even rotted your brains. Just like zombies!

World of Warcraft/Everquest/Warhammer Online = Vampires

Frankly, it’s easy to compare any MMO game to a vampire. With an MMO, people get drawn into a whole other world and environment. Slowly but surely, playing that game becomes their sole motivation in life. They can’t live without it. Then, they recruit their friends! So not only are the MMOs time vampires, they turn the people playing into them as well.

Pokemon/Mario Party/Dokapon/Soul Calibur = Wolfman

Think about it, Pokemon, Mario Party and Soul Calibur games have the ability to turn people into something that they’re not. A normally respected and intelligent man can suddenly be transformed into a person with an uncontrollable urge to “get ‘em all,” even if it means skipping work to get to a special Toys ‘R Us event for a rare pokemon. Mario Party and Dokapon, two adorable-looking board games, can quickly and easily turn friends against one another - often resulting in a violent debacle. The same can be said for Soul Calibur - the most unexpected people can turn out to be harbingers of doom.

Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad/Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers/Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball/Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 = Witches

Witches are supposedly able to seduce, charm and allure - casting spells on people to do things they wouldn’t normally do. Sounds a lot like video games where companies purposely insert a lot of unrealistic, scantily clad women to try and get men to play, doesn’t it? And normally, those games are the kind people would probably overlook, but because the women are half-dressed, guys will flock to play and buy them.

101-in-1 Explosive Megamix/WarioWare/Rayman Raving Rabbids = Frankensteins

Any mini-game collection can be considered a Frankenstein monster of sorts. All kinds of short games are tossed in, that wouldn’t work on their own. Many times, the games will be based on old classics which haven’t been popular in years. Yet all together, the collection of games work. Sometimes they come out good, sometimes bad. All in all, they’re strange amalgamations - just like a Frankenstein monster.

A.S.H.: Archaic Sealed Heat (DS)/Dirty Harry (Xbox 360)/Winter (Wii)/Eight Days (PS3)/Earthworm Jim PSP/Mother 3 (GBA) = Ghosts

Ah, the poor games trapped trapped in limbo or cancelled altogether. People may have had high hopes and expecations for them, especially for games like Earthworm Jim PSP, A.S.H. and Winter, but it wasn’t to be. Now, the gamers are haunted by the wonderful games that they will never get to play.

Read [Gamertell]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Somehow I expected more scary and spooky casual games to be released this week, since Halloween is Saturday. Four isn’t too bad - Fort Zombie, Trapped: The Abduction, Night of the Scarecrows and Sters all debuted but somehow I expected more than that. Of course, when you combine those with the other Halloween-esque casual games that were released throughout October 2009, there’s a nice assortment to choose from.

This was definitely a week where puzzles ruled among the new releases. If you’re a fan of hidden object, match-3 or picross puzzles, you’ll be set. If you’re not, there’s a shooter and action RPG you can play instead. 

This week’s best bets are: Trapped: The Abduction (PC, Mac) and The Tudors (PC).

Hidden Expedition: Devil’s Triangle
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: You and your team are trapped in the Bermuda Triangle on a strange island while searching for one of your missing members. Your goal is to find out where you are, what’s going on and then how to escape.
Demo Available: Yes

World Riddles: Animals
Genre: Puzzle
Availability: Funny Bear Studio
Retail Price: $9.95
Platform: Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP, Vista and 7
Premise: It’s a collection of over 120 nonogram (picross) puzzles with an animal theme. There are also some mini-games tossed in, and some informative facts about the animals that appear in the game
Demo Available: Yes

Fort Zombie
Genre: Action RPG
Availability: Fort Zombie
Retail Price: $9.99
Platform: Windows PC
Premise: You have to survive the zombie outbreak. You must travel towards a safe stronghold, while also saving other survivors, collecting supplies and hunting down zombies along the way.
Demo Available: Yes

Trapped: The Abduction
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games, PlayFirst, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows Vista and XP and Mac 10.5
Premise: A young woman has been abducted by a serial killer, and you must carefully look for clues and play mini-games to survive.
Editor’s Note: Due to the premise and dark tone of the game, I’d say it’s best for ages 16+.
Demo Available: Yes

Night of the Scarecrows
Genre: Puzzle (Match-3)
Availability: GameHouse
Retail Price: $5.99
Platform: Windows 2000, XP and Vista
Premise: Living scarecrows are lumbering towards the village, bent on destruction, and the only way to stop them is to play match-3 puzzles.
Demo Available: Yes

Sters
Genre: Shooter
Availability: Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows 2000, XP and Vista
Premise: Sters, little ghosts, goblins and monsters, are causing trouble around the world. It’s up to you to use your cannon launcher to dispatch them.
Demo Available: Yes

The Treasures of Montezuma 2
Genre: Puzzle (Match 3)
Availability: Alawar Entertainment
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Match tokens to make then disappear and earn points. This time around, there are three levels of difficulty to make the game more enjoyable.
Demo Available: Yes

The Tudors
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games, PlayFirst, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: The game based on the Showtime series The Tudors. Here, you play as a spy for King Henry VIII, revealing and preventing all kinds of threats to England’s safety.
Demo Available: Yes

Big City Adventure: New York
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Go on a virtual vacation, exploring New York City. Search hidden object puzzles to find items and souveniers, collect postcards, play mini-games and learn more about New York.
Demo Available: Yes

Editor’s Note: Due to so many casual games sites offering game plans or preferred member prices, which can cause a game to have multiple price-points, the games’ average retail prices is mentioned in Casual Friday.

Site [Big Fish Games] Site [PlayFirst] Site [GameHouse] Site [eGames] Site [Alawar Games] Site [Amazon] Site [Reflexive Arcade] Site [Harmonic Flow]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Hey everyone! This is a momentous day for Important Importables. Today marks the 100th column. Who’d have thought, right?

Anyways, to celebrate today, I’m listing my 100 all time favorite games that you can only get by importing. These are titles that aren’t available in North America, and you have to import from either Japan or Europe if you want to play them.

Remember, this isn’t a comprehensive list and is based on my personal picks. It’s a general guide to some great games you should be aware of. It’s also a bit biased in terms of systems, because it was formed based on games that I’ve either played or taken an interest in over the years. So, since I’ve imported quite a few DS games and that’s one of my favorite systems, there’ll naturally be more DS games represented.

If there’s a great import game you know that isn’t on the list and should be, tell the world in the comments. Also remember, many consoles have region protection! If you have a Game Boy, Game Boy Color, DS, PSP or PS3 you should be region-free, and if you have a Dreamcast you can buy or make a special boot-disk which makes your console region-free.

Dreamcast

• Bomber HehHe: It’s a puzzle game with some action elements. The goal is to place bombs to take down buildings.
• Capcom vs SNK 2: A fighting game, of course. The first one did get a US release, but this one didn’t.
• Cosmic Smash: It’s sort of like Arkanoid/Alleyway, in that you have to destroy blocks. Except you’re playing as a human trying to smash them with a ball, and racing against the clock.
• DUX: A side scrolling shoot-em-up (the Dreamcast was known for them) that has the distinction of being one of the most recent DC releases. It came out in 2009.
• Last Hope: Pink Bullets: Again, one of the more recent DC releases and shoot-em-up. It’s an updated and adjusted version of the Neo Geo game Last Hope.
• Napple Tale: Arisia in Daydream: A platformer where a girl named Arisia is tasked with returning the lost seasons to Napple Town.
• Pop’n Music: A fun, bright and colorful music game.
• Princess Maker Collection: You get Princess Maker 2 and Princess Maker 3 in one game.
• Rainbow Cotton: A shoot-em-up (cute-em-up) that’s the first 3D entry in the Cotton series.
• Puyo Pop Fever: It was the last Sonic Team DC game, but was never released outside of Japan.
• Any Sakura Taisen game: They’re all fun blends of visual novel, strategic rpg and dating sim games.
• Shenmue II: Only Europe and Japan got the sequel to Shenmue. I recommend importing the European version, since it’ll be in English.
• Shinseiki Evangelion: Ayanami Rei Ikusei Keikaku: Think Princess Maker, only with Rei Ayanami from Evangelion as the potential princess. Its also available on the DS, PC and PS2.
• Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles: A recent Dreamcast puzzle release.

DS

• 100 Classic Book Collection: Basically an e-reader program with 100 classic books built in and an additional 10 that can be downloaded. It’s available in Europe, but not North America.
• Arabian’s Lost: An otome/RPG where the main character is an Arabian princess of a land filled with thieves, gamblers, assassins and crooks who must earn 10 million in 30 days to keep from being trapped in an arranged marriage. Its also available for the PS2.
• A.S.H.: Archaic Sealed Heat: A strategic RPG from Nintendo that was supposed to come to North America, but never did.
• Daigasso Band Brothers / Daigasso Band Bros. DX: A music game where you play songs using the DS face buttons. You can also create your own songs in both games and download songs in the sequel.
• Dokidoki Majo Shinpan!: A somewhat-perverted game which has gained fame and notoriety for the fact that players touch girls on the touch screen to determine if they’re witches.
• Freshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland: An RPG starring Tingle from the Legend of Zelda series and revolves around his quest to get money and get to Rupeeland. It received a Japanese and European release, but never appeared in North America.
• Game & Watch Collection 2: A Japanese Club Nintendo promotion that includes the Game & Watch titles Parachute and Octopus.
• Game Center CX: Arino no Chousenjou 2: The sequel to Retro Game Challenge. Since the first game wasn’t a huge seller in North America, we probably will never see an English version of the sequel.
• Hirameki Action: Chibikko Wagyan no Daiki na Bouken: This is a side-scrolling action game where players guide a little dinosaur with a mighty roar through levels.
• Idolm@ster: Dearly Stars: The first Idolm@ster game where players act as the idols instead of a faceless producer. It’s also the first game in the series with a male idol (though he’s in disguise as a girl).
• Itadaki Street DS: A monopoly-esque board game from Square Enix starring characters from Super Mario and Dragon Quest. It also has Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support so you can play online.
• Jump Ultimate Stars: A Smash Bros style fighting game with 300 characters from 41 Shonen Jump mangas. Unfortunately, it’ll never get a worldwide release due to licensing issues.
• Kanji Sonomama Rakubiki Jiten: A Japanese-English dictionary that’s perfect for people studying Japanese. A few Game&Watch games are also hidden in it.
• Katekyoo Hitman Reborn DS Flame Rumble X: Mirai Chou-Bakuhatsu!!: A 2D fighting game starring the characters from the manga/anime Katekyoo Hitman Reborn.
• Ketsui Death Label: An impressive shoot-em-up from Cave.
• Love Plus: A Japanese dating sim that’s gained a massive following in a short period of time. It takes place in real time and players are actually able to date, then marry, one of three girls they choose.
• Meccha! Taiko no Tatsujin DS: 7-tsu no Shima no Daibouken: A Taiko no Tatsujin drum game that even has an adventure/story mode.
• NANA: Live Staff Daiboshuu! Shoshinsha Kangei: A life sim based on the Nana manga/anime/movie where the player can make a life in Tokyo and try to get a job with one of the two bands from the series.
• Ochaken no Daibouken: An adorable and enjoyable platformer starring the Ochaken dog and Ochaneko cat characters.
• Otometeki Koi Kakumei Love Revo DS!!: A hilarious and occasionally touching otome simulation where the main character is a fat girl trying to lose weight so she can get a boyfriend.
• Any Ouendan game: They’re like the Elite Beat Agents game, only better.
• Sigma Harmonics: A Square Enix adventure RPG where players must time travel to prevent murders and preserve the present.
• Slide Adventure: Mag Kid: An action/puzzle game where players attach a peripheral and slide the DS around to make the main character, Mag Kid, move.
• Soma Bringer: A gorgeous action RPG from Nintendo that may never get a worldwide release.
• Tales of Innocence: A good DS entry in the Tales of series that Namco Bandai never released outside of Japan.
• Tales of Hearts: Again, another good DS Tales of entry. It’s available in two versions - one with CG cutscenes and one with animated ones.
• Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side 1st Love and 2nd Season: These two DS games are otome life sims where players guide a girl through high school and hopefully help her find a boyfriend.
• Vampire Knight DS: A DS otome simulation with visual novel elements that is based on the Vampire Knight manga/anime.
• Xenosaga I + II: A DS adaptation of the first two Xenosaga games.

GameCube

• Doshin the Giant: a god/life simulation where players determine how Doshin interacts with island natives. It was available in Japan and Europe.
• Kururin Squash: An action/puzzle game where players must navigate through mazes.

GBA

• Any bit Generations game: They’re a nice variety of stylish, simple puzzle and action games.
• Densetsu no Starfy: The first game in the Legendary Starfy series.
• Densetsu no Starfy 3: The last Starfy GBA game and the first where Starpy is a major character.
• Fire Emblem: Fuuin no Tsurugi: The only GBA Fire Emblem game not released in English. It’s the first GBA Fire Emblem, but the sequel to the Fire Emblem GBA game released in North America.
• Genso Suikoden: Card Stories: Suikoden II with card battles.
• Mother + Mother 2: The original Mother and Mother 2/Earthbound in one cartridge.
• Mother 3: The RPG Earthbound sequel. It’s main character, Lucas, appeared in Smash Bros Brawl.
• Rhythm Tengoku: A music game and the prequel to Rhythm Heaven.
• Super Mario Ball: A Super Mario pinball game.
• Tales of the World: Narikiri Dungeon 2: A Tales of mash-up action-RPG. It’s mainly about fetch quests and quick missions.
• Tomato Adventure: An adorable Nintendo RPG designed for beginners. It has some elements found in the Mario & Luigi RPGs.

PC

• Any and every Touhou game ever released: They’re fantastic shoot-em-up (cute-em-up) games.

PS2

• beatmania IIDX 16 Empress: A fantastic music and rhythm game.
• Bleach: Blade Battles 2nd: A fighting game with the Bleach characters.
• Espgaluda: A Cave shooter that’s a prequel to ESP Ra.De..
• Fate/stay Night: Realta Nua: An all ages version of the popular visual novel Fate/stay night.
• GuitarFreaks & DrumMania Masterpiece Gold: The original guitar and drum music video game. This is one of the best entries in the series.
• Melty Blood: Actress Again: A fighting game starring characters from the visual novel Tsukihime.
• Namco x Capcom: An RPG with action and strategic elements that has characters Namco and Capcom games making cameos as either allies or opponents.
• Nana: A life simulation game based on the Nana anime/manga where the player moves to Tokyo and gets to interact with characters from the series.
• Tales of Destiny Director’s Cut: A PS2 remake of the PS1 classic Tales of Destiny, with additional content.
• Tales of Symphonia: A PS2 port of the GameCube game with additional content.
• Tian Xing: Sword of Destiny: A hack-and-slash game Devil May Cry fans would love.

PSP

• Audition Portable: A portable version of the PC MMO. The gameplay is similar to the Bust-a-Groove games.
• Any Bleach Heat the Soul game: Great PSP fighters starring Bleach characters.
• Breath of Fire III: A PSP port. It was released in Europe, so you can import it and play it in English.
• Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Portable: A PSP port of a PS2 game with extra characters. It’s a monopoly-esque board game with characters from Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy.
• Hatsune Miku Project Diva: A Sega music game starring the Vocaloid Miku Hatsune that lets you import your own .mp3s and create your own songs and music videos.
• Idolmaster SP: Available in three versions, Perfect Sun, Missing Moon and Wandering Star, it was the first portable version of Idolm@ster.
• La Corda d’Oro: A PSP port of the PS2 and PC otome/simulation where players attempt to become a great violin player and win competitions while also making friends or possibly finding a boyfriend.
• Macross Ultimate Frontier: An action game that lets players fight pretty much every battle in the Macross anime series.
• Maplus: Portable Navi and GPS Receiver: turns your PSP into a GPS.
• Parodius Portable: A port of the side-scrolling shooter.
• Persona 3 Portable: A port of the PS2 game Persona 3 with a second storyline where the main character is a girl. It’ll probably get a US release, but for now it’s Japan-only.
• Princess Crown: A port of the VanillaWare Saturn game that’s the spiritual successor and prequel to Odin Sphere.
• Princess Maker 4 Portable: A port of a Princess Maker game that’s very similar to the cult classic Princess Maker 2.
• Suikoden I + II: The PS1 games on one UMD.
• Tales of Eternia: A port of Tales of Eternia/Tales of Destiny II. It’s available in English in Europe.
• Tales of Rebirth: A port of the PS2 Tales of game that never made it outside of Japan. It isn’t available in English.
• Tales of VS.: A fighting game featuring characters from the Tales of games.
• Twinbee Portable: A port of the classic shoot-em-up.
• Ys VII: The latest entry in the Ys action-RPG series. It may see a US release, but for now it’s Japan-only.

SNES

• Der Langrisser: A strategic RPG with multiple endings based on decisions the player makes.
• Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu: The fourth Fire Emblem game and regarded as one of the best. It introduced the romance/relationship element into the series and is multigenerational - if two characters get together in the first part, their child will appear in the second.
• Live a Live: A Square Enix RPG with seven storylines that unexpectedly all end up being connected.
• Sailor Moon: Another Story: An RPG inspired by Sailor Moon with an original storyline that has become a cult classic and is unexpectedly spectacular.
• Seiken Densetsu 3: An entry in the Square Enix Mana series that was never released outside of Japan.

Wii

• 428: Fuusa Sareta Shibuya de / 428: In a Blockaded Shibuya: A highly acclaimed visual novel. It’s been ported to the PS3 and PSP.
• Captain Rainbow: It’s an action/adventure game from Nintendo where a character named Nick, aka Captain Rainbow, goes around helping people on Mimin Island trying to either grant his wish or the wishes of islanders. It features many little known or forgotten Nintendo characters.
• Disaster: Day of Crisis: An action/adventure game released only in Australia, Europe and Japan. Players help Raymond Bryce, who works for the government, survive and save people during natural disasters and stop a terrorist group called SURGE. It will likely never receive a US release.
• Sukeban Shachou Rena: A mini-game collection featuring cats working at Cat Queen, Inc. Your goal is to start out as an entry level cat. You work your way up to the head of the company and earn respect of the CEO, Nekopunch mascot Rena.
• Taiko no Tatsujin Wii: The Taiko drum game series comes to the Wii.
• Zero:Tsukihami no Kamen / Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse: The fourth entry in the Fatal Frame series.

Xbox 360

• Idolm@ster: The original Idolm@ster game, where players help an idol, or group of idols, become a success.
• Death Smiles: A new Cave shoot-em-up with a gothic theme.

COMING NEXT WEEK: Important Importables takes a one-week break, but will return November 13, 2009 to talk about Atlus’ Shin Megami Tensei series.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last weekImportant Importables looked at six Japanese gadgets that exist only to be adorable.

Site [Play-Asia] Site [YesAsia] Site [NCSX] Site [Himeya Shop] Site [Strapya World]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Bundles include:

• 2 Samurai Swords


• 2 Table Tennis Paddles
  
• 1 Golf Club
  
• 2 Remote Bases
  
• Port access allowing for Nunchuck and MotionPlus Adapter
  
• Safety lock
  
• Compatible with: All Sword, Tennis and Golf titles for Wii

• 2 Samurai Swords


• 2 Remote Bases


• Compatible with: Wii Sports ResortTM, Red Steel 2, No More HerosTM2, and any other sword title

• 2 Tennis Rackets (1 red, 1 blue)


• 2 Remotes Bases


• Port access allows for Nunchuck and MotionPlus Adapter


• Safety lock


• Compatible with: Grand Slam Tennis, Virtual TennisTM2009, Wii SportsTM Tennis, Mario PowerTM Tennis

Full Story » | Written by Jessica Moen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Title: Avenue Flo
Price: $19.95
System(s): PC (Also available on Macs)
Release Date: October 13, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Play First (PlayFirst)
ESRB Rating: N/A. I’d say it is appropriate for all ages.
Pros: Nice assortment of mini-games. Familiar characters from the PlayFirst Dash series. Colorful and clear environments.
Cons: For the most part, very easy. Lots of tutorials. Game often tells you what to do instead of letting you do it yourself. Set off alerts and had registration issues with Kaspersky Internet Security 2009.
Overall Score: One thumb up, one sideways; 85/100; B; * * * 1/2 out of 5

PlayFirst’s Avenue Flo is unquestionably a good and interesting addition to the Dash series of games. Thanks to titles like Diner Dash, Wedding Dash, Diaper Dash, DinerTown Detective Agency and DinerTown Tycoon, fans have been able to enjoy classic casual game genres like time management, hidden object and stategic simulation. With Avenue Flo, the Dash series moves into the realm of point-and-click adventures.

Quinn’s the wedding planner, but Flo’s the only one who can save the wedding.

Quinn, star of the Wedding Dash games, is having an absolutely horrible day. She’s working on a huge wedding that’s supposed to be happening today. Supposed is the key word. The problem is, absolutely everything is going wrong, and it’s too much for her to handle alone. Thankfully Flo, star of the Diner Dash games, is her best friend and willing to help out so Quinn isn’t humiliated and the wedding can go on.

So, players must assist Flo in her endeavor to set things right. Basically, she’s an errand girl. She has to find lost items, or even animals in the case of Snookums the poodle, the bride Ms. Big’s errant dog. She’ll also have to replace damaged items and cater to the needs of others. Along the way, she develops the suspicion that all the mishaps aren’t coincidental - someone in DinerTown is sabotaging the event - and she also has to talk to residents, all familiar characters from Dash or DinerTown games, to find out what exactly is going on.

Quit telling me what to do!

Avenue Flo is bright, colorful and welcoming. The characters are voiced, a first for a DinerTown or Dash game, practically every character from the series makes an appearance and players get to explore most of DinerTown while attempting to save the wedding. It sort of feels like it’s designed to be an adventure game for beginners, which is great if people haven’t ever played a point-and-click adventure. The tutorials are comprehensive, a map is available to see where you are and who you have, or haven’t talked to, you can constantly consult a task list in case you think you’ve missed something and, to break up monotony, puzzle mini-games like matching items, finding hidden objects or taking part in an aerobics class.

However, Avenue Flo can also be compared to an overprotective parent. It is constantly holding the hand of the player and never letting go. While there was never a moment where I was left wondering what I was supposed to do next, there also never seemed to be a moment where I actually had to think and figure something out for myself. If Flo needed to find an item, or go to a different area, she’d often say to herself (and the player) that she should visit x location to get y item. The whole point of an adventure game is to use your brain to find solutions to troublesome situations. Avenue Flo never gives the player the opportunity to do that - it’s constantly doing it for you.

Also, if you’re running Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 on a Windows Vista computer, you may encounter conflicts with Avenue Flo. When I installed it, it labeled the game as a high risk. Normally, that’s no big deal. I’ll just install the game and let Kaspersky label it as such and enable its precautions. But with Avenue Flo it ended up giving off a stream of alerts and I found myself unable to register the game. I had no problem installing, registering and playing Avenue Flo on a Windows XP computer with no anti-virus program.

A better title would be, My First Point-and-Click Adventure: Avenue Flo.

Avenue Flo is cute. Very cute. It’s well executed, filled with familiar Dash series characters and incredibly easy to play. The problem is, it’s far too easy. The only real challenge comes from the mini-games, and even some of those are pretty easy. So the people who’d be most interested in the game, adventure fans, could very likely be turned off by the fact that the game is constantly holding your hand and even telling you what to do.

If you’ve never played an adventure game before, want a game you where you don’t really have to think to play or are a child, Avenue Flo is the perfect pick. If you’re someone who enjoys a challenge or is an older gamer, then look elsewhere.

Site [Avenue Flo]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Title: Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble
Price: $39.99
System(s): PSP
Release Date: November 10, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Atlus (Spike)
ESRB Rating: “Teen” for Animated Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes and Violence
Pros: Fantastic script, translation and localization. Simple controls. Lots of clothing and character customization options. Funny storyline. Night Out option allows you to play with friends or build up your character’s stats and funds. You can dress the main character as a giant banana.
Cons: Loading times are too short (not enough time to read the awesome definitions). Game is somewhat short.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up, 98/100, A, * * * * 1/2 out of 5

I think it’s fair to say that I’ve been captivated by Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble ever since I had the opportunity to play it for a hands-on preview. It is by far the quirkiest hack-and-slash style game I’ve ever played, and I never expected it to provide players with such freedom over their banchos’ actions. This has been a banner year for Atlus PSP games, and the amazing Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble easily belongs among great releases like Shin Megami Tensei: Persona,  Steambot Chronicles: Battle Tournament, Class of Heroes and Crimson Gem Saga.

Surviving school trip banalities by becoming the ultimate high school badass.

Takashi Sakamoto’s on a school trip. Not by choice, mind you. A school trip to Kyouto’s the last thing he’s interested in experiencing. But his teacher threatened horrible things if he didn’t go, so he’s trapped.

Once he arrives in Kyouto, he learns something that may make the whole trip worthwhile. 47 high schools are all on their high school trip in Kyouto at the same time. It turns out this happens every year, and every year the banchos (top badasses) of each school battle it out to see who’s the best. Takashi decides he’s in, and declares he will be the ultimate bancho.

Players have seven days to help Takashi beat all 46 other banchos. He has to beat up their minions to find school schedules, then make sure he’s at the appropriate location at the right time to take down their leaders. If he manages to prove himself, he’ll be challenged by the Kyouto bancho, the reigning ultimate bancho, before he leaves. There’s more to do than fight though, Takashi’s father’s tasked him with collecting souvenirs, there are class trip activities and there are a few possible girlfriends for Takashi to woo.

You know a game’s great when even the loading screens exude awesomeness.

First, I must mention how incredibly cool the Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble loading screens are. After all, they’re the first thing you’ll see when you start the game. Each loading screen offers a definition of a term that you’ll find in the game, or a brief description of one of the game’s locations or more unique characters. They’re usually quite quirky, often funny and even informative. This is the only game where I think I’ve anticipated loading screens. The only bad part is that the loading times are too short, meaning you might not get enough time to read them.

The loading screens also set the tone for the writing of the entire game. Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble is often silly, funny and clever, all at once. The quips exchanged before and after fights are always different. It’s a very well translated and localized affair. Moreover, it succeeds in making even the strangest characters likable.

The whole fight structure is interesting as well. You’re given complete freedom over how to make Takashi the top bancho, but there is a general and accepted way of fighting. First, you unleash your menchi beams with your opponent. (Note: A real bancho only fights other banchos.) Once he accepts, you start a trash talking duel. You’ll see a phrase flash in front of you, then you must push the correct buttons to recreate that phrase. If you do so correctly, you’ll get the first hit in. Then, you fight. Bare hands only - only a shabazo (lowlife) fights with weapons. If you proceed like this, you’ll end up respected and revered.

Of course, it’s also fun to break those rules. I dedicated a whole playthrough to making Takashi a shabazo king. He’d use his menchi beams to steal from innocent passersby. He’d go into a fight carrying wooden swords or lead pipes. He’d ambush opponents, going in swinging.

Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble is short, but even that’s a good thing. There’s no possible way to do everything in the game - complete the journal, unlock titles, get girlfriends, find items, on the first playthrough. You have to replay it to experience everything. Also, since there are quite a few little side stories and paths to see, depending on where Takashi is at certain times during the week, the story will also be slightly different each time you play.

Quite possibly the funniest, quirkiest and most entertaining PSP game of 2009.

The moment I saw Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble‘s protagonist beating up opponents while dressed as a giant banana, I was sold. Hack-and-slash action games can often get repetitive or seem lifeless after a while, because all you’re really doing is just endlessly attacking enemies. Kenka Bancho never feels repetitive or lifeless. There’s always something to do, whether you’re trying to complete the school trip storyline, get a girlfriend for Takashi, become the ultimate bancho or even just collect all the game’s souvenirs. In addition, the script is fantastic and the characters are interesting.

Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble may look like a niche game, but any PSP owner would love it if they gave it a chance. It’s a pleasant surprise.

Read [Gamertell] Site [Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Hey Gamertell readers. The weekly Nintendo Downloads update has been absent for a while. Did you miss it? Well, its back!

This week, if you own a Wii, you can get into the Halloween spirit! Two of the four games released are guaranteed to get you in the holiday mood. I’m talking about Ghost Mansion Party and Zombies Ate My Neighbors. If you’re going to get one, go for Zombies Ate My Neighbors, its one of my personal favorites.

No Halloween-y games on the DSiWare store though. You’ll have to make do with last week’s Domo games.

Gamertell’s Nintendo Download picks for the week are Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 3 and Zombies Ate My Neighbors.

WiiWare

Ghost Mansion Party
Price: 1,000 Nintendo Points / $10
Publisher: Gameloft
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for Mild Cartoon Violence
Players: 1-4
Description: It’s a board game that will most likely be appreciated by younger children. The goal is to completely explore a haunted mansion, exorcising the ghosts. You can work with the people you’re playing with, or against, it doesn’t matter. As long as you manage to clear out the house for the original ghostly resident, Fazzy.

Tales of Monkey Island - Chapter 3: Lair of the Leviathan
Price: 1,000 Nintendo Points / $10
Publisher: Telltale Games
ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+” for Comic Mischief, Language and Mild Suggestive Themes
Players: 1
Description: Actually, Gamertell has a review of this episode! It’s for the PC version, but the differences are negligible. This chapter continues the Tales of Monkey Island adventure, where Guybrush Threepwood has been swallowed by a gigantic manatee while searching for La Esponge Grande so he can save Elaine from LeChuck’s Pox. It’s a point and click adventure game that relies solely on the remote.

Virtual Console

Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Price: 800 Nintendo Points / $8
Original Appeared On: SNES
Publisher: LucasArts
ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+” for Cartoon Violence
Players: 1-2
Description: This is my personal recommendation. If you’re going to get one Nintendo download this week, this is the one to get. It’s essentially a run-and-gun game, not unlike the Contra titles, presented from an overhead view. You play as one of two teenagers named Zeke or Julie, and must rescue your neighbors from all sorts of monsters (zombies included). Thankfully, the monsters seem to be weak against water pistols. There are 48 stages and six bonus levels. Save all 10 of your neighbors in each level and stay alive if you want to progress and survive!

Golden Axe
Price: 900 Nintendo Points / $9
Original Appeared On: Arcade
Publisher: Sega
ESRB Rating: “Teen” for Blood and Fantasy Violence
Players: 1-2
Description: We’ve had run-and-gun today, now it’s time for hack-and-slash. This game may look familiar, but it’s not. See, the Sega Genesis version of Golden Axe is on Virtual Console already. This is the arcade version, which actually came first. The story’s the same though. You choose the warrior, amazon or dwarf to try and cut through tons of enemies to reach Death Adder and bring him down. There’s also co-op multiplayer, if you’re having difficulty doing that alone. Quick tip: The Genesis version of Golden Axe is 100 points / $1 cheaper and basically the same thing.

DSiWare

PictureBook Games: The Royal Bluff
Price: 500 Nintendo Points / $5
Publisher: Nintendo
ESRB Rating: “Everyone”
Players: 1-4
Description: A strategic board game on your DS. You basically try to decide the number of colored chips your opponents have laid out, and call them on it. The goal is to try and earn the most points.

Sudoku
Price: 200 Nintendo Points / $2
Publisher: EA
ESRB Rating: “Everyone”
Players: 1
Description: It’s the number puzzle Sudoku on your DS. Can’t get any more descriptive than that. There are five levels, plus you can add in your own puzzles you’ve found in newspapers, magazines and books to boost the number you can do on the go.

Image Source for Zombies Ate My Neighbors screenshot: GamePro

Site [Nintendo]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

While watching horror movies on Halloween is a perfectly acceptable way to celebrate the holiday, it’s also a hands off approach. You’re a spectator, not an active participant in the action. You could always go out to a good haunted house, but those can be far away and quite expensive. Perhaps the best approach would be to gather a handful of your closest friends and have a horrific video game marathon. The beauty with the horror game marathon is that it has the thrills and occasional scares of a horror movie marathon, but also the excitement and personal involvement of a haunted house.

Here’s how to set it up right. Invite only a handful of people over. A number between three and five is perfect, but anymore than seven and it may not be as frightening. Where ever you’ll all be playing the games will have to be dark, save for the light of the television screen. A few candles wouldn’t hurt as well, but make sure they’re set up so they don’t drip, cause a mess or perhaps burn your place down. If anyone has to leave the room, set it up where there are no other lights on, and they have to take a flickering, ready to burn out flashlight, to light their way.

If you have enough time, you can also set up some optional decorations. I’m not talking about the stuff you can find at Walmart or your local dollar store. Try to purposely arrange things in your home or room that look otherworldly or out of the ordinary. Make sure a coat rank has a sufficient number of coats so it looks like a menacing individual in the moonlight. If there’s a scary tree outside your window, leave the shades open. If you ever had a furby or incredibly creepy American Girl doll, now’s the time to leave it in a shadowy corner, watching. Another tip - if there are creepy household noises that you can amplify, do so. Or, claim that you’ve never heard that sound before.

Now, for the games. I’d recommend going with a five hour, five game marathon. From 9pm to 2am works well. You can adjust the schedule as you like though. Also, if you don’t have five games, perhaps just one or two really good, scary ones, then focus on the games you do have and use the marathon to try and complete them in a single night. In case you’re wondering how to proceed, here’s four schedules PS2, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii owners could use.

PS2 owners

9pm - 10pm: Clock Tower 3
10pm - 11pm: Silent Hill 3
11pm - 12am: Rule of Rose
12am - 1am: Fatal Frame
1am - 2am: Fatal Frame 2

Note: The PS2 had a wide selection of horror games. If you don’t think the schedule above would work for you, some good games you can substitute in are Haunting Ground, one of the other Silent Hill games, Siren, Fatal Frame 3 or a Resident Evil game.

PS3 owners

9pm - 10pm: F.E.A.R.
10pm - 11pm: Resident Evil 5
11pm - 12am: Siren: Blood Curse
12am - 1am: Silent Hill: Homecoming
1am - 2am: Dead Space

Xbox 360 owners

9pm - 10pm: Left 4 Dead
10pm - 11pm: Clive Barker’s Jericho
11pm - 12am: Silent Hill: Homecoming
12am - 1am: Condemned: Criminal Origins
1am - 2am: Dead Space

Wii owners

9pm - 10pm: LIT
10pm - 11pm: House of the Dead: Overkill
11pm - 12am: Resident Evil 4
12am - 1am: Dead Space: Extraction
1am - 2am: Ju-on: The Grudge

One final note, should you make your own schedule, try to arrange the games in order of scariness. Leave the most unnerving and frightening game for last. And also, bear in mind, that the schedules above are just suggestions, and don’t cover all horror games available for those systems.

Also Read [Gamertell]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

There’s a pretty nice selection of casual games making their debut this week. For probably the first time every in a Casual Friday update, hidden object games don’t completely overwhelm the other genres!

If you’re a Big Fish Game Club member or have a PlayFirst PlayPass, you’ll be a little disappointed this week. Both sites really didn’t have any new games making their debut. A few old favorites were added to those sites though, so there may be some games that are new to you. Some independent game developers are picking up the slack.

There are also quite a few holiday themed games. Notice I said holiday, and not Halloween. There are two Halloween games, Zombie Bowl-O-Rama and The Dracula Files, which is completely natural, given Halloween is only about a week away. However, this week marks the first appearance of a Thanksgiving-themed casual game - Fishdom: Harvest Splash.

This week’s best bets is: Picket Fences (PC)

The Three Musketeers: The Game
Genre: Action RPG
Availability: Dingo Games
Retail Price: $24.98
Platform: Windows and Mac (Requirements aren’t specified at the site, so try the demo before buying.)
Premise: Help d’Artagnan become a Musketeer, then join the Musketeers as they endeavor to protect the king, the queen and the country.
Demo Available: Yes

Grappling Hook
Genre: Action and Puzzle
Availability: Speed Run Games
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows and Mac. OSes aren’t specified, so download the demo and test before playing.
Premise: You must get through 22 levels using only a grappling hook to progress and solve puzzles.
Demo Available: Yes

The Dracula Files
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: eGames.com
Retail Price: $19.99
Platform: Windows XP, Vista and 7
Premise: Dracula has returned, and Michael and Quinn Harker must find a way to vanquish him forever, saving the world and their friend. You have to look around the world to find clues and items to dispatch him for good.
Demo Available: Yes

Fishdom: Harvest Splash
Genre: Puzzle (Match 3)
Availability: Playrix Entertainment
Retail Price: $19.95
Note: It is on sale at Playrix for $9.98 until November 30, 2009
Platform: Windows NT, 2000, XP and Vista
Premise: Solve match 3 puzzles to put together a Thanksgiving themed aquarium.
Demo Available: Yes

Danger Next Door: Miss Teri Tale’s Adventure
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Miss Teri Tale has to search to find clues and learn who killed her neighbor, Monty.
Demo Available: Yes

Picket Fences
Genre: Card/Board game
Availability: GameHouse, RealArcade
Retail Price: $19.99
Platform: Windows 2000, Vista and XP
Premise: A card game where you try to acquire cards to make sets to make your home the best, biggest and most beautiful.
Demo Available: Yes

Zombie Bowl-O-Rama
Genre: Sports (Bowling)
Availability: Harmonic Flow, Reflexive Arcade
Retail Price: $7.99
Platform: Windows 2000, XP and Vista
Premise: Attack and dispatch zombies by bowling them over. It’s essentially a bowling game where zombies are the pins.
Demo Available: Yes

Editor’s Note: Due to so many casual games sites offering game plans or preferred member prices, which can cause a game to have multiple price-points, the games’ average retail prices is mentioned in Casual Friday.

Site [Big Fish Games] Site [PlayFirst] Site [GameHouse] Site [eGames] Site [Alawar Games] Site [Amazon] Site [Reflexive Arcade] Site [Harmonic Flow]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

One of the best things about Japan are the unexpected gadgets that find life there. You know what I’m talking about, the cute, tiny things whose sole reason for existance seems to be that they’re utterly adorable. These kinds of treats typically don’t fufill any necessary need, but they do make our lives a bit brighter.

Thankfully, you don’t have to live in Japan to have access to these items. Many online retailers stock some of the cute and unusual gems, so you can own one no matter where you live. And even if you don’t really feel like spending money on one of these charming items, it’s always fun to window shop.

The USB Robot Owl

It’s an owl. An adorable, tiny, owl that is powered by being plugged into a USB slot on your computer or game system. Once plugged in, it sits there and stares it you. Occasionally it will tilt its head, as if it’s judging you to see if you are truly worthy of owning its cute self. It comes in four colors - white, brown, gray and pink. Thanks to fellow Gamertell writer Lucy (who’s fortunate enough to actually own one) for the heads up on this sweetheart. The image you see at the right is a picture of her USB owl that she took.

Available at ThinkGeek for $19.99

Robo-Q Tiny R/C Robot

They’re remote controlled little robots, only much, much, much smaller. Think about the size of a child’s pinky. You get a little robot, its remote control and its toy soccer ball. You can then control the robot yourself with the controller, or let it run on its own, chasing after the ball. It’s batteries are rechargeable, which makes things easier. There are two different styles of robot, future or retro, and each style comes in two different colors.

Available at ThinkGeek for $39.99

Edamame, Bubble Wrap and Beer/Soda Can Pull Keychains

There are few things so simple, fun and satisfying than popping bubble wrap, pushing soybeans out of their casing or pulling the opener of a can. And yet, these are all fleeting pleasures. One you perform the action, it’s all over. That’s where these keychains come in! The Electronic Popping Bubble Wrap feels and sounds like popping bubbles, the Edamame soybean pod feels like popping out beans and the Electronic Beer/Soda Can Pull feels and sounds like opening an aluminum can of soda or beer.

Available at Strapya World, The beer can pull is $8.68, the edamame is $6.92 and the bubble wrap is either $8.57 or $5.33, depending on the model you choose.

Sega Toys Almost Living Cutest Twitter Chick

What’s the perfect gift for someone who can’t have a pet in their apartment and loves adorable things? A robotic chick! This toy is the size of a real chick and looks a lot like one too. It’s covered in soft yellow or blue fur. It will peep and flap its little wings. How cute is that? If you prefer, Sega Toys also makes Robotic Rabbits and Yume Hamsters.

Available at Strapya World for $28.02

Nohohon Zoku Hinatabokko Pochama

Nohohon Zoku are fairly well known, solar powered bobble heads created by Tomy and sold mainly in Japan. One of the latest designs is the pokemon Piplup, the water starter pokemon in Pokemon Diamond/Pearl. The Piplup sits happily on a tree stump, and if you place the solar panel in direct light, its head will glide back and forth. I don’t actually own this exact Nohohon, but I have a similar one with a lucky cat design that moves its head and paw. It’s sort of soothing to watch, like a lava lamp.

Available at Play-Asia for $9.90

Pecha Kucha Ku Cha

With a Pecha Kucha Ku Cha, you’ll never be lonely. It’s a brightly colored, wide-eyed, electronic bear sitting in a chair. It recognizes your voice and is happy to engage in small talk with you. It’ll greet you, tell you the time and even tells you what your horoscope looks like for the day. It’s available in four varieties/color schemes - a blue bear in a yellow chair, a yellow bear in a green chair, a pink bear in a blue chair and a brown bear in a pink chair.

Available at Japan Trend Shop for $67.00

Important Importables is coming up on its 100th column! If you have any suggestions as to what you’d like to see the 100th column cover, let me know in the comments!

COMING NEXT WEEK: It’s Important Importables 100th column!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week Important Importables talked about the Haruhi Suzumiya phenomenon.

Site [Play-Asia] Site [YesAsia] Site [NCSX] Site [Himeya Shop] Site [Strapya World]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Halloween is swiftly barreling down on us but, due to monetary situations, creating an elaborate costume is probably out of the question. A more practical, inexpensive and easy alternative is probably best.

The thing is, video game fans can still show their allegiance to their favorite games without breaking their budgets. It isn’t too difficult to dress up as some of the more famous characters out there and, with a little creativity and common sense, come up with a pretty decent costume. Even if it doesn’t turn out well, who cares. Halloween is all about having fun.

So, for budget-conscious individuals, Gamertell has 15 video game costume suggestions for you.

For Men:

• Mario: Blue overalls, red shirt, gloves and hat, construction paper and double-sided tape. The construction paper is to make a moustache and the M insignia for the hat and I’m pretty sure you can figure out what the double-sided tape is for.
• Luigi: See Mario. Substitute the word “green” where ever you see the word “red”. Make sure the hat insignia says “L.”
• Disguised Solid Snake: Here’s one where you could go one of two ways. You could just grab a cardboard box and crawl around under it all night. Or, grab some cheap fatigues from Goodwill or an Army surplus store and a mullet wig to go with your cardboard box.
• Ryu: Head to Goodwill and search for a Karate outfit. You’ll probably actually find one. If anything, settle for the shirt and a pair of white pants. Grab a long, red ribbon or strip of fabric and tie it around your head and you’re all set. If you can find the outfit in red, you could go as Ken.

For Women:

• Princess Peach: Pick up a floor length pink dress. Again, Goodwill is great for this and they usually have a special Halloween section. Also, grab some costume jewelry and one of the Burger King free gold crowns (add spray paint if you want to avoid promoting any one company). If you’re not blonde, you’ll need a wig or can of cheapie, temporary hair color as well.
• Princess Daisy: See Princess Peach, and substitute “yellow” for “pink.” If your hair isn’t brown, pick up a brunette wig or spray color as well.
• Terra or Rydia (FFVI or FFIV: Here’s one that could go either way. Both need a green wig. Both also need a strapless swimsuit - go magenta if you want to be Terra, or green if you want to be Rydia. Pick up some patterned tights as well. Again, green for Rydia, and paisley for Terra. You have some freedom with footwear, matching boots would be best, but you can get by with green or magenta shoes. If you want a cape as well, get some red (Terra) or green (Rydia) fabric and string. Costume jewelry is optional. You could also pick up a magenta (Terra) or green (Rydia) skirt, or a sword/staff if you’d like.
• Lara Croft: Green or black tank top, khaki shorts, wig (if necessary), scrunchi, cheap glasses (frames only) and two water pistols. Boots would be best, but black sneakers could work as well.

Gender Neutral:

• Red Ring of Death: Sure to strike terror into the heart of any Xbox 360 owner. You can do this two ways - the really cheap way, or the sorta cheap way. For the cheap way, grab a white T-shirt and a red sharpie. Draw an oversized RROD symbol on the shirt with markers. If you want to class it up, get a narrow, flat piece of cardboard, white paint, some appropriate colored sharpies and some string. Make the cardboard look like the front of an Xbox 360. Draw the RROD on it. Attach string and wear it.
• Harvest Moon Farmer: You have a bit of freedom here. All you really need is a backpack and some kind of hat. Baseball hat for guys, bandanna for girls. Overalls are a nice touch, but optional. Jeans work just as well.  If there’s a particular entry in the series you’re fond of, use that farmer’s look as your model.
• Pokemon Trainer: Normal clothes and a stuffed Pokemon toy (check Walmart or Goodwill). If you really want to go all out, stop by Michaels or your local craft store. Pick up some small, styrofoam balls and a red sharpie. Make them look like pokeballs, and tape them to an old belt.
• A Sims 2 or Sims 3 person: Get a headband with a spring already attached to it. These antenna headbands are everywhere around Halloween. Get one in a color you like. Also, pick up a black sharpie and green construction paper. Make two large, green diamonds out of the construction paper. Glue or tape them to the antenna, so that you don’t see what was on there before, just the diamond on the front and back. Use the sharpee to add accents to the diamond. Put it on, and you’re set.
• Lost in Blue survivor: Take some old clothes and tatter/fray the edges a bit. Put on a pair of old, comfortable gym shoes. Grab a stuffed monkey, backpack and a large stick from outside. Now you’re a shipwreck survivor, trying to find a way back home.
• Pac Man ghost: Buy a red, pink, teal or orange sheet. Cut holes for your eyes. Follow around your friends. I’m pretty sure Pinky is the only girl but, really, they’re ghosts. Does gender really matter?
• Animal Crossing avatar: Grab a cheap watering can or slingshot, some gold paint, a brown paper bag and a darker brown marker. If you’re a girl, you’ll have to wear a dress. Paint the watering can or slingshot gold. Decorate the brown paper bag with the bells symbol.

Do you have an idea for a cheap and easy to make video game costume? Let us know in the comments below!

Read [Nothing Corporate] Also Read [Gamertell]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Title: Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story
Price: $34.99
System(s): DS
Release Date: September 14, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Nintendo (Alphadream Corporation)
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for Comic Mischief and Mild Cartoon Violence
Pros: Clear and bright worlds and characters, funny script, could be a good first RPG for people, interesting gameplay, lots of areas to explore, can see the map at any time and makes great use of the top and bottom screens.
Cons: No save anywhere. Bros items are gone. Not a lot of side quests.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up, 98/100, A, * * * * 1/2 out of 5

Nintendo’s Mario RPGs never seem to get the attention they deserve. While they are popular games, they always seem to be overshadowed by other entries in the series, like the platformers, sports or party games. It’s a shame, because they tend to always surpass players expectations.

The Mario & Luigi series of portable RPGs has already received quite a bit of support from Nintendo. The spectacular GBA entry, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and equally awesome DS entry Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time were critically acclaimed, and rightfully so. Surprisingly, DS owners didn’t have to wait until the next Nintendo handheld for a new entry. Nintendo has recently released the third entry, Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story. Don’t let the unremarkable box art fool you, it’s just as entertaining and perhaps even better than the preceding entries.

An unlikely alliance and the exploration of Bowser and the Mushroom Kingdom

An awful plague is spreading throughout the Mushroom Kingdom and infecting Toads. Strange Blorb Shrooms are being distributed by an unknown individual, and anyone who eats a Blorb Shroom develops the Blorbs. They essentially puff up and expand. Remember that part of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory where Violet Beauregarde grows into a giant blueberry? It’s like that, only the Toads don’t turn blue.

During a conference being held at the Mushroom Castle, where Peach, Mario, Luigi, the Star Sprite Starlow and a number of influencial Toads are discussing the Blorbs and a way to find a cure and save the kingdom, Bowser storms in. He declares he is going to kidnap Peach. Mario trounces him thoroughly.

After that, Bowser wakes up in a nearby forest and isn’t in a very good mood, as you can probably guess. While finding his way out with Kamek, he runs into a mysterious figure who gives him a Lucky Mushroom. Said mushroom makes Bowser inhale everything in sight. The figure, who turns out to be Fawful, sends Bowser back to the castle, where he then inhales everybody. When it’s all over, Bowser awakes in a cave with no memory of what happened, Mario, Luigi and Starlow find themselves journeying through Bowser’s body to find the Toads and Princess Peach and everyone’s trying to find a way to stop Fawful.

An example of a handheld RPG at its finest.

A consistant hallmark of the Mario & Luigi series of RPGs are clever, imaginative and genuinely funny story and script. Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story doesn’t disappoint. It’s laugh out loud funny in parts. Even better, it’s funny for players of all ages and skill levels, no matter how familiar they are with the Super Mario universe. Crafting a game which can appeal, entertain and reach all audiences so perfectly is an extraordinary challenge, and Alphadream and Nintendo should be applauded for their effort and hard work that resulted in this wonderful title.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story is also just a beautiful game, in terms of graphics, soundtrack and overall presentation. The Mushroom Kingdom is presented in a way where depth is hinted at, based on the way things are laid out and organized, even though the world is essentially still presented in 2D. The world inside Bowser is presented in true, straightforward 2D. In battle, Bowser can inhale enemies, and then Mario and Luigi can deal additional damage from the inside. Sometimes, Bowser can even power up, so the DS is held sideways in book-fashion to look at the battle in a whole new way. It’s just presented in a very innovative, colorful and inventive manner, something you don’t expect in a standard RPG.

Not only that, it’s very easy to play. The controls are intuitive, and every action performed feels comfortable. Plus, there are multiple short tutorials, most of which can be skipped in case you’ve played a Mario & Luigi game before, that ensure no one gets lost along the way. Another nice feature is, when you go to load up a save, there’s a brief description helping you catch up on where the story left off in case you haven’t played in a while.

There’s only one thing wrong with the Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, and it involves saving. You can only save at designated save points. While there are quite a few save points scattered throughout the game, you can often find yourself at a point in the story where you’re five to ten minutes away from a spot where you can save. If this were a console RPG, it wouldn’t matter. But this isn’t. When you’re playing on the go, you may unexpectedly have to stop playing. If that happens while playing Bowser’s Inside Story, you either have to abandon your progress, or close the DS lid to put it in sleep mode and hope the battery doesn’t run out or the power switch doesn’t get nudged.

The Mario & Luigi RPG series remains fresh and strong.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story is nearly the perfect portable RPG. The characters are iconic and identifiable, the script is funny and well written, the soundtrack is a joy to listen to, it looks bright and clear and it is easy to get immersed in the tale. Even better, it manages to be the kind of game that beginners and veterans can get into and enjoy, the tutorials are clear and gameplay is intuitive, but there isn’t any overbearing hand-holding. It also offers unique perspectives and viewpoints as well. It’s probably one of the best games available for the DS.

Even if you’ve never played a Mario & Luigi RPG, don’t worry. As long as you’re familiar with the characters, you’ll be fine. While I wholeheartedly recommend the other entries in the series, you won’t miss anything or be left out if you decide to start with, or only play, Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story. If you have played a Mario & Luigi RPG before, get ready for more of the same, high quality gaming experience.

Site [Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Today marks yet another week where hidden object puzzles are king. This is also the second week in a row where PlayFirst is kind of letting down its regular customers. Only two brand new game made its debut there, Avenue Flo, an adventure/hidden object game starring the characters from the famous DinerTown series, and Agatha Christie: Dead Man’s Folly, a hidden object game where you have to solve a murder. Hopefully, things will pick up next week.

There are also two new spooky casual games to help people prepare for Halloween. Both are hidden object games, Ghost Town Mysteries: Bodie and Campfire Legends: The Hookman.

In other big casual news, the PC version of the WiiWare and iPhone/iPod Touch game Equilibrio has been released as a free download this week. You can pick up it and a level editor to make your own mazes! It’s a welcome surprise.

This week’s best bets are: Avenue Flo (PC, Mac) and Equilibrio (PC).

Reincarnations: Awakening
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Jane has been tasked with writing an article for a famous magazine on reincarnation. So now she has to do the research for it. Help her explore hidden object puzzles to learn more about her past lives.
Demo Available: Yes

Millenium Episode 1: A New Hope
Genre: RPG
Availability: Big Fish Games, Millenium - The Official Website
Retail Price: $13.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: There is no equality in the city of Myst, where the rich hold all the power. So Marine decides to aid her father in his effort to change things for the better after he’s been seriously injured. She starts out on her quest to find 12 companiosn to help her take down Mystrock’s 13 legendary warriors. Episode 2 will be out in December, 2009 and Episode 3 will be out in March, 2010.
Demo Available: Yes

Avenue Flo
Genre: Adventure and Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games, PlayFirst, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows XP and Vista and Mac 10.5
Premise: There could be a wedding disaster in DinerTown, if Flo doesn’t do something to prevent it. Quinn’s wedding isn’t going as planned, and Flo will have to talk to everyone, collect everything and complete challenges to set things right.
Note: If you buy it at PlayFirst with PlayPass, you’ll also get Dairy Dash.
Demo Available: Yes

Ghost Town Mysteries: Bodie
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $9.99
Platform: Windows 2000, XP and Vista
Premise: The ghost of Evelyn Byers has been appearing in Bodie, and the gravestones of the 12 witnesses to her murder have disappeared. You must solve the mystery behind the murder of this little girl and hopefully give the ghosts peace.
Note: This game is for mature audiences.
Demo Available: Yes

Jojo’s Fashion Show 3: World Tour
Genre: Simulation (Time Management)
Availability: Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $19.99
Platform: Windows 2000, XP and Vista
Premise: Help Jojo Cruz with her Las Cruces fashion line as she goes around the world showing off and designing the latest clothes. Also, help her find a new partner, as her daughter Rosalind has decided to set off on her own.
Demo Available: Yes

Evoly
Genre: Puzzle and Simulation
Availability: Alawar Entertainment
Retail Price: $9.95
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Make matches to make money. Once you’ve completed levels, you can create unique planets and bring them to live by purchasing foliage and creatures.
Demo Available: Yes

Little Things
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: You search through the items making up collages with a magnifying glass, looking for specific items.
Demo Available: Yes

Equalibrio
Genre: Puzzle
Availability: DK Games
Retail Price: Free
Platform: Windows
Premise: You guide balls through maze levels by rotating the environment. It’s a PC version of the WiiWare and iPhone/iPod Touch games of the same name. A level editor, which allows you to create and share your own levels, is also available to download.
Demo Available: No

Campfire Legends: The Hookman
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: GameHouse, RealArcade, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $19.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista, Mac 10.4 and 10.5
Premise: A scary puzzle game where players must help Christine survive in the wilderness while the rban legend, the hookman, may be lurking in the woods waiting for her.
Demo Available: Yes

Insider Tales: The Secret of Casanova
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Search through hidden object puzzles to learn all about Giacomo Casanova.
Demo Available: Yes

Hostile Makeover
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: GameHouse, RealArcade
Retail Price: $19.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Ellen Byerrum’s Hostile Makeover: Crime of Fashion Mystery has been turned into a casual game. Find out who’s killed the famous supermodel Amanda Manville by inspecting scenes and investigating suspects.
Demo Available: Yes

Agatha Christie: Dead Man’s Folly
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: PlayFirst
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows XP, Vista and 7
Premise: Hercule Poirot has been invited to take part in a Murder Hunt game, only to discover that there could be a real murder instead of a fake one. Search hidden object puzzles to find the truth behind what’s going on and discover a murderer.
Demo Available: Yes

Editor’s Note: Due to so many casual games sites offering game plans or preferred member prices, which can cause a game to have multiple price-points, the games’ average retail prices is mentioned in Casual Friday.

Site [Big Fish Games] Site [PlayFirst] Site [GameHouse] Site [eGames] Site [Alawar Games] Site [Amazon] Site [Reflexive Arcade] Site [Harmonic Flow]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

One of the most popular icons and characters in Japan is a brown haired girl with yellow ribbons in her hair named Haruhi Suzumiya. People mimic the opening dance from her anime, dress up like her, collect toys that look like her character, read about her and even play video games where she is the star.

Thanks to companies like Bandai Entertainment, Little Brown Books and Yen Press, people in North America can start to read and watch Haruhi Suzumiya’s adventures. However, no video game publisher has taken a chance on her eclectic games.

Before we look at five video game adventures, lets take a brief look at what Haruhism is all about.

Who’s Haruhi Suzumiya?

Haruhi Suzumiya’s the star of a series of light novels, manga volumes, anime, movie and video games. The series began in June, 2003 with the light novel The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Pay close attention to the title, because it’s the start of a trend. All the Haruhi Suzumiya media are titled in a similar manner. Two manga series followed shortly after in the spring of 2004 and winter of 2005. The anime series The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya ran in 2006, and was expanded and rerun in 2009.  Another manga series began in 2007.

Right now, the new run of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is going on with additional episodes, there’s a new spin-off manga called The Vanishing of Yuki-chan Nagato and a movie, The Vanishment of Haruhi Suzumiya is being prepared for a 2010 release.

Haruhi Suzumiya is an etcentric high school girl with an interest in the extraordinary. In order to find these strange phenomena, like espers, aliens, robots and the like, she creates a school club called the Spreading Excitement All Over the World with the Haruhi Suzumiya Brigade, or SOS Brigade. She convinces/badgers/drags her classmate Kyon, the only person she talks to, into joining. Three other people, Yuki Nagato, Mikuru Asahina and Itsuki Koizumi, also end up joining as well. It turns out that the three other people didn’t join because they’re interested in the supernatural.

Instead, Yuki, Mikuru and Itsuki join because they are supernatural. Apparently, Haruhi somehow holds, or developed, the ability to change reality at her will, and the three of them have been sent by different organizations to monitor her and sort-of keep her in check. So, out of everyone, Kyon’s the only normal person. He also tends to be narrator for the events.

So, each form of media deals with a new adventure that Haruhi and the SOS Brigade gets into. Currently, the following Haruhi Suzumiya media is available in English in the U.S.:

• The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya: Complete Collection DVDs of the anime series.
• The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya manga volumes 1-4 by Nagaru Tanigawa.
• Haruhi Suzumiya Yearkbook: A Guide to the Many Moods of Haruhi Suzumiya fanbook by Kazuhisa Fujie
• The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya, the first two volumes in the original light novel series by Nagaru Tanigawa.

The video games of Haruhi Suzumiya.

Not surprisingly, the success of the Haruhi Suzumiya series has spawned a number of video games. Here’s a brief overview of what’s available, in chronological order. Keep in mind, the games all contain quite a bit of fanservice.

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yakusoku aka The Promise of Haruhi Suzumiya (PSP)
This is essentially a visual novel/adventure game with occasional mini-games thrown in. This game follows the part of the light novel/manga/anime where the SOS Brigade is creating The Adventures of Mikuru Asahina. It’s the only Haruhi Suzumiya video game to not have an original storyline. Mainly it’s a visual novel, but there are some mini-games. Warning to importers: Text heavy!

Suzumiya Haruhi no Tomadoi aka The Perplexity of Haruhi Suzumiya (PS2)
This is essentially a visual novel/adventure game with occasional mini-games thrown in. Haruhi wants to make a video game, and gets the SOS Brigade involved. There are quite a few different games you can make, like an RPG, card game or Princess Maker clone. Warning to importers: Text heavy! Also, the PS2 isn’t region-free, so this only works on Japanese PS2s.

Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekidou aka The Excitement of Haruhi Suzumiya (Wii)
Dance along with Haruhi Suzumiya and the SOS Brigade. Haruhi’s found a flier for the dance competition, and has decided that she and the SOS Brigade are entering. There are Story and Free Play Modes. Remember, the Wii isn’t region-free so don’t buy it unless you have a Japanese Wii.

Suzumiya no Heiretsu aka The Parallel of Haruhi Suzumiya (Wii)
Yet another visual novel adventure game. Haruhi’s won a cruise trip, and she’s bringing the SOS Brigade with her. Once they set sail, a number of improbable and unusual adventures take place. Warning to importers: Text heavy! Also, like I mentioned before, the Wii isn’t region-free.

Suzumiya Haruhi no Chokuretsu aka The Series of Haruhi Suzumiya (DS)
This is an adventure game, along the lines of Lux Pain or Phoenix Wright. Haruhi, Kyou and the SOS Brigade use the summer to investigate the school’s seven, unexplained mysteries. Warning to importers: Text heavy!

COMING NEXT WEEK: Important Importables looks at five Japanese gadgets which exist for no other reason than to be absurdly adorable.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week Important Importables suggested 35 video games you could play on Hello Kitty’s 35th anniversary.

Site [Play-Asia] Site [YesAsia] Site [NCSX] Site [Himeya Shop] Site [Strapya World]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Title: Obscure: The Aftermath
Price: $29.99
System(s): PSP
Release Date: PSN Download: October 1, 2009, UMD: September 29, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Playlogic (Hydravision)
ESRB Rating: “Mature” for Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Mild Suggestive Themes and Violence
Pros: Characters and environments look good. Is sufficiently scary and unnerving. Fantastic and appropriate soundtrack. Controls are comfortable. Storyline and presentation is reminiscent of a B-movie. Loading times aren’t that bad with downloadable version. Can have a friend join in to help at any time.
Cons: Costs more than the PC, PS2 and Wii versions. Doesn’t really matter which two characters you choose to play as. Loading times can be annoying with the UMD version. Never seem to have enough ammo to fight enemies. Aiming to attack mutants is difficult. Camera is annoying and often fixed into awkward and unhelpful positions. The downloadable copy that I had froze twice while playing.
Overall Score: Two thumbs sideways, 70/100, C-, * * out of 5

There aren’t that many horror games on the PSP. There’s Silent Hill: Origins. Manhunt 2 and Undead Knights cound technically be counted as well, though they aren’t really scary. Resident Evil Portable is in development, but we probably won’t be seeing that until sometime in 2010. So, in the meantime, we have to appreciate the few horror games there are on the handheld. Fortunately, the port of Obscure: The Aftermath should offer an additional alternative looking for a portable scare.

Some young adults lead normal lives, others become unintentional targets for unexplained, scary phenomena.

Stanley Jones, Kenny Matthews and Shannon Matthews, the stars of Obscure: The Aftermath, have the worst luck. In the original Obscure, they happened about strange and unnatural experiments being carried out in their high school’s lab, and then have to save themselves and their classmates from the infection and mutated students. Compared to that, college should have been easy.

Kenny and Shannon both attend Fallcreek University now, while Kenny delivers pizzas. Things aren’t quite right on campus though. Black flowers have been appearing at the school, and the students have been using them as drugs because they cause incredibly lucid, yet strange, dreams. As you can probably expect, things take a turn for the worse. Mutants pop up again, and new friends Corey, Sven, Amy, Mei and Jun join Stan, Kenny and Shannon in the fight to survive.

You can’t make it on your own. Well, you can, but it’s easier with a friend.

Obscure: The Aftermath‘s defining features are the ability to play as two characters and co-operate with another player to make your way through the game. It reminded me a bit of Maniac Mansion. There are six playable characters, and you get to choose two to work with. Each have special talents and abilities that make certain tasks easier. Then, while playing, you can turn on ad-hoc multiplayer at any time to have a friend control one of the characters. It’s an interesting concept which you don’t see implemented in many PSP games.

I did notice that if two people are playing together over ad-hoc wireless, the game will drag a bit. So it’s a toss up - work alone and get things done at a fast, consistent pace, or work with someone else and see a noticeable drag. Also, if you’re playing with someone, you don’t have to worry about the extra character roaming around and getting in your way when you aren’t directly controlling him or her.

Obscure: The Aftermath is also a bit of an homage to B-movies. The plot is kind of ridiculous, and the dialogue is occasionally as well. The acting by the voice actors seems to purposely be done in a manner that borders on melodramatic and is occasionally stilted or ill suited to the situation at hand. Players will either enjoy and find the presentation entertaining, or think its annoying. It all depends on your personal preference. Most likely the fantastic graphics and soundtrack will help make acting or script issues seem like a small price to pay.

There can also be loading issues. If you’re playing the UMD version of the game, the load times seem longer than the downloadable version, and can disrupt the flow of the game. So this may be one of those cases where the PlayStation Store version is supearior to the UMD. There’s still loading, but the times are brief.

A good game for B-movie fans looking for a new horror game for Halloween ‘09.

Obscure: The Aftermath isn’t the best PSP game, or even the best PSP port, ever made, but it still can be fun. If you’re a horror fan and you’re looking for something scary to play on the go, it’s worth the investment. I’d also recommend it to people who enjoy playing with their friends, as the co-op is pretty well executed. It’s a game that has its issues, like UMD loading times, multiplayer lag, camera issues, aiming malfunctions, but also has redeeming factors like realistic graphics, a soundtrack you’d even want to listen to in your spare time, pretty well implemented co-op, a few great scares and B-movie goodness.

There is one other thing to note. If you have a PSPgo, or decide you’d rather directly download Obscure: The Aftermath from the PlayStation Store, there are a few things you’ll need. First, older PSP owners may need a larger memory card, since it’s a 828mb game file. Second, you’ll need a speedy and stable internet connection. Otherwise it could take you an hour or two to download the game or, heaven forbid, there could be a problem with the connection which would require you to start downloading the game all over again from the beginning. I have an internet connection that is typically fast, and it took over 137 minutes to completely download Obscure: The Aftermath.

Site [Obscure: The Aftermath]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Full Story » | Written by Jessica Moen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Title: Scribblenauts
Price: $29.99
System(s): DS
Release Date: September 15, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (5th Cell)
ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+” for Cartoon Violence and Comic Mischief
Pros: Lots of levels to solve. Level creator. Can change your avatar. Can play around on the title screen and test new words/items. Tons of items available.
Cons: Touch screen controls sometimes fail you. Items may not behave realistically. Timer and “par” hamper creativity in levels. Easy to fall into a lull, using the same items over and over. Physics are off.
Overall Score: One thumb up, one sideways; 88/100; B+; * * * 1/2 out of 5

Maxwell is a young boy who’s been charged with finding starites. They’re scattered throughout a number of locations. But Maxwell can’t just walk right over to a starite and pick it up. Typically there’s some sort of challenge involved. There are 220 included levels, 110 which require you to solve a real-life puzzle and 110 which require you to complete go through what’s more like a side scrolling level. Players receive awards and points for solving problems creatively, and earn ollers that can be spent on unlocking new areas or extra features.

Scribblenauts definitely has its moments.

The amount of words you can plug into Scribblenauts to generate items is massive. Occasionally, you’ll find words which, in reality, would generate different objects, but in the game create the same item. But still, it’s staggering just how many items there are included. You get to put that massive dictionary to good use, as you can get a special gold star for completing the same level three times in three different ways.

5th Cell also obviously had a sense of humor about Scribblenauts, because some words generate funny and unexpected items. For example, inputting “virgin” results in a white man wearing a t-shirt with a video game controller on it. Internet memes are included: “loituma girl” spawns a leek spinning girl and “lol wut” spawns a huge Maxwell head which can be equipped like a mask. Maxwell can ride the “NeoGAF” symbol.

The place place to put that massive collection of words and items to the test is the title screen. I, for one, can say that it’s probably my favorite part. You can play around, changing the background and plugging in words all you like. There’s a sense of freedom and fun here that isn’t present in any of the levels in the game. It truly gives players an opportunity to explore and experiment.

Inputting these words is also effortless. I’m very glad 5th Cell chose to allow people to write in words by either actually writing with the stylus on the touch screen, or using the stylus to type on a miniature keyboard. The keyboard helps eliminate any character recognition problems that may occur. Also helpful are the word suggestions, in case the exact word you enter isn’t in the game. It’ll offer a suggestion of two or three other, alternative words.

And, in case you happen to get bored with or tired of the 220 included levels, there’s also a level creator with Nintendo WiFi Connection support which is a great additional feature. The only downsides is there isn’t an online database of levels you can puruse and choose from, and occasionally the tripwires or switches set up here won’t work properly. Even so, it’s a welcome addition and can be quite fun to use, provided you find other Scribblenauts enthusiasts to swap friendcodes and puzzles with.

But, Scribblenauts also has some glaring weaknesses.

While Scribblenauts has a rather impressive in-game dictionary of over 20,000 words, it sadly doesn’t make very good use of it. In certain puzzle situations, I attempted to use common-sense items to complete challenges, and found that many didn’t work. For example, in Shoreline puzzle 5-2 you have to get a candy bar from a vending machine for a young girl, but a bully is in the way and will kill Maxwell if you get close. I attempted to use mace to stun the bully and get past. It had no effect and Maxwell swiftly met his end. In The Gardens puzzle 1-11, Maxwell has to collect flowers and place them in a basket. A bee is near one and will again, attack and attempt to kill poor Maxwell. I dispatched a Beekeeper to deal with the bee. The bee immediately bested the beekeeper.

Speaking of sending Maxwell off to his doom, it can happen even when you’ve summoned the correct items. The exclusive use of touch screen controls can be quite a burden. If you click the wrong way when attempting to arrange a new item on screen, you can inadvertently send a vulnerable Maxwell off to a dangerous situation.

I found myself routinely using some words over and over. Like “tank,” “sword,” “helicopter,” “tranquilizer dart,” “cage,” “plank,” “ladder,” “pegasus,” “vending machine”, “handcuffs” and “leash.” There’s a reason for this though. My first time playing through levels, I felt an incredible sense of pressure. You’d think a game like Scribblenauts would encourage creativity, but you find out early on that levels have an item “par” and are timed. Players’ points and ollers are docked for using too many items or taking too much time, precious ollers you need to unlock new levels. The notion seemed counter-intuitive to me, giving players access to a staggering number of items, and then not allowing them access to as many items as they may want to use.

Lastly, the physics are also a bit screwed up. Let’s say there’s a ledge or cliff in the level. If you place an item, let’s say a car, at the edge, then attach a chain/leash/rope to it, then allow the chain/leash/rope to dangle over the edge, it will magically drag the whole car over the cliff. It doesn’t make sense. Another example is Ancient puzzle 4-3, where you have to get a unicorn to druids. I gave Maxwell a motorcycle, and attached the unicorn to the back with a leash. That unicorn must have been made out of cement, because he’d actually manage to drag Maxwell back. There are times when you can use this to your advantage, making a puzzle much easier than it should be, but more often than not it’s annoying.

Depending on your expectations, it may or may not live up to the hype.

Scribblenauts is an impressive game and there’s nothing else like it out there. It’s a lot of fun to play and it does make you think. However, it isn’t the life-changing experience that was lauded before its official release. It is a good game, with a lot of entertainment and replay value, but its not quite perfect. It’s a good start though, and hopefully there’ll be a sequel that will fix all of the Scribblenauts imperfections.

It is definitely a hallmark DS title, and will likely be one of the classic games for the system. Its ingenuity and uniqueness have definitely secured Scribblenaut‘s place in history and the hearts of its fans.

Site [Scribblenauts]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Companies like to brag about good sales figures. When a new system - or new iteration of an existing system - is released on the market, companies want consumers to know how successful it is. It isn’t a bad idea, really. If people see a system or a console is a winner, then they’ll be more likely to jump on the bandwagon as well.

The thing is, we aren’t seeing that with Sony’s PSPgo.

The PSPgo debuted October 1, 2009. It’s been out for nearly two weeks and Sony has yet to start gloating about the system’s sales. There were no first two- or three-day sales figures reported. Sony hasn’t even released first-week sales figures. This leaves consumers to wonder whether or not the PSPgo is really doing all that well.

The first statement was one given to Gamasutra by Sony Computer Entertainment America on October 7, 2009, six days after the PSPgo’s debut. Sony indicated that PSP sales, in general, were up 300% and purchases from the PlayStation Store were up 200%. However, Sony did not mention any PSPgo-specific figures (at best they bundled it with the non-go PSP numbers). It’s odd, considering the handheld is new and one would think Sony would want to take any opportunity to build it up in the eyes of consumers.

Here’s what probably happened. PSP-3000 sales probably rose because people saw it as a better deal than the PSPgo which costs $249.99 and only plays downloadable games. A PSP-3000 Rock Band Unplugged or Gran Turismo bundle is $199.99, comes with a game, voucher and memory sticks, plays all existing UMD games and can play the downloadable games. The PSPgo suddenly made the existing PSP deals much more appealing.

As for the PlayStation Store’s sudden surge of popularity, it likely rose not because of new PSPgo owners, but because of existing PSP owners. 100 PSP games were added on September 30, 2009, and people who already owned a PSP most likely saw games that appealed to them and went on a buying spree.

A statement issued to GamesIndustry by Chart-Track, a European company that monitors the sales of music, videos, hardware, peripherals and software sales, also gives readers pause. When GamesIndustry asked Chart-Track for PSPgo sales figures, Chart-Track claimed that it wouldn’t reveal any information since “it’s a new format”.

A funny response, because it isn’t. The PlayStation Store has been offering PSP owners downloadable games for years and the PSP has been around since December 2004. And, even if one did attempt to claim that it’s a new format as a means to hide data, it seems like all the more reason to release sales data on it. That way, people can see how consumers are reacting. Sales data could even tell the world if a download-only handheld is ready to be accepted by the masses. It seems a bit suspicious that Chart-Track isn’t revealing the PSPgo sales data it has collected to the public, and perhaps a bit telling.

Then, there are the PSPgo sales figures that have managed to come to light. For example, there’s the information that Jeux Video Network dug up. In a recent story, the site proclaimed 8,000 PSPgos were sold in France in the three days after the system launched. The news from VGChartz is slightly better, as it reported the sale of around 30,000 PSPgos in America during the system’s first three days on the market.

Let’s compare that to the DS Lite. A GameSpot story from June 14, 2006 states that over 136,500 DS Lites were sold in the first two days after the system launched in the US. Of course, it’d probably be more appropriate to compare the PSPgo to the DSi, since both are fresh takes on existing systems. Edge Online reported 435,000 DSis were sold in the US in the first week the system was on the market. Quite a difference.

All of this information, put together, suggests that the PSPgo may not by the superstar Sony expected. What Sony isn’t the world about the PSPgo’s exact sales figures is the most damning evidence of all.

Read [Jeux Video Network (French)] Also Read [Gamasutra] Also Read [GamesIndustry]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

It’s October, which mean video game publishers are making sure that any spooky or Halloween-themed games they have are ready to make their debut. While horror games, or games with spooky themes and characters, aren’t unusual, there tends to be a surge in their release as October draws near. After all, we saw Dead Space Extraction (Wii) and Undead Knights (PSP) both make their debut on September 29, 2009.

It makes sense, if you think about it. If you don’t have plans to attend a party or attempt trick-or-treating on October 31, then there’s a good chance you’ll be sitting at home with nothing to do. You could always watch one of the many horror movies that will likely be airing, but playing a brand new game is certainly a better alternative.

So, let’s look at the games that have been, or are being, released in October, 2009. We’ll try and keep this list updated throughout the month, in case another new release sneaks in.

Undead Knights
System: PSN
Price: $39.99
Genre: Action
Release Date: The UMD came out September 29, 2009, but it debuted on the PlayStation Store as a download on October 1, 2009. So it technically counts.
Premise: You’re an undead knight who was brought back to life by a corrupt and evil king. So, you decide the best course of action is to strike back and take him down. You get to summon your own zombie army to help you accomplish this goal, of course.

Obscure: The Aftermath
System: PSP
Price: $29.99
Genre: Horror Adventure
Release Date: Like Undead Knights, the UMD was released at the end of September, 2009, but it appeared on the PlayStation Store on October 1, 2009
Premise: The sequel to Obscure, this follows the high school survivors from the previous game in their new life in college. Black flowers that can create lucid dreams start appearing all over campus, and spawn terrible things. You have to help the survivors make it through alive again.

The Jolly Gang’s Spooky Adventure
System: Windows PC
Price: $6.99 at Big Fish Games.
Genre: Adventure
Release Date: October 3, 2009
Premise: The Jolly Gang has a mystery to solve. Apparently, there’s a ghost inhabiting a psychic’s apartment, and they have to investigate it and figure out what is going on.

Fishdom: Spooky SplashFishdom: Spooky Splash
System: Windows PC (Though a Mac version is reportedly on the way.)
Price: $19.95 at most sites. Playrix Games has it on sale for $9.98 until November 1, 2009.
Genre: Puzzle with some simulation elements.
Release Date: October 6, 2009
Premise: You play Match-3 puzzles so you can purchase fish and accessories for a Halloween-themed aquarium. Not exactly the most chilling game on the list, unless you pretend the fish are all like the one from that South Park Halloween episode.

Creepy Slots
System: iPhone/iPod Touch
Price: $0.99
Genre: Puzzle (Slot Machine)
Release Date: October 7, 2009
Premise: It’s a slot machine game, only creepier. Instead of trying to line up cherries, bars or 7’s, you’re trying to line up ghosts, eyeballs and black cats.

A Witch’s Tale
System: DS
Price: $29.99
Genre: Action-RPG
Release Date: October 13, 2009
Premise: Apprentice witch Liddell has accidentally unleashed the Witch Queen, most evil witch ever in an attempt to become an amazing witch without studying. Now, with the help of a vampire guardian and magical dolls, she has to journey throughout the magical world to seal the Witch Queen up again.

Ju-on: The Grudge
System: Wii
Price: $29.99
Genre: On-rails horror simulation
Release Date: October 13, 2009
Premise: It’s a haunted house on your Wii. But not just any haunted house, the one from the movie The Grudge, known in Japan as Ju-on. A second player can join in to make scary things happen quicker to the person playing.

Campfire Legends: The Hookman
System: Windows and Mac
Price: $19.99
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Release Date: October 14, 2009
Premise: A hidden object game where you must help a woman who’s stuck in the woods where the Hookman, the figure from urban legends, is lurking about..

Goosebumps Horrorland
System: DS
Price: £19.99
Genre: Casual horror-themed mini-game collection
Release Date: EU: October 16, 2009. It isn’t out in North America until November, 2009.
Premise: Players get to experience and explore the Goosebumps Horrorland, going on all 30 rides either alone or with friends.

Dreamkiller
System: Xbox 360
Price: $39.99
Genre: Shooter
Release Date: October 19, 2009
Premise: Not exactly Halloween-themed, but creepy none-the-less so it works. You guide a psychiatrist through her patients dreams and nightmares to help save them and make them better.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated October 14, 2009 at 1:13pm CST to add in the casual game Campfire Legends: The Hookman.

Product Page [Big Fish Games] Product Page [Playrix Games] Product Page [Software Amusements]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Welcome to a week where the hidden object genre is king. That’s right, out of this week’s nine new casual game releases, five fall into the hidden object genre. Hope you feel like searching for stuff.

This week also marks the debut of the first 2009 Halloween theme casual games. Fishdom: Spooky Splash is a Halloween-y themed Match-3 puzzle with a bonus screensaver based on the aquarium you create and The Jolly Gang’s Spooky Adventure is an adventure game where you investigate the appearance of a ghost.

There was sadly only one Mac release this week as well, Tale of Tales’ Fatale. This PC and Mac game is really more a piece of interactive art work.

This week’s best bets are: Fatale (PC, Mac), Fishdom: Spooky Splash (PC) and Cake Mania Main Street (PC).

Fatale
Genre: Adventure
Availability: Tale of Tales
Retail Price: $7
Platform: Windows XP and Vista and Mac OSX with Intel
Premise: It’s more of a virtual art piece than a game. It’s based on Oscar Wilde’s stage play “Salome” and the woman Salome from the Bible. She’s the woman who asked King Herod for the head of John the Baptist. This adventure allows the player to explore what happened after.
Demo Available:

Becky Brogan: The Mystery of Meane Manor
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games, PlayFirst, Gamehouse, RealArcade, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows Vista and XP
Premise: Becky must uncover the secrets of a family by exploring the Meane Manor.
Demo Available: Yes

Fishdom: Spooky Splash
Genre: Puzzle (Match 3)
Availability: Playrix Games, PlayFirst, GameHouse, RealArcade, Harmonic Flow, Reflexive Arcade
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows NT, 2000, XP and Vista
Premise: Create an aquarium with a spooky, haunted house theme. You can also use your aquarium as a screensaver.
Note: It is on sale for $9.98 until November 1, 2009 at the official Playrix Games site.
Demo Available: Yes

The Jolly Gang’s Spooky Adventure
Genre: Adventure
Availability: Big Fish Games
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Help Moxxie and her friends investigate a story for a tabloid concerning the appearance of a ghost in a psychic’s apartment.
Demo Available: Yes

Route 66
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows Vista and XP
Premise: Travel down Route 66, exploring famous tourist spots.
Demo Available: Yes

Alabama Smith in the Quest of Fate
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Alawar Entertainment
Retail Price: $9.95
Platform: Windows
Premise: Alabama Smith is going to try his hand at time traveling again. This time he’s going to use the Amulet of Time to go back in time to ancient Peru to hunt for Crystals of Fortune.
Demo Available: Yes

Cake Mania Main Street
Genre: Strategy (Time Management)
Availability: Big Fish Games, PlayFirst, GameHouse, Harmonic Flow, Reflexive Arcade, RealArcade
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Jill has discovered her hometown has become a ghost town. She’s decided to make a difference by going home again to bring the town back to life by baking. She’ll also have to step in and help her neighbors run their shops as well.
Demo Available: Yes

Elementals: The Magic Key
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object) and Strategy
Availability: Playrix Games
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows XP, Vista and 7
Premise: Sibelius has kidnapped Albert’s sister. The only way to possibly save her and defeat Sibelius is to restore power to the Key of Eiron. Albert will have to travel throughout his magical world, fighting magic board battles and hunting for hidden objects.
Demo Available: Yes

Gardenscapes
Genre: Simulation (Time Management) and Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Playrix Games
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows NT, 2000, XP and Vista
Premise: You’ve been given the chance to refurbish and develop a dilapidated garden and enter the “Best Garden” contest. You create and maintain a garden, search a mansion for hidden objects and even use your garden as a screensaver for your computer.
Demo Available: Yes

Editor’s Note: Due to so many casual games sites offering game plans or preferred member prices, which can cause a game to have multiple price-points, the games’ average retail prices is mentioned in Casual Friday.

Site [Big Fish Games] Site [PlayFirst] Site [GameHouse] Site [eGames] Site [Alawar Games] Site [Amazon] Site [Reflexive Arcade] Site [Harmonic Flow]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

On November 1, 2009, Hello Kitty celebrates her 35th birthday. Funny, she doesn’t look that old. It’s also her twin sister Mimmy’s birthday too, but she’s not the famous one so nobody really cares about her. She’s just part of the entourage.

In honor of Hello Kitty’s 35th, Important Importables has put together a list of 35 video and board games with Hello Kitty themes or where Hello Kitty is the star. This way, if there’s a game that looks or sounds interesting, you have enough time to get the games before the first. There are games for US and Japanese systems, old and new, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding something to suit you. In fact, there are two free computer games on our list, and some very affordable iPhone/iPod Touch titles.

Without any further ado, here’s Important Importables Hello Kitty game list!

35 Games to Play in Honor of Hello Kitty’s 35th Birthday:

1. Hello Kitty no Hanabatake (NES): NES systems weren’t region free, so don’t import unless you own a Famicom.
2. Hello Kitty World (NES): Again, NES units weren’t region free.
3. Hello Kitty Yume no Kuni no Daibouken (Playdia): If you’re one of the few who actually owns a Playdia, there’s a Hello Kitty game for kids out there to play on it.
4. Hello Kitty Asobi no Mochabako (3DO): Likewise, if you’re a fan of old systems and Japanese games, there’s a 3DO Hello Kitty game waiting for your time and attention.
5. Hello Kitty’s Cube Frenzy (PS1): It’s sort of a puzzle, action game where you have to create chains of similarly colored cubes and also have Hello Kitty walk on all cubes on the field.
6. Hello Kitty’s Cube Frenzy (GBC): Don’t have a PS1, don’t worry! The preceding puzzle game had a Game Boy Color adaptation as well. Be forewarned, the PS1 version is much better than the GBC one.
7. Hello Kitty: Lovely Fruit Park (Dreamcast): Sega released a puzzle game starring Hello Kitty for the Dreamcast in 1999. It’s a Japan exclusive, but if you have the right boot disk you can play it on your Dreamcast.
8. Hello Kitty no Magical Block (Dreamcast): It’s a puzzle game from Sega with a Hello Kitty theme released in 2000. Again, this is a Japan exclusive.
9. Hello Kitty no Waku Waku Quiz (Dreamcast): Another Japanese Hello Kitty game from Sega that was also released in 2000. This time, it’s a quiz game where you answer various trivia questions to succeed.
10. Hello Kitty no Onnaru Mail (Dreamcast): One more Japanese Dreamcast Hello Kitty game! Well, application. It’s a combination email program and web browser, starring Hello Kitty. Hurray!
11. Hello Kitty Bowling (PS1): Spend the day bowling with Hello Kitty. This was a Japan exclusive, and due to region locking isn’t playable on US PlayStations.

12. Hello Kitty Collection: Miracle Fashion Maker (GBA): Help make Hello Kitty even more stylish by designing new cloths and playing dress up.
13. Hello Kitty to Dear Daniel no Dream Adventure (GBC): Platformers are always fun. This portable one sends Hello Kitty on an adventure to reunite with her boyfriend, Dear Daniel. Once again, region-free means anyone can enjoy this action-packed adventure.
14. Hello Kitty no Happy House (GBC): If you’re looking to relax with an older system, get out your Game Boy Color and pop in this Japan exclusive.
15. Hello Kitty Boogie Woogie! (cell phone): This is an older game, so your cell phone may not be able to get and play it. It’s a dancing game where you use the keypad to make Hello Kitty dance to a few songs.
16. Hello Kitty: Dream Carnival (PC): You could always pick up an this carnival themed action game starring Hello Kitty for your PC.
17. Hello Kitty: Cutie World (PC): Or, you could always play some casual puzzle games, like Mah-Jong or matching, with Hello Kitty.
18. Hello Kitty: Happy Party Pals (GBA): Hello Kitty wants to throw parties for her Sanrio friends, but she needs your help! You have to deliver invitations, organize the event and make sure everything goes well for her.
19. Hello Kitty: Bubblegum Girlfriends (PC): Another collection of Hello Kitty themed, casual mini-games for your computer.
20. Hello Kitty: Roller Rescue (GC): You can always pull out your GameCube, or your Wii, and take off with Hello Kitty as she skates off to rescue her friends.
21. Hello Kitty Daily (DS): Need help organizing your life? Pick up Aspyr’s Hello Kitty themed day planner.
22. Hello Kitty: Big City Dreams (DS): Hello Kitty has moved to the city. You can help her make friends with other Sanrio characters and hopefully, one day, move into the penthouse of her dreams.

23. Hello Kitty no Panda Sport Stadium (DS): What’s cuter than Hello Kitty? Hello Kitty dressed as a panda! This is a Japanese-exclusive sports game that lets Hello Kitty participate in a variety of sports events. The DS is region-free, so you can enjoy this game no matter where you live.
24. Hello Kitty Parachute Paradise (iPhone/iPod Touch): For $4.99, you can play an action/puzzle game where you guide Hello Kitty on a parachute jump.
25. Hello Kitty Camera (iPhone/iPod Touch): Add a little extra cuteness to your pictures with this $2.99 program.
26. iHelloKitty Tokyo (iPhone/iPod Touch): Hello Kitty loves to dress up, and you can help her do so in this $2.99 application.
27. Hello Kitty Online (PC): Its in the closed beta phase right now, but Aeria Games is bringing the free Hello Kitty MMO to the states. You may not be able to play immediately, but you can sign up and wait for the betas!
28. Hello Kitty’s Sunny Day http://www.sanrio.com/fun_and_games/arcade (Browser-based): You could always sample Sanrio’s free, online action game starring Hello Kitty as she tries to keep it from raining.
29. Happy Party with Hello Kitty & Friends (DS): The latest Hello Kitty release just came out in Europe, so if you’re in Europe and reading this, you can celebrate Hello Kitty’s birthday with a party on your DS!
30. Hello Kitty Flip ‘n’ Match (board game): Improve your memory and beat your friends with the help of Hello Kitty.
31. Hello Kitty Chess Game (board game): Of course, Hello Kitty is queen and Dear Daniel is king.
32. Which Hello Kitty Are You? (board game): Haven’t you always wondered whether you identify more with the classic Hello Kitty or one of the newer iterations (like punk Hello Kitty)?
33. Hello Kitty Toss Across (board game): If you’re not a big fan of Hello Kitty, you may get some enjoyment from tossing beanbags at blocks with her face on them.
34. Hello Kitty Monopoly Junior (board game): With all of the various, special editions of Monopoly, you couldn’t honestly think there wasn’t a Hello Kitty one.
35. Hello Kitty Big Roll Bingo (board game): I can’t help but thing it should be K-I-T-T-Y instead of B-I-N-G-O.

Important Importables is coming up on its 100th column! If you have any suggestions as to what you’d like to see the 100th column cover, let me know in the comments!

COMING NEXT WEEK: Important Importables talks about the Haruhi Suzumiya phenomenon, and the games that go with it.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week Important Importables reviewed the Subarashiki Kono Sekai: It’s a Wonderful World (The World Ends with You) Original Soundtrack.

Read [Gamertell] Site [Sanrio.com] Site [35th Anniversary Hello Kitty Colors (English)] Site [Play-Asia] Site [YesAsia] Site [NCSX] Site [Himeya Shop] Site [Strapya World]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Product: Zhu Zhu Pets
Price: $8.00 to $9.99
Rating: One thumb up, one sideways; 85/100; B; * * * 1/2 out of 5.
Pros: Soft, with a nice color assortment. Cute names. Sensors are responsive, not too sensitive. Multiple functioning modes. Good size that’s easy for younger kids to grip. No way for kids to get the batteries out. Interacts with playsets by reading codes. Doubles as a fantastic cat toy.
Cons: You don’t be able to find it anywhere between now and Christmas 2009. No way to turn it completely off. A child with long hair could get it caught in the hamster’s wheels. Can’t use a regular hamster ball (which would be cheaper) with the toy - you have to purchase an official Go Go Adventure Ball. Doesn’t run on carpets. Accessories and playsets are a bit expensive. Easily gets dirty, easily lost.
Overall: A cute, soft, gender-neutral toy that is definitely charming and pretty affordable. Kids will probably need at least one accessory/playset to keep the Zhu Zhu Pet interesting. It’d be a good pet substitute for kids who are either too young or not responsible enough for a real pet.

The Zhu Zhu Pets already have a confirmed spot in Toys ‘R Us’ 2009 Hot Holiday Toy List. Most major news outlets have run stories on what’s being considered the most popular holiday toy. If you walk past the toy section in your local Walmart, you’ll see empty shelves and a note limited people to two Zhu Zhu Pets or Zhu Zhu Pet accessories per purchase. Overnight, they’ve become the toy of 2009.

After searching five Walmart stores, I finally discovered a Zhu Zhu Pet. A few minutes later and I was the proud owner of Pipsqueak.

Meet Pipsqueak.

There are a total of eight Zhu Zhu Pets available, each with different coloring and (supposedly) different personalities. I happened to be lucky enough to find a Pipsqueak which has lemon-colored fur with white accents on her face and paws. There is also a white, shooting star design embroidered on her back.

According to the Zhu Zhu Pets website, she is curious, smart and a bit of a daredevil. I’d have to say the description is fairly accurate, as the toy seems pretty aware of its surroundings when placed on the ground to roam free and seems to get into any opening, including an out-of-the-way gap behind my refrigerator. However, I saw my cousin playing with a Chunk Zhu Zhu Pet and it seemed to behave in the exact same manner. So the personalities are probably superficial.

The Zhu Zhu Pet is approximately five inches long, two-and-a-half inches tall and two and a half inches wide. The fur is soft, like a plush animal. It feels well made and solidly constructed. There are no small parts that can fall off or out. The plastic eyes and nose are securely fastened to the toy and the toy is recommended for ages four and up.

It uses two AAA batteries, which fit into a plastic, screw-on compartment on the bottom of the pet. There is a code reader for the playsets and accessories on the bottom between the two plastic wheels. The toy has three sensors: one on the back, one on the head and one on its nose. Pushing the buttons causes it to go into different modes or make noises.

Go Zhu Zhu Pet, Go!

A Zhu Zhu Pet is essentially a pet substitute. It has two different modes called Loving Mode and Explore Mode. Loving Mode, which is also called Nurturing or Talk Mode, is triggered by petting the sensor on hamster’s head. After pressing the sensor, the pet will start making soothing and soft noises at random intervals over a one minute period. After one minute, the pet turns itself off. It makes sort of a cute mascot when its in this mode.

Pressing the back sensor starts Explore Mode, also referred to as Adventure Mode, is when the Zhu Zhu Pet will explore its environment for a four minute period. It will behave randomly, scurrying around and making noises while on the floor. If you have one of the playsets or environments, it will interact with the toy by reading codes on it that tell it how to react. You can also instantly turn the toy off by pressing the back sensor a second time.

It’s pretty entertaining to watch the toy zip around. It makes an assortment of noises and moves around in a fairly random manner. If it runs into something, the hamster will immediately stop and turn itself around. I found it amusing and I’m sure younger children would have fun running around after it, altering its path or constructing obstacle courses.

I highly recommend keeping an eye on the Zhu Zhu Pet while playing with it. The toy can and will find its way into the most unlikely areas. As I mentioned before, my Pipsqueak ended up finding it’s way into a four-foot wide space between my refrigerator and the wall and retrieving it wasn’t a pleasant experience.

It also seems like it would be quite difficult to clean if it got dirty, another good reason to keep an eye on it while playing. For Zhu Zhu Pets like the gray Num Nums or brown Mr. Squiggles or Scoodles, this would be less of a problem. However, owners of the light pink Jilly, white Chunk, or black and white Winkie could be the owner of one mangey looking fake hamster if they aren’t careful.
While a Zhu Zhu Pet alone is pretty reasonably priced, the accessories can be a bit expensive. You’ll end up paying between $10 and $20 for custom accessories that can only be used with the Zhu Zhu Pets. You can’t substitute real hamster balls, wheels or habitats, which may be cheaper (especially if you find them at Goodwill). The Zhu Zhu Pets have code readers built in which allow them to interact with and use the accessories in special ways. Putting a Zhu Zhu Pet in a regular hamster ball will make it just sort of stand still or spin in place.

Virtual Hamster

Zhu Zhu Pet is a pretty realistic representation of the pet hamster experience. It does pretty much everything a real hamster does but you don’t have to worry about feeding it, unexpected escape attempts or occasional biting. If you buy your child a Zhu Zhu Pet and he or she tires of it, you also don’t have to shoulder care responsibilities or worry about it experiencing neglect. Price wise it works out, too, since a real hamster will easily cost more than a one-time $8 fee.

The Zhu Zhu Pets are definitely deserving of attention and are certainly adorable. IIt’d probably appeal most to children under 10 but fans of hamsters or small critters of any age will probably want one as well.

If nothing else, a Zhu Zhu Pet makes a fantastic cat toy. From the moment I removed Pipsqueak from her packaging, my cat was enthralled with the critter. I’m not sure if it was the random noises or the unpredictable movement pattern but he loved it. When it was turned “off,” I’d find him cuddling the toy and when it was on in Explore Mode, he’d chase it all around the kitchen and living room.

Site [Zhu Zhu Pets]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

One of the most popular varieties of Facebook game applications at the moment is the farming simulation. What started innocently enough with Slashkey’s Farm Town exploded the second that game found fame. Now, there’s a wide variety of other farm game spin-offs. They tend to fall into two groups, ones that focus on a multiplayer experience and ones that focus on a single player experience.

To help keep things organized, Gamertell’s done some rudimentary research on the six most popular farming applications on Facebook. We give you the essential information - the basic premise, focus, maker, number of people player and cash shop information. Then, you can check out each one on your own to see which ones your friends are playing and are the best fit for you.

So, let’s get farming!

Name: FarmVille
Maker: Zynga
Average number of monthly users as of September 27, 2009: 50,813,894
Premise: A massive farming game where you create a farm by placing farmland, raising animals and planting trees. You can also own vehicles to make farming easier. As you level up, you can buy more items and do more things. Though Farm Town came first, FarmVille has proved more successful.
Focus: Farming and expanding your land, while also interacting with friends.
Cash shop: Sort-of. You can buy Farm Cash to purchase special decorations for your farms. However, you can also earn Farm Cash while playing the game by leveling up.

Name: Farm Town
Maker: Slashkey
Average number of monthly users as of September 27, 2009: 18,842,468
Premise: You are able to create a plot of land. You put down buildings, plant flowers, grow crops, visit friends’ farms, expand your territory and interact with other Farm Town users by either going to work for them or hiring them to work for you. Animals here are just a decoration. As you level up, you gain access to more decorations and crops.
Focus: Working with other Farm Town players to get the most money and experience so you can improve your own plot.
Cash shop: Sort-of. Like FarmVille, you can use real money to buy coins and FarmCash that you can use to buy items in the shop. However, you don’t have to. Every time you level up, you get one FarmCash, and coins can be earned during normal play.

Name: Barn Buddy
Average number of users as of September 27, 2009: 7,016,151
Premise: You plant and take care of crops. You can use fertilizer to improve them. You also have to handle bug infestations and deal with weeds. You’re also able to steal crops from friends who don’t own dogs.
Focus: Crop maintenance.
Cash shop: Sort-of. You can purchase credits to buy fertilizer and such.

Name: Country Story
Maker: PlayFish
Average number of users as of September 27, 2009: 6,778,917
Premise: You are a farmer who’s developing a small area. You are limited in what you can do each day, as your farmer has only so much stamina. There’s a small town you can visit, where locals will give you quests to fulfill. As you level up, you can grow new crops and plow more land. You can own dogs, chickens, cows and sheep, and the latter three provide goods you can sell. You can have your friends help if your friend points are high enough.
Focus: It’s more of a single player experience where the focus is on taking care of your farm and completing missions.
Cash shop: Yup. There are a selection of items you can only purchase with PlayFish Cash, like certain decorations or animals. You can only get these items with real cash.

Name: (Lil) Farm Life
Maker: Greenpatch Inc
Average number of users as of September 27, 2009: 3,851,406
Premise: It’s pretty much identical to the FarmVille and Farm Town experiences. You tend a small area of farmland, level up by performing tasks and so on.
Focus: Farming your area of land and working with friends to earn more money.
Cash shop: Sort-of. You can purchase additional coins, like in FarmVille and Farm Town, with cash to make the game easier. It isn’t required though.

Name: Happy Farm
Maker: Five Minutes
Average number of users as of September 27, 2009: 2,074,444
Premise: Manage a farm and complete missions to make it successful. You can send gifts to friends, among them customizable bouquets. You also need to use pesticides and weed killers on crops from time to time. There isn’t much customization available for farms, compared to the more popular applications. Originally gained popularity in China.
Focus: Single player experience where you complete set missions.
Cash shop: Nope

Name: Island Paradise
Maker: Meteor Games
Average number of users as of September 27, 2009: 1,984,495
Premise: A farming sim with a tropical approach. You’re developing a farm on an island. You can work with or steal from your friends. Also, salvage items occasionally wind up on your farm, which you can collect and eventually use to upgrade your tropical farm. Crops, animals and trees are all ones you’d expect to see on an island setting.
Focus: Developing and upgrading your deserted island.
Cash shop: Yes. Certain animals and items can only be purchased with real money.

Site [FarmVille] Site [Farm Town] Site [Country Story] Site [Barn Buddy] Site [(Lil) Farm Life] Site [Happy Farm] Site [Island Paradise]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

• Sense Me – This is a new music app for the PSP that uses Sony’s proprietary 12 Tone Analysis technology which evaluates music tracks that have been imported from Media Go on your PSP or computer. The app automatically categorizes your music into 12 different channels like “Relax” and “Newly added.”


• New look – Media Go is also in for a new look with this download, the new design will make it easier to organize your images, music, and videos that you have synced with your computer. It’s also easier to download games, movies, and TV from your computer or PSP. You can also export your playlists.


• Tethering – With the new update, you can connect to the internet with your new PSPgo (only) using a Bluetooth mobile device, such as a cell phone or a modem. So if you aren’t near a WiFi spot, you have a backup option.

Full Story » | Written by Jessica Moen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Dissidia: Final Fantasy is, inarguably, a fantastic game. At the same time, it shares a commonality with other Square Enix games. There are things in the game that just don’t seem to make any clear sense. Or at least, they wouldn’t make sense in a real world situation. But that’s part of the fun of a Square Enix game, things don’t have to make sense.

Back when Crisis Core: Final Fantasy came out, it proved to be both a fun and learning experience. It’s no surprise that Dissidia had a few things to teach players as well.

1. Cloud and Sephiroth are the masters of dramatic pauses. It’s like their voice actors went to the William Shatner school of acting. Squall comes in at a distant third.
2. Few things are more satisfying than using your favorite Final Fantasy heroes and villains to completely decimate your least favorite Final Fantasy heroes and villains. If I was having a less than ideal day, starting up a quick play match with Sephiroth against Tidus or Zidane could make all my troubles fade away.
3. Villains cheat. 11 dodges in a row Emperor? Not cool. Not cool at all. Golbez and Jecht like to pull this trick too. Also uncool is when a boss character has a totally cheap summon, like Ifrit, equipped so he can go in for an unexpected 1-hit kill.
4. Just because a character’s androgynous, doesn’t mean he can’t kick ass. Respect the pretty boys. While you’re laughing and mocking, they’re unleashing magic attacks you can’t dodge or block.
5. Good warriors spend very little time on the ground. I’m not sure whether to suggest the Dissidia fights take place in a zero-G environment or if the game is set in the same fantasy universe as The Matrix movies. Let’s put it this way - you’ll likely be spending most of the game dashing through the air after your opponent.
6. Kefka may be a fan of The Princess Bride. It can’t be a coincidence that, when you beat him, he cries out, “Inconceivable!” Can it? I prefer to think he’s a fan of Vizzini.
7. The Dissidia develop team must be members of Sephiroth’s fanclub. I mean come on, he’s the only character who’s alternate costume has him topless.
8. It’s really only worth playing Dissidia one day a week. I’m sure I’m not the only one abusing the bonus day, and spending endless hours on the game once a week to optimize my characters in the least amount of time.

Read [Gamertell] Site [Dissidia: Final Fantasy]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Title: Dawn’s Light
Price: $19.95
System(s): Windows 98, XP and Vista PC
Release Date: September 29, 2009
Publisher (Developer): John Wizard Games (John Wizard Games)
ESRB Rating: N/A. I’d say it’s appropriate for ages 13+, since there’s some violence and a few dark situations.
Pros: Fantastic and funny script. Character portraits, sprites and monsters are well drawn. Pleasant music score. Can fish for fun. Quite a few outfits to earn. Incentives for destroying all monsters in dungeons. Quick customer service from John Wizard Games if there’s an issue. No random encounters. Interesting characters, both playable and NPC.
Cons: Only 4 save slots. Options reset once you quit the game. Tutorial could have mentioned options menu. Marketing/publicity could have been better.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up, 97/100, A, * * * * 1/2 out of 5

I’m going to start by being brutally honest - when I first saw the John Wizard Games site for Dawn’s Light, with the initial screenshots and trailer, I wasn’t all that impressed. Indie RPGs can tend to look the same after a while, and the way everything was presented, I was thinking it was going to be just like the others. I had no idea that it would end up being one of the best PC games I’d play all year. John Wizard Games’ first title guides players along a long and memorable adventure.

A mysterious, masked man comes and takes nearly everything away.

Life starts out kinda sweet for Harvey. He and his brother, Victor, live on an island with their beloved Grandad. Then, one day, someone invades their personal paradise. Grandad tells Harvey to hide inside the house while he finds Victor. Unfortunately Mordecai, a masked man with a yet unknown agenda, discovers Victor first. Mordecai claims Victor is the key to something and kidnaps him. Grandad realizes Harvey isn’t safe there, and takes him to another island where he leaves him at an orphanage in the care of a nun named Tracey.

Seven years later, and things are once again going pretty well for Harvey. He’s found a pleasant enough life on the island, with its 11 other inhabitants. He’s come of age, and is looking for something to do. Tracey gives him a journal to write his accomplishments in, which gets Harvey looking for quests. After finding all of a friend’s lost frogs, he decides to secretly take on a quest to recover sheep from monsters despite being told not to because of the potential danger. While he’s away, Mordecai comes to the island looking for him. The villagers cover for Harvey and say he isn’t there. Harvey returns to find Mordecai gone and all of the villagers dead. With his dying breath John, whose sheep Harvey was rescuing, tells Harvey to go to his Grandad for answers.

So Harvey does. There, he learns that Grandad isn’t really related to Victor and him - he just took the two in after his own family and their own parents were killed. He reveals Mordecai is behind everything. Harvey swears revenge and then sets out on a journey to defeat the masked man. Along the way, he’ll be joined by friends like Vera and Lord Adolin Swordhand: Cryer of Tears and get drawn into a fight to save the world.

Looks familiar but stands out because of it’s writing and extras.

It’s striking how many things Dawn’s Light does right. It has a well written script, great looking enemies, good character portraits, background music that doesn’t make you reach for the mute button, lots of areas to explore, incentives for completely exploring dungeons, adorable costumes characters can don (If only they affected stats/skills too!), challenging battles that can make you think, puzzles to solve and lots of quests and side quests to undertake. Everytime I’d visit a town or dungeon, I’d backtrack to explore one more time, just to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

The one thing that truly makes Dawn’s Light exceptional and memorable is the funny, clever and well-written script. It is the quality of something I would expect from an Atlus console or handheld release. It’s as though the writer recognized that Harvey’s quest was somewhat cliched - a young man seeking revenge for his brother’s abduction and the death of the innocent people who raised him, then finding out the man behind it is out to possibly destroy the world, and used humor and wit to make Dawn’s Light stand out. This is one of those games where you want to check everything Harvey could, look at every item description and talk to every NPC, because otherwise you could miss something awesome. It’s a wonderful thing, considering how many games (indie or major) have scripts that are uninspired and riddled with errors.

If there’s one thing that I could say truly fails about Dawn’s Light, it’s the marketing and publicity for the game. This title has a wonderfully funny script, something that could, and should, have been showcased in screenshots. It also used only one sentence to state the storyline, making no mention of why Harvey is seeking revenge, and against who. Probably the only thing the marketing did right was show the journal in both the trailer and screenshots - it’s the only clear indication of just how much there is to do and enjoy in the game. It deserves much more attention.

A hidden gem among indie RPGs

It may only be October, but I feel confident that Dawn’s Light is the best independent game release of 2009. It’s so good that I wish it were possible to see a DS or WiiWare port of it. Dawn’s Light‘s greatest point is the wonderful script and writing, but that’s only part of what makes this game so wonderful. All of the extra details, like the many side quests and extra achievements players can accomplish, culminate to create this fantastic game. It’s the sort of game that you find yourself replaying, just because you enjoyed it so much the first time around. If this is any indication of the calibur of games John Wizard Games is going to be creating, it is going to be a developer to closely watch.

Site [Dawn’s Light]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Title: Dissidia: Final Fantasy
Price: $39.99
System(s): PSP
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Square Enix (Square Enix)
ESRB Rating: “Teen” for Fantasy Violence, Mild Language and Partial Nudity
Pros: Looks beautiful, has an interesting story, lots of play options, lots of accessories, two control options, nice assortment of characters, great music, lots of challenges and achievements to keep people playing, calendar function to encourage you to play certain days and bonuses for taking part in lots of battles.
Cons: Difficult to level up characters outside of story mode. Cloud and Sephiroth’s voice actors are masters of unnecessary dramatic pauses. If you play stories in order of least difficult to most, you go out of order.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up, 98/100, A, * * * * 1/2 out of 5

2009 is an amazing year for PSP games. Thanks to Square Enix, NIS America and Atlus, current PSP owners and those who’ve chosen to adopt the PSPgo have had a substantial selection of games to enjoy. Dissidia: Final Fantasy, a fighting game with RPG elements, is easily among the top five PSP games of 2009, and is probably among the top 10 games in general released in 2009.

Legendary heroes and villains are called to fighting in the battle between the gods Cosmos and Chaos.

Two two gods Cosmos and Chaos, have been locked in battle for near eternity. Cosmos is the goddess of light, and Chaos of darkness. This eternal battle keeps the balance of light and dark in check. Both have summoned warriors to represent them and, for the first time, Chaos has overpowered Cosmos. So, the world is on the verge of collapse since darkness has decimated light.

There is still hope, though. The ten heroes summoned by Cosmos, from Final Fantasy I-X, have been told to find the 10 crystals. With them, there’s a chance of keeping darkness from overwhelming the world. However, the main villains from Final Fantasy I-X stand in their way. So, in story mode, players follow the adventures of Warrior of Light (FFI), Firion (FFII), Onion Knight (FFIII), Cecil (FFIV), Bartz (FFV), Terra (FFVI), Cloud (FFVII), Squall (FFVIII), Zidane (FFIX) and Tidus (FFX) as they face Garland (FFI), The Emperor (FFII), Cloud of Darkness (FFIII), Golbez (FFIV), Exdeath (FFV), Kefka (FFVI), Sephiroth (FFVII), Ultimecia (FFVIII), Kuja (FFIX) and Jecht (FFX).

A strategic fighting game with both depth and replay value.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy is impressive. It looks and plays beautifully. At times, it is even astonishing to believe that the PSP is capable of such incredible displays. In addition, this impressive fighting mash-up of legendary RPG characters, didn’t necessarily need a good and plausible storyline to make people want to play. However, it’s evident that Square Enix took the time necessary to craft such a tale. The story, dialogue and motivations in the Story Mode are all interesting and provide substantial motive to keep playing. The only awkwardness comes from a few of the voice actors performances. Many seem incredibly fond of dramatic pauses, even when the subtitles indicate that such a pause isn’t part of the script. It’s more humorous than disruptive though.

There are two numbers to keep track of when playing, one is the character’s hit points, and the other is the brave points. Brave points determine how much damage a player will do when unleashing a hit point attack, and hit points determines how much longer your character can keep fighting. There are also two kinds of attacks you can unleash that correspond to those bars. Brave attacks lower your opponent’s brave points and boost your own. Hit point attacks decimate hit points and are used to finish off opponents. So instead of just going in button mashing, there’s an element of strategy. You have to carefully utilize both kinds of attacks, and eventually summons, to deal the most damage to opponents while staying safe. Since, in Story Mode, you’re going from battle to battle, you have to think ahead.

It’s also one of the deepest fighting games I’ve ever experienced. There’s a museum to fill up with voices and images. You can purchase equipment to make your characters stronger and better. You can fight through quick matches or a gauntlet of matches. There are extra characters and outfits to earn. Plus, there’s a little Chocobo mini-game that gives you extra items or experience based on how much you’re playing. There’s even a calendar where you get bonuses for playing certain days. Even the story mode has extra items, summons and areas that unlock on replays. You could easily spend months attempting to master the game.

The only downside comes from the way the first ten stories are presented and the difficulty levels of each. If you go from the easiest adventures to the most difficult, you’ll technically be going out of order, storywise. Thankfully, after beating each distinct story, you’ll see the important transitory cutscenes afterwards. Plus, the stories all intertwine, so chronological order isn’t all that important.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy is more than just a fighting game.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy is just an amazing experience. I went in with memories of an earlier Square Enix fighting game, Ehrgeiz, expecting a similar and enjoyable adventure. Instead, I found myself immersed in a whole world and story that I almost felt I had to keep playing. There was just so much to see and experience, and so much to unlock, that I could see Dissidia: Final Fantasy being the only PSP game someone would need for a 30-60 day period of time. There’s just so much to see and do that it’s difficult to get tired of it. It’s just a wonderful, high quality game and a must-own for anyone with a PSP.

Site [Dissidia: Final Fantasy]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

While this week hasn’t been as plentiful as previous weeks, there’s still a lot of variety available. There’s the prerequisite hidden object and time management releases we’ve all come to expect, but there’s also a new visual novel and adventure game to sample as well.

If you have a PlayFirst PlayPass, this isn’t really a big week for you. All of the PlayFirst releases this week, save Magic Academy II, were games that already debuted days or weeks earlier on other sites. Let’s hope next week there’s something new for you!

It also wasn’t a big week for Mac games. The only new game is The Conjurer: A Magical Mystery. It’s a bit limiting though, since it only works on Macs running 10.5.

This week’s best bets are: Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 3 (PC) and The Stolen Diamond Ring (PC).

Save Our Spirit
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Mary Longstep is a very powerful woman. Unfortunately, her abilities have made her a target. She’s been abducted by DARK, and it’s up to her husband, Lord Longstep, to travel around the world and save her.
Demo Available: Yes

Kitchen Brigade
Genre: Simulation (Time Management)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Players get to be a star on the Kitchen Brigade TV show. That means you have 66 days to try and prove you’re the best chef by managing restaurants, keeping kitchens running and making sure customers are satisfied.
Demo Available: Yes

The Stolen Diamond Ring
Genre: Visual Novel
Availability: Nekomura Games, Amaranth Games
Retail Price: $6.00
Platform: Windows 2000, XP and Vista
Premise: Katherine attends her friend Mia’s engagement party. Unfortunately, the next day, her pink diamond engagement ring is gone. You must help Katherine investigate the matter, find out what happened to ring and bring the thief to justice.
Demo Available: Yes

Sushi To Go Express
Genre: Strategy (Time Management)
Availability: Gamehouse, Harmonic Flow, Reflexive Arcade, Big Fish Games
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Join Tommy Tortuga and his wife as they deliver sushi and sake to all sorts of underwater creatures.
Demo Available: Yes

10 Days to Save the World: The Adventures of Diana Salinger
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: The world is ending, because of horrific natural disasters. The only way to save everyone is to find and figure out how to use an unusual amulet. You assist Diana Salinger as she searches for her father and more information on how a single amulet can save the world.
Demo Available: Yes

Zuma’s Revenge! Adventure
Genre: Puzzle
Availability: GameHouse, Harmonic Flow, Reflexive Arcade, RealArcade
Retail Price: $9.99
Platform: Windows 2000, XP and Vista
Premise: It’s basically just the Adventure Mode of the full Zuma’s Revenge game. You play through 60 levels to try and take down the Tikis. It doesn’t have the Challenge, Iron Frog or Heroic Frog modes from the full game.
Demo Available: Yes

The Conjurer: A Magical Mystery
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: GameHouse, RealArcade, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $19.99
Platform: Windows 2000, XP and Vista and Mac 10.5
Premise: The world’s greatest magician is about to retire, and he has developed an interesting way to pick his successor. He’s invited 10 great magician’s to his mansion to try and impress him. One of them, though, wants to murder the magician.
Demo Available: Yes

Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 3 Lair of the Leviathan
Genre: Adventure
Availability: Telltale Games, Reflexive Arcade, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $8.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Guybrush gets trapped in a giant manatee while trying to get to La Esponja Grande. You have to help him find his way out, even if it means cooperating with Morgan LeFlay, so Elaine won’t sucumb to LeChuck’s Pox. Gamertell http://www.gamertell.com/gaming/comment/gamertell-review-tales-on-monkey-island-lair-of-the-leviathan/ reviewed it recently.
Demo Available: Yes

PuppetShow: Mystery of Joyville
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Joyville used to be a happy place, and it’s puppet show was the main attraction. That is, until the fire. Now it is abandoned and a dark and dangerous place. People disappear in Joyville. A young boy is the latest victim, and the player must journey through Joyville to find him.
Note: This game features mature content and isn’t appropriate for younger players.
Demo Available: Yes

Island Realms
Genre: Simulation
Availability: Alawar Entertainment
Retail Price: $9.95
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise:  Sailors have found themselves on a deserted island, and it’s up to you to make it their new home. You have to make it hospitable and help them explore and thrive in their new environment.
Demo Available: Yes

Magic Academy II
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: PlayFirst
Retail Price: $19.95
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Irene is a witch-in-training attending classes at Tirisfal Fortress. Things go well most of the time, but today isn’t one of those times. Irene’s sister is accused of stealing a treatise, and Irene is the only one that can prove her innocense.
Demo Available: Yes

Editor’s Note: Due to so many casual games sites offering game plans or preferred member prices, which can cause a game to have multiple price-points, the games’ average retail prices is mentioned in Casual Friday.

Site [Big Fish Games] Site [PlayFirst] Site [GameHouse] Site [eGames] Site [Alawar Games] Site [Amazon] Site [Reflexive Arcade] Site [Harmonic Flow]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Title: Subarashiki Kono Sekai: It’s a Wonderful World Original Soundtrack - available on iTunes as The World Ends with You (Original Soundtrack)
Artist: Takeharu Ishimoto and Various Artists
Price: $9.99
Rating: 9/10
Pros: 36 fantastic songs that were in The World Ends with You. Nice mix of instrumentals and vocal tracks. Interesting variety of Japanese pop, rock, electronica and hip hop.
Cons: Doesn’t include international release songs. Only available through iTunes in North America, and you’d have to spend over $20 on an import to get an actual CD. End theme “Lullaby for You” isn’t on it.
Note: iTunes also carries Subarashiki Konosekai + The World Ends With You, an $11.99, 19 track album that includes remixes and the additional four songs in the English release.

Subarashiki Kono Sekai: It’s a Wonderful World Original Soundtrack acts as more than your typical game soundtrack. While there are the pieces that do sound tailored for specific situations in the game, as a whole it seems like it was designed more to bring an entire environment and area to life. The tracks often sound different, yet also sound the same. They share a common theme and attitude. By listening to it in the game or on their own, it provides a sense of ambiance and makes the in-game version of Shibuya come to life.

The world inside Shibuya

The best place to start is with “Twister”. The game’s main theme, “Twister”, in all it’s shapes and forms, helps set the stage for all the rest of the tracks. It’s a flurry of organized confusion. There are unexpected noises, elements and tones in the song, and yet they all fit together. The monotone vocals provide a stable base, and all of the other elements of the song build on this. Whether it’s “Twister” being performed by Sawa, “Twister ~Remix~ by Mai Matsuda, or even “Twister ~Gang-Mix~” by MJR, it’s a delight to hear.

The soundtrack is a joy to have, because it provides an opportunity to hear the full songs. In the The World Ends with You and Subarashiki Kono Sekai: It’s a Wonderful World games, you only hear snippets of the songs with vocals. So, you’ll end up having only a particular line or chorus endlessly repeating in your head. The soundtrack proves that these songs are more than their sound bites. They’re fantastic as a whole and wonderful to listen to. “Game Over,” “Someday,” “Calling,” “Deja Vu,” “オーパーツ (Ooparts)” and “Hybrid” really stood out, as I listened.

The instrumentals by Takeharu Ishimoto are all equally delightful. They’re interesting pieces to hear on their own, which is great, but they truly shine when put together with the vocal tracks. They act as a bridge between pieces, tying everything together to make things work as a common theme. I particularly loved “Underground,” “Fighting for Freedom,” “Noisy Noise” and “Shibuya.”

The only downside is that the lavish end theme, which provides a sweet and relaxing resolution to the rest of the in-game tracks, isn’t present on the soundtrack. If you want the Japanese version, you must hunt down Jyongri’s Lullaby for You single, and if you want the English version you must find her Kissing Me single. Unfortunately, neither of the two singles are available on iTunes, so you’ll have to import or purchase from iTunes Japan.

More than a soundtrack

Subarashiki Kono Sekai: It’s a Wonderful World Original Soundtrack isn’t just a video game soundtrack, it’s also an introduction. Games like Persona 3, Persona 4 and The World Ends with You have provided an opportunity for gamers to listen to music from another country.

It’s an interesting listening experience because it doesn’t sound like other games. It doesn’t provide the typical game instrumental and vocal tracks. There’s an edge there, something unique and individual, which means it worth listening to again and again.

Important Importables is coming up on its 100th column! If you have any suggestions as to what you’d like to see the 100th column cover, let me know in the comments!

COMING NEXT WEEK: Important Importables suggests 35 Hello Kitty games you can play to celebrate Hello Kitty’s 35th anniversary.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week Important Importables reviewed Tomato Adventure (GBA).

Product Page [iTunes] Site [Play-Asia] Site [YesAsia] Site [NCSX] Site [Himeya Shop] Site [Strapya World]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

You’ve decided to be one of the PSPgo first adopters. Good for you! I wish I had your spare cash and hopeful optimism. If you’re taking the plunge and you’re already a PSP owner, you’ll find yourself suddenly in the possession of a number of useless games. Well, not totally useless. But you don’t need them for their original purpose anymore. You’ve chosen the path of the pioneer! You’re download-only now!

So, what do you do with all of those old UMDs. Chances are, when you went for an original PSP, you went with a bundle. That means you have at least two UMDs you won’t be needing anymore. Never fear! Here are some ideas you can keep in mind while wondering what to do with them.

1. Keep your old PSP and actually play them.: Always a valid option. But then why did you spend $250 on a brand new PSPgo?!?!
2. Take matters into your own hands: There are a select number of PSP owners who have installed homebrew firmware to their PSPs. This means that they can rip UMDs they own to backup the games. You could always try doing this and see if your new PSPgo and run the games you backed up. (Editor’s Note: Piracy is bad, and we do not condone it.)
3. Sell them: Even if you decide to completely cast off the original PSP and its UMD lifestyle, there are probably many others who didn’t. Cash in all of your old UMDs at GameStop or Amazon. If you turn in more than five, you may even make enough money to buy one game for your PSPgo from the PlayStation Store.
4. Make an elegant collage: No better time to get into arts and crafts than today! You can call the first one, “RPGs I never got the chance to finish.”
5. Create a balancing UMD act: You know those guys who balance plates on sticks? Do the same thing with UMDs and pencils! Amaze your friends! Impress your family! Just pop the disk out of the protective plastic case, sharpen up some #2s and you’re all set. People will be especially astonished and think you’re super talented if you don’t tell them there’s a tiny hole in the center of each UMD.
6. Sticker time!: Grab yourself some double sided tape from your local office supply store and slap it on the back of a UMD. Then, slap it anywhere else for retro goodness.
7. Tap into your inner musician: Take out the discs and put two together for tiny cymbals. Put thread through the holes of two and you’ve got castanets. If you want to get really adventurous, you could probably even make a tamborine.
8. Build a tasteful shrine out of the boxes and pray for UMD conversion: You can stop by every day, light incense and pray, “Someday… please someday SCEA!”
9. Use them in home renovation projects: You could pop the UMDs out of the protective case, then use them as decorative drawer handles or put them at the end of hooks or knobs.
10. Regift: Give it away. You can give it to a PSP owning friend or family member you like. Or you could give it to a PSP-less friend or family member you don’t like. Either way, it’s not your problem anymore!

Site [PlayStation.com]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Title: Empire Builder: Ancient Egypt
Price: $6.99 at Big Fish Games
System(s): Windows PC
Release Date: September 16, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Merscom (Iguana Entertainment Limited)
ESRB Rating: N/A. I’d say it’s appropriate for all ages.
Pros: Story and free play modes, lots of missions, plenty of building types, very well organized, bright graphics, interesting how some mission tasks are assigned.
Cons: Mummies can be a bit difficult to notice if you don’t pay attention. Can only use one amulet per mission, even in Sandbox Mode.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up, 90/100, A-, * * * * out of 5

Time management games where construction and property management are the goal are typically very straightforward. Players are given certain goals for each level to complete and asked to organize a given area of a certain city and make it profitable and successful. At its core, Empire Builder: Ancient Egypt proceeds in the same way, but adds a sense of history and fantasy that is both unique and unusual.

Ever wondered what it’d be like to be a city planner in Ancient Egypt?

Players are put in the role of a builder, architect and planner in Ancient Egypt. You start off small, with simple goals like building a few workers’ homes and then building a monument, and eventually are tasked with creating and managing all aspects of a successful Egyptian community. In order to receive your final goal for the level, which is a monument or a temple. Eventually, as you build your successful kingdoms, you’ll be given larger and more demanding tasks.

Organization is the key to success.

One of the most striking parts of Empire Builder: Ancient Egypt is the organization. Everything is laid out so perfectly that there’s no chance of missing anything, losing track of your current situation or having difficulty playing. The panels at the bottom are divided into five areas, money & goals, workers, materials, amulets and construction. As you can tell, each panel deals with one of five important aspects of gameplay. The money & goals part, as you can probably tell, is most pertinent. Luckily, the developers realized this too, so while it is available via the bottem panel, the same information is also constantly displayed at the top of the screen.

The second most important panel is construction, and that is also incredibly easy to access as well. Instead of just clicking it on your own, you’ll most likely come across it when you click one of your buildings. That automatically brings up the construction panel, which provides options for managing that piece of property - like building, upgrading, repairing, clearing, buying and selling. You’ll likely spend most of your time working in this panel, and thankfully it is all very clear and manageable.

The amulets section is also quite invaluable, though you’re only able to make use of it once per mission. Amulets give one beneficial ability per mission, like more money, or perhaps no need to repair properties per mission. It’s a nice addition, as it can be quite helpful, and if you could use it more than once per mission, it’d almost feel like cheating. Even so, I’d have liked the opportunity to use it twice per a mission in the Sandbox mode portion of the game.

As for play modes, there is the standard Story Mode and Sandbox Mode. The missions in Story Mode are shorter, but with more stringent objectives. In each, you must meet a few smaller objectives in order to be given the honor of building a monument. Once the monument is completed, the mission is complete. The Sandbox Mode is a freeplay option. You’re typically given only a monetary goal, like 100,000, and given free leisure to reach it however you’d like. It offers a nice change of pace, and replay value.

A great alternative to people who want to run cities, but want there to be some fantasy to it.

Empire Builder: Ancient Egypt is a great time management game for people who enjoy building and maintaining a small portion of a city, but also enjoy a bit of fantasy and history in their game. It looks beautiful and even feels authentic, is incredibly easy to play and offers a variety of play options.

Site [Empire Builder: Ancient Egypt]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

New and Updated Spaces

New SingStar Space

The new SingStar space is finally open with an animated dancing floor, music video jukebox and a special VIP room currently featuring UK rapper Dizzee Rascal with a store kiosk selling virtual Dizzee merchandise in celebration of the release of his newest CD, Tongue n’ Cheek. Currently the Video Quiz game on the second floor is not available at this time. But who cares when you’re getting freebies just for being there, right? In fact, when you first load into the space you automatically get the “Welcome” T-shirt, try a few dance moves on the floor for two more T-shirts, pick a music video to watch for another and so on. There are unlockable T-shirts for those who own the game but I don’t have the details on how to unlock those. You’ll just have to play the game to find it. And if you get tired of dancing, walk down the hall next to the video screen and enter the VIP room as mentioned above and just hang with other SingStar fans in this quiet roof top gamers lounge and enjoy the smaller dance floor or look out over the balcony a beautiful night over looking a huge cityscape.

FarCry 2 Mini-game added to space

A new mini-game has been added in the FarCry 2 Home Space to Rueben’s office called “Reuben’s Report.” This is a who done it mystery game located to the left on the wall after you completely load into the world. The game is played using the maps and the few clues given when you start to try and track down arms dealers, prevent assassination and sabotage attempts. Each time you find the enemy you are given a new clue and a new map to search.

Bugs found in personal spaces

Those who are used to going back to your personal space to unwind and redecorate with your newly earned items may find your Alcove Set from the Siren: Ward of Despair game replaced with a rather large knight in shining armor standing in their space instead this week. The knight is from an unrelated game and during the update that took place recently a bug accidentally replaced all alcove sets with the knight. Sony is working on fixing this bug at the moment and the Alcove set will return shortly. Honestly, I’d rather keep the knight in shining armor myself. That thing is not only huge it’s completely awesome if you have the Fat Princess Throne and the Chamber Apartment. You can really create your own little mini-kingdom complete with armored guards with the right furniture placement. (Insert girly giggles here.)

SingStar VIP Kiosk

• “Dizzee Rascal” T-shirt cost 99 cents
• “Dizzee Rascal” The Gig T-shirt 99 cents
• “Dance Wiv Me” T-shirt cost 99 cents
• “Dance Wiv Me” Denim Pants cost 99 cents
• “Dirtee” Kicks Shoes cost 99 cents
Males Only Items
• “Boy In Da Corner” Cap cost 99 cents
• Silver “Dizzee” Chain Necklace cost 99 cents
• “Dirtee” T-shirt cost 99 cents
• “Newham Generals” T-shirt cost 99 cents
• “Boy In Da Corner” T-shirt cost 99 cents
• “Dizzee Rascal” T-shirt cost 99 cents
Female Only Items
• “Tongue N’ Cheek” Cap cost 99 cents
• Gold “Dizzee” Chain Necklace cost 99 cents
• “Plus One” T-shirt cost 99 cents
• “Bonkers” T-shirt cost 99cents
• “Tongue N’ Cheek” T-shirt cost 99 cents
• “Tongue N’ Cheek” Demin Pants cost 99 cents

Shopping Mall

Threads 1

• Katamari Forever Rainbow Headphones cost 25 cents
• Katamari Forever Messenger bag and T-shirt cost 49 cents
Males Only Items
• Fedora cost 49 cents
• Sailor Beanie Hat cost 49 cents
• Flat Caps in choice of Black and Gray, Black and Red or Black and Brown cost 49 cents
• Cossack Hat cost 49 cents
• Gaucho Hat cost 49 cents
• Katamari Forever Prince Costume Bundle cost $1.49
Individual Items
• Katamari Forever Mittens and Boots cost 25 cents
• Katamari Forever Prince Head, Body and Tights cost 49 cents

Costume Shop

Males Only

• Scuba Diving Gear Bundle cost $1.99
Individual Items
• Scuba Goggles, Gloves and Flippers cost 49 cents
• Scuba Gear and Scuba Pants cost 99 cents

Females Only

• Space Girl Outfit bundle cost $2.49
Individual Item
• Space Helmet and Gloves cost 49 cents
• Spacesuit Top, Leggings and Boots cost 99 cents

Read [PlayStation Blog] Site [PlayStation]

Full Story » | Written by Lucy Newman for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Title: Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Price: $49.99
System(s): Wii
Release Date: September 8, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Ignition Entertainment (Vanillaware)
ESRB Rating: “Teen” for Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence and Suggestive Themes
Pros: Gorgeous visuals, simple controls, lots of control scheme options, two play modes to accommodate veterans and beginners, multiple endings, lots of swords to forge and foods to cook.
Cons: Some people may be turned away by the difficulty. Also, if you enjoy English voice acting you may be disappointed, since it only uses the original Japanese.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up; 95/100; A; * * * * 1/2 out of five.

The Wii is gradually becoming home to games you wouldn’t expect to see on the system. More serious, artistic and mature games that are created with adults and veteran gamers in mind, and not the casual or beginning gamers. Muramasa: The Demon Blade joins the ranks of Rune Factory Frontier, Resident Evil 4, Madworld and Phantom Brave as one of those more challenging and engaging games.

If you’re a fan of or familiar with Vanillaware’s Odin Sphere or Princess Crown, then you’ll know right away the kind of situation you’re getting yourself into. Muramasa: The Demon Blade is a spiritual successor to the previous titles, and once again is a 2D, hack-and-slash adventure with RPG elements.

Two stories of two warriors racing to collect cursed swords.

The Shogun Tsunayoshi Tokugawa desires power. Specifically, he wants the power of legendary swords that can collect souls and unleash unbelievable attacks and abilities. The Genroku era is already violent and tumultuous enough, but when you factor in that those who use these swords become homicidal maniacs desperate to keep attacking and killing to feed the swords’ bloodlust, allowing the shogun to accumulate them is unthinkable.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade presents two stories and heroes to choose from. One is Kisuke, an amnesiac ninja. He’s on the run, but he doesn’t know why. He also has no clue why people are chasing and hunting him down. All he knows is that he has to find a specific katana, no matter what. So he presses onword, from Kyo to Edo. Then, there’s Momohime, princess of Narukami. An evil swordman named Jinkuro came and attempted to possess her fiance, Yukinojyo. She stepped in to save him, and ended up possessed instead. Now Jinkuro is using her body to collect the swords.

You’re not only playing a game, you’re transported to another world and time.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade does a wonderful job of immersing the player in a fantastic new world. This is accomplished with the use of authentic Japanese period music, graphics inspired by Japanese watercolors and original Japanese voice acting. While the goal is to cut through any opponents that dare cross Kisuke or Momohime’s paths, there is also plenty of time to wander and explore through each area to marvel at the detail in front of you.

I was delighted by all of the control scheme options, and at how easy it was to unleash awesome attacks against opponents. Once you’re accustomed to the game’s nuances, it is a simple feat to unleash epic combos of 50+ hits against opponents, all the while keeping your character from harm. When fighting Momohime’s first boss, the Blue Monk, I managed to chain together a 130+ hit combo before he finally landed a hit on her that broke her blade (and the combo).

It also has quite a bit of replay value. While the stories for Kisuke and Momohime aren’t all that long, each one could take around seven or eight hours to complete, there are a number of extras you can unlock along the way. There are multiple endings to unlock, lots of swords to collect and forge, recipes to make, multiple modes to complete and an additional game mode (Shigurui) to unlock.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade is destined to become one of the most memorable Wii games.

From its artistic and fluid presentation, to its effortless controls, Muramasa: The Demon Blade is an extraordinary adventure. The two storylines offer additional replay value, along with the two different play modes. It can be a tad challenging, but a little challenge never hurt anyone. As long as you begin with Muso mode to get accustomed to the game before proceeding with Shura, and eventually Shigurui modes, you should have no trouble mastering the many blades and besting the opponents before you in Muramasa: The Demon Blade.

I honestly can’t see any flaw in the game. Granted, there are some aspects which may not appeal to all players. Even the easiest mode, Muso, can have pretty challenging parts - especially if you don’t pay attention to the tutorial. Also, you have to pay attention to the game if you want to understand what’s going on, since you have to read the subtitles. Muramasa: The Demon Blade is just a fantastic Wii game.

Site [Muramasa: The Demon Blade]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »