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Title: DC-IE Import Enabler for Dreamcast
Price: $19.99
Rating: 10/10
Manufacturer: Two Thumbs Technologies
Pros: Well made. Includes list of import Dreamcast games. Works.
Cons: Box is DVD size, not CD size like other Dreamcast games. Hard to find.
Overall: If you don’t want to, or can’t, make your own boot disk, it is a great alternative. No website.

Moments after purchasing my Dreamcast at Goodwill, I began plotting which games I would import first. The Dreamcast had an adequate number of games released in North America, but there were more Japanese and European releases that were begging to be played.

Unfortunately, none of the boot disk programs seemed to work for me. I purchased 700mb, CD-Rs, tried burning a Utopia disk but found it was a futile endeavor. Even though my Dreamcast was one of the kinds that could read boot disks, I couldn’t get ones I made to work.

Thankfully, I happened upon the Dreamcast DC-IE Import Enabler at a local game store. $19.99 later, I was the proud owner of an unofficial boot disk that would hopefully work.

An orange and white disk in an oversized orange and white box.

The DC-IE packaging is very clear and straightforward. It proclaims that the user can turn a U.S. Dreamcast to a region-free console with the single disk. The back of the case offers a partial list of import games that could be played, and the inside cover provides an even longer list of games that you can play now that you own the disk. It’s pretty comprehensive, mentioning obscure titles like Dancing Blade, Sakura Kinamoto Haagumi Mail and Sentimental Graffiti 2. Surprisingly, it doesn’t mention Shenmue 2.

The insert on the left side provides clear instructions. Put the DC-IE when the system is off, turn the system on, remove the disk when the onscreen instructions say to do so, insert the game you want to play and finally press start. The only downside is the molding that holds the CD in place makes it difficult to read the line of instructions that says to remove the DC-IE and replace it with the game you wish to play, but since those instructions appear on the screen when you have it in your Dreamcast, it isn’t a big issue.

The only downside to the packaging is the size. While normal Dreamcast games are in cases that are the same size as a standard CD case, the DC-IE comes in case the size of a DVD box. It’s awkward when it comes to storage.

Pop it in, pop it out, pop in the import game.

I had three Japanese Dreamcast games to test with the DC-IE, Samba de Amigo, Princess Maker Collection and For Symphony: With All One’s Heart. I reasoned that if it worked three times with these three Japanese games, then I would know for sure if the DC-IE was a good product. The copies of Samba de Amigo and Princess Maker Collection were used, and the copy of For Symphony was new.

I decided to try Samba de Amigo first, since I had bought it from a game store and seen that it had worked on the system there. I popped in the DC-IE, and after a moment the DC-IE screen popped, stating that the DC-IE disk was in my Dreamcast and that I should pop it out and replace it with the import game. I did so and pressed start. Samba de Amigo immediately booted up and I had no trouble playing.

I did the same thing for both Princess Maker Collection and For Symphony. My Dreamcast had no problem booting the games, as long as I first used the DC-IE.

A great way to expand your Dreamcast’s horizon’s - provided you can find it.

The Dreamcast DC-IE Import Enabler is just a great product. It does exactly what it promises, and allows your Dreamcast to play games from other regions without any fuss or invasive system modding. The packaging may be a bit large and it can be difficult to find, but other than that it’s definitely worth picking up. Especially if you’ve had problems trying to burn your own boot disk.

COMING NEXT WEEK: Important Importables recommends import DS games in its first 2009 gift guide.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last weekImportant Importables provided an overview of the Shin Megami Tensei series.

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

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Title: Cute Knight Kingdom
Price: $19.95
System(s): Windows PC
Release Date: November 13, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Hanako Games (Hanako Games)
ESRB Rating: N/A. I’d say ages 10+.
Pros: Gallery option, multiple marriage prospects, multiple endings, can skip the intro, interesting astrological sign substitution, can explore the villages, can use mouse or keyboard controls, can save story/ending text, lots of magic to learn, can control how well she does in class or at work, get goods at a discount if you do well at a job, beautiful art for the ending scenes.
Cons: Doesn’t give an option to make a desktop shortcut, game slows down in dungeon areas, changing clothing doesn’t change your character’s appearance, if you fall in battle, you lose stamina, hard to build up “dream,” if you run out of “dream” the game ends, failing at jobs/classes decrease “dream”.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up, 90/100, A-, * * * * out of 5

Hanako Games is an industrious, independent developer and publisher. It focuses on creating interesting, engaging and challenging girl-friendly games. Over the years it has created a number of successful titles like Cute Knight / Cute Knight Deluxe, Science Girls and Fatal Hearts. With Cute Knight Kingdom, Hanako returns to create a new life simulation game in the Cute Knight series.

Searching for the proper path.

Cute Knight Kingdom starts with the 18th birthday party for the heroine, a daughter of candle makers. At this party she discovers that she really isn’t their daughter. She was adopted by the candlemakers. Her mother found her outside as a baby, and a mysterious apparition in the sky asked her to watch over the little girl. It also said that it would return when she is 21, to see if she found her wings.

The young woman learns she has the potential to do whatever, and succeed at whatever, she tries. So she sets off to find a life for herself, and perhaps even find out her origins as well.

For someone so determined, she sure gives up on dreams easily.

Think of Cute Knight Kingdom as a more active, grown-up version of the Princess Maker games. You experience everything as the girl in question, and are helping her find her way after her parents have raised her to a happy and healthy young adult. Instead of dictating orders at an imaginary figure, you are the figure, choosing classes and jobs on your own, deciding how to handle each experience in order to get the most benefit out of them and making friends. You get to be the mysterious girl exploring the world and finding a place for herself.

I think the pacing and setting for Cute Knight Kingdom works well. Since you’re going day by day and week by week, four years is an appropriate and believable amount of time for the girl to find a path for herself. The week long jobs and classes move quickly and keep from being tedious thanks to the ability to make her exert herself or concentrate to ensure she gets the most out of her experiences. Plus it’s pretty easy to earn money so you won’t find your character destitute.

Tutorials are also well executed. You’ll typically see a brief explanation box pop-up when you’re experiencing something for the first time. It’ll tell you what you need to know, without being overbearing. You can also talk to the character’s father, or other characters, to find out what you need to know. There are times when a little more explanation would have been welcome, such as information on magic, crafting and cooking, but after a playthrough or two, you tend to figure things out.

I only had two issues with Cute Knight Kingdom. First, it can occasionally be difficult to tell the gender of other characters, based on their avatars, and sometimes even their character portraits. If someone gets lazy and decides to just work and never chat with people, they could miss a potential suitor. Second, the “dream” statistic can be quite troublesome. Think of it as a hidden HP bar. If it gets depleted, your game is over and you’re stuck as a candle maker for the rest of your life. The game doesn’t tell you that wearing your character out (down to 1 HP and/or 1 MP) or failing at jobs/classes can decrease it. You can unintentionally sabotage yourself, just because you wanted to try doing a new job or taking a new class.

If you put in effort and are willing to keep trying, Cute Knight Kingdom provides a great gaming experience.

Cute Knight Kingdom is an entertaining, though also incredibly challenging, life simulation game that fans of Princess Maker, Spirited Heart and the original Cute Knight will absolutely adore. General simulation game fans will also come to enjoy and relish the experience it presents. It’s a charming and endearing game with an addictive quality that will keep you coming back so you can see all of the possible endings and alternatives for the heroine.

If you do purchase it, I recommend visiting the Cute Knight Kingdom forum. Other players have come together to share their experience and knowledge, and it’s a valuable resource if you’re having trouble finding spell symbols, creating items or just managing the game.

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Title: new Super Mario Bros. Wii
Price: $49.99
System(s): Wii
Release Date: November 15, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Nintendo
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for comic mischief.
Pros: Many of the best elements of previous Mario platform games in one place. Players can join and leave the main game at any time. Quicksave feature. A lot of great powerups, new suits and hidden stuff to find.
Cons: Odd timing issues, slightly lighter gravity and a few awkward motion control issues.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up; 90/100; A-; * * * * out of five.

New Super Mario Bros Wii exudes games of olde, melding the best aspects of pretty much every Mario-based platformer ever made and then some.

But it’s more than just a jumpastic, coin gathering platformer. It’s a speed trek through gaming nostalgia that pretty much any gamer will enjoy.

Nice Hat

Still in the box the fist thing you notice is that Nintendo has opted for a red box instead of the standard white now infamous for Wii games. While meant to exude some additional nostalgia for That means you’ll be able to immediately pick out the game not matter which shelf you store it on.

As soon as you open it, the manual nearly bursts out of its twin plastic tabs holding it in. A massive 60+ page, unheard of for most consoles games (note that it is in three languages, so third of it is in English). Even the art on the manual is meant to reinforce the idea of older games with pixelated images of Mario and Luigi.

Upon launching the game you are greeted by the voice of our friendly pipe fixer belting a greeting in his big ol’ faux accent, ending with an appropriately elongated “Wi-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-!” From there you use big Wii-ish menu buttons to get to the game.

Something a Olde

Right away you’ll notice a couple multiplayer minigames available as well as the main, cooperative single- or multi-player game. The main game uses the 3D map system started with Super Mario Bros. 3 and includes castles, hidden paths, periodic extra challenges and mushroom houses.

While one player controls map movement and main choices, everything else is cooperative with all the characters stomping, jumping and otherwise wandering the world together. It can make finding hidden blocks a breeze as well as clearing particularly pesky opponents.

The screen widens as characters separate but there is a maximum width which makes some sense since, otherwise, everything wold become unbearably tiny.

To play you use the WiiMote (Nunchuck attachment is optional) held sideways, a la an old school controller with much the same controls as ye olde games utilized, continuing the nostalgic feel of the game even further.

The story, opponents, actions, objects, the ending flagpole and even the background music are all familiar, blending aspects of multiple Mario games into one massive - and more modern - platformer.

From there things get some modern tweaks. Rolling hills actually role in different directions, often allowing a pipe, tunnel or deadly nook to rotate around. You can triple jump through a level (nice of them to lay things out that way) but then you’ll miss all the hidden bits that make these 2D platformers fun.

Nintendo has also made going back to earlier levels an enjoyable task, giving you reasons to return and try to defeat each board more way than one (and likely find more hidden pipes, tunnels and treasures).

Most of the older powerups are there with revamped graphics and more outfits have been added to the wardrobe of available power suits. One of the earliest is a propeller super suit that lets you fly up and drift back to the ground, much like the Raccoon suit but without needing a bunch of runway space. Instead shaking the WiiMote gets you off the ground. You’ll even get to ride a Yoshi.

Something a Annoying

And here’s where some of the annoyances come into play. The WiiMote, while making for a lovely sideways style NES remote system, sometimes bundles motion controls in an awkward way. To grab objects, for example, you need to swing the controller up and press the 1 button. Sounds simple enough but you can also shake the WiiMote up and down to perform a Spin Jump (which also sprays whatever projective powerup you have enabled). The two often get crossed so not only are you grabbing an object but also leaping into the air and tossing whatever you just grabbed (shell, Toad, frozen opponent, etc.) when you might have waned to hold onto it a bit longer.

Timing characters’ jumps is also a little drift-y, with gravity seeming just lighter enough to throw off an expert old school gamer for the first dozen or so levels until they fully adapt to the difference.

Finally, when multiple players are on the screen, the old school stick-together-or-else rule apply. Find a pipe and want to gather bonuses, everyone else needs to jump in with you. Also, whenever someone gets a nifty powerup, the pregnant powerup pause kicks in making everyone on the screen wait for that awkward second. While the screen resizing is a pretty nice aspect (it means you’re not limited to one crappy screen’s worth of stuff to do and don’t need to stay completely huddled together) it can throw off your timing and result in a lot of extra deaths. In rare circumstances it can also cause a character to get irrecoverably stuck between a rock and the game border.

Something a New

To make up for some of the annoyances Nintendo has added a Hints section that unlocks as you play (and cost giant gold coins to actually watch the hint videos). One is a so-called Unlimited Extra Lives that has you speed-Triple Jumping through one of the earliest levels. Time it perfectly and you do ring up a bunch of 1-Ups, but not really Unlimited (unless you return to that world ad nauseam),

All of the graphics have been overhauled so that fireballs have a lot of extra flames, ice balls trail ice and most everything moves a lot smoother. That might contribute to the feeling of slightly lighter gravity but, overall, it makes the game that much more enjoyable to look at, even if a lot of the elements are taken from older, lower-res games.

One of the many nice additions is that gamers can be added or dropped between levels so you can start the as a single player and have one to three friends hop in and help at almost an time.

It’s a Fun a game

This game is as fun and as silly as expected but not without a few mostly forgivable faults. There’s so much to do, see and enjoy in this game that it’s hard to let any faults weigh it down for very long.

Do not mistake this as an extended port of the DS version of New Super Mario Bros. As fun as that game may be, this one has so much more and the up-to-four player option makes it even more of a group event.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii does well integrating the many disparate elements of previous Mario games and blending them with new elements so both older and newer gamers have something to enjoy and appreciate.

Site [New Super Mario Bros. Wii] Photo Gallery [Gamertell]

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Got the game today and, since I couldn’t put much more than a day into it (and the game comes out November 15, 2009), I wanted to provide you with some quick tidbits. Here’s an easy-to-read but not necessarily easy-to-comprehend bullet-point preview of Nintendo’s multiplayer platformer, New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Here weeee goes:

• Red is the new White.
• Software update required.
• Mario says “Wii” exactly the way you’d expect him to.
• Sixty-eight page manual (22 pages are English). Read it.
• Sideways WiiMote for retro control scheme but not the Classic Controller?
• Multiplayer means lots of lovely leaping (and plenty of extra death).
• Bursting bubbles is a good thing.
• Mapping a la Super Mario III?
• Sorry, the princess is not here.
• Yoshi is a Chocobo wannabe. Fruit is Yummy
• Ice balls and fire.
• Nice beanie.
• Beware of moving floors.
• Big red rings and little red coins
• Big gold coins.
• Infinite Lives hint!?
• Nunchuck is optional.
• Drop players and Quicksave.
• Save Toad’s friends!
• Butt slide, ground pound, wall grab, spin jump, super jump and then some.
• Suits galore.
• What’s with the gravity?
• Everything but the kitchen kart.
• Grab the flag as high as you can.

Site [New Super Mario Bros. Wii]

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Title: Superman (aka Ruby-Spears Superman)
Format: DVD
Price: $18.36
Release Date: November 3, 2009
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Rating: Not Rated
Pros: The complete series in one place, interesting take on Superman, great art and nice nods to previous incarnations. Decent transfer.
Cons: A few voices can get a little grating (especially Lex’s), Superman Family Album sometimes too silly and Lex’s voice and light on the extras.
Overall Score: One thumb up, one thumb sideways; 88/100; B+; * * * 1/2 our of five.

Celebrating Supe’s 50th anniversary, Ruby-Spears Productions miraculously got the rights to create Superman the animated TV series.

It exists in an awkward gap between the kitche-y late-1970s-to-early-1980s Super Friends cartoons and the slick 1990s Superman: The Animated series. It’s a series that only those who could bear the live-action Superboy TV series recall.

Superman goes far to embrace elements from print, film and even previous animated series, sometimes seeming disjointed but, by the time you get through all 13 episodes, becomes appropriate.

It’s A Bird

Superman aired Saturday mornings on CBS from 1988 to 1989, with only thirteen 30-minute episodes. While it has many nostalgic nods to previous incarnations our do-good alien, it definitely screams ‘80s.

Lex Luthor (voiced by Michael Bell) is a boisterous, swarming gajillionaire, his bimbo sidekick Miss Moganberry (Lynne Marie Stewart) sports poofy sleaves and high-front hair and even Lois Lane (Ginny McSwain) got a decade-appropriate, tight-skirted makeover while acquiring some assertive strength.

Poor Jimmy Olsen (Mark L. Taylor), however, will forever be stuck in the ‘50s forever but even that’s OK since the series starts with a nod to the 1950s Superman cartoons. You’ll even hear the infamous, “It’s a bird,” line a few times.

Superman also borrows a lot of scenes and reworked soundtrack from the 1978 live-action film starring Christopher Reeves. Even Lex’s shouts for Miss Moganberry are easily mistaken for similar shouts calling for Miss Tessmacher in the live-action movie.

It’s a Plane

As mixed as the decades may seem, the series has a lot going for especially in terms of talent. Marv Wolfman (DC Universe Online) was the head writer, also penning a few specific segments, while Gil Kane (Green Lantern) worked as the lead artist.

The stories also tried try to show a slightly softer side of Supes (voiced by Beau Weaver) even though he’s a bit beefier than earlier versions, with less bravado and a seemingly appropriate dab of assuredness that was part of the character’s comic book reinvention. The villains do come right out of the comics’ sense of absurdity (what was with that crazy, non-Joker clown?). The series also reverts back to Lex a bit too often but, for the time, an regular villain was just beginning to become the cartoon norm. Lex’s voice does get a bit irritating early on but will mellow out for later episodes.

You’ll also see a flying Wonder Woman which will seem unfamiliar to those who only know her as the lady with the lasso, high kicks, wrist bands and invisible jet.

One of the initially gut-wrenching elements are the “Superman Family Album” segments that ran as the final few minutes of each episode. Often scripted by different writers, each segment gives a glimpse into the theoretical childhood of a superhero starting in diapers and going through those awkward dating high school years. The first few are the most ridiculous - as in how would no one recall this little baby openly demonstrating such abilities - but they eventually tame down and become more bearable and entertaining, leading up to Clark Kent’s emergence as the caped hero.

Get Superman!

Even though Rub-Spears, known for producing some outrageous cartoons (Piggsburg Pigs, Mega Man), had much of the work done overseas, there are a few rare sparks of anime stylings in a few background gestures and expressions only a cartoon aficionado will recognize.

The art style certainly fits with comic books with Superman looking more like his print partner here than any other cartoon take. The reproduction, as well, is rather nice, with hardly a speck and fairly vibrant colors. It’s a bit light on extras but you do get the whole series which I have not seen on TV in many years.

This Superman animated series is certainly worth watching a time or to for a giggle and an historical bridging of the gap between the Super Friends Superman with his chesty bravado and the more mild-tone Supes of the ‘90s and early ‘00s.

Photo Gallery [Gamertell] Purchase [Ruby-Spears Superman DVD] Site [Ruby-Spears] Read [Superman Super Site]

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Title: Nostalgia
Price: $34.99
System(s): DS
Release Date: October 23, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Ignition Entertainment (Matrix Software and Red Entertainment)
ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+” for Mild Fantasy Violence
Pros: Fantastic graphics, easy to navigate, controls well, there’s a combat order bar to help plot the course of battle, love the notion of air battles, interesting steampunk setting, can keep playing after the main game is finished, side stories for each of the main characters, 50 world treasures to discover, quite a few Adventurer’s Association missions to take, and makes a great game for beginners interested in the RPG genre.
Cons: Filled with RPG stereotypes, translation is stiff with no localization and the soundtrack is forgetable.
Overall Score: One thumb up, one sideways; 85/100; B; * * * 1/2 out of 5

Nostalgia is the work of a lot of well known developers, producers and publishers. It was developed by Matrix Software, known for Final Fantasy III and IV DS remakes, Avalon CodeDS,  both Alundra PlayStation games, and Red Entertainment, which worked on Fossil Fighters DS, Thousand Arms PS1 and the Sakura Wars series. Tecmo produced and published the game in Japan. Now Ignition, which is fast becoming known for highly anticipated niche games, has brought it to North America.

A group of young people set off to save the world

Nostalgia begins with the famous adventurer Dr. Gilbert Brown uncovered a suspicious plot where a mysterious young girl was going to be forced against her will to do the biddings of an unknown, villainous man and his cult of followers. He saved her from her fate, but in the escape he fell, possibly to his doom, and she found herself floating aimlessly on his ship.

Eddie Brown is the son of Gilbert, and he has just learned his father has gone missing. Since times are treacherous, what with sky pirates and monsters always around, Eddie announces that he is going to become an adventurer and find his father. Shortly after, he joins forces with the orphan thief Pad, a precocious witch named Melody and Fiona, the enigmatic girl with strange powers whom his father was trying to save. He and his friends will not only search for Gilbert Brown, but also work to stop the cabal that is trying to use Fiona and make all kinds of discoveries around the world.

An homage to classic, turn-based JRPGs

Nostalgia familiar feel is intentional. The party members all represent classic RPG archetypes - the warrior youth whose father was a hero, the orphan thief whose parents may be more than you expect, the mysterious young woman with extraordinary powers and the talented, though occasionally snotty, mage. The story starts with a simple search for a missing person and branches out in an endeavor to save the world. The monsters are fantastic, sidequests abound and even the artwork is a throwback to classic JRPGs. In games where it isn’t intentional, such abundant use of stereotypes and formulaic situations detracts from the game. In Nostalgia, it helps make the game stronger.

While Nostalgia is clearly designed as an homage to classic games, it also includes a number of additional concepts which individualize it. Nostaglia takes place in an alternate, Steampunk version of Earth. Everyone wears Victorian style clothing and airships are the primary means of transportation. This means that you start the game with your own airship, and you take part in airship battles against monsters and pirates from traveling to one location to another and must customize it to make it most effective. Additional special features include rankings after battle, which may award you more spoils if you did well, and the ability to take on extra missions and keep playing in an epilogue after the main storyline is completed.

The only flaw in Nostalgia is the script. While the translation is fine, free of grammar and spelling errors and easy to read, it has no personality. Talking to NPCs is pointless, as they’ll never have interesting to say unless their input is required to advance the story. You can press Y during the game to watch the party members talk among themselves, a nod to the Dragon Quest and Tales of series, but that dialogue is dull and pointless. There’s no need to use that feature unless you haven’t played in a few days and need to catch up.

The translation may feel stiff, but the gameplay and graphics make up for it

Nostalgia feels like what would happen when you take all of the elements and things you loved from classic RPGs and jam it into a single game. While the localization could use a lot of work, the direct translation makes it easy to understand and play. It’s a great release for the holiday season, and fans of Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Skies of Arcadia and even the Tales of series should consider giving it a try. Besides, it’s not every day that an RPG with what could be considered PlayStation or GameCube quality graphics appears on the DS.

Site [Nostalgia]

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Title: Dead Space Extraction
Price: $49.99
System: Wii
Release Date: September 28, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Electronic Arts (Visceral Games)
ESRB Rating: “Mature” for blood and gore, intense violence and strong language.
Pros: Engaging story with great characters, excellent action and controls, fantastic graphics, a couple decent bosses and great two-player co-op.
Cons: Prolonged dialogue hurts replay value, froze at one point, somewhat short, too many hallways and not enough scares.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up; 91/100; A-; **** out of 5

Caveat Lector: This review contains spoilers.

Electronic Arts should be ashamed of themselves.

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

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

Dead Space Extraction is the prequel to last year’s Dead Space for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. That game saw a comic book and an animated movie—Dead Space Downfall—tie-in to promote it. EA must’ve thought that was enough momentum to help sell Dead Space Extraction but I knew nothing of any of these (and I still don’t care to). Even now that I’ve completed Extraction, I’m happy enough to keep this entry contained within itself.

It’s that damn good.

Understand, though, you have to be willing to accept certain things to share this view of the game. As mentioned, it’s a rail shooter, so you have no control over where you’re going; you just aim and shoot.

On Rails, No One Can Hear You Scream

Don’t get stuck visions of House of the Dead, however. Extraction is not just another mindless variation of shooting carnival zombies ducks in a row. Presented in the first-person, camera movement is designed to make you feel like you’re actually there. You don’t just stare straight ahead, you react. You may be shooting at oncoming aliens but, if you hear something behind you, you’ll turn to look.

You seek exits and cover. You check on your companions. You’re still given the necessary time to kill what needs to be killed, but the developers use this to create actual space. You feel like your part of the environment, even though you’re actually just being pushed through it.

Another element that could be good or bad, depending upon your expectations, is the story. It’s basic—bad things are happening, eliminate bad things, escape—but it’s told from within the gameplay, not through the standard cut scenes at the beginning and end of each level. This keeps you drawn into the game, as the interruptions to the action are relatively short.

However, you can’t skip them. You won’t care on the first play through but, if you have to replay a level, you’ll quickly grow impatient.

Rail shooters are generally great for playing with friends, but if you’ve gone through Extraction once, you likely won’t want to do it again anytime soon, even with someone who hasn’t previously played the game.

Ishimura, We Have a Problem

This brings me to co-op play, which is perfectly implemented.

A second player can hop in and out of the game at any time without breaking up the action. The limited camera control and weapon slot selection is still left up to player one, player two simply provides more firepower. If you’re on level four and a friend wants to play, let him join you right there. No need to create a new game profile or start from scratch (although you can certainly go back and replay any completed level).

Sacrificing replay value is worth it in this case, however, as it makes the first run-through much more engaging. This game is not played for comic value, as in House of the Dead: Overkill.

These characters felt real. I liked them. I wanted to see them get out alive. Even some of the secondary characters (a couple of which you actually control for a level). They take turns showing moments of strength and weakness and develop a logical relationship with one another as moments of fear and relief take over.

It’s very, very well done but, if you don’t care about story and character and just want to slice up aliens, you’ll find all of this getting in the way.

Nice Planet. We’ll Mutate It.

Unfortunately, Dead Space Extraction isn’t all that scary. It’s intense but never frightening, working better as sci-fi action than as a horror-survival game. This may be due in part to the similarity of the aliens (and their behavior) throughout. If a species is going to take over and mutate dead human bodies, into how many forms would they mutate?

I don’t really need a wide array of aliens for a game to hold my interest but a wider array of locales would’ve helped. Whether on the surface of Aegis VII at the beginning or the spaceship Ishimura for the final three-quarters, you’re largely just running through dark hallways. I never got the sense of what either location actually was.

Likewise, the developers never really explain what you’re fighting. Yes, there’s this crazy suicide cult and a bunch of people flipping out (told in the game and in the bonus video comic included) but who was I fighting? The couple of bosses you face give the impression it’s something very large and plant-like, but you have no idea how this thing fits in with the Marker.

Also, the game froze on me at one point, a rarity with a Wii title. The game didn’t lock up, it just left me stranded in front of a door that wouldn’t open.

Extraction. It Was Fun While it Lasted.

Still, upon completing Dead Space Extraction, I felt a bit empty. This may be due in part to its unnecessary cliffhanger ending (unless Visceral is planning a sequel, they really should’ve just made up their mind) but is largely because I wasn’t done with these characters. I grew to like them, thanks to some excellent acting and mostly believable dialogue. I want their adventures to continue.

Ten levels was too short, especially since it took until level 10 before you see Lexine stomping on a dead alien out of anger and frustration. Totally hot.

So, I hope there’s a sequel. Not Dead Space 2 but Dead Space Extraction 2. Sales of this game have not been great, though, no thanks to EA, so I don’t have much hope. Considering what the protagonists go through in this game, however, I guess that’s in line with the general theme.

Site [Dead Space Extraction]

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Product A: IntelliScanner Mini
Price A: $179 (scanner), $249 (scanner plus all programs)
Product B: Opticon OPN-2001
Price B: $139.95 (scanner); $179 (plus one program)
Rating: Two thumbs up, 90/100; A-; * * * * out of five.
Pros: Easy to install, easy to use, wide beam and nice design. Very portable, stores a massive number of codes and works with most, if not all, barcode software.
Cons: The price. So small and light it might be easy to lose in a purse.
Overall: Worth the price if you have hundreds of items to scan, especially if you have more than one type of media collection.

This was originally going to a two separate reviews, one for the Opticon OPN-2100 handheld laser scanner and another the IntelliScanenr Mini handheld laser scanner. After using both with Collectorz Game Collector (and Movie Collector) software, however, I could not find any discernible differences in physical design or performance.

The only differences between the products are tiny cosmetics, the accompanying accessories and the prices.

UPDATE: I received confirmation that these are the same model scanners: “IntelliScanner, which is a subsidiary of Apparent, uses the Opticon OPN 2001 scanner.  Previously they use[d] the Microvision Flic but changed to the better performing and more reliable OPN 2001. Yes, that is a label over the Opticon logo”

Gettin’ Physical

Both weigh exactly 1 oz (30g) and measure 2 3/8 inches tall, 1 3/16 in. wide and 9/16 in. thick.

Coloring is the same: black plastic main body, action button and mini reset button with silver edging with identical size, shape and placement. The sticker on the back of each is the same shape and even the screws are identical.

The only physical difference is the printed logo on the front and the text on the back label.

The Opticon scanner ($139.95), sent from Collectorz, came with in a small, plain white box packed tightly with the basic necessities: Scanner, mini CD-Rom (manuals and basic software), a 6-foot long USB cable and a silver-gray lanyard to wear it around your neck.

The IntelliScanner Mini ($179) shipped in a larger box due to the cube-shaped tin (4 3/4 x 4 3/4 x 4 3/4 in) that the scanner was in. Items inside the tin include: Scanner, 6-foot USB cable, a silver-gray lanyard, quick start guide, 20 sample labels (10 blank and 10 pre-printed), On-The-Go Card (for quantity scans) and small pouch. The rest of the tin is black foam padding.

Nice Beams

Both scanners claim to store up to 10,000 UPC codes (sorry, there’s not enough time to test that limit) and have USB interface. The USB port, on the right side of the scanner(s), fits the standard USB plug found with most digital cameras although both scanner shipped with a cable. You can then plug the scanners into a PC (Windows or Mac) and use software to grab the codes.

The scanners are considered wireless as they do not need to be connected to a computer to scan although you can do that, too.

Both scanners project a red laser beam when the scan button is pressed, with the beam lasting 5 seconds or until it reads a UPC code. The button blinks green while scanning and red when the scan is over and unsuccessful. The beam can easily be seen six to eight feet away and will successfully scan UPCs on non-reflective surfaces up to 2 feet away from he device. When a scan is read, the devices give off a tone (a double “bee-beep” going from a higher pitch to lower pitch) and the scan button stays green for an extra second.

The scans are very accurate, grabbing any UPC code to toss the beam at and store it in order that it was acquired. Because of this you need to make certain you only scan the media you want to record, otherwise the codes will be mixed together and un-cataloged codes are usually deleted when extracting codes from the device. This may be the only real flaw of these scanners but also a current cost limitation since onboard media recognition would likely require another button or software inside the device.

The scanners performed equally well with no misread codes out of approximately 1000 scans each. I tested both scanners with two Collectorz applications: Game Collector and Movie Collector. I scanned a maximum of approximately 100 items at a time (from experience using scanners and losing track of where I left off scanning).

Issues only occurred when the UPC bars were obscured, cut or wrinkled plastic got in the way and those were not misread codes but, instead, unread codes. The scanners were precises enough that even a tiny sliver of the complete car code could be read and, in the case of annoying reflections, using an alternate angle - even turning the scanner up side down - resulted in a clean scan. In the case of the Collectorz applications, you can manually enter UPC codes or search the company’s database by media (game or movie) title.

Side Note: There is free software online that will allow you to simply regurgitate gathered UPCs into a flat text file or even Excel. The matter becomes translating those codes into useful date. A few web sites have UPC databases and a simple web search will often find your product but ready-to-use database-based software significantly cuts down the hunt-and-peck time.

The scanners have built-in rechargeable batteries that are charged whenever they are plugged into the computer via USB cable. Recharging takes little time (manual reports 2.5 hours) and works for a lot of scans 9manual claims 1000 but you will likely plug it in to download UPCs before then).

Scansalot

If you have a large collection of videos, books and games, either scanner will certainly save a lot of time and prove very useful. Both scanners, along with appropriate software, will save you a lot of time – often hours if not days – and are easy to use

The only downfall will be the price. If you plan to utilize more than one application or simply have a huge collection you need to organize, one of these hand scanners will be a blessing. That’s where you need to do you own time-to-cost evaluation.

As a loose guideline, if you have only a couple shelves of games, save the money and just get some organizational software. If, however, you have a couple shelving units filled with movies or games and don’t plan to stop buying physical media, consider this a useful investment.

The Opticon is less expensive scanner and comes with essentially the same accessories as the IntelliScanner. So if just buying the scanner, buy through Collectorz first. A scanner with software, however, you’ll need to figure out exactly what you need (and want).

Site [Intelliscanner Mini] Site [Opticon OPN-2001]

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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]

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Title: Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga
Price: $39.99
System: Wii
Release Date: September 29, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Xseed Games (K2)
ESRB Rating: “Teen” for alcohol reference, blood, fantasy violence
Pros: Long adventure, numerous side quests, robust class and character system, online co-op multiplayer.
Cons: Bad graphics, horrible audio, terrible melee combat control, clumsy UI and dumb AI.
Overall Score: Two thumbs down; 58/100; F; 1/2 out of 5

Boy, Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga sure sounds impressive, doesn’t it? The title makes it sound like a game that shouldn’t just be played but conquered. There should be figures and books and a movie. It just sounds epic.

Sadly, it’s not.

This is a game that sucks the joy out of gaming and that’s too bad because there probably is something great buried under the many layers of muck.

Layer One: You’ve Been Here Before

The story is fine, if not typical. An ancient meteor shower awakened foul creatures in what becames the age of chaos until humans, elves, dwarves and halflings banded together to drive them back. That alliance fell apart and the races settled back into mistrust.

Things are getting wonky again, so, guess who gets to try and save the world?

Nearly everything about this adventure is typical of every role-playing game you’ve played before. Eldar Saga brings nothing new to the table and, normally, that’s fine. RPG fans want and expect certain things. There’s a decent mixture of story and combat. There’s plenty of “dungeon crawling.” There’s a massive world with plenty of non-player characters to engage and enemies to fight. There are swords and magic. There’s a robust character control system with plenty of options for leveling up, assigning your skills and choosing a class. There are dudes with ugly hair and women in thigh-high boots. What else could we possibly want?

Well, controls that work would be a nice start.

Layer Two: You’re Not Ready to Fight

There are two major problems with the controls. First, they’re sluggish to the point of slow motion. Your character moves so slowly that, without exaggeration, you’ll hit your action button three times before you can even tell he’s moving. That’s bad enough but combine that with combo attacks and you’re stuck swinging at nothing but air for three attacks while your enemy has jumped behind you, hit you and probably gotten in a few stabs at your partner as well. This is completely unforgivable. I tried to compensate by swinging early as my enemy charges but that doesn’t work. It seems that if the game can’t figure out who I’m attacking, it won’t let me attack.

Adding to that problem is that you can call up your menus while the battle is progressing. I think this is supposed to be a feature but it only gets in the way. Hit the wrong button, and you’ll find yourself shuffling through potions instead of attacking. Don’t back out far enough and guess what? You’re shuffling through potions instead of attacking.

Layer Three: Your Friends are Idiots

You can hire NPC mercenaries to help you on your adventures but they’re not much help. They’ll constantly get stuck behind walls or ledges and, when you think someone has your back, he doesn’t. He’s not smart enough to walk around a rock. So, you die. Or he dies. If he does, you can stand still for ten to fifteen minutes while waiting for his health meter to reach the point where he comes back into play. If you die, you can go back to the beginning of the level and try again but for half the reward. Whether you do that or just reset and start over, you’re stuck trudging through the same bland scenery and listening to those relentless footsteps and fighting the same respawning enemies.

Layers Four Through ?: Your Adventure Feels More Like Work

The graphics in this game are drab and without detail. When it rains or when it’s nighttime, the color palate doesn’t change or dim. Instead the details just disappear. It’s like you’re playing the game on a PC that can’t handle the graphics, so you’ve turned them down as far as they can do in order to get a playable frame rate.

As bad as the graphics are, the audio is worse. Something as basic as footsteps are so loud and fake sounding—like someone whacking a shopping bag with a tennis racket over and over—that it’s painful to even move in this game.

To make things even more difficult to take, enemies respawn. Considering how painful combat is, it’s almost unbearable to kill some goblins, orcs or whatever they are, run down a hallway, figure out you ran down the wrong hallway, turn around and fight the exact same enemies. Spend to long lining up your potions and the the enemy you killed only a minute or two ago gets retribution. You’d love to just keep running but you can’t because the sound of your footsteps is giving you a headache.

When you are lucky enough to kill an enemy, it’ll often drop an item for you to pick up. Let’s say it’s a pair of boots and you appraise them to find out they’re better boots than the one you have. Can you put them on? No. Because that would make sense. Rather, you’re stuck carrying them around until you get home because you can only change your armor and such when at one of your bases.

Layer Five: Just Stop Digging Already

I could go on but I won’t. I feel as guilty asking you to read about Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga as I would asking you to play it. Once you finish the game, you can play through it again as a female character but chances are great you won’t bother finishing it the first time unless you have to review it.

There’s a multiplayer component but don’t do that to your friends or to complete strangers. Just avoid this game. If you’re in desperate need of an action RPG to hold you over until The Crystal Bearers comes out then remain desperate.

Site [Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga]

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Title: Ju-On: The Grudge
Price: $29.99
System: Wii
Release Date: October 13, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Xseed Games (Feelplus)
ESRB Rating: “Mature” for blood, violence
Pros: Some decent “scares,” jump right into the gameplay, quite immersive (for a while).
Cons: Rigid and awkward controls, ridiculously short, no checkpoints on levels, blocky graphics, linear, pointless battery system, no story to drive the game
Overall Score: One thumb sideways, one thumb down; 68/100; D+; * 1/2 out of 5

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

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

Although, I want to clarify that being scared and being startled are two entirely different things. When a movie or game unexpectedly runs a cat in front of you with a really loud screech just to make you jump, that’s being startled. When a movie or game has you so frightened that you’re hiding under the afghan, barely able to peek out through the holes to look at the screen, that’s being scared.

Ju-On: The Grudge startled me on occasion. It never scared me.

When a Person Dies…

If you’ve seen the Ju-On movies (or it’s American counterpart titled The Grudge), you know the routine. If someone dies violently in a house or something, all who come into contact with its spirit will also die violently and the cycle continues. I’m not sure if that’s what happened in this game.

In each level, you play a character in a different location: abandoned factory, abandoned hospital, abandoned apartments, etc. Each level begins with a character name and most display the same family photo. Okay, so we assume these are all family members about to face the same terrible circumstances but that’s it on story. You don’t know why you’re there, you just are.

On each level you’re only usable object is a flashlight. This is permanently on and always frustrating because it uses batteries like a Hummer uses gas. Considering each level can be finished in under 25 minutes, that you have to find and replace four or five batteries per level is absolutely ridiculous. I get the sense of urgency that this creates, but why have that at all? The game is supposed to be about exploration, and if you’re forced to tear through each level for fear of being trapped in the dark (and promptly killed), you don’t have time to trigger all the frightening moments.

...With a Deep and Burning Grudge…

Even worse, in order to unlock the fifth and final level to complete the game, you’re going to have to play through the previous levels multiple times in order to find all the hidden objects, facing the same ghosts and dealing with the same bad batteries. I’m assuming this was done in an effort to prolong the game, which can easily be completed in two to three hours. Forcing you to replay levels can push it up to around 10, perhaps, but you won’t do that. It’s not worth it.

Making matters worse, the game crawls at a terribly slow pace and the flashlight control is horribly unresponsive. You use the WiiMote to point the flashlight at the screen and, to control direction, you press the B button. Hit down on the D-pad to back up. That’s easy enough to learn but annoying to use. The flashlight never seems to go where you want it to, making it cumbersome to even turn around or line up with a door so you can open it. This is acceptable when you’re exploring an area for the first time but it’s a game killer if you have to go through more than once.

If you want to play that fifth and final level, I highly recommend using a walkthrough so you can find all those hidden objects the first time.

After a couple levels, you know what’s going to happen. The triggered events never really change much and they’re telegraphed by the sound of the game disc being read. “Oh, the Wii’s clicking, here comes and yep. There it is. Doll fell from the sky. Scary.”

I’m also not sure I get the “scare meter” at the end of the game. Sometimes it calls me a sissy, sometimes it tells me I have no emotions. I’m never sure why. The two-player mode, in which player two conjures up random “scare moments” with the press of a button is fun for a bit, but both you and player two will quickly get bored with it.

...A Curse is Born.

Some elements of Ju-On: The Grudge do work. First, by making the screen so dark, you have no choice but to play it at night with the lights off; there’s simply no way you can make it through this game with any sort of glare on your screen. I think I like that decision.

Second, it really can be pretty spooky, especially early on. The creepy girl from the movies is used throughout and, although you’ll likely get bored with her hair, the use of that guttural clicking noise in the WiiMote’s speaker is quite effective.

Also, I’ve learned that horror “movies” are much harder to get through when you’re the one holding the flashlight. I had my wife try it and she couldn’t deal with the tension. However, she enjoyed watching me play it for a while. Either she couldn’t handle being the one facing the threats or she hated the control/battery system. Either way, objective achieved, Xseed!

Or something like that.

There’s no way I can recommend someone purchase this game, at least not at $30. With only four short levels (five if you’re persistent), it would’ve made more sense as a 1,000-point WiiWare download or a $4.99 iPhone game.

I do, however, highly recommend you rent it. Ju-On: The Grudge is certainly more effective than the majority of the horror movies out there there today (I’m looking directly at you, Saw). You’ll get your money’s worth out of an evening rental, provided you pay attention to those three words on the box: Haunted House Simulator.

This is not a game. Like horror movies and haunted houses, it’s simply a way for a teenage boy to scare his girlfriend into sitting a little closer to him on the couch and hopefully lead to a little bit of lovin’ when it’s over and that deserves some respect.

Site [Ju-On: The Grudge] Read [Gamertell]

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Title: Game Collector 3.2 Pro
Price: $29.95 (Standard), $39.99 (Pro with rebate)
System(s): Windows
Publisher (Developer): Collectorz
Pros: Very easy to input game names and UPCs, exhaustive and customizable fields, generates multiple exportable lists and included with access to game database to quickly import information and box art.
Cons: Database has some small gaps and is only as accurate as the person who submitted the information. Some menus are a little confusing. iPhone and iPod Touch app is an extra cost. Scanners can be expensive.
Overall Score: One thumb up, one thumb sideways; 87/100; B+; * * * 1/2 out of five.

If you’ve been gaming for longer than five years, you’ve likely amassed an impressive collection of games so large your friends and significant other complain about not being able to find that one game they always like to play.

That’s where Collectorz’s Game Collector application can come in rather handy.

The Basix

The whole concept behind Game Collector is to put your collection in order (thus the name). It’s a fairly simple database solution with a graphic interface that can operate with (or without) a UPC scanner and accesses an online database.

The software is available only as a download and installs quickly. After launching, you can then input game titles or UPCs through the menu system either by typing it in via scanner. Then you go online to download core information, box art and credits for a wide range of games to populate your local database. You can then go in and edit each entry - or groups of entries - with a combination of person information about the game including ratings where you bought it, how much you paid and personal notes.

Over the years the software has evolved to allow for more personalized fields and the ability to export the list as HTML files or, in truncated form, to various handheld devices including the iPod, iPhone and iPod Touch (the latter two require an additional purchase via iTunes). You can also upload your own box art and upload images and information to the common database for others to use.  Once you populate your collection, everything is stored locally so you can create HTML pages or various portable lists.

The interface is not entirely intuitive with a few of the fields not making sense until you have used the software for a while. Once you get the hang of it, it then becomes a speedy process to catalog your collection. You can then reorder it according to just about any criteria: genres, developer, release year, system, rating and even custom fields.

Game Face

The scanner interactivity is about as easy as plugging it in, syncing with the software and pressing a button. If you have ye olde QueCat (remember that PS/2-based scanner radio Shack gave away years ago?) you can download a Windows application that will make it work in no time. Otherwise, you can get scanners through Collectorz: a mini wireless USB laser Opticon ($140), a wired USB Opticon laser scanner (currently unavailable) or a USB CueCat scanner ($20). All three will work but the more pricey “wireless” version is the easiest to use.

The nice thing about the scanners is that they significantly cut down input time if you have numerous games and will immediately interface with other Collectorz software:  Music Collector, Movie Collector and Book Collector (except applications including Comic Collector that catalog products that do not have UPCs).

Unless you acquire a lot of products – DVDs, books and games – you may want to simply manually enter game titles or UPCs to save the extra dough. If you have several hundred – or thousand – products, a scanner is definitely the way to go. It can reduce days of typing to an hour or two of scanning. The only issue will be when a UPC is not found, then you have to manually enter data (and then you can submit it ti the Collectorz online database).

The Collectorz database as certainly improved in the past year, being more complete and up -to-date than before. The percentage of missing titles is probably less than 5% and even then the issue might be that someone misspelled a game title, you have a weird version of a game with an uncommon UPC or your internet connection timed out. Some of the box art is also not the best, although you can add your own to your personal, local database or even submit it to Collectorz and hope they update it with your superior image.

As for organizing, the ability to reorganize and display games as either text lists or image thumbnails makes it super easy to personalize your list for convenient printing, scanning and browsing.

The ability to sync the list with your iPhone or iPod Touch is also nice although that app will set you back another $10. It is rather nice to have a digital list in hand and many forms of your list - HTML and iPod Notes for non-Touch iPods – are bundled with the software. Those are limited to 1000 entries so, if you are a true collector, you may have to create an alternate list system.

Since the main software includes customizable fields, you can also use it for archives and even create a box number field. Those boxes of NES games, for example, can more easily be alphabetized using the software and then you can tag games according to the box they are stored in.

Downloadable?

This software is certainly helpful for the serious game collector. If you have hundreds of games, a scanner will certain be a time saver, especially if you acquire many games at a time (and have a lot to archive). The cost for the hardware won’t be nearly as justified when you have only a shelf or two of games.

Collectorz offers enough database information to give you a reason to browse your collection and enough customizable fields to add the information - box, shelf or other custom organization – to help you get truly organized. It even has a section for loaning so you can essentially become a library to your friends and not forget who has which game.

The portability interface is most helpful for those who plan to finish collection or simply cannot recall all the games they own. Otherwise, most people can save the cost of the Game Collector iPhone app (comic collectors getting Comic Collector, however, will find the iPhone/iPod Touch app be supremely useful).

If you are a collector, own seemingly countless of games and like to keep organized, Game Collector is a no-brainer investment. Likewise, anyone who loans out a lot games will benefit from the software’s library style recording system.

Check Gamertell later this week for a review of the Intelliscanner laser scanner used in this review and Collectorz Game Collector for iPhone and iPod Touch.

Site [Game Collector] Photo Gallery [Gamertell: Game Collector on iPhone/iPod Touch] Photo Gallery [Gamertell: Game Collector Pro]

Full Story » | Written by PJ Hruschak 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]

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Title:Zombie Apocalypse
Price:  800 Microsoft Points ($10 US)
System: Xbox Live Arcade,
Release Date: September 26, 2009
Publisher: Konami
ESRB Rating: Mature for Blood, Gore, Violence
Pros: Throwback to arcade style shoot ‘em ups, fun selection of weapons and special types of zombies, multiplayer is a blast
Cons: Only a few maps to play on, action becomes repetitive, single player becomes tough to slog through
Overall Score: One thumb up, one thumb sideways, 75/100; C, *** 1/2 out of five.

If Smash TV and Left 4 Dead had a baby, Zombie Apocalypse would surely be the blister-inducing result.

The control scheme and general lay of the land will be instantly familiar to anyone raised on arcade classics like Robotron. Nihilistic Software’s effort is an unabashed love letter to those older games with some of the new twists on the zombie genre cribbed from Valve’s smash hit. 

The nod to Left 4 Dead comes from the integration of special zombie types such as the “Puker,” whose constant stream of vomit slips and slows down your character, and the “Big Boy.” While you can wriggle your way from the grasp of most zombies by wagging the left analog stick, the construction garb clad Big Boy’s grip is instant death.

MMMM, Brains

The zombie types get crazier from there. Later, you’ll face psycho prom queen with Aliens-style critters bursting from their chest and zombies that tote shotguns. Your weapons will include shotguns, flamethrowers and Molotov cocktails (also a staple weapon in Left 4 Dead.)  And I don’t really need to tell you that one of your staple weapons is a chainsaw, do I? The chainsaw will kill a zombie with one attack and increases your score multiplier, but the drawback is you can easily be chomped on from behind while you’re swinging it about. Environmental hazards you can toss zombies into including airplane engines and car crushers.

There are also survivors to save for huge point bonuses and the right to earn “Zombie Bait,”  which is a talking a teddy bear stuffed with “love and C4.”  Perhaps as more homage to the arcade shooters of yore, he has only a few phrases and you’ll quickly tire of them. But those games did have their flaws and it’s OK to correct a few of them along the way, even while paying tribute.

The game really is at its spew-inducing best when you and three friends fire it up and try to make it all the way to Level 55. There are only a handful of maps, though, and you’ll see them loop over and over through your adventure. There are other ways the game ramps up the difficulty, including a blackout mode that only allows you to see the heroes’ immediate field of vision and irradiated zombies that are more lethal to fight. By the time you reach day 55, you’ll have seen everything multiple times.

Even so, only the heartiest of the hearty may make it that far. You can continue levels after your death, with the only real penalty being unable to appear on the game’s leader boards.

Smoke ‘Em If Ya Got ‘Em

The four heroes you’ll use to to slay the mass of infected freaks get repetitive also. The collection of zombies is fun and unique and I wish the same amount of care had been taken to make the four heroes you can select more different as well. Each character has a cute little bio snippet that could have been used to expand on their characters although I realize that for this type of game it’s a little much to expect any kind of full-fledged story.

Still, there were interesting bits of stuff thrown in and it would have been nice to see them - dare I say - fleshed out in some way. More important is that the four characters, even the obligatory female, all play exactly alike. You can’t use the style of game as an excuse here as even ancient arcade side-scrollers such as Final Fight mastered the simple concept of “bigger guy hits harder, skinny guy moves faster.”

All-in-all, this little-arcade-shooter-that-could delivers enough fun, particularly as a multiplayer game, to warrant its 800 Microsoft Point purchase price.

If you’re the kind of zombie fan who can already quote all the rules for killing the undead laid out in the new flick Zombieland, this one likely warrants some space on your Xbox 360’s hard drive.

Site [Zombie Apocalypse]

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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]

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Title: LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias
Price: 1,000 Wii Points (US$10)
System: Wii
Release Date: October 19, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Frontier Developments Ltd. (Frontier Developments Ltd.)
ESRB Rating: “E” for mild fantasy violence
Pros: Gorgeous visuals, unique environmental puzzles, excellent use of Wii controls and a cute (and somewhat touching) story.
Cons: Too short and too easy.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up; 94/100; A; **** out of 5

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

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

The Wind Beneath My Toku

The game continues the adventure of the young boy Toku initiated in last year’s LostWinds. You don’t play entirely as Toku, however; you’re also Enril, a wind spirit charged with helping and protecting Toku. The two characters are effectively split across the two Wii input devices: move Toku directly with the Nunchuck, and flick the WiiMote as Enril to lift Toku, slow his descents, fend off enemies and manipulate the environment to his advantage. It’s a wonderful control scheme that pulls you right into the game…you feel like you’re part of the world of Mistralis, not just guiding people through it.

The story of Winter of the Melodias is light but effective. Toku’s mother, Magdi, has gone missing. Setting off to find her, Toku learns she has been cursed by a mysterious enemy who has applied the same curse to the people of Melodia City. Their kingdom has been plunged into an eternal winter and it’s up to Toku and Enril to lift the curse in time to save Toku’s mother.

The story is told through journal entries and conversations with the various characters Toku encounters along the way. These written-word scenes are fairly brief, but were still quite touching, especially those between Toku and his ailing mother. Never sappy or heavy-handed, mind you, just honest. You want Toku to do well, here. These are people worth saving.

The Toku, My Friend, is Blowin’ in the Wind

Toku’s adventure takes him through some gorgeous environments, most of which he’ll visit numerous times, either to complete the game or simply to find all of the collectibles. Each screen is a puzzle of getting from point A to point B, which you must solve by flicking the WiiMote to create wind gusts to lift Toku over obstacles, tornadoes for higher lifts or to drill through dirt and rock and vortexes to trap and throw snowballs and rocks. Some are a simple matter of jumping to the right area, while others involve a complex combination of moving rocks onto levers, lighting torches to reach brush that must be burned away, and even changing the season to freeze rivers or thaw ice walls.

Along the way, you’ll also be fighting glorbs, which are exactly what they sound like: little masses of oil, more or less, that stick to you and drain your health. Your only defense is Enril, who can flick them away with wind gusts or burn them with torches. There is a variety of glorb incarnations—fire, ice, and even birds and crab-like creatures—that are more effectively dealt with when using the environment as opposed to just blowing them aside.

Toku’s Like the Wind Through the Trees

Of course, most of this was in the original LostWinds, so what’s changed? Well, first of all, nothing really needed to be improved. These are WiiWare games, after all, and are therefore quite short. Both entries can be complete in under five hours, so more of the same still wouldn’t be enough. But you do now get the ability to create the aforementioned tornados that are key to solving the game, as well as create storm clouds that can be used to move water from one location to another.

With these new capabilities come improved controls over the original. Although there will still be annoying moments where the gestures are unresponsive for no apparent reason, this happens far less often than in LostWinds.

The developers were also wise to add a map this time, making it much easier to find your way to your goals. The drawback to this is that it dramatically shortens the game, as you spend less time wandering around aimlessly. It’s also much less frustrating, however, so that’s a trade-off I’ll accept.

You Lived Your Life Like a Toku in the Wind

I can’t fault a $10 WiiWare game too much for being short but I will dock it a bit for being perhaps too simple. The puzzles are quite easy to figure out by just observing the screens for a bit although the developers did keep things fresh by starting the game out with a heavy reliance on heat and ending it with two-person puzzles as you guide the King of Melodia City back home. Also, there’s only one real boss battle of which to speak, although it’s certainly a good one. I did get stuck once or twice and I died once or twice, but was rarely challenged beyond that.

These complaints, however, didn’t in any way hamper my enthusiasm for the game. It’s a joy to play. The visuals are gorgeous and serenely animated, accented by some wonderful soundtrack music worthy of a CD release (I was reminded of Bruno Coulais wonderful score for Coraline throughout).

LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias offers a engaging trip into a wonderful little world that manages to be quite - I won’t say addictive - compelling. It’s light enough for casual or puzzle gamers but hard core gamers looking for a momentary diversion from the Metroid Trilogy or Dead Space Extraction won’t do much better.

I would say that I’d love to see what Frontier could do with a larger budget and a release for store shelves but I’m afraid that would pull them away from the simplistic charm and beauty of LostWinds and that’s not something I want to risk losing.

Site [ LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias]

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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]

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Title:Ion-Assult Football Genius: The Ultimate Quiz
Price: $10.00 (800 Microsoft points)
System(s): Xbox Live
Release Date: September 20, 2009
Publisher (Developer): I-Imagine Interactive
ESRB Rating: "Everyone"
Pros: A fun trivia game, 6 different games, leaderboards, achievements, and online play.
Cons: You can't choose what games you want to play and it may get repetitive after a while.
Overall Score: Two Thumbs up, 96/100; A; * * * * 1/2 out of five.

Jump On the Field and Kick It Hard

Throw in the Hat Trick

GOAL!

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Title: The Big band Theory: The Complete Second Season (aka Big Bang Theory: Season 2)
Price: $44.98
Format: DVD
Release Date: September 15, 2009
Studio: Warner Bros.
Rating: Not Rated
Pros: Decent acting, complex scientific ideas are embedded in an approachable and funny way, breaks down several stereotypes and has fairly universal comedic appeal. Presented in widescreen.
Cons: A little weak on extra features. Not yet available on Blu-ray.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up; 95/100; A; * * * * 1/2 out of five.

The Big Bang Theory celebrates all that is geeky, a lot that is nerdy and delivers just enough underdog romance to keep even the unsuspecting viewer interested.

The series breaks down and twists the typical setup of an intellectually floundering, often overweight male paired with the seemingly out-of-reach, wise, sassy and super sexy female costar into an unsuspecting blend of science, a wide range of humor and a smattering of sweetness. It’s a formula that’s worked from the beginning of the series and has nicely improved throughout the second season.

Hail to the Geek

The series is a surprisingly fantastic celebration of all things geek, featuring four university scientists who come together to share potstickers and ponder various social conundrums. Two of the main characters, Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon (Jim Parsons), are roommates who live across from cute-waitress-waiting-to-become-an-actress Penny (Kaley Cuoco). There’s a nice slice of sexual tension between awkward yet down-to-Earth Leonard and Penny while the uber arrogant theoretical physics expert and UCLA professor, Sheldon, perpetually plops problems into their social lives.

Bringing in additional comic fodder is a buddy duo consisting living-with-mom frustrated horndog Howard (Simon Helberg) and Rajesh (Kunal Nayyar), a heavily accented Indian who would be the most socially smooth of the group except he needs to toss back a few drinks before he can even speak in the same room as a woman.

In the second season of Big Bang Theory, the cluster of super smarty geeks begins to show more heart than the previous season. We also get healthy dose of gaming references - nods to World of Warcraft, a Wii Sports Bowling night and even an entire episode dedicated to Age of Conan: Online - and plenty of charts.

Atomic Level Genius

The series certainly does not disappoint on any level. There is plenty of comedy created by the interplay of character, along with the continued romantic tensions and unsuspecting moments of sweetness involving Penny with each of her geeky neighbors.

It touches upon comic books, video games and even personal idiosyncrasies in a way that always feels fresh and, when it aims too high, makes certain to immediately bring things back down to a comprehensible, comedic level with completely pandering to crude humor (except when entirely inescapable). Stories typically focus on one pair of characters at a time yet always work the other characters to help keep pace and add bits of additional character development.

Because there is so much physics (and other sciences) in the show, the writers wisely defer to an expert (UCLA Prof. David Saltzberg) who also helps to pen many of the background diagrams. Some even make way into the show’s intros, offering unexpectedly comedic explanations for otherwise simplistic phenomena. How do you make friends? Perhaps a flow chart will help (or not). The writers even sneak in concepts from other sciences (especially Psychology) to help bring points back around from a seemingly distant idea.

The show seems to focus on Penny and Leonard’s relationship but, thanks to Parsons, Sheldon really comes through as this season’s strongest and most humorous character, developing a sense of “humor” and allowing Penny just enough wiggle room to bring down the pH of his often caustic personality. Likewise, Penny is subtly turning the corner from a socially normalized citizen to being able to pull out an appropriate Star Trek analogy when necessary.

A Few Extra Electrons

The DVD extras include a featurette which focuses on Saltzberg’s relationship with the show. In it he demonstrates a little of how he adds the charts to the set while and the series creators explain how his role is far more important that he might realize. When they come up with a comedic moment that involve science, they rely on Saltzberg to fill in some of the unknown variables (aka dialog) so that they are not only based in actual scientific theories but also add to the scene

There’s also a featurette that offers the usual montage and quote splices of castmembers’ favorite moments of the season, commenting on their characters and praising each other. Even so it offers a few insider comments that you might not find online.

Magnetic Personalities

Part of the show’s appeal is that it not only embraces geekdom, it also pokes fun at it much the same way as good friends teasing each other. Feelings might get momentarily bruised but the intention is always a love pat instead of the resulting awkward hand slap.

While I often joke that my wife enjoys the show because she relates to pretty Penny who must constantly deal with, yet somehow ends up loving, these seemingly unlikeable geeks, there is an element of truth to that.

Much like the expansion of the universe, the second season of The Big Bang Theory begins to so a more expansive look into these characters, offering more personality, more obsessive-compulsiveness and even more laughs from a broader area than before. This show is enjoyable for geeks, nerds and every supposedly normal person in between.

It’s time for you to embrace science.

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Title: Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
Price: $29.99 DS and PS2; $39.99 for PSP; $49.99 Wii; $59.99 PS3 and Xbox 360.
System(s): *DS, PSP (PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii)
Release Date: September 15, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Activision (n-Space)
ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+” for fantasy violence and mild language.
Pros: Fairly nice graphics, a nice range of attacks for each character, plenty of role-playing elements and a bit of button mashing, dungeon-crawling fun. Excellent use of the touchscreen.
Cons: A lot of technical glitches including object detection, stuck avatars and AI ignorance. Flipping, uncontrollable camera angles makes the in-game map more disorienting than useful.
Overall Score: Two thumbs sideways; 74/100; C; * * out of five.

The first Marvel Ultimate Alliance console game was a great combination of role-playing elements and dungeon crawling. The ability to mix and match Marvel characters help keep a potentially monotonous game interesting.

Capturing the same energy on the DS, however, is a rather tricky matter. The resolution drops the graphics down a significant amount and environments are a little more limited but, even if those aren’t an issue, glitches and poor camera or mapping (or both) can really drag down a game.

‘Nuff To Do

The game follows the same basic pattern of the console version. You get a bit of story and then a foursome of heroes are dropped into a level to cooperatively crawl through, defeating opponents, beating bosses and generally smashing crap.

Each hero has a basic attack and a serious of touchscreen-activated special attacks. Hulk, for example, has a few super smashes whereas Captain Marvel will toss his shield around the room, ricocheting off walls, opponents and destructible objects. There are some areas that require a combination of close and distant attacks.

The role-playing element is maintained pretty well, allowing you to either auto-upgrade playable character or to go in and divvy points and show a bit of favoritism to level up some heroes before others. Powerup absorption is automated in the team mode, so the hero who needs more health will get it first.

Semi Fantastic Foursomes

The game’s graphics are decent enough so that you can recognize each character. Certainly Hulk and Thing are more massive but the more subtle differences between female costumed characters, for example, are still unique enough to maintain each heroine’s identity. Powers are also unique enough to offer a nice variety with some favoring distant attacks, others like to keep things close (Wolverine) and a few offering a decent mix (Spider-man and Captain Marvel).

Despite how fun the game first seems, the annoyances quickly take over. The first is a two-pronged map and camera issue.

Being a DS game the maps are a bit more narrow and the camera will periodically reorient, making it hard to tell which direction you are facing on the in-game map. This becomes more irritating as areas increase in size and complexity as you progress through the game. You’ll spend a stupid amount of time backtracking just to get to the right intersection to spend a few minutes of trial-an-error movements to get to the next area.

Running back through identical looking areas for dozens of minutes at a time is simply tedious. Objects are also repeated to the point of silliness, with every car in an area being exactly the same with some being entirely destructible while, for no apparent reason, others simply explode into a twisted metal frame.

AI is usually decent enough to set your team in action and get through most areas. There isn’t the reactivity setting as there is in the console version so they’ll often act on their own, not attacking until attacked first (which means you’ll have to take few pot shots from unseen, off-screen opponents).

Of course, the AI is not infallible. Computer-controlled allies can also get stuck in weird spots or simply stand in one place, not coming to your aid when you’re being attacked by multiple laser-totin’ opponents. A few times there were some context-sensitive submissions that were either prematurely activated or incorrectly coded so that they appeared on the mission list but were impossible to get to (either because they were invisible or they were not supposed to be activated).

Finally, there are numerous object detection errors. Characters walk through walls or get stuck between a garbage can or on an indicator arrow or car until you flip to another character and the AI magically gets unsticks them all.

Nice Tights?

You can probably get through the game by button mashing but where is the fun in that? You’ll want to try every hero’s various attacks just to see them doing what they do best. And double tap that jump button (hint: not all heroes simply jump). The game pretty much forces you to use a semi-balanced team and the touchscreen controls for special attacks is easy to use and well executed. It’s rare that a DS game can take advantage of the touchscreen as well as this game has.

There is a fair amount of RPG and dungeon crawling fun to be had with this hero game but the technical glitches and other long-term annoyances keep it from being great. In other words, the short-term fun is certainly there while there isn’t much -long-term enjoyment.

As such, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 for DS just barely breaks average. Think twice at full price but get it as soon as it hits a discount bin.

Site [Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2]

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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]

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Title: Critter Crunch
Price: $6.99
System: PS3 (via PlaysStation Network)
Release Date: October 8, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Capybara Games (Capybara Games)
ESRB Rating: “Everyone”
Pros: Cheap price, steady learning curve, stunning graphics and unpredictable puzzle patterns.
Cons: The music isn’t as dynamic as the rest of the game, multiplayer not beginner friendly.
Overall Score: Two Thumbs Up; 95/100; A; **** 1/2 out of 5

Critter Crunch was one of the first iPhone-iPod Touch games that showed how those devices were capable of delivering a worthwhile gaming experience. Now it’s the PS3’s turn to give Critter Crunch’s addictive charms a whirl.

Critter Crunch was released exclusively on the PlayStation Network on October 8, 2009, for the reasonably low price of $6.99. It shares the same concept as its iPhone-iPod Touch counterpart but gets a considerable upgrade in the graphics department. Capybara Games hand drew all the animations in Critter Crunch and the result is nothing short of beautiful. Once you throw in multiplayer, Trophy support and leaderboards you’ve got a game that deserves to live on your hard drive.

Critter Crunch is a puzzle game at its core but that doesn’t stop it from trying to include a story to run alongside the gameplay. You control a chubby and jolly looking critter named Biggs who is the center of attention for a nature documentary. Quick, unvoiced cut scenes featuring the documentaries host are sprinkled in between levels and provide a mildly amusing take on Biggs’ exploits. However, you don’t come into Critter Crunch expecting a story. The jewel here is how the game works (which is very well).

Critter Crunch appears to be a simple match-three game but it’s slightly more complex than that.

The object of the game is to feed small creatures to larger creatures until they literally explode. If more than one creature of the same color happens to be near the exploding one, they will all explode. Exploding critters leave behind jewels that Biggs can consume for extra points. These points go on to fill the hunger meter on the left side of the screen. The level ends once the meter is full. The game wants you to chain combos together for three reasons: 1) You clear the level faster, 2) you bump up your rankings in the leaderboards and 3) you can vomit rainbows into your son’s named Smalls mouth for even more points and a good laugh.

Yes, vomiting rainbows into Smalls mouth is a huge part of maximizing points.You gain this ability by chaining together a chain of eight or more exploding critters. Racking up these combos isn’t necessary to clear the level, but it does give a considerable amount of bragging rights.

Critter Crunch is spread out across many areas with unique looks in each one. In many of these areas new types of critters are introduced. Once such creature is a bomb that clears everything caught in its blast radius. Another special critter type is made of rock. He cannot be fed or moved around by Biggs. Instead he must be dispatched by exploding critters above him (causing him to drop off his vine) or by using a power foods.

Power foods are earned by exploding random glowing critters. This causes them to drop food such as watermelons. Biggs can use the seeds from the watermelon to instantly pop any critter. Midway through the game all the critters, tricks and abilities you’ve learned are lumped together. The critters even start to descend down the vines more quickly that before, making fast thinking essential.

Multiplayer mode is split between cooperative and competitive modes. Cooperative mode tests how long you and a friend can last through the continuous onslaught of critters and competitive mode is a one on one puzzle fight to the death. It works similar to the Puzzle Fighter philosophy by giving you special powers to temporarily make things more difficult for your opponent. I’ve been on the receiving in of a stunning lightning bolt attack on more than a few occasions.

Even though multiplayer is fun, it’s near impossible to play it to your full potential without through most of the adventure mode. There are some unique critter types that can only be popped in specific ways and multiplayer isn’t the place to try and learn the trick.

Critter Crunch is an excellent edition to anyone’s PSN library. There’s no other game on the network with a hand drawn art style as gorgeous as this. New elements are introduced at a steady pace which stops things from ever getting too repetitive. If puzzler’s are your thing then Critter Crunch is a safe bet.

Site [Critter Crunch]

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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]

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Title: Ion Assault
Price: $8.00
System(s): Xbox Live
Release Date: September, 23, 2009
Publisher (Developer):Coreplay (Black Inc.)
ESRB Rating: Everyone +10 animated blood, fantasy violence
Pros: awesome music, fun game play, reminiscing of that old Asteroids computer game.
Cons: difficulty goes up too quickly, hard to figure out power ups.
Overall Score: One thumb up, on sideways; 89/100; B+; * * * 1/2 out of five.

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

Title: Cursed Mountain
Price: $49.99
System: Wii
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Deep Silver (Deep Silver)
ESRB Rating: “Mature” for blood, sexual themes, violence
Pros: Effectively creepy, unique settings with nice visuals, decent level flow, nice cut-scenes with good acting
Cons: Slowly paced, stiff and sometimes jumpy character animation, exceptionally linear, the scares wear off quickly
Overall Score: One thumb up, one thumb sideways; 80/100; B-; *** out of 5

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

I’m quite fond of both my brothers but, if either of them disappears on a mountain that’s haunted by dead monks who are all the time floating around and jumping out at me and opening their mouth too wide, I’m leaving my brothers up there.

I guess that Eric Simmons is a better man than I and why not? He’s a mountain climber, after all. He’s rugged. He has a cool accent. He ain’t afraid a’ no ghost. His brother Frank disappeared while climbing the Himalayan mountains to retrieve an ancient artifact at the request of, eh, I’ll let you discover all of that on your own. The story, which is revealed in partially animated cut scenes and journal entries you find along the way, is a bit sparse. There was nothing in the plot to keep me moving through this game, as I had absolutely no interest in learning the fate of Eric’s brother. But the game did hold my attention for other reasons.

There’s a Mountain

That’s important, because most of this game’s personality comes from the mountain. It’s oppressive in some ways but rewarding. As you stand at the bottom and look up at the peaks, you can’t help but feel like you’re not getting anywhere. But as you make your way up and look back down at the villages you’ve been through, you’ll know you’ve accomplished something. I’ve never played a game that allowed you to visually monitor your progress in this way and it’s quite cool.

You’ll have to develop this connection with the mountain because, quite often, that’s all there is. Much of Cursed Mountain is spent simply walking along paths, seeking the ending point for that level (hint; keep going up). The various villages add some personality, and you’ll occasionally run into living characters who will impart some wisdom, let you know what’s going on, or simply try to freak you out, but aside from that, it’s just you, the mountain, the weather, and the ghosts.

The Mountain is Cursed

Your brother did something pretty bad, you see. Without ruining any of the story, I’ll just say he had no respect for the mountain (they’ll hammer that notion home early and often), and that’s apparently a very bad thing. We’ve learned from games and movies that seeking ancient artifacts is often a poor decision—especially when you show that decidedly western lack of respect for the object you’re stealing—and here it released countless dark spirits who have driven away the villagers and who have no love for you and mountain climbing ways. They float around in the distance, they jump out from behind doors, they fade in and out of sight…anything to freak you out. Your only weapon against them is your pick axe. Up front, you’ll just be able to swing it at them. As you progress, it’s imbued with various magical weapons with which you can launch ranged attacks and do more signifcant damage.

For health, you’re given incense sticks which you light at shrines scattered across the mountain. Progress is saved automatically, which is both good and bad. Good, in that it happens often enough that you never have to trek to far back aftering dying. Bad, in that an autosave means something’s about to happen, and that kills the scare.

Your only other weapon is the “third eye,” which allows you to see into the spirit realm to discover items hidden to the real world. More importantly, it’s used for my favorite aspect of combat. After landing a few hits on a spirit, activating the third eye will unveil a red medallion on its chest. Click on this medallion, and a series of WiiMote and Nunchuck gestures will show up. Executing these gestures not only finishes off the enemy but also increases your health. It’s very cool, although often frustrating, as one gesture in particular (raising the WiiMote up or pushing it forward or doing whatever happens to work at the time) is wildly unreliable.

It is Still Cursed

Unfortunately, some development decisions prove to be your real obstacle to discovering your brother’s fate. First, although the game is generally quite attractive, certain sections are too washed out by the visual effects. The game is often hazy and dark, making it almost impossible to play in the daytime.

Second, there are long stretches were absolutely nothing is happening. At the beginning, this is fine, as you spend those moments anticipating scares. After a while, however, you’ll realize those scares aren’t coming and you’ll just get antsy.

Third, the scares don’t change. I was totally creeped out by Cursed Mountain for the first few levels, but then it becomes predictable, and that means it’s no longer scary. Still creepy (dig those arms reaching out from the rocks, the distant crying, and the way the screen tilts and fades to grayscale), but not scary.

And, finally, although there are a couple decent boss battles, most simply involve fighting more spirits than you normally face at a given time. I had a similar complaint with Deadly Creatures, in which there are two fantastic boss battles, and a bunch that were completely uninspired.

Did I Mention this Mountain is Cursed?

And actually, the comparison to Deadly Creatures carries beyond that. Both games are very unique in setting and story, but are hampered by execution that doesn’t quite deliver on a fantastic premise. Action comes in spurts, so if you’re not sucked into the game’s world, you’ll likely hit that wall about midway through and just bail on it. As I mentioned, I had little interest in Cursed Mountain’s contrived story (how many ghosts does a man have to kill before he starts to, you know, believe in ghosts?), but I shared Eric’s connection with that mountain, and was creeped out enough to stay involved in what was happening around me.

Cursed Mountain is a unique game that serves as a nice vacation from slaughtering countless Nazis and zombies. It’s easy to lose yourself amongst the mountain’s villages and cliffs, and the game will be ultimately satisfying if you let that happen. But if you demand more action or deeper stories from your adventure games, you’re better off staying closer to sea level.

Site [Cursed Mountain]

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Title: Spore Hero Original Videogame Score
Price: $8.99
Rating: Two Thumbs Up; 95/100; A; **** out of 5.
Pros: Identity of the soundtrack is introduced in the first track and sprinkled throughout the whole album in various forms. Length is just right.
Cons: Too few high-energy and up-tempo songs
Overall: Spore Hero Original Videogame Score is a superb collection of music. It features professionally crafted musical themes and sets a high bar that other videogame composers should aspire to reach.

Spore was one of the most ambitious video games in recent memory. Will Wright’s vision of a universe of different creatures inside a video game made Spore the most talked about PC game in the later half of 2008.

From the success of the original incarnation of Spore comes a sort of spin-off for the Wii called Spore Hero. Spore Hero leaves the concept of growth and evolution behind in favor of light quests suitable for the youngest of gamers. Backing up the gameplay to Spore Hero is an original score composed by Winifred Phillips who is also responsible for creating music for other games including SimAnimals, The Maw and God of War.

Phillips’ music has always done a wonderful job of matching the vibe of a game whether the character is walking carefree through lush fields of vegetation or dealing a decisive blow to the final boss. With a game such as Spore Hero and the audience it caters to, you would imagine the soundtrack would consist of quirky or blatantly jolly songs, but Spore Hero’s soundtrack totally outdoes those expectations. The entire soundtrack is orchestral in nature and drips of complexity and style. It’s entirely possible to view Spore Hero’s music as that of a feature animated film and not that of a video game.

In The Beginning

Spore Hero The Original Videogame Score was released on October 6, 2009, by Electronic Arts Music. It can be purchased as a digital album for $8.99 from Amazon. Unlike the soundtrack to SimAnimals which lasted for about 36 minutes, Spore Hero‘s collection of songs clocks in at a little longer one hour. There are a total of 18 tracks with most songs lasting for about 3 minutes on average. This is a very impressive length for a game comprised of relatively short quests such as Spore Hero. You can be pretty much guaranteed that you won’t hear the same old musical score every time you enter a new area.

Natural Selection

One of the most interesting things I noticed in this score is how its identity established in the main theme is carried throughout multiple songs. For example, 15 seconds into the first song a short piece of music is introduced that serves as a calling card for Spore Hero. (You can hear what I’m referring to by clicking on “Spore Hero Main Theme” in the Amazon music player below. About seven seconds into the sample you hear what I’m referring to as Spore Hero’s calling card.)

In later songs such as “Sporeward,” “Sporeable” and “Hero Theme,” variations of that signature sound are repeated to match the vibe of the song. This helps to glue together the varied musical stylings of the soundtrack. Sure there are songs like “Haven” that produce a feel good mood, but there are plenty of aggressive and brooding tracks such as “Monster Mayhem” that spring your eyes open just when you thought it was safe to drift away.

A couple songs on the album stood out over the rest. The first is “Spore War” which is the heaviest song on the soundtrack. It has a mixture of electronica, drums, guitar and choir voices that reminded me of God of War. If I could compare this song to anything I’d say it’s on par with a section from a rock opera. This is exactly the kind of song I would want to be playing in the background as a game is reaching its conclusion.

The other noteworthy song is “Sporexplore.” This track has a very tribal feel to it and fits in well with Spore’s basic philosophy of creating life and guiding it through unfamiliar territories. I admire the different percussion effects that surround the before mentioned Spore Hero calling card in the middle of the song. I was taken back to the time I listened to music from Donkey Kong Country while this song played (which is a huge compliment).

Evolution

If all music from video games were crafted such as this, the industry would be propelled to new heights of style and originality.

Spore Hero Original Videogame Score does a great job of asserting an identity and constantly reaffirming itself throughout the length of the soundtrack. Winifred Phillips and Spore Hero’s music producer Winnie Waldron are a couple of the industries best creative minds. I recommend this soundtrack to fans of gamers and music buffs alike. The quality is nothing short of superb.

Below are some samples from Spore Hero Original Videogame Score. Feel free to click through and hear for yourself why this soundtrack is worth purchasing.

Site [Winifred Phillips] Purchase [Amazon]

Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Product: PSPgo
Price: $249.99
Rating: Two thumbs sideways; 70/100; C-; * * out of five.
Pros: Gorgeous design, comfortable controls, convenience.
Cons: High price, no real improvements, 802.11b wireless for a download-only device is not fast enough.
Overall: Designed with a specific consumer in mind, not the average gamer.

Some of the reviews of Sony’s PSPgo may leave you with the impression that the system is actively killing puppies, ponies and everything nice in the world. The venom that pours from the words of some of these reviews bewilders me and yet, at the same time, I can sort of understand way someone might be so negative about the device.

At the asking price of $249, the PSPgo is a Siren of game devices, offering a lot of sexy style without a lot of substance. There’s no UMD backwards compatibility at this time, leaving anyone with a large collection out in the cold or having to be re-charged admission.

There’s no second analog stick, which is something we have been asking Sony for a long time to include. Finally, Sony is asking consumers to give up physical retail shopping for the convenience of only using the Playstation Store at retail prices

It’s very clear that the PSPgo is aimed at a certain type of consumer and I just so happen to be one of those consumers. I don’t have a UMD collection to speak of, I dislike the UMD format and I’m attracted to new, shiny gadgets.

Design

Opening the box of the PSPgo almost feels like unboxing a cell phone especially since the device is much smaller than the previous PSPs and is about the size of an iPod Touch. You flip open the top and there the device is, looking back at you in all it’s $249 glory. Truth be told, love it or loath it, the PSPgo is one sexy piece of hardware and you definitely get that feeling the first time you set eyes on it.

I went with the piano black model which, like the original Playstation 3 and iPhone, is super shiny and heavily prone to finger prints. In only a couple days my fingers have subdued the plastic sheen and trying to wipe them away has proven futile.

Sliding the screen upward reveals the device’s controls. It is a smooth glide and securely locks in place. To enable such motion, the buttons have all been recessed into the device but they all still feel comfortable and responsive without having to mash them down.

The single analog stick has been moved from the awkward corner of the PSP-3000 to the just right of the D-pad, which makes more ergonomic sense. Despite the stick being smaller, I never felt that my thumb was going to slide off during hours of play. I prefer it since the PSP-3000’s analog stick cramped my thumb up whereas the PSPgo doesn’t. 

The L and R, volume and display buttons have been moved to the top of the back of the device, which is initially a bit awkward to control. These buttons are recessed as well, making it somewhat difficult to press. However, after training my fingers to find them, it became an easier feat. The Home button remains up front for easy access.

The PSPgo’s smaller form also shrinks the screen down to 3.8 inches (roughly iPod Touch territory) from the PSP-3000’s 4.3 inches. The PSP bezel could’ve been left out to give more screen real estate but whatever Sony. The combination of the downgrade in screen size and retaining the 480x272 screen resolution actually makes things look better on the PSPgo than the PSP-3000, especially since Sony fixed the ghosting issues. 

Features

The removal of the UMD drive and the missing removable battery is what really allows the PSPgo to have a similar size of an iPod Touch, though I would have preferred some bulk if I could change the battery, especially on long trips. The current battery inside the Go has given me roughly 4 and a half hours of battery life before the green power light started blinking. This is in line with the PSP-3000’s battery life, which features a removable battery. The PSPgo’s battery also takes a little longer than an hour to fully charge which you will discover when you try to install your first firmware upgrade out of the box (it requires a fully charged battery).

Also missing is a stronger wireless signal. The PSPgo still features a 802.11b wireless, which is the same as the PSP-3000’s. To put that into perspective, your iPod Touch has a wireless-G, which can download media much faster. For a digital download-only device at this price to feature what is pretty much a dinosaur of a wireless radio is mind-boggling. Even the knock offs include wireless-G.

Further putting this issue into perspective is trying to download a 836MB game onto the PSPgo. Total time: 60-120 minutes. That’s an hour to two hours that you can’t use your device.

Luckily, Sony offers a few solutions to this problem. The PSPgo comes packed in with Media Go software, which is Windows compatible (no Mac support). From there, you can download what you want to your PC and copy it over to your PSPgo. You can likewise do this from your PS3 if you own one. You can also theoretically tether your PSPgo to your cell phone thanks to the addition of Bluetooth.

Speaking of Bluetooth, the PSPgo has new feature that allows PS3 owners the opportunity to sync controllers up with the handheld device. This comes in handy when playing for a longer period of time or simply when the device is hooked up to the television. The process takes about a minute but because this takes away the sync to the PS3. I suggest using a back up controller.

As for hooking up your PSPgo to the television, you remember all those fancy cords and accessories the PSP-3000 offered? Those are now useless (thanks Sony) since the PSPgo used proprietary cables. There’s no backwards compatibility with accessories either. That’s a real shot in the foot for potential upgraders. In fact, Sony has made things more complicated by increasing the number of cables to charge your PSPgo from the two it took to charge the PSP-3000 to three. Lose a part and you are screwed.

Bottom Line

The PSP Go is clearly a device that was never intended to replace the PSP-3000 but instead offers consumers another option – UMDs or digital distribution. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has listened to Sony speak in the last three years, they are big proponents of the digital distribution model and my hat’s off to them for making the ballsy move to be the first to offer such a device for mainstream gaming. However the execution was badly flawed, even if it is gorgeous, and that can’t be ignored.

It’s not so much that it takes the benefits of shopping for physical media out of the equation (I picked up Prinny for $10 bucks on PSN as opposed to $40 at GameStop), it’s offering a device with no real change in functionality for a much higher price that is a bit ludicrous even if you can justify the extra hundred dollars for 16GBs of memory – the iPod Touch is $299 for 32GBs in comparison.

If nothing else, Sony did at least get the PSP word of mouth spreading if the 300 percent increase in sales says anything.

If you already own a PSP-3000, I highly suggest sticking with that. If you are really thinking about purchasing a PSPgo, then I implore you to actively seek out discounts such as the one Dell was offering because $249 is a bit hard to swallow. Well, at least you get a pre-loaded demo of Patapon 2 and a voucher for Rock Band Unplugged. That’s worth something, right?

Site [SonyStyle] Read [Joystiq] Also Read [Gamertell] Photo Gallery [Gamertell: PSPgo]

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

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]]> Reviews, Originals, Features, Opinions, Handhelds, PSP, Gear, Hardware, Updates, Playstation-Store 2009-10-09T15:21:15+00:00