Gamertell

Title: Dead Space Downfall
Release Date: October 28, 2008
Company: Anchor Bay
Rating: Not Rated
Length 74 minutes
Pros: Strong story as a prequel. Great character development. Monster, environment and perspective animation is spot-on
Cons: Voice acting didn’t work as well as it could have, character animation has inconsistent quality, tiresome pace
Overall Score: Two thumbs sideways, 74/100, C, ** out of five

Dead Space, EA’s new survival horror game (PS3, box 360, PC/Win), already has a film adaption titled Dead Space: Downfall. It’s an adequate yet irritating sci-fi/horror cartoon that acts as a prequel to the beautiful and horrifying game…

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Everyone who enjoyed the quirky yet phenomenal Wii action-puzzler-party title Boom Blox should rejoice - a sequel has just been confirmed. 1Up is reporting on the news, as well as the announcement that EA will be closing down it’s little-known Blueprint division (which was supposedly working on the integration of small development teams across the company). Apparently, the company isn’t even really “closing” anything, as everyone has literally left the department. Bizarre.

However, let’s take heart in the good news - Boom Blox 2! I played the ever-living crap out of that game this summer, and I still think it belongs in the top three games for the system. Needless to say, I’m excited for it. Now, let’s hope that the controls are tweaked a bit to be a bit less twitchy. Oh, and that there are oodles of levels and game types to get lost in.

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• Free Spore Patch 3 adds 24 limbs
• Gamertell Review: Dead Space Downfall on DVD, Blu-ray
• Expand your Spore creatures’ appearance options with Spore Creepy & Cute Parts Pack

In celebration of the release of the Creepy & Cute Parts Pack expansion for Spore, EA has thrown players 24 new exoskeleton limbs to toy with.

The patch containing the new parts can be downloaded via the EA Download Manager and from EA’s web site. The patch is available for both PC and Mac.

Click through for a full list of the fixes and limbs…

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If you pass by the PC section while visiting your local game store this weekend, you may see a new addition to the Spore family sitting on the shelf. The $19.99 Spore Creepy & Cute Parts Pack is now available in stores and ready to make your Spore or Spore Creature Creator creations even cuter or creepier.

The Spore Creepy & Cute Parts Pack does contain some nice extras. For example, there are exactly 108 new creation options - 60 new creepy and cute parts that can be added onto a creature to make them more endearing or terrifying and 48 new paint options so you have more control over the shades and color schemes for your characters. The expansion also comes with 24 extra animations, so your characters will be able to move in new ways. None of these extras are “essential,“ but if you’re starting to get tired of the game, it might help rejuvenate your interest…

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Wii Fit has officially started a trend. Coming off of the mammoth sales of Nintendo’s fitness game (and a little gem called Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum) is EA’s announcement that it’s developing a fitness title called EA Sports Active. The game will reportedly offer players a real workout - as it was developed in collaboration with Oprah approved exercise physiologist Bob Greene, and focuses on simple, effective exercise techniques. It’s set to launch worldwide (exclusively on Wii, duh) next spring.

It’s aimed squarely at women (of course, the target weight-loss demographic), and is slated to kick off a new line of AE products intended to promote fitness and performance. I approve heartily.

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I was just opening up a newspaper in my old hometown of Providence, Rhode Island, this weekend and what did I see? A feature on women employed in the videogame industry. Since this happens to be a topic I have an invested interest in, I devoured it whole.

It has the hallmarks of many articles written about the generally male-skewed industry…

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Title: Littlest Pet Shop
Price: $39.99
System(s): Wii (also available on the DS and PC)
Release Date: October 14, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Electronic Arts (Electronic Arts)
ESRB Rating: “Everyone”
Pros: A pretty good variety of pets, very simple controls for kids, kids can dress the characters up with lots of accessories and when you play a game, you actually play it with the selected pet.
Cons: Overly structured in the beginning, you can’t choose which pets you want - you must unlock them in order and some of the animals really aren’t that cute.
Overall Score: One thumb up, one sideways; 80/100; B-; *** out of 5

EA Casual and Hasbro have teamed up to blanket the video game market with a series of Littlest Pet Shop games based on the series of toys which have infatuated young children around the US. The Wii version of Littlest Pet Shop certainly wouldn’t be in my top 10 list of most wanted holiday games, but the target audience will likely express the same love for the game as they do for the toys.

Littlest Pet Shop is clearly geared towards the grade school set. In fact, anyone over the age of 10 may find themselves incredibly frustrated by the title’s simplicity and overprotective tutorials, not to mention the character art. Kids will likely adore it though, as the entire game is almost like the series’ toys brought to life…

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Title: Poker for Dummies
Price: $19.99
System(s): PC
Release Date: October 14, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Electronic Arts (Electronic Arts)
ESRB Rating: “Teen” for simulated gambling
Pros: Informative, the odds calculator in the Practice section is handy and the quiz after each instruction section helps you remember information.
Cons: No multiplayer, only three kinds of poker (Texas Hold’em, Omaha and 7 Card Stud) and more informative than fun.
Overall Score: Two thumbs sideways, 73/100, C, ** out of 5

Poker for Dummies disappointed me. Not because of what it is, because it is an informative training tool which did teach me to play Texas Hold’em and Omaha. I’m disappointed with the game because of what it isn’t.

As it is, Poker for Dummies feels like half of a title. It has a respectable amount of games (Texas Hold’em, Omaha and 7 Card Stud) and does a wonderful job of providing detailed instructions and ample practice in actually playing the games. But, I found myself wanting more. I wanted to play against other, real players and I wanted perhaps a few other variations of poker to be included…

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Title: Brain Training for Dummies
Price: $19.99
System(s): PC
Release Date: October 21, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Electronic Arts (Electronic Arts)
ESRB Rating: “Everyone”
Pros: Educational, 15 different exercises, can chart progress, informative and easy to navigate and play.
Cons: Not much fun and you have to read directions for some games.
Overall Score: Two thumbs sideways, 70/100, C-, ** out of 5

EA’s latest line of somewhat-casual games in the For Dummies series are designed to be educational, informative, lighthearted and most importantly fun. The only thing is, Brain Training for Dummies doesn’t quite hit all the points. It is a handy title, and has well designed exercises with simple controls to help build certain skills in players, but it isn’t really fun.

That doesn’t mean its bad. It just may not be for everyone. People accustomed to Nintendo’s Brain Age line may not be as crazy about Brain Training for Dummies because it doesn’t have the same zeal and appeal when it comes to the title’s presentation and tests…

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It was a big deal back when a Barack Obama presidential campaign ad appeared in Burnout Paradise back in the beginning of October, 2008. Now, expect even more coverage - the Obama campaign has purchased ad space in 18 different video games.

The first Obama ad appearance was in Burnout Paradise, but now ads for the Democrat candidate are also appearing in Guitar Hero 3, Madden 09, Nascar 09, NBA Live 08, Need for Speed: Carbon, Need for Speed: ProStreet, NHL 09 and Skate. The majority of the games which have Obama ads appearing in them are EA titles…

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