Fractal Matter

Platform: Playstation 2
Publisher: Square Enix
Price: $19.99

Review by Ken McFarlane

In 1997 Square Soft (Now Square Enix) released an RPG videogame under the title of Final Fantasy VII, today it’s reached cult popularity and Square knows it and recently started milking the franchise for all it’s worth, creating The Compilation of Final Fantasy VII consisting of four video games and two films.

Dirge of Cerberus is set a year after Final Fantasy: Advent Children the film sequel to FFVII. This time the story focuses on Vincent Valentine (a hidden character from the original game) and his origins, involvement in the Shinra Corporation and its secret organisation, Deep Ground. This game takes a leave from the RPG trend in the Final Fantasy series and opts for a third-person shooter genre instead.

Dirge of Cerberus keeps up with the quality of Final Fantasy’s narrative abilities creating a compelling story to which the player will most likely start wanting more of but it does take a while to get into the story, especially for none-FFVII fans. The story opens with a beautifully animated sequence of Vincent and Yuffie (another hidden character from the original) saving people from an industrial building. Vincent double checks the building for anyone left, finding a scientist slumped over controls he steps forward, unfortunately as he does debris falls; he turns away and the scientist is gone. When the game starts a few years after the events of the night in the industrial building, the town in which Vincent is residing is attacked by a small army, thus beginning Vincent’s tale. Spanning over 12 chapters of game play the story will answer such questions of how Vincent came to be the way he is, and his history within the Shinra corporation and what the deal is with the Deep Ground organisation.

Final Fantasy VII characters such as Cloud Strife and Co. appear but only as cameos and this serves it very well as this is a game centred around Vincent and not a party of people saving the world. Unfortunately there are some pacing issues - at time levels will go quickly whilst certain ones will drag on longer than they need to be, but near the climax of the story these problems disappear.

Square seems to have gone for a third-person view as this makes sense with Vincent’s weapon being a gun, when running around using the left analogue stick the player can have the crosshair appear in the centre of the screen by pressing the R1 button to start aiming, this doesn’t get in the way of the visuals as one would think when you first see the crosshair (it is rather large). Vincent has the ability to run, shoot, jump and use melee attacks consisting of punches and kicks as well as being able to transform into his limitbreaker form at anytime as long as he has a limitbreak item in stock.

One of the best features of Dirge is the customisable weapons, by collecting various equipment such as barrels, scopes and accessories the player can create many different guns for Vincent to use. Certain combinations will do different things such as the Fire Materia accessory giving additional damage and a slight explosion, this way of customisation works really well and slots in perfectly, giving it a slight more depth to the game. At times this game does become slightly lacking and seems like a rail shooter but these sequences can flash by quite quickly so that isn’t so bad. It also seems to take on slight characteristics of the Devil May Cry series as you can upgrade you weapons and get scores at the end of the level on how well you have done and this did seem reminiscent of the DMC games. The game it’s self isn’t particularly hard but at times you can get into a snag if you’re unsure how to act in certain scenarios such as mass enemies and boss battles.

It is clear that graphical qualities are one of Square’s strong points and here they make a graphically fluid PS2 game look like a next-gen game but the players really gets treated when witnessing the FMV cut scenes as they are on par with the FFVII movie Advent Children and it really is a feast for the eyes as so much detail can be seen showing great justice to Tetsuya Nomura’s character designs and the narrative. The sleek new wave designs of characters and vehicles coupled with the old designs of the locations and settings give an excellent mix of steampunk and futuristic. Of course original FFVII characters have their Advent Children designs to keep continuity but new characters really show off Nomura’s flare for character design.

Overall this game works really well as both a stand-alone game and as part of a compilation, you also don’t have to be a fan of FFVII to enjoy this game either, this game has been thought out which is always good considering it’s a spin-off game which often have the tendency of a low budget or poor planning. Whilst there are slight problems with story pacing and level design this is by no means a bad game, there are quick loading times so you’re not left in suspense for the next part of action/story, the graphics are outstanding for a PS2 game and now being out for some time the price should be reasonable. This is really good game and shouldn’t be over looked by both fans of Final Fantasy games and shooting games, an excellent addition to the FF franchise.

Presentation: 8/10
This game encapsulates the feeling and world of Final Fantasy VII very well, whilst making characters who were minor in FFVII move into the foreground. With a great menu design that’s easy to use and load times make it very fluid to play.

Graphics: 9/10
Characters are extremely detailed and frame rates don’t falter, with awesome designs and fluid animation the only thing lacking is the stage designs as they seem a little basic in some places but you soon forget about it as you play more. FMV scenes are amazing though.

Sound: 7/10
There is some great music unfortunately it’s not very memorable; even now I can’t remember it. Voice acting is superbly done but as many fans may agree Vincent’s voice doesn’t quite settle at first as it sounds gruffer - it should have been softer. Younger Vincent does have the softer voice though.

Gameplay: 7/10
Good Camera and fun shooting action with good controls, the enemy AI is slightly poor as at time it can see a little too easy to progress through stages, but boss battles are really fun, one or two reminiscent of Metal Gear Solid 3.

Lasting Appeal: 7/10
A quick game a 14 hours and great lasting appeal with hard mode to play through and with bonus features to keep you busy after you’ve completed it. You can go back and try collect all items and get A ranks on all levels.

OVERALL: 7.5/10

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The summer heat has finally started to kick in for most of us. I know here in Ohio that it’s definitely started full swing, made apparent by the humidity I feel every time I step out of the apartment. So what better way to avoid the dangers of UV radiation, skin cancer, and sweat than staying indoors with a new game or three? Well, outside of the fact that summer isn’t known for its plethora of new and good games, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few decent titles to be found.

Xbox Live owners have a new game that just started up post E3, with the always-engaging Uno card game. Yet, for the rest of us, we have the Street Fighter Alpha Anthology for PS2, Gradius Collection for PSP, The Darkness for the Xbox 360, and the new DS Lite, the smaller and sexier successor to the original Nintendo DS. So swing down those blinds, lock the deadbolt, and shut yourself away for the month of June, as we peer into the future and see what type of gaming goodness it may hold.

Street Fighter Alpha Anthology for Sony Playstation 2: A couple years back we had the Street Fighter Anniversary Collection that put together the best version of both Street Fighter 2 and 3, but lacked the fan favorite Alpha series. Capcom is looking to rectify that with this release, priced at $29.99 (a good value in my opinion), and loaded with Alpha 1-3, including all the characters from the series, including a few new arrivals. There’s also a rumor of a few hidden game modes, such as a turbo Alpha 3 addition that can be unlocked. The Alpha series is incredibly fun to play, and very technical for a 2D Capcom fighter. There’s quite a tournament base that surrounds these titles, and fans of the fighting genre are sure to fall in love with this collection. Here’s hoping we can get the Darkstalkers Collection next, as that was recently released in Japan. I’ll definitely be picking this title up myself, and I highly suggest that if you enjoy Capcom’s 2D fighters, you do the same.

Gradius Collection for Sony Playstation Portable: This thing is actually packed with 5 different versions of the fan favorite side scrolling shooter. Not only do we get 1-4, but we also get Gradius Gaiden. I’m almost positive that everyone at one time or another has played a Gradius title. If so, chances are you probably had fun with it, up until about the third level or so, and then managed to get frustrated enough not to play it ever again. Granted, some side scrolling shooters can take a bit of finesse to pull of, but Gradius can sometimes be the cheapest of the cheap. It’s the challenge that I love though, and the fact that I can play thru multiple versions of it on the PSP is pretty enticing. The PSP screen is also well built for a side scrolling shooter, and I’m really looking forward to checking this one out. It’s also built quite well for the portable market, being the type of game that you can pick up and play for about 10 minutes or so, and have no problem putting it back down once your bus or train arrives at its destination. If you’ve been looking for a fun time killer on the PSP, this is it.

The Darkness for Xbox 360: Remember the comic The Darkness, by Marc Silvestri, put out by Top Cow? Well, it might seem a bit late for a video game adaptation, but The Darkness is actually shaping up to be a pretty good title on the 360. Since the month of June is also pretty dry for Microsoft’s Next Gen console, it’ll probably be the only thing in June to entice 360 owners as well. Employing the same origin story of mafia guy Jackie Estacado from the comics, you command the power of the Darkness in an FPS shooter formula. Of course, you can wield some normal weapons as well (this is an FPS after all) but the fun will be in finding gruesome and terrifying ways to kill your opponents with the help of little impish minions and coils of dark energy. The game looks pretty damn beautiful, but it remains to be seen if the gameplay can hold up to the visual style. I’m still a bit on the fence about this one, but it’ll most likely warrant a rental at the very least.

Nintendo DS Lite: June finally sees the release date for this attractive piece of hardware. The DS Lite is the redesign of the popular Nintendo DS handheld system, and it’s an incredibly nice piece of equipment, well designed, with a nice addition to the backlight options on the screens. The actual size of the system is about the width of the bottom half of the current DS, while the screen size is the same. The initial release will only be an IPOD white, but will eventually be available in a few other colors, much like the current system. The screen itself has been modified with a much better backlight, so now you can actually play the system outside and in the sun without having to worry about that bothersome glare. Is the screen too bright on your eyes once you’re back inside? Don’t worry, because you’ve got 4 adjustable levels of brightness to choose from. I’ve seen this thing in action, and even if you own a current DS, you’ll want to upgrade to the Lite in no time. It’s easily my most wanted purchase for June, hands down.

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For All Platforms
Activision
$29.99

Oh wow, what a pile of junk this is.

I wanted to get that out of the way as soon as possible, because it’s the complete truth. X-Men: The Official Game is the video game tie-in for the X-Men 3 flick. This game serves as a prequel of sorts, and leads directly up to the events covered in the film. You’re able to play through as three characters, Wolverine, Iceman, and Nightcrawler. We are at least treated to the actual voices of the actors for these three characters, along with Patrick Stewart as Professor X, but that’s about where the buck stops.

As you begin the game, you’re thrust into a series of training levels to help familiarize yourself with each character. This seems to be a waste of time really, because while each character does perform differently in the game (Wolverine is a bit of a brawler, Nightcrawler uses his teleportation to perform quick attacks, Iceman flies on his traditional ice slide), the variety of moves allowed to each of them is incredibly limited. My best guess would be that this game was rushed quite a bit to meet the deadline for the film. That’s really the only thing that can explain the boring and repetitive combat, bland level design, and overall lack of quality that this title provides.

If you’re playing the game on the PS2, Xbox, or Gamecube, the game doesn’t look bad for the system’s abilities. I will warn you against purchasing this for the 360 however, because the $20 difference is nowhere near worth it (the three console versions are priced at $39.99, while the 360 is $59.99). While the graphical presentation isn’t bad at all, the game does have a fair share of glitches. Not so much slowdown, but random enemy pop up, and just an odd assortment of bugs can be found within. Once again, I’m pretty positive this is the result of rushing the product.

It’s a toss up between Nightcrawler’s levels and Iceman’s for the most enjoyable sections of the game. With Nightcrawler, you’ll be able to Bamf! around quite a bit, and you can really use his teleportation to your advantage on his levels (almost to the point of making things a bit too easy). With Iceman, the levels are designed almost like a shooter, where you’ll constantly be flying about on his ice slide, and blasting enemies with balls of ice and snow, deflecting shots with an ice shield, and so on. However, when I say most fun, I do mean most likely not to make you bang your head into a wall for buying this game. Just forget about Wolverine’s levels, there’s no fun to be had there.

The enemy AI doesn’t help to spruce things up either. They’re incredibly dull and easy to not only trick, but also predict. You’ll have no trouble in most of the stages, and even the bosses tend to be light on the challenge side of things.

I can’t really suggest this title to anyone; even the most hardcore X-Fan would do well by avoiding this one. The bit of prequel story provided is done in an incredibly bland and fairly ugly fashion, by using comic panels and poorly animated comic versions of the characters to bring the story to light. It’s not nearly worth the little amount of effort put into creating it.

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Nintendo DS
$34.99

New Super Mario Bros. marks the first time in a while that we have had a true sequel to a side scrolling Mario adventure. It’s been a long time coming, and we’ve had to suffer (or really, enjoy) a slew of ports to get there, but it’s definitely been worth the wait.

When you first start up NSMB, you’ll most likely be hit with a wave of nostalgia that will last throughout most of the game. A lot of the level design seems to be cribbed from SMB3 and Super Mario World. There is a 3D engine in place, and the characters are rendered beautifully by polygons instead of your average 2D sprite, but it’s hardly noticeable.

In fact, if I had to have a gripe about NSMB, it would be that there’s really a lot of old school in the game, and not quite enough, well, new school. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty to love here, and I can suggest to you, either as a new, casual, old, or hardcore gamer, that this title is absolutely worth picking up. I am suggesting, however, not to expect the second coming of Christ in digital form.

What NSMB does right is definitely in the gameplay. The level designs are all masterfully done, with jumps, enemy placement, secrets and more all placed just right. As you begin to move Mario across the screen you have that feeling that things are going just as they should be. That’s not to say the difficulty level has been toned down. Sure, you have the option of running thru each level, just as you did in previous Mario titles, but there’s a lot to be missed by doing that. In fact, a good portion of the game can’t be played without at least some kind of thorough play through. There are two whole levels to be found, 3 large coins to be unlocked in each level, and a few secret rooms scattered about.

NSMB doesn’t believe in tutorials, but then again, it really doesn’t need them. If you remember how some 8 bit and 16 bit titles were just games that you picked up and played, and after a short period of time figured out on your own, then you’ll be right at home here. There’s no flashing on screen arrows needed, you know what you need to do, and half the fun is finding out how to do it. Moreover the story is fairly non-existent, even compared to the recent Super Princess Peach title. There are some short cut scenes here and there, but the developers realize you’re most likely not playing this for a new story chapter in the life of the world’s most famous plumbing duo.

As I mentioned before, the level design is grand, but it all seems to suffer from a case of “Oh, this again?” You’ve probably played Super Mario Bros. 3, and most likely the SNES Super Mario World. If so, you’ll really end up recognizing a lot of the landscape and enemies that populate these worlds. There are a few enemy types added, but they don’t seem to mesh well with the others either, so maybe I shouldn’t complain too much about the lack of new things being introduced here.

Overall, New Super Mario Bros. is an excellent addition to the Nintendo DS library, and definitely worth picking up. If you’ve ever played a Mario game, and absolutely loved it, then you’ll find plenty to love here too.

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Publisher: Square Enix USA
Platform: Playstation 2
Price: $49.99

Once again, Square Enix and Disney have combined forces like some type of media Transformer to submit a unique and thoroughly enjoyable gaming experience. Kingdom Hearts 2 picks up immediately after the events of the GBA title, Chain of Memories, where we last saw Sora battle against the mysterious members of Organization XIII as he tried to retain the memories of his friends on his quest to find Riku, whom he was separated from in Part 1.

When Kingdom Hearts 2 begins, it’ll place you in the role of a new character, a boy named Roxas. This serves as an intro sequence to combat and controls, and sets up a pretty lengthy bit of story that eventually brings you back to Sora, Donald, Goofy and the rest of the Disney/Square cast. This intro/training sequence is the biggest drawback of the game, particularly when it comes to running some of the mundane jobs necessary to make the cash to advance the story. However, once you advance to the Sora section of the game, and past the main title screen, the real fun begins.

Like before, you’ll find yourself teamed up with both Goofy and Donald. Not much has changed when it comes to both of their roles, with Goofy providing a mix of offensive and defensive abilities, and Donald being your main magic guy, err, duck. Sora is able to gain a variety of special abilities to allow him to set up combos in both the air and land, and a variety of magical attacks. Combat is a bit streamlined this time around, and on the normal difficulty setting isn’t too taxing. Context sensitive attacks have been introduced, and act as something similar to the God of War boss battles. Sometimes, while in combat with a particular type of enemy or boss, the triangle button will pop up over the attack command, signaling that a special move is available. The time window for these attacks can be kind of short, so you’ll have to keep an eye out for them when they pop up. During boss battles these moves will become invaluable, especially at the later points of the game.

Also introduced this time around are the Drive Modes. By combining with Donald or Goofy, Sora can gain super powered attacks, speed, and jumps, and gains the ability to wield two keyblades at once. You’ll be able to customize the keyblades used, and there are a lot of keyblades to be found. Your Drive mode will last as long as the Drive meter does, so you’ll want to use it sparingly. Sora is also able to before special Limit moves, typically teaming up with a particular Disney character, such as Aladdin or Mulan, and during this time will be able to pull of some spectacular attacks, culminating in one giant special attack.

With all this going on, thankfully Square Enix heeded one of the major complaints about the first title: the camera. This time the camera controls are mapped to the right analog stick instead of the shoulder buttons, allowing you to look around on a vertical axis instead of just a horizontal axis like before.

In addition to this change, much of the aggravating platforming sections from the first game have also been removed. While it’s nice to not have to worry about falling from top of Hollow Bastion or Oogies Mansion, it also seems to make the levels a bit shorter and more linear in design. Those that are looking for a large free flowing world on each board will most likely be disappointed. This does make finding your next task in a world pretty simple, and the backtracking is virtually non-existent.

Last but not least, the Gummi Ship section has seen a massive overhaul. Instead of being an annoying, boring, and slow way to travel between worlds, the Gummi sections are incredibly vibrant and fun, resembling something similar to the Panzer Dragoon shooters. You’ll come across quite a few blueprint upgrades along the way, creating better versions of the Highwind and other ship models, and you’ll also gain “mini-ships” that serve as more weapons and defense for your main ship. Once you unlock a path, you’ll also be able to go back in and do additional stages, and you might even find yourself wanting to do so.

There are quite a few Disney worlds represented, ranging from Disney Castle, to Lion King’s Pride Lands, to the blue computer land of Tron. The voiceover work is top notch, outside of Aeris (who sounds incredibly bored and distant) and Cid (who sounds like a hick). Even when the original actor was unable to provide the actual voice, such as the case of Jack Sparrow, the voice over work is still pretty remarkable. The music in the game is a thing of beauty, particularly the opening CGI theme “Sanctuary”, which I found myself enjoying much, much more than the song “Simple and Clean” from the first Kingdom Hearts.

All in all, Kingdom Hearts 2 has definitely been worth the wait. The main game provides an overall playtime in the 30 hour range; however, trying to complete it at 100% could take quite a bit more time. I highly suggest picking this title up, as its one of the most fun action-RPG’s that I’ve played in quite some time.

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Publisher: Konami
Platform: Xbox 360
Price: $59.99

The original Rumble Roses debut on the PS2 was met with a quite a bit of criticism; oddly enough little of it dealt with the, ah, “mature theme” of the all female wrestlers. Instead, the lack of features outside of single and tag matches, and the fairly bland and uninteresting storyline were the biggest drawbacks to be had. The newest edition for the Xbox 360, Rumble Roses XX, fixes some of the problems of the first, but still manages to be a bit behind the times.

Developed by the guys and gals at Yuke, who are well known for their wrestling titles, the actual core game play is fairly solid. In fact, it’s one of the better wrestlers I’ve played in a year or so (sorry Smackdown vs. Raw, but you know it’s true). Granted, it can feel a bit, well, perverted at times, especially in the humiliation matches, so you might not want to play this around your mom or girlfriend.

Rumble Roses XX introduces a few new game play elements, such as tag battles. Three-way matches, fatal four-way, handicaps and humiliation match called a “Queens Match”. All these modes do tend to mix the game up quite a bit, and it should serve to keep your interest throughout the main mode. However, with these new additions comes the loss of the story mode. Whether this is a good thing or a bad depends on how you look at it. The original story mode was pretty laughable, so I actually don’t mind that it’s missing this time around.

When you begin, you’ll pick from 11 wrestlers, the same 11 that were present in the original title. It would have been nice for Yuke and Konami to introduce a few new females, or some unlockables outside of the new costumes or superstar versions of the existing characters. Once you’ve picked your girl, you’ll advance thru a map filled with stops that represent your matches. As you go along, you’ll build up your characters popularity with the end goal being participating, and winning, a title match.

All the character models are incredibly detailed, and I mean detailed. The costume designs are all crazy, but work within the context of the game. It does suffer a bit from the “glossy” look that a lot of next gen titles seem to possess, but it’s not overly distracting. The arenas are filled with spectators, and each have a style and feel of their own. The music and intro themes are a bit bland though, it would have been nice to see a bit more variety from wrestler to wrestler, and for each theme to fit the particular lady a bit better.

Rumble Roses looks pretty good, and should do considering that it’s a 360 title. If you can get past the ample bosoms, and enjoy the wrestling aspect of the game, you’ll most likely have a good time with this title. Just don’t expect too much out of it, or an invitation to come in for tea.

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Yet again, it looks like it’ll be a slow month for game releases. Granted, we’ve got E3 coming up, so we’ll be hearing about all sorts of new things, and a few new details on the upcoming and PS3 launches. For now though, we’ve got a few games that might strike your interest, and help to keep you occupied for at least another month. For the comic fans we’ve got X-Men: The Official Game headed to multiple platforms, and then we have the popular Monster Hunter series from Capcom making its debut on the PSP in the form of Monster Hunter Freedom, and possibly the most anticipated release of the month is coming to the Nintendo DS with New Super Mario Bros. So yeah, next month isn’t shaping up to be huge either, but hey, that’s a typical summer for games. So lets delve into these four upcoming releases, and see what they’re bringing to the table for May.

X-Men: The Official Game for PS2, Xbox, 360, PSP, GBA, DS, and Gamecube

Serving as the tie in to the X-Men 3 movie slated to release soon, X-Men: The Official Game servers as a slight precursor to the events of the film. In the game, you’ll take on the roles of Nightcrawler, Iceman, and Wolverine, as you make your way thru 28 missions, taking on the likes of Hydra, the Brotherhood, and a few surprise guests. Chris Claremont and Zak Penn write the story, so maybe we should expect a bit of long-winded dialogue. Thank goodness Storm isn’t a playable character, right? Anyhow, being a huge fan of the Legends action RPG’s, I’m not sure if I’ll enjoy the back to basics beat ‘em up style of The Official Game. The lack of playable characters (c’mon Activision, only three?) seems a bit light, unless they announce a few unlockables at some point. The 360 version is obviously shaping up to be the best looking of the bunch, but from the screenshots I’ve seen, its not looking much better than the port of King Kong did on the graphics side of things. I’m a bit hesitant to say it’ll be worth checking out, seeing as how its obviously a cash in type of deal for fans of the film, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be good. I’ll have to reserve a final judgment until I actually get my hands on the game.

Monster Hunter Freedom for Sony PSP

If you’ve not played a Monster Hunter game in the past, now’s your chance. This newest release for the PSP looks amazing, and sports near PS2 quality graphics on Sony’s handheld, something we’ve been promised since the release of the system but have rarely seen. Secondly, the amount of content in the game is incredible. You’re easily looking at something in the 100-hour range if you want to fully complete the game, and that’s quite a lot of information to pack into one of those tiny UMD discs. The basic idea of the game is that you start off as a nobody, no cash, no home, no real identity, and slowly make your way in the world as a famous Monster Hunter. Pretty basic idea, but still a lot of fun. This game also supports a few multiplayer quests as well, which gives it a bit of an MMO feeling, and its something I’m dying to try out. I highly suggest picking this up if you own a PSP, it’ll be one of the better releases for the system this year.

New Super Mario Bros. for Nintendo DS

New Super Mario Bros. marks the first side-scrolling Mario adventure in quite some time; actually all the way back to Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. Needless to say, Nintendo fanboys across the world are eagerly anticipating this release, and, I have to say, I can’t blame them at all. Not a lot of actual gameplay information has been released about the title, but, from the video and screenshots Nintendo has provided, it looks fantastic. The worlds look bright and colorful, and the enemies are all easily recognizable to anyone that’s played a Super Mario game before. There looks to be some insane power up items, such as one that makes Mario super huge, taking up the majority of the screen, and I’m sure there are a few other surprises to be found as well. This game bears checking out simply for nostalgic reasons, and from everything I’ve seen so far, this looks like the most fun you’ll end up having in May on any system. Definitely pick this one up!

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Coming off of a stellar month for games with March, April is actually shaping up to be pretty slow. There’s not a lot in the way of hot releases or quality titles that will be hitting the shelves, so I’m actually scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to this month’s selection of games. Gamecube owners will notice something rare on this list however, a console exclusive game in the form of Odama. PS2 and Xbox owners (and Teen Titan fans) get the brawler Teen Titans based on the recently ended cartoon, whilst Lara Croft fans get a return to form with the new Tomb Raider Legend for the Xbox 360. We’ll also get to see the newest game craze from Japan with Brain Age, a mental stimulator for the Nintendo DS. Like I said, not much, but considering your backlog for March, that’s probably a good thing. Let’s take a slightly closer look at these four titles, and see if any of them warrant your attention.

TEEN TITANS for PS2, Xbox – Personally, I had a hard time getting into the cartoon. As far as an “American Anime” the production values were pretty high, and it had some entertaining moments, but it didn’t hold my attention like Justice League Unlimited did. However, Titans did draw in the younger crowd, and that’s definitely who this game adaptation will appeal to. Titans allows you to pick from Robin, Beast Boy, Raven, Cyborg and Starfire, with all five characters appearing on screen at once. You can cycle between them with a flick of the D-Pad, or have a friend (or 3) join in for a bit of multiplayer mayhem. The game bears a resemblance to X-Men Legends, but without a lot of the depth and customization of the Marvel title. Titans does look like the perfect kids game though; bright, flashy, and easy to get into. The graphics could use a bit of polish, and the lack of clips from the show is a bit disheartening. We’ll see if Majesco can put a final coat of polish on the title before release, and see how it all shapes up.

Screenshots : 1 & 2

ODAMA for Nintendo Gamecube – What’s this you say? A new title only for Gamecube? And it’s not Twilight Princess? Yes, yes, I know, shock and awe, right? Odama looks to be a really unique title, labeled by Nintendo as a “Pinball Military Strategy” title. A what? Yeah, exactly. You’ll be controlling a large army, and through the use of the microphone (included with game) you’ll be able to issue tactical commands and to bring forth…a giant pinball. This pinball, the Odama, can cause havoc on the field, but improper use can work against you, as the Odama will knock out both opponent and friend. You’ll want to position your troops to avoid the pinball, while the Odama creates mayhem for the other side. Needless to say, the game is unique, and I’m anxious to see how well this is pulled off.

Screenshots : 1 & 2

TOMB RAIDER LEGEND for Xbox 360 – Lara Croft has fallen on hard, hard times. Two abysmal movies, a slew of horrible game sequels…she is truly one step away from video game hell. Legend looks to change all that around, however, with the introduction of a new character model, and a back to basics approach that will see Lara more focused on platforming and actual tomb raiding than before. With the success of games like Prince of Persia, I’d have to agree this is a wise decision, and I’m hoping it can be pulled off. A Next-Gen Lara Croft adventure should be full of grandeur and beauty, and from the early shots of the game, it’s shaping up to be just that. Let’s hope that the gameplay and controls can be pulled together in time for the release, and we might have an honest to god playable sequel on our hands.

Screenshots : 1 & 2

BRAIN AGE for Nintendo DS – Brain Age, an incredibly popular title in Japan, is finally making its way to US shores this month. Budget priced at $19.99, this “game” is set up to challenge your mind thru a series of exercises founded in math and reading challenges. Set up by a Touhoku University Professor, and utilizing the touch screen function of the DS, Brain Age should appeal to all you puzzle solvers out there, and might be a good tool for some of the more forgetful gamers as well. This game is designed to stimulate the brain, with the hope of improving thought and memory. I’m no fan of math myself, but I’ll even give this a try when it hits. I’ve seen your test scores buddy, you might want to do the same.

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Platform: Xbox 360
Published by: Electronic Arts
Price: $59.99

I’ll admit, it’s been quite some time since I’ve sat down and actually played through a console boxing game. Actually, the last time was probably way back on Super Punch Out. That game was fantastic, and thankfully Fight Night Round 3 is right up there with it.

Granted, the two games don’t have much in common, with Super Punch Out being a more arcade style experience, and Fight Night being much more technical based, but they both manage to pull off compelling gameplay that keeps you interested in a sport you might not know much about.

In preparation for Fight Night Round 3, I rented FN2 on the Xbox to familiarize myself with the unique control set up. By this time, I had seen a lot of the video and screenshots that made me decide that Fight Night Round 3 was a must buy for the 360, simply based on the massive graphics system that nearly brought the boxers to life inside my living room. FN2 was a solid enough game in and of itself, but it didn’t quite keep my interest peaked, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect with the latest installment.

Let me tell you, it didn’t disappoint.

I actually sat and played through the main game in about 3 days time. Now maybe that’s a red flag to some of you right there, that the main mode of the game took a mere three days to complete. I can understand that too, but seriously, I didn’t just put the controller down when I was done with the Career mode. In fact, you can carry your fighter onward for a bit if you so choose, it all depends on his age and how well he’s holding up. At a certain point it becomes difficult to keep his stats up and on par with your opponents, so it’ll become a wise decision to preserve a bit of his dignity and retire him. Up until that point though, you’ve got one hell of a journey to go through.

You’ll take your created boxer from lowly small time fights at the local gym all the way to a main event, Friday Night PPV showcase against boxers from around the world (and different time periods. Time-Boxer-Cop?) that sees you competing for a series of belts and trophies, and increasingly large amounts of cash. In between fights you’re given the option to train with three different trainers, two specializing in specific areas (Power, Speed) and one trainer that doesn’t give a boost to anything in particular, but won’t cost you a cent to use him. The mini-games involved with training are all pretty simple, and by the time you’re getting ready for the last few matches of your career, you’ll be pretty burned out on the process. It’d be nice to see a few more options thrown in for the next iteration of the game, just to keep things a bit fresher.

Along with trainers, you’ll also be able to spend your hard earned money on clothing packages, new gloves, mouth guards, tattoo’s, and a few other items. Clothing upgrades serve a purpose, as many will give you stat boosts to specific areas, going from 5 points up to 20. When it comes to the later matches, you’ll definitely want and need the best gear attached to your fighter, and you’ll want to customize that gear to your specific strengths.

Fight Night Round 3 looks incredibly beautiful, and is easily the best looking next-gen game to date (outside of Ghost Recon perhaps). The amount of detail devoted to the fighter models is amazing, and when it comes to fights against Holyfield and Ali, not a single detail has been missed. Each punch lands with bone crushing clarity, and when you land a particularly devastating hit, you can find yourself wincing a bit during the replay as a small stream of blood escapes the other fighters lips and his face inverts just a bit from the impact. The characters don’t seem to suffer from the same plasticity toy look of games like Perfect Dark Zero either. Say what you will about EA, but they did a pretty damn good job on the presentation here.

The controls are carried over exactly from Fight Night Round 2. You have the option to use both control sticks to manage your punching, blocking and movement. If you can’t quite get the hang of it, you can switch to a button-mashing scheme, however, you won’t be able to control the intensity of your punches in this manner. The only problem with offering these two control schemes comes from the online play. If you (like myself) enjoy using the control stick set up, you stand a good chance at getting pummeled by a button masher, simply because they’re able to pull off punches faster and more consistently than you are. It’d be nice to include a filter in the options to place you against a similar control scheme set up, so lets hope EA includes something like this next time.

FN3 boosts the infamous EA Trax music system, but the music here compared to say, Burnout Revenge, is fairly limited. You’ll grow tired of the small track selection quickly, but you’ll only encounter the majority of this music during the menu screens. When the fights begin, its all sound effects and crowd, and both are handled very well. When you land a punch, it actually sounds like canvas smacking skin, and the bone crunching effects are particularly brutal. The voiceover announcing is a bit poor however, mostly because it becomes incredibly repetitive match after match, and it doesn’t always follow the action on an accurate basis.

Overall, Fight Night Round 3 is a solid purchase for 360 owners. Even if you’re not a fan of the sport, it’s worth checking out, due to the unique control set up, the not so steep learning curve, and the fantastic online matches. I definitely suggest giving this title a try.

Screenshots: 1 & 2

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Platform: Nintendo DS
Published by: Nintendo
Price: $39.99

You can’t wait for the new Super Mario Bros. to hit the Nintendo DS, eh? Well, neither can I. Thankfully, now the wait won’t be quite as unbearable.

Super Princess Peach adopts the Mario platforming that we all know and love, taking on a look and feel that is very similar to Super Mario World on the SNES. This time out, instead of doing her best Kim Bauer impersonation, the Princess of all things Toadstool is tasked with rescuing her plumbers in arms, Mario and Luigi. The game is set across 8 worlds, with 6 stages a piece, full of Goombas, Koopa Troopers, Lakitu’s, Piranha Plants, and more Super Mario enemies than you can shake a, well, umbrella at.

Princess Peach is armed not only with a magical, talking umbrella, but the ability to use her emotions via the bottom touch screen to employ special attacks to overcome obstacles and puzzles found in each world. These puzzles never prove to be incredibly mind bending, so if you’re looking for something challenging in the realm of The Legend of Zelda or Prince of Persia, you’re going to be disappointed. What Princess Peach does well, however, is make an incredibly accessible game that can appeal to all ages and sexes, and for that you’ve got to applaud Nintendo. Anything that pulls in new gamers and interest is always a plus.

Each stage contains three toads that the Princess is tasked with finding. You can complete the stage without finding all three, and continue to move on through the level, however, if you truly want to beat the game, you’ll eventually need to track down all the missing Toads. Also, at the end of each level you’ll encounter a boss battle, with each fight making use of the Princess’ emotion powers in unique and interesting ways.

Along the way you’ll be able to use collected coins to purchase power ups, special abilities, puzzle pieces, mini games, and more. For the card-carrying members of the 100% club, Princess Peach does offer a lot to find, and even though the difficulty level is pretty low, the replay value manages to stay quite high.

The music in the game has a distinct sound all its own, with not much in the way of sampling from previous Mario titles. It still manages to be catchy (not quite on the level of the classic Mario Bros. theme) and never manages to get annoying, even with the Princess’ shrill voice popping up from time to time.

The game looks incredible, as far as 2D gaming goes. The colors are vibrant and varied, and match the pastel palette of the Princess nicely. The sprites are all large and detailed, and the game manages to be the best looking of all the Mario platformers to date. You’ll not find any stunning effects, or incredibly rendered CGI here, but Princess Peach does a great job of reminding people that a game doesn’t need all that flash and false substance to be incredibly fun and engaging.

If you’ve been pining for the days of old 2D platforms, Super Princess Peach will go a long way towards filling that void. I definitely suggest giving the title a chance, and feel free to punch anyone that says you’re playing a game for girls. If there’s one thing video games have taught us, it’s that punching solves everything.

Screenshots: 1 & 2

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