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Game Review: Game Party 3

sarge-ak47 — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:09:31 +0000

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19 hits! It reads...

Got no game…
I’ve always feared the day when I would come across a game that would be so terrible that its very existence would torment me. Maybe I am being a bit melodramatic but trust me when I say that Game Party 3 makes me very sad. You see a while back I wrote a good editorial piece about the Wii and how there are plenty of good games available for it. The main focus was to draw attention to stellar third party games and how they need our support if the Wii is to have a bright future. Game Party series makes it harder for any third party developer to actually make a decent game when publishers can see so much revenue created by this minimalist approach.

Yes I do sound pretty jaded and with good reason- I reviewed this title.

Gameplay
Do I really need to analyze the gameplay behind this title?
To be fair it has almost 19 games that all end up being some form of aiming with the IR, chucking your Wiimote, or waggling the Wiimote like a complete moron. Excitement is ever abundant in this title with such gems like skeeball, lawn darts, darts, puck bowling, shuffleboard, horseshoe toss, and a horrible game of shooting the hoops. Apparently there have been some unique additions such as bumper pool, croquet (no way), and whack a mole- aptly titled here as smack a troll.

Why did I even go and list these horrible renditions? Honestly I searched for some sort of silver lining in the gameplay department but to no avail. Besides the sheer variety of games there is nothing that is innovative or creative about the gameplay. The only thing the game can do well is have the IR sensor appear on screen as you navigate the main menu.

The games are broken down to six different categories: country club, lounge, rec room, sports zone, family fun, and backyard. Each category houses multiple games that take advantage of their respective theme.
Controls don’t perform as smoothly as they should and feel as if these games were designed before the Wii development kits ever arrived at Farsight studios. Try playing darts or any other title that requires precise motion and you will begin to hate your life.

What it boils down to are horrible games that are more fun in real life. Video games are supposed to make even the most mundane tasks seem fun and exciting but this game makes me want to call up my buddies to actually go to a backyard and toss some horseshoes and not in a good way. Maybe I can play a game of long darts and try and see if I can nail this game with something pointy. I just can’t talk about anything that works here in terms of gameplay. I have played free flash games that are more fun.

Amongst the utter mess of a game there is one thing I did like and that is how Game Party 3 has all the games from Game Party 1 and 2. What they forgot to do was to add something new to the old games (even a new control scheme would suffice) which truly stinks for the poor souls who bought the previous versions. But it is good to know that once you’ve played 3 you haven’t missed out on any of the previous games.

Lucky troll...

Graphics
The game has some decent menus and simple navigation that will deceive you . For a moment you tell yourself there would be no possibility that this would look like an N64 game upscaled to 480p. I’m sorry even N64 games like Banjo Kazooie look more fleshed out than this and that game is almost a decade old.

The characters look horrendous and have such horrible proportions to them that you wonder if the programming team had a crack at designing them. They look as stiff as they animate and it just gets worse from there. Seriously generic looking characters and some horrible environments that lack any style or inspiration litter the entire play experience. I don’t even know if they were going for a washed down cell shaded look because whatever they tried to achieve look to have failed.

Sound
The only thing this game has going for it is the fact that it actually has sound.
Music is forgettable and often times playing this title on mute may enhance the experience a tad bit.
Go play smack a troll and tell me you want to blast that in your home.

Replay
19 games that are accumulated from the previous two titles is the ONLY thing that might be considered a positive here. No online functionality and 1 to 4 player support means you have to crack this little gem out when the crowd is passed out from too much drinking. Pray your friends don’t remember anything about this game.
The fact remains that none of these game have received any visual or control upgrades which means you just paid too much for something that could have been bought for 3 bucks. I understand this is a budget title but you will still feel cheated.

What exactly makes this "Super" Hoop Shoot?

I played this title with my brother and he punched me in the arm and walked out of the room. He is my younger brother and I had to go buy him a game for sitting down and helping me review the multiplayer portion of Game Party 3. I don’t like buying games as a sign of apology.
The real challenge is having 4 sane people play this for over an hour.

Verdict.
This is a game designed to attack the poor parents who have no idea what to get for their family Wii.
This game preys on those poor souls who want some fun multiplayer game to enjoy with their friends and family but are not well adverse to gaming information you and I take for granted.

If you are ever around some loving parent and see them pick this up, do them a favor and warn them of the horrors that lie ahead. Please don’t play games like this on the Wii- not when games like Wii Sports, Mario Party, Deca Sports2, and countless other family friendly games exist. Do your research and avoid these crappy mini-games at budget prices.
I enjoyed absolutely nothing about this game and wonder why Warner Bros. Interactive even bothered continuing this sad legacy. The best thing about Game Party 3 is turning it off.

Gameplay      1/5
Graphics     0.5/5
Sound          0.5/5
Replay            1/5

Game Review: Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story

April Apoong — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:19:34 +0000

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Adam Sandler once sang in The Wedding Singer,”All I wanna do is grow old with you,” which for many, whether we intended to or not, happened in the case of Mario and friends . Till this day, we can still see small children getting introduced to the ever flourishing franchise.

Who are we talking about? We are talking about the short, confident, Italian plumber who wears a trade mark red hat and overalls. Throw in his taller, more socially awkward younger brother who sports an identical outfit only in green. Also in the mix would be the dragon like figure bent on kidnapping a certain princess of the mushroom Kingdom.

Now Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Princess Peach and many other familiar faces are back for another game. So what’s happening in the world of Mario now? There are so many examples that could be used to explain the whole situation but the most simple is one quote:

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

Like in WWII there was a common enemy that wanted to take over the world. As in the textbooks, two opposing forces will become one in order to overcome this greater evil. Whether they wanted to or not, they’re going to inadvertently work together.

Enemy: Fawful

Goal: Save the world so life can go back to normal.

Well at least they get the job done, unlike Aquaman

At the start of the game, we quickly debriefed about the situation of the Kingdom. It seems that the citizens have developed a sickness which occurs when the victim is exposed to a Mushroom called “Blob Shroom”. The victim inflates to a tremendous size and rolls around without control of what direction. With the situation getting dire and the cure not becoming apparent, a plan of action must be made in order to bring order and peace back.

So, a meeting is called, and in attendance is important figures like, Starlow a representative of the Star Sprites, Princess Peach and of course the Mario brothers. However, their meeting was cut short by non other than our favorite Villain King, Bowser, who ruins the meeting. Of course he’s not welcome in the meeting and is thus kicked out. Such a quick defeat for our friend Godzill…. Bowser.

Now with Fawful as the antagonist in this game he has two problems to deal with.

1. Mario and Luigi
2. Bowser

How does he deal with them? Well kill the head of the beast and the rest will fall? His kooky plan: Make Bowser eat everyone that could possibly put a fight against him. His assumption, the oaf can be defeated easily with him and his infinite knowledge. As in the traditional stories, the saying never give up, never surrender comes into play. That is exactly what we see because they need to find the cure and save the princess by kicking Fawful butt. Everyone is of course is safe in the belly of Bowser and so Mario and Luigi do their part by helping Bowser out from the inside when the going gets tough.

How does this story play out you ask? Well give it a try and see if it’s your cup of tea. For now, shall we get into the nitty gritty of this title? Hear, hear! That’s why we’re all here!

Gameplay
It can look nice and all that jazz but does it work well? Beauty and no brains can still equal to an enormous flop with the people. Being the bearer of news, this game has an excellent grasp of where it needs to be and how it should play out.

Burn baby burn

As you play the game you are given control over Bowser, Mario, and Luigi. Playing as either Bowser or the brothers really is an experience. The battle format remains the same as you enter into battle as one or the other party. It is all simply choosing the attacking and pressing the button at the exact moment to make the damage larger against opponents. For special attacks it varies from the different choices. Memorizing game where you must remember which barrel each brother is hiding within to have a greater damage. While some other attacks are more on controlling the character to catch certain items.

To help out in the heat of battle are badges, certain combination can really get you out of tough situations. The gauge meter for it depends on how well you perform an attack, the more excellent hits you get the gauge goes up. When the gauge is filled and when the time is right you can activate it and either receive more health, or more power with each hit. It all really depends on which badges you combine.

When playing are the brothers you control their actions with the A and B button. For example pressing both buttons simultaneously will make both brothers jump. Or pressing them one at a time will make one brother act first. As you get further into the game more actions such as going underground and gliding will be added to the list of actions available. The triggers at the top allow you to choose which action to use.

For most part though a lot of the game is played as our favorite baddie. All his actions like Mario and Luigi are on the X and Y buttons, changing his actions are controlled via the triggers. When playing as him there are few little perks that have been added.

Like mentioned earlier this game is about co-operation between the three. On several occasion Bowser will need help from the brothers whether he knows it or not. Having earned the ability to eat enemies which will be dealt with swiftly by the brothers.

This gives the "keep your enemies closer" quote a whole new meaning

Aside from switching fights from time to time between them. For Bowser there is a special Giant Battle mode, when playing there will be a few battles where you face the enemy as a giant. The controls are at its best really. Unlike the regular battles where you press buttons in correct time in order to have a greater attack. You are given the opportunity to have a more interactive battle. Throwing a punch would require sliding the stylus across the screen as quickly as possible. And my personal favorite breathing fire has you breathing into the mic. Although I did run into a few problems with the response with some of the touchscreen games which made it difficult for me.

The battle system explained, we can take a look at just how everything really does work in the game. Everything being a whole point A to point B, the whole story progresses with getting past certain obstacles of course. Getting past them is always a unique experience, aside from the typical boss battles there are many mini-games that will greet you along the way. For example to make Bowser boost up in order to further the story, as Mario and Luigi you must find a way to stimulate his muscle. The mini-game encounter is one that depends on you to hit the energy orbs into the muscle in correct order which also requires timing. At times though the sheer amount of mini-games really can leave a person weary. There were just too many of them for my own liking.

Graphics
What is there really to say? The graphics look great. At first glance you would assume that it’s the same ol’ thing. But second glances are well worth it as you see that the movements of the characters are smooth. The designs of the characters are well done and look superb really. My only problems with the graphics were during the giant battle mode, with the characters looking slightly pixilated. Aside from that there are really no big complaints about how it looks. I really loved the victory poses they struck every time they leveled up.

Sound
Don’t fix it if it ain’t broken. They most certainly didn’t do anything drastic to throw off long time followers of this game. Mario and Luigi are still speaking gibberish in the game although it is really entertaining to listen to them as other characters really tell us what the two are saying. Each character making their own specific sound to simulate them actually speaking as the speech bubble appears above them. Although I’m not really fond of Peaches voice in this one, something about it is unpleasant and annoying to my ears. Sound effects from jumping from one point to another, using the hammers and other actions still haven’t changed.

When it comes to the music itself in the game, you won’t mind listening to these tunes throughout. They don’t ever become boring; they become tunes that simply get stuck in your head. The music has also been carefully selected to fit the mood or the moment. Music was perfect in my ears.

Replay
In terms of going over and replaying the game again and again and again. There are many extra things that you could go back to try and find such as beans and scattered puzzle pieces. There’s even a challenge area which consists many of the challenges from earlier in the game. Although there are many things to go back for, at moments during the game you could turn back and look for these items and do these challenges. It never is too late to go back and find those items. There really isn’t much to go back for and one would only do so out of the sheer love of the story.

Verdict
This has got to be one of the best Mario games out there. The script is amazing and even I was surprised when a few giggles escaped from me when playing. Controls are easy to get hang off and despite being a new Mario game it takes a lot from the older games and improves upon it. Although there are a few minor problems and an awful lot of mini-games, it is something that can be overlooked because this game is just that great. With the gaming taking out a good 20+ hours of your time, Mario enthusiast will positively love his.

Gameplay   4.5 /5
Graphics      4.5/5
Sound               5/5
Replay         3.5/5

Battle of Giants: Dragons hits store shelves

sarge-ak47 — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:38:03 +0000

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Ubisoft’s Quebec studios created an original IP titled Battle of Giants, the series grew in popularity to spawn a sequel – Battle of Giants: Dragons which has hit store shelves For the Nintendo DS and DSi.

This unique game focuses on giant beasts (dragons in this game’s case) that you use and duel with other players. The 3D engine is quite impressive and the promise of a deep upgrade centric quest ensures that you’ll always be playing hard to get that extra power up to best your friends with.

Adding to the list is a cross promotional card game that takes the experience beyond the game.

Pretty cool stuff, now lets bring on Dragons vs. Dinosaurs

Game Review: Professor Layton and The Diabolical Box

sarge-ak47 — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:27:34 +0000

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Elementary my dear. After almost a year and then some we finally get another Layton game in our grubby little hands. It’s sort of funny as I mentioned in the preview that Japan is on its 4th title and the series is fairly popular there and here is hoping it catches steam in North America. The title is developed by Level 5 who have been handling this small franchise called DRAGON QUEST. The thing that strikes me about The Professor Layton series is how it can be called a true successor to old-school point and click adventure games. Almost every artistic scenery is littered with interactive madness, whether it’s coins that need to be uncovered, a scene to be analyzed or your traditional brain teaser that needs to be solved. Combine the fact that the game follows a very well told story which runs at a decent 12 hours with over 150 puzzles and you have a solid title that is a must buy for gamers of any age group but especially those nostalgic for the old school adventure games.

I've got two tickets to paradise..

Hint 1 – Gameplay I’m going to assume you have a vague idea of what the original title was all about, for the sake of not explaining the mechanics and minute details of the original so I’ll try and keep it more concise and short. The game hasn’t changed much from the original, actually it hasn’t changed any of the mechanics at all from the original. But that’s not really such a bad thing considering the original title was stellar. So for the sequel small refinements will suffice. The meat of the gameplay is the actual point and click story driven puzzle madness of an adventure. You’re taken to a couple of different locations where you uncover coins that you’ll use for hints (since the professor won’t give hints to freeloaders) and carefully follow an intriguing mystery that will have you mulling over countless brain teasers/puzzles. These puzzles are the real star of the show here, they’re genuine, intriguing, and just fascinating to solve. The control and navigation is simple and intuitive. You really feel like a detective at times when whipping out the stylus to solve a devious puzzle. I do like the trace paper option for those puzzles that require you to draw a fair amount; basically you can apply a tracing paper layer over the puzzle area and draw away or note down your thoughts. A nice touch that surely heightens the gameplay. It’s so refreshing to refer back to your working notes on some of the later more tough puzzles in the game. The game has you traversing some interesting places that range from an express train and its frequent stop overs to a quaint European village, a museum and even a castle. Each location has tons of areas to explore. Layton runs at a fairly brisk pace and things never seem to let up or get too intense, I must say it’s an enjoyable ride that will keep your brain active and sharp. Lastly the small inclusion of a “pet” you recieve early on in the game is a nice touch that by the adventure’s end becomes one of the longest running puzzles- no pun intended for those who know. Hint 2 – Graphics I love the look and feel of this title. There aren’t many titles that utilize such beautiful 2D art and have such wonderfully crafted locations. The art style is very reminiscent of European animation with a good dose of Japanese anime injected into it. The characters are drawn with so much personality and detail that it’s often hard not to just observe a location and its bystanders just because of how it all comes together. Just like the previous title, I was blown away by the quality of the animated (and fully voice acted) cartoon sequences thrown in to tell the tale. I wish there were more of these but I do realize the DS Cart has its limitations. Overall the presentation seems like it was given a good polish and shines the entire game. This is an adventure game with brain teasers so you cant expect a robust 3D engine to be running things, so having a talented 2D art team really suits this title and makes it one of those stylistically gorgeous DS titles. Hint 3 – Sound The fully voice acted bits are truly amazing to view and listen to on your DS, the voice acting is done well and makes you wish you wouldn’t have to read dialog boxes for the majority of the title. In terms of ambiant sound the game does its fair share with decent bits like ambiant train noises, sliding doors, etc. anyhing to compliment the tone of the game and create that special ambiance. The music for the puzzles remains almost the same chime tune. It’s definatly complimentary for those puzzles but can get on your nerves if your just hearing it and not playing the game. The other musical selections are fairly well done and have an almost french accordian feel to it, very appropriate and soothing.

Hint 4 - Replay This is the only area where the title might not fully deliver. That’s not to say the adventure is not satisfying nor is it not worth revisiting but essentially once you are done a puzzle and the solution is understood you can’t really have the same level of challenge doing it again can you? So despite the fact that there are a few puzzles with multiple answers, the game is certainly fun but once finished you aren’t going to run into any new reasons to replay it. Granted you could pull this title out after a few months and still be left guessing since you’ve long forgotten the solution but that’s the nature of almost every adventure/ brain teaser title. What you do get that will keep you hooked for a good few months is the DS puzzle of the week. Every week you can connect the game online and download to your Cart a brand new puzzle to solve. I adore this feature since some of the puzzles are quite challenging and will have you scratching your head. Granted you won’t have this feature for the entire year, but while it lasts its something to praise and enjoy. SO GO GET THIS ASAP – lest you want to miss out on this feature. Solution SO without typing too much I’ll summarize what we have. This is a definite buy to all you adventure nuts and brain teaser fans. If you are someone who is into mad casual games and prefers playing brain age or big brain academy let yourself graduate to this title and get a bit more entertainment out of your DS. It is a great ride and has tons of interesting teasers that once solved (without any outside help) give you that RARE sense of accomplishment. I did not feel a single minute was wasted during the 12 hour adventure, it was challenging and very satisfying. GO GET THIS. Gameplay 4.5 /5 Graphics 3.5 /5 Sound 3.5 /5 Replay 3 /5

Professor Layton Preview

sarge-ak47 — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 20:15:03 +0000

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ENTER THE MANSION

Layton, you’ve done it again.
Professor Layton is one of those unique titles that’s really hard to explain. The game isn’t just a puzzle/brain teaser compilation, it’s not entirely an old school adventure, nor is it a complete role playing game… its all of these combined into one of the most intriguing packages available on the DS and DSi. Developed by the fine folks at Level 5, who are responsible for some serious gems in gaming, the North American sequel should be on store shelves as we speak and it’s a title that’s not to be missed out on.

Now this was my first press preview, I arrived at The Charles Rundle Mansion, in downtown Toronto, a quaint little part with many old English styled houses. Walking by the front gate I was greeted by a big lazy cat that was perched up on the porch and watched me and my friend walk into the mansion. I must say Nintendo does know how to set the appropriate mood for each of their games, I felt almost as if I had stepped into the old country village (Saint Mystere) from the Professor Layton series. I was greeted by our Nintendo reps and sent coin hunting amongst the antique lower level. They actually hid gold chocolate coins in the furniture!! We found a couple around the picture frame and then proceeded to the dinning room where actual puzzles from the game were on display and we had to solve them. While trying to solve these large puzzles (mostly posted on to cardboard) we were told to have some refreshments should things get too difficult and ask the Professor for any hints we might need. ‘The Professor?’ I asked
‘Yes, he should be on his way down.’

Low and behold we saw a tall gentleman dressed as Layton himself. He actually had a pretty spot on British accent to boot. This was pretty cool.

The professor helped me and my buddy through a very trying puzzle that was akin to Sudoku- in a sense where we had to group and divide a gathering of trees by including one of each type in every grouping.
Tired by my buddy Roy’s lack of organization I parted to try out the real game itself. We were then taken to the living room where a copy of the game was running on a couple of DS and DSi. My play session was for about 40 minutes to an hour, in which I only managed to solve 5 puzzles and take in the opening of the game, I must say in that amount of time I was amazed at how appropriate the setting and mood was to try out this title. The game feels like a true homage to old school adventure titles but with tons of more interesting game play mechanics put in and connected to an intriguing main story line.

I gotta set my house the same way

Now I did play the original and was taken completely by its high presentation and creative story telling, not to mention how insanely cool some of these puzzles were. Fast forward a couple of years and we have the Sequel (Japan is on its 4th already!!).

The thing they kept in tack for the sequel among others is its high presentation and art direction. I just adored the hand drawn back drops that screamed old school adventure games. Combine that with some really flashy animations snippets and you have a DS title unlike any other. But its not all about the flash factor, this game is a serious step up and a natural pick for those who grew tired of brain age and other
“mind minigames”.

I’m always charmed by the accessibility DS games provide, it’s something that rarely lends itself to gimmicky controls or game play and with Layton and the Diabolical box it’s fairly evident. The controls and mechanics weren’t broken so there was no need to fix anything. All that was added was an original tale and some pretty hard puzzles.

For our preview we sat in and played the train ride section and with more than half a dozen puzzles we had our hands full with some unique challenges that bring forth the old charm of accomplishment! It’s hard these days playing games where the sheer challenge of it relies not on quick reaction and mastery of controls but actual thinking.

Me and my buddy Roy with the professor himself!..im on the left

A tremendous difference I noticed this time around was that the puzzles in the main adventure actually had something to do with the setting and people around it. In the previous title my main complaint was how some puzzles seemed highly irrelevant to the setting and quest at hand, a guy talking to me about a murder suddenly presented me a puzzle to do with tooth picks. This time around things make a ton of sense and thus never break any immersive experience you are having. For example in the train compartment Luke’s suitcase is on the bed and since you’re almost ready to depart you are left with the task to cram your suitcase with some items whilst not overlapping any item. A good improvement over the last title and with brain teasers that will leave you wanting more the main adventure promises more of the same good old game play

Believe me when I say it’s not frustrating nor is it boring, as if they know how and which puzzles to select things are kept on a steady learning curve. Things getting a little too hard? Well just like the original coins provide you with Professor Layton’s hints. You’ll rely solely on the Professor himself as you embark on an epic adventure.

Just how I want to get every game from now on... with chocolate coins

Oh and this time around it is quite an adventure, you see the professor’s mentor has been mysteriously murdered and the only clue is a ticket to an express train where you’ll find the true nature of the adventure. During the story you discover that the Elysian box has something to do with this murder and countless other problems and it’s up to you and the professor to solve this “Diabolical mystery”.

The title has about 150 puzzles and the story mode is said to stretch about 12 hours with the option to play some of the puzzles again and a couple of side mini games for good measure. Returning again is the awesome download puzzles of the week and from the last time I heard it will run for a good long while-I think it was 32 weeks but let me confirm that for the review. So far like the original my only reservations are the opening animations set such a high bar that later on you’re begging to see some more but all your ever treated to is some dialog boxes. The only other complaint I had was any sort of co-op style adventure that could be incorporated to the main quest, granted the title isn’t broke but we should see something more added besides the stellar story update but then again that’s me being very picky and otherwise this seems to be one amazing title!
The title is out now so watch for our review very very very soon!

WBIE announces Game Party 3 and Touch Master 3

sarge-ak47 — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:51:31 +0000

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Coming this fall Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment is bringing you a party game compilation for all you party game fans!!
Yes it’s a double dosage with Game Party 3 and Touch Master 3 for Wii and the later for the DS.
Game Party 3 for wii features 19 game modes, customizable characters and 16 player tournament brackets to boot. No word if the title will use the Wii motion plus.
Touch Master 3 features a co-op game play mechanic that will have you playing through 20 plus games. Both games have been rated E for Everyone.

Game Review: Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits

sarge-ak47 — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 16:21:19 +0000

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Encore once more…

You know what’s funny? I did a bit of digging around before I got down to writing my review and realized that the DS version of Guitar Hero has seen its third offering in about a years time. So you know it’s been selling relatively well to merit a sequel and since the Guitar Hero Brand is popular there is no stopping this juggernaut on any platform. Despite that it’s a bit too quick to be releasing so many sequels if you ask me.

With Activition’s third offering for the DS we dive into the basic same game with a different playlist and more broad approach to single player progression. Save for a few key setbacks this has become my favorite Guitar Hero title on the DS simply because of the aforementioned feature and playlist.
Now andPOP has reviewed the previous iterations so for a full understanding I will kindly ask you to refer to those in depth reviews to get a broader understanding of the game.
I find it funny that this game actually took physical form, it couldn’t be download only on the DS, but had they gone that way I wouldn’t be surprised since that’s the amount of content that’s packed within the cart. That’s not to say it’s not worth a pick up if you are a huge fan of the series on the DS but if you’ve played and owned the previous two versions than you’ve essentially played the third. Now if you don’t have any of the DS incantations then this is the version you have to pick up.

Game play
Developed by Vicarious Visions, the same fine people who blew our minds on the Gameboy advance with the stellar Tony Hawk conversions. These guys know and understand the DS and this is evident the moment you start the game. Essentially the true Guitar Hero feel and vibe is spot on and the presence has been scaled down and fit inside your DS screens.

The game play has remained the same tried and true formula of playing songs in different venues to open up more songs and more venues. The primary difference this time around is that this experience is made less linear. Now each venue has different songs categories that need to be played; these are Headline, Opening, and Fan request. Essentially you are free to check each venue and play either category in any order you want in order to progress to the next venue and their list of songs.

In a sense you can probably call this just an organizational method cheekily hid behind “a new game play” banner and you’d be almost right. I said almost because the third mode in each venue-fan request- has you playing through the songs with special conditions to satisfy. Sometimes you’ll have to hit a 100 note streak, other times you have to use no star power, and a couple more to make the repeated songs you’ll play seem a bit fresh. It gives the game a small boost since objective play was very rare on any of the consoles previous installments.
The title has the same game play options since its debut, save for the online component and playlist, you will feel like you’ve played this twice before (assuming you did buy the other two versions). I must say I did enjoy the guitar strumming on the DS and my hand didn’t cramp this outing, probably because it’s used to it by now. The pic stylus always makes me smile. The once unique control still suits the title and has not lost its charm.

um... the 80's called and want their style back.

Graphics
It wasn’t really broken so they need not to try and fix the visuals, but I wanted something of an upgrade.
It’s hard to demand upgraded visuals of a title that probably was developed in tandem with the other DS version and knowingly released a good few months later.
It’s sort of sad but none of the animations have changed and things still don’t sync up to what you are playing, not that it was ever their intention to do so but you lose the connection with the visuals knowing they’re just there and are not affected by your actions. For what it’s worth it has the Guitar Hero look and feel but still carries the late N64 era visuals that look half decent on the DS screen (go read our review on Guitar Hero: On tour for the DS). I’m sort of getting a bit bored with the ultra stylized look and feel of the Guitar Hero games and this game doesn’t help. Maybe it’s time for a visual overhaul and a fresh rocking look guys?

Sound
The most important part of the game is handled very well.
You won’t believe the sound quality on these 25 tracks (plus 2 bonus), not only do they sound crisp but they manage to avoid sounding like glorified cell phone ring tones. I never knew my DS could output such quality. Kudos to the developer! Personally I like the music selection the most in this version, with favs like the Strokes-Reptillia, Tenacious D-The metal, and Kaiser Cheifs- Ruby this is the best selection of different styles of music to ever make it into the DS version. That’s more or less a personal taste thing here. If you dig The Strokes, Modest Mouse, AFI, and Wolfmother then you’ll dig this game.
I won’t ruin the whole playlist for those few that are like myself and through game progression discover what made the cut, though if you’re not sure you’ll like the selection offered just check the rest online and make your decision.

Replay
The game is very short and you’ll realize the linear nature of the Guitar Hero games more on the hand held than any other platform. We all love and bought every Guitar Hero game on the consoles but it was the plastic guitars and multiplayer options that made the game worth. It was a party machine on the consoles and here it seems like an alternative to listening to your MP3 player. Granted the multiplayer options have been beefed up so as you can connect with any of the previous two games and have access to the combined playlists of the series (OVER 50 TUNES!!), but this is only if you have friends who decided to buy the DS version instead of the console offerings. You certainly will get a kick out of how fun the multiplayer option can be on the hand held, but even with the entire list of shared tunes you will find this isn’t the same as its console brethren. Adding to the replay factor is the fact you have either the lead guitar and rhythm or bass to play and a bit more replay can be squeezed out of each song.

What this game is at its core is an updated playlist with a couple of added features. If you must have anything and everything Guitar Hero this will satisfy your appetite! For all the others out there, this is getting a bit redundant and repetitive since the games launch. They could have done some really cool groundbreaking things such as streaming live selections online every week, or new download only challenges (Professor Layton, I’m looking at you) but they just opted for an updated playlist and new title.

If I were to get one version of the hand held series this would be it, but they have to do something more than just a playlist update the next round to keep my attention. As it stands it’s fading pretty fast.

Game Play 2.5 /5
Graphics    3 /5
Sound         4.5 /5
Replay      2 /5

Flipnote Studio Will Flip DSi Owners Into Animators

Josh Salem — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:37:58 +0000

Posted on andPOP:

Nintendo is giving us all a treat.

Flipnote Studio, a free download application for the DSi is currently available (again, for free) from the Nintendo DSi Shop. This application gives users the ability to create quick simple animations, or highly detailed cartoons in a similar fashion to old school notepad flipping.

Utilizing a set of simple (yet extremely useful) tools anyone, and I mean anyone, can create an animation of their own with ease. Amateur animators can then register on Hatena’s website, upload their animations, and even download other users animations and then edit them to their own taste. Flipnote animations may also be shared through the DSi’s local wireless feature as well as saved onto a SD card.

I had a chance to try out Flipnote at Nintendo’s E3 of the North and let me tell you, even with zero artistic ability and little interest in making a cartoon when I could be playing the new Super Mario Brothers Wii, I still had a blast with Flipnote and couldn’t put it down for a good 20 minutes while I finished my animation depicting a worm sliding across the screen.

Flipnote. For the DSi. Available now. Free.

Where The Wild Things Are (Answer: Wii, Xbox 360, PS3 & DS)

David Barmak — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 02:00:33 +0000

Posted on andPOP:

Fans of the 1963 Maurice Sednak classic children’s book are in for a treat this fall. Warner Bros. has just announced a Where the Wild Things Are video game to coincide with the feature film release. The movie adaptation is directed by Spike Jonze and releases on October 16, 2009. Expect the game to launch sometime around then.

In the video game, players assume the role of the rambunctious young Max and can explore the island of the Wild Things, journey across its dangerous terrain, overcome hazardous obstacles and battle fierce creatures. “Through their action-filled adventure, players will team-up with the Wild Things – each with their own unique skills or special talents – learn valuable new abilities and work together to find a way to safety, ” said Samantha Ryan, senior vice president, Production and Development, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

Where the Wild Things Are is being developed for the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 by Amaze Entertainment, a Foundation 9 studio, and for Nintendo DS by WayForward.

Might and Magic clashes it’s way back into our hearts

Josh Salem — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:36:33 +0000

Posted on andPOP:

Yep, that’s right Might and Magic are back yet again, but this time in portable DS goodness. While I’m still unsure on the mechanics of this Might and Magic title (strategy puzzler?) you cannot deny the awesomeness the trailer provides for a portable taste of fantasy brand goodness.

While Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes is only coming out this fall, we have a nice little trailer to keep us excited until the actual release date. Developed by Toronto independent Capybara Studios, the Might and Magic brand continues to live on, on a much smaller scale. To see this trailer, continue on will this article.

Mega Man Star Force 3 Hits Store Shelves On Nintendo DS

Josh Salem — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:34:54 +0000

Posted on andPOP:

Two versions of the upcoming Mega Man Star Force 3 title are coming to North America this week. Black Ace and Red Joker, this two-game setup allows friends to share unique items and powers through Nintendo’s Wi-Fi connectivity in order to enhance their individual characters.

Rated E for everyone by the ESRB and going for around $30, this latest installment of the Mega Man title offers everything fans of the blue bomber have come to enjoy in a new story with new weapons, bad guys and features.

Yep, that’s right, Mega Man, Rock Man, The Blue Bomber, Capcom’s golden egg… Whatever you want to call him, after years of fun and entertainment everyone’s favourite cyborg is still going strong in the portable realm. Taking the Pokemon connectivity route (not being able to get everything unless you have a friend with the corresponding title), Capcom hopes to not only increase their sales records through this new title, but also increase friendship connectivity wirelessly through Black Ace and Red Joker.

Gamer’s Mind Blog: E3 of the North, a peek at Nintendo’s upcoming titles

Josh Salem — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:00:46 +0000

Posted on andPOP:

There are three things I love about this job: being able to talk about gaming all the time, getting a chance to play alot of the newest titles and write about them, and special events. Now, these special events…well, they’re very special. They could be as big as going to E3 (maybe next year?) or as small as a demo station in a hotel lobby. Either way, it’s a break from the ordinary and it can lead to very unique experiences (such as playing NHL 10 with Patrick Kane and John Tavares likes we did earlier in the week).

Recently we were invited to another special event, the E3 of the North as they called it. We got a chance to not only sit down with Matt Ryan of Nintendo Canada (along with other members of the Nintendo family) but we also got an opportunity to try out some of the biggest titles that were revealed at this year’s E3!

Lets start with the DS titles.

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box was available, and while I only had a chance to play two puzzles (and complete them successfully might I add) I felt that this was very similar in puzzle solving and style to the first title, which by all means isn’t a bad thing. Who wouldn’t want more puzzles to play on the bus or on their couch? And hey, if you finish all the puzzles quickly, you can always download more as Nintendo will be providing more puzzles for free as the weeks go on!

You mess with me, you mess with my Phantom... and my choo-choo

I was also fortunate enough to try a demo of the upcoming Zelda title, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. This demo, while only sporting three scenarios to play with, showed me a number of things. First off, this Zelda takes place 100 years after The Phantom Hour Glass (the last DS title). One interesting new feature in Spirit Tracks is the ability to use the Phantom (a bady guy from the last DS title) as a partner to help Link get through the game, by drawing a path for your phantom to follow, you can use him to help you fight against new monsters, or protect you from the elements such as fire. As well I had the opportunity to play against a giant bug boss in which you utilize a new wind weapon to blow poisonous gas away from the bug’s rear (yes, we may all chuckle) to expose it’s weak spot. I found Spirit Tracks to be a beautifully animated title, which no doubt expands on the last Zelda game with everything you loved in the first one, brought up to a whole new level.

DSi ware was also on hand as players had a chance to try out Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again, the third in this series, what’s new about this title is that as of now at least, you cannot actually purchase it in stores. Minis March Again is a downloadable only game for the DSi from any wi-fi hotspot and loaded straight onto your DSi. By solving puzzles and figuring out how to proceed to the next level, players can create their own levels and put them online for others to see and play as well! Also in the DSi ware I had a chance to experience Flipnote studio, an application that allows gamers with an artistic flare to create short cartoons complete with artistic features in a flip book style creating one frame at a time. Now while I have zero artistic capability, I saw some previous examples of what was made, and with a little time and skill you would be amazed at the amount of detail this DSi unit can provide for animation!

Now moving onto the Wii, while I had the chance to try Wii Fit Plus, Wii Sports Resort, AND Super Mario Brothers Wii, I missed out on actually playing the Wii Sports Resort, which, with the Motion Sensor Plus, looked like a blast giving 1:1 movement for every swing and waggle of the Wii controller. In Wii Fit Plus I was able to cross off one of my things to do before I die because, yes that’s right, I got to fly across an ocean as a giant chicken! No, there isn’t any metaphor there, one of the Fit Plus games has you flapping your arms and leaning to fly and land on specific targets with the final goal of landing on a boat before the time runs out. While I was skeptical regarding how flapping my arms on the Wii Balance Board would work, it actually did as every flap of my own arms was registered into the game and even flapping backwards to slow my speed worked! Now, while I landed near centre of every target and was told I did a great job, I later saw a toddler who couldn’t have been older than 6 years of age shatter my North of E3 chicken flying record with ease… my how the mighty have fallen.

Sure it looks cool... but where's the giant chicken?

Super Mario Brothers. A name so famous, if you asked 100 people I would wager at least 75% of them knew of the Super Mario Brothers, and as such, Nintnedo has found yet another way for us gamers to enjoy their company. This time however, Nintendo has found a way to mix the old with the new. In what seems to me to be a mix of the recent DS New Super Mario Brothers title and the Wii Capabilities, Super Mario Brothers Wii is a 2D side scrolling title very so much like the original Mario games of the NES days with new bad guys (as well as old favourites), new powerups (as well as old favourites), and new motion controls (shake the wii-mote to make your character do a spin jump). This New mario title however, has something no past Mario title has before though… are you ready for it? wait for it… here it comes, FOUR PLAYER CO-OP! and not in the sense that four players can wait and take turns playing like past Mario games, but that four players can play together AT THE SAME TIME! Now, this leads to very new and exciting dynamics in the game as players can work together to progress through the title, or compete with one another to get the most points by jumping on each other, throwing each other, or with the help of everyone’s rideable dinosaur, eat each other via Yoshi tounge! Playing with Matt from Nintendo, his associate, and Jennifer from andPOP we got right into the four player chaos holding the Wii-mote on it’s side like an old school NES Nintendo controller, we soon found out that this was as far from old school as possible as Mario, Luigi, Blue Toad, and Yellow Toad starting running around in a chaotic motion trying to outplay each other and survive to make it to the end of the level. 20 minutes flew by before we relized it and one thing was certain, this game was fun for everyone… and addictive as I didn’t want to stop playing any time soon. As each level ends, players tally up their scores to see who played best for bragging rights as well as to target that player in the next level as a threat to your all time high score. By far in my opinion Super Mario Wii was the highlight of this event and I can’t wait for some good old four player chaos on my couch with some competitive buddies.

So there you have it, the inner workings of a gaming sneak preview. Full of all the whimsy and magic gamers expected from closed door gaming events, I would be lying if I said it wasn’t a blast to be there, but hey, it’s only a preview and before we all know it, these games will be hitting retail shelves across North America!

100 Million Nintendos

Carys Mills — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 09:54:55 +0000

Posted on andPOP:

Nintendo shipped its 100 millionth portable DS system on March 9.

The 100 million sales include Nintento DS, DS Lite and DSi systems. All sales have been since late 2004 when the product launched.

“Consumers have shown their love for Nintendo DS – 100 million times over,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “We are grateful that people of all ages continue to respond to our products, and we will continue to look for ways to please current gamers and create new ones.”

Over the last five years the product has evolved. The Nintendo DS Lite offered a slimmer look than the original. The Nintendo DSi will be available in North America on April 5. The product, already available in Japan, includes two cameras and will allow for the recording and playing of soundfiles.

At the end of December 2008 there were 83 DS titles to choose from, with over one million shipped, some titles topping 10 million.

Ultimate Band Developer Call

andPOP Staff — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:52:58 +0000

Posted on andPOP:

andPOP sat in on a developer’s call with Tim Huntsman (senior producer) and Mark Thompson (art director) from developer Fall Line Studios regarding the soon to launch Ultimate Band for the Wii and DS.

Ultimate Band is a peripheral free “Guitar-Hero” like game that uses the Wii Remote and Nunchuck for gameplay.

Below is the audio from the developer’s call we sat in on(approx 40 min).

Here’s some of the questions we submitted for the call:

- What does ultimate band offer that no other music game does?

- Where has the influence for the artistic style of the game come from?

- What gameplay modes are there?

(of course the first question asked came from andPOP)

Enjoy!

Ultimate Band Song List for Wii and DS Released

Daniel Levine — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:15:55 +0000

Posted on andPOP:

Ultimate Band, a Guitar Hero like – minus the peripherals – game for the Wii will be released November 25th. Instead of guitars and drums, gamers will use the Wii Remote and Nunchuck in an “air band” style gameplay.

One of the best thing about this release? Possibly the price-tag.MSRP is $29.99 for Nintendo DS and $49.99 for Wii.

Just released is a song list for both the Wii and DS versions of the game.

Wii Song List
· Girls Not Grey
· Complicated
· Hanging on the Telephone
· Song 2
· I Want You To Want Me
· All Right Now
· Anna Molly
· Club Foot
· Won’t Go Home Without You
· Dashboard
· Helena
· Get the Party Started
· Crushcrushcrush
· Just
· Stumble and Fall
· When Did Your Heart Go Missing?
· In Too Deep
· Unconditional
· Somebody Told Me
· Always Where I Need to Be
· Debaser
· Fell in Love With a Girl
· Break on Through
· Beverly Hills
· Move Along
· Rock Lobster
· First Date
· Whip It
· Take Over the Break is Over
· Hold On
· Our Time Now
· Just What I Needed
· All Day and All of the Night
· Steady As She Goes
· My Generation

DS Song List
· Move Along
· Rock Lobster
· First Date
· Whip It
· Take Over the Break is Over
· Hold On
· Our Time Now
· Just What I Needed
· All Day and All of the Night
· Steady As She Goes
· My Generation
· All Star
· Call Me
· Jenny Was a Friend of Mine
· 9 in the Afternoon

Review: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

Josh Salem — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 22:55:27 +0000

Posted on andPOP:

In a year of shooters focusing on guts, gore, and guns, I find myself looking through my video game library time after time for a light, fun adventure game to play. Luckily, Nintendo gave me a portable game to play when I don’t feel like venting my rage with murder, and what a game it was! The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, released in early October, is Link’s first adventure on the Nintendo DS. Nintendo definitely put a lot of thought and planning into this outstanding title before releasing it.

Taking place after The Wind Waker, Link begins on a ship with Tetra and her pirate crew only to be confronted by a ghost ship that takes her away and leaves you washed up on an island with many questions. A random fairy finds you and brings you to its elderly grandfather and the quest begins. A monster has sealed up the fairies and the Ocean King’s power and is causing havoc all over the ocean and its inhabited islands. You must go find the fairies, release the king’s power, defeat the evil and save your friend. All in a day’s work for a hero such as Link, right? This time, however, you must travel from island to island with your new friend, Linebeck, and his ship.

The majority of the game takes place exploring the islands in the four quarters of the sea and completing dungeons and puzzles, but a good portion also takes place on the ocean digging up treasure and fighting battles. An interesting twist in this title is that in order to find the sea charts and make your way to more distant new islands, you must keep re-entering the Ocean King’s temple and progress deeper and further using the new items you acquire throughout the game while limited to the amount of time left in your Phantom Hourglass (you obtain more time by defeating bosses). It’s an interesting concept, repeating the same dungeon time after time but exploring more of it each time you defeat a boss. Throughout the game, the only thing I found missing was the lack of jars, wallet upgrades and the single aspect of the game that disappointed me most was the fact that the only thing really needed to buy in stores was a shield at the beginning of the game. Otherwise all of your favorites return in this true Zelda title, from fairies to cuckoos, this title will make you remember why you fell in love with Link and his crew all those years ago.

The Phantom Hourglass’s graphics are by far the best I have ever seen on the Nintendo DS, as long as you can deal with the game’s cartoon cell shaded look first introduced in Wind Waker for the Nintendo Gamecube. Everything in the game (save the map and menus) are in 100% 3D and look stunning. The use of vivid colours (or dull grays depending on the situation) works perfectly in this light hearted adventure title. The design of islands and dungeons within the game are well laid out as one would expect from a Zelda game. Each dungeon is varied greatly, ensuring that the game does not get stale. From smoky explosions to witty cut scenes, the graphics hold their own in Phantom Hourglass.

From “HYAAs” to “BOOMs”, Phantom keeps true to its predecessors with all the sounds that make Zelda memorable. This includes Zelda-style Triforce music, effects for the boomerang and bombs, and beeping when your health is low. Of course the famous ‘secret passage opened’ sound is here too. Your ears will perk when you hear something so familiar, so calming as getting another heart. This game has all the sounds and music that made us hum and reminisce in past games while controlling Link on crazy, whimsical adventures. In this title, they even go a little further and in some instances the sound within the game actually influences the way the game is played (for example, in dungeons, certain floors make noises attracting enemies). This is definitely a game you would want to play with sound, so if you’re riding the bus, be sure to bring headphones.

The controls are where this game diverges from the tried, tested, and true. Although this one uses the same principles that past Zelda titles have, and has the same style and feel, the controls are totally different. To begin with, the entire game can be played with just the stylus if you wish (you can use the shoulder buttons or the D-pad for shortcuts to the map or items), controlling Link and all his weapons and items by using the stylus, you can roll and attack with a sword just by tapping or drawing lines with the stylus. Throw the boomerang or direct other items by drawing the path you want the weapon to take, creating new and innovative ways to overcome obstacles and puzzles. As well, the use of the dual screen works perfectly with this game. Often, the top screen shows the map, and with this, you have the ability to bring it down to the stylus screen at any time to draw paths, or write notes to help solve puzzles or just remind you to take out the trash when you get to a certain part of the game. Phantom uses the innovative aspects of the DS to their fullest: blowing into the microphone to brush off sand, revealing hidden items by wiping them with the stylus, and closing the DS to transfer an image from one screen to the other, for instance. The ways the DS is manipulated in this game are truly amazing but at the same time, they are simple enough not to get in the way of enjoying the fast paced battles or exploring the sea.

As with all other Zelda titles (it may very well be the biggest selling point in the Zelda name), there’s tons to do aside from the actual quest. There are dozens of citizens to speak to from all over the ocean. A few of them have little side quests for you to complete, which may fetch you interesting prizes. Some citizens can send you on wild goose chases while some might ask for your help through the in-game mailbox. The mini-quests are often varied and usually include a puzzle or two along the way. There are also a number of secret uncharted islands with mini-games or optional puzzles to complete for more prizes. Players will find treasure maps that pinpoint locations in the sea where Linebeck’s ship can enter a mini-game to try and salvage a chest at the bottom of the ocean while avoiding bombs. The prizes can also include pieces to upgrade and customize your ship for that sleek pimp look you’ve always wanted. Players can also go around finding courage, wisdom, and strength gems that can unlock your fairies’ power and make you stronger. On top of all these little additions to keep players interested, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass also includes some multiplayer aspects where players can compete in a game of cat and mouse trying to collect force gems. Two players take turns controlling Link collecting the gems or phantoms trying to stop him. The multiplayer aspect (both over local wireless and Nintendo Wi-Fi) can also have an effect on items Link collects and can trade later on in the single player adventure.

The world is large, the dungeons and bosses are as fierce as the game is long, and Link is back in all his glory. Not only is this the best Zelda title found on a portable gaming system but perhaps could be put up there with some of the best Zelda titles of all time.

Graphics: 5.0 / 5.0
Gameplay 5.0 / 5.0
Sound 5.0 / 5.0
Replay value 5.0 / 5.0