Blog Posts from "Skambu's blog"

Gaming on the Go! - 08/08/09

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 18:33:41 -0400

After an awkwardly long hiatus... I'm back! If you like my work, Digg it, comment, rate, and tell your friends! I won't keep you waiting for the breathtaking articles coming up, so let's get this trainwreck moving! ____________________________________ CONTENTS 1#: PSP version of Saints Row possibly revealed by... Opeth? 2#: REVIEW: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (NDS) 3#: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized (NDS) is announced! 4#: NEW RELEASES - Crappy tie-in Edition! 5#: Gran Turismo (PSP) box art is unveiled... figuratively speaking. 6#: LittleBigPlanet (PSP) can connect to LBP PS3 for bonus content! 7#: MEH NEWS - Harry Potter UMD Boxset, Shadow of Destiny (PSP) coming to the US and Where's Waldo? 8#: Wrap-up, notes and where to find me. ____________________________________ PSP version of Saints Row possibly revealed by... Opeth? Exclusive actual cover of Saints Row for PSP! What's the first thing you think of when somebody says Saints Row? Swedish Death Metal, of course! Opeth recently revealed on it's website that the bands song "The Lotus Eater" will be featured on Saints Row PSP, which hasn't even been announced yet. The nearest competitor to Saints Row is Grand Theft Auto, and that already has two games on the PSP, with Chinatown Wars coming soon aswell. Saints Row is beginning to fall behind, so this would make a lot of sense for the series to come to the handheld. According to the site, the game will "hit the streets" in March 2010. Look forward to shooting **** out of a truck then. SOURCE - Opeth ____________________________________ REVIEW: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (NDS) When Rockstar Games first announced Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the DS, everybody was looking forward to it, even with the lack of details at the time. Almost every week, more screens, trailers and details were being released which did their job - keeping people interested. But despite all of the build-up surrounding Chinatown Wars, there was always a chance of it being terrible. Luckily for everybody, it isn't. In Chinatown Wars, you play as Huang Lee. Huang goes to Liberty City to give his Uncle a sword that Huangs father gave to him just before being assassinated. Huang takes a plane to Liberty City to give his Uncle the sword, but just as he lands his bodyguards are assassinated, his car crashes into the sea, he gets shot in the head and the sword is stolen. Huang then swims to shore and he has to find his own way around the city after escaping from the sinking car. You first start off getting missions from your Uncle 'Kenny', and you progressively unlock more and more wannabe Triad bosses and Gang members who can give you more missions to help you move up in status in the city, and eventually get back your sword. It's just a regular GTA story, but it's fine for what it is. The thing that pissed people off the most (for an unknown reason), were the graphics. Everybody was annoyed that the game has cel-shaded graphics, and that it looks more like the first 2 GTA games, then any of the actual 3D games. Well yes, in screenshots it does look similar to the older games because it has an overhead view. Though in this game the camera's 100% rotatable, and the game actually looks really impressive in motion, but not so much in screenshots. Watch gameplay videos, you'll most likely be impressed to see how far Rockstar pushed the DS to its graphical limits. The graphics are also very suitable for the system because unlike the PSP versions, the DS is trying to create it's own experience and not just emulate the console games (though it would be nice to see GTA 1 & 2 on a compilation cartridge on the DS). There's also loads of features that Rockstar implemented that are only possible on the DS. There's many touchscreen-based mini-games that you can play throughout the game, and even a few microphone-based ones aswell. For example you can hot wire a car, search through garbage bins for guns, crack open car windows and even deal drugs... but more on that controversial feature later. You can also whistle Taxi's by whistling into the microphone of your DS. Pretty nifty, yes... the first time I tried it. But it got pretty annoying after that, so I just kept pressing X. Or you know, I jacked the taxis. Well it is cheaper, you know. Since the DS doesn't have an analog stick, they had to make compromises to help you aim your gun, otherwise it would be impossible because otherwise you could only shoot in 8 directions. They help you out by implementing a good lock-on feature. Of course just like in every other GTA game, you can play for hours and hours without even scratching the surface of the storyline. Some of the extra things you can do outside of the main story are trying to win Scratch cards (lottery), practicing your inking (tattooing) skills, exploring the city and you know... killing dudes. Seriously, just run over people, shoot some more people, smash cars, steal cars, steal a bulldozer... THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS. Seriously, try it out sometime. It's even funnier on Chinatown Wars than the console versions because it's so cartoony and unrealistic, it suits it actually. GTA: Chinatown Wars does have Multiplayer, but unfortunately I haven't played any of the modes... I NEED MORE FRIENDS. Though according to the official website there are 6 Multiplayer modes. They're Race, Stash Dash, Defend the Base, Gang Bang, Liberty City Survivor and Season Race. Race mode is just a simple racing game. Stash Dash is where you're driving in a van full of cash to a warehouse, and your opponent is trying to stop you. Defend the Base is where you defend your base from enemies, with each wave getting harder. Gang Bang is where you're a leader of a gang and you have to defeat other gangs to take over their turf. Liberty City Survival is pretty much your basic deathmatch but with 5 different scenarios. Season Race is just a racing tournament, with 20 races. GTA: Chinatown Wars is a truly unique experience and there's nothing like it on the DS. It's very different from every other GTA game because of the hardware. It's even different than the Grand Theft Auto game on the GBA. It's a truly fun game and everybody should at least have a chance to try it out. BUY IT, BORROW IT OR BREAK IT? You should definitely buy this game. It will last you for many hours even after you finish the main storyline. The story isn't as deep as GTA IV but it should still keep you interested. I give Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the Nintendo DS a... 10/10. ____________________________________ Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized (NDS) is announced! Activision sent me the official cover of the game, exclusively for GOTG! Activision recently announced the overly-long titled Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized (DS), which is being developed by n-Space, which also developed COD4 and COD:WaW for the DS. Just like the last game, they're upgrading many features from the last game. Mobilized introduces many new features to the game, including upgrading to 6-player online to 4-player online, and adding a new Survival mode to online. Survival Mode is a co-op mode where waves of AI enemies come at you, which could be compared to Gears of War 2's Horde mode. This game also introduces vehicle control, building-to-building tactical combat, and will be a companion to the console version. There's also an Arcade mode, so expect a sidescrolling shoot-em' up mini-game reminiscent of R-Type... well at least that's what I'm hoping for. The game will be released November 10th, and hopefully will NOT come with night-vision goggles. SOURCE - Joystiq ____________________________________ NEW RELEASES - Crappy tie-in Edition! So, as everybody knows, August is when all the hot new games are released! You'll see what I mean in a second... Aliens in the Attic (NDS) What would you do if there were aliens in your attic? Well, obviously get the blonde girl from High School Musical and Ray Romano's mother from 'Everybody Loves Raymond', and make a dumb tie-in movie game! G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (NDS/PSP) G.I. Joe SHOULD be a great movie-game. Note, SHOULD. It's just... disappointing. Meh, if you liked the movie (and I feel for you if you do), check out the game, I suppose. Hannah Montana: Rock Out the Show! (PSP) If you like PSP, and you like Hannah Montana, then buy this game and get the best of both worlds! PICK OF THE WEEK! There isn't one. Seriously, this week was abysmal. ____________________________________ Gran Turismo (PSP) box art is unveiled... figuratively speaking. Do you like fast cars, boobs, and explosions? Well Gran Turismo has one of those things! So here at Level257, we're proud to announce the new Gran Turismo game, 'Gran Turismo: Huge Gazongas Krazy Karts'! If you couldn't tell, I was joking about the overly large breasted version of Gran Turismo... unfortunately. This week, the PlayStation Blog released the box art of Gran Turismo (PSP), and had an interview with some guy who talked about why he chose that particular car for the cover. The interview is boring, but the box art is really nice. A black car and a black background, it's sexy. The game is scheduled for a simultaneous release at Retail and on PSN on October 1st. SOURCE - Playstation.Blog ____________________________________ LittleBigPlanet (PSP) can connect to LBP PS3 for bonus content! Sony recently announced a featured called 'Cross-Talk' that will be used to connect the PSP version of LBP to the PS3 version of LBP to unlock bonus content. They haven't yet revealed what the unlockables will be, maybe bonus levels? Maybe character items? Who knows, but whatever it may be... it's useless to me since I don't own a PS3. Sony fanatics who own both consoles though, will be incredibly excited. A PSN demo was also confirmed for the game, so you should check that out when it becomes available, because I definitely know that I'm gonna do AT LEAST that. If I even slightly crap my pants from excitement when playing the demo, expect me to buy it. SOURCE - Joystiq ____________________________________ MEH NEWS - Harry Potter UMD Boxset, Shadow of Destiny (PSP) coming to the US and Where's Waldo? Even Waldo doesn't care for any of this news! Harry Potter UMD Boxset incoming for Region 2 only. Ever wanted to watch the Harry Potter movies but don't own a DVD player, don't live near a theatre, and live in the UK, Eastern Europe or Western Asia? Then this surely is for you! A Harry Potter UMD boxset has been released... specifically for you! Take note, it's only being released in Region 2, that means Europe and Australia only! If you really want to know, it features the first five movies in the series. But honestly, if I saw you with this in public... I would be forced to use Expelliamus on yo' ***** ass. SOURCE - Siliconera Shadow of Destiny (PSP) coming to the US! Adventure games are apparently very good... apparently. So I guess it's good news that the Konami Adventure game 'Shadow of Destiny' for the PSP is listed on the ESRB website. BUT KEEP THE GAME AWAY FROM KIDS! According to the ESRB, there is an 'Alcohol Reference'! SOURCE - ESRB Where's Waldo? coming to the DS, Wii, Mac and PC in September. As a huge competitor for Modern Warfare 2 and Halo 3: ODST, 'Where's Waldo?' will surely be one of the greatest games ever created. Seriously, what isn't attractive about finding a skinny guy in a red and white jumper on your electronic video game entertainment device? Nothing. It sounds perfect. Never has there been such an exciting video game release since 'The Great Waldo Search' for the SNES in 1992. SOURCE - Joystiq ____________________________________ Wrap-Up - notes and where to find me. So, after a huge break... it appears that I'm finally back, at least for this issue. These things do take some effort. I'll try make the issues as big as possible from now on, I have had issues with over 20 articles in them, you know. Digg Gaming on the Go! - http://digg.com/gaming_news/Gaming_on_the_Go_08_08_09 Gamer Tag - g1Skambu Twitter - twitter.com/skambu Website - Level257.com E-mail - klay@y7mail.com

Australian Gaming Prices, and you think YOU had it bad!

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 12:16:33 -0400

For more content like this, check out Level257.com! Since I'm an avid podcast listener and forum browser, I regularly see North Americans complaining about the prices of games where they live. Now imagine this, imagine that you live in a country where games and especially consoles cost a ridiculous amount more. How would you feel then? Like a whiny *****? Well, you should, because you are. I hate you. NOTE: To make this fair, I'm going to use the prices from the GameStop website for North America, and the prices from the EB Games Australia website for Australia. CONSOLE PRICES PS3 Console - 80 GB North America - $399 USD or $497 AUD Australia - $561 USD or $699 AUD That's right, $170 US more in Australia then in North America. Now stop complaining. XBOX 360 Elite - 120 GB North America - $399 USD or $497 AUD Australia - $441 USD or $549 AUD Though still not as bad as the PS3 difference, it's still a hefty difference. Nintendo Wii North America - $249 USD or $309 AUD Australia - $280 USD to $349 AUD ______________________________________________ GAMES Tales of Vesperia North America - $30 USD or $37 AUD Australia - $88 USD to $110 AUD Now, that's a $58 USD difference... that's absolutely ridiculous. You could buy the game three times in North America before buying it once in Australia. This is an almost perfect example. Star Ocean: The Last Hope North America - $50 USD to $62 AUD Australia - $88 USD to $110 AUD Another $28 difference. You could buy both of these games in North America for the same price as just one of them in Australia. DISSIDIA: Final Fantasy North America - $40 USD to $50 AUD Australia - $56 USD to $70 AUD A PSP game has a $16 USD difference, you can buy other PSP games for that difference. ______________________________________________ So, now that I've hopefully made you feel like a jerk for complaining about how good you have it... jerk. Discuss this topic while I'm off earning hundreds and hundreds of dollars to pay for a 6 year old PS2 game. Yeah, that might be a bit of an overstatement, but BARELY.

The Dreamcast - Episode 14 RAW (E3 Edition... sorta)

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:17:21 -0400

Download Episode 14 here! If you're wondering why this episode is raw (unedited)... then let me explain. I can't find a good .wav to .mp3 converter, so I can't upload it to FileDen since the .wav file is around 400 MB. Anyways, join Gasp, Juggernaut, Craigieboy and Drath as they talk about E3 this week. Of course, it would have been funnier with me... but I can't record at the normal time because of work. ****.

The Dreamcast - Episode 13

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 00:18:17 -0400

For more content like this, visit Level257. Download Episode 13 LENGTH: 31:35 This episode is decent. SO WHY NOT DOWNLOAD AND DIGG IT? Tono tono tono.

The Dreamcast Episode 11 & 12 - Double Douchebag Special!

Fri, 29 May 2009 13:28:21 -0400

For more content like this, visit Level257. You guys are lucky this week! You get a double dose of douchebaggery? Well, mainly in Episode 11 because Skambu isn't in that one. So, be sure to listen to Episode 12! Download Episode 11 57:17 Download Episode 12 32:29

The DreamCast - Episode 9

Sun, 10 May 2009 07:18:05 -0400

For more content like this, check out Level257! Click here to Download the Episode! Length: 57:55 Hosts: Elpam, Skambu, Gasp, Craigieboy, Juggernaut, Drath & oneshotfinch. Wow... that's a lot of hosts. This week we have a pretty big announcement about the site... listen to find out. It'll be released on the site officially sometime during the week, stay tuned! Also, FLAMING PENIS.

The DreamCast - Episode 8

Tue, 05 May 2009 19:56:47 -0400

IT'S A PODCAST LAWL. For more epic content like this, check out Level257. Do it now... This week, we learn about everyone! Drath was a transvestite for an hour, Craigieboy is a "yes" thief, Gasp's first word was actually "yes," Skambu is dead (and not on this week), and Elpam enjoys doing entire news segments using the phrase "speaking of" to start each story. Oh yeah, and Elpam remixed that first break song. Download this week's episode here! P.S. Skambu is not a ***. Drath is. Edited by .... not Skambu.

Upcoming Guitar Hero games revealed!

Sun, 03 May 2009 04:14:21 -0400

My non-existent contacts at Activision have informed me about some upcoming Guitar Hero games. With the release of GH: Aerosmith and GH: Metallica, along with the rumors of GH: Van Halen being released, they have told me to inform readers of new games coming to the series. So... let's get started! ___________________________________________________________ GUITAR HERO: KEN Just think about it for a second. ALL 10 OF KEN'S SONGS (11, if you include the medley), FOR YOU TO SING ALONG TO! There could also be guitar and drums, but who really cares? SING TO KEN'S SONGS! I realize that this could be a DLC pack for Guitar Hero: rlign lawl, but the main reason I want this as it's own game is main just because I want a box that has his eyes staring directly into my soul. Everyone should definitely be looking forward to this game. You can pick it up on December 25th, Jesus' birthday! Celebrate Jesus' birthday by singing along to 'Rise And Be Healed' from the Megastar, Ken! WOOOOO! If you haven't noticed yet, that's one snazzy suit. Pre-Order Bonus: DO YOU ******* NEED ONE? IT'S KEN YOU SON OF A *****! THE GAME IS WORTH MORE THAN YOU'RE PAYING FOR IT. GET YOUR ******* ASS UP AND PRE-ORDER IT. ___________________________________________________________ GUITAR HERO: BRITNEY SPEARS Exclusive to the Nintendo Wii and DS! Remember the crappy synthesizer beats that all sound the same? What about those horrible lyrics and the really edited voice track? What about that one song with a ridiculously easy acoustic guitar riff? Well, guess what? You can play all of those on Guitar Hero this summer! Pre-Order Bonus: Britney's HOT new album 'Circus' available as free DLC! ___________________________________________________________ GUITAR HERO: THE KNACK Do you REALLY not want to play 'My Sharona' for 10 hours straight? Exactly. Look at that ominous smile on the guy second from the left... it frightens me, but in a good way. If that makes sense. My Sharona is an awesome song, and for every time I listen to it, my penis gets larger! It's scientific people, Google it. The best part about this game, is that on the cover of the game, two of the band's members will have huge smiles, the other two will be dark and moody. Seriously, this game will make me feel emotions that I didn't even know existed... and that's only on the front cover. Pre-order Bonus: A link to The Knack's not-so-successful second song (which just so happens to sound to sound pretty much exactly like My Sharona), on Youtube! Here it is... enjoy? ___________________________________________________________ GUITAR HERO: THAT'S RJ! DO I REALLY NEED TO SAY ANY MORE? This will be the best ******* thing the world has ever experienced. Pre-order Bonus: A video of RJ cutting some ham. You know you want it. ___________________________________________________________ Ahk, you guys. I hope you liked my attempt at being funny. For more awesomeness, check out: www.level257.wordpress.com

The DreamCast - Episode 6

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:38:24 -0400

http://level257.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/the-dreamcast-episode-6/ Listen, enjoy, and puke at how loud my mic is. It'll be turned down next time, I PROMISE!

Level257 - Details about our new website.

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:57:42 -0400

http://level257.wordpress.com Hey guys, this is Skambu here. I'm here to partly explain why I haven't been releasing 'Gaming on the Go!' lately. Well, that's for 2 reasons. The first being that I've been really busy working on my new site, and the second being that I've been posting content over there. You can find all my content, along with loads of other awesome contributors content over there aswell. We post reviews, podcasts, lookbacks, retrospectives, and even previews. We try to post at least once a day, and I believe we're expanding. With BobotheMonkey and Tren becoming contributors recently, we're always getting new content to post. Please, check out www.level257.wordpress.com. Post all of your criticism and thoughts on the website here. Also, I really don't mind if you start bashing on the site. Because we'll just come straight back at you. So if you plan on leaving a stupid message and never checking this page again... don't even bother commenting.

The Dreamcast - Episode 5

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:29:47 -0400

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN! If you want more content like this, visit: www.level257.wordpress.com It’s finally here. It was a long wait, but that’s because Elpam sucks. SHOW NOTES We now have an actual opening! Don’t worry, we’re still using Nirreman’s awesome Street Fighter II Ken theme, but now I have an epic Text-to-Speech introduction, and you also find out what Skambu means. We didn’t really have an ending segment, because Elpam was the one recording the podcast, and he had to leave before we could record a real ending. So instead we ended it on what I thought was appropriate… hating Canadians. Listen all the way until the end for Peggle sex talk, and epicly inappropriate jokes! This week’s hosts were Skambu, Elpam, Drath, joechenlink and Killatis (I forgot to mention him in the beginning, ah well, he wasn’t in it much anyway).

The Dreamcast - Episode 4

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:32:59 -0400

http://level257.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/the-dreamcast-episode-4/ This week’s episode was ment to be Lost because I was attending a wedding. But hey, it was quicker than expected, SO I FOUND THE PODCAST! *applause* Join Elpam, Juggernaut, Craigieboy, Drath, Gasp and Skambu as they have a jolly good chatter on this week’s gaming news, new releases and what they’ve been playing. We also touch on the Console Wars and what we think about each of the current consoles. We also had a rather engaging talk about the Wii. Also, theres lots of giggling and sexual jokes in the last segment. I come in (LOL) around the second half of the podcast, same with Gasp. GIPU wasn’t done quickly enough by Elpam this week, but I’m sure it’ll be ready next episode. Have you got hatemail/fanmail for the next episode? Send it to klay@y7mail.com !

The Dreamcast - Episode 3

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 05:51:47 -0400

http://dreamcast.podomatic.com/enclosure/2009-04-01T01_47_29-07_00.mp3 This week we have a pretty big announcement about Gaming on the Go! from oneshotfinch, and Gasp talks about the entries from the Shaq Fu competition. There most likely won't be a podcast this weekend, but you never know.

SHOW NOTES

This weeks guests were Gasp, Killatis, oneshotfinch, craigieboy and of course me, Skambu. The link to Gasp's blog post is here: http://screwattack.com/node/19765 PENIS DRAGONZ.

The Dream Cast - Episode 2

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 04:14:08 -0400

Gasp is holding a competition regarding Shaq Fu. You can find out the details in the final segment of the podcast! We have a funny little discussion on it too. Elpam also joins us this week! http://dreamcast.podomatic.com/enclosure/2009-03-21T21_32_08-07_00.mp3 SHOW NOTES We took your criticism into consideration and improved on the podcast. I turned down my mic, and we stopped finding things funny. After all, internet IS serious business. This week's guests were: Skambu - http://screwattack.com/blog/17702 Gasp - http://screwattack.com/blog/11448 FatCat - http://screwattack.com/blog/13443 craigieboy - http://www.screwattack.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=11762 Elpam - http://www.screwattack.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=6642 The theme song is by Nirreman, and was used with his permission. His Youtube account is: www.youtube.com/nirrepwn If you wish to contribute to the forum topic, simply click here: http://screwattack.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=43101 If you want to send in any mail (preferably hate-mail), then e-mail me here: klay@y7mail.com I hope you enjoyed the podcast as much as we enjoyed making it. If you did, or even if you didn't, please Digg, Rate, Top Post and Comment.

The Dream Cast - Episode 1

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 00:36:26 -0400

Hey guys, this is the new podcast that me and a couple of g1s have been planning for a few weeks now! It's basically just about gaming and other random stuff. This week's format was pretty all over the place, but it was ment to be What we've been playing, News, New Releases then Fan/Hate mail. So I hope you all enjoy it! http://dreamcast.podomatic.com/enclosure/2009-03-21T06_59_46-07_00.mp3 SHOW NOTES The theme song is by Nirreman, you can find his Youtube channel at this address: www.youtube.com/nirrepwn If you have any fan mail/hate mail, send it to my e-mail address: klay@y7mail.com If you're wondering about why we were talking about how my Dad thought blind people were funny, click here. If anybody knows of a good podcast host, could you please tell me? All the ones I've went to so far suck. If you liked the podcast, or even if you didn't, leave a comment. It'd also be appreciated if you would Digg the post, because you know... that's what all the cool kids are doing, right?

Gaming on the Go! - 21/03/09

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 15:37:23 -0400

(Gaming on the Go! is optimized for viewing at a 1024 x 768 resolution, and with Firefox) 1#: REVIEW: Peggle: Dual Shot (NDS) 2#: Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days (NDS) release date, screens, trailer and a special DSi announced! 3#: Patapon 2 (PSP) gets priced and dated for North America! 4#: REVIEW: Resistance: Retribution (PSP) - DEMO 5#: Army of Two: The 40th Day (360/PS3/PSP) is announced, with minor details! 6#: NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK - GTA: Chinatown Wars and Resistance: Retribution Edition! 7#: Professor Layton and the Devils Flute (NDS) announced + first details released! 8#: MEH NEWS: Miami Law (NDS) developer, Professor Layton movie trailer & PSP candies! 9#: Wrap-up + Notes ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ REVIEW: Peggle: Dual Shot (NDS) Peggle and Peggle Nights are 2 of the most celebrated PC games of all time. Peggle: Dual Shot (NDS) features both of the games on one cartridge, but with many extra features. Peggle is Popcap's greatest games ever, so it's only natural that this would become one of the best DS games ever. So it's only natural that will this game become one of the best DS games ever.... RIGHT? Read on to find out. The mechanics of Peggle are amazingly simple, but are surprisingly ridiculously hard to master. It's a game that literally anybody can play. You play on a board with loads of 'pegs' on it. There's 5 different colors of pegs. There's blue, purple, green, yellow and red. They give you points, bonus points, powers, underground areas and they let you finish the level. To remove the pegs from the board, you shoot balls out of a cannon. To move the cannon you can either use the touchscreen, d-pad or shoulder buttons. To release the ball you press A, then hope for the best. In order to collect more balls you have to score loads of points, or land the ball in a barrel moving on the bottom of the screen. To continue in the game, you finish levels. To finish levels you collect every red peg on screen, and when you've done that, 'Ode to Joy' comes on. It's damn epic and makes you feel like a movie star... FROM THE 1700'S! WOOO! Peggle: Dual Shot features every level from Peggle, every level from Peggle Nights and 10 extra levels that're exclusive to the DS version. This adds up to 120 levels, and each level takes somewhere around 5-10 minutes to finish. If you add up the time it takes to finish the Challenges, this game will easily last you 15-20 hours. I'm sure I spent at least 20 hours on the game trying to get 100% on every challenge/level, I failed of course. But hey, at least I tried. There's many, many extra features that are packed into the DS version aswell. Pretty much all of them are at least worth checking out once. The extra features are Duel mode, Challenge mode and Extras. In the Duel mode, you can play a 2-player Peggle game, but that's only on the same DS. I suppose it's a neat feature for parents who have kids but they only have one DS, but I'm personally never going to use the feature again. In Challenge mode, you're set an objective that you have to complete in levels. Examples include scoring lots of points, beating levels on higher difficulties and beating several levels in a row. Extras mode allows you to send a trial of the game to your friends, which is a great inclusion. You can also see your playing stats. Now that I know I've shot 5000+ balls, I now realize how epic I truly am. Popcap also included references to other things, whether they be related to nerdy things, or just to Popcap themselves. For example, the flower tells you the dimensions of a DS screen (256 x 192) while talking about how big some on-screen mountains are. Another example is when a Rabbit references another PopCap game called 'Zuma'. Zuma's available for free online. You should definitely check that out, it's really cool that Popcap included the reference. Versions of Peggle are also available on the PC, Mac and XBOX 360, with a free trial being available on each system. You should at least give it a chance, because it's a really long-lasting, and it's cheap. BUY IT, BORROW IT OR BREAK IT? This game is a must-buy. Anybody can play it. Your Grandma can play it at Christmas, or you can play it by yourself on a late Tuesday night, wrapped up in an itchy blanket with a cold cup of coffee next to you. It's a truly completely accessible game, and it's available to almost everybody. BUY IT. I give Peggle: Dual Shot for the Nintendo DS a 10/10. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days (NDS) release date, screens, trailer and a special DSi announced! Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (NDS) Special Edition DSi - Kotaku 4 new Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (NDS) screens - NintendoEverything 9 more Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (NDS) screens - NintendoEverything Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (NDS) trailer - NintendoEverything Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is looking better and better the more I see of it! Loads of info was released in the last 2 weeks, and I'm pretty excited about all of them. A special edition DSi, 13 screens, release date and a trailer were all released this week! Read on to find out about each of them individually. The special edition DSi is pictured above. The DSi will be released on May 30th, which is also the release date for the game in Japan. The DSi itself looks great, and I also like the pattern. If you're certain that you're gonna buy a DSi, this is the one to get. IT'S GONNA BE ******* AWESOME. The first batch of screenshots are nice, I guess. But the necks on the characters look weird, but I'm a picky *****. The second batch of screens were ******* great! We finally get to see my favorite Disney characters! For example, the fat man-goat from Hercules, the Beast from 'Beauty and the Beast' and one of my favorite Arabian pimps, Aladdin! Finally, screens that aren't just Kingdom Hearts characters. If I had to analyze the trailer, I'd say that it's pretty much 39 seconds of random clips thrown together with sad music in the background. I know it sounds basic, but I'm being 100% serious when I say that's what it is. Watch it for yourself if you don't believe me. My life is so sad that I actually counted how many mini-screens were shown in the 39-second trailer. THERE'S 37 GODDAMN SCREENS. That's basically one screen per second. Well, 0.9487 to be precise. I don't understand Japanese so I'm not somebody who's qualified to analyze this trailer in depth, but hey, I'm glad that we even have a trailer! Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days is yet another awesome game coming out for the DS. I'm so damn glad that the handhelds are getting some love, because a PSP Kingdom Hearts game is also coming out pretty soon. KH is a great series, and I'm glad that Square-Enix finally decided to bring it to the DS. Rock on! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Patapon 2 (PSP) gets priced and dated for North America! Patapon 2 (PSP) gets priced and dated for North America - Playstation.Blog Patapon (PSP) was without a doubt a great game. Now that the sequel to Patapon (which is appropriately titled Patapon 2) has a release date and a price. Fanboys literally pissed their pants all around the world. Playstation.Blog announced that Patapon 2 will be released on May 5th in North America. You know what this means, right? THE GAME IS LESS THAN 2 MONTHS AWAY! At first I seriously couldn't wait for the game, then I realized I couldn't afford it. DAMN YOU ECONOMIC DOWNTURN! DAMN YOU TO HELL! Another announcement was that the game would cost $19.99 USD. That's a really cheap price, and I'm sure the sales will go up because of that. Considering that PSP games are slightly overpriced as of now, this is a sweet announcement for us cheap ***** who can't afford more expensive games. I still can't afford it though, but I'll be damned if I don't save up for it! Also, just a quick notice to you guys. A demo for Patapon 2 has been out on PSN for a few weeks now. You should definitely check it out to see if you wanna buy the game or not. Be warned though, it is pretty damn good. So just wait a month and a half and you'll be beating some drums in no time! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ REVIEW: Resistance: Retribution (PSP) DEMO Official Resistance: Retribution (PSP) Site - Playstation Resistance: Retribution (PSP) - Wikipedia Resistance: Retribution (PSP) is now released, but since I'm one of the only people I know who doesn't have (or want) a hacked PSP, I can only do a review based on the demo because that's the only version of the game I have available to me. But either way, the demo is supposed to be what makes you buy the game, but the whole point of a demo is to find out whether or not you want to buy the game... right? The other 2 Resistance games are both First-Person shooters, but I'm glad they decided to go with the Third-Person aspect, because an FPS would be really awkward on the PSP with one stick. Of course, they had to make some compromises for the lack of accuracy in the system, the Auto-Aim is really heavy, but I guess they had to do that for people to be able to aim. Of course you always have the option of turning it off if you think you're good enough. I'm not. NOOOO way. The controls are decent, but instead of a right Analog Stick they have to use the face buttons. It isn't crucial to have 2 sticks, but it'd definitely be preferred. The developers Bend Software (who made the Syphon Filter series), did a great job of making the game work with the PSP. The controls are: LEFT D-PAD BUTTON - Reload Weapon DOWN D-PAD BUTTON - Action (jump over things, activate switches etc.) Right D-PAD BUTTON - Change Weapon UP D-PAD BUTTON - Zoom in L & R SHOULDER BUTTONS - Shoot ANALOG STICK - Movement FACE BUTTONS (X, O, Triangle, Square) - Camera This demo will last you around 30-45 minutes, and is great to play before you go to bed, or if you have some free time in your day. It's not too long, and not too short for a demo. It kept me interested. This game's graphics ASTOUND ME. They are really good. These are the best graphics I've seen on the PSP so far, and it really lived up to my expectations. I'd say they're slightly better than a PS2 game, which is a great compliment for a handheld system. The enemies don't look blocky, they actually look really smooth. The background is also done really well and isn't just tacked on, it actually makes you feel like you're in a huge place and that you're insignificant because of the scope of the war. Maybe I'm reading too far into it... whatever. IT'S GREAT PROGRAMMING. The demo features 1 Full Level, and it's a 170 MB download. It's definitely worth downloading it though, even with my really slow Internet connection. It took me somewhere around an hour to download, but for most Internet connections it'll take 10-15 minutes to download it. If you wish to download the demo to try the game out, you can find the demo in the Playstation Store under the Shooter section of PSP games. I have also heard that there is a Multiplayer mode available in the Demo, but I seriously can't find it. Maybe it's only available if you get the pre-order demo from GameStop or Amazon. Not sure though. OVERALL: DOWNLOAD THIS DEMO NOW. It's really worth downloading it just to see whether or not you should get it. I'm really gonna try and get this game, but you know... I'm broke. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Army of Two: The 40th Day (360/PS3/PSP) is announced, with minor details! Army of Two: The 40th Day announced - EA Army of Two: The 40th Day (360/PS3/PSP) - Official Site I haven't played Army of Two (360/PS3) before, but the game seemed like a nice and brainless experience. I've got no problem with that, because you can pretty much just turn on the game, shoot things, fist-bump and then when you turn off the game you feel like you're a damn beast. The main idea of the game seems fit for a portable, so when Army of Two: The 40th Day (360/PS3/PSP) was announced for the PSP aswell as the consoles, it got many PSP owners excited. So, what's been revealed so far? According to the press release by EA Montreal, the game will be a 'rich co-op experience' and it'll be released this Winter. I'd say that's somewhere around Christmas time, either just before or just after. The story of the game is that you must 'uncover the secret of the 40th day'. I don't think that has any relevance to the first game, but I'm sure we'll find out soon. It was also mentioned that there were many new co-op moves to use in the game, which supposedly improves the co-op experience. The main idea of Army of Two was that it was a co-op game. This will be no problem on the 360 and PS3, but to be able to achieve this on the PS3 they'll need to use the wireless capabilities of the system. You'll also have to buy 2 copies of the game, and recharge your PSP often. It sounds like it sucks, but I guess the novelty of it is great. I mean, I wouldn't complain about it... but who knows about everyone else. If you want to know more about Army of Two: The 40th Day, then visit the Official Site and check out 6 screenshots, sign up for the newsletter, pre-order it or visit the Forums and chat with other fans there! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Professor Layton and the Devils Flute (NDS) announced + first details released! Professor Layton and the Devil's Flute (NDS) first revealed in Famitsu - NintendoEverything Minor Professor Layton and the Devil's Flute details - 1UP So far there has been 3 Professor Layton games and apparently they were all great. I've only played the Curious Village because Nintendo is stupid and hasn't brought them to English-speaking areas here yet. So when a new Professor Layton game was announced in Famitsu, I was genuinely excited. Minimal details have been released so far, but from what we know the game will focus on how Professor Layton and Luke met eachother, it'll take place 3 years before the original game, and that there'll be a new female character called Remi Altava. This is also the first game of a trilogy, so 2 new Professor Layton games are coming up! When they're all out, it'll equal out to 6 GAMES. HOLY CRAP! To all you Professor Layton fans out there (including my Mum), you should be crossing your fingers and hoping that Nintendo brings the games over here so everybody else can experience this awesomeness! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK - GTA: Chinatown Wars and Resistance: Retribution Edition! Check out all the New Releases at VideoGameCountdown.com I've missed out on this for a few weeks, but luckily there hasn't been many big releases! Or, is that unlucky? Whatever! Loads of sweet games were released, I'm hoping on picking them all up. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (NDS) YEEEESSSSS. It's finally here! This game is ******* awesome! I've only played it for about an hour so far, but it seems like a really solid, and a true GTA experience. If the screenshots/trailers got you hyped, then don't be afraid to at least try it out. You can definitely expect a review next issue. Resistance: Retribution (PSP) Well, for me this is a great thing, and a terrible thing. The great thing is that a sweet game is coming to the PSP, and the terrible thing is that I know I won't be able to get a copy for at least a month. ****. Well you should definitely give this one a try! Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure (NDS) Monocles, puzzles, and I'm pretty sure there's some platforming aswell. Yes. YES. This game sounds damn amazing, and it got some great reviews. I'll at least check it out, you should too. It's been a great couple of weeks with some amazing games being released, I'm sure you'll have no problem finding a game you'd love to play for quite a while. Have fun trying out the new releases! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MEH NEWS: Miami Law (NDS) developer, Professor Layton movie trailer & PSP candies! Miami Law (NDS) developer is the first project from Gaijinworks - Joystiq First Professor Layton Movie trailer - GameTrailers PSP Candies.... - Urban Collector Ever wondered who the Miami Law (NDS) developers are? Or what a Professor Layton movie trailer would look like? Or even what PSP candies could be like? Well if you answered yes to any of those questions, then boy, this is the article for you! Miami Law is a game that got me excited from the screenshots and details, so when I heard that the developers were Gaijinworks. Gaijinworks is a company that was made by the founder of the now defunct 'Working Design's', a company that localizes games from Japan to America. I've never heard of ANY of their games, but apparently they have published some great games. I really hope that this game is good, so the company can stay afloat. It's gonna be cool to see how well this game does. Professor Layton was a good game. A Professor Layton movie, though? Not so much. Either way, a trailer was released recently! It goes for 30 seconds, and pretty much half of it is what looks like a stingray and a butterfly floating around. Amazingly random. One thing that scares me about the trailer though, is the fact that it says 'The First Movie'. The first Pokemon movie was called 'The First Movie' aswell, and we all know how much of a ***** the Pokemon franchise has become. OH GOD. Either way, if this ever gets released here in Australia, I might go see it. The PSP is a great system. Sour candies, are a great food. But PSP candies? Hmm... I don't think so. Ignoring my disdain for this product, Urban Collector is selling Sour Candies in the shape of the PS3's face buttons (X, O, Triangle and Square), and they come in a PSP-shaped tin. Ready for the kicker? $32.00 USD! HOLY CRAP. That is waaaay too expensive. Also, this is actually licensed by Sony, so it is legal. It'd be interesting to try these out but I will never buy them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wrap-up + Notes Sorry for this week's issue being a little short (at a measly words), but I've been really busy with school work. I'm also sorry for it being late, but once again, I've been busy. Next week there'll be a review for GTA: Chinatown Wars (NDS), and Ridge Racer 2 (PSP). There'll also hopefully be a return of the lookbacks, with the N-Gage. Yes, I realise that it's not that old... but I don't care. Also, if you want your content featured in Gaming on the Go!, or just want to contact me, e-mail me at: klay@y7mail.com Have a great week everyone!

Gaming on the Go! - 02/03/09

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 04:01:38 -0500

(Gaming on the Go! is optimized for viewing at a 1024 x 768 resolution.) 1#: REVIEW: Retro Game Challenge (NDS) 2#: LittleBigPlanet (PSP) is coming this fall! 3#: Assassins Creed is coming to the PSP! 4#: Three new DSi Colors announced.... for Japan. 5#: REVIEW: Power Stone Collection (PSP) 6#: Motorstorm: Arctic Edge (PSP/PS2) is announced, and a CGI trailer is released! 7#: Rock Band: Unplugged (PSP) announced, with some gameplay details revealed. 8#: Even more GTA: Chinatown Wars (NDS) screenshots, and 3 trailers released! 9#: Persona (PSP) is coming to the US this fall! 10#: Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days (PSP) trailer released, and reveals more details about the game! 11#: NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK 12#: Miami Law (NDS) gets announced, plus a release date and screenshots are released! 13#: MEH NEWS: Meaning of 'i' in DSi, free Blue Dragon episode & new God of War PSP game rumors. 14#: Wrap-up + Notes. REVIEW: Retro Game Challenge (NDS) Retro Game Challenge (NDS) - Official Site Retro Game Challenge (NDS) - MetaCritic Retro Game Challenge is one of those rare games that comes along and catches everyone by surprise. I heard nothing about it until it was released, and when it got great reviews I knew I had to check it out. The basic idea of the game is that you're in the past playing old games, though the games aren't actually old, they're just made to look old. The 'Game Master' Arino sets you 4 challenges for each game you play. To progress in the game, you just have to pass the challenges that he sets you. The game sounds simple enough, right? Well there's loads of little features that indies zero, (the developers of the game) add in to give you the full experience of playing a game from the 80's. You can read the game Manual, play with a turbo controller, and there's even grammatical mistakes that the developers put in the games on purpose! For example: "You shooted 30 Asteroids!". It's pretty awesome that they recognize how bad the translations were back in the 80's NES/Famicom era, and that they decided to put these translation mistakes into the game. You can read magazines that are set at the time of the games release. There's loads of stuff you can read about in the magazine aswell, you can get cheat codes, read reviews, read previews of upcoming games, look at the top-selling games or read the amusing fan mail! I know that it's really immature, but I laughed for quite a while at the names. Examples include I. P. Freely, Mike Rotch, Jacques Strap, Oliver Clothesoff and Ben Dover. Oh man, that's awesome. Included in the game, there's RPGs, racers, platformers and shoot em ups. The only game that I can think of that's really flawed is Guadia Quest. The whole game is basically just a grinding RPG. The best game of them all would be Star Prince. It's a side-on shoot em up game, that's got loads of nice features. You can upgrade your ship by finding upgrades throughout the levels, you can make a shield by holding the shoot button and the bosses are also designed well. I'm really happy that Japanese companies are finally deciding to bring these games over to English-speaking countries. There's hundreds of awesome games that we can't experience just because they were never brought here, it's really sad. Retro Game Challenge bucks that trend, and I respect it for that. BUY IT, BORROW IT OR BREAK IT? Buy It. It'll give you hours of fun and is a great game to play in short and long bursts. You can try finish a whole game in one sitting, or you can just try finish one challenge. It's great for everyone! Retro Game Challenge for the Nintendo DS receives a 9/10. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ LittleBigPlanet (PSP) is coming this fall! LittleBigPlanet (PSP) gets announced at Destination Playstation - PR News Wire WOOOOOOO. THE RUMORS ARE TRUE! LittleBigPlanet is coming to the PSP sometime this fall! It was announced at Destination Playstation last week, along with many other awesome games. According to the press release, the game will have loads of content, including levels and environments exclusive to the PSP version. No details have yet been released on PS3 to PSP connectivity though. The main thing I'm excited about seeing is the level creator, because it'd be awesome to make levels while at school or in the car, it'd really keep me busy. Plus if there was online I could spend even more time! Man, I'm really looking forward to this. If I save up enough money, you should expect a review. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Assassins Creed is coming to the PSP! Assassins Creed (PSP) announced at Destination Playstation - PR News Wire Also at Destination Playstation, it was announced that a completely new Assassins Creed game was coming for the PSP! It's implied that it isn't just a port from the console game, because it says 'an exclusive installment of the popular Assassins Creed franchise on PSP later this year'. Awesome! Wow, this series is really going somewhere! It's available on every current console (including a mobile version), and there's also a sequel in the works which'll be released in March 2010. So by March 2010, there'll be 4 completely unique Assassins Creed and every current console will have at least 1 game available for it. It's also great to see that Ubisoft is paying more attention to its more hardcore franchises! I'm gonna keep posting updates in upcoming issues to keep readers posted on the news of the game! If I save enough, you should expect a review when it comes out. So, who else is looking forward to this? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Three new DSi Colors announced.... for Japan. Three new DSi colors for Japan - Nintendo Japan Three new DSi colors for Japan - Joystiq So far in Japan the only colors available are Black and White. Nintendo recently announced three new colors for release in Japan, which look pretty cool. But why aren't these being released in other areas? It'd be awesome if they get released here, because the only colors we're getting are Black and Light Blue. The three new colors are Pink, Lime Green and Metallic Blue. Being a guy, I obviously won't like the pink one. But if I had to choice, I would pick the metallic blue. It looks really damn cool, and the lime green doesn't look half-bad either. Black is still my favorite of them all though. By the way, these will cost the same as the other DSi colors in Japan, so at least that's good. So, should these colors be released in other areas aswell? I personally think so, but what do you think? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ REVIEW: Power Stone Collection (PSP) Power Stone Collection (PSP) - MetaCritic Power Stone Collection (PSP) Official Site - Capcom Power Stone Collection (PSP) - Wikipedia Power Stone Collection (PSP) combines Power Stone and Power Stone 2 into one game. Though it's more than just a simple port, it has loads of nice extras which make it worth checking out. Power Stone is basically a 3D arena fighter which has loads of weapons, power-ups and characters to play with. The Start Screen gives you a choice between playing Power Stone, playing Power Stone 2, or to view the Collection Features. To start with, I played the original Power Stone first, because that would make more sense than playing them in reverse order, right? The moment I turned on the game, I immediately noticed how lifeless the announcer was. I don't know whether it was on purpose or not, but it really doesn't get me pumped to play. When you first start the game, you have 8 characters to pick from. They're Falcon, Ayame, Gunrock, Jack, Rouge, Ryoma, Galuda and Wangtang. The character I chose to start with was Galuda. The term 'Power Stone', refers to the diamonds you pick up while playing to upgrade yourself, and man there's a lot of them! You collect them to raise your power to help you kick ass. If you collect 3 Power Stones, you turn into your super form to help you kick serious ass. It's pretty much impossible to get hurt when you're in that form. There's also health upgrades that appear in the form of cake and meat. The best part about Power Stone is that almost the whole environment is destructable, and you can use loads of things as weapons. Including bombs, lamp posts, pot plants, chairs, tables, rocket launchers, flame throwers, guns, signs, and even swords! Seriously, the sword is my favorite weapon in the game without a doubt. You can use loads of wrestling moves like suplexes and throws. Power Stone 2 actually surprised me. It has way more options than the original Power Stone game. There's 1 on 1, 1 on 3, CPU VS CPU, Adventure, Network Battle, Training and the Item Shop. Oh man, Power Stone 2 has so much new stuff! There's loads of great level designs, loads of new weapons (tridents, bubble guns etc.), new characters, new modes and more! It's such an improvement. Power Stone 2 has 4 new characters. They're Pete, Julia, Courmand and Accel. The characters themselves don't look that great, but it's nice to at least have some new characters to try out. The level design is amazing. In one level you can ride a skateboard while running away from a huge boulder, and in another level you can swim next to a submarine in the freezing ocean! Seriously, the level design is way improved. Some may seem it as a gimmick, but I love it because it's not just fighting. There's some fun stuff to do in the Collection Features menu, you can play 3 mini-games, view the game endings, But you don't start with all the stuff unlocked, you have to work for most of it. The thing I can really appreciate about this collection, is that I can finally play a good fighting game in 16:9! Since I don't own a good TV, all of my gaming is done on a regular TV. Plus if you're a purist, the game will give you a choice of playing in 16:9, 4:3 and 4:3 stretched, which is another nice feature. This game really suffers from 3 huge problems. The loading times, the lack of new content, and the frame rate in Power Stone 2. There's 15-20 second load times between each level and cutscene, which gets really annoying after a while. It doesn't seem like much after 1 or 2 times, but after a while it really piles up. Another bummer is that there isn't that much new content to keep fans who have played the game before interested. You can still play all the VMU games, you can view all the artwork, listen to all the music and view all the endings. There's no actually new content, but it brings together almost everything you'd want in a good compilation. Plus the framerate in Power Stone 2 is pretty damn slow, but I'm fine with that because it's still fun with all the extra features. BUY IT, BORROW IT OR BREAK IT: Buy it. It's really really cheap, and it can keep you busy for a whole weekend, or just for a bus trip. I give Power Stone Collection for the PSP, an.... 8/10! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Motorstorm: Arctic Edge (PSP/PS2) is announced, and a CGI trailer is released! MotorStorm: Arctic Edge (PSP/PS2) announced at Destination Playstation - PR News Wire MotorStorm: Arctic Edge (PSP/PS2) gets announced + a trailer is posted - Joystiq Up until now, MotorStorm was a PS3-exclusive franchise. MotorStorm: Arctic Edge was announced at Destination Playstation, and it was confirmed that it'll be released for both the PSP and the PS2. Now that it's on every current Playstation console, almost everybody will have a chance to play MotorStorm. I'm really glad to see that MotorStorm is expanding, and I'm just hoping that this game doesn't suck. To view the trailer for the game, just click Play on the video above. The whole video is pretty much CGI, which really disappoints me. But hey, it's better than nothing! It looks like there's loads of vehicles and that the level design is really interesting and that it really uses the setting well. Incase you haven't figured it out already, the game will be set in Alaska, and that you'll pretty much be racing on ice and snow. According to the press release, the game is expected to be released on the PS2 in the fall of 2009, but there is no word on when the PSP game will be released. I'm looking forward to it! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rock Band: Unplugged (PSP) announced, with some gameplay details revealed. Rock Band Unplugged Announced + Minor gameplay details - Joystiq Rock Band: Unplugged (PSP) announced at Destination Playstation - PR News Wire Guitar Hero is out for the DS, so the next logical step for Sony to compete with it would be... release Rock Band on the PSP? Hmm... this will certainly be an interesting project to see how it compares. According to the press release, Rock Band will be the first game to use Wi-Fi to access a complete in-game store. Though that'll only be available if you live in Europe or North America, which sucks for me. Primotech seems to have some gameplay details on the game aswell. Apparently the notes will be played with left, up, circle and triangle. To switch instruments you use the Shoulder buttons, and the songs will be played in parts, so you'll have to keep changing instruments. Man, that sounds better than having loads of ****ty peripherals, this may actually be good! This sounds sorta like Frequency, but I don't mind. It'll hopefully be great, let's wait and see... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Even more GTA: Chinatown Wars (NDS) screenshots, and 2 trailers released! First GTA: Chinatown Wars (NDS) Trailer - NintendoEverything Second GTA: Chinatown Wars (NDS) Trailer - NintendoEverything EVEN MORE SCREENSHOTS - NintendoEverything You want even more Chinatown Wars goodies? Well dig into this! 13 more screenshots have been posted for you to drool over, and 2 trailers have also been released! Check them out in the sources. The first trailer was pretty good, it showed some gameplay and highlighted some details of the story aswell. The gameplay looks great and it should do a decent job of attracting newcomers to the game. The second trailer was far better, and actually shows a great load of gameplay. The driving looks really fun, and the mini-games look well implemented. The trailer just all round looked better, whether it be the background, the music, or just that it showed more gameplay than the other one. Great job Rockstar! The 13 screenshots that were released were decent, but nothing new. The only thing that really caught my eye was the picture I used for this article. It's either a flamethrower, or just an explosion. Either way it looks epic. Wow, there must be hundreds of screens online now. That's pretty amazing. Man. Rockstar just keeps pumping out content for this game, and they're doing a great job of keeping up the hype. DEFINITELY expect a review for this game when it comes out. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Persona (PSP) is coming to the US this fall! Persona (PSP) is confirmed for the US in the fall - Joystiq Wow! Even more great PSP news! Atlus confirmed that Persona (PSP) will be coming to the US this fall! Well, that's great for the US audience, but it doesn't exactly help me... oh well. I'm just glad that the game is being released outside of Japan. Also, no news on whether it'll be released in Europe. In some of my previous posts I've talked about the features that the game will have, but incase you missed those, I'll talk about them again. Here's the complete list of confirmed features: - It'll be released in Japan on April 29. - Improved user interface. - New Anime cutscenes. - Expanded dungeons. - A new soundtrack. - More save points. - A quick save feature. - Improved City map. For hardcore Persona fans, and for hardcore RPG fans, this should be a must-buy. I'm certainly gonna try buy it if it comes out in Australia. Who's looking forward to it? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days (PSP) trailer released, and reveals more details about the game! Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days (PSP) Trailer - GameTrailers Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days (PSP) is a port of Disgaea 2 on the PS2, and it's gonna be released pretty soon. This week, a trailer was posted on the net, and it reveals quite a few details about the game. According to the trailer, there'll be an additional storyline, new gameplay features and it'll be easier to pick it up and play it straight away. These features sound nice, but I'm just glad that there's another Disgaea game on the PSP. This'll be the fourth one if you include 'Prinny: Can I really be the Hero?'. If I find this cheap enough, I'll buy it. But it's not a must-buy for me because I already have it on the PS2. I'm sure all you Disgaea fans are freaking out right now, and you should be. This is awesome! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK Check out the upcoming and recent releases at VideoGameCountdown.com This week there has been loads of great releases you should check out. This weeks featured games are: Peggle: Dual Shot (NDS) Wow, if you haven't played a Peggle game yet, you should. They're such simple and casual games, but they're so freakin addictive. This version of Peggle features Peggle, Peggle Nights and 10 extra levels exclusive to the DS version. It's really worth a buy if you love Peggle as much as me! Look forward to a review! Phantasy Star Portable (PSP) Phantasy Star is a great series, and now that a new Phantasy Star game is coming to the PSP, it's completely awesome. It's a great game for RPG fans, and for Phantasy Star fans. If you wanna check out what this game is like before you buy it, there's a downloadable demo on PSN, so check that out. Blue Dragon Plus (NDS) I haven't played this game yet, but apparently it's a role-playing card game. It received decent reviews, and you should at least check it out if you like RPG games, or the other Blue Dragon games. My pick for this issue is... a draw between Phantasy Star Portable (PSP) and Peggle: Dual Shot (NDS). I seriously can't decide, they both rock. Pick them up, and have fun gaming! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Miami Law (NDS) gets announced, plus a release date and screenshots are released! Miami Law (NDS) is announced, plus screenshots and gameplay details - Joystiq Miami Law (NDS) screenshots gallery - Joystiq Miami Law (NDS) is a game that's basically managed to sneak under the radar, because I haven't heard a thing about it up until now. Though it actually looks very interesting. You play as 2 cops, and you solve crimes in Miami, obviously. Both cops have 2 completely different gameplay styles, so it offers variety. As the male cop Law Martin, you play in car chases and in shooting segments. As the female cop Sara Starling it's more of a puzzle/investigation game. This game really looks like it offers a lot for fans of different types of games. I'll personally prefer to play as Law Martin, whereas my Mum would prefer to play as Sara. Texas Hold Em and Sudoku are also available as unlockables. This game will be available in June, and it's being published by Hudson. I'm looking forward to it, but there may not be a review until I learn more details about the game. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MEH NEWS: Meaning of 'i' in DSi, free Blue Dragon episode & new God of War PSP game rumors. Meaning of the 'i' in DSi - TechRadar First episode of Blue Dragon anime available for free on iTunes - Anime News Network Ready at Dawn developing new God of War game for PSP? - Joystiq This week loads of not-so-important news has been announced. So, read on to find out more about them! What does the i in DSi really mean? Well according to a representative from Nintendo, the 'i' is symbolic for the personal aspect of the system, and that the 2 cameras give the system it's on 'eye' on things. Hmm... interesting. I'm sure the meaning was thought up after the name DSi was decided upon anyways. To celebrate the launch of Blue Dragon Plus (NDS), the first episode of the series is now available for free on iTunes up until March 10. Apparently the series isn't that great, but hey, it's free Anime! I haven't seen the episode because I don't have iTunes, but if you download it and enjoy it, 12 more episodes of the series are available for purchase on iTunes aswell! So, we all know that the first God of War game for the PSP was absolutely ******* amazing. Recently rumors have surfaced that Ready at Dawn are developing another PSP God of War game. Apparently sources have told Joystiq that Ready at Dawn are developing another God of War game for the system. When contacted, the co-founder of the comment said that he wasn't allowed to answer their question, but I really hope there is at least some truth to this rumor. Seriously, if they time the release of another God of War game for the PSP with God of War (PS3), that'd be awesome! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wrap-up + Notes. So, I know this issue was a day late, I'm sorry. I was just lazy. Also, this issue is shorter than the last one, but that's because it was a slow news week. I apologize. Next week there'll be a review of Peggle: Dual Shot (NDS), the Resistance: Retribution (PSP) demo and Geometry Wars: Galaxies (NDS). There may also be a lookback, but I'm not sure. If you would like Gaming on the Go! featured on your site, just shoot me a PM or e-mail. As of right now it's an exclusive on ScrewAttack, but I'm willing to post it on other sites. If there's a game you would like me to review, just ask and I'll try my best to review it. But remember, if I don't own it, I can't review it. So don't be disappointed. If you support Gaming on the Go!, there's a few things you can do. You can either Digg, Comment, Rate and Top Post this issue! Any combination of those would be awesome. Also, I always reply to comments. Thanks for reading guys, hope you enjoyed it! - Skambu

Gaming on the Go! - 22/02/09

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 06:08:39 -0500

(Gaming on the Go! is optimized for viewing at a 1024 x 768 resolution.) 1#: Nintendo DSi coming to US, Europe and Australia early in April 09! 2#: REVIEW: Moon (NDS) 3#: Resistance: Retribution (PSP) screens, trailer, demo, cover art, release date and more! 4#: Need for Speed: Shift (PSP) and Need for Speed: Nitro (NDS) both are announced by EA. 5#: Phantasy Star Portable (PSP) gets a release date, a trailer is released plus some screens! 6#: Datel gets sued by Sony for their PSP-3000 Hacking tool. 7#: Many Mario & Luigi 3 (NDS) details are released, including boxart, a trailer and screens! 8#: GTA: Chinatown Wars (NDS) info, rating, multiplayer details, and screenshots are released. 9#: Remake of Persona is confirmed for PSP, with some new features and a trailer! 10#: PSP2 Rumors get shut down by Sony... BRUTALLY. 11#: REVIEW: Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition (PSP) 12#: Lego Battles (NDS) gets announced, and a few screenshots get released! 13#: NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK - Catch-up Edition. 14#: PixelJunk: Monsters (PSP) to have 50% more content than the original PSN version! 15#: Loads of Dragon Quest IX (NDS) screenshots get released, and the release date is pushed back. 16#: Space Invaders Extreme 2 (NDS) screens are blasted onto the net! 17#: Final Fantasy Legend II (NDS) remake is confirmed and it'll be released in Japan this year! 18#: REVIEW: Neopets Puzzle Adventure (NDS) 19#: A few more Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days (NDS) screenshots are released! 20#: MEH NEWS: Spore: Hero Arena, Duke Nukem: Critical Hour & Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings. 21#: Wrap-Up + Notes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Nintendo DSi coming to US, Europe and Australia early in April 09! Nintendo DSi coming to America - Nintendo Nintendo DSi coming to Australia - Vooks Nintendo DSi coming to Europe - EuroGamer The DSi finally has a confirmed release date for North America, Europe and Australia. It'll be released in North America on April 5th, in Australia on April 2nd, and for Europe it's on April 3rd. I'm surprised that Australia and Europe are getting it before North America, but I'm still not gonna buy it. It's priced at $300 AUD! WHAT THE ****. The DS Lite is only $200 right now... what a rip. There is a deal at EB Games where you can trade in your old DS Lite to reduce the price to $175, which is a far more reasonable price. In Europe it'll be priced at around €170, and in North America the price will be $170 USD. I really think that this is a great time to pick up a DS Lite for a cheaper price. I highly recommend it. I know some people will be picking it up, but I certainly won't be, unless Nintendo sends me one of course . But anyway, who's excited for the new system? Comment with your opinions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ REVIEW: Moon (NDS) Moon (NDS) - Official Site Moon (NDS) - MetaCritic Recently, there has been a huge influx of FPS games for the DS. This particular one was developed by Renegade Kid, the same company that made Dementium: The Ward, a DS Survival Shooter. But it was published by Mastiff, the same company that made Major League Eating, and Easter Bunny's Big Day.... err... yeah, Mastiff aren't exactly known for quality. Luckily, Moon breaks the trend of sucking major ass, and delivers one of the best FPS titles the DS has to offer! The story isn't exactly amazing, but it's good enough. It's set in the future, where the Government has research bases where they learn stuff about... err... the Moon, I guess. You play as Major Kane, the leader of a group of people who are working on one of the Research bases. Your team finds a mysterious hatch, then you're sent in to investigate it, and your adventure begins. The gameplay is almost exactly the same to all of the other FPS's available on the DS. You use the D-Pad to move your character, the Touch Screen to move the camera, and the L Shoulder button to fire. Everything else is done using the Touch Screen. Examples of what you can do with the touchscreen include examining items, picking up objects, and changing your weapon. The controls feel pretty damn accurate, which is good, because the enemies are rather small. The main thing that attracted me to this game, was the graphics. I must say, the graphics are pretty damn impressive. It's definitely one of the best-looking 3D DS games I've ever seen. Of course, if you run straight into a wall it looks really stretched and pixelized, but there's only so much that the DS can do. If you play like you're ment to, the graphics look amazing. The see-through laser doors look nice, and the characters themselves look cool aswell. The game also runs at 60 frames per second, which makes the game look really smooth, unlike other titles.... (click) The characters in the game wear Astronaut suits, so they look remotely like Master Chief from the Halo series. There's also apparently vehicles in the game (I'm not far enough in to see what they are though), but according to some screens I've seen, they look a bit like warthogs. In some previews of the game, sites were even calling it "Halo DS". Aesthetically it looks pretty similar, but once you get into gameplay it's VERY different from Halo. But this game isn't without it's flaws. There's actually quite a few glaring problems with it. You can't jump (which may be on purpose because you mainly fight indoors anyway) and there's no Multiplayer either, which is a huge bummer. Those are really the only 2 problems I can think of with the game. But do ya wanna know something COMPLETELY ******* AWESOME about the game? ONE OF THE GUNS IS CALLED THE: "SUPER ASSAULT RIFLE"! I mean, awesome! It's Super, and it's an Assault Rifle! Could you get any cooler? I think not. BUY IT, BORROW IT OR BREAK IT? You should definitely Buy It. The controls are tight and the story could be fun for fans of the Sci-Fi genre. If you doubt the DS and just wanna see how far it's graphics can be pushed, then pick this up! Moon, for the Nintendo DS receives an.... 8/10! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Resistance: Retribution (PSP) screens, trailer, demo, cover art, release date and more! Release Date & Latest Trailer revealed - Playstation Blog Pre-order details, cover art, screens, demo and more details - Playstation Blog Resistance: Retribution (PSP) is looking better and better the more I see of it! Too bad I doubt I'll be able to afford it. I'm currently broke, and there's really no way for me to get it... I guess I'm gonna try to save up. But anyways, keep reading to find out all the awesome details of the game! John Garvin of the SCEA announced at CES, that Resistance: Retribution (PSP) will be available on March 17th! That's only a few weeks away, and more closer than most people thought. A trailer was also debuted in the same video, and to view it, just click the first source for this article. Another cool detail that's been revealed, is that if you pre-order from Amazon, Best Buy, Gamestop or Game Crazy will receive a voucher that will allow you to download the demo early! Too bad none of these stores are in Australia though, and that Amazon doesn't ship here either. In the demo, it'll feature some Single-Player gameplay and it'll let you try out the connection between Retribution and Resistance 2, which is pretty cool. Speaking of the connectivity, details were revealed on how to activate Resistance Connect. According to the Playstation Blog, this is how to activate, and use it: "1. Insert and load Resistance: Retribution on the PSP. 2. Insert and load Resistance 2 on the PS3. 3. Connect PSP to PS3 via USB Cable. 4. From “Start” menu on the Resistance 2 menu, select “Options”. 5. Scroll to “Connect PSP”. From there, you can activate Infected Mode and Resistance: Retribution Plus!" A few more images were also posted, including the cover art and a few screens from the opening cutscene. To view these, click the second source for the article. The cutscenes look great, and the cover art looks absolutely amazing, and hopefully it'll get some people who aren't sure to take a second look at the game. As soon as I muster up enough money, I'm gonna get it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Need for Speed: Shift (PSP) and Need for Speed: Nitro (NDS) both are announced by EA. 3 new NFS games are announced - Joystiq Wow. Rumors have been floating around the internet that the Need for Speed series had cancelled... so what does EA do? They go right ahead and announce 3 NEW GAMES! There's 1 game being released for every console, and 2 for the PC! That's insane, especially considering that the NFS series is on the verge of collapse because of the recent lack of quality in games. Hopefully at least one of these will be good. Need for Speed: Shift was announced for the 360, PS3, PC and PSP. The game's developers are trying to make the franchise more realistic. I really don't see how this is a good idea, considering that Need for Speed is more of an Arcade racer than a Realistic racer, and fans will probably be pissed off after buying it. I also don't see why they released this one on the PSP aswell as the consoles. Need for Speed: Nitro will be a Nintendo-exclusive, coming out for the Wii and NDS. Apparently it's going to 'take full advantage of the unique controls on offer for both platforms'. Which basically means it's gonna have frustratingly innaccurate motion-controls, and bad over-used stylus controls. Oh great! Need for Speed: World Online is a PC Exclusive, and it's basically a Need for Speed MMO. I've got no idea what you're supposed to do. Drive around the city with others? Challenge racers? Sounds sort of interesting, I guess. Only a few minor details have been mentioned for the game too. It'll be free-to-play, and it'll be released in Asia this summer, and in North America this Winter. Wow, why did EA announce so many NFS games in one go? I'm happy with the games being released, and I'll try out at least one of them if it gets decent reviews. You should probably expect a review, aswell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Phantasy Star Portable (PSP) gets a release date, a trailer is released plus some screens! Phantasy Star Portable (PSP) Trailer - Joystiq Phantasy Star Portable (PSP) gets a new release date - SEGA Phantasy Star Portable (PSP) Screenshots Set - SEGA's Flickr There has been quite a lot of Phantasy Star Portable news this week. A trailer has been released, more screenshots have been posted, plus there's a new release date for the game. Read on to find out more. The trailer for the game can be accessed by clicking the link under the picture, or by: clicking here. I thought that the music in the trailer was completely inappropriate, it shouldn't have have been techno. But I digress. It shows gameplay, cutscene footage (hopefully), and gives newcomers a few details on the game. The game still looks pretty promising... SEGA also announced that the game will be released in the US on March 3rd. That's pretty damn close, it's only a few weeks away. I know that it'll keep loads of PSP owners busy for a while. SEGA also posted many screenshots on their Flickr account. The game still looks pretty damn awesome, and I just thought that I would include it because some hardcore fans might be interested. Phantasy Star Portable still looks amazing, and I hope that it sells really well. If it doesn't, I wouldn't be expecting many more amazing PSP games to come. Seriously, even if you have a hacked PSP, buy it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Datel gets sued by Sony for their PSP-3000 Hacking tool. Sony sues Datel over their PSP-3000 Hacking Tool - Portable Video Gamer The above picture is Sony's response to Datel, the company that was planning on making a PSP-3000 hacking tool called the 'Lite Blue Tool'. It was never released, so nobody knows whether or not it worked, but if it did, it was the only way known to hack the PSP-3000. It's great to see that Sony is still being aggressive towards PSP Piracy, and that they really care about the system. Apparently it's the most hacked system of all time, and they're trying to make it more profitable. Good Job Sony! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Many Mario & Luigi 3 (NDS) details are released, including boxart, a trailer and screens! 19 Mario & Luigi 3 Screenshots - NintendoEverything Mario & Luigi Possible Boxart - Amazon Japan Mario & Luigi 3 Trailer - Youtube With the recent release of Mario & Luigi 3 in Japan, many details have been released. Including a trailer, the boxart and screens! Obviously, all of this stuff is available in Japan, but it's new for us! 19 screens have been released for the game, and for the most part, they look pretty damn good. They include screens of battles, cutscenes, and Bowser doing random stuff. The boxart has also been revealed on the Amazon Japan site, to view it, click here. The boxart looks decent enough, but also very plain. Not that I really care, THE GAME WILL ROCK! Also, a trailer has been released. I saw it on Youtube, and there's a link provided in the sources of this article. It basically shows loads of random clips from the game, which is fine. The announcer says Mario and 'Ruigi', that's all that really matters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GTA: Chinatown Wars (NDS) info, rating, multiplayer details, and screenshots are released. Chinatown Wars Details - GTAGaming Even more details - NintendoEverything Screenshots - NintendoEverything Many Multiplayer details revealed - Joystiq GTA: Chinatown Wars gets an M Rating - NintendoEverything Loads of details have been jammed down our throat this week for GTA: Chinatown Wars, an upcoming game for the NDS. I'm still excited about it, and I can't wait until it gets released. The most exciting details that were released this week were about the Multiplayer. This week that they revealed there would be Local co-op, and Local competitive. On Wi-Fi you can upload your stats, chat to friends and trade items. Rockstar has also promised that if you access the 'Rockstar Social Club', it'll offer 'special contests, events and promotions'. No details have been released on what they are though. The game also got a rating from the ESRB recently. The game was rated M for Blood, Gore, Drug References, Sexual Content, Strong Language and Violence. Sweet. Some details that were released include that you can replay any mission, you order weapons from your PDA and they'll show up in your safehouse, and there are many mini-games integrated smoothly into the game. The mini-games include paying bridge tolls, stealing a parked car and safe-cracking. They also noted that the game was already finished, and that they were just checking the game for bugs. Which is great news for people that are looking forward to the game. 17 more screenshots have been released recently aswell. Nothing's really new in the screenshots, but the cutscenes still look interesting. I guess it's nice to have more screenshots available though. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Remake of Persona is confirmed for PSP, with some new features and a trailer! Persona (PSP) Remake Confirmed and coming to Japan in April - Joystiq Persona (PSP) Trailer - Famitsu New soundtrack and expanded dungeons confirmed - Joystiq A remake of the PS1 game 'Revelations: Persona', has been confirmed for the PSP. Famitsu revealed that the game will be released in Japan on April 29, and that it'll feature quite a few new features. So far, the only features that have been confirmed for the game so far, are an improved user interface, new anime cutscenes, expanded dungeons, a new soundtrack, extra save points, a 'quick save' feature and an improved city map. The new features aren't exactly revolutionary, but at least the developers put some effort into the game and haven't just made a crappy port with no new features. The trailer is very... Japanese. It just seemed like some random clips of Anime cutscenes and gameplay were thrown together, and a Japanese pop song was put in the background. It's weird, but awesome. For gamers that've never played Persona before, or for gamers who want to re-experience it again with the new features, this announcement is pretty much a dream come true. I'm gonna try my best to muster up enough money to get this, just because I've heard so much good feedback about the Persona series. If I can find the game, you should certainly expect a review. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ PSP2 Rumors get shut down by Sony... BRUTALLY. PSP2 Rumors get shut down by Sony - Joystiq Wow, Sony absolutely pwned the **** out of IGN. Seriously. When IGN posted apparent details about the PSP2, Sony denied them... but not in the way that you would think. "Clearly, being a quiet time of year, many, what we thought to be credible websites, are making up stories about PSP2, and how it allows you to teleport across the globe, travel through time, and will be powered by the horns of baby rhinoceroses. Hopefully, you can sense a mild tone of sarcasm, which should hopefully indicate how 'on the money' IGN are. Needless to say, we don't comment on rumor or speculation, but this is nonsense." Awesome! Now I finally have a good use for my Baby Rhinoceros farm! But seriously, Sony was really harsh towards IGN, and good for them. News sites shouldn't post rumors as big as this one, until there's at least some credible evidence to show that it's true. But what if IGN were right? Hmm, I wonder... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ REVIEW: Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition (PSP) Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition (PSP) - Official Site Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition (PSP) - MetaCritic Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition (PSP) was originally released on the PS2/XBOX in 2005, and 2 months later it was released on the PSP. Luckily this game isn't just a ****ty throw-away port, the game is actually pretty frickin awesome, and the game doesn't feel gimped at all. The graphics look amazing, and screenshots don't really do it justice because the game moves really fast. It's one of the best looking PSP racing games to date, only behind WipEout Pure and Burnout Legends. I didn't pay loads of attention to the story (mainly because it's a racing game), but from what I picked up, you start off in a garage in some city and a mechanic starts talking to you. After a bit of jibber-jabber from those two fools, you go into this city and start racing. Racing allows you to earn money which will let you buy parts for your car, which is pretty cool. Then different groups will start asking you to race them, and you'll eventually start to unlock more cities. You can even just roam around in the city and not have to race anybody! There's a lot to do and everyone can enjoy it. Some may like the customization aspect of it, some may like the racing aspect, and some may like the free-world aspect of it. The music in the game isn't the type of music that I personally enjoy, but many other people may enjoy it. Some artists that're in the game are Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Queens of the Stone Age and Jimmy Eat World. Luckily you can filter the music to only play a certain genre, and I always choose Rock. The racing aspect of the game is absolutely amazing, the controls feel really smooth and passing people is always fun with the boost you get from being behind people. One feature I like about the game is that there's different paths in the races, so if you find a shortcut and you're in last place, you still have a chance to catch up. Since you always have a chance, it stops you from just restarting the damn race. Midnight Club 3 is a really awesome game with a great soundtrack, nice graphics and slick controls. It's not just your average racing game, and it's far better than most Need for Speed games. BUY IT, BORROW IT OR BREAK IT: Definitely buy it. It's at a relatively low price, and has some cool gameplay mechanics. Play it and have loads hours of racing fun by yourself, and with friends! I give Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition for the PSP a... 7/10. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lego Battles (NDS) gets announced, and a few screenshots get released! Lego Battles (NDS) is announced - NintendoEverything First Lego Battles (NDS) Screenshots - NintendoEverything Lego Battles (NDS) was announced by Warner Bros and TT Games recently, and it's the first Lego game in a while that's not based off a comic or movie series. The game is scheduled to be released in the UK this summer. After reading the press release, the game seems COMPLETELY random. Here's a direct quote: "pirate swordsmen fighting side-by-side with wizards and aliens; dragons battling ninjas; and pirate ships launching broadsides against spacecraft and knights!" THIS SOUNDS AMAZING. Pirates, wizards, aliens, dragons, ninjas, pirate ships AND knights? If I was 6 years old, this would be my dream come true! Wait, you know what? IT'S STILL MY DREAM COME TRUE. The gameplay sounds very different from other LEGO games though, according to the Press release you can build bases, have huge battles and you can create your own ultimate customized LEGO squad. It sounds sort of like an RTS but more of an action RTS, if that makes any sense. What I'd really like to see is a Strategy game, with the same gameplay from the previous LEGO games. The same day that the game was announced, 6 screenshots were also posted. They all look amazing for a DS game, so I doubt that they are real screenshots. In one of the screenshots, you see a character who looks like a rip-off of Darth Vader sitting on top of a dragon talking to 3 of his goons. I believe that the point of the 6 screenshots is to show you the variety that this game offers, just look at all the different characters! Wow! I'm really looking forward to this game! It's nice to have a new original LEGO game. A well known fact, Pirates + Ninjas + Dragons + Spaceships + Aliens + Knights = AWESOME. It's a scientific fact people, look it up! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK - Catch-up Edition. Check out upcoming games at VideoGameCountdown.com There is LOADS of games for me to catch up on, and they're all worth buying. But I doubt most people will be able to afford them all in this 'economic downturn' that everybody's raving about. LocoRoco 2 (PSP) I LOVED the first LocoRoco, and it's nice that it's getting a sequel on the PSP. The gameplay is awesome, and it's just nice to have more LocoRoco! Plus, there's loads of LocoRoco 2 content on PSN to take advantage of. Retro Game Challenge (NDS) This game's awesome! You play new games that look retro, and to progress you pass in-game challenges. You can also read magazines for hints & cheats to help you. You should certainly buy it, expect a review next week! Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (NDS) This game is awesome for Fire Emblem fans, or just for people that enjoy turn-based strategy games. I've only played a few levels of the games so far, but it seems pretty fun and it feels like a game that'll last quite a while. Prinny: Can I Really be the Hero? (PSP) I haven't played this game yet, but apparently it's an insanely hard platformer that features Disgaea characters. It seems like a nice change for the PSP, and you should at least try this game out. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (NDS) Yay! Another Dragon Quest game on the DS! I might eventually do a review for this game, but what else can I really say? It's Dragon Quest! If you like Dragon Quest, buy it now. If you aren't, at least check it out. My pick for this week is... Retro Game Challenge! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ PixelJunk: Monsters (PSP) to have 50% more content than the original PSN version! PixelJunk: Monsters (PSP) to have 50% more content - Joystiq PixelJunk: Monsters is a PS3 game that's soon getting a port to the PSP. So what's the incentive to buy the PSP version over the PS3 version? Well, apparently 50% more content! Considering how huge PixelJunk: Monsters is, that's a huge addition! So for fans of the original game, they'll be getting more than enough content to justify another purchase of it. I've never actually played a PixelJunk game before, but I'll hopefully be able to get enough money to afford it, because they've gotten great reviews. If I get a copy of Monsters, I'll definitely write up a review for it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Loads of Dragon Quest IX (NDS) screenshots get released, and the release date is pushed back. Dragon Quest IX (NDS) Screenshots - NintendoEverything Dragon Quest IX (NDS) Screenshots Gallery - Joystiq Dragon Quest IX (NDS) gets delayed - Joystiq Dragon Quest IX is a completely new Dragon Quest game that's exclusive to the DS. Recently loads of screenshots have been posted online, but unfortunately the release date got pushed back aswell, which is sorta disappointing, but I guess I can live with the wait. Over 50 screenshots are available online so far, and they all give a pretty good impression of what the game will look like. The game basically looks like a 2D game with 3D graphics, and like a Traditional Japanese RPG. At least you know what you're getting into when you're playing a Dragon Quest game. The screenshots look very promising, and I'm impressed that Square-Enix can pull off such a smooth looking game on the system. The original release date was March 28, so now it's been pushed back to June 11. 4 months is a pretty substantial push-back, but at least it was for a reason. Apparently the developers found major bugs in the game design. Well, I would personally prefer to have 4 extra months to wait than to have a buggy version of Dragon Quest IX. Dragon Quest IX (NDS) WILL rock. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Space Invaders Extreme 2 (NDS) screens are blasted onto the net! Japanese Retailers leak Space Invaders Extreme 2 (NDS) - Joystiq Space Invaders Extreme 2 (NDS) Screenshots - NintendoEverything A listing for Space Invaders Extreme 2 (NDS) was posted on Play-Asia a few weeks ago, suggesting that the game was indeed being made, and will be released in Japan on March 26, 2009. Taito has since confirmed this, and more screenshots have been released, getting fans of the first game excited. Some new features in the game include better multiplayer, new bosses, and for some reason, there's a Bingo system. Space Invaders and Bingo don't sound like a perfect match, but I suppose it's possible for it to not suck. The screenshots that were released look nice, but still very random and colorful. But I'm guessing the color and randomness was one of the main draws of the first game, so fans of the game would appreciate these screenshots more than I would. I'd still prefer to play on the top screen than the bottom screen, but I'm in the minority. I've played the first Space Invaders Extreme game, and I really wasn't that impressed. The game is a nice fun arcade shooter, but I don't think it goes much deeper than that. So I was pleasantly surprised to see that Taito were making a sequel to the game, appropriately titled 'Space Invaders Extreme 2'. I hope that it improves on some of the bad points of the last game, like how everything on the bottom screen looks like a jumbled mess. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Final Fantasy Legend II (NDS) remake is confirmed and it'll be released in Japan this year! Final Fantasy Legend II remake is confirmed - NintendoEverything Final Fantasy Legend II (NDS) screenshots - NintendoEverything Final Fantasy Legend II was originally a Gameboy game released in 1990. The game was incredibly well-received, and Famitsu even rated it the 94th Best Game of All-Time in 2006. So far, only minimal details have been released about the DS remake, but it sounds pretty awesome. The game will feature new gameplay and the graphics will be completely redone in 3D. The game's planned to be released in Japan some time in 2009. From the 5 screenshots that have so far been released, the graphics look really good. Some of the best 3D RPG graphics I've seen so far on the DS, better than Dragon Quest IX. Final Fantasy Legend II sounds like an awesome game, and I'm disappointed that I've never played it before. I might be getting this game, and you can look forward to a review when the English version is released. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ REVIEW: Neopets Puzzle Adventure (NDS) Neopets Puzzle Adventure (NDS) - Official Site Neopets Puzzle Adventure (NDS) - MetaCritic Neopets isn't exactly my favorite franchise, so I didn't go into this game expecting much. But what I got was a mix between Puzzle Quest and Reversi. Mind you, I do love me some Reversi. In this game, you play as a Neopet who's going on some adventure... I suppose. The Puzzle Quest portion of the game, is basically a huge map screen where you can go to different areas. Except you don't really do anything in the areas. The only place where you can go where you can actually do something, is the mission itself, so the map screen is absolutely pointless. The Reversi part of the game, is where you play Reversi against CPU Neopets. The board isn't always a square either, later on in the game parts of the board start getting blacked out so you have to play strategically. The game isn't just simple Reversi either, you get bonuses that're called pet-pets, which let you do things to the board to help you. They can lock your pieces in place, let you go twice, or change the color of some pieces. The main reason why most people will buying this game though, is the codes you can get which will unlock items in the online Neopets game. I don't have a Neopets account, but if somebody does have one and is really into it, I can see them buying this game cheap, and playing it just for the codes. The game itself is actually really cheap, according to a quick search on Google, the game can be bought on the DS for $9. That's insanely cheap for a relatively new DS game. The game isn't even that short either, it'll easily last you at least 5 hours, that's how far I got into it at least, and I was nowhere near the end. BUY IT, BORROW IT OR BREAK IT? I'd say Break it if you're a regular gamer, but if you're a huge fan of Neopets, you should give it a Rent so you can get some codes for the online game. I give Neopets Puzzle Adventure for the Nintendo DS a.... 5/10. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A few more Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days (NDS) screenshots are released! Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (NDS) screenshots - NintendoEverything More Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (NDS) screenshots - NintendoEverything Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (NDS) is looking more and more amazing every time I see more screenshots of it. Kingdom Hearts is a great franchise and it's great to see that the DS is getting a game for it. I'm serious, I could easily mistake this for a PS2 game. It looks so smooth, and the characters are really well detailed. The only problem I have with these screenshots is that they all look like they're from cutscenes. The only one I can see that looks like it's from gameplay is this one. Not that that's really a problem, but I'd like to see more gameplay screens next time, please Square-Enix? Either way, fans of the series should get really excited for these screenshots. I'm not even that big of a fan, yet I'm really excited for this game to come out. Let's hope it lives up to expectations! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spore: Hero Arena, Duke Nukem: Critical Hour & Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings. Spore: Hero Arena (NDS) is announced - NintendoEverything Duke Nukem: Critical Hour (NDS/PSP) is 'coming along quite nicely' - Apogee Forums Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings (NDS/PSP) screens - NintendoEverything More Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings (NDS/PSP) screens - NintendoEverything Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings (NDS/PSP) info sheet - NintendoEverything Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings (NDS/PSP) Trailer - Youtube These are the news stories that weren't quite good enough to be it's own article, but should at least be mentioned. This week Spore: Hero Arena (NDS) was announced, Duke Nukem: Critical Hour (NDS/PSP) gets an update from an Apogee employee, and loads of Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings (NDS/PSP) info is revealed. The first Spore game on the DS, named Spore Creatures, wasn't exactly a great game. But the developers thought that it sold well enough to warrant a second Spore game for the DS. The new game is named Spore: Hero Arena, and will apparently 'allow players to create fully-3D Spore creatures and take them into battle with an array of other creatures across the galaxy.' Which sounds sorta like the first game, except these creatures will be completely 3D, unlike the piece of crap 2D ones in the first game. Spore Hero Arena for the DS will be released alongside Spore Hero for the Wii. Duke Nukem: Critical Hour (NDS/PSP), is a part of the planned Duke Nukem Trilogy. We haven't heard much news of it since it was announced, so when a member of Apogee (the company that's publishing the game) posted a topic asking for an update, an Apogee employee replied. In the message, the employee said: - 'On the DS side the graphics are blowing the socks off everyone who sees it', - 'on the PSP, they say the depth of view is the best they have seen to date for that device', - 'There has been implementation of some unique features specific to each system' - 'We are also including some cool bonus game play features' It's great to hear that game is actually getting somewhere. Hopefully this game doesn't turn into Duke Nukem: Forever, and that it gets released by the end of this year. Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings was recently announced, and it's coming out on both the PSP and DS. A trailer was posted on Youtube, and it looks pretty cool. 12 screenshots were also posted, and they look pretty nice. It looks like they're all set in similar places to the movie though, like the desert and old cities. They're nice, and you should at least check them out. Apparently the game will have loads of awesome features too. They include co-op gameplay, 4 player versus mode, control vehicles, and for the DS version you can use your stylus as your whip, and on the PSP version there'll be 6 robust types of burst gameplay. I have high hopes for this game, because most of the other Indiana Jones games haven't been great (not including the LEGO one). So, who else is looking forward to this game? I know I am! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wrap-Up + Notes. I've been REALLY busy, but I've finally managed to finish and post this Gaming on the Go. There's probably going to be a wait before the next issue aswell, because I have loads of homework and I'm still moving house. Next week you can look forward to a review of Retro Game Challenge (NDS) and Power Stone Collection (PSP). Plus all the new releases and news from the past week! If there's any game that you want me to review, just leave a comment or send me a message, and if I own the game I'll try review it. If you support Gaming on the Go!, Digg this post and leave a comment. - Skambu.

Gaming on the Go! - 12/01/09

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:37:23 -0500

(Gaming on the Go! is best viewed using a 1024 x 768 Resolution.) 1#: REVIEW: Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters (PSP) 2#: GTA: Chinatown Wars (DS) has huge maps, loads of cutscenes and an 18 rating in the UK! 3#: Disgaea 2 is coming to the PSP! 4#: SILENT_PROTAGONIST RECOMMENDS: Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen (DS) 5#: Guitar Hero: Modern Hits coming to the DS. 6#: REVIEW: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (DS) 7#: Phantasy Star Zero (DS) confirmed for North America and Europe! 8#: Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP) sells like crazy in Japan! 9#: Blue Dragon: Beasts of the Underworld (DS) scans and a vague release date revealed! 10#: NEWS THAT NEARLY MADE IT: PSP and DS Uno, Dragon Quest V and Rhythm Heaven rumors! 11#: More Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS) Screens! 12#: New Releases this Week. 13#: Wrap-Up! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ REVIEW: Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters (PSP) Ratchet & Clank Size Matters (PSP) - Official Website Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters (PSP) - MetaCritic WOOOO! Who doesn't love Ratchet & Clank? Sony's best 3D platformer series! Or is that God of War? Or Jak & Daxter? Not sure... Anyways, how does this game stack up against the other games in the series? The story is pretty basic, but it gets the job done. Ratchet & Clank are on vacation when a little girl named Luna comes up to them. She tells them that she's writing a report on Heroes for her school. She asks Ratchet & Clank to do heroic stuff. Luna then gets kidnapped by robots. When Ratchet & Clank go to save her, a terrible secret is revealed... (not going any further, too many spoilers) The game's short, REALLY short. When I eventually made it to the Final Level, I was surprised I was already there. Luckily there's replay value. You can go back and get Titanium Bolts and Skill Points. Titanium Bolts unlock skins for Ratchet, and Skill Points unlock cheats (eg. make Clank bigger). The controls in this game work pretty well, and don't feel awkward at all. You use the Analog stick to move your character, the Shoulder buttons to move the camera, the face buttons to shoot/jump/attack, and the D-Pad to strafe. It feels good and not clunky at all. But I never used strafing once, so if you're a strafer, you may experience some problems. There is actually a Multiplayer mode in the game aswell, but unfortunately, I don't know anybody else that owns the game so I haven't had a chance to try it out yet. I'm guessing that it's either a Co-Op mode (doubt it), or a Battle mode. Definitely check it out if you get the chance. There's so many different gameplay variations, so the game never becomes repetitive. Almost all of them are good aswell. This game NEVER becomes repetitive. You can play as Ratchet in a 3D platformer, Clank for 3D puzzle areas, Clank in a game sorta like Basketball, Gadgetbots in a 2D game sorta like Lemmings, and as Clank in a Linear 3D Space Shooter. There's a few problems I have with the game. It's too short (which I've already mentioned before), some of the puzzles were really hard to figure out, whereas others were really easy to figure out, the stages are a bit small and the freakin' Dreamland levels make me so damn sick. Why do they even exist? They aren't needed. I realise that they're a part of the story, but the levels themselves aren't THAT important. BUY OR NOT TO BUY: Do you like own a PSP? If so, buy this awesome game. There's so much to do and collect, it's insane. The combat is nice, and there's loads of upgrades to keep you interested. I give Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters for the PSP.... an 8/10. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GTA: Chinatown Wars (DS) has huge maps, loads of cutscenes and an 18 rating in the UK! Larger map size than the PSP games - NintendoEverything BBFC Listing of GTA: Chinatown Wars You all love Grand Theft Auto right? Right. Me too! So, what news has come out of the game this week? The President of Rockstar Leeds, Gordon Hall, said that the map on GTA: Chinatown Wars will be larger than either of the PSP GTA games. Wow, Rockstar is really pushing the DS to it's limits. OH NOEZ! Chinatown Wars got an 18 rating in the UK from the BBFC! Well, at least it'll still be sold in the UK. You shouldn't be surprised at this rating though, even if it is on the DS. You know why? Because there's loads of shooting, killing, swearing and even drug-dealing in the game. ******* AWESOME. Also in the BBFC Listing, it was revealed that there was 168 minutes of cutscenes in the game. WHAT THE ****. 168 MINUTES? I'm not able to sit still for 10 minutes, yet alone 168. Hopefully they're skippable. So, even more details for GTA: Chinatown Wars! Sweet! Man, this game sounds absolutely epic. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Disgaea 2 is coming to the PSP! Disgaea 2 Confirmed for PSP - PSPFanboy Disgaea 2 is coming to the PSP..... IN JAPAN. Disgaea is known as to being an absolutely hardcore series where people dedicate days of their lives to the games. I mean, holy crap. Disgaea fans who have a PSP just orgasmed simultaneously. It's not just a plain port either! It has a %30 longer story now, and more characters! Wow, %30 longer? THAT'S ******* INSANE. Especially considering how long it already is... =D (that's what she said) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SILENT_PROTAGONIST RECOMMENDS: Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen (DS) Hey g1s! Let me start by saying, I purchased this game 3 days ago and I've already logged 35 hours into it, it's a port of an NES RPG from 1992, and it's been slowly creeping up my list of all time favorites. Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen. It is a no-frills straight up classic RPG. There's no strange gimmicks or wonky leveling systems. As classic as classic gets. Which I find very refreshing nowadays. It also stars my favorite brand of Hero character, the silent protagonist =D. Whom you get to name but don't take control of until the 5th Chapter or so. Brilliant! Graphics are crisp and colorful and the different areas are diverse and plentiful. Even the many dungeons don't get dull or repetitive. Magic effects are bright and animated nicely. Exploration is actually fun and encouraged here. Of course there's your standard fare of boats, flying vehicles, and teleportation to get you around. I often find myself walking because thankfully, the battle system is smooth as silk. The storyline flows very freely from event to event in a subtly linear fashion. The opening chapters of the game follow a different main characters viewpoint from level 1 giving you a great connection to each character that teams up with the hero once the main quest begins. I think the whole idea is brilliant. The main storyline is your typical by today's standards tale of an evil that must be destroyed by the hero. You've heard it all before. At least it doesn't get in the way or bog you down with hours of narrative that you may not care about. Expect to drop over 40 hours into the entire quest. That doesn't include the optional city which you are the founder of and populate with NPCs from around the globe, brilliant for a game going on 20 years if you ask me. Overall this game is an absolute must-own for any RPG fan looking for a thoroughly enjoyable quest with minimal tedium and maximum enjoyment. Five golden star stickers to this gem! - Silent_Protagonist ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Guitar Hero: Modern Hits coming to the DS. Guitar Hero: Modern Hits Details - ESRB HOLY CRAP. They're developing these so fast. I mean, they mustn't have much polish. You see that screenshot above? That might as well be what the graphics look like. They released On Tour, and On Tour Decades this year as well. This is madness. Some people thought 2 was enough, but 3.... MADNESS. But if you think about it, they might as well pump out as many games as they can before the DSi comes out. Because the DSi basically spells the end of the Guitar Hero DS franchise, unfortunately. Hmm... late 2009 for the DSi in the US? Well, that means they can pump up approximately... 8 more games before then. Get ready for the absolute Rock 'N' Roll that is 'Guitar Hero: Hits from August 1973'! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ REVIEW: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (DS) Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (DS) - Official Site Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (DS) - MetaCritic Star Wars: The Force Unleashed received pretty mixed reviews, with the DS version being the lowest rated out of them all. So, you'd think that this game would be absolutely horrible, right? The moment you turn on the game, it doesn't look like there's a lot of Options, and well, there isn't. Extras? My ass. Credits, and Cheat Codes. Then there's Single Player and Multiplayer. The first part of this review will be on the Single Player campaign, the second part will on the Multiplayer mode. The story is decent, but not incredible (at least from what I've seen anyway). You play as Darth Vader in the first level, and at the end of the level you find a young child who is 'force-strong'. Then the kid grows up and we find out his name is 'StarKiller'. Then the Emperor tells Darth Vader to kill you, but he doesn't. Soon after, StarKiller has to make a very hard choice. You'll have to play to find out. The graphics are decent, especially for the DS. Obviously they don't compare to any of the other versions of the game, because the DS's hardware is the weakest out of all the other consoles. In screenshots, the game looks really pixelized, but you don't really pay much attention to the graphics when you're playing. The control scheme is awkward at best, and the camera doesn't help at all. You use the Arrows to move your character, and the L button blocks. You then use the touchscreen for everything else, including jumping, attacking and force powers. The camera is a disgrace. You can't move it, and it sucks because the game is 3D. You can't see what's behind you, and it's awkward trying to attack monsters that aren't directly next to or in front of you. There's loads of weird attacks and combos you can do, and it all just becomes too complicated, so I usually just tap the crap out of the Melee attack. Multiplayer mode is pretty fun. There's 2 modes, 'Free for All' and 'Balance the Force'. I haven't played Balance the Force though, so this part of the review will be based on the Free for All mode. Free For All is basically a 4-Player brawl game where you fight on a map (pretty small), and you can use all your attacks from the Single-Player game. You can also choose your character from the Single-Player games, so I'm not pretty sure that your upgrades, clothes and combos would all work in the Multiplayer game aswell. That's pretty damn awesome! I kick everybody's ass, NOT EVEN A CHALLENGE. Also, everybody that's playing needs a cart of the game, no DS Download Play. What's wrong with the game? Well... a lot. The graphics are pretty bad, but I suppose it's acceptable because of the DS's capabilities aren't that high, and it is 3D. The touchscreen feels REALLY tacked on, it would've been so much better with button controls, and only use the TouchScreen for mini-games, and the Menu. I suppose the game isn't that bad, there's just a few things that needed more refining. BUY OR NOT TO BUY: Unless you are a huge Star Wars fan that relies on the story, don't pick this game up. It's riddles with problems. I give Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for the DS, a.... 5/10. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Phantasy Star Zero (DS) confirmed for North America and Europe! Phantasy Star Zero Confirmed for North America and Europe - DSFanboy If this scan of the cover of the latest Nintendo Power magazine is anything to go by, then Phantasy Star Zero IS coming to North America soon! Wow, there's loads to look forward to this year. Phantasy Star Zero, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Kingdom Hearts, and I'm sure there's even more. I'm not sure what to think of this game, all I know is that it's an RPG. I mean, RPGs are cool and all, but I've never played a Phantasy Star game before. I own 2 of them on a PSP collection of mine, but that's all. I'll definitely be trying this game out though when it comes out! Also, Sega sent a press release to DSFanboy, saying that the game will also be released in Europe! LUCKY BASTARDS. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP) sells like crazy in Japan! Dissidia sells nearly half a million copies - DSFanboy Final Fantasy is huge in Japan. But not as huge as Monster Hunter, obviously. Dissidia: Final Fantasy was 1# for the last week of 2008, selling almost 500, 000 copies. It's nearest competitor being a Gundam game for the PS3, which only sold 176, 000 copies, which seems pretty damn weak in comparison. Dissidia sounds like a pretty bad idea for a game to me. It's a fighting game based on an RPG series... sounds lame. But you never know, the game could be really good, but the idea sounds bad. Maybe you have to be a HUGE Final Fantasy fan, but I'm not. I'm more of a regular fan, I'm not obsessive over it. I probably won't buy Dissidia, but I'm glad that Final Fantasy is still selling. I'll buy Final Fantasy XIII and probably get some of the DS games that're coming out aswell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Blue Dragon: Beasts of the Underworld (DS) scans and a vague release date revealed! Blue Dragon: Beasts of the Underworld (DS) scans appear - DSFanboy More Blue Dragon: Beasts of the Underworld (DS) Screens - Famitsu Blue Dragon: Beasts of the Underworld is an upcoming game for the Nintendo DS. So far it's only being released in Japan. Another Blue Dragon game, Blue Dragon Plus, is being released in English-speaking areas. I doubt that Beasts of the Underworld will be released in English-speaking areas if Blue Dragon Plus flops. Which makes me pretty sad, because Blue Dragon sounds like a really interesting series. Blue Dragon from what I hear, is an RPG Card game. It sounds pretty interesting, because it's not your regular RPG. I really hope that this game comes to English-speaking areas because I'll probably buy it. So, more scans for you Blue Dragon fans to drool at! WOO. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NEWS THAT NEARLY MADE IT: PSP and DS Uno, Dragon Quest V and Rhythm Heaven rumors! Dragon Quest IV coming to Europe - DSFanboy Rhythm Heaven to be late, and expensive - GoNintendo Gameloft bringing Uno to PSP and PS3 - PSPFanboy Gameloft bringing Uno to DSiWare - DSFanboy Welcome to my new segment! It's about all news that you might be interested in, but doesn't deserve it's own article. This week we have Dragon Quest V, Uno for the PSP and DS, and Rhythm Heaven rumors. Woo yeah! Uno is coming to the DSiWare, PSP, PS3 and Wiiware! Thanks Gameloft! Oh wait, the DS already has loads of Uno games... WHATEVER. I already have an Uno game, so I won't be buying it, UNO IS PWN. Dragon Quest V now has a European release date! It's on February 20th, compared to February 17th for North America. I mean hey, at least you're getting it, right? Also, some new screens were released. Rhythm Heaven is obviously, a Rhythm game... you play different types of mini-games. There are 4 different motions you can use, Tap, Flick, Hold and Slide. The game sounds like it might be fun, so if anybody was looking forward to it, too bad. The date on Amazon says November 17th, and the price is $40, which is apparently a lot for a DS game in America... over here they're $60! Whatever, come on guys, release the damn game! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ More Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS) Screens! Loads of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS) Screenshots - Famitsu Kingdom Hearts is an awesome series, and if the game is as good as these screens look, then this game will be awesome aswell! There's one coming for the DS and one coming out for the PSP. Earlier this week, Famitsu posted some more screenshots of the game on their site for us fans to drool over. I'll be honest, I've only played Kingdom Hearts for 1 or 2 hours at most, but the game seemed pretty fun. I'm not sure how the gameplay will translate through to the DS though, but that's fine. These screenshots look damn incredible for a DS. I mean, just look at the screenshot I posted! I realise that's a cutscene, but I don't care. Of course the PSP version will look superior, but I don't care. You should definitely expect a review when this game comes out! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ New Releases this Week. DS Releases for the week of January 5th - DSFanboy Once again, there was no English PSP releases in the past 2 weeks... goddammit. But there was quite a few good releases for the DS! Well, here's the best releases for the week for the DS! Moon (DS) WOO! It's another FPS for the DS! The graphics on this game are absolutely awesome! I've played this game for a little while, around an hour. So far the game looks great for a DS game, but... most of the enemies are your generic flying/crawling enemies! That's fine though, PICK THIS GAME UP NOW. Elebits: The Adventures of Kai & Zero (DS) I don't really love Elebits, I've played this game, but it's a bit like Pokemon but like almost fully touch-screen based. You should really give it a try though, it could be your thing. Lord of the Rings: Conquest (DS) Meh. It's Lord of the Rings. The game is pretty bad for the DS, but if you're a huge fan, try it out. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wrap-Up! Thanks for reading guys! Sweet! I have a few new features this week! I have a fellow g1 'Silent_Protagonist' who wrote me an awesome article on Dragon Quest IV. Now there is also 'News that nearly made it'. Which is basically stuff I don't feel like writing much about, but that you should know about. I also made a new banner, which is badly edited. If anybody feels like making me a really good banner, feel free to do so. Woo! GOTG is slowly growing! There should be a 'Lookback' in the next issue, I didn't do one this issue because I didn't have time. This issue was a few weeks late, mainly because of Christmas, my birthday, and because I've been busy. I think the next issue will be in 2 weeks aswell, unfortunately because I'm going away for awhile. Well anyways, have an awesome week guys!

Gaming on the Go! - 21/12/08

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 20:13:57 -0500

1#: REVIEW: Monster Lab (NDS) 2#: Loads of 2009 Q1 DS games get Release dates, including Fire Emblem and Pokemon. 3#: Rumor claims that the PSP-4000 is out next year, and that the PSP 2 is in Development. 4#: REVIEW: GTA: Vice City Stories (PSP) 5#: Nintendo Club launches in North America. 6#: GTA: Chinatown Wars gets a release date + in-game perks with Gamestop pre-order. 7#: REVIEW: James Bond: Quantum of Solace (NDS) 8#: New Releases this Week. 9#: CLASSICS: Wario Land II (GBC) 10#: LOOKBACK: Gizmondo 11#: Help me out? REVIEW: Monster Lab (NDS) Monster Lab (NDS) - Official Site Monster Lab (NDS) - MetaCritic Monster Lab is rarely talked about. But why? Certainly not because it's a bad game, it's most likely because of how underhyped it was. I didn't even know the game was coming out until it well... came out. If you want an idea of what Monster Lab is like, it's basically Pokemon. Except it's far more customizable, and it has robots. FRICKIN ROBOTS MAN! Sounds awesome, right? Well yeah, it is. Just like Pokemon, you can have many different robots at one time, but I really only use my main Robot. Though, I think you can only have 1 robot out on the map at once. If that robot dies, you restart from the last time you saved (you can only ever save the game at your Lab, so save often). One thing you may notice about the game is that it has really nice looking cutscenes. The cutscenes look awesome, and they set the mood for the game pretty well. The only bad thing I have to say about them is that they're very compressed and are really pixelated. But it doesn't matter, they're still awesome. Monster Lab certainly isn't a traditional RPG. It's not free-roaming like Pokemon or Final Fantasy, and there are limited paths that you can go down. It's pretty hard to explain, but basically your robot can only go down certain paths. There's no random battles either, because you see where your enemies are on your screen. It's really easy to avoid them, which saves you LOTS of time. Other things you can see on your map include NPC's that can give you little quests sometimes, and Mini-Games. The mini-games are VERY touchscreen intensive, and you will scratch your screen constantly while doing this. There's even a mini-game after battles where you draw a circle on your screen repeatedly to heal your robot. But, if you complete mini-games, you unlock some extra parts that you can use to upgrade the limbs of your robot! There are many things to do in the HQ, and there's still 2 locked doors! I'm not very far into the game yet, probably about 30%, so there's obviously more for me to unlock. But so far, I can do this: - Go out to different towns, to fight and do quests. - Play Multi-Player (my brothers played more than me so I get pwned, but I'm catching up) - Make new parts for your robot. - Add-on and replace parts of your robot. - Save the game. - Talk to the Professor. So yeah, it's obvious that this game is jam-packed full of stuff for you to do. The combat isn't like a regular RPG either, where you choose to Attack, Defend, use Magic or Flee. There's loads of options and they all work differently, depending on how damaged you are. For example, you need your legs to flee from a battle. If you lose your head, both of your arms and both of your legs, you lose. If you lose your torso, you lose aswell. Every part of your body has health so it isn't your standard HP system. Every part of your body also has 2 different abilities. The chest has Restore and Dodge, while the Head has moves like Headbutt, and the Legs have moves like the Legsweep. It's really fun, and requires more strategy than other RPG's out right now. Buy it, Borrow it, or Break it? If you like RPG's or Adventure games, it's a must-own. But if you're not a big fan of those genres, Borrow it first to see if you like it. Because it's certainly not a game that everybody can easily get into. Loads of 2009 Q1 DS games get Release dates, including Fire Emblem and Pokemon. See the Full List of Release Dates at DSFanboy Earlier this week, Nintendo made a list of all Q1 DS and Wii releases, and there's quite a few awesome games coming out for the DS. Keep in mind that this is the DS, so a lot of crap is coming out too. So, what awesome games are coming out? Well there's one title that will obviously sell millions. That title is of course, Pokemon Platinum. Yes, the newest addition to the Pokemon series is finally being released in English areas. I like Pokemon, so I'll obviously be picking it up. I haven't heard much about the game yet, but that's probably just because I don't research this kind of stuff. Some other cool games that are coming out are: GTA: Chinatown Wars (more on that later in this issue) Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon - February 16th My World, My Way - February 3rd Moon - January 13 As we all know, loads of crap comes out for the DS. Q1 2009 is no exception. Crappier releases include: Pimp My Ride 2 - **** you Activision, **** YOU. USA Today Puzzle Craze - lol wut. Drivers' Ed Portable - As if this ****ty game is gonna help you not suck at driving. Little Magician's Magic Adventure - They said Magic twice because it's TWICE AS MAGICAL. Chicken Hunter Star Karts - Since when can Chickens drive Karts? Noob. Imagine: Ice Champions - You make ice? Or you skate? Either way it sucks. American Popstar: Road to Celebrity - Shouldn't it be 'Road to being a Celebrity'? I mean, I realise that the title makes perfect grammatical sense, but no dumb, stupid-ass tween ***** is gonna know that. Q1 looks like an interesting time for the DS... let's wait and see what comes of it's big releases. =D Rumor claims that the PSP-4000 is out next year, and that the PSP 2 is in Development. Read the rest of this rumor at PSPFanboy A rumor has been floating around the internet, saying that the PSP-4000 will be out by late next year, and that the PSP2 is currently in development. I have one thing to say to that, lol wut. Sony, why in the hell would you be making a 4th update to your first portable? I mean, you didn't make THAT many mistakes. You actually criticize Nintendo for updating their handheld every 2-3 years, yet you guys are planning to do it, AGAIN. The PSP-4000 couldn't really add anything anyway. Now, the PSP2. That is quite possibly the stupidest thing possible, considering how Sony is currently going against Nintendo. The PSP isn't exactly selling like hotcakes, so what would a PSP2 accomplish? I mean it wouldn't attract new customers to the handheld because it's the games that count, and not whether it has a microphone or not. The PSP2 would absolutely enrage most fans of the console aswell, because they would have to buy a new update of the console in order to play the games exclusive to the system. Luckily David Reeves from SCEE denied the existence of a successor to the PSP, so that basically means that these rumors are completely untrue. Unless Sony are being douchebags and lying. Sony, before you start releasing new updates to your console, make sure the old one is selling first! REVIEW: GTA: Vice City Stories (PSP) GTA: Vice City Stories (PSP)- Official Site GTA: Vice City Stories (PSP) - MetaCritic GTA: Vice City Stories is the 2nd GTA game on the PSP, and it received incredibly high ratings, just like Liberty City Stories did. Is this game as good as Liberty City Stories was? Read on to find out. In the game, you play as Vic Vance. Right at the start you're in the Army, and your Sergeant forces you to do jobs involving illegal drugs, and prostitutes. Other army members find out about this, and you kicked out of the Army onto the street, and you're forced to find your way and conquer the city. Right off the bat, in the first 10 or so missions, there's a huge variety in the missions. There's escort missions, racing missions, killing missions and escape missions. It was a smart move by Rockstar to show the variety that the game offers, because otherwise some people may have gotten bored with it. Vice City Stories was released a year after Liberty City Stories was, and just like Liberty City Stories, a port of the game was released on the Playstation 2 a year later. That basically shows the quality of the game straight away. What I really think the PSP needs though, is a completely exclusive GTA title. Another new feature of the game is 'Empire Building'. You take over businesses and keep looking over them. Some of the types of businesses you can have are prostitution, drugs and robbery. It's pretty fun, but I still prefer the main gameplay of GTA to it. It's a nice addition to the series though, I sorta like it. I own the game on both the PS2, and the PSP. Don't ask me why. I found the PS2 version for $10 pre-owned, so I don't really care. I play it more on my PSP though, but it's still nice to have it available. It's the little things that I love about GTA. I love when I pull off an insane drift, or the subtle jokes that are put in the game. An example of the subtle jokes, are the collectables. In the game you have to collect 99 Red Balloons. Which is a reference to the 80s song named '99 Luft Balloons'. Epic win, right? Ah, how can I have a GTA review without mentioning the music? Well, of course I can't. As usual, I only ever listen to the Heavy Metal station. The Heavy Metal station on VCS is V Rock. Some of the bands featured in the game are Quiet Riot, Kiss, Queen, Motley Crue, Queensryche, The Scorpions and Dio. Buy it, Borrow it or Break it? GTA: Vice City Stories is a must-own for any hardcore PSP gamer. The game is as good as most of the Console GTA games. The music's good, the story's good, and the gameplay, as usual is good. Buy it! Nintendo Club launches in North America. Club Nintendo NA - Official Site So, now Club Nintendo has finally been launched in North America. But what is Club Nintendo? Well, basically you can register all of your games on the site, and because of that, you get credits on the site, called Coins. I'm not sure how many coins you get per register, you can find that out for yourself. What's the point of getting coins anyway? Well, you can trade them in for prizes. Some available prizes are shown in the image above. There's loads of things, including game cases, playing cards, holders, and even games! If you own DS games, and live in North America, you have no reason to not register them. Now all Nintendo needs to do is bring it over to Australia... GTA: Chinatown Wars gets a release date + in-game perks with Gamestop pre-order. GTA: Chinatown Wars release date - DSFanboy GTA: Chinatown Wars in-game perks - DSFanboy Chinatown Wars is being released on.... March 17th! That's right, we're less than 3 months away from experiencing the awesomeness of Grand Theft Auto on the DS. What am I hoping for in the game? I'm hoping that the game will get rid of any PSP Fanboys that say the DS is a kiddy system, even though it already has loads of mature games. I'm also hoping that it'll give the same experience as past GTA games, where you can play for hours without getting into the story. In other Chinatown Wars news, if you pre-order from GameStop, you'll get in-game perks. They include extra money when you start up and all guns will be unlocked at the start aswell. I'm sure this could help, but the codes to unlock them will most likely be on the internet within hours of release anyway. Wow, GTA: Chinatown Wars really gets me excited! It could certainly be one of the killer apps for the DS. I love GTA, and I love the DS. If you add them both together, it equals epic win! REVIEW: James Bond: Quantum of Solace (NDS) Quantum of Solace (NDS) - MetaCritic Quantum of Solace (NDS) - Official Website The console versions of Quantum of Solace were all FPS's, so the obvious move is to make the DS version an FPS aswell, right? NOPE. Some GENIUS decided to make it a game where you hold the DS like a book, and make it almost completely touch-screen based. Yet another whoring of what the DS can do. This game was developed by Vicarious Visions, a well-known developer. They have made many Spiderman games, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, Crash Bandicoot GBA games, Spyro, Doom 3 and almost all of the Guitar Hero games. So they aren't exactly a developer known for making bad games, they have a good reputation. So, what exactly went wrong with this game? They tried to use the touch-screen WAY too much. You use it for way too many things, and most of the time it's completely unnecessary. For example, you find items inside suitcases randomly found throughout levels. You can find Health, Ammo and Upgrades. When you press Enter, it doesn't go straight to the newest level like you would expect it to be, it starts up the first level. I was confused, but what I didn't notice, was a Menu about 1/8th the size of the screen where I got to choose the level. To kill your enemies, you can either shoot them, or run up close to them and have a Melee fight. The shooting barely ever hits, and the Melee is INCREDIBLY flawed. My left punch doesn't work at all. I'm serious, left to right, it doesn't respond. What a piece of crap. Most of my punches also get blocked so I might as well back up, and shoot them in the face. I have less chance of getting my ass kicked that way. So, how do you get upgrades in the game? Well, in the suitcases you find throughout the levels, you can find Cards and Poker Chips. The Poker Chips you can trade in for Bond points. With Bond points you can buy new guns and upgrades to your character. You can equip cards to yourself during the game, usually they can upgrade your Maximum Health, increase your damage and increase your accuracy. Although I haven't finished the game, it seems REALLY short. After finishing the Tutorial, the game was 8% complete. That's insane! It should have been 2% finished at the highest. Reviews for Quantum of Solace (NDS) have been very spread. PGNx gave it an 8/10, calling it a 'solid action game on the Nintendo DS.' Although Modojo gave it a 4/10 saying 'Do yourself a favor and go see the flick instead.' That's harsh, but basically true. So, what's my opinion on this game? Well, let's see... Buy it, Borrow it, or Break it? What a hunk of ****! It has so many glaring problems. The graphics are mediocre. It's incredibly short. The melee's useless, and the gun's very inaccurate. It's nearly impossible to kill an enemy while also keeping most of your health. It doesn't get interesting quick enough, if at all. BREAK THIS PILE OF ASS. New Releases this Week. Check out upcoming releases at VideoGameCountdown.com Well, considering we're less than a week away from Christmas, it's obvious that barely any games will be coming out. But hey, at least SOME DS games are coming out, compared to NO PSP games. Whatever. Burger Island (NDS) I'm not gonna play this game, but my Mum will. It'll keep her busy for a while. So, good job Burger Island! Mystery P.I. Portrait of a Thief (NDS) Another game that my Mum will like! A hidden-object game, how original! So, yep. This week in gaming sucked, but I don't care. IT'S CHRISTMAS, YO! CLASSICS: Wario Land II (GBC) Wario Land II (GBC) - Wikipedia Wario Land II is the sequel to 'Wario Land' for the original GB. Wario Land II was released for the GB in 1998, and re-released for the GBC in 1999. I own the GBC version, so I'll be a doing a review on that. Wario Land is a second platforming series in the Mario universe. Unlike Mario, Wario has an attack right from the start, and he doesn't need power-ups. It's basically a charge attack, which helps you beat the crap out of your enemies, instead of the regular 'Jump on top of them' attack from Mario Bros. But if you want, you can also jump on top of them aswell, it's just not as powerful. Wario Land II has so much variety in it's levels. There's swimming-based levels, puzzle-based levels, bat-based levels and combat-based levels. It's fun, and keeps it fresh. It never gets boring. You Jump with A, and Charge with B. It's very simple, but it's also very addicting. 2D simple platforming is awesome! Wario Land is a very fun series to play when you've finished with all of your 2D Mario's. Wario Land II has so many bonus areas! It's awesome! You can smash through certain walls, and there's coins! Find seperate paths, and there's coins! Turn into a different form, and there's coins! I have noticed a few problems though, nothing that's major though. The enemies seem very hard to kill. You can kill them by either charging at them which is simple, or you need to jump on them, walk into them and then press B to throw the enemy and finally kill them. That takes way too much effort, and sometimes you have to throw them to kill them because you need to throw them at something. Buy it, Borrow it, or Break it? If you can find it, it's an awesome platformer for the GB and GBC. It's certainly worth picking up. BUY IT! LOOKBACK: Gizmondo Gizmondo - Wikipedia The Gizmondo sucks, but there is 1 reason as to why it's slightly awesome... CLICK THE GIZMONDO RULES! Those girls are so damn hot. Anyway, back to the Gizmondo. It was released in 2005, and was discontinued in 2006. One of the main reasons why it was discontinued is because Stefan Eriksson (a member of the Gizmondo company) was involved in organized crime, and people just stayed away from the console. Now, how much did Stefan Eriksson put people off the console? Well, the sales speak for themselves. ONLY 25 000 UNITS WERE EVER SOLD. What the ****. How low is that, really? The DS sells more than that in a day! The console cost $400 at release in the US. That is WAY too much for a handheld. There were also versions that costed $229, but they hads installed. So every once in a while your game would stop, and you would have to watch a few minutes of ads. That's stupid, right? I would never do that, ever. It had some good multimedia functions though. You could view JPEG's, strem MPEG'S and listen to MP3's. You could do this because had SD card support. I have to admit, that is pretty damn awesome. But in the same console generation of the PSP, which has way more multimedia functions, it just wasn't enough. The Gizmondo had GPS, which I'd never use. I doubt anybody ever would. Whatever, at least it's there, right? The 4 face buttons on this thing, were stupid. It's not like 1, 2, 3 and 4. It;s 4 really stupid looking buttons, and that would definitely put me off. It would get really confusing in games. Overall, the Gizmondo sucks my wang. But if you ever see it, buy it. Because it's really rare. Hey... they're planning to re-release the Gizmondo in 2009, calling it the Gizmondo 2! Oh lord. Help me out? Now that you realise GOTG! is the greatest thing in the entire world, you wanna help me out, right? If you do any of these 4 things, it would help me out greatly: 1. Make me Top Post. 2. Digg my Posts. 3. Comment/Rate my Post. 4. Send me feedback. If you have ANY questions about Handheld gaming, feel free to ask! There won't be an issue next week because of Christmas, but expect one in the New Year! Merry Christmas everyone!

Gaming on the Go! - 14/12/08

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 07:46:24 -0500

1#: REVIEW: Prince of Persia: The Fallen King (DS) 2#: More Blood of Bahamut (DS) screens from Famitsu. 3#: REVIEW: Sega MegaDrive Collection (PSP) 4#: World Destruction (DS) confirmed for North America. 5#: MINI-RANT: Why the PSP is failing. 6#: New Releases this Week. 7#: LOOKBACK: Neo Geo Pocket Color 8#: Help me out? _______________________________________________________________________________________________ REVIEW: Prince of Persia: The Fallen King (DS) Prince of Persia: The Fallen King (DS) on MetaCritic Prince of Persia: The Fallen King on Wikipedia Prince of Persia: The Fallen King is a DS-exclusive title, and was released on the same day as the latest console installment, Prince of Persia. The Fallen King has barely even been advertised. It's certainly in the shadow of it's console counterpart, but is there a reason for this? Read on to find out. I GET IT. The Prince looks like a little kid in this game, get over it. It would have been far easier to animate this way, than to make him life-like. Before any console fanboys come in here and start spouting cuss-words at the game, just remember that the DS isn't as powerful as the Wii, PS3 and 360. The first thing I noticed when I turned the game on, is that it's completely touch-screen based. You don't use any buttons. This can get really frustrating, because the touchscreen controls aren't refined enough, so when you try to grab onto a ledge, you often miss and fall, which gets really frustrating in later levels. Prince of Persia: The Fallen King is a 2D Platformer, it's not really an action platformer though, it's more like a Puzzle Platformer. There's quite a few enemies in the level, but nothing major, just tap them and you'll attack them. The puzzles are pretty simple, and the real challenge of the game is basically just looking around for different areas in the level so you can find stuff to help you through the game, like coins and potions. There isn't a Multiplayer mode, but you can Send a Demo of the game to your friends via DS Download Play. I haven't used it yet though. I'm guessing that it'd give them a very basic Demo that contains probably 1 or 2 levels, just so they can get a basic idea of the game. I can see why they'd add this, but it would have been better if they replaced the Demo feature with a co-op mode, or even better, have both! There's a main map that you can use to select your level, sorta like Mario, except there's really only one direction you can go in Prince of Persia, unless you wanna do extra levels to gain more coins, or just to extend your gameplay time. I personally do them all, because I wanna get the most out of my games, so why not, right? This game uses the DS's touchscreen far too much. Being completely touch-screen based can go really wrong, but luckily the touchscreen controls are used well. The only games that are fully touch-screen based and are incredible, are Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, and Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. If the developers spent more time refining the touchscreen controls, and added in optional button controls, the game would've been far better. If they gave you a choice to play with either the touchscreen or the buttons, it'd be way funner. There's a few things that annoy me in the game, and most of them are problems with the unpolished touchscreen controls. The strong attacks don't respond sometimes, and it's really hard to get used to it, because to use the attack you swing in the opposite direction of your enemy. When you're climbing up walls, those goddamn spikes kick my ass, they just seem to come out randomly. It may not seem like it, but I actually really like this game. The touchscreen controls were implemented pretty well, even if some of the parts seem unpolished. I like the fact that it's 2D, but the graphics are in 3D. I loved Prince of Persia on the PS2, and this game doesn't make lose faith in the series. It's really fun to play in short bursts, but eventually the weak combat system and the unpolished touchscreen controls will get to you. BUY IT, BORROW IT, OR BREAK IT? I recommend Borrowing/Renting it first to see if you like it. It's not a game that everybody will enjoy straight away. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ More Blood of Bahamut (DS) screens from Famitsu. More Blood of Bahamut Screens at DSFanboy Blood of Bahamut is an upcoming game for the Nintendo DS. Not many details have been released for the game so far. The only things we know about it at the moment, is that the game will be released on the DS, and we've got a peak at a few screens. This week, Famitsu has featured a few more screens and they look pretty awesome. Famitsu has a 2-page spread on the game, which features loads of awesome pics. To view them all, click on these: Page 1 - Page 2 Blood of Bahamut looks really cool, and of course I'm gonna pick it up and review it when it comes out. Though, that could be quite a while. Nobody has any idea what the Japanese release date is. Even after it does get released in Japan, the rest of the world will have to wait a few more months after that to get the game. That BLOWS. So, is anybody else excited for this game? I sure as hell know that I am! BLOOD OF BAHAMUT FTW! _______________________________________________________________________________________________ REVIEW: Sega MegaDrive Collection (PSP) SEGA Genesis Collection on MetaCritic Sega Genesis Collection on PSP Official Site Sega MegaDrive Collection (known as Sega Genesis Collection outside of EU and AU), features loads of MegaDrive games, and was released for the PS2 aswell as the PSP. Apparently the game's hard to find, so when I found it pre-owned at a Local Store for $20, I bought it right away. So, does this game blow, or is it worth hunting down? Seeing as I was more of an SNES kid, I never owned a MegaDrive/Genesis at a kid and I haven't played half of these games. I was really impressed to see how good the Megadrive's graphics were compared to the SNES. I've played maybe 2 or 3 of these games on different compilation discs, but I haven't played them much, maybe 10 minutes each. So when I found this game, I PLAYED IT TO THE GROUND. It was awesome, I admit it, I was addicted. I had no idea how good the games that I was missing out on as a kid were. I realized that the MegaDrive had games that could easily match up to the SNES's library. This compilation features many, many awesome Genesis games. Some of the better games include Decap Attack, Altered Beast, Phantasy Star, Comix Zone, Kid Chameleon, Golden Axe, Virtua Fighter, Vectorman and Ristar. Since there's not much original content on the disc itself, it'd be pretty pointless to do a complete review on that alone. I'll review 3 games on the disc, then I'll review all of the other features that the disc boasts. Vectorman's on the disc, but instead of reviewing that, I'm gonna do a review on it's sequel, Vectorman 2. Vectorman 2 is a 2D platforming game where you shoot 'photons' at your enemies. The game's really hard, 4 hits and you lose a life, lose 3 lives, you need to start the entire game over again. The main character Vectorman now looks more like a puke-greenish color, which is.. awkward. The game also has far less music (at least in the earlier levels) than the original. The game is still an awesome platformer, but I'd say you should play the original first. Virtua Fighter 2 is the only fighter series I know of that was on the SNES or MegaDrive, apart from Street Fighter. The graphics look decent for a fighter, though they are further back from the screen than in Street Fighter, making it look slightly awkward. Virtua Fighter 2 was originally a 3D fighter made for the arcades, Sega Saturn and Windows, but Sega decided to strip it down, and port it to the Genesis. You get to choose from 10 characters, though I always play as either Akura or Kage. You walk insanely slow, and the sprint button only lets you sprint for a few meters, then it stops. There's 2 attack buttons, though you're never told of any combos, so I just mash buttons basically. I'm assuming the other versions were better, with improved graphics and such, but the Megadrive version is obviously inferior to the others. The final game I'm gonna review is Golden Axe. It's a Beat Em' Up/Hack n Slash game, where you get to choose from 3 characters, an Amazon, a Warrior, and a Dwarf. Golden Axe is incredibly hard, I can only make it towards the end of the 3rd Level, even with the easiest settings. There's a Jump, Magic, and Attack button, though the Magic barely does anything, at least for me anyway. I have no idea how I'll ever pass this, and I doubt I will. The disc also features Golden Axe II & Golden Axe III, so you can really get into the series if you enjoy it. You can unlock Extras by completing challenges. You can unlock interviews, new games, trailers and cheats. To unlock everything, it makes you play basically ever game, which is a great incentive to get you into the collection. BUY IT, BORROW IT, OR BREAK IT? This is definitely a must-own for any Retro fan, or anybody who just loves a fun pick-up and play game. If you've never played the Genesis before though, you should rent it because it isn't exactly for everybody. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ World Destruction (DS) confirmed for North America. Sands of Destruction Confirmed at DSFanboy. Earlier this week, images were found on Sega's FTP server, that are from World Destruction. But they're in English! A few days after they were found, Sega officially announced that the North American version of the game, will be called Sands of Destruction. But anyways, what is Sands of Destruction? World Destruction is a critically acclaimed RPG, that so far has only been released in Japan so far. Many people have been begging Sega to bring the game outside of Japan, and now, Sega has listened. If you wanna see all of the images that were found at Sega's FTP server, click the next link to view the gallery. CLICK HERE Yay! Another game I'm looking forward to. I hope it gets released in Australia though... DAMMIT! _______________________________________________________________________________________________ MINI-RANT: Why the PSP is failing. So you might have noticed that there isn't any PSP news stories here, all I have this week is a review. This is because there was no noteworthy news for the PSP this week. Sony HAS to start paying attention to their console. It sells more units, and is cheaper, so more people will buy it than the PS3. Barely any games are being released for it aswell, it's really becoming quite bad. Loads of games are being released for the DS every single week, whereas the PSP just sits in the corner. So what should Sony do? Give more people a reason to develop for their system. Sony should offer more free online content, to make more people buy their system. If more people bought their system, there's a bigger market for the developers. Come on Sony, step it up! =D _______________________________________________________________________________________________ New Releases this Week Check out the best new releases at VideoGameCountdown.com So, it's getting towards Christmas season, and not that many awesome games are coming out. Infact, barely any games are coming out AT ALL. There's nothing amazing this week, just 1 half-decent title. Here's EVERY New Release for this week, they are: Dungeon Maker II: The Hidden War (DS) This is the only PSP game being released this week. According to a description, it sounds like you make a dungeon that monsters go into, and you beat the crap out of them... Sounds sorta like 'Master of the Monster Lair', which had a VERY similar idea, but didn't work out too well... I won't be picking this one up. Build a Lot (DS) I THINK, and don't quote me on this, that this is a free flash PC game, turned into a DS game. You build houses, then sell them. Yep. Sounds exciting, huh? WRONG. Slingo Quest (DS) *sigh* Left Brain Right Brain 2 (DS) Just what the DS needs! Another Brain Training ripoff! Oh wait, this games gonna suck. My Handheld Pick of the Week this week is... DUNGEON MAKER II: THE HIDDEN WAR (PSP) Do a bit of research, see if you think you'll like it, and if you do, buy it! _______________________________________________________________________________________________ LOOKBACK: Neo Geo Pocket Color Neo Geo Pocket Color on Wikipedia Ah, the Neo Geo Pocket Color. It was never released in Australia, like most handhelds that I'm interested in. DAMN YOU USA AND JAPAN! DAMN YOU I SAY! But anyways, the console itself sounds absolutely awesome! I mean, it has color! That's an automatic sale from me right there. Color rocks! So, yeah, it was an update over the previous version, named the Neo Geo Pocket. The Neo Geo Pocket was monochrome, sorta like the original Gameboy. But with the GBC already released, and the GBA soon to be released, SNK realized they had to do something, and what was that? Make a completely 1st-Party portable gaming system. Goddammit. That's right, SNK was terrible with 3rd-Party Developers. Which basically means that they had to hold the console up completely by themselves. They're like that try-hard tough guy who's struggling with the weights. "NO! DON'T HELP ME! I CAN DO THIS BY MYSELF! *passes out*" That's exactly what the NGPC did, pass out. Slowly, but surely. That's not to say that it didn't have a good run though. It sold 2 million units, and was the most successful Nintendo competitor since the Sega Game Gear. That's pretty awesome for a company that was almost fully 1st-Party. So, why did it stay as a competitor to Nintendo for so long? Well partly because of the price. This thing was so low, I really can't believe how they stayed in business. $65!! That's insanely cheap. I mean, right now the DS costs $200 AU, and at Launch it was even higher! Wow. So, what games did the system have? Well, it had quiet a few awesome series actually. It had King of Fighters, Metal Slug, Fatal Fury, Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man (only released in Japan.) Metal Slug and King of Fighters are absolutely awesome! Why did this system fail? The same reason EVERY other handheld does. Nintendo's dominance. They absolutely crushed this console, even though it was successful compared to every other competitor except for Nintendo. Nice try SNK, release another one in conjunction with Sega! It would pwn! "Metal Slug 8, featuring Sonic the Hedgehog, and that one guy from Comix Zone that nobody knows the name of!" OK, maybe not. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Help me out? So, you've read my blog, and now that you realise it's the greatest thing in the entire world, you wanna help me out, right? If you do any of these 4 things, it would help me out greatly: 1. Make me Top Post. 2. Digg my Posts. 3. Comment/Rate my Post. 4. Send me feedback. Have an awesome week everybody, and remember, if you have ANY questions about Handheld gaming, feel free to ask!

Gaming on the Go! - 05/12/08 (10th Issue Spectacular!)

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:30:23 -0500

1#: REVIEW: Chrono Trigger (DS) 2#: First Flashcart made for the DSi + Details. 3#: REVIEW: God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP) 4#: Professor Layton movie planned for Japan. 5#: CLASSICS: Killer Instinct (GB) 6#: John Koller says to expect more big franchises for the PSP in 2009. 7#: REVIEW: LocoRoco (PSP) 8#: Dragon Quest IX's customization gets shown off to Famitsu. 9#: Giant PSP in NYC taken down, an updated version will be put up later. 10#: REVIEW: Metal Slug 7 (DS) 11# New Releases this Week. 11# LOOKBACK: Milton-Bradley Microvision 12#: Wanna help me out? 13#: Preview for Next Week's Issue. 14#: Wrap-up! Thanks to everybody who's been supporting me! Everybody who Diggs, comments, rates, and reads are all awesome! -------------------------------------------------------------------- REVIEW: Chrono Trigger (DS) Chrono Trigger DS - Official Site Chrono Trigger DS on MetaCritic Chrono Trigger DS is finally here! Even if it is a port of the SNES game, it adds loads of new features. But are they really needed? Or were they just thrown on for a quick buck? Read on to find out more. Chrono Trigger was originally released in North America and Japan in 1995 on the SNES. The game was a huge success, selling more than 2 million copies. So Square, (knowing they had a hit on their hands), released the game on the PS1 in 1999, and then again in 2001, on a PS1 compilation disc along with Final Fantasy IV in 'Final Fantasy Chronicles.' Then in July 2008, Square-Enix announced that they were planning to bring Chrono Trigger to the DS. Many, many fans then crapped their pants out of excitement. The game's story is pretty epic. I'm not gonna say much about the storyline, but basically you play as Crono, the hero. You find other characters than can help you. But so far I've only met Frog, Marle and Lucca. Lucca makes a transportation machine, but when Marle gets into it, it malfunctions, and creates a time portal to a different era. Crono then goes into the Time Portal to save her. An epic time-travelling adventure begins to unfold... Yeah, I suck at explaining stories, so what? =D The battle system is pretty awesome. There's both random battles, and battles that you can choose to avoid, or to go into. So if you're in a hurry, they don't waste your time by giving you stupid battles. The Battle System itself is cool aswell. You can use your regular attack, or you can use your Techs. You can either use the Techs by yourself, or you can use team-work to beat the crap out your opponents. There's loads of awesome mini-games at the start too. They take you away from the seriousness from the game. The festival's a perfect start to the game, because there's loads of stuff you can do that doesn't add to the story. They include dancing to caveman music, fighting a huge robot, returning a cat to it's owner, and drinking as much as you can (my best is 5!. They add a bit of variety to the game aswell. All of the bonus features in the DS version, are: - It features the Animated cutscenes from the PS1 version. - There's an Arena mode, where you can raise your own monsters. - Updated, more accurate translation. - A new ending, making it 13. - A new dungeon. - An optional SNES play mode. The graphics in the game were absolutely awesome for a SNES game, and they seem awesome for a 2D game on the DS aswell. The graphics are what you would expect from an RPG, and the sprites look awesome. There's a minor problem that I have, but it's incredibly minor. When Crono's running, his legs look really short, and he looks awkward when he's running. This detracts nothing from the game though. BUY OR NOT TO BUY: Chrono Trigger's an absolute must-own for any RPG fan, or anyone who loves epic storylines. The new features should also attract people who own older versions. BUY IT, NOW! --------------------------------------------------------------------- First Flashcart made for the DSi + Details. First Flashcart for the DSi - DSFanboy Official Acekard 2i Flashcart Site It's official, there is now a Flashcart that will work on the DSi! So, what is it, and how can you get your grubby little hands on it? Well if you wanna know, read on and you'll learn all about it. The new card that works on the DSi, is called the Acekard 2i. It isn't available to buy anywhere yet though, as it was just announced. The card works on all the versions of the DS aswell. It can do loads of stuff, like running music, movies, homebrew programs, automated file trimming, Action Replay, skin-changing, and it can run ROMs too. So the cart isn't basic, it's fully operational. Is DSi homebrew finally moving up? Will Nintendo find a way to block this? We'll have to wait and find out! --------------------------------------------------------------------- REVIEW: God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP) God of War: Chains of Olympus on Metacritic God of War: Chains of Olympus, is a PSP-exclusive game in the God of War series. It's also the highest rated PSP game on MetaCritic, but why? Graphics? gameplay? gore? Or just the fact that it's God of War? Incase you're wondering, yes, the above paragraph was intended to rhyme. I'm just that awesome. God of War: Chains of Olympus is a prequel to the original game, so if you don't own a PSP, or don't own this game, it isn't essential to the story of the series. The gameplay remains unchanged from the other games in the series. You basically rip apart and beat the crap out of everything you see. There's still quick time events, which I suck at, and there's still loads of box puzzles, which are tedious, but I still rule at them. God of War is known for being graphic, and this game is no change from that. Some of the gorier moments include when you smash the Persian King's skull with a chest, and when you What weapons does Kratos use to beat the absolute **** out of his enemies? Well, he uses his trademark weapon, the Blades of Chaos, and a new weapon, the Gauntlet of Zeus. He also gets a Sun Shield later on to help him solve puzzles, and to block attacks. I hardly ever use it though, except when I have to. There are so many upgrades in the game, it's pretty insane. You can collect 5 Phoenix Feathers to upgrade your magic, or 5 Gorgon Eyes to upgrade your Maximum Health. You find these in chests, all over the game. If you kill an enemy, destroy an object, or open a red chest, you will also receive red orbs, which you can use these to upgrade loads of stuff. Including your weapons, your damage dealt, your magic attacks, and they can be used to unlock new attacks/combos. I usually spend most of my time exploring the levels trying to find Red Orbs, because they really help you later on in the game. There's some nice little features in the game that I like. They aren't major things, but they add to the experience. I love the way that Orbs come to you after they're released, so you don't waste time collecting them. I also like how gameplay turns into cutscenes flawlessly. Similar games have problems with loading times, but not this game. BUY OR NOT TO BUY: Definitely a buy for any PSP owners who are fans of action games. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Professor Layton movie planned for Japan. Professor Layton Movie - DSFanboy (English) A Professor Layton movie is planned for Japan in 2010. But there's one problem, will it suck? like most of the other video game to movie adaptations? It had better not, goddammit. One thing that I've only learnt recently, is that Professor Layton is actually a franchise. 3 games have been released in Japan, but only 1 game has been officially released in English. Since it's a franchise, I can understand why they're trying to expand it, but they should've started with Comic Books or Board games or something cheap, just incase it fails. But I guess that's not my choice. The movie will most likely only be released on Japan, unfortunately. Even if the movie's bad, many Professor Layton fans would either go watch it, or buy it on DVD if it's a straight-to-DVD release. If the movie becomes a live-action film, it'll be an automatic failure for me, no matter how good the storyline is. Because the animation in the games really make it unique, and give it a nice feel. Live-action would be epic fail, you know why? They'd probably get Mark Wahlberg to be Professor Layton. I mean, he's absolutely incredible at game-to-movie adaptations, right? (Max Payne reference LOL) Overall, I hope that the movie will be decent, but I highly doubt it will, because Professor Layton is more of a puzzle game, and it requires loads of interaction to work. I don't think it can support a full-length feature film though, a Cartoon series would've been a far better choice for the Professor Layton series, because it doesn't need a long storyline for each episode. --------------------------------------------------------------------- CLASSICS: Killer Instinct (GB) Killer Instinct (GB) on Wikipedia Killer Instinct is an absolutely awesome game! It's an incredible fighter that I spent hours playing as a kid on the SNES. I never knew that there was a Gameboy version until I recently saw it at my local Cash Converters. So I bought it, just because I love Killer Instinct. But is it awesome? Or was it a cheap port? Well, since the Gameboy only has 2 buttons and a D-Pad and the SNES had 4 buttons and a D-Pad. This meant that the combos, and the attacks had to be watered down quite a lot. Instead of having a low kick, high kick, low punch and high punch, there was only a kick, and a punch. I'll be honest, I'm pretty damn bad at fighting games, but I can usually beat almost all of the CPU characters. I may suck, but I would expect to beat at least 2 or 3 of the characters in a tough game. In Killer Instinct for the GB, I can't beat anybody. It's not because the game itself is hard, it's because it's insanely hard to pull off combos, so I usually just find find myself pressing A and B as fast as I can. So, what other differences does the GB version have compared to the SNES version, other than the amount of buttons? Well, neither Cinder or Riptor are in the game, the music sounds a bit different because of the limitations of the Gameboy, and the game's obviously in that lime-green color the Gameboy use. Something Wikipedia taught me, is that if you played the game in the Super Gameboy (SNES Gameboy Add-On), the outside of the fighting screen, will be colored. That's pretty awesome. BUY OR NOT TO BUY: They did what they could do with such a limited system, and it turned out alright. It's not a great game, not worth hunting down. But if you randomly find it somewhere, pick it up. --------------------------------------------------------------------- John Koller says to expect more big franchises for the PSP in 2009. John Koller expects more franchises at PSPFanboy This week John Koller (that guy again), said to expect more big franchises to come to the PSP in 2009. He didn't want direct ports though, he wanted new experiences from existing franchises. Some of Sony's franchises that already have installments on the PSP, include Jak & Daxter, God of War, Grand Theft Auto, Final Fantasy and Tekken. But what are some other franchises that Sony could use? They could bring new PSP installments to awesome franchises, like Heavenly Sword, Jak, LittleBigPlanet, MotorStorm, Gran Turismo, Uncharted and Sly Cooper. Those would be absolutely epic. I think the PSP is made for expanding bigger franchises, because the only PSP games that aren't part of a console series, are LocoRoco and Patapon. I'm not saying that I'm against completely new series, but I haven't seen enough incredible new franchises on the PSP to say that they can work well on the system. Bring LittleBigPlanet to the PSP dammit! --------------------------------------------------------------------- REVIEW: LocoRoco (PSP) LocoRoco (PSP) - Official Site LocoRoco on Wikipedia LocoRoco was released in 2006, yet it's still one of the best games available for the PSP. You can decide whether that's good or bad, but considering how awesome the game is, it'd be pretty hard to beat. The gameplay is insanely simple. You use the L and R buttons to tilt the level, press them both at the same time, you hold in 'O' to fuse your LocoRoco's together, and you tap 'O' to defuse them. That's it, that's all you do. It's really simple, but it's pretty hard to master. The PSP is a system that is known for it's graphical capabilities, right? But then along came LocoRoco, a game that's really cool, and doesn't require insane graphics. The game could easily have been ported to any Current-Gen system, but I'm glad that they chose the PSP. Think about it, the Wii would've implemented forced motion-sensing controls, the 360/PS3 versions would try to add new features that ruin the gameplay, and the DS would use lame touchscreen controls. This game is almost completely physics-based, and they actually work well! They're pretty realistic, like you don't get insane jumps or landings, it's all stuff that looks like it could happen in real life. I'm only up to World 2 right now, but I've promised myself that I'll eventually finish the game. According to Wikipedia, there are 5 worlds, and they all include 8 levels. Altogether making it 40 levels. I have got absolutely no idea what to do with the Loco House. I mean, I can't even place the stairs anywhere on the house. I don't even see the point of it, I have no idea how to work it. It should've been way simpler, and you should've been able to put your LocoRoco inside the house and explore it, that would've been awesome. BUY OR NOT TO BUY: Buy it! It's fun, cute, lengthy, and really easy to pick up and play! Also, if you end up loving it, there's a few other LocoRoco games to play, a PSP sequel and a PS3 spin-off too. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Dragon Quest IX's Customization gets shown off to Famitsu. Dragon Quest IX Customization at DSFanboy All Dragon Quest IX Customization Screenshots at Famitsu (Japanese) Dragon Quest IX is a completely new adventure exclusive to the Nintendo DS. We haven't known much about it, up until the past few weeks. Last week some screenshots were revealed, and this week the customization details were revealed to Famitsu, so, what exactly can you do? Read on to find out. Dragon Quest IX will let you give your characters loads of different types of hairstyle, eyes, body size, skin color and the hair color. So now you can have the character you've always wanted! A long purple-haired, fat, short guy who has huge eyebrows and freckles. I'm glad you don't just play as the default character, because I usually end up hating them. I love games where you can customize your character, and this game looks like you can customize it alot. AWESOME. DRAGON QUEST IX FTW! --------------------------------------------------------------------- Giant PSP in NYC taken down, an updated version will be put up later. Giant PSP in NYC taken down at PSPFanboy A giant PSP in NYC, that's been in there since 2005, is being taken down and replaced. I guess that it was getting old and wearing, so Sony decided to replace it. They didn't need to, but I guess they felt they should. I never even knew this thing was up until right now, when it was coming down... probably because I live in Australia. Either way, it's pretty awesome that Sony had it up there, but apparently it was barely used. I think they're going to upgrade the screen, just like the PSP-3000 supposedly did over the other versions of the PSP. I hope it doesn't have those scan-line issues that the PSP-3000 has though. Anybody who lives in NYC, you guys are lucky sons of *****es! That is if Sony decides to use the billboard... --------------------------------------------------------------------- REVIEW: Metal Slug 7 (DS) Metal Slug 7 - Official Site Metal Slug 7 on MetaCritic Metal Slug 7 follows in the footsteps of Contra 4. It's an old franchise, being restarted on the Nintendo DS with a completely new entry. Though, Metal Slug 7 will be released on XBOX Live Arcade eventually aswell. In my opinion, Metal Slug 7 is the perfect game for a portable, it's quick, pick-up and play action, that you don't need to play for hours to get into. You can get into it straight away, which makes this game awesome. Metal Slug 7 has the same style of gameplay as the other installments in the series, side-scrolling, runnin 'n' gunnin, arcade action. It's very easy to play, and you don't need to play for hours to get immersed in the game. In the Main Menu of the game, there's quite a few options, but most of them being unneeded or crappy. There's: Main Mission - Start up the game. Obviously needed. Combat School - Basically a Tutorial. Nice feature that previous Metal Slugs have been missing. Options - Pretty needed, because you can change the controls and the sounds settings. POW List - Gives you a list of the prisoners you've saved. Very unneeded, and adds nothing to the game. Ranking - Ranks your best scores for passing the game. Not needed, but I guess it's nice to have there. It looks like there's loads of options there, but really there's only 1 or 2 options that you'll use more than once. Since Metal Slug 7's on the DS, you may be wondering how it uses the touchscreen. To tell the truth, it does nothing of importance. You can move the map while you're playing, which is really inconvenient, because you're trying to kill people, and well... STAY ALIVE. The game could easily have been put on any other console, but I guess there was a bigger audience for it then on the 360/PS3/Wii. I'm glad it was put on the DS though, it seems right, because the Wii, PSP and PS2 already have Metal Slug Anthology, and the 360 and PS3 already have the other Metal Slugs on the XBOX Live Arcade and the PSN. The game features 6 playable characters, and they're the same as the ones in Metal Slug 6. The characters are Ralf, Marco, Eri, Clark, Tarma and Fio. Though I always play as Marco because I'm so used to him. The flying part for the last level actually resembles a decent side-on shooter. There's so much going on, and the plane responds very well. I'd like to see more of that, but I guess it's fine, because the gameplay all-around is very, very solid. But the tanks move pretty slow, which can get boring. The backgrounds in the game look pretty awesome. They look cartoonish, but realistic at the same time, it's hard to explain. They add some atmosphere to the game too. Check out this screenshot and you'll see what I mean: CLICK TO SEE SCREENSHOT The weapons in Metal Slug 7 are awesome! There's a Laser, a ridiculously over-powered Shotgun, a Missile Launcher, homing missiles, rockets, a flame thrower, an electric gun and dual machine guns. Awesome, right? Altogether, the game has 7 levels. The games pretty hard for me, even on Easy mode. There's Beginner, Normal and Hard. I mean, I'm no Pro at Metal Slug, but I still really enjoy the game. Even if I do suck balls at it. I've finished the game on Easy difficulty, it took me about 3 hours, and it was really fun. I had to use loads of continues though, so I'm gonna try to pass it on Normal and Hard mode eventually. BUY OR NOT TO BUY: If you love pick-up and play games, or shooting games, definitely pick it up. It's a worthy addition to any gamers library, anybody should love it! --------------------------------------------------------------------- New Releases this Week. Check out, and Buy loads of Upcoming games at VideoGameCountdown.com Only 2 decent games are came out in the pasts week. Literally nothing is being released for the PSP this week, which disappoints me. Sony really need to start paying more attention to it. The best games this week are: Prince of Persia: The Fallen King (DS) Prince of Persia isn't only coming to the main consoles. there's also a completely new adventure coming to the DS. I believe that it's basically completely touch-screen based. I'll have a Review for it next week. Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi (DS) I saw ScrewAttack's '2 Minutes with Mushroom Men' video, and it got me pretty excited for this game. I really hope that this game's awesome, and I may have a review up for it next week, you'll have to wait to find out. --------------------------------------------------------------------- LOOKBACK: Milton-Bradley Microvision The Microvision was the very first true handheld ever. It was released in 1979, about 10 years before the Gameboy. I was really surprised to learn that there was a handheld that long before the Gameboy. The Atari 2600 was released in 1977, and the Microvision was released 2 years later. But since it was portable, it would've seemed absolutely incredible just to have a basic version of an Atari 2600 in your pocket. Even though the system was very limited, even compared to the 2600. It was the very first system that had inter-changeable cartridges, which was pretty revolutionary at the time. The graphics were pretty basic, and there were no colors, but it certainly would've seen amazing at the time. Only 12 games were released for the system, 1 of them being a Europe exclusive. The entire game list is BlockBuster, Bowling, Connect Four, Mindbuster, Pinball, Phaser Strike, Vegas Slots, Baseball, Sea Duel, Alien Raiders, Cosmic Hunter and Super BlockBuster (EU Exclusive). Some of the games sound really interesting, like Alien Raiders, Cosmic Hunter, Phaser Strike and Sea Duel. The system made $8 million dollars in its first year out. Which is pretty insane, especially if you consider that it was the very first handheld console, and that people wouldn't have been sure whether it was good or not. So I'm sure that most people would've just bought an Atari 2600 instead to be safe. The MicroVision being the very first true handheld, obviously had loads of problems, because the technology was very primitive. The LCD screen leaks causing the games to become almost unplayable, the Sun will destroy the screen, and the Keypad apparently breaks pretty easily. These must have been really annoying for the consumers, but if you think about it, it's really understandable, because of the limited technology. Overall, it had many, many problems, but they are all understandable. If you find one, without a doubt pick it up. They're incredibly rare, and think about how awesome it would be to own the very first handheld, EVER. Awesome, right? --------------------------------------------------------------------- Wanna help me out? Now that you've read my blog... could you do these 5 things to help me out? 1. Digg my posts. 2. Send me content for the next issue. 3. Keep reading, rating and commenting my blogs! 4. Give me suggestions. 5. Make me top post? --------------------------------------------------------------------- Preview for Next Week's Issue - 12/10/08 REVIEW: Prince of Persia: The Fallen King (DS) REVIEW: Sega Megadrive Collection (PSP) LOOKBACK: Neo Geo Pocket Color Plus all the news from that week, and the best New Releases! --------------------------------------------------------------------- WRAP-UP Remember, if you wanna ask anything, just write it in the comments section, I'll answer everyone! Sorry for this issue being a day later than usual, but next week's issue will be on the right day! Have an awesome week everyone!

Gaming on the Go! - 27/11/08

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:32:34 -0500

1#: REVIEW: Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff (DS) 2#: The DS celebrates its 4th B-Day! 3#: MTV gives 'Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII' the Portable Game of the Year award. 4#: REVIEW: Rocky Balboa (PSP) 5#: New Releases this Week. 6#: Dragon Quest IX Screenshots Released. 7#: LOOKBACK: WonderSwan Color 8#: Help me out? 9#: Preview for next weeks 10th Issue Spectacular! REVIEW: Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff (DS) Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff - Official Website Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff on MetaCritic Before any idiots say that this review is nostalgia-based, I want everyone to know that I've never played a Tecmo Bowl game before this one. Most likely because they've never been released here in Australia, so I came into the game with no expectations. But apparently the NES/SNES versions were incredible, so is the DS version ****IN' AWESOME, like everybody says it should be? Well, I'm saying this straight off the bat. Coming into the game, I had almost no idea what the rules were. All I knew is that you score by running into the End-Zone, and that you can throw it forwards. But after playing 2 or 3 matches, I quickly figured out the rules, and it helped me to set up strategies to beat some ass! The game is accessible to almost anyone, because the game is really easy to learn how to play. The game's camera is set up so you have a Side-On view of the field, and you can only see about 1/3 of the field at once. In order for them to fit all of the players on such a small screen, you might think that they'd need to cram them on there. But surprisingly not! The game looks awesome, and the characters on the screen don't look crammed at all. For proof of this, check out this screenshot: CLICK TO SEE SCREENSHOT The game isn't just run, tackle, run, tackle. You actually need to use some strategy to win the games. There's a few different types of plays you can use to move up the field. You can Run, Throw, or Jump through the pack, so there's a bit of variety. When you Run or Throw, depending on what play you try, your team will move differently, so it's not always the same. Altogether there's 9 different plays you can use, and you have to change your strategies constantly, otherwise YOU'LL GET CRUNCHED! You have Total Control over 1 player on your team per play. You can change your character each play though. It's really fun trying to avoid people that are obviously faster than you, I kept zig-zagging and I got a 60 yard try! You can't just run forwards and zig-zag randomly, you have to use the 3 different types of plays. Throws only make it about 50% of the time, so you'll be running quite a bit aswell. Woot! Since Tecmo couldn't acquire the NFL License, they had to use fake player names, and fake team names. Many, many douchebags are complaining about this. But I don't care, mainly because the only names I know from the NFL are the New England Patriots and Tom Brady, (Thank you, Family Guy!). There's some pretty weird Team Names in Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff too, like the San Fransisco Zephyrs, the Los Angeles Super*****, the Cincinnati Sinisters and the Phoenix Horntoads. I mean... SUPER*****!?!? What were they smoking? Meh, I always play as New England anyway, so I don't care either way. So overall, this game's a really fun, pick-up and play experience that doesn't feel at all like a cheap cash-in, because the only handheld that a Tecmo Bowl has been on before is the Gameboy. I also love how the game didn't try to go 3D or anything stupid like that, and it just enhances the Retro experience. BUY OR NOT TO BUY: If you've liked previous Tecmo Bowls, or you love quick, fun action, pick it up! The DS celebrates its 4th B-Day! Nintendo DS Launches at Wikipedia Wow! It's already been 4 years since the Original DS was launched. There's already been 3 redesigns of it, so on average, it gets redesigned every Year and 4 Months. That's pretty insane! Well, since its been 4 years since the DS was released, how much impact has the DS had on the Gaming industry? Well, it's been one of the highest selling consoles ever, selling around 84 million units. The Gameboy sold a bit more than 110 million, so the DS is catching up really fast. Nintendo has a real knack of making its handheld consoles fly off the shelves, (the stupid VirtualBoy doesn't count!). So, what should you do to celebrate the 4th B-Day of the DS? Well, I recommend playing some of the Launch titles. You could play Super Mario 64 DS, Ridge Racer DS, Asphalt Urban GT, or even Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt, if your DS came with it. It's surprising to know that there weren't that many awesome launch titles, but there were enough games to keep us interested in the system. Oh, by the way DS, here's your cake. Looks, err.... slimy? MTV gives 'Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII' the Portable Game of the Year award. Official MTV Site with Results Crisis Core: FFVII on MetaCritic At MTV Germany's recent 2008 Game Awards Show (MTV has one of those?), Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII for the PSP was awarded the Best Portable Game of the Year award. So, if this game is so incredible, then why haven't I picked it up yet? Well, first of all, IT'S THE MOST EXPENSIVE PSP/DS GAME AVAILABLE! 70$ for a PSP game? No way. After Crisis Core has received so much praise from many different critics, including a: 9/10 from Gamespot 9/10 from IGN 8.6/10 from EGM 8.3/10 from 1UP I really owe it to myself to eventually get this game, especially me being a huge RPG fan. Crisis Core, and Chrono Trigger should certainly last me for months to come. So, what were the games that Crisis Core was up against? It was up against some absolutely spectacular titles. The complete list is God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP), Guitar Hero: On Tour (DS), Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS), and Patapon (PSP). It's a great line-up, and all of the games are kick ass. The quality of handheld games released this year was absolutely amazing. REVIEW: Rocky Balboa (PSP) Rocky Balboa (PSP) on MetaCritic Rocky Balboa (PSP) - Official Website Dammit! I bought this game thinking that it was a UMD movie, because it only came with the disc, not the game case, and the sticker was covering the label. So, I thought I might as well do a review on it. The game came out a year after the movie, so it wasn't a very smart choice releasing it way after the movie was released. But the real question is, is the game good? Is it better than the other Rocky games? I bought the game Pre-Owned for $5 from Cash Converters. What a bargain! Imagine the poor Shmuck who sold it to them, he would've got $2.50 for it! I can imagine it now: "I DON'T CARE HOW MUCH YOU GIVE ME FOR IT! GET THIS DAMN GAME OUTTA MY LIFE! PLEASE! I'M BEGGING YOU!" What can I say, the music, IS EPIC! Rocky is known for having some awesome music, and the moment you turn the game on, the first screen you get, is the epic Rocky theme! It's slightly remixed, but it's still as awesome as it ever was. The song really got me pumped off for the game... what a damn letdown. So, right off the bat you have 6 Different Choices to pick from, they're: Historical Fights - Play fights from the Older Rocky movies. Exhibition - Which I'm guessing is just a Single Match. Fast Lane - From what I've seen, is the exact same thing as Exhibition. Multiplayer - I doubt anybody would even want to play this with me... I have no idea. Mickey's Corner - Basically gives you tips on how to play, it's alright. Options - Change your Difficulty, Controls, Sound, Save your game, and View the Credits. So now, let's get onto the gameplay. How do you play? You have a 3rd Person Perspective of your Character, and you press a Face Button to do an attack. But the attacks are so delayed, and your opponents are so good, there's no chance of using strategy to win. Not that exciting. The commentator. Oh my god, the goddamn commentator. He says the stupidest things! Like: "That was literally stunning!" - What, as opposed to un-literally stunning? (is that even a word?) "A CLEAN LEFT BY...... Lang." - I hate it when they change their mood mid-sentence. "I guess that's his definition of Face-Off!" - OK, I admit it, that's kinda funny. =D The strength of your competitors is a real mixed bag. I use my special moves, takes off maybe 1/10th of their health, tops. And the rounds only go for a minute, AND THERE'S ONLY 4 ROUNDS? WHAT IS THIS? No chance for a knockout. But then, what's up with the random ass-kickings? My opponent just turns blue, and whenever I do my special punch, they lose like half their health! Talk about inconsistent. I mean, I don't even know how to activate the freaking move! If I felt like going into Mickey's Corner, I could figure it out, but I don't feel the need to, it just seems like a stupid gimmick. For me, this game is just a button masher. I realise there's loads of different strategies you can use, but the moves are just too hard to pull off, and there's way too many buttons to have a fun pick-up and play experience. So I just alternate between Square and Circle, and I usually win! No strategy involved at all. So, thanks for another excellent product there Ubisoft! Another quality addition to your handheld line-up, add this game to the incredible titles like Imagine Babyz, The Dog Whisperer, My Weight Loss Coach, Imagine Teacher and My SAT Coach. You know what's really sad? THOSE ARE ALL REAL GAMES! BUY OR NOT TO BUY: Get it if you're a huge Rocky Collector, otherwise stay away from this pile of ass. New Releases this Week. Check out Upcoming games at VideoGameCountdown.com There's loads of awesome titles that came out in the past week, so here's the best of the bunch: Chrono Trigger (DS) YES! IT'S FINALLY HERE! I haven't picked it up yet though, because it's not released in Australia yet. But I have ordered it from GPStore though, $80!?! That's frickin stupid! Damn you Square-Enix! Age of Empires: Mythologies (DS) I sorta liked the other Age of Empires for the DS, so this game will hopefully be awesome. It also got decent scores from critics, so I might pick it up, just because I've enjoyed previous installments. Disney Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force (DS) I definitely won't be picking this up, but maybe you or your kids want to pick it for some quick fun. It also has Wi-Fi, and it can connect to your PC Club Penguin account, which is a pretty cool feature. LocoRoco 2 (PSP) LocoRoco 2 is now released in Australia, and sorry everybody from the US, I still have no idea what the Release Date for it is over there, really sorry. I'll have fun playing it, while you all cry! PWN! If you could only get one of the these games, you shold get Chrono Trigger. But all of these titles are worth getting to some extent, so have loads of fun playing some awesome new games this week! Dragon Quest IX Screenshots Released. See the Full Screenshots Gallery at DSFanboy Wow! These actually look awesome! I'm not even a big Dragon Quest fan, and I'm sorta looking forward to this game. Square-Enix has done a nice job at showing us what we can expect from the game. I don't even know what I find so interesting about the screenshots, is it the art style? Is it because it's in 3D? Is it because Square-Enix made it? Well, I really have no idea, but oh well. I know what you're thinking, "The screenshots look CRAP!". Well, they don't. They're stretched so they're big enough to see from a distance. If you want to see the smaller ones, click the link under the picture. I'm not even a fan of Dragon Quest, the only Dragon Quest that I've played for more than a few hours, is Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime. Hopefully this game will get me into yet another RPG series. I hope you're looking forward to this game too, I hope more screenshots and footage emerge soon. LOOKBACK: WonderSwan Color WonderSwan Color on Wikipedia The WonderSwan Color is the follow-up to Bandai's first handheld, the WonderSwan. It was only released in Japan, so you probably haven't heard of it. surprisingly, some awesome games were released for it! So, the WonderSwan Color was released about 1 Year and 9 Months after the original WonderSwan. Both of the handhelds were released inbetween the Gameboy Color and the Gameboy Advance. So the WonderSwan Color had a huge advantage over the GBA SP by being released first. Bandai, the company that made the WonderSwan Color, had a deal with Square-Enix, which let them re-release the first 4 Final Fantasy games on their system. Though FF I, II, and IV were the only ones that were released, because Final Fantasy III was cancelled. Most of the other noteworthy games for the system were anime/manga-based. They include 8 Digimon games, 4 Inuyusha games, 2 Guilty Gear games, a Dragonball game, 5 One Piece games, 6 Gundam games and a Naruto game. Other notable games for the system include Riviera: The Promised Land, Golden Axe and Secret of Mana was also planned for the system, but it was eventually cancelled. The WonderSwan Color is actually bigger than the WonderSwan, which isn't very common, but there was good reason for it. The screen was larger, and there was more inbuilt RAM. 2 bundles were available for the system. An FF I bundle, and an FF II bundle. They both came with a themed System, and the game. Wow, they only go for like $25 on eBay, that's fricking awesome! Why did it fail? Because Squaresoft (now Square-Enix) and Nintendo, so now Square's titles will be on the GBA instead of the WonderSwan. So Nintendo now had all the Classic Nintendo Franchises, plus all the Squaresoft franchises, so Bandai was pretty much doomed after Square moved over. Overall, the system was pretty good, especially with Final Fantasy. It had loads of titles to keep their customers interested, but it still fell against the might of Nintendo like the rest. If they released it in North America, Europe and Australia with some more franchises, it may have stood a chance. Help me out? So now that you've read my blog, can you help me out? Try doing these 5 things: 1. Digg my posts. 2. Send me stories/content for the next issue. 3. Keep reading/commenting my blogs! 4. Give me suggestions for the next blog. 5. Make me top post? Remember, if you wanna ask anything, just write them in the comments section! I'll answer everyone! But wait, it's not over yet... Preview for next weeks 10th Issue Spectacular! This cat just read my preview. It's that damn good. Infact, it's so damn good, IT'S A SPECTACULAR! So next week is my 10th issue of GOTG! So in the next issue, I'll be celebrating with: 2 PSP Reviews - God of War: Chains of Olympus & LocoRoco 2 DS Reviews - Chrono Trigger & Metal Slug 7 NEW SECTION: Classic Reviews - Killer Instinct (GB) LOOKBACK: The very first handheld ever, the Milton-Bradley Microvision. Plus of course, all the news for the week aswell. So until then, have a nice week everybody!

Gaming on the Go! - 20/11/08

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:49:27 -0500

1#: REVIEW: Call of Duty: World at War (DS) 2#: Chrono Trigger DS has a new ending! 3#: GTA: Chinatown Wars gets an approximate release date + More details are revealed! 4#: REVIEW: Daxter (PSP) 5#: New Releases this Week. 6#: REVIEW: Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades (DS) 7#: Only %35 of PSP owners use it for Music and Videos. 8#: LOOKBACK: Sega Nomad 9#: Help me out? REVIEW: Call of Duty: World at War (DS) Call of Duty: World at War on Wikipedia Chrono Trigger DS has a new ending at DSFanboy Chrono Trigger DS - Official Website Chrono Trigger DS was already a must-buy for me, what with the Wireless play, the extra dungeon, the option SNES mode, and the fact that it's portable, but now with the news that there's a new ending, it makes me even more excited for the title! That's right, there's gonna be a new ending! It already has 12-15 endings, depending on how you would classify an ending, plus the new one, now it'll have 13-16! MADNESS! Really hardcore fans are probably gonna play through the game until they get to the new ending. 2-3 playthroughs is enough for me. Even if you own the SNES version, there's loads of new features that should make you want to pick it up. And with the game being as incredible as it is, then why wouldn't you pick it up? DO IT. GTA: Chinatown Wars gets an approximate release date + More details are revealed! GTA: Chinatown Wars Release Date at DSFanboy Loads of info on GTA: Chinatown Wars at Nintendo Everything GTA: Chinatown Wars is one of the games I'm really looking forward to, and with loads of info being released this week, I'm crapping myself with excitement! An approximate release date, more gameplay info, and the size of the map have all been revealed! So, what details exactly have been released? Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick (weird name, huh?), announced that GTA: Chinatown Wars will be released on the Nintendo DS somewhere between February and April, which narrows it down. Closer to the time, more details on the release date will be revealed, but for now, that's good enough for me. Loads of info has been released in the Spanish magazine MarcaPlayer about the upcoming GTA game, and trust me, there's loads. Some of the more exciting details include: - The camera can swivel 360 degrees. - You can mark points on the map, and the GPS will tell you the shortest legal route to get there. - You can whistle into your microphone to hail a Taxi. - New discoveries are added to your map. My favorite feature out of all of those it the GPS feature, it's pretty damn awesome. Because sometimes I get lost, because of all the little roads in the map, but thanks to this, I can kick ass at races and timed missions and stuff. =D The areas in yellow, in the map above, is what's playable for the game. It's about 3/4 of the GTA IV map, and it's pretty huge! So we won't just be playing in Chinatown! Phew! It was a pretty good week for Chinatown Wars. A release date, new features, and the huge map size, are really making this game sound awesome! I'm definitely gonna review this game when it comes out. REVIEW: Daxter (PSP) Official Daxter (PSP) Website Daxter (PSP) on MetaCritic Daxter is the highest selling PSP game in North America, and with good reason. It has great graphics, and it's a great spin-off from the 'Jak & Daxter' series. But, what exactly do you do in the game? IS IT GOOD? I've personally only finished 5-6 levels of this game, because I take all my time trying to collect everything in the levels, so it takes me maybe 20-30 minutes to do one level, but I don't mind. =D The first thing that I noticed when I turned the game on, is the visuals. In particular, the cutscenes are gorgeous. If you add the funny dialogue to the visuals, it makes cutscenes way more enjoyable. The in-game graphics are AMAZING. Screenshots don't do it justice, because you're always moving, and they don't look as pixely. The Developers 'Ready at Dawn Studios', have done a great job at making the graphics as good as possible, and since this game came in a bundle with the Slim & Lite, they had to be. At first, gameplay seems pretty basic. Daxter has an electric flyswatter, called an Electro-Swatter, which he beats the crap out of bugs with. So, all you do is your Melee weapon to hit bugs, right? Nope! You also get an Extermination Tank that shoots Bug Spray at bugs, but it also has loads of other uses to help you get through the levels. Like you can shoot them downwards, which makes you levitate, so you can fly across big gaps. The levels really make you think to pass, like sometimes you have to climb, sometimes you have to levitate, sometimes you have to double jump then levitate, and barely any levels are similar, because there's so many methods you have to use to get to the end of the levels. Daxter has similar gameplay to Jak & Daxter, you go into people's stores/houses, and go into their... underground cellars? I guess. The whole city isn't automatically available like in Jak & Daxter, but I don't mind, it makes me focus more on the levels, without me going away from the main experience. BUY OR NOT TO BUY: Definitely a must-own game for the PSP, especially if you love Jak & Daxter. New Releases this Week. Check out Upcoming games at VideoGameCountdown There's loads of great games coming out this week! I'm actually pretty excited about a few, check em out: LocoRoco 2 (PSP) So far, this game has only been released in Europe, sorry. You're gonna have to wait, like I am. I LOVED the original, so I'll definitely be picking this one up, I may do a review on the original soon. Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades (DS) This game is AWESOME! It's a sequel to the original Guitar Hero: On Tour, and I loved that. So with extra songs, more features and the Song-Sharing feature, it's awesome! There's actually a review in this issue. Metal Slug 7 (DS) I. LOVE. METAL. SLUG. This is without a doubt, one of my favorite games of all time, I just love the arcade-style action, so I'm definitely gonna pick this one up, and I'm definitely gonna review it. Luminous Arc 2 (DS) I've only played a little bit of the original Luminous Arc and I sorta liked it. So I'm most likely gonna pick this game up, because I'm a bit of a fan of Strategy RPG's. I hope you've seen some games you might like, so go pick em up! You're bound to have SOME fun, right? REVIEW: Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades (DS) Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades - Official Website Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades on Metacritic The original Guitar Hero: On Tour got average reviews from critics, getting an average MetaScore of 71/100. But On Tour Decades has made that figure higher, sporting 80/100. So what exactly makes this game better than the original? Well, there's loads of little things that really make this game awesome. It includes 2 characters from the Guitar Hero franchise that weren't in the last game, there's more songs, more guitars, more outfits, and overall, it's just a better game. There's loads of songs that everybody would know, some of the better songs include: "We are the Champions" by Queen "The Pretender" by the Foo Fighters "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World "Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Lenny Kravitz "La Bamba" by Los Lobos "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor "You Give Love, A Bad Name" by Bon Jovi "Any Way you Want It" by Journey "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd "All Right Now" by Free All of these songs are great, and there are a few more that I enjoyed, but not that everybody would enjoy. Also, some of the songs on this game are BRUTALLY hard! In particular, The Pretender by the Foo Fighters. I can get 5 stars on Hard, but I can't even pass it on Expert! I mean, goddammit. What a difficulty curve! I still always play as Clive Winston in On Tour, and Izzy Sparks in the console Guitar Heros. They really should add Izzy Sparks and Xavier Stone to the selection if they made a 3rd game in the series. Wow, 3? That would be amazing. Also, just incase you didn't know, your old Guitar Hero: On Tour grip is compatible with On Tour: Decades, and vice versa. So you save a bit of money there if you don't want to buy 2 grips. BUY OR NOT TO BUY: On Tour: Decades does everything On Tour did, but improved on it. Buy it. %35 of PSP owners use it for Music and Videos. 35% of PSP owners play Music and Video at PSPFanboy Well, this story doesn't come as much of a surprise to me, especially considering that I don't own the damn cord that connects it to the computer. The only thing I do on my PSP other than play the games, is watch UMD's. Yep. Not that exciting. Another thing to come out of this study (by NPD group), is that 84% of PSP owners use it to play games... Wow. Wouldn't it just be easier for them to buy an iPod? The PSP is a gaming machine, not a media machine. The media is just a nice touch, so it gives you something to do when you run out of games. I don't see the appeal in having Music and Video on your PSP, UMD is where it's at. If I was gonna use the PSP for anything, it'd be Demos, then at least I can know if a game sucks my balls or not. LOOKBACK: Sega Nomad Sega Nomad on Wikipedia The Sega Nomad, it was marketed as a handheld Genesis, which sounds AWESOME. But why did it fail? Well, the Nomad did what it was suppose to do, play Genesis/MegaDrive games. But sometimes, even this wouldn't work. If you were playing a game, and the Nomad was put on an angle, sometimes the games would freeze, or even restart, which became very frustrating. The Nomad already had 600 games available at the time, which was AMAZING. Since there was already a huge library, that was great, and it could really act as a portable Genesis. The Nomad suffered from what most other handhelds suffered from too, a TERRIBLE battery life. It only lasted 2 hours, from 6 AA batteries! I mean, really, how could you expect to play a full game in that time. Chargers were available, but not widely, so it was very hard to find one. One of the coolest features about the Nomad, was that you could plug it into the TV, which makes it both a portable, and a home Genesis. Which really makes it worth buying if you didn't already own a Genesis. Another downside of the Nomad, was that it came out when the Genesis was almost dead, and since the Nomad could only play Genesis games, that made it become basically obsolete. So the Nomad was forgotten about pretty quickly, considering that there were almost no games coming out for the system when it was released. Overall, the Nomad was a good idea, but wasn't executed very well. It suffered the same problems every failed portable did. Like a terrible battery life, and not having as many awesome games as the Gameboy. Help me out? Now that you've read my blog... can you help me out? Try doing these 5 things: 1. Digg my posts. 2. Send me stories/content for the next issue. 3. Read/commenting my blogs! 4. Give me suggestions for the next blog. 5. Make me top post? Remember, if you wanna ask anything, just write them in the comments section! I'll answer everyone! Have a nice week everyone! PS: Sorry for this issue being 2 days late, but from now on this is the day I'm gonna be posting the blogs.

Gaming on the Go! - 11/11/08

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:50:57 -0500

FEATURED THIS WEEK: 1#: REVIEW: Tekken: Dark Resurrection (PSP) 2#: Elite Beat Agents 2 - Listing appears on UK Nintendo site. 3#: REVIEW: Call of Duty 4 (DS) 4#: New Releases this Week. 5#: New CG Resident Evil movie coming to Blu-Ray, DVD and... UMD? + My thoughts. 6#: LOOKBACK: game.com 6#: Help me out? REVIEW: Tekken: Dark Resurrection Tekken: Dark Resurrection on Metacritic Tekken: Dark Resurrection - Official Website Tekken: Dark Resurrection is an updated version of Tekken 5, released for the PSP. It adds new characters into the mix, and was one of the first games to show off the capabilities of the system. This game is graphically AMAZING. Even for the PSP, the cutscenes/in-game graphics look absolutely incredible. I really can't believe how good they are. The game looks better than most PS2 games I've played. There's so much detail in the characters, it's mind blowing. To give you an idea of how good the cutscenes are, click this link to see the opening movie: OPENING MOVIE - CLICK TO WATCH Tekken: Dark Resurrection adds a few new features from Tekken 5. New characters have been added, Dragunov and Lili, and there's a few minor updates to the Arcade mode. Nothing too major, but Dragunov's a decent fighter. New characters are new characters, I guess... my favorite fighter's still Craig Marduk though. Plus, according to Wikipedia he's from Australia. Epic! The game was ported to the PS3 about 6 months later, because people were complaining about it only being on the PSP and Arcade. So Namco decided to release it on the PS3 as Downloadable Content for about $20. Which to me seems really cheap, considering I bought this game for $30. Since Tekken is such a popular franchise, it was a pretty smart move for Namco to make a version for the PSP. It payed off, the game sold over 1 million copies, making the game a big commercial success. The AI in Dark Resurrection is really smart. If you keep on trying a particular move on them, they'll wise up and start blocking it, making you change your tactics. The AI also does huge, (but cheap) combos on you. Like one time I was on the Final Stage against Jinpachi, and he beat the living **** out of me, I didn't stand a chance. He kept running at me, and he always dodged my kicks, luckily the game has infinite continues.... *sigh* I'm so bad at fighting games. BUY OR NOT TO BUY: Definitely a must-own game for the PSP, especially for fighting game fans. Elite Beat Agents 2 - Listing appears on UK Nintendo site. CLICK TO SEE FULL SCREENSHOT Elite Beat Agents 2 Rumor at DSFanboy Recently, a listing has appeared on the Official UK Nintendo press site recently, and one of the listings is Elite Beat Agents 2. A sequel to Elite Beat Agents would be pretty epic, almost an instant buy for me. Also, Elite Beat Agents 2 isn't a very creative name. OK, I get that the Super Mario Bros series was SMB, SMB 2, and SMB3, but that's beside the point. The game should've been called: Elite Beat Agents 2: The Re-Beatening! That sounds really sexual, but it's not, trust me... The original is without a doubt, one of my favorite DS games, and if the sequel is officially announced, I'll be posting a review of the original game, in anticipation of the sequel. Come on Nintendo! With all these ****ty games that are out for the DS, such as the Imagine Series and Dogz/Catz, EBA 2 would be a quality addition to the lineup to the DS. RELEASE THIS GAME DAMMIT! REVIEW: Call of Duty 4 (DS) Call of Duty 4 DS on Wikipedia Call of Duty 4 DS on Metacritic Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the 5th portable installment in the series. Previous installments in the series, have been on the N-Gage, Pocket PC, Mobile and the PSP. So, is the DS version the best portable CoD yet? COD4 is rated higher on Metacritic than the other portable CoDs. Rated far higher than the N-Gage, Pocket PC and Mobile versions, and slightly higher the PSP version. And it's higher for a reason... COD4 is different from most DS FPS's, because it's based in real life, as opposed to Metroid Prime: Hunters and Dementium: The Ward, which are very unrealistic. It's a really unique experience for the DS, and I love the War setting, though, of course it's gonna be war because it's Call of Duty... The graphics on this game are pretty good, actually. Especially considering that it's a fully 3D experience on the DS, which downgrades graphics considerably. Metroid Prime: Hunters set the bar for FPS's on the DS, and Call of Duty 4 gets really, really close to equaling it, if not beating it. This game is way deeper than just: 'Shoot this. Grenade that. Shoot this. Shoot this. Blow this up.' There is actually variety in the levels. In most levels, you're in an FPS mode, but in at least one of the levels (I just started), you're looking down from a helicopter, trying to protect your troops from incoming enemies, using machine guns, bombs, and missiles. Which is pretty hard, but it changes it up, so I'm fine with it. Where the game is absolutely breathtaking, is the Multiplayer. Up to 4 players (single card or multi-card) can play at the same time. Since none of my friends own the game, I'll have to review the Single-card multiplayer. There is absolutely no lag, although the game takes 1 or 2 minutes to download to everybodys DS. You see the players moving in real time, and there's absolutely no delay, which is awesome. There is also a radar in the map, that only 1 person can get at a time, so while we're all shooting eachother, we're also competing for the radar, so several things are going on at once. They really took time in the Multiplayer, and I could play it with friends for hours. There are a few drawbacks to this game, but nothing too major. They include no online play, the checkpoints are way too far apart, some parts aren't self-explanatory, and in Multiplayer, after every game everybody has to turn off their DS, and you have to start up DS Download Play again, which can get tedious if you play it for long periods of time. Overall, this game is another great shooter for the DS, showing that graphics aren't everything, especially if you compare it to the competing CoD game on the PSP. BUY OR NOT TO BUY: If you love shooters, or fun multiplayer, you'll fall in love with CoD4. Buy it. New Releases this Week. Check out Upcoming Games at VideoGameCountdown.com There are a few noteworthy games that came out in the past week, they are: Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia (DS) The only Pokemon games I play, are Diamond, Pearl, Ruby etc. Not these spin-off types games. I've never played a Ranger game, so I don't know if it'll be any good. Just giving Pokemon fans the heads-up that it's out. Populous (DS) I've never played Populous, although I think I remember seeing a Retro Corner on it. You make your own world right? Or look after your own city or whatever? Sounds decent, possibly the only game I'd pick up this week. WWE Smackdown VS Raw 2009 (PSP/DS) Oh great, wrestling. Supposedly the DS's controls are nothing like 08's lame controls, where you don't even wrestle, you had like 2 or 3 choices as to what you could do. This better be an improvement over last year. Pro Evolution Soccer 09 (PSP) I've never played a soccer game on the PSP before, only on the DS. I won't be picking it up, because it could be a huge letdown, but to all you soccer fans out there, I'm sure they couldn't have screwed it up TOO badly. So, I hope you guys found something new that you liked this week. Read back next week, as some awesome DS games are being released! New CG Resident Evil movie coming to Blu-Ray, DVD and... UMD? + My thoughts. Official Resident Evil: Degeneration Site Resident Evil: Degeneration on PSPFanboy I personally think that the Resident Evil movies have sucked. And so have film critics. But UGO gave this movie a B, so this movie might break the trend. So I'm glad that it's being released on UMD aswell as Blu-Ray and DVD. Gaming website SiliconEra, has confirmed that Resident Evil: Degeneration, the latest Resident Evil CG movie, will be released on Blu-Ray, DVD, and UMD. This comes as a surprise to many people, considering that UMD's are (unfortunately), a dying product. The $40 UMD costs $11 less than the Collector's Edition DVD, which seems like a huge-ripoff, but I'm hoping that the price drops when it comes overseas, because otherwise it'd just be easier buying the DVD. I doubt that this movie will ever come to Australia, but if it does, and I see it in store, I'll definitely buy it. I need a bigger UMD collection anyway, plus I love Resident Evil. LOOKBACK: game.com game.com on Wikipedia Ah, the game.com. Something I had never heard of until about 2 months ago. It seemed like a pretty good idea, but never made it off the ground due to quite a few different factors. It had a touchscreen, which was very innovative at the time, and would've gotten a lot of tech heads to buy the system, without doing much research. There was absolutely no backlight, so it made it very hard, and almost impossible to type in things, or play games with precision on the system. Something Tiger could have definitely improved on. There were some games that sounded really good for the system though, like Duke Nukem 3D, Mortal Kombat Trilogy, and Resident Evil 2. Attracting more mature gamers to their system. Although I'm pretty sure (though I haven't checked) that they were lame watered down versions of the originals. The game.com sported Internet abilities, it could connect to a 14.4 modem, I'm not sure what it could do though. Surf the internet? Whatever. Many other accessories were also released. There was a multiplayer adaptor, a carry case, an AC adaptor, and earphones. These all seemed pretty cool, but really, I don't think any 2 friends in America both owned a game.com, so getting a multiplayer cord seemed pretty pointless, because only 300,000 people ever bought a system. I'm still not %100 sure that this system deserves it's spot in GT's Top 10 Worst Consoles of all time, but it's pretty close. With barely any games available, no backlight, and many other factors hindering it, there was no chance it could compete with any other handhelds at the time. A system with great game licenses, that failed to utilize them well, makes me kinda sad, really. Help me out? So now that you've read my blog... wanna help me out? Try doing these 4 things: 1. Digg my posts. 2. Send me stories/content for the next issue. 3. Read/commenting my blogs! 4. Make me a top post? And remember, if you have any questions about portable gaming, or anything at all. Just ask them in the comments section! I'll answer everyone! Have a nice week everyone!

Gaming on the Go! - 04/11/08

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:09:57 -0500

FEATURED THIS WEEK: 1#: REVIEW: Killzone: Liberation (PSP) 2#: Full Song List for Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades released + My thoughts. 3#: REVIEW: Rock Revolution (DS) 4#: New Releases this Week. 5#: PSP-3000 4GB Entertainment Pack cancelled + My thoughts. 6#: LOOKBACK: Virtual Boy 7#: Wanna help me out? REVIEW: Killzone: Liberation (PSP) Killzone: Liberation on Wikipedia Killzone: Liberation on MetaCritic Killzone: Liberation is a sequel to the PS2 game, Killzone. Story-wise, the game is set between Killzone, and Killzone 2, so you should think of the game as Killzone 1.5. Sorta... The gameplay's completely different to Killzone on the PS2. It's more of an Isometric Shooter. You see the whole character, and all of their surroundings, to get a full view of what's going on around you. Since it's hard to explain, I'll post a link to a screenshot, to give you an idea of what it looks like. CLICK TO SEE SCREENSHOT This game is incredibly hard! You need to build up strategies for every Level, in every Chapter. It may seem frustrating to some, including me. But believe me, once you finish that level, you are really satisfied with yourself. Plus it gives you more gameplay, because it takes you longer to complete a level. There are loads of extra modes, there's Multiplayer, Challenge Mode, and I believe they released an Update which allowed you to play online. Challenge mode isn't just there to keep you occupied. It actually gives you upgrades to your character for completing them. Such as more health, quicker abilities, and more ammunition. It's really awesome, and in some cases, needed to complete levels. By completing chapters, and levels, you unlock new guns to start off with. Giving you more chance of completing the level. The game requires loads of strategy, so you may have to rethink your gun choice after you enter a level. It's loads of fun mowing down Helghast, but this game isn't just shooting the crap out of everything you see. You need strategy in order to get to certain areas. Such as sneaking past Security, grenading unsuspecting Helghast, and removing threats, such as machine gunners. This game isn't just a simple shooter where you kill everything. It really requires you to think, and if you don't like those types of games, it's probably not for you. BUY OR NOT TO BUY: If you like strategy/shooting games, I recommend trying it out. Full Song List for Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades released + My thoughts. GH: OTD Song List Announced - DSFanboy Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades, is the sequel to the incredibly popular Guitar Hero: On Tour for the DS. The song list has just been revealed, so is it better than the original? Let's find out. On Tour Decades now has 28 songs, compared to 26 in the original game. Although even more can be added, through the use of the new Song-Trading feature, where players who only own On Tour, can play songs wirelessly, with people who own On Tour Decades. Artists included in the game are Joe Satriani, Lenny Kravitz, the Foo Fighters, Queen, Bon Jovi, and R.E.M. I like that Decades has more older songs, because I was getting sick of all the newer songs in GH: OT. The tracklist seems promising, so I hope Decades is great. I'll definitely be reviewing it. I really hope that Activision don't screw this one up. The game will be released on November 14th in Europe, and on November 16th in the US. REVIEW: Rock Revolution (DS) Rock Revolution on Wikipedia Rock Revolution - Official Website Rock Revolution is the little brother to the console versions of the disappointing music game, developed by Konami. But is the DS version better the other versions, or is just a huge disappointment? I played as Guitar, which is really boring. The gameplay's basically Up arrows, or Down arrows come into the middle of the screen, and you have to strum in time. It's really boring. At least in Guitar Hero you change what buttons you press, but this is just lame. Since notes come in from different directions, some are hard to see, because of where your hand is placed. Plus it becomes really hard to use your upgrades since the notes are coming so fast, there's not even an option where you scream into the microphone to activate them. Also, whenever I do get the small window of opportunity to use them, they seem to do nothing. There's only 20 songs, so there's not a lot of choice. Although there is SoundGarden, which is for me, the only band worth mentioning. To me, at least. Others include Avril Lavigne and the Foo Fighters. The graphics on this game, are a disgrace. They look like they could easily be shown on almost any system. They are absolutely terrible, and they barely change. Maybe change the frame 1 or 2 times a second. If at all. Here's a screenshot, just to show you how bad it is: CLICK TO SEE SCREENSHOT One saving grace for this game, is that it has loads of choice. You can play drums, guitar, bass, or even sing. I'm guessing that the bass is exactly the same as guitar, so you really only have 3 options. The drums are decent. There's a picture of a drumkit on your screen, and notes will come flying across the top screen, and you have to hit the corresponding note on the drumkit to score points. It's fun, but I was terrible at it. The singing is broken, but at least it's there, right? You don't wanna go all out and spit all over your DS screen, so you speak in a relatively quiet voice, then the microphone can't pick it up, or it breaks your notes midway through. The singing may keep you interested for 10-15 minutes, but no longer than that. So what this game offers you, is broken singing, boring Guitar/Bass, and overly hard Drums... ARGH! BUY OR NOT TO BUY: Don't buy it. Even if you're a die-hard Music game fan. New Releases this Week. Check out upcoming games at VideoGameCountdown.com There are quite a few decent games that came out this week, so I'll tell you about them!: Tom Clancy's EndWar (DS/PSP) EndWar, is about a Global War, the biggest ever. Well, I've seen screenshots, and the graphics look bad, even for the DS. But, I like strategy, so I'm probably picking it up. Plus the story sounds interesting. James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace (DS) It's a James bond game, where you hold the DS like a book, like in Brain Age. I've seen screenshots from IGN, and the game looks nice. Apparently it controls very well, probably gonna check it out aswell. Dragonball: Origins (DS) Origins looks like a decent game. It's a Dragonball Action RPG, so, even though I've only seen screenshots, I'm guessing it's sorta like Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. I might pick it up. So now that you've seen the best releases for the week, so go pick em up! PSP-3000 4GB Entertainment Pack cancelled + My thoughts. PSP-3000 4GB Entertainment Pack cancelled on Playstation Blog The Ratchet & Clank pack pictured above, will now be the only bundle available for the PSP-3000. Sony's reason? Not enough interest, apparently. DAMMIT. Sony announced "We will be streamlining our PSP hardware lineup and will no longer be offering the previously announced 4GB Memory PSP Entertainment Pack." Streamlining huh? As in getting rid of choice? Getting rid of a pack loads of people are excited for? Getting rid of option? Streamlining? Sounds more like a dumb plan to me. Just read the comments of that blog, loads of people are pissed off. Also, guess who posted this? JOHN KOLLER. That's right, the same guy that said the DS is a kiddies toy. The DS doesn't have to change it's bundles. Especially if there's only 2. The PSP shouldn't have to either. Dumb move Sony. Really dumb move. Another reason why I'm not upgrading. LOOKBACK: Virtual Boy Believe it or not, this was ment to be a portable system. It was marketed as the only Portable console capable of 3D graphics, but did this help it? Well, no. The "3D" graphics, were in red and black, many people experienced headaches/migraines, and there were barely any games for it anyway. To play the Virtual Boy, you look through a pair of... I don't even know what to call them. Goggles? Well, then you can see the image. You play with a controller that looks pretty damn weird. It looks like a mix between an N64, and a Gamecube Controller. Since it was portable, it needed batteries, right? Yep. 6 OF THEM. 6 damn batteries to power the system! Although there was a charger option to play constantly, that would take away from the "portable" experience, right? Like the DS and PSP are easy to play while they're charging, because they're small. But this thing was a behemoth, so I imagine it would feel pretty weird to play while it's charging, because you couldn't move around at all. Its launch price, was $180. Apparently that's pretty high over in America. But it really didn't give itself a chance. It barely displayed any colors, had a huge starting price, and it only had 14 games. Yep, only 14. Of those games, only 1 I would consider playing, which is Wario Land. There are a few other games, but most of them sound like they suck. Such as Virtual Bowling, Virtual Fishing, Nester's Funky Bowling, Golf, and Waterworld. Barely anything good to choose from, right? Anyways, if you want more on the Virtual Boy, the Nerd's done a review on it, so check it out if you're still interested in it! So overall, the Virtual Boy only lasted for a year, and for a reason too. Wanna help me out? So now that you've read my blog... wanna help me out? Try doing these 4 things: 1. Digg my posts. 2. Send me stories/content for the next issue. 3. Read/commenting my blogs! And remember, if you have any questions about portable gaming, or anything at all. Just ask them in the comments section! I'll answer everyone! Have a nice week everyone!

Gaming on the Go! - 28/10/08

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:47:00 -0400

FEATURED THIS WEEK: 1#: SYSTEM REVIEW: Nintendo DS Lite. 2#: PSP-3000 only sells 141k in it's first 4 days. 3#: REVIEW: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (DS) 4#: New Releases this Week. 5#: REVIEW: GTA: Liberty City Stories (PSP) 6#: LOOKBACK: Gameboy Advance/Gameboy Advance SP 7#: Wanna help out? SYSTEM REVIEW: Nintendo DS Lite DS Lite at Nintendo AU It's a pretty stylish box, right? The DS Lite was ment to be a slimmer, sleeker, and overall better design of the DS. But was it? And is it worth trading in your original DS for? Inside the box, all you get is loads of stupid booklets, a charger, and of course, the DS Lite. When I first opened it, I immediately started charging, and I put the instruction booklets straight back into the box. Charging doesn't take very long, maybe 2-3 hours to fully charge it. Then your DS will have enough battery to last 15-20 hours! Charging isn't a problem, just charge it while you're sleeping. What are the advantages of having a DS Lite, instead of the original? Well, there's loads! It's thinner, lighter, smaller, brighter, and it has a longer battery life. There's loads of great features that make it better than the original. Onto what the DS is really about, the games. The games that came with my DS Lite, were Advance Wars: Days of Ruin and Super Mario 64 DS. Man, did I play those to the ground! Advance Wars lasted me at least 25 hours, and SM 64 DS, lasted me around 10. If you pick up the right titles, it can be a very lasting experience. The DS Lite is an incredibly versatile system. Even at launch, it had loads of different genres to choose from. You had: -Super Mario 64 DS (A 3D platformer) -Asphalt Urban GT (A 3D Racing game) -Tiger Woods PGA Tour (A Golf game) -WarioWare: Touched! (Mini-games) And this was only in Australia/NZ! The US offered even more titles, like Ridge Racer DS (another 3D Racing game), and Project Rub (hard to describe...), showing off just how diverse the DS is. If you wanna get started with the DS's library, check these out: New Super Mario Bros Metroid Prime: Hunters Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood Mario Kart DS GRID Call of Duty 4 Kirby Superstar Ultra Contra 4 Elite Beat Agents Final Fantasy IV I've included many different genres in there, just to give you a feel of what the DS is capable of. If you want more, just PM me. The DS Lite certainly isn't as advanced as the PSP, but it's game line-up is certainly unmatched, especially if you include GBA games. And I don't see that changing anytime soon with Metal Slug 7, Chrono Trigger and GTA: Chinatown Wars all coming out. BUY OR NOT TO BUY: If you've got the money, buy the DS Lite. You won't be disappointed! PSP-3000 only sells 141k in it's first 4 days. PSP-3000 Sales at PSPHyper PSP-3000 Screen Issues at PSPFanboy PWNED! The PSP-3000 was released in Japan this week, with a very underwhelming response. The PSP-3000 sold 141k units in it's first 4 days. The PSP Slim/Lite, sold 250k units in it's first 3 days. So, why didn't many people buy the PSP-3000? Well, there's 3 main reasons as to why. 1#: No huge releases to go with it. The PSP-3000 didn't have any big new games to go with it's release, so it didn't get many people excited for it. The only thing I can think of, is Lego Batman, which comes in a bundle. But that's not huge. 2#: The screen problems. Many users have been experiencing scan lines on their screen. Making the system's screen seem really bad compared to the PSP-2000. Well isn't the main selling point of the PSP-3000 is that it has a better screen? What the hell Sony. 3#: Not many worthy updates. With the screen problems, there aren't that many updates for it. There's the microphone, and the small button changes. People aren't gonna trade in their working PSP, for a PSP with different buttons and a microphone. Sony, you really screwed this up. I was gonna buy it, but I'm not going to now, unless my current one breaks. Nice goin' guys. REVIEW: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (DS) Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia on Wikipedia Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia on MetaCritic Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia is the newest installment in the incredible Castlevania series. Is it worthy of the praise it's receiving, or should it just be forgotten about? You play as a girl named Shanoa, who's a part of an organization called the 'Order of Ecclesia'. Their main weapon against Dracula are things called Glyphs, which are made from 'Dominus', a power of Dracula's. The triad of Glyphs is about to be put into Shanoa, to help her defeat Dracula. Her best friend Albus then steals the Glyphs, and she has to go find him and..... SCREW IT. It's to damn confusing, even for a Castlevania game. Anyways, the graphics look absolutely amazing. The characters move so fluently, and the enemies look pretty good too. You can actually tell what's going on, and the settings look pretty good. Especially the village, and the sea level. The game doesn't contribute much new to the series, but it's still the tried and tested formula, and it's still fun. I like the combos, and the fact that you can change around your glyphs, and other stuff like that. Another thing I enjoy about this game, is the village. The environments look great, there's a store, just like in Simons Quest, except this game doesn't suck. I love the idea of having sort of a base, where you can just chill out and look around. The Bosses are INSANELY HARD. Mostly because of poor design. I'm up to the Skeleton boss on Prison Island (2nd boss), and he's really, really hard. He pins me up against the wall, and just pounds me until I die. I literally screamed "**** THIS ****!" at least 3 times when I was fighting, he gets loads of cheap hits, and it's impossible to dodge the attacks unless you're an expert at Castlevania, which I'm not. Well, this game's really hard. Everything about it. This is certainly one of my favorite Castlevania's, but it isn't an instant classic, like Super Castlevania IV is, but it's still a great installment in the series. BUY OR NOT TO BUY: If you're a fan of Castlevania, or just looking for a challenge, certainly buy it. New Releases this Week. Take a look at upcoming games at VideoGameCountdown.com Barely any good games are coming out this week, but I'm gonna check em out anyway! King of Fighters Collection - The Orochi Saga (PSP) This compilation will have 5 complete King of Fighters game, plus it'll have bonus material. I won't be picking this one up unless I'm really bored. NinjaTown (DS) A village defense game, WITH NINJAS! That's basically what this is. Well, at least according to the reviews I've read. Probably the only DS game I'd possibly pick up this week. Ben 10: Alien Force (DS/PSP) I hate Ben 10, but I wanted to post more than 2 games. It looks lame, but kids might like it. At least it's multi-platform, right? The PSP version is 3D, I think. Variety's good, right? I won't be picking it up. There weren't really any good releases this week, but look out for EndWar (DS/PSP) next week! REVIEW: GTA: Liberty City Stories (PSP) Official GTA: Liberty City Stories Site GTA: Liberty City Stories on MetaCritic GTA: Liberty City Stories was the first GTA game on the PSP. Around a year later, it was ported to the PS2. It's rare that a PSP game gets ported to the PS2, but this was an exception! Was this game worthy of a port? Let me fill you in on all you need to know! There's not much of a story to this game. You play as Toni Cipriani (from GTA III). Tony killed some guy for Salvatore Leone a long time ago, and he's been laying low ever since. Toni then comes back into Liberty City 3 years later, ready to continue his life of crime. He comes back, finding that he's low in the Leone hierarchy, and he starts doing jobs for people straight away to earn respect. Toni eventually has to do jobs for loads of people, all over the city. The moment I started playing this game, I noticed one thing, right from the beginning, GTA: LCS has PS2-like graphics! I seriously shouted "WOAH!". Everything in the game looks great, from the cutscenes, to the cars, even down to the characters faces. It's a completely new engine used specifically for the PSP. It looks amazing! The controls in this game rock. I thought that they'd be awkward, since you only have 1 analog, which means that you won't have much control over the camera. Turns out you can just press L to straighten out the camera, which is nifty. All the buttons do something, and none of them feel forced. Driving's a breeze, Aiming's a breeze, all the controls in this game, are great. Some of the missions in this game, are awesome. Most of them are really hard, so it takes a lot of practise, but it's worth it. One of my favorites, is protecting a casino from a rival gang. They eventually plant a bomb in a truck near the casino, so you have to drive it away, only to find that it's crippled and barely moves! You nearly get killed, but just get away, it's seriously really cool. But some of the missions, seem really random. Like Missions from your Mum. She doesn't see you as her son anymore, so instead of tring to make me better, she sets hitmen on me, so I can get killed. What a *****! It's a pretty fun mission though, took me about 20 minutes to figure out what I had to do. It doesn't seem like there's much music in the game, and there isn't. I don't mind listening through all of LCFR 2 or 3 times, because it's really funny! (Seriously, I love the Electron Zone!) Most of the music isn't well-known either, so even if you like the genre, you most likely won't know the songs. The PSP version is actually capable of having a custom soundtrack. I haven't used it, but it sounds like a cool feature. At least then there'll be music you like on the radio, and it'll make the game that little bit funner. My complaints with the game, are nitpicking, but I feel that they have to be said. Many small things in this game annoy me, like sometimes my garage doesn't open, some missions aren't self explanatory, the Pay 'N' Spray isn't on the main map, and there's no Metal radio station! WHAT THE HELL! Metal always gets me pumped up when I'm playing games, but in Liberty City Stories, I'm just driving along, listening to Nurse Bob. But, like I said before, this is nitpicking, and these problems don't really hinder the overall gaming experience. BUY OR NOT TO BUY: Pick it up, it's a completely portable GTA experience! And it's dirt cheap! LOOKBACK: Gameboy Advance/Gameboy Advance SP Official GBA Site at Nintendo Gameboy Advance at Wikipedia The GBA continued on, what the previous Gameboy's had already done. Added some upgrades, and continued great Nintendo Franchises. The GBA, was now 32 bit, and it could play GB, GBC, and GBA games. Awesome! That's more powerful than a Super Nintendo! The games on the GBA are incredible! There's loads of great installments to classic franchises, examples include: Metroid Fusion Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap Banjo Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge Donkey Kong Country Super Mario Advance Doom Earthworm Jim Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land Megaman Zero Medal of Honor: Infiltrator and many more. But the GBA is really known for, are it's RPG's. There were loads to pick from: Final Fantasy I/II, IV, V, and VI. Golden Sun, and Golden Sun: The Lost Ages. Pokemon Riviera Sword of Mana Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories See, now the GBA has loads of diversity. But it was hard to even play the games before the SP came out, because there was no backlight. It was so dark, you needed to get a 3rd party light to attach to the GBA, just to see the screen. Luckily they fixed this problem with the GBA SP. They added a backlight to it, and they gave it a clamshell design, to stop the system from becoming dirty. I didn't own one of these, but my friend did. So I was stuck on my original GBA for years, until I got my DS. Which I love. Next week, I'll be reviewing the.... VIRTUAL BOY! That's right, apparently it was portable. Help me out? So, you've read my blog, do you wanna help me out? If so, just try doing these 3 easy steps: 1. Digg my story. 2. Comment and rate the post. 3. Send me stories, content and ideas! That's all you guys, I'll see you next week! (Thanks to xXSteelXx for the great banner!)

Gaming on the Go! - 21/10/08

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 09:16:10 -0400

FEATURED THIS WEEK: #1: REVIEW: Lego Batman (DS) #2: New Releases this Week. #3: Should Sega make a Handheld? #4: PSP Pirates get PWNED by Sony! #5: LOOKBACK: Gameboy Color #6: Help me out? REVIEW: Lego Batman (DS) Lego Batman - Official Website Buy this game from VideoGameCountdown.com Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and now this? Well, even though it's not much of an improvement over the other games in the series, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Well, even though it's similar to past games, what makes this game worth your money? Traveller's Tales have done a great job in making this game a lasting experience. With all the unlockable characters, mini-games, and secret areas, this game's sure to get you coming back for more. Though not as glossy as the console versions, it offers 30 more characters to unlock, and it has an extra mini-game. I'll admit, I have OCD when I'm gaming. I like to complete literally EVERYTHING. I collect every coin/stud, go to every secret area, unlock every character, and do all the missions. And because I'm so obsessive, I played for countless hours without even realizing it. If you're like me, and love to unlock everything in games, it's certainly for you. If you can rely on one thing from the Lego games, it's the Level designs. Even though the game is aimed towards kids, some of the designs are ridiculously hard to figure out. But if the kids have enough patience to get through these levels, they're treated to incredible level design, which really makes you think in order to pass them. A few small things hold this game back though. Examples include not being able to skip cutscenes, which can get boring, since there's no dialogue. The touchscreen feels forced, which makes you have to get out your stylus to touch something once or twice, then put it back in, which is REALLY annoying. As I've mentioned before, some of the level designs are VERY hard. Even though I'm nit-picking, these things still should've been addressed. Even though there's bad points, there's enough great points to level it out. So, is it worth your money? BUY OR NOT BUY: Buy if you've enjoyed previous Lego games, or if you love Batman. NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK Take a look at upcoming games at VideoGameCountdown.com Loads of games are coming out this week, so let's take a quick look at the best releases! Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (DS) This game really does look amazing! If it's anything like the other games in the series, it'll be an instant classic! If you wanna find out before you buy it, I'll be reviewing it next week. Theresia (DS) I haven't heard much about this game, apparently it's a horror based game where you solve puzzles inside a house? It's meant to be really good, but I'm not sure if I'll pick this one up. Spiderman: Web of Shadows (DS/PSP) Hmm, a new Spiderman? Most of the games I've played for it have been really bad, but hopefully this one will be different. I'll probably check it out. Star Ocean: First Departure (PSP) A remake of the Super Famicom (SNES) game, released 10 years ago. The graphics are updated, and loads of other updates. I most likely won't be picking it up, but you never know. Master of the Monster Lair (DS) This game looks decent, but apparently it takes a lot of time to get used to it, and to get really good at it. I may pick it up, but I doubt it. Well, those are the best games that came out in the past week, so check em out! Should Sega make a handheld? Last week I posted an article on why Microsoft should join the Handheld market, but should Sega? Well, there are still many possibilities for it! Make sequels to great, old games! Have a store where you can buy Master System, Genesis and GameGear games. Have a Genesis button layout for the retro feel. Make some more 2D Sonics. Make it compatible with the GameGear. I mean, if Sega did this right, this could be incredible, and could easily rival the DS and PSP. But it'd need a price that can rival them, and a reason for everyone to buy it. Sonic for the kids/teens/adults, Comix Zone for the teens/adults, Mortal Kombat for teens/adults, fun mini-games for the older people etc. Some of the sequels they would HAVE to make sequels for, are Comix Zone, Kid Chameleon, Strider, NiGHTS into Dreams and Shenmue. Without these, it would no doubt fail. They need a large array of games to keep people busy, and these would certainly keep me busy for about 6 months. The store is an essential, with the PSP and DS both having/getting download services, without some online, the Sega system would be seen as inferior, and would be frowned upon by gamers. The Genesis button layout isn't a must, but if it had it, it'd be really awesome. It'd make me interested, I'd have a nostalgia overload! 2D Sonics are awesome! But since Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure have already been released on the DS, Sega is putting themselves behind. They would need to maybe release a compilation of the first few, and then make a few completely new games, just to catch up! DO IT. If GameGear games were playable on it, that'd make the GameGear games market go up, considering the GameGear itself costs a lot, and it'd also give people who already own a GameGear, more of a reason to buy it, and sell their GameGear. If Sega joined, it'd certainly change things up a bit because I don't only want Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony in the hardware market, if Sega joined it'd be a dream! PSP Pirates get PWNED by Sony! Read the full Story on GamePolitics.com Recently, Sony caught 2 IDIOTS selling PSP Mods, and illegal games on CraigsList. Sony used Private Investigators to catch them out. The Private Investigators went to the pirates' house, and asked one of them to give him pirated games. The deal was 100 games for $80, plus he got more DVD's with more games on them, and a guide on how to put the games on. Sony then proceeded to PWN these stupid pirates by taking them to court. The court date is scheduled for later this month. I mean, really, making money off other people's hard work? Good on Sony for taking these losers to court. The sheer stupidity of selling this on CraigsList, astounds me. We need Sony to start finding more pirates, and shut them down. LOOKBACK: Gameboy Color Ah, the good old Gameboy Color. With all the other competitors bashing Nintendo for not having a color screen. So Nintendo responded, by making one of the most successful consoles of all time. It was backwards compatible with the Gameboy so it started off with a huge amount of games, straight from the launch. But despite all the great Gameboy games, there were still many, many GBC games worth buying for the system, including Pokemon, Zelda, Wario Land, Duke Nukem and Harvest Moon. The GBC was the best selling handheld of it's generation, beating off other competitors like the Sega Nomad, Neo Geo Pocket and the Game.com. The competition wasn't as fierce as it was with the Gameboy, but there was still something there to compete against. The Gameboy Color was released in 1998 in Europe, Japan and North America, but 1999 in Australia. It's life span wasn't as long as the Gameboy, because it only lasted 4 years. The last game released for the system was Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets, was released in 2002. Surprisingly, I actually owned that game, and it wasn't a very bad RPG. (DON'T HURT ME) So, basically, this system is a huge upgrade over the GB, making it smaller and having a default color screen. Plus it can play Gameboy games, making it even better! Imagine what the Gameboy Advance did to me! Way updated graphics, smaller, MORE POKEMON! I'll be reviewing that next week! HELP ME! So, you've read my blog... wanna help me out? Try doing these 4 things: 1. Digg my blog posts. 2. Send me stories/content for the next issue. 3. Read/commenting my blogs!

Gaming on the Go! - 14/10/08

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 06:45:20 -0400

CONTENTS: ARTICLE 1: REVIEW: The Legend of Kage 2 (DS) ARTICLE 2: Should Microsoft join the Handheld market? ARTICLE 3: Sony responds to the DSi + My thoughts. ARTICLE 4: PSP gets DualShock 3 Functionality + My thoughts. ARTICLE 5: LOOKBACK: Nintendo Gameboy ARTICLE 6: Help me out? REVIEW: The Legend of Kage 2 (DS) The Legend of Kage 2 - Official Square Enix Site Buy this game from VideoGameCountdown.com Apparently it's pronounced Kah-je. All I expected from The Legend of Kage 2, was a game about Ninjas. But what you get, is a hard, yet satisfying experience, that I'm still trying to pass. Straight after the 1st Level of the game, you would've noticed that the game's really, really hard. But once you've played the game for more than 30 minutes, you most likely would've found a few neat tricks to help you through the levels. Such as randomly throwing your Shurikens, or jumping all over the level to dodge attacks. The basic storyline, is that you're a Ninja, who has to save a Princess, who was your childhood friend (I think). But the people who captured her, keep sending out tough Ninjas to stop you from reaching the Castle where she's being held captive. Trust me, it's not as dumb as it sounds. The Bosses in this game, ARE INSANE. They're so hard, I died at least 20 times on the 2nd Level's boss. And, since I'm not that good at Games, I'm lucky there's infinite continues. Even though this game is really, really hard. But it won't make you turn off the game. It's the type of hard where, if you finally finish a tough level, you'll scream: "**** YEAH! I FINALLY DID IT!" I know I did. 3 times. At my Cousins house. One of the coolest things about this game, are the little bonuses you don't expect, like the cool upgrades, the hidden areas, the well designed bosses, the ninjitsu or the really, REALLY high jumps. BUY OR NOT TO BUY: Buy it, but only if you enjoy a challenge, and have loads of patience. Should Microsoft join the Handheld market? Microsoft Employee talks about a possible XBox Handheld There's 3 consoles, so why not 3 handhelds? Rumors have been floating around the Internet for years speculating on an XBox handheld, but it hasn't come yet. So, what could we expect from an XBox Handheld if one did come out? Well, there's so many possibilities for an XBox Handheld, it blows my mind as to why there isn't one yet. These are just a few of the features I'd suggest for it: MUSIC AND VIDEO PLAYBACK To compete with the PSP and DS, it'd have to be able to play music and video. Specifically in the MP3, WAV, AVI, and WMV format. GREAT MICROSOFT FRANCHISES To compete with Nintendo and Sony's great franchises, they'd have to have some good new installments in their series' to have a chance. Games like: Halo, Gears of War, Banjo Kazooie, Killer Instinct, Blue Dragon, Forza and Fable. Plus some new franchises. 2 ANALOG STICKS The PSP has been criticized for not having 2 analog sticks, so it's be awesome if an XBox Portable had 2 analog sticks. It'd make FPS's so much funner. GREAT ONLINE XBox Live is great, so if an XBox portable had it's own similar service with almost no lag, that would be amazing, and a real selling point for the system. FREE DOWNLOADABLES If there's no new games coming out for the system, there would certainly need to be something available to keep the users busy and interested in the system. What could be used? Free downloads. Like trailers and demos for new games, screenshots, and skins for your system. PRICE It would need to be no more than $10-20 more expensive than the PSP, otherwise it'd lose so many sales, it's unimaginable. Also, if it sold for less than the PSP, it's sales would go THROUGH THE ROOF. OVERALL: Microsoft should join the handheld race. It'd add excitement and competition for both Sony and Nintendo. Join me next week because I'll be asking the question: Should Sega join the Handheld race? Sony responds do the DSi + My thoughts. Gizmodo's Interview with John Koller In a recent interview with Gizmodo, John Koller, the director of hardware marketing for Sony, came out and said that: “Will the DSi do well with [the DS’s] demographic? It probably will. Will it be a product that expands their user base [beyond] under 12? I’m not sure.” So basically, what he’s saying is: “DS SUKS!!1 LULZ.” It seems that nearly 80 million under-12 year old's own a DS then. Nope, I'm 14, and I own a DS. So do my Grandparents. Shut it. This is exactly what makes people move AWAY from your system. Also in the same interview, he said quite possibly one of the dumbest comments I've ever read. And I quote: ""Nintendo has kind of a history of these [moderate] kinds of updates." Really? I don't see much different between Sony and Nintendo here. Look: DS -----> DS Lite -----> DSi PSP ----> PSP Slim & Lite -----> PSP-3000 Sure looks like they've both had 2 updates to me. Think before you talk, hey John? Sony really need to stop with the DS bashing. Sony should just get back to porting PS2 games to their system. Again. OVERALL: DS SUKZ!! I R SO 1337! PSP Plus gets DualShock 3 Functionality Joystiq - PSP gets DualShock 3 functionality. This week at the Tokyo Game Show, Sony announced that you'll be able to play an upcoming PSP game, Resistance: Retribution, with a PS3 DualShock 3 controller. Which means double analog sticks. This new technology is called 'PSP Plus', and it allows players to connect their PSP to their PS3, which lets users play their PSP using a wireless PS3 controller. This is sure to excite many fanboys who've been wanting double analogs for their PSP. It's not clear if any other games will use the new technology, so it looks like it's just a tech demo, and hopefully a successful one. This is all pretty cool I guess. But instead of having all these add-ons to their system, Sony could just get to developing a true successor to the PSP, with double analogs, and make it way cheaper for people who don't own a PS3, right? Right. OVERALL: Use your PS3 controller to play a PSP? Cool. But not useful when you're away from home. Or don't own a PS3. LOOKBACK: Nintendo Gameboy Nintendo Gameboy's Wikipedia page The Gameboy was everything a handheld console should be. It had a great pack-in game (Tetris), an incredible library, a great battery life, it was easy to play, cheap, and most importantly, fun. It easily won the Handheld War of the 90's, and for a reason too. The battery life on the Gameboy, is RIDICULOUS! According to Wikipedia, it boasts 35 hours of battery life. How could it last this long? Well, simple. It didn't have a backlight, and it had very basic graphics. But did you need great graphics? No, you had to use your imagination, which for kids, was great! What really attracted people to the system, was the incredible Nintendo games it offered. Many games could keep you entertained for hours! I mean, Tetris kept my whole family entertained for weeks before we got a new game. Some of the great games included: Tetris, Dr Mario, Super Mario Land, Donkey Kong Land, Killer Instinct, Pokemon, Kirby's Dreamland, Zelda, Metroid II, Megaman, Final Fantasy, Donkey Kong 94 and Q*Bert. It fought off it's competitors that offered color screens, and better graphics, by supplying incredible games, and a humongous battery life. A true underdog if you compare all the consoles today, but back then, it had many things going for it. It sold for $40 bucks less than it's nearest competitor, and it was made by Nintendo. So really, the other handhelds didn't stand a chance from the beginning. I've very fond memories of this Handheld, when my brother was playing the SNES, I was playing the Gameboy, and vice versa. So many games kept me entertained, plus, I could plug in my headphones that came with it, so I could listen to the soundtracks late at night without disturbing my parents. I also saved up for the charger, so I saved loads of money on batteries, and saved that money for games instead. So imagine how excited I was, when I heard that the Gameboy Color was coming out! I POOPED MY PANTS. So, I'll be reviewing that system, next week. Seeya then! OVERALL: Buy this system. It rules. Help me out will ya? So, you've read my blog... do you wanna help me out? Try doing these 4 things: 1. Digg my blog posts. 2. Send me stories/content for the next issue. 3. Make me a new banner. My current one is a lame BannerBreak one. 4. Reading/commenting my blogs! P.S: Thanks for the Top G1 Post last week guys!

Gaming on the Go! - 07/10/08

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:29:21 -0400

CONTENTS ARTICLE 1 - Nintendo DSi - All the info you need. + My opinions. ARTICLE 2 - LOOKBACK: Sega GameGear ARTICLE 3 - Little Big Planet for the PSP? + My opinions. ARTICLE 4 - REVIEW: Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (DS) ARTICLE 5 - Wanna help me out? Of course you do. Nintendo DSi - Info + My opinion. Full Details + More pics. The Nintendo DSi, announced October 2nd, is the third DS to be released. Here are the most important facts, about the new DS: LARGER SCREEN: The screen is now 3.25 inches instead of 3 inches. LONGER STYLUS: The stylus is now 92mm as opposed to 87.5mm on the DS Lite. BATTERY LIFE: On the lowest brightness, the DSi will last 9-14 hours, compared to the DS Lite's 15-19 hours. IMPROVED SPEAKERS: The DSi will now have better speakers. PRICE: Will retail at around $180 USD. NO GBA SLOT: There will be no GBA slot, but there will be an SD slot. CAMERAS: There will be 2 inbuilt cameras in the DSi. MUSIC PLAYBACK: The DSi will be able to play music. The larger screen, really was needed, because some games required it, since the screen was becoming cramped. Some problems may arise though with stretched graphics, or the touchscreen won't be accurate. Hopefully Nintendo has fixed this though. The DSi can last 9-14 hours on the lowest brightness setting. The DS Lite can last 15-19. How could the battery life drop so dramatically? The bigger screen could make up for a little bit of it, and the better speakers, but 5 hours? No chance. Nintendo really dropped the ball on this. 2 inbuilt cameras? When am I gonna use this? I use my DS for games, and my Digital Camera for photos. Little kids don't wanna take photos, they wanna play fun games on their DS. The lack of a GBA slot is the most noticeable difference. So, what now? I sold my GBA to get my DS Lite. So now how will I play my GBA games? Or Guitar Hero? This is one of the dumbest moves I've seen by Nintendo. Backwards compatibility was one of the main buying points for me when I got my DS, now that that's gone, I don't know why people would upgrade to the DSi. If you don't have a DS, get a DS Lite. If you only have a DS Phat, upgrade to the DSi. If you have a DS Lite, keep it. LOOKBACK: Sega GameGear Sega GameGear Wikipedia Page Woah! BLAST PROCESSING IN MY POCKET! Awesome. The Sega GameGear tried to do what it's console equivalent couldn't, beat Nintendo. The SNES and the NES had undoubtedly beaten the Genesis, but could the GameGear beat the Gameboy? Let's find out. The GameGear was released with a price tag of $150, compared to the Gameboy's $100. Which made parents almost automatically buy the Gameboy, putting the GameGear behind from the beginning. Technologically, the GameGear, was far superior to the Gameboy. But, the people who bought the Gameboy, weren't very worried about the graphics of the system. So the technology alone wouldn't put the GameGear on top. So, what would? Looking back, the GameGear did have an incredible library of games, which included great games like: Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Mortal Kombat, BattleToads, Galaga, GunStar Heroes, Ninja Gaiden and WonderBoy. But, I couldn't see many Mums wanting to play these games, so the parents ended up buying their kids the cheaper Gameboy, with more Family-oriented games available for it, such as Tetris, Mario, and Pokemon. So, why did the GameGear fail? Many different things caused the failure. The battery life, the size of it, the price, the lack of family friendly games, or just that it wasn't Nintendo. In the end, it was discontinued by Sega in 1997. OVERVIEW: Great game library, bad battery life. Little Big Planet for the PSP? + My opinions. LittleBigPlanet PSP Job Listing Interview with LBP Boss says a Portable version is possible. LittleBigPlanet is a 2D platformer game exclusive to the PS3, which will be released on the 21st of October. LittleBigPlanet, one of the killer apps for the PS3, may soon be coming to the PSP, if this Job listing is anything to go by. Even the LittleBigPlanet boss said that it's possible. Since I don't own a PS3, if this game is released on the PSP, I'll certainly buy it. Obviously it'll be a stripped down version of the PS3 version, because of the PS3's power, but it'd still be a great experience, if done right. If there's some sort of an Online Multiplayer where you can upload/download levels, and Wireless Local Multiplayer. This game would, without a doubt, get a lot of sales, considering that the PSP has sold more than the PS3 has. Which would generate loads of sales. A PSP version of this title, would make a lot of people happy, and it'd be a very smart move by the developers. OVERVIEW: This better be true, if not... I want a PS3. REVIEW: Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (DS) Official Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood Website Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood is an Action RPG produced by BioWare. It's won quite a few awards, including Best RPG of E3 08, and the Best DS Game of E3 08. But, was it as good as reviewers say? The first thing you'll notice about this game when you first turn it on, will be it's impressive environments. They're very bright and colorful, which made me stick to this game, since most other RPG games I've played, have been very dark. When you start the game, it's pretty hard to get used to, but trust me, when you've been playing for 10 minutes, you'll have gotten used to the controls, and then the game really starts getting fun. It's the little features/extras about this game that I like, such as the Chao Garden, the Battle System, and no Random Battles! The Chao Garden is a pretty cool feature, which allows me to change my characters abilities/strengths to suit certain battles, and to upgrade them, to help you kick those Sentry Bots *****! The Battle System, though taken from Elite Beat Agents, is really fun, and engaging. It gives me something to do, even if it's not my turn. It lets me use my special POW moves, dodge their attacks, and make my attacks stronger. The battle system makes great use of the touchscreen, which doesn't feel forced. Random battles, are what have annoyed me about previous RPG's I've played, because if I want to get somewhere, I don't want to fight some weak creature. Sonic Chronicles takes this feature away, and shows you the creatures, and you can choose to move away from them, and to not waste time. Each creature has it's own special abilities, like Sonic can go through loops, Amy can smash crates, Knuckles can climb steep walls, Tails & Rouge can fly from ledge to ledge and Big can go through poison gases. You use all of these abilities throughout the game, so you have to stay on your toes and change your party often. I'm not the biggest fan of Sonic, but I am a fan of RPG's. So, I wasn't sure what to expect from this game, but about 10 minutes into the game, I was hooked. I played for 4 hours straight, and I'm not even halfway through the game. So much stuff to do, infact, I searched through the first 3 areas, just to see what was there, and, I found some pretty interesting stuff. Loads of fun to be had here, thanks BioWare! BUY OR NOT TO BUY: Certainly buy, this should be one of the games you keep for a while. Wanna help me out? HELL YEAH YOU DO. Try doing these 4 things to help me out: 1. Digg my posts. 2. Send me stories/content. 3. Make me a new banner? I currently only have a crappy BannerBreak one. 4. Keep reading/commenting my blogs! Seeya next week!