61 Frames Per Second

January 2009 - Posts

• Whatcha Playing: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Again)

  Posted by Nadia Oxford

  I have a small stable of games I love returning to once in a while, and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is among them. I own the original Playstation version (the actual original: it lacks the flu-snot green bar that labels it a best-selling re-release) and the emulation that was packed with the PSP's Dracula X Chronicles. I've finished both multiple times, but I decided that wasn't enough, so I downloaded the game once more on XBLA. Having lost my original Playstation at the bottom our sock drawer something like five years ago, it's nice to play Symphony of the Night on a large screen once more. It'd be nice if the Achievements weren't lame, but eh, if wishes were horses, and all that. Symphony of the Night is still firmly in the top quality tier of the Castlevania hierarchy, but aging gamers draw in vital nutrients through message board fights about whether or not an esteemed game still deserves its lofty status. Over the past handful of years, Symphony of the Night has ignited similar arguments. Is the game as brilliant as we remember it? Was the Inverted Castle a stroke of game design genius or a cheap trick to extend gameplay? Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 30 2009, 11:06 PM with 4 comment(s) Filed under: xbox 360, psp, konami, castlevania, Playstation, retro, symphony of the night, 2d, xbla, nadia oxford, 32-bit, dracula x chronicles, sprites

• Absolute Sadness: Faith and a .45 Cancelled

  Posted by John Constantine

  Back before Unsolved Crimes came out, I wrote up a post about how it was one of three games that were going to help change the landscape of mainstream gaming. The other two were Ride to Hell, Deep Silver’s open world, 1960s biker gang fantasia, and Faith and a .45. All games in familiar genres, (DS-born adventure, sandbox, third-person shooter), but all games set in decidedly unfamiliar locales. Post-apocalyptic cityscapes, alien jungle worlds, and surreal cartoon countries are a dime a dozen in videogames, but how often do you see a couple of young criminals in love getting chased across Depression-era America? Just thinking about it makes me want to play. That’s why I’m heartbroken. Deadline Games announced today that Faith and a .45 has been put on hold indefinitely due to publisher disinterest. I can understand why, unfortunately. It’s hard enough to launch an original franchise in the best of times, let alone in a year when developers are closing shop, publishers are consolidating, and players are spending their money on food and rent rather than entertainment. Faith and a .45 was more than just a fresh face in the shooter landscape, though. Even beyond its unique setting, Faith and a .45 is one of the only games I’ve ever seen made for a major console where love takes center stage as a theme. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 30 2009, 06:00 PM with no comments Filed under: john constantine, gears of war, deep silver, ride to hell, deadline games, unsolved crimes, Faith and a 45

• Facepalm: Will Trade Sex for Everquest

  Posted by Cole Stryker

  Would you be willing to let other men sleep with your wife in exchange for phat l00tz? Well, some abhorent slime is. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 30 2009, 05:00 PM with 1 comment(s) Filed under: cole stryker, addiction, everquest, facepalm

• The 61FPS Review: Edge

  Posted by Derrick Sanskrit

  I am almost certain that over the past three months I've played more downloadable games on my iPod Touch than on my home consoles – and I've been all about Lumines Supernova lately. As expected from any hip new platform that just about anybody can develop applications for, a majority of the iPod games I've tried have been decidedly uninteresting and derivative of other, significantly better, games that I've already played. Thankfully, though, there are small studios putting time and thought into iPod games now and the media player finally has some truly excellent games, even if they still borrow from established franchises. Just as ngmoco's much-hyped Rolando gives me what I always wanted from LocoRoco in the form of tilt and touch controls, Mobigame's Edge gives me what I always wanted from Marble Madness – a cube. Yes, yes, Marble Madness without the marble sounds boring and pointless, but that brings me to what is so awesome about Edge: everything else. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 30 2009, 05:00 PM with 1 comment(s) Filed under: derrick sanskrit, 61fps review, edge, iphone

• Cross-Atlantic Buzz!

  Posted by John Constantine

  Guest contributor Adam Rosenberg resides in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, where he slaves away daily as a contributing editor for UGO’s Gamesblog as his dog Loki looks on in bewilderment. In addition to the noble pursuit of video games, Adam enjoys spending time with fine film, finer food and his fine fiancée Bekah. Relentless Software’s Buzz games are multi-stage quiz challenges modeled after television game shows, right down to the snarky announcer. Players compete for points in multiple rounds, each one revolving around a different gimmick for rewarding or punishing correct and incorrect answers. The thing about Buzz is that it’s always been big in Europe, but not so much over here in the States. The series debuted in the UK back in October 2005 with Buzz!: The Music Quiz and it saw three sequels before hitting North America in October 2007. The PS3 debut, Buzz! Quiz TV, featuring both user-created quizzes and online play, is Sony’s most focused attempt to establish the series in America. When I approached the new American Culture Quiz Pack expansion, I wondered: how does the ‘American angle’ come out in a game so firmly rooted in its British origins? Is American trivia the key to Buzz’s potential cross-continental success? The allure of a game show is, after all, rooted in the American Pop Dream. When television first proliferated as an entertainment medium during the 1950s, quiz shows were some of the biggest attention-grabbers. All of a sudden, Joey Everyman could stand in front of a camera, answer some trivia questions and go home several thousand dollars richer. Fame and fortune; just what every American wants. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 30 2009, 04:30 PM with no comments Filed under: playstation 3, nintendo, wii, sony, scea, wii play, Adam Rosenberg, buzz, are you smarter than a fifth grader, jeopardy

• Punch-Out Wii to Make Early 2009 a Little Less Depressing

  Posted by Bob Mackey

  If you asked me what I'm looking forward to in 2009, I'm afraid I wouldn't have a good answer; the only game that I'm anticipating at this point in time, the DS remake of Dragon Quest V, is coming out in less than a month--and that leaves a hell of a lot of this year that needs to be frittered away, especially considering my looming unemployment. But perhaps things aren't as hopeless as they seem; today, Videogamer brightened up what looks to be an otherwise dreary year with the announcement that the upcoming Wii Punch-Out (I refuse to use the title's exclamation points for the sake of clarity) will be hitting store shelves in the first half of 2009. This is exciting because A.) Punch-Out is awesome and B.) hitting people in the face will be a vital skill in our scary new economy. There are a lot of expectations being placed on the new Punch-Out; after all, the series has missed two whole console generations thus far. I'd like to believe that Nintendo will do a great job catering to both nostalgia junkies and those looking for a solid pattern-recognizing experience, but the company's "back to basics" approach--AKA, rehashing games they've previously released--makes me worry about the quality of this long-awaited title. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 30 2009, 04:00 PM with no comments Filed under: nintendo, wii, punch out, bob mackey, 2009

• Roundtable Discussion: Where is the Handheld Version of Console Wars?

  Posted by Joe Keiser

  Roundtable Discussion takes the intrepid 61FPS blogging team and pits it against itself in the search for deeper truth. The moderator for today is Joe Keiser. Towards the end of the last roundtable, the topic swerved off-course into a discussion of the existence or nonexistence of handheld wars. I thought that the fact that question came up was interesting, because no matter how you parse it handheld fanboy battles seem to lack the vigor of their console cousins. Which brings us to the question: do people have less of an emotional attachment to their portable systems compared to their TV-tethered ones? A different kind of emotional investment? Why do you think this could (or could not) be the case? Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 30 2009, 03:00 PM with no comments Filed under: game boy, derrick sanskrit, amber ahlborn, cole stryker, iphone, bob mackey, nintendo 64, joe keiser, roundtable discussion, pokemon stadium

• WTFriday: Dragon Quest Crotch Buddies

  Posted by Bob Mackey

  Ridiculous accessories for video games have always existed--and if you think this trend ended with the Power Glove, then you probably haven't seen the chainsaw or slime-themed controllers that were actually designed and released for consumers to purchase. Yeah, that chainsaw controller has its own web site. Anyway, gimmicky video game accessories are still around and successfully targeting the demographic of "people who have no idea what to do with their money;" but until I had read this recent 1UP story about a baffling Dragon Quest-related peripheral, I had no idea how bad things had become. Friends, allow me to introduce you to the Dragon Quest Crotch Buddy. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 30 2009, 02:00 PM with 2 comment(s) Filed under: dragon quest, bob mackey, wtfriday, accesories, peripherals

• At Least Batman: Arkham Asylum's Story Will Be Good

  Posted by John Constantine

  It’s been pretty disheartening to see so many people losing their game industry jobs these past few months. First and foremost, it’s terrible to see thousands of talented people out of work. It’s also tragic to see so many games get cancelled. I’m still upset that Free Radical’s Star Wars Battlefront 3 will never come out. That game looked unbelievable. That’s not always the case with cancelled games though. For example, I think the world’s a better place now that Pandemic’s The Dark Knight tie-in won’t clog up shelves across the land. From the sounds of it, that game was troubled with a capital OUBLED. It’s cancellation also means that Rocksteady Games’ original Batman game, Arkham Asylum, will have a much better chance of getting noticed by the millions upon millions of people obsessed with Bruce Wayne and Joker. This new trailer doesn’t have any play in it, so it’s pretty useless for giving an impression of Arkham Asylum as a game. What it does have is plenty of story. Competently written and awesomely voiced story. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 29 2009, 08:30 PM with 3 comment(s) Filed under: john constantine, playstation 3, trailer review, xbox 360, PC, playstation 2, the dark knight, eidos, batman, urban chaos, rocksteady games, pandemic, arkham asylum

• Batman Can't Even Land a Punch on Superman in a Video Game

  Posted by Nadia Oxford

  Those of us who grew up with comics quickly noticed a distinct rivalry between Batman and Superman. Superman was an all-American boyscout, eager to do what was righteous and good just as long as it earned him the right to furrow his brow at Batman and shake his head. Batman isn't a flying paladin like his red-and-blue counterpart, but that endears him in the eyes of fans. He borders on vigilantism; he doesn't care to do things by the Man's rules because criminals don't follow any rules. He gets the job done. That doesn't mean he can do more than throw fluttering punches at Superman, though. He can't even beat Superman in a game of Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe. Witness his attempt in the video after the jump. Of course, Alfred can beat up Superman, but I've long suspected that Alfred already knows everything the Lord intends to tell us on the Last Day. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 29 2009, 08:02 PM with 2 comment(s) Filed under: media, fan stuff, nadia oxford, midway, superman, mortal kombat vs dc universe, batman

• MadWorld: Actually a Pretty Even-Keeled World

  Posted by John Constantine

  Unlike Bayonetta, Sega were all too happy to let me try out MadWorld yesterday. After a quick tutorial in the controls, I was thrown, for lack of a better phrase, into the deep end of Varrigan City. I walked away from the game thinking three distinct things: One: Ultra-detailed black and white games are as cool in practice as they are in theory, but I can see why there aren’t too many of them. Two: Platinum Games took Suda 51’s No More Heroes combat model and improved its accuracy and versatility in significant ways. Three: MadWorld’s kind of… boring. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 29 2009, 07:00 PM with no comments Filed under: john constantine, no more heroes, viewtiful joe, platinum games, wii, madworld, bayonetta, atsushi inaba, sega, suda 51, god hand

• Why Game Magazines Will Hang Around

  Posted by Nadia Oxford

  Gamespite's Jeremy Parish wrote a thought-provoking article about the decline of printed game media in America. By now, even your one-eyed cousin Billy Bob who skins fish for two bits an hour has realised that the role of printed magazines is shifting. Our kids won't know the joys of a magazine rack brimming with all things Nintendo, Sega and Sony. What's more, I don't think kids in the UK know it either, though (as the article points out) the market for British game magazines is still relatively healthy. Specialty magazines—publications based around trades, specific crafts and whatnot—are still thriving. Game magazines won't die, but they, too, are becoming more specialised with their content. Now that game sites are capable of delivering news about Miyamoto blowing his nose a second before it happens, it's no longer necessary to wait a month for printed coverage. But a game magazine can still print an exclusive must-read interview or column or feature that would be of interest to an audience that matured with video games. This, unfortunately, is where the fate of an American game magazine reaches a crossroads. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 29 2009, 06:08 PM with 1 comment(s) Filed under: nadia oxford, egm, magazines, gamespite, print, game magazines

• Gordon Freeman's Prank Call

  Posted by Bob Mackey

  As gamers, we possess a relentless amount of trivia and information about the hobby we've invested so, so many hours into; and to those uninitiated with the world of video games, said knowledge is baffling and mysterious at best. So what, exactly, are we supposed to do with these brainfulls of data--aside from alienate our poor family members who wonder just what the hell we do with our free time? Strangely enough, it turns out our vast wisdom on the topic of video games can be best put to use through the lost art of the prank phone call. And if you're still skeptical, all you need to do is listen to one of the greatest video game-related prank calls in recent history.  Allow me to set the stage: the following events take place on the syndicated radio show Coast to Coast, where host George Norry entertains the delusions of his clearly insane callers--and they range from stories of bottomless pits to tales of secret garden gnome societies.  But what happens when a savvy gamer calls in and recounts the story of Half-Life as the game's protagonist, Gordon Freeman? The answer, of course, is hilarity. Comedy gold after the cut. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 29 2009, 04:00 PM with no comments Filed under: valve, half-life, comedy, humor, bob mackey, gordon freeman

• Left 4 Dead's Francis Hates Everything

  Posted by Cole Stryker

  Even Ayn Rand. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 29 2009, 03:00 PM with no comments Filed under: music, cole stryker, left 4 dead, francis

• Watcha Listening to? A Life Well Wasted

  Posted by Bob Mackey

  If it seems that I’ll I’ve been doing lately is pimping out podcasts, I have no choice but to plead guilty. It’s just that after the 1UP/EGM/UGO hullaballoo, there’s been a lot of podcast-related news to talk about—which is perfect for people like me who can’t spend a waking moment of the day without their headholes plugged with earbuds. But I must point out that today’s bepimped podcast is notable for not featuring a bunch of dudes gathered around a microphone for 90 minutes—not that there’s anything wrong with that. Former Ziff-Davis (and, presumably, current UGO) freelancer Robert Ashley’s new podcast, A Life Well Wasted, has already been compared multiple times to NPR’s This American life, but the comparison is so apt that I feel no shame in making it again. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 29 2009, 01:30 PM with no comments Filed under: 1up, bob mackey, egm, games journalism, watcha listening to, podcasts, ugo, robert ashley

• What Faith of Mirror’s Edge Really Looks Likes

  Posted by Joe Keiser

  Someone’s gone and created a third-person camera mod for Mirror’s Edge. Doesn’t that sound just awesome? Faith is after all a totally badass parkour superhero; certainly those smooth animations and perfectly chained motions would look great on the entirety of her lithe body, right? The video’s after the jump, but a word of warning—this will make you feel like that time you were shown a video of yourself and came to the horrifying realization that actually, you can’t dance at all: Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 29 2009, 01:00 PM with 4 comment(s) Filed under: video, mirror’s edge, joe keiser, mods

• How the Recession Will End the Wii’s Torrent of Sewage

  Posted by Joe Keiser

  Good news for all the downsized workers who are spending a lot of time alone with their Wiis: if the recession keeps up, you might actually be able to find games worth playing for the system. At least that’s what analysts are saying must happen to keep game software healthy in tough times. According to this fascinating article at Gamasutra, you apparently can’t ride a tidal wave of gamer-confusing crapware to success, at least not these days: In the UK market, it was practically impossible for any retailers to stock and promote every single Q4 2008 Wii release with the attention that a new game release deserves, because there were simply too many of them. Budget software obviously plays a very important role in the marketplace for certain games purchasers, but I question whether such large volumes are a healthy or sustainable phenomenon, especially if it raises the specter of consumer confusion and disenchantment. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 29 2009, 12:00 PM with no comments Filed under: nintendo, wii, iron chef, joe keiser, shovelware, order up, golden balls

• Street Fighter IV's Dress Rehearsal

  Posted by Nadia Oxford

  Street Fighter IV is coming, and the World Warriors are dressing up in their Sunday best for you. Palette-swap “costume changes” are something of a tradition in the Street Fighter series and other fighting games. Said costume changes usually involved Ryu standing in front of his closet and musing if he should wear his purple gi or his white gi. But the latest installment in Capcom's famous series will actually offer alternative costumes that are seemingly based on the characters' history, personality and whether or not they have a bum that looks good in tight leotard. Zangief wears the felt overalls of his hero, Mayor Mike Haggar. Guile remembers Charlie by wearing a yellow military vest. Vega dresses up in frills and a ballroom mask so he can run straight to Ken's son's Bar Mitzvah* after he claws out Chun-Li's eyes. Check out the video after the jump. It's a cute and welcome touch that stands to add a lot of personality to the new fighters and the ones we already know. Something about El Fuerte with a frying pan seems right. *Disclaimer: Ken probably isn't Jewish. Vega just looks so dolled up, y'know? Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 28 2009, 11:38 PM with 4 comment(s) Filed under: street fighter, capcom, street fighter iv, nadia oxford, costumes

• Mother Says Baby Game for the DS Will Start a Living Room Jihad

  Posted by Nadia Oxford

  There was a time when our ancestors avoided the jaws of the sabretooth tiger and other threats by invoking the help of mysterious nature-gods. These rituals were based around fear and superstition, and the results were dictated by coincidences and circumstance. Today, we are guided by intellect instead of fear—oh wait, no we're not. We're still scared of the uncertain. How can we not be, when wild-eyed foreigners somehow slip their pro-Islamic propaganda into Nintendo DS games about washing babies. Rachel Jones from Indiana claims that the copy of Baby Pals she bought for her daughter has a baby who coos, “Islam is the light.” Incidentally, Jones is the same unfun mother who started a crusade last October over a Fisher-Price doll that reportedly said the same thing. Jones says she feels bad for being forced to constantly take these Jihad-instigating toys away from her children. I think Jesus is smiling on her, though. Out of everything he preached about love, acceptance, and avoiding hypocrisy, he was most adamant that parents should do away with nonsense-babbling toys. There's a news report after the jump. The anchors look horrified over the whole business. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 28 2009, 10:51 PM with 4 comment(s) Filed under: nintendo ds, media, stupid, nadia oxford, facepalm, islam, baby pals, mom

• Bayonetta: Not As Gratuitous As You Think

  Posted by John Constantine

  Nah, I’m playing. Bayonetta is totally as gratuitous as you think. Sega came to NYC today and they brought Platinum Games’ Xbox 360/PS3 debut with them. I wasn’t allowed to get my hands on the controller, only a guided playthrough of the game’s first stage, but that was enough to say that Bayonetta’s every bit as over the top as its initial trailer made it out to be. It also looks like a hell of a good time. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 28 2009, 05:00 PM with 4 comment(s) Filed under: john constantine, playstation 3, xbox 360, devil may cry, platinum games, hideki kamiya, bayonetta, sega, ninja gaiden, devil may cry 3

• Destructoid's Ron Workman Punks Gaming Journos

  Posted by Cole Stryker

  Today Ron Workman posted a spirited rant on his personal blog, against video game media folks who instantly reblogged a Youtube video he posted under the laughably illegitimate username "puffdaddysucks". The video featured two-year old footage of Alan Wake and an intro claiming that it was ultra-secret video to be released at the upcoming Game Developer's Conference:  When I can come up with an idea in Ventrilo and then shoot a shitty photo camera video of a 2 year old game that nobody remembers, and mutter some BS about GDC in the background, and a fucking journalist thinks it somehow ‘proves’ something is legit, it seems that the gaming industry needs to wake up. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 28 2009, 04:00 PM with 2 comment(s) Filed under: cole stryker, journalism, alan wake, ron workman, destructoid

• Video Game Music that "Brings You Back"

  Posted by Bob Mackey

  Because I've been playing video games since I started retaining memories (roughly age 3), a disturbing amount of my personal history can be linked to my lifelong hobby. The past, for me, is not defined by important world events, but rather, what I happened to be playing at that moment in time. Case in point: September 11th was the first day I was able to get my hands on the original Advance Wars. Coincidence? I really hope so. That being said, going back to Mario Kart 64 (which has aged pretty terribly) recently reminded me how much of my goddamned mid-to-late teenage years were spent playing this game. Let me point out that A.) I didn't own an N64 until said teenage years had passed and B.) I never even owned Mario Kart 64. But just upon hearing one specific song from the game's soundtrack, I'm immediately brought back to my days of teenage nerd solidarity replete with endless pizzas, soda, and other body-destroying substances we used to shield ourselves from the outside world. The funny thing is, back when there were only two Mario Karts in the world, I preferred the SNES one by a pretty big margin. Yet I still distinctly remember accompanying one of my friends to Toys R Us to buy the game nearly 12 years ago, as well as the pizza that was consumed afterwards. I'm honestly surprised that I didn't grow up to be a 400-pound shut-in. So what song from Mario Kart 64 whisks me away to the wonderful and awkward world of puberty? The answer lies after the cut. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 28 2009, 04:00 PM with 1 comment(s) Filed under: nintendo, mario kart, ost, music, nostalgia, bob mackey, soundtrack

• Where on the Planet is the Lost Planet Movie?

  Posted by Joe Keiser

  Anyone who knows me learns pretty quickly that I have a great love for schlocky garbage movies. You already know I love videogames, too. But it’s when those two things come together in a perverse and greed-fueled tryst that you really see the childlike joy in my eyes. I saw Uwe Boll’s In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale in theaters. I’ve derived a decade of pleasure from Street Fighter: The Movie and its subsequent half-aborted videogame. You can imagine how I feel about the abominable Acclaim home conversions of said game. So of course I’m excited about the upcoming Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, though I’m sad we’re not getting a real game tie-in.* But thinking about that movie, which is getting at least a fair amount of hype these days, I couldn’t help but think about my potential future sordid love affair: the Lost Planet movie. Why haven’t we heard from that since its coming-out party at E3? Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 28 2009, 03:00 PM with no comments Filed under: uwe boll, lost planet, joe keiser, mortal kombat mythologies, hurts so good, street figher: the legend of chun li

• Trailer Review: Final Fantasy XIII Looks Disturbingly Interesting

  Posted by Bob Mackey

  I'll admit that the creative direction of Final Fantasy XIII always bothered me a little--I was never a fan of Tetsuya Nomura's Japanese pop culture aesthetic--but after seeing the new trailer for Square's upcoming RPG (thanks 1UP), my tune's started to change a little. Only recently I've realized that I've begun to grow a little bored with the typical medieval trappings of JPRGs; I'm currently yawning my way through Tales of Vesperia, hoping something outside of swords and sorcery will eventually grab my interest. It's actually pretty exciting to see something from the JRPG extend far beyond the limitations of J.R.R. Tolkien and Gary Gygax, despite what my snotty 17 year-old self whined about FFVIII. "It's supposed to be Final Fantasy," indeed. Many of Nomura's games (or at least the ones he's had a hand in) have been slowly grasping at imitating the American blockbuster movie, and so far, Final Fantasy XIII seems to be the most extreme--or, according to some people, egregious--example of this mentality in action. Hell, when compared to the ninja acrobatics, machine gun fire, and exploding sky trains of XIII, Final Fantasy X almost seems like an art film. But, flashiness aside, perhaps the most notable feature of this new trailer is the actual gameplay on display; I'm not exactly sure what the hell's going on, but all of those numbers flying around certainly look exciting. Watch the trailer after the cut. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 28 2009, 03:00 PM with 2 comment(s) Filed under: trailer review, tetsuya nomura, final fantasy 13, bob mackey, square enix

• The Super Mario Bandit Strikes Again

  Posted by Cole Stryker

  It's a pretty slow news day, so I fired up Google News and searched for "video games" by date. Usually, I'm awash with old curmudgeons bemoaning kids today with their "electronic gizmos", alarmist reporters talking with their local hospital director about "Wii-itis", and star athletes dishing on how they like to unwind with a game of Madden. Fascinating, right? But today, I stumbled on something that gave me a few giggles: Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 28 2009, 02:00 PM with 2 comment(s) Filed under: comedy, cole stryker, madden, wario, mainstream media, super mario, waluigi

• Survival of the Knittest: How To Make Better LittleBigPlanet Challenges

  Posted by Derrick Sanskrit

  Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet delivered on its promise of providing players with all the tools they would need to design their own dream stages. Unfortunately, we then all learned that building a satisfying game level is pretty damn hard. Thankfully, a few of the cool kids from Media Molecule's design team put together this very helpful tips video, reviewing everything you need to make your survival challenges successful as compelling game experiences. They even show a few examples of excellent user-generated survival challenges to show what those people are doing right: Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 28 2009, 01:00 PM with no comments Filed under: little big planet, playstation 3, derrick sanskrit, video, media molecule

• Final Fantasy IV the After: Will America Land on the Moon?

  Posted by Nadia Oxford

  Do you like the moon? Of course you do. You've wanted to visit the moon since you were a child. You want to gorge on its green cheese. Don't contradict me. Final Fantasy IV catered to childhood dreams by sending Cecil--and you!--on an adventure that climaxed in the core of the moon. When the world-consuming evil was put back to bed, Cecil had a climax of his own (sorry) and fathered a son with Rosa. “Ceodore” had his own adventure, known as Final Fantasy IV the After: Return of the Moon. But whereas his father was grand enough for the SNES, the DS, the GBA, the Wonderswan, the Playstation and God knows what else, Ceodore got a pat on the head and was sent off to wave his sword and make heroic declarations on cell phones across Japan. But as the moon's phases change, so too does Ceodore's fate. Maybe. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 27 2009, 11:47 PM with 1 comment(s) Filed under: xbox 360, rumor, final fantasy iv, xbla, nadia oxford, final fantasy iv the after

• Phantasy Star: My Upcoming Maiden Voyage

  Posted by Nadia Oxford

  When I was a young SNES fangirl, and I was up to my knees (okay, ankles) in great Squaresoft RPGs like Final Fantasy II, Final Fantasy III and Chrono Trigger, I made sure I took time out of my playing to point and laugh at Genesis owners. Said Genesis owners would clutch their Sonic dolls to their chests and say, “Well...well we have the Phantasy Star games!” And then their lower lips would start to tremble, and I would laugh harder. Now that I'm older, wiser, and too boring to taunt people about the video games they don't own, I know that was an unfair reaction on my part. I regret never getting to know Phantasy Star. Maybe it wasn't as pretty as Final Fantasy III, but it often went far beyond the realm of fantasy and presented a technological-storybook mix that defines the series to this day. I haven't played the games, but even I know what a Numan is. Recent journeys through old RPGs like Secret of Mana cemented my resolve to finally experience Phantasy Star. I had intended to download the games on Virtual Console; I rolled up my sleeves, when hark! I got word about Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection. The compilation will reportedly include all four Phantasy Star games in one convenient, emulated package. Well! If it has Sonic's name on it, I know I won't be steered wrong. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 27 2009, 09:33 PM with 2 comment(s) Filed under: rpg, retro, phantasy star, nadia oxford, sonic's ultimate genesis collection

• Atlus Shows You Love, Localizes Damn Near Everything

  Posted by John Constantine

  Actually, half of that headline might be a blatant lie. Depending on your point of view, it’s a distinct possibility that Atlus hates you and everyone with a sweet tooth for melodrama, a lust for turn-based battles, and a fetish for watching numbers get higher. They hate you because no one in the world has the time to play everything they’re releasing over the next six months. It’s not like you can put off getting the games either. Atlus’ print runs are so small that it’s a guarantee you’ll be paying three times the release price on Ebay just six months after a game comes out. You are cruel, Atlus. But so, so giving. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 27 2009, 08:00 PM with no comments Filed under: john constantine, shin megami tensei, ubisoft, atlus, namco, Knights in the Nightmare, Crimson Gem Saga, Dokapon Journey, astonishia story, Devil Survivor, and Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier

• You’re Doing It Wrong: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Franchise Misuse

  Posted by John Constantine

  I understand. Using a familiar property to sell a game is a great way to make it popular. Just look at the myriad faux-sports games Nintendo’s made in the past decade. Would Tennis have been a hit on Gamecube? Hell no. That’s why you give Mario and everyone else living in a Mushroom Kingdom area code a racket and put them on the courts. The familiar will bring people in to play something they wouldn’t have otherwise. While the franchise-means-audience maxim holds true, I’m baffled by the way certain properties get used. Sonic Riders is a perfect example. Why in the hell would you make not one, but two separate racing games starring Sonic the Hedgehog when nobody runs? It would be like making a Transformers game where Optimus Prime spends the game renewing his trucking license. Ubisoft’s new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game for Wii is just as misguided. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Jan 27 2009, 06:30 PM with 5 comment(s) Filed under: john constantine, nintendo, wii, ubisoft, gamecube, sonic the hedgehog, smash bros, teenage mutant ninja turtles, mario tennis, game arts, sonic riders, tmnt