A Nintendo E3 Round-up

Hey gang, it's E3! No, I'm not in L.A., but there's something I can do. That's right, condense the information for your reading pleasure! I'll start here with the Nintendo announcements.


Wii/DS

- Super Mario Galaxy 2 is announced, but won't be released until 2010. The big difference between this one and the original? You get to ride Yoshi. Tie yourself over with this trailer.
- Metroid: Other M will launch in 2010 and is being developed by Team Ninja, the guys behind the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive games. Check it out.
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii looks charming as can be. You've got a four-player co-op mode, which can be played from what it looks like by Mario, Luigi and a couple of Toads. Otherwise, it looks like the original Super Mario Bros., except with more modes. Check out the trailer.
- Dance Dance Revolution is announced for the Wii. It's going to utilize the Wii Balance Board and be primarily fitness based. Otherwise, doesn't look too different.
- Professor Layton and The Diabolical Box for the DS gets a release date (August 24) and brand new trailer.
- Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is an RPG for the DS, which releases this fall. Here's a look at it. - Zelda Wii (which is the tentative title, I'm sure) didn't get a lot of attention, but good old Shigeru Miyamoto tells us that we can expect it by 2010 at the earliest.
- Golden Sun is announced for the DS - the first game of the series in six years. Want a trailer? Of course you do.
- Cooking Mama 3 is announced for the DS.
- Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit Plus get shown off. They're exactly what you'd expect.
- Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days will be released on September 29.
- In case you don't feel like you've gotten your Mario fix, Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again will be released on June 8 for DSiWare. Check out the press conference demonstration here.
- TMNT: Smash Up heads your way on September 22.

OK, so that's all of the big stuff. We'll talk about Sony, Microsoft and all of the multiplatformers (can you say The Beatles Rock Band?) quite soon. Happy E3, everybody!

"GRID" - the Review

Nintendo DS games have a few requirements to meet that games for major platforms don't need to worry about. For example: if I'm taking the bus to work in the morning, the game needs to be playable during the severe bouts of the obligatory bus jiggle. If it's too bright through the windows of the bus, the game must be adaptable to frequent afternoon pausing or a brief period where I can't see the screen. With a racing game, blind spot periods aren't going to bode well.

Then there's the other factors with the Nintendo DS. What is the other screen doing while I'm looking at this one? Is it unnecessary? Would it be better if I was playing this game on a one-screen system (i.e. the PSP or a system that utilizes an actual television)?

I suppose it's unfair to judge a game on its bus compatibility. GRID should be judged by a few key factors: does it utilize the DS's stylus well and, if not, would it have been fun for the old Game Boy systems? And, since it got such rave reviews for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3, does the handheld version hold up?

For one, I can't compare the handheld GRID to the big kids' GRID. I never played the old one. I can, however, tell you how this game stands on its own two feet.

Obviously, the graphics are Nintendo 64 quality, but that doesn't bug me. It's a game for the Nintendo DS, so I'm not looking for a crisp picture. The main thing I'm concerned with is how fast I can drive a car into a wall and how much the game will let me get away with it.

The answer: GRID doesn't like it when you crash a car into a wall at 170 MPH. It doesn't like it one bit. That's why the game enables the proper punishments. Your car will go slower, your car will start fishtailing, the hood will emit a heavy black smoke (thus impairing your field of vision) and you'll be able to steer your car as well as you can steer a horse on a merry-go-round. In other words, you get consequences close to what you would experience in real life (short of death and severe injuries, you know, unless you play GRID while you're driving an actual car).

That's what I like about GRID. It doesn't pull any "fantasy driving" punches. If you're going to take a sharp turn, you better slam the brakes and be prepared to take a sharp turn. You won't be able to magically turn while going at top speed without running into a wall.

During races and time trials and the like, however, the bottom screen doesn't really do anything. You'll use the A and B buttons and the D-pad to accelerate, brake, reverse and steer. The bottom screen will show you a generic map in front of a grid (lowercase), which will help you not-at-all.

Another frustrating thing is that the game doesn't really show you what your goal is for the race. You race, and if you win, you find out what your reward is. It's not a huge deal, but I'd like some incentive for failing over and over again in order to get it just right.

GRID gets frustrating, true. It isn't easy to win most of the time. You really need to get the feel for each track that you're racing on. Traditionally, you'll need to play the harder courses at least six times in order to really get cracking.

So is it a bus game? Not at all. It's a game to play while you're sitting in bed or on the couch. If you're sitting on the bus, you'll never be able to successfully customize your track. What's that? A whole different aspect of the game? Why didn't you ask?

Yes, you get to build your own course. But do you have free reign over what you want to do with the course? Not at all! You have to adhere to a strict set of instructions. "The course must be 6500 kilometers long with 6 sharp turns and 4 medium curves and, oh yeah, we've placed these trees here so you'll have to work around those too." But GRID, I want to make it simple and fun. "What part of 6 sharp turns did you not understand?"

There are a few frustrating things, but ultimately, I'm glad that the game isn't easy. Taking the challenge out of the game would make it a quick fix. I do have fun playing over-the-top racing games (see Burnout), but GRID sticks to somewhat more realistic means. Rent it? I say yes.

Grade: B

EA Casts Lumos on New Harry Potter Game Cover

Well, we're over halfway through 2008, and although the Harry Potter book series is through and done with, there's still two more films left. You know what that means? That's right - two more mediocre and/or awful video games based on the movies! There's no big news on the game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, but there is some box art available for viewing. Check it.


Does it meet the confringo expectations? I assume not. It's pretty much the cover for every other film and game, except this time Harry is slightly older and perhaps even more intense than before (if that's possible). Look out behind you, Harry! It's Alan Rickman! It's true - there's an evil worse than He Who Must Not Be Named himself.

The game is set to be released this November.

Tomb Raider Portal

Oh that zany Lara Croft. Always getting into new tomb-related shenanigans. Well, it looks like she has another adventure on the horizon.

Eidos Interactive just launched "Tomb Raider Portal", a website for Croft fans to find the latest in Tomb Raider news and art. Above is a photo of the upcoming Tomb Raider: Underworld. The game will be out in November 2008 for every platform (except the PSP). The game is the first to be designed specifically for the next-gen consoles, so the adventure should be more interesting than the last (especially because it involves Norse mythology, finally).

Check out the website for behind the scenes news, screenshots, and even a new exclusive Tomb Raider podcast. Sounds good, right?

Hell's Kitchen: The Video Game

Hide Cooking Mama's eyes. Gordon Ramsay is getting his own video game.

You can play it now on Windows and it's allegedly coming soon for the Wii, Mac, and DS. That's right, who's ready to get cursed at by the Simon Cowell of cooking (except he's far more yelly and far less handsome, if I do say so myself)?

Two Brief DS Reviews: "Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney" and "Myst"

I played the original Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and beat it as soon as I could. What an amazing game. So what does Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney do differently? Very little. That's what I like to hear.

The graphics for the cut scenes have improved slightly, but it's not notable unless you're a fanatic of the original game.

Apparently, Phoenix Wright has hung up his badge. I don't know why since I didn't play the two games in between, but regardless, it's time for Apollo Justice to come on the scene. First, that's an awesome name. Second, the game is awesome. No, I haven't beaten it, but I still played it pretty extensively. Apollo Justice doesn't change a good thing, which is the best decision Capcom could've made for the game.

Grade: A

In the other corner, we have Myst. The game was originally released for PC in 1993. The game was considered a classic. Thus, they took the next step by remaking it for the DS. What a poor decision.

The game is boring, tedious, and doesn't make me want to pick it back up. When I took Apollo Justice out of the DS and put in Myst, I found myself extremely disappointed in my decision. So I took the game back out after playing it for a few minutes and putting Apollo Justice back in. It isn't really impatience that led me to turn the game off. I can sit through hours of RPGs that require a lot of time and attention. This game induced what felt more like apathy. No thanks.

Grade: F

Vacation Gaming

I'm riding the bus in a bit for a short trip. This means a couple of interesting things.

Thing 1) I'll be on the bus.
Thing 2) I have my Nintendo DS with me.
Thing 3) I have a copy of Myst and a copy of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney.
Thing 4) If you were wondering, that's total game review fodder in the bag.

This short road trip only means good things for you, dear reader, and your mild interest in hand-held gaming. Cheers!

SEGA Announces Four Upcoming (Violent) Video Games

Today, SEGA announced they have four new games in development. There isn't a lot of information known, but let's look at what we have already.

The first game is called Madworld. This game looks INCREDIBLY violent and is basically a cross between No More Heroes and Frank Miller's Sin City. The game is completely in black and white, other than the bloodshed. But here's the rub - it comes out for the Wii. It's always nice to hear about an incredibly violent addition to the Wii's repertoire. Here's a trailer, but be cautioned that it's extremely violent.

The next game is a Nintendo DS game called Infinite Line. The game is described to be one of the most complex RPG titles the DS has seen. In the game, you can control multiple spaceships at one time. The game also offers over 200 characters to select. I don't know, maybe this game is going to end up giving me the 'too much space on my iPod' problem where I can't decide what to listen to.

The third game is called Bayonetta. The game is directed by the creator of Devil May Cry, which shows great promise. The teaser trailer is below, but again, it's quite violent.

The last game has no name or title or concept or anything - it only has a name behind it. It's being created by Shinji Mikami, the creator of Resident Evil.

So that covers most of the major platforms while still sprinkling in some pretty awesome concepts and names. Can't wait to check out some of these beauties.