My Pet Shop should be the next big thing for kids to harass their parents about until they receive. This is because the game surrounds a cutely-rendered character and a number of animals. The animals are all crafted in a cute but realistic type of style, allowing players to rapidly differentiate between the different breeds and types of animals present. The fact that this title is for the DS ensures…
It seems that some of the best RPGs are those that are developed and released for foreign markets (particularly Europe) then transferred over to the United States. For example, Gothic (and in particular, Gothic III), is critically underrated. Despite the fact that a number of these titles gain a pretty hellacious layer of dust on United States store shelves, THQ has decided to bring out Drakensang: The Dark Eye for…
When I was doing research for this title, I stumbled upon the fact that Papa Docomodake is actually a Japanese cell phone mascot, making Docomodake DS into a game on the same wavelength as a Yo! Noid or McKids. However, unlike the aforementioned titles, Docomodake is a funplaying puzzle type of game that will please fans of side-scroller and puzzle titles alike.
For those individuals that feel that they have already bought the title over a decade ago, The King of Fighters ‘98: Ultimate Match represents a re-make of the original game, which of itself was a culmination of the yearly titles that SNK created (King of Fighters ‘94 to ‘97). However, aside from the graphical improvements, there have been a few major changes made to the game to make the title…
THQ has released a new Spongebob game in the hope that sales will be brisk with this latest type of Spongamania, owing from the mini-movie (which stars Johnny Depp). This DS title uses the unique qualities of the Nintendo DS to create a truly hands-on type of experience, without seeming as if they are throwing in this functionality willy-nilly. Either alone or with up to four friends, Beach Party Cook-Off…
NIS America has ensured that each title that they bring over to the United States is simply stellar, and they go beyond that in the creation of mini-boxed sets for the titles that is exhaustive in the amount of information and additional features that they contain. This time around, the premium box set includes a soundtrack, a strip from the masterminds over at Penny Arcade, and a lyric sheet that…
The original F.E.A.R. title was one of the best-selling titles when it originally came out, with reviews of the titles being pretty much uniformly positive. Thus, it is not a stretch to say that Warner Brothers and all related companies had some large shoes to fill with the second title in the series. For those that do not know, the title itself is a first-person shooter, and was released for…
Finally brought over from Japan by Xseed Games, Retro Game Challenge is a hellaciously fun title for the DS that links together the model ability of the console with gameplay and stylings from the late eighties and early nineties. After players fire up the title, individuals will be transported into essentially an arcade of homage titles which to properly conquer. This means that there are titles that take on old-school…
Blue Dragon, the prequel to Blue Dragon Plus, was a game that really did not receive the acclaim that it deserves. The game itself should have been huge, being designed by a firm that was created by someone intimately familiar with the Final Fantasy games. The storyline for Blue Dragon Plus builds off of the actions that took place in the first game, and by the time players have finished…
There have been a number of video games that have provided at least some option for players to control and built their own teams throughout virtual years, but no game that I can easily recall has been developed that has as its primary goal this coddling and building of a team. 2K Sports have attempted to do this gargantuan task with MLB Front Office Manager, a next-generation title that will…
I know that in the past few decades, Japanese imports of games have either been Japanese-language only or have been created at such a limited amount that only a few players were lucky enough to pick up the title. I hope the latter is not what happens to Ar Tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica. It is one of the best RPG titles that I have had the chance to play…
The amount of customization that players can have in All Star Cheer Squad is simply fantastic. Of course, players can go forth and create their own hairstyle, hair color, and countless other features about themselves, but the ability for players to choreograph cheer routines is on par with a Smackdown vs RAW or similar title. Do note that the routines that are learned in the game are not just unrealistic…
The box for Inkheart for the DS does not say too terribly much. There is a picture of Brendan Fraser holding open a book on the front cover, where the back just mentions that the game is an adaptation of the film (which itself was adapted from a book). After I got the game out and started to play it, the amount of work that Dreamcatcher put into the title…
Most players of casual games will already know who Popcap Games are. Their flagship game is Bejeweled, and latest sales records show that over 10 million copies of the title have been sold since the title first came out. However, when it comes down to it, Popcap Games can come out with some pretty solid titles. Case in point would have to be Mystery P.I. Vegas Heist, released this month…
One of the best things about Square Enix is the fact that they can go back into their vaults and pull a stellar – but dated in terms of graphics – title and then completely renovate it to the point that even players intimately familiar with the original will have tremendous amounts of fun with the newly-minted release. Star Ocean: Second Evolution is another example of that, as it is…
As a political science graduate student, Commander in Chief is a game that really interests me. It is an up to date (using data for values up to January 2009). The game itself is touted as placing players in President Obama’s shoes, but don’t let that limit your imagination. No matter what state, what individual, players want to be, they take on the duties and roles associated with those heads…
The one thing that I feel that the DS has sorely missed in the years since its debut have been first person shooters. However, with the creation of Moon by Mastiff Games, the hole that previously existed has been filled by one of the best titles of the new year for the platform. The first thing that players will notice is that the graphics to speed ratio has been carefully…
Any music simulation game is my think. I love either singing, playing guitars or other instruments, or even dancing around. However, it seems that a few companies have locked up the minds and hearts of individuals like me. PopStar Guitar, and publishing company XS Games, are here to show that this need not be the case and that a newcomer can be stellar. This game (which is also available for…
Defendin’ De Penguin has been tagged as the first RTS (real time strategy) game specifically made for children. When Crave Entertainment put out that claim, I was a little skeptical. However, after a few hours playing Defendin’ De Penguin on the Nintendo Wii, I would have to say that the claim is incredibly accurate. Players assume the role of Little Blue, who has been tapped to go forth and protect…
Spy Fox In Dry Cereal is the first chapter of the Spy Fox trilogy, which saw releases later on of subsequent chapters (“Some Assembly Required†and “Operation Ozoneâ€). This first chapter has been released for the Nintendo Wii by Majesco, and the game itself has been given enough in the way of spit and polish to really make full use of the unique control system of the Wii. Majesco has…