July Releases

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It’s that time again. What does the month of July hold?

Week of July 2nd
Gears of War (2-Disc Edition) - If you happen to one of the seven people who don’t own Gears of War, here’s your chance.

Week of July 9th
Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution - If you want to fry your 360 from overuse, do it in a Civilized manner.
Unreal Tournament III - Just when July was looking bad, UT3 comes along.
Beijing Olympics 2008 - I never “got” track and field games. Probably never will.
Mobile Ops One Year War for Xbox 360

Week of July 16th
NCAA Football 09 - Ugh. I have faithfully purchased EA’s NCAA since 2003. Every year I say I’m done with them, every year I pick it up anyway. Will it happen again this year?
World In Conflict
Space Chimps

Week of July 30th
Soul Calibur IV - I used to be a HUGE fighting game fan. I played a lot of the original Soul Calibur in the arcade, but haven’t played much since then. Maybe it’s time to go back to the franchise.
Spectral Force 3
Summer Athletics The Ultimate Challenge

Week of July 2nd
Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeon - Milking the FF Franchise, one platform at a time.
Purr Pals

Week of July 9th
WonderWorld Amusement Park

Week of July 16th
Rock Band Track Pack: Vol. 1
NCAA Football 09 - EA abandoned Nintendo with the NCAA line near the end of the console cycle, so it’s nice to see NCAA back in the Nintendo library.
We Love Golf! - Golf games are right in the Wii’s wheelhouse.
Space Chimps
Ford Racing Off Road

Week of July 23th
Chess Crusade
SNK Arcade Classics Volume 1 - Haven’t we suffered enough with these Arcade Compilations? The Wii is 100% backwards compatible. Go to Gamestop and find the Gamecube versions of these compilations. Save yourself some money.
Order Up!

Week of July 30th
MLB Power Pros 2008
Sam & Max: Season One
Freddi Fish: Kelp Seed Mystery
Puzzler Collection
Summer Athletics The Ultimate Challenge
Red Star

Week of July 2nd
Trauma Center Under The Knife 2 - I started out really liking the first Trauma Center. Then I started hating myself for liking Trauma Center. Then I just hated Trauma Center. I’m not worthy of its hardcoreness.
Amf Bowling Pinbusters
1 Vs. 100
Ducati Moto
Journey to the Center of the Earth

Week of July 9th
Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution - Seems like the DS is perfect for a Civ game. I wonder what they had to give up, game-play wise, to fit it on a DS cartridge.
Carnival Games
Pony Luv - The DS and its game titles are single-handedly wrecking the spelling skills of our poor children.

Week of July 16th
Wordmaster
Nancy Drew 2: Clue Bender Society
Space Chimps
Mister Slime

Week of July 23th
Final Fantasy IV - That’s more like it. This is probably my only must-buy this month.
Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns - This game wins “Title of the Month.” Unemployed Ninja. Is that even possible?
Chess Crusade
Suzuki Super-Bikes II: Riding Challenge
International Track And Field

Week of July 30th
Puzzler Collection
Puchi Puchi Virus - “Puchi Puchi certainly sounds like a virus.

Week of July 2nd
Dream Chronicles 2: The Eternal Maze
Turbo Subs
Fighter Pilot 2
Piglet’s Big Game

Week of July 9th
Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice
Devil May Cry 4
Painkiller Universe
Insecticide

Week of July 16th
Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm - I can’t figure this one out. How is this a game, basically a job simulator, fun? I can’t watch the show for more than five minutes.
Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel
Hot Dish - “A Spicy Time Management Cooking Adventure”. I’ll pass.
1701: Gold
Space Chimps
Let’s Ride: Riding Star
Hunting Unlimited 2009

Week of July 23th
Big City Adventure - Sydney
Slingo Quest Hawaii
Fate: Undiscovered Realms - Fate is a great game, wish I had time to play more of it.
Game of Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition
Enchanted Fairy Friends: Secret of the Fairy Queen

Week of July 30th
Flatout: Ultimate Carnage
Beijing Olympics 2008
Legend Hand of God
Outcry
Avatar the Last Air Bender: Path of Zuko
Etch a Sketch - The words, they fail me.

Week of July 9th
Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution
Beijing Olympics 2008
Monster Madness: Grave Danger

Week of July 16th
NCAA Football 09

Week of July 30th
Soul Calibur IV

Week of July 9th
Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity

Week of July 16th
NCAA Football 09
B-Boy
Ford Racing Off Road

A few solid offerings, a few venerable franchises and Final Fantasy IV.

Are you planning on picking anything up this month?

[2 Minute Review] Space Invaders Extreme (PSP)

Can a thirty year old game that uses old gameplay be updated for the sound bite generation?

The fine folks at Taito (now a Square Enix company) have taken a classic formula—and made it extreme—with a few surprises.

DO: Uh, it’s Space Invaders. Invaders have come from space in tight formations and your ship moves left and right and pew! pews! the enemy.

TYPE: Classic arcade (from the late 1970s). In this day it’s called casual.

PLATFORM: PSP (reviewed here) and DS

PRICE: $19.99

MEAT: Quite possibly, Space Invaders was the first videogame I ever played. I could not pass up nostalgia. Taito has taken the old formula and improved it quite a bit—while keeping that same, familiar 30-year-old play. What’s new? Shooting different colored invaders in chains can net you bonus weapons. (The laser is a nice touch.) The catch is that the bonus weapons have a time limit. However, you can “lock” them in place by holding down a shoulder button. Your ship then fires its normal bullets. Let go of the lock and it’s back to the bonus weapon. The game has various levels and some challenging bosses. Yes, bosses.

PERKS: refreshing update to old gameplay; trippy, Lumines-like visuals and music; strategic bosses; bonus weapons; bonus levels; ability to shoot the invaders missiles; DS version has wi-fi play and rankings

SCREAMS: to be on Xbox Live like Pacman C.E.; to have online leaderboards; Uh…PSP online play? WTH? It’s not that complex.

VERDICT: +. Own it on PSP for shiny visuals or the DS for bragging rights. Young gamers should give it a try.

June Releases

Once again, I missed a month of new releases. What better way to make it up than to get out June’s releases a day early!

Week of June 3rd
Ninja Gaiden II - Man, I’m torn on this one. I’ve heard mixed reviews so far and I’m not really one for punishingly hard games, so this may be a rental for me.
Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy - The report from the brother-in-law on the Bourne demo was a meh, so I doubt I’ll get this one.
GRID - This one looks amazing but unfortunately will probably never make it to my 360. It’s a shame.
Incredible Hulk - I’ll see the movie, but I’ll probably pass on the game.
Kung Fu Panda - Ditto.

Week of June 10th
Deadiest Catch: Alaskan Storm - Seriously? A show about catching crabs? I don’t see how this can be a game, let alone a fun one.
Dragonball Z: Burst Limit
NASCAR 09
Don King Presents: Prize Fighter - I smell a GTA IV/Don King Boxing crossover here!

Week of June 17th
Supreme Commander - I thought this game already came out. Or maybe it has just been marketed like crazy or something. Not really sure.

Week of June 24th
Battlefield: Bad Company - I’ll be giving this one a try soon, thanks to Josh.
Guitar Hero Aerosmith - Where’s Guitar Hero Joe Satriani?
Top Spin 3
Alone in the Dark
Operation Darkness
Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath
Hellboy: The Science of Evil - I’m a huge fan of Hellboy. I like science, a lot, too. I will not, however being seeing how the two mix.
Wall-E - Again: movie, yes. Game, not so much.
Hail to the Chimp - No comment.
Hei$t

Week of June 3rd
Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
Kung Fu Panda
Incredible Hulk
Cabela’s Trophy Bucks

Week of June 10th
Backyard Baseball 2009
Blast Works: Build, Trade & Destroy

Week of June 17th
Rock Band
Wacky Races: Crash and Dash

Week of June 24th
Guitar Hero Aerosmith
Top Spin 3
Big Beach Sports
Alone in the Dark
WonderWorld Amusement Park
Wall-E
Monster Lab
Cocoto Kart Racer - My brain read “Coconut Racing”. I assume that would have been more exciting
Purr Pals - Kute Kittens! At least they didn’t spell it Purr Palz.

Week of June 3rd
Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
Summon Night Twin Age
Kung Fu Panda
Incredible Hulk
Paws & Claws Pet Vet 2 - 2?! How did I miss the first one?

Week of June 10th
Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles
AMF Bowling Pinbusters - I’ve played a lot of bowling in my days, and I’ve never seen a pin bust. Those suckers are hard!
My Fashion Studio - Pre-ordered!
Looney Tunes: Cartoon Conductor

Week of June 17th
Guitar Hero: On Tour - This just really seems like a poorly thought-out idea. It does not look fun to play. At all.
Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard
Imagine Rock Star
Space Invaders Extreme - This one has been getting a lot of rave reviews. For 20 bucks, it seems like a good pick up.
Arkanoid - Same here. Seems like a lot of people are high on Arkanoid.
1 vs 100 - Words fail me.
Pocket Pets (Dogs, Cats, Hamsters more)
Tamagotchi Cornershop 3 - 3?! I missed the first Vet game, and now I learn I’ve missed the first two Cornershop games? I am ashamed.
Wacky Races: Crash and Dash
Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled
Petz Dogz Fashion - TOO MANY ZEES! Whatever you do, do not look at the box art for this game. It’s like staring into the portal leading to The Nothing.
Suzuki Super-bikes II: Riding Challenge
Pony Luv - Must… not… snark…

Week of June 24th
My Weight Loss Coach - We already have Wii Fit. Why do we need another Nintendo product to tell us what we already know — that we’re a bunch of fatty-fat-fats?
Final Fantasy Tactics A2 - Finally, a game that doesn’t make me ashamed to own a DS. I will most likely get this one to pass some lonely nights while I’m on business travel this summer.
Cake Mania 2 - I’m getting mixed signals. Should I be trying to lose weight or gorge on cake?
Mega Man Star Force 2 Zerker X Ninja - Can anyone keep these Mega Mans (Men?) straight?
Midnight Play Pack
Mega Man Star Force 2 Zerker X Saurian - I give up.
Wall-E
Gourmet Chef - Again, with the fattening cooking games. Where is the “South Beach Diet DS” game?
Top Spin 3
Monster Lab
Shining Stars: Super Starcade

Week of June 3rd
Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
GRID
Alice Greenfingers - Hey, it’s compatible with Windows 98. That’s gotta count for something, right?
Game of Life - Path to Success
Club Vegas Casino - Windows
Immortals of Terra - Windows DVD

Week of June 10th
Backyard Baseball 2009
Crazy Machines 2
Belief & Betrayal
Solitaire 1,000,000 - AKA Microsoft Windows ever since 3.1
Belle’s Beauty Boutique
Puzzle City
Bubble Burst
Purrfect Pet Shop
Strike Force Red Cell
Teddy Factory

Week of June 17th
Spore Creature Creator - Try as I might, I can’t get excited about Spore.
Supreme Ruler
Incredible Hulk
Hawaiian Explorer Lost Island
History Channel: Monster Quest - I can’t even imagine…
My Electric Guitar

Week of June 24th
Dungeon Runners - Here’s another one I thought came out months ago.
The Sims 2: IKEA Home Stuff
The SimCity Box
Alone in the Dark
Wall-E
Elements
Hei$t

Week of June 3rd
Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
GRID
Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy
Kung Fu Panda
Incredible Hulk

Week of June 10th
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - The first game that makes me wish I had a PS3.
Dragonball Z: Burst Limit
NASCAR 09

Week of June 24th
Battlefield: Bad Company
Top Spin 3
Guitar Hero Aerosmith
Overlord: Raising Hell
Wall-E
Hellboy: The Science of Evil
Hail to the Chimp
Hei$t

Week of June 3rd
Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2

Week of June 17th
Secret Agent Clank
Space Invaders Extreme
Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity

Week of June 24th
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2: The Phantom Fortress
Hellboy: The Science of Evil
Wall-E
Pipemania

Looks like another pretty decent month. I’m not sure what I’ll pick up, outside of Final Fantasy Tactics A2 but there look to be a few solid offerings.

Are you planning on picking anything up this month?

In [Nat's] Hands: FFVII:Crisis Core and Okami

I am torn. As hard as I try, I cannot play two games at once.

I’ve only played one Final Fantasy game all the way through. In fact, I played it to almost 100% completion. That’s not entirely true. In college, my PSOne was powered on for a single semester. It played one game the entire time: Final Fantasy VII. There were six of us who would play off the same saved game file. We did everything. Everything. It’s probably one of the fondest gaming memories I’ll ever have. Sometimes, we’ll still chat about it through email.

I’m not a big Final Fantasy fan. I’ve played the aforementioned title and I’ve played FFIX. See, it’s never really a final fantasy. They just keep making more. Actually, I’m more of a chrono-guy.

That’s my setup. Here’s my reveal.

On a whim (I allow myself two “whims” a year) I picked up FFVII: Crisis Core for the PSP. Simply put, this title is currently my PSP Game of the Year. I cannot get enough of it. It’s one of those titles that just hooks you and you never really know why. Maybe it’s the excellent story and presentation, maybe it’s the best cinematic cutscenes of any game I’ve seen, or maybe it’s all the great references to the original game? (Better yet, this game is a prequel and it still has future references).

This game has enveloped me so deep that I want Zack to be Cloud in the FFVII game. The character progression and growth is written in such a way that you don’t even realize it’s happening until you go remember back to where you started.

Now there is a fault. I hate, HATE, HATE the DMW. It’s basically a slot machine that you have no control over that interrupts combat sequences. It’ll occasionally level your character up and toss some bonuses your way. It’ll constantly break the flow of excitement during battle. Necessary? No.

If I was to rate this game, I’d give it a 10. The DMW (I keep wanting to say DMV) makes it an 8. Harsh? Yes. However, Square Enix have been making excellent games for almost 20 years. They should know better.

A week ago I picked up Okami for the Wii. Roger Ebert knows nothing when it comes to games—maybe even art. This game is art in motion, a moving picture worth ten thousand words, a watercolor that doesn’t fade, a…well, you get the idea. Be ready to read as well. A lot. However, it’s all excellent.

I’m only one hour in to the game and it’s been the most unique hour of gaming I’ve ever experienced. How do I describe it? You’re a goddess who has been reincarnated as a white wolf. You mist rid the land of darkness and bring it back to life. Your weapon: a brush.

Yep. You solve problems, rejuvenate nature, experience combat, and paint the town red with your trusty brush. It’s wonderful. This game was made for the Wiimote. The execs at Capcom must be prophets considering the game was made in 2006.

I’m told this game could net a person 40 hours of playtime. Excellent. This may be a game where I do it all. I really don’t have the patience for RPGs, but this may be my exception.

I just find it interesting that the only two games I’m playing right now are RPGs.

Oh, and Ikaruga.

Space Invaders Extreme

The first videogame I ever played was Space Invaders. It was simplistic and challenging. Well, now it looks like Space Invaders has met