Monday, December 04, 2006
Lunch with Tom - Three fun games and a special prize
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin - The second half of the year has been very disappointing for the Nintendo DS. Mario Basketball was incredibly cheap, Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2 wasn't nearly as good as its predecessor and Contact was just boring. Not even Elite Beat Agents could capture the magic of Ouendan. But I still have hope. I don't think there has ever been a bad 2D Castlevania game. It doesn't matter if it's of the linear action variety, is chuck full of role-playing elements like Castlevania 2 or the Metroid-vania games we've been enjoying since Symphony of the Night came out. Castlevania is one of the few franchises that seems to deliver every single time. It's uncanny actually. I honestly have no idea what is going to differentiate this game from SotN, Circle of the Moon, Harmony of Dissonance, Aria of Sorrow and Dawn of Sorrow, but I do know it will be fantastic. I mean, it's a new Castlevania. I may rant and rave against yearly sequels, but I will never snap at a hand so eager to deliver treats. If you're as down on the NDS lineup this year as I have been, you can't go wrong with a new Castlevania.
Kirby Squeak Squad - Kirby was shown for the first time at this year's E3. I was pissed when I saw what they were trying to sell. A Kirby game that uses buttons? How crass. You actually expect me to move the pink puff with a D Pad? Like a common houseboy? I expected a real sequel to Kirby's Canvas Curse, but I was stuck with a "traditional platformer." How quaint. But I gave it a shot while waiting for someone to stop hogging Chibi Robo DS. The first thing I noticed was that the top screen is where the bulk of the action takes place. I am a journalist and therefore one of the most observant people in the world. I'm sure a lot of average folk would not have picked up on this detail. Looking slightly down, I found the bottom screen was occupied with something much more entertaining than suck 'n hop action. It was a view, from the inside of Kirby, of his always-overflowing belly. Yes, it's kind of a waste of a perfectly good touch screen, but who cares! It's Kirby's stomach, on fully display, for the entire adventure. That alone will persuade me to play this game. The NDS may be having a lousy year, but four classic 2D games (Mario and Yoshi's Island) in one year makes me quite happy.
Full Auto 2: Battlelines - You know something, I really enjoyed the first Full Auto. It was shallow and repetitive, but the core concept was quite enjoyable. Call me a simple American if you must, but I see no problem with a game centered around driving quickly through detailed cities with a hood-mounted gun. Isn't that just a recipe for fun? This PS3 exclusive adds a much needed multiplayer mode to the mix. I know there aren't enough PS3's out there to take advantage of a multiplayer mode, but in theory this sounds really fun. It should be just like those old school vehicular combat games that have disappeared for some reason. Twisted Metal and Rogue Trip were excellent in the mid-90s and I have no reason to believe Full Auto 2 can't be fun ten years after the fact. Once you're done playing through Resistance, what other choice is there?
If you're still reading at this point I have a prize for you - a chance to be entered in the Halo 3 beta! Isn't that fantastic? Just visit Halo3.com some time today and enter. The site is not up as of publication, but it is supposed to become active sometime on December 4. Good luck.
Kirby Squeak Squad - Kirby was shown for the first time at this year's E3. I was pissed when I saw what they were trying to sell. A Kirby game that uses buttons? How crass. You actually expect me to move the pink puff with a D Pad? Like a common houseboy? I expected a real sequel to Kirby's Canvas Curse, but I was stuck with a "traditional platformer." How quaint. But I gave it a shot while waiting for someone to stop hogging Chibi Robo DS. The first thing I noticed was that the top screen is where the bulk of the action takes place. I am a journalist and therefore one of the most observant people in the world. I'm sure a lot of average folk would not have picked up on this detail. Looking slightly down, I found the bottom screen was occupied with something much more entertaining than suck 'n hop action. It was a view, from the inside of Kirby, of his always-overflowing belly. Yes, it's kind of a waste of a perfectly good touch screen, but who cares! It's Kirby's stomach, on fully display, for the entire adventure. That alone will persuade me to play this game. The NDS may be having a lousy year, but four classic 2D games (Mario and Yoshi's Island) in one year makes me quite happy.
Full Auto 2: Battlelines - You know something, I really enjoyed the first Full Auto. It was shallow and repetitive, but the core concept was quite enjoyable. Call me a simple American if you must, but I see no problem with a game centered around driving quickly through detailed cities with a hood-mounted gun. Isn't that just a recipe for fun? This PS3 exclusive adds a much needed multiplayer mode to the mix. I know there aren't enough PS3's out there to take advantage of a multiplayer mode, but in theory this sounds really fun. It should be just like those old school vehicular combat games that have disappeared for some reason. Twisted Metal and Rogue Trip were excellent in the mid-90s and I have no reason to believe Full Auto 2 can't be fun ten years after the fact. Once you're done playing through Resistance, what other choice is there?
If you're still reading at this point I have a prize for you - a chance to be entered in the Halo 3 beta! Isn't that fantastic? Just visit Halo3.com some time today and enter. The site is not up as of publication, but it is supposed to become active sometime on December 4. Good luck.
// posted by Tom @ 11:26 AM 
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