Yep, that’s right. We’re giving away more Wii Points Cards and Microsoft Points Cards every month and all you have to do to win them is comment! Simply state your opinion or bash something on any post and at the end of each month we randomly select a comment and that person wins their choice of a 2000 Wii Points Card or a 2100 Microsoft Points Card. It’s as simple as that! So start commenting!

Congrats to Jen Cutler for winning a Wii Points Card for the month of March : D!

(*Every comment has an email address attached to it so at the end of the month will contact you to let you know the details. Comments with no real point or purpose to them will not be selected.)

Good Luck : )

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

Square Enix is brings this role-playing game to the PSP the fourth installment in their Compilation of Final Fantasy VII series which includes the movie “Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children,” the game “Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII” for PS2, and “Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII” for mobile devices.

Released: March 24th, 2008
Genre: Action / Role-Playing
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Platform: PSP Exclusive

Score: 6.5 out of 7

Final Fantasy VII is one of those games that have managed to stay in the hearts of millions players out there, long after its release. Capitalizing on how huge VII is, Square-Enix has created several spin-off’s (some good, some not) centered on the world and characters of its seminal RPG. However, none of the titles have managed to live up to its namesake as much as Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, is a game that at its best, is as every bit as poignant and exciting as the original.

Seven years before Cloud Strife’s conflict in the original PlayStation game, Crisis Core tells the tale of Zack Fair, a young and energetic Second Class Member of SOLDIER, who dreams of becoming a hero. Under the watchful eye of his honorable and proud mentor Angeal Hewley, Zack trains hard, waiting for an opportunity to prove his worth. So is nothing short of ecstatic for Zack when he is charged with finding the whereabouts of Genesis Rhapsodos, a First Class SOLDIER who disappeared in the land of Wutai during an assignment, along with his entire battalion. The stakes become higher however, when Angeal also disappears and is up to Zack, along with the legendary SOLDIER hero Sephiroth to get to the bottom of what really is going on.

While only briefly seen in the original Final Fantasy VII, Zack’s impact on then main protagonist Cloud was undeniable. Crisis Core has managed to build an impressive back-story that leads to the tragic moments that shape who Cloud will become. These events also give an incredible amount of depth to Zack, whose only noticeable traits in the original game were his funny wit and self-less attitude. Rather than focusing on the main conflict, the game only follows Zack’s point of view on it. While at times it feels as if the conflict is only an excuse to see Zack grow, the story really never suffers from it, and the rest of the cast, old and new, are also equally explored. New comers Angeal and Genesis (whom was briefly introduced in a secret cinema of third person shooter Dirge of Cerberus) are worthy additions to the iconic cast, proving to be just as developed. Old friends also show traits never seen before. Sephiroth’s self-doubts, Aerith’s shyness, Cloud’s innocence and Tseng’s sympathy are traits that have only further deepened wonderful characters. Zack’s relationships with the cast, be it from his friendship with Cloud, to his innocent romance with Aerith, to his respect for Angeal and Sephiroth, are endearing and very personal. And Crisis Core doesn’t stop there. The game has managed to enrich the world of Final Fantasy VII in a way that hasn’t been accomplished by any other of the related titles. Be it the iconic Nibelheim tragedy from the original game, to the play Loveless, which was only briefly mentioned in the original, Crisis Core makes excellent use of the established material.

When it comes to gameplay, the developers have taken the same amount of care that they did with their story. Crisis Core is a fun game, but it has some noticeable flaws. You’ll have exclusive control of Zack from beginning to end and most of the game centers around getting from point A to point B, with battles being the main focus. This format is broken from time to time with the inclusion of different mini-games. Exploration is mostly linear, often having an obvious path for players to follow, with the occasional branching up for treasures and such. While you move, the shoulder buttons are used to rotate the camera around Zack. Camera controls in Crisis Core are functional at best. You can only look around Zack, not above or under and the camera has a knack for getting stuck on walls and obstacles, making for it difficult to sometimes spot treasure or just follow the path. However, the meat of the game lies within combat. Crisis Core’s battles are randomly generated, and once your enemies appear, you will have to face them till either you or them bite the dust or you run away like a little girl. While the combat is fun, the frequency of the random encounters will soon start to wear on players. It is so high, that at times you haven’t left the current battle screen, when another battle starts. It is here that Crisis’s Core lack of difficulty can be a blessing for most battles will not last long, but the lack of challenge is also a small disappointment, considering some of the monsters look incredibly tough, yet are pushover more often than not. As the game progresses, the difficulty ramps up a little, which is good, but the frequency of the encounters does not diminish.

Crisis Core’s battle system is a hybrid between real time and turn based combat. You have one button that serves as action button and using the PSP shoulder buttons, you can scroll through the different actions available to Zack. There is also a button for dodging and blocking. Zack’s main form of attack is his sword, which he can used to create combos. Zack’s other abilities come from equipping Materia, magical orbs that will allow Zack to use magic spells and powerful actions. The Materia system is simple, yet offers endless customization, for there are a good number of spells, actions and more. As the game progresses, Zack will gain access to Materia Fusion. By using this option, players can fuse any two Materia that they want in order to create a new one. While not necessary, players who get a hang for the Materia Fusion system will soon find themselves with powerful spells and skill not obtainable by other means. Along with Materia, players can also equip a number of accessories on Zack, which will customize his parameters.

The most important part of Crisis Core’s combat system is the Digital Mind Wave, or DMW for short. The DMW is a set of three spinning slots with the faces of different characters Zack meets and that have an impact on his life. Along with the portraits, the DMW also has three numbers next to each slot. When the proper combinations appear, it will allow Zack and his currently equipped Materia to level up, as well as giving some welcome bonuses during battle. When the same character lines up in all three slots, Zack will unleash a Limit Break, a special skill that is inspired by the character on the three slots. These skills can be both, offensive or supplemental, and at times they come accompanied by a memory that Zack may have of that particular character and that is not viewable within the main game. At points, the DMW will also summon different monsters to help Zack. The DMW will continue to spin as long as there is SP available, which is obtainable by defeating enemies or turning Materia into it. While a little hard to understand at first, the DMW offers an element of unpredictability to battles as well as further explaining Zack’s relationships with the characters on the DMW.

Aside from the main game, Crisis Core has a rather impressive number of side missions for players to tackle. You can access these missions from any save point and they last anywhere from five to ten minutes, which allows players who do not have the time and are on the go a way to get their Crisis Core fix. The missions are mostly about finding treasure or killing a particular target, but they can be quite addicting, as they often times feature a level of challenge not attainable playing the main game. Completing these missions also yield good treasure and powerful Materia, so players should not ignore these and merely see them as a diversion.

On the presentational side of things, Crisis Core excels. The graphics in the game really push the PSP to the limits. Characters are very detailed and they move very fluidly. The battles spells and animations are equally impressive. The summons take the cake however, featuring the best summon animations in any Final Fantasy. The backgrounds can be a little barren at times, but they are also nicely detailed and some are sure to bring nostalgia to players, for many places are taken from the original Final Fantasy VII and have been perfectly reconstructed with the newer technology. Square’s notorious FMV’s are also here and they have never looked this good. You will be hard-pressed to find any difference between Crisis Core’s FMV’s and the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children movie. Sound wise, Crisis Core is also excellent. The soundtrack is very well composed, breathing new life into some of the classical pieces from the original as well as bringing several new ones. The voice acting in Crisis Core is also pretty good and the sounds in battle are equally well done.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is a game that does justice to its original inspiration and manages to marry the old with the new with mostly successful results. Is not perfect, but even without the Final Fantasy VII title to support it, Crisis Core still makes an excellent RPG that fans of the genre will not want to miss.

Hot Shots Golf: Out Of Bounds

Showcasing high definition graphics along with new, more accurate golf physics, Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds offers up a new level of immersion to the franchise’s signature over-the-top visuals and pick up and play action. Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds brings an entirely new element of gameplay control by introducing a shot system that focuses on the player’s swing instead of a power meter. Featuring more than 15 zany golfers and caddies, Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds adds six new courses to the overall challenge, ranging from pitch-and-putt par three layouts to challenging 18-hole configurations.

Released: March 18th, 2008
Genre: Golf
Developer: Clap Hanz
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform: Playstation 3 Exclusive

Score: 6 out of 7

Hot Shots Golf is back, this time bringing its addictive game-play, (along with it’s cartoony style characters) to the PS3. Being very accessible to the newcomer, it still is a game that can be deep and rewarding. With a fresh coat of next-gen paint and “new” swinging mechanics, the classic series brings a much needed staple to the Sony camp.

The developers have added a new Advanced shot swing system, though the traditional swing meter is still available for those who prefer. With the advanced you have to watch your golfer’s swing to set the power and accuracy. The advance swing technically is still a 3-click mechanism. Pressing x to start the swing, again to set the power on the back swing, and once more for the power. The club will flash to indicate 50 and 100 percent power. After setting the power a circle will close in on the ball to set the accuracy. Using the advance shot adds a tad bit more difficultly to the game, though it doesn’t take long for it to feel like second nature. Nailing percentages under a 100% are a bit trickier. All in all, the new advance shot feels more natural than the traditional meter.

The core of the single player game is in the challenge mode where you unlock new characters, equipment, and courses as you advance through the ranks. Each rank has 9 events, some 9 holes while others are 18, where winning an event nets you a new item, and sometimes character. To move up a rank you have to win a Vs match, which unlocks the character that you beat. As you rank up you’ll open up the game’s 6 courses. Each character also has a Loyalty level associated with them, increasing each time you finish a round with them. Loyalty levels are important as it will let you use better clubs and balls, have more power shots, or things of that nature.

The real meat and potatoes of the game is the online component. Upon joining, you’ll have to create a custom avatar, from there you’ll be put into a virtual lobby where you can walk around. Here you can chat with others , set up games and join online tournaments. You can either get into an 8-player user created game , or you can book a time to join a 50-player tournament. Tournaments are starting all the time so you never have to wait too long for a game. Some tournaments have a different set of special rules, such as using a certain character only, advance shot only, big cup, or just combinations of these sort of things. Playing online is the part of the game that is the most fun , as you’ll not only be up against yourself but many other people that are probably better than you.

It’s easy to forget how nice the graphics are in this game. While you’re entrenched in a round of 18 holes you might not notice the ducks in the ponds, or simply the color of the leaves. The characters themselves look good too, though at times they have a slightly eerie feel to them, in a Chuckie sort of way. But that may be the result of the number of hours I have put into this game already.

About the only real drawback is the lack of online voice support. Hopefully Clap Hanz will have us covered in an update. That and the lackluster elevator music still can’t bring this great game down. Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds offers the same great physics engine that you fell in love with long ago. That coupled with the great online play makes this a must have for PS3 owners.

Sega Superstars Tennis

SEGA Superstars Tennis includes over 15 playable SEGA characters – like Sonic The Hedgehog, AiAi from Super Monkey Ball fame, Ulala of Space Channel 5 and Amigo from Samba De Amigo, each of whom have their own unique attributes, and superstar tennis skills. The game’s arcade style matches are played out on courts based on environments from Sega games of the past such as the lush tropics of Sonic’s Green Hill Zone or the street fair fiesta of Amigo’s Carnival Park to name a few.

Released: March 18th, 2008
Genre: Tennis
Developer: Sumo Digital
Publisher: Sega
Platform: Wii, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS

Score: 5.5 out of 7

Ever since Mario Tennis was released back in the day for the N64, the sport has become an official part of gaming. Sega has decided to join the craze with Sega Superstars Tennis. The main reason I picked this up is, although it isn’t a sequal to the series, it marks the return of Jet Set Radio!

Sonic the Hedgehog has been quite busy these last few years. A few ok games, olympics with Mario and even Brawling with the Nintendo group. Now he and his Sega comrads are up for a rousing game of tennis.

Characters from many Sega franchises return to smack around a green ball. Characters from Sonic, Jet Set Radio, Space Channel 5, and more are playable. Some NPCs from the series include Blaze the Cat and even DJ Prof. K as a ref in the Shibuya-Cho court. Each character has a special move to help score a few points. As per usual, Sonic transforms into Super Sonic as his special.

The visuals for the game on the Wii are ok, but not as what is to be expected on the 360 or PS3. Characters and courts still retain the look they had in their own franchises, only updated. The game looks good.

The sound in SST is one of it’s high points. Green Hill from Sonic brings back memories of first playing as the little blue dude. These songs will let you know that Sega spared no expense and will get you in the mood to play some tennis!

The controls for the Wii are smooth in some ways, but at times are a bit sketchy. You use the control stick to move and swing the Wii-mote to swing your racket. However, the slightest flick of the Wii-mote can make your character swing unintentionally. This can cause a miss in play.

Superstars Tennis also has a mini-game mode apart from the usual tennis. The mini-games pit your character in a challenge similar to the gameplay of the Sega game you’re competing in. House of the Dead has you shooting zombie with a tennis ball, while Jet Set Radio has you tagging up Tokyo. Some of these challenges are interesting, some are quite boring. They’re great to kill some time.

The only main unlockables are extra characters. That’s about it. If it were up to me, the entire GGs crew would be playable.

If Nintendo can be successful with sports, then so can Sega. SST is a good game, especially while playing with friends. If you’re a fan of any Sega franchise, pick this one up!

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 – the sequel to the award-winning next-generation first-person shooter – returns to Sin City. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is your last chance to rescue America’s sexiest city from an escalating terrorist siege that will force you into heart-pounding action from beginning to end. The best are back and this time winner takes all.

Released: March 18th, 2008
Genre: Modern First-Person Shooter
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubirosft
Platform: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC

Score: 6.5 out of 7

(Reviewed For Xbox 360)

The soldiers are back to save Vegas once again and this time their guns are blazing. At the end of the first game we find out that someone on the inside has leaked information to the outside leading SIX to impossible situations where the odds are never in their favor.

This has been one of my most anticipated games of the year because the first game offered so much and after six months of playing it I needed a refreshing Vegas experience yet again, this is it! This game has it’s up and downs, but in the end it’s exactly what was expected. The only way to explain it is it’s everything you remembered: all the tactics, all the weapons, all the situations and more.

The Story: All the events of RSV2 take place before the first game as well as side-by-side to the original to add more realism because the crisis situation in the first game wasn’t going to wait at all. You start off in a training level in France where you meet your team and plan out your attack to finish the fight to save Vegas.

The level design takes you to a lot of different locations, but unfortunately nothing as incredible as the previous installment. They focused on more controlled areas rather then expansive casinos. The one thing that they do with them is still add a lot of a variety to make each one feel different and unique. Everything from the Vegas Convention Center to the Nevada Desert and even an Estate which brings back memories from previous Rainbow Six titles. The action is non-stop and in a way it ups the ante by adding a more intelligent A.I system and a variety of enemies with different skills. You’ll find yourself in difficult odds because now there is a sprint option, even though you can use it to your advantage so can the enemy. There are only seven levels and they can be done on your own or with a friend and either way you’ll get a good 8-10 hours of game play with a lot of intense firefights.

A new feature is the A.C.E.S system which makes you think more of tactical and of more efficient ways to take out the tangos. There are three main features: Marksman, Close-Quarter Combat and Assault. Each has 20 levels with each either unlocking a new weapon or giving you an EXP boost. They vary in points by how difficult or how effective your kill was. For example, take out an enemy at a long distance (+3), kill an enemy while on a rope (+2). If you don’t complete one you won’t receive any ACES only EXP for the kill. This adds a lot of replay abilty to the story because you can go back to it whenever you want to rank up your ”Soldier” if you don’t feel like playing any of the adversarial games modes at the moment. With everything taken into consideration the SP was done considerably well and you won’t find almost any problems with it, but it would’ve been better if they added a higher difficulty or a longer story for those of us that are very familiar with the game already.

Online: The incredibly popular online of Rainbow Six Vegas is here once again and the changes for this are definitely noticed. For those who have already played the first game will get a few rewards if they reached the rank of an Elite. Basically it’s 2500 EXP, Ballistic Face Mask and a new item, the Flight Helmet. It seems that they have stripped down the game modes in this, but that doesn’t stop this game from being so great.

The only remaining games from the first are the essentials; Attack and Defend, Sharpshooter and Team Sharpshooter. There are a few new ones to make up for this and they are a great addition. Team Leader is the one that I’ve enjoy a lot, the game can last as long or as short as possible. One player on your team is the leader and the rest have to protect him while at the same time eliminate the other team’s leader. The point of doing this is once the Team Leader is killed there will be no more reinforcements (re-spawns). It allows you to take every tactic that you’ve learned over the years and work with your team to attempt to get your Leader to the extraction point which is usually on their side. It’s almost the collaboration of a few games from the past (Attack and Defend, Assassination and Team Sharpshooter) into one great game type. As usual every game you play you rank up your unique character to eventually an Elite if you are extremely dedicated to it.

Terrorist Hunts are back and they’ve been shaken up a bit, in a good way. There are all new maps with the comeback of three classic maps (Kill House, Streets). The one major thing is they allow re-spawns now, but only a limited amount depending on the difficulty. It’s basically the same essential thing, you and three friends fight your way to eliminate every terrorist. The levels are knocked down to just over ten and at times they feel a little random, but they’re still a challenge and fun to play. Everyone here is a gamer and probably watches Major League Gaming, the Convention Center level is modeled after that so that’s cool to actually play though. Everything from TV’s to the leader board signs and M.L.G logos everywhere. There is a lot of replay ability in the Terrorist Hunts as well as the online Adversarial modes so this will definitely keep you up into the middle of the night trying to get back that Elite Status.

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 offers up everything that made the original so great and at the same time makes it feel slightly new. This is an impressive game for just about anyone, but to the Veterans not quite as good as the first.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 – the sequel to the award-winning next-generation first-person shooter – returns to Sin City. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is your last chance to rescue America’s sexiest city from an escalating terrorist siege that will force you into heart-pounding action from beginning to end. The best are back and this time winner takes all.

Released: March 18th, 2008
Genre: Modern First-Person Shooter
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubirosft
Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC

Score: 6.5 out of 7

The soldiers are back to save Vegas once again and this time their guns are blazing. At the end of the first game we find out that someone on the inside has leaked information to the outside leading SIX to impossible situations where the odds are never in their favor.

This has been one of my most anticipated games of the year because the first game offered so much and after six months of playing it I needed a refreshing Vegas experience yet again, this is it! This game has it’s up and downs, but in the end it’s exactly what was expected. The only way to explain it is it’s everything you remembered: all the tactics, all the weapons, all the situations and more.

The Story: All the events of RSV2 take place before the first game as well as side-by-side to the original to add more realism because the crisis situation in the first game wasn’t going to wait at all. You start off in a training level in France where you meet your team and plan out your attack to finish the fight to save Vegas.

The level design takes you to a lot of different locations, but unfortunately nothing as incredible as the previous installment. They focused on more controlled areas rather then expansive casinos. The one thing that they do with them is still add a lot of a variety to make each one feel different and unique. Everything from the Vegas Convention Center to the Nevada Desert and even an Estate which brings back memories from previous Rainbow Six titles. The action is non-stop and in a way it ups the ante by adding a more intelligent A.I system and a variety of enemies with different skills. You’ll find yourself in difficult odds because now there is a sprint option, even though you can use it to your advantage so can the enemy. There are only seven levels and they can be done on your own or with a friend and either way you’ll get a good 8-10 hours of game play with a lot of intense firefights.

A new feature is the A.C.E.S system which makes you think more of tactical and of more efficient ways to take out the tangos. There are three main features: Marksman, Close-Quarter Combat and Assault. Each has 20 levels with each either unlocking a new weapon or giving you an EXP boost. They vary in points by how difficult or how effective your kill was. For example, take out an enemy at a long distance (+3), kill an enemy while on a rope (+2). If you don’t complete one you won’t receive any ACES only EXP for the kill. This adds a lot of replay abilty to the story because you can go back to it whenever you want to rank up your ”Soldier” if you don’t feel like playing any of the adversarial games modes at the moment. With everything taken into consideration the SP was done considerably well and you won’t find almost any problems with it, but it would’ve been better if they added a higher difficulty or a longer story for those of us that are very familiar with the game already.

Online: The incredibly popular online of Rainbow Six Vegas is here once again and the changes for this are definitely noticed. For those who have already played the first game will get a few rewards if they reached the rank of an Elite. Basically it’s 2500 EXP, Ballistic Face Mask and a new item, the Flight Helmet. It seems that they have stripped down the game modes in this, but that doesn’t stop this game from being so great.

The only remaining games from the first are the essentials; Attack and Defend, Sharpshooter and Team Sharpshooter. There are a few new ones to make up for this and they are a great addition. Team Leader is the one that I’ve enjoy a lot, the game can last as long or as short as possible. One player on your team is the leader and the rest have to protect him while at the same time eliminate the other team’s leader. The point of doing this is once the Team Leader is killed there will be no more reinforcements (re-spawns). It allows you to take every tactic that you’ve learned over the years and work with your team to attempt to get your Leader to the extraction point which is usually on their side. It’s almost the collaboration of a few games from the past (Attack and Defend, Assassination and Team Sharpshooter) into one great game type. As usual every game you play you rank up your unique character to eventually an Elite if you are extremely dedicated to it.

Terrorist Hunts are back and they’ve been shaken up a bit, in a good way. There are all new maps with the comeback of three classic maps (Kill House, Streets). The one major thing is they allow re-spawns now, but only a limited amount depending on the difficulty. It’s basically the same essential thing, you and three friends fight your way to eliminate every terrorist. The levels are knocked down to just over ten and at times they feel a little random, but they’re still a challenge and fun to play. Everyone here is a gamer and probably watches Major League Gaming, the Convention Center level is modeled after that so that’s cool to actually play though. Everything from TV’s to the leader board signs and M.L.G logos everywhere. There is a lot of replay ability in the Terrorist Hunts as well as the online Adversarial modes so this will definitely keep you up into the middle of the night trying to get back that Elite Status.

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 offers up everything that made the original so great and at the same time makes it feel slightly new. This is an impressive game for just about anyone, but to the Veterans not quite as good as the first.

Top Story: Guitar Hero: On Tour & DS Peripheral Revealed

Finally, after months of speculation and funny Photoshop mockups of little guitars, Activision has spilled some details on the portable DS release of Guitar Hero dubbed, as expected, Guitar Hero: On Tour. Most notable is the hardware peripheral that looks decidedly unlike a mini-guitar. Instead, the “Guitar Grip” gives you not only a place to grip your DS while playing, but four “fret” buttons and a storage slot for the game’s sure-to-be-lost-quickly “guitar pick” that you “strum” on the touch-screen. Since the luckier amongst us have a full set of five fingers – with our poor thumbs reduced to simply gripping things – we’re anticipating a significantly easier gameplay experience than On Tour’s five-buttoned siblings.

But what about the music, man? Karthik Bala, CEO of developer Vicarious Visions, says “There are more than 20 songs in the game, with the majority being exclusive to Guitar Hero: On Tour.” he continues, “We’ve done custom note tracking for all the songs and over 80 percent of the songs are original, master recordings.” We’re not sure what 20 master recordings are going to sound like once they’ve been squished into a DS cart, but we’re hopeful they’ve addressed that concern. Close-up shot of the Guitar Grip and cheesy marketing vid embedded after the break.

Full Story

Click ‘Read the rest of the entry’ to read the rest of today’s news stories.

GameStop Expects At Least 6 More Months Of Wii Shortages

The Nintendo Wii will be nearing its second birthday before there’s any chance you’ll see it routinely clogging up retail shelves. At least that’s the determination of mega-retailer Gamestop, which predicted in a recent investors conference call that the Wii “won’t meet demand for the next two quarters.”

While the Xbox 360 and DS have seen increased production to make up for temporary holiday shortages, Gamestop COO Dan DeMatteo said the seemingly endless lack of Wii supply looks likely to continue for at least another six months. DeMatteo also predicted shortages for the surging PSP, as well as price drops for the PS2 ($30), and PS3 and Xbox 360 ($50 each) sometime this year. For the Wii, though, it seems like a price increase is the only way they’re going to be able to stay on the shelves. Not that Nintendo would ever do that. Would they? (Note: No, they wouldn’t)

Full Story

EA Releases First Screens And Details Of Sims 3

If you’re a Sims fan you’ve probably been obsessively counting down the days until March 19 when EA would reveal more details on the next iteration of their profit center popular series: Sims 3. The official site seems to be down at the moment [update: it's back up!], but we received some details from EA in a written statement we can pass on.

Expect a new engine with a new, much more detailed Create-a-Sim feature. There are more physical and personality options for Sims, in fact, the release boasts over 700 million combinations. All of the objects in the world are going to be more customizable too. Also, as we already knew, your neighborhood is going to be a bigger factor in your gameplay. It all sounds promising, but don’t get too excited just yet: There’s no specific date, but EA says the game won’t drop until 2009.

Official Site

Heavenly Sword Dev Working On New IP For Xbox 360 & PS3

With the story’s second part already scribed, fans of big-haired action epic Heavenly Sword have eagerly been awaiting confirmation of a sequel. Though it hasn’t arrived just yet (possibly waylaid by disappointing sales of the original), developer Ninja Theory has revealed to Gamesindustry.biz that it’s no longer entangled in Nariko’s mess of red hair. A new intellectual property for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 is now being assembled, with some thought spared to a CGI movie tie-in.

“We’re certainly targeting a triple-A blockbuster, with two and a half years in production – a big game that builds on our core strengths of story-telling, cinematics and combat,” said Ninja Theory co-founder and chief developer, Nina Kristensen. “But we’re actually looking at something in addition to that – we’re considering opportunities in creating a CGI movie using the game engine alongside the game itself.”

Kristensen went on to say that the company hopes to maintain its relationship with the world of film, which seems to imply that Ninja Theory’s next game will boast the same high production values and cinematic flair seen in Heavenly Sword. Right, is this where we make a joke about running time?

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Haze PS3 Exclusivity Clouds Over…Again

And the dance goes on. The ongoing question of is it or isn’t it regarding the PS3 exclusivity of developer Free Radical’s upcoming FPS Haze continued this morning with reps from publisher Ubisoft back peddling on an earlier report that the game would never show its face on the Xbox 360. In a new report by CVG, Ubi has ‘clarified’ things, stating that the game will simply remain an exclusive to Sony’s platform “for now.” Well now, we’re glad that’s clear as mud.

While the game was originally announced for both consoles as well as the PC, reports have gone back and forth for some time now as to whether or not the game would be released for multiple platforms, with this latest development seeming to lend weight to the game being a timed exclusive. Even so, with Haze’s PS3 release fast approaching and the game still failing to impress when shown during this month’s Play.com in London, the big question should not be whether or not the game makes it other platforms, but rather if anyone will care.

Full Story

Eidos Announces ‘Soul Bubbles’ Action-Puzzler For DS

Though we were seriously hoping for a Soul Calibur, Bubble Bobble mashup, it appears that the new Eidos action-puzzler Soul Bubbles might still be worth our time, promising unique puzzle-solving gameplay and… lots of bubbles.

Developed by Mekensleep, Soul Bubbles has players guiding mystical spirits to safety by transporting them in bubbles. The game features 40 levels of gameplay, with each level focused around delicately guiding the spirits in bubbles, as well as using bubbles to solve environmental puzzles. The microphone will appropriately be used for bubble blowing, and the game will also rely heavily on stylus control.

Already Soul Bubbles is sounding a bit more unique than your standard puzzle title, but let’s hope that the game doesn’t pull an Elebits and ultimately fail in the execution. Soul Bubbles is currently slated for a summer 2008 release.

Top Story: Super Smash Bros. Brawl Sells Record-Breaking 1.4 Million First Week In US

Nintendo’s brawler Super Smash Bros. Brawl has smashed records with its US release. According to a press release from Nintendo of America, the game has sold over 1.4 million in the region, with 874,000 of those sales on its March 9 release date. That makes it the “fastest-selling video game in Nintendo of America’s history.”

Always one to play the numbers game, Nintendo claims to have sold “at a rate of more than 120 units per minute between launch and March 16.” Assuming they mean the entirety of March 16 (i.e. the first eight days), that amounts to 8 days * 24 hours/day * 60 minutes/day * 120 units/minute = 1,382,400 units. Too bad they didn’t make 130 units per minute. Oh well, better luck next time.

To read the rest of today’s news, click ‘read the rest of this entry’.

Famitsu Best Of 2007 List Shows A Lot Of Xbox 360 Love

The Xbox 360 has a reputation for being the underdog in Japanese sales, partly due to its status as the only American-produced console of the big three. So color us surprised by Famitsu’s list of the top 25 titles of 2007, as ranked by the magazine’s review scores, which features a lot of love for Microsoft’s white wonder.

Of the 25 titles ranked, a whopping ten are Xbox 360 titles. The games — which include titles like Lost Odyssey, Halo 3 and Forza 2 — make up the majority of the list, with the DS and PS3 tying at a distant second with five games apiece.

The PS2 and PSP each had two games make the top 25 list, and the Wii lagged in last place with only one title (Super Mario Galaxy). Congrats go out to Microsoft. Now all they need are some strong sales figures in Japan to go along with their impressive scores.

XBLA Expansion For Puzzle Quest, Fans Asked To Name It

Puzzle Quest has been really been a surprise hit for 2007 and a favorite among gamers. Now, D3 has announced that the game will be getting a “tremendous amount” of new content in an upcoming downloadable expansion. The expansion will feature a new villain, “the Lord of Plague”, new spells, items, quests and four new hero professions (Bard, Rogue, Ranger and Warlock). The game’s development name is Puzzle Quest: 1.5, but D3 is taking suggestions from gamers for an official name. Once a name is found, the expansion will be available this spring! Any ideas?

<a href=”http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080317005610&newsLang=en”>Full Story</a>

Ubisoft Confrims: Haze, PS3 Exclusive

Ubisoft reps have confirmed at the Play.com Live event that Haze will remain a Playstation 3 exclusive and won’t come out for the Xbox 360. We’re guessing Sony coughed up a lot of money for the exclusive. Haze, which was originally announced for the Xbox, PS3, and PC was then hinted as a taimed exclusive for the PS3. Now, the game is expected to release in May on the Playstation 3, and only, the Playstation 3 : (

No More ‘Snaking’ In Mario Kart

Good news for some, bad news for others, according to GoNintendo’s report on a passage from the Official Nintendo Magazine UK’s reveiw of the game, ’snaking has been removed from Mario Kart Wii. For those unfamiliar with the famous technique, it involves using the drift-boosting over and over again, causing a snake-like movement pattern across the tracks.

<a href=”http://gonintendo.com/?p=37964″>Full Story</a>

WiiWare Developer: XBLA Is “Full of Shit”

A little friendly trash-talk is to be expected between game developers and their various digital distribution platforms, but one anonymous WiiWare developer seems fiercely devoted to the potential of Nintendo’s platform, calling Xbox Live Arcade’s lineup “full of shit.”

The comment comes from a discussion of Nintendo’s aggressive strategy for bringing developers to the WiiWare platform. According to Develop Magazine, Nintendo is taking advantage of frustrations with Microsoft’s service to entice developers over to WiiWare. According to the anonymous developer, the sheer glut of retro titles on XBLA makes it difficult for new properties to stand out (a grievance similarly aired by Jeff Minter following poor sales of his retro-styled title Space Giraffe).

Of course, any digital distribution platform is bound to eventually find itself congested with titles, a problem the brick-and-mortar retail chains have dealt with for years. Only after some time will we be able to see if WiiWare handles this title saturation any differently than XBLA.

<a href=”http://www.developmag.com/news/29474/Nintendos-secret-war-on-Xbox-Live-Arcade-and-PlayStation-Store”>Full Story</a>

Virtual Console Monday

Two new games were added to the virtual console this week, go check them out!

Spelunker (NES, 1 Player, 500 Wii Points)

Super R-Type (SNES, 1 Player, 800 Wii Points)

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring Of Fates

Yuri and Chelinka are fraternal twins who live happily with their father in a small village, but their happiness comes to an abrupt end when an ancient evil force arrives. Now, with his family shattered, Yuri begins to train so that he can be strong enough to fight when the evil returns. Yuri and Chelinka set out on their quest to find their friends, avenge their family, and heal their world.

Released: March 11th, 2008
Genre: Action RPG
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Platform: Nintendo DS Exclusive

Score: 5.5 out of 7

Final and Fantsay are just two words that are meant to be together. When these two words are put together they create feelings of joy and happiness in many peoples hearts, however, when Crystal Chronicles is attached to the end of those words (or anything other than a number) people start to become wary. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Rings of Fate for the Nintendo DS is SquareEnix’s latest game in the endless final fantay series to grace a nintendo platform. Whilse it is not in the Final Fantasy series per se, as SquareEnix is attempting to create Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles as a good brand for Nintendo RPGs. This is because SquareEnix wishes to see support for all consoles, but does not want to make muliplatform games, so we get, FINAL FANTASY (numbered series) on Sony platforms, FF CRYSTAL CHRONICLES on Nintendo platforms and what looks like blue dragon/lost oddysee titles on the XBOX360.

This game has an isometric 3D view which looks quite nice and suits the game and the console well. There are large maps but this means that a lot of the textures are used repeatedly. Character models look quite nice as well, there are also cut scenes and video within the game which really show off what the DS can do. SquareEnix have obviously put a lot of effort into making this title look the best in can in terms of 3D graphical ability but the 2D sprites in the background and environment do sometimes look fairly ugly and dull and there are textures being used over and over all throughout the game, but it still creates a nice a varies gameworld on an underpowered system. In multiplayer mode however there is quite a bit of slowdown if you have a fairly busy party as the DS tries to keep up with everything happeninf at once.

There is a really good story underpinning the action, of a boy trying to impress his father, which is told through some particulaly nice cutscenes, many of which are actually voice acted so the narrative moves along nicely. Some of the aspects of the story at time feel a little cliched but there are plenty of twists to the plot and there are some pretty touching moments, which can actually make you really care about the characters.

Theres a fairly lengthy and engaging storyline which will definately keep you interested in this title if it’s the kind of game you are into, as well as four player local multiplayer mode where each person creates their own character and then a group of you take on tasks given by a king who is, well, lets say he’s unique. This can give you hours of fun with friends carry out all the many little tasks and dungeons to go through, but this does have an effect on the stability of the game as in multiplayer mode there is some noticeable slowdown and no online play. So in single player, this is a fairly decent lengthed game with some small replay value, whereas in multiplayer this has potential to last for a long time so long as you can get enough people together and forgive the little problems.

The controls certainly work for this game as it is presented as a simple, easy to pick up game (but still deep and engaging, dont worry) so the controls are simplistic by the standard of other action RPGs out there. The way magic is done can be quite fiddly as well as being fairly inaccurate, so you may just resort to hitting the attack button over and over, but you will find this is not really a good tactic so you have to think about when to attack as well as types of magic to use and look for weak spots, which stop this from becoming a simple button mashing exercise which many other games sadly fall into.

I found this quite a fun title, it’s easy to pick up and easy to play with out being overly repetitive and especially over wi-fi you can definaately have some late night drunk gaming sessions with some friends, granted, SquareEnix’s target audience for this game isn’t the kind of audience to have late night drunk gaming sessions, but those of us who do can have fun with this as well as the crowd they were going for given its cutesy art style.

It’s good to see SquareEnix giving Nintendo customers the attention they deserve. This is a great action RPG for the Nintendo DS that every fan of the series must own. Note, if you played Crystal Chronicles for the GameCube but did not like it at all still give this one a go, it’s a SquareEnix apology, this is how Crystal Chronicles should be and I am definately looking forward to the Crystal Chronicles title coming out for Wii later on this year.

Condemned 2: Bloodshot

In Condemned 2: Bloodshot, players will engage in visceral combat using a variety of firearms, blunt instruments and an all-new fighting system complete with defensive and offensive combo chains, as well as grapples and holds. To help track the killer and solve the mysteries behind Condemned 2: Bloodshot, players will crack open an all-new set of high-tech forensic tools. Using wits and brute strength, murders can be solved a number of different ways to keep players guessing throughout each suspenseful investigation.

Released: March 11th, 2008
Genre: Horror / Action / Adventure
Developer: Monolith Productions
Publisher: Sega
Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3

Score: 5 out of 7

(Reviwed For Xbox 360)

I was admittedly excited the last few weeks leading up to the release of Condemned 2: Bloodshot, and actually made an extra trip to the closest electronics store simply to see if the game had been released yet. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm was met with a large degree of disappointment, as Bloodshot failed to live up to the hype of its predecessor, and my own personal standards. How silly though, that a game clearly striking up an advertising deal with Gamespot should garner such a brilliant and overbearing score… at least their priorities are clear.

If I were to describe this game in one word, it would be “frustrating”. That should not be the case for a game that hops several genres. The first few minutes you find Ethan Thomas getting kicked out of a bar after slaughtering some erratic, menacing hooded bar fly. And in great Monolith fashion, it takes less than three minutes for the game to get completely ridiculous. The storyline takes rather jolting turns, dipping in and out of sensible writing to just plain confusion. Despite the utterly murky plot, the cut scenes remain rather entertaining, and the characters drip with the familiar and nostalgic Sega touch.

The combat system is much more advanced than the first Condemned game. Combo’s become an interval part of the gameplay; and although you may not ever use more than three, it is completely necessary to utilize these combos to obliterate your foes with much greater efficiency. Plus, it looks a hell of a lot more cool. Blocking your opponents strikes becomes far more difficult as well, thus adding to the depth of the game. Enemies are completely erratic and unpredictable, and sometimes you get hit with more limbs than you thought your opponent had. The weapon variety is as deep as ever, ranging from simple bricks to high-tech assault rifles. Throwing weapons is also very gratifying, as I found myself laughing on several occasions at the reaction of my foe after a tire iron bounced off his face. Although for some reason, most of the blunt objects you find don’t seem to capture the same “umph” as they did in Criminal Origins. Regardless, the fighting is still very satisfactory, and perhaps the only remaining shining light in this series.

The horror aspect of the game, perhaps the most important, is completely lacking. At several points during the story, the developers seem to turn to cheap “boo” tactics having you only genuinely afraid out of surprise, rather than fear. It should be noted that I played 100% of this game in the complete darkness, and for each session I would wait for nightfall simply to play. Regardless, the atmosphere felt far less threatening, and is really a joke in comparison to games like F.E.A.R, and even BioShock. Admittedly, there are some genuinely frightening moments. When for example you are trying to escape from the lab with an unnamed S.C.U. officer and you keep getting blinded by your own ghostly hallucinations. One of the biggest problems with Condemned: Criminal Origins has been addressed in the sequel, and that problem is that the maniacal behavior of the locals never seemed to be explained. Unfortunately, Bloodshot attempts to give too much background in to the storyline, and genuinely takes away the complete thrill of the unexplained. What made Criminal Origins so intense was the fact that the player did NOT know what was going on, and it is the exact opposite that is the downfall of Bloodshot. The plot goes from realistic to completely sci-fi, as if the writers simply ran out of ideas that made any sort of sense. The transition does not bode well for the atmosphere, and as the game comes to a close one will find themselves questioning whether or not the explanation behind the madness was at all reasonable.

Some parts of Condemned try desperately to succeed, but fail rather miserably. On at least twenty different occasions I found myself dying over and over again trying to complete a portion of the game. And on each occasion the game gives nothing in the way of advice. At one point, I was supposed to know that I had to slide a drawer in front of a door and block it, and I actually had to look up on the internet how to pass that particular part just to complete it. At another frustrating interval I found myself fighting the same person over and over again, yet after a half hour I was supposed to know that I have to put them in a headlock and drag them to a vice hidden away in the corner of the room. Several investigations also leave you with little idea how to complete them, as the game prompts you with “simple” advice like, “replace the blown fuse”. Instead of being genuinely terrified, I found myself generally frustrated every half hour or so. There are at minimum twenty or more “What the $#%! do I do?!” moments during the game, and with no hint system it becomes completely irritating.

Other parts of the game feel completely unnecessary. The investigation system got completely revamped, and is actually quite satisfying on most occasions, but some aspects feel entirely redundant. The GPS system is a useless tack-on added by the developers, and not once did I find myself using it. Other aspects feel like they could have been utilized better, as I would much rather the camera have a more practical use than only sending story-driven pictures to advance to the next checkpoint. One part of the game also seems awkwardly added in, and to anyone who has played Bloodshot in its entirety, they know exactly the chapter I speak of. The Magic Man is a five minute long detour that proves nearly completely useless in the advancement of the story and atmosphere. Moments in to the chapter, you are very thanklessly reminded of Sander Cohen, but not in a good way. More of a “direct rip-off of BioShock” kind of way. Just to make things easier on myself, I decided to carry around the wrench and use the taser ad nauseam. Boy did I mess up those splicer-… rather, crackheads. It genuinely felt as if half way through creating the game the developers picked up a copy of BioShock and decided to write the rest of the plot with one hand while playing with the other. Even the final boss bares a somewhat eerie resemblance Atlas, especially in theory. At least the shocking jolts of storyline in THAT game were reasonable, quite possibly because BioShock remained completely unreasonable the entire time, instead of the two-faced world of Condemned.

All in all, Condemned 2: Bloodshot is still a very satisfying experience. And for most people, it will be a genuinely terrifying one. Unfortunately, it does not live up to the same intensity as other Monolith titles, most notably F.E.A.R. or even Criminal Origins. And on several occasions Bloodshot tries to blatantly steal from other games. Guns deter from the whole idea of the franchise, and as the game progresses they gradually become more and more prevalent. Many other aspects of Condemned 2 are frustrating at best, and several attempts at suspenseful gameplay only lead to complete irritation. Running away from an eight foot tall bear in a run-down wooden mountain-palace sounds exciting in theory, but when executed in this case, only becomes entirely infuriating. The storyline takes an unfortunate turn in to the sci-fi, and as a result the tangibly horrifying atmosphere is replaced by a strange and unrealistic mess. I still recommend that anyone who thoroughly enjoyed the original, or games like F.E.A.R. and BioShock, rent this title. Rent it, complete it, shelf it, if only to remind you of how much better it could of been, and how much better the other games were…and never think of it again.