A Symphony not so small, too much Wii Wii, and a just right Morgan Webb – Welcome to the column that makes the playoffs every time only to miss the bus to the big dance known as Dare to Play the Game.
Welcome to another edition of Dare to Play the Game. Well another what could have been year if you are an Eagles fan. True, with McNabb out most didn’t expect us to make the playoffs. But we did, and truth be told, the 2nd and 3rd quarter of the Saints game we were in contro…. Problem is we lost it in the 4th :). Good luck to the Saints, I think they will go to the Superbowl to face the Patriots. But then again predictions are not my strong suit.
Ode To Morgan Webb
Looking most serious and seductive for once in this brillant 2 piece red set, this morgan is looking right at you and feeling frisky. Kinda like that cat you had that possessed that one crazy eye. Or perhaps one that a sixth digit on each of its four paws. Or perhaps one that got into the catnip and sees your leg as a homing device. Yes I’m overusing analogies & metaphors again. So I think of cats when I think of Morgan, like a majestic tiger or a pouncing lion. Maybe I need to stop while I’m ahead. Not that it has ever stopped me before.
Quick news stories of interest
The higher ups at THQ have informed IGN that it will announce a brand new licensing deal tomorrow (January 16) that grants the Agoura Hills-based publisher the rights to release videogames based on Zuffa LLC’s Ultimate Fighting Championship. This agreement will last through the end of 2011 and applies to PC, handheld and console platforms. The rights also incorporate online, multiplayer and downloadable capabilities.
“Ultimate Fighting Championship and THQ represent the perfect marriage of rich content and proven development capabilities,” said Kelly Flock, executive vice president of worldwide publishing, THQ. “The UFC brand has seen tremendous growth in recent years with wild popularity among the core gaming demographic. This relationship serves as an extraordinary addition to THQ’s world-class license portfolio as we continue to expand our competitive sports offering.”
I think the last UFC title I played was a mediocre fighter for the PS1. This game could have a lot of interesting possibilities including downloadable fighters, arenas and great online play. Of course this might just involve me tapping out a whole lot to 13 year old punks (kinda like junior high). Anyhow what makes this a little more interesting is that THQ is the same company who puts out the WWE games. Often WWE and THQ are considered direct competitors of each despite the whole sports entertainment vs real sports argument. (and please don’t start debating the whole well this MMA guy would beat the crap out of this WWE wrestler, it’s a moot point). So this could cause some tension in the video game company especially when it comes to marketing and such. However, I think THQ is the right company for the choice and should produce a great game.
Wii Competition Ends in Tragedy
A woman drank herself to death during a radio station’s competition to win a Wii by seeing how much contestants could drink before going to the toilet.
However the challenge ended in disaster when 28-year-old Jennifer Strange was killed by “water intoxication”. She was hoping to win a console for her three children.
A work colleague said Ms Strange left her job and went home sick because her head was “hurting real bad”. She was later found dead at her home by her mom.
John Geary from KDND 107.9 in California, the station that organized the competition, said staff were stunned by Ms Strange’s death. He added: “We are awaiting information that will help explain how this tragic event occurred.”
Those taking part were given a 225ml bottle of water to drink every 15 minutes. As the contestants were whittled down they were given larger bottles. It’s not known how much Ms Strange drank.
*puts his water bottle down* *taps his fingers and sighs* I honestly wonder about the brain power of some radio stations. This isn’t the first time that a said radio station has come up with a stupid contest only to have some tragedy follow. Having your hand on the car last, eating too much, have your breasts implode, the list goes on and on. So we can add too much water creates too much wee wee and no wii. Cute, great even. Guarantee a nice size lawsuit and it will involve a whole lot more than a Wii for their efforts. (actually the kids will probably never pick up a video game system for the rest of their lives).
XBOX Moment
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night – XBOX Live
Expected the week of February 11th (possibly earlier) to XBOX Live arcade is the landmark title in the Castlevania series: Castlevania Symphony of the Night. This title in my honest opinion is second only to Dracula X, the Turbo Duo Japanese only version at that. Anyhow, this title was released to the PS1 console a long time ago and got rave reviews for fantastic gameplay and engaging storyline. The last great 2d game that I can remember. It will be on XBOX Live, I would guess 800 points, but this could ring in at 1200, fair warning. The reason, this will be the first title that will break the sacred 50 mb limit in XBOX Live Arcade. The idea of the 50mb limit was that you could fit any arcade game on a memory card and take it to your friend’s house to play (or that cheap bastard of a friend could spend his own points and post his own leader board scores). However there was no way that SOTN could fit into that 50mb mold, so the people in charge of arcade gave the leadway to Konami to make it happen. This bodes well for future games (maybe future PS1 titles?) on XBOX Live that just don’t quite make the mold. I think I will be holding back my points that I was going to use on Ms Pac Man for this sucker. I happen to also own the PS1 version but rather be surprised come early February.
Rogue Galaxy Demo Review
As promised last week, I entered the contest for reviewing Rogue Galaxy a new action rpg for the Playstation 2 console. Here is a copy of what I sent in, I think I did pretty well; however 400 words is not much to work with. Will keep you posted!
Rogue Galaxy is the story of Jaster who is sucked into the life of a space pirate in order to find the greatest treasure of them all; eternal life. This action rpg seeks to give us one final hoorah for the fabled Playstation 2 console.
The game demo opens up and features a striking cinema introducing us to the story and the game mechanics that will be a part of the experience going forward. The main menu then offers a few choices; Departure from Burkaqua Village (w/ Jaster, Kisala & Zegram), Hunt Down the Quarry (or fighting the huge Beast Leone w/ Jaster, Lilika, Zegram, Simon & Steve), and the promotional trailer. Both scenarios thrust you into battles with many different enemies while Departure lets you talk to villagers to gather clues.
The biggest highlight of the demo is the seamless branching from running around the forest or other locale to fighting a monster in real time. No turn based rpg here (action can be stopped if need be for items and other activities), just pull out your sword and go for the jugular. Since the battles require you to think on your feet, it seems only natural that it would have the innovation of Battle Suggestions. This is where the game will suggest for you or another party member to perform an action and then you press one of the buttons to follow it out. The battles also feature combo attacks (single & team) that require you to mash buttons at just the right time to produce devastating results. Certain battles have challenges where you have to defeat your adversaries in a specified time limit. Doing so will grant you hunter’s coins and other items.
In Rogue Galaxy, there are many features to the game besides battles. There are eight playable characters and active character switching which lets you have up to three characters on the battlefield at once. Your party can track down rare items and build weapons out of multiple materials. There are many subquests for the player to dive into besides the main story. This space pirate choice RPG looks to be quite engaging as the seamless branching will keep you running rampant while the story and subquests will keep you locked in. The game hopefully will not go unrecognized and should be an interesting addition to any space rogue or role playing game aficionado’s library.
PS2
NCAA March Madness 07
XBox 360
NCAA March Madness 07
Wii
Wario Ware: Smooth Moves
DS
Fossil League Dino Tournament
Phoenix Wright: Justice for All
Underground Pool
Another slow week for releases, I really hate sounding like a broken record but it is so true. Wario Ware is going to get some Wii’s sold as it is a true piece of addictive software that makes the most simplistic task into a party game. NCAA March Madness is the usual basketball fare and will just make more sales when March rolls around than anything they can produce now. DS title of note for you lawyer wanna-bes in Phoenix Wright ought to turn a couple of heads in the innovative games department.
Some Final Thoughts and Mutterings
My gaming friends are begging me to go buy Rainbow Six Vegas for the 360 console. I did finally crack open Burnout Revenge and I’m having a blast playing it (could the game be any prettier?). So I’m having a hard time deciding whether or not to spend that money. I’m just really afraid they are going to jump to “the next big FPS shooter” by the time I get it(they did this with Gears of War which is why my copy has stayed unopened, ps if somebody wants to do a straight up trade of Gears of War for Rainbow Six Vegas, I’ll do it). I am most likely getting Halo 3 regardless but that’s still a few months away. Maybe I’ll just go back to finishing Fable, could think of worse things to do with my time :). Have fun kiddoes.
As Always,
Kedrix of Aldrianian
(*The Forgotten One*)
