If you look at the SB Wall of Shame you will notice last year’s Madden game. The game itself was in our opinion EA’s worst Madden outing. This year ESPN Football in desperation brought out a great installment of their football franchise at the competitive price of 20 bucks, so you almost had to purchase it. Well Madden, answered with its best ever incarnation of the king of all franchises.
I will have to write a review, but I am very impressed with Madden 2005, the new additions, small as they seem, add to a now (in my opinion) complete franchise mode. Everything I have ever wanted to do is now in the game, editing players, uniforms, strategy, player progression, storylines, I am content, extremely content. The game play is nothing like last year’s. I am not sure if they tweaked the engine or that last year I sucked at Madden but 2005 is great to play, great to run, catch and play defense. This game is as COMPLETE as you get. ESPN has a good, really good football game, but it’s not remotely in the same ball park anymore. Many would tell you otherwise, or argue how even the two are but in my humble opinion, its not even close. Pick it up.
[center][img]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/previews/mp2echoes/cover.jpg[/img][/center]
I recently expressed great joy in being lucky enough to receive a copy of the Metroid Prime/Metroid Prime 2 bonus that is now included with Gamecubes across the nation. I am back to give you my thoughts about the newest game in the Metroid franchise. Unfortunately as a child I didn’t spend much time with Metroid. For some reason the game didn’t appeal to me and seemed to be quite difficult so I passed on it. When Metroid Prime came out for the GC I didn’t have one and despite Pickle’s incessant ranting and raving about how good the game was I never picked it up. Here we are on the verge of the second release and I am about to start it. Regardless, my lack of experience with the franchise has no bearing on the promise that this game shows.
[tableleft]In Echoes you take Samus on a journey on the planet of Aether. Samus is investigating an abandoned Federation ship when an electrical aberration in the atmosphere renders her ship incapacitated. After a crash landing she is attacked by a group of dark creatures known as the Ing Horde. Soon after Samus realizes that the planet has been dimensionally doubled. One portion exists in light and the other in darkness. The Luminoth are the peaceful people of the light who are slowly being killed off by the Ing Horde. In addition to the terrible Ing Horde, Samus finds that a dangerous dark creature is on the loose on the planet and it is growing more lethal as time goes on.[/tableleft][tableright][img]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/previews/mp2echoes/ss01_thumb.jpg[/img][/tableright]
The things you loved about the original Metroid Prime are back and with them are a few new things. The most drastic change is the addition of a multiplayer mode which allows 4 players to battle it out in standard death match games. No word yet on whether or not the game will make use of the broadband adapter and allow LAN style play similar to what Mario Kart: Double Dash does. Power-ups such as the Space Jump and Grapple Beam are back and bring with them Dark and Light Beams which make use of a all-new ammo system. There are also plenty of other beam weapons, visors, bombs, missiles and suit upgrades.
[tableleft][img]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/previews/mp2echoes/ss05_thumb.jpg[/img][/tableleft][tableright]I am fully aware that Metroid Prime was never considered a FPS and its control layout is very indicative of this, but I this is the 3rd time I have given a run at this game and its control scheme and I still just can’t get it down. I am sure if I started playing through the original game that I would eventually get it down, but goodness. I am not saying there is anything wrong with the layout of the controls, but rather that it is unique and hard for me to memorize. This is not something I considered a flaw in the first game, but it did help keep me from playing it.[/tableright]
We are almost 2 months away from release of Echoes and I expect more details about the game to be released as we enter the home stretch. Nintendo needs Echoes to do well and with the acclaim that the first game received I don’t think that will be a problem. I can’t say for sure if I will be handling the review of this one or not, but as always we will have thoughts about this game when it hits retail stores near you.
So ends Pretz give away week. Thank Pretz for being a champ and setting this quick give away stuff up. Arithena won the last giveaway for a game of thier choice off EB Games website. So mad props to those who participated and won. We will get back to our bigger week/2week long give aways as soon as we think of a cool way to give out our next big prize, which will indeed be awesome. I am talking big time.
On other news I got to spend some time with Star Ocean as well as Lineage 2, both worthy of a look, though nothing from each stands out in particular.
Thanks to Melissa (Ariathwen from the forums) in C-State for showing me a great time. Hugs and kisses.
An oldie but a goodie, this next question is for a free game of your choice. I asked this question when Snackbar first started and a few people got it, those people are now our good friends at EB games Huebner. But here it is again, retro-fied.
What are the lyrics to the Nintendo Breakfast Cereal commercial?
Hit me up! Get your answers in ASAP.
Happy Labor Day to all you peeps out there. I’m going to make this short and sweet cause its a resting day. The winner of the Sudeki giveaway is Ratman423. The giveaways will end tomorrow with the giveaway of the EB giftcard valued at $49.99. I will let Pickle do the honors of giving that away since he volunteered to throw the giftcard in the pot. Stay tuned tomorrow.
