December 2004

The irony

December 10, 2004

News / by Chris Rasco Make a comment! / Tweet it!

The ironic part of our tale is that after not getting my game and contacting Blockbuster directly I got an email from the District Manager. He was super helpful and went out of his way to acquire a copy of the game for me and drop it off at the Babcock and Prue Gamerush. I picked it up today and I can only assume the Gamerush manager over there, we will call him [url=http://www.snackbar-games.com/forums/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=506]Migs,[/url] (hey that is an awful lot like a new forum user we have, how quaint) was having a bad day because he has been a little harsh on the forums.

Migs must have either been pissed that I got my game and had to go over his head to do it or he is mad that as an employee he never got games he preordered and here I am getting my game in less than a week. Whatever the case may be, I appreciate the support and help from the DM, Daniel. I look forward to helping him improve customer service in his district and for the time being the only Rush store you should go to is Huebner and NW Military. Ask for Phil. If Phil is not available, then you are shopping at your own risk.

This whole thing is going to spawn a new feature around here as well as a possible list of endorsed stores that I feel comfortable sending you to. Look for both in the near future.

Bold Statment.

December 10, 2004

News / by Mike Carabajal Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Making blanket statements is not a good practice. I do it usually with jest, though sometimes its warranted. But straight from the managers mouth, Game Rush seems to not like you. I suggest not ever stepping into one of their stores. The powers that be at Game Rush would like to mend things but it seems management would not like to happen. Instead, choosing to rub salt on a wound, well we tried something new (going to the Rush) and it that wont be happening again. Spread the word if you can.

I apologize to the good people that represent Game Rush, I am sure you have good intentions and that our experiences do not reflect the whole, but as a customer, and a community, The Rush wont be getting a recommendation. Sorry mates.

Also note, I would hate anything to come out of this, we have a forum to have a voice that can be heard, this is one of those times where a wrong has happened and something is done about it.

Dr. Mario

December 10, 2004

Game Boy Advance / Reviews / by Chris Rasco Make a comment! / Tweet it!

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/drmario/cover.jpg[/floatleft]I am going to go out on a limb to say that [i]Dr. Mario[/i] is one of my favorite games of all time. I would also be correct in stating that it is one of Dots’s favorite games of all time. We currently have a nice little collection of [i]Dr. Mario[/i] games, and you would stand a better chance of robbing Fort Knox than you would stealing those games from Dots. With the recent release of the [i]Classic NES Series 2[/i] for GBA comes this wonderful NES classic in portable form. [i]Dr. Mario[/i] was in fact released for the original Game Boy in 1990, but a full-color port will always outdo the one-color games from the original Game Boy.

[i]Tetris[/i]-style games are by far the best-selling games ever. Ever since the success of the original [i]Tetris[/i], the dropping block-style gameplay has been applied and utilized in some form or fashion with almost every major franchise character from the NES days. [i]Dr. Mario[/i] infused this [i]Tetris[/i]-style gameplay with a theme of battling viruses and some of the catchiest tunes ever. The simple gameplay made it good for quick games, and the challenge of higher levels kept you coming back for more.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/drmario/ss02_thumb.jpg[/floatright]The GBA release of this game is a simple port from the NES version, so there is nothing really new about it. If you have played it on NES, then you are familiar with the GBA version. For those of you who haven’t, the game obviously takes on a medical-related theme. Your puzzle area is inside a medicine bottle that is full of dancing viruses that are blue, red, and yellow. Instead of [i]Tetris[/i]-shaped blocks, you get colored pills. The pills are divided in half with each half taking on one of the three colors. The pills run the full combination of colors, including pills that are a single color on both sides. To get rid of each virus, you need to stack three pill halves of the same color either vertically or horizontally (double pills stacked inline count as two). The level is complete when you remove all of the viruses or when you fill up your medicine bottle and lose. The higher levels begin with an almost completely full medicine bottle, which makes winning a big challenge.

[i]Dr. Mario[/i] does support two player head-to-head gameplay via a link cable or wireless adapters. In this mode, the screen is split with each player occupying one side of the screen. The matches play to the best of five, so three games are needed to defeat your opponent. Completing a chain of combos will drop a few pill halves onto your opponent’s side. Setting up large combos can highly disrupt your opponent and ensure victory.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/drmario/ss01_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]The game shows its age graphically, but I was pleasantly surprised that the graphics looked much more crisp while playing on the DS versus our GBA SP. The dual speakers of the DS also let me jam out to Fever and Chill with just a tad more clarity.

Being a rabid fanboy of [i]Dr. Mario[/i] gives me a slight bias, but having a portable version of this fantastic game is well worth the $20. [i]Tetris[/i] and [i]Dr. Mario[/i] fans will undoubtedly enjoy this one for a long time.

Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault

December 10, 2004

PC / Reviews / by Marco Ortega Make a comment! / Tweet it!

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/mohpa/cover.jpg[/floatleft][heading]It’s in the story[/heading]

As a WWII enthusiast, I really love to hear different stories from veterans who experienced WWII from every aspect of the war. From the battles of Africa, the seawalls of Normandy, to the sands of the islands of the Pacific, each veteran has a unique and vivid story to tell about their visions of the war. EA Games and the [i]Medal of Honor[/i] have always accurately recounted all the of tours of battles in WWII. [i]Pacific Assault[/i] is no different; [i]MOHPA[/i] captures the story of Tommy Conlin and his Marine squad as they touch the sands of many islands in the war. The story is beautifully written and told with a real solid documentary feel, including voiceovers and actual war footage. Playing this was just an awesome experience as a history buff and an FPS lover.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/mohpa/ss02_thumb.jpg[/floatright]The story opens as you see yourself on a transport heading to storm the beach on the Tarawa Atoll. After being knocked out from an explosion, you start to experience some flashbacks…and so the story begins. You begin at boot camp where you are trained in tactical movement, first aid, weapons, and other helpful hints. Soon after, you are sent to Pearl Harbor. Upon arrival at Pearl Harbor, the empire of Japan begins to invade, and you are thrown into battle. After the invasion, you go on a series of missions from island to island to stop the Empire of Japan from winning the war in the Pacific.

[heading]Vacation Spots[/heading]

The war in the Pacific was a tough war for the U.S. to fight considering there were so many fronts to be fought on. So the war had to be fought one island at a time, inch by bloody inch. My PC uses an ATI 9600 Pro with 512 MB of RAM, and I must say the islands look beautiful when you run them at 1280×960. With lush vegetation and astonishing landscape, [i]MOHPA[/i] brings a whole new game to the [i]MOH[/i] series. With its new havoc physics system, using your environment to help you win the war is an added bonus. Realism is my main focus when I am diving into WWII games such as this one, with new generation graphics and physics. With so many island stops that make you think they almost look the same, each island actually has its unique challenges and features. Looking past the great vacation spots you hit in your tour, the residents of these islands aren’t very pleased to see you. The details on the Japanese soldiers are amazing, especially when they are a foot away, bayoneting you in the face. Enemy AI is very challenging, to say the least. As you maneuver to flank the enemy, they will in turn move tactically to your flank and counter your movements. They will also call for reinforcements by the truckload.

[heading]”They are shooting at us!”…”Shoot back!”[/heading]

MOH is known for going on solo missions and taking on the entire enemy army by yourself. Well, those days are over. Use commands to order your squad to give you covering fire, ask them to gather together, have them advance, or even ask them to retreat. In order for you to effectively defeat the enemy, you must know how to use your squad. Going in with guns blazing is just not very effective anymore. The enemy has become well aware of your L337 ways and will now just call for reinforcements and overwhelm you. And if you’re thinking of having your squad do all the work, you are mistaken. Your squad will need you to lead them; if you don’t, the enemy will take advantage and form a bonsai charge. The war is not won unless you suffer some injuries. When that happens, call your friendly Corpsman to patch you up. Use him wisely, though, as he has others to take care of too. Not to mention you can be a hero and help the wounded by giving them some bandages to hold them over until the medic arrives. These are key features that you want to use throughout your campaign to win the war. Although you will find yourself doing an array of tasks, shooting the enemy will be the main one. I must say, and to be quite honest, this part of the game does get quite redundant. But nevertheless, you have many other objectives to fulfill rather than to just eliminate the enemy. Multiplayer death match has eight different gametypes to choose from, but my favorite multiplayer mode by far is Invader mode.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/mohpa/ss10_thumb.jpg[/floatleft][heading]The new standard[/heading]

With next generation graphics and physics being implemented in future games, this is the new standard by which the gamer will be judging. Breaking into the next generation standard, [i]MOHPA[/i] has done an incredible job by adding more life and body to the [i]MOH[/i] series. This is definitely a must game for you WWII shooter fans. With great gameplay, historical accuracy, great graphics and sound, this game is a keeper. For history buffs, the director’s edition will have more historical content and extra features.

Go Gabe

December 10, 2004

News / by Chris Rasco Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Generally speaking, the guys over at Penny Arcade do just fine on their own. To make sure Child’s Play was huge this year, they had some PR firms help them spread the word about it and apparently one of the radio interviews they were slated to do went very very wrong. Someone dropped the ball and Gabe ended up calling in 12 minutes late. The host got pissed and wouldn’t put him on the air and ended up doing a big segment trashing people who play video games. You can guess this didn’t go over well with Gabe and he has a [url=http://www.penny-arcade.com/news.php3?date=2004-12-08#braying]few choice words[/url] for the host, BJ Shea.

I hope that is a little more clear. I was a little short with details the first time around.

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