The Wii is still somewhat of an unproven piece of hardware, still testing its legs and acting as a kind of test bed for developers to act like mad scientists in order to see who can pull our arms out of socket first. My bet is on Nintendo, which just handed me the upcoming [i]Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree[/i] with promises of cephalic fortitude. I don’t know about all that, but this degree they included with the game is enough to make a journo’s head swell.
Look for our review soon.
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Microsoft and Artoon announced today that Vampire Rain, the upcoming stealth/survival horror/shooter, has gone gold. Vampire Rain is unique in it’s combination of elements from many genres.
In Vampire Rain, you lead a black ops unit that is on a mission to eliminate one of the deadliest supernatural enemies ever known. These Nightwalkers, which are a highly evolved breed of vampire, are super agile and insanely fast. With rapidly growing numbers, it is your mission to rid the world of the Nightwalkers.
Vampire Rain will be shipping to store shelves on July 3 and will carry a $59.99 price tag. For more information, head over to the official website at http://www.vampirerain.com
Since my first play of Metal Slug in a 4-in-1 Neo Geo cabinet, I’ve played every game in the series I could get my hands on, so it’s no coincidence that a compilation of this magnitude would find its way into my hands. Metal Slug is the quintessential side-scrolling shooter that doesn’t involve space ships. I’d even go so far as to rank it above the Contra games in the grand scheme of things. Blasphemy, I know, but Metal Slug is just better.
To celebrate the franchise’s 10th anniversary, SNK has released Metal Slug Anthology, a collection of 7 incredible games – Metal Slug, Metal Slug 2, Metal Slug X, Metal Slug 3, Metal Slug 4, Metal Slug 5, and Metal Slug 6 – on one disc.
The games that make up Metal Slug Anthology are arcade-perfect ports with simple controls and clean 2D graphics that carry over perfectly to the PS2. The concept of credits doesn’t transfer so well from arcade to console, so SNK gives gamers the option of choosing limited or unlimited continues. While I have a love for [i]Metal Slug[/i], I am not very good at it, so I always select the unlimited continue route.
As a side-scrolling shooter, Metal Slug is pretty simple conceptually: run from left to right while shooting and lobbing grenades and trying to avoid the hordes of enemies. Weapon upgrades and POWs litter the levels that often end in incredible boss fights. Occasionally you will run across squatty tanks or other vehicles, most often fully loaded armored vehicles.
Without a doubt, Metal Slug fans will need to add MSA to their collections. Other gamers looking for some good shooter action will definitely want to consider MSA as it provides one heck of a value. MSA is also available for PSP and Wii if the PS2 isn’t your platform of choice. The bottom line is that [i]Metal Slug[/i] is the best 2D shooter out there and you’d be wise to add this one to your collection, especially with a $39.99 price tag.
I love text adventures. That’s my dad’s fault. He installed Zork, Zork Zero, and Planetfall on our Amiga, and along with The Secret of Monkey Island and Worms, they made up approximately three quarters of grade school. (Planetfall, Floyd in particular, taught me more about characterization and emotional impact than all the English classes I ever attended.) Later, he bought me the old Activision A
The squad-based tactical strategy game has evolved into an all new monster. Ubisoft and the Ghost Recon series have always pushed the concept of relying on your squad for survival in the virtual arena. The sequel to Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter on the Xbox 360 puts you back in the battle-worn boots of Capt. Mitchell and keeps you on the edge of your tactical toes.
It’s 2014, and Capt. Mitchell is back in a new arena of battle closer to home. Capt. Mitchell and the Ghost must stop an imminent threat from reaching U.S. soil. On the border of Mexico and the U.S, a rebel army controlled by a mercenary unit is planning on launching a nuclear warhead into the U.S. It’s the job of Capt. Mitchell and the Ghost to destroy the opposition and recover the nuclear warhead.
Starting a complicated game such as Ghost Recon is always a treat. The game inserts you into the battlefield- but in training mode, so hostiles are not going to be as difficult as those you would encounter on the real battlefield. The training exercise is helpful and helps you get reacquainted with the controls. Plain and simple, the controls are insane. There is such a significant amount of control and button management that most of the time I found myself peeking at my cheat sheet. It’s tough, but it grows on you as you progress. That also means that your level of troop management as well as tactical, armored, and aerial vehicles will play into your control and button movement. It becomes second nature once you get the hang of it. A feature that I really enjoyed using was the Cross-Com. The improvements using the Cross-Com are significant; not only can you see what your A
