July 2007

Marvel Trading Card Game

July 6, 2007

DS / Reviews / by Graham Russell Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Earlier this year, the release of Marvel Trading Card Game for PC and PSP was fairly successful, but suffered from expensive digital card purchases and clunky game progression. Now, with the release of the DS port, Konami has tried to put together a simpler, more straightforward title. The team at 1st Playable Productions added in a more traditional online multiplayer that doesn’t require buying virtual packs, and a touch-screen interface that seems a natural fit for the genre.

The game is based on Upper Deck’s VS. System card game, which plays like a faster version of Magic: The Gathering. The charm lies in its use of licensed characters, specifically many versions of comic book heroes like Spiderman and the X-Men. The rules are definitely designed for real-life play, though, and come off as clunky and tedious in electronic adaptations.

Marvel TCG feels less polished than the other versions, but still captures the comic book spirit. The game controls book-style, which is an interesting design decision. On one hand, this allows for the left screen to show a large version of the current card. Sadly, this screen wastes quite a bit of space, and even simple cards require scrolling to read the rules text. The touch screen feels like a compromise between having cards large enough to touch comfortably and allowing for more cards to fit, and the result is just uncomfortable and awkward.

The single-player game is passable. Marvel‘s two campaigns, Hero and Villain, each last at least six or seven hours, and playing through them unlocks increasingly powerful cards, so it isn’t overly tedious.

All in all, Marvel Trading Card Game for the DS is a faithful adaptation of the card game. Maybe it’s too faithful, because the title would benefit from a bit more simplicity. Regardless, it’s hard to argue against leaving things the same. Mostly, though, this game suffers from high expectations. With publisher Konami experienced in making card game adaptations like Yu-Gi-Oh and developer 1st Playable fresh off making sleeper hit Puzzle Quest, this title had the potential to be great. As it is, it will leave store shelves in a month or two as quietly as it entered.

Tenchu Z

July 6, 2007

Reviews / Xbox 360 / by Justin Last Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Ninjas are sneaky, stealthy, quiet, and a blast to play as. That’s the theory, at least. It’s difficult to feel powerful and cunning when your opponents are staggeringly dumb. They don’t look up when I’m crouching on a wall after alerting them to my presence. When one does manage to climb the wall he promptly does an about face, falls off of the wall, suffers a bout of amnesia causing him to walk off thinking, A

Shrek The Third

July 6, 2007

Reviews / Wii / by Chris Rasco Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Shrek and his band of merry misfits have been a staple in Hollywood animation for a few years now. Packed full with more jokes for the parents than the kids the movie pretends to be geared towards, Shrek has become something of a cash cow for Dreamworks Animation Studios. So it should come as no surprise that Dreamworks had a 3rd feature length film based on the loveable orge and everyone’s favorite donkey, and even less of a surprise that Shrek the Third is headed to all of the major gaming platforms.

In past years, a multi-platform release really meant a game was ported between the major systems with little to no difference between versions. Today, with consoles like the Wii and the DS and their very unique control options, more developers are actually tailoring multi-platform games to take advantage of these features. Activision has done just that with Shrek The Third.

Before you even consider picking up Shrek The Third on the Wii, though, make sure you have a the Wii Nunchuck Controller; it is required to play this game. If you’ve already got one – and you should – keep reading.

The storyline of Shrek The Third unfolds just like the movie, so there won’t be any surprises here for those who have already seen it. In a nutshell, and I’m going to spoil it all here for you, Fiona’s father dies, leaving Shrek to become king. To avoid having to rule the kingdom of Far Far Away, Shrek sets out to find Fiona’s cousin, Artie, the only other possible heir to the throne. While on his journey, Prince Charming returns to Far Far Away seeking revenge. As you play through the game, most of the time you will be playing with Shrek, Donkey, and Puss in Boots, but the game switches back to Fiona to advance the plot.

Visually and aurally, the Wii is the weakest of the bunch, but Activision did a solid enough job of utilizing the Wii’s power to not stand out as a sore thumb. Animation was good, if a little hazy, and voice acting and other sound effects rounded out a well-polished effort.

As with all Wii titles, the key to a game’s success is how well the developer makes use of the Wii Remote and its unique abilities. For Shrek The Third, the control scheme feels very strange at first, but then it becomes like second nature. The game sports a bevy of moves that you can perform as any give character. These moves include the normal attack/punch and a power attack move. Thrown in for good measure is a finishing move that becomes available when you stun an opponent. For the Wii, your normal attack is achieved by shaking or A

Call of Duty: Roads to Victory

July 6, 2007

PSP / Reviews / by Graham Russell Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Call of Duty: Roads to Victory is the obligatory PSP port of the series, which has hit most consoles at least twice since its debut in 2003. At this point, most people know what to expect: a standard World War II-based military shooter with a dark, dismal look and solid gameplay. This version is no exception.

The game’s three campaigns allow players to fight with the Americans, Canadians and British, though there isn’t really a story. The control scheme on the PSP is adequate considering the lack of an extra analog stick, with the implementation of an auto-aim function. At times this makes the game too easy, while at others it’s extremely buggy – it’s literally hit-or-miss. To compensate for this simpler control scheme, Activision and Amaze Entertainment have dumbed-down the A.I., though they might have taken it too far.

The game’s look is standard for the series: gray and brown. It sets the atmosphere fine, but there are times when higher contrast might help to see enemies and things more clearly. It’s a stylistic decision, but it does trade gameplay for authenticity.

The multiplayer is fun, though there’s no online play. For a game like Call of Duty, this seems like a mistake. Regardless, the ad hoc modes are the standards: Deathmatch, Capture the Flag and King of the Hill are here, and they’re decent. There’s nothing that sets this apart from other games, though.

It seems like Roads to Victory was an afterthought of sorts. The story, voice acting and campaigns just aren’t captivating or exciting. It’s solid, but there’s no real selling point here. Ultimately, the game’s 14-mission main campaign is just too short to pay full price for, but it wouldn’t be a bad pickup when available on the cheap.

Preview: Brave Story: New Traveller

July 6, 2007

Features / Previews / by Jason Dobson Make a comment! / Tweet it!

There’s something to be said for sticking with tradition. For all the talk of innovation in video games, sometimes it’s the tried and true formulas that have been around for ages that offer the most entertaining experiences. At least that is what Game Republic (Genji series) and Sony Computer Entertainment Studios Japan hope you’ll feel with their latest title, a decidedly old school RPG called Brave Story: New Traveller for the PSP.

While the DS is certainly not lacking for immersive gaming experiences, pickings have always been somewhat more scarce for the PSP. It for this reason that most times when I prepare for a trip, it is Nintendo’s touchable handheld that finds its place among my belongings rather than Sony’s sleek portable.

That said, after spending several hours with the English localized version of Brave Story over the last few days, the PSP has earned a place in my jacket pocket as I prepare to make the trek to Santa Monica next week for E3. In fact, this is the first PSP game in ages that I recall emptying my battery multiple times in succession. Attention span is not something I’m generally known for, but Brave Story, an adaptation of the recently released anime film, has me hooked.

Unfamiliar with the anime source material? Not a problem, as Brave Story: New Traveller stands on its own as an impressive technical achievement of the PSP, offering whimsical dialogue and charm partnered with one of the most immersive battle systems yet seen for the handheld.

Essentially a PS2 quality turn-based RPG, similar to what you might expect from the Suikoden or Wild ARMs franchises, Brave Story puts you in the adventuring boots of a young boy in our world, who through a series of events finds himself in another, questing for mysterious gems that will somehow help awaken his friend in the real world, who has succumbed to a mysterious illness.

And while collecting gems serves as the boy’s primary driver, he also can take time out to collect some of the local birds, which are used in the world’s popular cock-fighting sport. A boy certainly needs his hobbies.

While much of the dungeon and overworld adventuring has thus far been rather nondescript during my time with the game, with bland textures and colors doing little to make one area stand out from the next, it is Brave Story‘s combat system that really sells the title. With an impressive assortment of combination attacks and special maneuvers, as well as the tendency for characters to punctuate their attacks with another follow up strike, combat is seldom if ever dull.

Fights are also generally fast paced, and even the more taxing boss fights I’ve encountered so far have been challenging without being arduous. Also interesting is that characters will many times level up mid-fight, giving them a much needed boost to their stats just in time to deliver the killing blow. Piss off an opponent, however, and you could be in for a rude awakening, as enemies can go into ‘crazed’ mode, essentially making them bigger and hit harder… not always a bad thing since some monsters only drop certain items when crazed.

And while combat is played out as expected through random encounters, these battles seem to crop up at an acceptable interval, keeping frustration at a minimum. There’s nothing worse in a RPG than feeling like you are having to cut a path through monster ever few steps, and so far Brave Story has not invoked that annoyance yet.

Currently scheduled to ship at the end of July in North America, Brave Story: New Traveller should be one that all RPG fans who own a PSP should keep on their map. It far outshines the game’s import PS2 equivalent, Brave Story: Wataru no Bouken. Look for our review when we get back from E3.

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