We’ve made no secret of our immense love for Okami, the latter-day PS2 adventure that perfectly copied Zelda’s best traits and slathered them with one-of-a-kind watercolor graphics. For years we begged the world to take notice and turn Okami’s unique world into a successful franchise, and at long last, a sequel has finally arrived. But instead of expanding the premise and building on what made the original so alluring, Okamiden essentially repurposes the first game for the DS audience. The result is a well-meaning but compromised version of a gorgeous, captivating world...
Nov 28, 2007
Ontamarama is hard to pronounce. Come on, look at all those syllables. Interestingly enough, the circumstance of its name can also be applied to the game itself. Publisher Atlus gives us a unique sort of dance-puzzle game. And for the most part, it gets us into its groove, only sliding off key in a few areas. Its a creative game that requires both your attention and, unfortunately, your tolerance.
Ontamarama feels at first like another puzzle-music game, and at its core, it is:
Sept 17, 2007
At first glance, Operation: Vietnam is basically a simple, one-player arcade-style top-down shooter - sorta like those super-old arcade games Commando or Mercs. You view the jungle setting from above, and your hard little Rambo look-alike, separated from his team in a helicopter crash, walks in whatever direction you press on the D-pad and shoots directly in front of himself whenever you tap A. And it's all fine, if a bit sluggish. However, first impressions can be deceiving, and
Nov 19, 2007
When we first heard about Orcs & Elves, we weren't quite sure what to expect. Yes, it was originally designed for cell phones (bad sign), but it was also produced by John Carmack and id Software (good sign). Whatever its origins, what matters is that the final product is a solid action-RPG that delivers a satisfying adventure with plenty of wit, humor, guts and
Oct 19, 2007
Ultimate Frisbee is one of those weird sports that nobody plays until they get to college, and most everybody stops playing once they get out of college. Frisbee Golf? Same thing, only geekier. Still, having skipped Calculus class more days than not in favor of tossing the ol' flying disc around behind the dorm, we felt like this was the game for us. Turns out, we were wrong. Not as wrong as most anyone who thinks their high school sweetheart is going to stay faithful once she
Stuck in a rut? Life lost its fizz? Or perhaps you have a more specific problem, such as a dirty monkey and no spa bath to clean him in. Fear not, troubled soul, because Ouendan is just a despairing wail away. Ouendan - Elite Beat Agents here in the States - is the name of the cheerleading squad that turns up whenever a situation turns bad enough to require the kind of fixing that only three guys in trenchcoats, a cheerfully bouncy piece of Japanese pop and some synchronized dance moves can
As if one movie tie-in game for Over the Hedge wasn't enough, now, coinciding with the DVD release, comes Over the Hedge: Hammy Goes Nuts. Capitalizing on the popularity of the movie's leading squirrel, Hammy goes Nuts follows the adventures of Hammy and his friends as they wreak havoc on the neighborhood's human
Overlord on DS is quite a different proposition from the Wii game. Here, you have just four goblin thingies to control, each with its own unique talent (water-resistance, inflammability and so on). These skills have to be applied to a range of simplistic puzzles in order to progress, so expect minion-swapping, block-pushing and switch-pressing aplenty.
