nestlekwik's Xbox - Sep 19 2008

If I was nestlekwik, I would have totally played some games yesterday... but I am obviously not him because that did not happen.

nestlekwik's Xbox - Sep 18 2008

nestlekwik decided to ride the gamer-train yesterday. I will admit it... I was happy. What is the gamer score? 11,205 is what it is! That is an improvement of 25 points over last time! He played NHL 2K9 acquiring 3 achievements, DOOM gaining 4 achievements, Rainbow Six® Vegas 2 gaining 1 achievement, Puzzle Fighter HD acquiring 1 achievement, and then the lightweight went to bed. Freakin' wuss.

nestlekwik's Xbox - Sep 17 2008

nestlekwik rocked out with 11,180 points. That is a boost of 65 points over last time! He opened up NHL 2K9 acquiring 2 achievements, Rock Band 2 winning 4 achievements, and yeah... wow... my processor hurts...

nestlekwik's Xbox - Sep 16 2008

You would think I had died and gone to heaven when nestlekwik showed up to play. Gamer score stands at 11,115. That is an improvement of 75 points over last time! He rallied Rock Band 2 finishing an amazing 6 achievements, and that was that.

Xbox 360 Preview: Sacred 2: Fallen Angel

by nestlekwik

Making some of its first appearances in public, Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, an effort of Ascaron Entertainment and CDV Software Entertainment USA, was on hand at Gen Con Indy at the event’s Atari booth. Michael Tata of CDV had the alpha build of the upcoming Xbox 360 version in tow, giving convention goers a first playable glimpse of the multiplayer action RPG. With the label of “2,” obviously the title comes as the follow-up to 2004’s successful release of Sacred on the PC. The second installment actually serves as a prequel to the story, occurring 2,000 years prior to the events of Sacred.

The main focus of Sacred 2’s plot revolves around a substance known as T-Energy – a powerful blue goo that serves as the source of life and prosperity and powers magic. Given how powerful the substance was, it didn’t take long before the allure of such power divided the people, who then turned against each other in an attempt to control the T-Energy. What originally began as a civil war between the Ancient Elves who once harnessed the amenity soon drew the attention of all of Ancaria’s races, also wanting this energy for themselves. Through the battles, the land has been ravaged and the spilling of T-Energy into the environment has mutated everything existing in it.

While temporary peace had surfaced in the wake of a destroyed land, war is looming once again and the situation provides players with two motives. Sacred 2’s light campaign sees players looking to restore order to the land and prevent the impending war while players can also opt for the game’s shadow campaign in which players only care about their own desires of controlling the T-Energy for themselves. Only one character class returns from Sacred, the Seraphim, with the new entry adding in playable versions of the High Elf, Dryad, Inquisitor, Shadow Warrior and Temple Guardian races. While players can opt to choose either the light or shadow campaign with four the game’s characters, the Seraphim can only be played via the light campaign and the Inquisitor can only follow the way of the shadow.

Each character has its own strengths and weaknesses, of course, with the High Elf excelling in ancient spell craft, the Shadow Warrior being the game’s hand-to-hand expert and the Temple Guardian being able to use long-range energy attacks. Each character can also choose to follow one of several deities and eventually obtain a unique mount from which they can battle. With six characters and varying options, Sacred 2 is already proving to feature a satisfying amount of depth.

The land of Ancaria will also give each character a ton to do through the course of the game, sizing in at one-and-a-half times the size of the original Sacred and its Underworld expansion combined. Michael Tata disclosed to us that the land covers 22 square miles and takes around six hours to traverse by foot, however, some areas can only be accessed by mounts, teleportation, ships or other special means. Within the land, a number of regions divide Ancaria to include a High Elf region, Human region, Orc region, Troll region, Marshland region, Desert region, Seraphim Island, Jungle region, Dryad Island and the wasteland canyon to provide a different environment with unique inhabitants in every region. Every region will be further highlighted through dynamic weather, which provides the game with varying wind and rain along with day and night cycles.

Each character has 15 combat arts available to them from the onset of the game and must be purchased as runes or received through trade or exchange. These arts are supplemented through skills and every move, spell or buff has a complete tree that allows players to improve or modify these actions. With the advancement of characters, more “preload” slots open up for the character, allowing players to create custom combos, acting much like macros to eventually execute four actions in succession. All characters also have a slot to host a permanent buff such as the High Elf’s ability to summon a hell spawn or the Shadow Warrior’s ability to summon the undead.

While players can tackle the game solo, players will miss out on a number of fleshed-out multiplayer modes. The campaign mode will allow players to follow the storyline together with shared loot and experience and unique party drop items may be found. A free mode drops the storyline to give player access to the full map and side quests, creating an ideal mode for power leveling. Players can also tackle waves of enemies together in an arena to build leaderboard points. If working together just isn’t your thing, though, PvP will be featured along with a leaderboard and those who are completely competitive can enter the “hardcore” mode where only one player leaves and losers are permanently destroyed [nasty!]. According to Tata, players will be able to jump in to your game or leave at any time with up to two players on the same console sharing the same screen, with up to four players enable on Xbox Live (the PC version, however, will allow for up to 16 players).

On the surface, Tata is estimating Sacred 2 to provide 40 hours of play in the main mode alone. The story progresses through around 300 quests, but when you toss in side quests, there is going to be more than 1,000 different quests. The enemies won’t make your quests easy, though, as the full version will promise beefy AI in the baddies. In an interesting twist, given the player’s chosen path and alliances, some monsters may even support the player. Morale will also play a part in enemy performance as the death of the group’s leader will result in enemies losing their courage in battle. If you are stronger, the enemies will run away and avoid you or even possibly return with backup in order to even the odds a little. When you throw in massive boss monsters, players will definitely have to think twice about their game plan.

At GenCon, we were able to wrap our hands around the Xbox 360 controller for an alpha-based single-player romp and the experience has us looking forward to the title. While PC players have access to a mess of keys and mouse commands, the 360 version makes simple use of shoulder and bumper combinations, along with menus, to map every feature and command onto the controller. A lot of work is going to be put into the title until its upcoming release, but even at this stage of development, all of the workings of an action RPG are already in place. In a genre dominated by PCs, it’s great to see such an effort being made on a console and with what CDV Software Entertainment is promising us, it seems few other games on the console will be able to match its longetivity and replayability when it releases.

According to Tata, the PC version is just around the corner with a scheduled September 30 release with the Xbox 360 version following up with a November 4 release. Tata also revealed work is being done on a Playstation 3 version, but no specifics were available for that format’s release as of GenCon Indy.

Xbox LIVE Arcade Review: 1942: Joint Strike

The World War II shooter is back! But how does a game with the title 1942 fare in the year 2008?

by nestlekwik

With Capcom’s string of retro goodness being brought to the Xbox 360 in a truly updated fashion, the company’s World War II arcade bullet fest makes its return. Almost 25 years after 1942 first hit arcades, Joint Strike returns the series to its roots and is another example of why Capcom is one of the very few masters of the Xbox Live Arcade domain.

There’s really not much to explain about 1942. Enemies appear; you shoot enemies; you dodge their bullets. There’s nothing complicated about the formula, but that’s exactly why it has worked for decades and the additions and tweaks Joint Strike made to the 1942 series create a very accessible and challenging action game for the Live library.

The replayability of the title is extremely deceptive at first as players who tear through the game on the easiest difficulty may not find much more to do with the game. At the surface, the game is extremely short, weighing in at five stages. However, players can create a number of different experiences by mixing the game’s four different planes (one plane is hidden in the game) with a number of different difficulties and playing with a teammate opens up more attack options. It’s impossible to experience everything in a single play through, so players that put the controller down after downing the final boss will miss a little bit of the game’s depth. If players are willing to devote the time to the title, they’ll find unique ways to play through the short game a number of times.

The graphics might be a tad small, however, they are extremely detailed and small touches such as bellowing smoke from a player’s damaged planes provide suitable visual cues. Audibly, the game is fantastic with a host of familiar music and sound for fans of the series, all while retuning the sound to bring the game up to date. Thankfully, the control is tight and players have much more at their disposal than hammering on a single button to fire. Players will need those tools in order to tackle this very challenging game.

Even on the easiest difficulty, 1942: Joint Strike isn’t a walk in the park. That being said, the game does a good job of walking the fine line between challenging and insanely stupid hard. The four-star difficulty will challenge vets of the bullet hell genre, but any player should be able to find a difficulty at which they can still fully enjoy the game. The genre is a little more niche while compared to Capcom’s other upcoming Live efforts, but there’s still a little something for everyone for anyone who likes balls-to-the-wall action. While the game is short, the online play could be better and more options and variation such as the escape sequence after the first boss would have been extremely welcome, you still get a good retro punch for your money.

GemuBaka Final Review Score: 4 of 5

Playstation 2 Review: MLB Power Pros 2008

These men have no legs! Even without legs, MLB Power Pros is still running strong with its newest installment: MLB Power Pros 2008

By nestlekwik

When you pick up the 2008 edition of MLB Power Pros, you actually aren't getting a much different package than you received with last year's stellar entry. Thankfully, in the case of Power Pros, getting more of the same suits us just fine as MLB Power Pros was a very underappreciated title that is very capable of playing ball with the "big boys." Don't let the chibi exterior fool you - MLB Power Pros 2008 still swings for the fences and comes out on top.

There's really not much to add from our previous review of 2007's installment, aside from the addition of the MLB Life mode and various revamps and updates made to last year's modes and mechanics. The Success mode is just as addictive as ever and the changes give players even more to experience and ditching the fate card system gives players full control of their baseball destiny. Items such as varying pitch speeds, 40-man rosters and other small touches flesh out the experience a little more, but, clearly, the star of this year's effort is the MLB Life mode. In the mode, players can take control of one player through a 20-year MLB career. MLB Life serves as a step-up from Success, as players only man their player during their at-bats and make tons of decisions off the field that determine how popular they are with fans, how contracts are negotiated, who they marry and more.

The Success and MLB Life modes do break the traditional norm, however, for those traditionalists, the Season and Exhibition modes are still present. Between the Success, MLB Life and Season modes, players have potentially infinite game play with the title and having a massive number of slots for created teams and characters can give players a personalized and expanded experience with every single mode. Even though there a sea of menus to surf through, baseball purists will find a jaw-dropping number of statistical depth in the title. The feature set easily ample enough to satisfy the appetite of baseball fans, much like last year's title, Power Pros is simple enough to cater to any crowd, doubling the game's appeal.

While the title features a massive training mode that covers every offensive and defensive aspect of the game, the title still features pick-up-and-play controls. Pitching only asks a player to hold a direction and press X to select a pitch and then using the left analog stick to aim the pitch and batting requires following the pitch with the analog stick and swinging with the X button. All of the other commands common to a baseball title such as stealing bases, diving or jumping for fly balls and base running are mapped to simple one-button commands. Essentially, if you’ve ever played a classic baseball title, you’ll be able to jump straight in and Power Pros will remind you of such classics.

Unfortunately for MLB Power Pros 2008, the majority of the problems we found in Power Pros are all still here. While there are new tunes to listen to, most of the menu music repeats from last year, but the real culprit in the sound department is in recycling the commentator. Jack gives us the goods using the same quotes from last year's game and still falls behind due to disc access and becomes extremely repetitive after a few games. Also, the inability to cycle through fielders creates occasional instances (especially with bullet line drives or ground balls) where a player that is clearly in no position to make the play is automatically selected.

Simply put, if you played MLB Power Pros, there are no real surprises to be found with 2008's effort and the price tag is definitely worth it for anyone seeking a baseball title. While the art might seem odd to some gamers, passing up this classic franchise based on its appearance is criminal. The interior of the game sports more features and replayability than one can even imagine and the simplicity of its gameplay is suitable for even the most casual of gamers. If you're looking to spend $20 on a new PS2 ball title, Power Pros 2008 is more than deserving of your cash.

GemuBaka Final Review Score: 4 of 5

Konami's New Card Game Unleashes the Blue Dragon

By nestlekwik

Thanks to Konami, we were able to get an early hands-on look at a work in progress as the company continues to ready its first collectible role playing card game - Blue Dragon. Of course, Blue Dragon is based off the Mystwalker video game title for the Xbox 360, bringing RPG shadow madness to card tables everywhere when it releases. As seen in the game and anime, each and every card maintains Akira Toriyama's glorious signature art style and from the cards we played with, the art is large and in charge so players will be able to not only toss them down onto the table, but admire them as well.

The game's main hook lies in the fact that it isn't simply a trading card game, but a ROLE PLAYING trading card game. As such, players will have to amass experience points during a battle and accumulated experience points even level up the player in prime RPG fashion. At the beginning of a match, players select a shadow to act as their main representative to launch attacks and place its level one version into the playfield. Through gaining experience points, however, players can substitute the card for a level two or three card once he or she reaches the point requirements printed on the card.

Your shadow will have to rest after your turn is finished, so, thankfully, players have access to cards which currently included helpers, skills and commands. Up to three helpers can be placed onto the field at one time and while a few of the helpers in the demonstration decks do have small amounts of attack power, their primary purpose is to absorb the damage thrown out by the opponent and assist the player with special abilities. Skills and commands allow players to buffer characters, draw cards, negate damage, raise experience, mess with the other player's play field.

The game's ultimate goal through game play is to reduce the opponent's life points to zero and, thankfully, the game forces players to use quite a bit of strategy to do so. It's quite easy to set up a defensive wall of helpers so players will have to utilize all of the tools available to them in order to build experience points in order to play cards that will get around or wipe out an opponent's defense and players will need to do so before the opponent can.

While the demo decks are currently all the same and players should hardly be surprised by the cards at the moment, we can't wait to see the final product so we can check out what other shadows and nasty effects the cards can dish out Konami has in store for us. As it stands now, though, Blue Dragon is definitely an intriguing game with lots of promise and it's obvious Konami knows how great the game is by looking at the amount of support and advertising it is doing for the game. Even at this stage, the game is a blast to play and the experience mechanic brings in a refreshing spin on the overdone "mana" buildups found in a majority of card games. Let's take a look at the demonstration cards released thus far:

Card Listings
Level Up = Amount of experience points needed to advance the shadow one level.
Required Exp = Amount of experience points needed to play the card.
Used Exp = Amount of experience points players need to discard to play the card.
Change Exp = Amount of experience points players need to discard to change the elemental type of the shadow.
Level = The level (currently 1-3) of the shadow.
Attack = The amount of damage points the shadow or helper generates per attack.
Defense = The amount of damage points the shadow or helper can absorb per attack.
EXP = The amount of experience amassed when the card leaves the playfield (unless otherwise noted as part of an effect).

The four phases of a turn include: Draw, Command, Battle, Command

"Shielding" - If a player is going to take damage to his or her life points, a partner may be "used as a shield" to reduce that damage by one point. Partners used as a shield are removed from the play field.

"Group" - Normally only partner can be set into play during a turn, but partners that have a "group" attribute can be played in sets of up to three of the same card in one turn.

"Set" - A card marked with "Set" must be prepared and placed face-down on the play field until it is played.

BDH1-EN001: Phoenix - Shadow - Light Type - Level: 1; Level Up: 0 - Change Exp: 0 - Exp: 1; Attack: 4 - Defense: 1; During your command phase, you can send this shadow from the field to the trash to add one level 2 shadow from your deck to your hand.
BDH1-EN002: Minotaur - Shadow - Light Type - Level: 2; Level Up: 4 - Change Exp: 2 - Exp: 1; Attack: 5 - Defense: 2; During your command phase, you can send this shadow from the field to the trash to add one level 3 shadow from your deck to your hand.
BDH1-EN003: Blue Dragon - Shadow - Light Type - Level: 3; Level Up: 8 - Change Exp: 3 - Exp: 1; Attack: 7 - Defense: 4; Once per turn, during your command phase, you can pay two EXPs to draw one card from your deck.
BDH1-EN004: Shu - Partner - Human - Light Type - Required Exp: 0 - Used Exp: 0 - Exp: 1; Attack: 2 - Defense: 1; During your command phase, you can send this partner from the field to the Exp pool to add one shadow card from your deck to your hand.
BDH1-EN005: Kluke - Partner - Human - Fire Type - Required Exp: 0 - Used Exp: 0 - Exp: 1; Attack: 0 - Defense: 2; During your command phase, you can send this partner from the field to the trash to add one partner card from your deck to your hand.
BDH1-EN006: Jiro - Partner - Human - Earth Type - Required Exp: 0 - Used Exp: 0 - Exp: 1; Attack: 1 - Defense: 1; During your command phase, you can send this partner from the field to the trash to add one skill card from your deck to your hand.
BDH1-007: Blue Dragon & Shu - Shadow & Human - Light Type - Required Exp: 3 - Used Exp: 1 - Exp: 1; Attack: 4 - Defense: 0; When this partner attacks, you must pay one Exp.
BDH1-EN008: Cockatrice - Partner - Animal - No Type - Required Exp: 1 - Used Exp: 1 - Exp: 1; Attack: 0 - Defense: 2; Description: This eater of Rolling Rippers has a vicious beak attack. Its mighty feet end in even more damaging claws. But worst of all, even its breath is a weapon, turning its prey into stone!
BDH1-EN009: Poo Snake - Partner - Animal - No Type - Required Exp: 0 - Used Exp: 0 - Exp: 1; Attack: 0 - Defense: 1; When this partner is sent from the field to the Exp pool, you can add one Poo Snake from your deck to your hand.
BDH1-EN010: Fat Rat - Partner - Animal - Earth Type - Required Exp: 0 - Used Exp: 0 - Exp: 1; Attack: 0 - Defense: 1; This partner must be used as a shield when damage would be inflicted to your life points. You lose one fat rat per point of damage.
BDH1-EN011: Green Grunt - Partner - Animal - Wind Type - Required Exp: 1 - Used Exp: 1 - Exp: 1; Attack: 1 - Defense: 2; This partner cannot be called while there are any Earth (type) partners on your field.
BDH1-EN012: Midnight Ghost - Partner - Ghost - Dark Type - Required Exp: 0 - Used Exp: 0 - Exp: 1; Attack: 0 - Defense: 0; When this partner is used as a shield, all damage is reduced to zero.
BDH1-EN013: Magic Sword - Skill - Sword - Required Exp: 2 - Used Exp: 0 - Exp: 1; Your shadow or one partner gains two Attack.
BDH1-EN014: Endure - Skill - Armor - Required Exp: 0 - Used Exp: 0 - Exp: 0; When damage would be inflicted to a player's life points, send all card from your hand to the Exp pool to reduce the damage to zero. Then draw the number of cards you sent (to the trash).
BDH1-EN015: Critical - Skill - Monk - Required Exp: 0 - Used Exp: 0 - Exp: 1; Your shadow or one partner gains one Attack.
BDH1-EN016: Guard - Skill - Armor - Required Exp: 0 - Used Exp: 0 - Exp: 1; Your shadow or one partner gains one Defense.
BDH1-EN017: Surprise - Skill - Destroyer - Required Exp: 0 - Used Exp: 0 - Exp: 1; Send one command or skill card from your opponent's field to their Exp pool.
BDH1-EN018: Field Barrier - Command - Barrier - Required Exp: 4 - Used Exp: 2 - Exp: 1; Select one partner on your opponent's field and send it to their Exp pool.
BDH1-EN019: Mechat - Command - Combination - Required Exp: 0 - Used Exp: 0 - Exp: 1; Send any number of cards from your hand to the trash to draw the same number of cards.
BDH1-EN020: Copper Necklace - Command - Armor - Required Exp: 1 - Used Exp: 1 - Exp: 1; The equipped partner gains two Defense. When the equipped partner is removed from the field, this card is sent to the Exp pool.

Demo decks include two each of the cards "Minotaur," "Blue Dragon" and "Poo Snake" and one card each of the remainder of the cards. The demo decks are considered half decks (normal decks need to be 40 cards with no more than three of one card and no more than 15 shadow cards) and, as a result, players use a life total of 10 instead of the standard 20.

Playstation 2: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty offers up some huge action to MG fans, but action isn't all that makes a good Metal Gear game.

by MixMasterLar

With Metal Gear Solid 4 now available it's easy to overlook the game known as MGS2. Most reviews at the time of its release give it a 9/10, but everyone since then talks about all the flaws the story and characters have. I don't know how someone can change a review from a 9 to a 6, but some people did and the result is new fans don't know if it's worth playing. One word: Maybe.

MGS2 takes place two years after MGS1, which is pretty much where the story left off. Snake and Otacon escaped Shadow Moses and started a legal anti-Metal Gear organization - well, legal on paper. The game starts with Snake sneaking on a marine tanker to take some pictures of the new Metal Gear the U.S. denied having. Of course, things don't go smoothly. As soon as Snake jumps onboard, the ship is hi-jacked by terrorists being led by Sergei and Salashaska (aka Ocelot). Snake tries to just get the pictures and haul some ***, but Ocelot ends up betraying everyone on anyone's side and destroys the tanker with the help of his new toy, Metal Gear Ray.

Fast forward to two years later, the U.S. President is kidnapped on an oil clean-up plant built to clean-up the crap from Snake's farewell party on the tanker. Campbell sends the fourth Snake into action, renamed "Raiden" for this mission.

I have to stop telling the story here as the Metal Gear games are all about the stories that happen in them. Hideo Kojima does a great job revealing the story and interconnecting all the plots together, the only bad thing is the story itself is, to put nicely, out of this world. While not as far-fetched as, say, having the Teletubbies appear out of the depths of hell, it's safe to say that Robert Ludlum couldn't think of a more crazy storyline himself. While you might start to dislike it later after playing it two or more times, the first time through, you will have a blast.

Another point to make is if you didn't play MGS1 you won't enjoy the game as much. There's too many side comments and other neat things to find that relate to the first MGS game. Some reviews said this game "Was just like the first" and that's only partly true. It puns off the first in ways you can't guess.

MGS2 offers some gameplay changes from MGS1. Yes, it still has the same controls as MGS1, and has overhead-style game play, but it has some new tricks. For most of the game, you will play as Raiden. Raiden is more agile than Snake and can do cartwheels to send baddies to the ground if the need presents itself. I say "if" due to in MG, you need to use stealth to complete the mission or you die. Running around a la Syphon Filter will get you killed so fast that you will puke. For those of you who heard that when MGS1 came out, know this: The terrorist in this game don't just go "back to their lives" like in MGS1. Getting seen here makes everyone come after you, and you can't just leave the area to escape anymore. Furthermore, the big guy will send in more troops if he doesn't get you. More troops = Them finding you faster and you die.

Kojima re-did the First-Person View; you can now shoot while in it to take out enemies with more precise stealth kills. You'll use that the most, since the "Hide in Box" trick doesn't work as well as it once did. Of course, this isn't as real as Kojima likes to brag about; You can refill your health with the press of a button if you have some juice left (Rations) and even though you have a set number of bullets, you can always find more laying around somewhere.

In MGS1, Snake could walk right on the side of a guard and not be seen. Not so here, if Raiden tries the same he will eat dirt pretty fast. While not as efficient as real trained mercenaries (I'm sure), these guys will make you pay if you goof off with them like in the older games. Bosses are harder than the old ones, also.

All Metal Gear games have a great cast of unique characters that make you feel like you're playing out a movie that Hollywood made. MGS2 is no different, but the bosses here are pretty out there. There's Vamp, a blood-sucking bi-sexual; Fountain, a lady who can't be hit by bullets; Solidus Snake, the first child cloned after Big Boss who makes Liquid look like a joke; Rose, Raiden's girlfriend and Mei Ling's replacement ("Jack, do you know what tomorrow is?" on repeat) and then there's Ocelot himself, who has Liquid's arm (biiiiiig "?" there), among some others. While all isn't as it seems in most MGS games, there isn't too many plot twists in the actual characters here. The only characters that were in MGS that play any big role here are Snake, Otacon and the Ocelot/Liquid duo. There are some more, but I'm not spoiling them for you.

Big name composer Harry-Gregson Williams, known for his work in "The Rock" and other action movies, was hired to do most of the songs in the game. While the game still has the famous opener theme, and the ending theme was composed by Rika Muranaka, every other tune was done Hollywood-stlye by Mr. Williams himself. He did a great job and the music reflects the characters feelings well. The voice acting is great, with David Hayter resuming his role as Snake and Christopher Randolph doing Otacon's voice (I have no idea if he did it in MGS1. I think he did, as the voice sounds exactly the same), Paul Eiding, now known for his work in the cartoon Ben 10, reprises his role as Campbell. There's no use in me naming every one in the game, but the acting is great. Your have no complaints about having to hear the characters talk (with the exception of Raiden's girfriend, perhaps. But not due to her voice actor, anyway).

Be glad that the sound is great, because the looks don't do much. Once you get on the plant, almost every room looks the same except for a few changes. Since there's only seven areas in most of the main game, things get really old, really fast. Don't skip the cutscenes, or you wont have a reason to fight. Least said here the better.

While the game's remake - Metal Gear Solid 2 Substance - has some cool extras for people who enjoy that kind of thing, Sons of Liberty only has some backstory for you to read. If you never played Metal Gear Solid, then head right over there, pretend to read the first two pages, and then read Natasha's new book that tells what all that went down through her eyes (even though she didn't seem to be a main character in MGS1, she had ways of knowing everything. She even explains Campbell's actions). Even MGS1 players may want to check it out, but after reading that, all you have is the main game. If you watch all the cutscenes (please do) and the ending credits, the game will take about 20-odd hours to beat. If you want more of Metal Gear after that, you'll need to set the game to hard (Or that awesome mode were you get seen once and it's "Game Over"). Not many extras here.

It's hard to rate this game, but if you like some stealth action and a full, in-depth story that will take a while to get, then this game is just for you. If you like to get 30+ hours out of your game and a lot of fast paced action, then look elsewhere, as MGS2 will make you slow down and be stealthy (there are some very, VERY fast parts later). Overall, though, MGS2 is a great game that easily got lost in the shadows of the other installments.

GemuBaka Final Review Score: 3 out of 5

GemuBaka in Video Game Collector #11

It's still a few weeks away from shipping, but with my editorial debut and MixMasterLar's print debut, we can't wait to share a little bit about Video Game Collector #11, which will be finished on our end this week and will be published in 1-2 weeks.

First of all, just like our issue 10, issue 11 will weigh in at a record-tying 80 pages - full of information and every single one in full color. With our quarterly update, the price guide will of course grow a little in order to feature every single retail release for the current systems through the month of July! You might find a couple of new surprises added to the guide this issue to help make your collecting easier and more efficient than ever!

While our content is still pending in these final waking moments of editorial, we're anticipating five interviews for the new issue. I'm not saying who is being featured just yet, but I think you'll be surprised in the scope and magnitude of the features. Along with the slew of interview content, we're also anticipating at least one or two special guests lending a hand with some of the content.

News & Notes will bring you up to speed on all of the classic announcements made during this year's E3 event and goes a little beyond to pick up on those last minute announcements such as the newest Sonic the Hedgehog game. We're also using our contacts to bring you better previews and high-quality photos so even the most current of gamers are able to pull some great information from the issue.

A number of long-running features return and are better than ever. Issue 11 will contain yet another photo checklist to keep you up to speed on your collecting, a full 10 pages of reviews on classic and newer titles await readers and we'll take a quick trip back to the arcades with The Last Quarter.

Also, we have a few videos posted on the VGC MySpace now that hint at a couple of things you might be seeing in issue 11. Check them out and let us know what you think.

Remember - all of this great content will be published on Aug. 14 and will ship soon afterward. While you wait for that release, though, don't forget you can order any back issue we have in stock or place subscription orders on our site www.vgcollector.com.

Thanks for checking us out and I look forward to issue 11 reaching our readers' hands!

Half of GemuBaka at GenCon This Week

Starting Wednesday, Aug. 13, Video Game Collector Magazine will be setting up shop at Booth 128, right across from the Atari booth and I'll be there to make sure people can't leave without knowing about the magazine.

While you're there, you can chat a few of the writers of the magazine and pick up copies of the magazine, including our newest issue, the big, bad issue 10. If you're attending Gen Con Indy in Indianapolis, we'd really appreciate it if you would stop by and check us out. We'll probably have a few games on hand to play and we're always glad to chat about games until everyone's ears fall off and if you twist our arm a little bit, we might even tell you about issue 11, due in just a few weeks!

Come early during the show and we may even (and, please, this is currently pending so don't hold us to it 100%) have something free to give to you!

Two More Reasons to be Happy!

MixMasterLar and myself are still hard at work on new Happy Hour segments and there are now two August episodes up for your reading enjoyment on J2Games.

The Nestlekwik Happy Hour for August 2, 2008
The Nestlekwik Happy Hour for August 9, 2008

It's still up in the air whether or not we'll be posting a Happy Hour this Saturday, but the best is yet to come as we roll into the fall season.

Preview: MLB Power Pros 2008 (Playstation 2)

We were able to get a small heads-up on the title thanks to Robert Nelson, producer of MLB Power Pros 2008 at 2K Sports, and, thankfully, so far the team has crafted a game that builds upon the great game play of the title's initial entry last year.

Given the success of the "Success" mode, the player's simulation options have greatly expanded with the return of Success mode, which guides players through a choice-based ride through the AA and AAA leagues, and a new MLB Life mode, which, allows players to follow an entire 20-year career of out-of-game choices and at-bats in the Major Leagues. The Success mode retains its charm and random nature as seen last year, but, thankfully, removes the fate card system that twisted players' arms and forced them into choices they don't want to make. If victorious in Success mode, players can import their created player in MLB Life mode as they work on a Major League career that focuses more on your players' at-bats than off-field choices (kind of like the inverse of Success Mode). While Success mode is more about building up your characters' stats, Life details a lot more personal and career choices with players' money buying a lot more such as houses, cars, clothing and hobby items.

The game still looks great on the Playstation 2 and the character models are just as charming as ever. There unfortunately seems to be no new commentary but the rest of the sounds are straight from the ballpark and the customization and statistic options are just as engrossing as ever. If you're looking for a simple, yet fun trip to the ballpark, don't miss out on MLB Power Pros 2008.

More and More Happy Hour

You know the drill - nestlekwik and MixMasterLar get together to discuss gaming and really bizarre things are bound to happen. There is a total of three new episodes up for your reading pleasure so go knock yourself outside with gaming culture goodness and check out the updated swag database! The feature is currently only available on J2Games.com.

The Nestlekwik Happy Hour for July 12, 2008
The Nestlekwik Happy Hour for July 19, 2008
The Nestlekwik Happy Hour for July 26, 2008

The GemuBaka Swag Database (Updated July 22, 2008)

E3 2008: DDR Hottest Party 2

by nestlekwik from Bemanistyle

Last, but not least, we have Hottest Party 2. While Konami has been extremely generic thus far with X and Universe 3, the company certainly hasn't been too shy in throwing out HP2 details.

Konami straight up tells us a few songs we'll find in HP2!
"Makes Me Wonder," "Umbrella," "Black or White," and "We Got the Beat" are specifically named in the "all-new soundtrack including smash-hits from the last four decades."

*Your Wii Mii characters are now able to be incorporated with the game play!

*I don't know what this means right now, but "Brand-New Gimmicks, such as the Minimizer, add to the next evolution in DanceDanceRevolution gameplay."

*The Dance n' Defend battle mode now promises more Wii Remote interaction. While the release states you use "Wii mote movements to beat opponents," I don't think that means you physically beat the opponent with the Wii Remote. It's a shame because full contact DDR could really get people talking about the game again.

*A course mode is added to the game with themed song lists.

*Hidden features can be unlock in a new Groove Arena Mode (sounds just like the Stellar Street or Quest Mode).

*A new training mode allows players to study the dance routines the characters do in the background video displays and perform them to the song.

*All new characters with new outfits, all exclusive to HP2. The character feature enhanced motion capture to be applied to all characters.

*New stages are implemented with more effects to create more than 50 unique environments.

E3 2008: DDR Universe 3

by nestlekwik from Bemanistyle

DanceDanceRevolution Universe 3 - Xbox 360 - Fall 2008

There's still two more games to detail here, so don't go anywhere - next up is the Xbox 360 sequel DanceDanceRevolution Universe 3.

The gist is the same, so let's cut to the chase - more than 70 different songs with music ranging from the '70s to today; a DJ mode makes it debut, allowing players to create their own mixes to dance to; quest mode is retooled to allow players to compete against bosses throughout Dance Dance City (ugh) to become the ultimate champion; customizable characters return with more than 400 options; Konami is promising more Xbox Live support with not only the ability to play online but also "download new music seamlessly"; leaderboards allow players to compete internationally with "a different song list every week."

Songs pulled so far from screens:
Rave Unitl the Night is Over (Universe Edit) by DM Ashura feat. MC Jay and Weronica
Feel the Beat by Master Source
Senses by JT.1UP

NEW Songs pulled from promo video:
Your Angel by DM Ashura feat. kors.k
Less Than Three by Becky (Now Confirmed)

E3 2008: DDR X

by nestlekwik from Bemanistyle

The newest PS2 title openly celebrates the 10th anniversary of the title and features "enhanced graphics, interactive gameplay, an incredible song selection and innovative new game modes." Among the game's described features include a new soundtrack with more than 70 songs, new continuous DJ mixes of multiple songs, a LAN battle mode for up to 8 players through LAN lines on the Playstation 2, a new Street Master mode details unique story lines for more than 10 characters in DDR X, DDR X allows for custom workout and fitness modes, new characters are introduced and Eye Toy support returns.

Songs unveiled through screens thus far:

Tracers (4Beat Remix) by Ruffage & Size
Xmix1 (Midnight Dawn) by dj jiggens
switch by Daisuke Asakura ex.TERRA
Party Lights by Tommie Sunshine
TimeHollow by Masanori Akita (based off the popular series and upcoming game being released in the U.S. by Konami for the DS - comes complete with special animated video)
stealth by Daisuke Asakura
Taj He Spitz by DKC Crew (has specialized video)
Flourish by sonic coll. feat. frances maya
Also found in further screens: Posiedon by NAOKI Underground

Sounds hot! We can't wait for this one to hit in September.

Holy Crap! It's Almost August!

July has almost passed us by, but things just keep getting better for us here at GemuBaka:

-Issue #11 of Video Game Collector Magazine, nestlekwik's editorial magazine debut, is nearing completion

-GemuBaka should be hitting the UAV Jammers podcast at least twice next month - one with nestlekwik solo and another with the full tag team wrath of GemuBaka.

-A developer conference report of Konami and 2KSports' MLB Power Pros 2008 will be up very shortly.

-The Nestlekwik Happy Hour now has front page status on the site J2Games. Rock on!

-Nestlekwik is now a staff writer for the U.S.'s (and possibly the world's) number one site for music video gaming - Bemanistyle.

-Expect a buttload more classic and current video game reviews!

As we flesh out the site some more, please feel free to visit our affiliate
Play-Asia.com - Your One-Stop-Shop for Asian Entertainment
- to check out the latest in Japanese and North American gaming.

Playstation 2 Review: WWE Smackdown! Vs. Raw 2006

by nestlekwik

Adding more floors to a decrepit building doesn't fix the floors below, so why hasn't THQ/Yuke's learned that more isn't always better?

As assuredly as a new Madden game will rear its head every year, THQ forces three games a year on us that feature sweaty men in underwear grappling each other. Fortunately for the Playstation 2, the system receives what is easily the best version of WWE gaming but unfortunately for Playstation 2 gamers, they yet again receive an update instead of a whole new game. For those who bleed the red and white that is the WWE, this is probably a good thing as the fast-paced action will satisfy the chair-swinging urges true fans of the organization have come to expect. However, as a gamer, I continue to grow weary of the "been there, done that, but with different characters," trend these yearly games are continue to follow.

Out of the gate, I do have to say Smackdown! Vs. Raw 2006 (SvR 2006) is a much-needed improvement over its predecessor. The series' graphics have never been better on the Playstation 2, featuring improved wrestler models (both in-game and during pre-match entrances), new subtleties to the environment such as: announcers actually located at their table, and better animations for the wrestlers and the audience. Unfortunately, while the main meat of the game got a huge graphical nudge, the presentation suffers from lame, bare-bones menus and navigation. Most of the menus, outside of the locker room option, are pretty much only text surrounded by a frame - a major step down from last year's much flashier interface.

Not only has the appearance of the game stepped up for the better, the much improved online and match type options join that facet. THQ/Yuke's made amends for last year's pathetic online game play by offering what it should have in the first place - full choice from the game's match types (sans a few), support for up to four players in those matches and the online defense of a player's created title belt. The further addition of stat tracking not only enhances online game play but also makes the possibility of online leagues with your friends, (enemies?) as well as leads to some very prestigious created titles.

Joining the match types this year are: the infamous Buried Alive match where you aim to toss an opponent into a coffin and close the lid, Fulfill Your Fantasy match where you pick two ladies and embarrass the crap out of each other by whacking them with pillows and spanking them, and Backstage Brawl where fights leave the ring and enter the parking lot, a bar or a generic backstage area. I can live without Fulfill Your Fantasy, but the other two new modes offer a few new mechanics and twists to the already existing and rehashed match types. The brawls have some nice environmental cues, which allow you to slam car doors on your opponent's face or crack them over the head with a beer bottle. The Buried Alive match allows for some intense button mashing marathons and the excitement of stopping a casket door from slamming on you when all seems lost.

Sadly, while a good chunk of the game has received a facelift, it is very evident that SvR 2006 was neglected in a few other areas. The sound of everything in the game is the same as it has been since 2001 with the system's first Smackdown! game, aside from the nauseous voiceovers that plague the "career" mode. The sounds of the game boil down to generic slaps, massive slams and a somewhat random crowd. Filled in between is some of the worst commentary you will ever hear in a game - another thing that hasn't changed since Just Bring It! (Smackdown! 3). The disc access on the commentary files is so bad, every time there is a reversal, a pin or a special move, any commentary currently going on is interrupted to provide a new, painfully obvious comment on what has just happened. It sounds clunky and really interrupts the flow of a match. Musically, the game is a mixed bag. While the wrestlers' themes are spot-on, the menus are filled with generic licensed tracks that fail to provide an appropriate mood for in-ring carnage.

The biggest strike against SvR 2006, however, lies in something that didn't change at all - the simplistic, repetitive game play. The game play in the new version was changed on only three fronts: The Irish whip command is now mapped to two buttons; specials can now be stored for possum moves, stealing special moves or stealing taunts, or activated immediately for full damage; and the select button now activates a stamina recharge to prevent your wrestler from getting too tired. The changes merely move things around rather than add new features.

A major annoyance that lingers in SvR 2006 is the sometimes-horrid physics and collision that plagued the previous versions. This strike against the game play engine is most evident while using tables, top rope maneuvers, battling near the audience barricades or moving near the edge of the daunting "Hell in the Cell" cage. Top rope maneuvers are a sort of lost cause unless it is used as a wrestler's finisher as there is no lock-on to your opponent in most cases. When the opponent is lying in the ring, your top rope attacks seem to miss 20 percent of the time. When you dive from the top cell, the game should give you a medal for actually hitting the opponent. Tables are a bit of a headache as grapple animations constantly cause your opponent to fall off the table and bring you down with him/her, the same holds true with animations causing wrestlers to randomly clip to the top of barricades and fall from the top of the cell. While the engine does its job, it isn't nearly as polished as some of my favorite wrestling games of the past.

To further add to matters, game play is still based around who can press a button at the right time to reverse a move. After a couple of matches, you begin to realize this game is pretty much the same as last year's with new characters and a career mode that has flopped for the second year in a row. There just isn't too much more in this version aside from a few upgrades.

Touching on the career mode, your career once again flows along a set path thanks to the decision to add horrible voice-overs for the extremely boring cinemas that precede and follow almost every match. When I have no control over what happens backstage, why should I care? The career mode is basically demoted once again to an arcade mode where the goal is to get from match A to Z without losing. If I want to be a bastard backstage and attack people, let me. If I don't want to go after the world title, let me challenge for a lesser belt. That's what made the earliest versions so much fun - everything was random, you had much more say in what happened, plus it had multiplayer. What used to be the main focus of the earlier games has taken a backseat to getting the wrestlers' voices into the game, adding more useless wrestlers (Scotty Too Hotty? He's still alive?) and providing us with boring and horribly animated cut scenes. As Carlito would say - "That's not cool."

SvR 2006, while it comes as a disappointment based on the other games in the series, can be good for a rental or a semi-occasional romp with friends. While the extremely linear career mode can turn some away, the competitive six-player free-for-alls and much-improved online modes offer a little more bang for your buck than last year's edition. If you can stick through the simplistic game play and horrible sound, you'll find a lot more options at your disposal and a lot more eye candy than any other WWE game on the Playstation 2.

If you love the WWE, you'll love this game, otherwise it's a take-it-or-leave-it affair. All we can do now is wait and see what comes our way next year and see if Midway's upcoming NWA: TNA title can put a little competitive fire under the keister of the THQ/Yuke's development team.

Gemubaka Final Review Score: 3 of 5

DS Review: Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations

By nestlekwik

Capcom aims to please Gyakuten Saiban fans in the United States as Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations concludes the Phoenix Wright trilogy. Before the torch is passed and Apollo Justice takes the stand in Gyakuten Saiban 4, players will get one last taste of the classic Game Boy Advance formula on which the series has garnered much success, but with very few changes made from part two to three, is Trials and Tribulations still guilty of being fun?

Not originally published for the DS, the game hits the United States for the first time in this best-selling reprint of Gyakuten Saiban 3. Again, players are going to have to take the port at face value as the title carries its GBA graphics and sound, but anyone who has played through the first two installments know the true nature of the game lies in its gripping storytelling and mind-bending logic-based game play.

Everything found in Justice For All makes its way into Trials and Tribulations, presenting little difference between the two titles aside from new cases and characters. Part three is served up to dish out fan service to its returning customers as a number of characters and elements from previous games resurface in the new title and at certain points in the game, players will actually be able assume the roles of different characters in the series as they also defend clients from murder charges and investigate crime scenes.

Thankfully, though, Trials and Tribulations extends the game play from Justice for All a little bit thanks to an extra, fifth case. For the most part, all five cases tie together as they piece together the history of Phoenix Wright’s career and the past that has been troubling him since he was student. The conclusion of the trilogy wraps up nicely in the title, detailing what exactly has happened to a number of characters through the course of Phoenix Wright’s career before he becomes enshrouded in mystery in Gyakuten Saiban 4. While five cases might seem short at first, the length and detail required to go through each case provides for a deceptively long title that takes quite some time to finish.

As par with the Phoenix Wright titles, the graphics and sound, although a straight port of the Game Boy Advance quality presentation, both do their job to supplement the quality game play of the title. The characters are presented in huge, vivid sprites that convey the anime-inspired nature of the title and the sound and music, while recycled quite often and are mostly directly from past titles, cue in at appropriate times to set the current mood of the situation. And, of course, who can forget the series flagship igairi battle cry? Objection!

Admittedly, if you haven’t enjoyed the previous two titles, there is no added incentive that will change your mind for Trials and Tribulations. The game is a massive book of text and logic, which will drive away any gamer who doesn’t like to read or think. Also, much like Justice for All, there is little incentive to play through the game multiple times as there is nothing new to do after all of the cases are completed. Hopefully, the U.S. will see the specialized encyclopedia made available with the Japanese Gyakuten Saiban 4 that unlocks gallery content with game progress.

Overall, Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations provides yet another break from the norm with a play style that is perfectly suited for the Nintendo DS. Taking the game with you on the go is much like bringing along a great mystery novel for one those long trips. While the game is another Game Boy Advance port, it in no way hampers the aspect that truly matters - Trials and Tribulations will take you on a ride of its own, engrossing players in an extensive storyline that is hard to put down and sticks in your mind even after you put the DS down.

GemuBaka Final Review Score: 4 out of 5

Preview: Naruto: Clash of the Ninja 2

By nestlekwik

Glenn Stotz, product specialist for TOMY, was kind enough to invite us to yet another phone conference to detail the company's newest announced title based around one of the world's most popular anime franchises - Naruto.

The game in question is the North American sequel to the Nintendo Wii brawler Naruto: Clash of the Ninja, which, much like our previous Naruto preview, brings the U.S. yet another completely original story in the Naruto universe. In fact, Stotz was quite happy to throw the word "new" around quite a bit, promising us a new, original story, new characters, new stages, new gameplay features and new modes.

The most attractive new feature to fans of the series will no doubt be the addition of four original characters to the Naruto universe, introduced for the first time in Clash of the Ninja 2. The quartet is completely shrouded in mystery at this point as Stotz is not uttering a word at this point about the contents of the game's original story and who these characters are and how they are involved, but they will join a cast of three extra characters new to the series, with two never having been in a Naruto game prior to CotN2. While nothing is known about the new story and characters, they will no doubt hold true to the source as the team has been working in collaboration very closely with the team who produces the series' stories. All we know at this point is the game will fall in the Naruto timeline after Sasuke has left the village and it will delve a little into some of the characters' pasts and place them in new situations, facing new enemies. Finally, hardcore Naruto fans no doubt follow the series' Japanese progress, but they should know TOMY is required to follow the American television progress and no Shippuden characters will be present in the title.

Thankfully, this time around, static portraits with dialog are out and the game's original story will be told through fully-rendered cinematic sequences. However, through this delivery, the story remains the same no matter which character you play as and since the story is original to North America, the Japanese voice actors have had no involvement with the title. While this might strike as bad news to some, we think the fleshed out cinematic will make for much more compelling storytelling. Along with brand new voicework from the animated series' cast, players will also get the benefit of a larger number of music tracks since the amount of stages in the game has doubled and the title will also feature new music outside of the battles.

Naurto CotN2 has been in development for nearly a year now and in that time, TOMY has been able to add in a brand new kumite mode. While Stotz labeled it as a variation of the game's survival mode, he noted kumite and several other modes to be detailed at a later date will join the game's time attack, score attack, survival, story and versus modes. The team has worked with the suggestions of tournament players in order to beef up the in-game combat and those playing with a Wii Remote and Nunchuck will get the added benefit of motion controls which will tack on additional damage to attacks and buffers through stances. After activating a special chakara attack, onscreen commands will appear and by following those commands, players can add additional damage to the attack. Also, by holding down the C and Z triggers and entering stance motions, players can give boosts to chakara or attack power or transform. There are more game play features that couldn't be revealed during by Stotz during the call, but players can also opt to play with only a Wii Remote or the Classic Controller or Gamecube controller if they don't mind not having the extra boosts.

Unfortunately, the title will not feature online game play, but Stotz offered up a suitable explaination: "We chose to invest the time in refining the game system and adding content," he said. "With the quickness and nature of the game, it would be hard to properly implement online. We thought that time was better invested in content."

While fans of the original title will be able to dive straight into a familiar title with CotN2, Stotz noted Naruto and fighting game fans won't be disappointed with the game. "It's a lot different due to the original content," said Stotz. "Everything has to be approved by the series' owners. It's a lot more work, but it ends up making the title a lot closer to the series and true to the universe."

Gamecube Review: Digimon World 4

By nestlekwik

While the Digimon series has lent its services to the Playstation One and Sega Saturn and have lead to greatest hits re-releases, none of the games have yet to reach full acclaim. While the concept makes for a good RPG in theory, the weird stories, flat combat and the ludicrous amounts of experience it took to level your characters made for an unfulfilling time, especially considering all of the other superb RPGs on the PSOne developed by Squaresoft.

This time around Bandai sided with all three systems, giving the Microsoft and Nintendo consoles their first taste of U.S. Digimon love. The fourth installment also changes up the format dramatically as the game play now revolves around a 3/4 overhead adventure akin to titles such as Champions of Norrath and Baldur’s Gate. While this change up easily makes it the best in the series - complete with influences from Phantasy Star Online as well as the other aforementioned epics - a small number of nagging issues prevents from being as good as those staple adventures.

Digimon World 4 puts you in the role of one of the four leads which represent the four seasons of the animated series. As you progress in the game with quests, digivolutions become available which not only adds to the total number of characters, but also makes you a heck of a lot stronger for the more advanced difficulties that become available when you clear the game. After choosing your Digimon, you can then choose to outfit your character with one of about 10 classes of weapons as well as various armors, boards and upgrades to further push your attributes. Skill levels can be earned by repeatedly using the same class of weapon and add to the damage done with attacks and high skill levels are necessary to use the more powerful weapons in the game.

The storyline is basically the same as in any other Digimon World game - you enter the digital world and most coincidentally, the crap hits the fan as soon as you enter. While Digimon World 4 takes things on a more serious note, there’s no leaps and bounds in the storytelling for the series and it definitely won’t win any awards. Upon entering the world, you are pitted up against a virus which threatens all Digimon and has created new sectors on the landscape. To make things worse, the brave Leomon and his expedition crews have gone missing. Yeah. You have a lot of work to do.

The digital world is a dangerous place with vast environments and numerous, twisting dungeons filled to the brim with evil at every turn. While some of the monsters are just common goons for you to whack away like weeds, there are also some really, really nasty Digimon who would like to delete your head from your body. The graphics do a nice job of bringing all of the style from the animation to the home console and most of the up close shots look really nice on the Gamecube. The outdoor environments are nicely detailed as well, but when you reach a dungeon level, you’ll be treated some very bland environments for the most part, i.e. lots of black, empty space filling in the areas between walls.

Perhaps the thing that surprised me the most was the really excellent music in the game. The sound is decent, but the music could perhaps be one of the strongest points in this game. Not only are most of the tunes catchy, but they fit well with the theme of the environment, ranging from peppy orchestral themes to more quiet ambient themes while in dungeons. All of the sounds in the game are your pretty typical hack and slash bits, nothing that really stands out, especially since no dedicated voice samples are included in the game.

All of the controls in the game are pretty responsive, utilizing a button for attacking, one for guarding and another for jumping. In addition to those standard moves, you can also do spinning attacks, charge attacks and shield dashes to do more damage or just get out of a hairy situation. The other buttons act as your live menu system for techniques and items, which is alright in most cases, but the menus do not reset after using an item or skill so you may find yourself accidentally wasting an item. Also the menus do reset when your character gets hit, so you may end up attacking instead of healing - which isn’t good when your hit points are in the red. While the menus are navigable during down time, using them when there is an enemy on the screen can lead to some aggravation.

Overall, though, Digimon World 4 is a great game and an excellent 4-player romp through the digital world. The only thing that could make the multiplayer better is if it were online (since it shares so many aspects of the Phantasy Star Online series); something inexcusably missing from the PS2 and Xbox versions. But with how thin the RPG selection is on the Gamecube, fans of the system should overlook the Digimon theme and give the game a shot. There’s lots to do and explore and you’ll always find yourself going back to the same level to find the rarer items in the game. If you’ve got plenty of time to kill, give it a shot. With great graphics, sound, multiplayer and replayability, Digimon World 4 gives the lulling Gamecube a much-needed shot in the arm.

GemuBaka Final Review Score: 4 out of 5

Joining the Achievement Whore War

Anyone (yes, all six of you) who followed us on Rithum.com are no stranger to the news of our Xbox 360 biting a big nipple last fall. In our amazing circumstance, we failed to receive any red rings, but, rather, our DVD disc drive decided to completely stop working. It fails to read discs of any format and when it gives a desperate attempt to do so, it emits extremely loud noises that makes anyone nearby cringe and fear for the disc inside. But don't worry! According to the shit for brains tech support at Microsoft, that is just my fan changing speeds! Whew! I am so relieved ... stupid gits.

Regardless of how my 360 is half the man it used to be, however, I can still boot the system and enjoy the quality Xbox Live Arcade titles or even uses someone else's memory card to transfer my username to another person's Xbox 360! This past month I've been giving friends a run for their money in achievement points and here is the current rundown since beginning this month (I'll need to log online tomorrow to fully update my card and status):

Dragon Ball Z Burst Limit 9 for 70 points
Rainbow Six Vegas 1 for 10 points
Don King Presents: Prizefighter 16 for 275 points
Ninja Gaiden II 16 for 110 points
Hexic HD 1 for 25 points
Feeding Frenzy 2 for 40 points
Joust 1 for 5 points
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 7 for 98 points
Track & Field 4 for 50 points
Double Dragon 1 for 15 points
Smash TV 1 for 15 points
Boom Boom Rocket 2 for 50 points
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night 1 for 10 points
Heavy Weapon 1 for 25 points

Total 63 achievements for 798 points

Not half bad. I could be doing better, but, given my circumstances, I'm quite pleased with the progress. Now if only I had a system at home that could play discs ...

1942 Finally Strikes in July

While we're still waiting what seems like endlessly for the HD Remix of Street Fighter to drop, thankfully, there's good news in the form of the already-released Wolf of the Battlefield and, now, 1942: Joint Strike, ready to strike the 360 on July 23 and the Playstation 3 on July 24.

Both MixMasterLar and I are both fans of the series and I have been practicing up by playing the excellent 1943 emulation found on GameTap's free service (it's been a while since we've plugged the 'Tap, I know). I'm assuming the title will set players back 800 Microsoft Points or $10.00 US, but if it is going to be even half as enjoyable as the WoTB package, it will be money well spent. In fact, if I can be arsed to tear myself away from the Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix beta for a few seconds, we might even write features about the games.

Here's the deal:

1942: Joint Strike takes inspiration and influence from the ‘80s 194X series of World War II-themed vertical arcade shooters. The art, sound and gameplay of the new game take cues from the original 194X games, but will stand out as its own unique entry. Gameplay will resemble the classic 2D style that gamers expect, but the game utilizes a fully 3D engine. Set in a World War II-themed locale, stages, vehicles and weapons have the look and feel of WWII with some stylistic differences.

The new 1942: Joint Strike features 2-player online cooperative play. Graphics and music have been similarly updated by Backbone Entertainment, the developers of this latest entry into the 194X series. There’s also a brand new score for the game created by Norihiko Hibino, an international composer well-known for his work creating music for the Metal Gear series.

Xbox 360 Review: Don King Presents: Prizefighter

By nestlekwik

2K Sports had some noble intentions stepping into the ring with the undisputed champ of boxing, Fight Night. Now that the time for hype is well past us, can Don King Presents: Prizefighter really go toe-to-toe with EA's sim?

Prizefighter is definitely unique in its approach - the game's career is told through a series of faux vignettes recorded by actual boxers, trainers and, of course, The King himself (Don King, not the Burger King guy), in documentary style. Developer Venom Games, formerly at task for the two Rocky games released last generation, has opted to not imitate the right stick punching and has added a number of robust multiplayer modes. While this leads to an overall enjoyable experience, Prizefighter will unlikely be able to wow most players who have had a go with Fight Night.

With the four face buttons on the 360 controller, players have a decent amount of punches to select from while in the ring, ranging from the critical jab to blood-splattering signature punches boxers can throw out by holding a bumper button in tandem with any of the face buttons. Defensive tactics are mapped to the controller's triggers, allowing for sidestep and lunge punches and blocks and sways. Players can execute these moves with around 40 professional boxers or a created character, with which players can train in the game's career mode.

While intriguing at first, players will quickly learn Prizefighter's career mode is just as standard and at times monotonous as those in other boxing games. While Prizefighter thankfully concentrates a little more on improving stats and profile than on the bling your character wears, the presentation and game flow is by no means more extravagant than in games such as Fight Night. Prizefighter is a simple matter of booking a fight, training in mini games and then entering the ring over and over, with the game's benefit of FMV and "story progression" sprinkled in here and there.

Unfortunately for players, almost everything presented in Prizefighter is completely generic - from the lackluster and predictable mini-games to the sound and presentation - people will automatically compare it to Fight Night and the general consensus is the latter game does a boxing game better. This is sorely evident in the game play, which will lead to pure button mash bouts. Thankfully, though, the game does make nice use of stamina to ensure the boxers don't hammer on each constantly like Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, but, still the game lacks the fluidity and flare of Fight Night. Fluidity is the key in a boxing title and Prizefighter just doesn't seem to have it. The animations of the boxers are far from solid at times, some collisions are weak-looking and questionable and the animations seemed canned, resulting in an extra, lingering punch being thrown if a player mashes a button twice in rapid succession. And since the game play relies so heavily on stamina, pumping a boxer full of the stat is simply enough to get by nearly all of the computer opponents in the game, cheapening the skill factor required in a boxing game.

While Prizefighter was touted for its realism, it is hardly so thanks to its clunky fighting mechanics and lack of thorough animation, but the video segments really do highlight the game and the music really shines in the menus and during entrances. On the same audible token, however, nothing else compares as the trainer and commentator samples are extremely repetitive and most of the time, the commentators find it hard to keep up with the pace of the match. While multiplayer and online modes along with unlockables help keep the game slightly interesting, there isn't a lot of replayability to be had.

At the end of the day, Prizefighter can't help be compared to Fight Night and, unfortunately it doesn't come close to competing with it. Overall, most portions of the game are quite generic for this generation, however, the core game play really throws a punch to the players' gut. The animations effect game play and with questionable hit detection at times, Prizefighter fails to please on most levels. Most players should be able to give the game a try, but beyond stomping the career mode and picking up some achievements along the way, Prizefighter has little gas in its tank to keep it running beyond a weekend rental.

GemuBaka Final Review Score: 2 out of 5

Video Game Collector Issue #10 and 11 Mentions

After a long weekend of promoting Video Game Collector and its brand new issue #10, the official MySpace page of the magazine now has photos posted from the event as well as a few goods detailing issue #10 and dropping the first info on issue #11. If you haven't done so, visit the Video Game Collector Magazine official page and put in your orders for individual issues and subscriptions using PayPal. Act fast because VGC issue #11 is hardly more than a month away, scheduled for release on August 14!

Gamecube (JP) Review: Donkey Konga 3

By nestlekwik

The hit parade kept on rollin' for Nintendo's mascot gorilla, with the GameCube's second bongo-slamming iteration hitting the shelves in the U.S. a few years ago. But the schedule was a little more high-paced in the Japanese market with the country having three editions of the game in tow. I scored a copy of the import instrumental years back and have always been quite interested in the cultural differences seen between the two versions.

While the game play in the U.S. and Japanese versions are pound for pound identical, and the U.S. DK2 borrows the interface from DK3, that's about where the similarities end between the countries' freshest installments. So, for those who are eyeing the possibility of expanding their bongo game collection, here's what you can expect from a Japanese mix such as Donkey Konga 3.

The full title of the game (thanks to a translation from Paul Acevedo's excellent FAQ on the game on gamefaqs.com) is Donkey Konga 3: Tabe-houdai! Haru Mogitate 50 Kyoku, or Donkey Konga 3: All You Can Eat! Spring 50 Mix. As you may or may have not pulled from the title, DK3 offers up a healthy buffet of J-culture goodness. Dozens of songs run the gammit of variety and gives everyone something they can enjoy no matter their taste in music.

Unlike the U.S. version, DK3's song selection list features colored tags which distinguish between a number of different music genres. Genres in the game include J-Pop, children's songs, Latin, classical, jazz, game, anime, television commercials and various. The sections will appeal to those who keep in touch with anime and Japanese artists with names such T.M. Revolution and Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi lending their talent and themes from shows such as Gundam Seed, Naruto and Full Metal Alchemist included in the package. The game section will perk gamers' ears and is a welcome addition, which is strangely absent from the U.S. versions. Themes from Super Smash Bros., Starfox and Jungle Beat are present and by playing the game extensively, your coins can be used to purchase pleasant new songs in the "Famicom Mode."

The Famicom, of course, is the Japanese equivalent of the Nintendo Entertainment System (the term is short for the system's full name - the Family Computer) and recognizable themes from games that appeared on the system, both from the Nintendo and Namco brands, litter the mode with more than 10 classic songs. Themes from Super Mario Bros., Zelda, Kirby, Xevious, Mappyland, Sky Kid and more will take you back to the heyday of gaming as you jam along to the beat. If you ask me, Nintendo of America can cut out the pop-rock crap from the U.S. versions and throw this in its place. I still can't fathom a reason for which even the standard games songs aren't in our domestic versions.

But aside from the cosmetics of different songs and a few added modes, Donkey Konga 3 is the same as the first verse. The graphics do their job and the play control is phenomenal thanks to Nintendo's superb bongo controllers. Music and sound is the name of the game when it comes to the music/rhythm genre and Donkey Konga 3 pleases on both fronts. Pulse-pounding (or slow-grooving if that's your style) songs pumping out in stereo and bongo (or other unlockable sounds) beats sounding in time have never been so pleasing to the ears.

To sum everything up: DK3 rocks. The songs have excellent variety and some are even recognizable to American audiences (a song which samples The Locomotion, classics such as The Entertainer and children's songs such as Bingo) and unlocking all of the Famicom songs will take some dedication. While almost all of the text is in Japanese, once you navigate the menus a couple of times, you'll become quite familiar with the setup, especially if you've played the U.S. version of DK2. If you enjoy Donkey Konga and have some interest in the overseas culture, don't delay in picking up an import version of the game.

GemuBaka Final Review Score: 5 out of 5

GemuBaka to be Featured on UAV ... Again

UAV Jammers still isn't safe from GemuBaka with yet another appearance by our gaming masters on one of the upcoming July podcasts. In case you missed it, MixMasterLar provided proper representation on podcast #3 and this time nestlekwik will be at task to not bore listeners to tears. The new show will be recorded on Saturday, July 19 and be posted for all to listen to in a few days' time. Until then, get your fill of proper gaming round table goodness at twenzor.org.

New Happy Hour Goods

Continuing on, another two weeks' worth of material is online at J2Games, featuring both myself and MixMasterLar. The June 28 show featured material from Wizard World Chicago and taking a break for the July 4th weekend, we now have our official swag database up and running again in a new J2Games feature. Don't miss out on the podcast you have to read - The Nestlekwik Happy Hour!

The Nestlekwik Happy Hour for "June 28," 2008
Swag Museum (Updated July 5, 2008)

HD-DVD Review: Dragon's Lair

Happy 25th Birthday Dragon's Lair! With the candles piling on the cake, we take a look at one of Dirk's most recent outings. Does "the game you watch" still hold its merits after all this time?

By nestlekwik

More than two decades ago, the sensation of laserdiscs attempted to sweep the nation and it was no surprise to see video gaming take strides to adapt to this increase in technology. Dragon’s Lair, which acted as an interactive movie to bring unheard of animation and graphical quality to video games at the time, launched an onslaught of laserdisc animation (and later full-motion) titles that briefly spiked an arcade trend. While very few of these titles could touch the quality, appeal and success of Dragon’s Lair, around 40 known U.S. laserdisc cabinets attempted to cash in on the road paved by the game. Now in 2007 as an even newer disc technology arises on the market, the “OG” disc title comes in full circle to shine on a new format.

As stated earlier, Dragon’s Lair plays out as an interactive movie, playing off of the idea brought to us in the beloved “Choose Your Own Adventure” books most of us buried our noses in as a kid. In the title, players assume the role of Dirk the Daring, a knight braving the perils of an evil castle to slay the dragon and rescue Princess Daphne, who is held captive in the slimy clutches of the fire-breathing lizard. The player has no real-time access to the game, but instead uses four directions and an action button to punch in a reaction to a running animation created by ex-Disney animator Don Bluth. The inputs are necessary at key points of the animation – a correct input continues the animation while an incorrect input or lack of input cues a “death” scene which docks a life and restarts the animation from the previous checkpoint.

Digital Leisure is taking the task to roll the classic title in high definition, with an HD-DVD version of the original arcade title, the first game able to output 1080p on the Xbox 360’s HD-DVD player. While the core the game play remains wholly untouched, the animation comes at players in a new light with an overhaul in quality and the 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound also comes in as a new bonus for players reliving the classic.

Aside from the bonus materials (also available in 1080p), the only difference made in game play from the original is the user-friendly input cursor, which appears in the lower-right corner of the screen during the timing window of Dirk the Daring’s critical decisions. While the arcade and a few home versions, such as the 3DO, relied on a brutal trial and error process of navigating the game’s situations, the HD version notifies players when they need to make the life or death decisions and indicates which direction or action was executed. While the version allows for unlimited chances at defeating the dreaded dragon and rescuing the princess, the journey comes around this time as much less frustrating than before.

As I approach my “elder” years, it’s great to see the mechanics and ‘80s animation go untouched into the 21st century, building up nostalgic appeal just like many of Disney’s classic movies, of which Dragon’s Lair matches pound-for-pound in animation quality. The game is further pushed ahead thanks to the new output capabilities and it’s excellent to see the short era of the laserdisc and interactive movie games haven’t been forgotten. However, given everything Dragon’s Lair has to offer, it’s clear the release is intended for those who originally played it back in its day as the game’s most glaring setback is its likely lack of appeal from gamers who weren’t around “back in the day.”

When you boil it down, Dragon’s Lair is a game you watch and the lack of real-time elements, in my experience of watching people play the title, is a huge blow to the genre for younger gamers. And while the game displays a decent jump in quality over its original version, the casual gamer today won’t be able to recognize the advancement and may consider the presentation to be poor in quality. Upon watching today’s gamers play Dragon’s Lair, Dragon’s Lair II: Time Warp, Space Ace, Cobra Command and the like, it’s hard-pressed that they continue playing after a couple of deaths because the concept is so foreign to them they don’t understand what is going on and with that frustration, $50 might be a tough pill to swallow for this new version of the title.

However, such features didn’t keep gamers from pumping quarters into the 1983 arcade release (to testament to its quality at the time, laserdisc games were among the first to require 50 cents to play – pretty dedicated arcade spending for the early ‘80s) and the previous points aren’t really per say complaints and are no fault of the original developer and Digital Leisure by any means. Any gamer who takes the time to understand and get into the title will find there is a couple of hours to be had with the title. Aside from appeal, I found there were a few instances where the action indicator did not appear onscreen to prompt for an action, but other than that, Digital Leisure pulls a fine rabbit out of its hat for the newest version of Dragon’s Lair.

The HD-DVD version is matched by an earlier-released version by the same company in Blu-Ray format, meaning, both Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 owners get a chance to pick the best quality version of the classic arcade title yet to be released. This one is definitely meant for the nostalgic arcade goers of the ‘80s, but there is no reason a new generation of gamers can’t get into Dirk the Daring’s original adventure thanks to the addition of an action indicator to ease the pain of trial and error and the boost in animation and sound quality is a huge plus to anyone who can recall the original release. Now if only Digital Leisure would bring me the Cliffhanger game I’ve been dying to see for myself all these years …

GemuBaka Final Review Score: 4 out of 5

The Nestlekwik Happy Hour Update

We announced our participation with J2Games on June 11, but for those who missed it, here's the deal. Both nestlekwik and MixMasterLar have begun a weekly column on the site, detailing what's going on in our heads at the moment when it comes to gaming. Already pulling in close to 1,100 hits, that makes us about 1000% more successful over there than it does here. Don't worry - GemuBaka isn't going anywhere, but if you want an exclusive taste of what nes and Lar are clamoring about in video gaming, don't hesitate to head over to J2Games and give us a read:

The Nestlekwik Happy Hour Episode 1 (June 7, 2008)
The Nestlekwik Happy Hour Episode 2 (June 14, 2008)
The Nestlekwik Happy Hour Episode 3 (June 21, 2008)

Of course, the newest episode will hit J2Games on Saturday, June 28.