After delays and uncertainty, Disaster: Day of Crisis finally came out in Europe and Japan -- and pretty much bombed. New informationsuggests that Disaster may be planned for a North American release (although we suspect it's more that said release was planned years ago when the game was first unveiled, and just has yet to be cancelled).
But should it? Do you think the game has a better chance here than in other regions? Would you have any expectation of sales, especially given Reggie's low confidence (and thus low likelihood of promotion)? Personally, we want to play it and we don't much care if Nintendo of America profits on it or not. They've got enough money, but we don't have enough copies of Disaster. Feel free to speak from the position of "armchair business analyst" or "person who wants to play a game"!
The Famitsu 40/40 has lost some of its lustre in recent times. Since 1998, the magazine has awarded nine perfect scores, but three have come in 2008, including one for Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
However, even we found the latest game to receive the honor surprising. 428: The World Doesn't Change Even So is a "visual novel," a graphical text adventure from roguelike kings Chunsoft that keeps player interaction to a minimum. In other words, it's very unlike any other game to receive a flawless Famitsu grade. In fact, it's unlike mostother games, period.
We haven't posted a great deal about 428. That's not because we don't find it interesting -- we definitely do. It's because, as Alisha has noted, a game of its ilk is almost entirely impenetrable to our western eyes. Suffice to say, it has now been instantly promoted from "intriguing curio" to "must-own import." Not that a release outside Japan will ever happen.
Some games are a little out there. You've got your No More Heroes brand of weirdness, where collecting coconuts is as commonplace as mass murder and sexual innuendo. On another level, there's Katamari Damacy, where rolling entire cities into a ball is a perfectly acceptable way to repair the cosmos. And then there are the games that are so bizarre, so inexplicably removed from the norm, that they transcend weirdness in a way few things ever have. One of the games is Cubivore.
Though it was released for the GameCube six years ago, it's still hard to believe that Cubivore found its way to the West. Thanks to Atlus, a company known for publishing titles that don't exactly have mainstream appeal, one of the most inherently Japanese games ever made was displaced from its home turf. Cubivore's eccentricity is also its greatest strength -- those few gamers who weren't turned off by its quirkiness discovered an adventure like no other, a fight to survive and evolve into a stronger, faster animal...thing. Its unique, hilarious, downright fun, and Born for Wii.
Every week, Born for Wii digs into gaming's sordid past to unearth a new treasure fit for revival on the Nintendo Wii. Be sure to check out last week's entry in the series, Contra, and for more great titles that deserve your attention, take a look at Virtually Overlooked.
Following the first, second, and third installments in SBCG4AP, I found myself wondering if the fourth episode could keep the pace of the first three. And it's pretty evident in the first few moments of the game that this is another episode that is setting the bar for humor a bit higher. Frankly, they gave me the whole tub of popcorn, but I only needed the edge.
Look at all that majesty. Telltale sent a screen to Wired of the fifth episode of Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, featuring what may be the beefy-armiest sight yet for the downloadable episodic adventure game series: TROGDOR!
Defying all known limits of the awesomeness that can be safely produced by a video game system, this image seems to show Trogdor the Burninator, who was a man -- I mean, he was a dragon-man ... or maybe he was just a dragon ... taking a starring role in Strong Bad Episode 5. What a way to end the series.
If spending your existence selling travel packages to the dregs of society sounds like a peculiar form of Hell, that's because it is -- quite literally. For Manny Calavera, life-after-death in the Land of the Dead is little more than a series of disappointing clients and missed opportunities. But things are astir at the Department of Death. Strange things. On the Day of the Dead, Manny finds his life as an indentured travel agent in serious jeopardy -- but could hope lie in the saintly (and recently deceased) Mercedes Colomar?
Released in 1998, Grim Fandango was an inspired capstone to an era of PC gaming. Though Lucasarts published Escape from Monkey Island in 2000, Grim Fandango represents the last truly great adventure game from the company. Like far too many of its point-and-click brethren, Fandango failed to sell as many copies as it deserved. Few games can match the sheer originality and style Tim Schafer crafted -- a comedy noir set in the Land of the Dead with a Mexican motif is like nothing else out there. In honor of its recent 10th anniversary and place in gaming history, Grim Fandango is this week's game that's Born for Wii.
Every week, Born for Wii digs into gaming's sordid past to unearth a new treasure fit for revival on the Nintendo Wii. Be sure to check out last week's entry in the series, Eternal Darkness, and for more great titles that deserve your attention, take a look at Virtually Overlooked.
If you thought our 7/10 review for Disaster: Day of Crisis was harsh, you should hear what Reggie Fils-Aime -- yeah, that Reggie Fils-Aime -- thinks about it. Twenty-five minutes into IGN's latest Nintendo Voice Chat podcast, Matt Casamassina revealed how Reggie "doesn't think Disaster is a $50 game," and regards the audio as "laughable." Burrrrn.
We have to confess we're slightly dumbfounded to hear Reggie delivering such a hefty haymaker to one of his company's own games ... while speaking on the record, as well. We suppose it's, uh, refreshingly honest?
Screens of Red Fly Studio's Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars are, in general, a joy to look at, not just because of technically lovely graphics, but because of creepy mood lighting and the ridiculous detail that went into modeling the mundane world in which the little guys wage their battles. We have kind of a systematic distrust of screenshots, but we've seenMushroom Men and we can confirm that it looks great.
These screens feature the same level we've seen previously, but it's the one with the giant mutated bunnies, so we don't mind. We're looking forward to the game's release so we can see more environments, though. There's also a puzzle-based minigame that appears to be based on Pipe Dream -- we're guessing it's the one on the minigame menu titled "Morel Mine Car." We'll try not to dwell on it. Nothing wrong with minigames, but we really hope we aren't forced to play Pipe Dream.
We've been waiting for the third installment of SBCG4AP for a little while now, jonesing for a new episode after thoroughlyenjoying the first two. For myself, this third episode is my favorite, as the combination of a "band off," and what I found to be the best writing in the series so far, have come together and dropped hot, delicious gaming action all over my face. Grab your leopard print pants and Squealin' Larry Limozeen Microphone and head past the break for the full review. Well all right!
If Disaster: Day of Crisis were a movie, it would be one of those big, dumb, summer blockbusters, the kind of feature where it's best to leave your brain at the door.
Although that might sound like a criticism, it's not intended that way, because just like over-the-top, thought-free action flicks, Disaster can serve as a guilty pleasure. It's got a Seagal-esque hero who must be one of the most resistant, hardened one-man armies of all time, tons of implausible "escaping death" scenarios, and a script that's cheesier than an explosion in a Roquefort factory. Yet despite all of this, I enjoyed it. Mostly.
We're amazed that Red Fly has managed to finish Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars in time for its November 11th release. Whenever we check in on the game, someone from the studio always seems to be showing the press the latest build, or taking gamers behind the scenes, or chatting to us. Sincerely though, we appreciate the attention, chaps (and Shiggy never returns our calls).
Interactions Design Lead James Clarendon is the latest to be thrust in front of the camera and show off Red Fly's baby, and a mighty fine job he does too. Amongst other things, Clarendon shows us the tutorial level, the clever home-made weapons, the slightly grotesque life meter, and the "SCAV" system. You may have seen much of this before if you've been following the game closely, but now it's all condensed into this one walkthrough. And when is it not a good time to watch Mushroom Men? Never, that's when.
Update: Looks like someone managed to find the listing on USK's site and take a screen grab (head past the break to see it).
Gamefront noticed a listing on the Germany's rating classification website, USK, that showed a new Broken Sword game for the Wii and DS. Our own search of USK's website only turned up a rating from 2002 for Broken Sword on the GBA, however. Even when searching under the Wii and DS system, we found no classification for an Ubisoft-published game.
Personally, we hope the game is in the works. We love the genre and playing a new Broken Sword doesn't sound like too bad a time. What about you all?
Here are two friggity fresh videos from the third episode of SBCG4AP. So far, the series hasn't disappointed and we're hoping for the same from the third chapter, which, if everything goes to plan, should be dropping on WiiWare very soon. Hit up the video above, then head past the break for more.
IGN's Matt Casamassina couldn't stop hinting at a new Kid Icarus game before this year's E3. Even after Nintendo's presentation came and went, Kid Icarus-free, the rumors and Casamassina's insistence had us convinced that Nintendo was just going to spring it on us at any moment; an announcement would come over the loudspeaker on the show floor or something.
In the absence of a new Wii Kid Icarus sequel, I'd be happy to play the other Kid Icarus sequel, Of Myths and Monsters, released on the Game Boy in 1991. As a bonus, it's guaranteed not to be a terrible 3D reimagining.
Sam and Max: Season One has finally released on the Wii. We've been talking about the duo coming to the Wii for some time now. Has the wait been worth it? There haven't been that many reviews yet, so we'll keep updating this post when they come in. But, that's not to say a few outlets haven't tossed their two cents in. So, without further delay, let's get to the scores.
1UP (67/100) explains you'll need lots of patience to get through this one: "The game's still fun and unusual, and it's worth checking out if only to enjoy some of the more clever writing in gaming. But don't forget your patience -- you'll need lots."
Game Informer (70/100) found the gameplay to be lacking: "When the laughter dies and some of the jokes fall flat, however, Sam & Max teeters as its gameplay is unable to support much interest for some stretches." [Sept 2008, p.105]
Nintendo Power (70/100) says the game isn't really that funny: "There are moments of genuine hilarity, but the humor too often feels overwrought or simply falls flat." [Oct 2008, p.89]
Some games are a little out there. You've got your No More Heroes brand of weirdness, where collecting coconuts is as commonplace as mass murder and sexual innuendo. On another level, there's Katamari Damacy, where rolling entire cities into a ball is a perfectly acceptable way to repair the cosmos. And then there are the games that are so bizarre, so inexplicably removed from the norm, that they transcend weirdness in a way few things ever have. One of the games is Cubivore.
Every week, Born for Wii digs into gaming's sordid past to unearth a new treasure fit for revival on the Nintendo Wii. Be sure to check out last week's entry in the series, Contra, and for more great titles that deserve your attention, take a look at Virtually Overlooked.
If spending your existence selling travel packages to the dregs of society sounds like a peculiar form of Hell, that's because it is -- quite literally. For Manny Calavera, life-after-death in the Land of the Dead is little more than a series of disappointing clients and missed opportunities. But things are astir at the Department of Death. Strange things. On the Day of the Dead, Manny finds his life as an indentured travel agent in serious jeopardy -- but could hope lie in the saintly (and recently deceased) Mercedes Colomar?
Every week, Born for Wii digs into gaming's sordid past to unearth a new treasure fit for revival on the Nintendo Wii. Be sure to check out last week's entry in the series, Eternal Darkness, and for more great titles that deserve your attention, take a look at Virtually Overlooked.
IGN's Matt Casamassina couldn't stop hinting at a new Kid Icarus game before this year's E3. Even after Nintendo's presentation came and went, Kid Icarus-free, the rumors and Casamassina's insistence had us convinced that Nintendo was just going to spring it on us at any moment; an announcement would come over the loudspeaker on the show floor or something.
