Greetings humans, Monki here with another fancy-dancy Dan's Games of the Week. I've been spending my time in the treehouse prepping my fantasy football team and crushing fools in XBox Live Arcade poker.
I had a rough time tracking down my copy of "The Wizard" on DVD as all my local retailers are not carrying it. The greatest movie of all time, and Best Buy doesn't have it on their shelves. Weak.
So, this week we find a release that I've been anxious about since E3, Saint's Row. This GTA clone is tons of fun and I'm pretty amped to check out the multiplayer aspect that the game features. Okay, time for me to scour the local DVD retailers to find Fred Savage's best work, you guys enjoy Dan's Games of the Week.
Game Releases for the Week of 8/27 - 9/1
Hello people! After last weeks list dominated by Madden, there's a lot to choose from this time, including 3 for Xbox 360, 6 for PS2 and 5 for the PSP (not to mention the excellent Star Fox: Command for the DS). RPG fans won't be disappointed this week either. Here's the full list:
Xbox 360
8/29 Saint's Row - This game makes no excuses or attempts to hide it in any way: it is a GTA clone, with the gameplay mimicking Rockstar's series so closely one can only wonder if the programmers decompiled it and stole code directly. What Saint's Row seems to be missing (judging only from the Xbox Live demo of course), is GTA's excellent story and characters.. here replaced by hilarious caricatures that just really don't seem to work. It does expand on GTA's create-a-player feature, and has impressive graphics and always-fun Havok physics (especially nice is the way if you hit a car just so the driver will tumble out through the windshield). I still plan on renting this one and giving it a fare shake, but with GTA4 on the distant horizon many gamers may opt to wait for the real thing.
8/29 Enchanted Arms - Released as the far-cooler-sounding "eM-eNCHANT arM-" in Japan earlier this year, this is your standard Japanese RPG, complete with requisite Japanese RPG story, Japanese RPG characters, and 50 hours of gameplay. It does throw a few elements into the mix, including XBL play and the ability to move characters around the screen during battles. Created by FROM Software, makers of the excellent but underplayed Otogi and Otogi 2 for the original Xbox.
8/29 Bomberman: Act Zero - Bomberman gets an XTREME Xbox 360 makeover with this incarnation of the endless puzzle franchise. The idea, of course, is you're in a maze, you have bombs, the other player has bombs, and you try and blow each other up. While revamped for the 360 with 3D graphics, the gameplay is relatively unchanged, with the exception of a "duck" feature, which reduces the damage taken by a blast. Of course, it thankfully features XBL play.
PSP
8/29 50 Cent: Bulletproof - 50 Cent comes to the PSP with this new version of his poorly reviewed Xbox/PS2 game. Vivendi wants to get the message out that is not the same game, however, with the developers opting instead for a more unique overheard perspective. With different weapons and powerups to pick up, it reportedly has a hint of classic arcade titles like Gauntlet.
8/29 Def Jam Fight For NY: The Takeover - Oddly enough, the PSP seems to be getting its fair share of high-quality brawlers, what with last month's Tekken: Dark Resurrection, and this, a port of the popular (and well reviewed) Def Jam: Fight for NY. Like the 50 Cent game, this is not a duplicate of the console version, and includes a new storyline to play through. But fans of the original won't find much new with the gameplay: Besides some gameplay tweaks, this is essentially the same fighting engine.
8/29 Super Monkey Ball Adventure - Ah crap, not this game again! Released earlier this month for the PS2, this is Sega attempt to expand on the tried-and-true Monkey Ball formula (i.e. move the monkey in his ball across a puzzle, collecting bananas and reaching the end), adding Monkey Kingdoms to explore. Do yourself a favor: read the reviews of the other version before shelling out the dough for the PSP incarnation.
8/29 Ultimate Ghosts N'Goblins - Those of us who could never get past the second level in the legendarily hard NES game get another shot in this version, exclusive to the PSP and amazingly enough directed by the creator of the original. While it features crisp and new 3D graphics, Capcom hasn't tinkered much with the gameplay mechanics: it's still a side-scrolling platformer, a genre which is personally one of my favorites but which doesn't get much love from the publishers these days. Capcom has added save points (thank jebus!), a new dash attack, and a few new weapons, while keeping the original gameplay intact (I'm sure the temptation was high to turn it into a 3D action game). The only thing missing is wifi coop play, but, hey, a classic gamer can't have everything.
8/31 World Championship Poker: Featuring Howard Lederer - All In - A follow up to last years official World Championship Poker featuring Howard Lederer, Howie returns in this version with improved AI, 18 poker variations, and faster gameplyer with a turbo mode which can substantially increase the number of hands played per hour for you poker pros. Unfortunately for PSP owners, it does not feature wifi play.
DS
8/29 Star Fox Command - See game of the week, below.
Xbox
8/31 Pro Stroke Golf: World Tour 2007 - Tiger Woods' EA game and Microsofts' Links series has typically locked up the loyalties of most golf gaming fans, but newcomer Gusto Games is attempting to lure some away with this title, a golf title that throws in 18 courses, some real-name players, a newish swing mechanic, and an in-depth course designer. No online play here, however.
PS2
8/29 Dance Factory - What ya got here is your typical dance mat game your sister will love, with an added twist she'll really love: you can actually insert your own music cd and watch the game create its own steps based on the tracks. Dance game fanatics probably won't abandon their own K-Pop music to dance to Madonna, but if you're in the right demo, you just might find this title a must buy.
8/29 Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories - Japanese strategy RPG with something like an insane 200 hours of gameplay, Disgaea fans won't be reading this description: they're already standing in line. The sequel has a modified combat system, which uses a unique 3D grid mechanic to determine damage, and there's a whole lot of HP and SP and ZP and such. Fans need only know it's just more of the same.
8/29 Xenosaga: Episode 3 - The Nietzsche-love concludes with this game, the third and final in the series of Japanese RPGs that started way back in 2003. Xenosaga fans will tell you how complex and rich the plot is, but if you're just getting into the series, expect to be thoroughly confused: if you've been playing since part 1, you've already invested dozens upon dozens of hours into watching cut scenes tell the story of the Gnosis phenomenon and Vector industries and nanotechnology, and uh, basically, the quest to save the world from certain destruction. The gameplay is pretty much unchanged with tweaked character customization. There's even a platformer mini-game (with level editor!) thrown in for when you need a break.
8/29 One Piece: Grand Adventure - This is your basic fighting game based on a "wacky" Japanese pirate-themed import tv show. You've got your fighters, your moves, your power-ups, and your simple combos. In a stunning display of synergy, at some points in the game kids will actually be able to perform the same moves they've seen on the show.
8/31 World Championship Poker: Featuring Howard Lederer - All In - See PSP description. Unlike the PSP version, the PS2 incarnation features internet play with support for the Eye Toy that actually beats the same feature (with the Xbox Vision Camera) in the Xbox 360's poker game to the punch: the 360's camera isn't due out until next month.
8/31 Pro Stroke Golf: World Tour 2007 - See Xbox description. Note the PS2 version has the ability to send saved courses to the PSP version, due out in October.
GC
8/29 One Piece: Grand Adventure - See PS2 description.
PC
8/29 The Sims 2: Glamor Life Stuff - Market research says the tweens love The Sims. What does EA do? Get some of their over-worked artists to pump out an expansion pack filled with skirts, evening dresses, and faux designer furniture. Twenty bucks later, your daughter will be happy with this for 15 minutes.
GBA
None
Game of the Week:
Star Fox: Command, Nintendo DS, 8/29
I can't say enough good things about this game, which I've already imported and played through: while it's certainly no Star Fox 64, it does do a good job bringing dog fighting action to the DS. Essentially, the entire game now plays like the free-roaming levels in the N64 version (you use the stylus to fly, which takes some getting used to but eventually becomes as natural as a thumbstick). The action taking place in short bursts based on encounters with enemies on a turn-based-strategy style world map, the idea being you have a limited amount of turns to traverse a map, find a boss enemy, and destroy it. Wifi mode likewise is fun, but watch out for that dastardly enemy of DS stylus action, wrist strain!
Game I'm Playing:
