Well, as the weeks have shown, we’ve been going through a bit of a slump with games, release wise. That isn’t to say there haven’t been some good things released, just that they’ve been fewer than most. But now that we’re entering the holiday months, things are going to start shaping up with A-list titles and big holiday blockbusters. In fact, just this week Nintendo made the official announcement that it’s Wii system will be released on November 19th, just TWO days after the release of the PS3, for a markedly lower price. As they say in wrestling “it’s on, brother”. With Sony delaying the launch of their system in Europe until 2007 and cutting the US shipment from 400,000 units to roughly 100,000 (not to mention the price difference between Sony’s $600 “computer” and the $250 for Nintendo’s “Revolutionary” system) it looks to be a console war with an already decided victor. And Microsoft, who arrived early to the game? They’re dropped arguably their most anticipated game for 360 (other than HALO 3) just FIVE days prior to PS3…GEARS OF WAR. A game versus a system? Oh yeah, that’s balls.

Now, in the meantime, we’re taking a look on some more recently released titles to keep you busy ‘til those blockbusters come a knocking, as well as a feature film that just about everyone who reads this column (or hell, anything else on this site) can relate to.

HEY, YOU GOT YOUR LEGO IN MY STAR WARS!

Once again those two great tastes that taste great together have joined forces to emulate the three Star Wars movies that don’t suck (in block form) with LEGO STAR WARS II: THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY, released this past week on every console that’s currently available. Taking the familiar groundwork from the previous game and kicking into hyperdrive, this new title fixes many of the problems of the first game, while adding a new flash and fun to keep things fresh.

First and foremost, the vehicle stages are greatly improved, not only allowing for more freedom of movement and greater control, but also allowing for 2-player co-op with those missions to not suck. From X-wings to the Falcon itself, every ship flies well and, despite some loop-de-loop hiccups, is pretty fun to do. Also, scattered around other land-based missions are other vehicles, such as land speeders, AT-ATs, or even dewbacks…and many of them you assemble before riding. LEGO building is no longer restricted to the Jedi’s and their forces powers, now everyone can pick up a few bricks and build with ease.

Also, the selection of characters can be increased for most of the versions, simply by already having a save game from the previous title on your hard drive or memory card. Not only that, but you can now also swap parts between characters to make wholly new characters; for example, taking the head of a Stormtrooper and placing it on Slave Leia’s torso, with Darth Maul’s hood and cape…yeah, it’s crazy, and doesn’t really add abilities to the gameplay, but it’s a kooky little fun feature.

Completing certain goals within the levels unlocks a Gold LEGO Brick, such as collecting enough LEGO bits to fill the bar to TRUE JEDI status, or finding all the LEGO kits in a mission. Get enough Gold Bricks per episode to unlock bonus goals, such as a Super Story Mode (where you have to beat all the chapters in an episode within a set time limit) or special character or mini kit modes (where collecting a certain number of LEGO bits within a time frame is your goal). Also returning is the Free Play mode, where you can return to levels already beaten to unlock parts of the stages that you had to pass previous in Story Mode simply by not having the proper character until later. This once again greatly increases the replay value, as well as satisfies those hardcore completists out there.

The LEGO idea is a great way to redo the Star Wars franchise in game without having to rehash the same old gameplay ideas that have been done to death already. It’s cute, it’s funny, and gamers of any age can play and enjoy it. It would be awesome if they did it with other franchises as well, such as Spider-man or Harry Potter, since there’s already LEGO versions of those characters in toy form. Ah, if only…

One Gamer’s Opinion:

BREAK ME OFF A PIECE OF THAT

For the “anime game of the week” this week, we’re looking at ONE PIECE: GRAND ADVENTURE, a sequel to last year’’ excellent ONE PIECE: GRAND BATTLE, available for both PS2 and Gamecube. Honestly, not much has changed between the two games, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. With great control, a good sense of speed and combat, and combos galore, this new title actually adds value with its new game modes, while still retaining all the fun of the original.

For those not familiar with the story of ONE PIECE, a brief refresher. Monkey D. Luffy, a young boy, has aspirations of being a pirate. Not just any pirate, but king of the pirates. To achieve this goal he’s gathering up the top pirates in the land and adding them to his Straw Hat crew in search of the fabled One Piece, the legendary treasure of the former King of the Pirates. To make matters sillier, Luffy has eaten from the Gum-Gum fruit, making his body stretch and bend like taffy. In fact, many pirates have eaten strange fruit to make their bodies react in odd ways, and that’s what makes this fighting game so much fun. Each character has their own unique attributes and all are used well in battles.

The game’s main battle mode is set up kind of like POWER STONE; a 3D battle environment with many item pick ups that can be used to attack or power up, and colorful fast-paced attacks and combos galore. Many of the combatants from the previous game return, as well as a few others with more unlocked in the game’s secondary Adventure mode. Here, you sail around to different locations and recruit members for your ship (or just partake in random battles with certain set goals for each one) in your quest for the treasure and glory. There are many different quests as you travel, and multiple character storylines to take through this mode as well. While the gameplay here works as a basic “lite” version of the main versus mode, it’s still pretty cool and helps advance the story (such as it is).

The previous ONE PIECE game was pretty good, even for an anime game, and its cell-shaded graphics were bright and vibrant, though didn’t quite look like the show. That’s not really a bad thing, as they did the job well, and are repeated here. The audio as well is decent, capturing enough of the character nuances without being overly annoying. Fans of the show will definitely have much to enjoy here, as the list of playable characters is a fairly large one, spanning much of the series.

Good battles, fun combos and wacky characters abound in this game, and I couldn’t be happier. POWER STONE is a great game to emulate, and this title does it well, while still keeping the gameplay fresh and fun, as well as adhering to the show’s characters and story. Definitely a good time.

One Gamer’s Opinion:

EVERY ROSE HAS IT’S THORN

Finally this week we have RULE OF ROSE, a twisted survival horror-esque game for PS2 full of crazy, creepy children, imps, and a dog named Brown. Set in the early 1930s, you play and orphaned girl named Jennifer who comes to a strange orphanage, only to be abused and mistreated by The Aristocrats of the Rose, a group of girls who filled out the “vindictive” and “creepy” boxes on their applications WAY too fully. With your faithful pooch by your side you’ll collect clues and give offerings to the Aristocrats in order to keep them happy and, essentially, keep them from killing you.

Many of you out there who follow the survival horror genre may recognize this game as being similar to another title, HAUNTING GROUND, which was released last year. It too featured a young girl trapped in a big house with a canine companion. This time, however, the game isn’t nearly as scary as that title. Sure, there are weird imp creatures rather than just scary people, but the imps aren’t really even scary…just weird. What makes them even less scary is the fact that you really don’t even need to fight them. Most battles you can just run past them, never needing for confrontations save for the odd boss battle.

More so, the game is more about atmosphere than scares, and while the creepy girl aspect is in full effect, this isn’t a title that playing in the dark with the sound up will enhance. Sure, the cut scenes are beautifully rendered, the music moody and appropriate, and the puzzles are bizarre and intricate, but the game just seems to be bizarre just to be bizarre. The strange Aristocracy of the girls and their requests for items to stave off their seeming harmless bloodlust (”do what we say…or we’ll kill you!”) just ends up being creepy, but not outright horrifying. They really don’t act as viscous as they claim they will, and nothing really pans out to terror, just hints of what could be. Basically, the game wants to be SILENT HILL when it grows up…full of atmosphere, but not really sure of what to do with it.

So, basically what it boils down to is a pretty looking, creepy feeling fetch quest without that impending sense of doom so vital to the genre. It does weird well, but little else. Combat isn’t really clunky, but it isn’t really needed either, and having the dog sniff out clues has it’s troubles with the pooch getting stuck behind items or forgetting what he’s looking for. All in all, it’s a good attempt, but tries to play it safe more than going for the all out freak factor.

One Gamer’s Opinion:

DVD REVIEW – GAMERS

For those of you out there who still game and role play on table tops as opposed to (or including with) consoles, then there finally is a movie for you. Hell, it’s a movie for anyone with an inner (or outer) geek. GAMERS takes the mocumentary format and applies it to five uber nerds as they strive for a world record of 23 consecutive years of playing the RPG “Demons, Nymphs and Dragons” (cleverly abbreviated as DND…gee, I wonder) and profiles each of the players individually, as well as in the game.

The movie is sharp and witty, and sort of slams SPINAL TAP into OFFICE SPACE, with an episode of FAMILY GUY stuck in the middle. Shot documentary style, but featuring flash backs to previous year’s events, the movie’s chronicling of the gamers in question is full of left of center humor and improv galore. While many of the main actors may not strike a chord when you hear their names (though you’re sure to have seen many of them on prime time TV in small roles…hell, one of them even was asked to be a company member of a local theater of mine) it does have it’s fair share of stars in cameos. John Heard (Home Alone) and Beverly D’Angelo (the National Lampoon’s Vacation movies) play mother and father to Gordon, a poor cable access cameraman who still lives at home with his freaky swinger parents. William Katt (best known for the classic THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO) plays the boss of lame gamer Reese, who laments the loss of his favorite character Farrah to “Dungeon Lord” Kevin. Even Kelly LeBrock plays the hot mom of a high school love, and each actor revels in the absurdity of the subject matter and their off beat characters. To hear John Heard talking about getting his freak on, or William Katt opining about the bliss of the Franchise mode in the newest madden football game is priceless alone.

Written and directed with ease and flair by newcomer Christopher Folino, the movie has garnered such awards as “Best Indie Film” from Indie Film Nation and rave reviews across the internet and print (even from former MPS EIC Chris Ryall over at www.comics101.com). The scene breakdowns and interviews with each character brings out their own quirks and drives well, and each has their own bizarre moments to shine. The one thing that kind of takes you out of the documentary style of the film is the flashbacks, but honestly, you’re not going to mind, as these moments offer some of the best laughs in the entire flick.

If you’re an old school role player, know someone who is, or are just looking for that perfect film that makes fun of what you love while still holding it up to the light as a legitimate pastime, GAMERS is your HOLY GRAIL (in more ways than one). Check out all the info over at www.buygamers.com, and you can even look for it in the October issue of Previews magazine and order it at your local comic shop for this November. The perfect holiday gift for your RPG fan.

One Gamer’s Opinion:

Alright. I’m out folks. Next week, more good stuff, including a VIDEO GAMES 101 look at the SPY HUNTER series. ‘Til next time, Game On!

Comments: None