Review: Food Network: Cook or Be Cooked

Posted on November 23, 2009 by geelw

Platform: Nintendo Wii

Developer: Red Fly Studio

Publisher: Namco Bandai

# of Players: 1 – 2

Rating: E

As someone who learned to cook as well as appreciate video games pretty early on in life, I’m always keen on checking out any title that mixes these two passions of mine. Some of the games I’ve played have been fun, some not so fun, but they’re all really interesting in one way or another in how they approach the experience of putting together (and sometimes serving up) a tasty meal. The Food Network: Cook or Be Cooked is very well done and in some respects, feels like one of the shows you’d catch on the popular cable channel. While entertaining and educational, the scoring system can sometimes be a bit too picky about some of your efforts. Nevertheless, as the first ever console game with the FN seal of approval, it hits almost all the right notes fans will appreciate.

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Review: Need for Speed NITRO

Posted on November 9, 2009 by geelw

Platform: Nintendo Wii

Developer: EA Montreal

Publisher: Electronic Arts

# of Players 1-4

Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 +)

Official Site

Score: B+

While the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of Need for Speed: Shift are tightly focused on bringing more realistic racing elements to the long-running franchise, Need for Speed NITRO has been custom built for the Wii as a pure arcade style experience that’s a complete blast to play for the whole family. EA Montreal has done an excellent job here, bringing back the spirit of some of EA’s fun arcade racers from the past such as Rumble Racing and Beetle Adventure Racing while adding bits of Burnout, San Francisco RUSH and some familiar NFS police chase action to the mix. There’s also a fantastically deep and fun customization feature that lets players personalize and drive their rides using the Wii Remote, GameCube controller, WiiWheel or Classic Controller. Between the blazing fast 60 fps racing and the ability for players of any skill level to hop into the game and get racing, there’s more than enough action here to keep you stuck to the sofa for hours at a time.

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Warren Spector’s Disney Epic Mickey Headed to Wii in 2010

Posted on October 28, 2009 by geelw

Deus Ex creator Warren Spector’s Junction Point Studios has been working on a top secret game project for Disney Interactive Studios for a while now and it’s been on my radar for as long as JP has been working away quietly on it. Now, the first official huge chunk of information and assets have now become available. Here you go: the complete press release and a nice set of images including a dev team photo, character renders and a few pieces of concept art.

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Arc Rise Fantasia Headed to Wii From Ignition & Marvelous in 2010

Posted on October 23, 2009 by geelw

Looks as if the Wii is getting another exclusive RPG and a mighty fine-looking one at that. Ignition Entertainment and Marvelous are bringing imageepoch’s epic Arc Rise Fantasia to the US next year. Here’s a quick look at some mostly character-centric screens (and yes, we’d like more, please!):

We’ll have more on Arc Rise Fantasia as news comes in.

Astro Boy: The Video Game Wallpapers

Posted on October 14, 2009 by geelw

Here you go: SIX nice images for your PC using game and movie assets – thanks, D3! These images should fit 1280 x1024 monitors. The game ships on October 20th for the PS2, DS/DSi and Wii. As huge Osamu Tezuka (and of course, Astro Boy) fans, I’m hoping to nab a few reviewables so we can see how it’s turned out.

In Astro Boy: The Video Game, players become the iconic hero, Astro Boy, and take to the streets and skies on an epic adventure to save Metro City from the clutches of the evil President Stone and his robot army. Utilizing Astro’s entire arsenal of iconic weapons and abilities, players will battle hordes of fearsome foes including some never-before-seen enemies across Metro City and the mysterious Surface.

Duck & Cover, Daffy! Mastiff’s Great American Bird Hunt Is Coming in November

Posted on October 13, 2009 by geelw

Now, I could make the requisite “Dick Cheney is an unlockable character” joke, but it’s too damn obvious of a poke at the ex-VP (besides, he might show up on my doorstep). Anyway, if you’re not a PETA member of someone falling off the couch while headed to the phone to call your congressman to complain about whatever, this one actually looks as if it’ll be a lot of fun. Yeah, it’s looking like a more modern version of Nintendo’s classic Duck Hunt, but hey… if it worked back then, it’ll work just as well now.

Of course, this is from a lifelong Noo Yawkuh who’s barely set foot in the woods except for a few years of summer camp and a few trips with forest-friendly pals for camping trips too long ago. Anyway, Cover art, press release, game trailer (that music is a hoot!) and some nice screens below the jump.

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Ju-on: The Grudge Set To Creep Into Stores Next Week

Posted on October 8, 2009 by geelw

Time to get a little bit more frightened if you’re a Wii owner… Xseed Games has announced that Ju-on: The Grudge will ship on October 13, 2009. The feelplus-developed interactive “Haunted House Simulator” looks to scare up sales with its unique use of the Wii remote, genuinely scary moments aplenty and most importantly, creative input from Ju-on creator, Takashi Shimizu.

Don’t expect any big guns, fast-paced action or room sized bosses to do battle against here – the game is a pure test of nerves and what could be called a “true” survival horror experience, as your sole goal in each scenario is to make it to the end of the stage alive. Trust me, folks… it’s harder than you think, especially if you’re scared of the dark, objects moving just out of your vision, strange sounds emanating from your Wii Remote and pure, “jump-out” scares when you least expect it…

A tiny bit of the press release remains to let you know what you’re about to experience… two surviving game images merely hint at the horror to come…

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Review: Dead Space Extraction

Posted on October 6, 2009 by geelw

Platform: Nintendo Wii

Developer: Eurocom

Publisher: EA

# of Players: 1 – 2

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A

In case you’re staring at that cover art and wondering (raised eyebrow and all), Dead Space Extraction works brilliantly on the Wii as both a solid horror game as well as a technical showpiece for Visceral Games and Eurocom. This “guided FPS experience” as it’s been dubbed manages to be scary as hell, spectacular to look and absolutely nails it in terms of the aural assault. In terms of story, the game dishes up an excellent prequel to the events in the PS3/360/PC horror hit Dead Space packed with some great emotional moments that make the original game’s plot all the more poignant. Of course, if you don’t have a PS3 or 360 and your PC can’t run Dead Space, all of this may mean nothing. However, what’s here is certainly solid enough that I could see a few formerly Wii-only gamers eyeballing a new console just to catch up on the first game’s descent into sci-fi themed fear.

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Where the Wild Things Are Website Live – Trailer Revealed

Posted on October 5, 2009 by geelw

WBIE has launched the official web site for Where the Wild Things Are: The Video Game and here you go – the first game trailer:

On the web site, you can check out screenshots from the console and Nintendo DS versions and find out about the film as well as its soundtrack. If you’re lucky enough to be a US resident, you can even enter a contest to win one of six cool Where the Wild Things Are prize packages, one of which will include a brand spankin’ new Xbox 360. So you know what to do, right?

Where the Wild Things Are; The Video Game arrives in stores on October 13, 2009.

Calling Web Site Now Live… Be Afraid.

Posted on October 3, 2009 by geelw

At first, I didn’t know whether or not I should be too scared to look at the darn thing. Then I remembered that I’m NOT at all the superstitious type. So, I cheerily clicked on the Kuroeight link and… Hey! it’s a pretty slick deal of a teaser site. Cool – makes me want to see more of the game, which is a great thing, being a games journalist-type and all…

Of course, if yours truly drops dead in a week thanks to a visit from a creepy little girl with a freaky-looking doll, well… it’s been very nice to know you guys. Anyway, Calling is Hudson’s upcoming Wii-exclusive horror game, yet another for the console which has recently been turning into a paradise of sorts for genre fans. The game isn’t out ’til 2010, but you can get yourselves slightly weirded out (if you really want to) by clicking on that link yourselves.

Go on, I dare you…