Review: Ragnarok DS

Posted on February 19, 2010 by geelw

Developer: Gravity Co./GungHo Works

Publisher: Xseed Games

# of Players: 1 (1 – 3 Wi-Fi)

Rating: E10+

Score: B

Squeezing a MMORPG down onto a handheld system is a pretty dangerous thing to do when you think about it. For starters, if the game is too condensed from the original PC iteration, longtime fans will want the scalps of the programmers and publishers for ruining their favorite game. On the other hand, if the game goes completely away from what’s expected and tries to innovate too much, unless it does everything new right, it may alienate fans while it tries to please new players. Gravity and GungHo Works have managed to make Ragnarok DS an excellent example of bringing old and new elements together in a supremely addictive dungeon crawler geared towards new and old fans of their online classic. The game pulls you into its world with a nice combination of action and humor, plenty of quests to keep you busy and a fun, challenging multiplayer tower that allows up to three players to explore and battle monsters via Wi-Fi.

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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

Official Site

Score: B

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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Review: Nostalgia (Nintendo DS)

Posted on October 27, 2009 by geelw

Platform: Nintendo DS/DSi

Developer: Matrix Software

Publisher: Ignition

# of Players: 1

Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)

Official Site

Score: A

An excellent game for entry level players or seasoned JRPG veterans who can recall the “good old days” with a wistful smile, Nostalgia is one of the best games in the genre this year. The Matrix Software developed Tecmo/RED co-produced project, some ten years in the making, just feels right from the moment you start playing and it only gets better as the hours zoom by. What makes the game so outstanding are the combination of well-worn genre elements spiced up by a rewarding skills-based battle system and a huge game world absolutely packed with stuff to do and secrets to uncover. The game rarely misses a note throughout and despite a few minor flaws can easily stand up to some of today’s console JRPGs in terms of bang for the buck.

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Review: The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road

Posted on October 24, 2009 by geelw

Platform: Nintendo DS/DSi

Developer: Media Vision

Publisher: Xseed Games

# of Players: 1

Rating: E (Everyone)

Official Site

Score: A

Thanks to the very wise folks at Xseed, Media Vision’s RIZ-ZOAWD has finally come to the US retitled The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road and it’s one truly gorgeous JRPG both genre and Oz fans will love. The game balances classic turn-based combat with a great, innovative stylus centered control scheme that’s sure to be copied in the future by other developers. Nearly everything about the game is grand and feels just right. What’s here is basic enough for entry level players, yet the level of challenge in some spots can make the game tricky enough for RPG veterans to appreciate. This revision of the classic Oz tale doesn’t overstay its welcome either, as the adventure clocks in at a decent enough length and has a nicely done ending that resonates long after you’ve watched the end credits.

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Nintendo Drops Wii to $199, Introduces "World of Nintendo" Gaming Events

Posted on September 24, 2009 by geelw

Of course this has NOTHING to do with all the other console price drops and oddball rebates, folks (*wink, wink*). It’s merely a recession fighting move by Nintendo to keep those Wiis rolling into homes across America (*wink, wink*).

Or something like that – press release below.

Hell, a price drop is a price drop and at $200, the Wii is a more attractive deal now to budget-minded gamers, especially now that more quality games are here or on the way. Personally, I do like those “World of Nintendo” events, which will be PACKED to the gills once word gets out.

Anyway, here you go…

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Natsume’s Animal Kingdom: Wildlife Expedition Now In Stores

Posted on September 23, 2009 by geelw

Natsume really wants to grab your photo safari gaming dollar, that’s for sure. First, Afrika gets announced as gold status for the PS3 and now, Wii owners get their own exclusive snapshot adventure with Animal Kingdom: Wildlife Expedition, which should be in stores as you’re reading this. This is a pretty smart move by the publisher, as this type of niche game seems to find wider appeal among all types of gamers and by having two similar but different games on two different (and not necessarily competing) platforms, gamers with either console will have their simulated safari without having to fork out cash for a new system.

Of course, folks like me with every console will have to end up buying BOTH games, but hey, it’s good news for Natsume, right? A little press release action and screenshots are below the jump.

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Preview: Dead Space Extraction – Bringing Cinematic Sci-Fi/Horror to the Wii

Posted on September 22, 2009 by geelw

Visceral Games in on a two-part mission with its upcoming Dead Space Extraction and it’s an important one. The first part is done: they’ve gone and created a great-looking, dynamically frightening console game designed to scare you right under the couch (while also laying the groundwork for future Dead Space titles). The second part is a bit tricky, meaning it’s all up to YOU to assist by buying the game and experiencing all that hard work put into the project for yourself.

I had the great opportunity to sit in on a live (and informative) Q & A session with a few members of the dev team, who all spoke passionately about the game while dropping a few interesting facts about developing it as a Wii exclusive.

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Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga Gets Ship Date, Web Site

Posted on September 17, 2009 by geelw

It’s allllllllllmost here, department: Xseed Games’ next Wii exclusive, Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga is set to hit stores across North America on September 29, 2009. The K2/Marvelous Entertainment-developed Action/RPG also has an official website up now with loads of great game info, screens, wallpapers and some really nice music from the game playing in the background. In case you haven’t been following the game to date, here’s a quick rundown of what to expect in an easy to digest press release format.

And in case you’re asking, yep, I’m still holding my breath for those VKES interview questions I sent off a while ago. I know that there’s been a LOT going on over at Xseed (including at least one new Xseed baby – Congratulations, Jimmy!), but I’m a supremely patient sort these days…

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