• 5Oct 08

  The Wii Seems to be Coming on Great

  I really hate it when people whine about the percieved lack of 'good' games on the Nintendo Wii. Because, far from facing a drought of good titles, the Wii actually seems to have the most promising lineup in the coming few months.

  It really is a known fact that on the Wii, as with most other Nintendo consoles, the best games are all Nintendo releases. This, however, has happened because the third party developers and publishers were unable to understand and consequently utilise, the true power and potential of the Wii. This situation is remarkably similar to the situation on the PS3.

  Just in case for the uninitiated, the Wii so far has over twenty titles that can be termed as quality titles, including first party contenders like Super Smash Bros Brawl, Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and some great third party titles like No More Heroes, The Godfather: Blackhand Edition, Medal of Honor Heroes 2, Resident Evil 4 and Okami. The very fact that the game is host to so many great titles within less than two years of its release is frankly a testimony to the quality of hardcore games on the system, and players would really do well to acknowledge it.

  On the other hand, the Wii has missed out o some titles- titles like Prince of Persia or Call of Duty 4, both of which are available on the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3, scrapped a Wii port in favour of a DS spin off title. While this obviously spells good news for DS owners, the Wii really isn't going to get anywhere without proper third party support. We frequently see news items on Gamespot about how 'Ubisoft/EA/[Insert publisher name here] have vowed whole hearted support to the Wii, but we rarely see anything coming out of it. However, the way I see things, that's all about to change now.

  The Wii has some really, really good titles lined up for release. Maybe it's because they don't get as uch hype or media attention, but these are really not considered worthy of attention by many hardcore gamers. I really hope that after reading this, and maybe digging out more info on these titles, people will begin to if not share, then at least tolerate my opinions.

  First up, of course, we have some great shooters coming up for the Wii. These include, but are not limited to The Conduit, Dead Rising, Disaster: Day of Crisis, Call of Duty: World at War and Quantum of Solace. We also have games like MadWorld lined up for release sometime next year. All of these are M rated titles, and a look at the gameplay footage reveals that the gore and violence in these titles is enough to satiate the bloodlust of even the most brutal amongst us. And then of course there's Project H.A.M.M.E.R, which, if all goes well, will probably be released next year as well.

  Games like Tales of Symphonia 2, Castlevania Judgement and Spore, and Spiderman: Web of Shadows, coupled with some regulars like Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Need for Speed Undercover and Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 are all set to strengthen the Wii's stable.

  Then, the next Mario and Zelda titles have already been announced, so there seems to be little doubt that the Wii is set to make a solid return.

  Returning now to the matter of the games already released on the system, one realises that people are perhaps a bit unfair to the system and its titles. For, apart from the third party titles already listed here, we also have some unexpected offerings in the form of the controversy ridden Manhunt 2, the underappreciated de Blob, the oft ignored Bully, and of course, my personal favourite, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. While these games could definitely have been better, they are excellent experiences as they are, and really should be played by all, before an opinion regarding them is formed.

  I would like to conclude by saying that the Wii was an unexpected success- nobody saw it coming- and it went to become a pop cultural phenomenon. The very fact that the Wii was so succesful meant that there would be some backlash, somebalking at its success. These allegations that the Wii lacks good first party titles are baseless, when you stop and consider it. But you won't, nobody will, because, always, the crabs attempt to drag the one who is at the top down.

  • Posted Oct 5, 2008 6:45 am PT
  • Category: Editorial
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• 23Sep 08

  THAT'S IT!!! NO MORE XBox 360 FOR ME!!!!

  This is too much... my sixth 360 wrecked, I've officially denounced and renounced the console... I'm through with it!!!!

  It's actually bad, coz I've had this one for over a year and a half, and I though it wouldn't give me any trouble... sigh...

  It's a pity coz though M$ has great games, their hardware's fundamentally flawed... ah well, at least I can devote more time to my PS3 now.

  Metal Gear Solid 4, here I come, I'm still to finish Act 2...

  • Posted Sep 23, 2008 6:52 am PT
  • Category: Games
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• 30Aug 08

  My Greatest Franchises of all Time List

  A lot has changed in the past three months. As everyone who read my Top 10 list (not many, it seems, going by the comments) will remember, I maintained at that time that I had an aversion to shooters. My list featured ten games, out of which, about one game could qualify as a modern, new gen game. And though that list remains pretty much unchanged even now, I have experienced a lot of other games in this time frame, which have either made me change my opinions, or reinforced my beliefs. In any case, I now feel it is my duty to acknowledge the greatness of these games, and reassert my love and admiration for those which I already liked. And so, I present to you all, My Greatest Franchises of all Time List. As before, I do not expect many to agree. I expect to be denounced as a hopeless freak, a wannabe expecting to be accepted amongst the real 'hardcore' gamers. Yet, what with me being an idiot, I will carry on, undettered, and post this list here.

  As before, it is up to you to decide exactly how much of a freak I am.

  10. ICO/SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS (PLAYSTATION 2; HIGH FANTASY ACTION ADVENTURE)

  ICO/Shadow of the Colossus isn't strictly a franchise. The two games are seemingly unrelated, save spiritually, and in layout. And yet, these two games actually share a bond that is perhaps closer than any shared by any two other games. While officialy, Shadow of the Colossus is ICO's prequel, it is also its spiritual sequel.

  Personally, I haven't enjoyed this franchise a lot (my review for SOTC wasn't exactly glowing). But I will still always admire it for having the nerve to be different, and a beautiful concept that has been executed with equal grace.

  9. RATCHET AND CLANK (PLAYSTATION 2 & 3; PLATFORMER)

  Everybody who's had a Sony console must have played a Ratchet and Clank game at one point or the other. And while the games' "kiddy family image" doesn't appeal to many, there is an equal number out there who love the addictive compulsive structure of these games. Storywise, Ratchet and Clank isn't an epic, and gameplaywise, it treads no new ground. It is, quite simply, a perfect example of a series of game being more than the sum of its parts.

  8. AGE OF EMPIRES (PC & DS; REAL TIME STRATEGY)

  Age of Empires II was the game that hooked me on to RTS's, a legacy carried on by its spin off Age of Mythology, and somewhat diminished by Age of Empires III. While the series did not exactly have a dream start (the original Age of Empires was a disaster critically), it went on to become one of the most respected names in gaming, and its developer, Ensemble Studiuos, a force to reckon with.

  7. BURNOUT (MULTI PLATFORM; ARCADE RACING)

  Burnout was what got me back into racing, after my disillusionment with the genre after the NFS fiascos. Admittedly, Burnout 1 & 2 were nothing special, yet the third game onwards, each entry in the series (barring the DS Burnout Legends) has been a statement of what a true quality game on the respective platforms should be like. For all those who claim EA makes crappy games, run away fast. Your arguements are about to crumble before the Mighty Burnout Force.

  6. MARIO ( ALL NINTENDO PLATFORMS; MULTI GENRE)

  Mario. Now if there's anyone in the gaming world who hasn't heard of Mario, he does not belong to Earth (I would believe he is from Xeptron, a planet in a solare system 300 light years away, thereby explaining how he does not know of this all encompassing series). In any case, I really do not think this series requires a description: over a hundred games, spanning all genres possible and all Nintendo platforms, I believe this has to be the King of Gaming Franchises... only, in my list, it's not, for some obscure, inexplicable reason...

  5. GRAND THEFT AUTO (MULTI PLATFORM; MODERN FREE ROAMING ACTION ADVENTURE)

  I defy anyone who claims he hasn't heard of GTA. Easily the biggest name in modern gaming (barring The Sims, Mario and Pokemon), GTA has produced games that were of top notch quality (GTA IV, GTA III) to games that were apalling (GTA II on Gameboy COLOR). In any case, this is one series that simply cannot be ignored, and so, it figures here on my list.

  4. GOD OF WAR (PLAYSTATION 2, PSP; ACTION ADVENTURE)

  God of War is great. No, its brilliant. Simply put, God of War is the greatest thing achieved by man since space flight... well, okay, not that, but you get it. Kratos' quest for revenge, and his drive to piss as many people off as possible, make for high quality entertaining games.

  3. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA (MULTI PLATFORM; ACTION ADVENTURE)

  Back in the 1980's, we defeated Ganon for the first time and saved the Holy Triforce. Then, we did it again with Zelda II. And again with Link to the Past. And again. And we've been at it ever since, down to the release of Twilight Princess. And we never tire of it. Take a bow, people, and kneel before the King of All Games That For Some Reason Figures At Number 3 On My List.

  2. FINAL FANTASY (MULTI PLATFORM; MULTI GENRE)

  Final Fantasy is almost as old as Zelda, yet it takes an entirely different approach to itself. As opposed to Zelda, which has us doing the same thing again... and again... and again... and again... and... well, you get it... Final Fantasy does something different in every game (not strictly true, but Square Enix paid me to praise the series). It may be debated, and Final Fantasy XIII may have already been termed as 'disappointing' by some (er hem... you know who I'm referring to. You don't? Too bad.), there is no doubt that this is one of the greatest franchises ever.

  1. POKEMON (MULTI PLATFORM; MULTI GENRE)

  An anime with eleven seasons. 10 movies. Over 60 games, and a new company formed to manage the mega multimillion series. Pokemon is the ultimate form of capitalisation of gaming. That's not to say that the games are bad. They are good, heck, they're great. Oh, who am I fooling, man, I LOOVE the games, so much that Pokemon G/S/C was at No. 2 in my Top 10 game list. Pikachu. Love it. Hate it. It's here to stay, along with 492 other critters.

  • Posted Aug 30, 2008 8:50 am PT
  • Category: Games
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