Tap, Zzz, Tap, Zzz -- Digimon World Championship Review

Anyone who is familiar with the digital pets such as Tamagotchi or Gigapet should already have a fairly clear understanding of the gameplay involved in Bandai Namco 's Digimon Wolrd Championship for the Nintendo DS. In fact, the Digimon product began as a rival to the Tamagotchi and has since "digivolved" to the videogame medium.

Because the Digimon franchise focuses raising and training digital monsters, players will find that the Digimon World Championship experience is more about maintenance and management than actual gameplay. Most of one's time with this game will involve moving Digimon from cage to cage in an effort to boost certain stats or give the little buggers a bit of rest, dropping food in their faces to prevent starvation, cleaning up waste with a broom and dustpan tool, applying bandages, administering medicine, etc.

The clock is always ticking in Digimon World Championship, and a schedule of events lets players know on which days special Digimon title matches will be held. It's important to pay attention and have the creatures healthy and well-rested (with full HP) before registering for a match, and to be sure not to miss events altogether.

Building a stable of Digimon allows the player to compete in battles with other, CPU-controlled monsters for ranks, titles, and money. Unfortunately, Digimon combat is apparently a spectator sport, because the player has no control over anything once a match begins. Every battle's outcome is based on the attributes of the Digimon in the arena, and each conflict plays out like a mini bumper car session on the DS screen. The game features a multiplayer battle mode too, but again, it simply pits one player's trained monsters against another's. Money earned through victory in any of these battles can be used to buy new stat-boosting cages, items to take care of Digimon, or tools to hunt for more of them.

Of everything there is to be done in Digimon World Championship, it is the hunting portion of the game that requires the most input from the player. Here, the task is to shoot, lasso, and capture whichever wild Digimon one's little heart desires. The tamer (that's what us players are called) heads to an area on the map where a number of Digimon bounce around through the grass, between trees and rocks, in and out of caves, etc. By using the stylus to poke, draw circles around, and drag these critters, a player can increase his or her army of warrior-pets.

Digimon World Championship, while not much of a hands-on gaming experience, is a great step up from the digital pets of old, and would be a good choice for the youngest of gamer demographics. Other than that, the game lacks any real gameplay value and is more a time-consuming and minimally enjoyable chore.

Little To Discover -- Infinite Undiscovery Review

An impressive resume goes only so far. Such is the case for developer tri-Ace, whose list of prior accomplishments includes games in the critically acclaimed Valkyrie Profile and Star Ocean series. History aside, the Japanese company's newest creation, Infinite Undiscovery, sets off fireworks with neither its plot nor its action-oriented gameplay style.

While the premise of the story itself is intriguing--a league of liberators fighting an oppressive and militaristic order that seeks to chain the moon to the earth--the delivery of that tale is under-stimulating and struggles to immerse the player in the game world. The full cast of characters is diverse and imaginative, but these fictional individuals fail to come to life through the game's underwhelming writing and acting.

Players assume the role of Capell, a fragile flute player who is imprisoned due to his striking resemblance to the leader of the revolutionaries, and must embark on a journey full of new companions (17 of whom become partially playable party members), enemies, and places to be liberated from the massive moon-chains.

The gameplay is not what one would expect from a traditional JRPG, but is an entirely real-time, action-based setup. Melee attacks, spells, "connect" abilities, item usage, inventory management, etc. all take place without pausing the events of the game world. All enemies appear in the surrounding environment, with battles arising seamlessly (and frequently) as players travel, loosely guided, from location to location.

There is much to do during combat in Infinite Undiscovery. Simple and strong melee attacks are performed and strung together with the A and B buttons, flute songs that produce a variety of special effects are played with the X button, and connect abilities are chosen with the right bumper and initiated with the X and Y buttons. Skills can be combined and set to activate by holding either the A or B button, and restorative actions can be requested from party members using the Y button.

Here, again, the concept is more appealing than the final design, because the game's combat mechanics prove to be more clunky and awkward than one might hope. When mounting a hand-to-hand offense, for example, players will find that Capell makes all too many unnecessary pauses, leaving himself open to enemy attacks. Striking the enemy while simultaneously avoiding the incoming assault becomes more clumsy than it should and would be, had the controls been tightened up prior to release. Infinite Undiscovery is in a gameplay no-man's-land that falls somewhere between the responsiveness of a true action game and the methodical pace of a traditional RPG; it is just out of reach of those "safe zones" at either end of the spectrum, and it suffers as a result.

The game's camera doesn't help matters at all. Much of the time, the closely trailing camera makes it impossible to see the action, and can get so caught up between walls, characters, and other obstacles that the player will find him- or herself fighting just as much to see the opposition as with the foes themselves.

Graphically, Infinite Undiscovery is fairly mediocre, with a number of showy effects that are ultimately more about flash (frame rate-dropping flash) than any sort of detail or aesthetic value. Environments and characters are colorful, but again, there is nothing beautiful about these aspects of the game's visuals. As for audio, most of the characters' voice acting is of straight-to-DVD movie quality, and sound effects and musical score are nothing to get excited about.

Infinite Undiscovery will serve RPG junkies well. It has all of the story elements of a fantasy tale, weapons, items, and character improvement to satisfy those needs, but for the less fanatical RPG players out there, or anyone who seeks a more complete and refined gameplay experience, there are most certainly better ways to spend your time and money.

One Word Review | Killer7

This is One Word Review, a concept that I shamelessly lifted from my friend Creighton over at Nerdology (it's okay, he said I could). The idea behind OWR, as we like to call it, is that videogames are so often rated, reviewed, and discussed to exhaustion that it is sometimes a relief to read a succinct, definitive description of a game--a single word that sums up the most prominent characteristics of the gaming experience. That's the idea, so here goes:

Psychowarped

Rumble | N64 Versus Dreamcast

The Game Crush Rumble is stepping away from comics and fighting games today, and into the realm of the ever-waging console wars. The classic rivalry of Nintendo vs. Sega lives on, as Google Trends host a battle between Sega's final console and its Nintendo-made counterpart--two beloved systems with cultish fan following.

Let the battle begin:

As was often the case over the years, Nintendo has kept a few steps ahead of Sega in this matchup. The N64 has clearly laid the Dreamcast to rest today.

Here And There -- Penumbra: Requiem Review

Penumbra: Requiem is Frictional Games' expansion of their stellar first-person adventure game from earlier this year, Penumbra: Black Plague. While Requiem is an immediate continuation thereof, it appears to draw almost equally as much design influence from Valve Software's critical darling, Portal. Unfortunately for gamers, Requiem doesn't quite live up to the standard set by either of those titles.

Requiem picks up where Black Plague left off, in the minutes after the game's final scene. The team has shifted focus this time around from a story-driven adventure to a segmented first-person puzzle game, where players are placed inside a series of loosely tied, fundamentally different environments, with the sole purpose of reaching each successive level exit and moving another step closer to the game's authoritative resolution.

Within each stage, players use the game's physics engine to manipulate objects in the virtual world and solve the many puzzles that lie before them. Rather than a targeting reticle, as in first-person shooters, Requiem features a hand icon that is used to take hold of cranks, levers, doors, drawers, ladders, ropes, boxes, etc., and players must make the appropriate gestures while clutching said items in order to accomplish their goals. This unique approach to environment interaction is still very functional and still very enjoyable, but many of the puzzles seem somewhat contrived.

The puzzles in Requiem have taken a step away from the practical and intuitive setup of Black Plague towards more arbitrary solutions and a small dose of trial-and-error gameplay. Operating random levers and cranks or rolling an electric ball through a series of chutes are a few that come to mind. There is little consequence or motivation for the player's actions other than to gather the "keys" that open the portal to the next relatively disjointed arena, and there is no crescendo in difficulty as the game progresses.

That's not to say that the core gameplay isn't enjoyable. Requiem features strong platforming elements along with the puzzle mechanics, and players will find themselves jump across many sets of static and moving platforms, navigating narrow ledges, and using boxes and other objects to create paths up, over, around, and through all sorts of obstacles. What they won't find are enemies, and consequently, weapons of any sort. The game is a non-combative affair.

Like other puzzle games, Requiem is very light on plot. Voice-overs by a few characters from the Penumbra series sprinkle esoteric philosophy and references to previous games, but without a fleshed-out storyline acting as a point of reference for many of the themes involved (or without having played the game's predecessors), much of the monologue becomes superfluous. Players are likely to simply focus on the game's puzzles and trudge forward for the three to four hours of gameplay Requiem offers.

With Penumbra: Requiem, Frictional Games has taken parts of the Portal design philosophy, coated the product in the Penumbra series skin, and injected their own unique style of gameplay to make a sort of mixed-breed game that's fun, but ultimately less captivating than its predecessor. For $10 by itself or $20 bundled with Black Plague (required to play Requiem), however, this expansion to the Penumbra series is still worth picking up.

One Word Review | Too Human

This is One Word Review, a concept that I shamelessly lifted from my friend Creighton over at Nerdology (it's okay, he said I could). The idea behind OWR, as we like to call it, is that videogames are so often rated, reviewed, and discussed to exhaustion that it is sometimes a relief to read a succinct, definitive description of a game--a single word that sums up the most prominent characteristics of the gaming experience. That's the idea, so here goes:

Transcendesign

Rumble | Mortal Kombat Versus Capcom

Today's rumble is the final round in the comic world/fighting game mini-tournament, pitting Japanese publisher/developer Capcom against Mortal Kombat, a fighting franchise created as direct competition to Capcom's Street Fighter.

Google is bringing out the weapons, so let us begin:

Fatality! Capcom has been decapitated/dismembered/gutted/de-boned/etc. by Midway Games' Mortal Kombat series. (Mortal Kombat beats Street Fighter, too.) Too bad, because I've always been a big Capcom fan...and I think the Mortal Kombat series is somewhat worthless.

Unitl next time, Rumble fans...

Too Human Scribblings

I recently played and reviewed Silicon Knights' long-in-development Too Human, and the review process ended up being one of the more laborious examinations in recent memory. A great deal of consideration went into my assessment of the title, and along with that came a fairly large text file of notes about the game.

A la Kyle Stallock (from whom I shamelessly stole this idea), I give you my pre-review scribblings about Too Human. Enjoy.

like a movie. some of the best direction and cinematography i've seen in a while.

the graphics are not amazing in a technical sense, but the cinematography, artistic direction, and environment design make up for that

miss the whole backstory unless you let the title screen play out. maybe a bad choice

camera shows you what the devs want. crafted experience. wonderful angles make this an epic experience. a static-yet-mobile camera similar to eternal darkness

controls are good. take some orientation. shooting is like smash tv or...uh...commando. also somewhat like eternal darkness

the game doesn't tutor the player much. help available if sought.

spend lots of time in inventory, changing weapons/armor as you get new. auto-salvage can prevent this to a degree

weapon sets give bonus bonuses

dying is a momentary lapse in the action. consequences=weapon degradation

a vast amount of equipment customization. charms, runes, colors, sets,

there is no way to heal oneself, aside from picking up random health drops (or playing as a bioengineer). class distinctions

catching bits of conversation as you explore helps explain the belief structure of the society and the political situation in too human

the game is divided up into missions that baldr embarks on as the story unfolds. each is introduced via a healthy dose of cinematic narrative and backstory. retrospective flash-back segments and explanations reveal...

past missions can be re-played outside of the main storyline of the campaign mode

5 classes, each with different strengths/weaknesses, skills, proficiencies, equipment, etc

some enemies must be dealt with in specific ways. i.e. explosive enemies must be attacked from afar to avoid getting caught in their explosive death throw. alternatively, a player can use a melee juggle to launch them into the air and have them explode far away. gun-resistant, etc

bosses are visually diverse, but some employ similar attack strategies

party is sorta useless, or at least invisible. you hear them more than you see them. always seem to show up at the path to the next area.

pacing is up and down. the game is abnormally death-inducing......for a no-defense berserker.

the excellent dual-world setup should be taken advantage of more. it tapers off

thor
baldr
loki
grendel
aesir
hod
odin
hel
nidhogg
ragnarok

niestzche - human, all too human...hunting monsters

God Is Dead, Reborn -- Too Human Review

There are occasions when it is difficult to immediately recognize a game's greatness without first allowing it to unfold and reveal its entire composition. Such games often deliver the most satisfying experience to players who opt to explore the content thoroughly and completely.

Silicon Knights' Too Human is that sort of game. This is a piece of software that, like works of literature or film, takes time to develop into something truly praiseworthy. The simply enjoyable combat mechanics evolve into a complex system of character specification; inventory management and equipment customization shift from secondary pursuits into a unified, comprehensive craft; the storyline grows ever more captivating as the game progresses.

Too Human treads the uncommon path of incorporating Norse mythology and 19th-century philosophy into a tale about a technologically advanced civilization of mortal humans and a cybernetically enhanced society of "gods" called the Aesir. The collective group finds itself locked in bitter warfare with an encroaching machine race, and the Aesir are tasked with protecting the population from being harvested by these bloodthirsty sentients.

Serving as the first act in a planned trilogy, Too Human's climax is more the delivery of an intriguing plot point concerning the protagonist (Baldur) than an actual peak in the story's action, and resolution is non-existent; the game ends in a sequel-setting cliffhanger. Despite these shortcomings, however, Too Human is a highly captivating beginning to an epic and meaningful tale about the ills of transhumanism. Wonderfully directed cut scenes and carefully interwoven flashback sequences tie together the action of the core gameplay very well.

Too Human's graphical presentation is not jaw-dropping in a technical sense, but the cinematography, artistic direction, and environment design work together to present players with awe-inspiring scenes, conveying a sense of magnitude that ties directly into the game's plot. The camera is carefully positioned nearly every step of the way, showing players a world exactly as the developers wanted it to be seen. This is a crafted experience, and the static-yet-mobile camera (much like that of Eternal Darkness) provides the angles necessary to make it so. The drawback to this approach is that players have almost no control over their field of view, which occasionally makes combat and navigation more cumbersome than one might like.

For the most part, Too Human captures players in a flow of gameplay that keeps them engaged consistently throughout the experience. Combat is simple enough to carry out using the basic attack mechanics of the right analog stick--push the stick in the direction of the enemy you would like to attack--but also features enough complexities (battle cries, spider abilities, ruiner attacks) to keep players interested as their skills with the system improve. Even dying (the frequency of which depends on the player, class, skill tree specs, etc.) amounts to only a momentary lapse in the game's action and a degradation of equipped items (until repaired). This means that consequences of death are kept in the virtual world rather than being artificially applied to the player's interactive experience with the game.

This seamlessness doesn't go unbroken throughout the entire game, however. Players will gather a massive amount of loot during their quest, and may subsequently spend a great deal of time managing equipment in the inventory menu. New weapons, armor, rune augmentations, blueprints, etc. will all demand attention if the player's character is to grow, especially in the early-goings. Unwanted items must be salvaged to gain bounty (the game's currency), and manually checking equipment and selling it off can be a time-consuming affair. Luckily, there is an auto-salvage feature that automatically trades in items based on a tiered "rarity scale," ditching low-quality equipment without concerning the player. This significantly eases the burden of inventory management, even though it is to a certain degree inescapable.

Too Human is an incredibly customizable experience. In addition to the full sets of armor, various weapon types, equipment tweaks, runes, charms, etc., the game's five distinct classes each demand a different approach to gameplay. The Berserker, Defender, Champion, Commando, and Bioengineer each have heavily weighted strengths and weaknesses, unique skills, proficiencies, and equipment. Each one also has a three-path class skill tree and a two-path alignment skill tree, which players must allocate points to as they gain levels. The opposing paths on each tree are mutually exclusive, meaning that committing to one path will forfeit the abilities found in the other(s). This also means that there are essentially 30 different types of characters (builds) to be played in Too Human, with more alleged to arrive later as downloadable content. The game's story remains the same regardless of character choice.

In the online two-player cooperative mode, class and build characteristics play an important role for party synergy as players travel through the campaign levels (no cut scenes or story integration), rack up experience points, and collect loot. Partnering characters that compliment one another allows players to successfully vanquish foes together. For example, the offensive prowess of a Berserker combined with the restorative abilities of a Bioengineer would make for a deadly team. Characters from the game's single player campaign can be used online, and vice-versa, with all equipment and experience carrying over from one mode to the other. Players can revisit all areas in the single-player game, as well.

Too Human is not for everyone; its gameplay style and/or narrative themes may turn some gamers away before they can even jump into Asgard. The game is, however, a triumph in everything it aims to do. It tells [the beginnings of] an intriguing story through breathtaking cinematography and narrative, introduces a unique and effective combat system, and allows players to personalize their gameplay experience with an extensive amount of customization options. This is an excellent videogame.

One Word Review | Viva Pinata

This is One Word Review, a concept that I shamelessly lifted from my friend Creighton over at Nerdology (it's okay, he said I could). The idea behind OWR, as we like to call it, is that videogames are so often rated, reviewed, and discussed to exhaustion that it is sometimes a relief to read a succinct, definitive description of a game--a single word that sums up the most prominent characteristics of the gaming experience. That's the idea, so here goes:

Cultivative

Rumble | Mortal Kombat Versus DC Comics

Following up on both the latest Game Crush Rumble (Marvel vs. Capcom) and my most recent preview (Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe), today's deathmatch pits the infamously violent Mortal Kombat vs. the generally tame DC Comics.

Google Trends once again plays host to this bloody showdown. Here are the results:

For the second Rumble in a row, videogames have defeated comics, with Mortal Kombat delivering an even mightier finishing blow than Capcom did last time around. I can't say that I'm surprised; DC is made up of a bunch of pansies and Batman.

Next Rumble: Capcom vs. Mortal Kombat...

Ninjabatics -- N+ Review

They say there is beauty in simplicity, and that is exactly the philosophy that SilverBirch Studios aims to capitalize upon with their portable adaptation of Metanet Software's ninja platform/puzzle IP. N+ was originally a freeware flash game (entitled, simply, N), but was ported to Xbox Live Arcade early this year. Now, a ground-up version of the game has found what seems the proper home for such incremental, small-dose gameplay--the PSP.

The game is divided up into small, single-screen levels, through which players must use the momentum-based and super-responsive control system to navigate, collecting golden nuggets from a web of mines, lasers, machine gun turrets, homing missiles, and a variety of other nasty obstacles on their way to the exit. The only tools at the ninja's disposal are his ability to run, jump, and kick off/slide down walls, but those skills are enough to be successful, and have fun (and/or get addicted to) doing it.

Dying in N+ is less a final destination than a short pause in the action, which, along with the against-the-grain minimalist graphical style helps to present a wholly different gaming experience than many of the big-budget, cinematic productions of the current generation of games. A short ragdoll explosion of ninja parts all over the place, and you're right back to the start of the level. N+ is about gameplay, plain and simple--and it works oh so well.

The simplicity of the game's level design, with its grayscale palette (or slightly more elaborate "plus" motif) and clean lines lend N+ to extensive user customization via the included level editor. Here, it is possible for anyone, from the award-winning artist to the least creative kid in class, to create interesting and challenging arenas to play in, and then share them with the rest of the gaming community.

Unfortunately, the online bits of the game are limited to uploading and downloading custom levels, with multiplayer restricted to local-only play. Ad-hoc multiplayer offers up a handful of game types such as Tag, Race, Domination (collecting gold reduces opponent's time), and others, with 100 cooperative and 50 competitive levels to navigate in tandem. While these certainly augment the game's 200-stage single-player experience, N+ would have been more complete and longer-lasting had online play been included.

N+ is a blast, and is perfect for the PSP. It's easy to jump into a game, complete a few levels, and then jump out in a matter of minutes. At higher difficulty levels, a well-trained hand is required to achieve one's goals and extract the maximum appreciation for the title. Being able to create and share custom levels is a huge plus, but I question whether this game is worthy of a higher price tag ($19.99) than all existing versions (curse the cost of physical media). Either way, N+ retains a solid core of refined gameplay that all gamers should enjoy.

One Word Review | Metroid Prime

This is One Word Review, a concept that I shamelessly lifted from my friend Creighton over at eight bit childhood (it's okay, he said I could). The idea behind OWR, as we like to call it, is that videogames are so often rated, reviewed, and discussed to exhaustion that it is sometimes a relief to read a succinct, definitive description of a game--a single word that sums up the most prominent characteristics of the gaming experience. That's the idea, so here goes:

Archeological

Better, Faster, Stronger -- Bionic Commando: Rearmed Review

Xbox Live Acrcade and the PlayStation Network have seen a number of remakes in recent months, with publishers like Capcom leading the way in revitalizing relatively ancient properties for distribution during the current era of gaming. The most recent of these restorations comes in the form of Bionic Commando: Rearmed; fans have pined for this for ages.

Developer GRIN has done a fantastic job at updating the classic NES title while still remaining true to the game's original content. Anyone who has played Bionic Commando in the last 20 years will instantly feel at least a small sense of nostalgia when they see the 3D version of the game's map or receive the first radio transmission from HQ.

In essence, Bionic Commando: Rearmed is just that--a rearming of the original title with a fresh new look, slightly tweaked controls, and a few added features. The 2 1/2-d high-definition visuals look wonderful, and controlling the titular claw-armed soldier feels better than ever.

BCR is an action-platformer in which players must guide supersoldier Nathan Spencer through a series of missions on his way to rescue a comrade in distress. On this quest, he has the help of a grappling gun-equipped arm that acts as both an offensive tool and Nathan's primary mode of transportation. Throughout all of his military training, Nathan apparently never learned how to jump, so this cybernetic appendage is a huge boon.

The bionic arm allows Nathan to grapple ledges and other solid structures, then pull himself toward/over them or use the length of the grappling claw's chain for Tarzan-like urban jungle swinging. The mechanics take a bit of getting used to, but end up being a great deal of fun once mastered. The claw is also useful for removing certain obstacles and for grabbing heavy barrels to launch at enemy soldiers.

A number of swappable weapons, from a simple pistol to a devastating rocket launcher, also help to clear Nathan's path of soldiers, tanks, turrets, and other opposition. In addition to these primary foes, coming into contact with enemy unit icons on the map leads to a Commando-style top-down shooting sequence. Unfortunately, there are only a few of these that repeat themselves with each confrontation.

Boss fights in BCR are big and impressive, and have been re-worked for this version of the game. Each is unique, and forces players to use the bionic arm in creative ways in order to succeed.

Other additions to BCR include 3D puzzles that must be navigated to hack into the enemies' lines of communication, timed challenges, and local competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes. Unfortunately, there is no online multiplayer, which is both puzzling and disappointing.

Bionic Commando: Rearmed is one of the better remakes of one of the better games of the 8-bit era. If you are looking for a fun platformer with unique and inventive gameplay, I'd recommend picking this one up for 10 bucks.

RPG Baseball -- MLB Power Pros 2008 Review

I am a firm believer in the old adage, "never judge a book by its cover," and in few places in the gaming world have I seen the phrase more applicable than in the MLB Power Pros franchise. Despite its childish exterior, Konami's MLB Power Pros 2008 is one of the most full-featured and complete arcade baseball games out there, and by adding rpg elements to a sports title, is also one of the most unique.

Anyone who's played the first MLB Power Pros on the Wii will know exactly what to expect out of MLB Power Pros 2008, because little has changed since last year. Players can choose from a number of typical game modes, such as exhibition, home run derby, practice, season, league play, and team/player management, as well as the series' unique MLB Life and Success modes.

The game uses a cursor-alignment hitting interface that is very similar to what has been used in the All-Star Baseball franchise. Players choose between a contact and power swing, use the analog stick to line up the bat graphic with the ball icon, and then swing with the A button. Only "Wii Remote" mode--a very elementary exhibition or home run derby--makes use of motion controls for pitching and hitting.

The game's normal Exhibition mode is fairly straightforward, allowing players to adjust a number of different settings (teams, lineups, uniforms, stadium, game rules, weather conditions, control settings, etc) before jumping into the action. Home run derby and practice modes are just what one might expect, except for the inexplicable and nonsensical lack of multiplayer support in home run derby mode. In order to have a home run derby with a couple of friends, players must play a series of single-player derbies, rather than taking turns in a unified competition.

Season mode is actually a multi-season affair, and allows players to start from scratch with options for a full draft, created players, expansion teams, etc., or to simply choose an existing MLB squad and customize a handful of league and game settings. Once the season is underway, games can be played out in full, monitored in strategic "fast game" mode, or controlled via a hybrid of both approaches. League mode is a six-team, custom-length mini season, minus the GM work.

Success mode can most aptly be categorized as a baseball-themed role-playing game. Players create a character and bring him up through the ranks, improving skills through play and practice while managing a variety of outside-the-lines obligations such as health, finances, and relationships. The ultimate goal here is to become a successful Major League player. This whole process turns out to be a uniquely fun and moderately addicting experience, especially for gamers who may not be die-hard baseball fans or who may not be interested in all of the nuts and bolts of the game that come along with extensive team management. Success mode has a different set of nuts and bolts to tinker with.

The new MLB Life mode is very similar to Success mode, but focuses on a Major Leaguer's career over the span of 20 years. Either a real-life ballplayer or a custom creation can be used in MLB Life, and players will be responsible for keeping him equipped with the best gloves, bats, workout equipment, cars, houses, etc. Even marriage, children, and charitable donations come into play throughout the career. This focus on the individual is further exemplified by the fact that only the player's at-bats are played out; the rest of the team's performance is simulated. There's no "I" in team, but there is a "me."

Speaking of things that are NOT included, players won't find any sort of online play in MLB Power Pros 2008. They won't find any decent (or even coherent) commentary, either. The announcers in this game may be the worst I've heard in a baseball videogame in the last 10 years. On multiple occasions (that means at least once an inning), they will call a play that never happened, make up game situations that don't exist, or say something else that simply doesn't make any sense. Not only is it bad, it is sad to hear.

MLB Power Pros 2008 is a solid baseball game. The breadth of options that are included on this disc will appeal to baseball fanatics, casual fans, and non-fans alike. Major deterrents for the most staunch simulation players would clearly be the game's audio/visual presentation and its overly forgiving gameplay difficulty, but for what it offers (and that's a lot), it gets the job done and lets you have fun.

One Word Review | Eternal Darkness

This is One Word Review, a concept that I shamelessly lifted from my friend Creighton over at eight bit childhood (it's okay, he said I could). The idea behind OWR, as we like to call it, is that videogames are so often rated, reviewed, and discussed to exhaustion that it is sometimes a relief to read a succinct, definitive description of a game--a single word that sums up the most prominent characteristics of the gaming experience. That's the idea, so here goes:

Mindsnaring

Flyin' High -- 1942: Joint Strike Review

Firing up 1942: Joint Strike on the Xbox 360 conjures up fond memories of virtual journeys through the Pacific Theater, when Capcom's original arcade version (and subsequent ports) of 1942 gave us an early dose of classic top-down vertical shooting action. With Joint Strike, that core experience has been carefully maintained, but expanded upon and brought up to speed for the XBLA and PSN generation.

This sixth entry into the 19__ series focuses on multiplayer action, where the titular joint strike attacks let two players work together to vanquish foes quickly and efficiently. Any of the three joint strikes allows players to deal critical damage to whatever lies between them, making communication between wingmen a key ingredient for success.

Other than this unique tag team mechanic, Joint Strike remains standard, yet enjoyable, shooting fare. Players choose one of three planes to pilot up against the game's five stages. In each of these missions, hordes of land, sea, and air units attack from just about every direction in a variety of formations. A massive boss craft awaits at the end of each level for players to pick apart piece by piece while avoiding a healthy arsenal of machine guns, cannons, missiles, flamethrowers, etc. Through all of this, Backbone has managed to keep each level feeling fresh without also feeling artificial.

The good guys have a number of weapons at their disposal, as well. Each plane begins the game with what can best be described as a pea shooter, but can later pick up machine gun, spread shot, and laser power-ups, each of which has two levels of destructive power. The time-tested screen-clearing bombs that gamers have grown to love are also available in limited quantities.

Players must make good use of these tools of the trade, because on any of the game's four difficulty levels, there are exactly zero continues. Each difficulty level grants a different number of initial lives (more are earned by racking up points), but no coin insertion will keep the game going once those run out. Game over means it's back to stage one, which is so unforgivingly retro it hurts...especially on Wing King difficulty.

1942: Joint Strike is a sweet, albeit short gaming experience for fans of classic top-down shooters. Those who have friends to play with will obviously have the most fun with the game, but even solo pilots will find plenty to enjoy here.

One Word Review | Madden Football

This is One Word Review, a concept that I shamelessly lifted from my friend Creighton over at eight bit childhood (it's okay, he said I could). The idea behind OWR, as we like to call it, is that videogames are so often rated, reviewed, and discussed to exhaustion that it is sometimes a relief to read a succinct, definitive description of a game--a single word that sums up the most prominent characteristics of the gaming experience. That's the idea, so here goes:

Perennial

The Lessons Of Braid: Time And Life

Gamers needn't read reviews for the new Xbox Live Arcade game, Braid. This masterpiece is a must-buy, and costs less than a third of the price of most games on the console. It's a no-brainer; start your downloads.

Braid is one example of exactly where videogames should be headed. Like the finest works of literature--poetry, short stories, novels--the game allows the audience to extract meaning from the collection of artwork, words, and gameplay, interpreting the content in a variety of ways. Though there were certainly very specific topics that designer Jonathan Blow aimed to address with this phenomenal game, each player may come away from it with something slightly different from everyone else--personalized lessons and meaning.

This game is one about life, love, relationships, identity, introspection, and time, and the following is but one set of lessons to be drawn from it, as experienced by but one gamer:

Time and Forgiveness

As I discussed in my column entitled Second Chances, Braid's time-manipulating gameplay mechanics grant players the ability to take back what has been done and try again--to have our mistakes forgiven. As perfect as that may sound, and as much as we may like to do so, we can't un-live the events of our lives. However, what we take away from each trial, each error, is the knowledge to do things right--lessons that serve us in the future. While there may be no second chances--no going back in time--in real life, we can still substitute the un-successes that remain in memory with new approaches to similar circumstances that arise in the present moment.

Time and Mystery

Reversing the events of the past in our own minds does little to prevent the march of time from continuously moving forward. Dwelling on these memories can cause us to miss out on present events, becoming completely oblivious to them as they play out. They fall beyond our reach because we are trapped in retrospection. As the time-immune items and enemies of Braid will tell you, turning back the clock in our mental space or finding forgiveness for our actions gone awry, some things will never be forgotten, reversed, or redone. They are written in permanent ink.

Time and Place

In Braid's fourth world, time only moves forward as Tim, too, is moving forward. Likewise, regressing causes the rest of the world to rewind. Doors can only be unlocked from one direction, as well. If we hang on to the past, revisiting the times and places in our memories, no progress can be made and no growth sustained. Only while moving forward through our lives will the world around us also evolve. Barriers/obstacles can never be surmounted by approaching them retrospectively, but taking positive steps towards them with solutions in hand will grant us passage.

Time and Decision

Our actions leave permanent impressions on the pages of existence. Even after reversing time in this portion of Braid, a shadow of what we have done remains, and repeats those actions over again--affecting the world in both its past and present states. Our actions are not forgotten, but besides serving as reminders and lessons in our own mental spheres, they also continue to produce consequences in the present, oftentimes playing parts in lengthy chain reactions--undercurrents to the rest of our daily lives.

Hesitance

In one's own mind, everything surrounding a particular event, person, place, etc. can be isolated and "protected" from the influence of reality. This prevents us from ever making progress with that particular topic. When we become entrapped by those memories, we are crippled as well--prevented from advancing through life in a healthy way. As we move away from the subject matter that we have made stagnant, we become liberated, allowed to move forward uninhibited. In order to be free, we must discard the parts of ourselves that have become paralyzed.

By no means do my words encompass the full gamut of what Braid has to offer; it will say different things to different people, and the only way to truly understand is by playing it. If you have played the game, do you agree with me? Do you have your own interpretations? Do you think there is more? Do you think there is less? If you haven't played the game, you must.

One Word Review | Earthbound

This is One Word Review, a concept that I shamelessly lifted from my friend Creighton over at eight bit childhood (it's okay, he said I could). The idea behind OWR, as we like to call it, is that videogames are so often rated, reviewed, and discussed to exhaustion that it is sometimes a relief to read a succinct, definitive description of a game--a single word that sums up the most prominent characteristics of the gaming experience. That's the idea, so here goes:

Awkwittination