It’s been circulating the rumor-mongering Internets for some time now, but Microsoft has made it official:
No word was said about the Arcade unit making its way into waggle-control territory with its own Wii-like peripheral added, which was rumored, as well. For some of our thoughts on the issue, listen to the last episode of R3match Radio where we speculate away.
Quest for Booty is Sony and Insomniac game’s first foray into episodic-type content for PSN, but at a premium price of $15, should you add it to your download queue?
In QfB, Ratchet & Clank Future’s forgiveable controls remain the same, the graphics still have that almost-Pixar quality to them, but it’s now shrunken down to a quick adventure that loosely follows the main story.
For those of you who haven’t followed the series, its charm and simple story wont be lost on you as Insomniac brought out the A-team for the team’s latest game and it shows. A healthy amount of hilarious moments are littered throughout the adventure — you’ll actually “lol” more than a few times.
Probably the main difference being that the length and overall progression of the game isn’t as deep as the full, retail game but the same fun you’ve come to expect from the series is retained. Effectively making it feel like the game proper.
Right off the bat, you’ll notice that you don’t have your full range of weapons and skill set as your tiny robot pal is still lost. This, in turn, makes the game more of a puzzle-platformer affair; the trademark funky weapons take a backseat in this installment of the series.
The use of weapons, for the most part, is substituted by fun, new game play additions such as the “Kinetic Thether” that makes the environments interactive. The point being that you have to find ways to manipulate it and get through the game’s clever puzzles. The formula is tweaked enough to make it more conducive for a game like this.
If you really enjoyed the shooter aspect of past Ratchet’s, you might be disappointed, but otherwise it’s a great game. The progression goes smoothly and there are even a few pleasant surprises. And like the case with any great game (or movie, for that matter) it ends with a conclusion of epic proportions. Well, maybe not as dramatic, but close enough.
About the only drawbacks to the game is that it does lack some of the deep aspects of weapon customization and has some odd mechanical ommissions that made Future fun. Besides the “tornado launcher’s” motion controls, there is little else to take advantage of a the Sixaxis controller — something Future did well. Also, it would’ve been cool to support the aforementioned game’s save file and have it tie into Quest for Booty.
The Good Stuff:
More of a puzzle-platforming outing, but with enough shooting to keep newcomers happy and fans nicely teased.
The Bad Stuff:
It lacks some of the depth and replayability of its big brother, Ratchet & Clank: Future.
The Neutral:
The series’ forgiving controls, humor, and graphics remain intact for this piece of downloadable goodness.
In the End…
Quest for Booty’s short sampling will resonant the most with non-believers of the series and fans will walk away still salivating after a sweet, if brief, episode that runs along R&C:F’s storyline. Despite being a short little game (most will finish it in 3-4 hrs), it still has its share of memorable moments — more than justifying the $15 asking price.
The rumors about the PSP 3000 being released soon are now no longer rumors. Sony officially announced the PSP 3000 at their press conference at Leipzig. The system will have a built-in microphone, an enhanced LCD screen and will be the same size as the PSP 2000. It looks like the system will be launched on October 15 in PAL areas and will cost an estimated $292. While the system looks sweet, I think I’ll wait for the price to come down a bit before I upgrade…
Via ConsoleSpot
Regardless of what people might say, Banjo-Kazooie has been a good series that, while definitely inferior to the Mario franchise (but which isn’t?), showed off what a great developer Rare was. They’ve had their fair share of duds (i.e. Perfect Dark Zero and Kameo), but this year might be good for the British team.
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts is due November 18 to the tune of a surprisingly cheap $39.99. As an incentive for pre-ordering the game, buyers will get a code to download the original N64 Banjo-Kazooie two weeks prior to the release of the XBLA re-release…for free.
We kind of like the idea of getting free stuff when we pre-order games around here, especially when the full game is $20 cheaper than the bloated regular price of other titles.
You guys plan on taking Rare up on their pre-order offer? Here’s a video of what you can look forward to if you do:
Those expecting for Sony to announce a price cut for the PS3 aren’t getting their wish this year. In Leipzig, on August 20-22, Europe’s Biggest Video Games Fair, many expected Sony to make this announcement of a price cut. With sales of the PS3 getting stronger in this year, the PS3 is no longer required to lower it’s prices. I mean Sony has already dropped their prices from the very high price of $599 for the 60gb system. One this writer picked up…
In the 12 months ending March 31, Sony sold 9.24 million units, below its initial estimates of 11 million sales.
Via Reuters
When the Xbox Live Arcade initiative was just being rolled out back in 2005 with the launch of the Xbox 360, a genuine neon-emblazed classic came out day one on the service, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved. Fast-forward three years and we finally get a sequel for it; is it worth your 800 Microsoft points?
The short answer: yes. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 is not only an upgrade to the first title, but a real step forward in accessibility, variety, and fun even if you weren’t a hardcore player of the first. Whereas GW1 let you putz around the game and easily blast a few of the geometric enemies for ONLY a few moments (before quickly dying after the barrage of enemies were released), GW:RE2 is a longer, more rewarding experience.
First off, the higher ticket price means you get new modes and added four-player support. The game is split up into six different modes and each one has its different leaderboards — the scores amongst you and your friends are prominently displayed at boot up — and each one varies the gameplay slightly.
A couple of the standouts modes are “Pacifism” and “King,” but the rest are welcome additions, as well. What once used to be an achievement in the first game, becomes a reality in GW:RE2 with the first mode mentioned as you’re stripped away from your power to shoot and have to, instead, traverse the map shot-less and hit “gates” that explode as you pass through them. The latter mode asks you to only shoot in designated “zones,” or circles, moving from one to the next weaseling through the numerous baddies.
Faithful fans of the first game shouldn’t fret though, as the original “Evolved” mode is included along with a few other great modes. Fundamentally, Bizarre Creations has made a few significant changes with this iteration that introduces a “geom” system to the original gameplay. Geoms are specks that the enemies leave behind after shooting them and each one adds to your overall multiplayer. Before, when you died that’d be the end of your multiplier, but GW:RE2’s geom system keeps it going when you’ve respawned. Expect even higher scores this time around.
Multiplayer in Geo Wars 2 comes in two flavors: co-op and competitive. You can play with up three of your buddies and take on every mode that’s available in single-player. Unfortunately, you can’t upload the scores that you acrue with your team of crackshots, but its still an entertaining diversion for when you have company over. Online is noticeably absent, but for a game that relies on split-second reactions and decisions its understandable why it was omitted; sometimes unreliable net lag would’ve killed the experience. Make sure to play multiplayer on a bigger screen than the 13-incher reserved for the kids’ table, though, as the camera pans out far enough to make your ship look like a distant star.
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 does so much with the single “map” that it easily warrants the 800 Points ($10) price of entry without going into Geometry Wars: Galaxies territory and adding tons of levels. The six different modes (including the meaty, 20-level “Sequence” mode) are more than enough game for this DLC marvel. Log into your Xbox Live account and download it now.
It looks like the rumors that Microsoft will be handing out price cuts for E3 are true. According tho the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft will be taking $50 off the price of the Xbox 360 Premium package this Sunday. I’m sure with this news breaking, we will probably see more price cuts Monday. Some rumors have also indicated that accessory prices may also drop.
Via G4
Rumors are starting to really fly from credible sources concerning Microsoft and E3. Right now, we expect Microsoft to announce the future removal of gamer pics and the additions of “Mii-like avatars”. We’re not sure what they are going to call them, but it’s the same little weird characters you get on the Nintendo Wii more or less. The only other probable rumors is that they will be announcing a new 80GB 360 model and a price reduction for all other SKUs and accessories. If you don’t have a 360 now, I’d suggest waiting until the end of summer when the price drops really start coming in…
It’s still a ways off, but we can all expect to see the 6th installment of the popular horror-action anime series Lunar Legend Tsukihime on shelves by February 2009. Here is the ISBN information for anyone interested in the series:
Here’s the latest GameStop weekly ad for 6/6/08 through 6/12/08. There really isn’t anything exciting on this week’s deals for the most part, but a few caught my eye.
Haze has already dropped in price drastically, even though it’s still basically a new release. We hated the game here at Kezins.com, but if it continues to drop in price, it might be worth the buy. $39.99 may still be a bit high for the title. When it hits $29.99, I’d say “pick it up”.
The only real deal of note is the 20% bonus trade-in credit towards MGS4. I’m not big on trade-ins myself, but if you don’t have the cash to outright buy Metal Gear Solid 4, a trade-in is the way to go. Konami may have some shady practices when it comes to marketing this title, but it’s still going to be the best available PS3 game for a while. The way things are looking, it will be the top PS3 title of 2008.
Via GameStop
Recent Comments