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  • DCEmu Games Reviews

    by Published on February 5th, 2011 19:00
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    DCEmu has been going through some major changes in the last couple of weeks as everyone knows, and one of those changes was a reorganization and update to the forums. They've been changed to fit the new blog style of DCEmu and to reapply a focus on key discussion areas. DCEmu covers a plethora of consoles and interests ranging from homebrew development, emulation and commercial gaming to hardware modification and general community chat.

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    by Published on January 1st, 2011 19:20
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    Published by: Gamecock
    Developed by: Blazing Lizard
    Genre: Sports/Action
    Platforms: XBLA, WiiWare
    Players: 1-4 (Offline) 1-8 (Online)
    ESRB: E10+: Animated Blood,Cartoon Violence,
    Suggestive Themes,Use of Alcohol and Tobacco.
    Prices: 800ms pts

    $10.00
    £6.80
    €9.30
    $12.79 (CAD)
    $13.20 (AUD)
    ¥1184
    _______________________________

    Overview: For many years now there has been a debate between who would win, Pirates, or Ninjas, this game lets you play as ether, and two more (Robots, and Zombies) in a game of dodge ball, And each team member is packed with its own special ability to spice things up during the heat of battle.

    Gameplay: There are a few different modes to play, and three different ways to play them:
    Exhibition : this is pretty much free mode, you choose your team's size (1x1, 2x2, 3x3, or 4x4) the number of rounds, the difficulty mode (easy, medium, or hard) the arena, the two teams you want in the game, how many balls, and the rules (game mode)
    "Combat Dodge Ball" is the first mode in the list, here, you will notice that the line that goes through the middle is removed, giving you the freedom to roam around the whole map.
    "traditional Dodge Ball" is probably the closest thing to an actual dodge ball game you'll find here, due to the fact that as soon as you step foot across the line, you will be turned back to your side.
    "Enhanced Dodge Ball" is by far my favorite, You are allowed to step foot on enemy territory for three seconds, which adds a good amount of strategy, and it is always fun to steal your enemy's balls.
    Then there is story mode, where you will start out with only one team mate, and work your way up to three buds to make up your team, throughout your journey, you will encounter numerous text boxes, normally i would skip them, but these ones caught my attention since i AM a pirates vs ninjas debater, and found that the story, altho senseless and short, has many jokes that will make you smirk.

    ARRRG! YOU THERE!

    If you are playing offline, then you have an extra option available, which is co-op play, this allows you and up to three friends to play through the story together, fun as it may seem, you will often get lost and run in circles trying to figure out where you are at, not only is this contributed by the fact that there are too many players on screen in such a small arena, but all the characters look alike from far away, specially if you are playing on a standard T.V.
    Apart from story you can do a local match which is the same thing as an exhibition match, except you get to play with, or against friends, sadly enough, there are only four different arenas in which to play, and altho they all look beautiful, some may resemble one another in large amounts.
    If you are playing online, then you have the options to play privately, ranked, or just a player match, here you loose alot of the options you once had in local modes, you will only be able to choose your character, and the amount of players, everything else seems to be randomly generated.
    Not excluding online mode, when you play with three or more players per team, you will easily loose track of yourself which is why in my opinion, two on two is the best way to go, not only do you keep track of your self at all times, but you also gain a great seance of team work.

    Going deeper into the game, you have a few cool things you can do while in game, apart from each player having their own special power, you can also preform special throws which will make the game go in slow motion for about a second, allowing you to see the flamed up ball slowly reach its targeted flesh (or metal if it is going after a robot) it is always cool to see someone dodge it in slow motion, or slowly hit the ground from the impact, which brings me to say that smacking someone with a ball in this game feels good, no seriously, you can REALLY FEEL the ball hit your opponent, it is one of the most rewarding things i have ever done in a game in years, unfortunately, that is probably the peek of this game, the controls feel flimsy, and it is hard at times to grab the ball seance the 3D environments can be very confusing at times due to the fact that you are almost getting a side view of the arena, it seems to me like an over the head camera view would have been more appropriate for the game.
    There is also a stamina meter which goes down every time you dodge, (the right analog) strike, or jump, which are the two actions you will be doing the most; If it ever goes down all the way, you will be forced to stand still until it goes back up.
    You can also catch balls to gain some health back up, but should only be attempted after alot of practice or you will simply be a sitting duck, hit balls to throw them back at whoever threw the ball at you in the first place to hit him, this can be done back to you so stay alert.

    Can you find all four ninjas? OFF COURSE NOT! THEY ARE HIDDEN!

    Graphics: It doesn't take much more then a few minutes to appreciate the level of detail found not only in the characters, but in the arenas as well, in the snow arena for example, when you step on thick snow, it will go down, but the fact that there are obstacles on screen, not only serves to purpose of having something to hide behind, but it aslo makes the game a hell of alot harder, when you go behind a tree for instance, it will not turn translucent, fully blocking the view of your character, this quickly becomes repetitive, and you will soon be wanting to play in levels with less obstacles.
    Other then that, they do a good job animating the characters, and keeping a good frame rate throughout the game, still, a wider variety of models would have been appreciated, mainly just so that i don't keep thinking i am some huy, and then find out i am all the way across the screen getting hit by a robot.

    Sound:There is a nice song that plays at the beginning of the game and stays throughout the menu screen featuring Chinese instruments and pirate "arrgs"apart from that you will hear alot of "ouchs" and "wooshses" as you may expect, and each level has its own fitting song.

    Difficulty:For the most part, the AI in this game is absolutely horrible, they will stand in one place waiting for you to hit them, and the next minute they are running towards the ball deflecting anything you throw at them and catching every ball that gets near them, and then go back to maybe running in circles while you go grab the ball, on the bright side, you don't have to play against them scene the game comes with on, and offline multiplayer.

    Replay Value:It is no secret that most games with multiplayer have at least a decent amount of replay value, and this is no exception, playing two on two can actually get pretty exiting, but most other multiplayer game modes are virtually broken, they are frustrating and confusing for the most part, which is a shame because this game had the potential to be a great one, but bad level design and controls made it go down on the fun factor.

    Achievements: Most achievements are pretty simple, and if you dedicate about an hour to them, you can get most of them, they ARE fun, but too obvious at times I mean, you get an achievement for dodging a ball :P and another one for winning a match, ect, they could have been a bit more imaginative.

    Conclusion:At the end of the day, even tho this not the best game ever made, multiplayer modes you will keep you happy for a few days, specially if you have something to prove to your friends (who is better, pirates or ninjas) but for an 800 ms pt price tag, I can't really recommend it.
    Also, there is a free downloadable special moves pack available which is a nice touch, tho I don't see why it couldn't come in the game if it was going to be free in the first place.

    Because a dodge ball is more valuable then a chest full of gold.
    _________________________________________
    Pros:
    *Great graphics
    *Each character has its own special move
    *finally! a pirates vs Ninjas game!
    *Fun multiplayer
    *The story is entertaining

    Cons:
    *Character movement feels odd
    *Only four stages
    *You can easily get confused
    *too many times it won't feel like a dodge ball game

    Gameplay: 1.5/5
    Graphics: 4/5
    Sound: 2.5/5
    Replay Value: 2/5
    Difficulty: 3.5/5

    Final Score:
    .:Not Recommended:.

    Vote Now! Pirates Or Ninjas!
    by Published on January 1st, 2011 19:20
    1. Categories:
    2. Xbox 360 News,
    3. DCEmu Games Reviews


    Tales of Vesperia
    Publisher: Namco Bandai
    Developer: Namco Bandai
    Genre: RPG; JRPG, SRPG
    Players: 1-4 (Offline)
    MSRP: $59.99
    Platform: Xbox 360

    The Tales series really never has gotten the proper respect it deserves. People who have played the tales series games have most loved it, and this was shown by the love that Tales of Symphonia and Tales of Destiny(which is actually a low point in the series in my opinion) had received for the Gamecube. Abyss, Legendia, and just about all of the other Tales series have never nearly gotten noticed by the mainstream in America and Europe. by releasing this RPG on the 360, it seems Namco Bandai has been hoping for the best with results in getting the series well known in the US. (They must not be too enthusiastic about it, since I have yet to see a commercial or advertisement for it anywhere.) But nevertheless, here it is, the next chapter in the Tales of series, Tales of Vesperia. Despite being on the Xbox 360, Tales of Vesperia warranted a vast turnout in Japan, launching the often abysmal 360 sales 5 times what they normally are. Currently, there is even a shortage of 360s in Japan right now, which has never before happened. This should tell you a little something about the amount of influence that this series has in the East.


    But anyway I'll stop beating around the bush and get this review started. The Tales of Series has always been known for its signature Anime style graphics, character skits, and what is quite possibly the best character development in the genre. So the first thing you'll notice is the intro. Its made fully of cartoon-Anime CG, and stands out very well from many different game's styles of cutscenes(Fact: This is one of the very few games that I've even bothered to watch the intro of.) This highlights one of the defining traits of Tales series games; they make use of full cartoon graphics in some cutscenes. They have done this for a while in fact: Tales of Symphonia has 1 or 2, Abyss had around 3-5, and Vesperia has around 21. It gives a very nice break from the normalcy of full CG graphics all the time. Back from what they never really specified(correct me) but they give a great and distinct flavor to the way the story is unraveled, and they also serve to highlight some of the most important points in the game. The character skits were also bashed a good bit. The thing is, they are all optional, but if you want to get the most out of the storyline, you'll want to watch them. And I'll tell you now, if your even slightly interested in the story you will want to watch them. They feature animated, drawn versions of the characters and they have conversations, which ends up really helping to endear the characters to you. But don't take it from me. Take it from what the people who have played the series have said.

    The overall story also reaches a standard of greatness, and easily is the best story that a Tales game has seen yet. It tells the tale of badass ex knight Yuri as he forges his own idea of justice in a corrupt empire. Along the way(naturally) meeting a cast of characters who, as well, get a huge level of development before the game is over. Unlike most JRPGs, the characters (with few exceptions) break most boundaries of generic "save the world" JRPG characters(you know, classic cliche characters.) Still, they do have the essence of the Japanese RPG hero, which in itself has a bit of overall generic-ness to it. Compared to most games out there, however, they stand out well. The story has a few linear parts to it, but Vesperia takes the storytelling abilities of the Tales series to greater heights. Perfectly paced with some of the most well developed characters of any JRPG out there. Much better then Symphonia, and somehow even better then tales of the Abyss. After you finish the game, you may be begging for a direct sequel(Even more then I did with Abyss. And thats saying something.) The story never gets boring or too cliche(though it has its moments) but to get into the story you may have to invest a good 30 minutes or 1 hour. But oh how its worth it.

    Speaking of which, the 30 minutes you'll first be spending will probably in figuring out the combat system. A large number of small tweaks to the ever-expanding Tales battle system greatly enhances the it far past the likeness of Symphonia and most passed iterations of the game. The combat is real time, and starts off a bit slow. Once you've got a full party of characters at your disposal a a good list of moves and skills, the core combat gets deep. Awesome attacks, spells, and combos(Mystic Artes are stunning) make up the combat in Vesperia. The main combat is fairly 2 dimensional though, as you only have the attack option of moving forward or backward. Hold the left trigger and you'll be able to freely run around the arena however, but you'll need to attack the enemies in a regular, linear fashion. Combos in Vesperia are also a great deal longer then in past Tales games, if you do them right. With one character, you can get a 75 hit combo all while continuing to do combos in the air, reaching a huge height before bringing them back down in a broken mess with a 20 hit combo upon returning to the ground. And if you have read my Ninja Gaiden review, you know just how much I love a kick*** combo.


    I cut this flower--for HONOR!

    Multiplayer has returned to this installment of Tales as well. Four people can play cooperatively at the same time, and it is by far one of the most fun JRPGs(and one of the only ones) in terms of multiplayer. Each player controls a different character, and uses their specific abilities to help the team and take out monsters. Combat is fast and fun, and cooperating with the people you playe with is key to winning the battles. Magic users don't suffer from the same boredom they do in singleplayer when it comes to fighting bosses, since support is a huge need in battles, and with a human player directing the magic, it becomes far more effective then it would with A.I. Its not without some problems though. In battles you will be using a good bit of items, and to use them you need to pause the game to use them. Its only a minor annoyance though, since most players will know how to use items fast by the time you'll really be needing to use them often. The biggest complaint, and the reason Namco Bandai says they excluded online play, was because there is only one character in the overworld at any one time. I could think of a vast number of ways to make it interesting for other players as well, but whats done is done. The lack of online stings. Badly. However, if you have a few mates to play the game with locally, you've got nothing to worry about. The multiplayer is fast and fun, though not without its annoyances.

    And there isn't a Tales game without its puzzles. Vesperia beats Abyss in terms of puzzles that you have to actually think your way through, rather then guessing or easy puzzles. The puzzles usually makes use of logical decisions to solve them, which is done by iteraction to the vast environments. Once you find what is interactive and what isn't the puzzles usually consist of you trying to figure out how to get these two things to do what they are supposed to. Vesperia won't guide you through them either. They are fairly difficult, which for you people out there who like challenging puzzles will please fairly well. But the main problem I had with these puzzles is how the story is usually at a hugely climactic part when the game throws a tough, time-consuming puzzle at you. As a design choice, its absolutely perfect. It makes the player not want to finish playing till they have beat that puzzle and see what comes next in the story. As a person who really isn't very big on puzzles in games, I got fairly aggravated at this. However, this part does come down to personal preference, so I won't be adding or taking away score for its timing. The puzzles aren't really complicated though, which makes the design of them quite ingenious. Still, there are some puzzles that are there really to JUST build hype for the next major plot twist, and they usually aren't so much challenging as they are time consuming. Still, as an RPG first and a puzzler, well, not first, Vesperia has some very well designed puzzles. They aren't exceptional or amazing, but they do give a well rounded amount of challenge to they're players, at(in my opinion) some of the worst times.

    Back to combat, the combat system has no trouble staying fresh and fun through the entire game, but despite smaller tweaks and more attacks and magic, its not so much different from Abyss and Symphonia's battle systems. So I guess you could say that while its obviously better and smoother then past Tales games, the combat really isn't very innovative.

    You'll probably hear the phrase "not extremely innovative" for a good bit of things about this game. The storyline, while well done and interesting through the game, is basically exactly what You'd expect from a Japanese RPG. Not writing it off, but the overall feel of it feels very traditional, and the plot shares many of the feelings you'll get from playing Tales of the Abyss. In fact, this game could best be described as "fun and fresh, but not too fresh." Yes it is confusing, but I think you can understand. The game makes a fantastic sequel, but not an amazing new take on the series. But you know what they say, why fix it if it isn't broken.



    The Tales classic Anime-inspired look is back and better then ever.

    More things from the past games have returned here without much change too; the ones most profoundly effecting gameplay being the Overworld, cooking, and synthesizing. Likewise, all have had an upgrade, despite being very similar to they're Symphonic roots. The ridiculous loading times in Abyss have been fully done away with in Vesperia, and the Overworld runs at a perfect framerate. Monsters appear on screen, and are never random battles(one of my all time favorite parts of the Tales series) and the detail displayed in the overworld is as colorful and fine for the monsters as it is in the battle arena. Cooking and synthesizing are basically the same, with more things to learn and eat(and that your teamates will sometimes complain if you don't cook often enough. I probably did it once every 5 hours, so its not a big deal.) Overall, you could say the core gameplay isn't taking the series to a whole new height, but its doing everything a sequel should in terms of freshness.

    The graphical design of the Tales series is basically they're series trademark. Tales has always tried to look as close to an anime in terms of graphics as they can, and with the graphics Vesperia has, they are getting extremely close. The entire world is a beautiful cell-shaded look(Trust me on this. I would never say the word beautiful. Thats how good it looks.)that is extremely colorful and endearing. Its got a sort of charm that Symphonia certainly had, and its been translated very well into the HD era.

    The character models aren't lacking much depth and detail to them, though the characters appear less detailed then Eternal Sonata who uses a similar style(also published by Namco Bandai.) While they are a bit less detailed then the aforementioned, Eternal Sonata makes use of rigid outlines, whereas Vesperia's characters more or less are distinctly visible against the watercolor look of the background by shading. Overall it looks fantastic, and the art direction isn't to be messed with either. Backgrounds in towns, cities, dungeons, and other enter able areas for the most part are just as detailed as the characters, and sport a very artistic look to them. The animations are clean and crisp, and some of the battle animations look awesome. Most of the animations by normal attacks and some Artes are pretty normal, not bad, but nothing that'll have you screaming about how awesome it looks. They do exactly what they are supposed to, look fine, and thats really all they need to do.

    What will make you think "thats awesome!" about the graphics are some of the magic and special attacks. As usual, Mystic Artes look absolutely awesome, and the new Burst Artes are pretty sweet too. The effects in this game are up and away the most well done part of the graphical aspect. Colorful, brilliant and appealing magic attacks are found in every battle. While some of the melee fighters don't have a "bang" to they're visual attack styles, the magic users spare no expense lighting up the battlefield. Nothing quite like seeing some of the best Artes in Tales history rendered in full HD with these effects. It'll make any Tales fan shed a tear.


    Probably gonna hurt.

    The backgrounds that DON'T share the same detail as the characters, effects and towns are the Overworld backgrounds. While by no means bare, the lack a huge amount of variety. When you encounter an enemy, you go to a mini arena to duke it out, and the backgrounds there are even worse. They certainly don't look bad, but they have little to absolutely no interaction at all with the character, which makes them have no part in determining a battle. Its more of a problem of what they lack rather then what they do wrong. Really, it doesn't make any matter where you fight when it comes to determining the battle. The landscapes in the background look good, but the foregrounds are severely lacking in detail. This has always been the case for Tales games, and it couldn't hurt to much to make the backgrounds a little more stand-out-ish while in combat.

    Jumping topics to sound here. The musical score has a very emotional feel to it, and will well envelope you in some of the battles. it may sound strange, but the music sometimes even effects your willingness to fight some of the battles. Other battles the music will send you into a fiery feeling that you just want to beat the crap out of your enemy. Even other times will make you just want to mess with some of the enemies. The point being that the music helps to inspire much of the emotions in the game, and it works absolutely well for its purpose. And I'm willing to make a bet that no one out there can finish this game and NOT have Bonnie Pink's song Ring a Bell(the games theme song) stuck in their head for the next few days. The music is obviously inspired, and it does its job of inspiring you as well. A fantastic soundtrack for what its supposed to be, though listening to the tracks along without the substance of the cutscene or battle may not be as good as listening to it in game.

    Voiceovers are(considering the infamy of JRPGs with western VOs) rather well done. While there annoying characters in the game, the characters you will be hearing the most won't sound bad. The lead character especially does his job well, and is probably the best voice in a Tales game since Symphonia's Regal. The emotions that they're voices convey will reach you, which just goes along with the fact that the characters are extremely well done and fleshed out.

    The story in Vesperia isn't as long as Symphonia or Abyss. In fact, as far as the main story goes its can be completed in 30-40 hours, which is a bit average for a JRPG, while short for a Tales game. The side quests give this game a huge amount of extra life though. In fact, it nearly doubles the life of the game well past 80 hours. Should you also take the time to get a significant amount of grade for a second play through will probably take you upwords 150 hours. To say the least its a massive game, and if you have people to play it with it will become much longer. So its not over quickly, but you'll defineatly be wanting more when it is over.


    Great backgrounds, though they could use more interactivity.

    Wrapping it up.

    Major Selling Points:
    --Anime styled Graphics
    --Fast and fluid combat system
    --Explore a massive, expansive world
    --Characters are extremely well fleshed out
    --Decently challenging and fun puzzles

    Major breaking Points:
    --Doesn't break much new boundaries
    --Intricate puzzles are placed at some of the worst times.
    --Check closing comments

    Story: 4.5/5
    An interesting and thrilling tale with some of the most well developed characters ever made. The story doesn't really break any huge boundaries though.
    Graphics: 4/5
    The classic tales anime style characters have never looked better. They don't have the same amount of detail as Eternal Sonata, but they still shine. The art direction and the watercolor look of the towns are also charming, but arena backgrounds and some dungeons look bare. Environmental interaction is at a low.
    Sound: 4/5
    An epic soundtrack really brings out the emotion of the scenes. The Voice overs are well done and show each characters personalities and feelings very well.
    Gameplay: 4/5
    The combat system hasn't had a huge overhaul, but small fixes and tweaks and some awesome new features show that the Tales series still has life in it yet. Challenging puzzles are pretty fun(if poorly placed), but there is a good bit of running around to do. Nothing to hold it down though.
    Replayability: 4/5
    The main quest will take you from 30-40 hours, but side quests can get you well over 150. Achievements won't have you running back to the game.
    Value: 4/5
    At a full price tag, this game is well worth it. The best JRPG on the 360 yet, and the best Tales game ever.

    Overall:
    Tales of Vesperia does everything its supposed to and nothing it isn't. There isn't really any big flaw or major problem with the game, and the experience is a perfectly authentic JRPG one. However, the game doesn't break new ground by any means, and may seem a bit too similar to past Tales games. Still, Vesperia has everything a JRPG fan could want -- a great combat system, and epic (If very common) storyline, great characters, and a pipe smoking dog that fights with a sword.
    by Published on January 1st, 2011 19:20
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    Gin Rummy

    Published by: Sierra Online
    Developed by: Studio Ch’in
    Genre: Card & Board
    Platforms: XBLA (Xbox 360)
    Players: 1 (Offline) 1-4 (Online)
    ESRB: E
    Prices: 400MS pts

    I think based on the name, 99% of people would have decided if they where going to buy this game before they were going to read any reviews. Also 99% of XBLA users can guess what this game has: Gin Rummy? Yes, Different game modes but still basically Gin Rummy? Yes. Play on and off line? Yes. Different theme for the cards and stuff? Yes. Supports Live Vision, Yes. Anything else? No.


    Most people are going to dismiss this game like they have with so many other casual XBLA games (bar UNO which has sold a ton), which is a shame to a degree because if you have not played Gin Rummy before (like me) its actually not a bad card game. The rules seem complex at first be are pretty simple:

    The objective in Gin Rummy is to score more points than your opponent. The basic game strategy is to improve one's hand by forming melds and eliminating deadwood. Two types of meld exist:
    * Sets of 3 or 4 cards sharing the same rank. For example, 8♥-8♣-8♠.
    * Runs of 3 or more cards in sequence, of the same suit. For example, 3♥-4♥-5♥-6♥.


    A player's "deadwood" cards are those not in any meld. His deadwood count is the sum of the point values of the deadwood cards— aces are scored at 1 point, face cards at 10, and others according to their numerical values. Intersecting melds are not allowed; therefore, if a player has a 3-card set and a 3-card run sharing a common card, he can only count one of them and must count two cards as deadwood.
    On each turn, a player:
    * draws either the (face-up) top card of the discard pile, or one card from the stock pile
    * may "knock", ending the round, under certain conditions
    * discards one card from his or her hand onto the discard pile


    Play continues, in alternating turns, until one player knocks or only 2 cards remain in the stock pile. In that case, the hand would end in a draw.

    There are 6 game modes: Classic Gin Rummy, Speed Gin Rummy, Oklahoma Gin, Hollywood Gin, Three-Hand Gin, or Customize Your Own Rules. But really its just the same game and most will just play classic gin rummy or if they want a quick game speed gin rummy, unless they are after the achievements.

    It's only a small wait for online 1vs1 games (most of the time) but getting 4 player games very hard, which makes you wonder, why wait 10-15mins to play a 10-15 min game? Oh yeah for the achievement. At time of writing there was only 35,00 on the main leader board (far less in the other board), which explains why 4 player games are hard to get, there is just not enough people playing. Which is a shame as once you get a 4 player (2 vs 2) game going its genuinely feels different from the other game modes and is fun.


    Its a simple game and bar the slightly confusing tutorials and slightly dull presentation, is have been made well, and for 400 points its hard to complain too much. In the end, its just about deserves to be on XBLA and because of that and MS new XBLA policy...

    Final Score:
    by Published on January 1st, 2011 19:20
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    2. Xbox 360 News,
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    Format: Xbox LIVE® Arcade
    Publisher: TikGames
    Developer: TikGames
    Price 800 Microsoft points
    Release Date: September 17, 2008
    ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
    Genre: Card & Board
    Website: www.tikgames.com

    Remember "top-selling" XBLA game Texas Hold 'Em? That was actually a pretty good game. So now TikGames have come out with Domino Master, "bringing the fun and challenge of this classic party game to Xbox LIVE for the first time" as quoted from the press release. Problem is, unlike Texas Hold 'Em, Dominoes is actually a really boring and unskillful game.


    The problem is Dominos has very little strategy in it, its mostly random and out of your control. Basically tactics are based on 2 factors, getting rid of you highest number Dominoes for damage control if you lose the round or play the domino that will give the more options for the next turn, which of course can be spoiled by the other player placing his domino so really you can't plan ahead. But then most of the time you can only play the one domino anyway, so it all becomes pointless. Things only get interesting when you play the other variants such as "All 5s" and "All 3s" were scoring gets more complex, which involves trying to get multiples of 5 or 3 (depending on the game) to score more point, which does ad a little (and I do mean little) tactical edge to the game. Bergen is similar only your trying to match numbers at each end of the layout of Dominos . But in the end there's just not the same tactical depth as other card games on XBLA (like TikGames own Texas Hold 'Em).

    Of all the game modes Mexican Train is the most interesting, and most complex. In this game mode the game splits play into different tracks, with each player having their own line of Dominos that only they can add to as well as a communal one, which opens up the game and gives you more options each turn compared to the other game modes, but still there are many turns were you can only do one move or nothing, after a while its can seem draw out and very boring, and considering the default is 12 rounds which took me well over an hour to finish one game!


    TikGames have tried to spice the game up with the presentation. The Dominoes are in 3d and jump/bounce as there are set down, when a winning or scoring domino is slammed down, all the tiles jump, which is a nice effect. Unfortunately its the same background for most of the game bar Mexican Train has a nice wild west theme. But really there is only so much you can polish a.... game with fundamentally boring gameplay.

    What about online? well its about the same as playing against the AI only AI does not take 5-10mins to start a game, and does not quit half way thought the game. Also considering there where only 4300 people on the leader board at the time of writing, if anything its going to get harder to find a game.


    In the end I don't think TikGames have done a bad job, its just Dominos is not a great game to start of with, and there is only so much you can do with it. And ultimately the problem with Dominos, is that you can lose easily though no fault of your own. But what is shocking is the price, 800 MS points, that twice as Gin Rummy which is a far better casual game.

    Final Score:
    by Published on January 1st, 2011 19:19
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    2. Nintendo Wii News,
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    Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Cross Generation of Heroes
    Official Homepage
    Release Date: 12/11/2008
    Platform: Wii, Arcade (in Japan)
    Number of Players: 1-4
    Controllers: Wiimote + Nunchuk/Classic Controller, GameCube Controller
    Genre: Fighting
    Publisher: Capcom
    Developer: Capcom
    Region: Japan (NTSC-J)
    Site: Buy from Play-Asia (Game - $69.90) / Buy from Play-Asia (Stick - $79.90)

    Overview: A tag battle opens up a sea of opportunity for gamers. The Cross Generation of Heroes is one massive crossover of a fighting game. More than 16 heroes from Tatsunoko and Capcom fighters make their way into the roster in this Wii installment. The classic hero Ryu, the vampire Morigan, Casshern, and the genie Hakushon are just a few characters who have signed up.

    Choose two characters from the roster and form a tag team, switch them over to replenish their health when their HP runs low, have them assist each other in the battle and do counter attacks. Get to know the strengths and weaknesses of the characters and form a dream team.

    Gameplay: Before I go any further with the review, in order to play this game, you'll either need to have a Japanese Wii or a way to play import games whether it be a method of using Freeloader, Gecko OS, Homebrew Channel or other sources. This was reviewed on a US Wii (NTSC-U) with 3.2 firmware. Now on to the review.

    I have never been a person who got into fighting games. I was never into Tekken, King of Fighters, World Heroes, Soul Calibur or Dead or Alive. If I was, I would only play for a couple minutes or an hour and get tired. So it would take a GREAT game to keep me coming back to play it. Even with Street Fighter, I played often but never into it. The only fighting game I ever got into was SNK vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium for the Neo Geo Pocket Color, Marvel vs. Capcom 1 and 2 for the original PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Now that I type this, it seems to be I am more interested in Versus Capcom games..with the exception of Rival Schools for the original PlayStation. Coincidence? If so, Capcom must be doing something right!

    Capcom has released their newest Versus Capcom game and is known as Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Cross Generations of Heroes. The game consists of Tatsunoko characters pitted against Capcom characters such as from Street Fighter and even Mega Man.

    If you have played any of the Vs. Capcom games I have mentioned above, TvsC pretty much as the same concept and feel to it. You select two characters from the list. During the fight, you control one character while the second character is hidden and waiting. You can use the second character to assist you, help you team up for a few seconds (known as Tag Team) or tag out if your main character is about to die or is seriously injured. If you swapped characters, you now have a fresh and healthy new character to fight while the hidden character is healing. While its healing, it can help you team up.

    I know majority wont know how to read the menu since it is in Japanese so here is what the menu means and are pretty much self-explanatory:

    アーケード = Arcade Mode
    バーサス = Vs. Mode
    サバイバル = Survival
    タイムアタック = Time Attack
    トレーニング = Training
    プレイデータ = Play Data
    オプション = Option
    ショップ = Shop
    ギャラリー = Gallery
    オリジナルゲーム = Original (Mini) Games

    Controls: You can play TvsC with different controllers. You can use the Wiimote and Nunchuk, Wiimote and Classic Controller, Wiimote and Fighting Stick or GameCube controller. I've wondered how TvsC would work out with the Wiimote and Nunchuk combination and I must say, I am very impressed. Usually you have 6 buttons for Light/Medium/High attacks. Instead, you have 4 buttons that control your Light/Medium/High attacks. You use the Nunchuk Joystick to move around while using the A, B, C and Z buttons to throw punches, kicks and specials. 1 and 2 are taunts.

    The button layout is very simple. You can throw a fireball, upper cut and other moves on the first try. Although its simple, a button masher can easily end up with 15+ combo.

    Graphics: Like any Wii game, you wont find any realistic or high poly count type graphics. TvsC consists of 3D graphics and 2D mechanics with a hint of cell-shading. Nothing flashy but looks very very nice. Pulling off a special shows a 3D animation of your character about to wreak havoc on your opponent. If you're not familiar with Tatsunoko, you wont know who half the characters are. But each character are well detailed and vibrant in color.

    Sound: Each character has their own theme song, stage and theme. Songs are beautifully remixed, upbeat and fast-paced. However, I noticed that every a character is switched, the background music switches.

    Replay Value: Me personally, I can play this for months. Mind you, I'm the type that will play the same for 1-2 hours, put it down and never touch it again. There are only a certain few that I would play for hours and months. Its hard to keep me attached to the game. But with TvsC, I play this game everyday and have no ...
    by Published on January 1st, 2011 19:19
    1. Categories:
    2. Nintendo DS News,
    3. DCEmu Games Reviews

    So, quirky-fireworks-based-touch-screen-puzzle-shoot-em-ups then, not a genre that has overpopulated the DS to date, but Southpeak Games is set to change all that with their latest release; Big Bang Mini.

    The aim of the game is, unsurprisingly, to do your best not to get blown into thousands of little pieces. Using your touch-screen you direct your ship around; a seemingly simple task, but there's a twist, you must also use the stylus to shoot fireworks up to the top screen to dispatch the enemies. The trick then, is finding a good balance between attack and defence, under a flurry of bullets it can be hard enough just avoiding being blown up.

    What really makes Big Bang Mini stand out are the fantastic graphics and sense of humour; for those who've grown jaded from years of shooters with generic spaceships it's a real breath of fresh air. It's not unusual to defeat a crowd of floating clowns only to come up against a giant floating lizard (think the Pop and Twinbee series and you're somewhere on the way to knowing what to expect).

    Big Bang Mini boasts over 90 levels, a high-score challenge mode with online leaderboards, multiplay with a single cartridge and a raft of other unlockables- so there's plenty to keep even the most hardcore shooter fans busy.



    Stay tuned to DCEmu Games Reviews for a full review
    Big Bang Mini will be released exclusively on the Nintendo DS in Spring 2008
    by Published on January 1st, 2011 19:19
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    2. Nintendo DS News,
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    Worms: Open Warfare 2
    Platform: Nintendo DS
    Publisher: THQ
    Developers: Two Tribes/Team17 Software
    Players: 1-4
    Released:
    US: September 4, 2007
    Europe: August 2007

    Buy from Amazon.co.uk
    Buy from Play-Asia

    What else can be said about Worms that hasn't been said before? It's one of those legendary games series that has been going as long as you can remember and has been ported to just about every console in the past 15 years. The basic idea behind the Worms games is two competing teams of worms take turns blowing each other up with bazookas, Uzis, dynamite, exploding sheep and other increasingly bizarre weaponry, until one of the teams is victorious; a seemingly simple concept that has really only been tweaked gently since its original conception. It's popularity came from the endless replayability of the game that came from the variety of weapons and landscapes that meant no one strategy would ever guarantee you a victory in a battle.

    The first outing of Worms on the DS was a slightly disappointing affair; it suffered from low-resolution sprites that flickered badly due to a buggy game engine. Some unfortunate enemy AI also meant that enemy worms would often blow themselves to pieces or stand around doing nothing until their turn was over. This was all a shame since Worms seemed like the perfect game for Nintendo's new handheld particularly during the drought of good software the DS was suffering from at the time.

    So it's with some caution we look at its sequel Worms: Open Warfare 2. The second installment of the series for the Nintendo DS and thankfully there's lots of reasons to feel positive about it's release, all of the criticism's aimed at the game engine seem to have been taken to heart and fixed. The game engine feels a lot more solid, the computer controlled enemies are a lot more intelligent (expect a thorough ass-kicking to start with) and overall everything seems a lot more polished than it's predecessor. The Worms games have never been a tour-de-force of graphical prowess but the chunky, colorful visuals are definitely likable enough- all of the usual dark humor is here and there's even a few slapstick cut scenes to raise a few smiles.

    What Team 17 have put together is a Greatest Hits style package of all the best bits from the previous games in the series, all of the better weapons over the years are here, the mission modes of the later games are here and enough extras around to keep seasoned Worms fans satisfied. The online modes are particularly impressive, random games or games against your friends (using the standard friend codes system), plus online leader boards (think Tony Hawk).



    With Worms games, as long as nothing upsets the game engine is solid and nothing is thrown into the mix to upset the balance then you're pretty much guaranteed good fun and Worms: Open Warfare 2 genuinely delivers. If you've never been a fan of the series previously, then it's unlikely you'll find anything to convince you otherwise here, it is what you expect, but perhaps the best version of what you expect.

    It's an excellent addition to any DS game collection, for replay value and instant pick-up-and-play....ability. Top marks to Team 17/Two Tribes for making the game it's predecessor only hinted at.

    Score: Very Good
    by Published on January 1st, 2011 19:19
    1. Categories:
    2. Nintendo DS News,
    3. DCEmu Games Reviews



    Platform: Nintendo DS
    Developer: Capcom
    Publisher: Capcom

    Ratings:

    PEGI:











    ESRB:


    Megaman Star Force is the spiritual successor to the Megaman: Battle Network series. There are three versions of the game: Leo, Pegasus and Dragon. Each version is almost identical except for a few changes in dialogue and what elemental form Megaman can take later in the game.


    Star Force follows the Battle Network formula of gameplay. There is a real world and a digital world which you can explore relatively freely. Combat is real time in a grid and you use cards to fight your foes. One of the immediately noticeable differences is that unlike Battle Networks side camera view of combat, Star Force uses a third person view instead.

    The main character of Star Force is a boy named Geo Stelar, the son of an astronaut. The story takes place three years after Geo lost his father to an accident on his space station. Since then he has retreated from any and all relationships so to avoid the pain of losing people. He later meets a digital alien entity named Omega-Xis and they team up to save the world from alien invaders by merging into a single entity known as Megaman. The story and game progress is linear and uses the terms days and weeks instead of chapters. Each chapter of the story generally begins with Geo getting out of bed, some trouble happens, an alien claims responsibility, Megaman beats the alien, goes to bed and the world is safe until the next digital disaster occurs.



    One note which separates Star Force from the Battle Network series is the lack of the goody two shoes heroes. All the main characters have their own pains, loneliness and troubled pasts. This is used heavily to enforce the story's theme of friendship and relying upon others for help. Despite being a cheesy plot point you can't help but empathise with some of the characters and the situations they are in. This is a welcome change from the normal fresh faced sword wielding farm boy willing to give his life to rescue a girl he only met five minutes ago.



    The Battle system has undergone a simplification from the Battle Network series. Megaman has three tiles to move in and dodge attacks, he is also given an energy shield to block attacks which cover all three tiles. The card system is also much simpler, with the Program Advance, a mechanic whereby you fuse three cards into a single more powerful card, being absent from the game, replaced with the difficult to activate and mostly unnecessary Card-Combo. This leads the combat to being very cut and dry, with most fights ending in less than 10 seconds, combat becomes a repetitive mild annoyance. Even the boss fights tend to last less than a minute and are much easier compared to Battle Network's bosses.

    The game makes use of the stylus and touch screen to play little mini-games, such as shooting snakes which attack from four directions, controlling an RC Copter or tapping buttons to stay grappled to a mad digital bull. It adds a bit of variety to each boss zone which breaks out from the tedium of the random encounters.

    The games biggest mechanic is the Brotherband. This is where you and another person register each other as brothers and confer on one another abilities and your favourite cards. You can only register a few story characters as brothers, the rest are intended to be real friends using the Wi-fi. It is possible to use the Wi-fi to trade, establish brothers, send emails and dual your friends. However this is all useless if you don't know anyone with this game.

    Sounds: More like GBA music and effects than DS. After playing the game you'll put your DS down and forget what the music sounded like.

    Graphics: Little improvement over the GBA's Battle Network series. Good use of the dual screen however.

    Gameplay: Endless running around with repetitive so-so combat every few seconds.

    Concluson: Very similar to the Battle Network games despite being a different franchise. Repetitive game play but a much better story than its predecessors. Much easier than previous games also. Too much emphasis and options for multiplay, rendering the card directory impossible to complete without buying all three games. Get this if you loved the Battle Networked games.

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