I am still alive...

I swear. I just forgot about this little piece of mine on the web.

It's a bit late, so no new reviews as of yet, but I've been in a funk of wanting to do something creative and... well, worthwhile. I used to write reviews, most frequently on Digital Press when they had blogging facilities on the site, but since I've been lagging, and for that I apologize.

Look for at least a few new reviews coming within the next few days! See ya soon!

Puzzlers on the PSP

I love my puzzle games (I've said that before, haven't I?), and just recently I discovered one that I never knew existed. Partially because, for some odd reason, the store I work at (which shall remain anonymous) didn't have them out on the shelf to be discovered. Which sucks... because this one is one of those niche gems that the mainstream public may never get, or see, or even fully understand the concept behind, but it's just as well; let the real gamers find it and love it.

And here is that game, complete with over-elaborate opening and funny name:

Every Extend Extra (PSP, developed by Q? Entertainment, released 11/7/06 in the US, rated E-10+)

Every Extend Extra, or EEE as we'll call it from here on out (because the name's a little too damn long), is what I would call a "puzzle-shooter": in order to advance in the game, the player has to blow up their own craft and take as many other objects down with it causing as long a chain as possible. The longer the chain, the larger the score, the larger the score, the larger the potential score because some enemies drop bonus... let's call them crystals... that can be racked up to an even bigger score. Mini-bosses will pop up from time to time, and so will full on, full-fledged bosses, which can only be defeated by racking up as big a chain as possible and connecting it to them.

Sound simple?

If the shoulder buttons of the PSP are held as you charge up your blast (yup, you can charge up your blast for a bigger explosion radius) you can extend your blasting space. And the various bosses can fire individual shots at you. And you can collect crystals after you destroy certain enemies that can speed up the action so more enemies can get on the screen for blowing up.

For all of the action that goes on in the game, it never, at least on my end, feels frantic... the screen can get filled up with baddies, and a good explosion can get rid of a lot of them, combined with the clock running it should be more intense than it is. That might be the biggest flaw with the game, actually; the lack of a "problem" will turn off a lot of people, and people will have a hard time getting into it if it does interest them. It doesn't have that issue that needs to be dealt with, it doesn't have that ultimate bad guy, there is no "gotta save the world gotta save the world DAMMIT why isn't it saved yet!?" emotion being spurred in a gamer's head.

It's a great example, though, of that complex arcade game that grabs you by the collar and just might not let go. It's the arcade game you might've heard about from your buddy that they never got good at, but couldn't stop playing. If it doesn't grab you at first, that's OK... it's just odd enough to keep you playing just a little bit longer. Have you heard of "one more game syndrome"? You will.

As far as the aesthetics go, it's pretty enough, if you like basic polygons and vector graphics. The look is definately old-school with a modern touch, which does the job beautifully, giving credit to the games that came before (the bomb/ship keeps reminding me of the ship in Asteroids and the enemies , though basic, keep making me think of Tempest, and it plays really nothing like either game). The soundtrack is badass, which is to be expected from the same company that made Lumines and the man behind Rez. So, the big question...

Should you buy this game?

If you're a puzzle whore, yes. A whole-hearted yes. If you have a thing for those arcade games that were difficult to master but kept you coming back for more, yes. If you have a thing for odd, niche games, then definately yes.

If you're a common gamer, then it's up in the air. I think it's a good game, and work playing at least once, just to see what the fuss is about (from my end, anyway). But if you don't think you'll be spending copious amounts of time with your PSP, maybe this one shouldn't go your way. It's not as addicting as Lumines, but in the end... it just might be up that way.

Gunpey (PSP)

Today brings a review of a game I've honestly been looking forward to since I knew it was being released for the PSP. This title started out as a launch title for the WonderSwan in Japan, and it was named, in honor, after the late (and great) creator of the Game Boy, WonderSwan, Game & Watch series AND the Virtual Boy (but we can forgive him for how the VB turned out, right?). It's a simple game, and it's called...

Gunpey (Sony PSP, released 10/31/06, Bandai/Namco Games, rated E-10+)

Gunpey is a simple, straight-forward puzzle game that I do believe has been seen before in the US, but not often on major systems. Before I get into the interview, just a little backstory...

The reason why I was so interested in this title was because of my odd desire to own a WonderSwan. I saw screenshots in EGM, and I would constantly drool, having absolutely no idea how to go about getting anything imported, let alone my desire. I saw shots of a quirky puzzle game named Gunpey, and it made me happy; just seeing the black-and-white pictures, for some reason, made me happy.

That little bit of backstory (I don't know why I added it, but what the hell, right?) leads me to today, where I'm pleased to be playing a game I thought I'd never get to play. And no, I don't count emulators, that's just cheatin'.

Gunpey is basically about connecting lines from one side of the grid to another as fast as possible, and connecting as many lines to one attachment to gain a bigger and better bonus. Sound simple? It is. But the pieces come from the bottom and scroll up, and they come faster, and in random combinations, so you beter pay attention to just how high each piece is, otherwise your game will end faster than Yosemite Sam falls off the cliff chasing Bugs Bunny.

You know, without the accordion effect on impact.

The presentation, while so simple, is laid out very similar (note: copied in style from) to the incredible PSP puzzler Lumines, with background skins abound and strong techno bets for each level of play. The only thing is... it doesn't really fit. Some of the skins are cool and all, but the music is very unremarkable as a whole and doesn't give a real sense of urgency, or... yeah. The music won't keep interest for very long.

The gameplay itself is frantic, but sadly, it feels like a lot of repitition. With Gunpey basically competing with Lumines for the "best PSP puzzle game" title, it can't stand up; Gunpey features a basic strategy for making the best of the pieces a player if given, while Lumines is so expansive in what you can do what with you're given. In some ways, t's a bit like comparing non-alcoholic beer with a bottle of fine wine: if might still taste good, but you know there's something better down the line. It's not that Gunpey has bad controls, it really doesn't... they're responsive and easy to handle, but it just doesn't bring anything new.

Wow. I started this as a happy, positive review, and it's just started to spiral out of control. Crap.

Gunpey is a puzzle gamer's delight, but it's not anything that'll convert those that haven't played a puzzler before. Tetris might do it; Lumines can do it...

but Gunpey?

Sadly, nope.

But for a little bit, it's still fun. Pop the tab and guzzle that, have a drink on me, and pick this up if you're a fanatic for a good puzzle. If you're not, then don't bother. It's nothing you'd hear about from any gamer buddies.

I seem to have lost this web space.

Lost it over the passage of the past few months. I've been busy, working at a job that I don't really hate, but that has been... long. Long hours, not much pay, but at least I'm employed. And, a perk, I've been able to not only buy a new system (the Sony PSP) but games for it! So I have a new game to review here, as well as a slightly more aged game to rant and rave about. I can guarentee that both of these are unique, and quite possibly two games you've yet to hear much (if ANYthing) about.

First, the older one.

Exit (PSP, developed by Taito and released by Ubisoft, released in 2006, rated E for everyone)

Exit... what can I say about thee? Exit is an interesting title, it's not really an action game, it's not strictly a puzzle game, but a hybrid of both. The player takes control of Exit, a "freelance" escape expert that seems to constantly be in the right place at the wrong time, in burning buildings and blocked-off passageways, the goal being to save everyone trapped within. The survivors, which range from nearly-as-capable-as-Exit adults, to fat grown-ups, to tiny kids, each have abilities that can be utilized by Exit as he works through each stage to help out in the escape effort. With a hundred initial levels, and a hundred more available via download, it's ag ame that if you really get into you'll be hooked.

Honestly, it's fun, albeit quite slow paced. A lot of time is spent figuring out each puzzle situation, as it should be, but what I really mean by slow is that Exit doesn't run by default. That might sound a bit odd, but it's true; Exit can't run without being prompted. And when he does, as you push the buttons, he has a tendency to run too far, or off of things, and it can get to be a bit frustrating. It might be a small annoyance to some, but it's a noticable one.

The look, however, is very striking. The sharp-cornered comic book style is very very cool, and flows exceptionally well. The animation is fluid, no slowdown, the environments are very nice and detailed... the music is bland and unremarkable (I haven't played the game for maybe a day or two, and I honestly can't remember any of the tunes, no matter how hard I try), but it's alright, it gives enough intensity to get through each stage.

It's also a budget title, at twenty bucks it's worth taking a look at. It's not the best game ever made, but really... what is? Everyone has a different idea as to how to answer that question. This game's just meant to be fun and interesting, and in that, it does the trick.


And now for the brand-spankin'-new title:

WTF: work time fun (PSP, published by D3Publisher, 2006, rated T for teen for some blood, gore, violence and language)

And yes, the works "work time fun" are meant to be lower case. Just to make sure ya know.

WTF, if you've ever played games like Incredible Crisis for the original Playstation console or WarioWare: Mega Microgame$ for the Gamecube and Game Boy Advance, then you have some idea what to expect here. The basic premise is to play a grouping of mini-games to earn money, which in turn unlocks more games and, interestingly enough, different tools meant to help a player along when they're out and about with their PSP. But first thing's first.

The mini-games are hit-and-miss when it comes to a fun factor. A few are a lot of fun, like a game where you're given seven minutes to collect as many protesters as possible (without getting caught by roaming police officers); some are like classic arcade games like Lunar Lander, dropping pollon on a certain spot to earn some coin; and some are simply boring as hell, like a "game" that involves properly putting the cap on a pen as a worker might on the factory line. But overall it's a level of occasionally-fun monotony. The only way to unlock new games is through vending machines, which is an interesting... gimmick.

What's interesting about this game is the unlockable tools. Some of them are corny like the light... which is basically all it is. It's a singe color on the screen at any given time, and it IS pretty bright... but some of the other tools, like "King of the Castle" (which is basically a dare game to play with friends) are amusing. There are a good lot of the tools, the rest of which I can let you figure out for yourself. Some are cool, some are rehashes of what you might have had access to on a handheld organizer (just a small clue), and some... are like the light.

Overall, I dunno if the sticker price matches the content. Sure, you can collect stuff from the vending machines, but they're just not very interesting. And while a few of the games are amusing (there's one galled Lumberjack where you have to cut wood and only get a second or less to push the button, and you're NOT supposed to cut in half any poor woodland creatures) it just isn't worth paying full price for. Maybe a sale price, but I can't recommend the sticker.


I'll try to update more often with games I've picked up that are interesting (or just flat-out bad), though I'm not committing to a set schedule. Just keep checking back, I'll try to get summore reviews up. :-)

Official US Playstation Magazine Demo, August 2006

As it turns out, I DO get the DVDs with the magazines! So sorry this one is late, but here it is, reviews for the demos in the August Issue of Official US Playstation Magazine!

Only two new ones, one of which is movie only, the other a demo, on this particular disc, so first up, let's check out the movie for...

Disgaea 2 (rated T)
"The SRPG that turned gamers into insomniacs..." Now THAT'S a bold statement to make about a game, and espcially an SRPG... wait, not really, strategy RPG players tend to play for hours and hours on a game ANYway. It looks to be more of the same, with a few new elements thrown in like "stacking" (placing players on top of each other for a multiple-hit combo attack) and the ability to throw a character to another space (within a certain distance of yourself of course). Also, doesn't look like there's any actual anime-animations, just stills when characters are advancing the plot. Kinda lame if you ask me; I'd really like to see some anime (especially since there IS a Disgaea anime in Japan).

And here's our demo of the disc,
Yakuza (rated M)
I honestly still find myself awed at the idea of a Sega game on a non-Sega console, even if it's been a few years since the trend started up. I played through Yakuza, expecting maybe to try out a drug deal or some other kind of "gang" thing, but instead I found a casino, a battling cage (I don't know, maybe to practice for beating people up?) and the battle system (where, indeed, I beat people up). The battle system felt a bit like the game Fighting Force for the PS1, just a button-mashing fest where the only real strategy is "who do I swing at next." It's extremely easy to get caught with a punch, the kick takes a bit of time to actually connect with (and it leaves you WIDE open when you miss... which you probably will), the only thing kind of interesting is the throwing. One button is punching, one is kicking, and one has you taking the collar of a baddie and chucking him over your shoulder. The bigger they are, the more and the faster you have to push the button to get them over, which is a nice touch as opposed to the rule of "everybody weighs the same." But overall, I didn't see anything to get really excited about in this game. Maybe the batting cages. That was kinda fun.


There are other, "Classic" demos on here (the list is Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, Killzone, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, God Of War, Lego Star Wars, and Sly 3: Honor Among Theives), but overall... a little disappointing. The video of the auditions for sending someone to E3 was a fun watch though... nothing better than watching gamers make complete fools out of themselves. But some of them DID get to go to E3...

Maybe the September issue has some good stuff in it, a good demo or two... Lego Star Wars II!?

Classic Gaming Expo

So sadly, this year there will be no Classic Gaming Expo to attend. It's a shame, but I understand why the organizers aren't putting everything together; it's a huge task to create not only a show for anyone, but with the things people have had to go through in the past year there was no way to give the show what it really deserves.

But that's OK. Because there will be a Classic Gaming Expo NEXT year. And I will be there... I've yet to miss one since 2001.

For the uninitiated, Classic Gaming Expo, or CGE, is a show put on by a small handful of devoted individuals who get together great vendors for the show floor, ask around and get as many individuals from the days of early game consoles and companies (guests in the past have included Ralph Baer, Nolan Bushnell, Bill Kunkel, Al Alcorn and David Crane, among others), even asking collectors to contribute to the gaming museum that's pieced together cart by cart, generation by generation, oddity by oddity. There's live music playing on the show floor from video game inspired bands, and even an auction where gaming valuables from years past have been sold off, the proceeds of which have been dedicated to charity.

What I've found to be the biggest event of CGE isn't what is hosted, but who is hosted, and not even the celebrities of the culture at their keynote speeches. It's a ground where you can literally strike up a conversation with just about anyone about just about anything. I've sat in the keynote rooms and had great (sometimes quite short, but still great) conversations with someone I've never seen before, wearing a t-shirt from a game I might not even know. And if you watching gaming television shows (like Attack of the Show! on the G4 network) or read gaming publications, you just might be able to spot and swap a few words with some of the talent (two years ago at the auction I sat in front of the head editor of Game Informer Andy McNamara, and last year I spotted and took a picture of the movie release guy from AotS!, who was watching the band perform as I worked at their booth).

The best experience, however, is being able to meet people that you've only swapped messages with online. People have come from all over the country (and all over the world) to visit CGE, representing England, Mexico, Australia and Japan to name a few (and a lot of time they bring stuff with them; there was a group from Japan last year who brought FamiCom and Super Fami games to sell, as well as systems and random toys and trinkets). Those people that you share your love of the hobby with just might visit the show, and you'll have the opportunity to talk face to face, shake their hand, and who knows, play or trade a game or two.

CGE will be coming back in 2007 for a big 10th anniversary show, and should be the biggest and best show yet. The devoted classic gamers will come out in droves, will bring their wallets, their memories and their geeky t-shirts (I know, because I'll be wearing mine) to experience their childhoods all over again... and who knows, maybe a few new classic memories will be made.

(Check out the web site for updates, www.CGExpo.com )

Playstation Memories

So I've recently been playing my PS1 and 2, trying to recapture some of the feelings that I had back when I first got the both of them. My PS2 I bought myself, only maybe two years ago... took me a bit to really get into anything for it. When I first bought it, I was mostly playing my PS1 games on it (lucky for me my range of games were all able to play on it with no issues), and didn't care much about new titles. What did I really have to look forward to? I wasn't able to really engross myself into the brand-spankin'-new stuff, especially since I wasn't ready to plunk down fifty bucks on a game I didn't feel like playing.

My PS1 however, particularly in the later years, I thoroughly enjoyed. Games were cheap, interesting titles, some of them simple yet incredibly addictive, and they, for a while, were EVERYWHERE. The A1 series of games were ten bucks a pop, and some were pretty damn decent (Billiards is slow, but plays a lot like Side-Pocket for the Famicom, and Top Shop is a Monopoly-esque board game that sucks more hours than Titanic did with 13-year-old girls back in the day), and all of the awesome games that had cost $30 or more when they debuted were down to more easily affordable prices.

Maybe I'm cheap, but picking up both Final Fantasy VII and Tactics for about $25 combined was a beautiful thing. Even if I hated FFVII.

Nowadays, I'm still plugging in PS1 titles, but I have a stable of PS2 games that I thoroughly can enjoy. Most of them are classic in obvious appearance and playability; R-Type Final, Gradius V, the Atari and Taito compilations to name a few. Some of the newer stuff, like Kingdom Hearts and the updated G&G game Maximo, I've found myself mouth-agape while playing, but for the most part my collection is more old-school styled with a new-school edge.

The reason I bring this up isn't just to vent about how I like older games more than newer programs, but that it seems classic games might just be making a comeback. The simple days might still be more complex, but there's plenty of classic flavor about them. The handheld market is a great example of this revival with titles like Lemmings and New Ghouls & Ghosts on the PSP, along with New Super Mario Brothers and the upcoming remake of Final Fantasy III.

Remakes, rehashes, collections, re-releases... they're all making their way back. And that makes me very happy to see... especially since, the second time around, they're usually cheap enough for me to enjoy them.

Sometimes again, for the first time.