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Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars minigame drives us mad
We commend the effort, Sega. But this is NOT how you should be promoting your upcoming PSP game, Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars. Just like Crazy Taxi, this frustrating Flash game has you driving around town, picking up passengers and dropping them off. However, the controls and level design are so nonsensical that the game becomes more of a frustrating exercise of self-ridicule. Maybe the intent behind this game was to make the player say: "Gee golly, that game sure was un-swell. I know Crazy Taxi will do a better job than this! Let me buy it now!"Unlikely. Honestly, Crazy Taxi looks to be a lot of fun on PSP. It's too bad this Flash game does such a poor job of selling the title.[Via PlayStation Boards]
In DS-land, playground comes to you
EA likes to swim against the tide. In the era of exer-gaming, they're making a game that's all about sitting on your ass while pretending you're at the playground for a fun-time experience. Obviously, it will sell ten million copies -- after all, it's on the DS, and we all know what that means: profit.Admittedly, EA Playground is a My Street-Wii Sports mashup, and since it's aimed at younger gamers, it's an easy target. The bold, bright visuals and odd character models don't do much for us, but maybe that's okay -- it's not for us. But a mini-game collection with a casual stab at story-telling doesn't sound nearly as engaging as most DS fare, and we can blow into the microphone in a million different ways if we are so inclined. We'll keep an eye on this one, but at first glance, we're not terribly impressed, and we like games largely aimed at younger players.[Via Joystiq]
EA reveals completely original idea: sports-based minigames
Tell us if you think this sounds like a good idea for a Wii game: a collection of easy-to-play minigames based on casual sports! EA Playground is EA's attempt to fill the only hole in the Wii's lineup that absolutely doesn't exist. At least it features different sports than Wii Sports: tetherball, RC racing, and dodgeball, that we know of.EA is emphasizing "local multiplayer parties" for this title (by not putting it online, probably) and a "storyline" based on collecting stickers for your sticker book. Also it has graphics, basically. Things appear onscreen. The attractiveness or visual quality of those things are for you to decide. EA Playground will also be appearing on DS, with its own exclusive minigames.[Via Joystiq]
Get a degree in knowing how to play Big Brain Academy
We haven't read any research on the particular brain-embiggening properties of Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree, and we're also quite certain that playing it won't result in an actual degree conferral (which is too bad, because we could use some more of those!) Whatever health or brain-bigness benefits it may have, the game certainly looks cute and fun. Siliconera has posted some impressions of the Japanese version, with plenty of screenshots and explanation of the various minigames involved. We suggest you check it out and dramatically increase the size of the area of your brain that holds Big Brain Academy gameplay details!
Pogo Island's redeemable qualities
Pogo Island isn't a particularly terrible game; there just hasn't been much we've heard about it worth discussing. Electronic Arts developed the puzzle collection as a handheld supplement to its popular casual gaming site, Pogo. Marked at full price though, it's hard to justify buying a title that's essentially a round up of the five most popular games EA already offers for free online.Even with that in mind, Pogo Island isn't completely without merit. As GameSetWatch pointed out to us, playing the game earns you tokens which can later be uploaded to your Pogo account online. Trading in any tokens you acquire from either Pogo.com or Pogo Island buys you a ticket for the site's daily prize drawings (Up to $1000!).Why don't more DS titles have connectivity like this? Wouldn't it be great if you could exchange all those Star coins you collected in New Super Mario Bros. for a free copy of the Super Mario Bros. 3 DVD? Or if discounts were offered at an online pet shop when Nintendogs notices that you've been taking good care of your puppy? Features like this won't automatically turn a mediocre game into a great one, but it's an easy way to add to its worth.
Majesco turns Mawasunda!! around toward the US
Majesco announced yesterday that they're localizing Taito's Mawasunda!! as Turn it Around. The game collects 24 minigames that all make use of a turntable on the touch screen. Many of the games are based on classic Taito games like Bubble Bobble and Cameltry.Yeah, we know, it's more minigames. But most minigames aren't derived from Arkanoid or Elevator Action. The Taito pedigree makes this game worth a spin for us. Plus the spinning mechanic recalls Wario Ware: Twisted, which is a generally good sign.
"Why must you chase me, mechanical yeti?"
Let me preface this by saying that I absolutely love the tonks. I cackle with fiendish glee anytime one of my guild mates pulls out a tonk while we're waiting on the rest of the group to get to an instance. Tonk wars are no end of fun.One of the things that has been conspicuously absent from the game for some time was more mini-games like the tonks at the Darkmoon Faire. Sure, you get the Battered Steam Tonk Controller as a quest reward in the Bone Wastes, but I already have a tonk. I had hopes when I did the Arcano Scorpid quest in Shadowmoon Valley... It seems like you should be able to battle them. But sadly enough, as a guild mate and I found out, once you've turned in the quest, you can no longer control the arcano scorpids. (We can only guess that it is still possible that you can battle them, considering they have attacks that only work on other arcano scorpids. But you'd have to never turn in the quest to be able to continue playing.) And yes, you can do the bombing run over and over in Hellfire, but without actually playing against another person, where is the challenge in it?So, what we'd like to propose is for Blizzard to actually build in some form of mini-games. Not a true PVP thing, like dueling or battlegrounds, but something of a smaller and potentially sillier bent. Like giving folks control of the arcano scorpids after the quest is completed. That way you could play Scorpid Battle Mechs to break up the monotony of puking your guts out while searching for that one perfectly ripe Arakkoa egg. Or hey, how about making those non-combat pets useful and let us fight them against each other? I can just see it now... Magical Crawdad, I choose you!
DS Fanboy Review: Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales
Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales is a lot like most modern cartoons that seem to be aimed at the younger set -- you know, Disney and Pixar and Cartoon Network in the after-school hours. Like these cartoons, Chocobo Tales is colorful and simple, with a solid storyline that isn't really anything special. It's fun, but not deep. But also like those cartoons, Chocobo Tales is peppered with hilarious one-liners and jokes that do show off some depth and appeal for an older set of fans. It's definitely cliché to talk about something that appeals to gamers of all ages, but that may well be the best possible description for the latest Final Fantasy spinoff.Also, it's just about the cutest thing ever.
Powerpuff Girls adapted to anime, anime adapted to minigames
This news manages to be both supremely weird and completely banal at the same time. It's interesting conceptually, but mechanically, it's another licensed minigame set. Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z is the made-for-Japan adaptation of the Cartoon Network show, which was itself inspired by anime. And just like you would expect for any anime, or, for that matter, anything popular in Japan (see also: food and walking) Powerpuff Girls Z is getting its own DS game. This has to be the most derivative game ever in terms of source material-- just surpassing the game adaptation of Street Fighter: The Movie.
Crave opening big box of virtual Crayolas
The washable-crayon-stylus hybrid thing seen here may still be a dream in our somewhat odd fanboy minds, but it is true that Crayola is bringing its unique brand of waxy, brittle pigment to the DS in electronic form. The company has made an agreement with publisher Crave to release a Crayola-themed DS game.Apparently, the game will be a minigame collection, with all of the minigames involving drawing and coloring with a wide selection of Crayola crayons. We're excited about this if only for the possibility that we may get to color a dinosaur. And because this way we won't lose 33 of our 64 colors within a week.
Tamagotchi Party On! gameplay videos
Why didn't anyone tell us that Tamagotchi: Party On! was so adorable? We could have been staring dreamily at it since the Japanese Wii launch. What a missed opportunity.Party On! is a minigame collection about trying to become the president of Tamagotchi Planet, and is full of edgy political satire cute competitive games that involve shaking hands, opening kind-of-unsettling animated doors, and directing traffic, from what we see so far. We love the appearance of this game, which recalls Parappa the Rapper without actually being flat. Speaking of Parappa, the Tamagotchi DS games were developed by Parappa creators Nana-On-Sha, but this one seems to be the work of an internal Namco Bandai team. If we ever hear confirmation that Nana-On-Sha is developing for the Wii, you will hear about it immediately. We will interrupt your regularly scheduled websites. Enjoy some videos after the break![Via GoNintendo]
More Chocobo Tales videos than you can shake a gysahl green at
By the time Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales hits shelves next month, we'll hardly even need to play it! We've already seen several of the minigames in action, and GameVideos has added even more to the collection.And we know, we're not fooling anyone. We're going to play this one until our fingers cramp. That little chocobo is just too cute to resist, and we're helpless when it comes to Final Fantasy.
Housewife Superstar: home-ec minigames
This looks totally strange, and totally endearing. Insert Credit's Brandon Sheffield found this poster at GDC, for a DS game called Housewife Superstar, developed by Studio Nocturne. It looks like a minigame collection, but based on the idea of becoming the perfect (stereotypical) housewife. There are games about things like embroidery, flower arranging, knitting, and dressing up.The non-serious tone keeps this from being completely insulting, and the art style, which is kind of a stylized 1960s anime (a little like Mr. Driller color-wise, but not as severe), looks really nice. We have no idea when or where Studio Nocturne plans to release this, but we hope it is somewhere close and sometime soon.
Kweh! Or, fresh new Chocobo screens
Oh, that little scamp of a Chocobo -- what will he get into next? If these screens are any indication, it looks like he's getting into a giant beanstalk. Considering the upcoming Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales is peppered with references from children's stories, that's probably exactly what it is ... but really, how many times do we need to see the beanstalk here? It's all over this latest batch of screens!Check after the jump for selected screens -- only one beanstalk included.
'Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales' fluttering to North America
Square Enix keeps the Final Fantasy franchise spinning along, announcing Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales for North America, the ninth game dedicated to the "chocolate ball" birds. Part adventure, part RPG, part card battle, part minigame, and part 'microgame,' Chocobo Tales packs a lotta genre into a tiny DS cart -- and keeps it just as cuddly as last year's Final Fantasy III makeover. Awww...Chocobo Tales is scheduled for release on April 3; retailing for $29.99.
Joystiq hands-on: Mario Party 8 (Wii)
Like the early days of the DS, the Wii still hasn't really found its own identity just yet. Still lacking a Brain Training or a Nintendogs, minigames are de rigeur on the system at the moment. Certainly the Wiimote is well suited for minigames, and it's been hoped that it will breathe some new life into a rather tired Nintendo franchise. Yup, Mario Party 8. Joystiq got to play an incomplete version of the "ocho" at the Osaka leg of Japan's World Hobby Fair. Six different minigames were on display: Lasso the barrels: Swing the lasso (Wiimote) in a circle, once you've got some momentum going, throw the lasso forward, grabbing a barrels for points (don't throw Wiimote). Some barrels are worth more points than others. Ball tilt: Balls fall from ceiling. Direct bouncing balls to their correct container by rotating the wiimote. Green on the left, and purple on the right. Drink shaking: Simply shake the Wiimote up and down; fastest shaker wins. Target shooting: Just as in Wii Play, shoot targets with your Wiimote. The high score zone constantly changes so you have to think fast. Jet ski jumps: Move your jet skier to the ramps to pick up coins. The challenge comes from the difficult controls. Crank turning: Turn a crank as fast you can. Exactly the same as the similar WarioWare minigame. Overall, the minigames were solid and fun, if not a tad on the simple side. If the board game side of things (not shown in this early version) is a winner, this could be a fun party game, if not an inventive one. They don't have their Brain Training yet.
Wii Play bumped to February
While it hasn't been officially announced from the heavens, it looks like the minigame collection Wii Sports II Wii Play will be delayed in the U.S. until February. What have we done to displease you, Nintendo? We need Wiimotes with pack-in games! Nintendo's official online media outlet had Wii Play listed for January ... and now suddenly the game has been moved to February 12, a full month after Wario Ware. Coincidence?
Eurogamer takes an early look at Wii Play
In what is not so much a preview but a treatise, Eurogamer gives Wii Play a few run-throughs and looks at the overall notion of including the collection of mini-games with Wiimotes in non-North American markets (you lucky buggers). After all, Wii Play is the game that will be called Wii Sports II by many, and as with Wii Sports, it's not so much a game as a teaching tool to help people learn the Wiimote. But after they look at the nine minigames -- Billiards, Laser Hockey, and Shooting Gallery aside -- the wrap-up seems to beg the question of whether or not this game is necessary, even included with a spare Wiimote at a bargain price. Wii Play, reports Eurogamer, is very basic -- and we already have a basic tutorial with the system. It's Wii Sports, a game that has depth that has surprised many. We'll have to wait for the full reviews to see if Wii Play will demonstrate similar depth, but from this preview, we're inclined to doubt it. For those who have the Wii Play-and-controller bundle at launch, it may be a worthy purchase ... but for those of us in North America, who won't see Wii Play until January, it may not do as well, bundle or not.
Metareview: Rayman Raving Rabbids
The Wii launch window is teeming with minigame madness. Between Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, the upcoming WarioWare: Smooth Moves, and the devil bunnies in Rayman Raving Rabbids, what's a gamer to do? Time to check out the reviews. So far, Rayman and the legions of rabbids haven't seen a lot of review time, but what's out there seems solid. Looking for twisted humor, cow tossing, and freaky bunnies? Rayman's got it.Deeko - 85%: A lot of people are spoiled because of the next-gen graphics seen on the Xbox 360 and the PS3, but the fact of the matter is the graphics in Rayman are very good and serve to prove that this little system has more power than you'd think. The game's overall presentation is wonderfully colorful, superbly animated and highly detailed, running at a very fluid 30 frames per second. Those who feel jaded because the graphics aren't on par with a next-gen console need to get over themselves, because the game is visually quite impressive and that's no small feat. Musically, the soundtrack is all over the place in terms of presentation, with some very strange Rabbid renditions of classic rock tunes, coupled with a handful of interesting musical pieces created for the game. It's eclectic, most certainly, but works quite well. The voices are more like odd sound bytes, which is very traditional Rayman and that is a very good thing. The Rabbid voiceovers are particularly amusing and only add to their overall charm and allure. IGN - 83%: Purists, traditionalists, conventional snobs - none of these people will be happy to read it, but Ubisoft's Rayman Ravving Rabbids completely ditches the franchise's trademark platformer background. Let's be clear to avoid any confusion: there is no platforming to be found in this Wii-exclusive title, which arrives from the undeniably talented Beyond Good & Evil team, led by Rayman creator Michel Ancel. In place of those run-and-jump levels are mini-games designed around the Wii remote. There is a central storyline that sews the minis together, but make no mistake: this project is Ubisoft's deeper, prettier WarioWare. It may not follow the classic Rayman template, but Rabbids is nevertheless a welcomed addition to Wii's launch lineup for it is a fun and oftentimes hilarious game and an ideal choice for the old-school and new-school alike ... The majority of minis in the title are fun whether you're playing by yourself or with friends, although there are the occasional duds. The biggest drawback is that many of the minis are not designed for simultaneous play; instead you go in sequence. But even with that being true the experience is still engaging and addictive and the title's sense of humor is in a league of its own. It is almost unfair to label this effort a Rayman game because the real stars of the project are the bunnies, whose blank faces and inevitable agonized screams will make you laugh over and over again.
Ubisoft getting us ready for Red Steel
If you haven't been to the Red Steel site lately -- hell, even if you have! -- get over there and check out the updates. If the site is any indication of the quality of the finished game, we're sold. Times ten. From the music to the sound effects, down to the new feature of the Wiimote and aiming reticle, everything on the revamped site is pitch perfect. And don't forget to train with the sensei. It's always a good time to be a disgrace to the world of martial arts. That was a compliment ... right?
