The Roundup: July 20

A quick peek at games to be released very, very soon


THE BIG ONE: SOUL CALIBUR 4
By: Namco Bandai
Platform: PS3/Xbox 360
Genre: Fighting
Price: $59.99, $79.99 for Limited Edition
Release: July 29

One of the most anticipated games of the year, Soul Calibur 4 is the latest installment of Namco Bandai's weapon-based fighting game. One particular source of excitement for this iteration of Soul Calibur are the guest characters from Star Wars: Playstation 3 gets Sith powerhouse Darth Vader while Xbox 360 gets its matching green Jedi warrior Master Yoda. Both versions will also have Darth Vader's apprentice as a playable character. The Limited Edition comes with a metal case, art book, tournament bracket card and XL T-shirt. Click on the clip below to view it in action.




Now on to the other previews for this week. First up is Spectral Force 3, just one of several RPGs to be coming out this week...



SPECTRAL FORCE 3
By: Atlus
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Strategy RPG
Price: $59.99
Release: July 29

Get hooked in the Great Neverland War (Get it? Hooked? Neverland? Um, never mind) in the first Japanese-style strategy RPG for the 360. The game features more than 50 hours of gameplay spanning more than 150 missions. You can also recruit as many as 40 characters into your mercenary group, though I doubt any one of them is named Peter Pan.



MLB POWER PROS 2008
By: Konami/Take 2 Interactive
Platform: Wii
Genre: Sports
Price: $39.99
Release: July 28

Big-headed baseball returns to the Wii in the latest localization of the popular Japanese Power Pro series. The game sports real Major League teams and players, albeit in shrunken, cutesy form.



IZUNA 2: THE UNEMPLOYED NINJA RETURNS
By: Atlus
Platform: DS
Genre: RPG
Price: $29.99
Release: July 22

Izuna is back and jobless yet again in this wacky role-playing series for Nintendo's handheld. This game should fit the bill for folks pining for old Super Nintendo-style RPGs.



FINAL FANTASY IV
By: Square Enix
Platform: DS
Genre: RPG
Price: $39.99
Release: July 21

Now this brings back memories. Final Fantasy IV (or II when it first came out in the U.S.) is a complete remake of the Super NES classic for the DS. Just like Final Fantasy III before it, Squeenix went the extra mile and re-did the whole game with new 3D graphics and cut-scenes as opposed to just a straight port (they better for that price). That sound you hear are Final Fantasy fans squealing for joy.

Preview: 'Fate/unlimited codes' for PS2

Capcom adds some fighting punch to popular "Fate" series.

KEEP THE FATE: Importers itching for some good, old one-on-one fighting with an anime-ish twist may want to keep tabs on "Fate/unlimited codes" for the Playstation 2. I've never had a chance to check out the original "Fate" game -- "Fate/stay night" -- as dating sims aren't exactly my cup of tea (and from what I've heard, the original FSN game had some risque elements to boot). But I have watched the anime adaptation of the "Fate" story that was shown in Japanese TV and liked it quite a bit.


Unlike the FSN game, "Fate/unlimited codes" is a straight up fighting game. It also happens to have a great pedigree -- the game was developed by Capcom, the same company behind the stellar Street Fighter series. Hopefully, that means the characters should be pretty well-balanced and players shouldn't have to worry about overpowered characters. Originally released in Japanese arcades this June, one would think a PS3 version of "Fate/unlimited codes" should make more sense from a technical standpoint. But developers probably believe that releasing the game on PS2 would make more financial sense.


The PS2 version is slated for release in Japan this Dec. 18 and will come in two flavors. The regular edition will retail for 7,340 yen, which is a little over $68. The game will also have a limited edition version that comes with a special figurine of "Fate" protagonist Saber. According to statements released to Japanese publications such as Dengeki and Game Watch, the white "Saber Lily" figurine is a new design by the original "Fate" producer, who decided to come up with a new armor design for Saber during some "idle chatter." While Saber's original blue-and-silver armor has a more "kingly" source of inspiration, the "Saber Lily" getup has more of a princess-like feel, the designer said. (A princess that could kick butt, that is.) The price for getting the limited game/figurine bundle? 10,490 yen -- or about $98. Even with that price, I have a feeling the game will still sell out among Japan's rabid otaku. Folks interested to get the game stateside may want to check with importers such as National Console Support or Play-Asia.

Sega Unleashes a New Sonic

Hey, who dropped a werewolf in my Sonic?

BARK AT THE MOON: Sega's blue hedgehog is getting lots of buzz for his latest howler of a game both East and West. That would be Sonic World Adventure in Japan, a.k.a. Sonic Unleashed here stateside.


One reason for the buzz is how the speed sections of the game harken back to old-school Sonic games by combining 3D sections with 2D-style gaming at certain points. Looking at the preview video of these sections should be enough to make the hearts of Sonic fans flutter at the speed of sound, as this is exactly what they have been clamoring for ever since Sega moved the Blue Blur to the 3D space, albeit with mixed success.


One aspect of the game that's a bit more controversial is its night mode, which sees Sonic transform into a not-so supersonic werewolf due to the hijinks of Dr. Eggman/Robotnik. Some fans -- leery of Sega's fumbling of 3D gaming for Sonic -- have voiced displeasure about this aspect of the game, with some griping that the slower night stages interrupts the speedy flow of the day sections and is characteristically "un-Sonic." I beg to differ a teeny bit. Anybody who's played the original Megadrive/Genesis version should remember that Sonic wasn't always about going full throttle speedwise. The original's underwater adventure sections had Sonic going even slower than "Werehog" Sonic, for example.


So as long as the night sections don't have the collision problems and technical glitches that served as unwanted speedbumps in previous 3D games, then I'm willing to give the Dynasty Warriors-style night sections a chance. Executed right, the night sections might even serve as a nice change of pace from the day sections. In short, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. For folks wondering when the game will be out, Sega is planning to release the game for the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii this holiday season.

Hallelujah! PS2 Gundam 00 game dated

War. Hoo. What is it a-good for? Absolutely nothing ... except for more Gundam

PEACE DOESN'T SELL: Fans of the latest Gundam anime will have a chance to take control of their favorite war-hating warmonger later this year with the release of Kidousenshi Gundam 00: Gundam Meisters for the Playstation 2. How big a deal is this game? Big enough to get double exclamation points!! In the headline and subhed of Famitsu.com!! Cuz you can't type Japanese in all caps!! Why am I remembering Howard Dean all of a sudden!!??


Anywho, according to Famitsu, Mobile Suit Gundam 00: GM is a 3D action game that follows the first season of the hit anime. Take control of Stereotypical Gundam, Peeping Tom Gundam, Schizo Gundam and Fat Boy Slim Gundam while teaching the Earth's arms-racing fools a lesson. Besides featuring all the scenarios from the first season, the game will also feature plenty of original content to make fans squeal with joy. I don't know how much more of this excitement the fans can take, Gundammit! No price yet but the game is slated for an October release, just in time for the second season of the Gundam 00 anime.


All kidding aside, I actually quite enjoyed Gundam 00, and it's been a while since a Gundam series actually piqued my interest. Of course, that could all change depending on how this second season goes so I'm cautiously optimistic. In the meantime, one can only hope the game holds the same promise as the source material. Don't disappoint, Yukes!

This Week's U.S. Releases: One Piece Unlimited Adventure; No More Heroes; Mario & Sonic at the Olympics DS

This week's releases are Nintendo-heavy with two Wii games and one DS offering taking center stage. If you fancy yourself being a pirate, an assassin, a tubby plumber or a prickly hedgehog, then this week's releases has something in store for you.

One Piece Unlimited Adventure
System: Nintendo Wii
Genre: Action Adventure
Price: $39.99
Company: Namco Bandai
Rating: Teen



Join wannabe Pirate King Luffy and his Strawhat crew as they try to solve the mystery behind a mysterious island while sporting some snazzy, new -- if not expensive -- outfits.

The One Piece manga has had its fair share of game offerings from an assortment of one-on-one beat-em-ups and even a party game. As the title implies, this game is an adventure romp, allowing you to take control of Luffy and his mates while you explore a 3D world and try to solve the riddle behind a mysterious orb that comes into Luffy's possession.

Having dabbled with the game, I can say that the game starts out a bit slow, largely because the characters start out with a limited amount of moves (and I mean limited, as in two-hit or even one-hit moves). But don't let that detract you from the game. The good news is that you can get more moves and combos by leveling up your characters' moveset, so you should be dishing out "skillz" such as Luffy's assortment of Gum-Gum moves (or gomu-gomu for you Japanese purists) soon enough. Just make sure you level all your characters equally or you'll be left with some pretty useless allies during key boss fights. Take it from someone who faced the first boss with one-move Chopper and one-move Usopp. That sucked eggs big time (fortunately, I leveled Nami up to hit twice so she and Luffy did enough damage before I had to cycle all the way down in my nearly-dead character list and dispatch the boss with Usopp's piddly little sling shot out of desperation).

Throughout your adventure, you'll also need to collect items to power up your orb so you can unlock other areas of the island. This involves a fair amount of abuse of nature, including assaults on bushes, rocks and coconut trees. Expect a call from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Plants and Rocks. If you want to take a break from earning nature's wrath, the game also offers survival and versus modes that allow you to unlock a stable of more than 40 fighters.

All in all, the game appears to be quite promising so far. Hopefully, it gets more interesting as I unlock the character's full assortment of moves and get into stuff like fishing, bug catching and item mixing to help keep things fresh and break the monotony. Graphics-wise the game does feature a fair amount of pixellation that evoked memories of my PS2, but that's likely exaggerated by my 63-inch TV (or as my Japanese friends like to call it, the Yakuza TV). One Piece fans would also likely eat this up, though I wish there was a way to unlock the Japanese language option (Yes, I'm one of those people). As someone who's mostly watched the Japanese version of the One Piece anime, hearing the characters speaking in English sounds just as weird as hearing Lord of the Rings in Japanese. Expect another writeup after I sink into the game like Luffy on roasted meat.

No More Heroes
System: Nintendo Wii
Genre: Action
Price: $49.99
Company: Ubisoft
Rating: Mature



Play the role of a broke nerd who wins a beam katana in an Internet auction and becomes an up and coming assassin. Yep, this one ain't for the kiddies. I haven't played this game so I'm including video by someone who has. From what I've seen, it almost has a Kill Bll meets anime vibe to it.The game's certainly got a good buzz from the hardcore gaming community -- even though it hasn't fared well sales-wise in Wii Fit-crazy Japan. If No More Heroes is as good as I'm hearing it is and you're one of those people complaining about the lack of hardcore games on the Wii, you might want to give this game a look. To ensure that we don't harm the eyes of innocent underage readers, I've decided to post a video from one of the game's tamer moments.

Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games
System: Nintendo DS
Genre: Sports
Price: $34.99
Company:Sega of America
Rating: Everyone



We're hitting all the demographics this week. This one is the DS followup to the Wii game that little kids just seem to love. How do I know? Because I had young relatives playing the Wii version of the game all day long last Christmas. I kid you not. The little ones just love Mario, Sonic and friends. JASON HIDALGO

Bioshock Is An Underwater Blast

BioShock

2K Boston

First-person shooter

Xbox 360, Windows

Four Stars **** (of 4)

BioShock is a great first-person shooter with satisfying combat that is set apart by doing two big things right: story and atmosphere.

The story involves an underwater city built in the 1950s by a proud industrialist named Andrew Ryan. Ryan believed that the fruits of a person's labor belonged solely to them, and that talents should not be bound by morality or society. Thus, he built Rapture, a place where the talented and the powerful could serve their own interests.

However, sequestering thousands of proud geniuses resulted in power struggles and genetic experiments that left many dead and the survivors slightly insane.

Your plane crashes into the Atlantic and you find your way to this decaying metropolis. Flooding little by little, the world you explore is beautifully detailed in twisted Art Deco. The graphics are gorgeous and really let you be sucked into the terrifying world. Everything is falling apart, and the not-quite-human denizens roam the shadows.

You set about helping the few sane persons left in Rapture and unraveling the mystery of its downfall. To do this though, you must survive."Plasmids" are genetic augmentations you can use on yourself and are BioShock's way of justifying magic in a shooter. Some let you light things on fire, while others help you hack machines more easily. Combat is very tactical, and requires you to mix your plasmids with the right kind of weapon and ammo to take on different foes. You can light them on fire only to shock them when they run to water or freeze them and shatter their body with conventional bullets. The many options make each battle feel like a sandbox of destruction and keep things fresh throughout the lengthy adventure.

To buy plasmids, you need Adam, a substance found on Little Sisters, little girls mutated so that they can harvest Adam from dead bodies. The moral crux of BioShock is the choice between killing the Little Sisters for maximum Adam and curing them for less Adam but other promised rewards. No violence is shown; the choice is made with a key press and then a short, surreal cutscene takes over. This moral dilemma reflects the self-serving choices made by Rapture's residents and also affects the plot. But before making your choice, you have to deal with the protective Big Daddies, hulking creatures in diving gear that are tough and deadly.

While death might come often when fighting them, it sends you to a Vita-Chamber which regenerates you and everything you carried. This certainly makes the game easier, but keeps the pace swift and the game from becoming frustrating. Even with death's limited consequences, if you try to explore every nook, the game can take 20 hours or more to complete.

BioShock ultimately is about sacrificing your humanity for personal power or redemption, and lofty themes aside, it's a tremendous amount of fun. When it was over, I took a deep breath, ate some dinner, and started over again.

Review by DAVID HEGLE of blog Power On

REVIEW: Super Paper Mario Offers Familiar Experience With a Twist

MARIO GAME NO PAPER TIGER: Once in a while, a game comes along that shows so much heart, I find myself pleasantly surprised. Even more surprising is when that game is part of Nintendo’s Super Mario franchise, which, while usually offering superb game play, typically doesn’t feature the most inspired story writing.

Think about it: The stories in most Mario games are often cliches of cliches -- adventurous jaunts that feature rescuing a damsel in distress. Super Paper Mario for the Nintendo Wii breaks from that mold in a refreshing way, although it starts with, um, rescuing a damsel in distress. I know, I know, just bear with me here.

The story starts with the mysterious Count Bleck kidnapping Princess Peach and Bowser of all people, er, turtle dragons. He then forces them to go through one of the most hilarious weddings in video game history, which causes a giant dimension-eating black hole to form in the sky. Mario, who’s knocked out in the process, eventually wakes up in a town called Flipside. That’s where he learns about a mysterious prophecy foretelling of this dark time, along with the arrival of a certain hero who will save the day by collecting items known as “Pure Hearts” to fight the darkness.

From this point, Super Paper Mario reinvents the tired, old hero cliche via creative storytelling that heavily relies on humor. Whether it be poking fun at nerds, sensational news reporters or even its own self, there’s no shortage of moments that would get players chuckling and, at times, laughing out loud. Even the bad guys and bosses have a personality. It also helps that the game doesn't take itself too seriously.

Then again, I expected this game to be funny. What I didn’t expect was that it would actually make me nearly tear up at one point. The premise behind Super Paper Mario’s story revolves around a cute love story between two mysterious lovers told via little snippets between stages. Funny thing is, the love story angle, while certainly touching, isn’t even what made me nearly tear up. I kind of expected what was going to happen with that one. Nope, what made me nearly surrender my man card was a surprising plot twist during the search for one pure heart that involved a funny, if not a bit snooty supporting character who shall remain nameless. No need to spoil the fun for those who have yet to play the game.

As far as the game mechanics are concerned, you can expect the same solid game play that Mario adventures are known for. Fans of previous Paper Mario games might be disappointed by the removal of turn-based battling in favor of more traditional platforming. This change speeds up the pace a bit, which is either good or bad depending on your point of view. The biggest game play addition, though, is the ability to flip stages from 2D to 3D. This, pardon the pun, adds new dimension to the Paper Mario game play via hidden nooks and crannies and puzzle elements that force players to think differently. Overall, I think it’s done quite well.

In comparison, Wiimote gameplay additions are fairly minimal and can be even described as gimmicky. These include the ability to point at the screen for hints and info and also being able to shake the controller after Mario pounces on an enemy to boost your score. Other than that, you use the Wiimote like a regular, old-fashioned controller.

The game also retains that colorful, drawn “paper” look familiar to anyone who has played a Paper Mario game before. I think the style looks nice in a clean and simple sort of way. As with most games on the Wii -- which doesn’t support high-definition -- the biggest concern in terms of graphics is the resolution. The game should be fine and look wonderful on regular TV’s. I played mine on a 63-inch high-definition TV so the limits of the game’s 480p resolution are a bit noticeable. Still, the game certainly looks much better than PS2 games do on my big Samsung and also looks better than the lazy offerings some third-party publishers have churned out for the Wii.

As far as game play is concerned, the main adventure seems a bit on the easy side, especially if you know how to use your “Pixls” and secondary characters well (invincible umbrella shield for the win). With the exception of the annoying 8-3 stage, which took me about three tries, players good at solving puzzles and figuring enemy patterns should do well since the platforming aspect isn’t that particularly hard. The ability to play as Luigi, Peach and, my personal favorite, Bowser is also a welcome addition, which I haven’t enjoyed since Legend of the Seven Stars for the Super NES.

All in all, Super Paper Mario is a good way to tide over Mario fans until the release of Super Mario Galaxy. It may be a bit short for some people, especially those who breeze through the story and ignore the side quests. But with tight controls, fun boss battles and a surprisingly good story, any person who’ve enjoyed past Mario games should certainly pick it up.

Our reception: 4 cell phone bars out of 5.

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