It's been a rather slow week in the gaming world, giving you all a chance to catch up on those games you haven't finished before the end of year season is upon us.
Many of you have already finished this title, but Batman: Arkham Asylum has kept me rather busy the past week. I've really enjoyed my time on Arkham, and this is a surprise hit title for me! Still sitting on the fence after playing the demo? Why not read our feature review? Batman: Arkham Asylum.
I was one of the many lucky folks who snagged a Uncharted 2 beta code last week from EB Games Twitter give-away so I'll be waiting to get into that this Tuesday! Those who pre-order the game from EB also get access to the beta so if you can't wait to get online with this game, head down to your local EB today.
This weekend I got the chance to go through the paces of the DLC pack for F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin. Reborn runs a story parallel to that of the main game, and while it doesn't do anything to expand the story or the universe, it's a decent addition to the already great game. If you already own F.E.A.R 2 and want to extend it another 2-4 hours, then check out our review here.
So now I'm just counting down the days till Scribblenauts, Uncharted 2 and Modern Warfare 2!
What are you guys and girls looking forward to playing?
14/09/2009
So I've decided to retire the Heller's Desk segment, mainly due to the fact I was getting hard pressed to find good desk pics! So welcome to Heller's Den, a chance for me to throw out what I've been researching, playing and looking forward to.
As many of you will know, Batman Arkham Asylum is the hot topic right now, and rightly so! It's a fantastic game and I'm only a few hours into it!. Tano is busy working on the featured review, but until then, why not check out Batman's Greatest Gaming Moments.
While I wait patiently for Uncharted 2 to be released for the PS3 I've started to play Killzone 2 online quite a bit recently. It's a little harder than your average shooter, but it is so in-depth and is a great change of pace!
On the Wii front I've been getting into a lot of Wii Sports Resort, The Conduit, Punch Out!! and I've been getting back into some Grand Slam Tennis which is great fun for local multiplayer!
So we have a huge few months coming up, with such games as Modern Warfare 2, Scribblenaughts, Guitar Hero 5, Rock Band Beatles the list is growing every day!
What are you guys and girls looking forward to playing?
04/09/2009
Written By Stephen Heller
While the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP have been enjoying their supremacy in the handheld market this generation, Apple’s iPhone is really stepping it up. With graphics that are better than the Nintendo DS, and an easy to access App Store, one has to wonder what is next for the multi function device.
The recently released Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition from Lucasarts has found it’s way onto the App Store, and with all the features intact from it’s Xbox 360 and PC counterparts. Weighing in at a mere 350mb and a measly $9.99 you can purchase a fully fledged game that will last 5-10 hours, for less than a quarter of the price of a new release Nintendo DS game.
Other developers are really backing the platform, EA releasing hand held versions of The Sims 3 and Spore, classic games such as Uno and new unique titles such as the ever popular Tap Tap Revenge. Even classics such as Wolfenstein 3D are making an appearance on the app store.
Will the iPhone replace the Nintendo DS or the Sony PSP? While the iPhone does rival such devices, it doesn’t make a sale purely as a gaming device. The fact that Nintendo and Sony tailor their experience purely as a gaming device will suit games better. What the iPhone does manage to do is open up the door to quality games for casual gamers.
What are your thoughts on the iPhone becoming a formidable force in the world of handheld gaming?
26/07/2009
Nintendo was disappointing at E3 last year to say the least. However, a year later Nintendo has promised bigger and better things at the number one gaming conference on the calendar. After ‘downsizing’ in the past two years, the real E3 is back this year. Back to being the specular event it should be, and more importantly what we all want it to be. But will it deliver on the announcement front?
Over the course of the week we’ll be looking at what Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft have in store for us this year. What we expect to see, what has been teased, predicted and what we’d like to see surprise us this year.
What’s Expected
"From Nintendo's perspective, we always go into E3 with a very high bar wanting to satisfy not only the core fans but also ourselves” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. After a disappointing show last year, fans have a right to be skeptical. However, with the recent release of the DSi, and a lack of big name titles from Nintendo themselves on the Wii, this time around the Big N need to pull out something special. If they don’t I fear many loyal fans may begin to jump ship.
Kid Icarus Wii
Where is it? It should have been announced ages ago! Nintendo need to pull out their big guns this year, making E3 the perfect time to revive Kid Icarus.
We want Kid Icarus on Wii!Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil & Resident Evil Darkside Chronicles
One is a remake and the other is an on-rails shooter, but one thing is for sure, Resident Evil sells well on Wii. It may not be Resident Evil 5, but if sales of past games are anything to go by Wii fans love the RE series. Both of these Capcom titles will be on show at E3 and can be penciled in to sell over a million copies to the mature Wii audience.
Tatsunoko Vs Capcom
Originally released only in Japan, a western release for Tatsunoko Vs Capcom was recently announced and the game has been confirmed to be on show at E3.
Red Steel 2
The first Red Steel had a great concept; the execution just didn’t match it. Red Steel 2 will be set in a desert-bound, high-tech metropolis. The title will also take full advantage of the Wii MotionPlus peripheral. We expect to see Red Steel 2 on show at E3 and hopefully, with the help of 1:1 motion, it’ll play as it should have the first time around.
Wii MotionPlus
MotionPlus will be released a few days after E3 wraps up. Expect Nintendo to give it one last pre-launch promotion at E3. Wii Sports Resort, Ninty’s first and currently only title to use the device, was announced last year and will launch worldwide in 6 weeks. Expect Nintendo to really push MotionPlus as it is essentially transforming the Wii into the motion controlled beast we all thought it would be 2 years ago. No doubt they’ll have a few big name games in development that make use of the device.
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
Announced at GDC’09, Reggie hinted that we would get a confirmed release date at E3. In fact besides that the Nintendo of America President has been tight lipped regarding what we can expect from E3 (besides an improvement on last year).
Pokemon Heart Gold and Pokemon Soul Silver
It wouldn’t be Nintendo without Pokemon. The remakes of Pokemon Gold and Silver for the DS were recently announced, and we expect Nintendo to show off some more footage at E3.
Wii to DS Connectivity
The DSi has expanded Nintendo’s audience who own both the Wii and DS, making E3 the perfect time to start pushing DS to Wii Connectivity. Perhaps a new Wii Zelda could connect to Spirit Tracks or Mii’s could become transferable to the DSi menu.
Metroid Prime Trilogy
The three Metroid Prime games all on one disc with remastered Wii controls is something to get excited about. Seeing how the game itself has already been announced don’t expect it to be a big feature, but some more info would be nice.
What's been Teased
Two new games from High Voltage Software
The developer of The Conduit teased us by confirming they will announce two new Wii games at E3.The first will be a FPS which they hope to make technically stronger than the very impressive The Conduit. The second is “a different kind of a thing.”
Sadness
The survival horror title was one of the first announced for the Wii; however, we are yet to get a single in-game screenshot or trailer. Developer Nibris has teased that we may finally get a glimpse of the title running at E3.
Coloured Wiis/Wii Remotes
Rumours of coloured Wiis and Wii Remotes have been around since the console launched. There’s nothing more concrete this year to suggest that we’ll see them than in the past, besides the fact that the console has now been out for a few years, and that’s generally when Nintendo decide to get colourful.
Is it time for Nintendo to get colourful?Zelda & Mario Wii
Nintendo have hinted that these are in development, and now is the time to announce at least one of them. Zelda seems like the obvious choice seeing how Zelda: Twilight Princess was released back in 2006, and it was a GameCube port. In saying that, don’t be surprised if Nintendo go big and announce both of them to make up for the lack of software last year.
Capcom Mystery Title
We know that Capcom’s ‘mystery title’ is an action game and will be developed by Capcom Japan. What we don’t know is anything else. At this point in time we don't even know what console it'll be on.
Surprise us! The things we want to see
Pikmin 3
Where is Pikmin 3? I’ve been playing the New Play Control version of Pikmin 2 this week and it seems almost criminal that the Wii hasn’t had an instalment in the franchise. While we’re on the topic a DS version wouldn’t go astray either.
Pikmin and the Wii and/or DS go together so well. Where's Pikmin 3?Donkey Kong
I’d love to see a real Donkey Kong game for either the Wii or DS. We haven’t had one since DK64 (Jungle Beat and what not really don’t count). While it wasn’t the same as the Donkey Kong Country games I thought it was a solid transition from 2D masterpiece into the 3D arena.
Mario Tennis Wii
I wasn’t a fan of the controls in New Play Control Mario Power Tennis, but I’d like to see Nintendo give it another crack. Wii MotionPlus should help with the lack of accuracy which plagued the GCN remake.
GTA Wii
It’s not likely, but that’s what people said last year and seemingly out of nowhere GTA: Chinatown Wars for the DS was announced. It received critical acclaim from game publications and fans despite not selling as well as Rockstar may have liked. It’s really a matter of if they think the market is there on the Wii after what may have been a mature audience experiment on DS.
Super Smash Bros. DS
This almost definitely won’t happen, but we can dream. After doing so well on consoles it seems blatantly obvious to us that the franchise should go portable. Yet Nintendo, who must have their reasons, chose to keep it exclusive to their home console. Maybe one day, but we hope at this year's E3!
02/06/2009
By 90's Pokémon Master Ben Salter
The Pokémon videogame series first launched on the GameBoy back in 1996. 13 years later it has become one of the best selling games of all time, and one of Nintendo’s most famous handheld series. Nintendo stated that the Pokémon franchise had sold over 175 million copies as of April last year, and these figured have definitely improved since then.
I began playing Pokémon Platinum in preparation for the review a few days ago. After growing up with the originals on the Game Boy Pocket (or even original Game Boy if you wanted to be old school) I noticed a striking similarity between the two. 10 years on and the games have hardly changed. Pokémon Diamond & Pearl are essentially exactly the same in terms of single player gameplay as Pokémon Red & Blue. Sure there are some small gameplay enhancements, but surely Pokémon heads the list of ‘most games released with so little changes’. Each generation two flavours of the same game are released and then, around two years later, a remake of that game is made to complete the trio for the generation. We essentially have the same game released three times on one platform and yet it sells like hotcakes.
That’s just taking into account what I would consider to be the ‘main series’. Beyond that we have the
Mystery Dungeon &
Pokémon Ranger spin-offs along with popular console games such as
Pokémon Stadium and its sequels,
Pokémon Snap and the Pokémon Box/Ranger games. Remakes of
Pokémon Gold & Silver were recently
announced for the DS and already have fans going crazy. A 10-year-old game being remade is not uncommon, but technically it has already been remade, or was at least enhanced, with
Pokémon Crystal which completed the trilogy on the GameBoy Color.
What is it with Pokémon that makes gamers go crazy, despite the fact they are either playing a remake (or enhanced remake) or a sequel that is so similar to its predecessor that it may as well be considered a remake? The TV series played a role in kicking off the craze. Back in the late 90’s when the original games were released kids were going Pokécrazy with the show, videogames and trading card game. I remember school lunch time trading Pokémon cards on a daily basis or playing Pokémon Red if you dared to pull out the gameboy at recess and risk its confiscation. It’s fair to say the show is nowhere near as influential now (not to mention terrible without the original Pokemon or characters) nevertheless the series is as popular as ever with Platinum hitting the 1 million sales mark within 2 days of release in Japan.
Maybe Nintendo has perfected the formula; if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. I admit while visually I’m not impressed with Pokémon Platinum I’m enjoying the gameplay even though I spent 40 odd hours playing Pokémon Diamond two years ago. And I am not alone, while I find it hard to straight out recommend it to the owners of Diamond/Pearl I expect many of them to buy it. It won’t just be kids either; while it certainly appears to be a ‘kiddie game’ it’s one that gamers of all ages can appreciate. While I doubt many of you older gamers would admit it, if you have a DS you’d be a fool not to look into the Pokémon games. I’m certainly not the biggest fan of the role playing genre; however, I’m willing to spend countless hours on the Pokémon games. Raising the creatures into a fighting machine is rewarding and still fun even if you’ve done it many times before. Because the gameplay is so good you’re almost happy that it’s repetitive, you find yourself wanting to do it all again. I don’t understand why people bother importing their already trained Pokémon from past games, or use cheats that make them unbeatable. Choosing 6 new Pokemon and training them until the final gym battle is a rewarding experience. I understand that trading from Diamond & Pearl is one of the key features but to an extent I believe this is where the repetitive gameplay may come unstuck. Where’s the fun in starting a game that’s based on developing something when you begin with the finished product?
Another view could suggest that Nintendo don’t really care. They realise that anything with ‘Pokémon’ in the title will sell. I believe this is the case with games such as the rushed Pokémon Dash and some of recent Mystery Dungeon spin-offs. With so many ‘enhanced remakes’ and actual remakes, which began with the original two being reborn on the GBA as Pokémon Fire Red & Leaf Green, the same could be said for the RPG series. But with such great gameplay 13 years on I’m willing to give Nintendo the benefit of the doubt with their main Pokémon series and say it hasn’t been changed simply because it doesn’t need to be.
What are your memories of the Pokémon games? Even if you haven’t played one recently chances are you did back in the Game Boy or Nintendo 64 days. Why do you think they are still so successful? Leave your thoughts, maybe even dare to admit that you still enjoy the Pokémon games despite being in your late teens or adulthood.
Pokémon Platinum will be released in Australia this Thursday, May 14. Our featured review will be up on MyDS later this week.
11/05/2009
On April 2nd, 2009, Australia will see the release of the third iteration of Nintendo's popular handheld gaming device, the DS. Named the "DSi", the system was first announced at the Nintendo Press Conference on October 2, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. The "i" in the name is meant to symbolize the two cameras that are built into the handheld, looking like a pair of eyes.
So what exactly is the DSi and what makes it differ from previous iterations of the handheld?
27/03/2009
That's right sports fans, Heller is back again with yet another rant filled posting of Heller's Desk
Finally I have dusted off my Nintendo DS for what I truly believe is one of the most IMPORTANT handheld titles we are likely to see for a long time, Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. It is a deep and engrossing title, which truly captures the spirit of the GTA series on a bite sized cartridge. Just because the DS lacks the storage or size when compared to say a PS3 or Xbox 360 doesn't mean this game is lacking in any way. Offering a comprehensive experience with more relevant mini games than you can throw a Molotov at, a decent story, and tight and intuitive controls, this is the must have title for the Nintendo DS. Hell I'd go as far as to say it's worth purchasing a DS just for this title! Check out our featured review over here
Sega are sure pulling me into the Nintendo Wii, first with the amazing House Of The Dead: Overkill. It is a fantastic, hilarious, and more importantly, mature game that offers something unique to the console. I had the pleasure of getting some time with the limited Bang Bang Box, unboxing article can be found over here.
Sega have followed it up with their totally OFF THE HOOK title MadWorld which releases nation wide today! Offering a totally unique visual style that is very "Sin City" with some of the strangest and brutal gameplay, this game sure isn't one for the weak hearted. Make sure you check this out if you have a Wii. We are currently offering a SICK prize pack, so make sure you get those entries in over here
So what have you guys been playing lately? What game has come along that unexpectedly blew you away? What game were you super excited about and it did nothing but let you down? Send in the scoop so I can check it out for myself :)
26/03/2009
It didn't take long from the time Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars was announced to when it was actually released. In fact, it was right around 9 months, which is a pretty short time for any GTA game from when it's officially announced. When Nintendo revealed it during their E3 2008 Press Conference last year, it was met with both hype and raised eyebrows - how would Rockstar bring the franchise to the DS, a limited piece of gaming hardware, when it's already evolved so dramatically over the past decade?
Now that it's been released, that question has been answered. GTA: Chinatown Wars is a spectacular game. It's a title that propels the DS to "must own" territory (if it wasn't already there). In our review we gave it a 9.7/10, claiming that it may very well be the handhelds first system-seller.
Since we've played the game for an extended period of time, we thought it was a good idea to highlight how we think this game evolves the franchise. With every new addition to the GTA series, we've seen some sort of evolving, be it through the basic gameplay or visuals. It'd be easy to automatically dismiss Chinatown Wars considering it's played from a top-down perspective, a style that is (seemingly) dated and has never really been used in a mainstream title since GTA 2. So now the question to ask is: What has Chinatown Wars done for the franchise?
18/03/2009
Sorry for the lack of a blog last week fight fans but I was pretty flat out working on the exciting new MyFrag website! That's right it's live and it totally kicks ass! Check it out for all your PC/Mac/Linux/Gaming needs, with lots of cool features on the way. Right now I'm working on updating the downloads section of the site, with links to the latest patches for your favourite games!
Skate 2 is still running through my Xbox 360 right now, it's such an organic and living breathing game, it is still blowing my mind. If you haven't made the kickflip of faith yet, check out our full reveiewover here
Burnout Paradise drops into sixth gear this week as we see the launch of The Ultimate Box for the PS3 and Xbox 360 and PC! The Ultimate Box includes the Cagney and Bikes updates that have already been released for free to console goers, and also includes the new Party Pack. Fear not those of you who already have the game, the party pack will be available as DLC from your respective online service, but you will have to pay this time!
My Nintendo DS is getting a work out as I pick up an older game, Yoshi's Island DS. Fantastic little game, don't let the cutesy artwork fool you, it's a deep platformer and is a lot of fun!
Killzone 2 is just around the corner, and the hype is building beyond anything I could possibly imagine. Who is excited for this? Tell me what's been going on for you!
05/02/2009
By Ben Salter
On the day of December 7 2006 like many Nintendo fans I eagerly awaited the purchase of the Big N’s latest console. When the motion sensing ‘Revolution’ was first announced I was skeptical about the direction my favourite gaming company were heading towards. My initial doubts were not eased when the official announcement came along with the name of the “Wii”. Upon playing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess at a Nintendo promotion booth I discovered that this was still the Nintendo I knew and loved, and quickly slapped down my preorder. Little did I know, the wait for another title of that quality would be almost a year.
Over a year later the Wii was still in high demand, and close to impossible to purchase without a preorder. Finally we had quality titles such as Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, but are these what Nintendo care about anymore? The biggest games of Christmas 2008 are Wii Music and Animal Crossing, these are the AAA titles, and no they are not for you Nintendo fans. Animal Crossing was always developed with the casual gamer in mind, however the third installment reiterates this fact by essentially being a blend of the GameCube and DS offerings, with almost nothing new for series veterans. Games are often criticized for being similar to their previous installment, however Animal Crossing: Let’s Go to the City tops this year’s chart of new games that you’ve already played. Just look at who’s playing Animal Crossing according to Nintendo’s life style advertising. It’s not you or me, its rich apartment girls who look as they don’t know ‘what a Nintendo is’. This is of course Nintendo’s latest and greatest advertising strategy, and it obviously works for them. Meanwhile the hardcore gamer cringes every time they sit through this dribble and remember the days when Nintendo were notorious for not advertising at all, the good days.
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, one of the few Wii games aimed at a mature marketAs 2008 comes to and end how many games have I purchased for my Wii? Just two, one was Super Smash Bros Brawl, possibly the lone hardcore games from Nintendo this year, the one we had to waits months to finally get our Pal region hands on. Mario Kart Wii was the only other title in the general area of a decent first party title for the hardcore gamer this year, but falls well short by catering for everyone. The gimmicky steering wheel was frisbeed into the corner of the room almost immediately, while the motion controls weren’t given a second look compared to the superior GameCube and Classic Controllers. While still enjoyable it was almost as if I was playing Mario Kart: Double Dash again, only it was close to impossible to lose a single player race, while online was overcrowded by hackers. The DS hasn’t faired too much better in terms of first party titles, with Kirby Super Star Ultra being the single AAA Christmas title, and it too suffers from a difficulty level with a casual gamer in mind.
Wii Fit has been Nintendo’s golden child. GTAIV only held the top spot of Australia’s software sales for a single week before it was bumped of by Ninty’s game that is good for you. While overwhelming popular, is this actually a game? Not really, it’s enjoyable, it’s motivational, it got parents off of kids backs about games being unhealthy but it is not a game. Nintendo keep telling us that the likes of Call of Duty: World at War, the Conduit and MadWorld are for the mature gamer, but only the former was released this year and none are published by Nintendo, the developer many hardcore gamers bought the console for. Two years on many Wii owners have forked out the cash for an Xbox 360 or PS3. This holiday season those gamers are playing the likes of Gears of War 2, Fallout 3, Fable 2, Left 4 Dead, Resistance 2 and Saints Row 2. Those stuck with the Wii alone will have to make do with virtual re-released titles, which have also been slim pickers off late.
Nintendo 'life style' advertising, Wii Fit continues to fly off store shelves Overall the Wii has been fantastic and awful for the gaming industry at the same time. It has brought a lot of people into gaming, a lot of non-gamers which brings the industry a step closer to being seen as a legitimate form of household entertainment as movies & music are. It takes the idea of everyone having their DVD player, stereo & gaming console as the centre of their home entertainment system to the next level. Most importantly it has created a new image of gaming for those who are uninformed about the industry, as gaming becomes a more socially acceptable medium on a larger scale. Nintendo promise that bigger and better things are in the works. Anyone with half a brain can guess new Zelda and Mario titles are in development for the Wii and or DS, but it’s what Nintendo does with these that will decide the future of the Nintendo fan.
02/12/2008