Spectrobes Coming To Wii

Much can be said for Spectrobes, a Pokemon-esque intergalactic RPG series for the DS that has thus far has proved unsuccessful, according to most reviewers. The idea is that there are hundreds of fossilized creatures called spectrobes that can be uncovered and brought to life, and therefore trained up and used in battle. It’s an interesting concept, but one that has mostly been held back by unimaginative story and monotonous gameplay. At least, according to reviewers. Sorry, Spectrobes fans; I’m just the messenger.

In any case, Disney recently unveiled a somewhat promising Wii game called Spectrobes: Origins, which will be the first Spectrobes game on any home console. It’s also something of a reboot, or retelling of the beginning of the series; it being called “Origins” may have tipped you off to that. It’s rather fitting that the new game is literally a new start for the series because, though it may be a little too soon to tell, it seems that Origins may completely surpass all other Specrobes installments before it.

Since it’s a reboot I shall waste little time explaining the story and instead inform you that the game features a very accessible interface. While in past Spectrobes games the player would randomly encounter creatures in Origins you can see them from a distance and coordinate your positioning accordingly. The main character is controlled using both the Wii remote and nunchuk as the player traverses the planet’s surface. Holding the C button on the nunchuk switches out interfaces so that you can target enemies and issue command to your spectrobes. As for the spectrobes themselves, you can carry up to six of them on each mission.

In addition to your spectrobe’s attacks you can jump in with your own. Rallen can use all sorts of different types of weaponry, from swords to axes to even blasters. Standard attacks are pulled off with the A button, and your spectrobe will mostly attack on his own, but motioning forward with the Wii remote will cause the spectrobe to deliver a larger, more powerful attack.

The visuals, while not especially polished as of yet, look perfectly stylish and have plenty of potential. It’s anyone’s guess when exactly Disney intends to release their new game, though I imagine it will be out before the end of the year. More information concerning should be available in the following months.

Ready 2 Rumble? Revolution?

Well, it seems that renowned developer and publisher Atari is back at it again. To be honest, I wasn’t quite sure they would be. And yet, they are back with an all new game titled Read 2 Rumble Revolution, for the Wii. It is, in fact, a boxing game, and the license, Ready 2 Rumble, originally appeared in 1999 on the Dreamcast, Playstation, and N64, titled: Ready 2 Rumble Boxing. It was considered one of the best launch titles for the Dreamcast, and returned in the year 2000 on the PS2, this time titled Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2.

What made Ready 2 Rumble stand out at the time was it’s flexible controls and emphasis on timing. Punches were handled with the face buttons and and you pressed the right or left shoulder buttons to dodge in the desired direction; pressing both at the same time performed a parry, which if executed at exactly the right time could be devastating for your opponent. Round after round you and your opponent attempt to knock the other out, every so often taking a break and regaining some of the health lost during the fight. Some fights can go on for rounds and rounds, but getting in enough hits so as to power up your Rumble meter can make things shorter. Once the meter spells the words RUMBLE!, you can immediately activate it, or you can wait until it’s powered up more. There are three levels of RUMBLE!, and the final one executes a devastating power punch that literally knocks your opponent out of the ring.

The Wii version makes some readily apparent enhancements, the first being to the singleplayer Championship mode. In it, the player will be able to create his own character before beginning the game. The boxer creation options for those first starting are rather limited, but you will unlock more body parts and accessories as the game progresses. R2R: Revolution also makes use of the exercise minigames seen in past games that will up your character’s power. The neat thing this time around is these minigames will be handled with motion controls.

In terms of visuals, the game runs at a crisp sixty frames per second, which is a good thing considering the wild intensity of the action. It appears that every move this time around(punches, dodges, parries, rumble, etc.) is in some way handled using motion controls and the Wii Remote. And what less would we expect from a Wii game? But let’s hope the controls are done right. The game comes out this March, so I guess we’ll know soon enough.

Petroglyph’s New Game: Mytheon

Petroglyph, developer of the well received RTS (real time strategy) games called Star Wars: Empire At War and Universe At War: Earth Assault, are currently developing a game they claim will combine elements of the Action, RTS, RPG (Roleplaying Game) and MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Game) genres.

In the early stages of development, Petroglyph’s members had decided to base the game on Greek mythological characters, creatures and settings. Not only because Greek mythology is simply so commonly well-known and understood, but also because it fits the key mechanic they had originally developed for the game: Power Stones. In the game, Power Stones are what is used to summon things in battle; such as a building, a creature, or even a powerful spell. In the game, different classes of people can use different Stones, so sometimes the situation may call for a strategical outlook, other times, it simply takes some timing, while others the situation may simply be action oriented.

As is common in an MMORPG, in Mythoen you travel to and from specific areas and meet other people. In certain areas you can challenge people to PVP (player versus player) combat. Many PVP events will take place in specific areas, such as arenas.

While the game features a long and driven storyline that can be played through, the game does not end with that content. There are plenty of repeatable events and sidequests waiting to be experienced, not to mention the fact that the main storyline does not actually end, but keep going on into the future. Apparently it will be updated every so often, which is relieving to hear. So many MMO developers these days abandon their audience and continue to reap the benefits.

Speaking of which, Mytheon will make use of a concept that is in no way new to today’s MMO market: microtransactions. In other words, while Mytheon will be free to play, there is an optional feature for players to buy in game items using real cash. The developers have insisted that these items, however, will be purely for the sake of visuals and convenience. For example, in the game there is an item that drops called the Shield of Medusa, but it is also possible to use real money and buy the Flaming Shield of Medusa, which looks cooler because it’s on fire.

Petroglyph has yet to reveal just what will take in Mytheon’s stoyline, which they have constructed using a Greek mythological setting and characters. The developers plan to release in Novemeber 2009 on PC. However, there may be a chance it will see an Xbox 360 or PS3 port in the future.

Katamari Forever Details

Katamari Forever may be the series’ first installment on next-gen consoles, but it is more a compilation than an entirely new game. After all, in Japan the title of the game is not Katamari Forever; it’s called Katamari Damacy Tribute. That said, the games does feature a completely new storyline and some new gameplay features. Not to mention that for those who have yet to play Katamari, this would probably be a good time to do so, as the game essentially takes everything the series has been so well known for and lumps it into one big package.

So, what is the storyline this time around? In the first game, called Katamari Damacy, the King Of All Cosmos lost all the stars and it was your duty, as Prince, to retrieve them. To achieve this you were given a large round object, called a katamari. As it rolled and more and more objects stuck to it, it became large enough that the Prince was able to use it to catch the stars. Does it make sense? Not really, but in the context of the game’s wacky world it’s actually quite logical. Anyway, things take a rather more disturbing turn in Katamari Forever, when the King falls into a coma and the Prince and his cousins decide to build a robot version of him to temporarily take his place. Things take an even worse turn when the King’s robot version(or RoboKing, as he’s called) goes and accidentally obliterates the galaxy. And so, again, it’s your job as Prince to both restore the galaxy and bring the King out of his coma.

In order to this the Prince once again takes control of a katamari, but this time he will be using it to traverse a monochromatic dimension and steadily bring back color to the world. As you roll your katamari about the level you collect objects, and for every object you catch every other object of the same kind in the level gets it’s color returned.

Having said that, the graphics have a much more cel-shaded look to them. While in past Katamari games you went from country to country and planet to planet, in Katamari Forever you travel from page to page in a pop-up style book; a new and much welcomed graphical aspect for the series.

Katamari Forever is scheduled for release sometime later this year, for the Playstation 3.

Monopoly Here and Now World Edition

Monopoly Here and Now World Edition
Looking for a way to have fun with your children while teaching them an important lesson in geography? Then the latest edition of the popular game Monopoly, Monopoly Here and Now World Edition is exactly what youre looking for.
Monopoly Here and Now World Edition was developed in response to the publics desire for a game that reflects the growing popularity of world travel. In fact, Monopoly Here and Now World Edition is the first international edition of the game ever released. Instead of the traditional properties of Monopoly games past, Monopoly Here and Now World Edition properties are comprised of cities from around the world.
The makers of Monopoly Here and Now World Edition, Hasbro, held a worldwide vote where people could cast their ballots for cities they wanted to see included in the new game. After nearly six million votes were cast, Montreal won the opportunity to become the games most expensive property, originally held by Boardwalk in the original Monopoly game. Riga, Latvia was second and becomes the second most expensive property, known in traditional Monopoly games as Park Place.
In addition, voters also wrote in cities that they wanted to see included in the game. The cities with the most write-in votes, Taipei, China, and Gdynia, Poland, were placed in the Monopoly Here and Now World Edition as the least expensive properties. Monopoly Here and Now World Edition updated everything on the game board, including the Community Chest and Chance cards to reflect different famous events held in cities around the world. For example, people might visit Spain for the Running of the Bulls or New York City for New Years Eye.

Monopoly Here and Now World Edition is a great game that families can play together and never get tired of playing. The updated properties, matched with the updated Community Chest and Chance cards, give kids the chance to learn about interesting cities and events around the world that they wouldnt have heard about otherwise. After playing, kids can even take the time to research more into the different cities and expand their horizons in more ways than one. Make fun and learning a priority in your family with the new Monopoly Here and Now World Edition

Monopoly Here & Now World Edition with Bonus Monopoly Express Game

Monopoly Here and Now World Edition with Bonus Monopoly Express Game