Longer Game Bytes are coming to win us; they're coming to win us

"Heroes of Mana"
Square Enix, for Nintendo DS, rated E 10+ for ages 10 and up, $39.99.

Square Enix attempts to go the real-time strategy route with this isometric-styled role-playing game. Unfortunately, what should be a hole-in-one for the company suffers from a number of problems. For one thing, the view of the battlefield is severely limited, to the point that it's often difficult to locate your troops. The bland characters and story don't help matters much either, making "Heroes" a rather dour disappointment.

"Brain Age 2"
Nintendo, for Nintendo DS, rated E for Everyone, $19.99.

Anyone who has played the first "Brain Age" game knows what to expect with the sequel: quick, challenging activities like unscrambling words and performing simple math equations designed to fire up your prefrontal cortex and improve your memory. That, and lots of Sudoku.

Despite the familiarity, the individual challenges are entertaining enough, and the price is low enough, to be worthwhile to fans of the first game or those just looking for a quick fix before they get back to the real world.

"Hot Pixel"
Atari, for PlayStation Portable, rated T for Teen, $29.99.

This is one of the most blatant and derivative rip-offs of the "WarioWare" franchise I've ever seen, only with an annoying urban hipster filling in for Wario.

As with the Nintendo series, you are hurried through a series of oddball mini-games that must be completed before time runs out.

Sadly, and perhaps unsurprisingly, "Pixel" fails to measure up to the genius of its inspiration. While I like the pixilated art aesthetic, the games are too dull to be worthy of your time.

"Mega Man Star Force Pegasus"
Capcom, for the DS, rated E, $29.99.

Despite the new characters, storyline and 3-D battle graphics, this latest "Mega Man" iteration plays virtually identical to every single other "Mega Man" game that's come out for the DS in the last few years. Whether that's a good thing depends on your tolerance for this sort of turn-based, futuristic, kid-friendly rpg. I enjoyed it, but more as a diversion than as an end in and of itself.

"Brave Story: New Traveler"
Xseed, for the PSP, rated E10+, $39.99.

It's kind of shocking how mired in cliche this dull role-playing game is. Every type of character, spell and game mechanic you've ever seen before crops up here, only less well done. The net result is a lifeless, depressing game.

"Surf's Up"
Ubisoft, for the Wii, rated E10+, $49.99.

Ubisoft had the right idea in developing the video game tie-in for the here-and-gone animated film about the surfing penguin and his friends. Rather than try to create a boring platform game that haphazardly follows the plot of the movie, they instead opted to create a kid-friendly version of the "Tony Hawk" games, with lead character Cody and his friends riding never-ending waves, performing a variety of midair tricks in a race for the finish line.

It's a decent enough title for the kids, though the controls make it difficult to aim for the proper rail to grind on or underpass to sail through. Considering that passing to the next level can often require accomplishing such things, it can lead to a bit of frustration. Rent before you buy.

"Honeycomb Beat"
Konami, for the DS, rated E for Everyone, $19.99.

This simple, fun puzzle game has you flipping hexagon-shaped tiles over in "Othello"-like fashion in an attempt to have them all be the same color. There are two modes here. One has you solving prearranged puzzles. The second has you desperately trying to clear lines (a la "Tetris") before the geometric shapes fill up the screen. Though "Beat" doesn't reach the sublime addictiveness of puzzlers like "Lumines," it's clever and simple enough to be worthy of your attention.

"TouchMaster"
Midway, for the DS, rated E for Everyone, $29.99.

Now that Nintendo's Wii and DS consoles have made casual games hip, everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. Midway, for example, recently put together this collection of 23 minigames, divided into such genres as "puzzle," "strategy" and "cards." Classic titles such as solitaire and checkers (albeit with frogs instead of game pieces) make an appearance here, but there are plenty of new games as well, or tweaked variations of beloved franchises like "Crystal Balls," which is only a heartbeat away from Tetris.

There are a few clunkers. I couldn't figure out the rules to "Artifact," for example. But there are enough entertaining, and in the case of "3 Peak Deluxe" completely addictive, games to entertain fans.

Copyright The Patriot-News, 2008

Time for more Game Bytes

“Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree”
Nintendo, for Wii, rated E for Everyone, $49.99.

Like its DS predecessor, “Wii Degree” escorts players through a variety of quick mini-games, all ostensibly designed to improve your memory and reasoning skills. You might be asked, for example, to count colored balls that fall into a basket or finish the path of a rotating railroad track.

So far, so good, and the game boasts a cute, clean art style utilizing the Miis you create on your Wii console. The problem with the game is that a slim number of games is provided. There’s just not enough here to keep players engaged for more than a day or two, regardless of whether you’re playing by yourself or with friends.

“Brooktown High”
Konami, for PlayStation Portable, rated T for Teen, $39.99.

In high school, popularity is everything. At least it is at Brooktown High, where making friends and increasing your notoriety is far more important than whatever classes you might attend.

As a new student at the school, you must chat up the other students before class begins, seeking potential best buddies and hotties. You’ll also have to attend one of four different classes and keep your grades up, which isn’t nearly as difficult as it sounds.

It’s sounds like a great premise, but “Brooktown” has far too much hand-holding to keep you engaged. You only have a few seconds to talk to your fellow students and you can get them to like you by just agreeing with everything they say.

Getting a job or an A+ also is far too easy, requiring only the push of a button or two. Like a lot of students, “Brooktown High” held a lot of promise, but ultimately delivers nothing but disappointment.

“Parappa the Rapper”
Sony, for PlayStation Portable, rated E for Everyone, $29.99.

One of the finest games ever to grace the original Sony PlayStation makes its way to Sony’s handheld PSP platform along with a few extras designed to attract old fans into digging out their wallets once again.

The good news is that the game hasn’t aged badly at all, despite it’s low-tech look. As before, your job is to help the pluckish Parappa get the girl of his dreams by “rapping” (i.e. mimicking another character’s rap by pressing the correct buttons to the beat of the music).

The PSP version includes a multiplayer section and the ability to download remixed versions of classic songs. That’s not necessarily enough to entice those who’ve already played and beaten the game, but if you’ve never had a chance to check this classic out before, now’s your chance.

Copyright The Patriot-News, 2007

Even more Game Bytes

“Guitar Hero II”
Activision, for the Xbox 360
rated T for Teen, $89.99.

The Xbox 360 edition of one of the best games of last year is notable for a few reasons. One, it offers more songs from such acclaimed rock acts as Alice Cooper, My Chemical Romance and Deep Purple. Two, you can download more tunes via Xbox Live. Three, the guitar that comes with it is a white Gibson Explorer.

Add in the “achievement points” that allow you to boast about your prowess to your friends, and you’ve got enough add-ons to make this iteration feel superior to the PlayStation 2 version. Whether or not owners of the original game need this new port depends upon how manic a fan they might be. If you own a 360 and haven’t checked this game out yet, though, you’re missing out.

“Singstar Pop”
Sony, for the PlayStation 2
rated E10+ for ages 10 and up, $49.99 (with microphones) $29.99 (without).

This karaoke game is completely identical to last year’s Singstar Rocks. The only difference is the list of songs, which focuses more on the Top 40, both past and present, than rock ¤’n’ roll. Your enjoyment, therefore, is entirely dependent upon your desire to sing along with folks like Whitney Houston, Jesse McCartney and Avril Lavigne. For me, that’s not much of an incentive, though I did enjoy warbling to tunes by The Raconteurs and Franz Ferdinand.

As before, the goal is to keep good, if not perfect, pitch with visual cues helping you against a backdrop of the artist’s music video. It’s a cute concept, but slight, and best served when playing with a group rather than solo. If you’ve got a bunch of friends to play games with, then this would make for an amusing diversion, but not much more.

“Bust-A-Move Bash”
Majesco, for the Wii
rated E for Everyone, $39.99.

You would think that it would be pretty easy to utilize the Wii’s motion controls in a puzzle game as basic as “Bust-A-Move.” You’d be wrong. This iteration — where, as before, you fire little colored spheres at similarly colored spheres to make them pop and eventually clear the screen — features incredibly wonky controls. The slightest twitch of your wrist will send the launch arrow all the way to the left or right, making precise aiming much tougher than it needs to be.

Combine that with lackluster presentation and a general lack of variety and you have little reason to play the game. “Blast” does have eight-person multiplayer, but that’s hardly enough reason to shell out $40.

Copyright The Patriot-News, 2007

Because you demanded it: More Game Bytes

Since last week's Graphic Lit column was all about Free Comic Book Day, and that event has since come and gone, I see little reason to post it here. If you really want to read my list of now-over-and-done events, you can click here. As a apology for the lack of comics content, I thought I'd post an extra-long edition of Game Bytes, since I haven't done so in awhile. Enjoy.


“Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters”
Sony, for PlayStation Portable
rated E10+ (animated blood, fantasy violence), $39.99.

It’s always cause for concern when a new developer takes over the reins of a beloved franchise. In the case of “Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters” — overseen by High Impact this time instead of the folks at Insomniac — most of those fears are unwarranted.

Despite being made for the small screen, “Size” plays similar to past R&C titles. As before, Ratchet and his robot pal are off on a grand adventure across the galaxy, attempting to save a small girl while using a variety of odd and impressive weapons.

The only serious problem here is the game’s camera, which does just about everything it can to hinder your enjoyment. The game also suffers from a lack of imagination. It feels more like a side project than a sequel in its own right.

Still, neither of these caveats is a serious dealbreaker. Despite its problems, “Size Matters” offers enough platforming fun to please most PSP owners.

“Cooking Mama Cook Off”
Majesco, for Wii
rated E (alcohol reference), $49.99.

The Wii edition of this cooking simulation is an improvement on last year’s DS version, if only for the addition of multiplayer, not to mention more recipes.

As before, you attempt to complete elaborate (or not so elaborate — American cuisine seems to consist of hot dogs and popcorn) meals by performing quick, simple tasks.

This time you use the Wii-mote to stir, chop, turn on the oven and perform a host of other kitchen-related activities.

The tasks are clever, but the game really lacks depth (you don’t really learn anything about cooking, for example), and most of the recipes feature too many similar steps — chopping an onion for the millionth time tends to wear out the novelty.

Ultimately, this is a game best enjoyed in short bursts with friends and not something you can delve into for hours. I await a cooking game that really expands on the basic ideas offered here.

“Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07”
EA Sports, for the Wii
rated E, $49.95.

Being able to swing your Wii controller around like a golf club was one of the Nintendo console’s great promises, so it stands to reason that EA would attempt such controls for the Wii rendition of their Tiger Woods franchise.

So how does it handle? Awkwardly if we’re being honest (and we are). It’s twitchy to the point where the slightest wrist flicker can lead to an unwanted swing while other times a full-arm windmill results in no swing at all.

Once you figure out the control nuances, “Tiger” can be fun, though your arm does get tired quickly. But I’m looking more toward the next iteration and hoping the game responds to my swooshes a little more intuitively.

“Cake Mania”
Majesco, for Nintendo DS
rated E, $19.99.

Essentially a baking version of the arcade classic “Tapper,” “Cake Mania” has you rushing around the kitchen putting together iced baked goods for an increasingly irritable series of customers.

The game has one basic premise — make and decorate the cake the customer asks for before they leave the shop in a huff. It doesn’t offer any variations on that theme, it just gets faster as you progress.

That in and of itself would not be a deal breaker if the screen itself weren’t so tiny. It’s very hard, for example, to see what types of cakes folks are requesting — is that a circle or a pumpkin on the bottom of that double-layer cake? And the kitchen is so cramped that it’s far too easy to tap on the wrong item. I unintentionally sent too many cakes into the trash when I was only trying to put a cute rose on them.

“Cake Mania” has a sound enough premise to keep casual gamers attention initially, but it ultimately doesn’t do enough to make them want to keep baking.

"Marvel Trading Card Game"
Konami, for PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS
rated T (alcohol and tobacco reference, blood, mild fantasy violence, mild language, suggestive themes), $29.99.

With a title like that, you're certainly not going to confuse this game with, say, your average WWII shooter or fantasy rpg.

As the name suggests, this is a straight-up adaptation of the trading card game, where you and an opponent lob superheroes at each other until one of you loses 50 points. Special "equipment" and "plot twist" cards add spice to the proceedings.

Though the presentation is a little dry, the game itself is rather entertaining. The only real problem (apart from the long loading times) is that the game board is really small on the PSP screen, to the point where you'll need a microscope to see the various cards (though highlighting them does bring up a more readable version).

"Marvel Trading Card Game" won't woo those who aren't either fans of the comic books or trading card games in general -- the rules are a bit too complicated -- but those who fall into either of those two categories should get some fun out of it.

"Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer 2007"
Konami, for Nintendo DS
rated E, $29.99.

This hand-held version of the widely acclaimed soccer series doesn't bring shame to the venerable franchise, but it doesn't bring much glory either.

For one thing, the players are so tiny on the DS screen that it's hard at times to decipher the action. To make matters worse, your teammates' AI is rather spotty, and there's not much depth to the game in general. It does however, sport Wi-Fi, so you can play online.

It's not a great game of soccer, but if you're absolutely desperate for a game of European football on your DS, it will suit for now.

"Sid Meier's Pirates!"
2K Games, for the PlayStation Portable
rated E10+ (mild violence), $29.99.

I really like pirates -- heck, who doesn't? -- but most pirate video games really haven't given me much of an opportunity to get my "y'arrr" on.

Perhaps that's why I'm so taken with this hand-held version of Sid Meier's (of "Civilization" fame) popular swashbuckling PC game. In it, you play an upcoming young swab eager to sail Central American waters. While you search for your long-lost family members, you can plunder vessels and towns, woo young ladies, dig for buried treasure and rack up reputation points to become one of the most fearsome pirates in the Atlantic.

The game becomes a bit repetitive a few hours in, and the challenge bar isn't set terribly high. That being said, the game offers enough buccaneer thrills to be worth your time. Y'arrr.



"SingStar Rocks!"
Sony, for PlayStation 2
rated E10+, $49.99.

Like "Karaoke Revolution," "SingStar" lets players sing along with some of their favorite tunes and grades them on how they did. The big difference is you're singing along to the original versions, not watered-down soundalikes.

It's fun to try to keep up with, say, Joss Stone, and the accompanying videos provide a nice visual element. Plus, you can play back your version after you're done and add gimmicky vocaltricks, making you sound like a robot, for example.

The only real problem with the game is there just isn't enough of a song list to justify repeated play. "SingStar Rocks" is a fun party game, but you'll burn through its offerings quickly.

"Lucinda Green's Equestrian Challenge"
Red Mile Entertainment
for PlayStation 2 and PC, rated E, $19.99.

The worlds of equestrian riding and video games seem diametrically opposed, but that hasn't stopped Red Mile from trying anyway.

The game starts off strongly enough, with players able to create their own horse and rider from scratch, and then putting them through their paces in a variety of competitions. In between, you'll have to feed and take care of your horse.

Unfortunately, the competitions themselves are repetitive and far too easy to sustain any interest in the game. Only the cross country event offers any challenge, and that's mainly because you are figuring out the layout of the land.

If the developers offered more customization and complexity, they might actually have something here. As it stands now, even the most devout horseman will find this title tiresome.

"Juka and the Monophonic Menace"
SouthPeak Interactive
for Game Boy Advance, rated E, $19.99.

In "Juka," you make potions by combining various elements that you collect by shaking trees, bushes and just picking up stuff off the ground. These potions allow you to do things such as unlock hidden areas and put enemies to sleep. Except when they don't, in which case you'll need to collect the projectiles that enemies throw at you in a certain sequence in order to defeat them. Then there are all the other jars, keys, elements and crystals you'll need to collect.

Is this game needlessly convoluted? Just a bit. It's a shame, too, because it boasts a nice, clean design and several of the core concepts are intriguing. If only they'd pared it back a bit, it would have been more enjoyable.


Copyright The Patriot-News, 2007