Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Bakegyamon Ayakashi Fighting

In an alternate dimension, an oddly apportioned creature known as Gyamon invites young fighters from Earth to battle in monster-charged contests. The lead character is an excitable lad named Sanshiro Tamon who starts his adventure aboard a ferry with a friend when they're attacked by ne'er do wells. After being saved by a mysterious girl, Sanshiro is inducted into the world of Bakegyamon. Each fighter is given control of a monster which fights on the behalf of the hero inside a 3D arena. Cards are used to imbue special attacks. Beasts include a birdman who wields a sword, a creature who's body is made of twisted snakes, a demon with spiky wheels for feet, and many more. The Story Mode features a unique drama which applies to each fighter as he/she goes through the ranks of challengers. »

Super Robot Wars W

Banpresto's mightiest franchise reaches the Nintendo DS this week with a new edition powered by stylus poking action. Squads of squat robots are marshaled and mobilized on the touch screen where they attack enemy units in fluid animated fighting sequences. Watch in amazement as robots charge and slash like miniature killers. The overall game is very dynamic with spot animations, excited voices, and interactive sequences. To move around on the map, tap and drag on the touch screen to check out the quadrants. Commands are simple to execute by using the stylus to ignite attacks against enemy units and move units around. New series robots featured in the game include Detonator Orgun, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed X Astray, Tekkaman Blade II, and Hundred Beasts King GoLion (Voltron). »

Unou no Tatsuhin! Soukai! Machigai Museum 2

Stare at an image located on the top NDS screen and then stare at a similar image on the lower NDS screen. With cunning accuracy, tap on the differences shown on the bottom image to proceed to the next image. A series of images are shown in sequence and your job is to discern differences within the time afforded. Some differences are apparent such as a Buddha instead of a baseball catcher but others are subtle and not as easy to ferret out. Some puzzles features obstructions such as leaves or clouds which must be scattered by blowing on the NDS mic. A number of mini-games may be enjoyed where player mimics the nature calls of an animal shown on screen by bellowing into the mic and a sliding puzzle game where an image is reconstructed from scrambled squares. «more»

Gundam Musou

Rocket onto dusty battlefields inside a sporty Gundam RX-78-2 and swing a laser blade to blow Zaku soldiers off their feet. Couple the sword slashes with gunfire to mix up the action and you're a veritable one man army capable of tackling entire legions. In our test play this morning, we noticed that the Zaku armies are fairly subdued and generally stood around waiting for death. Koei's W-Force had improved the AI of their recent Sengoku Musou games where warriors collectively charged in for the kill but in Gundam Musou, the mech enemies hang around at the periphery without offering much resistance. One or two enemy mechs might swing and shoot but the entire gang should all engage at once like a rabid pack of wolves. There were many times where our Gundam could have been shot or slashed but we plowed through the Zaku troops without much adversity. Perhaps later levels will prove to be more of a challenge. That said, the feeling of Gundam movement and booster flight is satisfying. There's a solid resistance to the Gundam as it moves around the battlefield. «more»

Champagne Gold PSP

Midas, Goldfinger, Donald Trump, and Johann van der Smut are only a few notables who are attracted by the glitter of gold. Add the crowds of speculators betting on bullion futures and it's safe to say that a lot of people love gold. With that in mind, NCS imports the Champagne Gold PSP console for general sale. Pricing is set at US$215 and preorders will ship today. New orders are welcome.

Densha de Go! Sanyou Pack

Take control of a Shinkansen bullet train and ferry passengers between Shin Osaka Station located in Yodogawa-ku, Osaka and Hakata Station in Fukuoka. Eschewing the film footage used in the recent PS3 Railfan, Wii Densha hearkens back to the series' roots and features classic graphics that will be familiar to anyone who's played a PS or PS2 Densha game. To help players guide a train properly, the Densha de Go! Sanyou Pack includes a train controller for an almost authentic recreation of Shinkansen operator controls. «more»