Section: Reviews, Features, Opinions, Consoles, Wii, Genres, Adventure

Sam and Max: Season One: Sam and Max: Season One
Price: $29.95
System(s): Wii
Release Date: October 27, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Telltale Games (Adventure Company)
ESRB Rating: “Teen” for Cartoon Violence, and Mild Language
Pros: Very funny, entertaining story lines, six games in one.
Cons: No mini-games, very dialog heavy and no tutorial for car chase scenes.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up; 97/100; A; * * * * 1/2 out of five.

Telltale’s Sam and Max: Season One for the Wii is finally out and ready to be vandalized played.

Though originally an episodic adventure game available for download only for the PC (like most of Telltale’s games), this great six-episode set is now out for the Wii, revamped and ready to go.

Sam and Max (a dog and a bunny, respectively) are two freelance cops who end up taking on the most bizarre cases imaginable. When your freelance you can’t afford to be picky.

In episode one, which is the episode I will be reviewing, a convenience store clerk calls you to his store to report a case of reverse shoplifting. A former child star by the name of Wizzer is trying to give away free video tapes of a new exercise video “Eye-bo.” Sam and Max investigate and find out that “Eye-bo” is run by a strange man who is hypnotizing people with his videos and getting them to do his bidding, like giving away free video tapes.

Play it Again Sam

Let me start by saying I loved the original Sam and Max: Hit the Road, game for the PC that came out many years ago. I found this game to be equally as entertaining and funny as Hit the Road. There is a great cast of characters, great point-and-click action and I guarantee you will laugh so hard it hurts.

Max is a witty, sarcastic and possibly sadistic bunny rabbit, while Sam is a much more sober and peaceful dog who is his partner in the crime… fighting. Max has a witty (or dumb) comment on everything, which makes some of the more boring yet necessary dialogue a lot more bearable. Also, you can get Max to do just about anything, so keep that in mind when you are trying to solve a puzzle.

When you interrogate people, you get to play “good cop bad cop.” Sam’s answers are usually, “Lets talk this over. Can I get you a soda?” type answers and Max’s are more “talk or I’ll dangle you out the window and tickle you with a buzz saw!” style responses. Obviously, the latter are more effective.

You can also drive around and give tickets to people, which you need to do in order to raise money in the game, which you will need to plenty of to buy various weapons and gadgets from the convenience store clerk who doubles as an inventor.

Not So Fast, Buddy!

You have to talk to people throughout the game, to get their story and such. The only problem is there is way too much dialogue. When you click on a character, you can ask many different questions but only a couple are actually relevant, the rest are just to be funny. The worst part was, I didn’t realize until around the forth person I talked to that you don’t have to ask every single question, so I wasted a lot of time doing that.

The car chases were very confusing and I had no idea what I was doing (they don’t give you a tutorial). You are basically in a car chase scene where you can shoot other cars and pull them over with your bullhorn. I keep driving around and around looking for someone who was committing a crime. Finally I realized that I had to make them commit a crime by shooting out their taillight or some other action.

There are also no mini-games of any kind, which doesn’t give the episodes much of a replay value.

It’s Not Easy Being Freelance

So basically the worst part of the game was the long dialogue and, once I realized that I don’t have to ask every single question (although you might if you wanna hear all the hilarious answers), the game became much more fun.

The humor is unbeatable and the storyline is so ridiculous that you can’t help but stay intrigued. Though I only played the first episode, I’m sure the other five are very similar in game play and humor and I can’t wait to play them. This is definitely a game you should pick up at your local game store.

Heck, the game is worth playing just to see Sam kick Max across the room every time he walks by him.

Site [Telltale Games] Read [1Up]

Full Story » | Written by Jessica Moen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: Reviews, Features, Japanese Imports, Opinions, Handhelds, DS, Genres, Adventure, Sim

Title: Pet Shop Monogatari DS

Price: $48.90

System: Nintendo DS

Release Date: July 8, 2008

Publisher (Developer): Taito (Dream Age Collection)

ESRB Rating: Everyone

Pros: Simple controls, huge selection of pets to discover, variety of items to accessorize pets, many locations to explore, not having to clean any pet dander

Cons: Simple game play may become repetitive, trial and error pet catching can become frustrating, lack of ability to actually pet animals

Overall Score: One thumb up, one thumb sideways; 88/100; B+; ***1/2 out of five

Welcome to Green Town

Greentown is a bright and happy town where everyone is incredibly adorable and they all want you to help them find a pet. Days are spent by either exploring surrounding locations scavenging for exotic pets, or performing favors for the townspeople which revolve around their pets. Ironically, it seems that even though Greentown’s folk are enamored with furry friends, they lack discipline whatsoever to actually care for them.

In addition to being a bit overly demanding at times, the townpeople also enforce a time limit for each favor. The number of actions a player can perform throughout the game is governed by an icon system that gradually increases as you complete more tasks for the various townsfolk. Once a player has exhausted actions for a single day, Mama makes you go to bed (even though it’s still light out) and another day passes.

Pets on Parade – Cute and Fluffy, Sometimes Infuriating

There are several different activities that to choose from providing for hours of entertainment. In addition to neighborly pet quests, you can also choose one pet for yourself. While you can only have one pet at a time, there is no stigma associated with changing your mind later should you find a more desirable pet in future areas (like a panda! Yes, there are pandas.).

Pet activities range from the menial tasks of bathing and brushing to entering a handful of different contests that reward you with rare items to accessorize your pet with. While the game won’t allow you to stuff your favorite teacup poodle into a designer purse, there are quite a few items that can be bought to outfit the pets in. Personally, I’ve already outfitted the town’s penguin in a leather jacket complete with a spiked collar and a blue sailor’s hat. 

As you progress through the game, the immense assortment of pets becomes increasingly more temperamental and unpredictable. For example, you may be able to catch a rabbit by baiting it with its favorite food (the carrot), but if you run into a lop-eared rabbit in another area, the same strategy will not prove as successful. There are a plethora of different tools and foods that can be utilized, but requires the art of patience to figure out which will work with what animals. Expect to spend at least half an hour trying to entice a pygmy boar to go home with you, or inevitably deciding to give up on bacon bits after that much time.

Simplicity at Its Best

PSMDS revolves around a very simple touch menu interface composed of self-explanatory pictures. Players who don’t know any Japanese will find it very easy to navigate this game due the picture-based characteristics and the fact that all text is displayed in simple Japanese characters (hiragana and katakana).

Happy-Go-Lucky

Overall, the incredibly simple style of this game may quickly wear off, but the abundance of different areas, pets, and items to discover will definitely keep a player hooked. Just when you think you’ve done all that you can do, this game’s pacing draws you in by opening up more areas to explore. I’m already on my 39th day and I’ve probably only discovered half of what it has to offer. With such a simple interface, this game is incredibly import friendly, and if you’re looking for a light-hearted game for your DS, this game will definitely assist you in losing track of time.

If only Pet Shop Monogatari DS were to have a baby with Nintendogs, it would result in the ultimate love child of pet games. You hear that Nintendo? Taito?

Site [Pet Shop Monogatari DS] Buy [Play-Asia] Read [Gamertell]

Full Story » | Written by Janine Dong for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: News, PCs, Windows, Game-Companies, Developers, Publishers, Genres, 3D, MMO, Sim, Strategy, Web-Sites, Official-Sites

As expected, Deep Silver is finally releasing more information on its forthcoming MMO 7Million. In particular, more information about the game’s local, Paradise City, and one faction players can join, the Cúram, have been revealed.

See, 7Million isn’t a standard MMO. Instead of being focused on battles, it is focused on accomplishing missions to become the best crook/thief/spy in Paradise City. You have to be smart and resourceful to outwit authorities and other layers to become the best.

So far, it looks like the free-to-play game will be released in early 2009. The game’s currently in a closed beta phase, with only select people able to participate. When it does finally launch, a VIP version, which people can pay to subscribe to, will be added in to compliment the free portion.

Its nice to start to see more variety in the MMO genre. I can remember way back to when MapleStory and Ever Quest were the two top dogs. The fact that developers and publishers are starting to get imaginative and look at other alternatives is a good sign that some incredibly creative games could be arrive in the coming years.

Read [MCV] Also Read [SpawnPoint] Site [7Million]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Hollywood is full of catch 22’s, if I haven’t said this already. The trick for a new actor moving here is somehow to have a job that pays the bills, and yet still have time open for auditions and roles. This is difficult because there are, literally, millions of actors here. If there is just one thing that makes the role more difficult for the producers, they can find someone else who does not have that one thing — they certainly will not reschedule for you when you are a new actor, an unknown, a nobody.

Filming goes on here 24/7, so no matter when you work your real job, it will conflict with something you want to do. I’ve been doing odd jobs, losing various jobs (not my fault, I promise!) and generally struggling like a maniac to make ends meet. Well, this past week it almost all fell apart.

Pulling the weeds out

I think that Hollywood kind of works like college calculus — it is simply there to weed out people who can’t hack it. The weeding process here like this — can you somehow work, pay extravagant rent, eat, keep your car working, go to auditions, improve your craft with classes, get an agent, get into SAG, and build your resume all at the same time? No wonder people give up all the time, it’s a daunting task.

Last week I found myself facing a near eviction, phone being turned off, my car insurance expired, ramen and beans to eat, and an empty gas tank. I had been writing a screenplay for someone that I expected to be finished weeks ago — and now it was done and I needed to deliver it to the client about 60 miles away. Except that I had no money to print out the script, and maybe enough gas to get down there, but not get back. I was paid in cash last time so I figured he might do cash again and I could get some gas to go back home. Otherwise, I guess I’d be stranded in Costa Mesa.

Why didn’t I borrow some money? ‘Cause I already had! The people I usually ask didn’t have any for me or had just lent me some. That was just the way it was. So, I figured I’d drive down and see what fate had for me. I’m actually not going to tell you what I did to make it ’cause it wasn’t pretty — but I did get down there and get paid.

I found myself missing North Carolina, my steady job, place to live, normal work hours, getting enough sleep, much less stress… but I’m sort of trapped here being broke. I couldn’t get back if I wanted to.

These are signs you see all around L.A. They are all the same, yellow, with an arrow, text written both ways. It means this way to the set of this movie. Sometimes the title is a false name they are using for the movie that only cast and crew knows so people don’t try to crash the next Brad Pitt set.  I wanted to show you one since they are a part of the Hollywoo d experience.

Anyway, well, I’m here for now. I’m still out of half of stuff I need (thanks Donald for the toothpaste and deodorant!) and low on everything, but if I keep going now I should be at least livable in a few months. I may have to take a break from auditions — hell who am I kidding, I haven’t been out to auditions for months because I’ve been desperately looking for paid work. Anyway I’m going to scrape by for now, and try not to let this happen again. I don’t think I could make it if it did — I’d just have to join the pile of weeds.

Section: Exclusives, Originals, Features, Opinions, Consoles, PS3, Xbox-360, Game-Companies, Developers, Publishers, Genres, 3D, Action, Adventure, Casual, Shooter, Online, Party

I would like to touch on a topic that seems to be popping up constantly. I’m talking about game developers patching up games like there’s no tomorrow. Most recently, games such as LittleBigPlanet, SOCOM Confrontation, Fable 2, and Castle Crashers have been victims of a crucial gameplay element being either broken or excluded from launch. The good thing about technology and consoles in this generation is the ability of adding or fixing content through the use of a simple patch. However, just because developers have this ability doesn’t mean they should abuse it.

In the past, games didn’t have the luxury of being fixed after their release, and it forced developers to bring out the best product possible. For all we know E.T. for the Atari could have been the best game of all time, if patches were possible back then. The way I see it, developers have one shot at making a good impression after a game is released. If it happens to be broken, no patch will get the bad taste out of our mouths.

Just look at Lair, for example. Lair was an original idea that focused on fire breathing dragons that we could ride. That idea is almost as flawless as putting zombies in a game. The biggest flaw that Lair had was its horrible motion controls. Like most PS3 games back then, and some now, the sixaxis controls felt tacked on and ultimately impossible to use. Several months later a patch was released for Lair that lets us use the analog sticks in lieu of motion controls. This corrected what was seen as Lair‘s biggest shortcoming, but it didn’t get re-reviewed by many and its name still lives in infamy.

SOCOM Confrontation‘s online multiplayer mode was virtually broken from day one. How its developers and play testers didn’t catch this is anyone’s guess. Chances are, SCEA knew and released it anyway to keep the release date intact because it knew a patch would fix everything.

These examples are not the only cases where patches are used to fix game breaking elements. These are just the ones that stand out in my mind. I don’t mean to say that developers are getting lazy by any means, if anything they work harder now than ever before. I only ask to let these games cook a little longer before we pay $60 for a product that doesn’t deliver on all the aspects that were promised months in advance.

Read [Wired] Also Read [FileFront] Also Read [PS3 Fanboy] Also Read [Gamertell] Also Read [Castle Crashers - Development Blog]

Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: News, Consoles, PS3, Xbox-360, PCs, Windows

In the face of months, if not years, worth of anticipation from fans for Fallout 3, developer Bethesda Softworks is understandably “anxious” about the first wave of reviews for the game. Will the game live up to the hype fans have created for it, or will it fall flat?

A Bethesda PR spokesperson told Edge that the company is never really sure how reviewers will respond to its games, ensuring that developers are always anxious during the launch period. He goes on to say that the first few reviews had been reassuring, including the 10 out of 10 score issued by the Official Xbox Magazine in the U.S.

The Xbox 360 version of Fallout 3 currently has a 93 out of 100 “Universal Acclaim” rating on Metacritic and a 90% overall rating on Game Rankings. And yet, while the spokesperson notes that Bethesda is thankful that critics are enjoying the game, he says the game’s developers really want to gauge the general consumer response as well.

The spokesperson then goes on to tell a harrowing tale of dedicated fans boldly waiting in line for the game at a retail store in Minnesota on a particularly freezing cold night. He explains that it’s these people that Bethesda really hopes can enjoy the game because they’re so clearly excited about its potential.

Perhaps you can help Bethesda out. If you have already picked up your copy of the game, why not let us know what you think of it so far in the comments section below? Residents of Europe and Australia can join in after the game launches tomorrow (October 30, 2008) and those in the UK can do the same as of Halloween (October 31, 2008).

Read [Edge]

Full Story » | Written by Karn Bianco for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »