Now you can play the movie!
All you have to do is whip out your dvd copy of The Matrix. Press play and grab a video game controller. Whenever a fight scene or something exciting happens, mash the hell out of the buttons.
In between scenes, pause the movie so the next level can load.
When lots of bullets and stuff are flying around, put the movie on slow-motion so you can witness the frame rate drop.
OK, so this isn’t exactly like the PS2/Xbox action game, but trust me its a remarkably similar experience. I realize not very many people like Enter The Matrix (I thought it was OK…), but Shiny really assed up this game. Its clumsy, ugly, and broken.
Not even worth a rent. I played less than an hour before my mind drifted off and I started thinking about candy.

Forget for a minute about the reasons why the US sent it’s troops to a foreign country, and think about what happens when they get there.  Full Spectrum Warrior does this exactly.  Created as a training simulator for the US army, this game allows players to direct two squads of military soldiers in combat.  You’ll learn how to flank, supress, and outwit the enemy, and keeping your men alive is a crucial part of the game.  It has two downloadable levels via Xbox live, and the actual US army version, with even more complicated tatics is hidden on this disc as a secret code.  A sequel is due out later this spring, so check this one out and get your practice.

It appears Blizzard, the makers of such hit games as Warcraft series, Diablo series and Starcraft series, has put the latest title in the Starcraft game family on hold indefinitely. We have continually heard less and less about Starcraft: Ghost and with the next generation consoles coming to market, it seems they want to reevaluate its relevancy and where to go with it.

“Like many in the industry, we’ve been impressed with the potential of the new consoles, and we’re looking forward to exploring that potential further,” stated Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “In addition to allowing us to determine the best course for StarCraft: Ghost, this review period will help us lay the groundwork for our future console games.”

I have cut ‘n pasted the press release from here. You can read it by clicking to read the rest of the article.
[Read the rest of this entry…]

A long while ago I heard about this little guy and thought it might be neat. They certainly seemed to have some cool specs, and if Microsoft Game Studios was working on it, then it might’ve been the portable x-box.
But not really. It sank so fast, I never even saw one in stores. N-Gage at least made it to market. Gizmondo was a massive disaster, and now Game Trailers has been nice enough to piece together what happened in the last year, from the announcement of the portable to the destruction of the CEO’s Ferrari.

Our friend Logan dropped by and showed me this. Apparently Michael Jackson was a ghost writer for some of Sonic 3’s soundtrack.
And while I’m not fully convinced, his appearance in other Sega titles like Moonwalker and Space Channel 5 do indicate some kind of relationship. Jackson’s admission to penning “The Bartman” for the Simpsons album a decade after release also tells us he’s no stranger to odd score deals.

For more Jacko fun, check out Michael Quest, Michael Fantasy, and Michael Forever.

Tekken 5 came out on PS2 last year and it wasn’t long before the arcade version got an upgrade with new characters and made the PS2 version seem obsolete.

Namco’s brilliant idea to fix this: put it out on PSP!

Boasting 35 characters and a robust customization mode, their top fighting franchise is poised to underwhelm with its continued lack of online support and even less detail than its console version.

Come on, Namco. First Soul Calibur 3 only on PS2 and now this. I know you’ve got an xbox live development kit sitting around there somewhere because Galaga and Ms Pac Man are both on Live Arcade. If you’re going to give players all these choices and customizing options, you might as well let them show off online.

official site

Seeing Will Wright in my mailbox this week made me think of the first game of his I ever played.

Already a huge hit on the PC, Nintendo snatched up the rights to Wright’s city planning game and gave it their own spin. Controls were simple enough, using the d-pad and face buttons of the SNES controller to perform the same functions as a mouse on basically the same interface. But earning a Mario Statue for a job well done and Bowser attacks on the city insured this was more than just a direct port.

I never actually owned the game, I borrowed it from my cousin. For something like 2 years. When I’d get a new city starting, I’d work on it for a couple hours then leave it running all night to collect nothing but tax money and pray the whole place didn’t burn down while I was literally asleep. Sure, there was a code to start out with like a billion dollars, but I liked the more risky way. And of course, I used the various color coded industrial zones and residential areas to spell out naughty words on the map, something I’m apparently not alone in doing…

Nintendo also fashioned an avatar for Will Wright as “Dr Wright” who would dole out advice on how to run the city and alert you in case of an emergency. While Maxis has gone on to become one of EA’s biggest developers, Nintendo still pays tribute to the visionary creator with the occasional cameo.

While I can hardly endorse trying to dig up one of these carts when newer better versions of Sim City are all over the internets for very cheap, this was a fun way for someone like myself to play a game well before I had a PC in my home, and it deserves a tribute. PC ports are met with all kinds of disgust over controls and lack of hi-res graphics these days, but back then all I knew was this game let me build a city, and then tax it into oblivion or build the best public transit ever or just screw around. It was really the first sandbox game I can think of, and the first game I ever played where I didn’t care about killing or collecting anything. Wow, I know a guy like Will Wright doesn’t exactly need someone to stand up and call him a genius, but its a testament to his design that he could distract my demented little pre-teen mind away from MTV long enough to build a utopia.

Well first things first: Not having “Twilight Princess” done yet didn’t stop Nintendo from showing off a trailer for the new The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass on DS. This title looks like its using the Link from Wind Waker, or at least the same cel-shaded style. The video also shows off using the DS stylus to angle your boomerang’s path and even write notes on your map!

In other Zelda news, First 4 Figures has secured the rights to single statues, mixed media statues, and VS dioramas based on the games. Sounds fantastic! Their press release make mention of Young Link, Sheik, Dark Link, and Ganondorf VS Link Diorama from Ocarina of Time. Fierce Deity Link (pictured) and Skull Kid represent Majora’s Mask, and Twilight Princess versions of Link and Zelda are also planned. Great first step, now get a killer action figure line and I’ll be happy. Oh yeah, and finish TP already!
Lots of rumors swirled that Nintendo would change the name of the Revolution, but it looks like they’re sticking with the name. The “virtual console” got a big shot in the arm when Nintendo head honcho Satoru Iwata announced that not only would you be able to download NES, SNES, and N64 games, but they’re addign support for Sega Genesis and Turbo Graphix 16! Holy moly! If they come out with emulator for the Neo-Geo MVS I may never have to buy a new game again, I could spend years downloading old ones!

sources: Kotaku’s Brian Crecente liveblogs Iwata, 4CR Keynote highlights, GI.biz