Mini Video Game Review: Coraline

Out for various platforms, I rented the version for the Nintendo Wii and was immediately intrigued by the artwork and voice overs. However, as I began to realize what this game was about (agonizing mini games upon mini games) it’s appeal dwindled after a few hours and I ejected it from the Wii, never to be played again.

The game puts you in control of a young girl named Coraline, in which you are tasked to do annoying quests.. too bad this game could have ditched the mini games and instead focus on the adventure part, which is a bit more fun.

However, dated gameplay cliche’s are not very fun (oh, so I can only reach the item if I position the box right where the item is..). This game might appeal to younger gamers, but as a whole, rent first to see if you like it. Because if you do like it, chances are you will beat it in a few hours.

While the video game has much to be desired for, I will definitely be seeing the movie, out on February 6th. : )

Take a look at the video trailer if you like:

Video Game Review: Animal Crossing City Folk

The third Animal Crossing game was released recently, this time on the Wii. Is the game worth $50? What about the WiiSpeak accessory? Read on to find out.

Video Game Review: DDR Universe 3

Dance Dance Revolution Universe 3 was released on October 23. Now after almost a month later, here is the best review you will find anywhere. The reason for the delay was because I was waiting for Konami to fix the various glitches. While still a few remain, the review will be based on what the game is now. So is the game worth $70? Read on to find out.

Samba De Amigo Video Game Review

Samba De Amigo, a music-rhythm video game released on Dreamcast several years ago, is returning to stardom in an exclusive Wii special. Is the $40 worth the price of admission? Or should one just rent? Read on to find out.

DDR X Video Game Review

DDR X, the 8th DDR game to hit the PS2, arrives at a cheap price of $29.99. Is it worth the money? Read on to find out.

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Platform: PS2

Developer: Konami

Genre: Dance, Music/Rhythm

MSRP: $29.99 without dance mat

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Another DDR game hits the PS2. You will either have 2 reactions to that: Yay or Augh. My reaction is somewhat in the middle, after having played this game for about 30 hours in total over the last few days.

The main problem this game has is mainly due to the fact that I mainly play the Ultramix/Universe games on the Xbox consoles. DDR X is not as graphically advanced as it’s other counterparts, however, it’s a solid release on the aging PS2.

One of the main components I was looking forward to was online play. Makes sense, since Supernova 2 had it. Unfortunately, X does not have online play, and instead Party Mode tries to substitute for it – a mode where you can link multiple PS2’s for multiplayer LAN games. Fair trade? Nope. I don’t see myself using this mode ever. If you do, please notify me and tell me how the experience went.

So what is new to DDR X? Well besides the song list, there is a Street Master Mode which is a hit or miss depending on who you ask. For me, this is a silly attempt on trying to copy Universe’s Quest Mode, which is becoming much better as the series progress. There is 14 characters to play through, each of them with roughly 10 episodes – most of them being “Hey, I’m going to a party, but I have 2 hours to dance, so let’s battle!”

The mode is not that bad, but I felt it recycled the songs over and over again. You can only choose one or two songs to play when doing an event, which is annoying, since the Universe series allows you to pick any song you like. Luckily, most of the songs that are repeated through Street Master Mode are enjoyable to dance to, such as Wine Red and Put ‘Em Up, perhaps my favorite two songs in the game.

If you are looking for a challenge, there is certainly a few tough songs and difficult challenges to complete. DDR X tries to balance out the difficulty, and mainly succeeds. The only issue is the shock arrows, which I am not quite sure what was the point of them to begin with. They don’t really add anything great to the DDR formula.

Ultimately, the game is awesome if the only console you own is a PS2. The song list is so-so in my opinion, as I don’t really care for the R&B hip hop songs. It’s nice too see some old songs like Dub-I-Dub and Butterfly return, but ultimately, the majority of the songs are not really my taste. The Xmixes are pretty cool, which is new to PS2 but not really Xbox DDR’s. Take a look at the entire song list here:

Presentation: An urban themed interface with easy to navigate menu’s. Besides color scheme, not much has changed here from previous DDR’s. The layout is getting boring though. [7.0]

Gameplay: Fun for beginners, tough enough for hardcore DDR gamers. There’s enough modes and songs to last a bit, but I just wish it would inform the gamer how to get 100 percentage complete in the game. The new Street Master Mode is okay, but I did not find it very appealing, Xmixes and shock arrows are new to PS2, and the mixes are a welcomed addition… while the shock arrows are shockingly dull. [7.5]

Graphics/Sound: The arenas are really boring to look at in this game. There’s only maybe 5 in the game. Konami should have added more, or just took out arenas completely in favor of more video backgrounds. [Which is why I enjoy Ultramix/Universe series so much] The music in this game is okay – you can decide for yourself with the song list video posted above. [7.0]

Value Factor: For only $29.99, it’s definitely worth a purchase, especially if you only have a PS2. For those with an Xbox 360, it will be a bit strange playing a watered-down PS2 mix. For the price, one can’t really complain, but I just wish the song list was not too urban, and that there was an online mode. I am sure some people out there will love this mix completely though. [8.0]

Bottom Line: Buy this game if you only have a PS2. If you own a 360 or Wii, take a look at the song list and see if it’s worthy of a purchase. But for $29.99, there’s not too much harm done either way.

+ Xmixes.

- Shock arrows, Street Master Mode, Song list is not exactly my style.

? What happened to the online mode? Is this the last PS2 DDR?

Overall: [7.5]

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave a comment, and I will try my best to reply : )

Mini Video Game Review: Spanish For Everyone

Spanish For Everyone is a Nintendo DS game that did not receive much advertisement. Maybe there’s good reason for that, as the game is not exactly a must-play.

There is only one mode to play which is Story Mode, and what happens is your friend forgets to give you back your DS, so you end up traveling to Mexico with your aunt to get it back.

Along the way, you play a few mini games. Only 3 of them at the beginning – and you can’t continue the story until you get 20,000 points. Which means playing the same mini games over and over again. The games consist of a quasi-hangman word game, matching same cards game, and a “palabras” game, where you search for words in a box. Not exactly very fun.

But the question is: Do you learn any Spanish? Well with the few hours I have invested into this game, I did pick up a few words. The dictionary is a decent addition which pronounces all the words you have uncovered in the game. For $15 it’s not the worst buy. I’m going to be purchasing My Spanish Coach for the DS very soon, so I will compare the two in the upcoming weeks.

Overall: [6.0]

Look at the beginning intro. These cut scenes are awesome huh?