Persona 4 Review
What do you have when you take one of my favorite PS2 games of all time (Persona 3), fix all of the outstanding issues with it, keep all of the good stuff and add in completely new content? Well, you get a game that is not only better, but is really one of the best RPGs on the PS2, or any system for that matter. I love Persona 4. It has been a very long time indeed that, after completing its massive 75+ hour quest, I almost wanted to start up a brand new game to see everything I missed. Persona 4 is the epitome of RPGs.
P4 plays largely like P3, but with some excellent improvements. First off, instead of traversing one massive dungeon endlessly throughout the quest, you will find yourself in different dungeons every time there is a major plot advancement. Next up, and this is a big one for me, you can now control your characters manually in battles. The first thing I did when I learned of this was to set my characters to manual and I did not set them back even once. This makes for a major improvement in P4's (awesome) battle system as you no longer waste a single turn. Other minor improvements have been made to P3's system, and they are all appreciated, but the above are the most crucial in my mind.
For those that are unfamiliar with P3's system, P4 operates as sort of an RPG with dating components plugged in called social links. P4 tends to separate itself into two distinct play styles. Either you are advancing the plot and exploring a particular dungeon or you are advancing social links and taking care of loose ends. The game will give you a goal and you will have a set number of game "days" to finish the goal. Finishing the goal generally amounts to exploring a dungeon and finishing off a boss. When you are not on a deadline, you would be wise to be pursuing social links.
Social links are essentially conversations you will have with characters around the game world. In P4 (as opposed to P3), you can even develop social links with your playable character teammates. As you interact with the social links, your level in said social link will go up. As the social links go up, your ability to create Personas (more on that later) of a particular card type will go up. When you are leveling up playable character social links, your teammates will also gain extra abilities to help with battles which come in handy so it is encouraged to pursue these social links as soon as possible. When a social link is maxed out, your main character will gain the ability to create the highest level Persona of said card type.
Creating / collecting Personas is a rather large part of the game. Personas can either be gained by drawing cards after a fight or by combining Personas that have already joined you. By combing Personas, you can create powerful minions that will do your bidding. Each Persona has its own strengths, weaknesses, skills, stats, etc. It is imperative to keep upgrading your main character's Personas so that he can participate effectively in battle. Finding the right combination of Personas is a lot of fun and very central to the game.
Fights play out in traditional Shin Megami fare. They are turn based and your goal is to find the enemy's weakness. If you hit an enemy with its weakness, it will be knocked down and you will get another turn. However, enemies can do the same to you, so it is imperative to quickly learn an enemy's weakness and strength. Luckily, a handy analysis tool is available for you so that you do not have to constantly remember what enemy is weak to what element. Overall the fights go down fairly fast and furious and are quite strategic in nature.
The story in P4 is what truly makes the game. I have never seen a murder mystery this well integrated into any game before. Heck, the plot in this game is better than a vast majority of murder mystery plays that I attend. Character interaction is fantastic, dialogue is great and the social link text is very entertaining. All in all, though this game is super long, it never really feels stale and keeps you guessing "whodunnit" until the very end (and then some!). This game is worth playing just for the excellent storyline.
Musically, P4 surpasses even P3. You will either love it or hate it but if you love it, you will really love it. I seriously have the soundtrack on my iPod. It is that good. It is super diverse and very fitting. I love it, I can't say any more about it. The voice acting is rather well done as well. I didn't really find any of the voices annoying (perhaps a genre first!). The performances range from good to stellar and that is an excellent thing.
If P4 has to falter at all, it is in the graphics. That is not to say that the graphics are terrible, this game looks very nice for a PS2 game. However, we are in the next generation now and playing games like Star Ocean - The Last Hope really outline how far we have come graphically. P4 still looks great, just remember that it is on a rather dated system.
Overall, P4 gets my highest recommendation. I loved every second of it. If you enjoy RPGs, you will love this game. If you played P3, you will definitely love this game. It is a masterful effort and a true perfection of the standards P3 put into place. A next generation sequel seriously cannot come fast enough. Play it, you will not regret it.
Prior to the start of the school year, the Protagonist moves to the rural town of Inaba, moving in with Dojima and Nanako, and quickly gaining friends at the high school. Over the course of foggy nights, two murders are reported, apparently tied in w... More Info
My Halo 3 stats card
Halo 3 is set in the year 2553, during a bitter struggle between humanity and a collective of alien races known as the Covenant. It takes place in a wide variety of environments scattered across a few key areas. The first few levels of the game are o... More Info
Persona 3 Review
Persona 3 came as something of a surprise to me as I imagine it probably did for most people who played it. I can definitely say it wasn't high on my list of must have games despite the fact that it looked pretty cool. My issue? I have been through a lot of the Shin Megami games (including Persona 2) and, while their aesthetic, plot, characters and overall feel appealed to me, for the most part they either just did not hold my interest (Digital Devil Saga) or managed to beat me down (Persona 2). However, after hearing people ranting and raving about Persona 3, I managed to track down the final new copy at my local EB Games and thus ventured into one of my most incredible game experiences of all time.
Persona 3 falls into the realm of games that are entirely too long for me to play (due to my complete lack of free time) and yet don't feel as such simply because they are way too excellent. Past games that have been guilty of this for me have been Dragon Quest VIII (100+ hours) and Phantasy Star Online (hundreds of hours). My final Persona 3 play time ended up being around 75 hours and the crazy thing is that I almost wanted to fire up the new game plus immediately! But, enough raving, let's move into the actual meat of this game.
At first glance, Persona 3 is a turn based RPG with one (humungous) randomly generated dungeon. Play for about 5 hours however and you will see that it is far, far more than that. While the heart of the game is what I have mentioned, it is built upon by many intriguing and polished features that tie not only into the gameplay but into the excellent plot itself.
The most prominent and cool element built upon this game is called the social link system. This system essentially encompasses a set of 20 or so individuals (or groups of individuals) that you can develop a relationship with. As your relationship with the social link grows, your ability to create Persona (more on this later) with more power strengthens, you will randomly receive items and your appreciation of the story will be heightened.
While the Social Link system will keep you busy, the really interesting part of the game lies in how the actual play through is managed. You see, the game is broken down into real world calendar days. That means events that happen in the real world (say Christmas day), also happen in the game. Each day is different and while you are given a relative amount of freedom to do as you like, P3 continually throws new and exciting events, options and activities at you as the year goes on. For a guy like me who can only play for bite sized chunks, P3 is the perfect console game!
A big focus of the game falls on traversing the massive, mysterious dungeon known as Tartarus. Battle is turn based, with your main character and three party members going against the Tartarus beasties. You cannot directly control your teammates though you can issue tactics to them that will allow them to behave more the way you like. The AI is pretty good and I didn't really have much issue with my party member's decisions until late in the game when making the right move really seemed critical.
Enemies are viewable and avoidable however you will need to constantly improve your characters if you are to survive, so dodging too many fights is not a smart move. Tartarus is randomly generated though certain floors containing events or boss fights (or both!) are littered sporadically throughout the dungeon. Overall, while climbing such a massive tower may seem a bit boring, the enemies and what you find throughout is constantly changing so it never really gets too stale. Battles move quickly and boss fights are both fun and challenging.
The plot in P3 is definitely one of the best reasons to pick up the game. The translation is absolutely perfect. Atlus kept the Japanese culture intact while making the game totally accessible to westerners. Characters (even NPCs!) and especially social links are interesting, and a lot of fun to interact with. The dialogue is fantastic, the storyline is dark and mysterious and the ending is rather satisfying. Even the heavy Japanese culture is a lot of fun and westerners like myself will likely learn a lot about Japanese culture from playing this game, which I enjoyed immensely.
The graphics in P3 are definitely serviceable if not blow-your-mind amazing. This is a Playstation 2 game after all. The artwork is very well done and the settings are very nice. The characters are my favorite part as well as the Persona themselves. You can tell a great amount of work and detail was put into designing the characters. Of equal note is the overall theme of the game (in the menus, opening screen, etc) which is very original and quite aesthetically pleasing. My only complaint is Tartarus (which you spend a good amount of time in) that tends to be quite on the boring scale graphically, but I suppose what can you really expect from a randomly generated dungeon?
The music in P3 is a true delight. Perhaps that is putting it too lightly. I love the music in P3. It is one of my favorite game soundtracks of all time. It is funky, it is upbeat, it is moody and fitting. Somehow, they have succeeded absolutely and completely in finding an entire soundtrack that not only fits the game, it MAKES the game something so much more! Fantastic on all levels. The voice acting is quite decent as well.
Overall P3 is one of my favorite games of all time and I have played a lot of games. Coming from someone who was rather disheartened with the Shin Megami series, Atlus is truly on the right track. P3 is fresh and original in a genre plagued with the same old thing. It succeeds on so many levels that it is a travesty that any RPG fan would miss it. While there is a significant time investment required for P3, it is well worth it as this game and should be a part of any PS2 owner's collection.
Persona 3 begins with the Main Character returning to the city after ten years. He is quickly brought into SEES when his awareness of the Dark Hour is revealed and that he can summon multiple Personas into battle. With their help, SEES is able to exp... More Info
Halo 3 stats card
The epic saga continues with Halo® 3, the hugely anticipated third chapter in the highly successful and critically acclaimed Halo franchise. Master Chief returns to finish the fight, bringing the epic conflict between the Covenant, the Flood, and the... More Info
Final Fantasy Tactics A2 Review
Final Fantasy Tactics A2 (FFTA2) is an interesting and very enjoyable game that contains some unfortunate low points that save it from being very close to the perfect tactical experience. I say interesting because my issues with this game lean towards aspects that are usually quite efficiently done by Square Enix and I am surprised to find this one feature being poorly done in a Square Enix game. The main issue I have with FFTA2 is its story (or lack thereof), which I will get into soon enough, but first let's go through the game in a little more detail.
FFTA2 is a tactical RPG. What does that mean? It means that you spend a good amount of your time micro-managing your troops before sending them out to battle opposing troops on a grid. FFTA2 does this and it does it very, very well. 7 different races, all with their own special job classes and abilities combined with hundreds of weapons and skills, not to mention special characters with their own special abilities and equipment means that you will not lack for originality in your battle party.
As I have said, each race has its own set of jobs (though some do overlap) with their own strengths and abilities. Whatever job you select for each character, you must gradually build up skills in that job that you can use when equipped with a different job. Skills are learned through equipment. By equipping weapons, armor and accessories that contain skills pertinent to your job, your character will gradually learn said skills permanently by fighting battles.
Characters also gain levels like they would in any RPG but the real fun comes from acquiring skills and learning / mastering new jobs. Combined with the addicting "bazaar" system whereby you bring loot garnered from enemies to the shop and, based on what you bring, allow access to progressively newer and stronger equipment, the skill system in FFTA2 is both fun and addicting.
You will certainly not run out of things to do in this game either. Boasting 300 missions, it would take the average player somewhere between 80 and 100 hours to get through everything that FFTA2 has to offer. I myself clocked in around 50 hours with only 170 missions finished. That's a heck of a lot of value. Unfortunately, this brings me to my next point. While fighting missions is fun and exciting to collect new equipment and skills, it brings up FFTA2's number one weakness; its plot.
I can deal with kiddy plots. I don't mind if a story is geared towards children, I am still a child at heart after all. What I can't deal with is a complete lack of anything interesting in a story whatsoever. FFTA2's entire game focuses around a regular school boy falling into an alternate reality (Ivalice) and enjoying his time there doing stuff. I actually mean that, the entire game is about experiencing the world of Ivalice. And, while the world of Ivalice is fun and exciting, this is Final Fantasy Tactics for goodness sakes! The original FFT had one of the deepest political plots of its time, I expect a little more out of a FFT game's story then, "let's go see this mountain for something to do".
As you might imagine, since the story is so bland, so too are the characters. They are varied and have some twists to them but no matter how interesting a character is, if you stick them into this game they instantly turn boring. So, while the focus and intent of this game may not have been its story, had they actually gone ahead and added a great plot, this game would have gone from great to amazing! It feels a little like wasted potential to me.
Graphically, FFTA2 is nothing to write home about. It looks a lot like the first FFTA (for the Gameboy Advance) which is alright I guess. The animation is decent, spell effects are ok and there are different sprites for each and every class / job / weapon / race and they are well done. Considering the amount of content in this game, the graphics are fine if nothing to write home about.
The music for FFTA2 is very well done. Square Enix constantly surprises me with what they can do on the DS. However, if you (like me) have already played through FF XII and Revenant Wings, you may be getting a little sick of the same music. Much of the music in this game seems to have been recycled. So, while the music is excellent, it just feels as though I have heard it all before and am starting to get a little bored with it.
Overall, FFTA2 is a great game. If you need something to keep you enthralled and busy whenever you have a short break, this is the game for you. It's a tough economy out there and you will rarely find better bang for your buck then FFTA2. There is enough depth to keep you going for months and, as long as you are ok with the story taking a back seat, you will enjoy every second of it. Square Enix has almost written the perfect formula for a FFT game, if the next one includes a story to go with it, they will have finally succeeded!
Return to Ivalice in the latest installment of the legendary FINAL FANTASY TACTICS series. Summer vacation has begun for all but one unlucky student. Alone in the school library, Luso solemnly toils away the punishment his mischief has brought him. I... More Info
Playstation Home Impressions
So, I am not sure how lucky I am and by that I mean I have no idea how many people were chosen to participate in the Playstation Home beta, but I received my invitation and was eager to try it out. I wasn't able to get in there recently as I have been super busy but finally found the time to fire it up.
I am not sure what I was expecting but I do have to say that this thing is really very beautiful. The visuals are astounding. There is a lot of downloading and agreeing to terms at the beginning and then finally you are thrust into action.
The first process you must go through, much like the new 360 experience, is to choose your avatar. Unfortunately, I found the Home experience to be clunky and difficult. Where the 360 version is fast, efficient and, dare I say it, fun, the Playstation version is slow and unintuitive. After playing around for a little while and not having a whole helluva lot of fun, I quickly chose a preset character and moved on.
Home once again took its time loading and I soon found out why. At this point is where Home separates itself from the 360 version. I soon found myself in my apartment with a stunning view, classy furniture and the means to wander around wherever I wanted. The in game tutorial quickly brought me up to speed on how to maneuver and I was quickly wandering around in the areas I was allowed to.
I can see Home being massive. My first visit was to the mall where I found shops for clothing, furniture, even new real estate! I can only imagine what will happen when some of these places actually get content. Is the content going to cost real money? Maybe only the best stuff?
There were tons of people wandering around and chatting with each other in every location I went to. Not packing a USB keyboard myself, I decided to be a loner. The chat reminded me of Phantasy Star Online with fun text balloons that are customizable. Each area I was able to visit was filled with cool things including massive video screens that you could watch trailers on in real time; a very cool touch.
All in all, I think Home has a lot of potential. It is a game within a gaming system. It immediately reminded me of a grown up Animal Crossing and that is a very good thing. I could feel myself getting addicted to pimping out my pad and my gear. If I had to make some suggestions to Sony I would ask them to try and cut down on load times, make the menus more intuitive (especially the avatar creator / customizer) and please make some good content free. Other than that I really think that they are on to something here. I am looking forward to more!
A Wii Tale
I have a large amount of unfinished games going on right now. Animal Crossing City Folk, Persona 3, Rogue Galaxy, Lost Oddysey, Blue Dragon and Chocobo's Dungeon for the Wii just to name a few. All of them are excellent games that I truly enjoy but I just can't seem to stay focussed on any one of them. To add the my crazy pile of ongoing games, I recently picked up Tales of Symphonia 2 for the Wii.
I am a huge Tales fan and recently completed Tales of Vesperia which I thought was amazing. Tales of Symphonia 2 seems right up my alley due partially to my love of Vesperia, the original Symphonia, and all things Tales really. The game starts out as a little bit of a dud, but has quickly picked up.
One thing to note about Symphonia 2 is that if you play this immediately after playing Vesperia, you are going to be in for a shock. It is a little like going from the big screen to something like a DS game. Vesperia was a beautiful, grand, massive game in every respect. Symphonia 2 by comparison is incredibly ugly, bound by annoying load times and much smaller in scale.
That being said, Symphonia 2 is not a bad game by any means, it just seems to be much less ambitious than its 360 counterpart. I think that Symphonia 2 has really solidified the fact that I am becoming a bit of a graphics whore and that the Wii is really, really starting to look dated to me. I know it is still selling like hotcakes, but with 360 and PS3 games looking, playing and sounding better every day, I can't help but start to feel like the Wii is falling behind.
In any case, Symphonia 2 is a good game by its own right but, due to the Wii's lagging specs, I feel it could have been so much more!
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, known in Japan as Tales of Symphonia: Knight of Ratatosk (テイルズ オブ シンフォニア -ラタトスクの&... More Info
Chrono Trigger DS
Yay, yesterday was a very good day for gamers. After many, many years, a proper redo of Chrono Trigger has finally been released. I say proper because, while I own and have played through the PS version, the load times killed it for me.
I held myself back until lunch time before heading over to the local Walmart to find a few people all trying to get their mitts on the game. The Walmart employee, myself and another fellow all got into a little conversation about the game. Apparently right before I had arrived, the other fellow there had arrived and the Walmart employee actually went to the back to get us some copies of the game. He was excited himself about playing it, a rarity amongst Walmart employees it seems.
So how is it? I am only about an hour or so in but so far it plays and looks amazing. I am not sure why but I almost feel as though the game looks better on the small screen! The music sounds pristine and I have started the monster arena area and toured some of the extras. Square has given me pretty much exactly what I wanted, a perfect port of Chrono Trigger with some interesting extras.
A re-release of the SNES classic, with DS compatibility and new dungeons.... More Info
Skate 2 and Skate it Songs
Our time is coming to an end my friends. But before I go I thought I'd drop you a couple more things...When Halloween arrives I've got to disappear into the mists of history.
See below for the entire Skate 2 soundtrack. Songs included in Skate It are marked with an asterisk.
SKATE 2 
ARTIST SONG
Althea & Donna Uptown Top Ranking
Anubis Anubis
ASG The Dull Blade
Awesome Snakes I Want A Snake*
Black Sabbath Symptom Of The Universe
Black Tide Shockwave
China Creeps Stay On Or Die
Cut Chemist Addictive*
D.R.I. Beneath The Wheel
Dayton Sidewinders Go Ahead On*
Dragonforce Heroes Of Our Time
ELO Show Down
Fujiya & Miyagi Collarbone*
Gang Starr Step In The Arena*
Gaslight Anthem I'da Called You Woody, Joe*
Goons Of Doom She Wore Rat Skin Boots
Guilty Simpson Piglets
High Tension Wires They Fall Apart
Judas Priest Freewheel Burning*
Korrupted Hoodlums S.K.A.T.E.
Koushik feat. Percee P Cold Beats*
LL Cool J Rock The Bells*
Louis XIV Guilt By Association*
McRad Weakness
Money Your Love For Kristoffer*
Motorhead Eat The Rich
Nas Made You Look
Oh No Heavy
One Man Army It's Empty
Ponce De Leon Gator Jaws*
Public Enemy Harder Than You Think
Queen Sea Big Shark Hold Your Hand*
Radio Reelers Runnin’ Out
Rage Against The Machine Sleep Now In The Fire
Riverboat Gamblers Uh Oh!
Sam & Dave Hold On, I’m Comin’
Sly & The Family Stone Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)*
Stiff Little Fingers Alternative Ulster
Suicidal Tendencies Possessed 2 Skate*
T.S.O.L. Superficial Love
Teenage Bottlerocket Crashing
Texas Thieves Los Pool Riders
The Clash Death Or Glory*
The Riptides Return To Blood Beach
The Specials Ghost Town*
Tickled Pink Reach Out And Give Me Your Hand
Underground Railroad To Candyland Square Ball
WAR Low Rider*
Wu-Tang Clan Protect Ya Neck
Year Long Disaster Leda Atomica*
Youth Brigade I Hate My Life
*Song included in Skate It soundtrack
To review the full song lists for both titles and purchase the music from the soundtracks, please visit www.ea.com/eatrax/.
Skate It and Skate 2 deliver all the style, fun, creativity and culture of skateboarding. Skate It is rated E by the ESRB and Skate 2 has not yet been rated. Skate It will ship holiday 2008 and Skate 2 will ship early 2009.
Art Book When you Pre-Order Eternal Poison
Fans who pre-order the upcoming strategy RPG Eternal Poison for PlayStation2 computer entertainment system can pick up Librum Vespera, the official Eternal Poison art book, upon the game’s release on November 11 (at select retailers, while supplies last).
Librum Vespera is a 5" by 8", 100-page, full color art book featuring art from the visually unique Eternal Poison. The book is divided into five sections: Illustrations, Characters, Majin, Landscape, and the North American-exclusive "Making of a Book Cover." This final, never-before-released section details the step-by-step process undertaken by master artist tomatika in the creation of the cover for Librum Vespera, a work of art designed exclusively for the North American release of Eternal Poison.
More than ten artists, including tomatika, collaborated on Librum Vespera, filling its pages with a variety of visually entrancing world art and character designs. From sketch and concept to final form, fans can immerse themselves in the beautifully gothic world of Eternal Poison.
Librum Vespera is only available as a pre-order bonus and only at participating retailers. Eternal Poison is one of three titles featured in the "Atlus Spoils" promotion, along with Luminous Arc 2 for Nintendo DS and Persona 4 for PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. Each game includes a soundtrack CD free-with-purchase, and each game offers a deluxe full-color art book exclusively with pre-orders. Guarantee yourself a copy of this exclusive bonus item and pre-order today!
Eternal Poison, a strategy RPG for PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, is currently scheduled for release on November 11 with an MSRP of $39.99.
Ys Books I and II to DS Next February
Two whole books on one tiny cartridge:
About Legacy of Ys: Books I & II
Stories tell of a land of yore, now shrouded by centuries of time forgotten, called Ys. Despite its great knowledge, endless wealth, and bountiful prosperity, a sudden and unexpected cataclysm devastated the realm. Soon, its memory had faded completely from the minds of man.
Centuries later, a young adventurer named Adol set sail to explore the world and leave his mark on history. During his travels, he learned of the tragic tale of Esteria, a once prosperous island now inexplicably engulfed by a crippling storm. Adol plotted a course for the besieged isle, curious to unravel the mystery...
Key Features
• Two Legendary RPGs on One Cartridge! — Experience two all time classics that helped shape the action RPG genre… Now on a portable system!
• Upgraded Ys Experience —Behold remastered 3D graphics, a remixed musical score, and new enemies and equipment to discover. Touch control and local wireless multiplayer for up to four people deepen the adventure, while difficulty levels and dual control schemes tailor the experience to the gamer.
• The Definitive Story — Available to North American audiences for the first time, this ultimate translation delivers the most substantial version of the famous Ys story ever made!
Legacy of Ys: Books I & II is scheduled for release on February 10, 2009, with an MSRP of $34.99.
For more information about Legacy of Ys: Books I & II, visit the official website: http://www.atlus.com/ys
Popstar Guitar Songs and Info
Videogame publisher XS Games announced today five new songs for PopStar Guitar, the all-new music rhythm game for Wii and PlayStation2 computer entertainment system. Original music from Fall Out Boy, Paramore and All-American Rejects will allow players to release their PopStar within. The new tracks round out a star-studded line-up of original mastered tracks from some of today’s hottest Pop artists.
Over 50 Songs Including Original #1 Hits:
• Thnks Fr Th Mmrs by Fall Out Boy
• Sugar We’re Going Down by Fall Out Boy
• Misery Business by Paramore
• Dirty Little Secret by All-American Rejects
• Move Along by All-American Rejects
• Shut Up and Drive by Rihanna
• S.O.S by Jonas Brothers
• See You Again by Miley Cyrus
• Wake Up Call by Maroon 5
• Makes Me Wonder by Maroon 5
• All The Small Things by Blink 182
• Welcome To My Life by Simple Plan
• When I’m Gone by 3 Doors Down
• It’s Not My Time by 3 Doors Down
“We are thrilled to continue to unveil new original recording artists that will be featured in PopStar Guitar,” said Steve Grossman, chief executive officer of XS Games. “The game’s fresh line-up of today’s top Pop artists paired with the innovative AirG peripheral for Wii will deliver a very rewarding gaming experience for pop music fans and gamers alike.”
In PopStar Guitar, players embark on a journey as a budding guitarist with aspirations of becoming the ultimate Pop music sensation. Throughout the game, players develop skills to help them achieve their goal of success on the main stage of a worldwide “Battle of the Bands” competition, which will bring them international stardom. A fun and family friendly title, PopStar Guitar is sure to bring the family together this holiday season.
PopStar Guitar will be available for Wii and PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. The Wii version of PopStar Guitar will retail for $59.99 and will come packaged with two AirG peripherals straight out of the box ready for multiplayer gameplay. For PlayStation 2 system players, PopStar Guitar supports officially licensed PlayStation 2 system non-USB guitar peripherals and will retail for $29.99.
Developed by Broadsword Interactive, PopStar Guitar is rated “T” (Teen) by the ESRB and will be available in November 2008.
Please visit the official PopStar Guitar website for all the latest news and announcements at www.popstarguitar.com.
Warm up the Vocal Chords and Wrap Your Lips around these tunes
Lips, the highly anticipated singing party game exclusively on Xbox 360, will be hitting stores on 21st November 2008. Maybe that's a UK date, not sure yet.
Lips Track List
- Title Artist
1 No One - Alicia Keys
2 Stand By Me - Ben E. King
3 Irreplaceable - Beyoncé
4 Call Me - Blondie
5 Boogie 2Nite - Booty Luv
6 With You - Chris Brown
7 Yellow - Coldplay
8 Personal Jesus - Depeche Mode
9 Survivor - Destiny’s Child
10 White Flag - Dido
11 Mercy - Duffy
12 Hungry Like The Wolf - Duran Duran
13 An End Has A Start - Editors
14 It's Raining Men - Geri Halliwell
15 Virtual Insanity - Jamiroquai
16 Ring Of Fire - Johnny Cash
17 Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs
18 Suddenly I See - KT Tunstall
19 Love At First Sight - Kylie Minogue
20 Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis
21 Superstar - Lupe Fiasco (feat. Matthew Santos)
22 Makes Me Wonder - Maroon 5
23 Rome Wasn't Built In A Day - Morcheeba
24 In Bloom - Nirvana
25 Young Folks - Peter Bjorn And John
26 Another One Bites The Dust - Queen
27 Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead
28 I Wanna Be Sedated - Ramones
29 Umbrella - Rihanna
30 Listen To Your Heart - Roxette
31 Amazing - Seal
32 Put 'Em High - Stonebridge
33 Song For Whoever - The Beautiful South
34 Just Like Heaven - The Cure
35 ABC - The Jackson 5
36 Naïve - The Kooks
37 Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - The Police
38 I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers
39 Love In A Trashcan - The Raveonettes
40 Bust A Move - Young MC
Moon Story Writers Revealed
"Are you seeing this, General? - My people are all dead! What the hell did you lead us into here?" - Major Kane.
Mastiff and Renegade Kid are proud to announce that they have teamed up with writers James McDonough and Adam Patyk (Hellboy, Transformers and much more) of THE ENEMY to turn the dark and twisted storyline into something even more ominous.
"Working on Moon has been an absolute blast," said writer Adam Patyk of THE ENEMY. "The fantastic gameplay and striking graphics are some of the first things you notice about the game, and that played a big role in why we were so excited when Mastiff asked us to get involved in helping to refine the characters and story for Moon."
Taking place on the cold lunar surface in the year 2058, Moon places gamers in control of Major Kane of the Extra Terrestrial Encounter Organization, who has been summoned to the newly established Lunar Base Alpha to investigate what has been described as a sealed hatch embedded in the surface of the moon. His briefing is interrupted when a hostile force sweeps through the base, annihilating everything and everyone in its path. It is now up to Major Kane to enter the hatch and seek out the truth that lies below the surface of our Moon.
"Without the preconceived notions of an existing franchise, working on Moon gave an opportunity for everyone involved in the game's production to really work from the ground up and modify characters' roles and motivations to best serve the story and produce the most entertaining final product," said Patyk.
"We are definitely excited to have had the opportunity to work with creative minds at THE ENEMY," said Bill Swartz, Head Woof at Mastiff. "They have been an absolute pleasure to work with and we feel that players will truly appreciate Moon's rich character development anddeep storyline."
Look for Moon in stores this November.
Coraline Crosses Media Boundaries to become video game
Based on the exciting new movie Coraline – the first-ever stop-motion animated feature to be made in 3-D – from Focus Features and LAIKA, the Coraline videogame is coming from D3Publisher (D3P). The game will let players take on the role of the adventurous heroine Coraline and interact with the wondrous characters from the movie while navigating the scheming Other Mother’s web of deceit in a fantastical adventure through two distinct and interactive worlds. Coraline is slated to ship to retail stores for the Wii system, Nintendo DS and the PlayStation2 in early 2009.
“The Coraline movie is absolutely mesmerizing and we feel that the visual style and tone of the game will bring the amazing stop-motion animated film and thrilling storyline to life for players,” said Bill Anker, vice president of business development, D3P. “We’re confident that Coraline will offer a truly immersive and interactive gameplay experience that gamers as well as fans of the movie and best-selling book will enjoy.”
The only videogame based on the upcoming movie, Coraline will allow players to explore and interact with such immersive 3-D environments from the movie as the Pink Palace, its nooks and crannies and apartments, and the unpredictable Other World. Players will engage in unique mini-games and adventures with Coraline’s friends Wybie and Cat as they collect items that will unlock the mysteries of the Other World.
Coraline is under development for Wii and the PlayStation 2 system by Papaya Studios and by Art Co. Ltd., for Nintendo DS. Well done Mr. Gaiman! (That's the author of Coraline, a favorite of mine).