Update: Apparently rehosting game trailers on Vimeo breaks their user agreement, who knew?
I'll be on the look out for a decent resolution video service that will let me host game trailers, let me know if you have any suggestions.
This year's E3 is drawing to a close, and there have been lots of huge game announcements, biggest of all is probably the announcement of Final Fantasy XIII on the Xbox 360.
But E3 is not just about the big games, there have been a ton of really interesting smaller games shown off too.
Here is a roundup of some of the games that have really caught my attention that don't seem to be getting as much press coverage as I think they deserve.
Rhythm Heaven, DS
The follow up to the import only GBA cult hit "Rhythm Tengoku", Rhythm Heaven makes you focus on the what you hear, not just what you see. It's made by the Warioware team, and presented in a similar format, and certain to make you crack up with laughter.
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, Xbox Live Arcade (and PC?)
I have literally sucked hours into the original Retro Evolved, both on the PC and the version included with Galaxies on the Wii. A bunch of new modes, Multiplayer and a remixed soundtrack is enough to interest me.
Wario Land: The Shake Dimension, Wii
I absolutely adored Warioland 4 on the GBA, and this looks like it is the natural continuation. Stunning 2D animation, and great looking cut-scenes from Production I.G (Ghost in the Shell, Blood: The Last Vampire). Viva la 2D renaissance. Speaking of which...
Megaman 9, Wii Ware/PSN/XBLA
I always preferred the Megaman X series to Megaman classic to be honest, but even still, this is just brilliant. I am a little disappointed about the lack of aslide too, but I really have faith that this will live up to it's legacy.
Kirby Super Star Ultra, DS
Kirby Super Star was easily one of my favourite SNES games back in the day. There was enough game there to keep you entertained for hours. No doubt some of the screen sharing coop fun might be lost in the transfer to the DS, although I am sure wireless multiplayer will be include, and even as a single player only title it will be fantastic to replay it. They also seem to be adding a whole load more content, hence the ultra. If nothing else the battery won't run out on this cartridge after 10 years or so. Also, 3D cut-scenes and production values out the wazoo.
Dark Void, PS3/Xbox 360/PC
I don't care that this is brown.
We have only really seen one level of this so far, and I am more than happy to give the level design the benefit of the doubt. It is like Gears of War. In fact, it is a lot like Gears of War. But then, multiply the scale several hundred times. It's hard to tell from gameplay videos, but if the controls are solid, and they mix things up enough to keep it interesting, this game could be epic.
It really feels like E3 is a lot less about big announcements than it used to be, remember the 2004 Twilight Princess announcement?
I guess it isn't the conference it used to be, it's far smaller, far more press orientated. It's also more about games that are going to be out in the next 6 months, rather than far away titles on the horizon.
Still, we have Develop Conference and Expo in Brighton in a few weeks (and Bungie, Epic, Rockstar, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony and maybe even SavyGamer will be there!), Leipzig Games Convention and PAX in August, Tokyo Game Show in October and then GDC in February 2009, so there is plenty to look forwards to in coming months.
The games of E3 2008 you might have missed
I am excited about this game
This game looks really fun. It's made for all of us who winge on about games just being brown these days.
From what I can tell, it's one part Katamari, one part platformer with a spot of light combat thrown in.
It is based on a PC freeware game made by a bunch of highly talented Dutch students at Utrecht University, which can still be downloaded here. It's changed a fair bit since then, but I certainly think for the better.
It is an exclusive, for the Wii too, and a proper game too.
Ignore what the Video says about the release date, I have it from THQ that it's set for a September 26th release.
Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom, Xbox 360 - £11.75
Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom, Xbox 360 - £11.75 delivered
Apply code "B4U" for 2% off
Dragon Quest Swords: Masked Queen & The Tower Of Mirrors, Wii - £17.99
Dragon Quest Swords: Masked Queen & The Tower Of Mirrors, Wii - £17.99 delivered
Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit - Review
Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit, PS3 - £32.99 delivered
Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit, Xbox 360 - £32.99 delivered
Review by TheSonicRetard
There would be a review here for you to read, but TSR is waiting on a new console to be shipped to him from Sony after his PS3 got bricked by the 2.4 firmware update.
He'll be getting to write an actual review as soon as his replacement console arrives.
Thanks Sony.
7/10
Mirror's Edge looks awesome - MP3 Download
Mirror's Edge is one of the hottest looking games I have seen from early E3 footage, but any reaction to footage of it I have seen has included people saying how much they love the music. I have tracked down a full mp3 of that lovely chilled out song, you can download it here:
Alcorus - Shine
Cheers Scotty.
Be sure to buy the inevitable OST.
Search Engine plugin
I have just put together a search engine pluging for Firefox and IE7 users, so you can search through SavyGamer deals/posts straight from your browser.
You can grab it here.
Let me know if you have any problems with it, although from my quick testing, it seems to work fine.
Edit: Also, new favicon!
WALL·E, Xbox 360 - Review
WALL·E, Xbox 360 - £28.55 delivered
Apply code "B4U" for 2% off
Review by LewieP
Foreword
I have not yet seen the film WALL·E, and as such I will be reviewing this game entirely on it's own merit as a game. It is possible (and in fact likely) that having seeing the film before playing the licensed game would have an impact on your experience.
I do plan to go and see the film at some point though, I am doing the whole thing backwards for the benefit of the game playing public.
This review will probably contain minor spoilers.
I first booted up WALL·E to hear some pretty annoying music, so I skipped the cut scene. Then I got to the (surprisingly slick) menu system. Booted up a new game, and began my adventure. As soon as I took control of WALL·E, I moved the Analogue stick forwards. Then I got an Achievement for moving forwards. Instantly.
Off to a good start then.
I was initially fairly impressed with the animation of the titular character, his caterpillar tracks look and move just right. It's a shame the environments don't hold up so well. At best, there is some really impressive things going on with the physics, on a pretty large scale too, but at worst there is bland, repeated objects and textures all over the place. The bad outweighs the good. On the surface it looks pretty, but the animation, destructibility and up close textures let the whole package down.
The first level or so is fairly easy platforming challenges, involving thowing cubes, hitting switched, and avoiding falling to your doom. Whenever you do die (which is more likely going to be because the camera lets you down than the gameplay challenge) you will respawn pretty close to where you were, no lives system to worry about. There are lots of collectible trinkets strewn over the place, including some 'oh so subtle' references to previous Pixar films (Is Toy Story really 13 years old? blimey!), which unlock bonus content, including multiplayer maps.
After a while, I bumped into this iPod looking flying Robot called EVE. I took control of her, which was not only a much needed change of pace, but it was pretty damn fun. The EVE sections of the game are like a Rogue Squadre-lite with next gen pretties smeared over it. It's a real shame that they didn't give you more freedom as EVE, but you are constantly being intterupted with cut-scenes and timers, so you never feel like you can enjoy it to it's full extent. Hat's off for the homage to the Death Star Exhuast run from Return of the Jedi though, that was ace. It was around this mark that I realised how good all of the in game music was. Crank it up to 11 and you will hear some really great ambient music.
For the first half of the game, there is no enemies, it's just you VS. the environment, and it really would have been a lot better had it stayed that way. In the second half, they introduce a range of enemies, and the combat is pedesrtian at best. Hammer the right trigger til either they or you die. Luckilly the AI is bad enough that you can often position yourself somewhere that it can't 'see' you, and you can take them off from a distance, without them even noticing you. At the turning point, there is a boss battle which had me laughing for all the wrong reasons. You don't actually fight it, just jump into a nearby wall untill it dies. Seriously.
WALL·E underperforms on a technical level. Nothing approaching game-breaking, but it definitely shows itself up in a few key areas. The framerate is pretty ropey, the controls never quite feel spot on, there are invisible walls all over the place, the camera stuggles at times.
It also managed to crash my 360 once, I hope it's not early onset red ring.
If you can see past these kind of troubles, the kind of troubles that often come from an underdeveloped licensed game, then there is fair amount of enjoyment to be had out of WALL·E.
WALL·E on the Xbox 360 is a pretty serviceable, but by no means spectacular, 3D platformer. It has just enough new and interesting elements to keep your attention to completetion, and it retreads just enough familiar ground to be instantly accessible. Keen gamers will be able to burn through the main game in around 6/7 hours, but others in the target audience will probably take longer. The bottom line is, I imagine for most people reading this, there are many far better gaming investments to be had this summer, and this should be pretty far down the list for serious gamers.
However, and this is probably what you expected as soon as you clicked on this review, if you are looking for a "my first platformer" for a younger child who they enjoyed the film, then you could do a lot worse than this, although only if they have already played LEGO Star Wars.
WALL·E, Xbox 360 - £28.55 delivered
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