Living
Stripes gamers put titles to the test at the Tokyo Game Show
Stars and Stripes October 19, 2008
Mirror’s EdgePublisher: Electronic ArtsPlatforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PCGenre: First-person action adventureRelease: Nov. 11
Assuming the role of Faith, an acrobatic courier and magnet for law enforcement, I kicked open a door and rushed upstairs, fleeing the pursuing police. As shots rang out, I raced to the rooftop, where a visually stunning, bright white cityscape stretched out all around me. Spotting a long red pipe running down the side of a nearby building, I ran forward and leapt out to safety, missed the jump by about 3 feet and plummeted to the streets below.
A few minutes, face plants and restarts later, I started to get the hang of the relatively intuitive controls. Before I knew it, I was leaping over fences, under pipes and between buildings without having to hit the brakes and see if there was another way around. The quick pacing of the chase scene combined with a variety of challenging — but not impossible — climbing puzzles made for an enjoyable experience.
Need for Speed UndercoverPublisher: Electronic ArtsPlatforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PlayStation Portable, Wii and PCGenre: RacingRelease: Nov. 18 in North America, Dec. 18 in Japan
This car-chase sequel takes place in the streets of Tri City, which looks like a West Coast city. The cops-and-robber car-chase concept returns with some incredibly realistic graphics. One Electronic Arts representative said the newest feature in this version is a well-developed storyline. The game begins with a movielike prologue explaining that you are an undercover investigator in a crime syndicate. Unlike the previous game in the series, the car chases take place on city streets, interstate highways and public roads with construction fences and cones littering the way. Having played racing games like "Grand Turismo" on PS3, I found that maneuvering the car was less complicated, making it easier to control. The detailed graphics and sound of police car sirens added realism and pressure to the chase and made me run straight into the wall.
LittleBigPlanetPublisher: Sony Computer EntertainmentPlatform: PS3Genre: ActionRelease: October in North America, Oct. 30 in Japan
"LittleBigPlanet" centers on the adventures of a knitted, stuffed animal-like creature called Sackboy. It advances through stages invented by creators of an imaginary planet.
The biggest attraction for an unseasoned gamer like myself is that you can perform most of the moves with the left joystick and one button. But controlling Sackboy can be a little tricky since a little push on the joystick can move him quite a bit. It has no enemies that are impossible to defeat or clues that are hard to find.
Experienced gamers will enjoy the freedom to create their own stages and customize Sackboy. These stages can be shared online for others to play and offer feedback. You can customize Sackboy by choosing different outfits and giving him glasses and a mustache. Two downloadable costumes shown off at TGS were Old Snake from "Metal Gear Solid 4" and Sephiroth from "Final Fantasy VII." Players gain additional items as they progress in the game or purchase and download them online.
Sonic UnleashedPublisher: SegaPlatforms: Wii, PS3, Xbox360Genre: PlatformRelease: Nov. 18 in North America, Dec. 18 in Japan
With "Sonic Unleashed," Sega doesn’t deviate much from its formula that made the franchise a success. In typical Sonic fashion, the levels are set up to keep you moving forward at a frantic pace, collecting rings and enjoying the ride. But this Sonic has developed some new moves, including riding snowboard-style along narrow pipes that stretch across the sky and sliding baseball-style underneath half-walls. The graphics are crisp and the colors, as expected, are big and bright. The biggest change is the introduction of Sonic’s alter ego "Werehog," who plays the night boards. The Werehog play is a stark contrast to the traditional Sonic play. You don’t speed through levels; you creep around in the dark making the best use of your extender claws and take out the bad guys with your bare hands. It’s a far cry from the patented Sonic jump and flip attack, but even loyal fans should approve.
Ninja BladePublisher: MicrosoftPlatform: Xbox 360Genre: ActionRelease: Early 2009
Ninjas usually sneak around in the dark and take out their targets while keeping a low profile. The ninja running atop Tokyo skyscrapers in "Ninja Blade" couldn’t possibly draw more attention to himself. As the ninja, you’re slicing up bad guys left and right. The baddies are parasite-infected animals and humans. And even the pushover types usually put up a decent fight.
The game play is fluid, and the sound of the dueling swords is satisfying to the ears. The regular play cuts out at times to cinematic scenes that aren’t purely for your viewing pleasure; you’re prompted to hit specific buttons that keep you alive and keep the story moving forward.
Blade’s graphics are a bit choppy and the nighttime scenery and coloring can get old, but diving off the side of a skyscraper and chopping up bad guys in free-fall mode is just fun. Worth a try.
Let’s TapPublisher: SegaPlatform: WiiGenre: Rhythm, minigamesRelease: December in Japan, TBD in U.S.
Marketed as "The first video game a penguin could play," "Let’s Tap" is certainly different. The Wii remote is placed at the top of a smallish, rectangular box that is set on top of a flat surface. Players use the lower portion of the box as basically a fake keyboard and make typing movements with their fingers to move their man.
Of the four different games featured in "Let’s Tap," only Tap Runner was available to try at the Tokyo Game Show. The graphics don’t make the game, at least in Tap Runner’s case, where you’re given a horizontal view of an orange, 3-D, transparent track that is suspended in outer space. Tap Runner consists of a series of obstacle-course-style races for up to four players. The tapping movements of your fingers correspond to your player’s movement. By making a hard tap on the box, your player jumps. By typing really fast, he runs fast. Typing too fast will sometimes cause your player to jump inadvertently. It takes practice to perfect.
Your player also slides down slopes, jumps over electric shock fences, swings on shortcut vines and accelerates through speed zones on the way to the finish line. All in all: a very promising new party gig for the Wii.
Resident Evil 5Publisher: CapcomPlatform: PS3, Xbox 360Genre: Horror, third-person shooterRelease: March 13
Chris Redfield makes his return in the latest chapter of Capcom’s immensely popular horror series, "Resident Evil 5." However, this time he’s not alone. Joining him this go around is Sheva Alomar, a Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA) agent assisting him on his new mission in Africa.
In the demo of RE5’s single-player version, Sheva provided backup for Chris as he fought his way through a village full of infected villagers. She fights alongside Chris, even pulling enemies off of him during fights. An additional element of the game is added in the fact that when ammunition and other items are dropped, the player has the option of holding onto them or passing them on to Sheva.
While controls and game play are similar to those of "Resident Evil 4," the game’s setting borrows heavily from the film "Black Hawk Down" right down to a megaphone wielding villain shouting at a crowd behind mirrored sunglasses. However even without the dimly-lit environments of previous games, the demo had the Resident Evil feel and sense of tension as bloodthirsty enemies staggered in from all sides.
Cooking Mama 2Publisher: TaitoPlatform: WiiGenre: Cooking actionRelease: Dec. 4 in Japan but unannounced in North America
In this game, the player moves the Wii’s motion-sensitive remote to "cook" more than 100 dishes. The player cuts vegetables by moving the remote up and down, or mixes batter by turning it around. Instead of just seeing hands in the screen, you see the entire character so you can monitor whether it is struggling or doing great.
Even though the game seems simple for adults, I failed miserably. There’s a time limit for completing any procedure, but it was too short. However, when you make mistakes, "mama" helps you. When I didn’t know in which order to mix the ingredients, "mama" gave me hints.
Prince of PersiaPublisher: UbisoftPlatforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PCGenre: Adventure/platformRelease: Dec. 2
Since its creation, the "Prince of Persia" series has been known for testing gamers’ skills — and sometimes patience — in the form of a challenging level design full of nefarious traps and brain-teasing puzzles. Ubisoft’s latest version of the game stays true to this mantra, as a new Prince struggles to restore a corrupted land.
With the help of a new magical ally Elika, the prince is able to leap across massive chasms with the tap of the "Y" button at the right moment, as Elika swoops in to carry him the rest of the way. She also aids in combat, providing assistance and extra attacks at opportune moments. Using the "Assassin’s Creed" graphics engine and a new cel-shaded art style, the game looks gorgeous at times, but during the demonstration, the camera swung around to some completely obscure angles a few times. And there was some major graphical tearing that occurred more than once or twice.
Resistance 2Publisher: SonyPlatform: PS3Genre: First-person shooterRelease: Nov. 4
With the front of the war against the alien Chimera moving to the shores of the United States, the demonstration of "Resistance 2" at TGS gave gamers a taste of some of the massive battles to be waged in the upcoming sequel.
Climbing out of the wreckage of an aircraft crash, the main character, Sgt. Nathan Hale, is thrown directly into battle as enemy forces move through a valley accompanied by a Chimera Leviathan.
Combat is as bloody and visceral as the first game, with wave after wave of enemy rushing forward to attack.
Meanwhile, the Leviathan truly lives up to its name, towering over the battlefield, its massive feet slamming down into the fight, crushing friend and foe alike. Some enemies did seem a little dumbed down, getting stuck on terrain, waiting to be mowed down, but for the most part the game seems to be a good addition to the PlayStation library. It’s also important to note that the game will also support eight-player online co-op play and 60-player squad-based battles.