I fail to see the allure of making video games about toy cars. Hot Wheels, RC cars, whatever. If you can actually have the toy, what’s the point of the game? Conversely, making the Hot Wheels car jump accurately over the bed in a video game is great, but why not do it with a “real” arcade racer like Burnout or Ridge Racer.
With that in mind, here’s Penny Racers Party Turbo Q Speedway. First of all, PRPTQS is a stupid name. The “Turbo Q Speedway” is even printed in smaller type, so as not to obscure the entire cover.
Second, and of much more importance than a stupid name, is the game’s Mario Kart-ness. You race little Penny Racer cars (some of you may still have toy-car imprints in the soles of your feet from stepping on them in the dark in 1985) on wacky, Katamari Damacy-like courses. More on Penny Racers for the Wii on the jump
I have to give Zoo Hospital for the Wii this: I did get to shave a monkey. And any game that lets you shave a monkey can’t be all bad.
And it’s not, but it’s not fantastic either. It’s like playing Nintendogs and getting to do surgery on your daschund. There are 48 different animals, so you can shave a lot of exotic creatures. Maybe it’s more like Trauma Center: Rainforest Edition.
The minigames involve treating wounded or sick animals by suturing wounds, giving shots, eradicating viruses and pests, removing intestinal blockages … you get the drift. The Wii remote and nunchuk are used to stitch, fill syringes, stun insects and then squish them, etc. The controls are good, and there’s an assistant to prod you with helpful tips.
And that’d good because the animal on the operating table can become upset during the procedure, at which point you have to leave the surgery window and “pet” the animal in its special place until they calm down, yup, special place.
You have to do the same thing before you begin treatment. You want to pet each animal with the Wii remote until it reacts positively.
OK, we know the economy is bad. Things are going to hell in a hand basket. I’m expecting to be in a bread line next week, and the week after that I’m probably going to be a hobo hitching a ride on a rail car. In the meantime, you really have to give a hand to the folks at DICE.
Battlefield: Bad Company will be offering a free ‘Community Choice Map Pack’ via PlayStation 3 update starting today and via Xbox Live on Friday. On top of that, the PS3 update will also feature trophy support and gameplay enhancements.
Here’s the rest of the info:
Previously, players had the chance to vote on which two single-player levels they wanted to see as multiplayer maps and Par for the Course and Acta Non Verba won with the most community votes. The other two maps available were selected by the Bad Company development team which includes Ghost Town and Crossing Over, coinciding with the community’s #3 and #4 choice.
So there you go. If you’re sitting on the couch unemployed, you can at least download some Bad Company maps for free. Then again, you’ll have to find a way to pay for that Internet connection and electricity bill.
Type in GameQuest in Google and you’ll find 230,000 entries. A handful of sites talk about the SciFi Channel’s latest project titled WCG GameQuest (Yep, that’s the working title).
The e-sports program will feature eight episodes, in which 12 contestants battle each other over different video games. The program, slated for 2009, will try to find the “Best All-Around Gamer” in the United States. Aside from the fancy schmancy title, the winner gets $100,000 and the opportunity to travel to other World Cyber Games events.
This could have potential based on how well it’s done. One of the guys behind Last Comic Standing is going to be executive producer of the show. That could be good. Then again, I’ve never seen Last Comic Standing.
All I’m asking is that the producers please, please, please don’t edit the show to make gamers fit certain stereotypes. That would be disappointing. I don’t want to see Steve Urkel as a gamer, all awkward and unable to socialize thank you very much.
Posted on Thursday, October 30th, 2008
Under: TV | No Comments »
According to Giant Bomb, the folks behind Rock Band just snagged the rights to a Beatles music game. Right now, I can almost hear the money being printed and the cha-ching sound coming from the Harmonix offices. Any such game would be comingn out in 2009 though so you have to wait.
Meanwhile, I know someone is buying a Lamborghini tonight.
Sega seems to be on a roll when it comes to publishing these promising titles from smaller studios. The company of Sonic scored a coup with Platinum Games. Those are the former Clover folks making MadWorld and the upcoming Bayonetta.
Now, Sega is set to publish and distribute The Conduit, a promising first-person shooter from High Voltage Games. We had a chance to play it at the Nintendo Summit a couple of weeks ago and thought it was promising. The graphics were obviously above and beyond what you’d expect from a Wii title.
I’m happy to see that the game found a company to back it. Now, I’m crossing my fingers and hoping The Conduit is as good as those initial impressions.
I got a couple questions about the photo on my Fallout 3 impressions (also seen to the left). It’s from the Penny Arcade Expo of a life-sized statue at the Bethesda booth.
If you liked PAAOtRSPoD:E1 you’ll probably love PAAOtRSPoD:E2, out today on Live Arcade and for the PC, Mac and Linux via Greenhouse. But I’m not going to make any guarantees until I review it, which should happen as soon as I 1) get my review copy and 2) stop playing Fallout 3.
And yes, I love that acronym.
My review of Episode 1 is here, though supposedly there have been some tweaks and changes for Episode 2 so don’t expect it to apply completely.
After many long days of restraining myself from talking about the game I can finally give my initial impressions of Fallout 3. This isn’t a review, I haven’t finished the game yet so I can’t give any final verdicts, but I’ve gone through enough of it to get a feel for it. So first I’m going to answer a few common questions, then I’m going to get into some of the minutiae.
First off, yes, it is as good as advertised. I set a high bar with my previews but it clears them and then some. One thing I wasn’t allowed to delve into too deeply were the side quests and story, and those are easily the best part.
For all the raves about GTA IV’s details I think this may be the most detailed, fleshed-out game world I’ve ever seen. Every character, from major players to wandering traders to inconsequential bit parts, has a unique personality and a look to match it. Every room is uniquely littered with appropriate set pieces, some useful items and furniture; it’s a hallmark of Bethesda’s recent games but they outdid themselves this time.
The 2008-09 NBA season tips off today, with 32 teams looking to endure drama, injuries, hot streaks and slumps for the chance to call themselves champion eight months from now.
Fortunately, we already have a winner when it comes to the virtual season.
NBA Live 09 and NBA 2K9 both bring the hardwood action home with deep gameplay, a bevy of playable modes and stunning graphics. But if this was last season’s Finals, 2K9 is definitely the Celtics to Live’s Lakers.
Both are excellent games that are easy to pick up but difficult to master, and both have their flaws. But overall, everything about 2K9 just seems a little more polished, from mascots dancing on the sidelines to windmill dunk animations. Live feels more plodding, like Shaq running a fast break, and has a darker look to it, whereas 2K9 is a brighter, cleaner, faster experience, like, well, the pre-Shaq Suns.
