Unless you’ve been living in a cave in Afghanistan, you’ve probably heard about a little new release this week. by the name of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. We at vpgames.com are proud to offer some cool bundles for you along with the game:

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Posted by admin on 11/11 at 02:52 PM
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Last December, Nintendo of America rolled out their customer loyalty program called Club Nintendo. Whenever you buy any Nintendo products, you can then sign up for a Club Nintendo account and register them for coins. Coins can be exchanged for prizes such as playing cards and posters. However, if you manage to get a certain number of coins in a single Club Nintendo year, like I did, even more exclusive prizes are yours for the choosing. For example, right now select Club Nintendo members are receiving download codes for the demo/expansion to the recent Wii Punch-Out called Doc Louis’s Punch-Out.

True to its name, Doc Louis’s Punch-Out has you play as scrappy young pugilist Little Mac fighting your grizzled, old, black trainer Doc Louis who still has he creepy chocolate bar obsession. The sweet relationship between teacher and student was one of the best surprises in Punch-Out and here that is played up even more during the humorous cutscenes. Nintendo found the perfect voice actor for Doc Louis.

The actual gameplay boils down to three similar modes: easy warm-up, medium training, and difficult sparring. None of that weird multiplayer. The real draw is fighting against a totally new Punch-Out character considering retail Punch-Out only had 14 fighters, 12 of which were repeats. The effort put into Doc is what you would expect from a Punch-Out boxer with tons of well-crafted animation and patterns. As you fight him in the locker room, you’ll even here his unique version of the Punch-Out theme.

Most of the gameplay remains the same but Doc has a few new tricks to show off. Apparantely he invented Mac’s signature star punch and can unleash it if he gets a good hit on you. Even though he is your trainer and tends to help you out during the fight, Doc is hard and for a Punch-Out character that is saying something. Not ducking correctly and getting his by a punch feels even worse when the character actually says, “duck this one” before he hits you.

This freebie runs on the same engine as Punch-Out and plays identically to it. Because of that, this game reminds of how great Punch-Out Wii was. The gameplay is still tight and addictive, the graphics are vibrant and expressive and it manages to be really funny and self-aware. If I can look forward to getting more free things like Doc Louis’s Punch-Out then I am glad to be a member of Club Nintendo.

- Jordan Minor

Posted by admin on 10/29 at 12:13 PM
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In what turned out to be a fairly uneventful Tokyo Games Show, Capcom managed to generate some hype by announcing new content for one of its most popular, recent fighting games. That’s right, Frank West has been announced for Tatsunoko vs. Capcom alongside Joe the Condor, Tekkaman Blade and Megaman Zero making me 1 for 10 in my predictions. In other news, Street Fighter IV is getting some new stuff too.

In the tradition of re-releases like Street Fighter II Championship Edition and Street Fighter III Third Strike, Street Fighter IV, released this February on consoles and last summer in Japanese arcades, is getting an update known as Super Street Fighter IV. The revision, coming next year (?), adds several new characters and gameplay quirks. Native American warrior T. Hawk and Jamaican kick boxer Dee Jay are being included meaning every character from the classic Street Fighter II will now be in IV, its spiritual successor. Capcom is also promising new characters the first being Juri, a sadistic female South Korean that appears to have the same evil, purple psycho power as M. Bison, the series’ main antagonist.

In addition to the new characters, Capcom is also rebalancing the game to appease its thriving competitive scene and its changes are based on high-level player suggestion and tournament data. Right now, this includes new and modified ultra moves and more subtle tweaks like higher and lower damage values. Currently, Sagat sits at the top of the tier list so expect him, main character Ryu’s Thai nemesis, to take the biggest hit.

Super Street Fighter IV will most likely hit Japanese arcades first as those versions of the game are still missing the changes, like playable bosses, and characters, like Cammy and Dan, from the original home version. When it does reach the US, expect a cheaper price tag for what is essentially a “remix” as opposed to a new game. Expect it to be indestructible too. Nothing’s going to stop it now.

- Jordan Minor

Posted by admin on 10/27 at 08:30 AM
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When indie studio Gaijin Games released a mysterious web video entitled “Commander” few expected it to be a viral video for a downloadable rhythm game series for the Wii. Despite its strange advertising campaign, The Bit Trip series has brought two of the cleverest games on WiiWare this side of Nintendo’s Art Style franchise. The two released games, Bit.Trip Beat and Bit.Trip Core, are soon to be joined by a third called Bit.Trip Void and according to the developers, three more are on the way too. This review will be a look back at the original Bit.Trip Beat.

Being the first in the series, Bit.Trip Beat established many of the franchise’s enduring conventions. There’s an abstract story about pixilated man called the Commander who’s on some sort of psychedelic 8-bit musical journey. His story is supposedly to span the entire series, out of chronological order as that would make too much sense, but frankly the “plot” is borderline incomprehensible, slightly pretentious and ultimately unnecessary. The real star of the Beat and the entire Bit.Trip series is the stellar rhythm gameplay. 

At first glance, Beat resembles an Atari 2600 game with is blocky graphics, primitive bleep-filled soundtrack and muted neon color palette. The gameplay is also reminiscent of the classic 2600 game Pong. By tilting the Wii remote back in forth in a fluid and satisfying motion, you move an onscreen paddle up and down on the right side of the screen in order to deflect pixels flying in from the right. What makes this a modern game is that blocks come in on a beat and must be hit in rhythm creating a sort of song. It is like an awesome unholy fusion of Breakout and Guitar Hero. As you progress things get harder and more complicated. Blocks stop merely coming in straight on and begin adopting patterns such as bouncing back or coming in groups of three that must be deflected simultaneously.
Gaijin Games set out to make a thoroughly retro game and they succeeded.

As you do well, pixilated explosions go off in the background that are so funny to look at you forgive them for obscuring your vision. If you start to slouch however, the graphics get worse and worse. Right before death, the screen becomes black and white with scan lines and sound coming from the terrible Wii remote speaker instead of the TV itself. It is touches like those that make Bit.Trip Beat feel like a love letter to a forgotten era. An era without advancements like online leader boards which Beat lacks as well. Maybe that letter is little too loving.

600 points gets you three songs which is fair considering most downloadable songs for rhythm game cost about two dollars. However, you may not even get past the first song. The steep difficulty curve in Bit.Trip Beat is by far its biggest problem. Songs tend to drag on for too long, becoming more like endurance tests than fun challenges, and while the motion controls feel great, they are not quite precise enough. However, a high level of difficulty is another calling card of retro games.

Players looking for a game that mixes fresh and modern design with old-school challenge and feel should check out Bit.Trip Beat. If you like it, be on the lookout for the rest of the games in the Bit.Trip series. 

Rating: 4 out of 5

- Jordan Minor

Posted by admin on 10/23 at 12:26 PM
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vpgames.com is pleased to announce the introduction of iPhone and BlackBerry Exo-Flex skins!

Back in August, we introduced Exo-Flex skins to the world. The response from the gaming community has been fantastic, with praise from many reviewers and bloggers.

Due to a high number of requests, we are now shipping over 100 designs of skins for the iPhone 3G/3GS, Blackberry Bold, BlackBerry Curve 8900, and BlackBerry Storm. This marks the first foray into mobile phone accessories for us here at vpgames, and we are starting things off the right way.

Exo-Flex products are custom designed to provide style and protection to your electronics and peripherals. Each skin is easy to apply, with no squeegee required to push off annoying air bubbles, and they are guaranteed never to fade, peel or bubble up. You can use them, abuse them, and re-use them as much as you like! Exo-flex products are manufactured to take any punishment that you can dish out.  The top film is water resistant, while the middle and bottom prevent any kind of residue from being left behind on the surface of your device. They are removable, repositionable, and can always be re-applied!

Posted by admin on 10/21 at 12:53 PM
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Microsoft, under the current Xbox LIVE update preview program, has just announced that all unauthorized memory units and devices will be banned in the upcoming update. The upcoming update will also integrate with Twitter, Facebook and Zune.

This is a huge blow to manufacturers like Datel, who sell a 2GB expandable memory card for only $15 more than Microsoft’s official 512MB memory unit. This huge difference in price and value is sure to upset many consumers who use third party memory units to save their Xbox 360 downloads, gamesaves, and more. Datel also manufacturer’s the XPORT, XSATA, Transfer Kit, as well as Max Memory, although the XPort might not be affected Microsoft cannot detect it as even being a memory storage device. 

A Microsoft spokesman says they are only going after memory units that are plugged in front of the console, not unauthorized hard drives.

A representative from Datel says the company is ”disappointed” with the issue, noting that “Microsoft (is) taking these steps to prevent customers from exercising their freedom of choice”

Larry Hryb (also known as “Major Nelson"), director of programming, Xbox LIVE, stated on his blog that all unauthorized storage units would stop working with Xbox 360 after this update. Nelson suggested that users should save their profile and saved games on an ‘authorized (ie, much more expensive) Xbox 360 Storage device’ before taking the update. Users with unauthorized units will no longer be be able to access their user profile as well, and saved games will be barred.  He neglected to mention that users are not required to download the update if they choose not to.

Posted by admin on 10/20 at 08:46 AM
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Back in the golden era of video arcades, there was nary a child who could resist the quarter-robbing aura of a giant plastic light gun cabinet. Games like Virtua Cop and Point Blank made the dream of murder simulators that much closer to reality. But that age has passed and as standard controllers have become less and less gun gun-shaped, light gun, on-rails shooters have seemingly turned into analog-stick free roaming first-person shooters. Also, the new-fangled HDTVs do not get along with light-guns the way old cathode ray tubes would.

However, recently there has been a resurgence games in the light-gun genre. Nintendo’s vaguely gun-ish peripheral the Wii Zapper combined with the pointing ability of the Wii remote and the casual gamer’s positive response to fast and simple games like Duck Hunt, have made light gun games as relevant as they have ever been in the 21st century. While Nintendo’s only contribution is the enjoyable but strange and nonviolent Link’s Crossbow Training, it’s been up to third-parties to sustain the new, emerging genre known as the “console-style on-rails shooter.” A concept that would have sounded ridiculous years ago is now a reality. Old light gun games that have been ported to Wii, like Ghost Squad, are short and shallow. While that’s okay for an arcade game, these new console-style light gun games are offering deeper, longer experiences with the speed and accuracy of true light guns being the only trade-offs.

While the revival was brought on by the Wii, it has spread to other consoles as well. Time Crisis 4 arrived on PS3 with a new-IR based gun controller. Maybe when Natal comes out, players can simply make gun shapes with their hands and point at the screen to shoot zombies in House of the Dead 4. Unfortunately, some companies are releasing some truly awful games to take advantage of this new trend. Someone needs to tell the people behind Target Terror that games with poorly edited footage of live action actors went out of style fifteen years ago, unless of course, you are referring to the on-rails plunger shooters in the Rayman Raving Rabbids series.

The comeback tour for on-rails shooters continues this fall on the Wii and here are three of the standouts…

House of the Dead Overkill: Since it came out this February, the newest entry in one of Sega’s numerous light-gun mega-franchises is not really a fall release. Also, since it maintains the speedy gameplay and short length of its arcade predecessors, it can’t be described as a console-style light gun shooter either. However, between its hilariously raunchy grind house style, expansive gun customization system and responsive shooting action thanks to some smart calibration, Overkill reinvigorates the franchise in a way only a new console game could. Also available on the Wii is the House of the Dead collection featuring the second and third entries in the series, two of the best. Chronologically speaking, Overkill takes place before those two games since it is the first time AMS Special Agent G has had to shoot his way through a mob of zombies/mutants.

Dead Space: Extraction: To be honest, I was extremely disappointed to hear that EA’s third-person horror shooter spectacular Dead Space would be turned into an on-rails shooter prequel on Wii. However, despite the change in perspective, Extraction has managed to maintain the brooding atmosphere and graphics of the original along with an increased focus on story and the innovative gun combat system. In space, zombies must have their limbs cut off, not their heads. Zombies tend to be the standard enemies in light gun games, probably because no one has any moral problems with shooting them in the face, so at least EA gave their zombies a sci-fi twist. EA keeps calling this one a “guided first-person experience” as opposed to the light gun game. Perhaps that is a cooler sounding name for “console-style on-rails shooter”. They are both equally fake so we might as well use one created by a marketing executive as opposed to a random person like me.

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles: Capcom’s latest stab at the guided first-person experience is a sequel to 2007’s Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles. Like that game, Darkside Chronicles is a light gun retelling of classic moments from Resident Evil history. In this game you’ll shoot your way through the T-Virus infected Raccoon City of Resident Evil 2, the twisted lair of the Ashford Twins as seen in Code Veronica, and a new South America environment reminiscent of the shanty towns of Resident Evil 4 and 5. Since this game dares you to walk on the dark side, who better to play as than bad boy, police officer turned Secret Service agent, Leon S. Kennedy, who is quickly becoming the most popular character of the franchise. He’s not the only playable character but he’s the one you probably care most about. Actually, since it is a first person game, you’ll want to play as his partner Claire Redfield or Jack Krauser so there’s chance of seeing Leon during the action.

What’s funny is that Nintendo went so far out of their way to make the white, multi-pronged Wii Zapper as little like a gun as possible. But all of the companies using it are making M-rated, bloody zombie bullet fests. Now all we need is for keyboard shooters to make a comeback. Sega, it is time for Typing of the Dead 2.

- Jordan Minor

Posted by admin on 10/16 at 12:36 PM
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For One Day Only: Use Coupon Code “ILOVETURTLES” to get a pair of Turtle Beach Deluxe X-4 Stereo Sound Headphones for just $139.85!

Enter this exclusive code at checkout, the discount will be applied automatically. Cannot be combined with any other coupon or offer. One coupon per customer.

Expires at midnight PST, Tuesday, October 13th, 2009.

Platform: Xbox 360

Type: Headset / Headphones

Condition: New - Factory Sealed

Manufacturer: Turtle Beach

UPC: 731855020676

Part Number: XB360EARFORCEHEADSET-X4

The Ear Force X4 wireless headphones push your Xbox 360 gaming experience to a whole new level with the thrill and realism of Dolby Digital 5.1 channel surround sound. Pump up the volume without disturbing friends, family, or neighbors. Freely move around as you play. Hear every nuance of the game ¿ from an opponent sneaking behind you to your teammate¿s voice right next to you. Trash talk online. Block out distractions. Feel the game expand all around you and become a better player.

With Dobly surround sound pumped right into your ears, you can hear every nuance of the game all around you in a way that isn’t possible when hearing it as background sound with speakers. In addition, because the Xbox Live chat is mixed in with the game signal, you can hear what everyone is saying right in the middle of your head, enabling you to communicate more effectively with other players. As a result, the Ear Force X4 can actually make you a better player. By combining the best of both worlds, avid Xbox 360 gamers no longer have to make the no-win choice between using headphones or talking online. When you¿re ready to get serious about your gaming, it¿s time for an X4.

Features:

• Dolby Pro Logic II provides surround sound from PLII encoded audio and also enhances stereo
• Hear XBOX Live Chat plus stereo game sound with a heart-thumping bass boost that adds sonic realism
• Dynamic Talkback lets you hear chat even when the game gets louder; Separate controls for game and chat volumes.
• Eliminates game sounds picked up by chat mic; mic monitor lets you hear what you’re saying
• Digital input for highest XBOX sound quality, plus analog input for TV and other audio sources

Posted by admin on 10/13 at 09:14 AM
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With the Wii taking the world by storm partially due to its perceived innovative and intuitive motion-sensing technologies, Microsoft and Sony are preparing their own new controllers interfaces in the form of Project Natal and the unnamed Sony motion controller. So, in what appears to be a response to their competitors response, Nintendo has upgraded the accelerometer-based Wii remote with a more sensitive gyroscopic add-on called Wii motion plus. To show off its many uses, as well as get it into as many homes as possible, the showpiece title for the device is Wii Sports Resort, the sequel to the pack-in, mega-popular, mega-casual system seller launch title, Wii Sports.

Wii motion plus is the future. At this point everyone can agree that the original Wii remote was somewhat lacking in precision. Based on early footage, the upcoming Sony wand will be infinitely superior to it and even Natal’s more ambitious full body tracking seems to surpass it, but once Wii motion plus is added on, its becomes a much tighter race, possibly in Nintendo favor due to their built-in installed base. Some games out now that use it such as Tiger Woods and Grand Slam Tennis, do not require the attachment, but Wii Sports Resort, and the upcoming Red Steel 2 force you upgrade as should more games if they want to take full advantage of the wondrous new opportunities Wii motion plus offers them. After some brief calibration, every movements and twist is reflected on screen in true 1 to 1. The tracking quality can start to deteriorate but the game smartly recalibrates itself using the sensor bar without the player even noticing. The device itself is an innocuous white cube that comes jammed inside a new Wii jacket but can luckily be removed with some effort. 

Like the relationship between Wii Sports and the Wii itself, Wii Sports Resort is somewhat of a tech demo for a new Nintendo technology, albeit an amazing tech demo for an amazing new technology. Still, it manages to build a complete feeling game around its demonstrations of Wii motion plus. The game is set on Wuhu Island, apparently the island from Wii Fit, a tropical paradise fit for vacationing and harassment of domesticated natives. All the events you compete in take place on, or around the island. One game has you holding the Wii remote like a paper plane and flying an virtual plane around the island and this lets you see how well-realized the island actually is. Whether you are flying down a volcano, around a light house or to the archipelago where the golf courses are, Wuhu Island is a big place with lots of fun stuff to do. 

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Most of those things have you using Wii motion plus to perform feats never before possible on the system. The first event, which doubles as the most epic title screen for a casual game, has you skydiving onto the resort and using the Wii remote the pose your Mii for some cute snapshots. Once on the island you can choose from other activities such as Swordplay, Table Tennis, Kayaking, Wave Race but not actually called Wave Race, Basketball, wakeboarding, archery, bike riding, golf, bowling, and Frisbee. With so many “sports” to partake in, many with alternate unlockable variations, I guess the best way review the game is to comment on each on of them.

Swordplay - Who does not want to wield full control over a sword in a video game? From its foam pads to its rounded blades, Wii Sports Resort tries its hardest to take away as much violence from the concept as they could. Still, the controls are fantastic, angles are important whether you are attacking or defending. Now that the dream of Wii swordplay has been realized, it’s up to some more mature developers to take advantage of its enormous potential whether hardcore or casual. Lightsabers appeal to everyone. 

Table Tennis - According to the stat tracker, this is my favorite game of the bunch. Being an actual tennis player, I know how stuff like spin and wrist flicks would affect the ball in real life and table tennis here reflects that with admirable accuracy. It does feel like the game is easier than its should be, and you can not do more powerful shots whenever you please, but Rockstar should look to this if they ever feel like putting out another random ping pong game.

Kayaking - The 1 to 1 paddle motion here is impressive but this game is boring, tiresome and repetitive. However, it is also an accurate depiction of what I imagine actual kayaking must be like so it’s really not the game’s fault.

Wakeboarding - Flick the Wii remote to jump and keep it level to land. Trying to beat your best score and is fun and its satisfying to watch your aquatic acrobatics get more and more complicated. This simple event did not seem like it needed Wii motion plus though.

Power Cruising - Use the Wii remote and nunchuk to race a jet ski. The controls work, and while the courses are not too varied, they get tougher as more and more waves are thrown at you. Revving the Wii remote to go faster is a cute touch.

Air Sports - Includes plane flying and skydiving which I already touched on. This one can be quite relaxing and can eat up a lot of time if you are not careful. Dog fighting is alright, if a little slow. The only bad part is the completely unnecessary timer distracting you from your island exploration. 

Bowling and Golf - Two enhanced versions of original Wii Sports games. Bowling was already great, especially with extras like hundred pin mode, and Golf is good but according to most people Tiger Woods using Wii motion plus is much better. These two are not that impressive on their own but they are enjoyable and nicely round out the package as a whole.

Archery - Aiming in this game is almost as accurate as IR and you never actually point at the screen. Targets get further and further away, wind that becomes more of an issue, and the various secret targets strewn about levels make this game that needs to be played for a while before calling yourself a master. Also, between this, Swordplay and some boomerang/Frisbee action, all Wii Sports Resort needed was some annoying fairies before you call it “The Legend of Zelda: The Secret of Wuhu Island”.

Frisbee - Speaking of Frisbees, I can’t throw a Frisbee in real life and I appreciate how that is reflected in Wii Sports resort. The two modes are the tropical, self-explanatory disc golf and disc dog where you throw a Frisbee to a dog hoping he catches it in certain areas for more points. Watching the hand onscreen hold the Frisbee exactly you do is mesmerizing from a technical standpoint and every bad throw is a mistake you can feel the instant you let go. The only nitpick I have, and this really is a nitpick, is that Frisbee is kind of a sport for hippies. All we need now is some Wii hacky sack.

Basketball - This is another game that just feels right. Throwing a basketball is a complex, multi-step motion and part of me feels that the game is cheating, making shots better than they really are because it can not read the full motion. But many of the essential elements of free throws are present like the jump and the follow through. Unlike the first Wii remote where too many games were playable while sitting on the couch waggling away, games like basketball work much better if you actually get up.

Bicycling is just a bad, wasted use of Wii motion plus that does not deserve more than one sentence.

All games feature the same polished but simple graphics of all games that feature Miis prominent. Also, perhaps I am over-analyzing, but it seems likes Miis are tanner in this game than they usually are. That would be a subtle appreciated touch to go along with the noticeably improved graphics engine. Songs are either new or remixes of classic Wii Sports theme and the look and feel of the package is in line with the rest of Nintendo’s “Wii_____” series. The only thing that makes this appealing to the more core consumer is experiencing the new gameplay mechanics brought on by Wii motion plus. There’s no online but there is an achievement system that requires the player to complete some very hardcore tasks. I had to make a map to find all 80 points of interest on the island to get one of the air sports achievements.

Get Wii motion plus because it fixes the Wii can/will do awesome things for gaming. Get Wii Sports Resort because it comes with Wii motion plus and is currently the best example by far of what it is capable of doing. Not all games are great but the power and possibilities of the peripheral combined with the quality of the games that use it effectively render the bad ones borderline irrelevant. Get this game. You’d also have to get a Wii too I suppose. At least now they are cheaper.

Rating: 5 out of 5
- Jordan Minor

Posted by admin on 10/08 at 09:08 PM
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Recently, Sega has announced that a new 2D Sonic the Hedgehog game will be coming to next generation systems. “Project Needlemouse” sounds like it will be a high definition update of Sonic games from the Genesis era. Hopefully, this is an admission that Sonic Team does not know how to makes games with a Z-axis. However, with Sonic Unleashed, they at least got it half right.

The plot, much less convoluted than previous releases, sees Sonic attempting to retrieve the Chaos Emeralds, failing, and witnessing the evil Dr. Eggman split the planet in order to “unleash” a destructive deity known as Dark Gaia. Back on Earth, Sonic and an annoying new animal sidekick name Chip must race through levels inspired by real-world locations in order to put the planet back together. Meanwhile, Sonic must also deal with turning into a furry “werehog” monster that is unleashed when the Sun goes down. It is dumb plot, but it at least it is dumb in a cartoon-like way that seems appropriate for the kids playing this game. Sonic’s ill-fated romance with a photo-realistic human woman is appropriate for no one.

Let’s start with the good: the daytime levels in Sonic Unleashed are refined versions of the levels found in Sonic and the Secret Rings. This is the closest they have come to making a fun 3D Sonic. While you now use an analog stick as opposed to tilting the sideways Wii remote, levels are still mostly on-rails. But in a Sonic game, Sonic should always be moving forward. Proper lateral movement is the only thing the player should be concerned about. Jumps, slides, drifts, lane shifts, and grinds are pulled off with quick button presses and on the Wii, motion controls are used to bash into enemies and perform speed boosts. Occasionally the camera pans around and the game becomes a classic 2D Sonic with new 3D graphics, hopefully a teaser for Project Needlemouse. It is not perfect, the controls can be a little touchy and at times the game is essentially playing itself. The shallow speed-centric design of the Sonic series is the fatal flaw that prevents its games from ever becoming as good as their Mario counterparts in terms of pure platforming. However, this is a fast and fun step in the right direction for the franchise.

Then the sun goes down and the game goes on all fours and takes a couple of lumbering steps backward. Around half of the levels in Sonic Unleashed are the plodding, boring and slow werehog night-time levels and since they last so much longer compared to their daytime counterparts, they will make up well more than half of your playing time. The stretchy-armed werehog character design is painful to look at, the brawling with cloned enemies is simple and monotonous, and the platforming is a poor man’s version at Prince of Persia or an embarrassing homage to the Genesis classic Ristar. Both types of stages give you a set amount of lives but as a werehog, levels last way too long and since they have so few checkpoints dying will start you far away from your goal. At least the boss battles are decent, although not as good as the daytime fights that resemble highway battles from something like Matrix: Reloaded. It comes down to the age-old problem that a pure Sonic game would be very short. So Sega has to always pad it with okay fluff like replaying daytime courses with an artificial time limit and cancerous filler like the night levels and terrible, mandatory conversations with local villagers.

Sonic is Sega’s bread winner so at least they spend a decent amount of money of his games. Cutscenes in Sonic Unleashed are crisp and well-choreographed, the menu that slowly shows the planet re-forming is slick, and the graphics and music are impressive. Each stage is based on a real-world location like China or Saudi Arabia, unfortunately the America-based level has been cut from the Wii version, and it gives the game a unique theme and graphical style. On PS3 and 360, the new hedgehog engine spits out gorgeous visuals based on regional architecture at a blazing speed that maintains a good enough frame rate. With some help from Japanese company Dimps, Sega has made a good looking game on the Wii as well. Music also reflects the country’s local flavor. My absolute favorite track is the daytime theme of Spagonia, the level based on Europe. The night-time levels feature a jazzier soundtrack that fits the atmosphere but does not make up for the bad gameplay.

Between this and Sonic and the Secret Rings, I have hope that a good Sonic game using this formula is possible and that Sega is capable of making it, before I was suggesting letting Nintendo have a crack at it. Unfortunately, Sonic Unleashed is only has 2 stars worth of good Sonic gameplay. The extra star is for the production values and the hope I experienced when playing this game that was not immediately crushed by a werehog’s fist.

Rating: 3 out of 5

- Jordan Minor

Posted by admin on 10/07 at 04:28 PM
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