Vancouver 2010
When the 2010 Winter Olympics finally kick off this month there's no doubt in my mind the land will be awash with white, crunchy snow. Fun snow. Not like snow here, which is only fun for two hours before it turns brown, forces everyone to spend more money on their heating bills and quickly reduces the entire country to a quivering wreck. This official licensed videogame of the event definitely gets it white, with Vancouver 2010 doing a splendid job recreating the firm crunch of the snow-crusted arenas with some of Sega's trademarked crisp blue skies to boot.
Resonance of Fate
Returning to Resonance of Fate, after previewing it last August, was like having a good time with an old friend I didn't realise I'd missed. Tri-Ace's steampunk fantasy continues to hiss, puff and chug out a universe that, whilst familiar, is continually endearing.
Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games
If the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics were anything like Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games they'd be more fun. And snowier. And also happen in October 2009 as opposed to February 2010. But it's not exactly like blatant accuracy is what Sega are striving for when you're performing a loop-de-loop as the iconic anthropomorphic hedgehog in a level that's a recognisable mash-up of the Green Hill Zone and the original level in Super Mario Bros.
Aliens Versus Predator
Xenomorphs are probably the scariest things in the entire world; the fanged proboscises are terrifying and they've been designed to intimidate men by being made to look like terrifying willies. Or something like that. Just thinking about them means I'm going to have to sleep with the light on tonight, repeatedly reminding myself they're just men in suits.
Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz wasn't everyone's cup of tea. It, for various reasons, lacked the magic inherent in some of the game's previous outings. We blamed all the silly mini-games. But the Super Monkeys are back in Super Monkey Ball: Step and Roll, they're still ensconced within balls, and the three year gap between their hurried last outing hopefully means Sega have had ample time to get used to developing for the Wii. Fingers crossed.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
Yes, we all already know that, technically, Sonic would obviously win in a race. You don't have to say it. Let's just assume he's putting on a good show for the punters. Or maybe he's just got slightly out of shape after living the high life on the profits from those ten million sold units of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Whatever you thought of the game, it would be impossible to deny the immense mass-market potential furrowed within its inoffensive pearl-white casing. It turned out that a collection of accessible mini-games featuring two of the most recognisable characters in the industry was a recipe for immediate success. Who knew? It was also themed around an event the British turned out to be rather good at. Cracking work, Beijing!
Phantasy Star Portable
How do you justify the continuation of a franchise almost exclusively famous for its online gameplay when it doesn’t feature any online modes? SEGA haven’t thought about it much, so the oft-maligned Phantasy Star Universe has been taken, squished down and regurgitated on Sony’s handheld opus as Phantasy Star Portable. Although whether you’ll ever want to play it on the move is another question entirely.
Empire: Total War
Empire is vast: humongous to the point of an awesome illogicality. Its scope and magnitude is immense, and the in-game world feels gargantuan. It’s impossible to compress the overwhelming swathes of content into a single review because we’re dealing with a game that’s entirely feasible to experience without having visited over a third of the geography. It’s mind-bogglingly big.
About Me
Twitter
- @Fantaman I don't think I've ever looked cool.
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