Recently, Peter Moore went on record stating that he felt Electronic Arts had cracked the female market. The sports market, which is EA’s largest cash cow, has long been male dominated with titles such as Madden and Tiger Woods. Moore noted that EA is finally talking to women and has brought them into their sports community. How? I’m not even sure. But he really seems to believe that, which has me wondering what he means exactly.

 I can only assume he’s talking about their foray into the fitness world with the Wii title EA Active. Of course, he went on to state that it wasn’t merely a franchise that EA was planning but an entire platform moving forward. I guess there’s something I’m missing, but you’d think that they’d want to solidify their base before making statements like this. If they had released more titles that aimed to attract women, and men alike, then maybe they’d have a basis for the claims, but I’m still not buying it. Of course, it’s only a matter of time before we start seeing more titles aimed towards women– I have no doubt that it’ll happen eventually.

It appears that Call of Duty 4 will be finally heading to the Wii after being out for over a year on it’s competition. While I understand that graphical prowess needed to actually create a decent port would probably one of the stumbling blocks for anyone trying to port the game, you have to wonder why this hadn’t happened yet. Case and point being that a port of the game had already been released on Nintendo DS. The popularity of the title alone, combined with the desire to actually shoot people with a Wiimote gun must have struck someone as a good idea early on. So why hadn’t we seen it before now?

Well, one reason could be that Infinity Ward isn’t a Wii development team. I have a hard time believing that that was the only reason though. It just makes me curious as to why they hadn’t out-sourced the job prior to this. Finally, Treyarch took up the cause and got the port finished. It should be hitting stores on November 10th, in conjunction with the launch of Modern Warfare 2 on the other major consoles. The game hasn’t been rated by the ESRB, but I can only imagine it’d get the same rating as it’s next-gen counterparts, and that’s, of course, M for mature. The rating aside, it’s a wonderful title which I’ve spent many hours playing. Sure it’s got some graphic content, but it’s a game about war. I’d think that’d go without saying. If you enjoy first person shooters, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy if you haven’t already.

So in the US last month, both the DS and DSi systems combined sold more than 766,000 units. That’s more than all current-generation consoles combined. The NPD Group, which tracks video game sales in the United States, released the numbers the other week clearly showing the hand-held systems’ domination over the competition. While I don’t have the exact numbers, the break down had nearly 424,000 DSi systems and more than 342,000 DS systems sold. 

“More consumers continued to gravitate toward products that offer quality experiences and great value for the whole family,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Consumers again selected Nintendo systems for those experiences, particularly our hand-helds.” Their other systems weren’t doing bad by any means either. Wii Motion Plus accessories also seem to be doing very well, and the system itself is still going strong despite the intial craze starting to die down. Of course, that leaves me wondering, how many people are still having a hard time finding the console? I’d think by now there really shouldn’t be any sort of shortage.

This weeks releases for the various Nintendo consoles include their fair share of shovelware, which is not surprising considering their popularity. Fortunately I’ve managed to weed through them for the most part and have come to what could probably be considered the better releases for the week. I hope these help you decide on what to get, oh and I haven’t included the metacritic links this time. Not because I don’t care, but because I feel that there are a number of titles out there which are quite good and end up getting panned any ways. If I feel that a game isn’t up to par, trust in me, I’ll let you know. I’ll also be forward with you if I feel I’m a bit biased about something.

Check out these releases after the jump. (more…)

Well, it’s been a long week so far, and I’m still finding myself trying to catch up with my E3 related work. The convention was really a blast. I met with all kinds of companies, got my hands on upcoming products, saw footage from projects in development, and even socialized with my game journalist peers. I sat through press conferences and listened to numbers and statistics, but what really mattered was the games and technology itself.

I wasn’t shocked to find that Sony and Microsoft were announcing their entry into the motion sensing market. It turned out that Microsoft indeed had a motion camera in development, though some reports hint to some potential problems with the recognition of certain skin pigmentation. I certainly hope they don’t run into those issues, especially since you’d think they’d test the Project Natal bar before showing off the technology.

While their motion sensing technology seems pretty impressive, Sony’s latest handheld console, the PSP Go, seems to be rather expensive considering it’s cheaper for them to make than the previous models. I’m not the only one to point this out, but you’d think they’d want to save consumers money. They’ve already announced that they’ll be discounting their development kits for potential developers, which is a good first step. Maybe now we’ll expect to see more great titles like Patapon 2, and God of War: Chains of Olympus.

Either way, Nintendo doesn’t seem the least bit worried, and why should they? They really do own that market right now, and they’ve done well at creating an entirely new market with their Wii console. They have a new Zelda in the works, multiple Mario titles, and a brand new Metroid developed by Tecmo, of all people. In short, this is going to be a great year for games.

 [image source: E3 Logo - e3insider.com]

 I had the opportunity to sit down and play the latest addition to the King of Fighters series, aptly titled King of Fighters 12. The gameplay was incredibly smooth, though some classic King of Fighters players might be in for a surprise as several characters have completely revamped movesets. Their designs seem to be quite larger, taking up a good portion of the screen, but this doesn’t really distract you from the gameplay itself.  You’ll also find the backgrounds incredibly detailed, not to mention full of color.

Samurai Showdown: Edge of Destiny was actually pretty impressive–which is more than I can say about their previous attempts with 3d–and despite the slower feel of the gameplay, I enjoyed the brutality of the visuals. While playing as Genjuro, I managed to get my had sliced off, which I’d say isn’t a pretty sight. On the other hand, I’ve been on the internet long enough to be completely desensitized, and frankly the excessive blood spraying was pretty neat. The only major gripe I had was that the loading times were a bit long, and while I wasn’t sure if it was a final product they were showing, that’s something I tend to loathe.

Finally Muramasa: The Demon Blade was an absolutely stunning game for the Nintendo Wii. The graphics are easily the best thing I’ve seen on the console, and for a 2d title, I’d say the colors were extremely vibrant, and the animations were top notch. After getting a good glimpse of it, I decided this 2d side scrolling action RPG is on my “do want” list, for sure. Of course, this is easily explained by the fact that the developer who worked on the title also did Odin Sphere–which I suggest you play if you haven’t yet. Any ways, look forward to more impressions from the show floor.

[Image source: Ignition Entertainment]

I’ve finally had time to sit down and actually write something while at E3. It’s been crazy. The big three had their conferences and all of them blew me away. I can’t pick a clear winner, though as far as how they presented the content, Microsoft had an edge. As my friend, Mr.Burlington, pointed out to me earlier, Microsoft’s no nonsense approach was really a breath of fresh air. Instead of boring us with stats and charts, they just came right out with the games. Half an hour in and they made the statement “everything from here on out is exclusive.” I was impressed. That said, the only title they mentioned that I am extremely excited about is Alan Wake.

Nintendo came out strong with a number of announcements, most surprising of which, in my opinion, was Team Ninja’s involvement with the upcoming Metroid game. We were half expecting to see another Zelda or Mario, and while I was kind of hoping they’d let Metroid sit on the shelf for a bit, I can’t say I’m disappointed. They did, however, announce a Mario Galaxy which I’m sure a lot of people will be looking forward to. From what I was told, Nintendo has also been showing art from the next Zelda title to select journalists behind closed doors. I wasn’t fortunate enough to see the art myself, but I’m told it’s impressive as well.

Sony came to the plate with a number of big titles, including a CG movie of Final Fantasy XIV, which they claimed was going to be a PS3 exclusive. Square has made a point, however, to let everyone know that the MMORPG game is also being released on PC, in addition to the PS3, and that the exclusivity is still in the air since they are considering bringing the game to multiple consoles. Perhaps the bigger announcement–though it had been leaked months beforehand–would be the PSP Go, which I had previously touched on. Several reports of hands-on impressions from other journalists seem generally positive.

[Image Source: e3insider.com]

 After a long wait, it looks as though Capcom has somehow managed to settle the licensing issues that were holding up it’s latest installment of the Vs. series, Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom. According to a post by GoNintendo yesterday afternoon, the upcoming issue of Nintendo Power has an article confirming as much. Shortly after the news broke, screen shots of the article began circulating the net.

The licensing issues stemmed from the multiple licenses involved with the various anime series developed by Tatsunoko Productions overseas, which have been subsequently licensed to various distributors outside Japan. Given the popularity of the Vs. games–as evidenced by the upcoming re-release of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 on both Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade–it’s no wonder that Capcom was anxious to get this title released in North America. The gameplay is heralded as being extremely fun and easy to control, comparable Capcom Vs. Snk 2. The graphics are completely new renderings, instead of rehashed sprites found in previous titles from the Vs. franchise. While there is no reported release date as of yet, Capcom is likely to mention something at E3.

While I’m disappointed that it’s only coming out on the Nintendo Wii, I haven’t given up hope for a multiple console release in the future. That said, I’ll buy it anyways, but can you really blame me for being so concerned about the lack of higher definition graphics and friendlier controls?  Despite the new character renders and the ability to play as Gatchaman–that’s right, from G-Force–the system exclusivity bothers me. What can I say, I like having choices. 

 [Image Source: Shoryuken.com]

I’m afraid the moment I’ve not-so-casually alluded to will finally, almost, nearly arrive in 23 more hours: the moment my stint at ButtonSmasher ends, and with it, possibly even the blog itself. It’s been nice knowing you, dear readers–or at least imagining you, as I more often have, as you read and wondered, “why does this writer wait to make her first post on the last day of the month?” and, “isn’t there some other, more worthwhile torture I could enact on my brain?” Though the likelihood of your existence was never high, I’ve continued to write for you, and for my money, for just one month short of a year now, about games that were sometimes better known to me than the language of Swahili. I think my enthusiasm lit up the place like a dim bulb, in the end, and it failed to impress. I’m sorry to everyone.

Well, amidst any tearful departure, there’s always a craving for some good news. My Xbox 360 has mysteriously regained its ability to work, just in time for me to have no further posts to write. And I can’t use it to play Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon, an original Xbox port of a swell throwback/update to the PC adventure genre, that, true to form, comes full of sass and pith and novel goings-on. And just look at that box art, an artistic abomination only a child of the 80’s could love. All is as it should be, I am in my happy place. Anyone want a 360 that can never die?

Samba de Amigo finally hits the Wii–geez, that only took as long as a Spanish holiday, or the saying I’m actually looking for. I’m not even too late on this one either, as it’s been only 3 days or so since the release; for once, the game should still be available. Official maraca mods not on the horizon.

Another one hot off the presses is Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility, which hadn’t been raking in the best rankings pre-release, but I’m betting it’s not the shovel-full that is a typical Wii game, either. I love Harvest Moon; I’ll always love its quaint, Chibi-headed painting of a simple country life, surrounded by good-hearted folk and too-cute, smell-less, immortal animals, told over and over with as few modifcations as possible. Harvest Moon is one of the warmest gaming fuzzies imaginable and I’ll maim any reviewer who says otherwise.

What else… well, whatever Myth Makers: Orbs of Doom might be besides a game, ‘orbs’ and ‘doom’ figure prominently in the title and that’s reason enough for me to recommend it. Final lesson: the less time and resources spent marketing, the more extravagantly stupid the title, means the more chance the game might actually be good.

I don’t really know what else is new and shaking in this industry, so the time is probably ripe that I left it. Or at least took a break.

See you somewhere on the flipside, perhaps. Keep on your happy button-smashing.

Though the diminutive hero has long been the posterchild for adorable RPG sidekicks and, consequently, heaps upon heaps of merchandise, the latest outing of the fluffy yellow steed is still a toughie. Of the same stock as the barely-graphical DOS games of yore, Diablo, and the unrelated-but-similar Mystery Dungeon titles, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeon has, despite a surtitle fit for a bedtime story, the pedigree for pain.

Even with a side venture like this, and one that embraces the younger set, Square Enix still spins a thick and colourful yarn. The Learning Dungeon introduces Cid’s ongoing quest for an artifact modestly called Timeless Power, and from that point on, Chocobo’s Dungeon centres on primordial themes: once you arrive in the town of Lostime, where the tolling of a clocktower bell erases people’s memories, the value of memories becomes the central subject. The 20 main dungeons take players into psycho-analytical territory–quite literally, as using some manner of psycho-active brooch, you teleport into forgetful folks’ heads to restore their lost knowledge. It’s in these dungeons that players will meet several unhappy endings without the proper prudence, and an ample stock of escape items.

Here we have turn-based adventure that doesn’t operate on random encounters, but rather, where your every action sees the enemy take one of their own. In the randomly-generated dungeons, you’ll not only find obvious treasure (and less obvious traps) as you move along, but you’ll cause any enemies on your floor, whether onscreen or not, to take their turns–and if you’re close enough, this might mean a smack in the backside. Yeah, you’ll be minding your own business, eating some of Gysahl Greens (because Chocobo gets hungry, too) and equipping your newest Saddle, cause you figure no one is around–when, way off in the distance, a Flying Eye or Turtle Shade wakes up and promptly seeks you out for Wing Night. In the towns, you’re a free-range Chocobo, permitted to shop, talk, bank, and walk as you please. No one is counting your moves out there.

The production values on this little number are still Square Enix values, and as such, all kinds of talent went into the audio-visual components. Resounding performances of Final Fantasy pieces, from #1’s town theme to Setzer’s theme from VI, rear their orchestrated heads with regularity, and the super-emotive voice acting is perfectly pro. The FMV sequences have all the fluidity and detail possible on the Wii–which still means a lot of flowing hair and flawless complexions–and the in-game models are all crisp, inspired, and/or cute. Only downside is the jaggedness around the edges and some dullness in the colour palette.

I <3 Chocobo and you should too.