Nintendo DS Game Review

A new Castlevania has arrived and its available once again for the Nintendo DS. This one takes you closer into our time period, taken place in during World War II. Our hero is not a Belmont but a relative of the Belmont who has the rights to wield the Vampire Killer Whip but only when needed.
The game keeps the same format as all other Castlevania's post Symphony of the Nights. It uses the large castle map and weapon system that Castlevania fans have come to love. What different in this game is that Dracula's castle is now filled with portraits in which acts as portals to other worlds opening up different areas to play. So you are no longer trapped in that castle. You maybe traveling to the desert fighting mummies, or to a completely messed up circus complete with a 360-degree fun house.
Overall the game plays like any other Castlevania games, you'll either love it or you hate it. What makes this one different from the others is the ability to play 2 characters simultaneously. You play as Jonathan and Charlotte; Jonathan is the weapon user while Charlotte is the Magic user. Pair them together you can do powerful attacks. Of course with the ability to use two characters at the same time, means new puzzles to solve that involve controlling them.
Castlevania is just good old fun, it is old school 2-D but it shows how 2-D can still be fun and entertaining after all these years!

Tech Previews Gamer’s edition

By Media Consultant-Vincent Fan

This November is going to be an amazing one! With new systems coming from Nintendo and Sony plus Microsoft’s already released Xbox 360, it’s going to be a battle for the best system!

So what is so special about these systems compare to the one’s you already own? PLENTY!

The Innovator

Nintendo is a very well known company and liked by many people. Over the years they have became a very successful with games like Super Mario Brothers and Pokemon. But it is also this game that has made the gaming circle think they are a kiddies company. And thus putting them in third place in the last Console wars against PS2 and Xbox. Their Gamecube system was just not that popular. Though hardware wise, it was more advanced than PS2, but no company would make games for it due to its lack of popularity. Thus born the Wii. Their next generation system will put them back on top, like back in the days when Mario was king. The Wii will be nothing like any of us have seen before. It is said to revolutionize the whole gaming feel. How are they going to do it? With a Wii-mote!

This here is the Wii-mote. The next generation controller by Nintendo. It looks and feels like a standard remote control but it is more than that! It senses your every movement. From tilting your hand up and down, side to side, to swinging it like a lasso. There have been in game demonstrations which show sports game being played as it does in real life! So for games like tennis, you would swing your Wii-mote like a tennis racquet, or play bowling and do the motion as you would rolling the bowling ball (without throwing the Wii-mote of course) and my personal favorite boxing. The Wii-mote also comes with a “nunchuck” its an extension to the Wii-mote you hold on your right hand and has an analog stick, but the interior has motion sensors, so when you punch with your hands so does the player on screen!
Overall, Nintendo has a very unique system on their hands and It looks like this may be a system that will attract not just gamers but everyone else who likes to have fun!
Priced @ $250 Avail: 11/19

The Powerhouse
Sony PS2, the top system from the last console war. PS2 although had a weaker hardware and graphics that couldn’t compare to Xbox or Gamecube but still manage to be on top. Much of it is thanks to exclusive games, unique developers and great companies who know how to make full use of the system that makes their games fantastic.

So what can we expect from the great guys at Sony? Playstation 3 of course. This system is nothing to scoff at I assure you. This is a super computer that is coming to those who can afford this technical monster. With a processor that is equivalent to about 7 CPU in the PS3 its going to be able a powerful machine with incredible graphics. But that power can only come to those who can harness the power of course. It is a very new technology and many companies will have a steep learning curve before they can fully utilize the systems to its full potential. So from this system you can pretty much expect what you are already used to, but you can also expect to see a great leap in graphics, graphics that are close, to that of the CG movies we’ve all seen in the theater.

One unique late addition to the PS3 system is their controller. Don’t let its look deceive you. It may look the same but they have change a lot to it. Good or bad? You can be the judge when you play it. First all next generation system are wireless now so this one won’t bind you to the system and you are free to move about the room during play. Wireless is good since they have also implemented a motion sensor system into their controller! Seems like they feel Nintendo was too much of a threat so they have to ante up. For those who have tried the system, they have said that the motion may not be as refined as Nintendo’s and may not be used as well as Nintendo’s, but nonetheless it will give players a unique game play. The PS3 is more about power and how much polygons it can push, and how close to reality it can take us!
Price: $499 Basic: 20GB HDD
Premium: $599 60GB
Avail: 11/17

The First to the Party!
Microsoft is still pretty new to the gaming industry. Their second attempt to the world of gaming seems to be doing much better than the first. Xbox was a good system but did not gain worldwide acceptance. They tried hard to break into Japan, a very important area gaming culture. But this time around they are doing much better and gaining more ground than before. They have always done well in America due to the Sports game popularity, and in Europe their acceptance is well accepted, now even Japan are starting to fall for the Xbox 360 due to some of Microsoft’s exclusive games that will only be on Microsoft’s system.
Compare to the other two system mentioned here, Xbox 360’s power is close to that of PS3 but the advantage that Microsoft has is that they were released a year ahead of Nintendo and Sony. This gives them the ability to grab more users and allow developers to make more games and also fully understand and utilize the system’s capability.
Price: $299 for Basic Set $399 for Pro Set
Available Now!

Who shall be the victor in the end?
So which system do you think will stand on top in the end of this massive 3 way battle? Will Mario stomp and crush the other two? Will the PS3’s elegance and massive powerhouse blow out Nintendo and Microsoft? Or will the girls of Dead or Alive seduce all the gamers to join the Microsoft’s camp? We’ll soon find out!

Nintendo Wii.

Nintendo just recently released their new system called the Nintendo Wii.

This system is not played not by pushing buttons but by motion sensing. I was lucky enough to have the chance and pick the system up on the day of release (11/19/2006) and spend a lot of time playing Wii Sports, a game that is included with the machine. This system is said to appeal to people of all ages, young or old.
This idea was put to the test during the Thanksgiving gathering I had with my family, putting family and friends in tennis match ups or friendly bowling competitions
The games itself are very simplistic, but that doesn’t mean its not fun! The games mimic real life sports, Tennis, bowling, baseball, golf and boxing. What makes these simple sports game different from other sports games is the fact that you play the game as you would real life. So in if you play Wii Tennis, you will have to swing the controller (forehand and backhand). For golf, the way you swing your controller determines the strength of your swing. And this idea pretty much goes along with the other sports too.

So how did the Wii stand up to the age test? I’d have to say the system was indeed made to suit people of all ages. The little kids at the party were able to grasp the control very easily and they are pretty good at the game too! Embarrassingly enough a 7-year-old girl was able to beat me with some impressive high scores. (of course I let her win, wouldn’t want her to cry…)
And when my grandmother held the controller, she did struggle a bit to understand how it works, but ultimately she was learned how to play it, but didn’t do so well in the scores, still very impressive considering that she never play games!

So overall the system seems to be a huge hit with the family, kids can’t wait to play it and adults have fun trying to compete in it. No more video game couch potatoes, its time to get up and play!
If you haven’t tried out the system already, I highly recommend you go out and try it. And if you think this system is only for kids, wait a bit and you will see some very cool games coming down the pipe!

-Vincent Fan