Talking About Games presents its video review of Okami for the Nintendo Wii.  Although the game is a port from a nearly two year old PlayStation 2 title, the transition to Nintendo's platform has done the game a lot of good, although not without a couple of minor issues. 

You can find out video review below.  If you'd prefer to watch this in a larger Flash format, or via the original source file, you can find both at our Blip page. A written review for the game will be available on our site later this week.

I was a big fan of Ninja Gaiden. As a result, I was happy to hear Itagaki was testing the series on the Nintendo DS with Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword (huh; look at that, another DS game with "DS" in its acronym). Dragon Sword is a game that mixes a lot of Ninja Gaiden with a lot of Nintendo DS. Fundamentally, it is a smooth transition. Ninja Gaiden was taken from its original succes on the Xbox and made to a cohesive DS version.

Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword is one of the few games to use the stylus control mechanics effectively, at least for the most part. Ryu Hayabusa is controlled almost completely with the stylus, and this results in some interesting gameplay situations. Although the feeling is a little different, it is clear that you are playing Ninja Gaiden when you turn your DS sideways to play Dragon Sword.

Beware, however: Dragon Sword can be an awkward game, and its stylus-only/sideways-DS design should be a clear indicator of that. Not all Ninja Gaiden fans are going to enjoy playing this game, but some of its mechanics are definitely solid attempts at bringing the series to the DS, and that counts for a lot.

Learn the ways of a handheld ninja after the jump.

Soccer, it's the sporting equivalent of the metric system, popular everywhere on Earth except here. It's ironic then that Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 and the english system of measurement both rely on the use of feet.  While I'm no stranger to soccer games I admit I've not heard of Pro Evolution Soccer.  That seems to be because it was called Winning Eleven, which I had heard of but not played.  

OK, name change aside the Winning Eleven series is considered the most popular in the futbol realm.  In the real world I don't follow soccer at all but I enjoy the game if for no other reason than the fact that it isn't an American sport.  I appreciate the patience and strategy needed to wear down the defense and put your team in position to score a precious goal.  The running clock is nice as well as it means there are no commercials. 

Sports games seem to be split primarily into two camps, hyper-realistic simulations and arcade style funfests.  My first impressions on PES 08 left me feeling a bit lost in the middle. 

But don't listen to me, hit the Jump and make up your own mind. 

What does it take to impress a Final Fantasy fan? For over a decade, Square Enix chose not to revisit Final Fantasy VII. When they did, Advent Children got mixed reviews and almost everyone agreed that Dirge of Cerberus got sticky vanilla all over the place. Crisis Core, the prequel to Final Fantasy VII and the series’ second PSP venture (Advent Children also had a UMD form), is the next attempt. It is a third-person RPG that shares a lot of mechanics from other similar games.

Still, Crisis Core has been bombarded with equal skepticism and hype. Final Fantasy fans have been looking forward to living the story before Cloud met Aeris, before Sephiroth started taking over the world, and all hell broke loose. This is definitely addressed, so anyone hoping to learn more about the world of Final Fantasy VII will be satisfied.

Background story is hardly a reason to justify purchasing a $40 game, though. Crisis Core utilizes a unique but strange gameplay concept that not everyone will receive nicely, but overall, it works. It is a game built effectively around the idea of being portable, handheld, and random—due to simple and quick missions, smooth transitions between exploration and combat, and a general addictive quality, Crisis Core is a lot of fun to take with you on-the-go.

Grab your buster sword; it’s time to visit Midgar.

To paraphrase Sesame Street, Super Smash Bros Brawl was brought to you by the number 287.  That’s the number of songs in Brawl’s soundtrack, and a perfect example of the gargantuan beast that the latest incarnation of the Smash Bros. series.  Whereas any other game would have somewhere between 30 and 50 songs, Smash Bros. Brawl blows them all away with over 5 times the content of other games, and this theme applies for more than just music.  Super Smash Bros. Brawl feels like three or more games combined on one disk into a single super-game, its dual-layered DVD stuffed so full with digital goodness that some Wiis can’t even handle it all.  A virtual smorgasbord of pugilistic fun, SSBB beats out Mario Galaxy for best Wii game, and is easily my pick for game of the year and possibly game of the generation.

Let’s just skip all the tired steroid jokes and Roger Clemens zingers, shall we, and get right to it.  MLB 2K8 is a game which knows exactly what it is.  A swirling vortex into which time cannot escape. 

There is truly a lot going on in this game and if you open your wallet you’ll be investing a whole lot more than your money here.   Some of you are the MLB faithful and have no doubt been keeping up with the yearly installments. Fear not, there is something for you here beyond a 2008 roster update and graphical tweaking. 

For the newly initiated, like myself, there is really something new to get into.  If by getting 'into' you mean becoming a total stat whore and fantasy GM guru.   Even the casual player can find some enjoyment here if they don’t mind sacrificing about 90% of the game’s contents.

Is it a slider or split finger fastball!!! Hit the Jump and find out.

I loved Condemned: Criminal Origins. In fact, I think it was the one of the best Xbox 360 launch games. Perfect Dark Zero was pretty average, and Call of Duty 2 was great, but Condemned really put a spin on the thriller, the first-person shooter, and the survival-horror styles. Rather than running through the game shooting everything in sight, enemies had to be approached carefully; sometimes they would not be seen at all because of intelligent A.I. and well-executed ambushes. In short, the game was intense. It was scary. It was something new, and something to remember.

It also had a great storyline. As a member of the Serial Crime Unit (SCU), an FBI unit devoted specifically to hunting down serial killers, Ethan Thomas had to use forensics and force to get through each of the 10 levels. He was focused mostly on “Serial Killer X” (SKX) and avoiding the feds after being framed for the murder of two police officers. His contact with fellow FBI friend Rosa allowed him to get closer and closer to SKX until eventually he killed him…or so he thought.

Monolith continues the dark, gritty tale with Condemned 2: Bloodshot. The story continues and finds Ethan disgruntled, drunk, and dirty like the addicts and bums he typically beat down. SKX is back, and with the backstabbing of the SCU and several returning characters, it has more twists and turns, convolutes the already-interesting plot, and sets up the third game with an exciting cliffhanger. The gameplay is just as violent and even more “in-your-face” than most games I have played.  Punching some homeless bum with Ethan’s fists feels so much like hitting something. The feeling of attacking and being attacked is so stunning and debilitating that it creates an experience quite unlike anything but the original. Give up if you think a puny flashlight is going to keep the color from leaving your face.

Grab the lead pipe; it is time again to beat some skulls.

Lost: Via Domus is the first console game based on the series, and it does not stray far from the style and the fundamentals of the show. It takes place on the hellish island, where the Oceanic Flight 815 survivors struggle to stay alive in the strange wilderness. It features many of the show’s primary characters, and even some of the real-life actors for voice-over purposes. It introduces a new protagonist; a photojournalist named Elliot Maslow, whose past is just as scattered and confused as any. Bits of storyline are added here and there in flashbacks, and clues can be found around the island, revealing more details about Elliot.

It is a common stereotype that video games based on television shows generally fall as hard as, if not harder, than games based on major films. With that in mind, some might apprehensively approach Lost: Via Domus, perhaps even die-hard fans of the show. However, Ubisoft Montreal had their hands on this one. This is the same studio that handles high-profile games like Prince of Persia, Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six, and Far Cry. Surely it should come as no surprise that they could manage to create a good video game based off of a fantastic show, right?

Hit the jump and be ready for spoilers if you have not seen up to or beyond the second season.

I can probably say with a fair degree of certainty that few of you are aware of the IP that is Rocketmen. Wizkids, the official owner of the space opera universe of Rocketmen, is a company who have based their success on people’s willingness to buy tiny crappy versions of the things they like. They took the miniature gaming world by storm with MageKnight (2000) , which was just like a real miniature game only a bit cheaper, more random, less toned, and made of really ugly plastic. Their teeth officially chipped in the plastic model scene, they adventured further with Pirates of the Spanish Main (2004), which charms with its little plastic boats that were nearly impossible to put together correctly. This endearing flotillas caused a demand for crappy plastic versions of something everyone wanted: spaceships. Thus Rocketmen (2005) was born, giving us a miniatures game with Rocket Age era aesthetics.

The game was inevitably canceled in 2006 in the company’s great culling, the game itself not too popular due to its gameplay being lifted wholesale from Pirates (too much “mining,” not enough space combat) and its unique story being tainted by a  poorly-written, fairly hackneyed space adventure flash cartoon. Also, Pirates of the Caribbean was huge at the time, so WizKids stayed where the money was.

Why am I bringing this up? Because frankly, I am absolutely shocked that someone went so far as to take this extremely obscure, unsupported IP and create a horrible topdown shooter based upon it. Seriously, I’m extremely confused here, who the hell thought that was a good idea?

(more after the jump)

Army of Two hit a stride for me at the fifth mission.  That's why I commented on UncleGamer Radio about how much fun I was having with the game.  At that point, I was really enjoying it.  The storyline had finally generated some serious steam behind it, the action was flowing smoothly, and the game was purring like a well tuned motor.  It was pretty sweet, and after a few rocky missions in the start, the game was finally where it needed to be.  I was content with the experience.  

Except that the rug was pulled out from under my feet an hour and a half later, when my co-op partner and I finished the game.  

Yes, that's right.  After six full missions on the standard difficulty, the game was over.  Done.  I almost had to rub my eyes in disbelief.  As the credits began to roll and expletives began to spill out of my mouth, a wave of disappointment flowed over me.  And as my brain began to tally up the amount of game time I'd logged on Army of Two, the joy I had experienced was muted by the realization that this game is just too brief.

It's unfortunate, too.  As a co-op game, Army of Two has so many good ideas.  There is serious potential to this game, the ideas behind it, and the characters within it. This has 'franchise' written all over it. But in the end, while the campaign is fun to play with a friend, it's also too short.  And that brevity is exacerbated by a multiplayer mode that only has four maps.  The game's lack of content across both the single and multiplayer arenas, mixed with some lingering issues, means that Army of Two falls short of the bar.  In fact, Army of Two feels more like a demo for the inevitable sequel.  The game's not all that bad.  It just feels incomplete.

We're diving into a profit driven war after the jump.