Every week on Inside Xbox, Nelson & Natalie recommend a game for you to Pick Up & Play!
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Recent Reviews
Review: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
The basic idea here is pretty exciting. Finally, we get a chance to play as the evil apprentice of Darth Vader, destroying everyone and everything in our path. We’re unstoppably powerful, and we know it. How cool is that?!
The problem, though, lies in the... - Read the full review
Ah, marble games. I’ve missed you so much. It seems like just yesterday I was spending hours on my NES playing with your one of your ancestors, Marble Madness. And yet, here we are again, ready to renew our longtime affair.
Have you ever run into someone who looks exactly like one of your friends of yesteryear? They’re so similar that you could swear they were the same individual. But once you get to know this new person, you realize he’s absolutely nothing like your old pal. Well, it turns out that Fading Shadows is one of these “new people.” The initial promise and nostalgia it induces quickly fade away into the bleak background of mediocrity.
Ivolgamus, the Lithuanian developer behind such classics as Barbie as The Island Princess, is taking its first dive into the world of the PSP with Fading Shadows. A marble-based puzzle game, Fading Shadows can be plenty of fun in small doses. But spend too much time in front of your luminous LCD screen, and you’ll likely find yourself tearing out your hair in frustration. Sure, the developers should be commended for creating a moderately unique original IP, but the final product ends up falling a bit short of spectacular.
We’ve got a hell of a puzzle to solve. Hit the jump to find the solution.
I always felt like I could keep up with the crowd and call myself a hardcore gamer until I started playing games published by Atlus. It was around then that I realized just how casual it is to jump over Goombas and run around looking for the shotgun. If Halo 3 is the obnoxious boozed-up goon at a frat party, an Atlus game is the slightly pretentious, manga-loving member of the chess club that studies literature and does math homework for fun. I personally categorize most Atlus games as "hardcore RPGs", because they generally cater to a niche that is so into role-playing games that its gamers bleed hit points and eat Final Fantasies for lunch.
Thus, I will categorize the PSP's Yggdra Union: We'll Never Fight Alone! as a "hardcore RPG", although it is in a skewed, awkward way. The game is, at its most basic description, a wild mix between Fire Emblem, Advance Wars, a deck of Magic the Gathering cards, and an anime lacking in color and contrast. When you factor in the way that Yggdra Union is presented, in terms of its gameplay, interface, and its progression, it gets even more..."interesting".
Although some of its gameplay mechanics are similar to those found in other games, it is the awkwardness of Yggdra Union that makes it a little difficult to pick up. Still, with a little patience and the ability to remember a lot of different terms, acronyms, conditions, rules, and other mechanics...anyone can enjoy it!
Get ready to jump into battle with armies of sprites, decks of cards and legions of numbers.
How could a game like Secret Agent Clank, which should have been a total GIMME of a release, turn into... this? This hodgepodge of minigames, poorly implemented concepts, and rambling story that ends up feeling like the worst game in the Ratchet & Clank series?
This isn't even a case of Secret Agent Clank not living up to the high expectations set as being a member of the Ratchet & Clank franchise. It's not even a case where it doesn't do things as well as its brethren. It's just a mediocre game overall, even outside of those contexts. In fact, being a Clank title probably saved this game. Take out the franchise, and make this a general platformish game that relies too heavily on minigames for the limited entertainment it provides, and its sales would certainly be dismal.
How can this be? How can a studio like High Impact Games come off of Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters and end up with.. this?
Nothing has captured the charm and absurdity of golf quite like the
movie Caddyshack, but Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 comes close. For
anyone who doesn't understand the appeal of a sport that demands
putting a tiny ball into a tiny hole hundred of yards away, this is a
light hearted revelation. Anime styled characters meet simple,
addictive game play in one of the most enjoyable portable games of the
year.
What
makes Everybody's Golf 2 a fantastic game isn't its assortment of modes
or options; rather, it's in the masterful way in which it molds to the
portable for a near flawless hand held experience. It isn't
revolutionary or mind blowing, but it manages to deliver gameplay that
works perfectly on PSP. You can spend a quick few minutes and finish an
entire round of golf, or sink several hours in online tournaments. This
balance between short-session play and depth is one that few hand held
games ever achieve and here it's done with panache.
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.
In March 2005, Sony's brand-new PSP turned into a vivid kaleidoscope with
sharp, futuristic-looking vehicles and an occasional screen-shaking explosion. Studio
Liverpool’s newest addition to the Wipeout series happened to be a PSP launch
title by the name of Wipeout Pure, and in the years since its release, Wipeout
Pure remains one of the best games on the handheld.
Wipeout Pure was my first experience with the series. I loved the futuristic
arcade racing and the challenge of a game that moved at the speed of light. I
was further impressed as months passed and more downloadable content was made
available to dedicated fans of the game.
When I heard about Wipeout Pulse, the second Wipeout game on PSP, I was
excited for that rush all over again. To say the least, I did not end up being
disappointed with the final product. This is a solid and safe addition to the
Wipeout series because it takes everything that worked from before and makes it
better, faster, and smoother while remaining as entertaining as ever.
Remember the name Ready at Dawn Studios. Someday, when they
are a household name and considered the Bungie of portable gaming, you will be
happy to have known their roots. God of War: Chains of Olympus, their second
effort, follows the tremendous success of 2006’s Daxter, and simply blows most
PSP games completely out of the water. It works well with the first two God of
War games and comes packaged in a small size that is perfect for road trips.
God of War’s home studio, SCEA Santa Monica, should stand up and show this off
like raising up the torn-off head of a wicked gorgon.
Chains of Olympus chronicles the early times in Kratos’
conquest to immortality. He was a pawn of the God of War, Ares, until he
accidentally killed his family during the brutal slaying of a small village. He revolted against the god, taking on the
path to forgiveness and internal peace by serving the gods of Olympus. Now
Kratos fights through the Temple of Helios looking for the sun god, searching for the Titan Atlas in Tartarus, and braving the misery of Hades. He faces several
adversaries, including the Persian King from the demo disc that circulated
through retailers last year. The story is not as involved as the past two games, but it
is sufficient enough to fill in a gap starting with Kratos’ first days as the Ghost
of Sparta and ending just before the events of God of War.
In theory I should
grant God of War: Chains of Olympus a perfect score. It has the best graphics
of any game I have ever seen on a portable. Its symphony orchestra fuels the
intensity of every violent exchange, while the controls remain simple and keep
Kratos’ Blades of Chaos flowing fluidly like the blood from his victims. In a
nutshell, it packages every little element of God of War that fans want to see.
With that said, Chains of Olympus bleeds with a nagging flaw that potential
buyers should be aware of, despite it being such an otherwise-exceptional video
game.
Review: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
The basic idea here is pretty exciting. Finally, we get a chance to play as the evil apprentice of Darth Vader, destroying everyone and everything in our path. We’re unstoppably powerful, and we know it. How cool is that?!
The problem, though, lies in the... - Read the full review
Ah, marble games. I’ve missed you so much. It seems like just yesterday I was spending hours on my NES playing with your one of your ancestors, Marble Madness. And yet, here we are again, ready to renew our longtime affair. 
How could this happen?
Nothing has captured the charm and absurdity of golf quite like the
movie Caddyshack, but Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 comes close. For
anyone who doesn't understand the appeal of a sport that demands
putting a tiny ball into a tiny hole hundred of yards away, this is a
light hearted revelation. Anime styled characters meet simple,
addictive game play in one of the most enjoyable portable games of the
year.
In March 2005, Sony's brand-new PSP turned into a vivid kaleidoscope with
sharp, futuristic-looking vehicles and an occasional screen-shaking explosion. Studio
Liverpool’s newest addition to the Wipeout series happened to be a PSP launch
title by the name of Wipeout Pure, and in the years since its release, Wipeout
Pure remains one of the best games on the handheld.
Remember the name Ready at Dawn Studios. Someday, when they
are a household name and considered the Bungie of portable gaming, you will be
happy to have known their roots. God of War: Chains of Olympus, their second
effort, follows the tremendous success of 2006’s Daxter, and simply blows most
PSP games completely out of the water. It works well with the first two God of
War games and comes packaged in a small size that is perfect for road trips.
God of War’s home studio, SCEA Santa Monica, should stand up and show this off
like raising up the torn-off head of a wicked gorgon.