Archive for November, 2007

Wii Sports

This game was manufactured by Nintendo and was meant exclusively for the Wii gaming console and Wii Sports is a part of what is known as the Wii Series which includes several other games like Wii Chess, Wii Music etc. Since it involved several different sports, this game achieved popularity world wide especially among sports lovers and sports fanatics. In fact it can be derived from various opinions that people loved the game purely for the exquisite and unique sporting experience that it offered. Its success facilitated a series of awards in its kitty. Notable among these would be the Game Developer’s Choice Award for the Best Game Design and Innovation, Game Critic’s Award for the Best Sports Game in 2006, attaining the first position in the TIME Magazine’s list of the top 100 video games in the year 2006.

Eth game Wii Sports is a compilation of five premier sports namely, bowling, golf, boxing, baseball and tennis. All these games are to be played with the help of the Wii Remote and the players are to repeat the actions observed in course of the game in real life. Among all these games, it is only the boxing game which involves the accompaniment of both the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk attachment and the player is expected to hold these two devices in each hand while the game is in full swing. For tennis, predictably multi player facility allows a maximum of four players while in golf, 3D graphics are used. The baseball game includes the mercy rule and lasts for three innings in all. Players are also rewarded or punished for displaying their expertise in a particular game and win skill points. On accumulating 1000 skill points, the player is said to have reached the pro level. Wii Sports is also a game which has used implemented the use of Mii channels.

Despite its huge popularity, there have been certain isolated cases of discontentment among critics.

Review of Call of Duty 2

Call of Duty 2 is an immensely popular sequel to the widely acclaimed Call of Duty developed by Infinity Ward and has sold millions of copies world wide since its release in 2005 and is supported by the Xbox 360 variants. For Xbox 360 versions, a maximum of eight players can play the game. In fact statistics reveal that it was the Xbox 360 version which has recorded maximum sales.

This is a first person shooter game set in the backdrop of the Second World War and comprises of three campaigns. The game functions with the player who has to assume the character of the soldier of the British Army, the Red Army and the United States army while the Second World War is on and it is his duty to withstand all hardships and try and attain victory in the face of constant and formidable oppositions. It is a test of one’s strategy, intelligence and tactics as the player has very few options when it comes to the variety of weapons he can use to protect himself. There are grenades, explosives, machine gins and cannons and the player is always in the verge of life threatening situations when death is at hand’s distance. Moreover, the Call of Duty Radiant which was released later contains several mapping systems. There are various kinds of game modes included in this version which comprise of Team Deathmatch, Deathmatch, Search and Destroy, Headquarters and Capture the Flag.

The entire game is divided into three main parts and each art recounts a different anecdote. In the first part named Eastern Front, the player is a Red army soldier named Private Vasili Ivanovich Koslov, in the North African endeavor, he is Sergeant John Davis, a British soldier while in the Battle of Normandy he is Corporal Bill Taylor and the game concludes with the final crossing of the Rhine river.

On the negative side Call of Duty 2 has been critiqued for being unrealistic and also for its controversial advertisements.

An action packed fighting game developed by Team Ninja was a sequel to the Dead or Alive game series and was meant for the Xbox 360 gaming console. Also referred to as DOA4 this game is considered to be more difficult than the previous games of this series. It has been praised consistently by the various critics and authorities like Gamezone, Gamespot etc. in fact it must be noted that Dead or Alive 4 has been incorporated in the World Cyber Games and Championship Gaming Series.

The central character and the point of origin of all the action is Helena and it is the tale of her achievements and failures, challenges as the second chairman of the DOATEC. Other characters in the game include Kokoro, Hitomi, Jan Lee, Eliot and several others. Of these Eliot, Kokoro are newer entrants to the game. The format of the game is quite complex and therefore at times very tough for the players to combat. This is because there is no fine line distinguishing between easy levels and difficult levels whereby it is not possible for the players to abandon the game in the middle. The antagonists are very well equipped and their strength increases with every passing stage and it is difficult for the players to protect themselves against the effective attacks launched by the opponents. There is also the ALPHA-152 which is clone or replica of Kasumi and it has the capability of destructing the player by around 70% in one strike.

Overcoming the ALPHA-152 is almost impossible but there is allowance on the part of the players to alter the basic settings to ensure that each player can be subjugated only once. Dead or Alive 4 is also significant as it includes an unlocked person from the popular video game series called Halo.

In some of the Xbox 360 versions of the game there has been reportedly some bug attacks which results in the player losing some amount of saved information.

Lego Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy

This video game based on the original story line of the popular Star Wars was introduced by Lego and released in the United States in 2006 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable and several other video gaming consoles. The immense fame that Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy garnered after its release is suitably proved by the series of awards it won like the BAFTA Video Game awards for the Best Game and the Best Children’s Game and is also a Xbox 360 Platinum Hit.

The game begins with several scenes depicting the environment of the Star Wars universe and through such pictorial depictions it attempts to give a background to the crowning moments in the original trilogy. The various character roles that the player can assume in course of playing this game are that of Luke Skywalker, Yoda, Chewbacca, Han Solo, Ben Kenobi, Princess Leia, Darth Wader, RS-D2, C-3PO and Emperor Palaptine. For those players who have the previous version of this series, Lego Star Wars: The Video Game, they are allowed a special benefit. They have the power to include around 46 characters from the prequel. It is also possible for the players to customize new characters by taking attributes of the original character. However, in such cases certain things should be borne in mind. It is not possible to use every part of a character’s body during customization and one must be careful in these aspects. There are also certain levels like Extra Toggle in which certain characters which cannot be acquired otherwise like Han Solo and Womp Rat can be included in play. There are numerous vehicles which have been devised to aid the players in overcoming hurdles in the various levels like starships. At the closure of each episode, bonus levels can be offered if the player can collect golden bricks. There are also some characters who are bounty hunters.

This game has earned accolades and is regarded by some as the best family game.