any console

Let me start out by saying that I think there’s a Nintendo DS version of this game coming soon. Technabob reported this a few days ago, so I’m stoked. I hope to see this soon.

Viva Piñata is a fantastic family game that I think anybody would really enjoy playing. This game is not just for kids (and no jokes about the 25-year-old an loving kid games please). In this very colorful game you are given gardening tools and a small plot of land. Your simple task is to take this plot of land, and use your tools to make it a place that piñata animals would want to live.

In this game you get to put together different places to live, you can landscape your garden pretty easily, and you can grow and sell crops to make money to continue to grow your garden.

Pros:

• Very colorful an appealing graphics
• Very easy to understand instructions help you move along the game
• A very interesting and slightly detached story line helps keep you interested

Cons:

• The online play could have been better. It would be great to be able to visit other folks’ gardens on Xbox Live
• The piñata houses are rather large, so it’s kinda tricky to place them well
• It’s far too easy to accidentally hit characters and upset them, causing them to stay away
• We could a little more action in the game, it gets a bit tedious at times

The bottom line is that this game is pretty non-linear and fun to play. It could use a little more online play and it would be nice if it mixed it up a little more.

Popularity: 23%

So I have a question for the Xbox 360 game publishers. Why won’t you give gamers free downloads if we buy a game? Did you know that Nintendo at least gives you a discount on Nintendo Power if you register three games, would it kill you to give me a free game-related theme or gamer-picture? Or at least a freaking discount on one. Man.

And Microsoft, could you please give us a better way to demo gamer pictures and themes before we commit to buying them? I’m tired of dropping 150MP on a theme or gamer picture just to figure out that it sucks. The silly picture pack put out by those fellas that do Red vs. Blue really did suck. You let me try the games, but you don’t let me try the themes. No fun.

This has been a rant with manchicken.

Popularity: 11%

So you all are going to think that I’m all teenie-bopper on this, but I must confess my love for Xbox 360 faceplates. These little accessories really make the Xbox 360 fit in better with my living room, and since they’re so easily interchangeable, if I want to switch faceplates to match my current favorite game I can. More games should pick up on these.

Right now, I’m sporting this sweet woody one. They also have a few customizable faceplates that you can make designs for using your computer and your printer. I’ve also seen some for Forza Motorsport 2, Halo 3, and Viva Piñata. I’ve also seen some people with some decals for the sides of your Xbox 360.

Popularity: 15%

So, raise your hand if you’ve ever been blown away by a racing game. Now put your hand down if you’re normally a racing game fan. Please note that my hand is still up.

I am one of the people who has recently had their world seriously rocked by this incredible racing game. So let’s talk turkey about this game.

Pros:

• This game has the greatest in-game graphics I have ever seen, especially in a racing game. The wheels are actually round, the shading and lighting are realistic and intense.
• The suggestion line is a fantastic idea. I normally suck at racing games, so the suggestion line really helped.
• Everything is online. There are leaderboards, online races, and you can even upload all of your photos and videos.

Cons:

• The controls are a bit too sensitive, and I couldn’t figure out how to configure the sensitivity.
• A bit of a nitpick, but it would have been great if I could have kept the music playing while racing. They had some good stuff there.
• The website where it uploads all the info to requires Flash. I really wish Microsoft would stop using Flash for all their Xbox web interfaces.

The bottom line is that Forza Motorsport 2 has won me over to racing games.

Popularity: 9%

So some of you know that I’ve been digging Crackdown for a while now. This game has seriously captured my interest lately because of the diversity of gameplay.

In this game you can:

• Drive cars, SUVs, and trucks
• Jump from building to buildings, jumping around on rooftops
• Climb gigantic buildings
• Fire a variety of weapons including: rocket launchers, machine guns, pistols, assault rifles, sniper rifles, a harpoon gun, and a minigun
• Throw all sorts of objects, including: cinder blocks, street lights, cars, trucks, explosive gas tanks, and dumpsters
• Race in both cars in street races, and on foot in roof-top races
• Do everything I mentioned online as well as offline

This is one of the few games that I was sorely disappointed to finish. The ending was kinda cheesy, but the game was a lot of fun, and I really find myself wishing there was another game like it.

Pros:

• Lots of guns makes for lots of mayhem
• A large variety in cars to drive
• Agility skills allow for a much richer enjoyment of the game world
• Huge game world.
• This game keeps you up to date on what you’re supposed to do

Cons:

• Driving controls are a bit tricky
• Some very strange glitches
• The buildings don’t always let you grab on where it looks like you should be able to.
• The ending kinda sucks
• Annoying narrator doesn’t have enough phrases, so you hear a lot of repeats

The bottom line is that I’m sad this game is over, and it has most likely destroyed similar games–GTA and Saints Row–for me in the future.

Popularity: 19%

So, you want to know about Twilight Princess do you? Well, there are two different types of people out there with respect to this game: those who played Ocarina of Time, and those who have not.

If you have played Ocarina of Time
Well, you’re going to love this game. You’ll see the similarities are astounding. Epona is there, your quiet farm boy Link is there, Hyrule Castle is definately there, and many of the baddies that you know from Ocarina of Time are there as well. It’s amazing to think of how similar the games are.

But I think you’ll think Twilight Princess is better…

If you haven’t played Ocarina of Time
Well, you’re going to love this game, too. This game takes no prior knowledge into account. It builds on past versions for sure, but it doesn’t require foreknowledge.

So, here’s a quick run-down of the pros and cons:
Pros

• Wiimote really sets you up for a more comfortable control.
• This story is deep. Legend of Zelda games have always had dark under-tones, but this is the first one that really is up front about it.
• There is some very nicely done foreshadowing. Not too obvious, not too subtle. Just about right.

Cons

• Why wasn’t this game voice-acted? Nintendo needs to start doing more voice acting. Seriously. It adds depth to the game and brings characters to life.
• Why wasn’t this music orchestrated? It could have been much better than it is.
• What’s with the wolf mode not letting you use items that add health?
• The howl mode could have been used more, and to the benefit of the story.
• Nintendo’s copy protection mechanisms are causing discs to go prematurely bad.

The bottom line is that this game blew my mind. Absolutely blew my mind.

Popularity: 27%

So I finished Hotel Dusk last night at like 0100. It’s insane how much fun that game was. It was a great story and the graphics and sound were exceptionally clever.

In Hotel Dusk you’re a washed up NYPD detective working as a travelling door-to-door salesman and you’re trying to solve some mysteries… because that’s what washed-up detectives do.

I must confess that this is one of the few DS games where I’ve actually used the stylus for the majority of the game, and it felt really natural. You hold this game sideways (yes, it is lefty friendly; being a lefty I noticed) and interact entirely with the stylus. There are some complaints that I have though.

Some of the controls in Hotel Dusk left me feeling stuck and WTFing. There was one moment where I had to resuscitate a woman, and I was feeling a little lost. They actually wanted me to close and reopen the DS in order to perform mouth-to-mouth. That just didn’t make sense to me. Also, with how linear that game is I found myself trying to anticipate the game rather than following the story.

Despite these complaints, I found myself really digging the story. It’s a real time-burner… it’s hard to put the game down. With the save-anywhere functionality, as long as you’re not in a cut-scene you’re good as gold saving anywhere you want (always a good decision). Also, if you made the wrong choice it allowed you to back up and start over again.

I recommend this game to old infocom and Myst buffs, but also for people who’re looking for something new and different. This game really got me in the mood for story games, so look forward to some Phoenix Wright reviews shortly. Good night kiddos.

Popularity: 14%

Wow, have you ever played a football game before? Gosh, Lord knows I have! I’ve been playing football games for almost 15 years now. I have never seen one as well put together as this one. Puts all other football games to shame, and with this past Super Bowl it’s even starting to put the NFL itself to shame (thanks a lot for that horrible Super Bowl coverage CBS).

So for the high points, I have to start off by telling you how I play these types of games. I’m not the kind of person who plays shooters and sports games only with other people… particularly my brother Richard. Over Christmas this past year, my brother an I spent more than 30 hours over the course of 2 weeks playing that game. What a blast. That game was so fun it should be illegal (and probably is in California).

Some features worth mentioning are…

• Real-feel passing
• A training mode that it is second to none
• A sound-track that’s simply blowing my mind
• Excellent graphics
• Real-time weather
• Really intuitive camera control
• You can use the light-gun to point to select players on the field
• No more horrible button combos to perform audibles

It is insane how cool this game is, and Wii pulls it off so well. It’s always fun to have such a blast with my brother, and this game really enables it. Cooperative multi-player is something you just gotta have with a football game.

Popularity: 28%

Well, I got my Wii on Thursday last week, and I must say I’m surprised what game I’ve ended up playing more than any other. It hasn’t been The Ledgend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (though I have cranked 10-12 hard hours in on this one), it hasn’t been Excite Truck, Trauma Center: Second Opinion, WiiSports, nor has it been Red Steel.

No my friends, the game that has won out with a whopping 17 hours of game play has been UbiSoft’s most unique, interesting, and overall stupid-crazy-fun game Rayman Raving Rabbids that has stolen my play time.

This is not at all to say that any of the previously mentioned games aren’t good. Quite the contrary; Twilight Princess is an outstanding game. It’s beautifully crafted and a masterpiece to be sure… but that’s not why I’m insane about Wii.

Wii to me means a new way of playing my games. I can’t think of how many times I’ve been in my local GameCrazy asking my buddies there what is new to play… most of the time to a dismayed “not much” response. Wii changes all of that.

Rayman Raving Rabbids really strikes at the heart of this desire for me. I didn’t want a strictly linear game that was over when I finished the story. I wanted something where I could try many different things, have some good laughs, involve my family and my friends, and be able to walk away when I’m done satisfied. Rayman does this.

Instead of the platformer that Rayman has traditionally been, Raving Rabbids is a very loosely knit series of mini-games that really showcase the unique control capabilities of Wii, and are so silly that it put me and my wife in stitches. That is what gaming is supposed to be about. That’s what I wanted. That’s what Rayman delivered.

If you want my recommendation on a must-have for Wii, it would be Rayman Raving Rabbids.

Popularity: 17%