Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World Review

DBZ: Infinite World fails to live up to the standard set by previous DBZ games on the PS2.

Dragon Ball Z games have run the quality gamut from terrible to very good. Infinite World lands somewhere in between. There are only three main modes in Infinite World: Dragon Mission, Dragon Duel, and Fighter's Road. Dragon Mission is the game's story mode, taking you through the Z and Dragon Ball GT sagas in a condensing of hundreds of DBZ episodes. This amalgam covers all of the major battles including, those versus Vegeta, Frieza, Cell, Buu, and more.

You guide Goku along an overwold map in order to trigger battles and minigames. You’re also free to replay earlier battles as an easy way to build up your bank account. Extra Zeni (money) can be used to purchase upgrades for you character in the Warrior’s Room shop. Short animated cutscenes from the anime play before and after every boss confrontation and give you an indication of what's going on in the story, but they won't make a great deal of sense if you've never watched the show. The bosses get increasingly difficult as you progress through the story mode, but for the most part they play similarly, and your strategy for taking down two different bosses like Vegeta or Frieza won't differ very much.
A smattering of minigames allow you to experience cherished scenes from the anime such as guiding Goku along Snake Way, capturing Bubbles the monkey, and other memorable moments that don't involve outright combat. Unfortunately, these side minigames are poorly designed and overly simplistic. The mission on Snake Way, for instance, has you running along the winding path moving from checkpoint to checkpoint. Another minigame has you training Goku in your space capsule by hitting a series of button combinations. It may be nice fan service, but these minigames really only serve to bring the combat to a grinding halt without being entertaining enough to justify the interruption.
Dragon Duel is the two-player versus mode in Infinite World. You can fight a friend or computer opponent with any of the game's more than 40 warriors. You have the option of playing as any of the fighters, either without their more powerful skills and attacks or with customized power-ups you can purchase from the Warrior's Room shop. Fighter's Road is a secret mode you can unlock after playing Dragon Mission, pitting you against more than 100 opponents across four maps. It's similar to Dragon Mission mode in that you guide a character from fight to fight on an overworld map, but it also provides you with an opportunity to unlock new warriors and earn more Zeni.

Despite the prevalence of minigames in Dragon Mission mode, Infinite World is still all about the combat. You fly around a battlefield with your opponent and exchange a variety of Ki beam blasts, grapples, and melee combos. You have a healthy variety of attacks, a Ki Burn ability that gives you increased speed and strength for a short period of time in exchange for Ki energy, and the ability to transform into a Super Saiyan. You can speed burst around the battlefield, but you'll have to use it wisely and avoid taking too many hits since they contribute to a fatigue meter. Once the fatigue meter reaches full capacity, it will temporarily stun you, leaving you defenseless against devastating combos and also downgrading you from an advanced form like Super Saiyan back to your default form. Overall, though, the battles are fast paced, the AI is relentless, and winning takes quite a bit of skill and strategy since not effectively evading attacks, Ki charging, or Ki burning will result in an easy defeat.
Those compliments aside, there are a few issues with the battle system. The AI is exceedingly difficult, even at the "Easy" and "Very Easy" difficulty settings. The computer opponents are just as fast and bloodthirsty, no matter what difficulty setting the game is set at. The only differences between easy and hard are how quickly your health depletes, how long it takes to recharge your Ki, and how long you stay fatigued. Still, you will have many fights that challenge your patience and tempt you to chuck your Dual Shock at a nearby wall.
Battles become more manageable when you buy advanced skills and abilities from the Warrior's Room. For each battle in the game--even those that you lose--you will earn Zeni that can be used to buy stronger Ki attacks, items such as Senzu beans that recharge your health in battle, and attributes like Fighter's Body that increase your base health. The system works fine, as long as you edit your character before going into battle and assign those acquired abilities to your few allotted slots.
The problem comes in knowing how to do this and in what abilities to purchase. At one point, Infinite World alerts you that you can purchase things from the Warrior's Room, but it provides no tutorial explaining how the system works or how the abilities benefit you. The Warrior's Room is also located on the main menu, forcing you to leave Dragon Mission mode in order to use the Zeni you earn. At first glance, you wouldn't think the two are so dependent on each other; but when your opponents in Dragon Mission suddenly possess twice as much health and strength the Warrior's Room becomes invaluable.

Infinite World will strike up feelings of deja vu for those who've played DBZ: Budokai 3. That shouldn't come as a surprise since both games were developed by Dimps. Unfortunately for Budokai 3 fans, Infinite World lacks a couple of the best fighting mechanics from its predecessor, namely the Beam Struggles and Dragon Rushes. Those two features were integral in making Budokai 3 a critical success because they helped re-create the intense power struggles that are so central to the drama of the DBZ anime. Considering how much Infinite World feels like a sequel to that game, you will likely get the disappointing feeling that this is a neutered expansion pack.
Infinite World looks as good as any other DBZ game on the PS2. The overworld map is a bit bland, as is the level design in the minigames that are scattered through Dragon Mission. In that battles themselves, though, the colors of the characters, transformations, and Ki blasts are lush and vibrant. The soundtrack is a bit ordinary, but you can choose between the English and Japanese voice tracks that DBZ purists will surely appreciate.
While its budget price may make Infinite World a tempting purchase, previous DBZ games on the PS2 have tread this ground already, and have done so with much more robust fighting systems. You would be better off revisiting Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3, a superior game where the series' fast-paced combat was used to much better effect.

By Anthony Perez, GameSpot

TNA iMPACT! Review

Professional wrestling has long been maligned as a place where spandex-clad ogre-men go to act out contrived rivalries and pretend to actually wrestle. While these derisions certainly hit on some truths about "sports entertainment," the remarkable talents and impressive athleticism of its practitioners cannot be denied. If you're the kind of person who enjoys the high-flying, hard-hitting spectacle of pro wrestling in spite of its myriad absurdities, then TNA Impact may be the game for you. It has some aggravating problems, but it does a good job of translating the excitement of TNA Wrestling into fluid action and visceral fun.

A wrestling game is only as fun as the moves you can perform, and in this regard, TNA Impact does quite well. You ratchet up your basic punch and kick attacks by holding the strong modifier or by performing them from a run or in a grapple. This simple layering allows for a wide range of moves without requiring complex button combinations, so it's easy to unleash your nastiest attacks right from the get-go. You can also reverse almost any attack with a well-timed button press, and many reversals can be reversed again. The accessible variety of attacks and the ever-looming possibility of reversals make the action fast and furious.

The more you mix up your moves, the more likely you are to come across some of the game's many technical hitches. When the animations run smoothly, they look good and produce satisfying impacts. When they don't quite line up, you see fists and feet clipping through torsos, as well as apparent misses registering as hits. These oddities are a minor distraction, though, because at least you are still performing the moves you want. The more frustrating glitches cause your character to perform an unintended maneuver, often with disastrous results.

The glitches are prone to surface in a few situations, the most frequent of which are transitions, such as when your character is getting up off the mat, climbing a turnbuckle, or exiting the ring. Because your attack changes depending on your opponent's position, you may often find yourself aiming to punch an enemy as soon as he stands up, only to execute an elbow drop and lay yourself out at his stomp-happy feet. You can also dodge grapples or attacks when you're near the edge of the ring because the animation of rolling out of the ring will often negate incoming moves. Then, there's the particularly tricky situation when your opponent is down near the edge of the ring. Climbing up on the turnbuckle, rolling out of the ring, and pinning an opponent are all mapped to the same button, which makes it very difficult to figure out how to position yourself to execute the action you want. In this case, you're better off avoiding those three actions altogether.

When you're playing against other human players, these hang-ups don't feel so frustrating because you are all subject to the same pitfalls. In the single-player Story mode you can suffer a few miscues and still scrape out a win a win early on. You'll hit a wall when the foes get tougher, though, because the room for error diminishes so much so that a missed move or missed opportunity can cost you the match. This is vexing enough when it's an honest mistake, but it becomes downright infuriating when it's an animation glitch.

The punishing difficulty in the latter part of the Story mode isn't its only weak point. The voice acting feels flat in contrast with the vigorous banter featured on the actual show, and the actor who voices your character is just terrible, dragging every other character down with his lifeless tone (the closest thing you'll find to personality is in the training videos featured in the extras menu). The only incentive to play the Story mode is to unlock new characters and arenas. With each victory, you earn style points, and the more various and risky your moves are, the more points you'll earn. Unlike in the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions, these points don't actually appear to earn you anything, given that you don't actually customize your character or move set. As if to compensate for the puzzling lack of character creation, there are a lot more unlockable wrestlers in the PlayStation 2 version, though many of them are no-name goons.

Multiplayer is the best way to enjoy TNA Impact, and there's a full array of match types available. One-on-one matches, three-way free-for-alls, tag-team brawls, handicap contests, and the signature Ultimate X matches are all playable, though only two players can actually compete at a time. Ultimate X matches, while dramatic on television, often feel less exciting than normal matches because the focus becomes staying aloft on the cables rather than pummeling your opponents. There's nothing unexciting about that per se, but the hanging combat is awkward and limited. Actually grabbing the X also requires you to tap a button when a moving cursor lines up with a target area--an action that could be diplomatically described as "anticlimactic."
So, TNA Impact is not without its flaws. The character models are good, and the animation is fluid and lively, but the unpolished physics of fighting can create some frustrating situations, and the lo-fi audio often sounds flat. Yet despite these technical shortcomings (and silly costumes), it's still good fun to clothesline, drop-kick, and power-bomb your friends all around the ring. And, ultimately, isn't that what pro wrestling is all about?

By Chris Watters, GameSpot

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Review

You hear the big chord and the brass fanfare, and you know what's coming. It's easy to get excited when you hear the rousing Star Wars theme, though the franchise has hardly been known for exceeding expectations in recent years. If you're interested in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for its story and theme, you won't be disappointed: It supplies a weighty plot with a few stunning surprises. If you're more interested in the action, you'll find that the game is a mixture of fun and frustration that you'll get some enjoyment from, but ultimately fails to live up to its potential.

You're cast as Galen Marek, aka Starkiller, Darth Vader's secret apprentice. The Clone Wars have ended, and Vader orders you to hunt and destroy the last of the remaining Jedi. Exploring the universe from this dark perspective is remarkably compelling. The story is brief (expect to finish the campaign in about seven hours), but it contains multiple twists, features some friendly and not-so-friendly faces, and is both explosive and remarkably intimate. You'll interact with Vader, of course, but Starkiller spends most of his time with an android called PROXY and his female pilot, Juno Eclipse. Sharing the details of the trio's adventures would spoil too much, so suffice it to say that you'll grow remarkably fond of Starkiller and his companions, and their moral conflicts carry a lot of weight.

Unfortunately, the game's limited visual capabilities somewhat soften the story's dramatic impact. The cutscenes are rendered within the game engine, and are undercut by stiff animations and abrupt, jarring transitions in and out of gameplay, as well as some odd-looking character models and occasional glitches, such as blinking geometry. Audio also takes a hit, which is odd, considering that much of the voice-over work is lifted directly from the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version of the game. Poor compression is the culprit here, and it makes the dialogue sound as if you're listening to it on an old record player.

That's not to say that Force Unleashed looks and sounds bad, considering the aging hardware pumping these elements out. The moderately sized environments are fairly detailed, and the saber action and powerful-looking Force abilities produce flurries of particles and other special effects. However, there are some brief moments of slowdown not seen in the Wii version, which uses the same graphics engine (and looks essentially the same). John Williams' music and some original tracks, as well as the familiar swooshes of sabers, sound like you'd expect, and they only occasionally suffer from the poor compression to which the voice-over was subjected.

The star of the visual parade is the robust physics engine that powers your most impressive moves. Using Force grip, you can grab and fling any number of objects, including your enemies; with Force push, you can shove items and foes out of your path. These skills and their variants deliver the game's best moments. Whether you're flinging Felucians into each other or offing swarms of rebels with a burst of energy, there are a number of "did you see that?" moments that will have you grabbing your friends to show them your saber-slinging prowess. Nevertheless, it's disappointing that these moves can't be strung together more easily. The controls can be unresponsive and sometimes lack the fluidity of the other versions. At times, you might be mashing on the square button and wondering why you aren't swinging your saber, or tapping X but not making the corresponding jump. Additionally, it's odd that the triangle button does double duty, activating both Force push (if you tap it) and Force grip (if you hold it). The other versions use separate buttons to perform these powers, which is a more logical choice and feels more intuitive.

Although the environments aren't totally cluttered with useful objects, this actually works to the game's advantage, considering that the targeting problems prevalent in the other console versions are diminished as a result. There are still some moments when you'll grab a different object than you intended, but given that there are fewer objects to grab, these moments will provide only the occasional frustration. The annoying camera of the Wii version has been leashed and tamed a bit on the PlayStation 2 thanks to the right analog stick, which gives you the full camera control that you would expect. However, many of the levels are claustrophobic, which makes it difficult to move the camera into helpful positions, especially when you are fending off multiple enemies.

Nevertheless, the game moves along at a relatively quick pace, so between droid encounters and boss battles, you'll always be in the thick of the action. You won't find much challenge here; there are plenty of health drops scattered around, including respawning ones during boss battles. Should you die, you'll restart at the most recent checkpoint with all of the damage you've already done to your enemies still intact. This is probably for the best because it keeps the pace moving. Some variety comes by way of Force Unleashed's God of War-style quick-time events, which result in some terrific, flashy-looking moves, whether you're smashing on an opposing Jedi or defeating a rancor in a series of thrilling acrobatics. And it's a welcome sort of variety, given that you'll be visiting the same exact levels several times over.

Unlockable costumes and other extras won't give you much reason to return, but some extra levels lengthen the playtime over the mostly similar Wii version. So if you're in the mood to slash up Jawas, this is your chance, though The Force Unleashed may not be as raucously entertaining as you may have expected. Nevertheless, if you've got six or seven hours to kill, this is a fair way to spend them, particularly if you're a Star Wars devotee looking to fill in the gaps between Episodes III and IV.

By Kevin VanOrd, GameSpot

Harvey Birdman grounded until 2008

Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law needs some room to soar. That's the basic reasoning Capcom gave this weekend for delaying the release of Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Wii until next year.
Capcom's senior director of strategic planning and research Christian Svensson responded to a message board post on Saturday asking why online retailers were listing the game with a 2008 launch date.
"The game is and has been finished, submitted and approved," Svensson wrote, "however we felt releasing the game on the same day 112 other SKUs released was not ideal for its chances. Retail buyers agreed."
"As such, we've opted to move the title out into a slightly cleaner release window. This will allow us to get on more shelves, do a bit more outreach to the media and hopefully get the fans in on the action a bit more."
Some of the competition Capcom hoped to get away from is actually going to be joining Harvey Birdman in 2008, as Electronic Arts today delayed Army of Two until next year as well. Both games had previously been scheduled for release on November 13.
A Capcom representative has narrowed the new release window for Harvey Birdman, telling GameSpot that the title is now expected to ship in January.

By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpot

Manhunt 2 Producer Q&A

The Wii Remote should really come into its own with Manhunt 2. The Wii Remote should really come into its own with Manhunt 2.

Manhunt 2. The road to retail has been anything but smooth for Rockstar Games' Manhunt 2, but next week fans of the first game and attention-seeking suits alike will be able to get their hands on the game. Fascinated by both Manhunt 2 and by all of the work that has gone into earning it an M as opposed to its original AO rating, we caught up with producer Jeronimo Barrera and made with the questions.
GameSpot: So before we get started, can you fill us in on who you are and how long you've been with the company?
Jeronimo Barrera: Since the beginning. I help oversee game production.
GS: Take us back to when the game was being discussed? Why another Manhunt?
JB: Obviously we're very proud of the original Manhunt and we didn't hesitate to start working on another Manhunt when the opportunity presented itself. A big motivation was the fans. We've had games that have sold more copies, but Manhunt did well and gained a very loyal following. That, coupled with the fact we love the horror genre, made it a no-brainer for us.

GS: Why did you guys take the all-new character approach? Where did you look to for inspiration?
JB: Manhunt 2 is not a true sequel to the original story. It expands on the theme of the original. The approach was to put the player in a similar situation of having to make very hard choices about survival, but where in the original the overall goal was very clear, in Manhunt 2 we introduce a heavy psychology that makes the choices to the player much more difficult. I don't want to give out any spoilers, but let's say that Manhunt 2 offers many twists and turns to keep the player on the edge of their seat.
We didn't really draw from any one source for inspiration. We're all very proud of the original game and we were in a unique situation to draw inspiration from our own work. With making sequels to games, sometimes we continue the stories of previous games, but often we feel the story itself is more or less complete and instead we want to expand on the narrative themes and gameplay mechanics and style, which leads to sequels that are related, but not necessarily narrative sequels. We've done this with GTA--where the games are related but not but not sequels--and we will continue to use this approach.
GS: Can you give us an idea of how the game came together? Was there a set plan, or was it more organic and collaborative? How long was development?
JB: There's always a plan and it always ends up getting changed massively as the game takes shape and it's always a collaborative effort. We had the story in place early, and then it was a matter of fleshing out the game using the story as the core and building upon it. From the start we knew we had to really surpass the first game's narrative, so there was an emphasis on having the story in place before we started building the game. One thing that isn't mentioned often is that Manhunt 2 is a very story-driven game. The writers needed to work very closely with the designers to ensure that the game mechanics fit within the world we were creating and that the actions onscreen were being complemented with strong dialogue and audio. Things tend to get more organic once you have all the pieces in place, and then you have to really start critiquing your work, and sometimes that means going back to the drawing board.
GS: There have been a number of survival horror games and quite a few successful stealth action games in the last couple of years. But the original Manhunt really presented something unique in terms of combining the best of both stealth and horror gameplay. What was the motivation to continue in this vein, and what were you looking to improve on with this second installment of Manhunt?
JB: First, the original Manhunt has a very loyal fan base, and when we decided to start working on Manhunt 2 it was immediately decided that we had to stick to certain themes and mechanics to keep the original fans happy--but we also wanted to expand and surpass what the original accomplished so well. That was very difficult, but in the end we created a piece of horror fiction that is not only terrifying at times but incredibly thought-provoking in the themes that we explore.
GS: The first Manhunt went to extraordinary lengths to craft unforgettably creepy--and sometimes very funny--dialogue. The audio experience of Manhunt was quiet memorable. Care to discuss what you have going on this time regarding the audio in Manhunt 2? What have you done to surpass expectations?

JB: The real star of the game is the audio. Not only does it play an important part of the gameplay, it sets the tone and mood for every single experience we throw at the player. We learned so much from the original Manhunt and knew going into writing the dialogue what works well in the game. The emphasis [is] on making the interactions (especially of the Hunters) seem real but so twisted that we blur the lines and it truly comes off sounding psychotic and at times very funny. We hope we have surpassed expectations by maintaining the production quality all Rockstar games have and at the same time increasing the variety of situations people speak in, which aligned to improvements in the AI that should lead to a game world that feels more "alive."
But the PS2 version still has headset functionality! This really helps to enhance the experience. You'll hear Leo, and you can use the mic to make sounds that attract the Hunters. On the Wii, we use the speaker on the Wii-Mote in interesting ways too.
GS: As it was taking shape did the violence stand out at all? Did it raise any flags for anyone?
JB: Since we started out making a horror game, we knew this would be a pretty violent game. The vision for the game was very clear to everybody that was working on it. We wanted a game that created the same feelings as watching a horror movie, similar to the original game but with a greater focus on psychological horror.

GS: How violent is too violent for a game like that?
JB: Of course, that's a matter of opinion, but we always knew the game needed a truly mature storyline that wraps the whole package together and makes the player recognize what's going on. Games are all about choices regardless of content. In Manhunt 2, the question is: What decisions are your characters going to make, given a particularly dire situation, not to mention your inability to trust anyone, including yourself? We are very much of the opinion that games should be judged by the same criteria as movies as they are part of the same culture, and in terms of the horror genre the game does not strike us as particularly violent.
GS: As things were coming together how did the Wii come into the equation?
JB: The Wii version was decided on quite early on. We are excited about the Wii in general, and it's a cool way of making new experiences, although there are still a lack of story-driven games that really work well on it. We hope Manhunt 2 will help to change that.

GS: Were there any concerns on how Nintendo would react?
JB: We're a licensed Nintendo developer. They knew what we were doing. We (Rockstar) are known for our award-winning, cutting-edge adult content. I'm pretty sure Nintendo knew what to expect when they announced that we would be making games for their system.
GS: How was it working on controls for it?
JB: Incredibly fun. It wasn't an afterthought; we were developing it simultaneously to the PS2 and PSP. We couldn't be happier with the results.
GS: To dwell on the executions for a moment, can you elaborate on the new weapons and environmental executions--how does that work?
JB: The player is presented with more options than in the original. Not just by variety of weapons but also how to best use the environment. There are what we call "environmental executions"; these can be very useful when you don't have access to a weapon. For example, you only have a tin can and you can see an open manhole just off in the distance. You can throw the tin can near the manhole. The noise from the tin can will cause the Hunter to go and investigate. You can then sneak up on the Hunter and...well, I'm not going to tell you what happens next but you get the picture.
Truly shocked. I know that sounds strange since the media has played this up as the most violent piece of media ever! We still believe that the original submission was well within the bounds of an M rating.
GS: Did you ever think it would go where it did?
JB: Not at all. We made a horror game, the contents of which are more interesting than any contemporary piece of horror fiction available on any medium. We're very proud of that. If this was a book, graphic novel, or a movie we wouldn't have this conversation.
GS: How do you all feel about the focus on the game? Is it good to get the word out or are you all cautious?
JB: I'd love to have us just focus on the gameplay. It's an amazing game. In a genre were few people get it right I think we've got something really special. I think the game now is going to be an unjust target. Who knows what people's expectations are going to be now that so many strange things have transpired? But we're very proud of it. We made a compelling horror game for a mature audience. The fact people still want to pick on video games is a strange and unfortunate reality.
GS: Tell us about what the mood was when the word came it was going to be AO?
JB: We were floored. We really couldn't believe it. There seemed to be no logic behind it, given other ratings decisions they have taken recently, and given the kind of content in other contemporary media.
GS: About the changes, was there talk of simply scrapping the game? How difficult was it to agree to edits? How did you end up cutting it without affecting storytelling and pacing? How much extra work did that process entail?
JB: It never crossed our minds to scrap this. Never. The challenge became how we were going to get the game out with the vision and story intact. And I think the team did an amazing job in the end.

The problem was that we didn't really get any direction. You don't get a list from the ESRB. We stuck to our vision, and we are happy with the outcome. All the levels stayed intact. And we originally came up with the effect for the executions to show how Danny's psychosis would affect his vision during violent moments.
GS: At any point, did you all see this coming?
JB: Not at all. I knew there would be one or two out there that would be offended by this game, but we aren't making this for everybody. This is a mature title and was designed as such.

GS: Now that this is all done and the game's shipping, can you tell us about the aspects of the game you all don't want overshadowed by all the controversy?
JB: There are so many things that need to get mentioned. We've elevated every aspect of the original and added so many new cool things. The interactions between Danny and Leo. The story of these two is the stuff of nightmares! The stealth gameplay is as great as ever. The environments are very dynamic. It doesn't look or feel repetitive. The animations are top-notch. Manhunt evolved out of a weakness we felt in stealth games--that people were hiding, but they weren't afraid of the people they were hiding from. For us, the most compelling reason to hide from someone is because you are frightened of them. This was the inspiration for the original Manhunt and it remains true for the sequel--to make the player feel like they are cowering in the shadows.
GS: Given the hassle on this title do you think this might mean the end of the Manhunt series?
JB: We enjoy making them, and if you enjoy playing them there is a good chance we'll see more in the series, but only time will tell. If we feel like we can make another compelling stealth game, we will.
GS: Thanks for your time.

By Staff, GameSpot

Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 2

Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 2. Namco Bandai's unrelenting barrage of Naruto-licensed games continues with Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 2. It's been roughly nine months since the original Uzumaki Chronicles hit the US, and though the sequel features a few new bells and whistles, these do little to mitigate the fact that the combat's too simple and too easy to be particularly entertaining.
The threat faced in Uzumaki Chronicles 2 stems from the Shirogane clan, a nearly extinct group of ninjas that specializes in puppet mastery. In an attempt to release their master puppet from an ethereal prison, the remaining clan members have been savaging the countryside with their puppet army while looking for a set of mystical orbs. It's not a bad setup for a brawler like this, given that the puppets are basically robots, and robots are some of the finest cannon fodder you'll find. However, once it's up and running, you'll be constantly tormented with cutscenes of characters standing around and talking, all of which seem to drag on forever. Nothing terribly exciting ever happens during these cutscenes, and even the voice actors sound bored. Fortunately, you can skip these sequences without much consequence. Your mission objectives are always spelled out for you, and they usually just involve beating everyone up anyway.

Uzumaki Chronicles 2 establishes a pattern very early on in the story mode. You start out at your base of operations in the Hidden Leaf Village, where you'll be given a mission objective. Once you leave the village, you'll be shown an overworld map with paths connecting various points of interest. As you travel toward your objective on the map, your journey will be regularly interrupted by surprise attacks from puppets or bandits, and you'll have to beat up everyone before you can continue. Once you've reached your destination, you'll more likely than not have to beat up more puppets and/or bandits. Some light puzzle-solving and platforming are peppered into the missions, but they're either too straightforward or too unclear to add much to the experience. After that, it's yet more random encounters as you head back to the Hidden Leaf Village to take on a new mission and do it all over again. Occasional boss fights mix things up a little, but not much.
The simple, repetitive structure of the story mode wouldn't be so oppressive if the combat itself were more interesting. You can lock on to enemies, perform a few different jump and dash maneuvers, and juggle opponents with combos, but your basic ninjitsu abilities--which include an energized dash attack and the ability to generate a quartet of aggressive if short-lived clones--prove so potent right from the start that most fights don't require your full attention. You can goose your power levels to make the fights even shorter in a few different ways. Enemies drop copious amounts of virtue orbs, which can be used to boost character attributes. They also drop money, which can be used to buy health- and chakra-restoring items, as well as chips that can be placed on the skill plate. Chips can raise attribute levels, imbue you with new abilities, and more. Like the original Uzumaki Chronicles, one of the most engaging aspects of this game is organizing the chips on the skill plate so that you can fit as many on there as possible--and when inventory management is a game's high point, look out.
The game makes a few ineffective gestures to differentiate itself from its predecessor, all of them flawed. In addition to playing as Naruto, there's a rotating cast of other ninjas that you can tag in and play as on the fly, but it's a totally inessential feature, considering that it's rare to find a situation that you can't easily handle with Naruto alone. Pouring all of your virtue orbs and cash into Naruto is simply more effective than spreading it out across multiple ninjas, especially because you don't always have access to the same support characters from mission to mission. There are side missions you can take on for various rewards, but their actual content isn't different enough from what you'll be doing in the main missions, and the rewards are unnecessary. There's two-player co-op support in the story mode, as well as some self-contained, one-on-one brawling, but both are sabotaged by the game's inherently disengaging combat.

If Uzumaki Chronicles 2 offered some flashy visuals, it might've made the low-impact combat more fun to watch. What you get instead are stiff and blocky characters in small, repetitive environments, and an occasionally squirrelly camera. The sound is boilerplate Naruto, with some phoned-in voice acting and background music riddled with Japanese woodwinds.
With less than a year between the release of Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 2 and its predecessor, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the game hasn't changed very radically. At the same time, the proximity of the releases, and the consistently middling level of quality, make this sequel feel that much more superfluous.

By Ryan Davis, GameSpot

Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions

Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions. While some games don't withstand the test of time, others, like the commonly praised Final Fantasy Tactics, exist in a state of pristine stasis: never changing, yet standing proud at the head of the class, and rarely bested by legions of pretenders to the throne. In other words, you won't need the rose-hued goggles of nostalgia to appreciate Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions, since it's a great game even by modern standards. If you're new to Tactics, you'll find a strategy role-playing game with plenty of deep gameplay and one of the finest stories in a Final Fantasy game to date. If you've already experienced the 1998 PlayStation original, you'll enjoy some nifty additions in this enhanced port, including terrific cutscenes, new character classes, and new playable characters. There are some noticeable issues in the presentation, and some lurking frustrations in the gameplay remain. In the context of such satisfying gameplay, though, the annoyances are easy to forgive--especially considering you can squeeze 60 or 70 hours of quality entertainment out of it.

One of the original's many strengths was its complex, moving story. Almost 10 years later, Tactics expresses more excitement and romance in a single moment than many modern games can manage in their entirety. It helps tremendously that the awkward localization of the original has been replaced with realistic dialogue devoid of grammatical errors (well, except for a few famous ones). There's also another major storytelling enhancement: beautiful, fully acted cutscenes that provide an even greater sense of atmosphere. Calling these scenes cel-shaded wouldn't do them justice, though, since they have a grainy texture to them that resemble a painting more than a cartoon. Suffice it to say, it won't take you long to get caught up in the internal struggles of Ivalice's House of Beoulve, the binding ties of friendship, and the social stigmas of the lower classes.
But if the story ropes you in, it will be the gameplay that keeps you coming back for more. A word of warning to new players, however: War of the Lions throws you into the fire, expecting you to figure out the convoluted class and character systems on your own. As a result, you may find yourself getting your butt handed to you until you get used to the mechanics. Once you do, however, you'll find an engaging character development scheme that will keep you constantly reevaluating the makeup of your adventuring party. Every party member begins as either a squire or a chemist, but can ultimately evolve into a monk, mage, assassin, oracle, and more. But you also have a secondary job slot to equip, as well as other ability slots that can be lifted from other classes.
As you gain experience in battle, not only do your characters level up, but so do your job classes. In turn, you are then able to purchase new abilities within those classes. It's a terrific system, for while it gives you the freedom to customize characters in endless ways, your party members still retain the core strengths that lend them to certain roles. There are two new classes to play around with, too: Onion Knight and Dark Knight. Experienced players will probably get more use from the Onion Knight than new players will, since its jack-of-all-trades nature requires some patience. Dark Knights, on the other hand, are deadly from the start, though you have to master multiple classes before you gain access to this profession.
Battles are generally intense, though the downside of the class system's flexibility is that the level of difficulty can vary wildly, depending on how you set up your parties. You may find some early battles almost impossible to get through without a bit of grinding first, while you will absolutely breeze through others. Still, most battles are quite challenging, requiring you to closely examine each move before committing to it. It's perfectly plausible (and if you aren't careful, downright common) to waste a spell because you don't have enough mana, or damage party members in addition to enemies. In light of this, it's too bad you can't take back your move orders once committed, as you can't always tell if a square will put your enemy in attack range until you occupy it.
The Final Fantasy I & II Anniversary Editions released earlier this year featured more striking visual upgrades than does War of the Lions. Yet the graphics hold up remarkably well, using familiar (and charmingly noseless) 2D sprites on 3D maps. The presentation has been enhanced to take advantage of the PSP's widescreen resolution, yet there are some awkward moments during scenes in the game engine where the map is cut off to the right or left, since it wasn't created to fill the wider screen. Some spells and attacks have new effects to go along with them, though the slowdown that accompanied some attacks in the original is still present in War of the Lions--as is the lack of synchronization of certain sounds that accompany them. The soundtrack is slightly enhanced, yet even without the tweaking, it remains one of the finest Final Fantasy scores to date, featuring tracks by both Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata.

War of the Lions adds both cooperative and competitive ad-hoc multiplayer options, accessible from taverns within the game. One-on-one matches are fine provided you have a buddy with characters of approximately the same level, though we don't recommend exploring the inherent frustration of imbalanced battles between a weak party and a strong one. Co-op play fares better, but even then, a player with a less experienced party may not enjoy the relatively strong monsters that spawn in, thanks to the other player's higher level. Two players on equal footing, however, should have a blast, especially because there is new equipment up for grabs.
There are other small annoyances that the new version retains, such as its camera, which can be rotated and tilted, but may not always give you the most helpful view. But by and large, Final Fantasy Tactics remains a great game even by modern standards, thanks to its finely tuned character development system and challenging battles that will have you using every trick in your arsenal. Whether you are a newcomer to Final Fantasy Tactics or an experienced fan, you will lose countless hours falling to War of the Lions' insistence that you take just...one...more...turn.

By Kevin VanOrd, GameSpot

Crash of the Titans

Crash of the Titans. Ever since series creator Naughty Dog said goodbye to Crash Bandicoot on the original PlayStation, the series has floundered. While the reasons for the inconsistent quality are myriad, one of the key problems has been an inability to establish a tone that is consistent and compelling on the part of the short parade of developers who've tried their hand at the series. There's just no signature Crash Bandicoot feel anymore, which has made for a trail of indistinct, forgettable games. Now Radical Entertainment is at the helm for Crash of the Titans, and though it's a solid effort--arguably better than the past few Crash games--it still kind of feels like Yet Another Mascot Platformer.

Crash of the Titans doesn't overexert itself with its story, which is pretty boilerplate. After teaming up in 2004's Crash Twinsanity, Crash Bandicoot and his nemesis Dr. Neo Cortex are back at each other's throats at the beginning of Crash of the Titans. The game kicks off with Crash and friends relaxing at home, attempting to recycle butter, when the quaintly insane doctor shows up in a blimp to kidnap Coco and Aku-Aku. It's unclear how the kidnapping figures into his plan to take over the world with hulking, mutated monsters and seems like a force of habit more than anything else. Still, Radical manages to tuck some good humor into the proceedings, which, more often than not, is thanks to some strong readings from a cast of veteran voice actors.
A solid but predictable setup gives way to some solid but predictable platforming action. Although it's not as microscopically focused as the first three Crash games, the path you walk in Crash of the Titans is still pretty narrow. In terms of volume, there's not a great deal of actual platforming here nor is it terribly challenging, but a physics system that causes platforms to wobble precariously at least makes it interesting. There are also a number of hoverboard sequences wedged in there, which seem totally random both in terms of placement and length. There's certainly a greater focus on combat, and every level contains several sequences where you have to take out a large group of enemies before you can progress. As you defeat enemies and smash environmental objects, you'll pick up mojo orbs. These orbs can earn you ability upgrades and new moves, though the combat never gets more complicated than three- or four-button combos.
The big twist in Crash of the Titans comes from your ability to jack the giant freaks that Cortex has deployed against you. When you start wailing on one of these monstrosities, a star meter will appear over its head and begin to fill up as your attacks connect. Once full, you can hop onto the shoulders of the monster and ride it around, like some kind of fleshy tank. You'll find that there's a good variety to these monsters because they have wildly different suites of attacks, as well as their own sets of strengths and weaknesses. Certain monsters are impossible for Crash to successfully attack on his own, requiring you to jack another monster first. Having to daisy-chain a series of monster-jacks during boss fights represents some of the most satisfying action in Crash of the Titans.
The game does a pretty good job of introducing new monsters at regular intervals to keep you guessing, but once you've figured out the basic tactics necessary to jack all the different enemy types, it loses a lot of its steam. Crash of the Titans tries to compensate later on with larger numbers of enemies, though this can lead to frustrating moments where you're being pummeled from all sides and unable to defend yourself or retaliate. It should take about six or seven hours to play through Crash of the Titans on the default difficulty level. The game naturally tries to lure you back with hidden items and secondary goals that can earn you some unlockable extras, as well as a cooperative mode. But you'll probably have had your fill of double-jumping, hoverboarding, and monster-jacking by the time you reach the end the first time through.

Crash of the Titans offers pretty much the same experience on the Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation 2. The Xbox 360 version is naturally the best-looking, with the cleanest textures, as well as the nicest lighting and particle effects. However, the motion-blur effects can get a little carried away on Crash, which have the odd effect of making him look prerendered, like he was in a Donkey Kong Country game. The Wii and PlayStation 2 versions are pretty comparable from a presentation perspective. However, the Wii version's particle effects look nicer, and it also looks better on an HDTV. Crash of the Titans shows some restraint when it comes to the Wii motion controls, which the game only really uses for performing some of the monsters' special attacks.
Radical has created a reasonably fun experience here that's frothy, intermittently funny, and a breeze to play. The big underlying problem with Crash of the Titans is that you could swap Crash out for any number of other cartoony platforming heroes and not really know the difference. Without much of a distinct style to call its own, it's hard to get too excited.

By Ryan Davis, GameSpot

Warriors Orochi

On the scale of exciting crossover fights, Warriors Orochi ranks somewhere just below Lawrence Taylor wrestling Bam Bam Bigelow, and just above the Gobots fighting the Rock Lords.

There are 77 warriors that you can use to fight the same five enemy types over and over and over.

Warriors Orochi. Koei's Warriors games are essentially critic-proof at this point. You are either in love with the games' utter unwillingness to evolve, or you aren't. Perhaps nowhere is this more the case than with Warriors Orochi. A mash-up of the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors franchises into a single product, this is pure, unadulterated fan service for the squadron of hardcore fans that both brands have amassed over the years. We can sit here and tell you that this is yet another mediocre beat-'em-up that rehashes the same haggard-looking graphics, the same tired mission objectives, and the same "so old it should be in a museum for crummy combat systems" combat system, but we probably don't even have to do that. A single look at a screenshot for this game is probably all you need to decide one way or the other. If you like this sort of thing, this is the sort of thing you'll like, and vice versa.

If you're one of the few out there who's never encountered one of these games in any form, here's the lowdown. Dynasty Warriors takes a bunch of ancient warriors from Chinese history, dolls them up in severely colorful costumes, gives them gigantic novelty weapons, and then has them fight each other in addition to scads and scads of mouth-breathing grunt soldiers over the course of a bunch of beat-'em-up levels that kinda, sorta mimic historical battles, but not really. Samurai Warriors is the same thing, except that it swaps out ancient China for Japan's sengoku period. The premise for Warriors Orochi is that an evil serpent/sorcerer/king/demon...thing, named Orochi, has ripped a hole in the fabric of time and space and kidnapped all of the Dynasty and Samurai Warriors. OK, we'll bite, why exactly would someone do this? Well, because he's bored and wants to "test his strength" against the world's mightiest warriors. Hey, why not, right? If you're so powerful that you can rip open time itself, what else would you do for kicks?
Let's face it: Koei and developer Omega Force have never been great fiction writers, and though the old Dynasty and Samurai games were all steeped in the same historical scenarios over and over again, at least this is something different. Certainly, longtime fans of these games will take some delight in some of the scenarios that have been built out. For what it's worth, the game doesn't take its premise remotely seriously, and instead is content to try to create any fan's dream match-ups and fights--provided that there is such a thing. Seeing Nobunaga Oda jokingly get mistaken for Cao Cao, or watching Zhao Yun team up with Yukimura Sanada is probably enough to send some fans into hysterics. There seems to be a lot of that stuff on offer.
There are four different main story campaigns in Warriors Orochi, three of which involve the Wu, Wei, and Shu factions from Dynasty Warriors, and one of which is an all-purpose Samurai Warriors group. The storylines are obviously different from faction to faction, though the missions and combat are just as repetitive and dull as they've ever been. Like in every other Warriors game of the last decade, you drop into battle against hordes of the stupidest soldiers on the planet, fight off a few boss and sub-boss officers, and move on to the next stage. All you need to do is mash on the two main attack buttons while periodically tossing in a special attack, and you're pretty much good to go. The game tries to dress things up a bit by having you escort certain officers to safety, capture specific points on a map, or make alliances with other officers, but none of this really does much to quell the sensation of monotony.
To be fair, there are a couple of small differences to the gameplay in Orochi. For one, the game has something of a team-based mechanic where you can play as three different warriors within the same battle. Unfortunately, you get only one warrior at a time, and you simply switch between them on the fly. As you play through each stage, you'll unlock more warriors that you can swap into your group. There are 77 in all, so at least fans will be kept busy. The other change is to the prebattle setup. After each battle, you'll have likely collected a few different weapons on the battlefield, each with different bonuses and attacks attached to them. Now you can actually merge two of these weapons into one superweapon, if you so desire. You just hop into the menu, pick two weapons, and merge them. It's as simple as that. The tangible differences between the weapons aren't ever that great, but hey, at least the option is there.
Outside of the story campaigns, there's really not much to Orochi. There's a free mode in which you can pick any three warriors and take on a battle outside of the story, as well as a few gallery unlockables, but that's basically it. You can play through the story cooperatively if you find a willing friend, but the game really isn't much more interesting in multiplayer than it is in single-player.
Graphically, Warriors Orochi maintains the same level of quality of the last few games that hit both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360. The game is very clearly built off the old PS2 engine, and then ported upward to the 360. As a result, the 360 game looks more like an original Xbox 360 game than anything else. Sure, it's a great deal more colorful than its PS2 counterpart, and there's more visual flair with the special attacks and whatnot, but otherwise, this is a rather ugly game. Both versions' primary character models are at least detailed, but the battle environments are plain to the point of drab. Likewise, even though this game has a totally different storyline, it's still recycling the same battlefields from previous games.

At least all the dialogue is new, though it's not exactly well written, and the voice acting is predictably horrific. Furthermore, there's no Japanese language track, so you're stuck with the overenthusiastic and underenthusiastic English actors. Also, the thumping techno soundtrack and the hyperrepetitive shrieks of the warriors on the battlefield are enough to give someone a seizure.
If all that's been said previously isn't enough to dissuade you from taking Warriors Orochi for a spin, this probably means you're one of the dedicated faithful who would play anything with the word "Warriors" on the box. In that case, this game is clearly designed for you, and by all means you should take it for a spin. For the rest of humanity, Warriors Orochi can safely be ignored.

By Alex Navarro, GameSpot

RealPlay Puzzlesphere Hands On

Hang on a minute lads, I've got a great idea.

Three lives, many drops.

RealPlay Puzzlesphere Hands On. In2Games has long been attempting to get motion-sensing controls into its PlayStation 2 games. After its Gametrak system for the PS2 won critical acclaim but failed to achieve serious commercial success, the company is back for what could be one last crack at the PS2 market before the launch of its PS3 and Xbox 360 products in 2008.
The company has a number of RealPlay-branded titles out in the UK this Christmas, which all ship with their own bespoke motion-sensitive controllers. The games coming up include what is essentially a follow-up to last year's Real World Golf 2007, a racing title, and a pool game.
The standout game among those we've seen in the series so far is RealPlay Puzzlesphere. The game presents you with the familiar premise of a ball--in this case called a Xorb--traveling through a treacherous three-dimensional course to a target area.

What makes Puzzlesphere different from others in the genre is that you control it not with your DualShock 2, but with a wireless sphere that will ship with the game.
The internal hardware of the sphere is very similar to the Wii Remote's--we're told that the tilt chips are marginally more sensitive than those in the pointer for Nintendo's console, but other than that the principle is the same.
The control scheme seems at once both very simple and amazingly difficult. You tilt the sphere in any direction to increase the momentum of the onscreen Xorb in that direction...and that's it. The sphere picks up speed very quickly, and commensurately with the degree of tilt, so delicacy is most definitely the order of the day.
The various courses feature checkpoints along the way, which both ensure you don't take any unauthorised shortcuts as you progress toward the goal and act as respawn points if the Xorb does fall out of bounds. The number of attempts you get at each level before being forced to start over is relatively small, at least for the moment, which adds to the game's overall difficulty. To help out, the Xorb has an air brake that applies a force in the opposite direction to your current motion. This allows you to bring the Xorb to a fairly sharp halt, and even allows you to stop yourself from falling over the edge if you catch it in time. It's not of much use once you've fallen, though.

The courses are challenging from the get-go; unguarded spiralling ramps, precise deliberate blind drops, jumps that require a certain speed to be maintained, and fans installed to blow you off course all present obvious challenges across the levels we saw. Power-ups such as improvements to your air brake should make things a little easier, if you can reach them without coming a cropper.
In its current state, the game is fairly difficult and unforgiving, but it's rewarding when you do complete courses--although this can take quite some time. Toward the end of our brief hands-on we found ourselves feeling as if we were edging into the zone where the ball's motions started to suddenly make much more sense, but it's possible this was just due to the onset of madness caused by having seen our Xorb plummet off the edge for the umpteenth time.
The game promises a large number of courses--the menu system we saw showed at least 50 levels over four different environments, which included a futuristic cityscape and a sunburnt desert.
There are still improvements to be made in terms of the way the aerial camera pans around as your ball moves in certain areas, but the developer has a while before the game hits the store yet. We hope to get a bit more hands-on time nearer the game's release to look at the environments and the later levels, so watch this space.

By Alex Sassoon Coby, GameSpot UK

Guitar Hero III Developer Diary #2

...to the rock-ready final product. Hey, anyone got a light?

From a computer model...

Guitar Hero III Developer Diary #2. Sure, most rock clubs smell like a strange mixture of alcohol and body fluids, but as any fan can tell you, the right atmosphere can make a good concert great or turn a bad show into something you won't soon forget. The same goes for the virtual spaces you'll be rocking out in the upcoming Guitar Hero III. In our last developer diary, we got to learn about the process of transforming the music into guitar-shredding gameplay. This time around, two Neversoft venue artists--Jake Geiger and Ryan Magid--talk about what it takes to bring the rockin' dive bar from concept to (virtual) reality.
Rock This Joint
By Jake Geiger and Ryan Magid, Neversoft
Jake Geiger, venue art lead, and Ryan Magid, senior venue artist, here to tell you a little bit about the venue art that went into the latest version of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.
The Guitar Hero franchise has such a huge fan base already that you want to make a seamless transition into the next installment of the series. Thankfully, with a group of talented artists and wonderful programmers, we were able to exceed even what we thought was possible. We knew from the start that we wanted to keep with the general style and look of the previous games, but we wanted to add a certain spark to push the concept even further.

Typically, our process starts with a brainstorming session. The environment art team will get together and throw around ideas for venues. Some are good, and some are not so good. Once we have a good list of potential candidates, we'll head off and gather reference for each one of the ideas. After finding reference for each, we will usually meet again to whittle the list down more until we have the final list of venues that we want to have in the game.
Now is when the concept stage will begin. Our concept department will take the ideas and flesh them out into 2D concept paintings of each venue. Once the concept paintings have been approved, the venue moves into what we call the "pop up" stage. We call it that because once done, the venue resembles a large pop-up book.
At this stage, the concept drawings are taken, cut up, and placed into the 3D scene as rough draft of what the final 3D geometry will be like. This helps us to visualize placement and layout of stage props and gear so that the animation department can start to put in cameras, band members can be placed, and lightshows can be started. It also provides a general feel for what the final venue will be like.
Once the "pop up" has been approved and any logistical problems have been worked out, the venue moves into the final art stage. This is the time when all of the 2D pop-up elements are fleshed out and made into fully realized working stage props. Various scripts and animations are used to make them move and give life to the stage. Our concept team works hand in hand with the environment artists. Most objects will be broken down and the concept artists will paint textures for an object while the environment artists build it in 3D.

The goal is to make all of the geometry, textures, and lighting look as much like the approved concept work that was done in the initial planning stages as possible. In the end, we made a game that we are not only happy to have worked on but also love to play, and it takes lots of guys coming together at the same time to pull this off.

By Staff, GameSpot

MX vs. ATV Untamed Hands-On

MX vs. ATV Untamed Hands-On. Recently we brought you an exclusive first look at the next-generation versions of MX vs. ATV Untamed for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game seems to be tracking well for Rainbow Studio's first next-generation MX title, with a raft of new features, tweaks, and in some cases, total rewrites in the form of AI and physics.
Untamed is an incredibly ambitious project, not only transitioning to more powerful console hardware from Microsoft and Sony, but also being developed for two handhelds and two other home consoles--the Wii and PlayStation 2--at the same time. Rather than offer a simple dumbed-down port of the top tier version, the four remaining games have been outsourced to other development teams. In the case of the Wii and PS2 versions, THQ studio Incinerator Studios has been given the nod to create the title. The studio is probably best known for their Cars game based on the Disney movie, and while they've made vehicular-based games before, MX vs. ATV swaps out cute for grunt.
Instead of being the same game as the Xbox 360 or PS3 version with a reworked control system, the Wii and PS2 versions offer a completely different gameplay experience. For a start, the heavy vehicles such as monster trucks and offroad buggies have been stripped out in favour of focusing on the core MX and ATV dynamic. In both versions of the game you'll be limited to 250cc, 550cc MX bikes, and a choice of four ATV quads. Given the generally harder nature of steering trucks, it makes a lot of sense to focus on smaller agile vehicles as you flail your arms. The Wii version uses the A button on the Wiimote to accelerate, and the analogue thumb stick on the nunchuck to steer your rider. After playing the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, the Wii game seems to be much less twitchy and as a result more forgiving when landing tricks. The Z button on the front of the nunchuck is used to engage the trick mode, and once activated simple hand gestures perform tricks like the Superman and Lazyboy.
The mini-game selection has also been changed, swapping out the 360 and PS3's section racing, graffiti, snake, tag, and hockey for more gesture friendly games like hill-climbing, gap jumping events, and our favourite, the downhill ski jump. The ski jump requires you to build up speed, drop onto the ramp, and perform your most insane trick combo in the air. The tough part is landing it, but if you can stick it clean, there's a second hill you can use for another crack at increasing your score.
The PS2 version of Untamed is a bit of an oddity, combining the interface and gameplay of the Wii title with the analogue control system of the Xbox 360 and PS3 games. Graphics are typical for a PS2 title, and the control pad actually makes pulling off the big combos slightly easier. We found we had more fine control than with the Wiimote since stunts only required a button press and the left thumb stick movement.
Both versions feature staples of the MX series, with clutching, power-slides, and pre-loading allowing you to get big air off the edge of jumps. Inside you'll find six series to play: supercross, nationals, opencross, supermoto, freestyle, and rally. Unfortunately there are none of those badass little 50cc minimoto races that seem perfect for the Wii audience. These are limited to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 version.
Both games will include online multiplayer, with the PS2 offering six player online competitive racing, and Wii sneaking two more in per game for a total of 8. Both versions of the game are set to ship this holiday season.

By Dan Chiappini, GameSpot AU

NBA 2K8

Though he'd sometimes dribble the clock away last year, Kidd will get a shot up before time expires in this version.

Big Ben points out how many new game modes there are in NBA 2K8.

NBA 2K8.If you're a sports fan stuck with a PlayStation 2 as your only option, you're probably used to reading the phrase "it's the same as last year" with regard to this year's crop of sports games. If not, this should help--NBA 2K8 on the PlayStation 2 is basically the same as it was last year. It's a decent game, but none of the new features from the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions made it to the PS2 edition, which is extremely disappointing.

There's no shortage of ways to stay busy in 2K8--there's just a shortage of new ways to stay busy. The series has had a street-ball component for a number of years, and it's back again. You can participate in full- or half-court games, one-on-one, and even 21 using real NBA players. The slam-dunk contest from the current generation is MIA. The street-ball mode is OK, but if you're looking for street ball there are much better games out there. In addition to that, you can create your own playoff scenarios. This option isn't all that useful or interesting, but it's worth mentioning because it's one of the only new features. Once again, the NBA 2K series sets the standard for online play. There's something for everyone to enjoy here. Hardcore fans can participate in an entire season, complete with online draft. You can create tournaments, as well as play ranked and unranked matches. We had some problems with drops and disconnects, but when we did get to play, the game ran smoothly.
The association is the bread and butter of the series. It's still the deepest basketball sim out there on the PS2, but not a whole lot has changed, and it's starting to feel a bit stale. The menus have been redone, but they are still a chore to navigate. A lot of the tasks aren't much fun either, such as scheduling practices and scouting future draft picks. All of these options may make it seem as if going through a season of the association is a lot of work, but the effect the options have on your team is minimal. It's possible to never schedule any practices and scout very little, and yet still do just fine. But you get what you put into the mode. If you really immerse yourself in the life of an NBA GM and coach, there's a lot to enjoy here. The new hoopcast simulator lets you monitor a game as it's simulated. You can watch text play-by-play, view team and player stats, check out a shot chart, and most importantly adjust team settings on the fly. Should you decide to worry only about the rigors of a single season, you can do that in the aptly named season mode.
Save for a few tweaks to the artificial intelligence and some new dunks, 2K8 performs just like its predecessor on the court. The games are generally up-tempo, and there's usually plenty of scoring. AI opponents are better about getting shots up before time expires, which will be a relief to anyone who watched it dribble out the clock instead of attempting a game-winning shot in 2K7. However, players still walk out of bounds and toss up shots from behind the backboard on occasion. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game have a significant problem with missed layups. It's an issue here, but to a lesser extent because characters are much more inclined to dunking the ball, even in situations where they probably couldn't dunk the ball in real life. Is it unrealistic? Yes. Is it better than missing an absurd amount of layups? Yes. Although it's good the PS2 version didn't inherit that "feature" from the current generation, it would have been nice if it had received at least something worthwhile. Neither the new dribble controls nor the defensive-lockdown feature made it over.

NBA 2K8 looks so similar to NBA 2K7 that you have to wonder if even the developer could tell the difference between screenshots from the two games. There are some new animations, and the signature-style moves look nice, but they're nowhere near as extensive as on the Xbox 360 and PS3. The frame rate is steady, which is impressive considering just how much is happening at once onscreen. Player models are still pretty good. They're all super-shiny during replays, but you can tell who most players are with little problem. The announcers do a nice job of calling the action, and they mix in a fair amount of game analysis as well. They do occasionally miss some big plays, and there are a few situations where you'll repeatedly hear the same call, but they're generally good.
If you own last year's game, and you're cool with dropping 30 dollars for what amounts to little more than a patch and some new rosters, you'll be reasonably satisfied with NBA 2K8. Just don't buy the game expecting any of the new features from the Xbox 360 and PS3--they aren't here.

By Aaron Thomas, GameSpot