Aramation Games

 Reality TV and game shows are guilty pleasures that entertain us because we get to laugh at other people. There aren’t any game show/reality TV show that translates well to any kind of interactive gaming, and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? continues the trend of incredibly mediocrity.

The premise of the TV show is simple enough: a contestant has to answer 10 questions correct in order to win $1,000,000. Topics range from Grade 1 to Grade 5 curriculums such as math, US History, Geography and Music. In order to help the contestant, 5 bright young kids are available and you can depend on them by using cheats: you can peek at what the child wrote, or just copy the answer.

The game remains faithful to the premise of the show, but other aspects are severely lacking. I do realize it is a casual game but the graphics are one of the worst on PC gaming this year. For some obscure reason, the developper opted for 3D graphics featuring incredibly blocky characters and background that look outdated by at least a decade. In addition, game loads slow and there are noticeable pauses during the gameplay. Voices and sounds are adequate although you’ll miss the TV version of the show during your first round of the game.

In the end, this is a TV game show turned videogame without any payoff. Suddenly everything is so boring when it is you who don’t know the answer to the questions and don’t have anybody to laugh at…

Rating: 20%

For the first time ever, Xbox Live Arcade is having a 50% off sale on selected games. If you’ve always wanted Dig Dug, Gauntlet, Small Arms or Zuma Deluxe but were put off by their price, this weekend is the perfect time to snatch them. Only between 12:00 a.m. GMT on Sunday September 2nd until 11:59 p.m. GMT on Monday September 3rd.

Metroid Prime 3 - Corruption (Wii)
Metroid Prime 3 - Corruption finally comes to Nintendo’s Wii. With intuitive control that’s made for the Wii and improved graphics, all fans and newcomers should definitely check this game out. If early buzz is correct, than this game should set the benchmark for all future first-person shooters on Wii.

Stranglehold (X360)
John Woo, arguably one of the most talented director of action and martial arts, presents Stranglehold, a sequel to his movie Hardbroiled. Starring actor Chow Yun-Fat, the game promises many cinematic action and gunfight sequences coupled with engrossing storyline and gorgeous visuals.

Blue Dragon (X360)
Developers of Chrono Trigger releases its Xbox 360 only RPG Blue Dragon. Early reviews aren’t so great but the game still remains one of the best RPGs available on Microsoft’s console.

Warhawk (PS3)
The game that’s supposed to showcase Sony’s digital delivery, PSN multiplayer and SIXAXIS controller is finally being released. This shooter featuring aerial and ground combat is multiplayer-only.

Other releases:

• Brunswick Pro Bowling (Wii, PS2, PSP) 
• Carnival Games (Wii)
• Dynasty Warriors: Gundam (X360, PS3) 
• Guild Wars: Eye of the North (PC) 
• Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms (PC) 
• Monster Hunter Freedom 2 (PSP)
• Moto GP 07 (X360)
• Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes (PSP)
• Stuntman: Ignition (X360, PS2) 
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 (X360, Wii, PS3, PS2, DS, PSP)
• Wild ARMs 5 (PS2)

After being slapped on with AO rating which virtually guaranteed its commercial failure, Manhunt 2 is now M-rated and will ship on October 31 (probably to coincide with Halloween). The game will be released on PS2 and PSP as well but we all know the Wii version is to get with motion sensitive controls.

It’s not clear as to what needed to be changed in order to get the M-rating but it’s safe to presume all this talk about AO-rating, ultra-violence in games and realistic killing controls will boost its sales.

[official press release after the jump]

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Must buy: Bioshock (X360, PC)
If you are remotely interested in first-person shooter, adventure or survival/horror games, this is a must buy. It’s already received many perfect score reviews (Eurogamer, 1up, Gamespy…) and it is being hailed as the greatest FPS game ever. Next to Bioshock, other releases this week seem so boring.

Other releases:

• Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day (DS) 
• Brunswick Pro Bowling (Wii, PS2, PSP)
• Combat Mission: Shock Force (PC)
• Dragoneer’s Aria (PSP)
• Jeanne D’Arc (PSP)
• The Settlers (DS)
• Tom Clancy’s GRAW 2 (PS3)
• Two Worlds (X360, PC)

As average console game prices keep climbing up, PC games are going down in prices (mainly due to intense competition and rampant piracy). Codemasters has just announced that Archlord, a MMORPG by NHN Games Corporation, will become completely free: free to download and play with no monthly fees.

We’ll see how long the game can last without steady revenue stream, but for those of you who want to try a new MMORPG with minimal investment, your chance is finally here.

[Download Archlord for free]

Cannot avoid: Madden NFL 08
You can count on EA to keep releasing its annually updated Madden NFL. Now 3rd Madden game on the next-gen console, Xbox 360 owners can own this most complete and most technologically superior version yet. It even features better-looking textures and smoother gameplay on Xbox 360 compared to PS3.

What the…: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 (PS2)
Latest RPG to grace PS2 is Persona 3, which is set in a high-school and you’ll have to keep committing suicides in order to free the inner-self. 

Other releases:

• 1914 Shells of Fury (PC)
• 7 Wonders of the Ancient World 2 (PC)
• ATV: Monster Truck Mayhem (DS) 
• Billy the Wizard: Rocket Broomstick Racing (Wii) 
• Dungeons & Dragons Tactics (PSP)
• Fatal Fury: Battle Archives Volume 1 (PS2) 
• Heroes of Mana (DS)
• High School Musical: Makin’ the Cut (DS)
• Luminous Arc (DS) 
• MetropolisMania (PS2)
• Operation: Vietnam (DS)
• Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon (DS)

 It looks like Xbox 360 news keeps pouring out of Redmond… from US, Canadian and Mexican price cuts to Halo branded Xbox 360, now Microsoft has confirmed that all new Xbox 360 Premium models will feature HDMI output just like its big brother Elite. Elite still remains a good deal since it features 100 more GBs of storage as well as bundled HDMI cable. It seems like the Core model won’t be getting HDMI ports (for now) which doesn’t bode well for its continued success.

Next upgrade for Xbox 360? I say build in wi-fi!

Updating console firmware is the new fun game all manufacturers play, and Nintendo just released its 3rd update to its beloved Wii. If you managed to purchase a Wii console, don’t forget to update as it provides performance upgrades as well as interface tweaks.

Channels:
- Digital Clock added to the Wii Menu right under the channel bar
- Forecast Channel now displays the current condition directly in the Wii Menu in the Forecast Channel box
- News Channel can now show 2 scrolling headlines at a time in the Wii Menu, 3 when you click on the button
- Message Board now has the “Today’s Accomplishments” message as a white message which allows it to stand out from other messages
- Address Book entries can now be shifted around using A+B but only to empty spaces.
- Calendar in Message Board no longer shows “Today’s Accomplishment”
- Scrolling messages in the Message Board now uses a different sound

Wii Shop Channel
- New Welcome screen detailing 4 Recommended Titles and the points they cost. The title bar can be clicked on to bring up a list of 20 recommended games.
- Titles You’ve Downloaded was moved to the main shop menu
- New ways to browse
- Popular Titles
- Newest Additions remains the same
- Search for a title which can use partial names
- Search by Category
- Search by Publisher
- Search by Genre
- System shows the different systems and how many titles have been released under each

Settings
- Warning added pre-system update detailing that technically modified consoles may cease to function upon being updated. Also the only way to not accept an update is to power down the console by holding the button for 4 seconds.

Most intriguing: Boogie (Wii)
EA’s entry into rhythm game on the Nintendo Wii is Boogie, a title featuring motion controls as well as karaoke. Featuring popular pop music, player must use the controller to make the on-screen character dance. This video will probably explain the control better than words…

Other releases:

• Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars (PSP) 
• Mega Man Star Force: Dragon (DS)
• Mega Man Star Force: Leo (DS)
• Mega Man Star Force: Pegasus (DS)
• Tomb Raider: Anniversary (PSP)