Aramation Games

There is one important reason why you should be mindful of creating an action game with 3D camera for PSP: camera can make or break the game. Unfortunately for Dead Head Fred, all the good things they try to do are undone by unruly camera that’s hard to control.

 You play as Fred, and you wake up one day without your head, victim of a mob hit. It’s up to you to seek revenge on the guys who killed you. You lost your head, which means you have no memory of who you are… but that does give you one of the best game mechanics Dead Head Fred introduces: head swapping. You can literally rip off heads from your enemies and use them as your own. Doing so, you gain bonuses as some heads allow you to spew liquid out of your mouth, give you more strength and even talk to humans.

Head swapping is pretty easy and fun, too bad combat cannot match the game’s head swapping or humor. Combat consists of pummeling enemies before they kill you: many of the heads have their own special attack that can clear out a group of enemies, but you can never use enough of them, and the enemies will just gang up on you and kill you as you are severely underpowered.

Simplistic can be fun in other games but Dead Head Fred’s camera makes sure you become frustrated. Even worse is several sections where platforming (jumping) is mandatory, and sometimes all you can do is do a blind jump and hope you land where you have to go. It is possible to control the camera yourself, but that requires you to stay still, which isn’t possible when you’re getting attacked by a large group of enemies.

In the end, perhaps PSP’s hardware limitation is to blame for Dead Head Fred. Its head swapping mechanics and good productions value are better suited at a console with 2 analog controls.

Rating: 55%

Thrillville: Off the Rails is a theme park simulation game with heavy emphasis on fun instead of management. Rollercoaster Tycoon franchise has made theme park building into a popular (and profitable) game form, and this 2nd Thrillville game further distinguishes from that franchise with a story-mode, varying missions and minigames.

You control a character as you make him move around in your parks and build attractions. Walking around is optional as you can warp to any attraction from the map, but sometimes it is mandatory for finding hidden cash, collecting packages and talking to people. The game allows you to talk to any of your parks’ visitors in order to learn what their needs are, and receive valuable feedbacks on what the park needs to improve.

Building rides is easy as the game removes all road-building: instead you are limited to several areas where you’re allowed to build attractions, coasters and shops. There are just a few ride-types, coasters and shops, but where this game shines is minigames.

Featuring over 20 minigames, Thrillville feels more than just a glorified minigames collection thanks to its campaign and missions. Minigames range from 2D side-scrolling shooters, to stunt motocycle riding, as the diversity is very welcome. None of them are unique and they are inspired by other popular games, but that does not take away from the fun you’ll have.

If you’re looking for a light simulation of theme park building and management, coupled with various, fun minigames, then Thrillville: Off the Rails is a great purchase.

Rating: 75%

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (X360, PS3, Wii, PS2)
Wireless guitars finally come to the ever-popular Guitar Hero franchise. Now helmed by a different developer, it will feature online multiplayer for the first time, as well as boss battles against legendary guitar players.

Manhunt 2 (Wii, PS2, PSP)
This controversial game that was originally rated AO returns in a slightly-modified form with M rating. Brutal gameplay is guaranteed in this sequal.

The Simpsons Game (X360, PS2, DS, Wii, PS3)
Billed as the best Simpsons game ever made, the show’s brand of humour comes through in this action-adventure game. Featuring the Simpsons family and other residents of Springfield, the game allows you to find out what happens when Homer, Bart, Marge and Lisa learn they are in a videogame…

 Other releases:

• Battallion Wars 2 (Wii) 
• Culpa Innata (PC)
• Dementium: The Ward (DS) 
• Disgrea: Afternoon of Darkness (PSP)
• Hellgate: London (PC) 
• Naruto: Rise of a Ninja (X360)
• NBA Live 08 (PC)
• Stranglehold (PS3)
• Tabula Rasa (PC) 
• Timeshift (PC, X360)
• Virtua Fighter 5 (X360)
• The Witcher (PC)

Microsoft finally announced the replacement for Xbox 360 Core, dubbed Xbox 360 Arcade. Improvements from Core include: wireless controller, 256MBs Memory Unit and HDMI port. It also comes with a disk containing 5 Xbox Live Arcade demos… not the most compelling pack-in, but the upgrades come without an increase in price. Xbox 360 Arcade still costs $279.

Does this spell the end of wired controller as we know it? Will it boost Xbox 360 sales in the upcoming holiday?

The Eye of Judgment (PS3)
Card game goes high-tech as your battles become animated on the TV screen thanks to The Eye. At just $69.99, including the game, the camera, and some cards to get you started, this is a bargain and may be worth just for the camera.

 Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3)
First of the great exclusives that Sony has promised, the new Ratchet & Clank game promises award-winning gameplay with incredible visuals.

Other releases:

• Ace Combat 6: Fires of Revolution (X360) 
• Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties (PC)
• Battlestar Galactica (X360, PC)
• Clive Barker’s Jericho (X360, PS3) 
• Conan (X360, PS3)
• Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution (Wii) 
• Painkiller: Overdose (PC)

For the first time since the launch of Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360 comes on top of every other consoles. It’s probably thanks to Halo 3, but Wii managed a respectable number. PS3 is perenially in the third place: we’ll see if the new SKUs and cheaper model will help its fortunes.

Hardware

1. Microsoft Xbox 360: 527k
2. Nintendo Wii: 501k
3. Nintendo DS: 495k
4. PSP: 284k
5. PS2: 215k
6. PS3: 119k
7. GBA: 75k

Software-wise, the biggest surprise isn’t that Halo 3 sold more copies than any other game in the month, but the fact that it sold 3.3 million copies is staggering. That is more than twice the number of the other 9 titles in the list combined!

Software

1. Halo 3 (X360): 3.3 million
2. Wii Play (Wii): 282k
3. The Legend of Zelda - Twilight Princess (Wii): 224k
4. Madden NFL 08 (PS2): 205k
5. Skate (X360): 175k
6. Madden NFL 08 (X360): 173k
7. Metroid Prime 3 - Corruption (Wii): 167k
8. BioShock (X360): 150k
9. Brain Age 2 (DS): 141k
10. Heavenly Sword (PS3): 139k

If all those leaks didn’t convince you, the official press release from Sony should. 40GBs PS3 (bundled with Spider-Man 3, minus backward compatibility with PS2 games) is launching on November 2nd at the expected price of $399. In addition, Sony just announced a price-cut to the 80GBs version and it will retail for $499, $100 cheaper than the original price.

When Sony first announced PS3, they were mocking Microsoft for having multiple SKUs… but look at Sony now with 2 past versions (20GBs, 60GBs) and 2 current versions (40GBs, 80GBs), limited or even non-existent backward compatibility to PS2 games. It must sting to drink its own medicine…

Releases:

• Avatar: The Last Airbender (X360, PS2, Wii) 
• Beautiful Katamari (X360) 
• Crash of the Titans (PSP) 
• Dawn of Magic (PC)
• Fury (PC) 
• Guilty Gear XX: Accent Core (Wii)
• Heroes of Might and Magic V: Tribes of the East (PC)
• Sega Rally Revo (PC)
• Spider-Man 3 (PSP)
• SWAT: Target Liberty (PSP)
• Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground (X360, PS2, PS3, Wii)
• Victorious Boxers: Revolution (Wii)

 Sports games are plenty on game consoles and the proliferation of tennis games keeps surprising me. Virtua Tennis 3 for PSP is one of the best examples of what’s wrong with tennis games. The basic gameplay (hit the ball, put it in the other court) is too simplistic to support a full-fledged game, and yet adding many extras to the core mechanics doesn’t do much to salvage it.

Virtua Tennis 3 allows you to create your own virtual avatar and climb the worldwide ranking in order to become #1 tennis player in the world. To do so you have to practice to increase your skills, and compete in tournaments. What shines in this package is the collection of minigames that increase your skills. It runs the gamut from bingo, curling to balloon popping which is a wildly inventive way to remove the mundane.

The game controls perfectly using either the analog nub or d-pad, and the graphics are crisp. In short bursts, this is the finest example of tennis playing on your PSP… just don’t expect the fun to last too long.

Rating: 50%

One of the most anticipated Wii titles Smash Brothers Brawl has been officially delayed until February 2008. Featuring beloved Nintendo characters mixed with newcomers such as Snake and Sonic, it promises fun multiplayer battles for all. At least we have a new Mario game to tide over during the holidays…