Aramation Games

Space Invaders Extreme does a lot of things right and I can even forgive Taito for using “Extreme” in the title (at least they didn’t spell it Xtreme…). To celebrate 30 years of Space Invaders, one of the earliest videogames returns in the most satisfying remake since the original release.

Space Invaders Extreme doesn’t change the core concept: you still move left to right, enemies descend in waves, and your job is to shoot them all down before they either kill you or reach all the way down. What’s new is the whole audio and visual experience. Your actions such as shooting and destroying a space invader will produce synchronized sound effects, perfectly blended with the up-beat techno soundtrack. It is no black static background either, as the field you play on is incredibly colorful and perfectly matches the sound. It is an experience very similar to Lumines, which speaks volumes about how this game is successful.

Gameplay mechanic is tweaked as well by giving you power-ups: kill 4 of the same colored enemies in a row, and you will receive power-up based on the color of the enemy. Green will give you spread gun, red gives you a bomb, and blue allows you to shoot laser beam that you can sweep the field with. Shooting down those pesky alien ships will take you to the bonus stages (basically minigames) where you can try to exponentially increase your score.

At just $20, this is the best Space Invaders since the original. You shouldn’t miss out on this re-imagineering of the classic franchise.

Rating: 85%

Often rumored but never confirmed MMORPG set in the Star Trek universe has finally been unveiled. Dubbed Star Trek Online, the details are scarce at this point, but the screens indicate it will feature both land and space, hopefully allowing users to pilot their own spaceships.

Soul Caliber IV (X360, PS3)
Take control of Yoda and Darth Vader in the latest entry in the long-running fighting franchise.

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 (X360)
Geometry Wars returns to Xbox 360 with 6 new gameplay modes, new enemies and even multiplayer so you can destroy shapes with a local friend.

Other releases:

• Legend: Hand of God (PC)
• Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI (PC)
• Spectral Force 3 (X360)
• Summer Athletics (Wii, X360)

No new major releases this week.

• 1942: Joint Strike (PS3, X360)
• Baseball Mogul 2009 (PC)
• City Life 2008 Edition (PC)
• Final Fantasy IV (DS)
• Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns (DS)
• Order Up! (Wii)
• The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (DS)
• Ubersoldier 2: The End of Hitler (PC)

Nintendo’s sequel to the popular Wii Sports is Wii Sports Resort. To be bundled with the newly announced MotionPlus accessory, so far only 3 games have been revealed: Disc Dog (a very adorable dog catches the discs you throw), Power Cruising (basically Wave Ride), and Sword Play (a lightsaber simulator).

Xbox 360’s dashboard is finally getting its rumored upgrade. When Microsoft skipped the Spring update, many thought it was to devote more resources to the complete refresh. Newly released screens show the interface to be incredibly clean, minimalistic and visually pleasing. Also there are some screenshots that feature Avatars as well as the recently announced integration with Netflix. More shots to come before the upgraded dashboard is pushed out this Fall.

The next accessory for the Nintendo Wii is Motion Plus, an Wiimote attachment that tracks your motions in 3D space better. Full press release for now, more details probably tomorrow during Nintendo’s E3 conference:

Nintendo’s upcoming Wii™ MotionPlus accessory for the revolutionary Wii Remote™ controller again redefines game control, by more quickly and accurately reflecting motions in a 3-D space. The Wii MotionPlus accessory attaches to the end of the Wii Remote and, combined with the accelerometer and the sensor bar, allows for more comprehensive tracking of a player’s arm position and orientation, providing players with an unmatched level of precision and immersion. Every slight movement players make with their wrist or arm is rendered identically in real time on the screen, providing a true 1:1 response in their game play. The Wii MotionPlus accessory reconfirms Nintendo’s commitment to making games intuitive and accessible for everyone. Nintendo will reveal more details about the Wii MotionPlus accessory and other topics Tuesday morning at its E3 media briefing.

No major releases this week. Be ready for E3 and game unveiling for the Holiday season.

• 1701 A.D. Gold Edition (PC)
• City Life 2008 Edition (PC)
• Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity (PSP)
• Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm (PC)
• The Golden Horde (PC)
• Hunting Unlimited 2009 (PC)
• Mister Slime (DS)
• Nancy Drew: The Mystery of the Clue Bender Society (DS)
• NCAA Football 09 (X360, PS3, Wii, PSP)
• Puchi Puchi Virus (DS)
• Space Chimps (X360, Wii, DS)
• We Love Golf! (Wii)
• Yamaha Supercross (PC, Wii, DS)

Real-Time Strategy is well established on the PC market, and few have tried with varying success to crack the console market. Sega is now tapping The Creative Assembly, who gave us the Total War series for a futuristic console-only RTS to be released in 2009.

Full press release after the break:

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Chef Gordon Ramsey’s reality TV show pits 15 aspiring chefs to outcook each other for a chance to be Gordon Ramsey’s new favorite chef. Ubisoft has announced that the game based on the Fox TV show will be released this September for Wii, DS and PC. The game will feature authentic recipes, some of which were exclusively created by chef Ramsey himself for the game. Expect to see less of the swearing if the game aims for a family-friendly rating.