Game Previews

Square Enix is one of the more celebrated game companies in the world, and it is safe to assume that virtually all gamers have had a taste of their products to date, especially the Final Fantasy series that boasts not only longevity but movie-like material to enthrall and enhance the gamer. Perhaps there is a silver lining in the economic downturn at the moment - you will save much more money in the coming year by staying at home and playing with these Q1 2009 titles that will be discussed in greater detail right after the jump.

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Stardock has a brand new PC game in the works for the mana-loving masses, with Elemental: War of Magic being the title of choice. For those who have tried out games such as Galactic Civilizations and Ironclad’s Sins of a Solar Empire, those very same people will probably find Elemental: War of Magic to be appealing in its own right. Unfortunately, shipping of this game will commence sometime in the first quarter of 2010, which is more than a year away. Fret not - a public beta will start from next spring onwards, giving you plenty of time to go through the game and have a taste of it for yourself.

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The Mummy is one sleeper hit that was released many summers ago, and the movie has apparently done so well to even have a spin-off story in The Scorpion King. This summer, we will have the third installment - The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, and what’s the point of a surefire summer blockbuster without a corresponding video game to back it up? Taking on the same namesake, this title will be developed by Eurocom Studios and will be made available for the Nintendo Wii and PS2, while A2M will handle the Nintendo DS version. For all the graphical power of the PS3 and Xbox 360, I guess this game won’t be making an appearance on either platform since most movie franchises on the video game platform are turkeys, and the development costs on both of the mentioned consoles won’t be able to be justified.

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WiiWare’s launch on the Nintendo Wii (where else) is but a few weeks away, and that news is not lost on Incredible Technologies. Being the country’s largest developer of coin-operated video games, it is also jumping onto the home console phenomenon by finishing up Target Toss Pro: BAGS which will make an appearance on the Wii through WiiWare, and this is also the company’s first WiiWare title. What does BAGS require the gamer to do? The answer is pretty simple - players are required to toss beanbags into a hole in a raised “box” in order to accumulate points. Talk about being simple and yet extremely competitive, since campus quads, tailgate parties, and summer barbecues, often resonate with the unmistakable “thud” of bags landing, making it a universal party soundtrack.

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Drawn to Life on the Nintendo DS was released last year, and that title was extremely refreshing as it brought together a whole new way of playing games, enabling players to use the DS’ stylus and touch screen to draw a whole bunch of items in the game itself, including the main character for that added touch of personality. That was a successful game to say the least, and THQ has decided to expand on the idea by releasing another Drawn to Life title, and it won’t be the DS that will benefit from such a title this time round but another Nintendo’s best seller instead - the Wii. As for the DS, gamers on that lovable portable platform need not feel left out as THQ has plans for a Drawn to Life: SpongeBob Square Pants version.

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Majesco Entertainment Company has just announced that it will be releasing Wild Earth: African Safari for the Nintendo Wii console. Developed by Super X Studios, Wild Earth: African Safari will place the player in a spectacular safari adventure set in Africa’s Serengeti National Park, enabling them to snap award-winning photos of the continent’s exotic wild life. According to Gui Karyo, Executive Vice President of Operations, Majesco, “Wild Earth: African Safari encompasses several great passions – photography, travel and the outdoors – and combines them into a fun and informative interactive experience. With exclusive new features found only in the Wii version, Wild Earth: African Safari lets people experience one of nature’s most complex and diverse habitats, without needing their passport or inoculations.”

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As everyone knows by now, Devil May Cry 4 is no longer a PS3 exclusive due to the initial slow system sales that have caused concern to Capcom, the developer for the said title. Hence, DMC 4 (as it is known in short) will be made available on both the Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles, and Capcom has announced that a playable demo will be made available as a free download sometime in early 2008 on the PlayStation Store and Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Bear in mind that DMC 4 has been rated M for Mature by the ESRB, so parents might want to take extra caution on what their kids are downloading these days.

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Currently, the PS3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii might have a whole ton of different games but on the fighting genre, all these platforms are sorely lacking. The first two consoles concentrate more on first person shooters and action games, while the Wii is all about safe, family fun with its usual array of franchises. Capcom aims to reverse this trend by officially announcing the development of Street Fighter IV - the fourth instalment in its highly successful fighting franchise. This would also mean after a long lull of eight (!) years, we finally can grease our palms to duke it out with Ryu and Ken once again.

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To date, I haven’t run into anyone I know that do not like Advance Wars. First released on the GBA platform, this seminal strategy game won rave reviews from all over, thanks to a really tight storyline, memorable characters, fantastic and deep gameplay (multiplayer was extremely engaging, despite being limited by the GBA’s link cable), and above average visuals and sound. The DS platform has seen a new Advance Wars title when the former was released, namely Advance Wars: Dual Strike. There will be a new Advance Wars title for the DS that’s coming soon, and that is Advance Wars: Days of Ruin.

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There is no need to underline the importance of Halo 3 in the world of video games, and the whole world (or at least North America and pockets of gamers across the rest of the globe anyway) is waiting with bated breath for Halo 3 to be released. Rest assured, the online gaming community on Xbox Live will probably migrate to Halo 3 in droves, leaving other triple A titles like Gears of War and even Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six series behind as they take on the role of Master Chief once again. What better way to further build on Halo 3 hype than having Microsoft unveil the festivities planned in the week ahead?

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