Looks like we have more Sim goodness heading our way, and the latest title to come would be SimCity Societies from Electronic Arts. This game is a welcome departure from the familiar but fun game model that is found in each SimCity game, giving players the unprecedented freedom to build whatever kind of city they fancy. Previous iterations generally led the player toward building a more modern and metropolitan city as the game progresses, but SimCity Societies throws that notion out of the window, enabling players to live in all sorts of cities such as “industrial” and “fun” types.
Fans of fashion are often a passionate lot as evident by the way they express themselves quite unlike ordinary folk who prefer to be more reserved in their mannerisms. With a slew of casual games that are already available and heading toward the Nintendo DS, it is no surprise to see Fashion Designer: Style Icon hit the news. After all, you already have games that train your brain with Brain Age and Big Brain Academy, while Cooking Mama ensures you cook perfect steaks every time without fail after much practice. Fashion Designer: Style Icon is pretty self explanatory, putting you in the shows of a fashion designer.
XCom is one turn-based game on the computer that is thoroughly engaging right from the very beginning, and it spawned a whole legion of gamers who loved the turn-based genre. Unfortunately, the game did not make it a few iterations later down the DirectX line despite having a solid storyline and plenty of room for more challenges. Thankfully, we have XCom fans who have taken their programming expertise and translated it into a clone for the humble Nintendo DS. While it is not the original game in any sense (since the programmer did not use the original source code), the programmer has included most of the original game data.
Matt Casamassina from IGN stirred the hornet’s nest quite a whole back when he mentioned that he actually had some hands-on experience with Halo on the DS. Of course, what he claimed was strictly debunked as a rumor, pushing Halo DS to the hallowed halls of vaporware. Casamassina isn’t one to sit back and let others do his talking for him though, as he brought this issue up again at IGN’s recent Wii-k in Review podcast, and I quote, “It’s a real game… we’re going to lay down some ownage next week or soon afterward by showing you guys that it is a real game.”
Remember Myst when the game was first released in the last decade? It had everyone drooling, and was one of the “must have” titles if you owned a CD-ROM on your PC. Who could forget the (then) gorgeous graphics, never mind the gameplay? For those who were too young to experience Myst, you can now have a look at what all the hoo haa was about back then as this game will be making its way to the Nintendo DS. It won’t be a bit-for-bit port though, as the game will come with new sounds, special effects, and video clips thrown in for good measure, in addition to a new Rime Age to explore. Hold on to your seats as the DS version of Myst will be released this November. Read on below for excerpts from the press release.
The highly anticipated PC version of the Black Box bundle of Half Life 2: Episode 2 which includes both Portal and Team Fortress 2 as well has been nixed. This bad news means gamers will only have the Orange Box version to choose from, where it contains the original Half Life 2 as well as Half Life 2: Episode 1 in addition to Episode 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2. For those who have no inkling of what the Half Life sequel ensues, now would be a good time to pick up the Orange Box when it is released. For those who already have Half Life 2 and Episode 1, the inclusion means you have a couple of Christmas presents to give away later this year to the less fortunate.
Location based gaming - now that is definitely a novel idea instead of reliving the same old formulas found across the numerous genres today. Boktai on the GBA with it’s sun-loving chemistry definitely introduced something new to mainstream gaming, but Plundr: Dangerous Shores is a homebrew NDS game that enables you to transform the city around you into a totally different environment, where you then interact and explore it. Playing the protagonist’s role as the captain of a pirate ship, you set sail to pillage and swashbuckle your way to being the lord of all pirates.
