First hands-on with the long awaited return of Nod Vs. GDI.
Gaming's greatest bald villain is back: "I want you to have the honour of starting the third tiberium war... the war to end all wars," he says to camera, in one of the most high-production FMV cut-scenes (or is that FMV cut-scenes full-stop?) we've seen in years.
Click here to read the full article
Source: Previews: Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 16:58:00 GMT
Filed under: Homebrew
Homebrewers will want to be on the look-out once again. If fake downgraders that bricked your PSP weren't enough, apparently another piece of malicious code has hit the web: a supposed plugin for the PSP will allow your system to play AVI, DivX and Xvid files. The program, created by a programmer named "Sc00p," is in fact, littered with trojans that will attempt to infect your PC. Uncool. While it won't brick the PSP, it may be able to harm your computer.
[Via DCEmu]
Source: DivX & Xvid support too good to be true
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 17:00:00 GMT
The first big game of 2007 is upon us, and after months of hype and anticipation, we can finally play Lost Planet. Was the wait worth it? I would say...
Source: Lost Planet Review (X360)
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 17:13:34 GMT
Can you help this Mom-and-Pop style bakery grow and survive the world of Mega-Marts?
It may not have “Tycoon” in its name, but Cake Mania runs like a Tycoon game. You’re Jill (sorry, guys, no Jack), the owner of a bakery who just graduated from culinary school. Jill’s grandparents’ bakery closed thanks to the new Mega-Mart nearby. The goal is to operate a new bakery and earn enough bucks to re-open Jill’s grandparents’ bakery.
Every level requires meeting a financial goal prior to moving to the next level. You can watch your progress at the bottom of the screen, which indicates how much cash you’ve earned in the level and the goal you need to reach. The game has over 45 levels (months) and four different styles of bakeries. As you earn money in each level, you can use it to buy more equipment and operate faster.
You don’t simply take customer orders. You also give them a menu, bake their cakes to their requirements, serve customer, and collect money. Some customers require faster service than others. When you get a new kind of customer, the game tells you about the customer. One example customer is the college student who doesn’t have a lot of money, but has more patience than most customers.
Every cake must be baked in a certain shape and frosted with a specifically requested color. You may need to add decorations, but it depends on the customer’s request. Cheer up customers who lose patience by turning on the television to a favorite station or giving them a cupcake. Of course, you have to earn enough money to buy the television and cupcake microwave.
Levels are represented by the months of the year. Level one is January. As you go through each level, you’ll see characters reflecting that month’s holiday. Expect heart-shaped cakes and cupid in February, a bearded Easter Bunny in the spring, and Dracula. These folks may appear another time of the year as they take vacations, too. Serve Dracula as soon as possible because he scares customers away. These characters keep the game interesting and non-monotonous, a problem that can afflict these types of games.
The superbly designed interface makes those cakes look yummy. As you progress through the levels, you get more customers and the game gets more frantic. The early levels are easy and great practice in preparing you for the advanced levels.
Cake Mania comes with well-written documentation and guides the player throughout the game as new elements enter. Oh, and Jill must do everything as she can’t afford to hire help. As you get more practice, you’ll find a rhythm that works for you. However, once you reach a level where you start losing lives (not earning enough money for the level), it’s going to be tough to survive the level, as all lives were lost in one level.
The game just misses on one point. Once you get stuck on a level, it seems impossible to get through it with all four lives intact.
Sandlot Games has successfully created an addicting game with enough elements to avoid boring the player. Be prepared to work fast and come up with a routine to make it happen. Thank goodness those cakes can’t be eaten, otherwise we’d be in trouble. There’s a handheld version of the game, but better stay away or else real work won’t get done.
System Requirements
- Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
- Pentium II 400Mhz or better
- 128 MB System RAM (256 MB recommended)
- 3D Hardware Accelerated Video Card with 16 MB Video RAM
- Internet Explorer 5.0+, AOL 5,6 or MSN browsers
- Direct-X 7 or above
- Keyboard and mouse required
- Joystick and game pad are not supported
Cake Mania doesn’t have an official rating, but it qualifies for E (Everyone) by ESRB standards.
Download the free trial. The regular price is $19.95.
Other related PC games and links
- Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst
- Flower Shop: Big City Break
- Diner Dash: Flo on the Go
- Big Fish Games Best Games of 2006
Tags: game, pc game, meryl k. evans, cake mania
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Source: Cake Mania
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 21:54:51 GMT
A portion of a C3 review for our Euro readers…
Gamers expecting a game in the same vein as Secret of Mana or Sword of Mana may come away disappointed by the gameplay change, but if you wander in with an open mind you will find that this transformation of the Mana world is fantastic. Dungeon crawling games can wear thin over time, but Children of Mana exudes enough class to last the whole adventure…
Source: Children of Mana (Euro) review
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:04:47 GMT
A portion of an N-Philes review…
Bunnies can’t milk cows, but they know how to throw together a fun game! Michel Ancel and his team have created a tight-knit universe to host some of the wackiest and most unpredictable minigames since Wario Ware. Of the 70 games available, only one or two are disappointments. All of them feel built from the ground up for the Wii’s controls. The story mode may be a lacking, but the challenge modes will keep you coming back, whether alone or with a group. Rayman Raving Rabbids might not be a platformer like the series is known for, but it’s easily one of the best Wii launch games, and one of the best party game experiences known to man. Raving Rabbids proves that comedy does have a place in videogames, and hopefully laughs in the medium will come more often.
Source: Rayman Raving Rabbids review
Originally published on Tue, 16 Jan 2007 00:37:16 GMT
Came across a French review score for Twilight Princess today. It is a bad Google translation, but you will definitely get the idea of things. I’m sure you’ll be a little taken back with the final score! I don’t want to ruin it for you guys, so click over and have a read.
Source: Well, someone really doesn’t like Twilight Princess!
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:18:29 GMT
Yggdra Union (GBA)
Abstract, but a lot of fun.
Source: Yggdra Union Review
Originally published on Thu, 11 Jan 2007 23:21:00 GMT
This story runs Saturday in the paper. Pay extra attention to the part about tricking the motion-sensor controls. Own a Wii? Have similar examples from other games? Tell us in the Comments section. When Nintendo launched its groundbreaking Wii console...
Source: Wii reviews ("Super Swing Golf'' and "Elebits") and thoughts on cheating the controller
Originally published on Thu, 11 Jan 2007 23:07:44 GMT
Over the Hedge: Hammy Goes Nuts! (GBA)
Don't touch this squirrel's nuts, but feel free to whack his balls.
Source: Over the Hedge: Hammy Goes Nuts Review
Originally published on Thu, 11 Jan 2007 23:03:00 GMT
