Gamers USA GOTY Awards are on their way!

We are currently diliberating our first annual GOTY (Game of the Year) awards.  Stay Tuned as they will be posted sometime within the next few days.

-Gamers USA staff

Review: Little Big Planet (PS3)

Little Big Planet has to be one of the most creative games ever made.  Who would've thought that little childish looking "sackboys" and "sackgirls" could be so much fun?  In this game, you start out as a plain little brown sackboy.  As you traverse little big planet, you find lots of items that help you not only customize your sackboy, but also your little box that you start in and levels for you to create.  The game is a traditional platformer at heart.  You run around and jump over gaps in the ground, yadda-yadda-yadda.  But other than that, there are tons of puzzles and races for you to do as well.  The game play is simple and fun and when you add players it only gets better.  I have to say though, if you play with 4 people, make sure you all have a cohesive attitude and can move together because if not, it can turn into a real mess.  The camera isn't too forgiving for those who get ahead or fall behind.  While the initial loading of a level is slowed down a bit by having more players, the frame rate is spot on.
Everything in Little Big Planet is customizable.  Let's start with your sack boy.  Everything on your sackboy is customizable throughout the game.  You get new clothes, hair, facial hair, eyes, ears, noses, tails, colors (skins if you will), teeth, and even your sackboy's gender can be altered!  There are tons of costumes in the game that you can mix and match together and Sony has already released some free DLC on the PSN for two more costumes (one is an astronaut and one is a jack-o-lantern.  If that isn't enough, even your sackboy's emotions are customizable.  If you press a certain direction on the d-pad, it changes your sackboy's mood.  Left is scared, down is sad, up is happy and right is angry.  There are three "degrees" to each emotion and there is also the default emotion.  Want more, oh, there's more!  If you press L2 or R2, the sackboy's respective arms will move where ever you point the thumb sticks.  This is useless for the most parts as far as getting through the game is concerned but it's a lot of fun, especially when you aren't playing by yourself.  If you are playing with another person, when you are close to them and you flick the thumb stick hard enough your sackboy will smack the other sackboy.  You emotions also play a part in the are movement as there are different gestures that follow each emotion.  Default is pointing with the index finger, happy is peace signs, sad is thumbs down, angry makes a fist, and scared has open palms.  There is one last thing that you can do with your sack boy and that is make him move.  I don't mean left and right on the screen, I mean part of his body.  If you turn your controller in certain directions, your p.o.s. er, i mean, uh, sixaxis will move either your sackboy's head or pelvis in that direction.  If you press down on the left thumb stick, it will change which is being moved.
So, other than making your sackboy unique and playing platforming levels, what can you do?  Well you can make your own levels!  I must admit, when you first start doing this you will get frustrated.  There is a large number of tutorials that you are forced to go through before making specific things in your level.  My suggestion is to keep clicking the "next tutorial" button until you go through them all before you start.  Once you've done all of this, you can make tons of levels any way you want them.  The further you progress through the story levels in the game, the more objects and materials you will have to play with in your levels.  To the game's credit, you get a massive chunk of land to put your level on and the possibilities are literally endless.  There is a level that I played online that was made out exactly as the first dungeon from the Legend of Zelda (the 1st one on NES).  It was remarkable and I wish I knew how he built it, because you played as link, not as sackboy.  Well, if you want to know more just ask because this isn't a review of that kid's level.  Anyway, when you finish your level you can save it to your console and you can post it online for others to play if you like.  A note to anyone who posts their own level: Please play through it first and make sure that the obstacles you've made are physically possible and that there aren't any places to get stuck.  
Now, when you play online there are two things you have to deal with.  1) Whoever you're playing with and 2) the PSN and its tendency to sign you out for no reason at all.  Other than that, lag is at a minimum until you have 4 players from 4 different consoles.  Then it can get a little jumpy but nothing to write home about.  Online levels... You need to keep in mind that your average person is not very creative.  Most of the levels you will find aren't very good, but there are good ones out there (like the zelda one I mentioned before).  You can leave feedback on people's levels as well so when they suck, don't just say YOU SUCK!  Tell them what they could do to make the level better because otherwise they'll just ignore you.

Anyways, in the end, this is a MUST HAVE title for the Playstation 3.  It may look stupid and childish but it's really a lot of fun.   Endless hours of fun await in this game and when you get bored with it, make your own levels or play other people levels.  Then when that gets boring, bring other people over to play with you and I guarantee you the fun will be back.  Oh, and this game does have trophies as well (48 to be exact).  I give this game a 9 out of 10 for its awesomeness.

9/10

-CA

Preview: Mirror's Edge (PS3, Xbox 360)

Out this week for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 is another all new IP from EA called Mirror's Edge.  Mirror's Edge is made by EA's DICE studio, which last made a great impression with Battlefield: Bad Company, so I have high hopes for this game.   The game takes place in the future where information has become possibly the most valuable commodity.  Communication in this world is heavily monitored by some sort of totalitarian regime so the only way to get information for one person to another without it being compromised is by what they call "runners".  Runners carry this information and bring it to the people who require it by travelling on foot.  This might not sound very exciting until you see that most of the time, you are travelling by rooftops.  In the game, you play as a runner named Faith (see pic below).  The game's most unique selling point would be the gameplay itself.  The camera is at first person, but it definitely wouldn't be labeled a first person shooter.  This is a first person action adventure.  

A demo version of the game has already been released on both the Playstation Network and Xbox Live.  If you haven't tried it out yet, I highly recommend it.  The demo starts out with you as Faith, recovering from an accident that you had the last time you had a mission.  This is the demo's excuse for teaching you the unique controls scheme.  My biggest surprise is how well the controls actually work.  After an obstacle course or sorts, you head out with a fellow runner and do a sort mission and then the demo ends.  Enemy interactions are quite unique in this game as the most important aspect isn't killing them (though if you acquire a gun you can), but is disarming them.

In the end, I am personally anxious to see the final product of this game.  It is unique and can turn out to be great, but through the demo you can see many areas where the game could POSSIBLY fail.  Let's hope DICE thought all of those areas through and EA can get two great new IPs out in one year (this and Dead Space).  Here is the official trailer.

-CA

First Impressions: Gears of War 2 Single Player Campaign (Xbox 360)

I managed to pick up my Gears of War 2 Limited Edition earlier today and cram some gametime in and needless to say, I was impressed.  For those wondering, the limited edition comes with an art book, special packaging, a free DLC code for a gold plated lancer assult rifle for multiplayer, and a free DLC code for a Gears of War 2 theme that has been optimized for the NXE.  Both versions of the game come with a free DLC code for a 5 map map-pack for multiplayer and a 48 hour trial of XBL.  The game appears to be told from more of a narrative vs how the first Gears game was.  I'm playing through on the Hardcore difficulty on my first time through the game and I am impressed with a number of things.  First and foremost would be the enemy AI.  Sometimes you feel like you're playing online against actual people because the locusts really work as a team.  They hide in seperate areas and when you go after one, the other attacks and vice versa.  They also heal each other when they are almost dead just like you can do in co-op.  I have only come accross one new gun so far, that being the Hammerburst assult rifle.  It's a powerful assult rifle that shoots as fast as you can click the trigger.  It has a bit of recoil but is definitely a fun gun.  The graphics are beautiful (as expected) and the sound is as well (same as GoW1).  I have yet to play in Co-op or online so there isn't really anything I can say about it at this time but I wanted to post this for the people who were wondering if this is as good as the first.  The answer is, no.  It is much better than the first.  I'd say it's a must-have for Xbox 360 owners.

-CA

Review: AC/DC Rock Band Track Pack (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii)

Let me start by say this isn't going to be a normal review because this is not a normal game and thus, will not get a rating.  This is a stand alone track pack (you don't need either Rock Band game to play it) with 18 AC/DC songs (all live).  This game is full of disappointment, BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN YOU SHOULDN'T GET IT!  (please read whole review before any decision making)  The first disappointment is the price.  $40 ($30 for PS2) for 18 songs?  Give me a break!  Secondly, the game is made on a bare bones version of Rock Band 1.  Everything is exactly the same as Rock Band 1 except there's only 18 songs, they're all AC/DC, the lag calibrating sucks compared to Rock Band 1's, there's only 1 venue to play at, and you can't make customized characters.  Other than these, it is exactly the same: hit or miss hammer ons (they fixed em in Rock Band 2, so why this has them still I'll never know), same menus, even the same loading pages!  

Ok, now to the positive things!  AC/DC rocks!  All of the songs are fun and the fact that they are from live shows gives the game a great environmental feel as far as sound goes.  The game actually has achievements (12) and I'm not sure if the PS3 version has trophies or not.  The game is challenging regardless as to which instument you choose; though the guitar and drums have some pretty intense solos that the bass and vocals can't compare to.  Despite all of the disappointing things about this, I would still recommend it; though not to everyone.  If you love AC/DC, buy it now.  If you just like rock band and aren't too crazy about AC/DC, wait until it goes on sale.  The game's most redeeming factor is that the songs are exportable onto your hard drive to be played on either Rock Band 1 or 2! **It is not an in game option.  There is a code on the back of the instruction book that you have to enter through XBL or PSN.  So don't think you can be slick and just rent the game and copy it onto your hard drive because the code only works once.**  And if you have Rock Band 2, this will rid the pack of all of the disappointing features!  The song list is as follows:

"Thunderstruck"
"Shoot to Thrill"
"Back in Black"
"Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be"
"Heatseeker"
"Fire Your Guns"
"Jailbreak"
"The Jack"
"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"
"Moneytalks"
"Hells Bells"
"High Voltage"
"Whole Lotta Rosie"
"You Shook Me All Night Long"
"T.N.T."
"Let There Be Rock”
"Highway To Hell”
"For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”

This game will be available for the Wii on November 16th ($40).  Final Thought: Get it now if you love AC/DC.  Get it when it goes on sale otherwise.  Oh, and this game is ONLY available at Wal-Mart.

-CA

Correction/rebuttal to HD confusion

Just a minor note to add to Josh's little rant... The problem with the Playstation 3 games not being 1080p does not lay with Sony (in fact the only 1080p game you listed was made by Sony) but it lies with the developer.   I don't know what the problem is, whether it is just ridiculously hard to make PS3 games 1080p or whether developers are just too cost conscious to the point where they're almost lazy; but for some reason there are an extremely limited number of games for PS3 that utilize 1080p and most of the are made by Sony.  Xbox 360 games with 1080p capibilities have been on the rise lately.  What's the deal?

-CA

Nintendo, Nintendo, Nintendo......

Oh, Nintendo........where do I start? How bout the fact that apparently only children and old people are buying from you this holiday season. At least that's what it looks like by what awesome games you're not releasing this year. Where's Zelda? Metroid? Mario? That Kid Icarus game you promised? I'm a hardcore gamer, I need the good old Miyamoto magic I know and love! Oh, whats that? Oh, he made WiiMusic? Oh, I guess that's the reason why you made him sign a contract that copyrights everything he thinks about for your own personal use; for ideas like that.

Can't forget about Animal Crossing for Wii! Apparently thats the game coming out this year for people like me. It comes with an awesome WiiSpeak speaker/mic so the whole family can play (for about 10 minutes). Don't get me wrong, Animal crossing is awesome, but Nintendo's attempt at online play is a little disappointing. XBL and PSN are doing it right by using headsets, which promotes privacy......which i like when I'm playing online because there always gonna be some 12 year old kid from upstate New York that has the dirtiest mouth and thinks its cool to talk like that cause his parents are asleep.

And where are we at with availability of Wiis? In the same boat we where two years ago when they launched. You have to know somebody that works at a major retail chain in order to get one, and everywhere seems to have them for about 10 minutes. Its the exact same thing with WiiFit. I dont know if Nintendo is doing this on purpose or what, because supposedly they've increased production to 600,000 per month.

Well. I guess we'll have to wait until next holiday season to see if Nintendo picks up the ball again. Maybe a ball with Zelda, Mario, and Metroid on it.......maybe.

thanks for reading

-JD

PS: Microsoft. Keep it up!

HD Confusion

Ok. I know I'm probably not the first person that's wondered this, but maybe i should be the first to mention it. I recently got a chance to compare the specs of both the 360 and PS3 versions of Fallout 3. I was surprised to find out that the PS3 version is in 720p, while the 360 version is in full HD 1080p greatness. Now, tell me how this is possible! 360 games are on dual-layer DVDs (12.4GB), and PS3 games are on dual-layer bluray discs (50GB). Why would a game with such an open world and countless features be able to run in 1080p off of a DVD? Either Microsoft is lying or Sony is holding back.

Now, this has happened with certain games, where I notice a difference in graphics during gameplay. Games such as Grand Theft Auto IV on 360 look amazing, while on PS3 it looks dismal. While playing GTA:IV (hooked up component, mind you, not HDMI) the explosions are the most realistic I've ever seen. Then I played my buddy's copy on PS3.......not as exciting. My question is: why? Bioshock also looks loads better on 360, than the PS3 port.

With Sony's "amazing 8-core cell processor", its possible that things like this are just too hard to program, which hurts the look of the game. But, Uncharted doesn't look so bad. LittleBigPlanet looks amazing. So what's their excuse? We may never know......

If anybody is able to answer this question, please comment.

Thanks for reading

-JD

PS: Nintendo? You're next.....

Review: Dead Space (PS3)

The survival-horror genre is back and better than ever with a new IP from EA called Dead Space.  In Dead Space, you play a character named Issac Clarke who is an engineer aboard the USG Kellion.  The Kellion is called on to find and repair a mining ship called the USG Ishimura.  It just so happens that Issac’s girlfriend/wife (the game never specifies) named Nicole is also onboard of the USG Ishimura.  Unfortunately for you, things start going wrong right from the get go.  As you dock with the Ishimura, something hits your ship disabling on of the many autopiloting assist systems causing you to basically crash land onto the Ishimura.  As you venture into the Ishimura, you notice a lack of personnel and soon as you begin to investigate what went wrong with the Ishimura, you encounter your first necromorph.  I’m not one to give away a game’s entire story in a review as most people who read reviews have not purchased the game yet.  But I will say that the story of this game is wonderful and packs a few expected as well as unexpected twists.

As far as gameplay and controls are concerned, EA did a great job of integrating a nice over the shoulder 3^rd person setup with no HUD.  Your ammo is displayed from your weapon and your health and stasis energy is show on your suit.  Even in airless environments, your oxygen time is also displayed on your suit so that nothing will invade your field of vision as far as HUD stuff goes.  There are only 7 weapons in the game (plasma cutter, line gun, pulse rifle, ripper, contact beam, force gun, and the flamethrower) though they all are upgradable and have their definite pros and cons.  I’m quite partial to the line gun myself.  Everything that you obtain in the game is upgradable with items called power nodes that are found throughout the game and can be bought in the game’s store for 10,000 credits.  As you may have noticed from the names of the weapons; they are not typical by any means.  This is because the quickest way to kill a necromorph is to dismember it, and yes, this does lead to a very gory game.  There are many different environments within the ship; most notable are the zero-G and airless rooms (sometimes they are both).  The zero-G rooms have you navigate with gravity boots, but you can also travel from wall to wall doing what they call a zero-G jump.  There is a mini game in the later Chapters in the game called zero-G basketball where you utilize this move many times.  The airless rooms are super creepy as you can’t hear anything but yourself (or if something hits you) because there is no sound where there is no air.  Necromorphs tend to sneak up on you because of this and don’t bother trying your flamethrower because where there is no air, there is no fire. 

As far as graphics go, though the game’s highest display capabilities are only 720p, the game is a graphical gem.  The character models, many kinds of necromorphs, the weapon effects, the environments are all gorgeous.  There’s nothing quite like watching a dead necromorph floating around in a zero-G room with blood spilling out and floating with it.  Sound…  Oh, what to say about the sounds.  I would like to shake the hands of every single person that had anything to do with making sounds in this game.  The ambient noises, the sounds of the necromorphs crawling through the air vents, the creepy random background noises; it is all just wonderfully done!  There is one point in the game where you walk into a large living quarters where several of the crew of Ishimura lay dead all over.  The room is very dark, and in the background you hear a faint and creepy iteration of twinkle twinkle little star and it freaks you out.

Overall, the game is great.  There is rarely a point in the game where the developers don’t try to scare you (and more times than not, they are quite successful).  They even throw a cheap one in on the ending sequence.  The story is great and it is a blast to play, though sometimes you will not want to play because of what may come next.  But isn’t that what the survival-horror genre is all about?  I wish the game were a little bit longer personally but don’t take that as me saying it’s a short game.  It’s just so good that you will be kind of bummed when it’s over.  The only real replay value the game has going for it is for trophies/achievements (that’s right PS3 owners, it actually has trophies).  Though it does let you continue a re-playthrough of the game where you get to keep everything that you attained in your first playthrough as well as the unlocking of a new suit.  But that’s ok because EA has already announced a sequel (which this game begs for once completed) and if that’s not enough to get your fix, there is an animated movie prequel out on DVD and blu-ray called Dead Space: Downfall which tells the events which take place before the Kellion arrives on the Ishimura.  

                                             

In the end, I give Dead Space a 9.5 out of 10.

9.5/10

-CA

Preview: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Yes, folks, the wait is over. The people at Lucasarts have released the official demo for Star Wars: the Force Unleashed available on XboxLive and Playstation Network. I downloaded it yesterday and played it through, and then I played it through again, and again. It is shaping up to be a powerhouse of a title that will definately satisfy your thirst for a taste of the dark side.

You play a Darth Vader's secret apprentice named Galen Marek (codenamed "Starkiller"). The opening cutscene was especially satisfying. Vader sends you on an assignment and tells you to kill everything, Rebels and Imperials alike; you are not to be discovered and nothing will stand in the way of completing your mission. The game takes place between Episode III and IV, during the great Jedi purge ordered by Emperor Palpatine. You're pretty much responsible for seeking out and destroying any Jedi throughout the galaxy.

Keeping in mind that this was a demo, it looked good. The graphics when performing Force moves were especially unique and showed little details in the attributes of each move being performed. The controls could be a little tighter, though. It got a little awkward performing one move after another and I sometimes ended up just button-mashing to clear a room full of enemies. It seems, though, that once you get used to the controls, learn the combos, and master force-moves, you could probably unleash some pretty viscious attacks. The gameplay reminded me of the God of War series, with combos and powerups and also little button-sequenced boss fights. That being my only complaint, i was very satisfied with Force Unleashed. I think the Star Wars franchise needs something like this to appeal to the older gamers, plus I'm tired of playing as the good guys.

In conclusion, when this game hits store shelves on September 16th, I'll be one of the first to pick it up and I think you should too. Look for the full review of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed later in September.

Thanks for reading and may the force be with you.

-JD

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

Okay, i know its been out since last year; but i just picked it up recently and want to share it with you. The team over at Naughty Dog Studios (Jak and Daxter series), taking influence from games like Tomb Raider, has created an awesome adventure game.

First let me familiarize you with the story a little bit. The protagonist of the story, Nathan Drake, is the last living descendant of Sir Francis Drake who apparently had a ring with coordinates to a treasure map that lead to a location that had some thing to do with El Dorado; you know the famous lost city of gold. As you can tell, this is a treasure hunting game. As you progress through the story, there are 60 small treasures hidden throughout the game that you don;t necessarily need to find, but it'll look good if Sony ever makes the whole trophy thing work. Which I think is an elaborate fabrication. Moving on....



The gameplay is great. It seamlessly combines gunplay with savage melee combos that allow you to beat people's faces in with their own guns. When you do this they drop twice the amount of ammo that they would if you just blew their faces off with a shotgun.



One other cool thing they integrated into the game is the ability to climb across ledges and traverse various cliff faces to get from point A to point B; which gets really cool when your thousands of feet above a roaring waterall. Nate's ability to keep his cool and have a good sense of humor during ridiculous gunfights keeps the game light-heart and comical amid bullets whizzing past your head.

The graphics are astounding. Using the PS3's powerhouse processor, Uncharted runs at 60 frames per second and at 1080i resolution. Which makes that waterfall I was talking about look fantastically real. Speaking about water; when swimming in the game you come out and your clothes are still wet. I thought it was a pretty cool extra. The foliage as well looks like a page out of National Geographic. Oh, the backgrounds: amazing.

Overall, i had a great time playing this game. I'm gonna give it a 7 out of 10. Honestly there is a con to this game, which is why its not an 8.5 (like i want it to be). Towards the end of the game, there is a very annoying plot twist that pretty much made me "wtf! r u serious?!", but I'll leave it to you to find out what that is. And trust me, you'll know when you see it.

P.S.: I want Nathan Fillion to play Nathan Drake if they ever make a movie out of this thing.

Thanks for reading

-JD

E3 '08 a Letdown?

Well, I'm not sure about you guys but I feel a bit let down by this year's E3. I just didn't get too excited about much that was announced. I feel like I already knew everything. The only new game announcements that really caught me off guard were things like Pikmin (*shrugs shoulders*), FFXIII for Xbox 360 (glad to hear that the game is still actually being made, now if it'll only come out within' the next 5 years), GTA Chinatown Wars (who came up with that name?), Resistance Retribution, and KOTOR. Things like Fable, Gears of War 2, Resident Evil 5, Silent Hill Homecoming, Halo Wars, God of War 3, Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero World Tour, Guitar Hero On Tour Decades, and other big titles were already known about and did nothing but tease us about the fact that they are still months away. Nintendo would probably win the award for most disappointing at show. Wii Motion Plus? Oh you mean how the Wii remote should have performed at release? Wii music does seem fun though, but for the most part, other than a few DS announcements... Nintendo didn't have much to show. None of their "major titles" that they are so well known for are coming out (Donkey Kong, Mario, Zelda, Metroid, etc). Both Xbox and Playstation are about to be overhauled in terms of thier startup menu things... (unenthusiastically) yippie... And Sony is hinting at trophies on the PSP huh? How about they worry more about getting trophies on some freakin' PS3 games before they cross platforms with it! There are like 12 games out of hundreds that have trophies right now. I own about 23 PS3 games and the only one with trophies is Warhawk. What happened to the spectacle that used to be E3? That used to be where you heard ridiculous announcements of upcoming games that you haven't heard about yet and would excite you to the point where you could wait a year and tolerate it. Not where, oh, here's a demo that the few people that could attend the show can play of that game we've been telling you about for 2 years.

SPEAKING OF WHICH! I have a bone to pick with Polyphony Digital... WHAT THE F***?!??! I heard nothing of Gran Turismo at E3 other than Gran Turismo TV and that my friends, should have been up and running when you released GT5: P in the first place! Gran Turismo 5 had been in production since 2004 and we still haven't heard a word about it. Thy tease us with Prologue then say, 'oh it's only 1/10000th of what GT5 is going to be'. Well I hope so because you are taking your sweet time making it!

Sorry for that little rant but, as a huge racing game fan, my patience can only last so long. If Forza 3 comes out before Gran Turismo 5 I wouldn't be surprised one bit at this point. But now I'm off topic...

-CA

Wii Fit review

 

What's there to say about Wii Fit that hasn’t been said before? Honestly, even grandparents know about the freaking thing.

Quick refresher if you don’t already know, Wii Fit is for the Nintendo Wii. It essentially has a balance board, which is ridiculously accurate, you may curse that you bought it.

Wii Fit is essentially a bunch of mini games, much like Wii Sports. Except all of these are designed with fitness in mind. Most of these got me sweating quite a bit. But I never exercise. I think most of the mini games that are here are good enough for most couch potatoes to get their blood flowing and to stop getting atrophy.

The problem with Wii Fit being a bunch of mini games is that if you would really like to use this for your primary source of exercise, is that it will annoy you trying to get a good workout going. And what I mean by that is, after every exercise, you will have to fiddle with the menus and get to your next routine. You cannot set up a “play list” of different mini-games, and just keep going.

The graphics in Wii Fit are very much identical to Wii Sports, so you will get no frills, Miis all over the place graphics. Not that's a bad thing. It fits with Nintendo’s whole vibe they are going with for this console. The only deviation you will get from this is when you do the real exercise training. You will get to choose from a male or female trainer. Both of which have NEVER seen, looked at, or touched a sun ray. But the thing is, viewing them makes it easy to see how to do an exercise correctly, so mission accomplished. Again, Wii Fit is not about wowing you with the graphics, unlike other games.

The sound is your usual no frills but strangely appropriate sounds. From the “Starting up” little girl voice, to the drum roll when obtaining your “Wii Fit Age” for the day, the game isn’t going to wow your ears with sound. The music is catchy but all together generic. Lets be honest, the whole point of this game is the balance board.

Now to the real reason this game is selling as fast as the Wii system itself, the balance board. Now Nintendo has had its fair share of useless peripherals. But this one really works. I its fun. As fun as the console that it came with is. It is so responsive, I could have sworn there was a fault line under my house, but I am wrong about that. I shouldn’t play this while strung out on coffee. Seriously, you lean forward it knows it. You lean right it knows it. You put a foot on the floor, it kind of knows it. This is a sold piece of equipment. It should be, its essentially 4 scales in one unit. So yes, Wii Fit knows how fat you are, up to 330lbs.

So the big question is, do you buy Wii Fit. For me the answer was a solid yes. I need to start exercising, I like video games, I hate gyms. I win. I mean, who is going to tell me I have a high score at push ups at a gym? No one! I need points, I grew up with them, so this satisfies that want and need. Is it going to end up collecting dust in my closet in a month, hopefully not but I think with most people it will.

For my review I will give Wii Fit a 4, simple because again Nintendo is creative and crazy enough to try something so weird, and it works. The balance board is innovate, not as much as the Wii Controller itself, but still amazing. I am just hoping Skate on Wii uses it.

Burnout Paradise is getting motorcycles!

Today Criterion Games announced that in August Burnout Paradise will have motorcycles! This is a first for Burnout. The motorcycle addition will cost extra, but just from looking at it, it will be worth it. When the motorcycles launch you will not initially be able to race against cars at the same time. However they do plan to add that feature. Also when this update hits Burnout Paradise will also have night time as well.

Video of the motorcycle in play follows as well as a preview of the airplane, but that is not definitely being used.



More information is here.

Uwe Boll Denied Rights to WoW Movie

Yes, its true. At Blizzcon 2007, the developers at Blizzard teasingly stated that a WoW movie was in the works in conjunction with Legendary Pictures. Seizing this opportunity to butcher yet another video game franchise Dir. Uwe Boll pitched himself to Blizzard to head up production as director; Blizzard said this, and I quote: "We will not sell the movie rights, not to you....especially not to you."

This guy is ridiculous. He seems to scoop up every video game franchise and attempt to turn it into a movie. You just can't do that with everything. Next thing we're gonna see from this guy is Guitar Hero: The Movie. What I want to know is who's backing this guy, where's he getting his money, and why has he not been assassinated yet. If you just happened upon this blog and are thinking to yourself "hmmm, there has to be a way to stop this guy, he's an idiot" I have just the solution go to this site, http://www.petitiononline.com/RRH53888/petition.html
sign the petition, and stop him.

Information from 1up.com

Thanks for reading
-JD

Review: Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (PS3)

It has finally arrived, though not in the form most of us would have liked (by that I mean a full Gran Turismo game). Gran Turismo 5 Prologue has received a lot of bad talk because it is not a traditional "full" Gran Turismo title, but if you ask me, I think it is a great way to get people excited for Gran Turismo 5 especially since it won't be released for about a year. Anyway, I'll start by listing the cars and tracks in the game since there are so few and many people don't know the lists.

Cars:

Acura- '91 NSX

Alfa Romeo- '06 147 TI, '06 Brera 3.2 JTS Q4

Aston Martin- '06 DB9 Coupe

Audi- '07 R8 4.2 FSI, '07 TT Coupe 3.2

BMW- '03 Z4, '07 135i Coupe, '07 M3 Coupe, '07 Concept 1 Series tii

Chevrolet- '06 Corvette Z06

Citroen- '05 C4 Coupe

Daihatsu- '02 Copen, '07 OFC-1

Dodge- '02 Viper GTS, '06 SRT-10 Coupe

Ferrari- '06 599 GTB, '06 F430, '92 F40, '76 512BB, '07 F2007 (F1 car)

Ford- '07 Mustang GT, '06 GT, '06 Focus ST

Honda- '04 Integra Type R, '02 NSX Type R

Jaguar- '06 XK Coupe

Lancia- '91 Delta HF integrale Evoluzione

Lexus- '07 IS-F

Lotus- '04 Elise 111R, '96 Elise

Mazda- '07 Atenza Sport 25Z, '02 RX-7 Spirit R Type A, '07 RX-8 Type S

Mercedes Benz- '02 SL 55 AMG

Mini- '06 Cooper S

Mitsubishi- '05 Lancer Evolution IX GSR, '07 Lancer Evolution X GSR

Nissan- '02 Skyline R34 GT-R V-spec II, '07 Fairlady Z Version S, '06 Skyline Sedan 350GT, '07 Skyline Coupe Concept, '07 Skyline Coupe 370GT, '05 GT-R Prototype, '07 R35 GT-R

Renault- '00 Clio Sport

Subaru- '07 Impreza WRX STi, '05 Impreza WRX STi Type RA

Suzuki- '95 Cappuccino, '07 Swift Sport, '07 Cervo SR

TVR- '00 Tuscan Speed Six, '02 Tamora

Volkswagon- '01 Golf IV GTI, '05 Golf V GTI

That is it for the cars... sort of. You see, for some reason, the folks over at Polyphony Digital decided to not add the modification of cars into the game (there is an option unlockable when you complete all of the events in C, B and A called Quick tune which will allow for moderate tuning but nothing as extensive as the full game will have), which if you ask me, takes a lot away from the game. BUT, they somewhat made up for it by placing modified cars into the game.

Modified Cars:

Amuse- S2000 GT1 Turbo

Blitz- Dunlop ER34

Concept by Gran Turismo- 350Z RS, Corvette Z06 Tuned, Viper SRT10 Coupe Tuned, Ford GT LM Spec II Test Car, Elise 111R Tuned, Elise Tuned, Lancer Evolution IX Tuned, Lancer Evolution X Tuned, Skyline Coupe Tuned, Clio Sport V6 Tuned, Cappuccino HP Tuned, Swift Sport Tuned

(Art) Morrison- '60 Corvette

Mine's- '06 BNR34 Skyline GT-R

That is all of the cars in the game. As for tracks, there are only 6, but they have different versions to make for a true total of 12.

Tracks:

High Speed Ring (Forward and Reverse)

Daytona International Speedway (Superspeedway and Road Course)

Fuji Speedway (F1 and GT)

Eiger Nordwand (Forward and Reverse) [This is the track from GT HD Concept]

Suzuka Circuit (Full Circuit and East Circuit)

London (Forward and Reverse)

The game is laid out all in one easy to use menu screen which background shows gorgeous scenery and the car that you are currently using. The menu includes News (shows when there is an update and what it entails) GT TV (for videos which will be updated regularly. If you have the blu-ray disc version of the game, this is where you will find the Beyond the Apex video), Online (obviously for playing online), Rankings, Arcade mode, 2p Battle, Events (the 1p mode of the game), Garage, Dealerships, Replay, Options, Manual (views the instruction manual for those who downloaded the game off of the PSN), and Save. When you first start the game, you will be forced to install it onto your hard drive. This takes about 30 minutes... You start the game with 35,000 credits, which can get you a decent starting vehicle though there isn't too much to choose from.

Now to the important stuff, gameplay. I was thrilled to see and feel the improvements that they have made to the physics. Compared to Gran Turismo 4 and GT HD Concept, this game feels so good. In fact, the game feels so much better than prior installments that it almost makes you forget about the shortcomings of this not being a "complete" Gran Turismo title. The graphics are absolutely gorgeous. The new in-car view is just about as good as it gets, and environments put Forza 2 to shame. The races vary in difficulty though the A.I. needs imporvement though after the last interview with the developers of GT5, I think this is only because it isn't the full GT5. They spoke of having various difficulty levels for the full game including some where the A.I. will not only try to proevent you from passing, but will even try to force you into walls, etc. Though the thing that I am most impressed with is the framerate. I have done all of the C class races so far and a few of them include a 16 car lineup and the framerate has never dropped a bit. It's wonderful!

If this is just the small tiny taste of what is to come in Gran Turismo 5... It will be a force to be reckoned with. With talk of including car damage for the full game, I'm more excited for Gran Turismo 5 now than ever! The game is only $40 as opposed to $60 so you can't knock it too much for not being a "complete" Gran Turismo. The only true shortcoming I see with the game is the sound effects. Though they have somewhat dealt with the ridiculous tire screech noise, the car sounds aren't quite as authentic as you would hope espcially after seeing the great lengths that they went through to get the car's visuals to be as authentic as possible. If any of my opinions change as I further progress through the game, I will be sure to update this, but as for right now (after a few hours of play) I'm giving Gran Turismo 5 Prologue an 8 out of 10. (If it were $60 I would have scored it a little lower)

8/10

-CA

Remakes: To be or not to be?

We have reached a point in this generation of gaming consoles where we see that the graphical prowess of games cannot be pushed much further. I remember back when the playstation one was new and I would sit in awe when a cutscene began because the graphics were so much better then when in gameplay. Now, in games such as bioshock and mass effect, you notice that the cutscenes and gameplay graphics are the same and everything melts together. Sometimes when you play games, you will sit for a few seconds after a cutscene wondering if it had ended yet or not. The generation of consoles after this (other than nintendo's) will not see much graphical enhancement other than small details and how much can be handled on screen at once. And sound! Sound has been perfected in games ever since around the ps1 days when they had enough capacity on the platform to where they didn't have to use music that sounded like midi files. So what's my point? Where am I going with this? Why the hell is this article titled remakes? Because at this pinnacle of gaming, it is the perfect time to produce remakes. I don't mean ones where you just make games over again, add extras and stick 'em all together on one disk/cartridge like say Super Mario All-Stars. I don't mean remake as in let's put Chrono Trigger on ps1 and add pretty cutscenes. I mean true, legitimate remakes such as Metroid (the original) when it was made into Metroid Zero Mission on Gameboy Advance.


Remakes that not only fix the little problems with the old version of the game but also make it up to today's graphical and sound standards, and maybe even add a little bit more to it (but don't mess with the main story).

When the ps3 was released, a short movie was made to "show off" the power of Sony's new pride and glory. (videos of each at bottom of post) It was the introduction movie for Final Fantasy 7 and it was remade for the ps3. Fanboys everywhere were jumping off of their rocker because they thought an FF7 remake was in order. Alas, it never came and still today, people ask Square to be smart and remake the game. Perhaps it is just because I don't fully comprehend the cost of making a game, but for certain titles I wonder how a developer could not see certain remakes as being profitable. Speaking of Square, just in the two little paragraphs I have here, there are two games that would sell off the store shelves if they were remade onto today's consoles, that being Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 7. While the idea might make some say, nah, I'll play the ps1 version on my ps2 or ps3; it makes people like me (who by the way have the ps1 versions) jump for joy.

I've tried to go back and play through FF7 and Chrono Trigger on my ps1 version but it's just not the same knowing the kind of games that you can play now.

I don't even think it would cost that much for FF7 either. Yes, it is a ridiculously long game but the next gen character models have already been made by the Advent Children movie. All they would need is to get their voice actors back and get the art team together and have at it because I believe that the old school battle scheme and materia would be safe for keeping the same. A few top programmers to sew it all back together with all of the songs that have been orchestrated in the advent children movie. The only "all-new" things that they would really need are sound effects, and only certain ones really need replacing. FF7 is widely known as one of the best RPGs of all time, I don't see how Square could afford not to remake it.

Sorry for going off on a tangent with FF7 but that bothers me a lot. Anyway, there are several games that I am sure that we would all love to see remade so that you can play through them again and see them in an all new light. Who wouldn't mind seeing a remake of the original Legend of Zelda game that would come with more direction to the story so that you don't accidentally find the 8th dungeon when you should only be at the second and so you don't have to get so confused at the ridiculously poor translations of text, and would look gorgeous on screen and with vibrant orchestrated versions of the original music? What about games that you may have overlooked when you were younger and can't play the older versions of now that you want to such as Earthbound?

What about the older Resident Evil games (I know they were remade on gamecube) without the tank-like controls and something more like Resident Evil 4 for style and control and next gen graphics even better than Resident Evil 4 (and who could forget the miserable voice acting that plagued the first few games)?

There are games as recent as Metal Gear Solid (the first one) that I would love to play again with say the gorgeous graphics and sound of Metal Gear Solid 4 which comes out this June.

With so many great classics out there, it is hard to believe that developers aren't scrounging around with them so that they could make even more money off of them. Companies should look at how far we have come in the graphical arena and realize the money that could be made with old titles. I think that especially companies like Sega who keep ruining their flagship titles by trying to reinvent them (a'hem Sonic anyone?) that they could go back to old best sellers (like the original sonic) and remake them on the consoles that are out now and make a boatload of money off of 'em.

Well, that is my cry out to the developers of the world... What do you guys think?

-CA

PS3 version


PS1 version

Stop Uwe Boll

If anyone has ever seen Bloodrayne, House of the dead or the sequels to both of these terrible movies; the man responsible is none other than Director Uwe Boll.

With FarCry, Bloodrayne 3 and Postal in the works it is plain to see that this man needs to be stopped. According to 1up.com He said that if 1 million people signed a certain petition that he would end his carreer and stop making these terrible monstrosities to the video game world. If you care about terrible video game movies, you'll sign this petiton.

http://www.petitiononline.com/RRH53888/petition.html

Thanks for reading and please participate

-JD

Review: Army of Two

You finished Gears of War, but still haven't had enough quality time with your online friend. Well Army of Two is here to help. You may be thinking that this game is not all that different from GOW, you are right and wrong. This game is definitely trying to be Gears, but it does enough different to make it worth playing.

Army of Two is about two guys who are part of a private army, run by corporations. Their company is so good at handling missions that the government is considering making these privatized armies the countries only military. Before that can happen some things come to light that put our main two characters to the test. Obviously they are up to it, I mean they wear steel hockey masks to battle. The story in itself is fairly decent and is very similar to the better action movies. The story revolves around September 11th, but in a tasteful manner. Overall the story is satisfying. Most of the jokes in the game will even make you laugh the first time you hear them. This game however is very M rated.

The graphics on Army of Two will not disappoint, make sure you get to see this one on a HDTV. The models of you main characters are nice a detailed, from their war torn masks, to their pimped out guns. I'll explain more about that in the game play section. But back to the graphics, the blood does indeed flow. And it looks decent as it splatters on the camera. Also the bad guy models are decent and easy to see from a distance. The environments are very nice and varied. Each location will not make you think you have already been there as it like a new spot.

The game play on this game is mostly great. Now the reason I say mostly great is due to the fact that it is a co-op game. With it being co-op means that your partner needs to be good. No problem if you are playing online with a friend online or at home. Not so good if you are using the CPU to control your partner. The computer sometimes is fairly decent. Other times, you may just want to get a pet monkey and give it the controller. That being said, the enemy AI is fairly decent, and at the professional level a bit of a jerk. The computer will actively seek out better cover if it notices you coming around a side, which makes the game that more challenging. A huge problem I have with the game is the distance at which shotguns can shoot, which is the equivalence of a football field. You will be struck down by enemies shooting from somewhere off screen and your power will quickly diminish. But the coolest part of the game is upgrading your weapons. What I mean by that is you can add all kinds of things to the front of you gun, including a shotgun or grenade launcher just to name a few options.

Overall Army of Two is worth checking out. It has great game play for the campaign mode. It also has an online two vs two mode where the teams are pitted against each other while trying to complete objectives. There is enough here to warrant a purchase, and if you loved Gears you will enjoy this one. I give it a 4 out of 5.

News: Guitar Hero: On Tour (DS) announced!

That's right, Activision has finally announced officially that Guitar Hero: On Tour is in fact a portable version of Guitar Hero that is to be released on the Nintendo DS. The game will come with two peripherals: one is a pick style sytlus, and the other is four button (unlike the usual 5) fret board.

Now, all I've seen are the pictures here so I'm still not too sure on how it will all work together, but I'm sure it will be fun. The game is also said to feature the most diverse set list of master tracks ever offered in a Guitar Hero game and will include classic rock, alternative, and pop songs. (Hooray for master tracks!) Oh, and most importantly, there will be online multiplayer battles as well as local. :) I'm looking forward to it.

-CA

News: Forza Motorsport 2 new DLC

Well, Forza 2 has a new DLC pack coming up and they've made a video to preview the cars. Enjoy! 13 new cars, all of them are in the video (some you might have to look a little harder than others). It will be out on XBL on 3/19


-CA

Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix footage

Capcom recently showed off SSFTHR at their digital day. The grphics look amzing and I cannot wait to play it. The only problem I have with it is the graphics, although insanley detialed, are missing frames of animation. I know this is to keep the gameplay like the original, but it seems like a waste only having the same lame amounts of frames that would have put this over the top.

The footage is from gametrailers.com

Super Smash Brother Brawl Snake Codec videos

IGN.com has posted some great videos of Snake's codec taunt on their website. The video below is of their favorites. However they have video for every character that Snake can encounter. This includes himself. My personal favorite one is Mr. Game & Watch.

Double Review: Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Well folks, here it is. After almost a week of constant smashing and brawling, I think it's time to give you my insight on the new Super Smash Bros. Brawl. There's so much stuff in this game that it might break your Wii (literally). But seriously; Nintendo and the good people over at Sora Inc. brought us what we wanted. With an all new, ridiculously long adventure mode called The Subspace Emissary, you get a chance to play with almost every character in the game. Its very different than the adventure mode in Melee, where there are actually cutscenes that, surprisingly, look really good on the old 480p console. The story pretty much follows all the good guy characters in their quest to prevent their friends from being turned into trophies and hauled off by Bowser, King Dedede, Wario, or Ganondorf as, well, trophies. Along the way you meet allies such as Snake, Zero Suit Samus, Lucario, and Ike who help you defeat the before mentioned bad guys. But don't worry, you get to use all the other classic characters as the story progresses.

Now, the game pretty much plays the same as Melee. Because you can use the controllers from Nintendo Gamecube on this version, the buttons are laid out the same. You're also given three other control options: Wii remote held sideways, Wii remote and Nunchuk, and Classic Controller. One of the cool things, when using the Gamecube controller, is you can now use the C-stick smash moves in all modes, not just versus; which was pretty cool considering that was pretty much all I used and was most effective. Also, there seem to be less clones in this version, which means more unique fighters.

Assist Trophies is another cool thing added to Brawl. During the game they come up just like any other items except they fight for you for just a few seconds; I gotta say my favorite is probably Gray Fox from Metal Gear Solid. Nothing says 'you've been pwned' like a little ninja following you around the stage waiting for the perfect chance to hack you into pieces.

There are also all-new stages reminiscent of the new characters, and variations/sequels of the Melee stages. Snake has Shadow Moses Island, Link has a new stage from Twilight Princess: The Bridge of Eldin. There are also several new Metroid stages and also a Mario Kart stage where shy-guys race around at high speed and pummel you if you don't watch out.

The final smashes have got to be the coolest new addition to the franchise. Each character has their own, unique finisher that is uber-powerful. The only way to acquire this finisher is when the smash ball randomly appears on the stage. Its pretty much a blue smash symbol that floats around annoyingly until someone inflicts enough damage upon it to break it and unleash fury. I gotta tell you, its pretty funny when you're in the middle of a four player brawl and that floating smash symbol comes out. It's like the opponents don't exist anymore. Everybody tries to break it at once, and most of the time fall off the stage because they're not paying attention. It's hilarious.

Here's one little con. I was a little disappointed in the little things that were different; for instance: Samus. Samus' down-B is morph ball mines. Now, in Melee you are able to infinitely stay in the air by using these mines because they explode as soon as you expel them causing you to shoot up ward a bit while taking damage, therefore making for a fast recovery. In Brawl, it take a lot longer for the mines to explode, which threw me off completely. But I guess they put that in there because too many people were being cheap with Samus. Now if they could work on Pikachu's down-B.....

Honestly, what was mentioned above, was pretty much the only thing I didn't like about the game, and even that is really nothing that would hurt the score at all. Overall Brawl gets a 9.8 for the simple fact that not much changed; its still as fun as the previous titles, it never really gets old or boring, its a great party or solo game, and, hey, its Nintendo. I would pick this one up as soon as possible; just don't get the Prima player's guide, wait for the Nintendo Power version. Its not a mistake you want to make.

9.8/10

Thanks for Reading
-JD

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is our first double review. There will be more in the future, its basically a game that gets reviewed by two of us, big deal right? Anyway, I'm going to try and not touch on the same things as Josh. One thing I noticed after a week of pounding away at this game is that it blows all other fighting games out of the water. It may not be super violent or have fatalities, but it has everything else. 35 Characters, and some of those 35 have 2 characters within (i.e. zelda/shiek). Not only that but there are an obscene amount of stages and all bring such a different effect to what happens through the battle that it never really gets old. The reason I say it blows all other fighters out of the water is because there is no other fighter that you can play for 3 hours straight and still not be bored to death. I love this game.

The character list has been greatly improved but not only that, but even the clone characters are different. Unlike in Melee where Fox and Falco had nearly the same exact moves, they're actually a little different now. To the point where it's noticeable. A lot of the "cheap factor" has been removed from characters to. Samus can't be cheap with the bomb jump, and unlike what Josh said, I think they somewhat remedied pikachu's thunderbolt because of how so many of the stages have upper levels to block the lightning out.

There are multiple ways to unlock all of the characters, which is always good. I took what I felt was the easy route and had them all join me in the adventure mode "subspace emissary". The adventure mode is actually quite good, unlike what some might expect. It's also quite long too. I finished it today actually with the game timer at 6:07 but I need to figure out what is left for me to do because it says 91% complete. I also unlocked the final remaining characters today so I finally have the full cast. All of the characters have their strengths and weaknesses, so there isn't really a dominant character. The dominance factor comes from the individual being able to make up for and hide those weaknesses.

Apart from the usual brawls and SSE modes, the all star mode makes its return from melee and a new mode called boss mode. All-star mode is just like the one from melee, and I haven't gotten around to playing through boss mode yet. There is also a plethora of event matches (41 single player and they even have multiplayer ones now). Stadium mode has the return of home run derby, target practice, and the new training mode. The home run contest can now be done with 2 players as well. The SSE can also be done in 2 players (forgot to mention that earlier).

In the end, the game is phenomenal. The graphics are gorgeous and all elements of gameplay are fun and easy to use, I love it. I also give Super Smash Brother: Brawl a 9.8 out of 10.

9.8/10

-CA

News: Smash Bros Brawl Issues

Yesterday, Super Smash Brothers Brawl was released in the US and many people bought the game excitedly only to come home and have their excitement flushed down the toilet by a disc read error. Nintendo says that this is not a defect of the disc, but they claim that because the game was made on a high capacity dual layer disc if your Wii's laser that reads the disc is dirty, you will get this error. Nintendo says if you contact them here: http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/repair/repair_form_us_ssbb.jsp and fill out the form, you will send in your Wii and they will clean it (free of charge). Nintendo asks that you do not try to clean it yourself because you are likely to damage your Wii and not to return the disc as it will not correct the problem.

-CA

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Is Almost Here!

Super Smash Bros. Brawl comes out this Sunday (March 9th). In anticipation, I thought I'd give you a run through of the character list and what their Final Smash is. First up: the veteran fighters returning from Melee.

Mario
Mario Bros. Series
Final Smash: Mario Finale

Link
Legend of Zelda Series
Final Smash: Triforce Slash

Kirby
Kirby Series
Final Smash: Cook Kirby

Pikachu
Pokemon Series
Final Smash: Volt Tackle

Fox McCloud
StarFox Series
Final Smash: Landmaster

Samus Aran
Metroid Series
Final Smash: Zero Laser (Turning Her Into Zero Suit Samus)

Princess Zelda
Legend of Zelda Series
Final Smash: Light Arrow

Bowser
Mario Bros. Series
Final Smash: Giga Bowser

DK (Donkey Kong)
Donkey Kong Series
Final Smash: Konga Beat

Yoshi
Mario Bros. Series
Final Smash: Super Dragon

Princess Peach
Marios Bros. Series
Final Smash: Peach Blossom

Ice Climbers
Ice Climbers Series
Final Smash: Iceberg

Sheik
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Final Smash: Light Arrow

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next up: the newcomers joining the fray (some serious competition):

Pit
Kid Icarus
Final Smash: Palutena's Army

Wario
Warioware Series
Final Smash: Wario-Man

Zero Suit Samus
Metroid Series
Final Smash: Power Suit Samus

Ike
Fire Emblem Series
Final Smash: Great Aether

Pokemon Trainer
Pokemon Diamond/Pearl
Final Smash: Triple Finish

Diddy Kong
Donkey Kong Series
Final Smash: Rocketbarrel Barrage

Meta Knight
Kirby Series
Final Smash: Galaxia Darkness

Solid Snake
Metal Gear Series
Final Smash: Grenade Launcher

Lucas
Mother 3 (Japan Only)
Final Smash: PK Starstorm

Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog Series
Final Smash: Super Sonic

King Dedede
Kirby Series
Final Smash: Waddle Dee Army

Pikmin and Olimar
Pikmin
Final Smash: End of Day

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nintendo and HAL Labs decided to include several secret characters in this installment of the series. Some are brand new, others, veteran fighters. But it goes without question, these guys will be tough to beat.

Ness
Earthbound Series
Final Smash: PK Starstorm

Marth
Fire Emblem Series
Final Smash: Critical Hit

Luigi
Mario Bros. Series
Final Smash: Negative Zone

Falco
StarFox Series
Final Smash: Landmaster

Captain Falcon
F-Zero Series
Final Smash: Blue Falcon

Lucario
Pokemon Series
Final Smash: Aura Storm

R.O.B (Robotic Operating Buddy)
Bundled with Original NES System
Final Smash: Diffusion Beam

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unfortunately, this list is not complete. It is missing about 5 characters: Toon Link, Ganondorf, Mr. Game and Watch, Jigglypuff, and Wolf. These characters have not yet been announced on Sora LTD's official SSBB website, smashbros.com. You can go to this website for details about every aspect of the game.

I for one can't wait for this game to come out. Yes, I pre-ordered it and will be at the store when it opens. If I know Nintendo and HAL Labs, SSBB will score pretty high when we review it next week.

Thanks for reading
-JD