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Rainier's Articles


PS3/Xbox 360 Preview - 'Beautiful Katamari'

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under E3 - Pre - E3 2007

Genre: Action/Puzzle
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Developer: Namco Bandai
Release Date: Fall 2007

No seismic shift occurred between the original Katamari Damacy and We Love Katamari for the PlayStation 2, and the PSP iteration, Me & My Katamari, did little to disrupt the balance of simplistic gameplay and quirky storytelling established back in 2004. Beautiful Katamari for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 looks to continue this trend of complacency, expanding the role of the multiplayer game while generally maintaining the same style and feel of its predecessors.

As in previous Katamari entries, the name of the game is

'Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2' (PS3) - 3 New Screens

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under Sony Gamers' Day - Sony Gamers' Day 2007

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 for the PC screams tactics, and you’ll need to bring your best to bear if you are going to get the Ghosts past their latest challenge…

It’s 2014, and the soldier of the future returns to encounter a new and more imminent threat along the recently completed wall on the U.S./Mexico border. The Ghosts are more powerful with an upgraded Integrated Warfighter System (IWS), but will have only 72 hours to assess the threat and stop the rebels from reaching U.S. soil. With a border that’s 1,900 miles long and an enemy that doesn’t

Wii/NDS Preview - 'Hannah Montana'

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under E3 - Pre - E3 2007

Genre: Rhythm/Adventure
Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Developer: Avalanche Software (Wii), Gorilla Games (DS)
Release Date: October 30, 2007

So much of the press coverage of children's games is either overly snarky or noticeably brief, and the reasons for this are numerous. Some of it can be chalked up to a generational gap or a lack of knowledge or interest in the license, but I suspect that much of it comes from the sad fact that most licensed games developed for young audiences are surprisingly uninventive (check our High School Musical preview), often with disastrous results.

To my

'PQ2: Practical Intelligence Quotient' (PSP) - 3 New Screens

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under Sony Gamers' Day - Sony Gamers' Day 2007

Practical Intelligence Quotient is back and juiced up with more mind bending puzzles and features! PQ2: Practical Intelligence Quotient™ (PQ2), is the second edition to the best-selling brain game on the PSP, PQ1, and is built around the same defining feature, the PQ scoring system. PQ2 uses a measuring system that was created under the guidance of Professor Masuo Koyasu of Kyoto University in Japan that determines players’ ‘Practical Intelligence Quotient’ of PQ. PQ2 will help players calculate their intelligence by using the PQ scoring system based on the number of moves and the speed with which they

Atari's E3 2007 Lineup

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under E3 - Pre - E3 2007

"Atari's 2007 E3 roster showcases some of the most exciting titles from our diverse fall line-up - from the fan-favorite Dragon Ball Z series to the graphically stunning The Witcher," said David Pierce, Chief Executive Officer, Atari, Inc. "We're excited to participate in the new E3 Media & Business Summit and look forward to having media and business partners spend time with the Atari Team and our titles."

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 combines the lightning fast fighting and action from 2005's Budokai Tenkaichi 1 and 2006's sequel Budokai Tenkaichi 2. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 delivers an extreme

NDS/PS2/Wii Preview - 'High School Musical'

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under E3 - Pre - E3 2007

Genre: Rhythm
Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Developer: A2M
Release Date: August 2007

The wildly successful “High School Musical” made-for-TV movie seems to lend itself well to rhythm gaming, and not just because its title contains the word “music.” More notably, its original soundtrack has shifted more than four million units, making it the best selling album of 2006. With that kind of built-in market, not to mention the hugely anticipated August release of the Disney Channel sequel on the horizon, it would be foolish not to expand the license into the world of video gaming.

After seeing

'Switchball' (X360/PC) - Facts, Screens & Trailer

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under E3 - Pre - E3 2007

Get the Switchball [X360/PC] trailer off WP (11mb)

Coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade late this summer and currently available for the PC on popular online gaming portals, Switchball challenges players to control an ever-changing ball along a narrow and challenging course suspended in midair. A polymorphous ball exhibits different physical characteristics as it changes form as either a standard Marbleball, a feather-light Airball, an electrically charged Powerball or a dense and powerful Metalball. Players will have to solve their way through challenging levels packed with tricky obstacles, traps and mazes. With beautifully rendered 3D environments including Skyworld, Iceworld,

'Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars' (PSP) - 6 New Screens

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under Sony Gamers' Day - Sony Gamers' Day 2007

Only skilled cabbies need apply for Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars, where drivers need to be more aggressive than ever to earn the big money by speeding fares to their destination, no matter what the obstacles. Brand new multiplayer gameplay features provide endless entertainment, players can steal passengers from other cabbies by bumping their opponent’s car creating chaotic competition on the road! Navigating through traffic, hills, and obstacles isn’t easy, so it takes a skilled cabbie with no fear to earn the big bucks. Players can drive through the two original maps of Crazy Taxi, the arcade map and the original

Wii Preview - 'Namco Museum Remix'

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under E3 - Pre - E3 2007

Genre: Classics Collection
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Developer: Namco Bandai
Release Date: October 2007

The endless repackaging of decades-old classic games has been one of the least admirable developments in the modern era of gaming, and the Namco Museum series has led the charge with iterations for nearly every major system released since the original PlayStation. Luckily, Namco Bandai has sensed the series’ dwindling necessity and will be shaking things up a bit with Namco Museum Remix for the Wii.

Namco Museum Remix will pack a total of 14 games within its digital confines, but just nine of those will be pixel-perfect ports

'Hot Brain: Fire up Your Mind' (PSP) - 12 New Screens

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under Sony Gamers' Day - Sony Gamers' Day 2007

Fire up your mind with Hot Brain, a game that engages the mind through a series of puzzles and challenges designed to raise the activity and temperature of your brain. Hot Brain presents challenging and fun mental activities that help ignite your mind in areas like logic, memory, math, language and concentration. Exclusive to the PSP system, the game allows you to test your skills in several single player modes or you can play with up to three people via ad-hoc connection. Whether you’re an expert or a beginner, a robust tutorial mode makes the game accessible and