Rainier's Articles


PS2 Preview - 'Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2'

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

Genre: 3D Fighter
Publisher: Atari
Developer: Spike
Release Date: October 2006

If Super DBZ is the "professional" of the two upcoming Dragon Ball Z games, then Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is the feel-good, super mainstream title. Building off of the best-selling DBZ title in history, the original Budokai Tenkaichi, BT2 introduces new characters, stages, and gameplay modes. The gameplay is still super-accessible 3D brawling, complete with multiple transformations for most characters, an expansive selection of characters, and enormous levels in which to battle.

BT2 is determined to outdo the previous title in every respect. The already-large BT levels

'Buzz! Master Quiz' (PSP) - 5 New Screens

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under E3 - E3 2008 - July 17th

Buzz! for PSP packs over 5000 questions – on topics including music, celebrities, TV, sport, science, nature, movies and general knowledge – alongside 1000 pictures and videos, into a handheld PSP game ready to test your knowledge at home or on the move. The title features six new round types specifically designed for PSP including the speed-is-of-the-essence 'Quickfire Challenge', the picture-puzzler 'Picture This' and the mind-boggling 'Virus Challenge'.

The focus of Buzz! has always been on social play and the PSP version is no different, with three exciting multiplayer modes to test your quiz skills to the limit. Pass Around is

'Patapon 2' (PSP) - 18 New Screens

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under E3 - E3 2008 - July 17th

'Crash Commando' (PS3) - 20 New Screens

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under E3 - E3 2008 - July 17th

Crash Commando, a PS3 title exclusively for download on PlayStation Network, is a side scrolling multiplayer shooter game pitting two arch-enemy commando factions - the Grunts and the Jarheads - against each other in an all-out fight for world supremacy. Developed by EPOS Game Studios, Crash Commando is a fast-paced, humorous multiplayer game with over-the-top, slap-stick action that features exaggerated gore and effects. Combining the thrill of frenzied multiplayer combat with the straightforward nature of a classic side-scrolling platform title, Crash Commando is accessible to all players and it is the perfect combination of modern, sophisticated technology and

PC Preview - 'World in Conflict'

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

Genre: Real-Time Strategy
Publisher: Vivendi
Developer: Massive
Release Date: Spring 2007

It may look like another World War II RTS when you see the screenshots, but it isn't. World in Conflict is actually a World War III RTS, set in an alternate universe where the Cold War did not end in 1989.

Instead, it heated up rapidly, culminating in Russia invading the United States via Alaska, forestalling the collapse of their economy by shooting the hell out of people. As a result, the settings of World of Conflict aren't the usual Eastern European/Middle Eastern hellholes; you'll be fighting

NDS Preview - 'Crash Boom Bang!'

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

Genre: Party/Puzzle
Publisher: Vivendi
Developer: Dimps
Release Date: October 2006

Well … Crash is back.

Crash Boom Bang! is sort of weird, in that it's the first game in the long-running Crash series being made by a Japanese developer. For Crash's DS debut, the reins have been given to Dimps, the house behind Dragon Ball Z: Budokai.

As a result, Crash Boom Bang! has taken a turn for the anime. (Look, Mom, I'm using nouns as adjectives!) The game is more colorful than its American predecessors were and definitely more cute; Crash has gone from looking insane to looking

'Fat Princess' (PS3) - 6 New Screens

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under E3 - E3 2008 - July 17th

Frantic and fun, Fat Princess pits two hordes of players against each other in comic medieval battle royale. Your goal is to rescue your beloved princess from the enemy dungeon. There's a catch though: your adversary has been stuffing her with food to fatten her up and it's going to take most of your army working together to carry her back across the battlefield.

'inFamous' (PS3) - 6 New Screens

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under E3 - E3 2008 - July 17th

If society collapsed tomorrow and you found yourself with unique powers that could either help people or hurt them, which would you do? That's the question at the centre of inFamous, the forthcoming PS3 title from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE).

Developed by Sucker Punch Productions, this open-ended, free-roaming game puts you in the shoes of Cole, an everyday guy and urban explorer, in the aftermath of a huge disaster that destroys his hometown of Empire City. As Cole, you must first learn to use new found powers and then decide how you will use them.

PC Preview - 'FreeStyle Street Basketball'

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

Genre: Sports
Publisher: Vivendi
Developer: JC Entertainment
Release Date: Q1 2007

It is within the bounds of possibility that you could sell a million copies of anything in Korea, as long as it was a massive multiplayer online game. Ideally, it should be an MMO you can play with one hand, freeing up the other hand to smoke a cigarette.

Freestyle Street Basketball is, at once, a demonstration of this principle and an idea I'm surprised we haven't seen before now. This is a game where you can create and kit out a cel-shaded cartoon avatar, and then

'Flower' (PS3) - 10 New Screens

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under E3 - E3 2008 - July 17th

The pioneers that brought you the award-winning PlayStation Network title flOw are back with another concept that challenges traditional gaming conventions. Flower expands the team’s tradition of delivering simple gameplay, accessible controls and a medium to explore emotional chords uncommon in video games. In Flower, the surrounding environment, most often pushed to the background in games, is pulled to the forefront and becomes the primary "character." The player fades from an external and stressful world in the opening of this fresh and genuine game only for PS3, and journeys through beautifully vivid landscapes, changing the his surroundings and