New SMT: Strange Jouney Trailer Promises Real Demons

Whether you’re a fan of the other Shin Megami Tensei games or not, it looks like “Strange Journey” is going to be a pretty amazing game. If you don’t believe me, just check out the trailer and see what you’ll be missing if you don’t pick it up this week. Don’t let the franchise’s reputation scare you away, “Strange Journey” isn’t quite like its predecessors, and promises to be an entirely unique experience for the DS. After all, what have demons ever done to make you not like them?

Infinite Space Trailer Is Infinitely Amazing

Platinum Games is on a roll creating some of the most unique titles of the last couple of years. First there was “MadWorld” on the Wii, last week there was “Bayonetta” on the Xbox 360 and PS3, and soon there will be “Infinite Space” on the DS. It looks like Platinum is proving their range as well as their dedication with their first batch of releases as “Infinite Space” heads into … well outer space for RPG (space)ship building nerdiness. Check out the trailer and get a look at what you’ll be in for when the game drops on March 16th. [Continue Reading]

Space Invaders Extreme 2 Review: Like Shooting Fish In A Barrel

In recent years two of video games’ longest standing arcade franchises have made attempts to completely reinvent themselves. While other games have tried with XBLA and PSN rereleases of slightly updated versions of games that have been around for 20 plus years, “Pac-Man” and “Space Invaders” have gone the extra mile to truly update their experience for an entirely different generation of gamers. Up until the release of “Space Invaders Extreme 2” I would have said that “Pac-Man C.E.” was at the head of this particular pack, but this little DS game packs such an astounding punch it edges out our little yellow friend by just a hair. On the surface, “Space Invaders Extreme 2” is a very close follow-up to the original DS, PSP, and XBLA release, but upon digging deeper, you notice that virtually every aspect of the game has been polished and then turned up to hyper speed in this release. [Continue Reading]

Dev Box Interview: WayForward’s Director Sean Velasco

It usually takes a small army to create the video games that we play, and, most of the time, all of the focus gets put on the game itself, and not on the people that came together to make it. Our Dev Box interview series takes a look at some of the unsung heroes that have committed their lives to entertaining all of us. In this week’s expanded Dev Box we are letting WayForward’s Director Sean Velasco provide us some insight into who he is as a gamer, and how he ended up working in the game’s industry.

Name: Sean Velasco
Title: Director
Company: WayForward
Job Description: Designing and directing games from inception to completion. Pitching game concepts, giving feedback, creating mockups, doing level design, sketching ideas out, and generally bothering programmers and artists alike.
First title worked on: “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas” (CELL)
Most recent title worked on: “Contra 4″ (DS), “A Boy and his Blob” (Wii)

What game has most influenced you, and why? [Continue Reading]

Scribblenauts Review: Thinking Your Way To Fun

When it comes to video games, incorporating the written language into a game is a tricky thing. Most games that have words as a central gameplay element tend to fall into the great gaming abyss of edutainment. However, one game has come along and changed all that; “Scribblenauts” may be the first game ever released, by a company that doesn’t begin with “Pop” and end with “Cap,” to use words in a way that actually engages gamers. The game’s hype-cycle went into hyper-drive at this year’s E3, and hasn’t stopped since, reaching levels unseen for a third-party DS game, but now that the game is finally out, can it live up to gamers lofty preconceived notions of what to expect?

Yes. It can. [Continue Reading]

Flower, Sun, and Rain Review: It’s Happening Again

It’s not every day that you see a port of a PlayStation 2 game to the Nintendo DS; it’s just not a natural jump to make for so many different reasons. It’s even more surprising to see a game released by the now infamous game designer Goichi Suda, better known as Suda 51, on Nintendo’s little portable, especially one that doesn’t center around the player killing people. And those are just a two of a handful of things that make Marvelous Entertainment USA’s latest release, “Flower, Sun, and Rain” an anomaly, but it’s also unlike anything else found on the handheld. [Continue Reading]

E3 ‘09: Scribblenauts Developer Interview

If you didn’t know about “Scribblenauts” before E3, you should now. It’s the little DS game that could – taking top honors, or at least honorable mentions, from numerous gaming outlets, and with good reason. “Scribblenauts” is one of the most impressive, and creative games to come along in a very long time. If you’re still on the fence about how great this little puzzle game is going to be check out Unit’s interview at the Warner Bros. Interactive booth at this year’s E3. [Continue Reading]

E3 09: Nostalgia Interview With Ignition Entertainment’s Shane Bettenhausen

Earlier this week Unit had a chance to talk to Ignition Entertainment’s Shane Bettenhausen about their upcoming DS game “Nostalgia.” Ignition is bring this game over from Japan, and if you’re a fan of steampunk inspired RPGs, this is going to be a a game that you’re going to need to pick up. Check out what Mr. Bettenhausen had to tell us about what to expect when we can get the games in our hands. [Continue Reading]

Elite Forces: Unit 77 Review: New Strategic Action… Emphasis On The “New”

It’s a great thing when a new developer hits the gaming scene, but new games by those developers can sometimes be hard to judge. You aren’t always afforded the ability to look at the developer’s depth of work to really understand where they were coming from, or where they were going with their new creations. For example, “Elite Forces: Unit 77″’s developer Abylight, only has a handful of games listed on their website – most of which were targeted at the European market. Luckly the games co-publishers have a good amount of games under their respective belts; including Gammick’s “Animal Boxing,” and “Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ” (a game where Red Riding Hood decides to roast hordes of the four-legged undead on the barbie) and Deep Sliver’s “Gothic” series, “S.T.A.L.K.E.R.,” “The Guild.” Gammick and Abylight are located in Barcelona, Spain, and have joined up with German co-publisher Deep Silver, and to create an all new property in “Elite Forces,” and while it is wonderful to see other countries getting involved in the industry besides the U.S, Canada, the U.K., and Japan, the question remains: how can a new, international company create game that appeals to a broad audience? By going back to a “timeless” precedent; modern squad-based war. [Continue Reading]

Gardening Mama Review: Electronic Martha Stewart Meets Home & Gardens

Okay, okay, okay, before we go anywhere with this “Gardening Mama” review, I want to quell some fires right off the bat. First, I’ve never watched Home and Garden (HGTV), but if it was anywhere remotely as cartoony, or cute as this game is, I’d be a fan. Especially if the humor translated to the real world; not to mention the sparkles and delightful gold medals that pretty up a room with prettiness and sparkles… wait, this doesn’t sound right. I’d better just start the review.

Majesco’s “Gardening Mama” comes courtesy of Japanese developer Cooking Mama Ltd, who has supposedly earned enough street cred from Mama’s original DS game, as well as the subsequent successors for the Wii, to build a company and branch out as a franchise. Much like the first games series, the aptly named, cooking-centric “Cooking Mama,” “Gardening Mama” includes several minigames involved with planting, germinating, and growing flowers and produce to progress through the game. The gameplay is completely controlled by the stylus as well as the DS’s microphone, and the player is asked to follow the onscreen instructions to complete tiny tasks, which are relayed by simplistic, colorful arrows within a surprisingly small time limit. [Continue Reading]

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