Monkey Ball Mini-Games Go Bananas

What would a “Monkey Ball” game on the Wii be without mini-games? Just a whole lot of primates encased in balls looking for bananas I suppose. Either way, the new trailer for the upcoming “Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll” showcases some of the diversions from the balance board-based title that will be out in a few weeks. [Continue Reading]

Plants vs. Zombies Review: Not Just Another Zombie Game

As of late, the “Tower Defense” genre has generally been tackled by independent developers exploiting flash games to their most addictive capacity, forcing players to defend a fixed, critical points on a map using other fixed defenses of varying degrees of effectiveness. Some games even let the player take a more direct role by activating one-use items to clear the area of attackers, or send their own army to battle their oncoming opponents. The original games which birthed this concept stem from the original cult following from Battle.net game “Starcraft,” and have become well known to hardcore and casual gamers alike with names like “Defend Your Castle” and “Desktop Tower Defense.” While they boil down to mindless fun, with a dash of strategy built in, the initial concept has not changed much; protect yourself by using all the means at your disposal and preserve enough resources to effectively advance through the game without being overrun by enemies. As the game progresses the player builds and upgrades until they can just sit back and watch the baddies drop like bad sitcoms until the level ends. Sure, the levels change and the towers and monsters become more interesting and powerful, but a solid player can clear any stage with enough understanding of the game’s rules and the basic layout. One thing is clear though; players that are new to the genre tend to keep back; the amount of enemies might be too overwhelming even with tutorials or help, due to the speed, strategy, and technique required. Fortunately, PopCap’s “Plants vs Zombies” is a pretty solid attempt to change the genre of defense games forever. [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]