Tis’ the season for updating PlayStation Home with a seasonal holiday space, apparently.
Sony Europe has revealed that a “Winter Wonderland” Home space is set to hit Sony’s virtual world service thingy on December 10. The area will feature snow, elves, present, as well as Santa’s grotto. The “Winter Wonderland” comes complete with mini-games, like the above “wood chopping” game that has you interacting with an elf you may have seen in your worst nightmare.
Of course, my experience with Home games has been not being able to actually play them, since they’re usually all occupied. Instead, I stand around and emote for awhile before logging out and actually playing a videogame. But there are prizes involved for those that participate — Sony promises “great rewards for your hard work.”
I think the real news here is that Monopoly is only now coming to PlayStation Portable.
As outed by an ESRB listing which in turn was discovered by GamerBytes, we can now say with confidence that the popular board game will be making it to PSP in some form.
Whether it’s going to be a PSP Mini or a straight-up PlayStation Network release remains to be seen, but we do know it sports 4-person multiplayer. You probably haven’t noticed this before, but jeez, you know for certain it’s a slow news day when Monopoly gets a mention.
Besides, nothing can top this version. Nothing.
Anyone who’s ever allowed themselves be drawn into those shiny blocks can attest to the Puzzle Quest addiction. D3 Publisher picked up on the craze, t…
I grew up on Nintendo’s Game & Watch titles. Living in Japan at the time, it didn’t take me long to pull a “I need that” with my parents, especially since all the Japanese kids were carrying these around. I had them, loved them, and sometimes wish I still owned them.
Little 200 DSi Point download versions have been released in Japan this year, but we’ve been left hanging. We’re still kind of hanging, but Australia isn’t. Australian COB ratings all but confirm that the Game & Watch titles are coming. For them. According to GamerBytes, nine of the many G&W titles have been released in Japan: Ball, Flagman, Vermin, Judge, Helmet, Chef, Donkey Kong Jr., Mario’s Cement Factory and Manhole. I assume these will be the same to hit Down Under.
None of the dual-screened ones yet, for some strange reason. Give ‘em time, I say.
I’m going to remain hopeful for the US release of these titles.
Oops! Nokia has gotten itself into trouble after releasing a commercial that shows a chap playing NES, SNES and Spectrum games on his mobile phone. The advert boasts about using emulators on Nokia products, with the implication that users can simply download any ROM they like for free, despite the fact it’s not always considered strictly legal.
The commercial has been pulled and Nintendo is currently investigating the situation. With the whole legal murkiness surrounding emulation, this is clearly not something Nintendo would want advertised, and Nokia really ought to have known better. Showing a man playing Super Mario World on his cell like it’s no big deal is a pretty stupid move.
The smell of lawsuits hangs in the air.
Want to cash in on the MMO craze? Think that copying World of Warcraft is the way to do it? NAUGHTY BOY STOP IT! Blizzard has addressed the multitudes of wannabes that have tried to follow in WoW’s footsteps, urging hopeful MMOs to be their own thing, rather than create poor imposters.
There are a lot of people that try to emulate World of Warcraft – and as flattering as that is our end it’s definitely not the right move,” advises lead producer Shane Dabiri in PC Zone. “I know that World of Warcraft is very successful, and so people think if they were to make another game just like it they could somehow capture that audience. However, I don’t think that’s what players are looking for.
“Players that have invested time in WoW don’t just want to do the same thing in other game — they want to try something completely new and different. I think the industry needs to move in that direction to come up with some innovative new MMOs that are trying really different things. Take City of Heroes — at least that’s something that’s not a fantasy game.”
This is very true in all areas. Once a market’s cornered, you’re an idiot to try and simply copy the leader and expect to copy the profits. This is why the whole “me-too” approach to motion control is such a silly move. Still, nobody’s ever going to learn, so we can expect unoriginal fantasy MMOs for many years to come, whether we like it or not.
In a few weeks, it will officially be the end of the first decade of the 21st century. The last time any of us can wear those obnoxious New Year’s Eve glasses where the eye holes are two zeros right next to each other. The end of the “Aughts” and the beginning of the unbelievably-awkward-to-say “Tens.” Okay, not to get sidetracked, but, seriously, what are we supposed to say for the next ten years? “Tens” sounds ridiculous!
To celebrate this momentous occasion, we here at Destructoid decided to put together a list of the 50 best videogames released in the ’00s. It goes without saying that it was one of the hardest things we have ever done. We went through every single one of the thousands of titles (yes, thousands!) and did our best to narrow it down to the very best the decade had to offer.
And what a decade it was! It was a fascinating ten years in the world of videogames. Not only did the last decade see videogames surpassing movies and music in sales, but with the advanced technology of the new millennium, videogame interaction — both physical and emotional — reached a whole new level. Designers were no longer stuck creating games to fit the limited technology of the hardware. Because of this, games with wonderfully varied visual styles and wildly different types of gameplay were born — a true boom in creative videogame expression.
So which fifty games are the best representatives of this landmark decade? The only rule we applied to this list — other than the obvious one of making sure each game was released between 2000 and today — is that only one game from each series could make the final cut. True, each individual game is its own creation and should be judged as such, but the similarities in some series would have easily plagued this list with too much repetitiveness. So, in the cases when one series had many similar games that could easily make the Top 50 (e.g., Zelda), we chose the best iteration and used it as the series’ representative.
Make sense? Okay, good. Hands together … and … BREAK! Hit the jump for Part One (#50-41) of our week-long, five-part series: The Top 50 Videogames of the Decade!
All of the Metal Slug games are fantastic in their own special ways, but Metal Slug 3 takes everything to a new level. Like the first two games, Metal Slug 3 contains some of the most addictive run-and-gun 2D gameplay, gigantic bosses, awesome music, and gorgeous sprite art ever seen in a videogame. But then it adds zombies. And aliens. You can even ride an elephant strapped with a cannon, for crying out loud!
While the series eventually went back to its more “traditional” roots, the ridiculousness of Metal Slug 3 is what makes it the best in the series.
BioWare is arguably one of the most influential videogame developers of the last decade, producing a string of incredibly epic role-playing games largely focusing on player choice and character interaction. In a strange and compelling twist, the Baldur’s Gate creators decided to apply this winning formula to a Star Wars-themed role-playing game.
Instead of firing the guy who would ever dare pitch such a crazy idea, BioWare ended up creating one of the most well-received movie licensed videogames ever created. The developer’s later RPGs were also great (Jade Empire, Mass Effect), but Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic will always be their best.
With its unbelievably memorable characters and oddly addictive adventure/courtroom gameplay, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is easily one of the most unique and surprising games of the last decade. The fact that Capcom was able to produce something so fantastic from such an absurd concept is reason enough for its inclusion on this list.
While the third game in the series, Trials and Tribulations, offers the most robust and satisfying story in the series, its reliance on past references and plot twists makes it almost too self-referential (which is not necessarily a bad thing!). The original game’s freshness combined with its solid, challenging cases makes it the best of the bunch.
OBJECTION (to anyone that doesn’t like this game)!
Coming from Square, most gamers expected Vagrant Story to be another traditional role-playing game. While that would have most likely been fine, Square surprised everyone with a strange little RPG that is anything but traditional. Vagrant Story has no towns, no shops, focuses most of its gameplay on strategy and weapon customization, and possesses a visual style that looks like it was pulled straight out of a comic book. And, for these reasons, it is awesome.
Although it sold well, the unique and refreshing Vagrant Story has kind of fallen off people’s radars over the years. Which is a shame, since a sequel to this highly original and remarkably well-made RPG would be very welcome — especially amongst the diehard fans of the cult classic. If you are reading this, Square, I will say it one more time: Can we please have a sequel? Pretty please?
It’s a strange thing. Even though Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii has more characters, more stages, an online mode, and a huge single-player adventure, fans still seem to prefer the balanced perfection that is Melee on the GameCube. I guess too many cooks spoil the broth … or, in this case, too many characters from past Nintendo classics competing in a deep and complex fighting game spoil the deceptive simplicity of a game still worshiped by a large group of hardcore fans that continually like to play it at parties, including ones that I still go to, in which I like to choose Peach or Mr. Game & Watch and spam everyone by standing in the corner and throwing sausages.
Am I right?
Also, the GameCube controller is totally the way to go.
How many of you were worried that Team Fortress 2 was just going to feel like an afterthought when it was announced the game would be attached to the almost-too-good-to-be-true Orange Box compilation that included all the episodes of Half-Life 2 and brand new, revolutionary puzzle game Portal? Okay, fine, maybe it was just me. What can I say? Online multiplayer games used to scare me!
But the point is: Team Fortress 2 turned out to not be just an afterthought. In fact, it turned out to be one of the deepest and most addictive multiplayer shooters in recent memory. Not only does the game sport a great visual style, each of the completely varied, instantly recognizable classes is perfectly balanced. If you are not a big fan of online multiplayer games like I once was, Team Fortress 2 will make you a convert.
Eff the Wii! Wario Ware: Twisted! is the perfect example of what motion controls can do to elevate a videogame experience. Well, no, don’t really eff the Wii — it’s a great system! — but years before motion control became the new hot thing, WarioWare: Twisted! utilized a plug-in motion sensor for the Game Boy Advance that picked up on a player’s rotating movements … and it was (and still is!) one of the coolest things ever. You really need to feel it in action to appreciate its brilliance.
WarioWare: Twisted!, with its endless barrage of infinitely creative five-second “microgames” that make full, hilarious use of the rotation tracker, is the best game in the series and one of the best games ever released on the Game Boy Advance.
Okay, let’s be honest: there is almost too much stuff to do in Banjo-Tooie. There are so many items to collect and charming characters to meet in the game’s enormous 3D worlds that it can be a little overwhelming at times. Banjo-Tooie balances the fine line between ambitious and overstuffed, but the sequel to the beloved Banjo-Kazooie is still a modern day classic and one of the last great 3D platformers to come out on the Nintendo 64.
Even better, anyone that missed Banjo-Tooie the first time around (for shame!) can download it on Xbox Live Arcade and experience the game with slightly improved visuals that still look good all these years later.
You say the name Tim Schafer in a room full of videogame nuts and it usually results in a stampede of excitement and oh-my-gosh-is-he-here fervor. So when it was announced that the writer of The Secret of Monkey Island and creator of Full Throttle was moving from his comfortable adventure gaming roots and creating a platformer/adventure game for multiple consoles, I … er … I mean, gamers everywhere rejoiced!
Lucky for everyone, the game delivered, as Psychonauts is one of the most revered videogames of the last ten years. The game — which follows a psychic named Raz in his quest to become a “Psychonaut” at a twisted summer camp — features solid gameplay, but its real strength lies in the world Schafer creates, filled with inspired locations, clever dialogue, and quite possibly the greatest cast of characters ever to grace a videogame.
When Braid was released for Xbox Live Arcade, there had already been a few downloadable titles that proved these kinds of games could be financially successful (Pac-Man: Championship Edition and UNO are good examples of that). But Braid was the first game to prove downloads could also be taken just as seriously as their bigger retail brothers.
Winning accolades for its mind-bending time-based puzzle/platformer gameplay and gorgeous graphics, Braid is considered by many to be the first true masterpiece on XBLA. Playing through the game is both challenging and surprisingly moving, thanks to a beautifully told story and one of the most talked about videogame endings of all time.
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What do you think? Are we off to a good start? Hit the comments below to weigh in with your opinions and let us know what some of your favorite games of the last ten years are.
And make sure to check back tomorrow for Part Two (#40-31) of our countdown of the Top 50 Videogames of the Decade!
Part One – #50-41
50. Metal Slug 3
49. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
48. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
47. Vagrant Story
46. Super Smash Bros. Melee
45. Team Fortress 2
44. WarioWare: Twisted!
43. Banjo-Tooie
42. Psychonauts
41. Braid
Sadly, today marks the last day of Steam’s holiday sale. With a few games dropped down to below $5.00, Valve is going out with a bang. There’s no denying it.
- The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition for $2.49
- Dawn of Discovery for $34.99
- Section 8 for $24.99
- The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena for $9.99
- Quantz for $2.00
- Evil Genius for $2.49
- Mirror’s Edge for $5.00
- Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood for $20.99
If I had room in the headline to do so, I would have given Evil Genius some much-needed love. Give that one some serious consideration if you’re feeling diabolic and have a whopping $2.49 to spare.
And since this is loosely related to the subject matter, did anyone else watch The Chronicles of Riddick over the long weekend? Yep, it was on TV. Riddick totally choked a dude without looking, stabbed a guy in the head, and then said some cool one-liners.
It was way less badass than I’m making it out to be. I still love you anyway, Vin.
There is no denying that Steam has an iron grip on the PC digital distribution market with an estimated 70% share. Valve’s platform has been an immense success, but some have expressed concern over a game developer owning something like Steam. This argument does not compute with Valve.
“In terms of whether we get too big or maybe our content shouldn’t be on the platform, it’s just doesn’t make much sense. Because the content helps the platform grow,” argues Jason Holtman. “There’s nothing better in the world for anyone making an Xbox 360 game than the fact that Halo exists. It’s awesome, there’s nobody saying ‘boy I wish Bungie hadn’t made Halo‘ because it sold an awful lot of Xboxes that you can sell your games on.
“Having the content and the distribution that go hand-in-hand make it a stronger platform, make it a platform to reach more consumers with your own game. If you look at any given time on our top-sellers and our marketing, it’s clear that [Valve games] are not the only push out there … We have a force of openness on the PC that’s always pushing on us. If we started doing things that were bad decisions for customers or developers, they can just move and go somewhere else.”
I don’t really get the problem with Valve running Steam. In fact, I’d rather Valve run the platform than some shady publisher like Microsoft (Games for Windows lol) or Activision. If anything, more developers should take charge of publishing. I have a feeling we’d have a much better industry if out-of-touch executives weren’t the ones calling the shots.
By now you would have likely seen the Left 4 Dead demake video that was picked up practically everywhere. If you’re one of the few who hasn’t seen the footage, don’t go back and watch it now. Since then, a new video — noticed by 1UP — has gone up, showing just how far this translation to 8-bit has come.
Two players huntin’ the infected at once, zombies that aren’t riddled with laughably poor depth perception, and a rather adorable-looking Hunter that glides across the screen magnificently. See, this really was a serious step up.
With a little over a month left until this game is going to be released as a free download, there’s surely a lot left we haven’t been exposed to. And, who knows — maybe the next time we check in the game will be in even better condition yet.
