Electronic Gaming Monthly articles from April 2007

Electronic Gaming Monthly archives from April 2007

Moore's Law.(Interview)
April 1, 2007... A year ago, we interviewed Xbox bossman Peter Moore shortly after the 360's launch. Most of you liked our line of questioning--brutal, honest, and frankly, a little smart-assy. (Google "Moore's Law, 1UP" to read it online.) Xbox loyalists,...

Gundam MUSOU.(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... I'm sick of beating up hapless Chinese soldiers! Then Namco Bandai has a nice trade-up plan: How about ditching the dynasty (or samurai) warrior and replacing him with a 200-foot-high mech? Gundam Musou, a co-op project between publishers...

Mario Party 8.(Nintendo Company Ltd.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Dastardly delays Even though the next gen has arrived, we're still waiting for the games to show up to the party--like, ironically, Mario Party 8 for the Wii. Nintendo has pushed back the festive minigame collection to this summer. The...

Spider-Man 3.(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2007... Platforms: Wii/PS3/XB360 Publisher: Activision Developer: Treyarch Release Date: May 2007 Some twenty-odd years before Sony decided to use the Spider-Man font as the PlayStation 3 logo, and even before...

Swing Time.(Activision Inc.'s Spider-Man 3)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... As Spider-Man 3 hits so many platforms (including the handheld sector), you can expect some specific tweaks for each system. Activision's developers have found pretty good ways to use the Sixaxis (for Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and Call of...

Calling all Cars.(David Jaffe, God of War creator)(Interview)
April 1, 2007... God of War creator David Jaffe thinks he sucks at making story games. But he's not afraid to yap about how much fun his story-free PS3 downloadable game, Calling All Cars, is. Read why he thinks we should tell you his game is cool and why he...

We Are the World?(Industry overview)
April 1, 2007... Love, food, coca-cola, Pamela Anderson--all cross cultural boundaries in ways the United Nations can only dream of. But what about videogames? Sure, it's a given that software piracy and FIFA soccer games (that's futbol to the rest of the...

Mushroom Kingdom HEARTS.(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Admit it--the original idea for Kingdom Hearts was absolutely absurd. A role-playing game featuring characters from Final Fantasy and Disney? Hell, that's about as asinine as combining Legos and Star Wars (wait--scratch that). But the only...

HARDCORE HITS.(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Think playing Guitar Hero is hard? Try recording the riffs! We asked series guitarist Marcus Henderson to tell us the top five hardest songs he recorded for the Guitar Hero games. 5. "Hangar 18" -- "Not only technically difficult, but...

Crackdown.(Billy Thompson, Phil Wilson)(Interview)
April 1, 2007... Building-hopping your supercop around Pacific City, you quickly realize Crackdown offers a different take on the open-world genre, in part because of its ripped-from-a-graphic-novel art style, and in part due to the upgradeable superpowers....

THAT'S COOL.(find gifts on www.ncsx.com)(2K Sports to release All-Pro Football 2K8)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Come out and play...nice Constructing your own videogame costume may be a breeze (and insanely nerdy), but forging your own dragon-slayer is a wee bit tougher. Well, at least all you crazy cosplayers can now swing semireal...

Pro Gamer.(Alexis Hebert)
April 1, 2007... This month: Alexis Hebert, pro gamer with Major League Gaming Experience: An MLG Halo 2 pro for two years, with dozens of tournaments behind her What's a pro gamer? A hardcore player who competes in tournaments for cash prizes...

5 Lives:.(Keiji Inafune, video game producer)(Interview)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Fending off butt-ugly bugs in Lost Planet: Extreme Condition got our blood boiling. So before this shooter melts completely off our gaming radar, we pinned down the game's producer, Keiji Inafune (who also produced the mall-infested zombie...

Left 4 DEAD.(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2007... Platform: XB360 Publisher: Valve Developer: Turtle Rock Release Date: Winter 2007 Rabies is a nasty disease. If contracted by a human (generally through an animal bite), it can be virtually undetectable...

THE BIG ONES.(Halo 3, Final Fantasy XIII, Super Mario Galaxy, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2007... Halo 3 XB360 * Microsoft * Fall 2007 Frank O'Connor, Bungie's content manager, is a mathematical genius. "Anyone who's played multiplayer on Xbox Live knows the following is true: Teenagers, plus anonymity, plus microphone, equals...

Rumor Mill.
April 1, 2007... I know some people out in Internet land have been calling me out...well, I hope you naysayers had a chance to pick up our last issue when my rumor about publisher Square Enix making several Final Fantasy remakes for the PSP came true--booyah!...

COMING SOON.(video games)
April 1, 2007... Guitar Hero II XB360 * Activision/RedOctane Well, it's about freakin' time that folks other than PS2 owners can rock out with their c***s out. New tracks and venues up the ante in the 360 edition, but Achievements and the promise of...

Wii-ality Check.(video games)
April 1, 2007... Cooking Mama: Cook Off Majesco * April 2007 After fattening up the DS' quirky catalog last year, Cooking Mama returns to the kitchen to serve up a tasty dish for the Wii. Sure, it's disappointing that Cook Off borrows so much from...

BACK TO THE FUTURE.(Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction)
April 1, 2007... In the midst of this unbelievably heated console war, developer Insomniac ain't afraid to play the role of Saturday Night Live. "Cronk and Zephyr are pretty old, decrepit, kind of falling apart, and always at odds with one another on whose...

SONIC AND THE SECRET RINGS.(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2007... Wii n Publisher: Sega Developer: Sonic Team Players: 1-4 ESRB: Everyone SHANE: Secret Rings isn't exactly a triumph, but it's a clear cut above most Wii fare. In the wake of all the recent PS2, PSP, and DS ports, it's encouraging to...

KORORINPA: MARBLE MANIA.(Konami Developer)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2007... Wii Publisher: Konami Developer: Hudson Players: 1-2 ESRB: Everyone wJENN F: With chirpy music and candyland levels, Kororinpa: Marble Mania comes wrapped in a deceptively unassuming package. You simply navigate a marble through...

SSX BLUR.(EA Sports Big)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2007... Wii n Publisher: EA Sports Big Developer: EA Montreal Players: 1-4 ESRB: Everyone Andrew P: Imagine, if you will, a snowboard. Straight, thin, and most important, one piece. This is the case for a good reason: If each foot got its...

WING ISLAND.(Konami)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2007... Wii n Publisher: Konami Developer: Hudson Players: 1-2 ESRB: Everyone Crispin: Wing Island packs all the thrills of massively subsonic (more like walking-speed) flight coupled with aerial searches for wayward livestock and villages...

TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 07.(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2007... Wii Publisher: EA Sports Developer: EA Redwood Shores Players: 1-4 ESRB: Everyone TODD: Let me first declare myself a Super Swing Golf hater (Tiger's early Wii competitor). It plays fine, but I don't go for starlight spewing...

FORMULA ONE CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION.(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2007... PlayStation 3 Publisher: Sony CEA Developer: Sony Liverpool Players: 1-11 ESRB: Everyone JOHN: No one can deny that F1 is a truly gorgeous game that absolutely wallows in the rich culture of Formula One--but get beyond the...

VIRTUA TENNIS 3.(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2007... PS3/XB360 Publisher: Sega Developer: Sega AM3 Players: 1-4 ESRB: Everyone TODD: Virtua Tennis 3 reminds me of modern-day gym classes, where kids jump rope without the rope. Because of the rare unforced errors, it's a perfect game for...

ARMORED CORE 4.(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2007... PS3/XB360 Publisher: Sega Developer: From Software Players: 1-8 ESRB: Teen JOE: Here's the thing you need to remember about Armored Core 4. The game isn't about giant mechs fighting in large, bland arenas. The game is about...

MOTORSTORM.(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2007... PlayStation 3 Publisher: Sony CEA Developer: Evolution Players: 1-12 ESRB: Teen John: Few videogame experiences are more exhilarating than playing MotorStorm in first-person mode, hurtling through the Dust Devil track in a rally car,...

DEF JAM: ICON.(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2007... PS3/XB360 n Publisher: EA Games Developer: EA Chicago Players: 1-2 ESRB: Mature TODD: When it comes to concept, Def Jam games have always been shaky. But Icon's (finally) believable premise gets rid of most of the clunk. I liked...

Major League Baseball 2K7.(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2007... PS3/XB360 Publisher: 2K Sports Developer: Kush Games/Visual Concepts Players: 1-2 ESRB: Everyone TODD: I know my fellow reviewers will rant about MLB 2K7's lack of innovation, and yes, the fielding and pitching feel a bit...

SHINING FORCE EXA.(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2007... PlayStation 2 Publisher: Sega Developer: Neverland Players: 1 ESRB: Everyone 10+ A. FITCH: Hey, it's the Madden of action-RPGs! EXA sports the exact same engine, combat system, enemies, environments, and amateur-hour voice...

GOD OF WAR II.(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2007... PlayStation 2 Publisher: Sony CEA Developer: Sony CEA Santa Monica Players: 1 ESRB: Mature MATT: (Warning, spoilers ahead!) Leaping off the back of Pegasus in midair to grab a Chimera and tear its wings off; air-wrestling with...

RATCHET & CLANK: SIZE MATTERS.(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2007... PSP Publisher: Sony CEA Developer: High Impact Players: 1-4 ESRB: Everyone 10+ JOE: Funny thing about Size Matters: If you look at it like an unknown platformer, it actually seems pretty good. It's got loads of variety, mixing...

AFTER BURNER: BLACK FALCON.(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2007... PSP Publisher: Sega Developer: Planet Moon Players: 1-4 ESRB: Teen JAMES L: G forces be damned. After Burner gives the arcade flight-combat genre a nitrolike feature that makes you feel like you're moving at ludicrous speed. And...

REVIEWS WRAP-UP.(video games)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2007... XB360 GHOST RECON ADVANCED WARFIGHTER 2 Publisher: Ubisoft ESRB: Teen Wait, is this GRAW 2 or just GRAW 1.5? Yeah, we loved last year's original, but not a lot has changed here. The differences include day/night cycles and...

Humor that bites.
April 1, 2007... I've been writing jokes about videogames for almost a decade. But did you know that videogame comedy goes all the way back to the early '80s? Two fantastic paperbacks started it all in 1982. Author Haller Schwarz released his masterwork,...

The Elder Scrolls.(from Oblivion)
April 1, 2007... Oblivion's upcoming arrival on the PlayStation 3 marks the first time that Bethesda's blockbuster The Elder Scrolls series has appeared on a Sony system. The PlayStation family has always been the console of choice for role-playing fans, but...

Out with the old.
April 1, 2007... Next gen is now current gen, making the previous gen last gen...right? Oh, the PlayStation 2's still got it going on, but really, it's time we moved on. Goodbye, GameCube, Xbox, and soon, PS2--you all played a good game. Which "last...

THE FUTURE OF VIDEOGAMES.
April 1, 2007... Yawn...we seem to be bored with 2007 already; where are the flying cars and male-dominating fembots? Better yet, where are the videogames you play with your mind in an interactive parallel universe? While we're waiting for that sci-fi stuff,...