3DS news

-3DS XL announced
–90% larger screens
–red, blue, longer battery life
–4 GB SD card included
–$199.99
–August 19 release, alongside New Super Mario 2
-Nintendo to push the 3DS hard this year as of Aug. 19
-Castlevania: Lord of Shadows: Mirror of Fate
-Skylanders Giants, 3DS has unique story
-Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why’d you steal our garbage?!
-Lego LotR
-Scribblenauts Unlimited
-Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion on Nov. 18
-Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
-Kingdom Hearts 3D on July 31, Mark of Mastery Edition, AR cards for Dream Eaters, demo out now on eShop
-Prof. Layton & Miracle Mask, exclusive for 3DS in Nov., about Layton’s high school days, downloadable puzzle daily for download
-SSB3D, partnering with Bandai Namco, Sakurai is game director, Kobayashi and Higuchi also on the team
-Art Academy 3DS, better on 3DS XL

-New Super Mario Bros. 2 all about coin collecting, features new power-up that lets you turn everything to coins
-Coin Rush mode uses StreetPass to see who can beat whose records, using only one life
-Touching a Gold Ring turns enemies to gold, and they produce coins
-Gold Block worn on Mario’s head, supplies coins faster the faster you move
-Gold Mario power-up throws gold fireballs that turns blocks to coins
-Coin Rush: Remaining time converted into coins
-Coin Rush: Save record, share via StreetPass, records can then be challenged by others
-Tallies every coin collected since beginning, something special at 1 million coin mark
-Available on eShop and in stores
-Downloadable Coin Rush stages after release

-Fire Emblem 3DS is an entirely new game, combining lots of things from old games into a single, epic experience, release next year, will feature DLC

-Super Mario Land on eShop for $2.99 soon

-July 5 to August 1, two new VC games every week, including Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, The Legend of Zelda, and one of the Kirby games

-http://photoshowcase.nintendo.com available to showcase the best 3D photos

-Pokémon Black 2/White 2 launch this fall, story 2 years after Black/White back in Unova, includes older Pokémon and new Trainers and Gym Leaders, additional functions on 3DS
-Pokédex 3D Pro includes data on all 649 Pokémon, to have more functions than Pokédex 3D
-Pokémon Dream Rader: Search for Pokémon in AR to catch, which can be transferred to Black 2/White 2

Wii news

-Kirby’s Dream Collection: Special Collection, collection of lots of old Kirby games, includes soundtrack and interactive timeline, also includes book all about Kirby, celebrating 20th anniversary
-Pikmin 2 for Wii now less than $20, features revamped controls and multiplayer, good preparation for —Pikmin 3 for Wii U

Dairojo! Samurai Defenders is a downloadable game for the DSi. In this game, you place samurai warriors to defend a castle.

On the top screen are hints as to what unit is useful for what purpose, and the bottom screen is your battlefield, castle included. There are some areas where you can place your units, and some where you can’t. Enemies will come in from certain points on the map, either by air or by ground, and follow a certain path toward your castle with the intent of destroying it. There isn’t a whole lot more to this game, really.

I’ve noticed that this game is basically a clone of the Crystal Defenders games, which are based on the Final Fantasy series. I’ve also noticed that this game is considerably harder (I can’t even beat the first level, which wasn’t the case with Crystal Defenders R1). The graphics look like they belong on the NES, too, which doesn’t really help the game’s overall worth much, considering it’s on the DSi.

The Final Word
Overall, I’m going to have to give this game a 1 out of 5. It’s not cool that the gameplay is practically stolen from the Crystal Defenders series, especially when it’s been made harder and replaced with NES-style graphics. I mean, seriously, haven’t we evolved past the 8-bit age? This game really only appeals to tactics genii who absolutely despise Final Fantasy. For everyone else, just buy the Crystal Defenders games.

- MonsterVine Rating: 1 out of 5 – Abysmal

DodoGo! Challenge is a DSi game available for download from the DSi Shop Channel. It involves guiding eggs back into their nest through a maze of obstacles. The controls mainly involve the stylus, but can also include the buttons and microphone.

In this game, you are able to pause the progression of events in order to place tools, such as springs, decks, and fans, which will then aid your eggs on their journey back to the nest. They must get past obstacles such as dinosaurs, water, and fire. The game bears a huge likeness in concept to the popular Lemmings series.

Different tools can interact in tandem with one another. For example, a robo-egg blows up when fire touches it, but it can also be turned into a time bomb by attaching a switch to it. By combining tools in such a manner, it is possible to overcome almost any obstacle. For the obstacles to which tools won’t matter, your eggs can find disguises along the way, each of which has a different effect. An egg can hide in a bush, for example, which lets the dinosaur walk right past it if it’s holding still.

The graphics look like they’ve been drawn by a 10-year-old. That makes sense for this game, and it all blends well. You could probably add Bugs Bunny to this game without getting in trouble.

There’s no real story in the game. It’s all just puzzles. That being said, and I don’t know if it’s just me or if the game’s really like this, but I couldn’t even get past the second level due to its extreme difficulty. If you’re a genius with Lemmings, then this game’s for you. If you’re not, I wouldn’t be wasting my DSi Points on this.

The Final Word
I give this game a 2 out of 5, simply out of its difficulty. It would rate higher if it were easier for everyone to play, but instead it seems like it’s been geared for too specific an audience. That, and it’s basically just a clone of the Lemmings series. I understand it’s a sequel, but for someone who is just looking at this game alone, I just can’t see it being a huge hit.

- MonsterVine Rating: 2 out of 5 – Mediocre

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s: Duel Transer is a disc-based game for the Nintendo Wii. It was originally going to come out in September of 2010 with a card scanner accessory, but the scanner was removed from the package, and the game released in December 2010. Konami stated that, if the card scanner does come out, it will not be compatible with Duel Transer.

When you first start up the game, you’ll see the opening sequence. The opening cinematic shows Yusei Fudo drawing a card with the “Shield Warrior” and “Speed Warrior” cards already in Attack Position on his Duel Disk. He then places his “Junk Synchron” card on the Duel Disk, and proceeds to Summon “Stardust Dragon”. We then see the Summon animation for “Stardust Dragon”, followed by several duelists, these being Hunter Pace, Chief Armstrong, Grieger, and Lazar. Then several Dark Signers make their appearances; first Misty, then Devack, Carly, Roman, and finally Kalin. Next is Akiza with her “Black Rose Dragon” being Summoned, followed by Leo and Luna, side by side, each drawing a card with “Power Tool Dragon” behind Leo and “Ancient Fairy Dragon” behind Luna. The twins hold up those two cards, crossing them with “Power Tool Dragon” in front, and that’s followed by both monsters’ Summon animations. Next is Crow, followed by “Blackwing Armor Master” being summoned. Then there’s Odin, a Transcender, and Surtr appearing together, one after the other. Jack Atlas is next, drawing a card and Summoning “Red Dragon Archfiend” to attack with. “Black-Winged Dragon” bursts forth after that, and then “Stardust Dragon/Assault Mode” rushes forward, attacking. The logo shows up after that.

You get four save slots in this game, and this is where you see how much time you’ve put into that file, the face of your character for that file, and a percentage showing how many of the cards in the game you’ve collected. Your name is on that file also, of course. You can use the – Button to delete a file here, also. When you start a new game, you choose a name (“Player” is the default), then a character to represent you. Your Starter Deck will be different, depending on whether you chose a male or female avatar. Unlike most of the other Yu-Gi-Oh! games, there is no character customization.

You are taken to your Main Menu next. The options here are Story Mode, Deck Menu, Free Duel, Shop, Status, Options, Load Data, Database, and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Once you start the game’s Story Mode, you choose an area from a menu. Yggdrasil Entrance is the only place open at first, but then you lock other areas by clearing each stage. You learn you are one of the duelists invited to participate in the Duel of Legends Cup, a massive tournament to be held on Ragnarok Island, an isolated island in the middle of the ocean. The island’s only interesting feature at first is a great tower, named Yggdrasil. The tournament organizer, Surtr, explains that the tournament winner will have the world at his feet, and the tournament starts with having Duels on the island to get inside Yggdrasil. You’ll quickly notice that many characters from the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s anime are present in this game, as is expected for a Yu-Gi-Oh! game to start with.

Once the dialogue is over and done with for the time being, how Story Mode works is explained. You basically move your character on a honeycomb-style map, using 1 Action Point, or AP, to move to the next panel. You spin the AP Roulette to gain AP. Just on the first stage, you’ll notice there are several different kinds of panels, and there will be more in future stages. The Slow Panel, for example, requires 3 AP to move to, and the Stop Panel saps all of your AP. Using your PDA in Story Mode lets you access everything on the Main Menu, short of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Instead, there’s a Suspend Game option, which lets you exit Story Mode. The game saves data automatically with every action taken, whether it’s editing your Deck or moving your character in Story Mode.

The Deck Menu lets you view Deck recipes, as well as edit your own Deck using cards from your trunk. The controls are similar to the Tag Force series for the PSP, but since you’re using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk for this game, there are a few differences. You have to hold down the C or Z Button, then press a certain direction on the + Control Pad, to scroll more quickly through your cards, use search functions, and so forth. You can only search by the card’s initial, frame, icon, Type, Attribute, Level, or what it can do, such as removing cards from play or Special Summoning monsters. You can also search for cards that are on the Forbidden/Limited Cards List.

In Free Duel mode, you can choose an opponent, and which Deck that opponent is to use. You can play a single Duel or a full Match, as well as adjust the time limit for each turn and starting Life Points. Deck recipes can be purchases with DP from the Shop for use here, and additional opponents can be unlocked through various means.

The Shop is where you use DP earned from Duels and clearing stages in Story Mode to buy packs of cards and Deck recipes. You start with 300 DP, and what packs are available depends mainly on what you do in Story Mode. Some packs and recipes are more expensive than others.

Your Status is just that. You gain EXP through Dueling, and every 1000 EXP levels your character up. This, in turn, lets you get more AP from spinning the Roulette in Story Mode. Your wins, losses, draws, name, DP, position in Story Mode, and chosen avatar are also here. Lastly, you also see how many cards in total, and how many different cards, you own.

Options is where you can change message speed, music and sound effect volume, card animation speed, and toggle Duel effects, display of detailed card information, display of activation confirmation, automatically drawing a card for your turn, Summoning shortcuts, and more.

The Database keeps track of Duelist Data, your Card Album, and also has Help, the Movie Theater, and the Forbidden/Limited Card List. The game comes with the March 2010 list, but you can download the September 2010 list from the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, and switch to it in the Database here. The Movie Theater will only have the opening sequence at first, but there are certain cards in the game that have special animations, such as “Stardust Dragon” being Summoned and attacking.

You can Duel anyone worldwide or nationwide on the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, setting the rules as you would in Free Duel mode. You can also exchange Friend Codes with others to Duel specific people. You will be asked to choose a name for the leaderboard, though.

The controls for this game are very simple. You mostly just use the A and B Buttons, as well as the + Control Pad, on your Wii Remote. The Nunchuk’s Control Stick is just for scrolling through card text without looking at the card’s full details and more precise movements on the Story Mode maps. The C and Z Buttons are just for search shortcuts and such when you’re editing your Deck. Everything else on the Wii Remote is rarely used.

The game’s Story Mode has an interesting story, told through the characters’ dialogue, and that story honestly has little to do with the anime itself. The game also has every card in it that’s been released in Japan, including Starstrike Blast and TCG exclusive cards from Absolute Powerforce. You won’t find “Gravekeeper’s Recruiter” in this game, but you will find “Gravekeeper’s Priestess”, for example. Also, cards with alternate artwork let you choose which picture to use from the start.

The problems with this game are that it doesn’t really seem to warrant a Wii game disc. It feels more like it would be more at home on the PSP, especially since the Summon and attack animations were basically ripped from the Tag Force series. It could have done with more character customization, the most recent TCG exclusive cards, voice acting (the Tag Force series in Japan has it, but not our versions, which is retarded), and a password machine (every card has an 8-digit code on it, which is used to put the card into a video game).

The Final Word
All in all, it’s not a bad game for this series, but it could have used some improvements. Maybe Konami should think about a game that can update its database of cards, so we wouldn’t have to keep buying new games.

- MonsterVine Rating: 3 out of 5 – Average

Knights in the Nightmare is a fairly new game for the PSP available on PlayStation Store, and it comes with a game called Yggdra Union. Now, I haven’t played Yggdra Union, nor is this review about it, but it was requested that we mention it.

In Knights, you control the Wisp, which is the soul of a long-dead king known for ferociousness in battle. Each stage involves setting up to four weapons, setting your knights, and ordering your knights to attack, both with and without the set weapons (or key items, which are one-shot items used to recruit new knights), in order to slay enemies. However, there’s a little more to this game than just slaying enemies. There is a board for each stage called the Enemy Matrix, and you have to select which enemies appear in each turn of combat. You need to slay enemies whose spots on the Matrix go four in a row in order to clear the stage. Now, while I’ve only played a few stages, I can already tell that the gameplay doesn’t change much. If anything, the boss battles let you skip the slots, because you need only slay the boss.

And that brings me to turns. You get a minute of real time for every turn, but it’s only used up when you’re using the Wisp to activate a knight’s attack, charging that attack, and unleashing it. In other words, a single stage can literally last months… If you do nothing. I wouldn’t advise doing nothing, however, because the other way to lose time is if the Wisp is hit by enemy attacks, which could be anything from a few leaves dropping down one half of the screen to a spider web taking hold of a corner of the screen and spreading. Some of these attacks you can interrupt with the Wisp, however.

There are elemental weaknesses and resistances in this game, possessed by both weapons and enemies. You basically have a few pairs of elements that oppose one another, similar to the four elements in Final Fantasy X (fire, water, ice, and lightning).

As for the story, the heroine, referred to as the armored maiden, awakens you, the Wisp, from your long confinement. You then need to fight your way through the gauntlet of stages, each of which is preceded by a story scene. Basically, there’s some dark evil threatening the world, turning people into souls (like your knights), and thus a soul must be awakened to combat the darkness. The armored maiden, therefore, breaks into the castle of her own kingdom and releases you. The first few stages give away this feel of mystery, because you don’t know who your enemy really is.

The graphics of the game are very similar to the likes of Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift for the DS, except for certain scenes, which are much more like Japanese anime. When you’re playing the game, you might get the idea that the armored maiden is a very cold woman, but if you leave the game idle instead of loading your save file on the title screen, it shows you a beautiful anime-style opening movie that shows the armored maiden as much more feminine. The game even features a little voice acting.

The Final Word
It is a fun game, and I’d love to spend more time playing it, but I honestly prefer Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts more. That’s probably just my personal bias, though. This game is worth most of the $32.08 (including tax) you’d have to pay for it, but you may want to try out Yggdra Union, and see if you’d rather have both or just one game.

- MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good

The goddess of harmony, Cosmos, and the god of discord, Chaos, intertwine in an eternal conflict. Chaos now has the upper hand, and it’s up to you to save the world, or land the final blow.

This is easily classified as a fighting game, and there’s a lot more to it than what you see at the first glance. At first, you can only play as the main heroes of the first ten Final Fantasy games, and each has their own combat styles. There’s Terra, whose magical prowess makes her one of the most formidable combatants siding with Cosmos, and the Warrior of Light, who’s a great all-around character. Simply by playing the game, you earn PP, which is used to unlock the characters sided with Chaos as playable characters, new looks for the characters, and more.

There are several different modes for playing the game, the most noteworthy being the story mode. Here, you can experience the trials and tribulations of Cosmos’ heroes as they search for the only way to save the world. I think there’s also a story mode for the villains, but you’d have to first unlock all the villains from the PP menu.

In story mode, you use Destiny Points to move your character to whatever other icon you want to interact with. If you still have DP remaining when you clear the stage, you get bonuses. Gil can be earned to purchase things from the shop, such as equipment or even a (almost) free level up. Summonstones add a good degree of strategy to the game, especially the ones you manually activate (some are summoned automatically, pending certain conditions). Some equipment comes in sets, so that if you have three pieces equipped from the same set, it unlocks a huge boost of some sort. There are also accessories in the game, and different types of them. With all of the possible equipment, there’s a huge amount of strategy to this game that you may miss at first glance.

By leveling up, characters learn new abilities. Most of these are attacks, though some are simply movement or indicators. However, these add yet more strategy to the game. You have to know how to control range, how to use your abilities to do that, and how to control the balance of power between yourself and your opponent.

Battles are truly a work of art in this game, with being able to crash your opponent into a wall, dramatic chase sequences, and even a new form of limit break known as the EX Burst. By gathering enough EX Force, small points of light that fly from your attacks clashing, and also collecting EX Cores, you can charge up your EX Gauge. Once full, you can activate EX Mode, where your character powers up, and is able to unleash an EX Burst once successfully inflicting HP damage. Every character has a different EX Burst, and they all require some form of interaction. A perfectly-executed EX Burst often means The Final Blow has been dealt.

There are two types of attacks in this game: Bravery and HP attacks. Bravery measures your attack power, and HP attacks deal damage equal to your Bravery. By using Bravery attacks, you can drain Bravery from your opponent. Be careful, though, as unleashing an HP attack will bring you down to 0 Bravery temporarily. There’s plenty of ways to evade or block incoming attacks, too.

There’s even an option to save a replay of your battle for viewing in the Museum mode. In addition, there are several Accomplishments, which act sort of like the PS3′s trophies, but you actually get rewards in-game for them, like new accessories.

The Final Word
All in all, this is a very deep game, with huge amounts of strategy for its simplicity. It’s like Final Fantasy chess, but with a lot more awesomeness to it.

- Final rating: Excellent

Bookworm Adventures 2 is the long awaited sequel to one of the world’s most popular world games. Is the game accessible enough to attract new crowds or will it only impress fans of the series?

The first thing that struck me was that everything was point-and-click controls, with maybe a little dragging in the Options menu. Unless you’re terrible with a computer mouse, that means this game will be very easy to control.

In this game, your character (a bookworm named Lex) has to spell words to defeat enemies. You are given a 4-by-4 grid of 16 letters (“Q” is always “Qu” instead here, so 25 possible letters and you don’t have to use a “U” tile with the “Qu” tile). It is therefore your job to spell out the words, then click Attack to end your turn with a strike on your opponent. There’s no missing or dodging in this game, and the power of your attack depends on what letters you used, and how long the word you attacked with is.

You also get three different potions, which are collected in various ways. One of them restores two hearts of your life energy (obviously, it’s Game Over if you lose all your hearts), one powers up your attack for that turn, and one cures all status ailments. Status ailments range from being burned, poisoned, stunned, frozen, or even having tiles in your grid smashed, warped, or locked. Enemies get gradually harder to defeat, as well.

As you defeat enemies, you’ll fill up your Level Up Gauge, and when it’s completely full, your base stats are augmented for the better. This is really the only thing this game has in common with RPGs. This game I wouldn’t call an RPG, really. Defeating enemies with spelled-out words is really all this game amounts to.

When you get far enough in the game, you will sometimes have the opportunity to play a minigame for prizes, usually potions. These range from using the letters in one big word to spell out smaller ones to spelling words quickly from a random set of letters to defeat another character in a race.

The graphics are rather cartoony, and while the movements are smooth, any Pokémon game for the Game Boy Advance or more recent would get a higher score for battle sequence graphics.

The Final Word
It’s clearly a children’s game, and should keep them amused for a while. However, the game is also easily finished, and can also get somewhat boring. The story isn’t really much to listen to, either.

- MonsterVine Rating: Average