[Post Oficial] Reviews y Previews de IGN: Hoy: Might & Magic Clash of Heroes

Paws & Claws: Pet Resort

http://ds.ign.com/ar...3/853834p1.html



Closing Comments
Paws & Claws: Pet Resort is an undeniably bad product and not worth your consideration at all. It's like someone at THQ took last year's Paws & Claws: Pet Vet, downgraded it for
the Game Boy Advance, cut out the fairly capable veterinarian simulation aspects of its design and then re-ported the whole hacked-up thing back to the DS. Fans of virtual pet or simulation experiences would be well advised to spend their gaming dollars anywhere else but here, because after four, going-on-five years of the DS being Nintendo's flagship handheld, it's simply unacceptable to continue to see pitiful port projects like this.

2.0 Presentation
Confusing menus, little to no guidance given to players to help them get started, and no good use of the second screen. Terrible.

2.5 Graphics
Pet Resort utilizes some pre-rendered 3D models for close-ups with its animals, but everything else looks like it comes straight from the GBA edition.

5.0 Sound
Mediocre background music. Occasionally a customer will utter a short vocalized phrase, such as "How do you do?"

2.5 Gameplay
Bland and boring. The touch screen is paid lip service with mild functionality, but there's nothing "DS" about this design. The pace is slow and the concept is dull.

3.5 Lasting Appeal
You'll be able to see a fair amount of animals if you stick with it, as well as upgrading your facilities when you earn more money. But there's little incentive to do so.

2.5
Terrible OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

Puppy Palace

http://ds.ign.com/ar...5/855089p1.html

Closing Comments
And that's it. You never find anything else, and you never get to do anything else. Puppy Palace ends before it ever feels like it begins. It's almost like this entire game is just the set of extra option menus that were meant to accompany some actual, real, fleshed-out gameplay experience somebody just forget to include the core gameplay. It looks good, it sound fine and the presentation is perfectly capable, but there just isn't anything to do. It's boring and limited and a waste of your time, so don't put down so much as a security deposit for this empty palace.

6.0 Presentation
Puppy Palace looks fair in the beginning, as its look is inviting and its menus are well organized. But it drops the ball after just the first two minutes.

6.0 Graphics
There are 48 different breeds of dog included here, each one modeled fairly well though the animation fails to present any real personality in the puppies.

5.0 Sound
Nothing that you'll remember, but nothing grating on the ears either. An average audio presentation.

2.5 Gameplay
There's nothing to do. No core gameplay at all. You just move from menu to menu, clicking on things, occasionally mildly interacting with the dogs. That's it.

3.0 Lasting Appeal
You can upgrade and remodel your store to grow your business, but none of the changes are ever represented visibly. There's no reason to keep playing.

3.0
Bad OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

de donde han salido esos dos ultimod juegos?

Mega Brain Boost

http://ds.ign.com/ar...5/855512p1.html



Closing Comments
Mega Brain Boost is just three times the junk that Brain Boost was over a year ago. It wasn't fun then, and it really isnt fun now, especially considering that other third-party developers have managed to make good brain games. It's insulting that the developer and publisher would just throw this game back out without bothering to improve the core mechanics of the title. Dumb move.

4.5 Presentation
Three times the games, but still no progression system.

5.0 Graphics
The style is simple, and the characters are kind of cute, but half the game is colored dots.

5.0 Sound
Lasery sound effects and generic music.

4.0 Gameplay
Just because there are more, doesn't make it fun, especially since it's the same crap as before.

3.0 Lasting Appeal
There is little motivation to even play the games once, let alone try and improve your score.

4.5
Poor OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

FIFA Street 3

http://ds.ign.com/ar...5/855726p1.html



Closing Comments
FIFA Street 3 turned out the better game compared to last year's mess, but it's still not a "good" one. I'm imagining that FIFA Street 3 is simply a testbed for NHL's possible move to the Nintendo DS. The stylus controls might not make a trick-based three-on-three soccer game fun to play, but it has the potential to work for focused pass-and-shoot mechanics for ice hockey. It's an idea whose time has come and hopefully the ideas created for this weaker product will make it into a stronger sports title like NHL.

6.0 Presentation
Even with the bunch of features in both single and multiplayer, FIFA Street 3 still feels a bit hollow inside

7.5 Graphics
Smooth 60 frames per second engine looks pretty tight when the camera stay far enough away. The bottom screen needs way more excitement, though.

7.0 Sound
Upbeat techno soundtrack that sounds good, but also seems a bit generic.

5.5 Gameplay
It's Soccer Lite. Sure there are more scoring opportunities with no fouls, but its design just doesn't hold the same interest as a real football title can.

6.0 Lasting Appeal
Single cart, multiple cart, and online features for two-player support mean you're not very far from a challenge. But even with a human competitor the game just doesn't grab.

5.8
Mediocre OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

Brain Assist

http://ds.ign.com/ar...6/856155p1.html



Closing Comments
Brain Assist is a decent take on the genre, and while it doesn't stand out as a major accomplishment, it is just different enough to make it fun. If there were more minigames to choose from then we might be able to recommend this title. The 10 offered are fun abstract takes that serve as neat distractions, but, unless you have a thing for identical doctor sisters and succubae, pass.

7.5 Presentation
Stern, yet gentle nurses, plus an evil one!

6.5 Graphics
Simple, but fun and colorful.

6.5 Sound
The music can be a little annoying, but it's funky.

7.0 Gameplay
The 10 minigames are fun and don't feel like rehashes of other brain games. Still, only 10 games.

7.0 Lasting Appeal
There's a progress tracking system, and single card cooperative and compettive play.

7.0
Decent OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

Homie Rollerz

http://ds.ign.com/ar...6/856497p1.html



Closing Comments
Even without the Homies license attached to it, Homie Rollerz is an absolutely worthless kart racer that has obviously been given the minimum possible effort. Add on the hilariously awful artwork and license and the game almost seems like a cruel joke aimed at Dave Gonzales. Maybe eventually this game will be in the capsule machine of your local Taqueria for a buck, but until then, holmes, just pass.

3.0 Presentation
A homeless Wizard and a bunch of gullible stereotypes. Plus a talking chili pepper.

2.0 Graphics
The levels are awful and unrecongizable. The cars look like they're floating.

2.0 Sound
Grating MIDIs of the kind of music you hear at the begining of a Novella.

1.5 Gameplay
Poor controls, no fun whatsoever, and, oh yeah, practically impossible to beat.

1.0 Lasting Appeal
How many races will kids have to lose before they give up completely? Our estimation is three.

2.0
Terrible OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

Estos últimos juegos han estado malillos, ¿no?
Por suerte este mes se vienen dos juegos buenos

Saludos

Estos últimos juegos han estado malillos, ¿no?

Por suerte este mes se vienen dos juegos buenos

 

De cuales dos hablas?

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates

http://ds.ign.com/ar...7/857012p1.html





Closing Comments
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates isnt the best Square Enix product on DS, but its very impressive nonetheless. Take the original design of the Crystal Chronicles series on Cube, streamline it for a single player experience, and then rebuild the multiplayer from the ground up, and youve basically got what Ring of Fates has to offer. Since DS is a portable, a huge chunk of the games development went to making sure that the single player offering is up to snuff, and it paid off marvelously. Characters have real depth to them, theres a huge mass of scripted storytelling, the CG is as always the highest quality out there on DS, and the sheer amount of depth within the main story mode is pretty staggering.

On the multiplayer side of things, Crystal Chronicles offers much more than you get with most portable packages, but it wont live up to the originals standard. Players can link up locally and play multiplayer-specific scenarios, but the addition of each human player also brings about a wave of frame issues and overall game lag (not in the wireless, but in slowdown from too much on-screen action). Its still an extremely robust and entertaining endeavor, complete with the same teamwork and feeling of epic co-op play, but it wont satisfy in the way a full four player story mode did on Cube. Were also dying to get some of these Square Enix games online (especially in this case, as it would feel like a DS MMO in a sense), but apparently it isnt the cards. Hey, at least nobody is forced into jug duty this time around.

When all is said and done though, weve been watching Crystal Chronicles DS for over three years now, and the final product was well worth the wait.

8.0 Presentation
The CG is beautiful, the interface and option control is well designed, and the story is well crafted. Frame issues hurt the experience, but are found mostly in multiplayer.

8.5 Graphics
Not quite on par with the likes of FFIII, but impressive nonetheless. Few companies can pull off 3D on DS, but Square Enix is one of them. Model work and effects are top notch.

9.0 Sound
A beautiful audio composition all around. The music is inspired, and the VO is numerous and well performed across the board.

8.0 Gameplay
Its classic hack-n-slash fanfare, but with more customization, touch integration, and overall depth than anything else on DS. Frame issues really hurt the experience though.

8.5 Lasting Appeal
If it wasnt for the frame problems, Ring of Fates would be a must-have game. Theres a gigantic list of things to do in both single and multiplayer alike. Local co-op only though.

8.2
Impressive OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

Muy buena la nota del FF CC ring of fates

buena nota, un 8,2, a ver si llega ya pronto a tierras europeas

Estos últimos juegos han estado malillos, ¿no?

Por suerte este mes se vienen dos juegos buenos

 

De cuales dos hablas?

 

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (aquí un poco más arriba) y Ninja Gaiden.

 

Saludos

Estos últimos juegos han estado malillos, ¿no?

Por suerte este mes se vienen dos juegos buenos

 

De cuales dos hablas?

 

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (aquí un poco más arriba) y Ninja Gaiden.

 

AH! Ni enterado que Ninja Gaiden salía este mes.

 

Suerte!

The New Zealand Story Revolution Review

Tired gameplay mechanics rise from the grave.


The New Zealand Story isn't one of the better-known arcade classics. Originally released by Taito in 1988, it was most notable for its zany premise: players control a kiwi bird named Tiki who must rescue his buddies from an evil walrus (is there any other kind?). Tiki is armed with a bow and arrow and must make his way through a series of platform levels while spearing enemies, eating the fruit they leave behind, and utilizing several different methods of transportation. The game is very cute and the old-school gamer in me really wants to like it, but there are too many annoying gameplay relics that should be left in the past.

New Zealand Story hasn't been given a modern makeover for Revolution. If you know the arcade original you'll immediately recognize this DS version. It looks dated, but there are plenty of gamers (myself included) who appreciate the classic look of a colorful, 2D platformer. The same levels and bosses have been kept intact. Each non-linear stage consists of a search for a key to release a friend, and then a search for your friend. Environments are laid out horizontally and vertically, and wrap around themselves like a maze. Action plays out on the top screen while the bottom displays the general location of important items.

The inventive boss battles are one of New Zealand's few major attractions.The challenge is in trying to navigate the dangerous environments (much of New Zealand is lined with spikes, apparently) and dealing with endlessly re-spawning enemies constantly getting in your way. Really, I thought we had solved the problem of re-spawning bad guys back in 1990. When a new foe pops up to take the place of anyone you slay it prevents the player from feeling a sense of accomplishment. It doesn't feel like you're making progress. Maybe the developers wanted to maintain an authentic New Zealand Story experience, but this was a chance to tweak the gameplay and make it more relevant to modern gamers.

The controls aren't very tight. This means extra aggravation trying to make tricky jumps and avoid traps. When the primary gameplay mechanic is to jump around, it had better be pretty fun to do so. Here, it's more exasperating than anything else.

Since you're given an inexact location of the key and cage, it's easy to miss the key and have to backtrack. But that means you have to deal with all the enemies again. Some levels even prevent you from backtracking, so you're just stuck and have to call it a loss. But you're forced to either kill yourself or turn off your system because you can't quit to the title screen while in a game, bizarrely enough.

There are brief moments where you'll need to use the stylus to open a door or catch Tiki from falling off a ledge. A message appears on the bottom screen in these instances, but since your eyes are fixed on the top screen 99 percent of the time it's easy to miss these. You will be expected to perform this mundane task while still dealing with any current enemies or obstacles. Plus, I think it's bothersome to have to keep your stylus in hand for a game that doesn't use it most of the time.

The music is bouncy and playful, very well-suited to the gameplay. Some of the sound effects are a little strange in that they don't seem to quite fit the action, but I've a feeling that was a choice by the developers to go along with the quirky feel of the game.




Closing Comments

New Zealand Story superfans will probably be pleased with this Revolution. But how many superfans are out there? If you never played the original you'll likely wonder why it warranted a remake. And if you're a younger gamer who missed the arcade heyday this will probably just reaffirm your belief that games used to be pretty crappy. I'm on board with New Zealand's graphics and sound, but there are too many games available these days to waste time dealing with enemy re-spawns and clunky platform controls.


6.0 Presentation
The arcade relic is presented in its original form without any bells or whistles. What baffles me is that I can't return to the title screen while in a game.

7.0 Graphics
Very retro, but very cute.

6.5 Sound
The theme should be called "Super Happy Fun Time."

5.5 Gameplay
Unforgiving controls and re-spawning enemies will have you reaching for the "off" switch.

5.0 Lasting Appeal
The game is of average length for a platformer but there's nothing to motivate additional play throughs.

5.6
Mediocre OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)