A rundown of some of the more notable games hitting the streets this week.

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This Week's Games

Week of August 27th 2006

Disgaea 2

Nippon Ichi has been publishing a new strategy RPG every year since Disgaea - one would think this would get old, but they’ve kept it fresh and unique each time. Disgaea 2 runs a bit closer to the status quo, rather than branching out like Phantom Brave or Makai Kingdom, but that’s not to say it’s a bad. It’s actually far more refined than anything the company has put out to date, even if the characters aren’t quite as lovable as the folks from the original.

Dance Factory

Konami’s been a bit slow on the Dance Dance Revolution release lately, to the point where competitors like In the Groove and Pump It Up have tried to capture the market. Codemaster’ Dance Factory promises to analyze your own audio CDs and automatically generate dance steps. I have my doubts that will work very well, but it should tide dancers over until DDR Supernova hits in late September.

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Bomberman Act Zero

Both gamers and the press alike have ruthlessly bashed Bomberman Act Zero because it (finally) ditches the tired cutesy look of the last thirty Bomberman games or so. The new look is a bit corny, but hey, at least it’s something different. The problem is, apparently you can

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only play multiplayer on Live, so you’ll need to stick with other versions if you have a party of people over. Also, the Japanese version was released at a budget price of approximately $30 - we get a near full price release of $50. What gives?

Enchanted Arms

The first Japanese RPG for the Xbox 360, Enchanted Arms was developed by From Software, also behind Armored Core and Otogi. While they may not have a storied history of RPG development, they generally make solid games, and the tactical battle system looks to be a bit more involving than your standard fare. Still, the general buzz is that it’s nothing too special, especially compared to upcoming PS2 RPGs like Final Fantasy XII and Persona 3. But considering this will be only the only JRPG until the mystical Blue Dragon surfaces, it might not be a bad choice for the hungry.

Saints Row

Yet another GTA clone, it seems, except beating GTA4 to the next-gun punch. As usual, the whole gangsta atmosphere is a bit silly and overdone, but if it can provide the same detail as the cities from GTA, then it should prove at least somewhat worthwhile.

Starfox Command

I can’t say nice things about Starfox Command. The on-rails levels have been mostly ditched in favor of the free-flying stages from Starfox 64, except everything is on a time limit. The stylus control on the demo at E3 was terrible too. Is it that hard to make a decent Starfox sequel, Nintendo?

Kurt Kalata

(August 27, 2006)


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